Louisiana

Ascension Parish Tourism’s Sweet Spot Cocktail Trail launches with 15 locations

Published

2 weeks ago

May 5, 2024

Ascension Parish Tourism’s Sweet Spot Cocktail Trail launches with 15 locations

The Ascension Parish Tourism Commission launched the Louisiana’s Sweet Spot Cocktail Trail, which includes 15 local establishments that have created their own version of the Sweet Spot Cocktail.

The annual event kicked off May 1 and will continue until July 31.

According to a news release, passports are needed to participate, which are available at the establishments.

Stamps are provided with the purchase of the cocktail. Once ten stamps are collected, participants can receive a special gift (while supplies last) at the visitor center.

Additional details and rules can be found in the passport and on the website.

Local participating establishments include: Agave Blue Tequila and Taco Bar, Daruma Ramen, Don’s Seafood, Galvez Seafood, Gaston’s BBQ and Beer, Gilla Brewing, Grapevine Cafe and Gallery, Hot Tails, Houmas House and Gardens, Mike Anderson’s Gonzales and Prairieville, Premier Lanes, Sammy’s Grill, Sno’s Seafood and Steaks and Sugarfield Spirits.

“This trail will provide an exciting way to support Ascension Parish’s Local establishments and drive business through a typically slow time,” APTC Executive Director Tracy Browning said in the release. “We hope some of our neighboring parishes will come over to experience some of our great restaurants, distillery and brewery.”

For more information, see visitlasweetspot.com.

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Louisiana

Urban League of Louisiana’s kicks off Listen and Learn Tour in Cenla

Published

7 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Press Room

Urban League of Louisiana’s kicks off Listen and Learn Tour in Cenla

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) -The Urban League of Louisiana kicked off its Listen and Learn Tour in Alexandria on Friday, May 17, where they engaged with residents, community leaders, and elected officials from across the region. Established to advocate for fairness in society and the economy, particularly for African Americans, the organization seeks to support those in Louisiana facing economic challenges, striving for legislative changes and seeking to improve society.

During Friday’s meeting, locals voiced their perspectives on pressing issues in Central Louisiana. Urban League leaders emphasized the importance of transparency and open dialogue to address these concerns. Their objective is to foster consensus and collaboration so that they may enact meaningful change for the betterment of the community.

“Part of our commitment is ensuring that when you share an issue with us, you won’t be left waiting,” said Charles Phipps, Director of Policy at the Urban League. “Within a week of our visit, expect to hear back with a summary of what we’ve gathered from you. However, when it comes to policy changes, these processes take time as they navigate legislative cycles. We pledge to keep communication channels transparent, providing updates early and often so you’re informed of our progress. Today, we’re proud to announce that the outcomes we implement will be shared with the community.”

Urban League Officials said they’re committed to doing everything they can to advocate for the community.

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Louisiana

GLOBAL PAYMENTS INVESTIGATION INITIATED BY FORMER LOUISIANA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Investigates the Officers and Directors of Global Payments, Inc. – GPN

Published

14 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

NEW ORLEANS, May 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC (“KSF”), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into Global Payments, Inc. (NYSE: GPN).

Global Payments, Inc., is the parent company of Active Network LLC (“Active”), which operates online event registration and payment services for camps and athletic events, providing members with discounts on various consumer products and services, such as wine tastings, sports apparel, and travel.

In October 2022, following widespread complaints that Active’s system caused consumers to mistakenly enroll in a trial membership, which automatically converted to a paid subscription if not cancelled within 30 days charging customers annual fees, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) sued Active, alleging that its continued operation of the program violated federal law.

Thereafter, the Company and certain of its executives were also sued in a securities class action lawsuit, charging them with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws. Recently, the court presiding over that case denied the Company’s motion to dismiss in part, allowing the case to move forward.

KSF’s investigation is focusing on whether Global’s officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to its shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of Global shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-833-938-0905 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit us at https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-gpn/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation’s premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients – including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors – in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:
Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner
[email protected]
1-877-515-1850
1100 Poydras St., Suite 960
New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

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Louisiana

Does a bill to protect IVF in Louisiana go far enough?

Published

21 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Press Room

Does a bill to protect IVF in Louisiana go far enough?

A bill wending its way through the Legislature aims to protect in-vitro fertilization treatments in Louisiana—and prevent the state from going down the same road as Alabama, where a court decision equating frozen embryos to children temporarily halted care.

But even supporters of the legislation worry that, in its current form, the bill does not go far enough and could leave providers who accidentally destroy an embryo vulnerable to criminal prosecution.

This week, state Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, who sponsored House Bill 833, asked the Senate’s Judiciary A Committee to amend the bill so that it would remove language from existing law that describes an in-vitro fertilized human ovum as a “biological human being.” (An earlier version of HB 833 had already tweaked that language, changing “fertilized human ovum” to “embryo.”)

After a debate over whether life begins at fertilization or when an embryo implants in a uterus, that amendment failed to pass.

Because some Louisiana criminal statutes reference “human beings,” Katie Bliss, an attorney specializing in IVF contracts who helped craft HB 833, worries doctors could be entangled in criminal cases.

“In some of the homicide statutes…instead of a person, they refer to a human being,” she said. “That gives pause.”

Dr. Nicole Ulrich, a New Orleans-based IVF specialist who worked on the bill, said the team behind it is still hoping to strip that language to allow “full protection” for providers.

If the language were removed from the law, embryos would still have “juridical person” rights, a special status given to corporations that allows entities to sue, Bliss told the Senate committee. She added that current statute grants them those rights, and that the language describing embryos as human beings represented an inconsistency in the law.

Legally, once an embryo is implanted in a woman’s uterus, it is considered a natural person, Bliss said, adding that an embryo represented “the potential for life.”

But Louisiana has one of the most conservative, anti-abortion state governments in the country, and Bliss’ explanation didn’t sit well with Republican senators on the Judiciary A Committee.

This “could be a difficult definition for those of us that hold different positions on what an embryo is,” said Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge. “Many of us believe an embryo is life.”

Edmonds voted to reject the amendment, along with Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, and Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Many. It failed along party lines, with Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Pineville, and Sen. Gary Carter, D-New Orleans, voting for it.

The bill then eked its way out of the committee, with Seabaugh and Edmonds attempting to stop it outright. Mizell cast the deciding “yes” vote.

If it passes, IVF providers would operate under updated legal standards. Initially, the bill granted them immunity so long as they were acting “in good faith.” But after Bliss’ research concluded that was not a reliable legal standard, the bill was amended so that IVF clinics would be subject to the typical medical malpractice laws and standards of care that govern other types of providers.

The debate over IVF in Louisiana comes as the Texas Supreme Court considers a case that could hamper IVF care in that state, as the Texas Tribune has reported.

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