Pretty much the world's first inkling that the Catholic hierarchy had been shielding pedophile priests came when Lafayette's Gilbert Gauthe pleaded guilty in 1985.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Recently, The Advocate’s Charles Lussier reported that East Baton Rouge Parish Superintendent Warren Drake is “sitting on InspireNOLA’s proposal [to open as many as four schools in the Capital City] until the state rules on his latest request, mad…
The decision by four East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members to abstain from the vote to appoint an interim council member for the District 8 seat previously held by Buddy Amoroso was intended to bring balance to a body that has been histori…
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
Some of Louisiana’s Republican members of Congress have been kind of squirrely ever since President Donald Trump openly questioned the evidence gathered by American intelligence agencies about Russian interference in the 2016 election while appear…
Louisiana’s U.S. Sen. John Kennedy got it right, we think, in his assessment of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s government after the senator visited Russia this month.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
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Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Sometimes when I look at what’s happening in Washington, D.C., I can’t help but shake my head. The dysfunction runs rampant, and nearly every issue becomes a political football. Gone are the days when hard work, communication and collaboration wou…
America has a big drug problem. The U.S. has the highest drug prices in the world and average Americans can’t afford the medicine they need. The industry claims that high prices fund innovation, but it reaps a 23 percent return on investment, comp…
Coming in first is generally something to be proud of. For instance, LSU football winning the BCS National Championship in 2007, or the New Orleans Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV are both memorable examples. But being No. 1 isn’t always something …
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Monday morning, as President Donald Trump was embarking on his instantly infamous encounter with Russian president Vladimir Putin, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise went on Twitter to insist that Trump was working “from a position of American stre…
The late Italian novelist Umberto Eco once lamented the way we often sentimentalize wild animals, regarding them as warm and fuzzy creatures when they are, in reality, rather efficient killing machines.
Social media over the weekend brought the news of watch parties across south Louisiana for the final game of this year’s World Cup, professional soccer’s biggest trophy.
Monday, July 16, 2018
Before we turn to the approaching drama of the Senate confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, let us consider a valuable lesson from the brief but incandescent controversy surrounding the nominee who wasn’t, Amy Coney Barre…
In a recent guest column, Orleans Parish Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bowman criticized the state’s recently passed criminal justice reforms. I firmly disagree with Bowman, and I have full confidence these reforms will positively impact…
The decisions of the South Tangipahoa Port Commission at its July 10 meeting reflect the serious questions that are being raised about the proposed Village at Port Manchac Project.
Monday, July 16, 2018
I went shopping over the weekend, checked my receipts and saw that I was charged 4.45 percent of the price of my purchases in sales tax. Had I purchased the same items a month ago, I would have been charged 5 percent.
It’s way too early to handicap this fall’s special election for secretary of state, but by the time qualifying closes this week, one candidate will be able to claim a major victory just by making it to the starting line.
Sunday, July 15, 2018
Among the books that summer readers might choose to throw in their beach bags, we’re not sure that “Energy,” Richard Rhodes’ new history of the global energy industry, will make the cut.
Louisiana Spotlight: Neilson Rizzuto's early release should fuel more criminal justice reform debate
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Look at pictures of the carnage on the parade route that February night in New Orleans and it might be difficult to believe that a crime of violence had not been committed.
Beat the Heat!
The Bayou Bridge Pipeline is on track to finish construction by fall, welcoming news for families looking to maintain stable fuel prices, relative to neighboring states and the U.S. average.
Thank you for the outstanding recent article by Joel A. Erickson regarding Saints linebacker Demario Davis. With all the negativity, misunderstanding and bad examples in our society, it was inspiring, uplifting and challenging to read such a well-…
Saturday, July 14, 2018
To call it a mixed bag is an understatement, if you want to find out where Louisiana stacks up with other states in business.
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Jeff Sadow: Would Louisiana students really fare better at out-of-state schools if we defunded TOPS?
Making policy based on the exception rather than the rule isn’t wise. Yet that’s what happened in recent budget debates over funding Taylor Opportunity Program for Students tuition awards.
When we all went to the polls more than two and a half years ago, most of us didn't expect those we elected to raise our taxes so high and this quickly. I don't remember any candidate promising billions in new taxes. But thanks to Gov. John Bel Ed…
The election fever that’s spreading across the country this year hasn’t hit Louisiana yet, and odds are that it won’t.
Friday, July 13, 2018
Counting the things that the recently adjourned Louisiana Legislature failed to do can be a long list, but even where the financial crisis over the last 2½ years forced changes, lawmakers were reluctant to take on the political powers-that-be.
For years, abortion rights have been under attack in state legislatures. With President Donald Trump's nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh — who actively worked to deny a 17-year-old immigrant's request for an abortion and sided with bosses who wa…
A new report conducted for the Louisiana Chemical Association by noted economist Dr. Loren Scott studied the economic footprint of the chemical industry across Louisiana and found that the chemical industry continues to be one of the leading emplo…
In the June 23 lead editorial in The Advocate, the statement was made that the United States Supreme Court overturned "a 1992 ruling [Quill Corp. v. North Dakota, 504 U.S. 298] that limited internet tax collections to companies with brick-and-mort…
A co-worker stopped me on July 9 and asked “Do you remember where you were 36 years ago today?”
If House Majority Whip Steve Scalise hadn’t already announced that he won’t challenge John Bel Edwards for governor next year, his fundraising activities would have told the same story. His latest numbers, released Friday morning, have national am…
Thursday, July 12, 2018
Louisiana is now in second place in the nation’s incarceration sweepstakes, just behind Oklahoma by last count, and that has already translated into some savings for the state’s taxpayers: $12.2 million.
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A special election will choose the successor to the resigned Secretary of State Tom Schedler. This is a plea for support from the Louisiana Democratic and Republican parties for a constitutional amendment to remove the partisan labels in future ra…
The president claims to be such a great deal maker. He has an autobiography entitled "The Art of the Deal." Does any other American citizen wonder why any time Donald Trump meets with a foreign dictator, there are no note takers, and consequently …
I chuckled when I read Timmy Teepell's advice to the governor on how to properly manage the state's financial dilemma. Here is a man who was an integral part of one of the worst administration in Louisiana history. He helped destroy our state econ…
So let me get this straight.
Former U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite Jr. confirmed this week that he’s moving to Philadelphia, thus ending, or at least deferring, some political dreams.
In downtown Baton Rouge, there has just been an orgy of partisan politics, with getting things done ranking in the minds of the participants far less than the R or D behind the names of the members.
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
A common refrain at the 2018 National Sheriffs Association annual conference in New Orleans was: “Jails should not be community mental health centers.” Yet perversely, conversations continue on how to turn jails into community mental health centers.
Criminal justice reform is working in Louisiana. We’ve shed the shameful title of incarceration capital of the world and our prison population is the lowest it has been in 20 years. The state budget is reaping savings beyond initial projections, b…
Three years ago, long before the Louisiana Legislature adopted its Justice Reinvestment, or JRI, legislation, I authored a column in which I argued that Louisiana incarcerates too many people. However, I noted that there existed little agreement o…
U.S. Sen. John Kennedy said he had some tough words for the Russian officials during an all-GOP July 4 week congressional visit in advance of President Donald Trump’s hugely controversial meeting with Vladimir Putin.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
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The July 2 column by state Sen. Sharon Hewitt is riddled with inaccurate statements. Let’s start with the opening quote: “Never let facts get in the way of a good story.” That’s a great and useful saying, but there’s zero evidence Mark Twain actua…
Once the failed special sessions began to pile up under Gov. John Bel Edwards, I began to hear rumblings from some legislators questioning his competency. Edwards is in over his head, they would tell me privately, or he is way out of his league. B…
Is a power play worthy of the U.S. Capitol the right way to approach the Metro Council in East Baton Rouge Parish? No, and it is that lack of proportion that has led four members of the council into a boycott that makes the Democratic members look petty.