Governor Jeff Landry talks coastal restoration and oil and gas production during a press conference at Nicholls State. Jeff Palermo has the story…
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Retired Caddo Parish Juvenile Judge David Matlock says Governor Landry asked him personally to head the Department of Children and Family Services, an agency facing multiple challenges.
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College students will have to wait longer to find out how much financial aid they could receive because of new FAFSA forms. Ebony Holmes with LA Office of Student Financial Assistance says this could result in financial aid offers not being made until April. Holmes admits it’s not ideal…
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The new FAFSA is a product of the FAFSA Simplification Act passed in 2022 to streamline the financial aid application and expand access to federal Pell Grants.
For students, Holmes says this will shorten their period between knowing the amount of financial assistance they will receive and what college they can afford. the National College Attainment Network has resources to help students determine their amount of financial aid
The form is usually released in October, but the updated version wasn’t released until December 30. The form was updated a second time this month to include inflation data.
Holmes says the rollout has been bumpy, but the plus side…
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Governor Jeff Landry named former state lawmaker and Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove as the Chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Landry says Dove is the right man to ensure that coastal restoration projects are built swiftly and economically…
Landry says Dove took the job because he wants to restructure the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority…
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Landry also named petroleum engineer Ben Bienvenu as the Commissioner of Conservation. He says Bienvenu and Natural Resources Secretary Tyler Gray will work to increase refining capacity in Louisiana…
Landry says Louisiana refines 21-percent of the crude oil that’s down from 23-percent eight years ago and the governor wants to get that two-percent back.
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Three weeks into his position as Secretary of the Department of Children and Family Services, retired Caddo Parish Juvenile Judge David Matlock recognizes changes need to be made to better assist children and families. The previous administration struggled with a lack of caseworkers and overwhelming child welfare caseloads.
Matlock says he wants to know what can be done for them to return to DCFS or take suggestions on what can be done to help caseworkers going forward.
He also wants to hear from foster parents and Matlock encourages individuals to reach out to foster parents and offer to help them, with simple things like bringing them a meal or offering to babysit.
Matlock says the department is in desperate need of cars for caseworkers that transport children and those vehicles are often the office for caseworkers.
A strike force has been created to focus on the hiring of and retention of caseworkers. Matlock says it will take more than compensation to fill those positions, it’s a matter of making the job sustainable.
Matlock says Governor Jeff Landry asked him to come out of retirement to lead the department and that the governor also wants to meet with foster parents personally and address their needs.
Matlock also encourages individuals to volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, also known as CASA, to make a difference in a child’s life.