From the inside out: The Terrebonne Parish School Board on Tuesday will consider whether to ask the Governor’s Office to excuse the school system from Common Core testing. As The Courier reports, the resolution asks Gov. Bobby Jindal and state school Superintendent John White to remove Terrebonne Parish from Common Core testing until “these programs have been thoroughly reviewed and understood by teachers, parents, community leaders, and approved by school board members.” Terrebonne school Superintendent Philip Martin says only the Legislature can alter state law. Read the full story.
All abuzz: A family in Avoyelles Parish is fighting with the state to keep a roughly 2-acre piece of land situated between La. 1 and La. 114, which the Bordelons have used for about 100 years to cultivate beehives and ship them across the country. As Gannett Louisiana reports, the Bordelons say the state is trying to acquire the land for a fraction of what it’s worth. The state wants it for a realignment project on La. 111. Deidra Druillhet, a spokeswoman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, declined to comment on specifics of the situation. “We’re just a family operation trying to save our business,” Peggy Bordelon says. “We want to stay here.” Read the full story.
An unconventional throw: Although Mardi Gras has been associated with all kinds of vices, one group will try to help people quit one of them: smoking. Across Louisiana, a statewide initiative called Krewe de Quit is meant to create a support group to help smokers quit, and does so by hosting smoke-free parties and events. Krewe de Quit is a group collaboration with Pfizer Inc., along with the Louisiana Smoking Cessation Trust, the Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco-Free Living, Ochsner Health System, the American Lung Association Southeast, the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, and the Louisiana Business Group on Health. The Advertiser has the full story.
