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Gov. John Bel Edwards has said he backs the creation of a second majority-minority U.S. House district among Louisiana’s six congressional districts, his first detailed comments about what maps he’d like to see lawmakers draw in next year’s redistricting session.
The Democratic governor noted that one-third of Louisiana’s more than 4.6 million residents are Black. He said it would be fair to ensure one-third of the U.S. House districts reflect that.
“Obviously, if you want to talk about fairness and making sure that the maps reflect the reality, what the situation is on the ground, that should certainly be our goal, and I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to get there,” Edwards said in response to a question at a wide-ranging, end-of-year news conference.
The governor didn’t say if he would veto a map that doesn’t add a second majority-Black district, and it’s questionable if lawmakers in the majority-Republican Legislature would agree to create one at the expense of a safe GOP district. The drawing of such a district, if it were approved, would almost certainly force the ouster of a Republican incumbent in Congress.
Every 10 years with the release of the latest U.S. Census data, lawmakers redesign the maps for seats in the U.S. House, state Senate, state House, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Public Service Commission to account for population shifts and evenly distribute people among districts. Lawmakers are planning to call a February special session for the work, and they’re considering redrawing the state Supreme Court districts this time.
Before Thursday, the governor had only offered broad outlines of what he wanted to see from any of the reworked maps.
If a second majority-minority district is drawn, Edwards said, he didn’t believe the state could maintain the current configuration of two north Louisiana-based congressional districts.
“It would be a major reworking of the map,” he said.
Rep. John Stefanski, the Crowley Republican who leads the redistricting work in the House, has said he’s heard more interest from lawmakers about “tweaking around the edges” of the current districts, including maintaining the two north Louisiana-based seats despite large losses in the region’s population.
On other topics, the governor:
• Expects to get federal regulations in mid-January for the $595 million in federal disaster recovery block grant aid Louisiana is receiving from Congress for 2020’s Hurricane Laura. He said the state is developing its draft housing assistance plan to submit for approval once the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development releases its rules governing the aid. Edwards also pledged to continue to ask President Joe Biden’s administration and Congress to pass more aid, seeing more is needed to help rebuild and repair damaged housing in southwest Louisiana.
• Said 11,500 people with home damage from Hurricane Ida, which ravaged southeast Louisiana when it struck in August, remain living in hotels with assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The state also has deployed 2,500 temporary trailers to the region.
• Urged people to get the coronavirus vaccine in a state where fewer than half its residents are fully immunized against the COVID-19 illness, particularly as Louisiana sees an increasing number of cases from the omicron variant of the virus. Edwards also encouraged those already vaccinated to get a booster dose of the shot, saying only 25% of those eligible have gotten a booster so far.
• Called for Lafayette City Court Judge Michelle Odinet to resign after she repeatedly used a racial slur in a video recorded at her home and posted to social media. “If she were not to resign, perhaps all of the litigants before her who were African American would seek her recusal, and I’m not sure that she has a valid basis for denying that recusal and so there is no efficient administration of justice if she stays on the bench,” Edwards said.
• Said he’ll propose to lawmakers to spend the remaining $1.4 billion in unspent federal pandemic aid available to the state on water and sewer system improvements, transportation projects, broadband internet upgrades and another infusion of cash into the state’s unemployment trust fund to pay benefits. Lawmakers will decide how to use the cash in the regular legislative session that begins in March.

The Midland Lady Rebels made a late run, but it wasn’t enough in their matchup with Class 4A A.J. Ellender Thursday at the MHS Holiday Spectacular.
The Lady Rebels trailed by as many as 21 early in the fourth quarter before outscoring the Lady Patriots 15-7 down the stretch in 63-53 loss.
Ellender, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, improved to 12-1 with the victory.
The Lady Rebels fell to 11-6.
The Lady Patriots began to pull away early in the second quarter and pushed their lead to 12, but Midland battled back to get within six (30-26) on a steal and a layup by Makenzie Oliver.
The guests added the final two baskets of the frame after that to take a 34-26 advantage at the break.
The third quarter was Midland’s undoing, however.
The Lady Rebels turned the ball over 12 times during the frame, enabling the Lady Patriots to go on a 9-0 run and push the lead to 16 (45-29) midway through the quarter.
Oliver scored seven of her 19 points in the quarter but Ellender was still able to push its advantage to 18 (56-38) entering the final stanza.
Oliver and Gracie Miller combined for 11 points in the fourth quarter.
Miller hit five shots from beyond the arc and finished with a team-high 24 points. Oliver followed with 19 points and Holi Myers added six. Myra Carlson and Caitlyn Boudreaux rounded out the Lady Rebels’ offense with three and one point, respectively.

PHOTO SUBMITTED
Crowley High softball standout Hannah Abshire recently signed a National Letter of Intent to continue her academic and athletic career at Baton Rouge Community College beginning in the fall. Abshire will be a four-year starter for the CHS Ladies this year in center field where she earned All-District and All-Acadia Parish accolades. Over the summer, she played travel softball for La. Glory where sh hit .510 with 45 singles, three doubles and she had 30 stolen bases. On hand for the signing were, seated from left, Jared Abshire (father), Hannah Abshire, Cristie Collins (mother); standing, CHS softball coach Bailee Villejoin, CHS coach Mercedes Rogers and La. Glory coach Harley Lantier.

DEAR ABBY: My wife and I were divorced six years ago. Our 26-year-old daughter has always been close to her mother and my former in-laws. When my ex and I separated, she was 20. When we divorced a year later, she sided with her mother, which I expected. Since the divorce, I have seen my daughter only at Christmas and on Father’s Day. She does not visit me or communicate with me otherwise.
I have continued to be open and generous with her, and she sends me a list of items I can choose for her birthday and Christmas. I have bought her the jewelry, electronics and other higher-end items she requested. She doesn’t seem to want my involvement in her life unless it satisfies her material desires.
Should I continue to be so generous with her because she’s my daughter, or does a time come when it needs to end? I would hate to lose her, but it is obvious that she has let me go. Should I do the same? – DAD OF DIVORCE IN CANADA

DEAR DAD: I think so. In fact, I think you should have become less generous when she started distancing from you. Not knowing the reason for your divorce, I can’t guess why she “sided” with her mother and her mother’s parents. If the reason was infidelity on your part, rather than a mutual agreement that the marriage wasn’t working, I could understand the dynamics of what has been going on. But relationships are supposed to be reciprocal – at least on some level. This one clearly isn’t, so under these circumstances, I wouldn’t blame you for closing your wallet. Send her a card with a small gift of YOUR choosing this Christmas and see how that goes.

DEAR ABBY: I have decided not to socialize with anyone in my apartment building. We are a community, but I have lost two so-called friends because I wasn’t “flexible enough” to make shopping trips on a whim. Another person complained that I knocked on the door too early or phoned too early. I didn’t do these things with malice. I just didn’t know.
I have always had problems interacting with others. And now, as always, it is better for me and others that I isolate. Abby, I am writing this letter to vent. Relationships are harder for some of us. What do you think? – ALONE FOR NOW

DEAR ALONE: Relationships are about two-way communication. If someone dropped you because you called or knocked on their door too early, all they had to do was say, “I’m never up before 10, so please don’t try to interact with me before then.” The people who were angry because you couldn’t (I assume) drive them on their errands were looking for a ride, not friendship. Please stop blaming yourself for this. And please do not allow others to judge you or make you isolate yourself. Someone may move into that “community” who would love to have you as a friend, so please stay open-minded.

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.