Across an ocean: Gov. John Bel Edwards will travel to Israel later this month on an economic development trip that includes a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The governor says the 24-person delegation will include business leaders and researchers in water management, logistics, higher education and cybersecurity. The delegation leaves on Oct. 26 and returns Nov. 2, visiting both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Read the full story.
Pay day: Louisiana has agreed to pay nearly $150,000 to end a sexual misconduct lawsuit against a former Secretary of State Tom Schedler who resigned in May, the state’s highest public official felled by accusations during the #MeToo movement. Schedler will personally pay his female ex-worker $18,425 on top of the taxpayer-financed amount of $149,075 under settlement details from the Division of Administration. The payments resolve legal claims that Schedler sexually harassed the woman when she worked for him. Read the full story.
Hit me: A post office manager in Kenner is accused of stealing more than $630,000 in stamps and selling them online to support a gambling addiction. News outlets report 46-year-old Ryan Cortez was arrested Wednesday on charges including misappropriating postal funds or property. Federal prosecutors say this is one of the largest internal postal thefts in U.S. Postal Service history. The criminal complaint says Cortez also embezzled nearly $10,000 from a church where he worked as a treasurer. Read the full story.
