Highway cleanup: With fewer cars on the road because of the coronavirus outbreak, Louisiana’s transportation department is taking the opportunity to clean up areas that are normally filled with traffic. The agency says its maintenance crews will spend the next two weeks launching an extensive cleanup effort of usually high-traffic state roadways. The crews will pick up litter, remove debris, trim overhanging trees and remove overgrown vegetation. The Department of Transportation and Development is urging those who are driving to use caution when traveling through the work zones.
Student protections: Louisiana’s public colleges would be unable to withhold a student’s transcript, grades or diplomas because of outstanding debts, under a measure that advanced today in the House. Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro, says her proposal aims to remove barriers that keep students from getting an education and completing a degree program. Universities and colleges would also be barred from withholding grades, a diploma, transcripts or course registration services because a student is in default on a federal loan. Read the full story.
Thorny issues: A year and a half after announcing its creation, Facebook has named the initial 20 members of its oversight board, a quasi-independent panel that is to make decisions on thorny issues. The board’s members were named by Facebook and hail from a broad swath of regions around the world. The oversight panel is intended to rule on difficult content issues such as whether Facebook or Instagram posts constitute hate speech. It will be empowered to make binding rulings on whether posts or ads violate the company’s standards. Any other findings it makes will be considered “guidance” by Facebook. Read the full story.
