Govt + Politics
Louisiana’s police training task force holds first meeting
The Louisiana Senate’s police training task force held its first meeting Thursday at the Louisiana State Capitol. The 25-member panel, officially dubbed the Police Training, Screening, and De-escalation Task Force, is the brainchild of Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, who introduced he idea in the wake of national outcry at the killing of George Floyd […]
DEBERRY: Long lines at food pantry illustrate how hungry Louisianians are
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act that Congress passed in March includes a provision that gives every family participating in the nation’s food stamps program the maximum amount of benefits for a household its size. But the long lines of motorists and pedestrians who appeared at a food pantry giveaway In New Orleans Wednesday helped […]
An early end to the census would likely hurt Louisiana
President Donald Trump has ordered the Census Bureau to end its counting operations a month early, a move that would potentially lead to an undercount of Latino and immigrant populations and shift political power to Republicans and white people. The Census Bureau announced Monday that it will end all counting efforts on Sept. 30, rather […]
Governor extends Phase 2 amid ‘early signs’ of improvement in COVID-19 battle
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Tuesday that he has ordered a three-week extension of Phase 2 coronavirus restrictions in an effort to continue what newly-released data shows is a declining trend of COVID-19 cases across the state. Edwards made the announcement during an afternoon press conference at the Louisiana State Capitol and said the […]
Sen. Bill Cassidy pushes for money for state and local governments, but his Republican colleagues resist
WASHINGTON – GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy is making a strong push to rescue ailing state and local governments in a fifth coronavirus relief bill — but his party’s leaders are resisting as they debate the contours of the next package. The freshman senator is pressing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for $500 billion in […]
Lawsuit accuses Louisiana of insufficient emergency plans for upcoming elections
The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed suit against the state of Louisiana Monday, accusing state officials of a “failure to ensure all eligible voters can vote safely in the upcoming elections amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.” Specifically, the Legal Defense Fund challenges the state’s restrictions on eligibility for mail-in ballots and its reduction in the […]
Louisianians collecting unemployment now expected to look for work
The Louisiana Workforce Commission released a video Monday afternoon informing Louisianians receiving unemployment benefits that they are now expected to search for three jobs a week in order to remain qualified for unemployment insurance. Looking for work while on unemployment is a part of the normal, pre-pandemic rules that had been suspended while the novel […]
Advocacy groups want emergency election plan from Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin
Twenty-eight advocacy groups, including the NAACP, Voice of the Experienced and the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice sent a letter to Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin last week asking that he develop a election emergency plan that will allow for maximum voter participation amidst the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. In their letter to […]
Governor wins first round in dispute with bar owners, but fight not over
Two federal judges in Louisiana denied motions Friday from a group of bar owners who sought to immediately reopen their establishments against Gov. John Bel Edwards’ coronavirus order that has closed bars limiting them to takeout service. The cases, however, are still pending and set for hearings. The bar owners, represented by attorney Jim Faircloth, […]
Fear of losing unemployment benefits pervades the United States
Congress is continuing to squabble over whether to extend a federal supplement to unemployment insurance and if they do, by how much. But as they argue over whether to continue the supplement at $600 a week or some fraction of that, out-of-work Americans are left to worry whether they can survive on state benefits that […]
‘We’re in a new normal,’ Gov. Edwards says about coronavirus restrictions
Though statewide mandates and closures have changed relatively frequently over the past couple months, Gov. Edwards said the current restrictions and order should not change anytime soon. Undeterred by a lawsuit filed against him by bar owners who accuse him of overreach, Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a Thursday press conference that the White […]
Bar owners file federal lawsuit challenging Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order shutting bars down
An attorney who served as executive counsel in former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of eleven bar owners who claim that Gov. John Bel Edwards’ July 11 emergency order limiting bars to takeout and delivery service is unlawful and overly harsh. The lawsuit names Edwards and Fire Marshal Butch […]