Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
New Orleans Mayor: 940 Homes Damaged by Half-Mile Wide Tornado
Feb 10 2017 // Dwight Powell lost his Lexus to the massive tornado that injured 33 people and destroyed or seriously damaged 940 properties on a half-mile wide rampage through two miles of east New Orleans. He had just parked it inside...
In Washington, Louisiana Governor Seeks More Flood Assistance
Feb 9 2017 // Gov. John Bel Edwards is making his sixth trip to Washington to lobby for $2 billion more federal flood aid for Louisiana. The state has received $1.6 billion from Congress so far to respond to the March and August...
Louisiana Commissioner Extends Flooding Emergency Rule after Tornadoes
Feb 9 2017 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has issued Emergency Rule 32, which extends previous emergency rules issued after the historic flooding in the state in August 2016. The Louisiana Department of Insurance said...
Tornadoes Across Southeast Louisiana Cause Widespread Damage
Feb 8 2017 // The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF3 tornado touched down in East New Orleans on Feb. 7. The twister was reported to have caused widespread damage and forced around 100 people from their homes. NOLA.com...
Louisiana Universities to Receive $2.7M after Demise of HMO
Feb 7 2017 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced a favorable court order on the dissolution of health maintenance organization AmCare Health Plans of Louisiana Inc. (AmCare) that paves the way for more than $2.7...
Deadline Extended for Louisiana NFIP Policyholders Affected by August Flood
Feb 6 2017 // Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted an additional 90-day extension of an important deadline for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders affected...
Louisiana Insurance Department Clarifies Prescription Drug Coupon Cards
Feb 1 2017 // The use of prescription drug coupon cards has been on the rise in response high prescription drug prices. The Louisiana Department of Insurance is offering guidance on these cards and also urging patients to always ask...
Late Planting, August Floods Hurt Louisiana Sweet Potato Crop
Jan 31 2017 // The LSU AgCenter says late planting and August floods hurt Louisiana’s sweet potato harvest, cutting the yield from 450 bushels an acre in 2015 to 290 bushels per acre last year. Extension Associate Myrl Systrunk...
31 Houses Damaged or Destroyed by Tornadoes in Louisiana
Jan 25 2017 // Authorities say tornadoes destroyed or damaged 31 houses and RVs in Louisiana last weekend: 29 in the northwest near Plain Dealing, and two in the Natchitoches Parish town of Natchez. Officials say nobody was seriously...
Judge: Sorrento, Louisiana, and Ex-Police Chief Must Pay Legal Fees
Jan 24 2017 // A federal judge has awarded nearly $40,000 in fees to attorneys for a woman who accused a former Louisiana police chief of sexually assaulting her in his office while she was drunk and he was on duty. The woman’s...
Recovery Task Force Backs $1.2B Louisiana Flood Aid Plan
Jan 23 2017 // Louisiana’s flood recovery task force has agreed to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ proposal to spend $1.2 billion in federal aid allocated by Congress, with most of the money targeted for homeowners. Under the plan...
Louisiana Insurance Department Helps Consumers Recover $7.6 M in 2016
Jan 23 2017 // Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon reports that insurance policyholders in Louisiana were able to collect an additional $7.6 million last year as a result of assistance provided by the Louisiana Department of Insurance...
NFIP: Number of Flood Policies in Louisiana Now at More than 480K
Jan 23 2017 // The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) says there are now more than 480,000 active NFIP flood policies in Louisiana following the March and August floods, representing an increase of more than 35,000 policies. NFIP...
As GOP Seeks Repeal, Louisiana Governor Defends Medicaid Expansion
Jan 13 2017 // Gov. John Bel Edwards is outlining his defense for Louisiana’s Medicaid expansion, pushing back on Republican work in Congress to dismantle the federal health law that created the program. The Democratic governor is...
NFIP: Number of Flood Policies in Louisiana Spikes to More than 480K
Jan 10 2017 // The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) says there are now more than 480,000 active NFIP flood policies in Louisiana following the March and August floods, representing an increase of more than 35,000 policies. NFIP...
Louisiana Governor: Homeowners Should Get Flood Plan Money by April
Jan 9 2017 // Louisiana has submitted its plan to spend $438 million in federal flood aid, and Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration says money should begin flowing for recovery work by April, even as the state continues to...
South Central Regulation Report Card: Texas’ Grade Rises, Arkansas’ Drops
Jan 9 2017 // No South Central state had the best score and none had the worst in a report recently released by a conservative-leaning research organization that annually assesses the effectiveness states’ insurance regulatory...
Weather Service: At Least 8 Tornadoes Hit Louisiana on Jan. 2
Jan 6 2017 // The National Weather Service says at least eight tornadoes hit Louisiana on Jan. 2. Survey teams conclude twisters damaged parts of Avoyelles, Beauregard, Evangeline, Rapides and Tangipahoa parishes. The most powerful...
Louisiana Workers’ Comp Insurance Rates to Decline Again
Jan 3 2017 // The Louisiana Department of Insurance announced a rate filing from the National Council on Compensation Insurance (NCCI) for a statewide decrease of 9.8 percent in workers’ compensation rates has been...
Historic Flooding Prompts Uptick in Flood Policies in South Louisiana
Dec 29 2016 // Four months after devastating flooding ravaged South Louisiana, nearly 30,000 new flood insurance policies have been written in the affected areas, the Louisiana Department of Insurance announced. As of July 30, the total...
