Raising the bar: Charter-school friendly group Raise The Bar Baton Rouge launched an extensive advertising campaign today to both inform families about poor outcomes in the Baton Rouge public school system as well as encourage the community to hold elected school officials to greater accountability, according to a news release. There will be radio, TV and digital ads aiming to get voters “to come together to support high-quality public education options to expand education excellence in the coming years across the Greater Baton Rouge area.” See one of the group’s 30-second commercials.
Jesus’ jet: Destrehan-based prosperity gospel televangelist Jesse Duplantis is asking disciples for money to buy a $54 million jet, NOLA.com reports. He asked for the donations in a video posted last week on his ministry’s website, claiming that if Jesus were on earth today he’d be in an airplane, too. Duplantis’ ministry already owns three jets, the last of which was purchased in 2006, but he’s got his eyes set on a Dassault Falcon 7X, which can travel almost 6,000 miles in one go. His solicitation comes months after Texas televangelist Kenneth Copeland announced he had bought a Gulfstream V jet. Read the full story.
Permanent provost: After a nearly two year search, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has named Jaimie L. Hebert as its new provost and vice president for academic affairs. The former Georgia Southern University president begins his new post starting July 1, according to a UL news release. Hebert is returning to his alma mater, where he earned his undergraduate and doctoral degrees. He previously served as Sam Houston State University’s provost and vice president of academic affairs from 2011 to 2016. He will replace David Danahar, who has served as interim provost at UL Lafayette since fall 2016 after the departure of James Henderson. See the full release.
