In the dark: Roughly 13,400 residences and businesses in Baton Rouge were without power this morning due to the line of severe thunderstorms that moved across southern Louisiana late Thursday night, according to Entergy, which is working to restore electricity. There were also about 3,400 outages in Ascension Parish and 975 in Livingston Parish. Of the just over 30,000 power outages Entergy reported in its service area this morning, most were in the Baton Rouge area, which received between 3 to 4 inches of rain. Forecaster Gavin Phillips at the National Weather Service Officials in Slidell tells The Associated Press wind gust of 70 to 80 mph were reported in the Baton Rouge area.
The numbers don’t lie: In order to demonstrate what they are doing for students, colleges and universities must be willing to let data tell their story and stop perpetuating the faulty notion that charging a hefty tuition necessarily means students are getting a better education. Diverse, a publication focused on higher education issues, reports that was the argument LSU President F. King Alexander made at a recent gathering meant to get institutions to embrace a more comprehensive system of data that shows how they are performing on indicators that range from completion to employment. “Data is important. Data exposes those that are ripping off the public,” Alexander said. “Data helps the institutions that are trying to show value, keep costs down, keep efficiencies up, and that’s the fight we’re in for the next 50 years of higher education.” Read the full story.
Padding the nest egg: Monthly pension checks will grow on July 1 for thousands of retired state employees, public school workers and teachers in Louisiana. The Associated Press reports Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the cost-of-living increase into law Thursday. Nearly 125,000 retirees over the age of 60 will see increases, ranging from 1.5% for retired state workers and teachers to as much as 4% for retired state troopers. The average monthly increase will be about $30. The increases are estimated to cost $383 million. The pension hike, sponsored by Sen. Barrow Peacock, R-Shreveport, is tied to adjustments in how the retirement systems pay for raises and administrative costs, aimed at lessening long-term debts.
