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Louisiana House Speaker Phillip DeVillier addresses representatives at a January 2024 organizational session. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, Pool)

Louisiana House Speaker Phillip DeVillier addresses representatives at a January 2024 organizational session. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, Pool)

DeVillier: Constitutional convention, more special sessions unlikely this year

Julie O’Donoghue and Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Friday, July 12, 2024
Louisiana House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, said the Legislature might hold special sessions on insurance or taxes and budget issues, but they are unlikely to take place before 2025.
LSU’s Memorial Tower displays the time on Monday, March 20, 2023, on Tower Drive in Baton Rouge. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)

LSU’s Memorial Tower displays the time on Monday, March 20, 2023, on Tower Drive in Baton Rouge. (Matthew Perschall for Louisiana Illuminator)

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LSU faculty, staff lack confidence in university leadership, survey finds

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Friday, July 12, 2024
Only 40% of faculty at Louisiana’s flagship university reported feeling confident in their senior leadership to make the right decisions for the institution, a survey of LSU employees showed.

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Louisiana K-3 reading scores jump 10% on state’s first universal literacy screener

Harlan Kirgan
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Louisiana students in grades K-3 improved their reading scores by 10 percentage points on the state’s first universal literary screener. The percentage of K-3 students reading on grade level jumped from 44.6% on the beginning of year screener to 54.6% on the end of year screener.
Fall webworms make webbed areas at the ends of tree branches and form an aggregation there, where they feed on the foliage. Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter

Fall webworms make webbed areas at the ends of tree branches and form an aggregation there, where they feed on the foliage. Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter

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Weaving worries: Fall webworm garden takeover

Aaron Ashbrook / LSU AgCenter entomologist
Friday, July 5, 2024
Step outside just about anywhere in Louisiana right now, and you’re likely to spot dozens of hairy, white caterpillars crawling around. Sometimes, you may even see one fall from overhead, seemingly out of the sky.

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LSU President William Tate to receive raise, contract extension

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
The LSU Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a three-year contract extension and a $25,000 raise for LSU System President William Tate. Tate, who has led the system and the main campus for three years, will receive an annual salary of $750,000, an increase from $725,000.

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Higher Ed receives funding boost

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Louisiana’s colleges and universities are taking home millions for construction and other budget needs. It’s perhaps the last such funding boost before the loss of state tax revenue could slash a quarter of a billion dollars from their operations in the 2026-27 academic year.
Drooping leaves on this azalea show symptoms of root rot. (Photo by Page Langlois/LSU AgCenter)

Drooping leaves on this azalea show symptoms of root rot. (Photo by Page Langlois/LSU AgCenter)

What’s killing your plants may surprise you

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, June 28, 2024
One of the most common causes of plant death is water — more specifically, too much or too little water. You might be surprised to learn it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference. Watering correctly is a fundamental aspect of caring for both indoor and outdoor plants and trees.

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Catholic Charities immigrant aid compelled Landry to cut state money for its homeless shelter

Julie O’Donoghue and Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Friday, June 28, 2024
Gov. Jeff Landry cut $1 million in state funding from the largest homeless shelter in Lafayette because of the help its operator, Catholic Charities of Acadiana, provides to immigrants. “Part of Catholic Charities mission is to support the influx of illegal aliens into our country.
The above map shows the total amounts awarded and number of locations to be served by the RDOF and GUMBO 1.0 programs, by parish. (Image source: Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office)

The above map shows the total amounts awarded and number of locations to be served by the RDOF and GUMBO 1.0 programs, by parish. (Image source: Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office)

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Federal broadband expansion projects see mixed progress in La.

Wesley Muller / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
Louisiana has completed several of its American Rescue Plan Act rural broadband projects across the state, while a separate federal broadband program is lagging behind schedule.
Containers 10 gallons and larger are great for production of vegetables.

Containers 10 gallons and larger are great for production of vegetables.

Tiny gardens, big harvests: Growing vegetables in small spaces

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, June 14, 2024
As land becomes more urbanized and shrinking lot sizes limit outdoor space, growing a garden may feel like an out-of-reach fantasy to many people. Urban and suburban dwellers need not despair, however.