Photo caption: From left, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry President Stephen Waguespack, House Speaker Clay Schexnayder and Senate President Page Cortez address LABI’s annual conference on Feb. 11, 2020. Photo courtesy David Jacobs, The Center Square. Republican gubernatorial candidate Stephen Waguespack wants to leverage his experience in the private sector to bring free market solutions to Louisiana’s pressing issues, and he released details on Monday outlining his approach. Waguespack, former chief of staff to former Gov. Bobby Jindal, believes his lack of political crede ..read more

Photo courtesy Wesley Muller, Louisiana Illuminator. Gov. John Bel Edwards appointed a new labor secretary Friday and touted strong jobs growth for the state’s economy. Robert Wooley will take over the Workforce Commission from Ave Dejoie Cates, who will resign effective Aug. 31. The commission released data Friday showing Louisiana’s unemployment rate fell in July to 3.4%, the lowest rate ever recorded for the month. The rate shows a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the June 2023 figure of 3.6% and decreased by 0.1 percentage points from July 2022 figure of 3.5%. “Our har ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. In today’s polarized political climate, few issues in Washington receive bipartisan support. Investment in the nation’s infrastructure, however, is a notable exception – and with good reason. A 2021 report from the American Society of Civil Engineers assigned U.S. public infrastructure an average letter grade of “C-” based on performance in 17 major categories, including roads, drinking water, transit, dams, and bridges. According to the report, the U.S. needs to invest an additional $2.6 trillion in infrastructure over the next 10 years. To help address ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. One of two candidates for Louisiana insurance commissioner has dropped out of the race, giving the lone remaining candidate an automatic victory. WDSU-TV first reported Rich Weaver, a Democrat from Ascension Parish, would drop out of the race, citing a potential challenge to his candidacy. That leaves Tim Temple, a Baton Rouge Republican, as the commissioner-elect. Temple, a former insurance executive, will replace Jim Donelon, who has served in the role for 17 years. The position plays a key role in regulating an industry facing an acute crisis aft ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. The city of Central got $3 million in the Louisiana state budget this year for batting cages, a locker room and a high school weight room. The town of Baldwin in St. Mary Parish received $160,000 for a new basketball court. The Regional Military Museum in Houma secured $500,000. Catholic Charities of Acadiana in Lafayette collected $3.8 million. These entities are in communities where six Louisiana lawmakers who control the state’s budget process live. Their five home parishes — Lafayette, St. Mary, East Baton Rouge, Ascension and Terrebonne — received a larger sh ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. Baton Rouge and Easton Baton Rouge Parish faced fraud and reporting issues with an emergency rental assistance program and may have misspent federal COVID aid on a bridge replacement last year, according to a new audit. An annual comprehensive financial report for the consolidated government of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish released by Louisiana Legislative Auditor Mike Waguespack last week examined finances and federal grant compliance in 2022. An included audit details 14 findings regarding issues ranging from incomplete documentation for pur ..read more

Photo caption: Stephen Waguespack, candidate for governor speaks to the media after qualifying at the Secretary of State’s Office on Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023 in Baton Rouge. Photo courtesy AP. The former head of one of Louisiana’s most powerful business groups, Stephen Waguespack, and 37-year-old state Rep. Richard Nelson round out the crowded list of GOP candidates who will be on the ballot for Louisiana’s Oct. 14 gubernatorial election. After months of speculation, candidates competing in the fall election — which will have five state offices without an incumbent, including governor, attorney ..read more

Arthur Morrell photo courtesy Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator. Main photo courtesy DepositPhotos. Arthur Morrell Less than one year after he announced his retirement from his near four decade-long career in politics, longtime New Orleans politician Arthur Morrell made a splash by deciding to run for Secretary of State in the final hours of qualifying. “The most important thing is the bedrock for our democracy, and that’s the vote, the individual vote,” Morrell said. Louisiana’s voting system is secure, Morrell said, but he wants to make sure that continues, he told reporters a ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. The Energy Department announced Friday it is awarding up to $1.2 billion to two projects to directly remove carbon dioxide from the air in what officials are calling the largest investment in “engineered carbon removal” in history. The process, known as direct air capture, does not yet exist on a meaningful scale and could be a game changer if it did and were economical. “If we deploy this at scale, this technology can help us make serious headway toward our net zero emissions goals while we are still focused on deploying more clean energy at the same time,” Energ ..read more

Photo courtesy DepositPhotos. Members of the Louisiana Advanced Aviation and Drone Advisory Committee met in Baton Rouge on Wednesday to review various issues in the evolving industry. The committee, initially known as the Louisiana Drone Advisory Committee, was established by the Legislature in 2021 to develop a single, consensus-based set of resolutions for issues involving drone safety and efficiency and to provide recommendations to ensure increased growth of the technology. Members on Wednesday discussed how some current rules for licensing, such as testing requirements to use drones for ..read more