All the numbers have been tabulated, and it turns out Louisiana finished last fiscal year with a $565 million budget surplus. House Appropriations Chairman Jack McFarland says a huge percentage of that surplus is the result of higher-than-expected tax collections. "Personal income tax came in at $170 million more ...

A north Louisiana theater which was one of the focal points during the civil rights movement is awarded a $750,000 grant from the National Park Service for the first phase of a major restoration project. Janice Simmons, the assistant director of Greater North Louisiana Community Development Commission, says the money w...

The newest historically Black medical school has earned preliminary accreditation. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education, which is the accrediting body for U.S. programs granting medical doctorate degrees, gave its preliminary accreditation to Xavier University's Ochsner College of Medicine in New Orleans. The sch...

The first real cold front of Fall moves through the state on Friday. Temperatures will be much cooler this weekend, but LSU health climatologist Barry Keim says the threat of wildfires increases, because of dry and breezy conditions. "And when you're under these kinds of conditions, especially when it's as windy a...

A new ferryboat is in operation for the Cameron Crossing in Cameron Parish. Department of Transportation Secretary Glenn Ledet says the Holly Beach ferryboat will replace the Cameron II, which has been in service since 1964. "The challenges with maintaining an old ferry start to accumulate, so you've got downtime....

The SEC is not dismissing its federal lawsuit against LSU, but Attorney General Liz Murrill told 104.5 ESPN in Baton Rouge that goes directly against the wishes of the member institutions. "The members took a vote and directed that the lawsuit be dismissed; and then the lawyers could not come to any kind of agreem...

A new survey says increasing access to child care could unlock billions of dollars in economic growth for the state. Dr. Heather Cope, the chief of policy and research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, says increasing access to early childhood education could allow almost 30,000 parents to re-enter the wo...

Saints owner Gayle Benson was uncharacteristically blunt when addressing the team's 1-4 start. She said the performance has been unacceptable, and head coach Kellen Moore says everyone in the building wants the same thing. "She, like all of us, we want better results. That's how this business is; we've got great g...

State Treasurer John Fleming says it's time to increase the state's homestead exemption. Fleming says the current $7,500 exemption was set in 1980 and has not increased in 46 years. He says if adjusted for inflation, it would be about $35,000 today. "Taxes on your property, especially your home, have been going up...

After Leaders for a Better Louisiana urges voters to vote "no" on Amendment 8, we are now hearing from the author of that amendment. Rosepine Representative Chuck Owen says Amendment 8 would prohibit a foreign adversary or an agent of a foreign adversary from seizing private property for necessary purposes, k...