The LHSAA convention gets underway today and the big topic is what to do with the high school football playoffs. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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The deadline to register to vote in Louisiana’s upcoming presidential preference primary is one week from today. Eric Gill reports…
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State labor officials say Louisiana’s unemployment rate dropped from 7.2 percent in December 2014 to 6.1 percent last December. Emelie Gunn has more on why…
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A format for the prep football playoffs will be voted on at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association convention, which kicks off in Baton Rouge today. LHSAA president Vic Bonnaffee of Central Catholic says there’s great uncertainty, after it was determined the association didn’t follow the correct procedures to split the playoffs between public and private schools in 2013
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The LHSAA is also dealing with pay issues for officials and attendance boundaries to determine eligibility. But how the football playoffs will be structured is the big issue. Bonnaffee says discussion ramps up today as principals and coaches try to reach a consensus before a vote on Friday
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Bonnaffee doesn’t see the principals agreeing to go back to the old format, where there were five championships. He says most schools like the split playoffs, but whether it will be public-private split or a proposal to separate rural and metro schools will be determined over the next three days….
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The deadline to register to vote in Louisiana’s upcoming presidential preference primary is one week from today. The primary election is March 5th. Secretary of State Tom Schedler says this is Louisiana’s only closed primary…
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In the closed primary, Democratic voters are only allowed to vote for Democratic presdential candidates and Republican voters for Republicans. Schedler says registered independent voters are not allowed to take part in the closed presidential primary…
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He says you can register or change your party affiliation at your local registrar of voters office or online at geauxvote-dot-com. Schedler says some portions of the state will have more than the presidential preference primary on their ballot…
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The Louisiana Oil and Gas Association’s annual meeting begins today at the Golden Nugget Casino in Lake Charles. Vice President Gifford Briggs says the market shifted drastically in 2015, and it’s critical industry professionals stay informed. He says they are optimistic the sharp cut in the price of oil will rebound…:
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Speakers Thursday include Governor John Bel Edwards, State Treasurer John Kennedy and Congressman Charles Boustany. Briggs said they look forward to hearing from Edwards on the proposals issued as ways to plug the state’s $750 million dollar budget hole…:
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Briggs said presenters will also give the industry perspective on what it will take to keep Louisiana’s oil and gas sector relevant for the future. He says the Edwards Administration’s proposals include raising taxes on oil and gas businesses, which combined with low oil prices makes their industry situation even more dire..:
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New data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows Louisiana’s unemployment rate fell to 6.1 percent in December. Executive Director for the Louisiana Workforce Commission Ava Dejoie says despite a decline in oil prices and a loss of jobs in that industry, the state still had an overall positive job growth because of increased employment in education and health services.
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Dejoie says they’re working hard to get those who lost their jobs in the oil industry quickly placed into new positions. She anticipates jobs in that sector will start coming back when prices begin to rise.
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Dejoie says we only lost 100 jobs in the mining sector, which includes the oil industry in December, but other areas of employment are feeling the impact of low oil prices.
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A federal judge in Baton Rouge strikes down a Louisiana law that required abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino says US Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on this very same case in March
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Supporters of this law say it’s intended to protect women’s health, while opponents say it will make it very difficult to get an abortion in Louisiana. Ciolino says the nation’s highest court will likely rule on this matter later this year…
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Ciolino says it’s expected Judge John deGravelles will issue a permanent injunction against Louisiana’s abortion law. He says the state will likely appeal the federal’s court decision, but those appeals won’t go far
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