Fact check: Southern states used convict leasing to force Black people into unpaid labor Editor’s note: In two former legal statutes referenced below, a racist term was replaced with the word Black in brackets. The claim: Convict leasing, an example of systemic racism, was used to force Black people into unpaid labor for private and state industry. Prior to the Juneteenth holiday commemorating the end of slavery, a now-unavailable Facebook post asserted that the convict leasing system used in

Salmonella outbreak: 'I've never seen anything like it' Louisiana's Department of Health officials believe a mass outbreak of salmonella poisoning in Caldwell Parish that sickened hundreds and is suspected in one death can be traced to a jambalaya fundraiser for a softball team. As of Thursday, 49 cases of a gastrointestinal illness were confirmed with 31 people hospitalized, the Department of Health reported. The ages of those with a confirmed illness range from 15 to 70. State officials also reported Thursday samples taken from five people have tested positive for salmonella.

A Home Depot project loan provides customers with a line of credit up to a $55,000 maximum for financing a home improvement project. If you want a kitchen remodel or to upgrade a bathroom, the loan makes it possible to swipe a card at Home Depot to purchase the items needed to complete your project. A fixed 7.99% annual percentage rate may match your other interest rate options in the unsecured loan category, particularly if you have average or good credit. For consumers with exemplary credit or

The realization that fashion could be a form of self-expression led Lela Orr to a career in the fashion industry and launching her own brand, Ferrah, in Dallas. It has also led her to reality television. Orr, a former Monroe resident, will appear as a contestant in the new season of "Project Runway" when it returns to Bravo on March 14. Orr was a fan of the fashion-design competition in high school and dreamed of appearing on the show. When the reboot was announced, a friend sent in an applic

The 91-year-old sits in one with a rotary bakelite phone in reach on the other. For the past several months, Splond has spent many of her days on the patio, using the phone to take care of her business. She can't spend time in her home of 30 years until damage caused by the March flooding is repaired. "I'm here most every day when I feel up to walking from the neighbor's house over to this house, but it's not every day that I feel like I can do it," Splond said.

Money-saving apps are great for making every dollar in your budget count. Whether you’re using a savings app to divert extra change to a savings account or using it to help save money at the grocery store, you’re contributing to your long-term financial security with every swipe and click. The best savings apps make it easy to save, provide easy access to earnings and carry no cost for use. With these saving apps, you can carefully budget, boost your emergency fund, and save for a big purchase d

The loan-to-value ratio is a measurement used by financial institutions to determine the level of risk when extending a mortgage loan. When you buy a home, the LTV ratio expresses the monetary gap between your proposed mortgage and the appraised value of the property being purchased. Because the house and property secures a mortgage loan for the lender, a higher LTV ratio means a higher risk. A high LTV ratio can mean more costs for the buyer or a denied loan. You need a LTV ratio of 80% for mo

Big brother to the rescue: Man gives sister half of liver After spending more than a decade on local, national and international basketball courts, taking action is a first instinct for the Monroe native. Now, he is rebounding from his biggest act yet: the donation of 55 percent of his liver to his baby sister, Roslyn Downs Burnside.

Overtime rule: More money or more problems? A Department of Labor overtime rule change scheduled to take effect on Dec. 1 has the potential to affect millions of employees nationwide and 174,000 Louisiana workers.