Sunday Brunch

By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief

On this day in history in 1820, U.S. Navy Commissioner Stephen Decatur was killed in a duel. New Orleans would rename its Levee Street fronting the French Quarter after the War of 1812 hero.

By Kelcie Morris-Moseley

Whether in court briefings or before state policymakers, plenty of talking points about abortion medication are repeated that are not based on scientific fact or evidence, according to experts. Let’s review the most common.

By Greg LaRose

For years, state Sen. Regina Barrow has been critical of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services and its inability to intercede in child abuse cases before they result in serious injury or death. She has authored a bill to abolish the department but has agreed to instead work with DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris to replace her proposal with one that directly addresses the agency’s shortcomings without dismantling it.

By Piper Hutchinson

Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed listed inflation and athletics costs among the key factors leading to financial challenges at several public universities in Louisiana. She laid out the financial picture for state lawmakers this week to the committees that craft the state budget. 

Lying about having served in the military could soon carry a serious prison sentence in Louisiana. Stolen valor is recognized as a crime in at least 15 states and is also a federal offense, but the state lawmaker sponsoring the measure to crack down on it said it’s often difficult to enforce.

A new effort to remove fluoride from public drinking water supplies in Louisiana would allow local residents to vote on the matter, though dental professionals say it would be a step backwards in health care.

If certain criminal defendants want to waive their right to a trial by jury, they will need a prosecutor’s approval under a proposal that’s taken its first step toward the ballot. Opponents of the change say it would put too much power in the hands of district attorneys.

Immigration enforcement efforts around the country are accompanied by social and economic fallout. The deportation of a breadwinner, the potential exposure of tenants’ personal data and stricter federal housing policies can all stress families, advocates say, even as some policymakers are trying to help.

A federal judge in Massachusetts has halted enforcement of several key vaccine policies imposed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., ruling that the Trump administration illegally overhauled a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee dedicated to issuing immunization recommendations.

Electricity rates “increased significantly” in nearly every U.S. state in 2025, with residents in a dozen states seeing at least a 10% jump, according to a congressional report released by Democrats.

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