Ex-LSU football player Kyren Lacy dead after police chase in Houston 8A RORY McILROY WINS MASTERS TO COMPLETE CAREER GRAND SLAM 1B
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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M o n d ay, a p r i l 14, 2025
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2025 LEGISLATURE
DOTD ‘reform’ among legislative priorities
Rethinking of defeated amendments also on table BY ALYSE PFEIL | Staff writer
Holy Week begins
The Rev. Michael Alello, pastor of St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Baton Rouge,
blesses palms during a service on Sunday. Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ arrival to Jerusalem, as he was greeted by crowds waving palm branches. It marks the beginning of Holy Week leading up to Easter. STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
When the Louisiana Legislature gathers Monday in the State Capitol, it will begin debate on contentious issues ranging from improving roads and bridges to embracing the “Make America Healthy Again” movement to reducing the cost of car insurance. State lawmakers are also trying to find a way to revive key pieces of a recently failed constitutional amendment that was aimed at rewriting an entire section of the state constitution governing state finances. And they will have to craft Landry a state budget amid unpredictable federal spending cuts and the specter of potential slashes to Medicaid. Here are what state leaders say are among their top priorities. Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders
ä See PRIORITIES, page 7A
BR river gauges casualty of budget cuts
Bills push building of fortified roofs
Fund reductions made to compensate for St. George
Tax credit, grant program among proposed legislation
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL | Staff writer East Baton Rouge city-parish officials plan to ask the Metro Council to restore funding for river gauges that have served for years as an early warning system for high water and rain across wide swaths of the parish, a top drainage official said. Annual funding for the U.S. Geological Survey gauges was part of the nearly $30 million in reductions made last fall so the city-parish could adjust for the expected loss of revenue from the establishment of the city of St. George. Millions in fire and law enforcement
BY SAM KARLIN | Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By TRAVIS SPRADLING
Eric Waxley, center, is pulled to safety by Carol Richard during flooding near the confluence of the Comite and Amite rivers on Aug. 13, 2016. Funding for river gauges was part of reductions to adjust for the expected loss of revenue from the establishment ä See GAUGES, page 4A of the city of St. George. A temporary solution may be in the works.
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 62 PAGE 12A
Louisiana lawmakers are proposing a host of measures to help incentivize — and possibly require — the building of fortified roofs, which are widely seen as one solution to the spiraling insurance premiums saddling homeowners. The Legislature will consider at least six bills directly addressing fortified roofs during the session that begins Monday. If successful, proponents of the changes hope Louisiana can rapidly accelerate the pace at which new, stronger roofs are built
Classified .....................6C Deaths .........................9A Nation-World ................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3C-5C Living............................1C Opinion .....................10A Commentary .............11A Metro ...........................8A Sports ..........................1B
ä See ROOFS, page 6A
100TH yEAR, NO. 288