Best year: The Louisiana Lottery Corporation ended its fiscal year with nearly $625 million in revenue, making 2021 the Lottery’s best year in its nearly 30-year history. Resulting transfers to the state treasury for K-12 public education were more than $207 million, up $28.3 million from last year and exceeding budgeted transfers by nearly $45.9 million. See the report from Louisiana Lottery Corporation.
Prediction rises: After a record start, followed by a near-silent July, the Atlantic hurricane season looks like it will be busier than meteorologists predicted a few months ago. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration today updated its outlook for the 2021 Atlantic season, increasing the number of named storms and hurricanes expected. The agency is now forecasting 15 to 21 named storms instead of the 13 to 20 it predicted in May. Meteorologists also said the number of expected hurricanes is seven to 10, instead of six to 10. Read the full story.
Evenly divided: The latest CNBC All-America Economic Survey found the public nearly evenly divided on the issue of vaccine mandates countrywide—whether they should exist at all and especially where they should exist. The poll of 802 Americans taken July 24-28 found 49% favoring vaccine mandates and 46% opposing—a difference that’s within the survey’s 3.5 percentage point margin of error. Five percent said they were unsure. Read the full story.
