New Orleans attorney Caroline Fayard is the first Democrat to enter Louisiana’s US Senate race. Fayard has never held political office, but did run for Lt. Governor in 2010. Fayard says she’s running for the Senate because she doesn’t want the rest of the country to take Louisiana for granted and that starts in Washington, D.C….

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A release from her campaign describes Fayard as a “pro-life, pro-business Democrat.”

The Republican Party of Louisiana’s “Red to the Roots” campaign is an effort to identify, engage, and register new conservative voters across Louisiana. Executive Director Jason Dore says although the number of Republicans registering to vote is increasing, they’re not comfortable with some recent trends in voter registration…

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He says it’s important to the Republican Party to have as many conservative voters registered in the state as possible.

In figures released Thursday, over 214,000 Louisiana residents signed up for health care coverage this year under the Affordable Care Act. That’s an increase of about 28,000 from last year. The open enrollment period ended Sunday. Nationwide, approximately 12.7 million people signed up or renewed their health insurance this year through the federal insurance marketplace.

Of course, Mardi Gras festivities are huge in New Orleans, but southwest Louisiana has some great celebrations of their own. Meghan Hartman with the Lake Charles Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau says every year the festivities get bigger and bigger in the region. She says, this Mardi Gras, the Society of American Travel Writers is coming in for a convention and to join in the celebrations…

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She says they’re proud of the fact their parades are family friendly and people travel from all over to attend.