The U.S. Senate primary election is tomorrow. Andrew Greenstein has a preview.

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Now that we’re in the middle of the spring, now is the time to take steps to protect your home from termites, if you haven’t already done so. Andrew Greenstein explains why.

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The Louisiana Senate approves a new congressional map that has five majority white Republican districts and just one majority Black Democratic district. Jeff Palermo has the story.

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A U.S. Senate campaign that started in December of 2024 when John Fleming announced a primary challenge against Bill Cassidy reaches its first critical checkpoint tomorrow with the primary election. Several other hopefuls also threw their names in the ring; but when Julia Letlow entered the race after getting President Trump’s endorsement, that cleared the field except for the incumbent Cassidy and the original challenger Fleming. LSU political science professor Robert Hogan says tomorrow could be Cassidy’s last stand.

Cut 4 (10) “…indicate he’s third.”

If he does indeed finish third, his 12-year run in Washington will come to an end. Polling indicates a runoff is a near certainty; and Hogan says the mountain will be higher to climb for Cassidy in that next phase.

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There are three people vying for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate – Jamie Davis, Nick Albares and Gary Crockett. There has been no polling data to indicate where the race stands currently. Statewide, more Democrats cast ballots in early voting than Republicans; Hogan says that doesn’t necessarily mean enthusiasm for any one of the three.

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Voters will see five constitutional amendments on the ballot tomorrow. Amendment Three has received the most attention. Barry Erwin with Leaders for a Better Louisiana says the amendment would abolish three large education trust funds and use the revenues of the funds to pay down teacher retirement debt.

Cut 7 (10) “…lot of implications.”

Constitutional Amendment One would allow the legislature to remove state government jobs from the civil service system and its protections without getting approval from the Civil Service Commission. Steven Procopio with the Public Affairs Council says supporters say the current civil service system is too rigid, with too many rules that make it difficult to find ways to improve government operations and efficiency.

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Amendment Two asks voters if they want to create the St. George Community School System. Erwin says the reason why the city of St. George formed in Baton Rouge was so that residents in that city can have its own school system.

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We’re well into spring; so if you haven’t taken proactive steps to protect your home from termites, now would be a very good time to do so. LSU AgCenter entomologist Aaron Ashbrook says Louisiana’s climate makes termite infestations more likely.

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Ashbrook says your first line of defense is to take preventative measures.

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In addition to those preventative measures, Ashbrook says there are certain precautions you can take to reduce the risk of termites damaging your home, including turning off your lights.

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Ashbrook also recommends that you keep wood as far away from your home as possible, because the closer to your home that you store your wood, the less distance termites have to travel in order to start feasting on your home’s framing.

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The Louisiana Senate has approved a Congressional map that eliminates one of the two majority Black districts. Monroe Senator Jay Morris says under his proposal, the state’s congressional map will have five districts that will likely have Republican representation and one district likely represented by a Democrat.

Cut 13 (12)  “…maximize Republican advantage.”

The state senate approved the map on a 27-10 party line vote. New Orleans Democrat Royce Duplessis says the map undoes all the progress that Blacks have made since the civil rights movement.

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The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled Louisiana’s current congressional map is an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, because race was the primary factor in the drawing of the sixth district, represented by Democrat Cleo Fields.

Morris says the nation’s highest court says it’s okay to draw a map based on party politics and a 5-1 map is reflects Louisiana’s conservative values.

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But Monroe Senator Katrina Jackson-Andrews says only a third of the state’s voters are registered Republican, so the map should have more diversity.

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The new congressional map heads to the House, and the first debate in House Governmental Affairs is expected sometime next week.

This afternoon, the State Senate passed a congressional map with five Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning district. The vote was 27 to 10, straight down party lines. West Monroe Republican Jay Morris defended the map he created….

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New Orleans Democrat Royce Duplessis spoke out against Morris’ map, saying it undoes all progress that Blacks have made since the civil rights movement.

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The legislature is redrawing the congressional map because the Supreme Court ruled the current map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The debate shifts to the House as the lower chamber will also have to approve the map before it is sent to the governor’s desk. 

Vehicle inspection stickers in Louisiana will soon be a thing of the past. A House bill to replace the inspection sticker with a QR code will soon be on the desk of Governor Landry, who has said he will sign it. While some argued that eliminating inspection stickers might be detrimental for some service stations, Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau said inspections are not a major source of revenue for them.

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16 and 17-year-olds no longer need to obtain a work permit from their school board to obtain a part-time job. Governor Landry has signed House Bill 232, removing a lot of the red tape that those teens had to go through in order to be able to work. Josh Carlson’s bill removes the government from the process altogether.

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On a 27-10 party line vote, the Louisiana Senate approves a new Congressional map that has five districts that favor Republican representation and one district that would likely be represented by a Democrat. Monroe Democrat Kantrina Jackson-Andrews pointed out to the bill’s author, West Monroe Republican Jay Morris, that registered Republican voters only make up a third of the state…

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The Congressional map debate shifts to the House as the lower chamber will also have to approve the map before it is sent to the governor’s desk.

Legislation has already been sent to the governor that reschedules the election dates for the U-S House races, which will shift back to an open primary, with the primary being held in November and the run-off in December.

When the calendar flips to 2027, you will no longer have to renew your vehicle inspection sticker. Andrew Greenstein reports.

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Two-time state championship-winning football coach Joe Spatafora is leaving Union Parish. Spatafora says he’s the new head coach at Drew Central in Monticello, Arkansas…

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By a party-line vote of 27 to 10, the State Senate passed a congressional map with five Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning district. During questioning, New Orleans Democrat Sidney Barthelemy told West Monroe Republican Jay Morris that since 80-percent of the Republican party is white, his map is also based on race, which is not allowed.

Cut 14 (12) “…partisanship.”

16 and 17-year-olds can now get a job without all the red tape. Governor Landry has signed House Bill 232 into law, removing the requirement that those teens obtain a work permit from their school board. The author of the legislation, Lafayette Republican Josh Carlson says the old system actually prevented some minors from being able to work.

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When the calendar flips to 2027, you will no longer have to schlep to your local service station to get your vehicle inspected. That’s because a bill to replace vehicle inspection stickers with QR codes will soon be on the way to Governor Landry’s desk, and Landry has said he will sign it. While some have said no amount of technology can replace inspections, Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau said times are changing.

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Two-time state championship-winning football coach Joe Spatafora is leaving Union Parish for a high school coaching job in Arkansas. Spatafora, who brought a run-first, physical style of football to Farmerville, says he cherishes the relationships he built at Union Parish.

Cut 8 (08) “..family forever.”

Within the last hour, the State Senate has passed the congressional map with five Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning district. The vote was 27 to 10, straight down party lines. West Monroe Republican Jay Morris defended the map he created. 

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The bill now moves to the House. Like the Senate, Democrats don’t have close to the numbers needed to offer any resistance toward passage.

Vehicle inspection stickers in Louisiana will soon be a thing of the past. A House bill to replace the inspection sticker with a QR code will soon be on the desk of the Governor, who has said he will sign it. While some argued that eliminating inspection stickers might be detrimental for some service stations, Alexandria Senator Jay Luneau said inspections are not a major source of revenue for them.

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16 and 17-year-olds can now get a job without all the red tape. Joe Gallinaro reports.

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The NFL releases its 2026 schedule tonight and it’s been leaked the Saints will open the season on the road at Detroit. The Black and Gold will also be on the road Thanksgiving weekend as they will visit Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and the Bengals in Cincinnati.

When the calendar flips to 2027, you will no longer have to renew your vehicle inspection sticker.

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A new study finds students in Louisiana are making the biggest gains in the US for reading and math growth. Governor Landry says we are also the only state that’s returned to pre-pandemic learning levels…:

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16 and 17-year-olds no longer need to obtain a work permit from their school board to obtain a part-time job. Governor Landry has signed House Bill 232 into law, removing a lot of the red tape that those teens had to go through in order to be able to work. The author of the legislation, Lafayette Republican Josh Carlson, says it was also a very cumbersome task for schools as well.

Cut 10 (11) “…the work permit.”

Carlson says the old system actually prevented some minors from being able to work.

One of the most successful high school football coaches in north Louisiana is taking another high school job in Arkansas. Joe Spatafora, who won 179 games and two states at Union Parish, is leaving the Fighting Farmers to coach at Drew Central High School in Monticello, Arkansas. Spataford led U-P to state titles in 2013 and 2023…

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Union Parish assistant coach and former Arcadia head coach Demitri Carr is expected to replace Spatafora.

Inspection stickers in Louisiana are about to go the way of the do-do bird. A bill to replace them with QR codes will soon be on Governor Landry’s desk, and Landry has said he will sign it. Lafayette Democrat Gerald Boudreaux argued against it, saying no amount of modern technology can replace inspections to keep everyone on Louisiana roadways safe.

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Alexandria Democrat Jay Luneau said technology changes things; and by implementing the QR codes, the state is moving on to the next level.

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The only information revealed by the QR codes is the VIN. Luneau said they can help keep law enforcement officers safe by letting them know things like whether the vehicle was stolen before approaching it during a traffic stop.

The Department of Insurance is using modern technology to catch people committing insurance fraud. Commissioner Tim Temple says it’s using Anti-Fraud One and artificial intelligence to catch people defrauding insurance companies.

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That technology was used to arrest six Ouachita Parish residents last week in connection with a nearly decade-long insurance fraud scheme involving fire and water damage claims. 

Two-time state championship-winning football coach Joe Spatafora is leaving Union Parish for a high school coaching job in Arkansas. Spatafora says this new opportunity at Drew Central High School in Monticello, Arkansas, came together in the last week.

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