Briefs
A bill that gives students a grace period for TOPS eligibility due to COVID-19 goes to Senate floor
A bill approved by the Louisiana Senate Education Committee this week provides a grace period for TOPS applicants to take college entrance exams. Authored by Sen. Cleo Fields (D-Baton Rouge), SB 99 would allow high school graduates who can prove they couldn’t take the ACT by April because of COVID-19 concerns to submit those test […]
Interim LSU president Tom Galligan drops out of search for permanent president
Tom Galligan, who is serving as interim LSU president, withdrew his name from consideration for the permanent position Tuesday. In a letter to the LSU community, Galligan said he will return to teaching at LSU’s law school to “spend more time with my family and my students.” He said this decision was about being able […]
Broadband bill stalls in Louisiana House committee
A bill that could potentially increase the number of Louisianians who have access to high-speed internet was deferred Tuesday by its sponsor, Rep. Rodney Schamerhorn — R, Hornbeck, after some lawmakers on the Louisiana House Committee on Commerce expressed concern about an amendment from Shamherhorn that they said wouldn’t provide sufficient oversight. Schamerhor proposes to […]
Gov. Edwards announces multimillion dollar investment plan for Louisiana roads
The Louisiana Department of Transportation was allocated $216 million in the December 2020 COVID-19 relief package, and Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday that the money will be used to fund projects across around the state. The transportation department will spend $30 million specifically for bridge repair and/or replacement, $20 million for the state’s metro […]
West Monroe has never elected a Black person to its board; Justice Department steps in
The U.S. Department of Justice and the City of West Monroe have settled a voting rights lawsuit after federal officials realized that no Black candidate has ever been elected to the city’s Board of Aldermen despite 30% of the electorate being Black. The city has agreed to change its at-large method of electing its Board […]
House unanimously passes bill that expands definition of domestic abuse
A bill that expands Louisiana’s definition of domestic abuse passed unanimously in the House on Thursday with minimal debate. If HB 159 becomes law, the state’s new definition of domestic abuse would include “any act or threat to act that is intended to coerce, control, punish, intimidate, or exact revenge on the other party for […]
Julia Letlow sworn in as Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District representative
WASHINGTON—U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore in Rep. Julia Letlow on Wednesday afternoon—the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in Congress. Letlow, 40, takes the place of her husband, Luke, to represent the 5th Congressional District of Louisiana after he died of COVID-19 last year days after he won a special election to replace retiring […]
NCAA: No more championships in places hostile to transgender people
The National Collegiate Athletic Association Board of Governors announced Monday that it will hold NCAA championships only in locations that are free from discrimination against transgender student-athletes and welcoming of all participants. The NCAA said in a press release that it “firmly and unequivocally” supports the participation of transgender student-athletes in collegiate sports. The organization […]
Baton Rouge’s new mass vaccination site to allocate ‘several thousand vaccines a day’
Starting April 16, people in the Baton Rouge area can get COVID-19 vaccine shots at a drive-through vaccination site being set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Baton Rouge, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced in a Friday morning news release. Located in the Bon Carre rear parking lot of the old Bon Marche […]
Secretary Kyle Ardoin forms non-elected commission to oversee Louisiana elections
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has formed a commission of non-elected officials to provide an overview of the state’s election processes. The Louisiana Commission on Election Integrity and Voting will hold its first meeting after the conclusion of the 2021 regular legislative session, which ends June 10. “Despite the challenges brought on by natural […]
State AGs urge tech companies to stop vaccine card scams
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and 45 other state attorneys general are urging Twitter, eBay, and Shopify to stop scammers from selling blank or fraudulently completed COVID-19 vaccine cards bearing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention logo on their platforms, according to a press release from Landry’s office. “The use of your platform to […]
LSU holds mass vaccination event at Tiger Stadium
It’s been a boring first year of college for Gerica Buchanan at LSU, she said Thursday. Buchanan expected to connect with new people from around the world, make connections with her professors and go to LSU football games, but “I didn’t really get to do any of that since we’re not on campus,” she said. […]