Common ground: They differ in many ways, but the two candidates for governor in Louisiana’s Nov. 21 runoff election share an aversion to the Common Core education standards, The Associated Press reports. Bu, after Common Core supporters helped elect a six-member majority to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the question is how much change either Democrat John Bel Edwards or Republican David Vitter might be able to affect in the way the state evaluates and tests students. The new governor will make three appointments to BESE, but eight members are elected from districts around the state. In the Oct. 24 election, Common Core backers helped elect six BESE members. And they are backing two others in runoffs. Read the full story.
From the bench: Judges in New Orleans have agreed not to jail five people over their alleged failure to pay court fees—the latest development in a lawsuit that claims the judges preside over what amounts to an unconstitutional “debtors’ prison,” The Associated Press reports. The lawsuit, filed in September, says state district court judges in New Orleans routinely use jail or the threat of jail to collect court debts from poor people. The case, which is similar to lawsuits filed in several other states, also names the New Orleans Sheriff’s Office and the city government as defendants. U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance has set an August 2016 trial date. Read the full story.
Spot on: Louisiana has given more than 1,100 small businesses, schools and higher education institutions a special designation designed to show they’re making healthy choices. As The Associated Press reports, the state health department announced this week that a little more than a year after launching the initiative, 1,166 places across Louisiana have been named WellSpots. To earn the designation through the voluntary program, businesses and organizations must be smoke-free in addition to meeting other place-specific criteria. For schools, the criteria include healthy food options and time for late students to eat breakfast, for example. See the full list of designated WellSpots.
