News

— Gasoline prices are soaring in Louisiana, rising 19.3 cents a gallon over the last week to an average of $3.92 on Tuesday, as geopolitical tensions and Gulf Coast refinery maintenance squeeze fuel supplies across the state from Lake Charles and Baton Rouge to Monroe.

(The Center Square) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request from civil rights plaintiffs to recall its judgment in Louisiana v. Callais, leaving in place the court’s decision striking down Louisiana’s congressional map.

— Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Tuesday joined Senator John Kennedy as two of the state’s top Republicans defended private property rights in the dispute in Baton Rouge over legislation enabling industrial carbon capture and storage that threatens the control of ancestral rural land.

— While many policy experts agree Social Security faces long-term financing challenges, they often disagree on a core part of the program’s funding, as discussed by tax and budget analysts Wednesday at the Cato Institute.

(The Center Square) — Louisiana students will soon be taught under revised English language arts standards designed to strengthen reading and writing fundamentals, state education officials say.

Reinstates director

ELTON — With all elected official seats here up for grabs in the fall, Elton is taking a hard look at setting the salary for the mayor, council and chief of police positions, as well as the clerk’s pay.

A zoning request connected to a proposed borrow pit drew opposition and discussion during a recent public hearing before the Jeff Davis Parish Zoning Committee. The request was eventually tabled due to discrepancies over the specific acreage to be rezoned, pending a survey and further documentation.

WELSH — To make the roadways a little safer, the Welsh Board of Aldermen approved a measure that adds a bit of safety to a newly paved street.