Author
Hazardous chemical found in water after Dow plant explosion
Water sampling after the recent explosion and fire at the Dow Chemical facility in Plaquemine found elevated levels of the hazardous compound ethylene oxide. But when the same sample was tested at a separate lab, it showed virtually no contamination, according to a preliminary incident report from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality. The LDEQ […]
Lafayette to build natural gas power plant, still pursuing solar
The Lafayette Utilities System (LUS) plans to build a new natural gas power plant to make up for the loss of electricity from a 40-year-old coal-burning plant being decommissioned. News of the plan surprised some renewable energy advocates who expected LUS to replace the coal-sourced power with solar energy. The government-owned utility published a project […]
Offshore wind energy leasing opens in Gulf of Mexico for first time
Federal regulators announced Thursday the first ever Gulf of Mexico offshore wind lease sale, opening sites off the coast of Lake Charles and Galveston, Texas, that could potentially power nearly 1.3 million homes. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) will auction off the lease sites on Aug. 29. BOEM published the final sale […]
80 foreign teachers arrive in Louisiana to teach at language immersion schools
Schools across Louisiana will have 80 teachers from around the world in classrooms this upcoming school year as part of an exchange program that bolsters the state’s K-12 foreign language immersion programs. The teachers arrived in Baton Rouge for an orientation Wednesday with Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, state education officials, the Council for the Development of […]
Still no details from Dow, LDEQ on explosion
PLAQUEMINE, La. — Three days after multiple explosions rocked the Dow Chemical plant in Iberville Parish, state officials and the company have remained silent as to the cause and nature of the incident while some neighboring residents report having felt ill over the weekend. It was about 9:30 p.m. Friday when a fire broke out […]
More than $187 million in Louisiana business tax breaks approved
The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry approved over $187 million worth of industrial tax exemptions Friday in its first meeting since April. Venture Global Calcasieu Pass will get the overwhelming lion’s share of those tax breaks — an estimated $184.6 million — for just the first year of its contract under the state’s lucrative […]
Oilfield services giant pledges nearly 600 jobs at shuttered GM plant in Shreveport
A global oilfield services company plans to open a facility at the former General Motors plant in Shreveport that closed over a decade ago, promising to create nearly 600 jobs over the next three years. Schlumberger Limited, which rebranded last year to SLB, signed a seven-year lease agreement with the Shreveport Business Park to renovate […]
Chronic wasting disease lingers for Louisiana deer
There is a deadly ailment lurking in the woods of northeast Louisiana that scientists don’t fully understand, and it has the potential to decimate the state’s deer population over time. It is called chronic wasting disease, CWD for short, and is 100% fatal for infected animals, which includes mostly deer, elk and moose. The Louisiana […]
Louisiana governor’s race: Hewitt slams Wilson over Slidell bridge construction
With the governor’s race gaining steam in Louisiana, underdog Republican candidate state Sen. Sharon Hewitt took a jab at Democratic frontrunner Shawn Wilson in an open letter Tuesday, complaining about bridge construction in her home St. Tammany Parish. In the letter from her campaign email account, Hewitt criticized the timing of a state infrastructure project […]
2 troopers accused in Ronald Greene beating death have charges dismissed
A Union Parish judge dismissed all criminal charges Monday against two of the five white law enforcement officers indicted in the 2019 beating death of Black motorist Ronald Greene. The judge further threatened to toss out the charges against the other officers if prosecutors fail to fix certain legal issues in the indictments. Judge Thomas […]
Another West Nile case reported in Louisiana with other mosquito-borne diseases
Louisiana health officials have confirmed this year’s second human case of West Nile virus along with three cases of other rare tropical diseases that mosquitoes transmit. The second West Nile case occurred in Caddo Parish during the last week of June. Officials classified the infection as neuroinvasive, meaning it spread to the patient’s brain or […]
Worries rise about Fortify Homes grants getting to those who need it most
Louisiana’s insurance commissioner and state legislators have touted their creation of a new grant program to help homeowners lower their property insurance premiums, but some advocates and lawmakers worry the money won’t go to those who need it the most. It’s called the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program, and state Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon said he […]