Louisiana

Most Louisiana lawmakers in the dark about ethics board nomination process, Democrat rep says • Louisiana Illuminator

Published

1 year ago

December 13, 2024

Most Louisiana lawmakers in the dark about ethics board nomination process, Democrat rep says • Louisiana Illuminator

A Democratic legislator is criticizing the Louisiana House of Representatives’ leadership for their lack of transparency about the chamber’s selection of a future state ethics board member.

The full House must approve its appointees to the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Yet only one person, former state lawmaker Mike Huval, a Republican from Breaux Bridge, was nominated for the House’s board seat that opens up in 2025.

With no competition, Huval, a longtime friend of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, will win the post by default.

State Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, claims more ethics board candidates weren’t proposed because House members were in the dark about the nomination process. State representatives didn’t realize they could submit their own picks for the board until it was too late to do so, she said.

“I don’t like the fact that other members of this body didn’t have the opportunity to put forth nominations for this seat,” Newell said Thursday during a House and Governmental Affairs Committee meeting on Huval’s nomination.

“I hope it’s a more transparent process in the future,” she said.

The ethics board selection process changed dramatically this year after the governor and GOP legislators rewrote the state laws concerning its makeup. For years, Landry has had a strained relationship with the ethics board, which has cited him multiple times for campaign finance and ethics law violations.

In previous years, leaders from Louisiana’s private colleges and universities vetted ethics board candidates and put forward a short list of nominees to the governor and legislators for the 11 ethics board seats. The House and Senate then held elections to choose from those candidates to fill their board posts. Previous governors picked their appointees from the lists the college leaders compiled.

With the law change, the governor and lawmakers now pick their board appointees directly without the involvement of the college administrators. The board has also been expanded to 15 seats.

The House and Senate will still hold elections for their six board members, but it’s unclear how candidates such as Huval get on the ballot. Landry and legislators didn’t include a new process for picking the ethics board nominees when they rewrote the law earlier this year.

Newell said House members were never solicited for nominations or given information about how the new board selection process would work.

“If this is the only stop, we need to make sure that we have multiple candidates that are in front of us,” she said.

Previous ethics board candidates also came with more thorough background checks, Newell said. In the past, she was given reports from Louisiana State Police and the state Department of Revenue on nominees before a committee interview took place.

Rep. Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, said he personally put forward Huval’s name to House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, for the ethics board seat.

Beaullieu, chairman of the House and Governmental Affairs Committee, chastised Newell for not doing the same.

“You have had since April or May to talk to the speaker about a nomination,” he told Newell, referencing when the ethics board overhaul legislation initially passed. “You had all the opportunity after the bill passed.”

Beaullieu also said he went out of his way to ensure transparency in the ethics board nominating process by holding a committee hearing on Huval’s selection. The law doesn’t require the House and Governmental Affairs Committee to interview candidates ahead of time, he said.

In addition to being a former legislator, Huval has ties to the governor that go back three decades.

Landry and Huval are both from St. Martin Parish. Landry’s first political job was working for the St. Martin Parish Economic Development Authority in the mid-1990s at the same time Huval was serving on the St. Martin Parish council.

Despite Newell’s objections, she and the other House and Governmental Affairs Committee members endorsed Huval for the ethics board seat without any objections.

Newell said she personally likes Huval, who served in the House from 2010 to 2024, and thinks he will do a good job in the position.

“This is not about you,” she told Huval. “This is about how this process has happened and taken place.”

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Louisiana

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

Published

3 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

State Treasurer John Fleming accuses Jeff Landry of interfering in Louisiana Senate race

BATON ROUGE (KNOE) – Louisiana State Treasurer John Fleming is accusing Governor Jeff Landry of interfering with the state Senate race, which Fleming is a part of.

Fleming took to social media to accuse Landry of working “behind the scenes” to get Congresswoman Julia Letlow elected to the Senate.

According to Fleming, Dr. Ralph Abraham offered him the position of Deputy Director of the CDC shortly before announcing he was stepping down. Fleming said he politely declined.

A week later, news broke that Abraham is now leading Letlow’s Senate campaign.

“We know that Jeff has been heavily lobbying the Trump campaign team for the endorsement, he is pressuring the Republican Party of Louisiana and the Republican Executive Committees to support and endorse Letlow as well,” Fleming wrote on Facebook. “And, he is personally calling his donors to raise big money to save the Letlow campaign.

Landry formally endorsed Letlow for the U.S. Senate on March 4. Letlow also has the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

“We need a warrior who stands with the President to Make America Great. And there’s no greater warrior than a Louisiana mom,” Landry wrote on Facebook.

Fleming continued his commentary, asking when Landry will stop interfering with the state’s Senate race.

“Who is best to decide who represents you in Washington? Jeff Landry, or YOU?” Fleming asked.

Also in the heated race is incumbent Bill Cassidy, M.D.

Party primary elections in Louisiana are set for May 16, 2026.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for March 3, 2026

Published

15 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 3, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from March 3 drawing

07-21-53-54-62, Mega Ball: 16

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 3 drawing

6-8-3

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 3 drawing

3-6-7-4

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 3 drawing

0-8-3-2-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past

The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.

Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, is accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years. Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office

The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.

He was arrested in October.

Booking photo of Misty Clanton Roberts. — Brandon’s sister, Misty, the ex-mayor of DeRidder, Louisiana, allegedly raped her son’s teenage friend. AP

That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.

Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.

She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.

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