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The Louisiana Legislative Auditor identified $642 million in potential waste and inefficiency at state and local government entities during 2019, according to the agency’s annual report.
“Three major themes emerged again from the findings in the highlighted reports: the need for strong internal financial controls; the importance of data collection, tracking, and analysis; and the failure to address the same audit findings year after year,” the LLA says in its summary.
For example, some audits show the Louisiana Department of Health’s “ongoing struggle” to ensure Medicaid only pays for services that actually have been delivered to eligible recipients. LDH has disputed some of those assessments.
At state universities, students sometimes are overcharged or undercharged, delinquent accounts are not collected, and employees keep their computer privileges after leaving the institution.
One of the LLA’s major themes throughout the past year has been the financial struggles of local governments. Sloppy accounting, failing to comply with state budget laws, misappropriating tax dollars and undercharging for services all are common problems, according to the agency’s reports.
Several Louisiana towns on the verge of financial collapse have essentially been taken over by state-appointed fiscal administrators. Last fall, the auditor’s office unveiled a list of “fiscally distressed municipalities” in hopes of providing an early warning of financial danger.
“The goal of summarizing these issues is to encourage corrective actions, such as improved procedures or legislative actions that will resolve or reduce the impact of these concerns and increase accountability and transparency in Louisiana government,” the LLA says.
In 2019, the LLA released 157 staff reports covering a variety of topics and state agencies and oversaw the work of more than 200 independent contract audit firms that conducted almost 4,000 audits and other types of engagements of state and local government, the report says.
The LLA is required by law to report all audit findings that exceed $150,000 to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget quarterly and annually.
The more than $642 million identified for calendar year 2019 is not necessarily recoverable, available to be spent, or required to be paid back.

BATON ROUGE — A cold, wet winter in Louisiana deserves to be followed by a warm spring. And Burden Museum & Gardens offers many activities to help people enjoy the changing seasons.
On March 7 and April 4, children ages 3 to 8 can enjoy StoryTime in the Garden from 9 a.m. to noon in the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens. The morning will feature storybook readings and imagination-themed activities every half hour. The last reading begins at 11:30 a.m. StoryTime is sponsored by the Junior League of Baton Rouge. Admission is free.
The LSU Rural Life Museum will present Louisiana Sew & Sow on March 14. The event will bring 18th and 19th century Louisiana to life by celebrating the start of the spring planting season with a look back at traditional life in the home and field.
From sewing a quilt to sowing seeds in a field, families are invited to spend a day as an early Louisianan with unique demonstrations ranging from blacksmithing to animal-drawn plowing. Children and families can participate in hands on activities such as making candles, quill pens and butter churning.
Presentations will be by costumed interpreters sharing about life in the old days.
On March 28, from 3:30 to 6 p.m., Zapp’s International Beerfest will be held at the LSU Rural Life Museum. It will feature more than 200 foreign and domestic beers, ales and homebrews for tasting.
Limited to visitors 21 years of age and older, proper photo identification will be required to purchase tickets and enter the event. Non-alcoholic beverages will be available.
General admission tickets are $40 each. Tickets at $100 for early entry at 2:30 p.m. include specialty beers and food from local restaurants. For more information, call 225-765-2437.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on April 4, the East Baton Rouge Master Gardeners will conduct its annual spring plant sale. The sale includes thousands of plants in hundreds of varieties of landscape ornamentals. The funds raised support activities such as plant health clinics, school gardens and educational classes for the community and various children’s programs. This public event includes free admission.
On April 5, from 1:30 to 4 p.m., LSU Rural Life Museum will celebrate an Old-fashioned Easter Celebration. Children ages 2 through 8 will have the opportunity to enjoy customs associated with Easter in Louisiana by participating in many activities such as egg-dying, egg pacquing, egg races and, of course, an Easter egg hunt.
Refreshments will be served throughout the day. Admission is $5 per person with children under 2 admitted at no charge.
From 6 to 9 p.m. April 23, the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens will present Gourmet in the Garden.
The evening will include food creations from local restaurants prepared with locally grown products along with samplings of beverages from local mixologists. The event is presented by the LSU AgCenter Botanic Gardens and the Louisiana Culinary Institute Foundation.
Tickets include samplings of food and cocktails along with live music. The cost is $60 per person until April 19 and $70 thereafter. Tickets are available online at http://bit.ly/37h2j8m.

A 19-year-old man from New Iberia was sentenced to life without parole Friday in the 2016 killing of another teenager in Franklin

De'ondric Clarks of New Iberia was sentenced by District Judge Keith Comeaux.

Louisiana makes a life sentence without parole mandatory after most convictions for second-degree murder, the charge on which Clarks was convicted.in August.

Assistant 16th Judicial District Attorney Anthony Saleme, who assisted lead prosecutor Erica Rose, said the judge had the option of making Clarks eligible for parole because he was 15 when the crime was committed.

But "in the end, he gave him life without parole," Saleme said.

Clarks was convicted of shooting Braylen Foulcard, 16, of Jeanerette to death Oct. 23, 2016, in the 500 block of Augustine Maze Street in Franklin.

Investigators believe the two met there to talk about the sale of a cellphone.

Lunden Toussaint, 19, was indicted on a charge of principal to second-degree murder in the case.