Despite higher cocoa prices, which has increased the price to make chocolate candy this year, Ponchatoula-based Elmer Candy has seen brisk sales for their Easter candy. That's according to Elmer Candy CEO Rob Nelson. "In the last couple of years, with the cocoa market and where it's been, it has been crazy. We've ...

A bill is moving through the House that would allow the state to release an inmate 120 days prior to his or her expected death, instead of the current 60-day window. Department of Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott supports the legislation. Westcott says inmates up for medical early release are either terminally ill, ...

A state senator's quest to prevent additional school districts from adopting four-day school weeks advances to the House. Franklinton Senator Beth Mizell's bill passed the State Senate on a vote of 35-1, with Eddie Lambert of Gonzales casting the lone "no" vote. Mizell says she filed a bill last year mandatin...

NASA is launching a spaceship to the moon Wednesday and NASA's Michoud Assembly facility in New Orleans played a major role in the Artemis II mission. NASA spokesperson Craig Betbeze says both of Artemis II's propellant tanks were built at the rocket factory in New Orleans east. "It's 212 feet tall, 27 feet round,...

A new study by WalletHub shows that Louisiana is the most stressed state in the country. WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo says of the four stress dimensions it looked at, Louisiana ranked in the top ten in all of them. "First in work-related stress, third-highest money-related stress, sixth-highest family-related stres...

A bill that increases the penalties against a minor found guilty of calling in a bomb threat or threatening to commit violence at school receives pushback from Democrats on the House floor, because the proposal could also result in the child's parents facing fines of up to $5,000 for a first offense. New Orleans Repres...

Former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet faces up to five years in prison for participating in a kickback scheme. Federal prosecutors say the 78-year-old Montoucet used his position as secretary to steer a state contract to a company called DGL1 in exchange for one-third of the pro...

The House Transportation Committee approves legislation that would end the requirement for motorists to get an inspection sticker. Instead of an inspection sticker, owners of personal vehicles would have a QR code sticker on their windshield that would provide law enforcement with the vehicle's identification number. S...

The House Civil Law Committee advances a bill that would require both people in an in-person conversation to know if they are being recorded. Metairie Representative Laurie Schlegel says there's been a growing trend in which influencers wearing smart glasses approach women and record them without their knowledge, and t...

Entergy Louisiana has reached an agreement with Meta to build seven new natural gas-powered plants, plus new transmission lines and nuclear power updates, so that there's enough electricity to power the massive AI data center under construction in Richland Parish. Entergy President and CEO Phillip May says the agreemen...