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Tensions flare between council, Edwards’ office
Court upholds voiding of legislative maps Current legislative districts dilute Black votes, judge ruled BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards speaks at a Metro Council meeting in May.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
Members complain about being rushed into last-minute actions BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
“This is a pattern. It’s always last minute. Always. And it’s a strategy.” TWAHNA HARRIS, East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council member
Some East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council members are increasingly frustrated with Mayor-President Sid Edwards‘ office, which they say often leaves them in the dark and rushes them into last-minute actions. That irritation boiled over into public on Wednesday when council member Twahna Harris took issue with an abrupt huddle Edwards’ Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Monique Appeaning called on Tuesday with only a couple hours of lead time to talk to council members about an agenda item. “This is a pattern,” Harris said. “It’s always last minute. Always. And it’s a strategy.” The item called for the council to approve the reclassifying of some positions in the administration. Harris said she was unable to make the meeting referenced, as
she was invited via a 2 p.m. text for a meeting at 4 p.m. Harris, a Democrat, had the strongest words for the Mayor-President’s Office. But some of Edwards’ fellow Republicans also hinted that the office could be doing more to keep council members in the loop. “There are some times that, hey, give us a heads up on what’s going on every day,” said Republican council member Aaron Moak. In a statement Thursday, Edwards said he values open and honest communication with council members and said his team works hard to keep them in the loop to make sure they have the information needed before making a decision. “We may not always agree on every detail, but I believe we all share the same goal: doing what’s best for the people of East Baton Rouge Parish,” he said. “I’m committed to keeping that conversation
“I’m committed to keeping that conversation going and working together to get things done.” SID EDWARDS, East Baton Rouge Parish mayorpresident
ä See TENSIONS, page 5A
A federal appeals court on Thursday upheld a Louisiana judge’s decision to invalidate the state’s legislative district map for House and Senate races, saying they violated Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. But the current maps will stay in place at least until the U.S. Supreme Court issues its ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, a separate but similar case disputing Louisiana’s congressional voting districts. The ruling in that case could broadly ä California change the legal moves precedents for forward with redistricting lawredistricting suits. U.S. District effort. PAGE 3A Court Judge Shelly Dick in February 2024 enjoined district maps that Louisiana lawmakers enacted during a 2022 special session, determining legislative lines drawn for the state seats unlawfully diluted the strength of Black votes across the state and violated the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965. Dick, the chief judge of the U.S. Middle District Court of Louisiana based in Baton Rouge, ordered elections officials to redraw the district maps in a way that doesn’t pack high concentrations of Black voters into a small number of majority-minority districts or fragment African American voters into separate districts to prevent them from forming powerful voting blocs. In a 54-page order published
ä See MAPS, page 5A
UnitedHealth Group completes $3.3B purchase of Amedisys BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer
UnitedHealth Group completed its $3.3 billion purchase of Baton Rouge-based Amedisys on Thursday morning, more than two years after plans to join the nation’s two largest home health and hospice care companies were first announced.
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The closure of the deal was announced in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, issued before the markets opened. Amedisys’ stock was delisted from the Nasdaq exchange. Amedisys is now part of UnitedHealth’s Optum health services unit. “Home health care is a critical
component in Optum’s commitment to value-based care, which is designed to keep patients healthy within their own homes,” UnitedHealth said in a statement. “Together, we look forward to meaningfully improving home health and hospice care options for patients and their families.” UnitedHealth agreed to buy Amedisys for $101 per share in
June 2023. Under the agreement, Amedisys will continue to operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of UnitedHealth, with an office in Baton Rouge and operations in Nashville, Tennessee. Peter Ricchiuti, a finance professor at Tulane University who tracks regional stocks across the South through the university’s Burkenroad Reports, said he doesn’t ex-
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pect the deal will have much of an impact on the Baton Rouge economy. He doesn’t expect layoffs to result from the acquisition. “I don’t think it’ll be a big deal because the executives moved to Nashville,” he said. This is the second south Louisiana-based home health and hospice
ä See AMEDISYS, page 4A
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