Louisiana
More Louisiana homeowners left in the lurch as insurer UPC pulls out of state
BATON ROUGE, La. (WVUE) – About 33,000 extra Louisiana owners are about to be notified that they need to discover new property insurance coverage, as troubled provider United Property & Casualty introduced plans Wednesday (Dec. 7) to tug out of the state.
Insurance coverage Commissioner Jim Donelon’s workplace issued a press release confirming the information. It’s believed to be at the least the tenth insurance coverage firm to cease writing insurance policies in Louisiana this yr.
Florida-based UPC is sending written notices of non-renewal to about 33,000 policyholders whose present insurance policies are scheduled to finish in 2023. These notices shall be delivered at the least 30 days earlier than these prospects’ protection finish date.
One other 3,000 UPC prospects, whose insurance policies have been to run out between Nov. 26-Dec. 31, will obtain an bill and a chance for prolonged protection, adopted by a discover of non-renewal at the least 30 days earlier than their prolonged protection finish date.
Associated protection
UPC’s monetary score was downgraded in August. On the time, Donelon stated the corporate’s new score nonetheless was adequate for Fannie Mae-backed mortgages, so not all of UPC’s Louisiana policyholders can be initially affected. However these with mortgages backed by Freddie Mac have been being force-placed by the lender into rather more costly protection.
Wednesday’s announcement, nevertheless, left all the corporate’s Louisiana policyholders needing new protection.
“The Florida Workplace of Insurance coverage Regulation discovered that UPC’s plan for exiting the market supplies an inexpensive foundation to assist an orderly and solvent runoff of its insurance policies,” Donelon’s workplace stated in a press release. “The LDI (Louisiana Division of Insurance coverage) encourages UPC policyholders to intently monitor their mail for any communication from the corporate.
“UPC will proceed dealing with excellent claims for its policyholders. Policyholders who really feel their declare has not been correctly resolved by their insurer could name the LDI at (800) 259-5300 and file a criticism.”
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Louisiana
Louisiana (LHSAA) high school football playoffs: quarterfinals schedule, matchups, times, scores, 2024 brackets
The Louisiana high school football playoffs continued last week, and now it’s time for Round 3 — the state quarterfinals.
Stick with High School on SI for complete coverage of the 2024 LHSAA football playoffs.
Here are the Louisiana high school football playoff brackets, with matchups and game times for every LHSAA division:
(1) Vermilion Catholic vs. (8) St. Edmund
Friday
7 p.m.
(12) Kentwood vs. (13) Southern Lab
Friday
7 p.m.
(3) Covenant Christian vs. (11) Ouachita Christian
Friday
7 p.m.
(2) Ascension Catholic vs. (7) Riverside Academy
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Haynesville vs. (9) Welsh
Friday
7:30 p.m.
(4) Jeanerette vs. (12) General Trass
Friday
7 p.m.
(6) Logansport vs. (19) Franklin
Friday
7 p.m.
(2) South Plaquemines vs. (7) Mangham
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Dunham vs. (9) Lafayette Christian
Friday
7 p.m.
(4) Jewel Sumner vs. (5) Bunkie
Friday
7 p.m.
(3) Calvary Baptist vs. (6) Episcopal
Friday
7 p.m.
(2) Isidore Newman vs. (7) Catholic – N.I.
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) St. James vs. (9) Pine
Friday
7 p.m.
(4) Kinder vs. (5) Union Parish
Friday
7 p.m.
(3) Oak Grove vs. (6) Sterlington
Friday
7 p.m.
(7) Jena vs. (15) Loreauville
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Archbishop Shaw vs. (8) John F. Kennedy
Friday
7 p.m.
(5) Madison Prep vs. (13) Istrouma
Friday
7 p.m.
(3) E.D. White vs. (6) Vanderbilt Catholic
Friday
7 p.m.
(7) Leesville vs. (18) Booker T. Washington – N.O.
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Franklinton vs. (8) Lakeshore
Friday
7 p.m.
(4) Franklin Parish vs. (5) Iowa
Friday
7 p.m.
(6) Plaquemine vs. (14) Opelousas
Friday
7 p.m.
(7) North DeSoto vs. (18) Cecilia
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Edna Karr vs. (8) St. Thomas More
Friday
7 p.m.
(4) Catholic – B.R. vs. (5) Archbishop Rummel
Friday
7 p.m.
(6) Teurlings Catholic vs. (19) John Curtis Christian
Friday
7 p.m.
(2) Alexandria vs. (10) C.E. Byrd
Friday
7 p.m.
(1) Neville vs. (24) Chalmette
Friday
7 p.m.
(4) Central – B.R. vs. (21) West Monroe
Friday
7 p.m.
(3) Ruston vs. (6) Southside
Friday
7 p.m.
(2) Airline vs. (10) Destrehan
Friday
7 p.m.
To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
Louisiana
Genetic testing shows more Gulf of Mexico shrimp at Louisiana seafood market, festival • Louisiana Illuminator
A joint WVUE-TV Fox and Louisiana Illuminator investigation into shrimp sold at festival and market vendors in the New Orleans area found most of the samples to be domestic.
The results could indicate retailers and event organizers are becoming more careful about how they label and present their dishes.
The samples of shrimp were collected from nine vendors at an area seafood market in early November and from five vendors Oct. 6 at the Gretna Heritage Festival. Only one of the samples, which came from a non-restaurant vendor at the Gretna Fest, tested positive as foreign. All nine samples from the seafood market were from the Gulf of Mexico, the analysis found.
The testing was performed by SeaD Consulting, a food safety technology company that recently developed a rapid seafood species identification test. Dave Williams, a Houston resident, developed the process in collaboration with Florida State University microbiologist Prashant Singh.
“I grew up in the fishing communities,” Williams said. “It’s important to me.”
Their technology examines tissue for specific DNA markers unique to a species of Asian shrimp commonly raised in aquaculture farms.
The Illuminator and WVUE-TV Fox 8 independently collected the shrimp samples and shipped them to Singh’s laboratory at Florida State, following an industry standard chain-of-custody protocol.
Last month, SeaD Consulting used its own team to collect seven samples from the inaugural Louisiana Shrimp Festival in New Orleans. Testing from that event showed all seven samples were domestic, though that was expected considering the event served as a fundraiser for local shrimpers.
Those results are a far cry from those seen at the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival in Morgan City, where four out of five vendors evaluated during the Labor Day weekend event were serving shrimp that tested positive for foreign genetic markers.
A similar story unfolded a few weeks later at the National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, on Oct. 12. Testing by SeaD Consulting at that event revealed four out of five samples were farm-raised imports.
News of the Louisiana Shrimp & Petroleum Festival results sparked immediate outrage from consumers and public officials who have been trying for years to address the ongoing problem of imported seafood. State Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, publicly excoriated Shrimp & Petroleum Festival organizers for allowing its vendors to undermine Louisiana’s unique culture and “openly violate Louisiana law” for years.
Williams said he believes word of his testing has gotten out to festival and market organizers, prompting them to consider stricter rules for food vendors. He has now turned his attention to the restaurant industry, which he said has been more resistant to change.
“We don’t want to stop people promoting their product in a manner that helps them sell it,” Williams said. “So if they’re going to put boats on the wall, if they’re going to have nets, if they’re going to imply that they’re local, then, for God’s sake, serve local product.”
State laws require restaurants and anyone else selling seafood in Louisiana to label it as such, but the state never adequately funded enforcement of the laws. Ambiguity in state law prevented health inspectors from levying fines even after recording more than 2,600 violations since 2019. Lawmakers rectified that issue with legislation passed in May, calling for stricter enforcement.
Laws at the federal level have seen a recent step-up in enforcement.
Last summer, U.S. Food & Drug Administration agents arrested the owners of an iconic Mississippi Gulf Coast restaurant and their seafood wholesalers on charges related to a decades-long fish substitution scheme. The individuals pleaded guilty to felonies ranging from wire fraud to mislabeling seafood.
In the wake of that case, the Federal Trade Commission adopted new guidance in October to clarify that restaurant decor, imagery, menu descriptions and slogans that suggest their seafood is local could be illegal if the restaurant is not actually serving domestic catch, according to Reuters.
According to some estimates, upwards of 80% to 90% of seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. The foreign seafood industry has a number of problems. Some seafood companies have been caught using slave labor for commercial fishing and processing, and testing of imported seafood in Louisiana revealed the presence of banned veterinary chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans.
Louisiana shrimper and seafood retailer David Chauvin said the influx of cheap imported shrimp has decimated the domestic industry.
“For us to compete with imported shrimp, we can’t,” he said. “If we keep going down this road, we’ll be out of business.”
Chauvin said he believes regular genetic testing at restaurants and festivals could make a big difference for the industry. He and other shrimpers have been asking for tighter regulations for years, but he said there are many big businesses making a lot of money from the status quo. The state should at least require all state institutions, such as schools and prisons, to prohibit serving imported shrimp, he said.
Chauvin’s idea was actually included in legislation Louisiana approved in May that will take effect Jan. 1. The new law will require all local school districts, state agencies and state institutions that serve seafood to use only domestic shrimp and crawfish. It will also set much stricter country-of-origin laws for restaurants, prohibitions against vague menu descriptions, clear enforcement authorizations for state agencies and much higher fines for labeling violations by retailers and wholesalers.
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Louisiana
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