U.S. Senate Dems decry limits on abortion access, House Dems unveil...
On Tuesday, June 4, 2024, U.S. Senate Democrats held a hearing on abortion access and House Democrats introduced legislation that would guarantee people throughout the country the right to...
View Article‘Democracy begins with each of us,’ Biden says at site of D-Day invasion in...
World War II PFC John M. Wardell, of New Jersey, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken watch President Joe Biden deliver a speech on June 7, 2024, at Pointe du Hoc, near Le Bavent, France, where...
View ArticleLouisiana’s first wind energy degree program prepares new industry workforce
In 2020, installation was completed on the first wind turbines installed in U.S. federal waters 27 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach, Virginia. (U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management)CHALMETTE —...
View ArticleLouisiana’s death penalty spending stays the course, despite public defense...
Louisiana is likely to contract with Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans to handle death penalty cases. (Canva image)Louisiana will continue to spend millions of dollars on private...
View ArticleLandry: No immediate plans for an NHL team in New Orleans, but ‘we would talk...
Alex Pietrangelo of the Vegas Golden Knights shoots the puck against the Dallas Stars during the second period in Game Seven of the First Round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines...
View ArticleLouisiana likely to pay Loyola law school to handle death penalty cases
Louisiana is likely to contract with Loyola University College of Law in New Orleans to handle death penalty cases. (Canva image)Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration plans to contract with Loyola...
View ArticleLouisiana lawsuit could limit advantage for attorneys who are state legislators
(Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)The Louisiana Supreme Court will review whether granting automatic delays in court proceedings to attorneys who are also state lawmakers is fair. The justices’...
View ArticleGolf, abortion, Jan. 6 and felonies: Biden and Trump’s memorable debate moments
President Joe Biden, right, and the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, participate in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia....
View ArticleFlorida U.S. Rep. Luna changes course in campaign against attorney general
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill on June 26, 2024. Luna recently introduced a resolution to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland for not turning over...
View ArticleProtesters, law enforcement discuss security at the RNC after Trump shooting
Law enforcement officers from Palm Beach, Florida, stand in front of the Fiserv Forum Plaza ahead of the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC) on July 14, 2024, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Michael M....
View ArticleSenate rejects two impeachment articles against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
U.S. senators being sworn in for the impeachment trial of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on April 17, 2024. (Daniel Rios/U.S. Senate photo)WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday...
View ArticleRed states fight growing efforts to give ‘basic income’ cash to residents
Susie Garza displays a city-provided debit card she receives monthly through a trial program in Stockton, California, in 2019. That year, Stockton launched a basic income experiment that has set off a...
View ArticleLA GOP names Landry campaign manager its executive director
CanvaCory Dennis, the campaign manager for Jeff Landry’s successful run for governor, has been named executive director of the Louisiana Republican Party, its chairman announced Tuesday. Dennis worked...
View Article‘They made it up’: Landry’s juvenile justice nominee rejects abuse claims at...
The Louisiana Senate will have to make a decision about whether to confirm Gov. Jeff Landry's controversial appointment to the Office of Juvenile Justice Monday. (Photo by Julie O'Donoghue/Louisiana...
View ArticleAsylum seekers with criminal records would be more quickly removed under...
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas participates in a fireside chat with Mike L. Sena during the National Fusion Center Association 11th Annual Training Event on March 28, 2024, at the Omni...
View ArticleOne year after FDA approves over-the-counter birth control pill, advocates...
It’s been one year since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill, Opill, and less than two months since it hit store shelves. Advocates celebrate...
View ArticleEven as interest in women’s college sports rises, report finds big gap in...
LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey celebrates winning the national college women's basketball championship in 2023. (Getty Images)WASHINGTON — A congressional watchdog in a new report called on...
View ArticleGeorgia’s fix for voter challenges could make the problem worse
A roll of stickers sit on a table as people vote during the Georgia primary at the Metropolitan Library on May 24, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Ten months after Georgia officials...
View ArticleStar witness in Trump trial tells of plot to conceal porn star hush money...
U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Alabama, listen as former President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 13, 2024, during his trial for...
View ArticleLouisiana lawmakers move IVF protection bill forward, but doctors still might...
A Louisiana lawmakers said she is shelving her legislation to protect in vitro fertilization treatment in Louisiana. (Canva image)Louisiana lawmakers continue to move forward a bill to keep in vitro...
View ArticleLouisiana Senate leader seeks to block Landry juvenile justice appointee
Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow is seeking to block Kenneth "Kenny" Loftin from being permanently appointed to lead the Office of Juvenile Justice. (Pool Photo/Gerald Herbert via AP)A...
View ArticleLouisiana Senate president casts doubt on holding constitutional convention
Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry (Pool Photo/Gerald Herbert via AP)The leader of the Louisiana Senate says lawmakers still have “the same amount of questions” about Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposed...
View ArticleGov. Jeff Landry, in dispute with state ethics board, might gain more control...
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry delivers his address to state lawmakers on opening day of the regular legislative session, Monday, March 11, 2024, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (John...
View ArticleLouisiana Governor’s Mansion records, commission meetings likely to be made...
Louisiana lawmakers agreed to make documents and meetings about the operations of the publicly-funded governor's mansion secret. (Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator)The Louisiana Legislature has...
View ArticleLouisiana Senate added a new restriction to IVF, but it might not be enforceable
A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization in this undated photo. (Getty Images)Louisiana lawmakers have added a restriction to receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF) services that...
View ArticleLandry, lawmakers look to divert $700M from state savings to construction...
Rep. Jack McFarland. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders are looking to redirect over $700 million that would typically go into a state savings account toward...
View ArticleLawmakers give Landry control over ethics board amid dispute over discipline
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry has signed a new law that will give him more control over the state ethics board. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)Louisiana lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to give Gov. Jeff...
View ArticleLouisiana senators revive at-will dismissal of library board members
During the 2022–23 school year, book bans occurred in 153 districts across 33 states, according to a PEN America report. (Getty Images)The Louisiana Senate gave final passage Tuesday to a bill that...
View ArticleLouisiana voters could decide if Gov. Landry gets more control over state...
Louisiana lawmakers will not return in August for a constitutional convention or special session. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator).The Louisiana Legislature is close to approving a proposed...
View ArticleNew Orleans lawmaker grills Landry parole board nominee about prisoner labor...
State Sen. Gary Carter questioned former Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator about Prator's comments regarding "good" prisoners. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)Back in 2017, Caddo Parish Sheriff...
View ArticleWhite nationalist, anti-LGBTQ activity on the rise, annual hate report shows
One of the hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the “alt-right” who marched during the “Unite the Right” rally Aug. 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Southern Poverty Law...
View ArticleGov. Landry reauthorizes paid parental leave for state workers under his...
Gov. Jeff Landry opted to continue former Gov. John Bel Edwards' paid parental leave policy for state workers through an executive order this week. (Photo credit: Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)With...
View ArticleLouisiana asks judge to toss lawsuit against Ten Commandments law
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Monday she will ask a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit parents have brought to stop a new state law that requires the Ten Commandments to be posted in...
View ArticleCongress limps toward the end of a disappointing session, with just 78 laws...
U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, and U.S. Speaker of the House...
View ArticleLSU President William Tate can nearly double his salary through new incentives
LSU President William F. Tate. Courtesy of LSU. LSU President William Tate’s new contract includes incentives that can nearly double his $750,000 base salary if he meets certain goals. Tate’s contract...
View ArticleHow big is Louisiana’s budget deficit next year? It depends on teacher pay.
House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, left, and Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, will come up with a plan to tackle the looming budget deficit in the coming months. (John Ballance/The...
View ArticleLouisiana Illuminator accepted in the Local Media Association’s Lab for...
Louisiana's state flag. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)The Local Media Association has chosen the Louisiana Illuminator as one of 17 news organizations to participate in the 2024 cohort of the its...
View ArticleServices for people with disabilities could be eliminated under Landry budget...
Gov. Jeff Landry's administration has aid the state needs to prepare for over $300 million in health care budget cuts. (Getty Images)Programs for medically vulnerable children, seniors and people with...
View ArticleU.S. Senate Dems will prioritize Montana and Ohio seats, campaign chief says
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, right, talks with committee member Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., during a hearing about the Consumer Financial Protection...
View ArticleIncarcerated people from three jails evacuated ahead of Hurricane Francine
A water vapor-enhanced satellite image shows Hurricane Francine as of just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2024. The storm is approaching the New Orleans metropolitan area after making landfall in...
View ArticleGov. Jeff Landry, ethics board expected to reach deal over his ethics charges...
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's personal attorneys said the governor and ethics board are close to reaching a deal over ethics charges he faces. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)Gov. Jeff Landry’s...
View ArticleLouisiana Congressman Clay Higgins’‘overtly racist’ tweet sparks calls for...
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Louisiana, on Wednesday posted to X, and later deleted, a comment that invoked racist stereotypes about Haitians. In this photo, Higgins speaks during a press conference on the...
View ArticleLandry attorney, legislators slam Louisiana ethics board for ‘abusive’...
Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, may look to make further changes to the ethics board. (Allison Allsop/Louisiana Illuminator)A personal attorney for Gov. Jeff Landry delivered sweeping criticism this...
View ArticleThe Louisiana ethics board is trying to rein in PAC spending. Lawmakers are...
(Getty Images)The Louisiana Board of Ethics has quietly clamped down on political action committee (PAC) spending for over a year, angering state lawmakers and a campaign advisor to Gov. Jeff Landry....
View ArticleHomeless sweep ahead of Taylor Swift concert reveals conflict between city,...
Peggy Bush dismantles her tent under the Pontchartrain Expressway on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, when state police cleared out a homeless encampment. (Safura Syed / Verite News)NEW ORLEANS — City leaders...
View ArticleNew Orleans subdivision on toxic Superfund site being cleared for solar farm
An excavator tears into the home at 2897 Abundance St. in New Orleans. The subdivision, built on top of a landfill full of hazardous waste, will be turned into a community solar farm. (Halle...
View ArticleLouisiana lawmaker asks AG to investigate ethics board over alleged open...
A legislator has asked the Attorney General Liz Murrill to investigate the Louisiana Board of Ethics. (Wesley Muller/Louisiana Illuminator)A state lawmaker is asking the attorney general to investigate...
View ArticleLouisiana lawmakers consider making it easier to sentence more minors to...
Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, is proposing a constitutional amendment that could lead to more minors being sentenced to adult prisons. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)In a special lawmaking...
View ArticleLouisiana senators sue state ethics board to delay hiring of new ethics...
Senate President Pro Tempore Regina Barrow is one of two legislators suing the state ethics board over the hiring process used to pick a new state ethics administrator. (Pool Photo/Gerald Herbert via...
View ArticleUniversity of Louisiana System president optimistic about Trump’s return
University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot speaks at the Baton Rouge Press Club (Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator) University of Louisiana System President Rick Gallot said he is...
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