Sunday Brunch

By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief

On this day in history in 1775, the American Revolutionary War began with the battles of Lexington and Concord.

By Piper Hutchinson

Opponents of a bill to shield how Louisiana’s public universities spend their revenue on college athletes warn it’s a slippery slope, as it would be the first time the state hides how public money is spent from public view. 

By Greg LaRose

A new plan to dismantle the Louisiana Department of Children and. Family Services will likely be dialed back after Gov. Jeff Landry made it known he wants to scale back the proposal.  

By Greg LaRose

Republicans in the Louisiana Legislature continue to push through measures to shrink the court system in New Orleans, the state’s majority-Black, Democratic stronghold. A bill to cut its number of clerks of court from two to one is now steps away from full approval.

The latest version of Louisiana’s proposed $51 billion budget would boost spending for a wide range of criminal justice and law enforcement entities. Yet one of the biggest ticket items in the budget — how much public school teachers and support staff will be paid — remains on hold. 

Louisiana’s Medicaid program could expand access to popular weight-loss medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound for obesity treatment starting in January. But at least four of the 13 states that took the same steps in their Medicaid programs in 2025 have already eliminated the benefit because of financial pressures.

A proposal to require environmental air monitoring systems at high-emission industrial facilities in Louisiana is stuck in limbo and faces steep odds of moving forward. The air monitors would provide early warning for neighbors to seek safety in the event of a toxic pollution release.

As states enact stricter work requirements for the federal food stamp program, a new analysis suggests those requirements won’t enhance employment and will push more people off of food assistance. 

A sweeping reorganization of the U.S. Forest Service signals that the agency is planning to lean heavily on states to help manage millions of acres of federal land, foresters across the West say. State officials and timber industry leaders say they’ve been given scant details about the plan.

Tucked into President Donald Trump’s new budget request is a plan that could dramatically change — and, critics say, slash — how much money and help states provide to people needing jobs and training.

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