Time to buy hurricane supplies: Batteries, flashlights and other hurricane preparedness items can be purchased tax-free this weekend as part of the annual state tax holiday. The tax holiday, now in its fourth year, is held on the last Saturday and Sunday of May, just before the June 1 start of the Atlantic hurricane season. The aim of the holiday is to encourage Louisiana residents to begin preparing for storm season. The tax holiday exempts the first $1,500 of each eligible item from the 4% state sales tax. Local sales taxes levied by parishes or special taxing districts still apply.
Fans buy tickets, despite uncertainty: The New Orleans Saints have sold out their allotment of season tickets for the 2011 NFL season, despite an ongoing lockout that casts doubt over the upcoming pro football season. The Saints have sold out the Superdome on a season-ticket basis every year since 2006. Capacity for Saints games will be about 3,000 more this season than last because the old field-level seats are being replaced and reconfigured as part of a renovation that has been ongoing since 2006.
