Star student: Jack Green, an upcoming LSU graduate, spent his last semester as a member of the Biden-Harris campaign’s Climate, Energy and Environment committee, LSU announced. Green, a Lake Charles native, says he didn’t expect to get the job when he applied, but that the committee worked on policy issues throughout the campaign. Green will graduate Friday with dual degrees and college honors in applied coastal environmental science and political science, with a concentration in international politics and law. Read the full story.
Tolls: Louisiana lawmakers on Wednesday gave Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration the go-ahead to seek private partners to build and finance a new Interstate 10 bridge over the Calcasieu River, according to The Center Square. Legislators reluctantly approved the idea of charging drivers tolls to pay for the bridge, which the state did not have enough funds to cover, though they held out hope that other funding sources would emerge to make that unnecessary. Read the full story.
Permits rise: The number of newly issued permits to build fresh housing rose 6.2% in November on a seasonally adjusted basis. Housing starts rose 1.2%, and are 12.8% higher than a year ago, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, to an annualized rate of 1.547 million. Building permits totaled 1.64 million annualized units. The figure remains up 8.5% from a year earlier, as the housing market remains one the strongest parts of the U.S. economy despite the widespread pandemic and increased lockdowns. See the full story.
