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400,000 Southeast Louisiana customers still without power after Hurricane Zeta
Hurricane Zeta’s death toll increased to six in the Southeast as of 5 p.m. on Oct. 29. A man was electrocuted by a downed power line in New Orleans, another drowned in Biloxi and a man in Acworth, Georgia was killed when an oak tree fell on his home. Two people were also killed near […]
Hurricane Zeta tears through New Orleans area toppling trees and power lines
A 55-year-old man was fatally electrocuted by a downed powerline in New Orleans Wednesday evening, becoming the first known casualty of Hurricane Zeta, a rare late-October storm that quickly tore through New Orleans and the surrounding area toppling trees, downing powerlines ripping off roofs with winds of over 100 miles per hour. Another death was […]
“Zeta is literally on our doorstep,” Gov. John Bel Edwards says
“Zeta is literally on our doorstep,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press conference on Wednesday. Edwards said residents in Southeast Louisiana need to “now be where you want to be as you ride the storm out and get you and your family in the best posture possible for the storm.” Edwards said, “All […]
Southeast Louisiana residents have only today and tomorrow morning to prepare for Hurricane Zeta, Edwards says
Southeast Louisiana residents have only today and tomorrow morning to prepare for Hurricane Zeta’s Wednesday afternoon landfall, Gov. John Bel Edwards said. Tropical Storm Zeta strengthened into a hurricane Monday and is expected to hit the Gulf Coast Wednesday as a Category 1 storm somewhere between Southeast Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. At a press […]
Gov. John Bel Edwards issues emergency declaration ahead of Hurricane Zeta landfall
Tropical Storm Zeta strengthened into a hurricane Monday and is expected to hit the Gulf Coast Wednesday as a Category 1 storm somewhere between Southeast Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. Gov. John Bel Edwards issued an emergency declaration on Oct. 26 and advised Louisianians to get ready once again. “At this time, the hurricane is […]
Louisiana lawmakers want greater internet access for the state
Before their special session ended, the Louisiana Legislature approved measures that will create an office of broadband connectivity and “to connect as many Louisianans as possible and close the digital divide.” Rep. Daryl Deshotel’s House Bill 74 would create the office of broadband and connectivity. The office would be required to report to the governor […]
Medical marijuana won’t be allowed in Louisiana schools anytime soon
A bill that would have required BESE to study the feasibility of allowing medical marijuana to be provided at schools and prescribe rules and regulations died in the Louisiana House Friday. Between its introduction and the end of session,the bill was changed from one that would allow students with a prescription to receive medical marijuana […]
State health department ordered to write guidelines for nursing home visitation
A bill that was originally written to give nursing home residents an unquestioned right to receive visitors — even in the midst of a pandemic — was gutted and rewritten to order the state health department to create rules that govern visitation, with the caveat that those rules can be trumped by federal law. House […]
Louisiana high school football stadiums can now seat fans at 50 percent capacity
High school sports stadiums in some parishes can operate at 50 percent capacity starting Friday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a Thursday afternoon press conference. The new order applies only to stadiums in parishes that have had a 5 percent or less positivity rate for COVID-19 infection for the previous two weeks. As of […]
House passes bill that would codify clergy’s right to visit nursing homes
The Louisiana House passed a bill Wednesday morning that would prevent the state health department from restricting members of the clergy from visiting patients in nursing homes and other healthcare facilities during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Members of the clergy have been able to visit nursing homes since the early days […]
Virtual school discipline bill sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ desk
A bill that would require school districts to write disciplinary policies for online learning and to give families more options to appeal expulsion recommendations was sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ desk Wednesday. The “Ku’Mauri Harrison Act” would give students who’ve been recommended for expulsion, even if the punishment is later was reduced to a […]
Legislator defers bill that would prohibit schools from giving names of contagious students to health department
Rep. Beryl Amedée, R-Houma, withdrew a bill that would have blocked schools from sending the names of students with infectious diseases to the Louisiana Department of Health. Amedée voluntarily deferred her bill after it was brought up by the House Health and Welfare Committee Tuesday morning. “At this time, because of the shortness and quickness […]