Paycheck to paycheck: In Louisiana, about 40% of all households—or 695,719 total—are unable to afford the state’s cost of living, with conditions still lagging behind pre-recession levels, according to a new “ALICE” released by the Louisiana Association of United Ways this morning. ALICE, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, is a new United Way initiative spotlighting the population of Louisiana residents who work at low-paying jobs, have little or no savings and are one emergency from falling into poverty. “This report provides the objective data that explains why so many residents are struggling to survive and the challenges they face in attempting to make ends meet,” says the report’s lead researcher, United Way ALICE Project National Director Stephanie Hoopes, in a prepared statement. Access the full 263-page report and an interactive map of statistics by parish.
In the pipeline: Genesis Energy has started transporting crude oil from terminals in Baton Rouge and Port Hudson to ExxonMobil’s Anchorage tank farm in Port Allen, Reuters reports, citing a regulatory filing released at the end of last week. The pipeline began operations on Thursday, according to a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The rate to ship crude from the Scenic Station terminal and rail facility in Baton Rouge to Exxon’s Anchorage tank farm in Port Allen is $0.2716 per barrel. Shipments from the Port Hudson terminal near Zachary to the Anchorage station will be $0.5432 a barrel.
True crime: A New Orleans attorney is close to learning his sentence for crimes involving the generous tax credit program credited with turning Louisiana into “Hollywood South.” The Associated Press reports a sentencing hearing has been set for this afternoon in the case of Michael Arata, one of three people convicted last April in what prosecutors said was a scheme to get state tax credits for a project that turned a dilapidated mansion into a production facility. Authorities said the three used fraudulent documents to obtain more than $1 million in tax credits for work that was not actually done. In December, a federal judge refused to grant a new trial in the case, although he did throw out 11 of the 13 counts on which Arata was convicted. Arata remains convicted of conspiracy and fraud.
