Local Politics

St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper sworn in alongside council he worked with — and against

By ALEX LUBBEN | Staff writer
12 hrs ago

St. Tammany Parish President Michael Cooper was sworn in for a second term on Monday, alongside a St. Tammany Parish Council that looks vastly different from the one he worked with — and again…

Families of transgender children sue Louisiana over ban on gender-affirming care

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
12 hrs ago

Five Louisiana transgender youths have asked a judge to block a state ban on gender-affirming medical care, setting up a court showdown over a law championed last year by conservative lawmakers.

Louisiana Republicans take office with supermajorities in state Legislature, promise 'unity'

By JAMES FINN, TYLER BRIDGES and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN | Staff writers
Updated 9 hrs ago

A Republican supermajority took control of the Louisiana Legislature on Monday with plans to work closely with the new GOP governor, Jeff Landry, to enact more conservative policies on crime, …

Mitch Landrieu is leaving White House infrastructure czar post

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
18 hrs ago

WASHINGTON — Former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has made it official: He is leaving his post as the White House infrastructure czar, according to a Monday morning statement by President J…

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They bickered for the past 4 years. But now St. Tammany officials pledge a fresh start.

BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer
23 hrs ago

If there was a prevailing theme in last fall’s political campaigns in St. Tammany Parish, it was the need for the Parish Council and the parish president to get along.

Photos: Landry Sworn in as 57th Governor

MICHAEL JOHNSON | STAFF PHOTOJOURNALIST | michael.johnson@theadvocate.com
Jan 7, 2024

Governor-elect Jeff Landry was sworn in as the 57th Governor on the steps of the State Capitol building. The ceremony saw several dignitaries from the state and nationally along with a large c…

Jeff Landry inaugurated as Louisiana's 57th governor: 'Failure is not an option anymore'

BY TYLER BRIDGES and JAMES FINN | Staff writers
Jan 7, 2024

Jeff Landry extolled Louisiana’s virtues during his inauguration Sunday as the state's 57th governor, calling for unity as he launches a new era of conservative leadership that is expected to …

Read the full text of Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry's inaugural address

Staff report
Jan 7, 2024

Gov. Jeff Landry's inaugural address as prepared for delivery on Jan. 7:

Watch the inauguration of Louisiana's 57th governor live

Staff report
Jan 7, 2024

Gov.-elect Jeff Landry will be sworn in as Louisiana's 57th governor in a ceremony on the State Capitol's steps Sunday at 4:30 p.m.

Can Louisiana shrink its 'dead zone' off the Gulf coast? Here's what an expert says.

BY MARK SCHLEIFSTEIN | Staff writer
Jan 7, 2024

Doug Daigle plays a key role in efforts to shrink the size of the "dead zone," the annual low-oxygen area off Louisiana's coast.

For House Speaker Mike Johnson, border security could be make-or-break issue

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Jan 7, 2024

WASHINGTON — Though he's a habitue of conservative networks like Fox News, House Speaker Mike Johnson changed course and appeared on CNN this week for the first time since he became leader of …

Jeff Landry supports plan to create new Black Supreme Court district, but it draws flak

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Jan 7, 2024

Gov.-elect Jeff Landry and a majority of the Louisiana Supreme Court are pushing to have state legislators redraw the court’s boundaries during an upcoming special session by approving a plan …

Road to the Governor's Mansion: What Jeff Landry's past tells us about how he'll govern

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Jan 7, 2024

At St. Martinville High School in the mid-1980s, Jeff Landry was known as a chatterbox with boundless energy who made friends easily.

Conservative groups sue over diversity rules in Louisiana medical board selection process

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Jan 6, 2024

A nonprofit that challenges diversity goals in medicine and has been active in efforts to ban gender-affirming health care for transgender youth has sued Louisiana over the selection process f…

Louisiana sends millions to crisis pregnancy centers. Here's why that could soon change.

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Jan 6, 2024

For years, Louisiana officials have funneled millions in federal cash meant for poor families to controversial anti-abortion counseling centers that offer services like pregnancy tests, ultras…

Louisiana governor's inauguration has moved to Sunday, due to severe weather

BY JESSICA WILLIAMS | Capitol News Bureau Editor
Jan 5, 2024

The inauguration of Gov.-elect Jeff Landry and other state officials has moved from Monday to Sunday due to severe weather, Landry's office announced.

Historical marker honoring Coretta Scott King unveiled in New Orleans

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

Officials planted a new historic marker in the Claiborne Avenue neutral ground on Friday to recognize the work of Coretta Scott King, who fought for a national holiday recognizing the legacy o…

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise undergoing cancer procedure, will be out a month.

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

WASHINGTON – House Majority Leader Steve Scalise is undergoing a stem cell transplant and will leave his Republican bloc in the House with almost no margin for error for about a month.

A Chalmette woman filed a legal challenge to Trump's candidacy. Now she's dropping it.

By JOSEPH CRANNEY | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

The plaintiff, Ashley Reeb, said she made a couple of technical errors in her lawsuit and that she couldn't afford an attorney.

Claiming she was illegally fired, incoming St. Tammany clerk of court sues DA's office

BY BOB WARREN | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court-elect Jessica Brewster is suing her former employer, the northshore District Attorney’s Office, claiming that she was illegally fired because she ran for elec…

Jeff Landry names new DOTD secretary, BESE members

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

A former assistant attorney general will serve as Louisiana's next secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development, Gov.-elect Jeff Landry announced Friday. Landry also tapped th…

S&WB cited by state health department after employees falsified water samples

BY BEN MYERS | Staff writer
Jan 5, 2024

The New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board is facing state violations following news reports that employees falsified months of drinking water samples.

Gov.-elect Jeff Landry will be inaugurated Monday. See street closures and parking info.

Staff report
Jan 5, 2024

If you're anywhere near downtown Baton Rouge on Monday, traffic and parking might be a challenge.

City strikes deal with state to take over roads, pay for Crescent City Connection lighting

BY BEN MYERS | Staff writer
Jan 4, 2024

The Crescent City Connection could light up the New Orleans skyline by Super Bowl 2025 thanks to a deal approved by the City Council on Thursday.

Bill Cassidy nominates Nicaraguan opposition leaders for Nobel Peace Prize

BY MARK BALLARD | Staff writer
Jan 4, 2024

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy on Thursday nominated two Nicaraguan opposition leaders for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of their defense of religious freedom.

John Bel Edwards says farewell from his hometown, highlights successes as governor

BY TYLER BRIDGES | Staff writer
Jan 4, 2024

Donna and John Bel Edwards grew up in Amite, met as middle schoolers there and told a crowd Wednesday that they are looking forward to returning to Tangipahoa Parish after eight years in the …

Wind farms and carbon capture want the same turf off Louisiana's coast. Who gets it?

BY TRISTAN BAURICK | Staff writer
Jan 4, 2024

A turf war on the southwest Louisiana coast is brewing between two industries that both aim to cut carbon emissions but say their multi-million dollar projects require the same stretch of offs…

Gov.-elect Jeff Landry taps an outgoing Louisiana official for his administration; see who

By JAMES FINN | Staff writer
Jan 4, 2024

Outgoing Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin will join Jeff Landry's gubernatorial staff when Landry takes office on Monday.