TWO DEAD, SIX INJURED IN FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING 3A THE
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F r i d ay, a p r i l 18, 2025
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Bill would raise most TOPS awards Some scholarships would get smaller at LSU
BY PATRICK WALL
on Wednesday, would overhaul the scholarship amounts that students get from TOPS, Louisiana’s proLouisiana college students would gram for high-achieving students get bigger state-funded TOPS who attend any of the state’s public scholarships under a new bill pro- colleges and universities. It aims to bring scholarship posed this legislative session — amounts more in line with riswith one major exception. House Bill 77, which advanced ing college costs and standardize out of the Education Committee rates across schools, said the bill’s Staff writer
co-authors, Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, and Rep. Christopher Turner, R-Ruston. But it’ll cost the state an extra $47.5 million, according to estimates, and lower the amount awarded to some students at LSU’s Baton Rouge campus. The bill would create a new $12,000 annual “Excellence” award
for the highest-scoring students and set new standard amounts for the other TOPS awards, which currently vary based on each school’s tuition. The new amounts — $6,000 per year for the Opportunity award, $6,500 for Performance and $9,000 for Honors — are higher than what students at most schools currently receive. The updated rates would get closer to covering the full cost of tuition and fees, which range
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from $4,200 annually at most community colleges to about $9,500 at the University of New Orleans and $11,300 at University of Louisiana at Lafayette, according to state data.
ä See TOPS, page 4A
Cuts eyed to PBS, NPR
Louisiana would face lack of funding BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Artist Amelia Smith, of Eunice, paints the Lafayette sign at Parc Sans Souci in Lafayette earlier this week. Smith said that she painted the sign, with the help of her 12-year-old daughter Olivia, to represent sights of South Louisiana familiar to her, like egrets, crawfish and magnolias, as well as to showcase Lafayette, Festival International and its sponsor LFT Fiber.
WASHINGTON — Daniel Tiger and “NOVA” would be off the air in Louisiana should the Trump administration and U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy succeed in their plans to defund public broadcasting, local public media leaders say. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, filed a bill in February to abolish the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting Service, famous for Julia Child, Fred Rogers and Ken Burns documentaries. He wants the measure included in the budget bill that Congress is about to consider. Some Republicans have complained for years about what they see as bias against conservatives in public broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates what is seen on television and heard on the radio, recently launched an investigation into NPR and PBS underwriting. And the Department of Defense revoked NPR’s Pentagon press office access. The White House is including cuts to public broadcasting assistance in its request to strike $9.3 billion in foreign aid and other programs, multiple national news outlets reported, citing an administration official granted anonymity to speak freely. Congress returns to Washington on April 28, and lawmakers have asked for detailed requests to give Congress more say in the cuts Trump is considering in his efforts to streamline government. Supporters of public media ar-
ä See CUTS, page 4A
Ambassador group to hit streets of downtown Lafayette BY ADAM DAIGLE
rived in Lafayette and is hiring staffers to be on the streets next week, said Kevin Blanchard, CEO A recently hired ambassador of the Downtown Development group will start working on the Authority. The crew will consist of four fullstreets of downtown Lafayette the time employees walking downweek of Festival International. Block by Block has already ar- town streets seven days a week do-
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ing tasks such as picking up trash, assisting visitors, cleaning graffiti, maintaining landscaping efforts and other duties, Blanchard said during a recent meeting with local commercial real estate agents. Funding for the program will come from the Downtown Eco-
nomic Development District and will cost about $375,000 annually for the equivalent of four fulltime staffers. Currently the area is maintained by 21/ 2 staffers at a cost of $70,000, with $50,000 coming from Lafayette Consolidated Government and the rest from DDA.
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The EDD’s balance currently sits at just over $2.2 million and collects about $600,000 a year, Blanchard said. The crew has hired an operations manager and is interview-
ä See GROUP, page 5A
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