If you are a newcomer to my newsletter, welcome!
This is a weekday roundup of Louisiana news. I built it to resemble a Virginia news roundup I used to help compile called VaNews.
I am the senior writer for Louisiana Illuminator, but this is a personal project and not connected to my work.
Feel free to spread the word and forward Beaucoup News to people who you think might be interested in signing up.
Best,
Julie O’Donoghue
LSU Foundation purchases new $2 million president’s house
By Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
The LSU Foundation purchased a new house in Baton Rouge for the president’s use across University Lake from the existing president’s house.
The new home was purchased by a entity under the LSU Foundation, the private fundraising arm of the university, to be used by the president, spokesperson Sara Whittaker said in a statement. Read more.
Supreme Court ruling will make it harder to create more majority-Black districts in Louisiana
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate
Legal scholars say the U.S. Supreme Court’s latest congressional redistricting decision made it harder for minorities to choose their U.S. House representative, which could impact Louisiana’s quest for two, rather than one, majority-Blackdistricts. Read more.
6 incoming laws that will increase Jeff Landry’s power as Louisiana governor
By Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana’s powerful governor will become more so after a massive push from Republican Jeff Landry to increase his authority and influence over state government.Read more.
Jefferson Parish School Board faces pressure to reject PragerU videos in classrooms
By Blake Paterson, The Times-Picayune
A prominent group of local Black women is urging the Jefferson Parish School Board to reject the use of PragerU videos in the classroom, arguing that the content produced by the right-wing nonprofit and endorsed by State Superintendent Cade Brumley perpetuates racial biases and distorts historical facts. Read more.
There's no money to fix bridges linking MS & LA, a key evacuation route. 'People are frustrated.'
By Bob Warren, The Times-Picayune
Noting that another hurricane season is upon south Louisiana, some northshore legislators are urging the state to quickly reopen a series of bridges that have closed a stretch of U.S. 90 linking Louisiana and Mississippi.
The highway, they point out in a resolution the full House of Representatives recently approved, is a vital east-west artery that becomes busy when nearby Interstate 10 is either shut down or is clogged with evacuation traffic. Read more.
Louisiana federal judgeships may remain vacant in GOP protest of Donald Trump's conviction
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate
A Republican protest over a New York jury convicting Donald Trump last week could delay the appointment of any new federal judges, potentially keeping vacant three empty seats on federal trial courts in Louisiana— two in New Orleans, one in Shreveport. Read more.
Is this seafood really from the Gulf? New Louisiana law targets mislabeling at restaurants.
By Julia Guilbeau, The Times-Picayune
News broke last week that iconic Biloxi seafoodspotMary Mahoney'sOld French House Restaurant bought foreign and frozen seafood for years and marketed it to customers as fresh Gulf seafood.
The incident, first reported by the Biloxi Sun Herald, has since landed the restaurant's owners and an unnamed seafood supplier in hot water with federal authorities. Read more.
Louisiana's redfish limits changing for first time in decades. Here are the new rules.
By Mike Smith, The Times-Picayune
Louisiana's first change to recreational catch limits on redfish since the 1980s will take effect in a couple weeks, Wildlife and Fisheries officials announced Friday, as the state seeks to address a sharp decline in numbers in the highly sought after species. Read more.
You can also see more about this topic at WGNO-TV and in The Shreveport Times.
'It would open doors.' Louisiana hair braiders, lawmaker plan to keep fighting state rules
By Desiree Stennett, The Times-Picayune
Louisiana hair braiders and a New Orleans lawmaker say they plan to keep fighting to remove the state's burdensome licensing requirements after a bill died in committee during the recent legislative session. Read more.
One legislator wanted to ban THC hemp. Another wanted to keep it. Here's how it turned out.
By Tyler Bridges, The Times-Picayune
The situation looked dire for the booming new industry that gets people high, legally, from hemp.
It was the beginning of the legislative session in March. A state senator wanted to shut the new industry down, saying it sold unsafe and unregulated products to kids, and he had the support of the Senate president and the House speaker, the Legislature’s two most powerful members. Read more.
Louisiana legislative session 2024: Victors and the vanquished
By Julie O’Donoghue, Piper Hutchinson, Wesley Muller and Greg LaRose from Louisiana Illuminator
Louisiana legislators spent nearly five months debating, bargaining and deal-making over the course of two special and one regular law-making sessions. Lawmakers went home exhausted, while lobbyists and assorted stakeholders counted a mixed bag of victories and defeats. Read more.
Health chair talks about noncompete agreements for doctors
By Jeremy Alford, LaPolitics
Previous attempts to limit noncompete agreements for doctors have been highly controversial. How did the Legislature to the point where it could pass unanimously? Read more.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell's travel expenses: $250,000 on flights, hotels, food and a Sprinter van
By Ben Myers, The Times-Picayune
Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s travel has cost New Orleans taxpayers more than $250,000 since the start of 2023, a stretch of time in which the mayor has spent more than one in five days outside of the city, according to expense records and official schedules.
The expenses for more than 20 trips in the U.S. and overseas include hotel rooms, flights, car services, food and drink and other incidentals for Cantrell and the staffers that accompany her, including New Orleans police officers who serve as the mayor’s bodyguards. Read more.
Environmental concerns around I-49 Lafayette Connector project remain
By Claire Taylor, The Acadiana Advocate
The final approval document, the Record of Decision, for the Interstate 49 Lafayette Connector is expected around the end of 2025, but some citizens still are concerned about the project's impact on the environment, especially the city's drinking water supply. Read more.
Federal judge: ‘I don’t think robbers would ask for help’
By La’Shance Perry, The Lens
On Tuesday, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, lawyers from the ACLU of Louisiana and Cooley LLP argued in front of a three-judge panel on behalf of Bilal Hankins, a Black teenager stopped at gunpoint moments after he and his friends had approached officers for help in finding a lost dog.
The arguments centered around the reasons behind the June 2020 stop: what gave officers Kevin Wheeler and Ramon Pierre reasonable suspicion to pull over the teens?Read more.
Officials seek crime prevention districts to revitalize North Baton Rouge neighborhoods
By Lara Nicholson, The Advocate
Two Baton Rouge neighborhoods are poised to establish crime prevention districts to assist with security and beautification as part of a larger push to bolster the north part of the city.
The Louisiana Legislature, which wrapped up its most recent session on Monday, approved bills to create crime prevention districts in Delmont Place and Brookstown, two adjacentNorth Baton Rouge neighborhoods. The measures await signature from Gov. Jeff Landry. Read more.
