Gov. John Bel Edwards’ Climate Initiatives Task Force will benefit from a newly released tool designed to estimate and evaluate the effectiveness of proposed greenhouse gas mitigation policies for achieving Louisiana’s climate goals.

Louisiana has never suffered from a pandemic as much as the Delta strain of the Covid-19.

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I don’t know about you, but I sure am confused about all this current debate over gender equity, gay rights, and transgenders, especially with new rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.  I keep reading in the newspaper about LGBT. I had to look up the lettering to even know what the abbreviation means. Being “politically correct” has become an obsession with much of the country as well as right here at home in Louisiana.

The new unemployment numbers are horrific. Another 4.5 million Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week. Since the beginning of this health crisis in March, the total number of unemployed Americans has exceeded 26 million.

Some experts believe the unemployment rate will eventually surpass 20%, nearing the all-time high of 24.9% in 1933, in the middle of the Great Depression.

Roughly one month ago, Louisiana had no coronavirus cases report. Today, the state Department of Health and Hospitals claim there are 10,297 reported, 370 deaths reported, 1707 patients in hospitals, 535 of them on ventilators. 

Also, over 53,000 tests have been completed, with 49,608 being done by state labs.

The New Orleans region is one of the nation's top hot spots.  In New Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, deaths alone amount to 233.

With the coronavirus spreading across the nation, all Americans are feeling vulnerable and nervous about the future. Incredible steps have been taken to shut down interaction among people and slow the spread of the killer disease. Hopefully, these measures will be successful, and life will soon return to normal in the country.

In the meantime, the crisis will get worse before it eventually gets better. One place that is being particularly hard hit is Louisiana. Our state is facing a crisis like nothing it has ever experienced. We are used to dealing with hurricanes and natural disasters, but this crisis is multi-faceted and will be long-lasting.

What a profound difference makes six years!

Back in February 2014, Louisiana was embroiled in a hotly-contested free-for-all for the U.S. Senate position. Retired, and unknown Air Force Colonel Rob Maness had just announced his candidacy to oust Senator Mary Landrieu, the powerful senior Democrat US Senator. Landrieu, generally had been hailed as the hero from the Hurricane Katrina wars fighting the emotional unending battles to save South Louisiana and New Orleans.  However, Landrieu faced one major obstacle--President Barack Obama who down in these parts was less popular than the BP Oil Spill (if that were possible). 

I don’t know about you, but I sure am confused about all this current debate over gender equity, gay rights, and transgenders. I keep reading in the newspaper about LGBT. I had to look up the lettering to even know what the abbreviation means. Being “politically correct” has become an obsession with much of the country as well as right here at home in Louisiana.

The state of Louisiana is one of the most unique places in the world. We live in a state with tremendous history, architecture and culture. We are blessed with the Mississippi River, countless bayous and waterways and bountiful natural resources which allow our state to earn the title of “sportsman’s paradise.”

Despite the confirmation of two Supreme Court Justices during the Trump administration, there is still not a truly conservative majority. While both of the Trump nominees are solid conservatives, they did not tip the ideological balance of the court. Justice Neil Gorsuch replaced the most conservative justice in a generation, the late Antonin Scalia and Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced now retired Anthony Kennedy, who was a swing vote on some issues, but reliably conservative on others. Obviously, the new swing vote on the Supreme Court is Chief Justice John Roberts, who saved Obamacare by voting with his liberal colleagues. He ruled that it was somehow a tax even though it was never advertised in that manner.