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Two bills moving through the Louisiana Legislature — House Bill 617 and House Bill 624, sponsored by Rep. Kim Carver (R-Covington) and Rep. Stephanie Berault (R-Slidell), respectively — propose a major restructuring of the state’s safety net services, including SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Republican proponents argue the…
In Saturday’s elections across East Baton Rouge Parish, voters decided several key local offices and propositions. In the closely watched special election for Louisiana House District 67, Democrat Terry Landry Jr. narrowly won outright with 52% of the vote, avoiding a runoff. Malcolm Myer finished second with 42%, while James “Sonny” Marchbanks earned 6%. Turnout…
BATON ROUGE — Terry Landry Jr. secured the Louisiana House District 67 seat in Saturday’s special election, narrowly surpassing the majority threshold to avoid a runoff. Landry earned 51.8% of the vote, edging past the 50% mark required to win outright. Malcolm Myer followed with 42.19%, while James “Sonny” Marchbanks received 6.01%. The seat became…
Voters in St. George returned to the polls on Saturday, May 3, to decide the final two city council seats—and delivered clear victories for both Republican candidates on the ballot. In the at-large runoff, former state legislator Jim Talbot (R) defeated Shaunn Wyche (D), a Navy veteran and finance professional, securing 59% of the vote…
In a move that reads more like legislative sleight-of-hand than genuine reform, Louisiana’s Republican supermajority is barreling ahead with House Bill 397, a 26-page overhaul of the state’s ethics code, introduced by Acadiana Republican Rep. Beau Beaullieu, designed to let Gov. Jeff Landry and his allies dodge corruption probes. “Cure your own crimes”—no investigation required…
Hundreds of community members, organizers, and advocates from across Louisiana converged Monday on the State Capitol for Reclaiming Justice Lobby Day, calling for urgent investment in education, housing, mental health care, infrastructure, and health access — and rejecting the state’s continued reliance on mass incarceration as public policy. Organized by groups including the Promise of…
In a move that sounds benign—a crackdown on alleged foreign contributions—President Donald Trump is set to sign a presidential memorandum targeting ActBlue, the Democratic-aligned online donation platform. According to Politico, the order, spearheaded by the White House with support from Attorney General Pam Bondi, is framed as enforcing existing laws against foreign donations. Yet the specific…
In the race for St. George’s at-large city council seat, Navy veteran and finance professional Shaunn Wyche isn’t running to make headlines. He’s running to make local government make sense for the people who live there — people like him. A father, neighbor, and recent arrival to the newly incorporated city, Wyche’s campaign is grounded…
In a move that all but telegraphs a cynical “business as usual” in state government, Governor Jeff Landry has tapped Bruce Greenstein—ex-health secretary under former Governor Bobby Jindal and a man with a notorious cloud of scandal trailing him—to once again lead Louisiana’s Department of Health. Greenstein’s appointment, announced April 11, has outraged watchdogs and…
On April 10, 2025, a federal appeals court gave residents of St. James Parish what they’ve been fighting for years to get: their day in court. In a landmark decision, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a civil rights lawsuit alleging racial discrimination in St. James Parish’s land-use policies can move forward….
BATON ROUGE, LA – The race to fill the vacant Louisiana House District 67 seat took center stage on Thursday, April 10th, as Democratic candidates Terry Landry, Jr. and James “Sonny” Marchbanks faced off in a public forum at the River Center Branch Library. Hosted by the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison Reform Coalition in…
Louisiana House District 67 will hold a special election on May 3, 2025, to fill the seat vacated by Larry Selders, who recently moved to the state Senate after a February 15 race with notably low turnout. Terry Landry Jr., a Democrat and longtime Baton Rouge resident, is vying to represent this majority-Black district in…
Baton Rouge, LA – Hundreds gathered on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol on Saturday, April 5, 2025, for a “Hands Off!” rally, a demonstration organized to protest what participants described as the overreach of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their detrimental impact on the country’s healthcare, data, jobs, and services. The…
Louisiana House District 67 will hold a special election on May 3, 2025, with a runoff scheduled for June 7 if no candidate secures a majority. The seat was vacated after Larry Selders’ February 15 victory for a state Senate seat, in an election that saw a notably low voter turnout of just 9.5 percent….
In a significant rebuke to Governor Jeff Landry’s administration and the entrenched corporate interests that often dominate Louisiana politics, voters soundly rejected all four constitutional amendments proposed in the March 29 election. The results were a clear rejection of far-right policy agendas designed primarily to benefit special interests and political elites at the expense of…
In an astonishing display of recklessness, Trump’s national security team has compromised classified military operations by inadvertently leaking detailed war plans via an unauthorized commercial messaging app, Signal, raising urgent questions about whether this administration itself poses a national security threat. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth disclosed highly classified operational details about imminent U.S. military strikes…
BATON ROUGE, La. — Three Democrats have officially qualified to run in the special election for Louisiana House District 67. The seat became vacant following the election of former representative Larry Selders to the state Senate in the February 15 special election, which saw a notably low voter turnout of just 9.5 percent. The primary…
In an unprecedented and deeply controversial case, Louisiana prosecutors have criminally indicted Dr. Margaret Carpenter, a New York-based physician, and Ashley Lights, a 39-year-old Louisiana mother from Port Allen, in connection with obtaining abortion pills via telehealth. Lights pled not guilty during her first court appearance on Tuesday, marking a significant escalation in the state’s…
Baton Rouge, La. – Mayor-President Sid Edwards introduced a revised plan Tuesday aimed at ending a heated debate over the future of library funding in East Baton Rouge Parish. Dubbed “Thrive! East Baton Rouge,” the new plan reduces proposed cuts to the library system, reroutes funds from Mosquito Control and the Council on Aging, and…
Baton Rouge, LA – On March 29, Louisiana voters will have another opportunity to reshape their state constitution by deciding on four proposed amendments. However, with historically low voter turnout in special elections—only 9.5% of eligible voters in the capital region cast a ballot in the February 15 special election—the question isn’t just how the…
Louisiana is on the brink of resuming capital punishment after a 15-year hiatus. But rather than relying on lethal injection, the state has opted for an untested and highly controversial method: nitrogen hypoxia. If carried out as scheduled, the execution of Jessie Hoffman on March 18 would make Louisiana the second state in the country,…
BATON ROUGE, La. – Mayor-President Sid Edwards is doubling down on his push to redirect dedicated library funds to public safety and infrastructure, warning that failure to approve his Revive EBR initiative could result in hundreds of job losses and major budget cuts across city-parish services. During a press conference Tuesday, Edwards said that if…
Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) voted 3-2 on Wednesday to remove Commissioner Davante Lewis from his role as vice chair, a decision that follows his public criticism of Governor Jeff Landry. The move has sparked debate over free speech, political influence, and the commission’s motivations. The controversy began when Lewis…
Baton Rouge, LA – State Rep. Larry Selders has won the special election for Louisiana’s 14th State Senate District, clinching 62.4% of the vote and avoiding a runoff in a decisive victory over fellow Democrats Carolyn Hill (20.4%) and Quentin Anderson (17.3%). The race fills the vacancy left by Cleo Fields’ election to Congress, solidifying…
