Behind bars: A Baton Rouge tax preparer on bail from a 2013 arrest is back in custody facing multiple felony counts for tax fraud, the Louisiana Department of Revenue announced today. Chandris Ferguson, of 12457 Lockhaven Ave., is accused of filing falsified state income tax returns that resulted in her clients receiving larger tax refunds than they would have received otherwise. The amount of fraudulent refunds in the case is $63,686. Investigators say Ferguson, owner of The Best Tax Services, filed returns claiming fabricated business losses for clients who had sustained no losses, and in many cases were not business owners. She is also accused of instructing her clients to ignore official notices from the Department of Revenue seeking to verify the business information on their tax returns. Ferguson was arrested in 2013 on similar fraud charges. LDR has more details.
Come on down: Ten years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, the city’s tourism has not only rebounded. It’s practically been reinvented. As The Associated Press reports, New Orleans had just 3.7 million visitors in 2006, the first full year after Katrina. Last year, there were 9.5 million visitors. The city has 600 more restaurants than 10 years ago. And hotel occupancy rates are higher than they were before the levees broke Aug. 29, 2005, flooding 80% of the city and killing hundreds. Attractions have also blossomed beyond classics like the French Quarter, Garden District and The National World War II Museum. Today’s must-sees include the hipster Bywater neighborhood, the new Crescent Park along the Mississippi River and a rebuilt historic market, St. Roch, that was destroyed by the flood. Read the full story.
On stage: Former First Lady Nancy Reagan is inviting 16 Republican presidential candidates, including Gov. Bobby Jindal, to participate in the CNN/Reagan Library presidential debate on September 16. CNN reports Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore, who participated in the debate of lower-tier candidates last week, has not yet been invited. Candidates must achieve an average of at least 1% of support in three recognized national polls before September 10 to be included in the debate, as well as meet other criteria. The CNN event will be broken into two back-to-back debates with two groups of candidates, unlike the Fox debate in which the two segments were separated by several hours. CNN State of the Union anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper will moderate both groups participating in the debate, which will be held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Read the full story.
