 BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Louisiana lawmakers spent a two-week special session in November approving major changes to the way the state generates and allocates tax revenue. Because of this, they are expected to have a surplus of state funds to work with when fashioning the budget for the fiscal year that begins in July. Before the changes, estimates showed a shortfall of $340 million. Gov. Jeff Landry’s top budget official says cuts to education and health care should be avoided as a result. “It’s refreshing that the budget exercise in the spring will not be about cutting the budget,” Commissioner of Administration Taylor Barras said. Read more about the financial forecast.
A new Louisiana law requires public K-12 schools and colleges to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms by Jan. 1. However, civil liberties groups that have challenged the statute in federal court say the school districts could face lawsuits if they comply. A federal judge last month declared the mandate unconstitutional and temporarily barred the state from enforcing it. The state has appealed that ruling. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill says the order applies only to the five school districts named in the lawsuit where the plaintiffs’ children attend school: East Baton Rouge, Livingston, Orleans, St. Tammany and Vernon. Read more about where the case stands.
Shockwaves were felt in Shreveport and other parts of the state on Thursday from a 3.3 magnitude earthquake that originated near a small town in Texas along the Louisiana border. Read about how rare earthquakes are in Louisiana. | 
