Louisiana

Bill moves forward to shield Louisiana records from out-of-state residents

Published

2 years ago

April 26, 2024

Bill moves forward to shield Louisiana records from out-of-state residents

BATON ROUGE (WVUE) – A bill moving through the legislature would prevent non-Louisiana residents from requesting public records in the state.

Senate Bill 423 by Monroe Republican Senator Jay Morris, as it is written, would shield all records in Louisiana from being requested by non-residents.

An out-of-state resident who said she struggled to get a copy of her police report had a warning for Louisiana residents: be aware of what’s happening at the state capitol.

“It was pretty awful,” said Samantha Brennan of her experience dealing with records in Louisiana.

Brennan was a student at LSU who worked part-time in the football recruiting office.

She said one of the star players on the team took a partially nude photo of her without consent and shared it around the team.

She filed a report with campus police, and later moved out of state. Brennan said, after reading allegations from other women against the same individual, she decided to come forward, but had difficulty accessing her report.

“I called, spoke with [the woman]. She asked me for my name, my birthday and my social security card and said, ‘I’m having trouble finding it,’” Brennan said. “Then I knew I had a problem. This is a red flag.”

LSU didn’t budge on releasing the report.

“We had to sue for my police report,” Brennan said.

After a lawsuit was filed, and Brennan spoke in front of the legislature, the university released the report to her and apologized.

“Without that police report, I don’t really have any for sure credibility behind what I was trying to bring to the table,” Brennan said.

Gov. Landry questions taxpayer’s right to know how government decisions are made

Out-of-state public records experts weigh in on a Louisiana bill that is drawing lots of criticism

Attorney: Bill would ‘decimate’ public records law in Louisiana, watchdog agrees

First Amendment attorney Scott Sternberg said it is vital to allow out-of-state residents to view and receive public records from Louisiana in some circumstances.

“I think it would really be an injustice if those folks out of state couldn’t access those vital records, and I know that’s going to get fixed,” Sternberg said.

Sternberg said he’s confident Morris’ bill will be amended prior to final passage.

Morris, appearing in a Senate committee on Wednesday, defended moving the bill forward with the same rationale used by Governor Jeff Landry to defend other public records bills.

“Agencies are often harassed with multiple requests. My understanding is often they are even automatically generated,” he told senators. “Public records requests have become an industry.”

Morris, and Landry, are referring to out-of-state actors who may submit requests as a tactic to create a heavier workload.

“No matter what anybody says on the radio or on television, the bad actors here are not the reporters,” Sternberg said. “They’re people who are loading them up with public records requests, they’re usually PACs, political operations.”

Morris’ bill was reported favorably out of the committee, but with a draft amendment to allow out-of-state requesters access to “readily available” records.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

7 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing

6-8-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing

3-6-7-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing

0-8-3-2-0

Check Pick 5 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.

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Louisiana

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

Published

19 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, is accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years. Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office

The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.

He was arrested in October.

Booking photo of Misty Clanton Roberts. — Brandon’s sister, Misty, the ex-mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, allegedly raped her son’s teenage friend. AP

That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.

Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.

She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

Check Pick 5 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

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.

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