Lawmakers pressed Louisiana's new transportation chief Tuesday to come up with department cost savings amid predictions of a $3 billion drop in state revenue.

NEW ROADS. La. — Biologists from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries outlined preliminary plans Tuesday to temporarily draw down the water levels in False River starting in the fall.

Southern University must toughen its admission standards while increasing its enrollment in order to thrive, Southern Chancellor Kofi Lomotey said Tuesday.

When the Chile earthquake struck Feb. 27, its shocks temporarily shut down research operations at the LIGO Livingston Observatory.

In Michigan, where many enterprises are struggling to survive, the renowned University of Michigan is in the midst of a construction boom and hiring spree. Michigan State University, on the other hand, plans to lay off faculty and cut programs, blaming state funding that is lower than it was a decade ago. Flagship universities in other states are also prospering, while their lesser-known counterparts suffer from vanishing state appropriations. 

So, why not change the arrangement and require big-name universities to take responsibility for their own financing, leaving more state money to support the other state schools? As legislatures face their toughest budget year since the recession began, the idea of giving a few universities autonomy to control their own finances has some appeal.