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State commerce board wrestles taxation power from locals in Folgers case
A state board has overturned the decisions of three New Orleans taxing authorities that sought to collect millions in property taxes from Folgers Coffee Co. Wednesday’s vote from the Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry, composed of business group representatives and governor’s appointees, is the latest development in a saga that has spanned more than […]
5th Circuit will hear decades-long case over Black seat on La. Supreme Court
A federal appeals panel will consider whether to dissolve the only Black seat on Louisiana’s highest court. The U.S. 5th Circuit in New Orleans will hear oral arguments next week in Chisom v. State of Louisiana, a decades old voting rights case that Black residents in New Orleans successfully litigated to gain their one and […]
Louisiana 2nd worst state for electric vehicle infrastructure, but ‘we’re going to catch up’
Louisiana has fallen far behind the rest of the nation when it comes to electric vehicle infrastructure, according to a recent study that analyzed the latest U.S. Department of Energy data. However, the state has plans to change that. The vehicle research company iSeeCars.com published a study Monday that analyzed data from the Department of […]
Folgers property tax break appeal heads to state board
The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry is expected to hear the appeal of tax exemption denials from Folgers Coffee Co. next week worth more than $5 million to New Orleans government, schools and law enforcement that want the revenue. It has been more than two years since Folgers filed six different applications for Louisiana’s […]
Nursing home agency director used state credit card for air fryers, smart watches, audit alleges
The former head of a state nursing home oversight office allegedly racked up over $18,000 in personal charges on an agency-issued credit card, buying items such as phones, smartwatches, speakers, kitchen appliances and streaming TV subscriptions. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office issued a report Monday that detailed the credit card spending of Mark Hebert when […]
Solar-powered ‘lighthouses’ could offer refuge from natural disasters
A coalition of churches and organizations across Louisiana are building hundreds of solar-powered microgrids that will give communities a place of refuge during natural disasters and other blackouts. The nonprofit coalition Together Louisiana presented details of the plan, dubbed the Community Lighthouse Project, at Thursday’s meeting of the Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC). Its members […]
Louisiana considers swapping gas tax with mileage fees
Louisiana is eyeing a pilot program that would charge drivers a mileage fee as a way to replace or augment the gasoline tax. Transportation Secretary Shawn Wilson unveiled the idea during the Louisiana Legislature’s Electric Vehicle Task Force meeting Wednesday. Wilson, who announced his retirement later in the day, told lawmakers his department is looking […]
Louisiana tax cut triggers worry some lawmakers
Two of the three requirements to trigger tax cuts next year for Louisiana residents and business have been reached. Now the chairman of the Senate Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee has introduced legislation to curtail potential revenue losses if the final condition is met. Two years ago, Sen. Bret Allain, R-Franklin, championed a package of […]
Livingston school board duped in $2 million email scam
The Livingston Parish Public School System was duped into transfers totaling more than $2 million to a cyber scammer last year. The school board was able to recover most of the money except for about $344,000 it lost to a still unidentified hacker. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor disclosed a report Monday that contained some details […]
Will Louisiana miss its chance for a recreational marijuana market?
For the third year in a row, the Louisiana Legislature will have the chance to vote on a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana and incorporate its cultivation and sale into the state’s economy. House Bill 17, sponsored by Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, is one in a package of bills that would build a new […]
Survey of the South finds ‘shift’ on race issues
A recent survey of 1,800 Southerners found that 74% believe the United States should offer some form of reparations to African Americans for harm caused by slavery and racial discrimination, though two-thirds of the survey respondents identified as Black or Latino. The 2022 annual Survey of the South from the New Orleans-based nonprofit E Pluribus […]
A controversial tax proposal to eliminate a controversial tax credit
The Louisiana Legislature will be asked to do away with a long controversial business tax break and remove the tax burden of some of the state’s highest-earning companies. How the proposals would affect the bottom line of the state and local governments, as well as individual taxpayers, is yet to be determined. Sen. Brett Allain, […]