TWO DEAD, SIX INJURED IN FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING 7A
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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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F r i d ay, a p r i l 18, 2025
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2025 LEGISLATURE
NCAA GYMNASTICS SEMIFINALS
OH, SO CLOSE LSU falls short of finals in bid to repeat as national champs
EDUCATION
Bill would raise most TOPS awards
Some scholarships would get smaller at LSU BY PATRICK WALL
Staff writer
Louisiana college students would get bigger state-funded TOPS scholarships under a new bill proposed this legislative session — with one major exception. House Bill 77, which advanced out of the Education Committee on Wednesday, would overhaul the scholarship amounts that students get from TOPS, Louisiana’s program for high-achieving students who attend any of the state’s public colleges and universities. It aims to bring scholarship amounts more in line with rising college costs and standardize rates across schools, said the bill’s 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
ä See TOPS, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
LSU gymnasts, from left, Olivia Dunne, Aleah Finnegan, Sierra Ballard and Haleigh Bryant console each other after the team’s season came to an end when they were edged out of a spot in the NCAA gymnastics finals on Thursday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. ä Complete coverage in Sports, 1C.
EBR GOP leader says Landry is targeting him Legislation could unseat Jenkins as party chair BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
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
A legislative bill that would expand membership of the Republican Party’s executive committee in East Baton Rouge Parish normally would attract little attention. But GOP stalwart Woody Jenkins is raising a stink about House Bill 200, saying he believes Gov. Jeff Landry is using it to try to punish him for campaigning against a proposed constitutional amendment sought by Landry that voters soundly rejected last month. The added committee members could unseat Jenkins as the parish party chair, a position he has held since 2012.
ä See CUTS, page 5A
ä See TARGETING, page 4A
Trump administration eyes cuts to PBS, NPR BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
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
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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
Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
100TH yEAR, NO. 292