Penalized: State officials and district attorneys continue to hammer out stricter penalties for shrimpers fishing out of season. At its meeting in Houma, The Courier reports the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force continued discussions on its plans to get legislation passed to strengthen the penalties for violators. Currently, shrimpers face fines, revocation of gear licenses, community service and potential jail time if accused of multiple violations. Officials say the issue with the current penalties is that an owner of a vessel with multiple violations can use another licensed captain who does not have violations out on the same boat. Read the full story.
Enrollment up: Spring enrollment figures show gains for some central Louisiana schools at a time when they really need it, The Town Talk reports. State universities have been warned $131 million could potentially be slashed from their budgets this year. Dan Howard, chancellor of LSU-Alexandria, says the campus has seen a more than 13% increase in enrollment this semester over spring 2015. As state support to schools’ operating budgets continue to dwindle, they’re relying more heavily on tuition, fees and outside support to make up the difference. Some higher education leaders are looking to enrollment increases “to grow us out of a problem,” Howard says. Northwestern State University’s spring enrollment is also up 6% this year. Read the full story.
New duties: William “Bill” Dufrene, senior vice president of the Alliance Safety Council, has been named vice president of the Association of Reciprocal Safety Councils, the alliance has announced in a news release. According to its website, ARSC’s council representatives develop and revise training programs that meet a significant portion of Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, within standards, to reduce redundant information and increase the effectiveness of training programs. Dufrene serves on the ARSC’s executive committee. The Alliance Safety Council is a Baton Rouge-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving safety in the workplace, community, and the home.
