State

Mandatory kindergarten bill passes House 59-31

A bill to make kindergarten mandatory in Louisiana passed the House 59-31 Thursday and will go back to the Senate for final consideration. Senators will need to decide if they concur with a House amendment changing the birthdate for when children would become eligible.

Hales preserve history through cotton seeds

When the Acadians first settled in Nova Scotia, they used sheep’s wool to make clothing. The wool, though, was dirty, so it had to be washed and dyed a brown color before it could be used.

Latest UL Lafayette-SLCC partnership paves path for engineering majors

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette and South Louisiana Community College have engineered another path for students to earn degrees from both institutions. The most recent transfer pathway agreement between the schools was signed on Wednesday, May 26.

Citizens worried about spies among us

South Louisiana was not left out when the U.S. entry into World War I caused everyone and his brother to become wary of strangers, and sometimes neighbors, suspected of being German spies. Folks in Eunice thought they’d found one when a drifter passed through just about Christmas time in 1917.

2021 ‘Dead Zone’ 3x the size of Rhode Island

A recent forecast of the size of the “Dead Zone” in the northern Gulf of Mexico for late July 2021 is that it will cover 4,761 square-miles of the bottom of the continental shelf off Louisiana and Texas.

Acadia Parish Police Jury considers surveillance cameras

The Acadia Parish Police Jury will consider installing a couple of surveillance cameras just west of the Crowley city limits. Walter Andrus, chairman of the jury’s Legislative Committee, reported Tuesday night that two sites are being recommended for camera installation.

Crowley council dispute turns physical following meeting

A marathon series of committee meetings ended in a physical altercation between two members of the Crowley City Council here Wednesday night. Police officers intervened to separate Jeff Cavell and Brad Core following adjournment of the final committee meeting.

Sales tax collection streamling approved

The Legislature gave final approval Thursday to a bill to streamline sales tax collections, while the House refused to extend $180 million in tax credits for the movie industry, at least for now.

Governor debuts ‘shot for a shot’

With hurricane season having started Tuesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards urged Louisianans to add a COVID vaccination to their prep list and offered incentives for getting the shot.

Researchers seek answers to barred owl questions

Barred owls are the most abundant owls in Baton Rouge and among the most common raptors in Louisiana. They eat rats, snakes and even crawfish. They inhabit large, mature trees, sometimes within Baton Rouge neighborhoods and BREC parks. But little is known about them.