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Louisiana lawmakers want information on girls prison leadership, contract

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lailluminator.com – Julie O’Donoghue – 2025-02-20 10:40:00

Louisiana lawmakers want information on girls prison leadership, contract

by Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
February 20, 2025

Louisiana senators are pressing state officials for information about the leadership of a controversial juvenile justice facility the state is using as its youth girls prison again

Ware Youth Center in Red River Parish was the focus of a New York Times investigative report in 2022 that alleged widespread abuse of girls held at the facility. 

At a legislative hearing Tuesday, Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe, told state juvenile justice officials to report back to her about who sits on the Ware Youth Center Authority, the state-created entity that is supposed to oversee the youth prison.

Jackson said she wants to make sure the people supervising Ware when the alleged abuse occurred are not still in charge.

“Are we paying the same people who mistreated children?” Jackson-Andrews asked at a Senate Select Committee on Women and Children hearing. “Are the same people – the same entity – who mistreated children still making a profit from our state?” she asked. 

Jason Starnes, undersecretary of the state Office of Juvenile Justice, told the committee he has no reservations about the safety of Ware.

“I can assure you we would not have entered into a contract” if there were worries about abuse at the facility, he said.

The Office of Juvenile Justice put eight of the 21 incarcerated girls in its custody at Ware in December after canceling the facility’s contract to hold minors two years ago. At the time, juvenile justice leaders said they couldn’t afford to pay Ware the money it demanded. 

The state’s financial arrangement with Ware has been resurrected by Kenny Loftin, Gov. Jeff Landry’s new head of Office of Juvenile Justice and Ware’s former longtime director. 

Loftin was not accused of any wrongdoing at Ware in The New York Times article, but some of the alleged abuse detailed in the story overlapped with the time he was in charge of the facility. 

He has previously said the investigative report was full of lies and false statements.

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Yet public details of the Ware Youth Center Authority are scarce. The facility doesn’t mention it at all on its website or list the members who sit on the board. No one at the facility could be reached Wednesday to answer questions about the authority. 

The Office of Juvenile Justice did not respond to requests Wednesday for more details about the Ware contract or information about its appointees to the Ware authority. 

Set up through state law in 1986, the Ware Youth Center Authority is supposed to include state appointees and representatives from Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine and Webster parishes.

Judges overseeing juvenile cases from those parishes appoint three members; sheriffs and police chiefs from the parishes name four members; the six parish governments involved receive one seat each; and the local district attorneys receive one seat each.

The remaining three seats are supposed to be filled by the assistant secretary of the Office of Juvenile Justice, a job in the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections that doesn’t technically exist any more. Over a decade ago, it was replaced with the deputy secretary position Loftin now holds.

Ware received a state contract in December to provide 24 beds for incarcerated girls, paying the facility more than $500 per day per bed for the next three years, Starnes told the Senate committee Wednesday. That would be over $182,500 per bed per year.

Ware will be paid for all 24 beds whether they are occupied or not. It is currently receiving full payment even though 13 of the state’s 21 imprisoned girls are still being housed at a St. Martinville jail, Starnes said. 

The girls are currently held at St. Martinville because Ware doesn’t have enough staff on site to fully run its program. Starnes said he hopes to move all the girls to Ware in the next few weeks.

Though Ware has received negative media attention, a few legislators were anxious to see the transfer from the St. Martinville jail to Ware occur as soon as possible.

“St. Martin[ville] bothers me. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, and it looks like a prison,” said Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge.

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Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, said she had reservations about Ware after reading The New York Times story, but a visit to see its incarcerated girls program proved to be “uplifting.”

Mizell said she believes the facility has turned a corner since the alleged abuse would have occurred years ago, and she had major concerns about the St. Martinville jail when she toured it. 

“That was like a Dickens novel. It was bad,” Mizell said of St. Martinville. 

Starnes said the plan is to eventually close the St. Martinville jail after the girls are all transferred to Ware.

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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New homeless supportive housing project breaks ground on South Side

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New homeless supportive housing project breaks ground on South Side

www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-23 20:51:59

SUMMARY: A new supportive housing project, the Commons at Aakia Trails, has begun construction on the South Side, aiming to provide permanent homes for over 200 individuals experiencing homelessness. This initiative is part of the city’s goal to establish 1,000 permanent supportive housing units to offer not just shelter but essential services like healthcare and addiction support. Managed by Sam Ministries, the Commons will help residents overcome personal challenges and reintegrate into the community. With the project expected to open all units by late next year, it will significantly contribute to addressing the urgent need for such housing solutions.

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A new housing project to help support more than 200 chronically homeless people officially broke ground Wednesday.

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Adjusting contractors face scrutiny from the House Insurance Committee | Louisiana

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Adjusting contractors face scrutiny from the House Insurance Committee | Louisiana

www.thecentersquare.com – By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-23 14:48:00

(The Center Square) — A Louisiana House committee advanced legislation this week that could reshape how contractors interact with homeowners after storm damage, reigniting debate over consumer protection and insurance industry influence.

At the center of the debate is House Bill 121, which seeks to crack down on unlicensed public adjusting by contractors, particularly in the roofing industry. The measure would keep the current penalty of up to $5,000 per violation but adds clearer restrictions on what contractors can say or do when it comes to insurance claims.

Though the bill was reported favorably without objection from lawmakers, witnesses testimony suggests that the bill could backfire tremendously. 

The bill would explicitly prohibit roofing contractors from assisting homeowners with insurance paperwork before a claim is filed.

A separate, related proposal would broaden that restriction to include all contractors. The bill also bars licensed public adjusters from doing repair work on the same claims they’re handling — a move supporters argue would eliminate conflicts of interest that could inflate costs and premiums.

Opponents say the measure is overly vague and could unfairly penalize contractors trying to help clients navigate the often-confusing claims process.

“This bill is ambiguous,” said Jonathan Davis, a board member of the Residential Roofing Association of Louisiana, during committee testimony. “It talks about claim handling, but that could mean a lot of things,” he said, such as doing a damage assessment or sending in a bid using the insurer’s own software.

Davis raised concerns that even basic communication — like explaining deductibles — could be interpreted as unauthorized public adjusting.

“Just like I can tell you there’s an engine in a car without being a mechanic, I should be able to explain what a deductible is without being a licensed adjuster,” Davis told lawmakers.

Josh Lovell, a sales and project manager with Gator Roofing, echoed those concerns.

“Eighty percent of the homeowners I meet don’t know what to do when we find damage,” he said. “They ask, ‘What do I do?’ and we walk them through it — wind damage, hail damage, hurricane damage — they don’t know the difference or what deductible applies. If we’re not even allowed to explain the process, we’re just handing everything over to the insurance companies.”

Lovell warned that limiting contractor communication with homeowners could leave people vulnerable to underpaid claims and strip them of the support they often rely on.

“People say, ‘I don’t want to talk to my insurance company, can you handle it?’ That doesn’t mean we’re trying to act as adjusters. We’re just helping people who are overwhelmed,” Lovell continues.

Despite the pushback, supporters of the bill say the intent is to protect consumers and preserve the integrity of the claims process.

The House Insurance Committee advanced the bill, though some lawmakers acknowledged the enforcement concerns.

Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-East Baton Rouge, questioned how the state would prove violations without direct evidence.

“If we don’t have something in writing or an audio recording, how do we enforce this?” he asked.

House Bill 121 now heads to the full House for consideration.

The post Adjusting contractors face scrutiny from the House Insurance Committee | Louisiana appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

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Bon Bon Vivant talk music and performance at Wednesday at the Square in New Orleans

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Bon Bon Vivant talk music and performance at Wednesday at the Square in New Orleans

www.youtube.com – WWLTV – 2025-04-23 08:43:57

SUMMARY: Bon Bon Vivant, a dynamic New Orleans band, has a busy schedule with 7 concerts in the next 3 weeks, including a performance at Jazz Fest on May 2nd. Band members Abigail Coscio and Jeremy Kelly, along with their bandmates, discussed their upcoming shows, including a single release titled “Sin Eater” in mid-May. The song explores a dark yet romantic concept, inspired by the historical practice of sin eating. The band, known for its eclectic mix of sounds, is excited to showcase new music, including “Odetta,” and will feature dancers at Jazz Fest for an enhanced performance experience.

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Bon Bon Vivant has been playing music together since 2013, formed in the French Quarter of New Orleans. They

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