Briefs
White House imposes travel restrictions for Africa amid new COVID-19 variant
WASHINGTON — The White House is set to announce travel restrictions to eight countries in Southern Africa on Monday due to the discovery of a new coronavirus variant, according to senior administration officials. The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 variant as a “variant of concern” due to its high mutation and transmission rate, and […]
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 […]
Louisiana governor ‘certainly’ will approve pardon of Homer Plessy in landmark case
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he will “certainly” approve the decision to pardon Homer Plessy — a Creole man whose arrest for sitting in a “whites-only” car led the U.S. Supreme Court in 1896 to uphold segregation on the basis of race for another 50 years. “This is so historically significant,” Edwards said on […]
Senators urge increased production of fossil fuels in reaction to spiraling energy costs
Days after global leaders agreed for the first time to decrease coal usage and subsidies for fossil fuels, U.S. senators battled over rising gasoline prices and urged action on the high cost of energy—including by increasing production of coal, oil and gas. The Tuesday hearing, led by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin […]
Louisiana governor ‘looks forward’ to reviewing pardon of civil rights leader Homer Plessy
The Louisiana Board of Pardons voted to pardon Homer Plessy — a Creole man whose arrest for sitting in a “whites-only” car led the Supreme Court in 1896 to uphold segregation on the basis of race for another 50 years. Gov. John Bel Edwards, who has final approval of the decision, was out of state […]
Louisiana elected officials praise veterans
Here’s what Louisiana elected officials said about members of the military on Veterans Day (Nov. 11): “We will continue to work every single day — not just on Veterans Day, not just on Memorial Day — but every single day, to honor our veterans. That is a promise that I work diligently to uphold.” — […]
House Dems ask why federal judges hired law clerk alleged to have sent racist text
WASHINGTON — Democratic leaders of the U.S. House Judiciary Committee are urging the chief justice of the Supreme Court to investigate decisions by federal judges in Georgia and Alabama to hire a law clerk who allegedly has “a history of nakedly racist and hateful conduct.” The letter says the Democrats have “grave concern” about the […]
Louisiana holds statewide election Saturday
Louisiana’s statewide election featuring four constitutional amendments will take place Saturday, Nov. 13. The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The constitutional amendments on the ballot are related to tax and state budget policy. If approved, they could impact the collection of sales taxes, income tax rates, state budget spending and […]
Climate funds in infrastructure bill aimed at drought, wildfires, floods, Interior says
The recently passed bipartisan infrastructure bill isn’t just about roads and bridges—it also spends billions to address wildfire, drought, flooding and other effects from climate change, Interior Department officials said Wednesday. The $1.2 trillion measure, which is awaiting President Joe Biden’s signature after the House cleared it last week, includes pay raises for wildland firefighters, […]
Supreme Court justices skeptical about New York gun control law
WASHINGTON — Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court expressed skepticism Wednesday after listening to two hours of oral arguments on a New York law that imposes strict limits on carrying a gun outside the home—a case that will test how far states can go when crafting their own laws. In New York State Rifle […]
Revised voting rights bill named for John Lewis wins over one GOP senator
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Tuesday she would join Senate Democrats in backing a compromise voting rights bill, marking the first time this year a Republican has signed on to a measure that likely still lacks enough GOP support to become law. Murkowski, of Alaska, joined Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard J. Durbin of […]
If CDC signs off, COVID-19 shots for kids to begin later this week
WASHINGTON — Within minutes of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s announcement Friday giving the green light to Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids aged 5 to 11, a massive logistics operation launched to prepare for the final regulatory step. Some 15 million doses of the vaccine began to move from Pfizer’s freezers to distribution centers, […]