Louisiana Weekly

By Julie O’Donoghue Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com ) — Republican Gov.-elect Jeff Landry has tried to inter- vene in the hiring of a well-liked univer- sity president and former Democra- tic legislator as the new head of Louisiana’s larg- est public univer- sity system. Grambling State University President Rick Gallot was expected to take over as the University of Louisiana System president Jan. 1. But with only a few days remaining in the year, the UL System board has not extended him a contract offer. Landry indicated, in an interview with reporters Wednesday, he wants to talk to both the board and Gallot before the deal is finalized. “I’m not opposed to anything,” Landry said. “I want to be able to meet with the board, and with Rick, to make sure the direction that they want to steer the system is the direction that people of this state believe the system should be directed.” “When you got a change of gover- norship – a new governor comes in – By Stacy M. Brown Contributing Writer (NNPA Newswire) — The Republican Party’s assault on suspect- ed and unverified widespread voter fraud has come into view for what it is: an attempt to disenfranchise Black and Hispanic voters. According to a study by The Washington Post , Republican-led voter fraud crackdowns disproportion- ately target Democrats and minorities. The newspaper’s analysis found that Black and Hispanic people made up over 75 percent of defendants accused of voter fraud, while registered Democrats accounted for nearly 60 percent of those charged. The analysis also revealed that the election integrity units established or expanded in six states after the 2020 election only obtained 47 convictions, most of which were for minor instances of voter fraud by individual voters. The analysis undermines claims by the twice-impeached and four-times indicted former President Donald Trump and Republicans that widespread voter fraud influenced the outcome of the 2020 election. Among the key findings, registered Democrats comprised 58 percent of those charged with identifiable party affiliations, compared to 23 percent for registered Republicans. The remaining cases involved defendants not registered with a specific party. The researchers determined a defen- dant’s race, ethnicity, or political party in approximately 70 percent of cases. Contrary to assertions by Trump and some Republican allies, the analysis revealed that the election integrity units did not uncover wide- spread schemes that could signifi- cantly impact election outcomes. Instead, the convictions were typical- ly the result of small-scale fraud or errors made by individual voters, such as casting multiple ballots, fal- sifying registrations, or voting while disqualified due to a conviction. The data also showed that many Happy Kwanzaa VOL. XCVIII NO. 16 l Mrs. Amanda Parker Bowers became a Centenarian on Thurs- day, December 14. And on Sunday, December 17, her longevity was celebrat- ed by the congregation of Mount Zion United Methodist Church, pastored by the Rev. Ronald Southall and hosted by surviving children Mrs. Katherine Francis Wilson and Dr. Frankie Bowers Hale. Mrs. Bowers was born in Napoleonville, Louisiana and has resided in New Orleans for 80 years. A retired nurse, she is still an active member of her church, and a member of sev- eral church and service organizations. Among the many well-wishers celebrating Mrs. Bowers’ mile- stone New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell.◊ JERRY EDWARDS JR. GALLOT Edwards confirmed as first Black judge in Louisiana’s Western District Analysis reveals Republican Party voter fraud crackdown is simply an effort to disenfranchise Black and Hispanic voters www.louisianaweekly.com 50 cents By Terry L. Jones Contributing Writer (Special from Floodlight via The Lens) – Communities of people across south Louisiana say that they want to protect themselves from what they consider to be a risky and possibly dangerous prospect of having tons of carbon dioxide injected underground to reduce the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions. A state legislative task force is now explor- ing the impacts this could have in Louisiana. But those living in lower income or majority- minority communities worry that voices from neighborhoods that are whiter and galvanize more quickly will have a greater say in where these projects go – or if they will be built. The process, called Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) – is meant to capture the planet-warming gas from industry and store it permanently underground. It’s become a top Biden administration solu- tion to meeting the country’s 2050 net-zero emissions goals, though critics say it’s a dan- gerous end-run that allows polluters to take the focus off of reducing overall emissions. But the lack of minority voices so far in the process has Jade Woods, a representative from the Washington, D.C.-based Center for International Environmental Law, worried that state leaders won’t realize how widespread opposition to CCS is in Louisiana. “The problem we’re seeing is that some communities have more power than others; Continued on Pg. 8 Continued on Pg. 13 Continued on Pg. 10 AMANDA PARKER BOWERS By Julie O’Donoghue Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com ) — Louisiana legislative leaders have tentatively settled on dates for two special sessions that will be held in January and February before their regular lawmaking session gets underway in March. The lawmakers are expected to convene Jan. 15- 23 for a federally mandated special session to draw new U.S. House of Representatives districts for Louisiana. Gov.-elect Jeff Landry is also supposed to call a special session focused on public safety and crime from Feb. 19 through March 6, according to Sen. Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, who is expected to be Louisiana Senate president next term. The regular legislative session will begin a few days later on March 11 and last until June 3, mean- ing lawmakers will be meeting most weeks during the first six months of 2024. A federal court is requiring the legislature to draw One of the nation’s potential hotspots for CCS, Louisiana has at least 20 underground carbon dioxide storage projects in the planning or development stages, most concentrated in the south- eastern part of the state. In addition, a sprawling network of pipeline expansions to carry the gas is planned, much of it to be funded through provisions and tax credits in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that have ignited the CCS industry. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin (AP) — A north Louisiana attor- ney is now the first Black federal judge to serve on the state‘s U.S. Western District Court following confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Jerry Edwards Jr., of Shreveport, was one of two judicial nominations by Democratic President Joe Biden. Brandon Scott Long of New Orleans was the other nomination approved on Thursday, December 14. Edwards will serve the district in the court based in Alexandria while Long will serve on Louisiana’s U.S. Eastern District Court, based in New Orleans, The Shreveport Times reported. “I was glad to support both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Long,” said La. lawmakers settle on dates for redistricting, crime special sessions New Orleanian celebrates 100th birthday Landry asks for pause of Gallot being named UL system president Continued on Pg. 8 Continued on Pg. 8 Week of December 25 - December 31, 2023 Celebrating our 98th year of providing ‘News that matters ’ Since 1925 Public outcry against carbon capture in Louisiana growing PIPELINES Existing Denbury CO2 pipelines Planned Denbury CO2 pipeline extensions Margin of error – Denberry CO2 extensions EnLink natural gas pipelines (potential CO2 conversion Other planned CO2 pipelines Future connected projects CO2 storage sites Planned reservoirs (approx..) Leased public land Leased private land Private lease option Facilities and wells Enhanced Oil Recovery wells Emitting facility