By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
It might not feel like it, but we’ve already reached hump day on this shortened workweek. Here’s what’s in the news.
This research vessel is among the $500 million in assets at stake as a task force determines the future of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, better known as LUMCON. (Photo courtesy of Louisiana Board of Regents)
By Piper Hutchinson
On paper, a select group of Louisiana university leaders has been tasked with finding ways to maximize one of the state’s premier scientific research institutes. Unofficially, they are in the middle of a political tug-of-war over who will control an entity with $500 million in assets and a multi-million-dollar annual budget.
Spenser Heaps/Utah News Dispatch
By Julie O’Donoghue
More than a quarter of Louisiana’s 42 local public defender offices spent more money than they received during fiscal year 2024-25, highlighting the yearslong budget struggles of public defense overall.
Speakers stand in front of the Huey P. Long statue in the Capitol Gardens to spread awareness Tuesday for the 988 mental health hotline. (Elise Plunk/Louisiana Illuminator)
By Elise Plunk
State officials and mental health advocacy groups gathered National 988 Day at the Capitol Gardens to spread awareness for the 24-hour suicide and crisis hotline. The events occurred as advocates wait to see if the Trump administration follows through with its pledge to reverse course on changes made last year to hotline policy. In June 2025, the White House announced the “Press 3” option for LGBTQ+ youth in crisis would be eliminated, explaining that it had run out of funding.
Conservationists are worried the massive SpaceX launch facility planned for Louisiana will threaten what many consider the state’s optimal setting for wildlife. In this week’s episode of “The Light Switch,” we look at one endangered species that calls the area home.
Plus, a new task force is looking into how Louisiana funds higher education. The state lawmaker who leads the group is also newly in charge of the state university. Click below to listen.
COMMENTARY
By Steve Payne
Louisiana is entering one of the most consequential periods of technological expansion in its history. State agencies and parish‑level permitting bodies are being asked to make decisions under conditions of speed, uncertainty and political pressure. These institutions were hardly designed for this dynamic environment, and their planning processes will be tested in trying to adapt to these demands.
D.C. DIGEST
NEWS FROM THE STATES
Parents file lawsuit to block school voucher program | West Virginia Watch
Workplace safety complaints rise amid record-breaking wildfire season | Oregon Capital Chronicle
High court approves redrafted abortion ballot measure language | Idaho Capital Sun
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