Briefs
Louisiana modifies statewide burn ban as fires near total containment
Louisiana will modify its statewide burn ban, in effect since late August, to allow each parish to set its own guidelines. Recent rain and the work of firefighters has lowered the risk of additional blazes in the state’s most prone areas. Starting at 5 p.m. Friday, each parish can choose to opt out of the […]
President Biden approves emergency declaration for southeast Louisiana saltwater intrusion
President Joe Biden has approved Gov. John Bel Edwards’ request for an emergency declaration in response to saltwater intrusion on the lower Mississippi River, the governor’s office announced Wednesday. A far reaching drought throughout the upper Mississippi River Valley has slowed its flow to the point where saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico, which is […]
Two Southwest Louisiana fires declared 100% contained
Two of the four fires that have collectively damaged more than 40,000 of woodlands in Louisiana have been brought under control, according to officials who’ve spent weeks on the ground containing the blazes. An update from the Southern Area Complex Incident Management Gold Team posted Tuesday on Facebook that listed the Lions Camp Road fire […]
Hewitt, only woman running for governor, criticizes Landry for consultant accused of misconduct
State Sen. Sharon Hewitt, the only woman running for Louisiana governor, criticized Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry for hiring a political consultant who struck a plea deal last year to avoid criminal charges for alleged sexual harassment. “It is disappointing that Landry is hiring staff accused of assaulting women,” Hewitt, also a Republican, said in […]
Please share your Louisiana Medicaid story
The Louisiana Illuminator is seeking people affected by the state’s massive Medicaid disenrollment process who are willing to share their experiences. Louisiana removed more than 100,000 people from its Medicaid program during June and July and will continue disenrollment for the next several months. Thousands of children are among those affected. We are looking to […]
Jeff Landry declines Gray Television debate invitation
Frontrunning candidate Jeff Landry has officially opted out of the next event slated for statewide TV, making it more than likely he will have made just one appearance alongside his competitors in the governor’s race in a debate or public forum before the Oct. 14 primary. The Republican attorney general’s absence leaves just two candidates […]
Pointe Coupee residents want to hear from Louisiana House candidates
Pointe Coupee Parish residents have invited the three candidates vying to represent them in the upcoming Louisiana House District 18 race to a town hall convention on Monday to discuss issues of affordable housing, broadband expansion and public schools. The Westside Sponsoring Committee, a nonpartisan political group, is hosting the meeting in an effort to […]
Louisiana’s unemployment trust fund expected to fully recover from COVID-19
After practically running dry in 2020, Louisiana’s unemployment trust fund is expected to climb back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic level by August next year, state officials said Thursday. “We’ve actually made it all the way back,” Robert Wooley, head of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, said during a meeting of the state’s revenue estimating panel Thursday. […]
Richard Nelson exits governor’s race, endorses Jeff Landry
State Rep. Richard Nelson has bowed out of the race to be Louisiana’s next governor and has endorsed frontrunner Attorney General Jeff Landry. Nelson, a Mandeville Republican who made eliminating the state income tax his signature issue, never broke 2% in polls, failing to gather momentum with voters and donors. “I ran for governor to […]
LSU research team identifying orphaned oil wells leaking methane
A team of researchers at LSU is taking on the thousands of orphaned oil wells in Louisiana to determine which are leaking methane into the atmosphere so they can be prioritized for plugging. There are more than 4,500 orphaned oil wells in Louisiana, according to a press release from the university, meaning they have been […]
40,000 children dropped from Louisiana Medicaid as part of massive review
Louisiana removed 40,000 children from its Medicaid program in June and July as part of a massive nationwide disenrollment process expected to continue through next May, according to state health department figures. The state has also seen 49,000 people added to Medicaid during the COVID-19 pandemic dropped from the government-backed health insurance program. The total […]
Louisiana government salary database is finally live
The state of Louisiana has made a searchable database of state employee salary information publicly available. The database is available on the state’s financial transparency website, checkbook.la.gov. It includes all executive branch salary information but does not yet include salaried higher education employees. The website was the result of a bill brought by Sen. Rick […]