News

An ongoing effort by the Town of Farmerville to upgrade the town’s water system got a big assist last week when the Environmental Protection Agency approved a $560,000 grant to purchase state-of the-art, “smart” water meters.Coupled with the $140,000 the town has committed to the project, Farmerville will be able to purchase and install $700,000 worth of new meters over …

Parents in Louisiana would receive from $5,000 to $15,000 in state money to send their children to private schools under a Landry administration bill that is moving through the State Legislature.The Louisiana GATOR Scholarship program passed the House Appropriations Committee in a 13-8 vote Tuesday despite concerns over cost and implementation.The bill, proposed by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, would create …

Detention Center audit costing parish thousands in lost TWP revenue By Luke BrittEditorThe Union Parish Police Jury on Tuesday hired a reserve sheriff’s deputy and former U.S. Marine to head the parish’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, replacing the former director who resigned in January.Matthew A. Ford of Farmerville, one of five applicants for the position, was recommended …

A Louisiana House committee advanced a bill Wednesday to expand who can access a financial aid program for high-demand workforce education programs.The House Education Committee unanimously approved House Bill 728 by Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge. It would allow people convicted of violent crimes to access the M.J. Foster Promise Program, a financial aid program that allows students to pursue …

A proposal that would allow families to steer Louisiana public education dollars to private schools — regardless of their income — is expected to cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars, with a wide gap between legislative calculations and a good government group’s projections.As an education savings account bill from Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, advances through the Legislature, its …

Republicans on a Senate panel fended off multiple efforts to soften gun laws in Louisiana, including a “red flag” law to give authorities the power to prevent someone from possessing a firearm if they deemed a risk to themselves or others.Senate Bill 256, by Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, would have allowed a judge to issue such an order only …

Legislators and Gov. Jeff Landry’s handpicked delegates would meet between May 20 and July 15 to rewrite Louisiana’s Constitution, under a preliminary plan made public Wednesday.With the governor’s blessing, Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, submitted House Bill 800 that outlines the process for overhauling the current constitution adopted 50 years ago in Edwin Edwards’ first term as governor.Beaullieu’s proposal has …

How Union Parish Voted President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump won Louisiana’s primary on Saturday, collecting more delegates after they already clinched their party nominations.In Union Parish, where roughly 14 percent of eligible voters — about 1,700 —turned out, Trump received 1,187 votes to Biden’s 407.Biden also appeared in Missouri’s Democratic primary, with results not expected to be …

The precipitous loss of residents that Louisiana has seen over the last three years has been spread across nearly every parish, with urban and rural areas alike seeing large decreases, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau estimate of local population changes that offers another stark sign of the challenge facing state leaders.Some of the steepest declines were in areas …

From news service and staff reportsLouisiana politics have been dominated this year by new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry’s special legislative sessions to address crime and adopt new congressional maps. On Saturday, the focus will shift to the state’s presidential primaries.There’s little doubt who will win.Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump, the former president, unofficially sewed up their parties’ …