Govt + Politics
Relief for states and local governments remains sticking point for new COVID-19 relief bill
As COVID-19 deaths continue to rise, millions of Americans remain unemployed and a new eviction crisis looming, Congress has yet to reach an agreement on a new COVID-19 relief package that will help alleviate some of the pain that people across the country are feeling. A group of bipartisan U.S. senators that includes Louisiana Republican […]
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos heads for the exits, leaving a legacy of turmoil
WASHINGTON—In four years in office, U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos failed to broaden her appeal beyond the moment she won a wild Senate confirmation fight by the closest of margins. She didn’t even try. Instead, the billionaire Michigan native and Republican megadonor championed private and charter schools, often trying to funnel federal funding toward them. […]
Gov. proclaims Dec. 15 as ‘Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center Day’
Gov. John Bel Edwards signed a proclamation declaring Dec. 15 as “Kathleen Babineaux Blanco Public Policy Center Day” in honor of the former governor who would have turned 78 on Tuesday. “The life and work of Kathleen Blanco continue to inspire Louisianans,” Gov. Edwards said in a press release. “Gov. Blanco broke many barriers as […]
Louisiana House Speaker to host holiday gathering during pandemic
Louisiana House Speaker Clay Schexnayder is hosting a holiday open house for House members and their spouses on state property, even though Gov. John Bel Edwards has repeatedly discouraged the public — and state employees specifically — from throwing parties and potlucks over the past several weeks because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, invited […]
2 BB gun suspensions, 2 lawsuits filed against the Jefferson Parish School Board
The father of a Grand Isle 6th grader sued the Jefferson Parish School Board Monday, claiming that the board’s decision to suspend the 11-year-old for possession of a BB gun while he was logged on a virtual class followed a series of lies from school system officials and multiple violations of the school board’s written […]
Gov. Edwards creates new environmental task force to study Atchafalaya Basin
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday signed an executive order creating the Atchafalaya River Basin Restoration and Enhancement (ARBRE) Task Force in an effort to address long-standing environmental issues in the basin and raise public awareness of those issues. “The irony of the Atchafalaya Basin is that while it is suffering from an abundance of […]
LA attorney general vows to help musician Lauren Daigle in dispute with New Orleans mayor
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has taken sides in the dispute between Christian musician Lauren Daigle and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, vowing in an open letter Monday to protect Daigle’s legal rights. The dispute stems from an illegally-held music concert in November, in which Daigle participated. The Nov. 7 concert, titled “Let Us Worship” […]
FCC grants Louisiana $342 million to expand high speed internet in rural communities
Gov. John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy celebrated the Federal Communications Commission’s decision to award Louisiana $342 million to expand broadband internet access in the state, but Louisiana’s superintendent of education and a lawmaker whose district has spotty access called the FCC grant a good first step but not the solution to the […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Texas suit that tried to overturn election results
WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Friday turned aside a Texas lawsuit that sought to derail the presidential election results from four battleground states, despite pressure on the justices from President Donald Trump on social media. “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another State conducts its elections,” according to the […]
In the case of Ka’Mauri Harrison, it’s the Jefferson Parish School Board versus everybody with sense
The most powerful elected officials in Louisiana rushed to defend 9-year-old Ka’Mauri Harrison when the Jefferson Parish School System suspended him for inadvertently making a BB gun visible as he virtually took a test assigned by his 4th-grade teacher. Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and every Louisiana lawmaker who voted on […]
State trooper arrested in connection with brutality investigation
The Louisiana State Police has arrested one of its own troopers, the son of the agency’s second-in-command after an investigation into a 2019 incident in Ouachita Parish. Jacob Brown, 30, was booked Thursday and faces charges of aggravated second-degree battery and malfeasance in office. Brown is the son of State Police Assistant Superintendent and Chief […]
With Rep. Mike Johnson leading, half of U.S. House Republicans back Texas suit claiming election ‘irregularities’
WASHINGTON—More than 100 U.S. House Republicans on Thursday backed a long-shot Texas lawsuit that seeks to delay the certification of presidential election results for Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin, battleground states that President-elect Joe Biden won. In asking to join the suit filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson led 105 of […]