Louisiana
La. car and truck dealers drive $19.2B in 2023, how other industries manage transportation
MONROE, La. (KNOE) – According to the Louisiana Automobile Dealers Association’s June 2024 economic impact report, the state’s franchised new car and heavy truck dealers collectively generated $19.2 billion in total sales in 2023.
General Manager Jeff Churchwell of Northeast Louisiana Power Cooperative, Inc. said he normally buys gently used bucket trucks for their linemen but was forced to buy a new truck due to a long wait period.
“It’s $240,000. So, I typically don’t buy one – brand new, but they had no slightly used trucks. So, I put in an order, and my salesman told me that… he said – well, your spot in the queue is for 28. I said, ‘28 months?’ He said no… 2028,” said Churchwell.
President and CEO Coulter McMahen of LADA stated the industry continues to be an economic driver – having a combined payroll amounting to $1.5 billion dollars for the dealerships’ employees. The association’s economic impact report said Louisiana’s new car and heavy truck dealerships employed an average of 55 Louisiana residents earning over $75,000 annually in 2023. The association explained that this kind of compensation contributes significantly to statewide economic enthusiasm, generating more than $325 million in state and federal income taxes combined.
“Our industry provides consumer choice, accessibility and market competition for buyers. It also offers steady careers for employees, all contributing to Louisiana’s prosperity and advancement,” said McMahen.
But for other industries, it comes with a challenging cost to obtain and maintain trucks to make sure crews are out in the communities doing their jobs; and Churchwell said, most importantly, keeping linemen safe.
“We have a good number of trucks, so with hurricane season – what it really does, is – it limits the availability to go help others. So, if your fleet is down and one of my co-op brothers in south Louisiana that gets hit – it does make it difficult and that’s when you have to depend on… you call in contractors,” said Churchwell.
LADA reported that new vehicle sales alone contributed a substantial $672 million in sales tax revenue for Louisiana. The recently released economic impact report also writes that state dealerships contributed more than $18 million to nonprofit organizations.
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Louisiana
Behind the Curtain: How Louisiana’s Parole System and Courts Shape Who Goes Free | The Lens
This week on Behind The Lens, the public gets a rare look inside one of the most powerful and least understood parts of Louisiana’s criminal justice system: the parole process.
In Louisiana, Parole Board hearings are sometimes held in public, offering families, victims, attorneys, advocates, and reporters an opportunity to witness how decisions are made about who is granted freedom and who remains incarcerated. But those hearings reveal more than individual cases. They expose the broader tensions shaping punishment, rehabilitation, public safety, and political pressure across the state.
Reporters Bernard Smith and Gus Bennett join editor Katy Reckdahl to examine how parole decisions are influenced not only by testimony inside the hearing room, but also by a growing wave of legal and political changes moving through Louisiana’s courts and legislature. From rulings connected to the Louisiana Supreme Court to election season politics and criminal justice reforms, the episode explores how policy decisions made at the highest levels can directly affect incarcerated people, victims’ families, prosecutors, and entire communities.
The discussion also breaks down how recent state actions involving sentencing, parole eligibility, election dynamics, and judicial oversight are reshaping Louisiana’s criminal justice landscape in real time. Together, the team examines the human consequences behind those decisions and what they reveal about accountability, power, and transparency inside the system.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music “Fading Prospects” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com)
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Louisiana
Special Olympics Mississippi moves state games to Louisiana, holds swimming events in-state
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Special Olympics Mississippi will hold its State Summer Games May 22–24 at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, with swimming competitions continuing to take place in Mississippi.
Officials with the Special Olympics said the games were moved from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi to Louisiana because of security concerns.
“When they canceled the state games this year, it made it a little bit rough on some of the athletes, but they continued to train,” Sharon Patterson, Director for Area 3, said.
The swimming competitions will take place in Mississippi because Louisiana does not include swimming in its events. Two swimming events are scheduled for May 9, one in Tupelo and another at the Natatorium in Biloxi.
A torch run began in North Mississippi on Monday and will arrive in Bay St. Louis on Thursday.
“It’s a run, walk, or roll because we have wheelchairs in there as well,” Patterson said.
On Friday, the torch run will move through Pass Christian and travel along Highway 90, with law enforcement officers from each city carrying the torch through their jurisdictions.
The run will conclude at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, where the Biloxi Shuckers are sponsoring a celebration featuring the lighting of the cauldron. A special athlete will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” lead the pledge and recite the oath.
Special Olympics Mississippi includes nearly 20 areas across the state. Each area holds games to qualify athletes for the state games.
The organization will also send 126 athletes to the USA Games in Minnesota in June. The national competition occurs every four years.
See a spelling or grammar error in this story? Report it to our team HERE.
Copyright 2026 WLOX. All rights reserved.
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