Author: manshipxgr

Original story by Devon Sanders and Joby Richard

Shelly Choppin says her daughter, Paige, did not have “a legitimate argument” for looking at universities outside Louisiana until the collapse of the special legislative session last week created new worries about TOPS.

Now, as the Manship News Service reports, the high school senior will be enrolling at Ole Miss this fall, breaking her family’s long-standing legacy at LSU. Paige’s great-grandfather, Arthur Richard Choppin, was dean of the College of Physics and Chemistry from 1944 to 1968, and an LSU chemistry building bears his name.

Read the story in The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report.

By Devon Sanders and Joby Richard

Shelly Choppin said her daughter Paige did not have “a legitimate argument” for looking at universities outside Louisiana until the collapse of the special legislative session last week created new worries about TOPS scholarships.

Now, the high school senior will be enrolling at Ole Miss this fall, breaking her family’s long-standing legacy at LSU. Paige’s great-grandfather, Arthur Richard Choppin, was dean of the College of Physics and Chemistry from 1944 to 1968, and an LSU chemistry building bears his name.

Read the story in The Times-Picayune/nola.com.

By Drew White and Tryfon Boukouvidis

Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday listed raising the minimum wage, enforcing equal pay for women and combating sexual harassment as some of his top priorities for the regular legislative session.

Read the story in The Shreveport Times.

By Drew White and Tryfon Boukouvidis

The special legislative session collapsed Monday in part because some Republicans questioned Gov. John Bel Edwards’ projections of the state budget shortfall, and updated estimates this spring could be crucial to negotiating a solution.

Edwards started out trying to replace $994 million in tax revenue expiring July 1 to avoid cuts in health care and higher education. He lowered that to $662 million after state economists predicted that the state will receive a $302 million windfall from federal tax changes.

Read the story in The Minden Press-Herald.

By Ryan Noonan, Natalie Anderson & Kaylee Poche

When the state faced a huge budget shortfall in 2016, Kenny Havard and Alan Seabaugh were among the Republican representatives who voted for a temporary penny increase in the state sales tax to fill the gap.

But now with that extra penny about to expire, Havard and Seabaugh were among the 27 Republicans who voted last Wednesday against a bill by a fellow Republican to extend just a quarter-cent of the sales tax.

Read the story in The Daily Advertiser.

By Matt Houston

Watch the video in The Daily Advertiser and The Advocate.

By Sarah Gamard, Matt Houston and Ashley Wolf

In a stunning display of mistrust between Republicans and Democrats, the House failed Sunday to agree on any revenue-raising measures, all but killing the special legislative session that was called to deal with a looming $1 billion budget shortfall.

Read the story in The Bossier Press-Tribune.

By Katie Gagliano and Tryfon Boukouvidis

With the collapse of the special session on Monday without any solution to the state’s budget problems, legislators in both parties are warning that all the bickering and mistrust will make it harder for them to come together on other important issues.

Read the story KALB-TV.

By Natalie Anderson

When Republicans and Democrats scurried off to their caucus rooms Friday to plot strategy on a controversial tax bill, two legislators stayed at their desks on the House floor, waiting patiently for the action to start again.

Read the story in The News Star.

By Katie Gagliano and Sarah Gamard

The House voted 51-50 on Friday against a Democratic bill to reduce income tax deductions and then adjourned after nearly five hours of behind-the-scenes talks failed to bring members closer to resolving a $1 billion budget shortfall.

Read the story in The Minden Press-Herald.