Connect with us

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Top LSU administrator resigns amid campus leadership turmoil

Published

on

lailluminator.com – Piper Hutchinson – 2025-02-20 18:40:00

Top LSU administrator resigns amid campus leadership turmoil

by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
February 20, 2025

One of LSU’s top leaders resigned from the university Wednesday, according to a letter of resignation that suggests she was instructed to step down. 

“I hereby tender my resignation as Executive Vice President for Finance and Chief Administrative Officer for Louisiana State University in accordance with our discussion,” Kim Lewis wrote in her letter to President William Tate. The Illuminator obtained the letter through a public records request. 

Read the letter below.

Kimberly Lewis (LSU photo)

Lewis is the second top-ranking LSU administrator to resign in recent weeks. Last month, the university’s top attorney, Winston DeCuir, resigned, though he will take a visiting professorship at the LSU Law Center. 

DeCuir and Lewis, both Black attorneys, leave their jobs amid increasing politicization of the university. 

Lewis previously served as revenue secretary under Gov. John Bel Edwards, a moderate Democrat, and worked for previous Democratic governors. 

At times, she has butted heads with LSU Board of Supervisors members aligned with Gov. Jeff Landry. At an October board executive committee meeting, Lewis exchanged terse words with Lee Mallett, a political donor who gave tens of thousands of dollars to Landry’s election efforts. 

DeCuir did not respond to a request for comment asking if politics played a part in his resignation. Lewis likewise has not responded to a call requesting comment. 

Landry, thanks to a new law he pushed, has more power over higher education than previous governors and has taken a greater interest in LSU. 

In recent weeks, he has publicly called on LSU to take action against a law professor who profanely criticized him in the classroom. LSU removed Ken Levy from the classroom pending an investigation, though Levy is fighting his suspension in court

Landry also called for LSU to punish another law professor who criticized President Donald Trump in the days after the presidential election. In 2021, he called on LSU to punish Bob Mann, a political communications professor, who criticized one of Landry’s deputies in the attorney general’s office who shared vaccine misinformation at an LSU Faculty Senate meeting. 

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

SUBSCRIBE

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

SUPPORT

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.

The post Top LSU administrator resigns amid campus leadership turmoil appeared first on lailluminator.com

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Jurors view crime scene evidence on Day 3 of Taymor McIntyre’s capital murder trial

Published

on

www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-03 18:14:36

SUMMARY: On Day 3 of Taymor McIntyre’s capital murder trial, jurors viewed crime scene evidence, including photos and a key 9mm shell casing, related to the 2017 robbery and murder of photographer Mark Salivar. Testimony focused on the investigation’s beginnings, revealing that police found a casing and marijuana at the scene outside a Chick-fil-A. Surveillance footage has been mentioned but not yet shown; it reportedly captures a black car and a struggle with Salivar. Tomorrow, a medical examiner will testify, along with three individuals linked to McIntyre, one of whom took a plea deal. Discussions around McIntyre’s rap career continue to unfold.

YouTube video

Jurors in the capital murder trial of rapper Taymor McIntyre, known as Tay-K-47, viewed key pieces of evidence Thursday, including crime scene photos and a shell casing.

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Jury deliberations set to begin in monumental oil and gas lawsuit | Louisiana

Published

on

www.thecentersquare.com – By Nolan McKendry | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-03 14:16:00

(The Center Square) – A historic trial that could compel oil and gas companies to pay billions for Louisiana’s coastal wetlands restoration reached its climax this week, with closing arguments delivered Thursday at the Louisiana 25th Judicial District Court in lower Plaquemines Parish. 

The lawsuit, pitting the parish against companies including Chevron USA, Inc., is the first of 42 similar cases filed since 2013 to reach trial, accusing the industry of violating state permitting laws and exacerbating wetlands loss.

Chevron, The Texas Company, Atlantic Richfield Company, ConocoPhillips, and The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company all filed a motion in opposition in 2022 to keep the case in federal court.

After over a decade of legal battles, Plaquemines Parish, led by attorney John Carmouche, is seeking nearly $3 billion in damages. A victory could set a precedent, potentially forcing oil companies to pay tens of billions across all cases — funds legally mandated for coastal restoration. 

The litigation has weathered three attempts by the companies to shift it to federal court, a venue they viewed as advantageous, with the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last affirming its return to state court in October of 2022.

“If somebody causes harm, fix it,” Carmouche said in his opening statement. 

The parish alleges decades of unregulated oilfield activity, including canal dredging, devastated its coastline. 

Chevron says it’s being sued for Texaco’s pre-2001 oil and gas work under a 1980 law not meant to cover earlier activities. It also claims the case belongs in federal court since some work tied to World War II was under federal guidance. Chevron acquired Texaco in 2001.

As the jury prepares to deliberate, the outcome could mark a turning point, potentially delivering unprecedented industry accountability for Louisiana’s fading coast—or a major setback for restoration efforts.

The post Jury deliberations set to begin in monumental oil and gas lawsuit | Louisiana appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com

Continue Reading

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Reproductive Justice Fund up for another San Antonio City Council vote Thursday

Published

on

www.youtube.com – KSAT 12 – 2025-04-03 06:07:38

SUMMARY: The San Antonio City Council is set to vote on whether to allocate an additional $100,000 to the controversial Reproductive Justice Fund, originally designed to help cover travel costs for women seeking abortions. Although nearly half a million dollars in contracts were approved, none funded travel expenses, prompting renewed calls for more financial support. Some groups, like Beat AIDS Coalition Trust, are cautious about applying again, seeking legal assurances regarding abortion-related funding. Advocates emphasize the urgent need for funding, citing a crisis in Texas where women struggle to access abortion care amid ongoing legal challenges and restrictions.

YouTube video

The San Antonio City Council will vote Thursday morning on whether to put another $100,000 into a controversial health fund.

Source

Continue Reading

Trending