Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says progress is being made in reducing the number of policyholders who have to rely on Citizens for their homeowners insurance. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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The federal government has issued a notice that up to 300 thousand acres will be auctioned in the first-ever offshore wind lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico on August 29th. Teiko Foxx has the story…
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State Representative Tanner Magee is not running for re-election. He says the toxic stew at the capitol is a major reason why he’s getting out. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 3 (31) “….I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announces companies that took advantage of the newly funded Insure Louisiana Incentive Program have written over 17 thousand homeowner insurance policies as of May 31st. Donelon says the program is working to reduce the number of Citizens policyholders, which is much more expensive than private insurance.
The top five parishes for new policies are Jefferson, Orleans, St. Tammany, Terrebonne, and St. Charles. Donelon says SafePoint Insurance has been approved to take nearly 20 thousand policies out of Louisiana Citizens during the upcoming round of depopulation.
Donelon says getting policyholders out of Citizens is vital to the state’s economic recovery. He urges all Citizens policyholders to contact their agents to be notified if they have an opportunity to leave Citizens…
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The federal government announces the first ever Gulf of Mexico offshore wind lease sale, opening sites off the coasts of Lake Charles and Galveston, Texas. About 300-thousand acres will be auctioned off on August 29th. Director of Future Energy at Greater New Orleans Inc. Lacey McManus says this moment has been eagerly anticipated and officially makes the state a hub for offshore wind activity.
More than 102 thousand acres offshore from Lake Charles and two areas of about 100 thousand acres each near Galveston are under consideration. McManus says some of the world’s largest wind energy developers have already expressed interest.
Several stipulations have been added on potential holders including agreeing to support workforce training programs. McManus says building wind farms may be a way off but Louisiana workers are ready.
The areas could turn wind energy into nearly 4 gigawatts of electricity each year. A sale notice can be found in the Federal Register.
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Attorney General Jeff Landry has issued a legal opinion that advises the Louisiana Pardon Board not to hear the clemency applications sent in by 56 death row inmates. Landry says the pardon board has 440 applications to examine before they get to the death row inmates who are hoping Governor Edwards reduces their punishment to life in prison
Landry says the Pardon Board’s own rules say that a clemency application should be filed within their last appeal was denied. He says there are emergency circumstances like an execution date, but that doesn’t apply in this situation…
Cut 11 (11) “…follow the rules.”
But executive director of the Capital Appeals Project, Cecelia Kappel, says Landry’s legal opinion has no binding force on the board and there’s also a major conflict of interest….
Cut 12 (12) “…clemency requests”
Kappel says the pardon board can also waive its rules, including the rule that requests need to be filed within one year after last denied appeal. She says that rule has been waived before in death penalty cases…
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The Speaker Pro Tem of the Louisiana House has decided not to run for re-election, ending his legislative career after eight years. Houma Representative Tanner Magee says he has 14-year-old triplets, plus he calls the political atmosphere at the capitol toxic….
The 42-year-old Magee says Washington D-C partisan attacks have become too much…
Magee says he’s proud to help secure funds for rural roads and flood control projects in his district. But he says special interest groups have gained too much control…
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Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin did not hold back at SEC Media Days when discussing the problems NIL and the transfer portal have created for college football. He called it a disaster. He says there needs to be more restrictions when it comes to the two transfer portal windows. He says no other sport allows its athletes to opt into free agency every year…
Kiffin says he has no problems with players getting paid and he’s benefited from the transfer portal as he signed LSU transfer and former St. Thomas More Quarterback Walker Howard. But he’s concerned the best players are going to schools that have boosters with the deepest pockets
Kiffin says he knew it would turn into a disaster when NIL and the portal became a major part of college athletics. He says it legalized cheating…