State Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is drafting rules for discounts on insurance premiums for fortified roofs. (Photo courtesy of the Louisiana Department of Insurance) BATON ROUGE — Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is working with a national panel of insurance commissioners to establish a targeted discount rate for homeowners who install a fortified roof. The benchmarks will be minimum discounts on homeowner policies that insurance providers are required to me

Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier previewed the upcoming legislative session at a luncheon Monday. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — State Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier expressed concern Monday about a spate of bills that might give communities veto power over carbon capture projects in their areas. The push for a local option follows growing concerns of residents, la

Twenty-six parishes in Louisiana have banned burning due to very dry conditions. According to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF) website, fire danger is elevated in almost all parishes from the Interstate 10 corridor northward. More than half of those parishes are at level of high or very high danger due to lack of rain. The drought in Louisiana has continued for some time. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor website, most of the state remains in mode

Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana, warned that the state could face budget shortfalls starting next year. (Photo by Louisiana Public Broadcasting) BATON ROUGE — Federal and state budgeting policies could force Louisiana into structural budget shortfalls approaching $300 million in fiscal 2027 and more than $1 billion by 2029, the director of a nonpartisan think tank, Invest in Louisiana, told the Press Club of Baton Rouge on Monday. “These aren’t my numb

A Rapides Parish resident has been convicted of causing a wildfire that burned about 27 acres after a household trash and limbs fire got out of control, according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture & Forestry (LDAF). Carrie Willis, no age or address given, was arrested in March 2023 after a fire on her property spread to a nearby pine plantation. On Feb. 11, 2026, Willis was found guilty of negligent burning before a judge and sentenced to two years probation and orde

State Rep. Jack McFarland makes sure every House member gets to weigh in on the state budget. (Photo by Cross Harris / LSU Manship School News Service) BATON ROUGE — When people think of Jack McFarland, they think of the clean-cut, white-haired logger from Winnfield who knows the state budget inside and out as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. What many don’t know is that his career in politics came from something as simple as doing others’ laundry. When McFarla