Author
Grambling proposes $18 million campus fence to increase student safety
Grambling State University has proposed protective fencing around its perimeter to increase safety after having eight shootings on campus over the last five years. The project is estimated to cost about $18 million, according to a letter sent by Grambling President Rick Gallot to the University of Louisiana system board. The university is requesting approval […]
Louisiana lawmakers make bipartisan effort to kill school COVID-19 vaccine requirement
The Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee voted 13-2 in a bipartisan effort to reject adding the COVID-19 vaccine to the list of required immunizations for K-12 schools, daycare centers and higher education institutions during a five-hour hearing Monday. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, intends to move forward with adding the vaccine to immunization […]
Louisiana officials criticize insurance companies after hurricane damage
Louisianians are fed up with insurance companies, speaking of their frustrations caused by slow-moving processes, struggles to contact providers and too-small insurance payouts after two years of severe storms. Hurricane Ida landed in August, devastating large swathes of southeastern Louisiana. Months after the hurricane, people are still living in FEMA trailers or other temporary housing, […]
‘It’s a matter of time’: Louisiana’s largest health care provider warns residents about new COVID-19 variant
Omicron, the new variant of COVID-19, has been spreading rapidly in the past few days, with the World Health Organization declaring it a variant of concern. While there haven’t been any Omicron cases found in the U.S. or in Louisiana yet, Ochsner Health — Louisiana’s largest health care system — asked residents to start preparing […]
Louisiana water and sewer systems recommended for $23 million in funding
Louisiana moved forward with putting money into 29 water and sewer projects around the state. The state’s Water Section Commission recommended Tuesday that this initial group of projects — costing around $23 million in total — receive funding. The projects would upgrade water and sewer systems in Calcasieu Parish, West Monroe, Natchez and DeQuincy, among […]
Louisiana judges get pay cut after courts collect fewer fines and fees
Louisiana judges have taken a pay cut as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and Hurricane Ida. Their supplemental salary has been reduced because the court systems are taking in less money through fines and fees as disasters have scaled back judicial operations, according to staff from the Louisiana Judicial Compensation Commission. State. Rep . […]
Legislative audit finds students at Northwest mistakenly overcharged for tuition
Hundreds of students at Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College were overcharged by more than $23,000 for tuition, according to a Louisiana legislative audit released Monday. The audit found that 188 students were undercharged by $3,760 for tuition and student fees, while 754 students were overcharged by $23,525 over the fall, spring and summer semesters in […]
Demand for funding to fix decrepit Louisiana water systems exceeds available cash
With more than 500 applications submitted by Louisiana communities hoping to upgrade their failing water and sewer systems, lawmakers say there’s not enough money in the water sector program budget to fix everything. The program was created by the Louisiana Legislature earlier this year to allocate $300 million in federal pandemic aid. Under the guidelines, […]
New housing programs created for struggling Lake Charles residents
With promised federal assistance slow to come, $11.3 million in funding has been cobbled together from different state and federal sources to help Lake Charles residents whose homes were damaged from hurricanes and floods. The funding was announced Monday in a joint press conference with Gov. John Bel Edwards and Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. […]
Grambling State University has had at least one shooting per year over the last five years
Grambling, La. — In October, Grambling State University got attention for many of the wrong reasons. The North Louisiana campus was the site of two shootings that happened days apart from each other during the week of homecoming, traditionally one of the highlights of the school’s year. While two incidents of gun violence in one […]
Louisiana restarts process to purchase voting machines
Louisiana started up a new process again for purchasing voting machines Wednesday, when it convened a new commission that will seek public input and vet the vendors applying for the state’s voting machine contract that could be worth $100 million. The state’s efforts to replace its outdated election machines hasn’t gone smoothly over the last […]
Three new Louisiana lawmakers elected Saturday
Louisiana residents picked three new lawmakers Saturday in what was expected to be a low turnout election. Here’s a roundup of who was elected: Stine wins Senate election in Southwest Louisiana Republican Jeremy Stine won Saturday’s election for the District 27 state Senate seat, getting 59% of the votes with 9,313 votes out of the […]