Louisiana voters will decide on four constitutional amendments in a Dec. 7 election, two of the amendments address legislative budgeting. Sean Richardson has the story.
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A Louisiana congressman will be sleeping outside tonight to shed light on a growing problem. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The December 7 election has four amendments that Louisiana Voters will vote on, addressing judicial ethics, legislative budgeting, and property tax processes. Amendment 1 proposes adding five appointees to the Judiciary Commission, expanding its current nine-member structure, and give the Supreme Court authority to initiate investigations and discipline judges for misconduct. Public Affairs Research Council President Dr. Steven Procopio explains that the Judiciary Commission investigates judges…
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Amendment 2 mandates a 48-hour review period for lawmakers before voting on budget amendments. This responds to rushed budget approvals in 2023. Procopio says Amendment 3 complements Amendment 2 by allowing a two-thirds legislative vote to extend sessions by up to six days to finalize budgets. Procopio says it’s rare when time is not an issue.
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Amendment 4 proposes replacing Louisiana’s tax sale process for delinquent property taxes with a tax lien auction, Procopio says it addresses potential due process violations highlighted in recent court rulings.
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New Orleans Congressman Troy Carter will be sleeping outside tonight to draw attention to youth homelessness in the city, the state and the country. Congressman Carter will be participating in the Covenant House Sleep Out tonight.
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Carter says the problem of homelessness is growing.
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Carter says the fact that it’s expected to be a frigid night in New Orleans – at least, in New Orleans standards – will further shed light on the issue.
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Carter says by sleeping outside, he and other officials who will be joining him can feel the pain that homeless people, especially children, go through on a nightly basis and work to bring resources to help get them off the streets.
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Researchers at LSU are developing a hand-held device to better detect cancer cells during surgery. It’s called SafeMargin, and it was invented by LSU electrical engineering associate professor Dr. Jian Xu (JAN ZHOO). He says the purpose of the device is to quickly detect a clean margin during cancer surgeries.
Dr. Xu says there are still many steps that need to happen before it can gain FDA approval, but he hopes to bring it to market by the end of the decade.
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Xu says the device is not only a game-changer, but it is also a life-saver.
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Xu says not only would SafeMargin be a time-saver, but it would also be a money-saver. While traditional technology to detect clean margins would cost close to 42-hundred dollars, using SafeMargin would cost only about 100 dollars per surgery.
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Alexandria International Airport is using a federal grant to lure United Airlines back. The airport is receiving one-million dollars through the Small Community Air Service Development Program. England Airpark Executive Director Ralph Hennessy says they’ve wanted to lure United back ever since the airline left in 2022 due to the effects of the COVID pandemic.
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Hennessy says if the airport is successful in bringing United back, the money would be put to good use.
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Hennessy says it will ask United to operate three daily non-stops to and from Houston. He says United returning to Alexandria will have other benefits for passengers.
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American and Delta are the other two airlines that fly out of Alexandria.