AGP Executive Report

Local Business: House Brew is trading its pop-up life for a brick-and-mortar in downtown Baton Rouge, soft-launching Aug. 11 and grand-opening Aug. 15 at 278 North St., with more seating and a new North Street corner vibe. Local Politics & Public Safety: Retired Louisiana State Police superintendent Robert Hodges is running for St. Tammany Sheriff, aiming to distance the office from past misconduct and set up a Nov. 3 special election. Education & Youth: JS Clark Leadership Academy unveiled a $20 million Opelousas high school campus, expanding to grades 7-12 with allied health, labs, and dual-degree pathways. Community & Culture: New Orleans’ literary scene gets a spotlight for its neighborhood-by-neighborhood storytelling tradition, from historic courtyards to independent bookstores. Health & Policy: A federal judge blocked a Trump-era USCIS ban that stopped nonpartisan groups from helping newly naturalized citizens register to vote. Sports & Pride: SUNO named six student-athletes as 2026 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars—its first time earning the national honor. Immigration & Courts: A Lake Charles man was sentenced to more than a year in federal prison after resisting officers during an ICE-related removal effort.

Local LGBTQ Rights: The ACLU of Louisiana is challenging a Bossier Parish Police Jury ordinance that would criminalize transgender people using bathrooms matching gender identity, arguing the measure wasn’t properly noticed under Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law and could bring fines and jail time. Education & Justice: LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center parole clinic says 2024 crime legislation has narrowed parole eligibility, drying up cases and putting the clinic’s future—and students’ hands-on experience—at risk. Food Security: SNAP participation is dropping fast, with estimates of more than 4 million people already losing benefits since last July, raising alarms about hunger for children as major program changes roll out. Culture & Community: New Orleans is set to host the RITA fall conference, “Self-Directed IRAs & All That Jazz,” Oct. 28–29, with a second-line parade for attendees. Health & Safety: A Johns Hopkins researcher detained by ICE after a visa dispute was released after her attorney said she had valid work authorization. Lifestyle & Family: Parents are increasingly using AI tools to help choose colleges, turning a chaotic process into something more organized.

Immigration Courts: A federal appeals court in Chicago rejected the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy, potentially letting hundreds of detainees in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin seek bond hearings. Civil Rights & Voting: A new SNCC Legacy Project statement blasts the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision as a roadmap to roll back Black political power. Louisiana Fishing Economy: NOAA data (via Louisiana Commercial Fisheries Coalition) puts Louisiana commercial fishing at about $1.46B in sales impact and nearly 29,000 jobs, far outpacing recreational fishing’s ~$327M and 2,400 jobs. New Orleans Culture: St. Augustine Catholic Church in Treme hosted a Louis Armstrong jazz Mass and second line for his 125th birthday, with celebrations flowing into the French Quarter and the Jazz Museum. Education & Workforce: Northshore Technical Community College starts Fall 2026 Aug. 19, and NTCC teamed with Girl Scouts Louisiana East for a hands-on car care badge workshop. Healthcare Training: North Oaks Health named new directors to expand emergency and family medicine residencies. Community Arts: Membership in New Orleans Museum Month lets locals visit 30 cultural spots with one pass. Local Music: The 44th Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival returns Sept. 5 in Opelousas, honoring Sid Williams.

Local Culture & Music: The 44th Original Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival returns to Opelousas Sept. 5, honoring Sid Williams and featuring Chubby Carrier, Geno Delafose, C.J. Chenier and more. Community & Mutual Aid: New Orleans’ Free Store in the Lower 9th Ward keeps running as a free goods hub—roller skating nights, punk shows, health clinics, and community meals. Arts & Neighborhood Life: White Linen Night’s float-maker Walker Babington brought his “Bed Zeppelin” steampunk-style centerpiece to Julia Street, turning family creativity into citywide spectacle. Health & Veterans: A New Orleans VA prosthetics expert helps local patients get properly fitted legs, including one veteran receiving a newly fitted American flag prosthetic. Justice & Memory: Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Clayton Sisterhood Project helped lead a justice march and second line for Nolan Wells in New Orleans. Education & Access: Louisiana’s WIC program starts using new EBT cards Aug. 1, with retailers like Walmart accepting them as clinics can prescribe benefits remotely. Reentry Support: Thurman Perry Foundation is launching a dental-care grant program for formerly incarcerated women to remove another barrier to stable work and life. Sports Gambling Dollars: Louisiana colleges will use new sports gambling tax revenue mainly for scholarships and student-athlete opportunities, though the spending details won’t be publicly reported.

Justice & Race: A Black teen’s death after a Horn Island trip is still under investigation, with his family pressing for the same urgency and due process they say Black families often don’t get. Reentry Support: Louisiana advocacy groups secured a $5,000 grant to help formerly incarcerated women access dental care, aiming to remove another barrier to stable work and confidence. Local Music & Culture: DJ Raj Smoove is back with Smoove Fest at the Broadside (Aug. 8), celebrating New Orleans bounce and hip-hop with a stacked lineup. Consumer & Daily Life: Louisiana’s debit card surcharge ban takes effect, giving shoppers clearer protections and more enforcement power for the attorney general. Public Health Access: Louisiana WIC is rolling out new EBT cards starting Aug. 1, with retailers like Walmart already accepting them. Education & Community: The Elaine Education Foundation ran a Baton Rouge school supply drive to help students start strong. Immigration Watch: Johns Hopkins researcher Fatima Ameaka was detained by ICE while boarding a flight and later released after days in custody, reigniting concerns about how immigration enforcement is carried out. Sports & Food: LSU’s Tiger Stadium vendors are spotlighted for creative Louisiana-inspired game day eats, from birria nachos to Cajun slaw sliders.

New Louisiana Laws (Aug. 1): Deepfake penalties expand to protect kids and K-12 students, balloon-release events are banned (with key exemptions), and Louisiana also moves to end debit card surcharges—plus more rules tied to voter-roll investigations. Local Courts & Justice: New Orleans criminal court judges warn that cutting three judgeships will likely mean delays as caseloads jump. Immigration & Academic Life: A Johns Hopkins researcher with work authorization until 2029 was detained by ICE at BWI and held in Louisiana, raising fresh concerns about airport enforcement. Elections: A voter guide covers the race for Louisiana’s 2nd Circuit Judge Group 7 seat. Education & Campus Life: LSU is easing enrollment after nearly a decade of growth, citing campus capacity and a push for selectivity. Community & Culture: New Orleans weekend picks include White Linen Night and Satchmo SummerFest. Business & Jobs: EmployBR and LSU Dining host a hiring event Aug. 4 for food service roles. Agriculture: Louisiana rice farmers face tight margins as costs soar while prices lag. Arts & Design: Tulane names John Dwyer director of its Small Center for Collaborative Design. Sports & Health: The Korey Stringer Institute marks 25 years since a heat-stroke death, continuing prevention work.

Workforce & Education: EmployBR and LSU Dining are teaming up for an Aug. 4 hiring event (9 a.m.-4 p.m.) at EmployBR, with roles from cooks and baristas to sous chefs. Healthcare Training: Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College opened a new nursing instruction wing at its Mansfield campus, expanding classroom, lab, and study space to meet regional demand. Local Culture & Community: Vermilionville’s Acadian Culture Day is set for Aug. 9 (free admission), with live music, Cajun dance lessons, French Mass and food, plus a film screening and Lomax recordings panel. Arts & Entertainment: The Baton Rouge Underground Film Festival returns Aug. 27-30 at the Manship Theatre, featuring indie features, shorts, panels, and workshops. Public Life & Safety: Ochsner LSU Health is hosting a free Shreveport-Bossier health fest Aug. 1 (10 a.m.-3 p.m.) with screenings, education, and giveaways. Immigration & Rights: Human rights groups say ICE violated its own rules by detaining a breastfeeding asylum-seeker and holding her about 700 miles from her children in Tennessee. Civic Oversight: New Orleans Councilmember Aimee McCarron says reforming Sewerage & Water Board will take time as the city moves toward audits, board changes, and budget oversight.

Immigration & Due Process: A federal appeals court ruled the Trump administration can’t deny detained migrants a chance for release on bond, deepening a split among circuits and raising Supreme Court odds. ICE Family Separation: Rights groups say ICE detained a Guatemalan nursing mother and separated her from her children, alleging violations of ICE policy; another case alleges ICE separated a nursing mom from an infant and toddler. Education Policy: A Senate panel advanced a bill to block much of the Education Department’s dismantling, aiming to keep oversight for special education and key K-12 programs. College Admissions: Senators unveiled a bipartisan push to ban legacy preferences in college admissions. Public Health Leadership: The Senate advanced CDC nominee Dr. Erica Schwartz, clearing a key hurdle after a contentious hearing. Louisiana Coast & Industry: FAA rule changes could waive major environmental protections for rocket launches, with south Louisiana’s Pecan Island mentioned as a potential site. Local Culture & Food: Tulane chefs are training with Audubon and Aramark to use more Gulf seafood on campus. Community & Arts: Acadiana Symphony’s new conductor plans immersive, audience-friendly concerts. Business & Consumer Impact: A federal CBD/THC ban is putting Louisiana hemp and THC retailers at risk, with one Baton Rouge shop facing a looming shutdown.

Immigration & Courts: A federal appeals court ruled the Trump administration can’t block detained migrants from seeking release on bond, deepening a split that could land at the U.S. Supreme Court. New Orleans Jail Oversight: A family is demanding answers after an Orleans Justice Center inmate died days before a scheduled court date, with the death still under investigation. Water Utility Reform: New Orleans City Council took its first steps toward tighter control of the Sewerage & Water Board, including moves for audits, transparency, and pay studies. Student Life & Sports Law: Attorney General Liz Murrill highlighted a new Aug. 1 law requiring NIL agents to register, complete education, and pass background checks. Education Policy: A Senate panel approved a bipartisan bill to protect key special education functions inside the Education Department. Local Teaching Stories: Twin Acadiana teachers are now mentoring future educators at UL Lafayette, and a R.J. Vial teacher was named Teacher of the Year. Community & Culture: Historic New Orleans Collection announced a Bunny Matthews retrospective opening Sept. 18, and Louisiana Comic Convention won’t return to Lafayette in 2027. Back-to-School Help: Dillas is giving away 11,000 free meals to teachers across Texas and Louisiana. Health Watch: CDC data show pregnancy high blood pressure is rising fast nationwide, affecting 1 in 10 mothers. Workforce & Transportation: FMCSA expanded a veterans’ CDL waiver window under the “Freedom Haulers” push.

Immigration & Community Safety: A breastfeeding mother of two, including a child with Down syndrome, was arrested by ICE in Nashville while taking her kids to the doctor, sparking complaints that the agency violated its own rules for pregnant/postpartum/nursing people. Local Politics & Voting Rights: NAACP-backed plaintiffs joined Mississippi Republicans in a DeSoto County redistricting lawsuit, arguing new judicial election rules dilute Black voting power and should halt the November election. Public Education: NOLA Public Schools is weighing a district optimization plan as declining enrollment could trigger school closures, with policy steps expected through August. City Life & Culture: New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno is launching a “Canal Street Renaissance” focused first on safety, lighting, police presence, and anti-blight enforcement, then on new businesses and arts programming. Health & Everyday Support: Louisiana WIC is moving to a new EBT card system starting Aug. 1, letting clinics load benefits remotely and improving grocery checkout. Arts & Heritage: The “Triggaman” beat’s legacy is credited as the template for New Orleans bounce music, rooted in Mardi Gras Indian and second-line rhythms and influential in LGBTQIA communities. Scholarships: HHANWLA is accepting 2026 scholarship applications with no GPA or income limits, due July 31. Business & Growth: Downtown Lafayette Unlimited says downtown visits are up 33% since 2020, as leaders gather to map next steps for momentum. Policy Watch: A new report says sales taxes are rising while income taxes are falling, a shift that could hit lower-income households hardest.

Local Music & Community: The King’s Brass is set to team up with Lakelands-area musicians for a free concert at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood, bringing hymns and patriotic tunes to the community. Bars & Nightlife: USA TODAY named Lafayette’s The Greenroom one of its 2026 Bars of the Year, praising the bar’s long-running local following and classic hangout vibe. Education Access: NSU’s CENLA campus hosted a Registration Rally to help nontraditional students finish enrollment steps in one stop. Public Health Update: Louisiana WIC is switching to a new online system and WIC EBT card starting Aug. 1, aiming to make benefits easier to manage. Culture & Preservation: World Monument Fund named New Orleans among the most “irreplaceable” places in the U.S., highlighting the city’s living, multi-influence neighborhoods. Civic Life: Love Our Schools is launching its 2026 CAFÉ Community and Family Engagement event in Lafayette Parish to connect families, partners, and schools. Religious Liberty: A Baton Rouge pastor filed suit against the East Baton Rouge Parish Library over its pronoun policy, claiming religious discrimination. Oversight & Ethics: Louisiana auditors found crisis pregnancy centers receiving taxpayer funds weren’t properly licensed as healthcare facilities despite providing medical services.

Bastille Day in New Orleans: Alliance Française of New Orleans brought French food, music, and kids’ activities to Pitot House for a lively Bastille Day celebration. School Closures Watch: New Orleans schools could face downsizing and closures if enrollment benchmarks aren’t met, with a plan due by Dec. 15. Water Infrastructure Win: Henderson-Nina Water System in Lake Charles earned Water System of the Year South honors from the Louisiana Rural Water Association. Immigration & Community: New Orleans leaders and residents are weighing what the end of Haitian TPS could mean for local culture and the people who helped build the city. Local History Event: The Louisiana Orphan Train Museum will present “America’s Forgotten Journey of Hope and Hardship” at the Old Governor’s Mansion on Aug. 4. Voting Culture: Louisiana unveiled its 2026 “I Voted” sticker design, featuring a trumpet and state flower inspired by the sound of Louisiana music. Due Process Push: Lawmakers advanced a bill aimed at barring federal politicians from using campaign funds to fight sexual misconduct claims. Public Safety & Housing: The Willows Apartments in New Orleans East is planning upgrades after a federal-auction ownership change, including more cameras and NOPD patrols.

America 250 & Local History Grants: The Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities awarded $23,000 in new grants to support U.S. history programming across the state, with more than $50,000 total already going to America 250 projects and Constitution Day grants in seven parishes. Voting Access & Culture: Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry unveiled the 2026 “I Voted” sticker artwork by New Orleans artist Terrance Osborne, marking the 10-year anniversary of the artist-designed voting sticker program. New Orleans Downtown Revamp: Mayor Helena Moreno rolled out a three-phase Canal Street Renaissance Initiative, starting with quick public-safety and lighting fixes and moving toward retail recruitment, cultural programming, and long-term redevelopment. Food Safety Watch: FDA officials said the U.S. food supply is safe even as a cyclospora outbreak has sickened more than 11,000 people nationwide. Education & Community Leadership: Louisiana Tech is joining a national microelectronics and semiconductor workforce network, while the state honored local educators, including Raceland Lower Elementary Principal Casey Cheramie as Elementary School Principal of the Year. Health & Services in Central City: DePaul Community Health Centers will open a new Community Resource Center in Central City to connect residents with help for food, housing, transportation, and enrollment needs. Disability Rights Legacy: Louisiana marked Disability Rights Month by remembering activist April Dunn and her push for expanded educational opportunities for people with disabilities.

Louisiana Education & Discipline: State Superintendent Cade Brumley urged schools to “stand firm” on classroom behavior and anti-bullying enforcement as the new year approaches, pointing to new state rules that require stronger consequences for assaults on school employees. New Orleans Preservation: Madame John’s Legacy in the French Quarter is still sparking a fight between preservationists and the state over how restoration work is being handled, with concerns now extending to possible commercial uses like a culinary museum. ICE & Community Safety: In Alexandria, residents are pushing back against a planned ICE transit facility, arguing it will function like detention even for people who say they’re leaving voluntarily. Acadiana Schools Watch: Lafayette Police are investigating possible payroll fraud at Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy, while the state auditor is also reportedly involved. Arts & Culture (Spirited Awards): Cobra in Ohio’s Brewery District won Best U.S. Restaurant Bar at the 2026 Spirited Awards, highlighting the growing hospitality culture tied to Tales of the Cocktail. Food & Identity: New Orleans chef Serigne Mbaye says Michelin still can’t fully define West African cooking, spotlighting how local dining is shaping broader cultural conversations. Health & Public Interest: The CDC says an egg-related Salmonella outbreak shows resistance patterns that may limit some common antibiotic options for the sickest patients. Local Education Honors: Two Acadiana principals were named Louisiana Principal of the Year and Louisiana High School Principal of the Year, celebrating student outcomes and career-focused training.

Education & Workforce: Louisiana education officials issued guidance on Gov. Jeff Landry’s $168M teacher-pay shift, laying out how districts must route the money for at least $2,000 in compensation for teachers and $1,000 for support staff in 2026-27. Local Schools Spotlight: Baton Rouge educator Alisha Butler was named Louisiana Teacher of the Year, while Lafayette’s Holly Boffy and others were honored as top principals at the Educator Excellence Gala. Career Training Boost: Nunez Community College in Chalmette received a $1M Lowe’s Foundation gift to expand electrical, construction, and HVAC training capacity in Plaquemines Parish. Nightlife Safety: New Orleans launched free SAFE Bar Network training for nightlife businesses, offering de-escalation and bystander intervention with no-cost on-site instruction. Culture & Food: The James Beard Foundation picked New Orleans as the kickoff city for its Taste America series, bringing chefs to The Josephine on Sept. 16. Community & Health: Ochsner LSU Health’s free Health Fest in Shreveport-Bossier (Aug. 1) will offer screenings and family activities. Legal/Equity: A Louisiana company sued Tulane, alleging its funding application was denied due to the owner’s race. Sports & Local Interest: Saints rookies are getting ranked by potential impact as training camps begin.

Iberville Election Setup: Qualifying for Iberville Parish’s Nov. 3 races starts Aug. 5, including a U.S. Senate contest (Julia Letlow vs. Jamie Davis), a district judge seat, and at least five school board seats. Baton Rouge School Board Watch: Incumbents and education reformers are lining up for the fall EBR School Board elections, with new district maps shaping who can run and how voters will choose. Judicial Races, Remapped: East Baton Rouge’s judicial elections will be unlike before, with new subdistricts and up to eight races on ballots. Community & Culture: Shreveport’s Cedar Grove held its first “Unity in the Community” event after an April mass shooting, using music and local vendors to rebuild trust. Education Spotlight: Dr. Holly Boffy was named Louisiana High School Principal of the Year for expanding career pathways at the Baker Smith Career Center. Public Safety—Heat: South Louisiana faces extreme heat and heat advisories through midweek; officials urge hydration, air-conditioning, and limiting outdoor time. Food & Health: A new push highlights Louisiana’s Cyclospora outbreak concerns and what doctors advise as cases rise nationally. Arts & Music: New Orleans chefs are competing in major international culinary qualifiers, boosting the city’s food spotlight. Politics & Rights: The NAACP announced a $20 million voter registration drive ahead of the midterms, amid ongoing fights over voting access.