Louisiana

Some Louisiana justices will take the money and run

Published

2 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Some Louisiana justices will take the money and run

Louisiana lawmakers this year decided to give judges a one-time pay bump, similar to what they gave public school teachers, but with one significant distinction: Teachers will get a $2,000 stipend; judges will get from roughly $15,000 to almost $17,700 each.

Lemme say right up front that I believe the vast majority of Louisiana’s judges, like the vast majority of teachers, deserve better pay.

Ah, there’s the rub.

Clancy DuBos

Photo by Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune

The recent stipend that legislators gave to judges was intended to be paid out over the course of the current fiscal year, as the money is earned — similar to how teachers have received their non-recurring stipends in recent years.

But six of the seven Louisiana Supreme Court justices decided to take their stipends in one lump sum — in advance — this week. Worse, the six justices (all except Chief Justice John Weimer) decreed that all other judges must do likewise or forfeit the stipend altogether. And most galling of all, two of the justices will leave the court in the coming months, and thus pocket a full year’s stipend for no more than a half year’s work.

The decision to jam the lower court judges came in response to a request from several of them to do the right thing and take the stipend incrementally, after it is earned, which is what common sense and the Louisiana Constitution require.

In effect, the six justices are forcing lower court judges to join their money grab in order to give themselves cover, the law be damned.

Public opinion of the judiciary is already low. The six Supremes’ decision to take the money and run will only make things worse.

One-time “bonuses” to Louisiana public employees are outlawed by our state constitution — unless the payments are made after future services are rendered. They cannot be extra compensation for past services already rendered and paid for.

That’s not my opinion. It’s from a 2010 Louisiana Attorney General’s opinion, citing a landmark Louisiana Supreme Court decision known as the Cabela’s case. It’s why teachers get their stipends periodically, typically after each semester.

It’s also what lawmakers intended when they voted to give the judges a pay bump.

“The legislative intent was to spread it out over the year, but I guess we should have been more specific in the language,” state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, told The Times-Picayune | The Advocate. McFarland chairs the House Appropriations Committee and authored the bill that included the stipend.

Lawmakers also added a condition for judges receiving the stipend: participation in a “workpoint study” designed track the workloads and output of judicial districts and potentially individual judges. The study would help lawmakers decide which courts need to be expanded and which should be reduced in size.

Which explains why some judges don’t want to see such a study happen.

State Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, R-Houma, has pushed for a workpoint study for years, to no avail. Zeringue, who previously chaired the appropriations panel for four years, confirmed McFarland’s comment on legislators’ intent regarding the stipend being paid out periodically.

The justices are not the only ones flouting the clear legislative intent, however. Gov. Jeff Landry line-item vetoed the workpoint study requirement — but left the stipend intact.

That means taxpayers will foot the roughly $6 million cost of the judicial stipend, but we’ll never know which judges actually earn the extra dough. We can, however, identify some who definitely won’t earn it.

Associate Supreme Court Justice James Genovese will pocket $15,280 up front but leave the court by mid-September, when he will become Landry’s hand-picked president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. By leaving early, Genovese will technically earn less than 20% of the stipend. He’ll also will get a handsome pay raise at Northwestern, plus housing and other perks, on top of his enhanced judicial retirement.

Associate Justice Scott Crichton likewise will take the same $15,280 in advance but not serve past Dec. 31, when his current term expires. Crichton has already reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He’ll earn only half of his stipend.

Several other judges likewise are set to receive the full stipend but only work half a year.

It’s a shame that the avarice of a few jurists will reflect badly on all judges, most of whom work hard to uphold the notion of an independent judiciary. They deserve better.

The Legislature, through the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, should correct this abuse by ensuring that judges who rightly decline to take the up-front money still get it periodically, as the law requires, after they’ve earned it.

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Louisiana

Importance of protecting your skin during the hot Louisiana summer

Published

9 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Importance of protecting your skin during the hot Louisiana summer

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Skin protection is important, but it is especially critical when living in a warm state like Louisiana.

The summer months in the Pelican State are smothered in warm temperatures and the lasting humidity.

Baton Rouge General Hospital recommends wearing sunscreen, hats, long sleeves and staying inside during the hottest part of the day, to best avoid exposure to the heat. SPF of 30 and above is suggested. And one spray is only just the beginning, experts say reapplication every two hours is necessary if staying outside for long periods of time.

It is also important to monitor the UV index, a number from 1-11 that says how intense the UV rays from the sun are. UV light is what burns the skin, thus raising your risk for skin cancer.

Keeping hydrated, and limiting exposure to the extreme heat will keep you and your family safe and healthy.

SPF of 30 and above is suggested.

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Louisiana

Cleanup continues for Bayou Lafourche oil spill • Louisiana Illuminator

Published

17 hours ago

July 29, 2024

Press Room

Cleanup continues for Bayou Lafourche oil spill • Louisiana Illuminator

More than 100 workers spent Sunday continuing the cleanup of a crude oil spill in Bayou Lafourche near Raceland, hoping to protect the drinking water supply and wildlife.

So far, the drinking water quality has not been compromised, Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson said. Still, residences and businesses from south of Louisiana Highway 182 to Port Fourchon have been advised to conserve water as a precaution.

In Sunday evening update, Chaisson said cleanup crews reported recovering 20 dead animals from the bayou — 17 salamanders, two turtles and one crawfish. Four ducks and three alligators were also seen covered with oil, but none were able to be captured.

The public is asked to call (832) 514-9663 to report any oil-covered animals rather than try to catch and clean them on their own.

Any residents or businesses that want to report personal or property damage from the oil should call 833-812-0877.

The source of the oil leak was a tank at the Crescent Midstream Crude Oil Facility at the intersection of LA 182 and Highway 308 in Raceland. An still-undetermined amount of oil leaked into a stormwater canal and then flowed into the bayou. The leak was contained Saturday, a company spokesman told reporters.

A dark sheen of crude could still be seen Sunday along a long stretch of the bayou between the Highway 182 and the U.S. 90 overpass.

There were 117 workers, 28 boats, seven vacuum trucks, five drum skimmers and three wash pumps being used to clean and contain the spill, in addition to 4,300 feet of containment boom, Chaisson said. Crews are pumping water from the bayou to flush oil from vegetation on the banks into the containment boom so it can be recovered with skimmers for disposal.

Cleanup work has paused at nightfall out of safety concerns and will resume at daybreak.

Bayou Lafourche remains closed to boat traffic from the Highway 182 bridge to the Salt Water Control Structure in Lockport.

Officials have also placed the area from LA 182 to Highway 654 off limits to aircraft, one mile in either direction from Bayou Lafourche. The airspace precautions are being taken so helicopters and drones can safely monitor the spill from overhead.

WVUE-TV Fox 8 reported residents near the spill can smell the oil. Air quality in the area is being monitored out of an abundance of caution, Chaisson said.

“Results have been well below actionable levels,” he said.

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Louisiana

Rayne High School teacher named Louisiana Teacher of the Year

Published

24 hours ago

July 28, 2024

Press Room

Rayne High School teacher named Louisiana Teacher of the Year

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) celebrated the state’s top teachers and leaders at the 18th Annual Cecil J. Picard Educator Excellence Awards Gala in New Orleans on Saturday.

LDOE, in partnership with Dream Teachers, highlighted the event with the announcement of Louisiana Teacher and Principal of the Year, Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher and Leader of the Year, and Louisiana New Teacher of the Year.

2025 Overall State Honorees:

Louisiana Teacher of the Year: Elise Boutin | Acadia Parish
Louisiana Principal of the Year: Dr. Amanda Austin | Iberville Parish
Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher of the Year: Nicole Williams Ross | Jefferson Parish
Louisiana Early Childhood Leader of the Year: Rockeisha Walker | Iberville Parish
Louisiana New Teacher of the Year: Tiffany Pfeifer | Calcasieu Parish

“It’s a privilege to celebrate some of the outstanding professionals who have dedicated their careers to improving our state one child at a time,” said State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley. “Each of these talented educators have played a role in Louisiana’s recent successes, and are critical to the vital work that lies ahead.”
Louisiana Teacher of the Year:

Elise Boutin is the overall Louisiana Teacher of the Year.

According to LDOE, Boutin, a 14-year veteran of the classroom, is a publications and English teacher at Rayne High School in Acadia Parish. She revived the Rayne, Alive! Program, a student-produced YouTube channel that has connected students with local broadcasting opportunities. Boutin created a senior project fair for students to showcase their capstone projects in areas of academics, career and community service, and to connect them with business owners. She also connects students to community activities by sponsoring the Interact Club, which works with the Rayne Rotary Club, and she recently started a cross-country team at the school.

The following educators were named division-level Louisiana Teacher of the Year:

Elementary: J. Joy Stalnaker | Lafayette Parish Schools
Middle: Christopher Kourvelas | Bossier Parish Schools
High: Dr. Suresh Babu Chiruguru | Calcasieu Parish Schools

Louisiana Principal of the Year

Dr. Amanda Austin is the overall Louisiana Principal of the Year.

Dr. Austin holds a Doctor of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Lamar University and is the principal of Iberville Math, Science, and Arts (MSA) Academy East in St. Gabriel. She was selected as principal to reopen North Iberville High School (NIHS) after it had been closed for more than a decade, creating a thriving school with a STEM magnet program, as maintained by LDOE.

The following educators were named division-level Louisiana Principal of the Year:

Elementary: Amanda LaFollette | DeSoto Parish Schools
Middle: Dr. Decina Rodriguez | Lafourche Parish Schools
High: Brandon LaGroue | Central Community School District

Louisiana Early Childhood Teachers of the Year

Nicole Williams Ross is the overall Louisiana Early Childhood Teacher of the Year.

Williams teaches at Carousel Preschool in Jefferson Parish and has more than 10 years of experience working and serving children and families in Louisiana, said Ted Beasley, LDOE Deputy Chief of Communication.

Louisiana Early Childhood Leader of the Year

Rockeisha Walker is the overall Louisiana Early Childhood Leader of the Year.

According to Beasley, Walker leads Bright Star Child Care Center in Iberville Parish and has over 10 years of experience leading Early Learning centers in Louisiana.

Louisiana New Teacher of the Year

Tiffany Pfeifer is the overall Louisiana New Teacher of the Year.

Pfeifer teaches at Washington Marion High School in Calcasieu Parish and is committed to fostering a true love of learning in her students, said Beasley.

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