Louisiana
How a Louisiana budget whiz and small business owner sees Congress’ fight over health care
WASHINGTON – When state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, isn’t mulling complex finances as chair of the Louisiana House Appropriations Committee, he runs a logging contractor firm in Winn Parish.
As a small businessman with about 20 employees, McFarland frets about the lack of action on health care. Time is of the essence, and McFarland wants the warring parties in Washington to figure out a solution.
Republicans want to overhaul the Affordable Care Act to lower health care costs and increase consumer choice. Democrats are not opposed to fixes but argue that will take too much time, so first, the enhanced ACA marketplace subsidies need to be continued before expiring.
About 24.3 million working Americans and small businesses — 292,994 in Louisiana — will see their monthly costs double, on average, starting Jan. 1 if the subsidies are not extended. Disagreement on extending the tax credits was at the center of the government shutdown.
An ardent conservative in a parish that gave 88% of its votes to U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, McFarland agrees that substantial changes are necessary.
For instance, his employees can’t access the ACA marketplace.
Despite the promise in 2010 that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, to lower health insurance premiums, it did not. The policy McFarland provided employees went from about $37,000 annually in 2011 to about $132,000 in 2024.
McFarland said his company had to stop covering premiums for his employees and now just pays a little to help. When some of his workers wanted to lower their costs by shifting to the ACA marketplace, they could not because his company offered health insurance, he said.
“As an employer, I would have to stop offering health insurance to all my employees for them to be eligible for subsidies,” McFarland said, adding that now many of his employees have no insurance.
Like most things that deal with health care and insurance, the Affordable Care Act is complex, with a lot of moving parts.
Obamacare protected people with preexisting conditions and made insurance available for those who couldn’t afford it. But the promise that premiums would decline because more people had insurance didn’t materialize.
Premium costs have risen from an average $177 per month in 2010 for individual policies, like the ones the ACA marketplace sells, to $467 per month in 2024, according to KFF, a Washington-based health analysis organization. Monthly costs for group insurance, like those offered by employers and cover roughly 170 million people, went up from an average $273 per month to $512 per month during the same period.
Senate Republicans are looking at various alternatives that align with President Donald Trump’s demand last week that the ACA subsidies go “directly to the people” rather than insurance companies.
In the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, told reporters Tuesday that House committee leaders also are looking at various ideas.
“We’re not here to bail out insurance companies,” he said. “We’re here to give families lower premiums and better options.”
But in both chambers, Democrats and Republicans are not talking officially to each other.
The Senate will need 60 votes to pass any GOP measure, which means seven Democrats have to sign on to any package that all the Republicans support — or eight Republicans have to agree with all the Democrats backing one of their ideas.
Right now, neither scenario looks likely when it comes to the key issue of whether to extend the enhanced ACA marketplace tax credits, which will get a vote in mid-December.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said Thursday on the Senate floor that Republican ideas are “half-baked.”
“They are deeply flawed and woefully insufficient for our nation’s health care problems,” Schumer said. “When people’s monthly payments spike next year, they’ll know it was Republicans that made it happen.”
On Thursday, Johnson refined his oft-repeated accusation that Democrats only care about “illegal aliens” to point out what California, Illinois and Oregon spent more on health care for “noncitizens” than for police and roads.
Immigrants who slipped into the country without authorization are not legally allowed to take advantage of Obamacare. Legal immigrants who have jobs and children regardless of their status are allowed to buy insurance through ACA marketplaces. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that about 1.4 million immigrants have.
“Everybody’s just went to their corner and they’re just not coming out,” McFarland said. “It’s a broken system that needs to be fixed, not patched, for the people and for small businesses. They need to sit down and figure this out.”
The 2027 college football recruiting cycle has warmed up in the first months of the 2026 offseason.
A sizable number of prospects in the class of 2027 have already announced their college commitments. Most are still scouring around for their best options and taking visits to the schools that appeal to them.
One uncommitted prospect inching closer to his decision is running back Jayden Miles. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ranks as the No. 31 running back, No. 13 prospect in Louisiana and No. 391 overall prospect in the class of 2027, per Rivals.
Miles helped guide Baton Rouge Catholic High School to a 10-2 overall record and state semifinal appearance during his sophomore season. During his junior season, he set a school record by scoring seven total touchdowns in a single game. He was named to the LFCA All-State First Team and LSWA All-State Honorable Mention in 2025.
Miles took an important step in his recruitment by trimming his list of schools to choose from. Hayes Fawcett of Rivals reported that Miles’ list is now down to six schools on Thursday.
LSU
The drive from Baton Rouge Catholic High School to LSU’s campus is about 10 minutes. The Tigers offered Miles a scholarship in early February of 2025.
The Tigers did not sign any running backs from the 2026 recruiting cycle, although they were able to retain Caden Durham despite the coaching change. Stacy Gage (UCF), Dilin Jones (Wisconsin) and Rod Gainey Jr. (Charlotte) all joined LSU’s 2026 roster from the transfer portal.
Kentucky
The Wildcats are a newer development in Miles’ recruitment. Kentucky offered him a scholarship in early January, one of a myriad of offers Will Stein’s new staff has made since its arrival in Lexington.
Kentucky acquired running backs CJ Baxter (Texas) and Jovantae Barnes (Oklahoma) out of the transfer portal. The Wildcats signed three-star running back Delvecchio Alston II to their 2026 class.
Auburn
Miles received his offer from Auburn back in January of 2025. Like both LSU and Kentucky, Auburn has undergone a coaching change since the end of the 2025 regular season.
The Tigers did not sign a running back from the 2026 recruiting cycle. However, Auburn brought in transfer running backs Tae Meadows (Troy), Bryson Washington (Baylor) and Nykahi Davenport (USF) to restock the position group.
Ohio State
The Buckeyes are one of three programs outside of the SEC that Miles has expressed interest in. Ohio State is returning a 1,000-yard rusher in Bo Jackson, who enters his sophomore season of college football.
Ohio State brought in Florida transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson for added depth to its 2026 running back room. Four-star Legend Bey and three-star Favour Akih were the Buckeyes’ two running back signees in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Florida State
The Seminoles were the first program to offer Miles back in May of 2024. He attended a camp at Florida State in June of 2024.
Quintrevion Wisner (Texas) and Gemari Sands (Florida Atlantic) both joined the Seminoles via the portal in the 2026 offseason. Florida State signed three-star running back Amari Thomas in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
Texas Tech
The Red Raiders are the lone Big 12 program Miles is showing interest in. Texas Tech is coming off a season in which it made its first-ever College Football Playoff appearance.
Texas Tech returns a 1000-yard rusher from a season ago to its offense in Cameron Dickey. The Red Raiders did not bring in a running back in their 20-man portal class, but they did sign three-star Ashton Rowden in the 2026 recruiting cycle.
AES works to prevent power outages caused by trees
AES tree crews perform routine vegetation management around the power lines to prevent possible power outages during storms.
Spring is a time of warmer weather, blooming flowers and when trees regain their leafy branches.
During this time, many Louisiana residents will likely begin landscaping projects, like shaping up the trees and bushes on their property.
Although, if a neighbor’s tree or bush limbs reach over to your property, are you allowed to trim them?
You can trim branches from neighbor’s trees in Louisiana if they cross onto your property
When it comes to tree branches or roots, bushes or plants on a neighboring property, landowners have the right to demand that anything extending over or into their property be trimmed.
This means if a neighbor’s trees, bushes or plants encroach onto someone else’s property, the branches or limbs may be trimmed at the expense of that neighbor.
However, landowners do not have the right to demand such if the neighbor’s roots or branches do not interfere with the enjoyment of the landowner’s property, according to Louisiana State Legislature.
If a neighbor refuses to cut or trim trees or bushes that reach over onto your property, then you may be permitted to cut or trim them yourself.
However, you could be held liable for property damage if you cut or trim parts of a tree or bush that are still on your neighbor’s property without their permission, says Bayou Tree Service. If a neighbor’s tree or plant dies as a result of you cutting or trimming a portion, this could also make you liable for property damage.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
Louisiana
Unauthorized drones detected over US Air Force base housing nuclear-capable B-52 bombers: military
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A U.S. Air Force Base that houses B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons detected “multiple unauthorized drones” in its vicinity earlier this month, a base official confirmed to Fox News Digital.
“Barksdale Air Force Base detected multiple unauthorized drones operating in our airspace during the week of March 9th,” a Barksdale AFB spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Friday.
The spokesperson added: “Flying a drone over a military installation is not only a safety issue, it is a criminal offense under federal law.”
Base officials are working closely with federal and local law enforcement agencies to investigate the drone sightings, the spokesperson said.
MYSTERY DRONES FLY NEAR DC-AREA MILITARY BASE AS IRAN TENSIONS ESCALATE
A U.S. Air Force Base that houses B-52 bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons detected “multiple unauthorized drones” in its vicinity earlier this month, a base official confirmed to Fox News Digital. (Mario Villafuerte/Getty Images)
“The security of our installation and the safety of our people are top priorities, and we will continue to vigilantly monitor our airspace,” the official added.
Barksdale is east of Shreveport in Louisiana and encompasses 22,000 acres with a population of around 15,000.
The drone detections come amid heightened security at Air Force bases in the U.S. as the war in Iran continues.
A shelter-in-place order was issued on March 9 at the base that was lifted shortly after, but the drone sights continued through the week.
US DIPLOMATIC FACILITY IN IRAQ STRUCK BY DRONE
US Air Force B-52H long range strategic bombers sit on the tarmac at Barksdale Air Force Base in 2007. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
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Mick Mulroy, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, told ABC News it didn’t look like an average drone enthusiast.
Bombs wait to be loaded on to a B-52H long range bomber at Barksdale Air Force Base in 2007. (Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images)
“It looked like this was deliberate and intentional to see just how they would react,” he said. “Seeing this probe on a base in the United States is very troubling.”
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