Louisiana

Jax State takes overtime thriller over Louisiana Tech for sixth straight win, bowl eligibility

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2024

Jax State takes overtime thriller over Louisiana Tech for sixth straight win, bowl eligibility

In Jacksonville State’s third game of the season, a double-overtime loss to Eastern Michigan handed the Gamecocks their third straight loss and left questions about what the future may hold.

On Saturday in Ruston, Louisiana, Jax State left an overtime thriller with a statement made.

The Gamecocks outlasted Louisiana Tech in overtime with a 44-37, come-from-behind victory to clinch its sixth straight victory and remain atop the Conference USA standings.

The victory for Jax State made the team bowl-eligible for the second straight season and gave the program its longest win streak since the 2017 season when it won seven straight.

With the final play of regulation and Jax State down 37-31, Tyler Huff threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone looking for a receiver. Cam Vaughn remained behind the rest of Louisiana Tech’s receivers to catch the ball from 49 yards out.

Kicker Garrison Rippa missed the extra point to force overtime with the score tied at 37 points apiece.

Tre Stewart ran the ball on Jax State’s third overtime play to take the lead, with the defense forcing a three-and-out capped off by a sack from J-Rock Swain.

“We’re very fortunate,” Jax State coach Rich Rodriguez said. “You’ve got to have a lot of luck involved, and we did that at the end. We played so poorly in the second half, particularly on offense, and just gave us enough time. Going tempo is easy for us, so that wasn’t a big deal. But I thought Tyler made a great throw, and Cam Vaughn continues to impress, but I’m really proud of the guys.

“Louisiana Tech, you’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They played hard, they outcoached us, but we made just enough plays at the end to win. So, we’re happy.”

Jax State didn’t score in the fourth quarter until a 40-yard field goal from Rippa with 5:55 left to play, with the host Bulldogs rattling off 23 points started by a touchdown with 23 seconds left in the first half.

The Gamecocks led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter.

“All wins are good,” Rodriguez said. “We didn’t do a good job. I didn’t do a good job as a head coach. I thought our guys were ready to play, but we didn’t have the same kind of energy or intensity that we normally have, and I think that’s a lesson that we’ve all got to learn. I’ve got to do a better job going forward.”

Tre Stewart had his fifth straight 100-yard game on the ground, piling up 166 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries in the win; he also had a 15-yard reception and became Jax State’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Roc Thomas ran for 1,065 in the 2017 season.

Tyler Huff and Andrew Paul also ran for touchdowns.

Vaughn, who hauled in the touchdown pass that would force overtime, finished with 130 of the team’s 130 receiving yards and had two touchdown catches.

Swain, a redshirt senior and Oxford High graduate, finished with six tackles (two solo), a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss in the win.

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve had, period, of my entire career, and he continues to help us lead,” Rodriguez said of Swain. “We were fortunate to win this, but hey, you’ve got to keep playing until the last play. And we did, then we were all excited, and we missed the extra point, and then overtime, it’s like, “What’s going to happen?’ But, we hung in there.”

Fred Perry also keyed the team with 14 tackles (seven solo), a sack, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble; Jawaun Campbell recovered the forced fumble and returned it 38 yards to set up a touchdown.

Jax State (6-3, 5-0 CUSA) will host Florida International on Saturday.

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Louisiana

Louisiana’s public universities could break with longstanding accreditor. Here’s why.

Published

6 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana’s public universities could break with longstanding accreditor. Here’s why.

As higher education bureaucracy comes under scrutiny nationally, Louisiana’s public universities might soon be allowed to seek alternatives to the accreditor that has evaluated institutions in the state for over a century.

The potential change comes as some conservative leaders like President Donald Trump and Gov. Jeff Landry criticize excess spending in higher education and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Some administrators say, however, that the problems with accreditation lie less with DEI and more with the inefficiency of a geography-based system.

Senate Bill 304 would permit public universities to break with their longstanding accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS. The bill follows the recommendations of a task force Landry created last year to review accreditation in the state and consider membership in the newly founded Commission for Public Higher Education.

At the time he created the task force, Landry said CPHE could be “an alternative to the out-of-touch accreditation system” and that “this task force will ensure Louisiana’s public universities move away from DEI-driven mandates and toward a system rooted in merit-based achievement.”

That alarmed some faculty and higher education advocates, who feared it would impose a political agenda on the accreditation process.

Now, as the Legislature considers SB304, supporters are talking less about political motives. Instead, they say the current system of regional accreditors is obsolete — and that accreditors need to focus more on how universities can operate efficiently.

Cameron Howell, senior adviser at the newly founded commission, urged the public to review its educational standards, which he says are in line with common higher education practices.

“I think what you’ll see is a small-C conservative approach to achieve efficiencies, to lower costs and to make for a process that is less burdensome,” he said.

“That, I don’t think, is about politics,” he added.

And some state and federal leaders say it might no longer make sense to have regional accreditors. Instead, they argue the organizations should be focused on the type of institution — in this case, public universities.

“We moved from geography, everybody being SACS, to having a broader ability if they are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed.

Why does accreditation matter?

Accreditation is the process of evaluating schools to ensure they meet acceptable education standards. Universities that are not accredited by an approved organization cannot receive federal financial aid dollars.

The Southern Association of Colleges accredits 41 institutions in Louisiana and hundreds more throughout the South, according to February 2026 organizational data. LSU has held continuous accreditation from the organization since 1913.

The association did not respond to a request for comment.

Though the bill under consideration in the Legislature does not mention the Commission for Public Higher Education specifically, it comes up frequently when the bill is discussed. Landry’s task force also recommended Louisiana join and gain a board seat on the organization.

The commission was launched in 2025 by institutions in six southern states: the State University System of Florida, the University System of Georgia, the University of North Carolina System, the University of South Carolina System, the Texas A&M University System and the University of Tennessee System.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis heralded the commission when it was unveiled in June last year as “an alternative that will break the ideological stronghold” and end “the activist-controlled accreditation monopoly.”

The organization itself does not claim a political ideology. Howell said its standards adhere to conventional norms in the higher education sector.

He said the commission’s goal is to save universities money in the accreditation process and maximize efficiency, which he argued the commission can achieve by specializing in working with public institutions.

“Having a regional approach to something made sense operationally and economically,” Howell said. “We work in a world now where travel and communication are easier to bridge over long distances and where we can go about devising accreditation on the basis of public mission.”

Higher education standards

President Donald Trump made overhauling higher education bureaucracy a focus of his education department, issuing an executive order in April 2025 that urged increased competition in the accreditation sphere, prioritization of intellectual diversity among faculty and lower costs for students.

Louisiana’s accreditation reform will align with both Trump and Landry’s interests, Reed said.

SB304 “was a result of the governor’s executive order saying we want to support the Trump administration’s interest in broadening competition around accreditors,” Reed said.

Though sometimes juxtaposed politically, SACS and CPHE do not contain references to politics in their accreditation standards (in CPHE’s case, draft accreditation standards, as the commission is not yet formally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education).

They share criteria on institutional integrity, sound finances and a commitment to “continuous improvement.” Both include references to academic freedom, though CPHE goes a step further to include a standard for “intellectual diversity.”

The proposed law mandates that universities must be accredited through an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, so Louisiana’s institutions would need to maintain their SACS accreditation for the time being even if it passes.

CPHE plans to finalize its application by summer 2027, Howell said, with the timeline for approval then set by the U.S. Department of Education.

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Louisiana

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

Published

18 hours ago

April 14, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

THE DRAFT STARTS AT 6:00. ALL RIGHT. ALSO WARM. TURNING TO WEATHER NOW A LIVE LOOK OUTSIDE ON YOUR MONDAY. WARM AND BREEZY. A COUPLE OF CLOUDS OUT THERE, BUT OVERALL A BEAUTIFUL START TO THE WORKWEEK. YEAH AND NO RAIN. LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO WDSU FIRST WARNING WEATHER METEOROLOGIST JIM SIREN. IT’S GOING TO BE PRETTY NICE ALL WEEK. YES IT IS. WE MAY SEE A COUPLE OF SPOTTY SHOWERS AS WE LOOK A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD, BUT MAYBE I’M OVERPLAYING THAT CHANCE FOR RAIN JUST BECAUSE WE NEED THE RAIN. HOWEVER, AS WE LOOK FARTHER DOWN THE ROAD, NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE A COLD FRONT, BUT WE HAVE A REAL GOOD CHANCE FOR RAIN, I THINK. BUT THAT’S IN THE EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST RIGHT NOW. SHORT TERM THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD. PONTCHARTRAIN CONSERVANCY CAMERA SHOWING US MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES AND WITH THE SUNSHINE, WE’VE MADE IT TO THE MID 80S IN A COUPLE OF SPOTS. 85 BOGALUSA WE’RE AT 83 IN BATON ROUGE, 81 THE CURRENT TEMPERATURE IN SLIDELL. I ACTUALLY OVERHEARD A COWORKER SAY, IT’S KIND OF HOT TODAY AND I GUESS 85 DEGREES IF YOU’RE WORKING IN THE YARD. YEAH, THAT’S KIND OF HOT WINDS RIGHT NOW AT ABOUT TEN, 12, 15MPH. SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS BECOMING A BIT MORE SOUTHERLY BY MIDWEEK. THAT WILL BRING US A LITTLE MORE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE DEW POINT TEMPERATURE IS GOING TO COME UP. WE’VE EVEN SEEN SOME WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 20MPH HERE OVER THE LAST HALF HOUR OR SO. SO A BREEZY DAY TODAY, A BREEZY DAY TOMORROW. OFFICIALLY RIGHT NOW AT LOUIS ARMSTRONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WINDS BECOMING SOUTHERLY AT ABOUT 13 WITH A DEW POINT OF 61. THAT DEW POINT LIKELY COMING UP JUST A LITTLE BIT BY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. IN THE SHORT TERM THOUGH, LET’S ENJOY THE NICE BREEZY WEATHER CLOUDS INCREASING TO THE WEST OF US, BUT IT’S REALLY HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE THAT’S GOING TO BRING US THE SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WIND TODAY, BECOMING MORE SOUTHERLY BY WEDNESDAY. THAT’S WHEN WE COULD SEE A FEW SPOTTY SHOWERS. BUT THE REAL THING THAT’S GOING TO CHANGE OUR WEATHER A LITTLE BIT IS PROBABLY GOING TO BE A COLD FRONT THAT’S GOING TO BE HERE THIS WEEKEND. WILL IT HOLD TOGETHER AS OF RIGHT NOW? I THINK SO. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS US THIS. A LOT OF DRY AIR THAT’S GOING TO BE MOVING IN. SO TOMORROW I THINK IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER DAY WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE. ANY CLOUD COVER, JUST LOW LEVEL CUMULUS CLOUDS THAT REALLY WON’T BUILD INTO ANYTHING. LET’S GO HOUR BY HOUR. AND FIRST OF ALL, SHOW YOU THE EVENING WALK AROUND THE BLOCK AFTER DINNER. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. TEMPERATURES ARE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 70S ON THE NORTH SHORE. ACTUALLY LOW 70S, JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE. CLOUD COVER, VERY LIMITED. STILL A LITTLE BIT BREEZY TOMORROW MORNING, BUT RATHER THAN THE 50S, WE WOKE UP IN THE 50S OVER THE WEEKEND. NOW WE’RE GOING TO BE IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE, MID TO UPPER 60S IN THE METRO. A TOUCH MUGGY, BUT THAT BREEZE STILL AT ABOUT 5 TO 10MPH. TOMORROW, ANOTHER MOSTLY SUNNY DAY WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. BOGALUSA. LOOKS LIKE YOU’LL GET TO THE MID 80S AGAIN TOMORROW. NOW HERE COMES THE CHANGE ON WEDNESDAY. AND GRANTED, IT’S NOT A MAJOR CHANGE, BUT HERE’S A SOUTHERLY WIND. SO THIS MODEL IS ACTUALLY PICKING UP ON 1 OR 2 SHOWERS IN THE MORNING. I THINK THIS MODEL MAY BE A LITTLE AGGRESSIVE, BUT IN THE AFTERNOON A FEW MORE SHOWERS. WE’RE PUTTING A 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON WEDNESDAY AS WELL AS THURSDAY. IF YOU SEE A SHOWER, COUNT YOURSELF AS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES AND YOU’LL NOTICE THAT THOSE SHOWERS SHOULD BE VERY, VERY LIGHT AT BEST. SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN THIS WEEKEND. LET’S TRACK THIS COLD FRONT. SATURDAY, 7 A.M. GETTING CLOSER TO US BY 7 P.M. CLOUDS STARTING TO INCREASE JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THIS FRONT IS GOING TO BRING US A LOT OF RAIN IN 24 HOURS AGO, I THOUGHT THE FRONT WAS GOING TO WASH OUT BEFORE IT GOT HERE. NOW IT LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT IS ACTUALLY GOING TO MAKE IT. WE’LL PUT ABOUT A 20 TO 30% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS IN THE FORECAST ON SUNDAY. THIS MODEL REALLY DOESN’T HAVE MUCH SIGNIFICANT RAIN AT ALL, BUT THE FRONT SHOULD MAKE IT THROUGH. SO BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK, THINGS GETTING A LITTLE BIT COOLER, A LITTLE BIT DRIER FOR US, A LITTLE LESS HUMID AS WELL. SO YOUR FORECAST FOR THIS EVENING CALLING FOR MAINLY CLEAR SKIES, A LITTLE BIT MUGGY, TEMPERATURES IN THE LOW 60S ON THE NORTH SHORE MID TO UPPER 60S ELSEWHERE. TOMORROW WE’LL DO IT AGAIN A LOT LIKE TODAY. MOSTLY SUNNY, BREEZY AND WARM, 83 TO 86 FOR THE AFTERNOON HIGH. THERE’S THAT 20% CHANCE FOR SHOWERS ONCE WE GET TO WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. VERY SPOTTY SHOWERS AT BEST. COLD FRONT SHOULD BE MOVING THROUGH SUNDAY, MAYBE LATE MORNING EARLY AFTERNOON. SO BY LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON WE’LL NOTICE THE HUMIDITY DROPPING JUST A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THINGS ARE LOOKING GREAT FOR FRENCH QUARTER FEST. JUST BE PREPARED, YOU KNOW, TO GET THOSE $2 DISPOSABLE RAIN PONCHOS PUT IN YOUR BACK POCKET. IF YOU SEE ONE OF THE SHOWERS ON SUNDAY, IT’S NOT GOING TO LAST ALL THAT LONG. AND THEN WE’RE COOLER AND DRIER AND VERY PLEASANT ON MONDAY. A MUCH BETTER CHANCE FOR RAIN IN OUR EXTENDED EXTENDED FORECAST,

Louisiana State Police investigating deadly hit-and-run involving bicyclist

Updated: 9:31 PM CDT Apr 13, 2026

Editorial Standards ⓘ

A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road. At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing. Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died. According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights. The crash remains under investigation.

FOLSOM, La. —

A Folsom man was killed in a hit-and-run in St. Tammany over the weekend.

Louisiana State Police say Rodrigo Ornelas Jr., 24, of Folsom, was riding his bike on Sunday morning around 12:30 a.m. on LA Highway 40 at Blackwell Cemetery Road.

At the same time, an unknown dark-colored sedan or small SUV was traveling east on LA Highway 40, struck Ornelas Jr., and left the scene.

Police say the area was poorly lit and that he was not wearing a helmet but was dressed in light-colored clothing.

Ornelas sustained serious injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment, where he later died.

According to troopers, they have determined that the bicycle was equipped with reflectors but was not equipped with lights.

The crash remains under investigation.

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Louisiana

Raceland man charged in fatal March wreck, Louisiana State Police report

Published

1 day ago

April 13, 2026

Press Room

Raceland man charged in fatal March wreck, Louisiana State Police report

A Raceland man has been charged with vehicular homicide for a March crash that left a Chauvin man dead.

Aljean Ledet, 58, of Chauvin died, March 25, after Michael Boudreaux, 21, of Raceland, rear-ended him at the intersection of LA 56 and Josie Court, according to a news release by the Louisiana State Police. Ledet was not wearing a seatbelt.

Police gathered toxicology samples from the two men at the time of the incident and later found that Boudreaux’s blood alcohol content was over the legal limit at the time of the crash. Boudreaux has been charged with vehicular homicide, DWI (first offense), reckless operation, no seatbelt and driving under suspension.

Boudreaux turned himself in to Troopers, April 9, 2026, and was booked into the Terrebonne Parish jail.

On March 25, Ledet was traveling north on LA 56 in a 2008 Chevrolet Colorado. At the same time Boudreaux was in a 2006 Pontiac G6 also traveling north, the release said. Boudreaux failed to slow down and struck the rear of Ledet’s Chevrolet.

After the impact, Ledet’s vehicle was sent off the road on the right and overturned. He was unrestrained and sustained fatal injuries.

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