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Leaders of ‘Better Louisiana’ civic group will focus on education, insurance crisis • Louisiana Illuminator

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lailluminator.com – Julie O’Donoghue – 2025-02-11 14:20:00

Leaders of ‘Better Louisiana’ civic group will focus on education, insurance crisis

by Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
February 11, 2025

A new civic organization, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, will focus on education, the property insurance crisis and economic development in the upcoming legislative session that starts in April.

The Committee of 100 for Louisiana, founded in 1992, and the Council for a Better Louisiana (CABL), which originated in 1962, have combined to become Leaders for a Better Louisiana – or Better Louisiana for short. 

Committee of 100’s former leader Adam Knapp transitioned to be Better Louisiana’s CEO and CABL’s former executive director, Barry Erwin, is the organization’s chief policy officer. They spoke at the Baton Rouge Press Club Monday.

The state has made gains in education policy, but Erwin said young children entering kindergarten are behind students starting school in other states. Better Louisiana will stress that the state needs to continue to invest in early childhood education in order to improve kindergartners readiness.

He noted the state is trending in the right direction when it comes to third-grade reading proficiency rates, high school graduation rates and high school students earning industry credentials or college credits.

Knapp said the state’s economic development agency also needs work, even though Better Louisiana has already seen improvements under Gov. Jeff Landry. 

Better Louisiana will push the state to invest more in site development, with the state building out infrastructure for specific properties where they hope to attract business. Other states have done a lot more site development than Louisiana has in recent years, Knapp said.

Knapp also said Better Louisiana hopes to start shaping the state’s insurance crisis as an economic development issue. Business and industry leaders said the high rates of insurance are making it more difficult to attract projects to Louisiana.

The new organization will also push legislators and Landry to pass new laws to bring down insurance rates. It is supportive of Republican Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple’s approach, which has been supported by insurance companies.  

Knapp and Erwin said Better Louisiana will also pay attention to government accountability and transparency policies, which had previously been a focus of CABL. These include law changes that could weaken the state’s ethics laws or the public ability to inspect government operations.

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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Running into the Weekend

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www.youtube.com – KTVE – 2025-03-14 22:37:55

SUMMARY: This weekend in Lake Charles, Louisiana, two significant State title games are set to take place. The 15th annual Van Lee Relays showcased exciting track and field action at Neville High School, featuring notable performances like Charlotte Switzer’s first-place long jump of 16’5″ and Aiden Anding’s impressive long jump of 22’11”. In running events, Gabriella Glover won the girls’ 100-meter dash with a time of 12.35 seconds. In baseball, West Monroe topped Captain Shreve 3-1, while Ruston secured a 5-1 victory over K. N. Central. Other teams had mixed results in both baseball and softball competitions.

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Local Highlight Reel for March 14th

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Early voting begins Saturday for March 29 elections; 4 constitutional amendments

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lailluminator.com – Wesley Muller – 2025-03-14 14:57:00

Early voting begins Saturday for March 29 elections; 4 constitutional amendments

by Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator
March 14, 2025

Early voting in Louisiana begins Saturday for the March 29 election to decide the fate of four constitutional amendments and, for some voters, local races.

Early voting takes place from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 15-22, excluding Sunday, March 16. 

Voters in all parishes will have four constitutional amendments on the ballot, while a select number of towns and parishes will get to decide on local propositions and offices, according to Secretary of State Nancy Landry. 

The election will decide who gets a seat on the 21st Judicial District Court that covers Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Helena parishes. Democrats did not enter a candidate for this race, so three Republicans are jockeying for the seat.

Fourteen parishes will have local races on the ballots: Avoyelles, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Livingston, Morehouse, Rapides, Richland, Sabine, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. Mary, Vermilion, Vernon and Washington.

There are 17 parishes with local propositions on the ballots: Acadia, Allen, Assumption, Claiborne, Iberia, Jackson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Orleans, Ouachita, Plaquemines, St. James, St. Landry, Terrebonne, Union, Webster and West Baton Rouge.

Ten parishes have local races and ballot referendums: Ascension, Bossier, Caddo, DeSoto, East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Red River, St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.

Voters who are not overseas but cannot vote in-person still have time to request and cast an absentee ballot. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 4:30 p.m. March 25, and completed ballots must be turned in by 4:30 p.m. March 28. 

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day, March 29.

For more information on voting, visit GeauxVote.com or call (800) 883-2805

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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

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Experts warn against ‘measles parties’

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thecurrentla.com – Alena Maschke – 2025-03-14 14:20:00

SUMMARY: Experts are warning against “measles parties” in Louisiana amid a measles outbreak in Texas. These parties, where parents intentionally expose children to the virus to build immunity, are considered unsafe and can lead to serious complications, including death. The measles vaccine is much safer and more effective. With the virus potentially spreading from Texas, Louisiana health officials, including Dr. Kali Broussard and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, urge vaccination as a preventive measure. Louisiana’s health department is offering discounted vaccines for children, emphasizing the importance of immunization to avoid severe outcomes and long-term health risks.

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