Louisiana

Candidates jump into Louisiana elections, and many races have no incumbent

Published

10 months ago

August 9, 2023

Candidates jump into Louisiana elections, and many races have no incumbent

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The floodgates have opened in Louisiana’s election season.

Candidates flocked to register Tuesday for several highly anticipated races with no incumbent on the ballot this year, including governor, secretary of state and attorney general.

An crowded field of Louisiana residents — current and former politicians, business owners, lawyers and people who’ve never held office but want to see change in their state — will qualify this week for the Oct. 14 election.

Louisiana is the only state in the Deep South with a Democrat for governor, a rarity among conservative states. But Gov. John Bel Edwards is unable to seek reelection due to term limits — opening up a huge opportunity for Republicans to take control of the state’s highest office. Louisiana is one of three states with a gubernatorial election this fall, along with Mississippi and Kentucky.

So far, the candidates have been relatively civil. Whether that remains the case has yet to be seen.

“The Bible teaches us to turn the other cheek — and I’ve got two,” said Democrat Shawn Wilson, when asked Tuesday about possible political attacks. “After that, we will fight if we have to fight.”

Wilson, the former head of the Transportation and Development Department, is expected to be the party’s sole prominent candidate for governor. That’s because Democrats have rallied in recent years behind one blue candidate, instead of splitting votes, to push them through the state’s so-called “jungle primary” and into a runoff.

Under Louisiana’s open primary system, all candidates — regardless of party affiliation — run against one another on the same ballot in October. If no candidate tops 50% in that primary, the top two vote-getters advance to the general election on Nov. 18.

Also running for governor are Republican State Treasurer John Schroder and Lake Charles-based attorney Hunter Lundy, who’s running as an independent.

Four other well-known Republicans are expected to join the race later this week. They are Attorney General Jeff Landry, who’s been endorsed by former President Donald Trump, state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, state Rep. Richard Nelson, and Stephen Waguespack, who was chief of staff to former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Schroder, the state treasurer, highlighted his political experience and stressed that Louisiana’s Capitol is full of “corruption” and “cronyism,” where politicians “enjoy all the thrills and frills even though our laws don’t allow it.”

“If you want the same transactional politics,” Schroder told reporters, “then vote for the other guys. But if you want change … then I’m your guy.”

Another closely watched race will be for secretary of state. Republican Kyle Ardoin currently holds the position, but won’t be seeking reelection.

Whoever is elected will take on the crucial task of buying new voting machines. Ardoin has faced increasing scrutiny while supervising an effort to replace Louisiana’s outdated voting machines, which don’t produce the paper ballots that are critical to ensuring accurate election results.

The replacement process was thrust into the national spotlight after allegations of bid-rigging. Voting machine companies claimed favoritism, and conspiracy theorists — who support Trump’s lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen — inserted themselves into the conversation. Conspiracists urged Ardoin to ditch voting machines altogether and instead rely on hand-counted paper ballots.

Qualifying for the secretary of state’s race Tuesday were three Republicans: House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, First Assistant Secretary of State Nancy Landry, and Mike Francis, a public service commissioner and former chair of the state GOP.

Gwen Collins-Greenup, a Democrat and attorney, also entered the race. All four say they are against hand-counting paper ballots.

Also running for the position is grocery store owner Brandon Trosclair, who has aligned himself with a movement of conservative activists who believe there’s been widespread fraud in Louisiana’s elections. The Republican supports hand-counted paper ballots — a notion that election clerks have spoken against as it would involve counting tens of thousands of ballots in many parishes.

Among other candidates who qualified Tuesday were: Republican state Rep. John Stefanski, who is running for attorney general; Tim Temple a former insurance executive who is running for insurance commissioner of the state; Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who is seeking reelection; Republican state Rep. Scott McKnight, who is running for treasurer; and John Fleming, a former U.S. Representative for Louisiana who served in the Trump administration, is also running for treasurer.

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Louisiana

Two toddlers found unresponsive at swimming pool in Louisiana apartment complex

Published

40 mins ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

Two toddlers found unresponsive at swimming pool in Louisiana apartment complex

METAIRIE, La. (WVUE/Gray News) – Two toddler girls were found unresponsive at a community swimming pool at an apartment complex in Louisiana, according to authorities.

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said the incident happened at the Lemon Tree Apartments in the Metairie suburbs.

Emergency dispatchers received a call about the unresponsive children shortly before 9:55 a.m. on Sunday.

Initial reports indicated a pair of 2-year-olds had fallen or jumped into a pool.

The sheriff’s office says deputies arrived on the scene and began CPR efforts.

After paramedics arrived to continue treatment, deputies formed a rolling blockade of intersections along Causeway Boulevard to accelerate the safe transport of the children the hospital.

The sheriff’s office said the children arrived at the hospital at 10:24 a.m., but there was no indication from authorities that they ever regained consciousness.

Two toddler girls were found unresponsive early Sunday at a community pool of the Lemon Tree Apartments in Metairie, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office said.(WVUE-Fox 8)

Authorities have not disclosed the children’s identities. WVUE reported it is confirmed the children are both young girls.

“Our initial investigation indicates that the victims were outside their apartment unit playing with siblings, before entering the gated common pool area,” JPSO spokesman Sgt. Brandon Veal said in a statement. “This investigation is in its early stages. The identity of the victims are being withheld at this time.”

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Louisiana

What Food Is the FDA Recalling in Louisiana?

Published

8 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

What Food Is the FDA Recalling in Louisiana?

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a recall of popular items due to concerns over Salmonella contamination.

When you eat food contaminated with Salmonella can really take a toll on your body. It triggers salmonellosis in which you can get stomach cramps, diarrhea, and fever. It would not make a pleasant time. Between 12 hours through 72 hours after eating something contaminated with Salmonella you’ll start experiencing these issues.

Some of the items sold at Sam’s stores and Costco stores are being elevated in their risk level according to Newsweek.

While most people feel terrible they will eventually recover, but for older adults, and those with compromised immune systems, it may require a hospital stay.

If you love cookies then you need to check your refrigerator to see if you have any of the following cookie dough and don’t use it:

Stores like Sam’s, Costco, Panera Bread and more have the following items that are being recalled:

Costco Chocolate Chunk Frozen Cookie Dough, Net Wt. 33lb (14.97kg)

1.6 oz dough pucks Member’s Mark Chocolate Chunk, Net Wt. 14.85lb (6.74kg)

144/1.65 oz dough pucks/case Panera Chocolate Chipper Cookie

Net Wt. 41.25 lb (18.71kg), 220/3 oz dough pucks/case Rise Baking Jumbo Chocolate Chunk

Net Wt. 37.5 lb (17.01 kg), 240/2.5 oz dough pucks/case Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie

Net Wt. 16.87 lb (7.65 kg), 600/0.45 oz dough pucks/case Mini Chocolate Chip Cookie

According to the FDA, they are recalling 30,000 cases of cookie dough to make sure no one consumes the products.

If you have any of the products above with the following lot codes, you should not consume them:

4109N1
4110N1
4106N3
4107N3
4108N3
4109N3
4110N3
4116N1
4117N1
4109N4
4110N4
4115N1

READ ON: See the States Where People Live the Longest

Read on to learn the average life expectancy in each state.

Gallery Credit: Hannah Lang

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Louisiana

Try your hand at micro gardening this summer. And bid farewell to Miss Louisiana 2023 Makenzie Scroggs

Published

15 hours ago

June 16, 2024

Press Room

Try your hand at micro gardening this summer. And bid farewell to Miss Louisiana 2023 Makenzie Scroggs

Take on a new hobby this summer with micro-gardening, a great way to grow a cost-effective and adaptable garden in a small space. Check out a few helpful tips to growing vegetables in small spaces. For those that enjoy nature and hunting, find out where you can hunt alligators in northwest and south Louisiana.

Whether you decide to celebrate Dad with a hunting trip or his favorite restaurant, here are ways to celebrate Father’s Day. And Miss Louisiana 2023 says goodbye to the crown.

Explore Outdoors: Gardening and hunting

Although a garden may feel like an impossible task due to limited outdoor space, the power of containers and small space strategies can help, according to an LSU AG Center news release.

This type of gardening is known as micro gardening — a way to maximize limited spaces. By optimizing small areas through sustainable practices, it’s possible to grow food and flowers on balconies, kitchen counters, patios, porches, small yards and even rooftops. Enjoy fresh produce and beautiful flowers regardless of their lot size with these helpful tips.

Read more about micro-gardening Grow a cost-effective and adaptable garden in a small space

Where can you hunt alligators in south Louisiana?

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will begin the alligator lottery harvest Aug. 28 and will last until Nov. 2. According to the LDWF, 22 LDWF Wildlife Management Areas, 28 public lakes and one U.S. Army Corp of Engineers lake will be on this list of properties to conduct the lottery.

Learn about fees, locations, and more Where can you hunt alligators in south Louisiana? LDWF releases list of locations

Best Father’s Day

Is your dad fashionable? Artistic? Sporty? Or a Foodie? This Father’s Day, plan the perfect day to appreciate the father figure in your life, even a the last minute. With so many great places in Lafayette, Father’s Day weekend can be celebrated right in the area with some of these local inspired gifts, outings, and eateries for Dad.

Ways to celebrate Father’s Day Whether dad is a foodie, artistic, or sporty, here are ways to celebrate Father’s Day

Crowning the new Queen

Before the new Miss Louisiana was crowned Saturday night, outgoing Miss Louisiana 2023 Makenzie Scroggs reflected on her reign. Scroggs was crowned the 60th Miss Louisiana on June 18, 2023.

Following her crowning, she told The Times she planned to use her title as a tool to show that women can do anything they put their minds to. In the past year, Scroggs has traveled 25,000 miles across the state and has visited more than 25 schools talking about her program and confidence-building workshops.

Read more about Scroggs journey Miss Louisiana Makenzie Scroggs reflects as she gets ready to say goodbye to the crown

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