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Louisiana unemployment trust fund almost out of cash
With Congress unable to come together on a bipartisan coronavirus relief package, Louisiana has almost no money left to pay unemployment claims to residents. The federal Lost Wage Assistance benefit, which provided residents an extra $300 per week, has also been depleted. Near the end of his press conference Monday, Gov. John Bel Edwards said […]
Louisiana’s Phase 3 means some bars are open but last call is early
BATON ROUGE — Restaurants, salons, gyms and other establishments, including some bars, will have fewer restrictions as Louisiana transitions to Phase 3 of its coronavirus reopening plan Friday night. Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the new guidelines at a press conference Friday afternoon, stressing that residents should make no significant changes to the cautious routines […]
Louisiana to begin Phase 3 on Friday
In a press conference Thursday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that the state will move to Phase 3 of its coronavirus response on Friday, lifting some restrictions but leaving the face-mask mandate in place. Phase 3 is expected to loosen some restrictions on businesses, schools and public gatherings, but the governor did not elaborate […]
Hammond City Council votes to remove police chief seen on tape punching Black suspect
HAMMOND — In a unanimous decision Tuesday, the Hammond City Council voted to initiate an investigation into the police chief’s 2017 beating of a handcuffed Black man, which consultants who study police procedures deemed “excessive and borderline criminal.” The council also voted 3-2 to ask the mayor to fire Police Chief Edwin Bergeron, but the […]
Should Louisiana have a special election plan due to coronavirus?
A two-day hearing to decide if the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic warrants an emergency election plan in Louisiana concluded Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick heard testimony from expert witnesses. Dick told the parties involved that she would issue her ruling “as quickly as humanly possible.” The case of Harding v. Edwards was brought […]
FBI investigates beating of Black man by White Hammond police
HAMMOND — The FBI is reinvestigating an alleged police brutality incident that involved Hammond Police Chief Edwin Bergeron three years ago. The FBI’s reported initial investigation into the 2017 incident cleared Bergeron of charges, but that was before the public had access to the video footage, which was recently leaked to the victim. In a […]
Hurricane Laura destroys, but volunteers rally to help Lake Charles survive
LAKE CHARLES — On Saturday, much of southwest Louisiana remained without electricity, water, food and other essential provisions in the wake of Hurricane Laura. While state and federal governments were still mobilizing assets, many residents turned to volunteers for help. Thousands of vehicles waited in long lines at a single distribution point in downtown Lake […]
After Hurricane Laura makes landfall, crews battle chlorine fire at BioLab plant in Westlake
In the destructive wake of Hurricane Laura, emergency responders and hazmat crews spent most of Thursday battling a chemical fire at a chlorine plant in Westlake in Calcasieu Parish. The BioLab facility, located on Interstate 10 near Lake Charles, sustained unspecified damages as Laura struck Cameron and Calcasieu parishes early Thursday, causing the plant’s chlorine […]
Hurricane Laura prediction for Southwest Louisiana: ‘a wall of water 2 stories high coming ashore’
Forecasters predict Hurricane Laura will reach Category 4 status shortly before it strikes Southwest Louisiana early Thursday. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, Laura was in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico traveling toward the southwestern Louisiana coast at about 17 mph. The storm emerged as a Category 3 overnight and is expected to strike Cameron Parish […]
Hurricane Laura looks like it could be a repeat of Rita
Louisianans should “prepare for the worst and pray for the best,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a Tuesday press conference regarding Hurricane Laura’s approach toward the coastal areas in and around Cameron Parish. As of 6 p.m. Tuesday, Laura was in the central Gulf of Mexico traveling northwest at about 17 mph. Though still […]
List of evacuation orders in Louisiana
Hurricane Laura has prompted mandatory and voluntary evacuations for the following towns and parishes in Louisiana as of Wednesday afternoon: Laura emerged in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 hurricane Tuesday morning. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, Laura was in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico traveling toward the southwestern Louisiana coast at […]
Calcasieu and Cameron parishes under mandatory evacuation as Hurricane Laura approaches
Mandatory evacuations have been issued for Calcasieu Parish and lower parts of Cameron Parish as Hurricane Laura threatens the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Texas. The evacuation order for Calcasieu Parish went into effect at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Calcasieu’s Emergency Preparedness Director Dick Gremillion said in a press conference. Laura emerged in the southeastern Gulf […]