In Secret Recording, Eddie Rispone Claims High-Dollar Fundraisers “More Important” Than Attending Debates
“... the time that it takes to get ready for those, when I need to be doing this,” Rispone said during a top-dollar fundraiser at the home of a Monroe oil and gas executive.
THE LATEST
Out of the Jungle, A New Electorate Emerges
On Saturday, Louisiana can chose decency over derision.
Ode to Coach O
Peter Athas pays tribute to LSU football, after its victory over Nick Saban’s Alabama, and to Coach O., the ultimate underdog.
Taking the Helm: The Black Captains of the Gulf Coast and the Unnamed Hurricane of 1893
The unearthing of the common existence of black schooner captains and crews throughout the 19th Century has profound effects on the history of the Gulf Coast. In the second of three installments, author Troy Gilbert looks into the unnamed hurricane of 1893, made famous by Kate Chopin in her book The Awakening, and identifies that many of the schooners and luggers that sank in the storm were crewed by black watermen and captains.
Book Review | Nothing to Write Home About: Sarah M. Broom’s The Yellow House
In her debut memoir, Broom misapprehends the geography of the city and reveals a disorientation with the lived experiences of Black New Orleans.
60 Years Ago, JFK Attended the 23rd International Rice Festival in Crowley. For the First Time, Here Are the Color Photos.
At the invitation of Judge Edmund Reggie, John F. Kennedy was the guest of honor at the 23rd annual International Rice Festival in Crowley, where he was joined by his wife Jackie.
In Acadia Parish, A Family Empire Built Through the Clerk of Court’s Office
In the late summer of 1999, after a career spanning more than four decades, Andy Barousse (pronounced BAH-roos) finally decided it was time to pass the reins of the family business over to his 35-year-old son Robby. Andy had been in charge since 1968; it was the same job his father had held until the day he died.
For 59 of the past 68 years, the Acadia Parish Clerk of Court’s Office has been led by three generations of Barousse men. It is supposed to be an...
OPINIONS AND COMMENTARY
Peter Athas pays tribute to LSU football, after its victory over Nick Saban’s Alabama, and to Coach O., the ultimate underdog.
Throughout Wednesday night’s gubernatorial debate, Eddie Rispone demonstrated an astonishing lack of knowledge about the job he seeks and the state he hopes to lead.
Peter Athas takes a look at the mendacious minority whip from Metry, Steve Scalise.
A Bountiful Harvest
Among Medicare enrollees, in 2013, the year before running for Congress, Ralph Abraham ranked as the 11th most prolific family practice opioid prescriber in Louisiana.
Apples to Apples: A Tale of Two Pharmacies
Abraham’s campaign hasn’t responded to reports that his pharmacies ordered a massive supply of opioids, but the numbers speak loudly.
Pharmland
U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham’s Pharmacies Dispensed Nearly 1.5 Million Doses of Opioids in Two Rural Louisiana Towns With a Combined Population of 6,000 People
LaRochelle
BRIEFLY SPEAKING PODCAST
PODCAST: Meet the Candidate- Dr. Brian Salvatore (HD-05)
Dr. Salvatore is challenging Alan Seabaugh for House District 5.
EDUCATION
Apples to Apples: A Tale of Two Pharmacies
Abraham’s campaign hasn’t responded to reports that his pharmacies ordered a massive supply of opioids, but the numbers speak loudly.
Echoes of ’91: A Campaign Season Littered With David Duke’s Baggage
In 1991, David Duke lost in a landslide against Edwin Edwards in Louisiana's most consequential gubernatorial election in a century. Back then, Duke publicly presented himself as a moderate conservative in an attempt to distance himself from his toxic, racist past. Today, two GOP candidates seem to be rummaging through Duke's baggage to see what fits.
Doc Abraham Claims He “Gave Up His Practice,” Also Claims Income from New Clinic
Louisiana has a long and sordid history of embracing politicians who bend – and sometimes even break...
THE CAPITOL BRIEF by Sue Lincoln
The Most Premeditated of Murders
“I don’t know what Bible they’re readin’, but that’s not what my Bible says.” – Michelle Perkins
The Pessimism and Optimism of Conservatism
"If our costs spike because of an economic downturn, we've got to find the money to pay for it." -- Conrad Appel
Up in Arms About Firearms
“This is protecting small businesses from big financial institutions that make social policies that are discriminatory." -- Rep. Blake Miguez
Some Lawmakers Lacking In the Spirit of the Season
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” – Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1865
Oh Robeline, Why Can’t I Drive Through?
“As I was motivatin' over the hill
I saw Maybellene in a coup de ville.
A Cadillac a-rollin' on the open road,
Nothin' will outrun my V8 Ford….
Maybellene, why can't you be true?
Oh…”
– Chuck Berry, “Maybellene”
From A(ppropriations) to F(inance), with REC In-Between
"I look forward to working with the Legislature to approve a responsible budget." - Gov. John Bel Edwards
ENVIRONMENT
Freeport McMoRan’s $100M Coastal Damage Settlement Proves Big Oil Isn’t the Victim.
No one agrees to pay $100 million unless they believe it's possible they'll be found guilty of owing much more.
Saga of St. Rosalie: The Deal of 4/5 of the Century
hinky: adjective. A word which means questionable, unreliable, suspect. It refers to something which is not quite right, something out of place, causing concern.
The Saga of St. Rosalie: A None-Too-Rosy Past
"There are three things that matter in property: location, location, location." -- Lord Harold Samuel, British real estate tycoon
REGIONAL
SAINTS
WRECKED: HOW CAR INSURANCE TAKES LOUISIANA FOR A RIDE
Deployment Penalty: How Big Auto Insurers Hike Premiums on Returning Vets
In what amounts to a deployment penalty, several large Louisiana car insurers raise rates, in some cases by nearly 30%, on National Guard...
Insurance Commissioner Donelon Accepts $20K from Man Indicted for Attempting to...
Since 2015, Donelon has received more than $680,000 in campaign donations from insurance companies and agents.
Major Insurers Charge Louisiana’s Blue-Collar Workers More for Basic Coverage Than...
The research highlights a problem that impacts a significant proportion of Louisiana drivers, yet one that was apparently unknown to Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon.
The Task Farce: What a Missing Report Reveals About the Insurance...
On April 15th, when state Rep. Kirk Talbot first introduced HB 372, a now-defeated proposal that had been known as the...
VIDEO: Douglas Heller, Nationally-Acclaimed Auto Insurance Expert, Eviscerates LABI-Backed “Reform” Bill
If you’ve had a hard time understanding why car insurance became such a thorny issue this session, watch this video.
Driven Into the Ground
This afternoon, following a nearly four hour-long debate, Louisiana state Rep. Kirk Talbot’s sweeping tort reform...
