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Acadiana legislative delegation elects officers

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 22, 2024
BATON ROUGE – The Acadiana Delegation of the Louisiana Legislature has elected its officers for 2024. State Representative Beau Beaullieu will serve as chairman and represents House District 48 including Iberia, Lafayette, and St. Martin parishes.
Coushatta Tribe holds groundbreaking ceremony for new hotel with 204-rooms. (Illustration courtesy of the Coushatta Tribal Council)

Coushatta Tribe holds groundbreaking ceremony for new hotel with 204-rooms. (Illustration courtesy of the Coushatta Tribal Council)

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8-story, 204-room hotel planned at Coushatta

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 22, 2024
Chairman Jonathan Cernek and members of the Coushatta Tribal Council, and Coushatta Casino Resort General Manager Todd Stewart joined principals from TBE Architects, Yates Construction and the Wenaha Group in a groundbreaking ceremony for a new hotel on Wednesday.
Adam Gordon, of Oakdale, uses a drip torch during a prescribed burn training at the Louisiana Ecological Forestry Center near Florien on March 12. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

Adam Gordon, of Oakdale, uses a drip torch during a prescribed burn training at the Louisiana Ecological Forestry Center near Florien on March 12. (Photo by Olivia McClure/LSU AgCenter)

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Workshop teaches proper prescribed burning methods

Olivia McClure / omcclure@agcenter.lsu.edu
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Rodney McKay knows a lot about starting fires. Between 15 and 25 times a year, McKay heads into the woods with a drip torch, rakes and an array of other tools used to light fires, monitor their spread and manage the smoke they produce.
Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, seated, listens to Rep. Francis Thompson, R-Delhi, on opening day of the regular legislative session, March 11 at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)

Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, seated, listens to Rep. Francis Thompson, R-Delhi, on opening day of the regular legislative session, March 11 at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (John Ballance/The Advocate, Pool)

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Louisiana lawmaker wants broader access to public records

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Lawyers for Louisiana State University often deny public records requests for investigations into employee wrongdoing by citing the court case McMakin v. LSU. Now, McMakin is fighting back.
Japanese magnolia flowers are extremely fragrant and make gorgeous cut flowers to bring in, arrange and enjoy. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

Japanese magnolia flowers are extremely fragrant and make gorgeous cut flowers to bring in, arrange and enjoy. (Photo by Heather Kirk-Ballard/LSU AgCenter)

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Jane Japanese magnolia named Louisiana Super Plant for spring 2024

Heather Kirk-Ballard / LSU AgCenter horticulturist
Friday, March 15, 2024
Japanese magnolias are completing their bloom and flushing out new, light green foliage. These beautiful trees are some of the first plants to signify that spring is just around the corner. With their pink-to-purple blooms, they’re one of the most strikingly beautiful trees.
Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek

Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek

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Juvenile justice experts express caution about new crime laws

Jacob Mathews / LSU Manship School News Service
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
As Louisiana undertakes a massive overhaul of criminal justice laws, one of the most controversial changes is putting more 17-year-olds on trial for crimes as adults. The move backpedals on a measure passed seven years ago that treated teens under 18 as juveniles in most cases.
House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, left, jokes with President of the Senate Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, on opening day of the regular legislative session, Monday, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Photos by Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate Pool)

House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, left, jokes with President of the Senate Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, on opening day of the regular legislative session, Monday, at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Photos by Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate Pool)

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Stances firm but details scarce in Gov. Landry’s legislative agenda

Julie O’Donoghue / Louisiana Illumunator
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Gov. Jeff Landry urged lawmakers to change state education policies and overhaul Louisiana’s constitution, but he didn’t say what specific proposals he supports during his opening speech of the state’s regular lawmaking session Monday.

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LSU vision includes ‘statewide university’

Piper Hutchinson / Louisiana Illuminator
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
The long-awaited strategic plan for Louisiana’s flagship university calls for a new vision of LSU, one administrators are calling the “statewide university.”

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Reward raised to $15,000 for Info on whooping crane killing near Mamou

Harlan Kirgan
Monday, March 11, 2024
The Center for Biological Diversity increased the total reward to $15,000 for information leading to a conviction in the illegal killing of a whooping crane near Mamou. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a $5,000 reward last week, and the Center is boosting the amount by $10,000.
Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is a tropical perennial native to Asia that has a fast growth rate, grows well in containers and produces a wide range of colors and patterns. It blooms from early summer through late fall. (Photo by Claudia Husseneder)

Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is a tropical perennial native to Asia that has a fast growth rate, grows well in containers and produces a wide range of colors and patterns. It blooms from early summer through late fall. (Photo by Claudia Husseneder)

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Get It Growing calendar entry deadline nearing

Harlan Kirgan
Friday, March 8, 2024
The deadline for “budding” and experienced photographers to submit their best photos for the LSU AgCenter’s 2025 Get It Growing calendar is rapidly approaching. The deadline for entries is March 31.