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Blue Ribbon program ended abruptly Trump discontinues award, which recognized 7 La. schools last year BY PATRICK WALL
Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
Drivers travel Tuesday on Interstate 10 near the Washington Street exit. The project to widen I-10 from the Interstate 12 split down to the Perkins Road off- and on-ramps is now expected to be completed by 2031.
I-10 project end date pushed back 3 years
For the past four decades, a few Louisiana schools each year have been identified as some of the best in the country — until now. President Donald Trump’s administration has abruptly ended the National Blue Ribbon Schools program, a long-running annual award for outstanding public and private schools, according to a recent notice sent to state education leaders. Last year, seven Louisiana schools were awarded, an honor bestowed on just a few hundred of the nation’s more than 100,000 schools each year. This year’s winning schools were set to be announced this month. But in an Aug. 29 letter to state education chiefs, a U.S. Department of Education official said the agency “hereby discontinues the national program.” Citing Trump’s effort to dismantle the federal education agency, the official encouraged states to “creatively fashion” their own awards programs. “In the spirit of Returning Education to the States, USED is ending its role in the program,” the letter said, which Alabama Daily News first reported.
Widening work now estimated to be done by 2031
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
The expected completion of the Interstate 10 widening project in Baton Rouge is now 2031, a few years later than the previously anticipated 2028 date, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said this week. When construction is done, there will be four lanes running in each direction from the split at I-10 and Interstate 110 down to the Perkins Road off- and on-ramps. DOTD spokesperson Rodney Mal-
lett said Tuesday that the additional time is needed due to a change in the approach to project construction. Initially, the plan called for two lanes running in each direction during construction. However, because of concerns over congestion, it was adjusted to maintain three lanes in both directions during construction, contributing to a lengthier process. Changes in the project plan related to eliminating the on-ramp at Louise Street are also contributing to the longer timeline, Mallett said. The on-ramp from Louise Street is being removed to avoid having westbound
drivers unsafely cross multiple lanes of traffic to get on the Mississippi River Bridge, improving traffic flow and safety. “These project improvements have extended the timeline of the project, but there was no delay in construction,” Mallett said. “The construction started in 2023 and has not stopped.” Mallett said he doesn’t see the extended timeline as a delay, and noted that just like the projected 2028 completion date, the 2031 date is also subject to change.
ä See WIDENING, page 6A
DA seeks to label gas station a ‘nuisance’ Moore says gang used AM Mart to deal drugs
BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore wants to label the AM Mart on Highland Road a “nuisance,” a designation meaning that the owner of the business knowingly allows repeated criminal activity to be carried out under his nose. Should the court eventually rule in favor of Moore’s petition, issued Monday, the AM Mart could be forced to close for up to five years.
WEATHER HIGH 91 LOW 68 PAGE 10A
In a letter signed by numerous parish and state leaders, and delivered to the AM Mart owner, Moore details how the premises have been the site of hundreds of crimes since 2020, including being used to host drug sales and dice games for a local gang: the Top Snatcher Klan. “Based on the information we Moore have, there have been many shootings, calls for service for drug dealing, and we allege gang activity in and outside of the business,” Moore told The Advocate on Tuesday.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore is seeking have the AM Mart on Highland Road declared a ä See MART, page 6A nuisance, alleging it is the site of criminal activity.
ä See BLUE, page 4A
Shreveport case could upend how councils across La. vote Attorney general contends resolution was illegal
BY ADAM DUVERNAY and PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER
Staff writers
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill contends a resolution welcoming Bernie Sanders to Shreveport was illegal because the parish commission voted with machines — an argument that raises questions about the votes of many government bodies across Louisiana. Murrill is asking a judge to void the resolution because she says the state’s Murrill public records law requires actual verbal votes, not machine tallies. She argues any other votes taken at that meeting without a voice vote also should be nullified. In the Baton Rouge area, the parish councils for East Baton Rouge, Ascension, Livingston and West Baton Rouge all vote using machines, as do some school boards.
Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
ä See VOTE, page 4A
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