Louisiana

Louisiana Democrats endorse Fields for new majority-Black congressional district • Louisiana Illuminator

Published

1 year ago

July 27, 2024

Louisiana Democrats endorse Fields for new majority-Black congressional district • Louisiana Illuminator

The Louisiana Democratic State Central Committee voted Saturday to formalize its support for state Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, in his bid to return to congress in the state’s new majority-Black 6th Congressional District.

Fields got the state party’s official nod alongside U.S. Rep Troy Carter, who is running for his third term in the 2nd District, Louisiana’s other majority-Black seat.

Also endorsed were Mel Manuel, running to unseat U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, in the 1st District, Sadi Summerlin, running against Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, in the 3rd District and Nick Laborde, running for the open Public Service Commission District 2 seat.

“I think that with the talent and the combination of excitement … I think we’re gonna be able to prepare all our candidates for victory in November,” Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines said in an interview with the Illuminator.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Fields previously served two terms in congress in the 1990s, when Louisiana had two majority-Black congressional districts until Fields’ district was thrown out as an unconstitutional gerrymander.

Louisiana had a single majority Black district until earlier this year, when the Legislature drew another to comply with a federal court ruling that its congressional redistricting plan adopted in 2022 unconstitutionally discriminated against Black voters.

If elected, Fields will replace U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, who decided against running for re-election after the GOP-dominated Legislature chose his district as a sacrificial lamb to become the new majority-Black seat.

Should he win the 6th District seat, Fields will be slightly senior to Carter in the U.S House, as Fields served two full terms while Carter has served less than a full year of his first term after winning a special election in April 2021 to replace former U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, D-New Orleans, who resigned to join President Joe Biden’s administration.

Both will face Democratic opposition.

Fields, Quentin Anderson and Peter Williams received nominations for the party endorsement, with Fields’ 95 supporters on the Democratic State Central Committee easily defeating Anderson’s 45 and Williams’ four.

A fourth Democratic candidate, Wilken Jones, did not receive a nomination.

Former state Sen. Elbert Guillory, a Democrat-turned-Republican from Opelousas who is also Black, is also running for the 6th District seat. He’s received the Louisiana GOP’s endorsement.

Carter will face several Republican challengers as well as fellow Democrat Devin Davis, who received 21 votes for the endorsement to Carter’s 124.

Davis alleged State Central Committee members were threatened with retaliation if they did not back Carter. In interviews after the meeting, several members disagreed with Davis’ assessment.

Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis said there were disagreements within the party leadership about how to handle endorsements, but there were no threats of retaliation.

Though the state Democratic Party does not endorse judicial candidates, two candidates for a soon-to-be-vacant Louisiana Supreme Court seat stumped for votes. District 2 on the court was redrawn this year to be majority Black.

Leslie Chambers, a first-time candidate who worked for former Gov. John Bel Edwards and for East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, touted her bipartisanship working on criminal justice reforms in the Edwards administration.

John Michael Guidry, a judge on Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeals, is also running for the high court seat. He also noted his record of bipartisanship, touting endorsements from labor groups and EAST PAC, a political action committee affiliated with the conservative Louisiana Association of Business and Industry that frequently stymies Democratic priorities in the Legislature.

A third Democrat in the race, Marcus Hunter, was not present.

Elections for Congress, Public Service Commission and the Louisiana Supreme Court will be held Nov. 5. If no candidate receives a majority of votes, the two top vote-getters will meet in a Dec. 7 runoff.

All of Louisiana’s Republican incumbents in Congress, except for U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, will face Democratic opposition.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX

Source link

Click to comment

Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Dec. 20, 2025

Published

12 minutes ago

December 21, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 20, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

04-05-28-52-69, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

6-8-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

7-2-9-7

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

0-7-9-8-1

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Easy 5 numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

07-17-20-28-33

Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto numbers from Dec. 20 drawing

10-11-15-16-26-28

Check Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Source link

Louisiana

How Trump’s AI executive order impacts Louisiana

Published

12 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

How Trump’s AI executive order impacts Louisiana

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – The federal government is building a nationwide standard as the United States competes in a global A.I. race, much the same as the Space Race of the 20th century.

Last week, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at establishing a uniform federal regulatory framework for artificial intelligence in the United States.

The order emphasized a need for AI companies to be allowed to innovate without hinderance from excessive regulations, so that the system would not become fragmented.

Marva Bailer is the CEO and founder of Qualaix, which works to improve productivity and innovation with AI through conversations. She said this framework a step towards realizing an untapped potential in the United States for innovation and productivity through AI.

“We are leading the AI race,” said Bailer. “What is getting people’s attention is there are areas that we could be a lot stronger and lean in a lot faster.”

We spoke with KALB political analyst Greg LaRose to learn how this new framework might impact Louisiana’s development.

Since 2024, the construction of multiple AI data centers has been announced across the state, with each new center estimated to be worth billions of dollars and promising new jobs and growth for Louisiana.

According to LaRose, the executive order should not realistically confine any of the state’s major AI projects.

“Through the Louisiana lens at that executive order from President Trump, I’m not really seeing anything that really confines what’s going on in the state.”

The majority of the state’s laws are concerned with deep fakes.

In October, Louisiana governor Jeff Landry issued his own executive order which banned, “Communist Chinese AI platforms’ from systems within state government.”

While it is unclear how Louisiana will enforce Landry’s order, LaRose said the state does face other concerns.

“I think they’re more concerned about giving China access to the data that is used to create, say, a Louisiana-based deep fake or any type of issue,” said LaRose. “For example, like transcription software that people are increasingly using to make record-keeping a lot easier. I think the idea is that that type of information be kept out of hands that we don’t want it in.”

This, as the global AI race heats up heading into 2026.

Click here to report a typo. Please provide the title of the article in your email.

Source link

Louisiana

Third inmate who escaped from southern Louisiana jail captured, officials say

Published

1 day ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

Third inmate who escaped from southern Louisiana jail captured, officials say

December 19, 2025 / 11:28 PM EST
/ CBS/AP

The last of two inmates who had been on the run since escaping from a jail in the southern Louisiana city of Opelousas earlier this month has been caught, officials said Friday. A third inmate who was also part of the escape died by suicide after being caught by police, authorities previously said.

Keith Anthony Eli II, 24, was taken into custody in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish Sheriff Bobby Guidroz said in a news release. Opelousas is located about 25 miles north of Lafayette.

Guidroz said Eli was captured by narcotics detectives and a SWAT team thanks to a tip.

At the time of his escape, Eli was held on an attempted second-degree murder charge.

The three men had escaped the St. Landry Parish Jail on Dec. 3 by removing concrete blocks from an upper wall area, Guidroz said at the time.

Authorities said the inmates then used sheets and other materials to scale the exterior wall, climb onto a first-floor roof and lower themselves to the ground, Guidroz said.

Escapee Jonathan Joseph, 24, was captured on Dec. 5. He is in custody on multiple charges, including first-degree rape.

Joseph Harrington, 26, faced several felony charges, including home invasion. On Dec. 4, one day after the escape, he was recognized by a tipster while pushing a black e-bike. Police found the e-bike at a neighboring home and heard a gunshot while trying to coax him to leave the building. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux said by telephone to The Associated Press.

The escape came more than seven months after 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail. All ten of since been captured.