NEW ORLEANS – In hopes of bringing high-speed wireless internet to unserved areas, a Louisiana legislative task force agreed Tuesday to recommend auctioning off much of a spectrum previously reserved for public safety. The task force included in its report…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana hasn’t had to borrow as much money as was feared to keep the state’s unemployment benefits trust fund afloat, but employers still could face higher taxes if a revenue solution isn’t found during the legislative session,…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards has requested a presidential emergency declaration in response to winter weather that has left at least three people dead and tens of thousands without electricity and water. Requested federal assistance includes commodities and…
BATON ROUGE – The federal government has proposed building a levee system that could give residents of seven southeast Louisiana parishes the same level…
BATON ROUGE – Offshore oil exploration can go hand-in-hand with President Joe Biden’s stated goals of reducing carbon emissions and fighting climate change, Louisiana officials argued Wednesday. State government and business leaders said they are deeply concerned about the federal…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is getting $26.7 million as part of a $366 million project to restore coastal marshland and defend against hurricanes, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced Tuesday. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, or RESTORE Council,…
BATON ROUGE – A group of Louisiana voting-rights advocates are urging lawmakers to commit to four principles organizers say will help to ensure a “fair” redistricting process. After the federal government’s once-a-decade population census, states create new political boundaries that…
BATON ROUGE - A coalition of 13 environmental and community groups has come out against a planned $1.3 billion expansion of Shintech facilities in Iberville and West Baton Rouge parishes. The groups said the projects will increase cancer-causing pollution in Black…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana officials have provided COVID-19 vaccines to 406 providers across all 64 parishes this week, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office said Monday. Residents who are at least 70 years old are eligible. Vaccine supplies are limited and…
BATON ROUGE – Insurers have paid or reserved $7.7 billion on claims in Louisiana through the end of 2020 from hurricanes Laura, Delta and Zeta, which represents the first measure of damage from all three storms, Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon…
BATON ROUGE – A proposal to simplify how Louisiana taxes oil and gas has drawn opposition from industry groups who say the changes could hurt natural gas producers. Louisiana’s severance tax on oil – the amount the state charges on…
BATON ROUGE – In response to the Biden administration suspending new oil and gas leases on federal land for 60 days, oil and gas companies in the south and southwest warned that doing so would impact hundreds of thousands of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s casino revenue was down more than 21 percent in December compared to December 2019, according to the newest state report. Every property but one took in less money than during the previous December, continuing the downward…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s economy likely won’t return to pre-pandemic job growth until 2023, the Legislature’s chief economist said Tuesday. “Pre-COVID growth rate was mediocre or lethargic at best,” said Greg Albrecht of the Legislative Fiscal Office. Louisiana’s Revenue Estimating…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s state government should not implement a strict crackdown on businesses that misclassify their employees as independent contractors, business advocates said Thursday. Rules regarding worker classification are confusing, particularly for small-business owners, advocates said. “A lot of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is in line to receive an estimated $331.1 million for higher education through the most recent COVID-19 federal aid package, although the exact amount and the rules about how the money can be spent have not…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) posted Monday a list of 107 pharmacies in 51 parishes where some of the state’s limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses are available by appointment only. Louisiana residents who are at least…
BATON ROUGE – November was another slow month for Louisiana’s casino sector, which was struggling even before the COVID-19 pandemic and this year’s record-breaking hurricane season. Diamond Jacks in Bossier City closed permanently in October. Hurricane Laura heavily damaged Isle…
BATON ROUGE – Personal income in Louisiana fell more than the rest of the nation’s during the third quarter of the year as federal pandemic relief dwindled, according to a federal report released Thursday. State personal income fell 13.8 percent…
BATON ROUGE – A change to how Louisiana’s health department pays nursing homes is expected to cost the state an extra $5 million-plus per year. State officials say the boost is meant to benefit nursing home residents by encouraging facilities…
BATON ROUGE – A package of legal changes that state business lobbyists supported and lawmakers approved failed to get Louisiana off the American Tort Reform Association’s annual list of “judicial hellholes.” This is the eighth consecutive year Louisiana has been…
BATON ROUGE – The saga over legalized alcohol delivery in Louisiana continued Wednesday with a debate about how the delivery companies’ fees should be structured. Last year, lawmakers legalized alcohol delivery but said the deliveries had to be made by…
BATON ROUGE – Over the next year or so, Louisiana officials hope to figure out how much money in fines and fees is flowing through the state’s criminal justice system and how that money is being spent, a necessary step…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Workforce Commission is attributing a recent spike in claims for unemployment benefits to fraud. Officials say more than 32,000 claims have been filed over the past two weeks, many of which are being “rigorously reviewed…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s casino sector was in decline before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the slide has continued amid customer health concerns and restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus. All but two of the state’s casinos…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana will receive $234.6 million of Deepwater Horizon settlement money for wetlands restoration projects in Plaquemines, Terrebonne and St. Bernard parishes, officials said Monday. The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved plans totaling more than $900 million…
BATON ROUGE – A broader and simpler tax structure would be fairer to taxpayers, provide a more predictable revenue stream for government, and make Louisiana’s economy more competitive with the rest of the nation, according to the Resilient Louisiana commission.…
BATON ROUGE – State government has an extra $7.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief dollars to spend, though it won’t be nearly enough to satisfy everyone who says they need help, officials said Friday. With the federal CARES Act, Congress…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana shoppers won’t have to pay state sales taxes on most purchases Friday and Saturday. The one-time tax holiday is meant to help residents suffering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple hurricanes, though some…
BATON ROUGE – The worst is likely over for Louisiana’s struggling oil-and-gas sector, though employment is unlikely to rebound to levels seen before the 2015 crash or even to pre-COVID-19 levels, according to a new report. The LSU Center for…
