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UNO lays off staff amid budget crisis • Louisiana Illuminator

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lailluminator.com – Piper Hutchinson – 2025-01-30 17:13:00

UNO lays off staff amid budget crisis

by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
January 30, 2025

Approximately 30 University of New Orleans employees have been laid off amid the university’s $10 million budget shortfall. 

The layoffs will generate a savings of $1.9 million for the university, UNO chief financial officer Edwin Litolff said in an interview with the Illuminator. 

The university has already taken significant steps to address the budget shortfall, including furloughing 290 employees and consolidating administrators

No further layoffs or furloughs are planned at this time, Litolff said. Faculty will be offered the opportunity for voluntary furlough, he added. The university is prohibited from requiring faculty to be furloughed. 

Litolff said the university will consider what further cuts need to be made once spring enrollment is processed and financial aid is dispersed. 

UNO’s attempts to rightsize its spending come after nearly two decades of declining enrollment. Its student numbers have struggled to recover since the failure of federal levees after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  

The school had an enrollment of around 17,000 before Katrina, with an immediate drop to around 6,000. For the fall 2024 semester, its total student body was 6,488. 

Exiting the crisis will come down to the university’s ability to enroll and retain students.

Hard budget times for the state during Gov. Bobby Jindal’s two terms in office, from 2008-16, led to significant cuts for higher education, one of two large portions of Louisiana’s budget unprotected in state law. Those cuts switched the burden of funding public colleges and universities from the state to students, leading to significant tuition hikes.

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

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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.

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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.

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

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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

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

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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.

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

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