Posts Tagged ‘louisiana state’

The annual Louisiana State Sales Tax Holiday commences this Friday, August 7 at 12:01 AM through Saturday, August 8 at 12:00 AM. This holiday exempts any personal, non-business use purchase up to $2,500 from the 4% state sales tax. In Baton Rouge, this means that you’ll pay only the 5% local sales tax this weekend. This holiday is set by the legislature for the first consecutive Friday and Saturday in August in anticipation of the new school year. More specific information is available on the Louisiana Department of Revenue web site.

The DHH issued a press release this morning declaring seven confirmed cases of influenza A strain H1N1, more commonly known as the swine flu. Five cases were in Lafayette at the Cathedral Carmel School school that was closed early this week. There was also one case in Orleans Parish at the Audubon Charter School and a case in Ascension at Lake Elementary School. Officials said that the latter two schools will remain open because both students have been absent for some time. There are still no confirmed cases in Baton Rouge.

The DHH is continuning to monitor this situation. Governor Bobby Jindal is holding a press conference today at 2:30pm—we’ll update with any new information.

The most shocking news coming from these confirmed cases is that the Ascension case did not have any direct link back to Mexico.

If you’ve been paying attention to the world, by now it’s likely you’ve seen the outbreak and subsequent public hysteria surrounding Influenza A virus subtype H1N1—or, more commonly, swine flu. As readers of our fine hyperlocal blog, you’ve probably also noticed that we’ve been mysteriously quiet about the whole situation. While many traditional news agencies have published dozens of article about swine flu, we’ve only published one. And that article was called “No Confirmed Cases of Swine Flu in Louisiana” and it served only one purpose: to tell you not to panic.

And now, I just wanted to say that until there is a confirmed case of swine flu in Louisiana, you won’t here anything about it from us. Why? Because there’s really no reason to worry or panic until it actually gets here. You can see from the swine flu map that reported cases are still several hundred miles away from our state. Sure, there have been suspected cases of swine flu, but there haven’t been any reported cases yet. The Governor’s press conference yesterday confirmed that he and the DHH are taking preemptive measures to ensure the safety of the public, so the closing of schools has nothing to do with any outbreak. In fact, since the human flu is a derivative of the same strain and we are in flu season, it’s very likely that these suspected cases are just that—suspects.

I really don’t think it’s expedient towards any cause to bring more attention to a matter that’ll likely subside than is necessary. Of course, that isn’t to say that you shouldn’t be prepared—you most definitely should be. Furthermore, we will update when we actually receive news of a confirmed case. That is all.

The Louisiana State Budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year is, by now, old news. In one of the most controversial moves in his tenure, Governor Bobby Jindal has proposed a cut of $1.3 billion from the previous budget. This is just one of the many unfortunate consequences of the global recession. This post is the beginning of a new, continual series to examine the new budget and put the effects into perspective. This first installment is focused on, ostensibly, the most draconian of all the Governor’s cuts: the arts.

When a tourist comes to this state, they do so to experience our rich culture. It’s definitely su generis to Louisiana and what we pride ourselves in. The arts are just one of the many indelible aspects of our culture and to harm the arts in any way is an egregious act—except during economic downturns. Arguably, this is the only excuse one can imagine to this iniquity. However, is this as appaling as many believe? The answer isn’t as clear as it may seem.

Continue reading “Focus on the Budget: Arts” →