Louisiana Illuminator

LSU sports is barely in the black, with uncertain financial times ahead • Louisiana Illuminator As LSU sports barely breaks even financially, difficult times potentially lie ahead for both its athletic teams and academic programs.

CLOSE CALL: As LSU sports barely breaks even financially, difficult times potentially lie ahead with revenue-sharing requirement kicking in this year. @piperhutch.bsky.social reports:

Gov. Landry, with many ties to Kristi Noem, reacts to her ouster as Homeland Security leader • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry quickly came to the defense of Kristi Noem after President Donald Trump announced her removal Thursday as Homeland Security secretary.

CONNECTIONS: Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry quickly came to the defense of Kristi Noem after President Donald Trump announced her removal Thursday as Homeland Security secretary. The two have intersected frequently during their political careers, @greglarose.bsky.social reports

Gov. Landry’s DEI wrecking ball misses the mark on ‘fairness’ • Louisiana Illuminator When states choose to deny education and economic opportunity to Black and brown communities, the downstream results have repeatedly included concentrated poverty, desperation and violence.

COMMENTARY: When states choose to deny education and economic opportunity to Black and brown communities, the downstream results have repeatedly included concentrated poverty, desperation and violence. Read Andrea Hagan's thoughts on Gov. Landry's call for an anti-DEI probe of Louisiana higher ed.

Louisiana ponders big expansion for black bear hunting • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana officials want to expand black bear hunting grounds to encompass wildlife management areas and private lands across the entire state.

BAD NEWS, BEARS: Louisiana officials want to expand black bear hunting grounds to encompass wildlife management areas and private lands across the entire state. @eplunk.bsky.social reports:

Taxpayer dollars flood pregnancy centers. Oversight hasn't followed. • Louisiana Illuminator A 50-state investigation examining state and federal budgets, as well as the tax records of these organizations, found that while the magnitude of public funding for them is growing, oversight is not.

BILLION $ BABY BUMP: Louisiana gave $4 million in public money last year to pregnancy centers without requiring them to detail how the money was spent. @statesnewsroom.com conducted a 50-state investigation examining state and federal budgets, as well as the tax records of these organizations.

Gov. Landry has to convince Senate president to spend more on private school vouchers • Louisiana Illuminator Sen Cameron Henry is the most prominent skeptic of LA GATOR, which would greatly expand the amount of public funding going toward private education expenses.

GATOR GAFF: Gov. Landry said he hopes to convince Senate President Cameron Henry, a fellow Republican, to spend more state money on his signature private school voucher program. Henry said he wants to see results first. @jsodonoghue.bsky.social reports

Sexual exploitation exists not because it’s hidden, but because it’s tolerated • Louisiana Illuminator But the idea that sexual exploitation is primarily a story of billionaire excess distorts the reality that sexual exploitation is common and often operates in ordinary settings.

COMMENTARY: Sexual exploitation does not persist because it is hidden. It persists because it is tolerated. It survives on complicity, the quiet calculation that it is safer not to get involved than to challenge power. From @anitaraj.bsky.social

Federal funding for people in poverty heading to anti-abortion centers instead • Louisiana Illuminator At least eight states have given TANF funds to crisis pregnancy centers in recent years, even before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections for abortion rights in 2022.

BILLION-DOLLAR BABY BUMP: Louisiana is among eight states that have redirected federal funds for the needy to anti-abortion pregnancy centers. First in a series from @statesnewsroom.com By @kelciemmorris.bsky.social

Louisiana crawfish industry struggles with limited foreign workers, ag commissioner says • Louisiana Illuminator Crawfish processing plants in Louisiana are at a diminished capacity this year because they haven’t been able to get as many visas for the foreign guest workers, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain s...

VEXED OVER VISAS: Crawfish processing plants in Louisiana are at a diminished capacity this year because they haven’t been able to get as many visas for the foreign guest workers who make up their labor force, according to state Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain. @jsodonoghue.bsky.social reports

Louisiana to spend $140 million on FastSites to lure business investment Louisiana officials have selected 19 ready-made construction sites across the state for $140 million in infrastructure investment to entice large-scale development.

Louisiana officials have selected 19 ready-made construction sites across the state for $140 million in infrastructure investment to entice large-scale development. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports

Judge blocks Noem policy limiting congressional visits to immigrant detention facilities WASHINGTON — A federal judge Monday temporarily blocked a Department of Homeland Security policy that instituted a seven-day notice requirement for members of Congress to conduct oversight visits at f...

Judge blocks Noem policy limiting congressional visits to immigrant detention facilities www.newsfromthestates.com/article/judg...

Louisiana National Guard to remain in New Orleans another 6 months • Louisiana Illuminator The governor said the National Guard’s extended deployment has the support of the Trump administration, indicating the federal government would continue to cover the cost of its mission in New Orleans...

Gov. Landry says the La. National Guard will remain in New Orleans through August. This would be the longest such deployment in the city since its members were assigned there after Hurricane Katrina. @greglarose.bsky.social

Death toll for US service members in Iran war at 4 as Hegseth refuses to specify timeline WASHINGTON — The U.S. war on Iran will continue unabated on President Donald Trump’s terms, with more troops on the way and more casualties expected, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters e...

JUST IN from @ashleymurray.bsky.social

The U.S. war on Iran will continue unabated on President Donald Trump’s terms, with more troops on the way and more casualties expected, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters early Monday.

www.newsfromthestates.com/article/deat...

Instead, how about we celebrate news outlets that recognize the importance of our work and share it with their audiences? Did you know we exist for exactly this reason? People in power have placed a big enough target on our backs in the news media. We could do without the unwarranted cheap shots.

'The Light Switch,' Episode 42: Food stamp changes • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana officials have put new rules in place for what you can buy with SNAP benefits, what we often call food stamps.

LISTEN: Louisiana has changed its rules for what you can and can't buy with SNAP benefits. Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein explains the reasons behind the changes w/ @jsodonoghue.bsky.social .

Southern University awards posthumous degree to student victim of hazing • Louisiana Illuminator The Southern University System Board voted to confer posthumous degrees to two students who died last year

Southern University will award posthumous degrees to two students who died last year, including one who succumbed as the result of a fraternity hazing incident. @piperhutch.bsky.social reports

LSU will once again require ACT scores for student applications, but no minimum • Louisiana Illuminator The LSU Board voted to reinstate a requirement for applicants to provide standardized test scores, but no minimum is required

LSU SCORES: LSU is reinstating a requirement for student applicants to provide standardized test scores, but there's a loophole. @piperhutch.bsky.social explains

LSU to post Ten Commandments in classrooms, president says  • Louisiana Illuminator LSU President Wade Rousse said the university will comply with a law that requires posting displays of the Ten Commandments in each classroom

COMING SOON: LSU President Wade Rousse said the university will comply with a state law that requires posting displays of the Ten Commandments in each classroom, but he is waiting for posters to be donated. @piperhutch.bsky.social reports

Education Department data shows foreign contracts, gifts to US colleges topped $5B in 2025 • Louisiana Illuminator WASHINGTON — American colleges and universities received gifts and contracts worth more than $5.2 billion from foreign entities in 2025, according to the U.S. Department of Education, which also recen...

FOREIGN FUNDING: One Louisiana university receives the largest share of its international investment dollars from a nation the Trump administration places among its "countries of concern." Shauneen Miranda reports for @statesnewsroom.com lailluminator.com/2026/02/27/r...

Meta’s data center ownership transfer doesn’t concern Louisiana power regulators State regulators will not to investigate whether Meta’s transfer of ownership of its A.I. could leave Entergy Louisiana customers footing the bill to power it.

DID YOU KNOW Meta no longer owns the massive data center it's building in LA? Consumer groups are worried the transaction could put Entergy customers at risk if they have to pay for the facility's power supply. Public Service Commission members have no such concerns, @wesmuller.bsky.social reports

Briefs in Louisiana's medication abortion lawsuit lean on graphic details. Will the strategy work again? • Louisiana Illuminator There is a content warning on page 7 of a friend-of-the-court brief recently submitted in a high-stakes abortion medication case by women who say they were injured or traumatized from taking the pills...

In a brief filed in support of Louisiana's medication abortion lawsuit against the FDA, about 30 people recount their experiences with the drug. @sofiaresnick.bsky.social reports it a legal strategy that's worked before for anti-abortion forces. lailluminator.com/2026/02/27/r...

What foods are forbidden under Louisiana's new SNAP rules? Take our quiz. • Louisiana Illuminator See what foods will be restricted Louisiana's SNAP program for the next two years through our quiz.

TAKE OUR QUIZ: Louisiana residents who use SNAP benefits to buy groceries face new restrictions on their purchases. Find out what you can and cannot buy before you're at the checkout line. By @jsodonoghue.bsky.social

Smitty’s Supply pumps out stormwater without approval from all required agencies An oil products plant that exploded in August is discharging millions of gallons of treated water without approval from all state agencies

PERMISSION SLIP-UP: Smitty's Supply Inc. might have missed a step in the approval process before it began pumping millions of gallons of treated water last week into a ditch that drains to the Tangipahoa River. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports:

Louisiana, Trump FDA clash in court over abortion drug availability through telehealth • Louisiana Illuminator A federal judge questioned whether demand for abortion medication would go away even if he were to force the Trump administration to end the policy that allows the drugs to be prescribed remotely and ...

A federal judge questioned whether demand for abortion drugs would go away even if he were to force the Trump administration to end its policy that allows them to be prescribed remotely and mailed across state lines. @greglarose.bsky.social reports from federal court in Lafayette

Louisiana juvenile justice system costs grow as state locks up more youth • Louisiana Illuminator The costs of running Louisiana’s juvenile justice system surged over the past seven years as elected officials decided to keep more teens and young adults in youth prisons.

The costs of running Louisiana’s juvenile justice system surged over the past seven years as elected officials decided to keep more teens and young adults in youth prisons. @jsodonoghue.bsky.social reports:

Landry calls on Trump administration to expand its DEI investigation into Louisiana universities • Louisiana Illuminator Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry wants the Trump admin to expand its investigation into DEI at the state’s public colleges and universities

WIDER, DEEPER: Gov. Jeff Landry wants the Trump administration to expand its investigation into diversity, equity and inclusion policy and practices at the state’s public colleges and universities. @piperhutch.bsky.social reports

Dr. Ralph Abraham steps down from CDC post • Louisiana Illuminator Dr. Ralph Abraham will step down as principal deputy director of the CDC "to address unforeseen family obligations," the agency said in a brief statement.

NEW: Dr. Ralph Abraham will step down as principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “to address unforeseen family obligations,” the agency said in a brief statement.

BREAKING: 5th Circuit upholds Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments displays in classrooms • Louisiana Illuminator A federal appellate court has cleared the way for a Louisiana law that requires all public schools to have displays of the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

REACTION: A federal appellate court has cleared the way for displays of the Ten Commandments in every Louisiana public school classroom, removing an order that stopped state officials from enforcing a law that requires them. @greglarose.bsky.social reports

Gramercy alumina refinery plans to monitor water, soil for ‘red mud’ contamination • Louisiana Illuminator The Atlantic Alumina refinery near Gramercy has filed a plan to test for contaminants in the soil and groundwater around its facility after multiple instances of industrial waste spewing from its cont...

TOXIC WATCH: The Atalco Gramercy refinery has filed a plan to test the soil and groundwater around its facility after multiple instances of industrial waste spewing from its containment lakes into drainage ditches that lead to a popular fishing area. @wesmuller.bsky.social reports

US Supreme Court rules against Trump on tariffs:
Held: IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs. The
judgment in No. 24–1287 is vacated, and the case is remanded with
instructions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction; the judgment in No. 25–