Education
Louisiana leaders discuss getting a second live tiger to bring to LSU football games
Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham has put forward a solution to address LSU’s reluctance to bring its live tiger mascot to football games: Get a second tiger. Reviving the tradition of bringing LSU’s live mascot, Mike the Tiger, has been a pet project of Gov. Jeff Landry and Abraham, who have led ongoing negotiations with […]
LSU historian sued for defamation, claims free speech violations
An LSU historian is being sued for defamation by a Pennsylvania state legislator and seeks to have the lawsuit dismissed on the grounds that the lawmaker is trying to curtail his First Amendment rights. James Gregory, director of LSU’s William A. Brookshire Military Museum and an adjunct instructor of military history, is being sued by […]
School shooting damage lasts for years, survivors tell panel of U.S. House Democrats
WASHINGTON — The devastating effects of school shootings continue well after shootings occur, according to survivors, experts and educators who spoke at a roundtable U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee Democrats held Monday. Democrats scheduled the discussion after the recent school shooting in Georgia, where two students and two teachers were killed. Witnesses told the […]
Safe storage and minimum age gun laws would curb violence, study says
The deadliest school shooting in Georgia history occurred earlier this month when a 14-year-old gunman, armed with a military-style rifle, killed two students and two teachers and injured nine others at Apalachee High School in Winder, a city about an hour northeast of Atlanta. And on Sunday, former President Donald Trump was the target of […]
U.S. House passes ‘anti-woke’ bill aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion in higher ed
WASHINGTON — A GOP measure barring accrediting organizations from requiring colleges and universities to adopt diversity, equity and inclusion policies as a condition of accreditation passed the U.S. House Thursday, though its fate appears dim. The End Woke Higher Education Act — which succeeded 213-201 — marks one of several so-called anti-woke initiatives and messaging […]
Tiger Rag, Louisiana Illuminator join forces for investigative news on LSU
Two Baton Rouge-based news organizations have formed an investigative news partnership with focused coverage on LSU and its athletics program, leadership with both newsrooms announced Thursday. Tiger Rag, an independent publication that’s covered LSU sports for 46 years, and the Louisiana Illuminator, a State Capitol-based newsroom, will team for in-depth reporting on the inner workings […]
Advocates call for expanding free school meals at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — Amid persistent child hunger and food insecurity in the United States, lawmakers and advocates on Wednesday stressed the importance of school meal programs during a U.S. Senate Agriculture subcommittee hearing. Hunger severely impacts kids’ emotional and physical well-being and can lead to negative outcomes in school, research has shown. Last year, 47.4 million […]
LSU President Tate’s $650,000 in incentives within easy reach based on past years
LSU President William Tate’s contract allows him to nearly double his pay if he meets certain goals, most of which the university has routinely met for years. The LSU Board of Supervisors signed off on Tate’s new contract in June, though the contract and the incentive pay were not finalized until August. The new contract […]
Concerns over private student loans brought to U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — As private student loan companies take heat over accusations of predatory behavior and deception, members of a U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs panel and student advocates voiced concerns over the industry at a hearing Tuesday. The Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection hearing came as the broader student […]
Hurricane Francine sets back Ida recovery for Nicholls State
THIBODAUX – “Harvard on the Bayou” has seen better days. Nicholls State University, a small university nestled along Bayou Lafourche, has also seen worse storms. The worst of Hurricane Francine, which made landfall southeast of Morgan City as a Category 2 hurricane, passed directly over the small campus late Wednesday afternoon, ripping the roof off […]
400 students at Nicholls State University without power after Hurricane Francine
Nicholls State University is not sure when it will have power again after Hurricane Francine brought significant rains and winds to the Thibodaux campus Wednesday. Nearly 400 students were unable to evacuate ahead of the storm, university spokesman Jerad David said. The university is working to set up a couple of buildings on campus with […]
U.S. Education Department to open new financial aid form to more applicants
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education named the first six organizations to participate in the phased rollout of the 2025-26 form to apply for federal financial student aid Wednesday, and opened up the interest form for high schools, school districts and other entities to get involved in its next three testing periods. In August, […]