By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
“By no measure is any program that is creating affordable rentals meeting the need,” – Andreanecia Morris, executive director for HousingNOLA, in response to Gov. Jeff Landry moving federal affordable housing money to a create a program to help homeowners strengthen their roofs. The governor said existing affordable housing programs are adequately addressing demand in Louisiana.
From left, state Sen. Kirk Talbot, Gov. Jeff Landry and Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple take part in a news conference Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, announcing $20 million federal dollars earmarked for affordable housing will be redirected to a new fortified roof program. (Photo by Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator)
By Elise Plunk
Louisiana has found more money to allow homeowners to upgrade their roofs to withstand hurricanes, but it will come at the cost of affordable housing. The funding source has previously been used to help build more than 4,100 apartments in the state.
Photo by Julie O’Donoghue/Louisiana Illuminator
By Julie O’Donoghue
Six candidates in the 5th Congressional District race took part in an online forum Monday hosted by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, a nonpartisan group that promotes civic engagement and government transparency. Democrats and Republicans in the field have sharp differences over how to handle the Iran war as well as whether restoring food assistance benefits should be a priority for lawmakers.
Residents hold up signs at a Lowndes County Commission meeting on Aug. 24, 2026, in Hayneville, Alabama, at the Lowndes County Courthouse. (Photo by Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector)
By David Lightman
The rare 2026 issue that draws huge support from Republicans and Democrats in Congress is the same one that’s mobilized many Americans: restrictions on giant data centers. The House has overwhelmingly passed legislation forcing state regulators to consider requirements that data centers absorb the cost of the electricity they use. But there’s more to be done, say data center critics, and they’re finding there is no easy or even obvious answer about what to do next.
By Richard Webster | Verite News
The Ouachita Parish District Attorney’s office attempted to obtain a DNA sample last week from former death row inmate Jimmie “Chris” Duncan in an apparent effort to reopen the case against him for the 1993 death of his former girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux. These actions, come just three months after the Louisiana Supreme Court threw out Duncan’s murder conviction.
By Sofia Resnick
The mistrial in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial earlier this month places her future in doubt, three years after she killed her three children in Massachusetts. But one potential outcome is a state legislative push to boost mental health support for new mothers. Postpartum depression affects up to 1 in 7 women after they have a baby. More rare and potentially deadly is what Clancy’s lawyers argued that she was suffering from: postpartum psychosis
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Medical groups, patients sue over Medicaid work requirements | States Newsroom
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NEWS FROM THE STATES
Ballot measure would ban trans athletes from school sports | Colorado Newsline
Arkansas drops prison ban on physical books, newspapers | Arkansas Advocate
Gun owners challenge restrictions on non-firearm weapons | New Jersey Monitor
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