Louisiana
Ragin’ Cajuns threaten upset of Louisiana Tech, but lose seventh straight game
Until the UL Ragin’ Cajuns get a full contingent of players, they will have to settle for silver linings.
Kentrell Garnett was a good place to start and end in Sunday night’s 69-58 home loss to a hot Louisiana Tech team (8-2). Garnett was the only player in double-digits with 23 points for UL, shooting 9 of 15 from the field, including 5-of-8 on 3-pointers, with four rebounds.
“It was a good college basketball game between two rivals,” UL coach Bob Marlin said. “There were some positive things out there today. We’re going to continue to work on those. We’ll continue to work on the negatives.”
UL (1-8) took an 18-16 lead as Garnett knocked down his first five shots, four of which were 3-pointers. He only missed one field goal in the first half and went into halftime with 16 of UL’s 34 points.
“You know, he’s a 40-plus percent 3-point shooter,” Marlin said of Garnett. “Once he got a couple in tonight, he really felt it. We’ve missed him.”
Similar to its last game, a one-point loss to Nicholls State, the Cajuns went cold at the beginning of the second half. UL made 2 of its first 11 field goals in the second half, while the Bulldogs made 5 of 11 from the field to slowly built a lead.
“We did a good job in the first half, but we should’ve had the lead,” said Marlin, whose team led by as many as five (30-25) and was tied 34-34 at halftime. “We misplayed a couple of things. Offensively, we had nine field goals in the second half, and we didn’t guard the way we should have.”
There were 11 lead changes in the first half, which ended with the Cajuns struggling to find the mark with no field goals over the final four minutes.
Zeke Cook came off the bench early and hit two shots, which was a punch UL needed after Kyran Ratliff, who scored a career-high 25 points against Nicholls, picked up two quick fouls and was limited to one point in the first half.
A Cook free throw got UL within 59-51 with five minutes left. The Cajuns forced a turnover, and Kyndall Davis (seven points, seven rebounds) scored inside to cut it to six, but Tech answered and UL missed on its next possession.
Thomas, Cook and Davis each had seven points for the Cajuns, whose field goal percentage dropped from 46 to 36% after halftime.
Tech, which had four players in double-digits led by Daniel Batcho’s double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds) outrebounded UL 36-22 with a 42-24 advantage on points in the paint. The Bulldogs committed eight turnovers to the Cajuns’ 20) and had a 14-8 edge in second-chance points.
“We should have more size on Wednesday when we’ll hopefully add a couple of players,” said Marlin, who has been without four players and expects to get Brandon Hardy and Jeremiah Evans back soon — possibly in time for Wednesday’s home game against Southeastern Louisiana.
Louisiana
Lower fees coming to homeowner insurance in Louisiana but premiums still high • Louisiana Illuminator
Homeowners in Louisiana will see a small discount on the fees they pay on top of their property insurance premiums this year.
The Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Directors voted Thursday to bring an early end to a 1.36% assessment added to all residential and commercial property insurance policies in the state. Louisiana Citizens is the state-run insurer of last resort for homeowners in environmentally risky areas who cannot find coverage on the private market.
The assessment, which goes toward paying off bonds for debt that Louisiana Citizens incurred from paying claims from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, was originally set to expire in June 2026 but will now end this April.
Gov. Landry signs Temple-backed insurance package
Additionally, those insured through Louisiana Citizens will no longer have to pay a 10% surcharge when they begin a new policy or renew their existing policy this year. The waiver, part of newly enacted legislation, took effect on Jan. 1 and will last for the next three years.
Both changes are part of Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple’s efforts to tame skyrocketing insurance rates in Louisiana.
“When Commissioner Temple took office and became chair of the Citizens Board of Directors, he encouraged our staff to find innovative ways for Louisiana Citizens to operate more efficiently and find savings for policyholders,” Louisiana Citizens CEO Richard Newberry said in a press release. “Our team identified this opportunity and brought it to the board for approval at today’s meeting.”
Although most policyholders will see relatively small savings from the changes, Temple said every little bit helps.
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Louisiana
Centenary College of Louisiana kicked off its year-long bicentennial celebration Wednesday
On a bright and chilly winter day, Centenary College of Louisiana kicked off its bicentennial year with a birthday celebration including a proclamation from the City of Shreveport and music by Centenary choir.
It was a grand start to the bicentennial year. Centenary College of Louisiana president, Dr. Christopher L. Holoman said, “we are really excited to be looking back at 200 years, an amazing history. We are so proud of that, but we are even prouder of what we are going to be in the future.”
Centenary College of Louisiana is a national liberal arts college in the heart of Shreveport. This college is deemed the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River, founded in 1825.
Holoman said, “200 years is an amazing length of time…Centenary is older than time zones. Centenary is older than golden doodles.”
City of Shreveport mayor, Tom Arceneaux read the citywide proclamation and said, “I am thrilled to be here for more than one reason. One, I’m really glad that Centenary is 200 years old. And two I’m glad to be here 12 days after hip replacement surgery.”
Wednesday’s birthday party is just the start of year-long celebration of special events and gatherings. These events include:
- special exhibit at the College’s Meadows Museum of Art
- festive neighborhood party during the Krewe of Highland Mardi Gras parade
- alumni trip to Centenary’s original campus in Jackson, Louisiana
- campus art stroll showcasing the talents of the Centenary community
The bicentennial commemoration will conclude with a gala event, Spotlight Centenary, in December 2025.
To keep up with all the bicentennial year events visit centenary200.com.
Makenzie Boucher is a reporter with the Shreveport Times. Contact her at mboucher@gannett.com.
SHREVEPORT, LAFAYETTE, MONROE, ALEXANDRIA, LAKE CHARLES La. (KALB) – On January 8, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced that Brandon Brown would resign as as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana.
As U.S. Attorney for the Western District of La., Brown acted as the chief law enforcement officer for 42 of 64 parishes in the state, overseeing every federal civil and criminal case in the district.
Brown’s last day in office is set for January 20.
Brown was nominated to the position on November 15, 2021 by President Joe Biden, was confirmed by the Senate on December 7 and sworn in on December 10.
U.S. Attorney Brown released the following statement about his tenure:
During his tenure, Brown became the U.S. Fifth Circuit’s representative on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s Attorney General Advisory Committee (AGAC), which assists the AG in creating policy for each of the 94 districts.
According to the release, U.S. Attorney Brown prosecuted hundreds of firearms cases and set a high priority on those related to drugs, public corruption, child pornography, and human trafficking.
They said due to these efforts, both Monroe and Shreveport saw significant decline in violent crime rates.
Alexander Van Hook will reportedly assume the role of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana until a successor can be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.
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