Briefs
Pfizer vaccine booster shots become available to many adults in Louisiana
The Pfizer booster shot for the COVID-19 vaccine is now available to adults in Louisiana. Those who are eligible to receive the booster must have gotten the Pfizer vaccine at least six months ago. They also must meet one of the following criteria: be age 65 and over, be an adult who is at great […]
Deadlines for water-sewer funding applications extended because of Hurricane Ida disruptions
In the wake of Hurricane Ida, deadlines for communities to apply for water and sewer funding have been extended to Nov. 1. Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne said this new time frame would allow government agencies to focus on hurricane relief. “Obviously, Hurricane Ida has affected government operations as well as disrupted the lives of […]
Virus kills another child, bringing Louisiana’s pediatric death toll to 16
Health officials confirmed Wednesday that the coronavirus killed another Louisiana child, bringing the state’s pediatric death toll to 16. The Louisiana Department of Health reported 99 new COVID-19 deaths for the day, including the child who was between the ages of 12 and 17, according to a health department press release. The news marks the […]
New Orleans lawmakers disapprove of detention center evacuation to adult prison
Two New Orleans state lawmakers called for changes Thursday to the city’s juvenile detention center evacuation policy after 36 teenagers were sent to an adult prison for five days around Hurricane Ida. Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, said she thought the public needs an explanation about why the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center went to Elayn […]
LSU says 81 percent of students have had at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine
Eighty-one percent of LSU students have gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, President William Tate announced Wednesday. Meanwhile, 72 percent of the university’s faculty and staff are fully vaccinated, an LSU spokesperson said. “If you had asked me two months ago whether this was imaginable, I would have said no,” Tate said […]
Standardized test scores remain optional for LSU applicants
High school students applying to LSU this year will not have to submit an SAT or ACT score because of the recent fourth surge of COVID-19 due to the Delta variant. LSU applicants last year had the same exemption because COVID-19 prevented students from taking standardized tests in facilities big enough to maintain adequate protection […]
Hurricane Ida has caused 26 deaths in Louisiana, official says
Louisiana has had 26 storm-related deaths following Hurricane Ida’s landfall, the state’s chief medical officer said Thursday. Ten deaths were due to heat because of a lack of air conditioning, and one death was related to an oxygen outage. Six deaths were due to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper generator usage. “If using a generator, […]
Louisiana PAC supporting Sen. John Kennedy returns donation from nursing home owner
The Conservative Louisiana political action committee (PAC), which supports Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, returned a $25,000 donation from nursing homes owner Bob Dean last week, after media reports that Dean was housing nearly 850 of his nursing home residents in a warehouse during Hurricane Ida. Seven of those nursing home residents died after being […]
Free business center opens for entrepreneurs affected by Hurricane Ida
Nexus Louisiana is opening a free business center in Baton Rouge to help small business owners and entrepreneurs who are without internet, phones or electricity in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The business center will open at 8 a.m. on Sept. 7 at the Nexus Technology Park, located at 7117 Florida Blvd., and feature individual […]
Biden administration launches civil rights investigations of 5 GOP-led states banning school mask requirements
WASHINGTON — Federal education officials have launched civil rights investigations in five Republican-led states that have prohibited school districts from mandating mask-wearing, saying those policies could amount to illegal discrimination against students with disabilities. The Biden administration notified the education chiefs in Iowa, Tennessee, South Carolina, Utah and Oklahoma of the investigations through formal letters Monday. […]
Louisiana baby dies from COVID-19 amid Delta surge
A child under the age of one died from COVID-19 in Louisiana this week, the state Department of Health announced Wednesday. The child is one out of 11 children younger than 18 that have died from COVID-19 in Louisiana. According to the LDH, this is the youngest COVID-19 death in more than six months, marking […]
Biden administration to restart oil and gas leasing
The Interior Department will make significant steps toward restarting its leasing programs for onshore and offshore oil and gas development in the coming months, the Biden administration said in a court filing Tuesday. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management anticipates holding a sale for offshore leases in October or November, the administration said. The Bureau […]