After Supreme Court mandate: How is Louisiana giving juvenile lifers their shot at freedom?

Since the Supreme Court in early 2016 once again ruled that Louisiana was - and had been for decades - unconstitutionally sentencing juveniles to life in prison without the opportunity for release, the state has made some substantial strides. But many advocates say Louisiana is far from where it should be.

A question of ‘frustration’: Does Gov. John Bel Edwards support the death penalty?

Does Gov. John Bel Edwards support the death penalty? It's a question that chief political rival Attorney General Jeff Landry has been pushing for weeks now, with no clear answer from the governor, who has repeatedly deferred to state law on the matter and dismissed questions about his personal views on the topic. "The biggest frustration is that the governor just won't give us an answer.

U.S. Senate votes to extend federal flood insurance program; critics urge private alternative

On the day it was scheduled to expire, the U.S. Senate voted Tuesday to extend the National Flood Insurance Program for four months through Nov. 30. The bipartisan vote for the extension was 86 to 12. Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise authored the bill that also passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, 366 to 52. It now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature or veto.

Community column for April 10

John James Audubon Chapter members attended the Louisiana Daughters of the American Revolution State Conference March 15-17 at the Renaissance Hotel in Baton Rouge. Shown are, from left, seated, Chapter Regent Georgia LaCour, President General Ann Dillon, State Regent Zora Olsson, State Third Vice Regent Margaret Tyler, State Treasurer Charlotte White; standing, Nola Labat, Yvonne Lewis Day, Amy Fontenot, Denise Malesic, Betty Jo Snellgrove, Stella Tanoos, Bridget May, Carole Gloger, Norma Gerace, Essie Mongeau, Shirley Newsham, Gloria Wilbert, Paula Wilbert, Sue Ann Shore, Sue Badeaux, Denise Lindsly and Glenda Carlile.

Stephanie Grace: Retiring Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran was there was Louisiana needed him

In this Jan. 21, 2018, photo, lights shine inside the U.S. Capitol Building as night falls in Washington. President Donald Trump will deliver his first State of the Union address Tuesday night but, as always, lawmakers are angling to steal part of the spotlight.

Defining the Louisiana mood

I was eating boiled crawfish last Friday night with my wife and children in Baton Rouge-Crawfish season! Finally!-when I received a text a message. The digital missive was from a longtime Capitol player, someone who knows the House and the Senate and all of the illuminated and darkened corners in between.

Alford: Defining Louisiana’s political mood

Publisher Jeremy Alford was enjoying boiled crawfish with his family last Friday when he received a text message from a longtime Capitol player, who wrote he felt like Louisianans were at a breaking point when it comes to status quo in government and politics. The mood of the electorate would soon make way for change, the messenger said, before asking Alford for his thoughts.

FEMA homes to stay in Louisiana longer, but rent required

Louisiana residents displaced by the August 2016 flooding and living in mobile homes provided by the federal government can stay in them until May. Louisiana's homeland security office says the Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to the state's request to extend the temporary housing program - but refused to continue waiving rent for the mobile homes. Jim Waskom, director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said the rent requirement could create obstacles for some displaced flood victims.

Puerto Rico models Hurricane Maria recovery program after Louisiana strategy: report

A new recovery program in Puerto Rico aimed at getting people back in their homes as quickly as possible after Hurricane Maria will be modeled after one used by Louisiana following the historic flooding in 2016, according to WBRZ , a Baton Rouge television station. Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rossello formerly launched Puerto Rico's version of Louisiana's Shelter at Home program Monday while Gov. John Bel Edwards and First Lady Donna Edwards were visiting the island.

Voters to settle Louisiana treasurer race in November runoff

In this July 12, 2017 photo, New Orleans attorney Derrick Edwards talks to reporters as he signs up as the only Democratic candidate to run for state treasurer in Baton Rouge. The major candidates vying to be Louisiana's next state treasurer are spending their final day ahead of Saturday's election trying to drum up interest for a low-interest race.

Louisiana would lose out under Cassidy health care plan: Editorial

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., center, speaks to the news media on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017, accompanied by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The new GOP healthcare bill was written by a Louisiana senator -…

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, one of the authors of the new Republican Obamacare repeal bill , received intense blowback Monday from a top health official in his own state. Dr. Rebekah Gee, the secretary of health in Louisiana, sent a letter to Cassidy on Monday expressing concern with the bill and saying that the proposal would eviscerate the state's healthcare system.

Bi-partisan effort only way to solve looming budget crisis

A widely-publicized open letter from Gov. John Bel Edwards to House Speaker Taylor Barras set the stage for the kind of bipartisan efforts that will be needed to get Louisiana back on solid financial footing. Fiscal chaos has reigned in Louisiana government for nearly a decade, and that instability has created a severely negative impact not just on state agencies and institutions but also on the private sector and the state's overall economy.

US lawmaker shot by anti-Trump gunman back in intensive care

Top US Republican lawmaker Steve Scalise, recovering from being shot by a gunman angry about US President Donald Trump, has been moved back into intensive care because of concerns over infection, doctors said Wednesday. Scalise and three other people were shot in mid June at a park in suburban Washington as they practiced for a congressional charity baseball game.