Louisiana

Gov. Edwards is willing to meet with Tim Temple over insurance reform ideas

Published

1 year ago

September 6, 2023

Gov. Edwards is willing to meet with Tim Temple over insurance reform ideas

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Governor John Bel Edwards says he is open to meeting with incoming insurance commissioner Tim Temple about some of Temple’s ideas related to the insurance crisis.

Temple recently won the race by default when the only other candidate dropped out of the contest. Longtime Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon decided not to seek re-election this fall.

In an interview with FOX 8 last week, Temple talked about the need for Louisiana to be more welcoming to insurers and to make the regulatory environment friendlier.

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One-on-one with Insurance Commissioner-elect Tim Temple

Temple was asked if he favored allowing insurers to raise rates more than once a year in Louisiana.

He replied, “The law says an insurance company can go and seek rate relief, rate change as often as they want as long as its actuarily sound justified, that it’s not excessive, that its rate adequate and it doesn’t discriminate. So the law says you can do that as often as you want. The current administration says you can only do it once every 12 months.”

When asked what his administration would do in that regard, Temple said, “We’ll follow the law.”

FOX 8 asked Edwards about that idea during his stop in New Orleans on Wednesday (Sept. 6).

“Tim Temple is someone that I’ve known for a while, he is very serious and he’s very thoughtful and I guess like all of us that doesn’t mean he’s always right. I would be very concerned about some of the things that he is saying would help with the insurance market in Louisiana,” said Edwards.

Edwards went on to say, “It seems to me it would tilt things too much in favor of the insurance companies and away from the insureds, the consumers in Louisiana who have been left high and dry too often by their insurers. But I’m certainly somebody who’s willing to sit down with Tim and get his ideas.”

Temple wants the legislature to hold a special session in January to tackle insurance reform.

After serving two terms, Edwards has a few months left in office as governor. But he said he will continue to be a Louisiana resident after he leaves office in January, and he cares about what will be done to address the insurance crisis.

“It doesn’t mean that I stop caring because I’m going to continue to be a Louisiana citizen and resident, I have homeowners’ insurance myself so I would be paying real careful attention but some of the things he’s saying I think probably make sense, some other things were actually considered and rejected by the legislature appropriately this year,” said Edwards.

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Related Topics:donelon Featured insurance insurance crisis john bel edwards lalege sabrina wilson tim temple

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Louisiana

Louisiana High School Football Ranking: Top 25 teams – Sept. 29

Published

53 mins ago

September 29, 2024

Press Room

Louisiana High School Football Ranking: Top 25 teams – Sept. 29

The top three teams in Louisiana high school football remain the same after Week 5, but there has been plenty of movement elsewhere in the rankings.

That includes two new top-10 teams and three brand-new entrants into the rankings.

Heading into Week 6, here are the top 25 teams in the Boot:

The On3 Massey Ratings — which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated college high school sports team rankings since 1995 — rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory.

CLICK HERE to watch high school games on NFHS Network now!

1. Ruston

Previous: No. 1
The Bearcats remain as the top team in the state after handling Midland Legacy (Texas) 38-6 over the weekend. Up next, they’ll face 5-0 Stephenville out of the Lone Star State in what should be a great tilt.

2. Acadiana

Previous: No. 2
Acadiana demolished a previously unbeaten New Iberia squad 62-9 over the weekend to move to 3-1. Sulphur comes to town on Friday night in a game the Rams are heavily favored to win by the On3 Massey Ratings.

3. Archbishop Rummel

Previous: No. 3
The Raiders are still unblemished after winning a 14-7 defensive battle over No. 15 John Curtis Friday night. Another big test awaits when they head to No. 12 Brother Martin this weekend.

4. Neville

Previous: No. 8 (+4)
Neville has been skyrocketing up the rankings, and their latest win was a 30-7 blowout of St. Thomas More, who entered the week just outside the top 10.

5. Catholic

Previous: No. 4 (-1)
After being upset by University Lab last weekend at home, Baton Rouge Catholic got things back on track with a 31-14 statement victory over No. 14 West Monroe. After a bye week, they’ll face Liberty Magnet on October 11.

6. Alexandria

Previous: No. 7 (+1)
The Trojans stayed undefeated, surviving a 43-40 thriller against Opelousas. Winless Many High will come to Alexandria on Friday before the Trojans host top-15 West Monroe the following week.

7. Zachary

Previous: No. 5 (-2)
After barely squeaking past Carencro last week, the Broncos had a bye this weekend ahead of their meeting with Opelousas on Friday.

8. Edna Karr

Previous: No. 12 (+4)
The Cougars are a new entrant into the top 10 after waxing Holy Cross 45-20. A huge New Orleans-area matchup is coming on Friday though as they head to play at St. Augustine.

9. Central

Previous: No. 9
Central made easy work of Cecilia in a 27-0 shutout, and will prepare to face Lafayette Christian on Friday in what the On3 Massey Ratings predicts as a toss-up game.

10. Teurlings Catholic

Previous: No. 13 (+3)
The Rebels are another new addition to the top 10 after they walloped Westgate 42-20 over the weekend. They’re predicted to be heavy favorites in each of their final six games of the regular season.

Teams 11-25

11. St. Augustine (+4)
12. Brother Martin (-6)
13. Dutchtown (+3)
14. West Monroe
15. John Curtis (-5)

16. St. Thomas More (-5)
17. Mandeville (+3)
18. Jesuit (+5)
19. C.E. Byrd
20. University Lab (-2)

21. Destrehan (+4)
22. E D White Catholic (previously unranked)
23. Walker (previously unranked)
24. Westgate (-7)
25. Archbishop Shaw (previously unranked)

Dropped out: John F. Kennedy, Opelousas, Lafayette Christian Academy

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Louisiana

Teeny-tiny Francine reminders prompt musings of Louisiana’s Walker Percy’s hurricane theory

Published

11 hours ago

September 29, 2024

Press Room

Teeny-tiny Francine reminders prompt musings of Louisiana’s Walker Percy’s hurricane theory

Teeny-tiny reminders of Hurricane Francine have caught my attention daily since she blew through Louisiana.

Reminders in the form of poppy seeds.

I’ve coached myself to smile when I see them and think of Walker Percy’s hurricane theory — that not only do times of crises provide a setting for everyday people to do heroic feats, they are also a time for the rest of us to be freed from the everyday sameness of life.

Francine was like that for me. It was the first Louisiana hurricane I’ve weathered since my kids grew up, flew the coop and left the state. Turns out that hurricanes without children around are very different from hurricanes with children around, likely regardless of the children’s ages. Additionally, for Francine, my husband happened to be out of town.

Not wanting to be alone in a house without a generator, I gladly accepted the offer of friends to join them. Not only did they have a generator, they had made it to the store in time to stock up and were planning to cook throughout the day.

I gathered up ingredients to make my favorite cookies — an oatmeal, pecan and poppy seed concoction that is generally delicious and always provides a hard-to-understand level of comfort for me. By noon on the day of the storm, I had thrown all the ingredients in a mesh Frida Kahlo bag, grabbed my suitcase and raincoat and drove to be with my friends.

They had another hurricane guest whom I had never met. She was busy on a series of virtual calls working with people across the country whose lives had not been disrupted in the least by an approaching storm in the Gulf.

The moment I walked in my friends’ home, I could smell the red beans and rice. The rain began in earnest shortly after I arrived. All of us were busy for the afternoon.

The rain fell.

The muted meteorologists on the ever-playing television told and retold us about the potential track of the storm and surge along the shores.

The red beans simmered — and the earthy aroma filled the house.

By late afternoon, my friends and I were feeling like the storm was likely going to pass us by, and we loosened up a bit. Their friend was still working in another part of the house.

Prepare yourself. This next sentence is not one you will likely anticipate.

I had mentioned to my friends several times that I am a leg wrestling champion, and I was pretty sure I could take them both down even though they were 20 years younger than me. They laughed. I explained I was serious.

It was on — at least with one of them. My friend’s husband refused to leg wrestle.

As I knew I would, I walloped her. No woman had ever beaten me in leg wrestling.

Work was done. I made my oatmeal, pecan and poppy seed cookies. The red beans and rice were ready. Their friend I didn’t know joined us at the dinner table. I learned that pickled banana peppers take red beans and rice to the next level.

We enjoyed the cookies for dessert and sat at the table for a long time talking. We talked about big things and little things. We talked about our highlights of the day and what we all think happens after we die. We had time. The day was different. The storm was in motion.

The new friend asked what all the commotion earlier had been. We began to discuss leg wrestling — and the evening’s tournament began to take shape. First, to demonstrate, I beat my old friend again. Then, the new friend took her place on the carpet — and I beat her.

She said, “Oh, now I understand how to do it. Let’s try again.”

And we did.

And she beat me! She has no idea the magnitude of her accomplishment, and I have to face that my decades-long streak and bragging rights are done. We could not stop laughing.

While our hearts continue to go out to those affected by the storm, it was a day and night that my friends, both old and new, and I needed. It was a break from the sameness of life. It was a time to eat good food, work, play and laugh with each other.

Walker Percy was right.

So where do the poppy seeds come into play? I make my oatmeal pecan poppy seed cookies often enough that I buy poppy seeds in bulk. I took the whole zippered container of poppy seeds with me on the day of Francine’s impact. I brought it home the next day, in the same mesh Frida Kahlo bag. The problem was: I didn’t zipper the poppy seed bag completely. I now have poppy seeds in my car. In my driveway. On my steps. In my living room. On our big dining table. In the kitchen. On the ironing board. I find poppy seeds in new places every day.

And when I do, I smile and think of the warmth and wonder of friends and a storm that missed us.

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Louisiana

Louisiana lends a hand to states affected by Helene

Published

18 hours ago

September 29, 2024

Press Room

Louisiana lends a hand to states affected by Helene

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Local rescue organizations and first responders from Louisiana have headed out to the states affected by Hurricane Helene.

“We’re hearing reports about entire towns being washed away, people being trapped on mountains,” said Brian Trascher, Vice President and Public Information Officer for the United Cajun Navy.

Hurricane Helene destroyed many areas in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

“I know right now it seems hopeless, but just know that law enforcement, and local officials, and that the national guard out of those areas, they do know that you guys are out there, they do know you’re stuck, they do know the situation is they’re doing everything they can to get to you,” added Trascher.

The United Cajun Navy has made its way to the damaged states to assist in relief.

”We’re actually getting calls from the national guard, asking if we can assist with extractions because even with all their resources they are overwhelmed,” explained Trascher.

Trascher tells WAFB they have two dozen volunteer crews spanning across the states in Helene’s path. They have crews in Florida, near the Georgia border, and they have crews assisting with lifesaving rescues in the Carolinas and Tennessee.

“We’re getting calls of people saying, ‘Hey I haven’t heard from my grandmother for two days ago and I’m looking for my nephew and his wife.’ There’s a lot of people who have lost touch with their loved ones and they don’t know if they’re alive or dead and it’s really gut-wrenching to hear come in,” said Trascher.

Acadian Ambulance has sent 30 ambulances filled with 62 crew members to South Carolina to assist in disaster relief and lifesaving efforts. South Carolina is also receiving help from an urban search and rescue team consisting of Baton Rouge, Zachary, and East Side Fire Departments, as well as Louisiana Fire Marshal and East Baton Rouge EMS. Their crew consists of 21 people.

“Our team consists of structural collapse specialists, these guys are able to go into structures to get people out, we’re also a wide area search specialist, so we can cover a wide area and do damage assessments,” said Baton Rouge Fire Chief, Michael Kimble.

He says they headed to South Carolina thanks to a partnership between Governor Landry and Mayor-President Broome’s office.

”To go out and help others, it just says a lot about our state, our parish, and our community,’ added Kimble.

Chief Kimble says that they are in Greenville which has had little to no communication since the storm passed through.

”Cell phones are down, technologies down, no internet. So, these folks haven’t even been seen or touched since the impact of the storm,” explained Kimble.

Chief Kimble said anytime devastation has hit Louisiana, South Carolina has assisted, and now it’s time to return the favor. They are looking to be out there until the middle of next week.

If you would like to volunteer or donate to the United Cajun Navy, that information can be found here.

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