Louisiana
Is it legal for kids to bring phones to schools in Louisiana?
BATON ROUGE, La. (KALB) – A bill signed into law on Friday, May 28, amends a current law to regulate cell phone usage in public schools by Louisiana students.
Act No. 313 applies additional restrictions on students and retains the current law prohibiting students from using cell phones while in a public school building, on public school grounds and on school buses.
Act 313, formerly known as Senate Bill 207, requires students to turn off their cellular devices and stow them away from sight until the end of official school hours. Language in the law expands what is considered as a “prohibited device”, to include other telecommunication devices such as pagers, intercoms and any “radio paging service.”
Punishments for ignoring the restrictions in place by the law can be any form of student-based disciplinary action allowed by the school system, including suspension of the student from the school.
State Senator Beth Mizell, the author of the law, claims the law is nothing but beneficial to both students and teachers in the classroom, citing that she has received several supporting testimonies from teachers during committee hearings on the law.
This is one of those rare situations where it’s good for the students and it’s good for the teachers. The ‘Teacher of the Year’ testified in committee, teachers in workforce groups have said this is the biggest distraction that they are fighting against in the classroom. So far this has been done nationally by Utah, Florida, it’s pending in Oklahoma, Vermont, Kansas because it’s an unheard-of situation to control that in the classroom
While the law was under consideration on the Senate floor, Mizell claimed that against all of her expectations, no one during any of the law’s committee hearings expressed concerns about student and general classroom safety.
The safety experts say the worst thing that can happen would be thirty kids all trying to get on their phones in the event that something happens. They’d much rather have the kids listen to the teacher and all follow one set of directions
Act No. 313 was signed into law by Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on May 28. It went into effect immediately following its signing. More information on the law can be found here.
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Louisiana
Louisiana shop owner says inspection sticker law puts 20-year business in danger
CENTRAL, La. (WAFB)— A vehicle inspection shop owner said his business of more than 20 years is in danger of closing after a new state law eliminated inspection stickers.
David Norris, who operates a small vehicle inspection shop off Hooper Road in Central, said his business has slowed dramatically since Gov. Jeff Landry signed Representative Terry Bagley’s HB1085 into law a week ago.
“Some days we’ve done 30-35 inspections. Now we’re down to four, five maybe,” Norris said.
Law prohibits citations through end of year
Personal, non-commercial vehicles registered in Louisiana will no longer be required to have a vehicle inspection sticker beginning Jan. 1, 2027, according to Louisiana State Police.
The law prohibits law enforcement officers from issuing citations for failing to display or produce an inspection sticker between June 30, 2026, and Jan. 1, 2027. Louisiana State Police have immediately stopped issuing citations for inspection sticker violations.
“As with any change in Louisiana law, our focus during this transition period will be on educating motorists about the new requirements, answering questions, and helping the public understand how these changes will affect them moving forward,” state police said in a statement on Tuesday. “Motorists should remember that all other traffic and vehicle equipment laws remain in effect.”
Emissions testing still required in five parishes
Five parishes will still require drivers to take their vehicles in for emissions testing: East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and Iberville.
Emissions tests are a federal requirement in the five-parish area. The requirement is still in effect and enforceable by local law enforcement, according to the governor’s office.
Emissions tests in those five parishes are still able to be conducted at the same private locations as before. This will remain the same until the EPA approves an alternative plan for emissions inspection.
When asked how local law enforcement will enforce emissions standards, the governor’s office said to ask local law enforcement.
Baton Rouge Police Chief TJ Morse said, “that has not been worked out yet and we are still awaiting guidance.”
Norris questioned how he will run his business with just the $6 take-home he says he gets for each emissions test.
“I don’t know. I don’t know how much longer we can actually make it,” Norris said.
QR code system to begin in 2027
The vehicle identification program will begin Jan. 1, 2027. The Office of Motor Vehicles will send QR codes to drivers with their registrations.
WAFB asked Rep. Bagley on Tuesday if small businesses like Norris’ are unable to survive due to the changes, does the state bear responsibility.
“I have been working on the effort to eliminate inspection stickers in Louisiana for ten years,” Bagley replied in a written statement. “I’m grateful that the issue was overwhelmingly passed by both houses of the legislature. It was signed into law by Governor Landry. Clearly, the people of Louisiana agree that this is an unnecessary government burden that needed to go.”
State Representative Lauren Ventrella, who represents the district Norris lives in, voted yes for Bagley’s bill.
“Louisiana is moving in the step with the rest of the country and trying to fix the antiquated and outdated process of the inspection stickers,” Ventrella said.
Norris said he likes what he is doing and likes his customers. He fears the change will wipe away his father-son business.
“What is anybody going to do when your job quits?” Norris said. “How are you gonna pay your bills? Not their problem.”
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Louisiana
Network outage causing OMV closures across Louisiana
BATON ROUGE (WVUE) — Offices of the Motor Vehicles around the state are experiencing network outages due to connectivity issues related to the installation of new core network equipment.
The Office of Technology Services replaced a legacy piece of hardware on Sunday. While migrating to the new hardware, the old system began to cause issues for the state’s network team. In the fall of 2025, OTS decided to purchase brand-new core network routers and planned on installing them after the 2026 legislative session ended.
“We experienced a similar issue on the last day of the fiscal session last year, so we decided to wait until this year’s session was over before we installed the new hardware,” said Thomas Mule, communications director for OTS. “This weekend we began switching our core network from a 1992 Honda Civic to a 2026 McLaren 750.”
Legacy system failures during migration
On Sunday, the installation of and migration to the new core network began. During the migration, the legacy systems began to fail. When this occurred, the network team paused the migration and addressed the issues. These issues started to manifest in OMV offices across the state.
“As of now, our new core system is up and running. We are experiencing problems with connectivity to the new system. Our team has been working nonstop since Sunday, and will continue to work until our network is back to 100%,” Mule said.
OTS is prioritizing LSP and OMV connectivity and has made tremendous progress since Sunday. Current office status information can be found at www.expresslane.la.gov.
Louisiana
Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for June 8, 2026
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 8, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 8 drawing
03-24-34-43-49, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 3
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 8 drawing
2-1-5
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 8 drawing
0-3-3-3
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from June 8 drawing
4-9-5-8-2
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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