Latest John Bel Edwards News

GOP state Rep. Richard Nelson withdraws from Louisiana governor's race

Sep. 20, 2023 12:59 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The crowded field of candidates running for Louisiana governor is shrinking, with state Rep. Richard Nelson withdrawing from the race Wednesday and endorsing GOP frontrunner, Attorney General Jeff Landry. Nelson has trailed far behind others in campaign...

Editorial Roundup: Louisiana

Sep. 14, 2023 14:58 PM EDT

The Advocate. September 12, 2023. Editorial: Making Louisiana a winner in highway projects The completion of the first two segments of a big Interstate 12 repair and widening project on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain is good news, as Gov. John Bel Edwards said,...

A school shooting in Louisiana left 1 dead, 2 hurt. Classes are canceled until Friday.

Sep. 13, 2023 14:30 PM EDT

GREENSBURG, La. (AP) — Classes are canceled at a Louisiana high school where a student was shot to death and two others were injured, authorities said. The names and ages of the victims of the shooting at St. Helena College & Career Academy in Greensburg have not been released....

Louisiana gubernatorial candidates debate crime, economy and other issues 5 weeks from vote

Sep. 07, 2023 23:13 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With Louisiana's Election Day just five weeks away, candidates running for governor outlined their ideas on how to address the state's most pressing issues during the first major televised gubernatorial debate Thursday in the hopes of standing out from the pack and...

Entire Louisiana town under mandatory evacuation because of wildfire

Aug. 25, 2023 16:27 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — An entire town in southwestern Louisiana is under mandatory evacuation orders because of a wildfire that state officials say is the largest they have ever seen. Usually during this time of year, the Deep South state is addressing threats of imminent...

Energy Department announces largest-ever investment in 'carbon removal'

Aug. 11, 2023 08:11 AM EDT

The Energy Department announced Friday it is awarding up to $1.2 billion to two projects to directly remove carbon dioxide from the air in what officials are calling the largest investment in “engineered carbon removal” in history. The process, known as direct air capture, does...

A billion-dollar coastal project begins in Louisiana. Will it work as sea levels rise?

Aug. 10, 2023 19:10 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Nearly $3 billion in settlement money from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster that devastated the Gulf Coast and killed hundreds of thousands of marine animals is now funding a massive ecosystem restoration in southeastern Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish. The...

Louisiana race for governor intensifies, but the GOP front-runner brushes off criticism

Aug. 09, 2023 21:06 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana’s gubernatorial race is intensifying as candidates take aim at Attorney General Jeff Landry — the Republican front-runner backed by former President Donald Trump — by calling him a bully and accusing him of backroom deals to gain political support. ...

Candidates jump into Louisiana elections, and many races have no incumbent

Aug. 08, 2023 19:16 PM EDT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The floodgates have opened in Louisiana's election season. Candidates flocked to register Tuesday for several highly anticipated races with no incumbent on the ballot this year, including governor, secretary of state and attorney general. An...

Lawsuit filed to block Port of New Orleans' $1.8B container port project

Aug. 05, 2023 14:54 PM EDT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A south Louisiana parish is suing the Port of New Orleans to block it from building a planned $1.8 billion container facility. The St. Bernard Parish District Attorney's Office filed the lawsuit this week in 34th Judicial District Court, the latest volley in a...