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Earlier this month, Louisiana's Supreme Court ruled that the way the state's private school voucher program was paid for was unconstitutional. It can't be paid for through the Minimum Foundation Formula, or MFP -- the pool of money that supports public education.

Rep. Kirk Talbot, a Republican from New Orleans who voted in favor of the education overhaul Gov. Bobby Jindal pushed hard for last year, says the missteps in the funding of the voucher program gave some in the legislature, " a little bit of heartburn."

The House Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved $60 million in capital spending for the state’s technical colleges over the next five years — despite the state’s tight purse-strings.

Chairman Jim Fannin insisted that investing in the technical college system will grow the economy and the tax base.

The former head of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, Kurt Foreman, is keeping a close eye on the rebuilding process in tornado-ravaged Moore, Okla., as executive director of economic development for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce. His chamber represents 5,400 companies, Foreman said, and now the focus is on helping the ones in Moore.

Next year’s method for funding for public schools is a bit up in the air after the Senate Education Committee rejected the proposed formula from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The formula, called the Minimum Foundation Program, or the MFP, was shot down last week because of a clerical error: BESE sent the legislature a draft of the MFP rather the final version.

Christus Health will close its Christus Schumpert St. Mary's Place medical complex in Shreveport and consolidate many services into its Highland Medical Center in Shreveport. CEO Stephen Wright announced at a news conference Monday that the cost cutting move will eliminate 200 jobs over the next two years, trimming its workforce by about 10 percent.

A House bill that aims to secure state health care spending passed out of the Senate Finance committee yesterday.

The measure would create the "Hospital Stabilization Fund," which would utilize some hospital profits to draw down more federal dollars to help with uninsured patients.