NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A simple gift from a bitter political rival — a medical mask emblazoned with Louisiana's state seal — has helped Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards pound home a bipartisan plea for people to stay at home…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana is releasing more information about its coronavirus deaths, showing the virus's victims are disproportionately black and two-thirds of those who have died suffered from high blood pressure. The new data released by Louisiana's health department,…
NEW ORLEANS - Last Friday, there were 2,700 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 119 deaths in Louisiana. One week later, there are more than 10,000 cases and nearly 400 deaths. Worldwide, there are more than 1 million confirmed cases. Governments at…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards on Wednesday announced creation of a state loan program for small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and response. Under the Louisiana Loan Portfolio Guaranty Program, banks will lend up to $100,000…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Legislature should “plan for brevity and essential business” as it tries to figure out how to handle a regular session cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana says in…
BATON ROUGE – The Louisiana Legislature convened for about an hour Tuesday before suspending their session once again because of coronavirus concerns. Their brief meeting followed news that one of their own, state Rep. Ted James, was hospitalized with pneumonia…
BATON ROUGE - Congress on Friday approved a $2 trillion-plus aid and stimulus package that may soften the economic blow caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and response, though it still might not be enough to protect state finances and get…
NEW ORLEANS - Last Friday, there were nearly 500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Louisiana. Ten people had died as a result of complications from the disease. As of this writing, there are more than 2,700 cases and 119 deaths…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — President Donald Trump Tuesday evening granted a federal disaster declaration exists in Louisiana and ordered assistance to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by COVID-19. Louisiana's governor on Tuesday asked the White House to…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards is asking the federal government to declare a “major disaster” in his state, which has the third-highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the nation. The declaration would allow the federal government to provide…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered all 4.6 million people in Louisiana to voluntarily stay at home starting at 5 p.m. on Monday unless they're performing an essential task like getting food or medicine. First-responders and…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Disasters often make strange bedfellows, but the new coronavirus has thawed some of the frostiest relationships in Louisiana politics — or at least quieted much of the public feuding. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and…
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana's Legislative Auditor's Office is suggesting changes to a popular tax break aimed at encouraging businesses to locate or expand in the state. But the state's economic development department disagrees with the findings. The Advocate reports that…
NEW ORLEANS - There were about 100 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Louisiana on Monday. By Friday morning, there were almost 500 cases and 10 deaths. About 300 of the confirmed cases are located in New Orleans. The numbers…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is entering a critical stretch in its efforts to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Wednesday. “We have two weeks to minimize the spread of COVID-19,” he…
NEW YORK (AP) - With each day that the coronavirus outbreak spreads and claims more lives, the damage to global airlines rises too. U.S. carriers on Monday put a price tag on their pain: They asked the federal government for…
BATON ROUGE – Gov. John Bel Edwards banned gatherings larger than 50 people and ordered casinos, bars and movie theaters to close at midnight, while restaurants will be limited to delivery, take out and drive-through orders only, the governor’s office…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards intensified restrictions statewide Monday in an effort to combat the coronavirus, ordering bars and movie theaters to close and limiting restaurants to delivery and take-out only, as the number of…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana is postponing its April 4 presidential primaries due to fears about the novel coronavirus pandemic. It becomes the first state to postpone elections as a result of the outbreak. Louisiana will now hold its presidential primaries…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s state school board is asking for an $80 million funding increase from state government for the 2020-2021 school year. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Wednesday unanimously approved requesting the increase, which is twice…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a public health emergency in Louisiana on Wednesday as the number of new coronavirus cases in the state continued to grow. The state's first positive test for COVID-19, the disease…
WASHINGTON (AP) — Taking dramatic action, President Donald Trump sharply restricted passenger travel from 26 European nations to the U.S. and moved to ease the economic cost of a viral pandemic that is roiling global financial markets and disrupting the…
BATON ROUGE (AP) — Louisiana is restarting its stalled effort to replace its voting machines, with the solicitation for bidders expected to go out shortly, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin said Tuesday. New machines, however, won't be in place quickly.…
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana legislators on Monday gave final approval to more than $1 billion worth of infrastructure projects that are supposed to go forward if and when enough money is available. “We go as far as the dollars will…
NEW ORLEANS - On Monday, the Louisiana workers' rights group Unleash Local Coalition called on the Louisiana State Legislature to lift the state ban on local paid sick leave laws following reports of the state’s first case of the coronavirus.…
BATON ROUGE - The top one percent of earners in Louisiana are taxed at an effective rate of 6.2 percent, compared to the state’s 10 percent tax rate on the middle 20 percent of income earners, according to a new…
BATON ROUGE - On the first day of the 2020 legislative session, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards stressed “investments in education at every level” during his State of the State address. “I know that it’s going to take some time…
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Business groups see an opportunity with the new, more conservative Republican-led Louisiana Legislature to gain traction on a top goal, to rein in civil lawsuits and damage awards against them. GOP lawmakers have made the…
BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin hopes to acquire electronic voting machines that also record votes on paper, though he said this year’s elections will be secure even without a paper trail. Ardoin spoke Thursday evening at…
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on the virus outbreak (all times local to Seoul): 1:15 a.m. At the White House, President Donald Trump has signed a $8.3 billion bill to fight the coronavirus that has rocked financial markets, interrupted travel…
