Julie O’Donoghue

Julie O'Donoghue

[email protected]

Julie O’Donoghue is a senior reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator and producer of the Louisiana Illuminator podcast. She’s received awards from the Virginia Press Association and Louisiana-Mississippi Associated Press. Julie covered state government and politics for NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune for six years. She’s also covered government and politics in Missouri, Virginia and Washington D.C. Julie is a proud D.C. native and Washington Capitals hockey fan. She and her partner, Jed, live in Baton Rouge. She has two stepchildren, Quinn and Steven.

Baton Rouge Mayor declares Friday a ‘day of mourning’ for the late Sen. Larry Selders
Louisiana

Baton Rouge Mayor declares Friday a ‘day of mourning’ for the late Sen. Larry Selders

Jul 09, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards declared Friday a day of mourning for state Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, who died suddenly Tuesday night. Edwards, a Republican, said all parish and city flags will be lowered to half-staff Friday, and...
Louisiana Legislature cancels veto override session
Louisiana

Louisiana Legislature cancels veto override session

Jul 08, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
Louisiana lawmakers voted this week to cancel a special session scheduled this month to potentially override a handful of vetoes Gov. Jeff Landry issued. Twenty-one of 39 senators and 73 of 105 House members returned ballots saying they didn’t want...
A ‘gentle giant’: State Sen. Larry Selders, who represented Baton Rouge, dies
Louisiana

A ‘gentle giant’: State Sen. Larry Selders, who represented Baton Rouge, dies

Jul 08, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
State Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge, died suddenly Tuesday evening after collapsing at his son’s football practice. He leaves behind his wife, Dr. Kendra Michael, and two sons, Larry and Luke. Selders, 44, joined the Louisiana Legislature as a state...
Education advocates drop lawsuit challenging Gov. Landry’s teacher stipend plan
Louisiana

Education advocates drop lawsuit challenging Gov. Landry’s teacher stipend plan

Jun 30, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
Three public education advocates who were challenging Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to pay for teacher pay stipends by cutting money from public schools’ general operations withdrew their lawsuit Tuesday. In a written statement, the advocates said they thought they would...
Landry teacher stipend plan back on after judge scraps lawsuit on technicality
Louisiana

Landry teacher stipend plan back on after judge scraps order on technicality

Jun 29, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
Gov. Jeff Landry can move forward with his strategy to cut public school operations funding to provide another round of teacher pay stipends this year after a Baton Rouge judge threw out an order Monday that was preventing the plan...
Gov. Landry sued over plan to move public school funding to teacher stipends
Louisiana

Judge temporarily blocks Gov. Landry’s teacher stipend plan

Jun 18, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
A Baton Rouge judge has temporarily halted Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to cut $168 million from K-12 public school operations to pay for another round of teacher stipends. Judge Richard “Chip” Moore, a Republican on the 19th Judicial District Court...
Ahead of crucial vote, Landry, legislative leaders push back on teacher stipend opposition
Louisiana

Ahead of crucial vote, Landry, legislative leaders push back on teacher stipend plan opposition

Jun 17, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders are pushing back on claims from public school leaders that the governor’s plan to pay for teacher stipends with school operations funds would hurt public education across Louisiana. The governor announced a tweak Monday...
Louisiana school leaders confused over Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to cut school funding for stipends
Louisiana

School leaders confused over Gov. Landry’s plan to cut school funding for stipends

Jun 16, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
This story was updated after it was published on Tuesday afternoon to include a response from Gov. Jeff Landry’s office. Louisiana school leaders remain confused about the details of Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to shift $168 million from school district...
No-party voters still have access to Louisiana’s closed primaries, for now
Louisiana

No-party voters still have access to Louisiana’s closed primaries, for now

Jun 15, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
A bill that could have further closed Louisiana’s primary elections by excluding voters who aren’t registered Republicans or Democrats failed to pass through the state legislature. But the sponsor of the proposal says she plans to bring an alternative plan...
Superintendents, advocates push back on Landry’s proposed school funding cut
Louisiana

Superintendents, advocates push back on Landry’s proposed school funding cut

Jun 10, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
A wide range of public education leaders and advocates, representing traditional systems and charters, expressed frustration Tuesday with Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to shift $168 million from K-12 school operations to another round of teacher pay stipends. The overall reduction...
Louisiana lawmakers now have deadline to choose between teacher pay cut or school funding reduction
Louisiana

Louisiana lawmakers now have deadline to choose between teacher pay cut or school funding reduction

Jun 09, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue
Louisiana lawmakers have until 5 p.m June 23 to cast their vote on whether to shift $168 million from public school operations to another year of public school teacher pay stipends. The move would help Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and...
2026 Louisiana legislative session: Winners and losers
Louisiana

2026 Louisiana legislative session: Winners and losers

Jun 05, 2026
Piper Hutchinson Julie O'Donoghue Wesley Muller Elise Plunk
Louisiana lawmakers adjourned their annual lawmaking session Monday after dramatically altering Louisiana’s congressional election map and amid a frantic funding search for teacher pay stipends. The three-month session started with little excitement as Gov. Jeff Landry had no clear agenda...