Uncategorized
Louisiana insurance commissioner makes case for special session on homeowner’s policy crisis
Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon met resistance from legislators Friday as he pitched them on a February special session to fund an insurance incentive program meant to keep homeowners costs under control. “People are literally going to lose their houses if we don’t have a special session,” Donelon said during a Joint Legislative Committee on […]
Louisiana legislators ‘skeptical’ of Donelon’s homeowner’s insurance fix
Several Louisiana legislators said they aren’t yet prepared to fund a homeowners insurance incentive program backed by Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, even if Gov. John Bel Edwards calls them into a special session in early February. “I think the House is skeptical of everything,” House Speaker Pro Tempore Tanner Magee, R-Houma, said in an interview […]
LSU professor promoted after misconduct allegations, lawsuit against accuser
An LSU professor who sued a man for defamation for reporting him to police and the university for an allegation of rape has agreed to settle with the defendant. The alleged victim claims the lawsuit was retaliatory. According to documents filed in Baton Rouge City Court in January 2021, the accuser, who asked not to […]
U.S. House GOP backs rules plan without disclosing deals made with hard-right members
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House adopted rules Monday for the 118th Congress, though several of the concessions Speaker Kevin McCarthy made with more conservative members of the Republican Party to secure the gavel weren’t included in the document, or publicly circulated ahead of the vote. The 55-page rules package the House voted nearly party-line 220-213 […]
Youth held at Angola allege violence from guards, extended lockdown in lawsuit
An incarcerated youth said guards at a controversial juvenile justice facility recently opened on the grounds of Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola have hit young people and used mace multiple times to restrain them. The building has also gone into lockdown for days at a time, where young people are only let out of their […]
SuperTalk radio was a powerful mouthpiece for welfare fraudsters – while raking in welfare funds
The state of Mississippi was entering a new day in the fight against poverty. At least that’s what conservative talk radio station SuperTalk would have you believe. It was the summer of 2018, and radio host Paul Gallo was visiting with John Davis, then-director of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, and nonprofit founder Nancy […]
State money to lure property insurers to Louisiana won’t come until spring
Gov. John Bel Edwards and lawmakers intend to wait until April to fund an incentive program meant to attract more property insurance companies back to Louisiana. Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, R-Metairie, said Monday he expects the program to cost the state at least $45 million. Donelon had originally pushed lawmakers to give him at least […]
U.S. Senate votes to bar TikTok from government devices as state bans multiply
The U.S. Senate late Wednesday unanimously passed a bill to ban federal employees from downloading TikTok on their work phones. Critics of TikTok, a widely popular social media platform, say the app creates national security concerns because of its ability to track users’ data — and because the Chinese government can compel that data from […]
Voters embraced affordable housing initiatives. Advocates say Congress should do the same.
Voters in Colorado approved a statewide affordable housing initiative in November; while voters in nine cities across the country OK’d measures to finance the construction of affordable housing, preserve existing rental properties and support renters. But as housing costs soar, analysts and advocates say more needs to be done and argue that federal action is […]
Rapides Library Review Board considers removing ‘unsuitable’ material
ALEXANDRIA – An overflow crowd showed up Tuesday for a public hearing of the Rapides Library Review Board, whose newest member has proposed removing material on sexual orientation and gender identity from the public library system’s collections for children up to age 17. Events and displays at libraries could also be deemed unsuitable and not allowed. […]
Dollar store employees protest for safer workplaces
NEW ORLEANS – Shawn Byrd was working the checkout line at a Family Dollar store in September near the St. Claude neighborhood when a man who had been shot outside came through the front door. Byrd stayed with the man on the floor while waiting for first responders to arrive. “I’m chilling in the front. […]
Louisiana imposes new nursing homes evacuation rules in wake of Bob Dean scandal
Louisiana issued long-awaited, new evacuation rules for nursing homes last month, over a year after the disastrous evacuation of seven homes by owner Bob Dean brought to light the state’s weak authority over nursing home emergency plans. The regulations establish requirements for the homes’ “unlicensed” evacuation shelters, including churches, school gymnasiums, auditoriums and other non-medical […]