Louisiana
Louisiana Democratic delegates endorse Vice President Kamala Harris in late night meeting
Kamala Harris: A look into the VP’s background
Joe Biden endorsed Vice President Harris after dropping out of the 2024 election. Here’s a look into her background.
Louisiana’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee for president, the state’s Democratic Party chairman said following a virtual meeting late Sunday night.
Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines said the delegates “by an overwhelming majority vote” are backing Harris during the convention Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Gaines didn’t release the vote count in a news release, but USA Today Network contacted six delegates individually who all said they support Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew from the race Sunday. Louisiana is sending 53 delegates to the convention.
“We are grateful to President Joe Biden for his remarkable leadership, and we are committed to honoring his legacy by working tirelessly this fall to keep the White House in Democratic hands,” Gaines said in the release. “I am proud to share that Louisiana’s Democratic delegates will join President Biden in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as our nominee.
“It’s time we come together, and by throwing our full support behind her, we can beat Donald Trump again and continue Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishments and progress for our country. We look forward to a productive, energizing, and historic convention in which we nominate the first black woman as our Democratic nominee.”
Louisiana Congressman Troy Carter is the state’s only Democrat in Congress and a delegate to the convention.
“President Joe Biden’s legacy is a testament to his unwavering commitment to civil rights, voting rights, and the rule of law. His transformative leadership has empowered families in Louisiana and nationwide,” he said in a statement to USA Today Network. “We honor his substantial contributions, including the historic nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. His selfless decision to pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris resonates deeply. I have every confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris to continue their great work.”
More: Here’s who Louisiana Democratic delegates support for president after Biden’s exit
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1
It’s report card day for Louisiana schools and many have reason to celebrate.
Statewide, 44% of elementary and middle schools and 70% of high schools earned an A or B based on academic results from the 2024-2025 school year, according to state data released Thursday. Collectively, Louisiana’s public schools earned a B, and the statewide performance score grew by nearly one point to 80.9 — the highest it’s been since the current rating system launched over a decade ago.
But for many schools, the good grades won’t last.
Next year, a tougher rating system will kick in. To help prepare schools and the public for the shift, the Louisiana Department of Education released simulated grades this year alongside schools’ official grades. The simulated grades, which carry no weight, show how schools would have fared this year had the new system been in effect. It’s the first public preview of how grades will likely change when the revamped rating system launches in 2026.
For elementary and middle schools, the results would look similar to today: Most would earn the same or better grades, with just 16% getting lower ratings. But for high schools, the difference would be dramatic: 76% would get lower grades under the revised rating system.
The searchable table below shows the actual grade each school and district earned this year, as well as simulated grades based on the revised system.
The next table shows school and district performance scores. The 2024 and 2025 scores are on a 150-point scale, while the simulated scores are on a 100-point scale.
Louisiana
LDWF Announces $5.2 Million for Conservation Projects through the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program
Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced that the Louisiana Outdoor Forever (LOF) Project Selection Board voted to fund 5 conservation projects in Louisiana based on the review, evaluation, and scoring received from LOF’s Technical Advisory Board. The LOF program will allocate $921,350 and leverage $4.29 million for a total conservation investment of $5.21 million to these projects. The LOF program is administered by the LDWF and helps Louisiana become more competitive in securing grant opportunities.
Projects selected for funding:
Project Name
Project Location
Organization
Funding Amount Requested
Match Funds
Total Project Amount
Bayou L’Ours Phase V Terraces
Golden Meadow, Lafourche Parish, LA; 29°24’44.71″N, 90°8’52.90″W
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with Lafourche Parish
$213,500.00
$3,485,641.00
$3,699,141.00
Enhancing Wood Duck Habitat in Pearl River WMA through Duck Box Installation and Community Ed.
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) below Indian Village Road on West and Middle Pearl River
Southern Quacker Wildlife Conservation (SQWC) / Partner with LDWF
$8,000.00
$6,000.00
$14,000.00
Enhancing Mottled Duck Breeding Habitat in Southwest Louisiana
Multiple parishes in Southwest Louisiana
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with LDWF
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
Napoleonville Bayou Access and Emergency Boat Launch Project
Bayou Lafourche – right descending bank; Assumption Parish
Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District
$500,000.00
$500,000.00
$1,000,000.00
Beechwood-Bayou Sara Tunica Hills Protection
Beechwood Tract and Sleepy Hollow Tract in West Feliciana Parish
The Nature Conservancy / partner with LDWF
$99,850.00
$99,850.00
$199,700.00
Total
$921,350.00
$4,291,491.00
$5,212,841.00
The Louisiana Outdoors Forever (LOF) Program was created during the 2022 legislative session with House Bill 762 to provide funding for outdoor conservation projects across the state.
You can also sign up for meeting and Louisiana Outdoors Forever press releases by visiting here and selecting an interest of “Conservation.”
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – Economic development is on the rise in Cenla and across the Pelican State, and leaders hope to capitalize on it.
Adam Knapp was the keynote speaker at a meeting for the Rotary Club of Alexandria this week. He leads the organization “Leaders for a Better Louisiana” as its CEO.
Knapp said the biggest concern they’ve seen is that some regions of the state do really well with development and some have had a tougher time of it.
What Knapp said he’s been impressed by is the state writing a brand new economic development strategy plan, which he said hasn’t been done in almost 20 years.
“They did that where they kind of quilted together a plan from Louisiana Central, a plan from Southwest Louisiana, from Northeast, Northwest Louisiana, and they said, ‘We need a statewide plan that is a combination of all the things all our metro areas need in order to drive successful economic development visions forward,’” he explained.
Knapp said it’s up to citizens and community leaders to ask for a focus on jobs from state leaders.
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