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In BB gun suspension case, AG Jeff Landry joins families fighting Jefferson Parish School Board
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry added the State of Louisiana to a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish School Board brought by the father of a boy who was suspended in September for inadvertently making a BB gun visible in a virtual classroom. The attorney representing 4th-grader Ka’Mauri Harrison and his father, Nyron Harrison, said Landry’s […]
Louisiana rental assistance program to launch ‘shortly,’ state housing group says
The COVID-19 relief package passed by Congress at the end of 2020 extended rental assistance to people struggling to stay in their homes during the economic crisis and allocated $309 million to Louisiana, but none of it has yet reached struggling renters and property owners. The money will be distributed by the Louisiana Housing Corporation, […]
The term ‘Cancer Alley’ has a long history in Louisiana — and even a history before Louisiana
Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy said he took offense to President Joe Biden using the term “Cancer Alley” to describe an 85-mile stretch along the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans that has 150 chemical plants and refineries that nearby residents have long blamed for a variety of illnesses. Cassidy called the president’s remark […]
Louisianians 65 and older are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine
Starting Monday, Louisianans 65 and older are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making about 1.2 million of the state’s population eligible for vaccination, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday. Currently, vaccination is open to residents 70 and older, but by lowering the age threshold, about 275,000 Louisianans will be newly eligible to get the […]
New York gun restrictions ‘violate the Second Amendment,’ Landry and other AGs write to U.S. Supreme Court
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry joined 22 other attorneys general in a brief to the United States Supreme Court in support of two New York men who were told by a licensing official that they had not demonstrated a sufficient need to carry a firearm for self defense outside their home. In 2008, in a […]
Louisiana’s state agencies had trouble transitioning employees to remote work
“This won’t be in the proclamation, but it’s we know it’s something that works,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a COVID-19 press conference two days before Thanksgiving. “I’m encouraging employers public and private to maximize the use of telework where possible. I’ve already directed state agencies to do this, and we’re urging others to […]
Tulane enacts ‘Safer-at-home restrictions’ amid rising COVID-19 cases
Tulane University “strongly encourages students” to limit themselves to essential activities only for the next two weeks, the university announced on Friday. Students have been told to “limit themselves to their residence halls and off-campus residences” when they’re not in class, getting food or participating in other essential activities. Whether they live on or off […]
Louisianans encouraged to check unclaimed assets on National Unclaimed Property Day
Monday is National Unclaimed Property Day, where citizens are encouraged to check if they are owed any unclaimed property from the state. Unclaimed property “consists of abandoned financial assets such as checking and savings accounts, unpaid wages, securities, life insurance payouts, uncashed checks,” etc. Starting July 1 in Louisiana, those assets will be placed in […]
College students invited to apply for state government fellowship program
College and university students interested in state politics can now apply for the 2021 Governor’s Fellows Program in Louisiana Government. The summer program “allows college and university students the opportunity to experience the inner workings of state government and gain a deeper understanding of public policy,” according to a press release from the Gov. John […]
‘All disasters increase inequity’: A year after the pandemic hit the U.S., the poor are even poorer
Coinciding with the Jan. 21 anniversary of the novel coronavirus’ appearance on U.S. soil, the National Conference on Citizenship, a nonprofit chartered by the U.S. Congress to gather data to address and propose solutions to public problems, released its latest installment of Pandemic to Prosperity, a series of reports that illustrate how vulnerable communities — […]
State officials express concern about new COVID-19 variants in Louisiana
There have been three confirmed cases of the even more contagious UK variant of the novel coronavirus, but at a Thursday press conference, the state’s public health director said, “We should all assume there’s significantly more UK variant in this state than what’s been confirmed.” Gov. John Bel Edwards said the same thing. “It is […]
Louisiana needs to invest more in early childhood education, state superintendent says
Only 46 percent of Louisiana 3rd graders are on track to master English and only 43 percent are on track to master math, a disturbing statistic that Louisiana State Superintendent Cade Brumley attributes to 60 percent of the state’s kindergarteners starting school already behind the curve, Brumley said Wednesday morning in a virtual press conference […]