Head of the class: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says education reforms that have produced results in Louisiana can also work in Virginia. Jindal helped promote Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s education reform package at a news conference today in Richmond. That package includes bills to grade public schools on an “A” to “F” scale, and to allow the state to take over chronically failing schools. The full story can be found here.
Majority rules: According to a new poll released by the Louisiana State Medical Society, 51% of Louisianans say the state should participate in the Medicaid expansion as outlined in the federal Affordable Care Act. Gov. Bobby Jindal has said the state will not participate in the expansion. The survey also found 52% of Louisiana voters also believe that by not participating in the program, state taxpayers are leaving millions of federal dollars on the table available for health services. You can check out the complete poll results here.
Sweet: A new record for raw sugar production was set last year by Louisiana’s sugarcane farmers and mills, according to the American Sugar Cane League. Louisiana’s 489 farmers and 11 sugar mills produced 1.71 million tons of raw sugar, beating the 1999 record of 1.67 million tons. The sugarcane harvest began in August and wrapped up Jan. 15.
A taste of the Big Easy: Chef John Folse will be kicking off Fat Tuesday with an 8 a.m. appearance on NBC’s Today Show to prepare and share a traditional New Orleans Mardi Gras meal. Restaurant R’evolution’s celebrated chef plans to work up some crab cakes, gumbo and king cakes during a live filming at NBC’s Rockefeller Place studio in New York City.
