WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republicans are digging in behind President Donald Trump’s demand for money to build a wall along the border with Mexico as part of any deal to avoid a partial government shutdown just before Christmas.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of debate and negotiation, Congress voted final approval Wednesday to a massive farm bill that will provide more than $400 billion for agriculture subsidies, conservation programs and food aid.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
A Scott utility clerk is accused malfeasance in office for allegedly stealing money from the city, KATC-TV is reporting.
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
ST. MARTINVILLE — Mayor Melinda Mitchell’s husband has been let off with a warning after facing a possible misdemeanor simple assault charge following an incident Friday involving a city council member.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Update at 5:06 p.m.: Conque says city-parish legal staff have informed him there can be no vote next year on expanding the future council. Councilman William Theriot, meanwhile, is exploring an amendment to give Lafayette its own mayor. Read updat…
Sunday, December 09, 2018
Melville police chief challenger Cleven Clark was arrested Saturday night, accused of hitting a Melville police officer who rode past his daughter’s home with sirens going off in celebration of Chief Anthony Moreau's re-election.
Saturday, December 08, 2018
Lafayette voters Saturday overwhelmingly rejected a half-cent sales tax increase that would have raised $25 million a year for law enforcement.
Wednesday, December 05, 2018
Opposition to splitting the Lafayette City-Parish Council into separate bodies has been muted and unorganized since the council voted four months ago to put a charter amendment proposal to that effect on Saturday's ballot, but is now starting to b…
A Lafayette Parish grand jury has again indicted suspended Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope.
Tuesday, December 04, 2018
The Lafayette City-Parish Council on Tuesday denied property tax breaks to two companies seeking the benefit under the state’s industrial tax exemption program.
Thursday, November 29, 2018
WASHINGTON — Congress pushed back its deadline to deal with the National Flood Insurance Program by at least a week, passing yet another short-term extension of the program late Thursday.
WASHINGTON — Federal officials will clear the way for Louisiana to dole out recovery grants to flood victims who'd taken out Small Business Administration loans without additional action from President Donald Trump, Sen. Bill Cassidy tweeted on Thursday.
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Early voting runs through Saturday for the Dec. 8 election. Below are some of the runoff races and propositions in Acadiana. Click on geauxvote.com for the full list of candidates and propositions.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
WASHINGTON — State officials are still waiting on action from the Trump administration before paying out millions in Restore Louisiana flood recovery money to homeowners who’d taken out Small Business Administration disaster loans.
St. Martin Parish Sheriff Ronny Theriot announced Wednesday he will not seek reelection but will serve until his term ends June 30, 2020.
Wednesday, November 21, 2018
A purchase agreement for the former federal courthouse in downtown Lafayette was finally inked this week, following sticky negotiations and skepticism on the part of City-Parish Council members. That was a relief for those hoping redevelopment of …
Monday, November 19, 2018
State Rep. Blake Miguez’s family business is in jeopardy after it allegedly defaulted on a multimillion-dollar loan that originated with First NBC Bank, which collapsed last year.
Thursday, November 15, 2018
WASHINGTON — Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she has "overwhelming support" from House Democrats to become the next speaker. Asked if sexism might block her second act, she shot back that's a question for the mostly male lawmakers signing a letter agai…
WASHINGTON — With an end-of-the-month deadline looming to avoid a lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program, Louisiana lawmakers are once again pushing another short-term extension.
Wednesday, November 07, 2018
The Lafayette city-parish mayor and council chairman agree that opponents of the Lafayette Parish property tax proposals that tanked on the ballot Tuesday spread misleading information prior to the election.
Tuesday, November 06, 2018
WASHINGTON — Voters in all six of Louisiana’s congressional districts re-elected their incumbent congressmen, sending the state’s five Republicans and one Democrat back to Washington for new two-year terms.
WASHINGTON — Congressman Clay Higgins, a Port Barre Republican who rode his viral Crime Stoppers video fame to an upset victory two years ago, managed to beat back six opponents and claim a second term Tuesday.
WASHINGTON — Northwest Louisiana voters sent U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson back to Congress for a second term Tuesday, complete, but unofficial election returns show.
Voters across Baton Rouge and New Orleans cast their ballots on Tuesday, but many missed out on the coveted “I voted” stickers that have lit up social media as voters across the country show off the accessories as signs of civic participation — le…
Monday, November 05, 2018
In the Nov. 6 election, the ballots include the congressional midterm races, as well as other state and local races, state constitutional amendments and local propositions. Below are some of the races and propositions of note in the Baton Rouge region.
Sunday, November 04, 2018
The race at the top of the Nov. 6 ballot — a race that began in scandal earlier this year — goes to Louisiana voters Tuesday.
Thursday, November 01, 2018
WASHINGTON — With just days to go before Election Day, U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham is re-introducing himself to voters with a new ad. But most of the Louisianans catching the campaign spot on TV likely live outside Abraham’s district, and some see it …
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Casting it as a key step in a broader struggle to build a more equitable justice system, National Urban League President Marc Morial on Wednesday announced his organization’s support for a proposed amendment to Louisiana’s constitution that would …
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy is the latest high-profile Louisiana politician to throw his endorsement behind Amendment 2, a ballot proposition that would require unanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry isn’t exactly wearing his opposition to Amendment 2 on his sleeve.
Monday, October 29, 2018
NextGen Utility Systems will end its attempts to take over management of Lafayette city utilities if a proposed council resolution opposing such an arrangement succeeds on Nov. 5, a company representative told The Advocate editorial board on Monday.
Monday, October 22, 2018
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins sailed into Congress on an anti-establishment wave in 2016, but the bombastic viral video star has maintained a relatively low profile as he seeks a second term to represent Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, R-Alto, is facing a trio of challengers in his November bid for a third term representing the sprawling 5th Congressional District in northeast Louisiana.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
Four of Louisiana’s highest-profile district attorneys are lending their support to a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot that would require juries in the state to return unanimous verdicts in all felony cases – something every …
Thursday, October 11, 2018
WASHINGTON — Lafayette attorney Michael Juneau will take a lifelong seat as a federal district judge in Louisiana after the U.S. Senate confirmed his nomination on Thursday.
Friday, October 05, 2018
WASHINGTON — All eyes in the U.S. Capitol were focused Friday on a handful of undecided senators who could tip the balance on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump put the final touch on new federal legislation designed to clear a number of bureaucratic and regulatory hurdles that were making it difficult for 2016 Louisiana flood victims to receive federal aid.
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
WASHINGTON — The fight on Capitol Hill over Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination, and the handling of sexual assault allegations against him, has brought out plenty of partisan insults and name calling.
WASHINGTON — Prominent Lafayette lawyer and former U.S. Attorney Donald Washington is President Donald Trump's pick to lead the U.S. Marshals Service, the White House announced.
Tuesday, October 02, 2018
WASHINGTON — Top-ranking senators have no plans to show the American public the results of the FBI’s week-long probe into sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Friday, September 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said Friday he will vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, saying he believes the judge's denials of sexual assault allegations laid out in a committee hearing a day earlier.
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
WASHINGTON — An overhaul of federal disaster policies, including provisions directly affecting homeowners and local governments hit by the 2016 Louisiana floods, easily cleared the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy has built a reputation as a bruising questioner in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, derailing at least one potential federal judge and grilling others with pointed questions.
A jury has been chosen for Lafayette City Marshal Brian Pope’s perjury and malfeasance trial.
Friday, September 07, 2018
WASHINGTON — Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond blasted President Donald Trump’s pick for the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday, telling members of the Senate Judiciary Committee that Brett Kavanaugh would be a threat to civil rights if confirmed to the court.
Lafayette Consolidated Government employees are on track to receive a 2 percent cost-of-living raise for the first time in three years, barring a veto by Mayor-President Joel Robideaux.
Thursday, September 06, 2018
Mayor-President Joel Robideaux’s plan to split Lafayette’s publicly owned utilities system and fiber network hit the skids Thursday, with City-Parish Council members axing proposed salaries for two new directors.
WASHINGTON — Current Lafayette federal bankruptcy Judge Robert Summerhays was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a lifetime federal district court judgeship on Thursday.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
WASHINGTON — Attorney Barry Ashe is headed for a lifelong job as a federal district judge in New Orleans after the U.S. Senate confirmed him to the post on Tuesday.