News
Louisiana sets up rental assistance program for people affected by economic slowdown
Louisiana has set up a rental assistance program for people who are in jeopardy of losing their housing. The program is starting out with $7 million in federal funding, and is expected to grow to at least $24 million. Officials said they are also searching for more financial support. The assistance is available on a […]
Louisiana’s $250 front-line worker payment may run out by the end of the week
Louisiana’s supplemental $250 payments for front-line workers looks likely to run out in the next day or so. Gov. John Bel Edwards encouraged people who qualify to file their applications in a matter of hours if they want to receive a payment. The state has already received 125,000 applications for the $250 payment since the […]
Border officials did not follow guidelines on migrant children’s health care, government investigators find
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has not consistently followed new guidelines for medical care of migrant children and spent some of the agency’s money designated for “medical care” on unrelated items like printers, speakers and their canine program, according to a new federal investigation. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, an independent “congressional watchdog,” found gaps […]
Attorney General Jeff Landry says governor’s face-mask mandate can’t be enforced
Two days after Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order that shuts down bars and mandates face coverings went into effect, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who has often clashed with Edwards, issued an official opinion that the governor’s order “does not pass the constitutional test” and “cannot be enforced with criminal or financial sanctions.” In a […]
Child advocates warned of a surge in abuse cases, but there’s no evidence that’s happened
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has seen a nearly 50 percent decline in the number of hotline reports of suspected child abuse and neglect since March. While some have warned that school closures related to the novel coronavirus would cause a spike in the number of children being abused, experts say […]
Technical issues plaguing revenue department as Louisianians apply for aid
The Louisiana Department of Revenue says in a press release that between midnight and 7 a.m. 14,000 residents applied for money set aside for front-line workers who stayed on the job during the pandemic. But since then a “network connectivity issue has affected all applications on the Louisiana Taxpayer Access Point portal, including the frontline […]
White House leans on Louisiana to reopen schools
BATON ROUGE — Vice President Mike Pence visited the Louisiana State University campus Tuesday to meet with the state’s top leaders to discuss reopening schools next month. Pence’s message was clear: the White House wants Louisiana to fully open all its schools despite the state’s high rate of COVID-19 cases. Pence arrived on Air Force […]
Rise St. James files injunction seeking to halt construction of $9.4B Formosa Plastics plant
Rise St. James, a faith-based environmental justice group in St. James Parish took its fight against Formosa Plastics to Washington Tuesday by asking a federal judge in the District of Columbia to issue an injunction against the Taiwanese corporation’s plan to construct a $9.4 B, 1,500-acre plastics manufacturing complex. The group alleges that the U.S. […]
Louisiana’s front-line workers can apply for $250 COVID-19 rebates Wednesday
During the recently concluded special session, Louisiana lawmakers passed a bill introduced by Rep. Sam Jenkins (D-Shreveport) that allows essential employees who kept working through the COVID-19 pandemic to apply for $250 in aid. The application process, the Louisiana Department of Revenue has announced, begins Wednesday. Louisianians who earn less than $50,000 annually and who worked […]
State plans to supply schools with cleaning supplies and personal protective equipment
Louisiana State Superintendent Cade Brumley told the Louisiana House Education Committee Monday that in addition to creating health and safety guidelines for reopening schools that the Louisiana Department of Education has also added information about supplying schools with cleaning supplies and how they should use them. School employees must be provided adequate access to hygienic […]
BESE meets Tuesday afternoon to discuss new COVID-19 guidelines
The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, July 14 to create emergency rules and guidelines that “provide minimum standards, policies, medical exceptions and regulations to govern the reopening of the schools for the 2020 school year,” said BESE President Sandy Holloway.” The meeting is being held […]
Key senators predict victory in battle with Trump over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates
WASHINGTON — Key U.S. senators are preparing for battle with the White House over renaming military facilities that honor Confederates — and they’re expecting to win. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who backs the effort, said he believes the GOP-controlled Senate would override a possible presidential veto of a defense policy bill that would […]