Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Louisiana Medical Marijuana Bill Advances with Sheriffs’ Support
May 18 2015 // Louisiana law enforcement associations have previously blocked efforts to get medical marijuana to patients who suffer, despite a 1991 state law allowing its medicinal use. That changed on April 29. Michael Ranatza, head...
Louisiana Workers’ Comp Claim Costs Flat after Growth: WCRI
May 15 2015 // A recent study by the Workers Compensation Research Institute (WCRI) found costs per workers’ compensation claim in Louisiana changed little from 2011 to 2013 ― a flattening that followed three years of 5 percent...
Louisiana State Police Charge Firefighter in Insurance Fraud Investigation
May 13 2015 // Following an investigation into a complaint received from the Shreveport City Attorney’s Office, the Louisiana State Police Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft Unit charged a firefighter with insurance fraud. Michael Keel...
34 Arrested in Louisiana Insurance Fraud Investigation
May 8 2015 // Louisiana State Police say a two month investigation into insurance fraud and auto theft has led to the arrest of 34 people across the state. Troopers say in a news release its Insurance Fraud and Auto Theft unit...
Louisiana’s Eagan Insurance: Carrying on a Family Tradition
May 5 2015 // Marc Eagan says he’s fortunate that his four children grew up in and around the insurance business. For Eagan, president of Eagan Insurance Agency located in the New Orleans-area, it means his firm is well-situated...
Federal Judge Says U.S. Liable for Some Katrina Flooding in Louisiana
May 4 2015 // Ruling in a nearly decade-old lawsuit, a judge in Washington said on May 1 that the federal government is responsible for some of the catastrophic flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina and other storms — flooding...
State Regulation Worked in Red Rock/Foster Jennings Case: Oklahoma Commissioner
May 4 2015 // The circumstances surrounding the liquidation of a small Oklahoma insurer highlight the concern over how effectively state insurance regulators are able assess potential buyers of insurance companies, according to a recent...
Doak Disputes WSJ Report; Says State Regulation Effective in Red Rock Case
May 4 2015 // The circumstances surrounding the liquidation of a small Oklahoma insurer highlight the concern over how effectively state insurance regulators are able assess potential buyers of insurance companies, according to a recent...
Louisiana Senate Committee OKs Medical Marijuana Bill
Apr 30 2015 // Louisiana law enforcement associations have previously blocked efforts to get medical marijuana to patients who suffer, despite a 1991 state law allowing its medicinal use. That changed on April 29. Michael Ranatza, head...
Rail Cars Blown Off Louisiana Bridge During Severe Storms
Apr 29 2015 // High winds blew rail cars off the Huey P. Long Bridge and more than 200,000 homes and businesses lost power Monday morning as a line of severe thunderstorms moved across southeast Louisiana. Five rail cars carrying six to...
Louisiana Labor Force, Employment Increase
Apr 28 2015 // Louisiana’s overall labor force and the number of those employed in the labor force both grew in March, according to not seasonally adjusted data released by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state’s...
Louisiana State Employees File Lawsuit over Changes to Insurance Program
Apr 23 2015 // A group of state employees and retirees is asking a judge to reverse changes made to their insurance program, which cost many workers more out-of-pocket for lessened benefits. The lawsuit, announced on April 22, was filed...
Recovery Slow for Gulf Oyster Industry 5 Years after BP Spill
Apr 21 2015 // Five years after the largest oil spill in U.S. history spewed millions of gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, many Louisiana oystermen are fearful that a once-bountiful population of the mollusks may never...
Family Donates $1M to Louisiana Hurricane Museum
Apr 20 2015 // The National Hurricane Museum and Science Center in Lake Charles, La., has received a financial shot in the arm, with a $1 million donation by the Stream family. Gray Stream, the center’s board chairman, told the...
Texas, Louisiana Improve Building Code Rankings but More Work Needed
Apr 20 2015 // Texas doesn’t have the worst score in a recent ranking of state building code systems but it’s pretty close to the bottom, according to a national organization committed to improving the ability of properties...
The Story Behind Southport Lane’s Collapse
Apr 20 2015 // An insurance empire that included two insurance carriers, two offshore reinsurers, several buildings and other insurers’ investments was built by a private equity firm in part on questionable assets and is now being...
Bottom Line: Gulf Oil Spill Isn’t an Environmental Disaster
Apr 19 2015 // In early March a 30,000-pound mat of oily gunk washed up on East Grand Terre, a barrier island in the mouth of Louisiana’s Barataria Bay. It was an ugly reminder of the blowout at BP’s Macondo well, a disaster...
Sinkholes Added as Threat in Louisiana Disaster Plan; Salt Domes to be Mapped
Apr 16 2015 // Sinkholes will be recognized as threats in the state’s updated hazard mitigation plan. The Daily Comet reports the state is working on a five-year update to its hazard mitigation plan, which must be in place to...
Texas, Louisiana Improve Building Code Rankings; More Work Needed
Apr 14 2015 // Source: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA Texas doesn’t have the worst score in a recent ranking of state building code systems but it’s pretty close to the bottom, according to a national organization committed to...
Louisiana Insurance Department Offers Early Retirement to Cut Costs
Apr 6 2015 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon gave some of his employees the chance to take an early retirement incentive, to help his agency balance its budget. Donelon says six employees took the offer under which they...
