Education
Biden administration details potential cuts in education, food aid and more under GOP plan
WASHINGTON — Federal departments and agencies say U.S. House Republicans’ plans to cut federal spending would result in reductions to key programs like food aid, education assistance and wildfire management. The series of letters from across the federal government released Monday detail exactly how plans to cut at least $130 billion in domestic spending during […]
Before they were state leaders, they were student leaders
Shawn Wilson has been building bridges since his college days. Wilson, former secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development who’s now the sole Democrat in the race for governor, is campaigning on the same crossing-the-aisle theme he did when he ran for student body president of University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1993. […]
Judge rules against coffee giant in tax exemption lawsuit
An Orleans Parish judge lifted an injunction in the Folgers Coffee Co. tax exemption lawsuit, allowing local taxing authorities to bill the company for an estimated $5.1 million. Prompted by a decision Gov. John Bel Edwards made Monday to reject the coffee giant’s final appeals for six Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) applications, Orleans Civil […]
Lincoln Parish library board forms team to fight state proposals
RUSTON – One local library board is preparing to fight back against upcoming proposals in the Louisiana Legislature to give local elected officials more oversight over libraries amid a statewide fight over publicly accessible content. The Lincoln Parish Library Board of Control voted Thursday to form a committee to combat two bills prefiled for the […]
Louisiana Higher Ed: Biden calls for Pell grant increase, LSU expands cybersecurity education
The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] Biden calls for Pell grant increase President Joe Biden seeks to increase the annual amount of individual Pell grants by $820 as part of […]
Biden budget asks for 25% tax on billionaires, boosts in domestic and defense spending
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year asks Congress to boost funding for defense and domestic programs and levy a 25% minimum tax on billionaires, setting up a significant contrast with House Republicans, who hope to cut spending to last year’s levels and overwhelmingly oppose tax increases. The president’s budget […]
National ban on transgender athletes in girls’ sports passed by U.S. House panel
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee early Thursday passed a bill on a party-line vote that would block transgender girls from competing in school sports consistent with their gender identity, a reflection of a broader push in multiple states to curb the rights of transgender student athletes. The bill, H.R. 734, introduced […]
Livingston library board member ousted in wake of AG Landry’s opinion
The Livingston Parish Council voted Tuesday evening to oust a member of its Library Board of Control. The decision comes just weeks after Attorney General Jeff Landry issued an opinion that argued parish governments are free to remove library board members before their terms are up. Parish Councilman Garry Talbert said he wanted to remove […]
Private school tax credit is a ‘charitable facade’ for the rich, study says
A new study found that Louisiana’s private school voucher tax credit is siphoning money from public education and serving as a tax shelter for the wealthy rather than encouraging charitable donations. In a report published Tuesday, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy analyzed various school voucher tax credits in multiple states and found them […]
Anti-censorship advocates sue Lafayette library board chair over First Amendment violations
Two anti-censorship advocates are suing Lafayette Consolidated Government and the chair of the Lafayette Library Board of Control on allegations of First Amendment and open meetings law violations. Lynette Meía and Melanie Brevis, co-founders of Lafayette Citizens Against Censorship and Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship, allege that Robert Judge, chair of the Library Board, unlawfully restricts […]
Louisiana Higher Ed: Biden to hold risky college leaders liable; smartphone security research
The Louisiana Illuminator takes a weekly look at news from universities and colleges around the state. Have a tip or want to submit a Louisiana Higher Ed news item? Contact [email protected] Biden admin to hold risky college leaders personally liable The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance on how it will hold leaders of risky […]
Little known religious group behind First Lady’s ‘Fred the Turtle’ book
JACKSON, Mississippi – Last year, Mississippi First Lady Elee Reeves announced the launch of her new initiative aimed at improving child development – an issue leaders have increasingly recognized as a critical economic driver in the most impoverished state in the nation. Joined by the press in the Governor’s Mansion, Reeves revealed her new strategy: […]