State Politics

Verne Kennedy, whose polls influenced decades of Louisiana politics, is dead at 83

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
21 mins ago

Only political insiders knew his name, but Verne Kennedy played a significant role for decades in deciding who would be elected governor of Louisiana.

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy's bill dropping Biden drilling rule heads to Trump's desk

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated 9 hrs ago

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House gave final approval on a 221 to 202 vote Thursday to a resolution sponsored by U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, that lifted an offshore energy production …

Tesla Cybertrucks exit Orpheus parade route after revelers pummel the EVs with beads and barbs

BY JOHN SIMERMAN | Staff writer
Mar 5, 2025

The Krewe of Orpheus bills itself as the most diverse in Mardi Gras, a “consciously nonexclusive” superkrewe that rolled on Lundi Gras with famed drag artist Bianca Del Rio as monarch, leading…

LSU law professor who sued university now asking Louisiana Supreme Court to weigh in

BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Updated Mar 5, 2025

Ken Levy is asking the state's high court to review a lower court ruling that LSU is not required to return the professor to teaching amid an ongoing legal battle.

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Mike Johnson's top aide arrested on DUI count after Trump speech; speaker stands by him

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Mar 5, 2025

Hayden Haynes was reportedly arrested and charged with driving under the influence after backing into a parked car.

See who Louisiana's delegation invited to President Donald Trump's joint address to Congress

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Mar 4, 2025

WASHINGTON – Both Louisiana congressional Democrats invited guests affected by recent federal layoffs and funding cuts to attend President Donald Trump’s joint address to Congress on Tuesday night.

St. George mayoral race fires up quickly as candidates clash over past, policies and pay

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | Staff writer
Mar 3, 2025

With just 59 days between candidate qualifying and election day on March 29, St. George's first-ever mayoral race wasted no time in turning contentious.

Plaquemines Port pushes joint venture alternative to Port NOLA's downriver container terminal

BY ANTHONY MCAULEY | Staff writer
Mar 3, 2025

The head of Plaquemines Port is pushing Gov. Jeff Landry and other top state transportation officials to back a West Bank alternative to the $1.8 billion container terminal that Port of New Or…

How are President Trump's federal job cuts, grant freezes affecting Louisiana? Here's what we know.

BY BLAKE PATERSON | Staff writer
Updated Mar 2, 2025

Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng was frantic.

Bill Cassidy is building a reputation as a policymaker. Does that mean votes in Louisiana?

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Mar 1, 2025

WASHINGTON — Incendiary rhetoric attracts attention, but policy is made during negotiations over nuances.

Two state lawmakers want to ban fluoride in public water systems across Louisiana

BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Updated Mar 2, 2025

Sens. Mike Fesi and Patrick McMath, both Republicans, are sponsoring legislation prohibiting fluoridation of public water systems anywhere in Louisiana.

Workplace survey paints mixed picture of embattled leadership at Louisiana environmental regulator

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer
Feb 28, 2025

A majority of employees at Louisiana's Department of Environmental Quality were satisfied with their jobs and felt their direct managers had respect and integrity, but staffers had far less fa…

‘Major calamity’: LSU, Pennington leaders warn of research cuts, job losses if NIH grants adjusted

BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT | Staff writer
Updated Feb 28, 2025

Pennington Biomedical and LSU Health Sciences Center each received over $20 million in NIH grants in 2024. Pennington had expected about $30 million this year before Trump's executive order.

Louisiana's Mike Johnson scored a big budget win. Here are the challenges he faces now.

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Feb 28, 2025

House Speaker Mike Johnson pulled off an unexpected last-minute victory as he passed President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda by a single vote.

'110% a lie': Baton Rouge Democrats blast some of Sid Edwards' claims about library plan

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | Staff writer
Updated Feb 28, 2025

Several Democrats on the East Baton Rouge Metro Council are accusing Mayor-President Sid Edwards of misleading the public about his proposal to rededicate money from the library system to poli…

John Bel Edwards and Garret Graves join influential think tank as energy policy experts

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Feb 27, 2025

WASHINGTON – Former Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and former Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves were named Thursday to the energy advisory council of an influential think tank, the Bipart…

Louisiana officials urge measles vaccination after outbreak in Texas killed a child

BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Updated Feb 27, 2025

Two top Louisiana officials who are physicians are encouraging residents to get vaccinated against measles as an outbreak spreads in Texas.

After criticism of cuts to domestic violence shelters, Gov. Jeff Landry promises lasting fix

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN | Staff writer
Updated Feb 27, 2025

Gov. Jeff Landry has promised to work with the Legislature to find a consistent source of funding for domestic violence shelters, after critics pointed out that his proposed budget did not inc…

Review of Louisiana DOTD finds 'inconsistency and inefficiency.' Here's the plan to improve.

BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Feb 27, 2025

An improvement plan issued by the Department of Transportation and Development said inefficient project delivery is among its most pressing problems.

Some government workers will soon get full Social Security benefits. Here's what to know.

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Feb 27, 2025

WASHINGTON — About 94,000 Louisiana government retirees immediately will begin receiving their full Social Security benefits from any private employment that had been docked for years because …

Metro Council looks at options to attack deficit if Baton Rouge mayor's plan falls short

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | Staff writer
Updated Feb 27, 2025

Though officials’ discussions over the past couple of weeks have framed the city-parish’s financial options as choosing between police or the libraries, and the mayor’s plan or massive job cut…

Louisiana's DOGE: Gov. Jeff Landry's government efficiency group adds state auditor

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Updated Feb 26, 2025

A task force facing criticism for meeting outside of public view is partnering with state auditors to help find waste in government spending, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday.

Will Congress' budget cuts affect Medicaid? Here's why the stakes are so high for Louisiana.

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Updated Feb 26, 2025

WASHINGTON — As Republicans look to cut more than a trillion dollars out of the federal budget, some state leaders and health care officials worry that steep cuts to Medicaid could be on the t…

White House says it 'will determine' which news outlets cover Trump, rotating traditional ones

BY LAURIE KELLMAN | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Updated Feb 25, 2025

The White House said Tuesday that its officials "will determine" which news outlets can regularly cover President Donald Trump up close — a sharp break from a century of tradition in which a p…

Louisiana could exempt NIL deals from state income tax: ‘Not gonna let them outcompete us’

BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Updated Feb 26, 2025

As Louisiana competes with athletic programs in other states, a state lawmaker is preparing legislation to exempt NIL money from state income tax.

Baton Rouge mayor Sid Edwards may cut 600 jobs if his plan to shift library funds fails

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | Staff writer
Updated Feb 26, 2025

East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said Tuesday he could cut 600 to 700 jobs — up to 14.6% of all employees — and reduce some government services if his plan to rededicate money that…

An old prostitution bust caused him to quit the St. George mayor’s race. Now he’s back in.

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER | Staff writer
Updated Feb 24, 2025

Almost a week after announcing he was dropping out of the March 29 mayoral race in St. George after he was confronted with a decades-old guilty plea for soliciting prostitution, Republican Jim…

Louisiana wildlife and fisheries head Madison Sheahan reportedly taking a top job at ICE

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN | Staff writer
Updated Feb 24, 2025

Madison Sheahan, Louisiana's secretary of the Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, is expected to become the deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Reuters reported Friday.