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W e d n e s d ay, M a r c h 26, 2025
‘DREAMS FULFILLED IN THE FULLEST’ Longtime senator J. Bennett Johnston dies at 92
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Fewer La. students seeking college aid State ends FAFSA requirement for graduates
BY PATRICK WALL
Staff writer
J. Bennett Johnston served in the U.S. Senate for 24 years before retiring in 1996.
He was not considered flashy, but got things done, lawmakers say BY TYLER BRIDGES
Staff writer
J. Bennett Johnston, a pro-business Democrat who during 24 years in the U.S. Senate steadfastly defended Louisiana’s oil and gas interests and worked in a bipartisan fashion to win congressional funding for infrastructure projects throughout the state, died Tuesday. He was 92 and had been living in Sperryville, Virginia, outside of Washington. Johnston was overshadowed during much of his career by flashier politicians in Louisiana during an era where
populist Democrats dominated. He didn’t rouse crowds with table-thumping speeches. Instead, Johnston cultivated relationships with Republicans and other Democrats in Washington, D.C., at a time when working across party lines got things done. Johnston had a lowkey and friendly style that served him as he became an effective advocate for his moderate-to-conservative views and for Louisiana’s interests. During more than 30 years in elected office, Johnston’s two biggest moments in the spotlight came in 1971, when he fell just short of winning the
FILE PHOTO By G. ANDREW BOyD
governor’s race, and in 1990, when he won reelection to the Senate over the surprisingly strong candidacy of David Duke. The loss in the governor’s race came at the hands of Edwin Edwards, but it ended up benefiting Johnston because it gave him enough political strength the next year to challenge veteran Sen. Allen Ellender, who was 81. Ellender died during the campaign, and Johnston won easily. Johnston won reelection in 1978, 1984 and 1990, with the race against Duke generating headlines nationwide because of how powerfully Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard who was then in the state House, tapped into resentment among White voters against Washington.
ä See JOHNSTON, page 9A
The latest whipsaw in his case came last week, when the court agreed to reconsider Robinson’s legal challenge to his conviction and death sentence on four counts of first-degree murder over a 1996 quadruple killing in Rapides Parish. Robinson, now 56, is among 55 prisonBY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer ers on death row in Louisiana, following the execution last week of Jessie HoffWhen it comes to death row inmate man Jr., whose death by nitrogen hypoxDarrell Robinson, the Louisiana Supreme ia was a first for the state, following the Court can’t seem to make up its mind. lead of Alabama.
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 62 PAGE 8B
ä See AID, page 7A
Vitter to lobby for Plaquemines Port terminal
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
Hoffman was the first person executed in Louisiana since 2010, due to a shortage of lethal injection drugs. Last year, Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill adding nitrogen gas and electrocution to a new menu of methods that opened the door to resuming executions in the state. The decision to rehear Robinson’s case follows a year in which the court waffled on his fate. In January 2024, a majority of
Plaquemines Port has enlisted former U.S. Sen. David Vitter as a lobbyist to help make its case to Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration and other policymakers that a new downriver container terminal on the West Bank is a better option than the $1.8 billion Port of New Orleans project in St. Bernard Parish. Vitter, who in 2004 was the first Republican to be elected to the Senate from Louisiana Vitter since Reconstruction, held office until 2017, when he relinquished the seat after an unsuccessful run for governor. He then joined Mercury Public Affairs, a prominent Washington-based government relations and public affairs firm, where his clients
ä See COURT, page 8A
ä See PORT, page 8A
Court to rehear La. death row inmate’s case Robinson previously convicted in 1996 slayings of family
Once a national leader in getting students to apply for college financial aid, Louisiana has plummeted in the rankings this year and is the only state to see a decline in aid applications this cycle, according to the latest federal data. The number of Louisiana students who have submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid this school year is down 12% compared with the same period last year, according to federal data compiled by the National College Attainment Network. By contrast, applications are up 14% nationwide, and every state except Louisiana has seen a year-over-year increase. The sharp drop comes after the state board of education repealed a policy last year that had required high school seniors to complete the FAFSA, apply for an in-state Taylor Opportunity Program for Students scholarship, or request an exemption in order to graduate. Experts warn that college enrollment could dip if more students don’t complete the FAFSA, which unlocks federal loans and grants, including Pell grants for low-income students, and is often crucial for helping families realize they can afford higher education. Students have until June 30 to apply. But with an estimated 37% of seniors completing the FAFSA so far, Louisiana has fallen
Business ...................10A Commentary ................7B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................9D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....5D-8D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
12TH yEAR, NO. 226