Before President-elected Biden moves into the White House he’ll decide on cabinet appointments and one Louisiana Congressman is most likely on the short-list. Brooke Thorington has more.
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The race for PSC Commissioner in District One is headed for a run-off. Brooke Thorington on the incumbent and his challenger
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The Shell Convent refinery is set to cease operation at the end of the month and 700 jobs and 24 million dollars of tax revenue is on the line if a new buyer can’t be found. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Louisiana Representative Cedric Richmond who was just re-elected for his six-term to Congress is a co-chair of President-Elect Joe Biden’s campaign team. Political Analyst Clancy Dubos says Richmond’s close friendship with the former Vice President could parlay into an appointment.
Clancy says Richmond could be presented with several options to serve President-elect Biden like Senior Policy Director on the domestic front or…
Clancy says another possibility for the New Orleans native could be an appointment as a trade representative.
If Richmond is appointed a special election will be held to fill the 2nd Congressional Seat.
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Incumbent Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta will face off with Allen Borne Jr. in the Dec. 5 runoff for the Louisiana regulatory body’s 1st District post. Borne says he feels the PSC needs someone to look out for the interest of the people because it’s being ignored and he wants to help companies move towards green technology.
Eric Skrmetta says he’s running for third-term because he wants to continue to serve the public and he’s proud of making Louisiana’s utility rates one of the lowest in the country.
Borne says sister states, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia do not allow campaign contributions from the companies the PSC regulates, and Louisiana shouldn’t either. Borne says the incumbent accepts contributions from utility companies and it’s a conflict of interest.
Skrmetta responds how can he be in the pocket of companies he regulates when he’s helped return rate credits of over a billion dollars to customers.
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Skrmetta garnered 31-percent of the vote to Borne’s 25-percent, five other candidates were also on the November 3rd ballot.
The 1st District covers all or parts of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Tammany, Ascension, Livingston, St. Helena, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes.
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President Donald Trump failed in his national reelection effort but once again won Louisiana handily, less than a year after Democrat Governor John Bel Edwards eked out a reelection win.
UL Lafayette Poli Sci Professor Pearson Cross says the President’s ten-point gain on Eddie Rispone’s 2019 numbers are a great reminder of the split between local and national politics.
Trump won a near-identical 58 percent of the vote in both 2016 and 2020. Edwards won 51 percent.
Edwards won the classically Republican suburban stronghold of Jefferson Parish by 14 points in 2019, but in 2020 Trump once again comfortably won the parish…
Cross says the results show how uniquely positioned the Governor was to triumph in the ruby red and getting even redder Louisiana.
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St. James Parish is still in shock after last week’s news that Shell would be shuttering their Convent oil refinery by the end of the month, a move impacting 700 jobs.
LSU Economist Dr. Loren Scott says Convent is a great site but all refineries are in a pickle right now, the primary reason being COVID.
A Shell statement says the closure was part of a companywide move towards more integrated sites and their lower-carbon future.
But Scott is optimistic that those the facility won’t be offline forever. He says it’s high tech, well maintained, and strategically located. He doesn’t expect Shell will have trouble finding a buyer.
Reports indicate Shell has been trying to sell the facility since July.
Scott says he is not concerned that the closure of the Convent site portends any greater trend towards future refinery closures and Louisiana is still positioned as one of the top refining states.
Scott warns if a buyer is not found those 700 jobs could impact over 5,000 other jobs statewide.
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The Ragin Cajuns are back in the AP Top 25 after beating Sun Belt West rival Arkansas State 27-20. Louisiana comes in at number 25 in the latest poll. On Saturday, the Red Wolves tied the game at 20 late in the 4th quarter on a long pass play, but the Cajuns quickly came back and Elijah Mitchell and scored on a two-yard touchdown run for the winning score. Coach Billy Napier
The Cajuns host South Alabama this Saturday.
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The Saints proved they are still the class of the NFC South last night as they conducted an absolute beat down of the Buccaneers trouncing Tampa Bay 38-3. New Orleans started fast as Drew Brees threw two first quarter touchdown passes and finished with four on the night as 12 different players caught passes. It was one of Sean Payton’s best nights as a play caller…
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The Black and Gold’s defense made Tom Brady look bad as the future Hall of Famer was intercepted three times and finished with his third lowest passer rating in his career. Payton says they were locked in…
The Saints hit the halfway point of the season on a five-game winning streak, a six-and-two record overall and they’ve already completed a season series sweep over the Bucs. But Payton says they have to remain on top of their game…