Today marks the seven-year anniversary of Governor John Bel Edwards expanding the state’s Medicaid program. Whitney Thomas has the story.
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Another candidate has entered the 2023 governor’s race. 68-year-old Lake Charles small business owner and attorney Hunter Lundy says he will run as an independent. Lundy says he has a servant’s heart and a stubborn desire to talk about things that should be done. The primary is in October.

State health officer Doctor Joe Kanter says a new COVID-19 variant has caused a bump in COVID infections coming out of the holidays. The XBB.1.5 variant is expected to become the most dominant version in the next few weeks. Kanter says fortunately it’s not increasing hospitalizations at this point, but he expects cases to continue to rise.
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The NFIB says small business optimism has dropped as fewer owners are expecting better business conditions over the next six months. Inflation remains the biggest problem. NFIB state director Dawn McVea says many owners are hoping government can help…
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