Louisiana

Nicholls to host Louisiana’s Restoration Generation Coastal Summit

Published

1 year ago

February 22, 2025

Nicholls to host Louisiana’s Restoration Generation Coastal Summit

Nicholls State University is going to host a big first in the continued fight to raise awareness in our state’s continued fight against coastal erosion.

Nicholls will host the inaugural Louisiana’s Restoration Generation Coastal Summit on March 12, 2025 in the Cotillion Ballroom.

The event will be hosted from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and it is sponsored by Restore the Mississippi River Delta and the Nicholls Mass Communication Department. The event aims to explore issues related to conservation in Coastal Louisiana while inspiring the next generation of coastal advocates.

During the day, there will be presentations, panel discussions, coastal and cultural vendors, live Cajun music and more.

Bren Haase is the executive director of the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program. Haase will deliver a keynote presentation on ‘Restoration in the Barataria and Terrebonne Estuaries.’

The panels will include ‘The People of our Coast,’ ‘Careers in Coastal Restoration,’ and ‘Louisiana’s Restoration Generation: Students Making an Impact.’

“We are thrilled to partner with Nicholls State University for the first Coastal Summit. This event is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn about Louisiana’s land loss crisis and discover solutions they can directly plug into to help, while also exploring careers in coastal restoration. By engaging in these critical discussions, these students are standing up for their coast— helping to drive meaningful discussions that can help shape the future of Louisiana’s coast,” said Emily Guidry Schatzel, senior communications manager for Restore the Mississippi River Delta.

Attendees can register and secure their spot at the event at Nicholls.edu/maco/coastal-summit.

Registration is not required, but it is encouraged. Registrants will receive a conference bag, discounted Louisiana-themed lunch in the Vernon F. Galliano Dining Hall and entry into a raffle drawing.

The summit is free and the public is invited to attend. Pre-registration at the above-listed website closes on March 6.

The inaugural Summit is part of a service learning project for students who are studying Environmental Communication, Global Communication and Public Relations.

Louisiana’s Restoration Generation is a movement of college students who aim to engage the college student population on issues of concern in Coastal Louisiana, while encouraging students to explore career paths in restoration industries. They also aim to inspire students to become conservation advocates for Coastal Louisiana.

It is part of the Nancy Sanderson Matherne Institute for Global Communication in the Nicholls Department of Mass Communication

“Communication on coastal issues is something important to us in the Department of Mass Communication. We see this as an opportunity to give our students important real-world experience while making an impactful difference for our community and our state,” said Nicki Boudreaux, assistant professor of Mass Communication and director of the NSM Institute for Global Communication. “This is our opportunity to create a movement.”

For more information, contact nicki.boudreaux@nicholls.edu.

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Louisiana

Louisiana to redraw congressional map after court ruling

Published

42 minutes ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana to redraw congressional map after court ruling

A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.

Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.

The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.

“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”

The move would work in favor of incumbent 6^th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.

The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.

The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.

According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.

The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.

It amounts to an intricate balancing act.

“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.

“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”

Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.

“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.

“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”

One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.

“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”

The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.

“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “

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Louisiana

Neuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died

Published

13 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Neuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died

Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.

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Louisiana

Louisiana State Police arrest 18-year-old in Vidalia crash t…

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana State Police arrest 18-year-old in Vidalia crash t…

VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.

Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.

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