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Bill advances to eliminate public's vote on leasing Jefferson Parish hospitals
A bill that would let the Jefferson Parish Council lease its two hospitals to outside interests without a public referendum moves to the floor of the state House on Tuesday after a committee endorsed...
View ArticleInvestigators looking into possible perjury by former Louisiana health chief
After Bruce Greenstein took the helm of the state Department of Health and Hospitals in September 2010, he made "hundreds of phone calls" and exchanged "thousands of text messages" with a company he...
View ArticleNew Orleans airport will tackle drainage runoff problems affecting Kenner,...
Kenner officials said Louis Armstrong International Airport has agreed to conceive, over the next few months, a plan to reduce long-standing drainage problems at the airport that affect nearby Kenner...
View ArticleMayor Landrieu's veto of food-trucks ordinance: more about politics than...
New Orleans mayors rarely veto ordinances passed by the City Council, but when they do they usually offer detailed explanations of their actions. However, Mayor Mitch Landrieu's letter this past week...
View ArticleLegislative auditor finds fraud in food stamp program
About $1.1 million in federal food stamp money was spent over the past two years by people who were incarcerated and not eligible for the program, the state Legislative auditor found in a report...
View ArticleObama administration objects to Vitter-Boxer water resources bill
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Monday raised objections to a water resources bill drawn up by Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and David Vitter, R-La. The White House specifically objected to...
View ArticleCanceled Medicaid contractor files lawsuit against Louisiana in Baton Rouge...
Saying the state of Louisiana lacked valid grounds to cancel an almost $200 million contract to process Medicaid claims, Maryland-based Client Network Services Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday in Baton...
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Jefferson Parish voters' mood, bridge tolls contributed to defeat of tax...
Observers and comments from voters suggest many were in a strong anti-tax mood, fueled by opposition to the Crescent City Connection tolls, a letter from the parish assessor that prompted questions...
View ArticleSenate passes bill allowing states to collect sales tax from online merchants
WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted 69-27 Monday to allow states to collect sales tax on online purchases. But prospects in the House remain iffy, with some Republicans labeling the bill as a "tax...
View ArticleNew Orleans lawmakers say Children's Hospital purchase of NOAH is good for...
A deal that requires Children's Hospital to expand psychiatric beds will help provide needed services that have dwindled in the city since Hurricane Katrina, state lawmakers said at a meeting Monday...
View ArticleMardi Gras parade changes; land use changes, too: Jefferson Parish politics...
Jefferson Parish's east bank Carnival advisory committee meets Tuesday (May 7) at 7 p.m. It plans to vote on an alternate parade route, discuss modifying the parade schedule and consider other ways to...
View ArticleJefferson Parish hospital changes are topic of public meeting
The legislative bill that would let the Jefferson Parish Council lease its two public hospitals to outside interests without a public referendum is the subject of a public meeting Monday (May 13) at 7...
View ArticleJefferson Parish Council sets emergency meeting to discuss failure of...
The Jefferson Parish Council has set an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the failure May 4 of two tax proposals for water and sewerage service, according to a parish notice The Jefferson Parish...
View ArticleJefferson Parish's rejected taxes expired in 2012, face obstacles to make...
The Jefferson Parish taxes for water and sewerage that voters rejected last week had actually expired in December, some officials said, raising questions as to whether the measures appeared improperly...
View ArticleOregon Medicaid study provides fodder for both side of expansion debate
As Louisiana lawmakers consider whether to expand health insurance for the poor, possibly through a plan that would use federal dollars to buy private coverage, a critical study released last week...
View ArticleBoxer defends her deal with Vitter to streamline environmental oversight for...
WASHINGTON -- The Senate began debating a bill Tuesday to set federal policy for federal flood control and harbor maintenance projects with a strong defense by the bill's authors over criticism it...
View ArticleLouisiana House votes to phase out solar energy tax credits by 2020
Louisiana is on the path to phase out the state's solar energy tax credit: The state House on Tuesday easily approved a bill to end the incentives by 2020. "As the production cost of solar is going...
View ArticleTax failure handwringing, Byron Lee questions in Jefferson Parish politics links
The Jefferson Parish Council has scheduled a special meeting Thursday at 10 a.m. to rehash the failure of two property tax renewals at the polls. Some officials think the taxes actually expired last...
View Article3 appointed to state massage regulatory board
Gov. Bobby Jindal has appointed three New Orleans area residents to the Louisiana Board of Massage Therapy. The seven-member board licenses and regulates massage therapists in Louisiana. Jindal's...
View ArticleLa. officials hope to form coalition with other communities impacted by flood...
WASHINGTON -- Government leaders from across South Louisiana are looking to form a coalition with other coastal communities impacted by higher federal flood insurance rates to prod Congress and the...
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