 | By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
INTERESTED? Is a $1,500 loan worth it, if it costs you another $1,500 in interest and fees? Payday lenders would be authorized to charge cash-strapped consumers in Louisiana 36% annual interest, plus a monthly fee of $13%, if Gov. John Bel Edwards allows Senate Bill 381 to become law. Its sponsor says the new loan product would help Louisiana residents living paycheck-to-paycheck make ends meet when faced with unexpectedly large expenses. Critics say it’s a predatory product that will trap low-income residents in cycles of debt.
A LIFE LOST: Every murder victim has a story tell. In the case of Carl “Muney” Wright, it’s that of a man who overcame many obstacles. He was displaced after Hurricane Katrina damaged the family's Lower 9th Ward home, lost his father in 2019 and was navigating parenting after splitting with the mother of his two boys. Despite it all, Wright showed up each day to work at a French Quarter gastropub with a smile on his face.
SACKED AGAIN: Saints legend Drew Brees has gone through a bumpy transition from football to television, and he's discovered that people in the industry haven't been all that kind as he's worked through some early struggles. One analyst described him as a "corpse" in front of the camera, and the New York Post reported that Brees is out after one season with NBC, which didn't like his chances of becoming the network's next top NFL analyst. Now another commentator has piled on, saying Brees is “just not as popular as he thinks he is.”
WHAT TO DO? International flavors fill the weekend with food, entertainment and excitement as the long Memorial Day weekend starts the summer. Here are 10 things to do.
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