Louisiana
Report ranks Louisiana last for at risk youth, citing unemployment, poverty, health, education
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A new study ranks Louisiana as the worst state for the highest percentage of at-risk youth, another survey in which the state ranks last in key quality of life metrics.
The WalletHub report released this week showed Louisiana with the highest percentage of at risk youth based on 15 indicators.
Among the WalletHub findings:
Louisiana ranked first in highest percentage of disconnected youth, described as people 18 to 24 who aren’t working or attending school, second in percentage of youth without a high school diploma, 12th in percentage of overweight and obese youth and the third worst youth poverty rate.
Overall, about one in five Louisianians live in poverty and one in five also receive federal food assistance.
“Louisiana is the state with the most at-risk youth, largely because it has the highest share of people ages 18 to 24 who are not attending school, not working and have no degree beyond high school,” WallletHub analyst Cassandra Happe said in a statement. “This represents 17.7% of young adults in the state. In addition, Louisiana has the second-highest share of people ages 18 to 24 without a high school diploma, the third-highest youth poverty rate and the third-highest teen birth rate in the country.”
The WalletHub study follows Louisiana’s ranking last for the second straight year in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2024 Best States report, which cited an atmosphere of violent crime, poisonous industrial pollution, poverty and a dwindling population among the state’s hardships.
It also tracks with last year’s Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranking Louisiana 49th for child well-being.
More: Most Louisiana residents have negative outlook on direction of state: Here’s why
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
Louisiana
LDWF Announces $5.2 Million for Conservation Projects through the Louisiana Outdoors Forever Program
Today, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) announced that the Louisiana Outdoor Forever (LOF) Project Selection Board voted to fund 5 conservation projects in Louisiana based on the review, evaluation, and scoring received from LOF’s Technical Advisory Board. The LOF program will allocate $921,350 and leverage $4.29 million for a total conservation investment of $5.21 million to these projects. The LOF program is administered by the LDWF and helps Louisiana become more competitive in securing grant opportunities.
Projects selected for funding:
Project Name
Project Location
Organization
Funding Amount Requested
Match Funds
Total Project Amount
Bayou L’Ours Phase V Terraces
Golden Meadow, Lafourche Parish, LA; 29°24’44.71″N, 90°8’52.90″W
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with Lafourche Parish
$213,500.00
$3,485,641.00
$3,699,141.00
Enhancing Wood Duck Habitat in Pearl River WMA through Duck Box Installation and Community Ed.
Pearl River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) below Indian Village Road on West and Middle Pearl River
Southern Quacker Wildlife Conservation (SQWC) / Partner with LDWF
$8,000.00
$6,000.00
$14,000.00
Enhancing Mottled Duck Breeding Habitat in Southwest Louisiana
Multiple parishes in Southwest Louisiana
Ducks Unlimited / Partner with LDWF
$100,000.00
$200,000.00
$300,000.00
Napoleonville Bayou Access and Emergency Boat Launch Project
Bayou Lafourche – right descending bank; Assumption Parish
Bayou Lafourche Fresh Water District
$500,000.00
$500,000.00
$1,000,000.00
Beechwood-Bayou Sara Tunica Hills Protection
Beechwood Tract and Sleepy Hollow Tract in West Feliciana Parish
The Nature Conservancy / partner with LDWF
$99,850.00
$99,850.00
$199,700.00
Total
$921,350.00
$4,291,491.00
$5,212,841.00
The Louisiana Outdoors Forever (LOF) Program was created during the 2022 legislative session with House Bill 762 to provide funding for outdoor conservation projects across the state.
You can also sign up for meeting and Louisiana Outdoors Forever press releases by visiting here and selecting an interest of “Conservation.”
ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – Economic development is on the rise in Cenla and across the Pelican State, and leaders hope to capitalize on it.
Adam Knapp was the keynote speaker at a meeting for the Rotary Club of Alexandria this week. He leads the organization “Leaders for a Better Louisiana” as its CEO.
Knapp said the biggest concern they’ve seen is that some regions of the state do really well with development and some have had a tougher time of it.
What Knapp said he’s been impressed by is the state writing a brand new economic development strategy plan, which he said hasn’t been done in almost 20 years.
“They did that where they kind of quilted together a plan from Louisiana Central, a plan from Southwest Louisiana, from Northeast, Northwest Louisiana, and they said, ‘We need a statewide plan that is a combination of all the things all our metro areas need in order to drive successful economic development visions forward,’” he explained.
Knapp said it’s up to citizens and community leaders to ask for a focus on jobs from state leaders.
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Louisiana State Police said Monday they are looking for any information that could help identify a pedestrian who was killed late last month while walking along Interstate 55 on the northshore.
The pedestrian, a Black man with dreadlocks thought to be between the ages of 18 and 25, was killed early on Oct. 27 when he was hit by two cars on I-55 in Hammond. The man had “T.B.T.” tattooed on his inner left arm and “Long Live LJ” on the inside of his right arm. He was about 5 feet 9 inches tall.
Anyone with information that could help identify the man is urged to contact Louisiana State Police at (985) 893-6250.
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