Author

Greg LaRose has covered news for more than 30 years in Louisiana. Before coming to the Louisiana Illuminator, he was the chief investigative reporter for WDSU-TV in New Orleans. He previously led the government and politics team for The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com, and was editor in chief at New Orleans CityBusiness. Greg's other career stops include Tiger Rag, South Baton Rouge Journal, the Covington News Banner, Louisiana Radio Network and multiple radio stations.
Let’s see that same Hunter Biden fervor applied to everyone who shouldn’t have gun access
By: Greg LaRose - September 14, 2023
There’s no question Hunter Biden is a troubled person. His problems were well documented before his indictment Thursday on a federal firearms charge. The president’s 53-year-old son has admitted to having a crack cocaine problem that he didn’t disclose when he purchased a handgun in October 2018, according to a federal indictment. The charge comes […]
More than a third of calls to Louisiana’s child abuse hotline fail to connect
By: Greg LaRose - September 11, 2023
More than a third of callers to Louisiana’s hotline to report child abuse, even professionals who are required to report indications of abuse, either reached a busy line or hung up before someone could answer. For the calls that were answered, an average of nearly seven minutes passed before someone picked up the phone. The […]
Jeff Landry supporters likely unfazed by alleged ethics violations over plane flights
By: Greg LaRose - September 8, 2023
Someone please wake me up when we’re no longer in a place where accusations of ethical wrongdoing by elected officials can be so easily weaponized as high-caliber campaign fodder. It was really only a matter of time before what has infected the national political discourse spread down to the state level. The Louisiana Board of […]
Candidates for Louisiana governor take few risks in first TV debate, minus Landry
By: Greg LaRose - September 7, 2023
NEW ORLEANS – The five candidates for Louisiana governor took part Thursday night in the first televised debate ahead of the Oct. 14 primary, minus the current frontrunner whose absence didn’t go unnoticed by his competitors. Attorney General Jeff Landry said he chose to bypass the debate, hosted by WWL-TV, because he considers one of […]
Tiger Island fire 71% contained, sheriff says
By: Greg LaRose - September 7, 2023
Lightning strikes Wednesday sparked new fires in a section of Beauregard Parish where a major conflagration has destroyed more than 30,000 acres of forested property, but Sheriff Mark Herford said the larger Tiger Island fire was at “71% containment” as of Thursday morning. Monitoring for hotspots continues but there has been no growth in the […]
Louisiana, like other Southern states, relies on outside airborne help to fight wildfires
By: Greg LaRose - September 7, 2023
Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said last week he will ask the legislature for money to buy more firefighting equipment, including a tanker airplane that can drop water on blazes from above. Such an asset would make Louisiana unique among its Southern neighbors and comparably sized states, which rely entirely on outside help for their airborne […]
Conditions that create jobs, not costly incentives, need to be prioritized in Louisiana
By: Greg LaRose - September 4, 2023
All too often, a business that’s been lured to Louisiana with generous tax breaks and other taxpayer-supported enticements fails to live up to the hype that preceded their arrival. The form that typically takes is an employer that fails to deliver promised jobs but readily accepts exemptions to their property taxes that benefit their bottom […]
Louisiana’s largest wildfire blamed on arson
By: Greg LaRose - September 2, 2023
Investigators believe the Tiger Island fire in Beauregard Parish, the largest in Louisiana this summer, is the result of arson, state officials said Saturday. The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry Enforcement Division and Beauregard Sheriff’s Office detectives are looking for a suspect responsible for starting the Aug. 22 fire that emergency crews continue to […]
Questions abound as the Louisiana governor’s race heads into the homestretch
By: Greg LaRose - September 1, 2023
Labor Day is traditionally the point where statewide election campaigns move into high gear with roughly six weeks to convince voters before they make their decision. For the 2023 Louisiana governor’s race, voters might also need a road map to follow the candidates who’ve either been nebulous about their platforms or aren’t making a big […]
Louisiana ag commissioner warns of continued wildfire risk: ‘It is literally a tinderbox.’
By: Greg LaRose - August 31, 2023
The Louisiana official who leads the state’s wildfire fighting efforts says he will ask the legislature for more resources next year, including additional personnel and a tanker plane that can drop water on blazes. His pending request comes as emergency crews attempt to contain major fires in southwest Louisiana under persisting drought conditions. In the […]
Rain does little to lessen Louisiana wildfire risk
By: Greg LaRose - August 29, 2023
Intense downpours brought relief from high temperatures Monday to some parts of Louisiana, but officials say it did little to reduce the threat of wildfires that have now claimed more than 60,000 acres across the state. With more extreme heat and minimal rain in the forecast, crews combatting the blazes anticipate the risk to persist, […]
Steve Scalise announces he’s undergoing treatment for cancer
By: Greg LaRose - August 29, 2023
U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced on social media Tuesday morning that he is currently undergoing treatment for cancer. He told followers on the platform formerly known as Twitter that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma after undergoing tests. “After a few days of not feeling like myself this past week, I had some […]