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Louisiana lawmakers search for ways to pay for Landry’s proposed income tax cut • Louisiana Illuminator

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Louisiana lawmakers search for ways to pay for Landry’s proposed income tax cut • Louisiana Illuminator


Gov. Jeff Landry’s ambitious plan to overhaul Louisiana’s tax structure has largely been pared down to a more modest goal – cutting state income taxes. 

Lawmakers are working on a way to make sure the state can pay for that desired tax reduction while not having to make damaging cuts to areas such as health care and higher education.  

Options include raising the state sales tax rate higher than it is now, retaining a higher corporate income tax rate than proposed or settling on an income tax cut that is smaller than Landry originally pitched weeks ago. 

The governor wanted to move to a flat personal income tax rate of 3% – the highest rate currently is 4.25% – but it will cost the state more than $1 billion annually. Landry’s income tax plan also leaves the state approximately $700 million short of what is needed to cover the costs of government, according to senators. 

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Through his Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson, the governor had originally crafted a proposal that would exchange a broader base of tax collections for lower personal income and corporate taxes. Nelson said Louisiana would be able to pay for across-the-board personal income and corporate tax rate cuts totaling billions of dollars as long as the state scrapped generous business tax breaks and applied the sales tax to a greater range of products. 

The governor has struggled to get lawmakers to fully embrace the trade off, however. 

Legislators have eagerly voted for bills to cut corporate and personal income taxes but stalled on proposals to help make up for that lost revenue. 

Landry’s tax package started to unravel last week when the Louisiana House of Representatives refused to vote for legislation that would extend the sales tax to more services, such as lawn care, home repair and dog grooming.

“Obviously, the services bill in its original form was a little over $500 million, which would equate to about a half a point on the personal income tax,” House Speaker Phillip Devillier, R-Eunice, said.

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This week, the Senate declined to fully roll back some of the state’s expensive business incentive programs, such as its movie and television tax credits and historic preservation tax breaks that collectively cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars annually.  

A plan to eliminate a state inventory tax credit, which covers taxes businesses pay to local governments, has been delayed until 2026, and a proposal to increase a tax on heavy machinery and equipment used by industrial employers has also been scrapped. 

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If he doesn’t find a way to make up for that money, Landry runs the risk of revisiting the same political problems that plagued former Gov. Bobby Jindal.

Jindal also cut income taxes without replacing the lost revenue or finding a permanent way to cut government spending. His policy led to chronic budget problems for years and made the former governor deeply unpopular when he left office. 

Senate leaders appear to be pushing for a higher state sales tax rate to help fill the hole left by the personal income tax cut.

It was scheduled to automatically drop from 4.45% to 4% in July, though Landry had already pitched keeping the extra 0.45% permanently as a way to cover the corporate and personal income tax reductions. Now, lawmakers are considering an even higher rate to cover the state’s expenses; 5% has been floated for a few days. 

“This isn’t a tax-lowering session. This is a tax-reorganization session,” Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, said Wednesday.

Louisiana already has one of the highest average sales tax rates in the country, and that levy is a larger burden on poor people who have to pay the same rate as the wealthy. Very low-income households don’t pay income tax and won’t necessarily see benefits from cuts Landry and lawmakers make in that arena. 

“As soon as you start to increase the sales tax more, the plan becomes more regressive,” said Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, leader of the House Democratic Caucus.

Several Republicans and Democrats in the House also weren’t enthusiastic about the sales tax portion of the original tax plan and might not want to vote for a 5% rate. A bill to keep the state sales tax at 4.4% barely passed the House, with just two votes to spare last week.

“That would be the top number we need for sales,” Sen. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge said Wednesday morning. “We don’t necessarily have the votes to do that yet. We need to get a tally of where things stand.”

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Lafayette Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, head of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said his party doesn’t want a higher sales tax rate, but Democrats also fear government programs they champion, like social services, will be targeted if they don’t support the proposal.

“We want to make sure the things that are important to us will be funded, right?” Boudreaux said Wednesday before he and other Democratic senators headed off to a meeting with Landry. 

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Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, was bullish on the legislators’ willingness to raise the sales tax to 5%.

“I think it can get there. It’s an easier path for that than it is for broadening the base,” he said. 

If lawmakers aren’t willing to raise the sales tax more, legislators could look to retain more of the current corporate income tax rate, but they’ve already pulled back on an original plan to cut that tax dramatically.

Landry initially pitched replacing the graduated corporate tax rate that tops out at 7.5% with a flat 3%. But the senators moved that levy back up to 6% earlier this week to claw back some revenue. A further increase might be unlikely given pressure from business lobbyists. 

Corporate taxes are also a notoriously unstable source of tax revenue. In part because sizable tax credits can be applied in any budget cycle, corporate tax collections have ranged from $193 million to $1.6 billion annually over the past 10 years, according to the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana

Legislators could also increase the personal income tax rate from 3% but seem very reluctant to do so. If it does go up, they would try to keep it to a small adjustment, like up to 3.1% or 3.2%.

“My belief is the personal income tax will, probably will, stay at 3(%),” said Foil, who heads the Senate committee that oversees tax policy.



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Shoppers hurry for last-minute groceries, supplies before Louisiana’s winter storm

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Shoppers hurry for last-minute groceries, supplies before Louisiana’s winter storm


METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) — On the day before a forecasted winter storm is expected to hit Southeast Louisiana, the most dominant grocery chain in the region saw shoppers descending on its various locations.

Karah Smith was shopping at the Rouses Supermarket on Airline Highway in Metairie. It was her second visit to the store in recent days.

“I was picking up for a mix of things, like we would normally cook for dinner. But I also wanted to have some non-perishable food for backup, if we lose power,” she said.

For many in Louisiana, this week will be the first time they’ve seen snow in years, for some maybe ever. That’ll certainly be the case for Smith’s daughter. She’s only 2 months old.

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“I’m excited for her,” Smith said. “We’ll have pictures of her in her little snowsuit, outside hopefully.”

Marc Ardoin manages the Rouses on Airline Highway. He said workers stayed busy keeping shelves full. It’s a drill they have down pat from similar years of hurricane preparations.

“There’s definitely the water and those kinds of items we buy during hurricane season, but people are looking for a lot more cold weather items,” Ardoin said. “So, you’re seeing stew meat, and that kind of stuff. People are getting what they need to make gumbo.”

Former actor and radio personality John “Spud” McConnell was one of the customers near the freezer aisle. He said he’s unsure what the winter storm will bring, but his household will be fed.

“I got a couple of big Boston butts and I’m going to put them in the oven tomorrow when it’s really cold,” he said. “I’m going to bake them bad boys all day and I’m going to be eating pig like the pig that I am.”

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Preparing for wintry weather also requires warm gear.

“People have definitely been coming out and stocking up on gloves, hats for the kids, anything that’s going to keep them warm,” said Bubba Henry, a sales associate at Massey’s Outfitters in Mid-City.

The store on Carrollton Avenue had a shipment of gloves arriving a few hours before closing time Monday. Henry expected the gloves to move quickly. He advised anyone planning to be out in the winter conditions to dress in layers.

“If they have base layers, that would be great,” Henry said. “If they have athletic wear similar to when they go play soccer — that stretchy spandex — something like that.”

Even for customers who’ve spent time in cold climates, there’s no such thing as being overly prepared. Arturo Peal visited Massey’s Outfitters on Monday for one essential. After that, he felt ready for the forecasted freeze.

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“Oh yeah, the only thing I needed was wool socks, because I have no idea where my wool socks are. I haven’t seen them. They’re buried somewhere in storage,” Peal said.

Most businesses, schools and government offices will be closed Tuesday.

While Southeast Louisiana is unfamiliar with winter storms, the region’s next collective step resembles what many communities take during hurricane season: Waiting for the storm to pass.

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Money, Influence and Louisiana: the fight over a Cedar Rapids Casino

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Money, Influence and Louisiana: the fight over a Cedar Rapids Casino


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – More than 800 miles separate Cedar Rapids and Bossier City, Louisiana. But they both are communities banking on transformation with gaming, and one casino closure in Louisiana could share something with the proposed one in Cedar Rapids: they share the same operator, Peninsula Pacific Entertainment.

When Peninsula Pacific bought DiamondJacks casino in Bossier City, it promised to re-invest in the aging riverboat and accompanying hotel. But instead, DiamondJacks closed during the pandemic and never re-opened; eventually the empty property became a magnet for criminals.

The city leaders and state gaming regulators were enraged.

Ronnie Jones was the head of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board and says he tried to take away DiamondJack’s gaming license since it wasn’t open.

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“That week I directed the Attorney General’s office to get me an opinion on what the state of Louisiana needed to do to take his license away from him, because he had violated the terms and the conditions of that license,” said Jones.

DiamondJacks was one of many casinos in the northwest Louisiana region called the Shreveport- Bossier City Metro. DiamondJacks’ operator, Peninsula Pacific, blamed the pandemic’s financial impact for making it impossible to reopen. The same operator, now called Peninsula Pacific Entertainment or P2E, is behind Linn County’s bid for a casino.

Jones described how he learned that Peninsula Pacific wasn’t reopening after the pandemic shutdown. And he takes particular issue with how the founder and chairman, Brent Stevens, communicated with state regulators and the casino’s 349 workers.

“I get a call from a reporter from a TV station in Shreveport, and she goes ‘Chairman Jones. What’s this about Diamond Jack’s not reopening?’ I said, excuse me. She goes yeah, there’s a Facebook post to their employees that they’re closing permanently,” said Jones.

Jones, who led the Louisiana Gaming Board from 2013 to 2020, reached out to KCRG after seeing that Stevens was part of the group looking to open a new casino in Linn County.

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“The only thing that I would urge is as a former regulator that they get Brent Stevens before them under oath and ask him the right questions. And I’m not suggesting he’s not deserving of a license. I’m not suggesting that he might not build a beautiful property that’s great for Iowa, but the last year experience that I had with Brent, who I considered a friend as well as a licensee, just raised some issues with me as a regulator. That’s all,” said Jones.

Steve Gray, who has led the investor group for a Cedar Rapids casino for nearly 13 years, does not share Jones’ concerns about Brent Stevens and Peninsula Pacific. Gray researched potential operators and saw the success Peninsula Pacific had running other casinos in Iowa – namely Diamond Jo Casino in Dubuque and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Sioux City.

Diamond Jo’s revenue grew 56 percent under Peninsula Pacific’s ownership.

Steve Gray: “I mean who are those people that have a good reputation with the commission that have done a good job, financially that have done a good job with problem gamblers that have really exemplified what the statue really intends for gaming in Iowa and our partners and now P2E that they were then known as The Diamond Jo in Dubuque they, they were just head and above everybody else from third party references.”

Beth Malicki, KCRG-TV9: “Do you have, or have you heard any concerns about Brent Stevens, Peninsula? Any of it?”

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Gray: “No, no. Okay. And you know, doing what we do in life. If we were measured by our stumbles, instead of our accomplishments, investors would never invest.”

Malicki: “So, you don’t have concerns about this operator. In fact, you would elevate his performance to say, one of the best.”

Gray: “I, we, continue to believe, so when we pick them, we’d spent about a year understanding how they operated, you know, what would the project look like? How would they operate? Who would they hire? Or what would the culture be in the gaming operation and the surrounding amenities? That was really important to the local investor group. And we became convinced that they were the right people, but the sanity checks that we did with the Racing and Gaming Commission, also, provided us a little comfort… But over the last 12 years, we have really got to know them. So not only do I refer to them as partners, I refer to them as friends. They have done nothing in the last 12 years to make us, even for a second, question them as the right operator. In fact, if anything we are just absolutely thrilled with our choice.”

Those like Gray who’ve been pushing for a casino in Linn County have had to be resilient. They’ve been through two failed efforts to get a license from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in 2014 and 2017; state lawmakers passing a two-year moratorium in 2022 to pause any new casinos in Iowa; and, now, an organized effort by existing casinos to prevent any new competition.

Gray: “I’m beginning to feel like General Custer felt in [the Battle of] Little Bighorn. There are a lot of different arrows, coming from a lot of different places… But this ‘Iowans for Common Sense’ is unequivocally not grassroots.”

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Gray: “It’s 50 percent funded by Riverside, Elite [Casino Resorts], and the other 50 percent by other operators in the state. One thing that I do want to make very clear is that not all of the other operators are participating in this. I mean I happen to have friends that own casinos in the state and they’re not participating. So it’s just a select few people that are financially contributing to this grassroots organization.”

Malicki: “Do you think the arrows and those who are shooting them toward this project are behaving above board?”

Gray: “You know, we’re all competitive. And you know, Beth, my career over the last 40 years, I’ve competed with AT&T, US West, very dominant providers with huge balance sheets. And, by and large, we’ve done pretty well. But we’ve never stooped morally, ethically, and we’ve never even gotten into a gray area, you know, pun intended. I mean, we’ve tried to conduct ourselves above board. We don’t have the water park that we were promised.”

That water park reference is from 2013. That’s when Linn County voters were deciding if they’d support gaming and the Chief Executive Officer of Riverside Casino and Golf Resort, Dan Kehl, promised to build a water park if people in Cedar Rapids voted ‘No.’ The county voted ‘yes,’ so no water park, even though the community never got a casino.

Now Kehl is trying again to prevent competition from encroaching on his property in Washington County. Kehl employs about 700 people and his revenues at Riverside have grown 43.5 percent in five years with gaming revenue reaching $129 million in fiscal year 2024.

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We asked for an interview with Kehl and did not receive a response. But he did speak to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in November of 2024 at a public forum.

“We are opposed to the Cedar Rapids casino license because of cannibalization in a saturated market will significantly hurt our Iowa company,” Kehl said to the Commission.

Steve Gray and other supporters of Cedar Crossing say Kehl is pulling every lever available to stop a casino. From claiming the Linn County ballot language from 2021 is not clear enough to allow a casino to urging lawmakers to extend a moratorium to ban any new licenses.

Gray says Kehl is the main driver of a campaign called “Iowans for Common Sense.” That campaign is running commercials and gathering signatures to oppose any new casinos, but especially one in Cedar Rapids.

“Now with this petition, that was put forward as a grassroots organization, and then when we saw this email and how it’s being organized by the Iowa Gaming Association and pushed out to all the other operators and asking for their financial participation. Yeah, that’s just not right,” said Gray.

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Gray provided a copy of what he says is an email from the Iowa Gaming Association. That is the trade organization supporting the state’s existing 19 commercial casinos. Iowa has four tribal casinos, but they aren’t part of the Iowa Gaming Association and don’t need a license to operate from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

The email from the Iowa Gaming Association is urging the state’s casinos to join Riverside in stopping Cedar Crossing before it starts.

Back in Louisiana, the place where DiamondJacks once sat empty, is transforming. The new casino will have a new owner and open on February 13. It will bring back hundreds of jobs and invest $270 million to build a new casino.

Diamond Jacks serves as a worst case scenario of what can happen if a casino goes bust, which is exactly what Iowa’s regulators want to avoid. And while the Shreveport – Bossier City market has a population of about 100 thousand more people than the Cedar Rapids Metro, that region alone has six casinos. Cedar Rapids is hoping for one.

And those behind the project are sure they have the right plan, with the right operator, the only question is if it’s the right time.

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“This is round three to your question. Will there be a Round four? Or a round 5? Probably. But you know we’re all doing this because of what we think could be very beneficial to our home county and our hometown,” said Gray.

Cedar Rapids Casino investor Steve Gray speaks about the effort to get a license to build a casino and the push back from the casino industry against it.

What one casino backer calls cannibalization, another calls competition. And the casino poised to lose the most if Cedar Crossing receives a license is Riverside.

Damon John is the General Manager at Riverside. He spoke to KCRG in early January of 2025.

“If you look at a nearly 30 percent reduction on our revenues, extrapolating that on our staff of nearly 700 employees here, I mean we’re talking 200 employees, 200 jobs on the line,” said John.

Gray acknowledges the hit Riverside would take.

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“So if 30 percent, 40 percent, even 50 percent of the revenues that they enjoy come from Linn County, why hasn’t Linn County participated in the nonprofit dollars that are being distributed? It’s just disproportionate. I mean, they commit more to their nonprofit in a year than Linn County has received in the last 15,” said Gray.

Riverside is the third most visited casino in Iowa, and fourth in terms of revenue. In Fiscal Year 2024, its adjusted gross revenue reached nearly $130 million, a growth of 47 percent in a decade. And many of the Riverside patrons come from Linn County.

“Riverside’s investors have done very well in that project. They would continue to do well; it’s not going to render that facility bankrupt or insolvent. Would it be smaller? Yes. But you know what? Let’s compete. I mean create a better product as I’ve always done and let’s just compete,” said Gray.

If Cedar Crossing gets a license, Linn County is poised to get more than $6 million a year to give to local nonprofits. State law requires casinos to give three percent of gaming revenue to nonprofits. Cedar Crossing says it will give nearly triple that amount and commit eight percent to nonprofits.

In Washington County, it’s clear the impact of those nonprofit dollars. The Washington County Riverboat Foundation holds the gaming license for the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort.

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Since 2006, the Foundation has given out grants totaling $58 million, with the vast majority staying in Washington County. Like the more than half a million-dollar grant for Kalona, in Washington County, from the casino-funded Foundation, and $630 thousand for an expansion on the Wellman Public Library.

The mayor of Cedar Falls, Danny Laudick, spoke to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to oppose a Cedar Rapids Casino.

“This decision not only impacts one city or one county, but all of eastern Iowa, including the small communities that rely on the amenities and services that we’re able to provide as a region because of the support of the existing casinos,” said Laudick.

Parts of Iowa that don’t have casinos also receive a portion of the gaming revenues. But it’s a pittance compared to what counties with casinos get.

In 2022, the Washington County Riverboat Foundation gave the Washington County YMCA $3 million for its new pool.

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That same year, Linn County received a total of $37,000 in grants from gaming revenue. The YMCA in Cedar Rapids received a grant funded through gaming revenue for $10,000 – the largest amount awarded in Linn County.

The state regulators who award licenses commissioned two studies to determine the impact Cedar Crossing would have. On the positive side, one study notes the “Cedar Crossing Casino and Entertainment Center is attractively designed and well located, such that we expect it will be successful in drawing large numbers of Iowa gamblers.”

The studies touted the 300 new jobs, the $6.8 million in added tax revenue for the state and $13.7 million in local tax revenue.

On the negative side, roughly half of Cedar Crossings’ revenue would come from cannibalization – taking money from other casinos.

The largest impact would be on Riverside Casino and Golf Resort. The Marquette Advisors Market Analysis shows Riverside would lose 26 percent of its annual revenue, starting in fiscal year 2029 with a new Cedar Rapids casino. That comes to $34 million Riverside would lose a year.

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Isle of Capri in Waterloo is poised to lose 10 percent of its revenue to cannibalization, or $8.8 million a year. And tribal casino, Meskwaki in Tama, would lose 11 percent or $14.1 million.

“If Cedar Crossing were to go through we’re talking $1.32 million dollars on an annual basis from our commitment to the Riverboat Foundation that would be evaporated,” said Damon.

The money that gaming pumps into the economy, the government and nonprofits is why those outside Linn County want to stop a casino as much as those within it want to have one.



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Top 25 Louisiana Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (1/20/2025)

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Top 25 Louisiana Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (1/20/2025)


District races have begun in earnest across the state. Some leagues will greatly impact the rankings, such as District 5-5A (Catholic-BR, Liberty, Zachary, Central-BR, Scotlandville and Woodlawn). That league, which only plays one round, hasn’t kicked off yet. The robust Catholic League will showcase a terrific matchup this week in St. Augustine vs. Jesuit on Jan. 24.

There is a small slate of games scheduled for Monday, Jan. 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day). Things will grind to a halt on Tuesday and Wednesday with a historic winter storm on the way that will cancel some games and postpone others.

Keep reading to find out our top 25 boys basketball teams in Louisiana.

Previous rank: 1

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Power rating: No. 1 (Division I select)

The Bears defeated Dunham, 63-49, in a Baton Rouge city rivalry game. Matthew Hotstream scored 22 points as Catholic built a 15-point halftime lead on the road, according to Charles Salzer of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Senior Tate McCurry added 20 points.

Previous rank: 2

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I select)

The Patriots defeated St. Helena and Glen Oaks. Liberty has a game on Monday, Jan. 20, against Greenforest High (Georgia) at the MLK Classic in Atlanta. Seniors Malek Robinson (14.9 ppg), Chivas Lee (10.3) and Kareem Washington (10.2) are the leading scorers. Washington is shooting 52% from the field. Junior Devin Houston is averaging 9.7 points, 2.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

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Previous rank: 4

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II select)

The Eagles defeated Woodlawn-BR and McDonogh #35. Shaw erupted for 61 points in the second-half of the 97-61 rout of McDonogh #35, according to Grant Chachere of Crescent City Sports. Freshman Christian Clair posted 20 points. Shaw made 14 3-pointers. Senior Khalil Awogboro also totaled 20 points with five 3s. Kobe Butler and Allen Shaw, who came off the bench, chipped in 15 and 14 points. Triston Naquin was also in double figures (12).

Previous rank: 5

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Power rating: No. 1 (Division III select)

The Cavaliers defeated Homer, Union Parish and Wossman. Bubba Strong’s triple at the buzzer clipped Wossman, 57-55, in a game played Saturday night at Lincoln Prep in Grambling. Robert Wright (2027) led with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists, according to Jimmy Watson of The Shreveport Times. Strong had 12 points. Jaiden Hall added 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. G’Marrion Scott tallied seven points and 11 rebounds.

Previous rank: 6

Power rating: No. 3 (Division II select)

The Warhorses defeated Northside, 62-47, and won the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Classic with a 50-48 victory vs. Springfield (Mass.) Central. Telek Love scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds to nab game MVP honors vs. Springfield. Isaiah Jones had 13 points and nine boards. Braydon Durant finished with six points and 14 rebounds. Hall of Fame coach Charles Smith signed the “iconic Hall of Fame shoe” during the trip.

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Previous rank: 7

Power rating: No. 3 (Division I select)

The Cougars defeated Westgate, 62-40, in the District 4-4A opener, and routed Holy Savior Menard in Alexandria, 75-35. STM made a dozen 3-pointers in the win vs. Menard. Eli Deats, one of the primary perimeter shooters, had 15 points. Trenton Potier contributed 12. An important district game at Northside will take place on Jan. 31.

Previous rank: 3

Power rating: No. 1 (Division I nonselect)

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The Broncos gained wins over Madison Prep and David Thibodaux sandwiched around an 85-82 double overtime loss to Archbishop Hannan. Sophomore Ian Edmond, who led with 29 points vs. Hannan, scored at least20 points in all three games. Xavier Ferguson added 25 vs. Hannan. For the week, Edmond totaled 10 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, and he took two charges in the game vs. David Thibodaux, which was at Madison Prep on Saturday.

Previous rank: 9

Power rating: No. 2 (Division I nonselect)

The Yellow Jackets secured non-district wins over Baton Rouge area foes Episcopal and Parkview Baptist. Jermaine O’Conner (9 of 14 FG) poured in 23 points in the 68-60 win over Parkview Baptist (14-4), which led at halftime, 36-29. Trae Dorsey’s reverse lay-up put Denham Springs ahead 61-54, according to Will Weathers of The Baton Rouge Advocate.

Previous rank: 10

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Power rating: No. 3 (Division I nonselect)

The Wildcats went 3-0 on the week with wins over Donaldsonville, White Castle and Archbishop Rummel. Central pounded Donaldsonville (63-33), which is No. 5 in the Division III nonselect power ratings, with a 10-5 record. Max Tingle and Karter White knocked down 3-pointers in the first quarter of the 73-38 win over White Castle.

Previous rank: 16

Power rating: No. 2 (Division II select)

The Hawks blew out John F. Kennedy, 51-31, which avenged a recent loss to the Cougars. Hannan also won at Zachary, 85-82. AJ Thompson gave the Hawks an 83-82 lead and tacked on two free throws, according to Robin Fambrough of The Baton Rouge Advocate. Drew Timmons had 34 points and 11 rebounds.

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Previous rank: 11

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I select)

The Blue Jays defeated Brother Martin and East Jefferson. After trailing by six points entering the fourth quarter, Jesuit outscored Brother Martin, 18-5, to claim a victory at home by a 52-45 margin, according to Ken Trahan of Crescent City Sports. Brewer Nitcher’s 21 points paced the Blue Jays in the non-district win over its Catholic League rival. Ethan Lapeze and Brennan Pitts had eight points apiece.

Previous rank: 12

Power rating: No. 4 (Division I select)

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The Trojans defeated Northwest, 66-63, and earned a 52-50 win over Neville in the District 2-5A opener. Jordyn Johnson’s long-range 3 from the top of the key provided ASH with a 21-8 lead vs. Neville, which rallied at home. Marcus Bolden made it 27-22 with another 3. Trey Dorty put the game on ice with a steal.

Previous rank: 13

Power rating: No. 6 (Division II select)

The Blazers won on the road in overtime, 62-59, against Cecilia, and handled LaGrange, 85-42. LCCP beat is previous season high of 70 points. Jaiven Matthews had 23 points. Izayha Brown added 21.

Previous rank: 14

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Power rating: No. 5 (Division I select)

The Purple Knights defeated Frederick A. Douglass , Chalmette and Young Audiences Charter. St. Aug won at home (50-48) against Douglass (16-5). Shooting guard Tye Williams recently returned from injury, according to Spencer Urquhart of The New Orleans Advocate.

Previous rank: 8

Power rating: No. 1 (Division II nonselect)

The Wildcats won the District 2-4A opener vs. Tioga, 68-56, with losses to Carroll (61-55) and Calvary Baptist. Wossman is scheduled to travel to Peabody on Jan. 21.

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Previous rank: 15

Power rating: No. 10 (Division I nonselect)

The Bearcats defeated West Monroe and Pineville. Sophomore Ahmad Hudson accounted for 28 points and 26 rebounds with six blocked shots in the 73-63 win over West Monroe, according to Matt Belinson of The Ruston Daily Leader. Hudson (6-8) scored 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Bearcats rallied from a five-point third-quarter deficit.

Previous rank: 17

Power rating: No. 2 (Division III select)

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The Class 2A Cajuns downed Class 5A Hahnville (57-43) and Edna Karr (59-51). Upcoming opponents include De La Salle (12-5), Vandebilt Catholic (16-5), Madison Prep (14-6), McDonogh #35 (16-6) and H.L. Bourgeois (11-10).

Previous rank: 19

Power rating: No. 4 (Division I nonselect)

The Chiefs defeated Haughton in the District 1-5A opener, 71-27, and are scheduled to travel to small school power Negreet (17-5) this week. Ja’Dell Demery had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the win over Haughton.

Previous rank: 20

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Power rating: No. 7 (Division II select)

The Vikings lost at Peabody and defeated Jennings. Northside plays its District 4-4A opener at home vs. St. Thomas More on Jan. 31.

Previous rank: 22

Power rating: No. 6 (Division I nonselect)

The Lions defeated Sterlington and West Monroe. Freshman Darren Ford scored 22 points and made two clutch free throws in the 66-64 Districtr 1-5A win over West Monroe, according to Megan Murray of KNOE-TV.

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Previous rank: 23

Power rating: No. 1 (Class B)

The Cardinals defeated Loreauville and St. Louis Catholic. Lacassine exploded for a 49-19 halftime lead vs. Loreauville (11-4) and went on to win, 77-64, according to poster CJR3888 on the Louisiana Sportsline message board. 6-foot-4 Kane Broussard is a top scorer.

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 7 (Division I select)

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Ponchatoula is 2-0 in league play with a 63-40 win over Hammond (15-5) and a 96-85 overtime win over Covington (15-5). The Green Wave’s losses have been to teams with a combined record of 75-12. U-High (11-6), which defeated the Wave by three points earlier this month, has half of that group’s setbacks.

Previous rank: Not ranked

Power rating: No. 9 (Division I select)

The Raiders have won five straight games since a loss to Captain Shreve, which it avenged. Against a box-and-one defense, sophomore Peyton Parker helped his team to a win over Carroll with 11 assists, 10 rebounds and four steals, according to The Basketball Tribune X page. 6-foot-6 junior Antonio Dixon is scoring 10.1 ppg and shooting 55%.

Previous rank: 21

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Power rating: No. 3 (Division II nonselect)

The Bulldogs lost to Huntington and Wossman and defeated Wossman, showing again that they’re capable of taking down any opponent on a given night.

Previous rank: 18

Power rating: No. 6 (Division II select)

The Chargers snapped a four-game losing streak with a win over Hahnville on Saturday. The last two setbacks – to St. Aug and Zachary – were by one and six points.

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Dropped Out: No. 24 John F. Kennedy (17-5), No. 25 Holy Cross (16-3)

Watch List: Sulphur (18-4), Northshore (12-5), East Ascension (15-4), Minden (13-1), Opelousas (12-4) Franklin Parish (14-5), Brusly (15-2), Red River (15-3), Marksville (18-6), Ferriday (18-4), Franklin (11-3), Lakeview (15-4), John Curtis (15-5), Holy Cross (16-3), LB Landry (15-7), Bonnabel (13-6), Scotlandville (14-5), David Thibodaux (17-4), Sophie B Wright (13-5), Vandebilt Catholic (16-5), McKinley (10-7), University Lab (11-6), Frederick Douglass (16-5), St. Michael (16-7), Dunham (12-4), Newman (11-5), Rosepine (18-3), John F. Kennedy (17-5), De La Salle (12-5), Catholic New Iberia (9-7), Lincoln Prep (13-6), Crescent City (10-6), Avoyelles Public Charter (14-5), Zwolle (15-7), Pleasant Hill (19-5), Hicks (24-6), Quitman (19-2), Negreet (17-5), Loreauville (11-4), Mamou (17-4), Madison Parish (17-3)





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