So happy to be back here with you guys after a few days off!
If you are a newcomer here, welcome!
This is a free weekday roundup of Louisiana news. I built it to resemble a Virginia news roundup I used to compile called VaNews.
I am the senior writer for Louisiana Illuminator, but this is a personal project and not connected to my work.
Feel free to spread the word and forward Beaucoup News to people who you think might be interested in signing up. I want to grow my audience.
What articles do I include? I try to put in everything from local media that I think is relevant to state politics, though I’m picky about stories from national outlets. I also don’t run stories if I find a factual error in them or if the story too closely resembles one that ran recently.
Best,
Julie O’Donoghue
Louisiana school districts could be in violation of abuse-reporting law, Attorney General says
By Elyse Carmosino, The Advocate
School employees must report suspected child abuse by a colleague directly to law enforcement, according to a new opinion issued by the state Attorney General and a recently passed state law.
The opinion follows debate over school district policies that required employees to report suspected abuse to their supervisors, which critics say may dissuade staffers from reporting their suspicions out of fear of pushback or retaliation. Some districts have been revising their policies to comply with the new abuse-reporting law. Read more.
2 Democrats, Republican join race for Louisiana’s new majority-Black congressional district
By Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
Former Congressman Cleo Fields, former state Sen. Elbert Guillory and upstart candidate Quentin Anthony Anderson signed up Wednesday to run in the election for Louisiana’s newly drawn, majority-Black 6th Congressional District seat. Read more.
You can also learn more about this topic in The Times-Picayune, BRProud, Shreveport Times and Associated Press.
Candidates sign up to run in new majority-Black Louisiana Supreme Court district
By Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
Two state appellate court judges and a Baton Rouge government administrator signed up Wednesday to run for a newly-created majority-Black seat on Louisiana’s Supreme Court.
All three candidates for the court’s District 2 slot, based primarily in Baton Rouge, are Democrats. Read more.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana announces new organizational structure
By Dillon Lowe, Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana on Wednesday announced a new organizational structure that CEO Bryan Camerlinck says is aimed at positioning the company for “long-term success.”
Under the company’s new structure, health plan operations and technology have been combined to form a single division, and corporate strategy and government business have been brought under the umbrella of the sales and marketing division. Read more.
You can also read about this in BRProud.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sees two different visions of America
By Mark Ballard, The Advocate
House Speaker Mike Johnson asked for unity but told the Republican National Convention Tuesday night that the United States is in a struggle between two different visions of America. Read more.
Revitalizing the dying Maurepas Swamp has long been a goal. Work finally begins this fall.
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
Construction will begin this fall on a long-awaited plan to revitalize the dying Maurepas Swamp between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority announced Wednesday as it detailed the first contract signed for the project. Read more.
Catholic Charities, other nonprofits get federal housing funds to assist those in need
By Megan Wyatt, The Acadiana Advocate
The Lafayette city and parish councils preliminarily approved an ordinance Tuesday that would allocate federal funds to the city's emergency homeless shelter and other programs for those in need of housing assistance. Read more.
Caddo Parish School Board changes the district's cell phone policy
By Victoria Gaines, The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate
Caddo Parish School Board revised the district's policy governing student usage of cellphones at school in its Tuesday night meeting.
The board made its changes to comply with a new state law that governs student possession of electronic telecommunications devices during the school day. Read more.
N.O. East Super Bowl LIX infrastructure plans, residents call for more work to be done
By Nigell Moses, WWL-TV
The City of New Orleans is working to complete hundreds of infrastructure projects before Super Bowl LIX. However, some residents are asking for more work to be done in New Orleans East. Read more.
Sen. Cassidy shares Congressional update with Cenla
By Colin Vedros, KALB-TV
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy was in Central Louisiana on July 17 to give a congressional update to local officials and businesses.
Cassidy’s address comes just a few days after an assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. Read more.