Current News Items
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose: Kenneth Boudreaux’s Accountability Game
Kenneth Boudreaux claimed Council oversight helped reduce Lafayette audit findings. Public records and the audit itself tell a different story.
80,000 Police Cameras and Not One Security Audit
In Louisiana, you can’t arrange flowers without a license, yet governments have deployed tens of thousands of license plate reader cameras without any kind of independent security audit.
Are Louisiana Cities Paying Officials Illegally?
A city budget authorizes spending. It does not automatically create the legal obligation to spend public money.
Public records requests to four Lafayette Parish municipalities uncovered four very different approaches to setting officials’ salaries. Two cities could not produce the ordinances Louisiana law appears to require.
So, are Louisiana cities paying officials without legal authority?
Tony Perkins Enters EBR Library Debate, Calls for Luke Ash’s Reinstatement
With the library tax vote tomorrow, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins has entered the East Baton Rouge library debate.
“Can a library that is confused about biological reality be trusted with more tax dollars?” Perkins asks as he calls for the reinstatement of former library employee and Pastor Luke Ash.
NEW IBERIA: The Curious Case of the Missing Investigation
Officials say allegations were already investigated and no wrongdoing was found. Those same officials also told the Civil Service Board that no investigation was necessary. Months of public records requests have yet to identify who investigated what, when, or how.
Cajun Hustle – The Gary Haynes Corruption Trial: Full Transcript
Nine days. More than 1,700 pages. Every witness. Every objection. Every argument. Citizens for a New Louisiana has published the complete federal trial transcripts from Operation Cajun Hustle and the prosecution of former Assistant District Attorney Gary Haynes. Read the record yourself.
The Predictable Closing of Comeaux High School
For more than 25 years, Lafayette Parish has educated roughly 30,000 students. Yet somehow, we went from “we need more schools” to “we have too many.” Now, Comeaux High School has become the most expensive lesson in misplaced priorities.
Carencro Government Builds $25,400 Fence On Private Property
The Legislative Auditor confirmed our concerns surrounding Carencro’s Pas Bon Grift Festival. Nearly six months later, key records are still missing! And now, a $25,400 fence project is raising an entirely new set of questions.
Youngsville Paid for a Transcript It Says Doesn’t Exist
The City of Youngsville claims no transcript exists but public records show that taxpayers paid $1,587 for one.
Louisiana Medicaid: They Knew. They Were Told. It Kept Happening.
Last year, we reported that Louisiana spent more than $103 million in Medicaid payments on people who didn’t even live here. This year’s report contains millions in questioned costs, financial reporting errors, and findings that have now been repeated for as many as seven consecutive years. At some point, a repeat finding stops looking like a mistake.