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Large donor to Louisiana Republican Party caught up in Supreme Court controversy
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 14, 2023
A significant donor to the Republican Party of Louisiana and Republican Attorney General candidate Elizabeth Murrill also played a pivotal role in the U.S. Supreme Court transparency scandal that broke earlier this year. Mortgage company owner Robin Arkley has donated $100,000 to the state GOP over the past year. Arkley and his wife Cherie have […]
Large donors to Landry paid millions to settle allegations of public health care overcharges
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 12, 2023
When Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry first took office in 2016, he emphasized his role in combating fraud in Medicaid, the government-backed health insurance program for people who are poor, pregnant or living with a disability. Landry, now the Republican frontrunner in the governor’s race, highlighted the work of the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. […]
Louisiana prisons need better oversight of sentencing changes, auditor says
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 11, 2023
Louisiana’s prison system needs to be more meticulous when it makes changes to sentences for good behavior and other credits, according to a new report the state legislative auditor released Monday. Some people can earn earlier release based on their accomplishments — such as taking educational classes and complying with prison rules — while behind […]
Tangipahoa Parish emergency department named after governor’s mother
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 8, 2023
The emergency department at Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence will be renamed after Gov. John Bel Edwards’ mother, Dora Jean Edwards. The LSU Board of Supervisors approved the designation at the public charity hospital Friday, the governor’s office said. Dora Jean Edwards, who died earlier this year, spent the majority of her career working […]
Louisiana ethics board charges Jeff Landry with failure to report Hawaii trip on donor’s plane
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 7, 2023
The Louisiana Board of Ethics wants Attorney General Jeff Landry to pay a penalty for failing to disclose flights he took to and from Hawaii on a political donor’s private plane in 2021. Documents released this week show the board voted in August to charge Landry and one of the donor’s companies for violating the […]
Louisiana residents have until Sept. 23 to register to vote in gubernatorial primary
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 6, 2023
Louisiana residents have until Sept. 23 at the latest to register to vote to participate in the upcoming primary election that features open races for governor, attorney general, state treasurer and secretary of state. If you do not have a Louisiana driver’s license or special identification card, you must register to vote by an earlier […]
Jeff Landry and Liz Murrill have been a team for years. Will that continue?
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 5, 2023
Louisiana Republican megadonor Lane Grigsby has been an enthusiastic supporter of Attorney General Jeff Landry’s campaign for governor over the past year. But Grigsby said Landry also asked him personally to back another candidate on the fall ballot — Liz Murrill, a Republican who’s running to replace Landry as attorney general. Landry told Grigsby it […]
Donald Trump Jr. will host a campaign rally and concert for Jeff Landry in Bossier City
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 5, 2023
Donald Trump Jr. will appear at a rally and concert for Attorney General Jeff Landry’s gubernatorial campaign in Bossier City on the night of Sept. 13, the campaign confirmed Monday. Country music performers Gary Levox and Tracy Lawrence will perform at the event. It’s scheduled to take place at The Stage at Silver Star concert […]
Legal cannabis? Film tax credits? Louisiana governor candidates pitch how to boost tourism
By: Julie O'Donoghue - September 1, 2023
Reducing crime, retaining tax credits for film productions and legalizing marijuana are ways Louisiana’s governor candidates said the state could boost its tourism industry. Six of the seven major gubernatorial candidates spoke Thursday to the Louisiana Travel Association at the group’s conference in Baton Rouge. Attorney General Jeff Landry, the presumed frontrunner in the governor’s […]
Jeff Landry refuses to participate in first debate of the Louisiana governor’s race
By: Julie O'Donoghue - August 31, 2023
Attorney General Jeff Landry, who has refused to attend several election events with other candidates this summer, formally announced Thursday he won’t participate in the first debate of the governor’s 2023 campaign next week. Landry, the presumptive frontrunner for Louisiana’s top office, said he is concerned that one of the sponsors of the debate won’t […]
Louisiana online data portal tracks heat-related illnesses, deaths
By: Julie O'Donoghue - August 28, 2023
The Louisiana Department of Health launched a new online data portal providing information on heat-related illnesses and deaths, as the state finds itself in one of its hottest summers in decades. The dashboard includes information on heat-related deaths categorized by region of the state as well as race, gender and ethnicity of the victims. There […]
Children account for one-third of Louisiana’s Medicaid roll removals
By: Julie O'Donoghue - August 16, 2023
Approximately 35% of the 50,600 people removed from Louisiana’s Medicaid health insurance coverage in July were children, according to information the state Department of Health provided this week. Another 44% were low-income adults who were originally enrolled through Medicaid expansion, 4% were people who entered Medicaid for a pregnancy, and 2% were people in long-term […]