Now that the midterm elections are behind us – save for a pair of U.S. House runoffs next month – attention now shifts to next year’s gubernatorial election. Pollster John Couvillon with JMC Analytics and Polling says even though last week’s vote has yet to be certified, time is of the essence for those wishing to get into the race.
Louisiana will have two new public service commissioners come January – both Republicans. Among them is Stephanie Hilferty, who won her election out of District One, which encompasses much of southeast Louisiana. Hilferty says one of her main priorities once she enters office is to update electrical reliability standards, which she says are long overdue to be updated.
LSU will soon begin a 440-thousand-dollar preservation project to restore the iconic Native American mounds located on campus. LSU campus landscape architect Dennis Mitchell is heading up the project; he says they’re taking down the chain link fence around the historic site, but they still don’t want anyone walking on the mounds.
The National Park Service is paying for half of the project and work should begin in the next six months.
The Louisiana Board of Regents is developing the new Louisiana Opportunity index to help measure how effectively Louisiana’s higher education system creates career opportunities for its students. Higher Education Commissioner Kim Hunter Reed says the index allows campuses to assess whether they’re career-connected.