Gay marriage not accepted on Louisiana tax form, revenue secretary says
Louisiana's revenue department won't recognize same-sex marriages for tax filings, despite a new IRS rule that allows legally married gay couples to file joint federal tax returns and a Louisiana law...
View ArticleOn the Hill: How angry did Sen. Vitter make his colleagues?
How angry did Vitter make his colleagues? There's no doubt Sen. David Vitter, R-La., generated anger from some colleagues for pushing so hard for legislation that would require members and their...
View ArticleEast Jefferson General Hospital medical staff wants a say on lease deal
As Jefferson Parish Council members on Friday awaited a draft report from Inspector General David McClintock on the parish's hospital lease process, the medical staff of one of the two public...
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For Jefferson Parish hospitals lease, which company best serves patients?
As Jefferson Parish moves to lease its public hospitals to a private operator, two key questions have been how much money will the public make on the deal and how much control will it be allowed to...
View ArticleSinkhole costs, race for the Senate and Jindal staff changes: Capitol Digest...
Capitol Digest provides an inside look at what happened in state politics this week. These quick reports offer insight into campaigns, committee meetings and other goings-on and give an overview of...
View ArticleState agency waived nearly half of mineral extraction penalties since 2008,...
Louisiana's Office of Mineral Resources waived nearly $6 million in penalties against mineral extraction companies and failed to collect an additional $1.4 million in royalty payments between 2008 and...
View ArticleLandrieu administration opens CPNC applications for taxis for passengers with...
The New Orleans Taxicab & For Hire Bureau is welcoming applications from drivers interested in permits for cabs designed to accommodate passengers with disabilities, Mayor Mitch Landrieu's...
View ArticleNew Orleans property tax assessment appeals begin
Orleans Parish property owners appealing their 2014 property tax assessments began scheduled hearings this week. More than 1,200 appeals are expected, officials said. The appeals are being heard at...
View Article1 in 7 people in poverty in US, Census Bureau reports
The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty stood at 15 percent in 2012. WASHINGTON -- The Census Bureau reports the number of Americans in poverty stood at 15 percent in 2012. About...
View ArticleSen. Vitter's conflict with Democrats over ObamaCare continues
WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats may be moving back from a threat to force a vote on an amendment potentially embarrassing to Sen. David Vitter, R-La., if he continues to insist on a vote for his...
View ArticleState lawmakers raise concerns about navigating Obamacare health exchanges
State lawmakers said Tuesday they are concerned about a shortage of people helping Louisiana residents sign up for new insurance options available under the federal health care law the Affordable Care...
View ArticlePresident Obama and House Republicans try to sell their positions as budget...
WASHINGTON - With Republicans in Congress and the Obama administration nowhere near agreement on a spending plan to keep the government operating past Oct. 1, both sides will be trying to score points...
View ArticleRep. Scalise's conservative caucus presents alternative to 'ObamaCare'
WASHINGTON - Conservative House Republicans, led by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, are ready to unveil their alternative to "ObamaCare," a plan that would provide generous tax breaks to people who...
View ArticleGov. Bobby Jindal and ex Fla. Gov. Jeb Bush disagree on whether GOP should...
WASHINGTON - With House Republicans holding firm to their goals of defunding 'ObamaCare," Gov. Bobby Jindal and ex Florida Gov. Jeb Bush disagreed on the GOP's bargaining strategy. Jindal, who...
View ArticleFEMA administrator says he lacks authority to delay big flood insurance hikes
WASHINGTON -- FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says middle class and poor homeowners shouldn't be forced to pay substantially more for flood insurance premiums but that he lacks authority to either...
View ArticleGOP House will seek to repeal ObamaCare, risking govt shutdown
WASHINGTON - After a rank-and-file rebellion, House GOP leaders agreed Wednesday to move a spending resolution that would defund the Affordable Care Act -- setting off a confrontation with the White...
View ArticleGOP-led House votes to cut federal food stamp program
WASHINGTON - The GOP-led House voted Thursday to trim spending on food stamps by $39 billion over 10 years, cutting off benefits to 3.8 million Americans, including 71,000 in Louisiana, according to...
View ArticleLawmakers urge Tax Commission to improve oversight practices
State lawmakers pressed Thursday for the Louisiana Tax Commission to make changes in the way it reviews the work of parish tax assessors, after an audit said the commission's oversight of property...
View ArticleHouse passes spending bill defunding ObamaCare. Is government shutdown next?
WASHINGTON - What's next? On Friday, the GOP-led House voted 230 to 180 for a stop-gap spending bill that funds the government for 75 days, but strips funding for President Barack Obama's health...
View ArticleLSU's King-Edwards flop, Jindal vouchers ad and 'Coffee & Guns:' Capitol...
Capitol Digest provides an inside look at what happened in state politics this week. These quick reports offer insight into campaigns, committee meetings and other goings-on and give an overview of...
View ArticleOn the Hill: President says House GOP is messing with him on budget
President Barack Obama says that the Republican-led House is messing with him instead of doing its job by passing a spending resolution he can accept. A bill passed by the House on Friday would fund...
View ArticleLouisiana lawmaker says Starbucks can keep their coffee, 'we will keep our guns'
Louisiana State Representative and Defend Louisiana founder Jeff Thompson said Friday that conservatives should take their business to coffee shops that are friendly to gun owners and who respect the...
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Flushable wipes blamed for clogging sewer systems
Increasingly popular bathroom wipes -- pre-moistened towelettes that are often advertised as flushable -- are being blamed for creating clogs and backups in sewer systems around the nation. BEMUS...
View ArticleLouisiana tax amnesty program begins accepting applications
Louisiana's tax amnesty program is up and running for delinquent taxpayers seeking a reprieve from penalties in paying their back-owed taxes. The program opened Monday and runs through Nov. 22. During...
View ArticleGOP efforts to recruit Mary Landrieu, other Dems to defund ObamaCare failing
WASHINGTON - Republicans are trying hard to recruit some Democratic senators such as Louisiana's Mary Landrieu to support their efforts to defund ObamaCare. So far, the efforts have gone nowhere. "I...
View ArticleLouisiana receives $1M federal grant to help fund international commerce plan
Louisiana will receive $1 million from the federal government that will help fund a plan aimed at increasing foreign investment and international commerce in the state, the U.S. Department of Commerce...
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CNSI objects to disqualification for Arkansas Medicaid contract because of...
The head of a Maryland company disqualified from bidding on a Medicaid contract in Arkansas complained Monday that the state relied too much on the knowledge that Louisiana had terminated a similar...
View ArticleFew Louisiana companies choose to participate in federal health insurance...
Louisiana residents looking for health care coverage through the new insurance marketplace set up by the federal government -- previously called an exchange -- may not have many options. "I'm not...
View ArticleHarahan drainage project advances with $10.7 million contract
The Army Corps of Engineers on Monday announced it has awarded a $10.7 million contract to Veterans Construction Group JV of Metairie to build an intake basin for the Harahan "pump to the river"...
View ArticleBiggert-Waters premium increases threaten Louisiana's working coast,...
Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said "draconian rate increases" for flood insurance provided by the federal government will be devastating to homeowners and businesses, and urged Congress to...
View ArticleTIm Whitmer, former Jefferson Parish CAO, agrees to $10,000 ethics fine
Tim Whitmer, the former Jefferson Parish administrator whose private insurance work led to a political corruption scandal that toppled Parish President Aaron Broussard's administration, has agreed to...
View ArticleChick-fil-A did not 'host' guns and coffee meet-up, company spokesman says
Chick-fil-A welcomes gun owners at its restaurants, but as a matter of policy was not the host of a "Guns and Coffee" meet-up sponsored by a state lawmaker, the company's spokesman said Tuesday (Sept....
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Two years after Naval Support Activity closed, base redevelopment plans...
The Navy closed the Naval Support Activity on Sept. 15, 2011. The City of New Orleans still trying to acquire part of it, and Federal City hasn't seen large-scale construction. Retired Marine Corps...
View ArticleGov. Jindal's Republican Governors Association is big funding source for GOP...
WASHINGTON -- Bobby Jindal's Republican Governors Association is the largest donor to 2013 Virginia GOP Gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli, continuing its role as a dominant source of funding for...
View ArticleTexas senator ends effort to court Sen. Landrieu to vote for ObamaCare defund
 WASHINGTON - Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., who is leading Senate GOP efforts to defund ObamaCare, apparently is no longer courting the vote of Louisiana Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu. That became apparent...
View ArticleNew Orleans Planning Commission endorses city's construction to-do list for...
The New Orleans City Planning Commission on Tuesday endorsed the latest iteration of the city's running, five-year plan for construction projects. The price tag to complete everything in the plan more...
View ArticleBobby Hebert's business, Jose Gonzalez's award: Jefferson Parish politics links
The Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board meets Thursday at 5 p.m. in Elmwood. On the agenda are four cases from Old Jefferson, River Ridge and Metairie, including plans for Bobby Hebert's Cajun...
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New Orleans' Art Deco Lakefront Airport terminal sheds its Cold War shell
As T. Sellers Meric and business partner Benedict Cimini put pencils to paper a half century ago to redesign the Lakefront Airport terminal, preservation stood at the heart of each decision the...
View ArticleWorst state for women? Liberal group says it's Louisiana
WASHINGTON - Another ranking, another bad score for Louisiana. This time it's the liberal Center for American Progress that ranks how women are faring in the 50 states. The center ranks Louisiana dead...
View ArticleSen. Ted Cruz: Eliminate health benefits for all federal workers
WASHINGTON - Turns out that at least a pair of Republican U.S. senators believe Sen. David Vitter, R-La., didn't go far enough in proposing legislation to deny federally subsidized health care...
View ArticleHouse committee will also hold hearing on rising flood insurance rates
WASHINGTON - Last week, the Senate Banking Committee had a hearing on substantial hikes in flood insurance resulting from a 2012 law. On Wednesday, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb...
View ArticleLouisiana treasurer suggests state-run flood insurance
Treasurer John Kennedy is suggesting Louisiana should consider getting in the business of offering flood insurance to its residents, to ease concerns of skyrocketing federal flood insurance rates....
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Louisiana corporate tax collection declined last spring
Louisiana's corporate income tax collection declined significantly last spring, a troubling trend about the pace of the state's economic recovery since such revenue in states as a whole experienced a...
View ArticleRallies planned next week in nine states to protest flood insurance premium...
WASHINGTON - Oct. 1 is the day the federal government could partially shut down - if there's no agreement on a spending deal. It's also the day that flood insurance policyholders in nine states,...
View ArticleJefferson Parish hospitals lease is a family matter for Councilman Elton Lagasse
The selection of a private company to lease Jefferson Parish's two public hospitals is considered one of the most significant decisions that the Parish Council has ever faced. But for...
View ArticleBollinger Shipyard awarded $250 million Coast Guard contract
WASHINGTON - The Coast Guard Wednesday awarded a $250 million contract to Bollinger Shipyards of Lockport to build six Fast Response Cutters. The contract will keep 1,200 people employed, according to...
View ArticleBobby Jindal weighs in on imminent flood insurance rate hikes
As the fight wages in Washington over imminent federal flood insurance rate hikes, Gov. Bobby Jindal has thrown his support behind efforts by Louisiana's congressional delegation to slow or delay the...
View ArticleFat City zoning revisions to be discussed at Thursday's Jefferson Parish...
On Thursday at 5 p.m., the Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board will meet to review proposed revisions to the zoning of Fat City. A sweeping 2010 revision to the zoning of what was once Metairie's...
View ArticleFat City zoning, Elton Lagasse's family, more in Jefferson Parish politics links
Three years after a comprehensive rezoning of Fat City, some changes might be in order. That's the view of planners who want to tweak the rules for Metairie's former nightlife district. Adriane...
View ArticleNew Orleans' economy continues to improve, but has long way to go, report says
New Orleans' economic recovery continues to steadily improve, though not quite as quickly as it was moving three months ago. A study released Wednesday (Sept. 25) by the Brookings Institution ranked...
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