Tourism
USDA to use outdoors recreation to boost economy around national forests, grasslands
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture began planning this month to develop outdoor recreation opportunities near national forests and grasslands, part of a broader Biden administration push to help communities reap economic rewards from the growing recreation sector. Three USDA agencies — the U.S. Forest Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and […]
American Airlines to begin nonstop flights from Baton Rouge to Washington, D.C.
American Airlines will begin offering daily nonstop flights this summer between Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C., providing officials and other travelers from both capitals an alternative option to flying out of New Orleans. The direct flights between Baton Rouge Metro Airport and Reagan National Airport will begin on June 1 with a 76-passenger Embraer 175 […]
Convention center employees threaten strike over working conditions
NEW ORLEANS – Sodexo food service employees from five major convention centers across the country have announced demands for improving working conditions and threatened that failure to meet the demands could result in strikes. Food service workers at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center have partnered with Unite Here Local 23 in New Orleans to […]
LGBTQ community concerned with Louisiana Legislature’s focus on restrictions
Attendees and participants at the New Orleans Pride Parade expressed concerns that restrictions on the LGBTQ community are a growing focus of the Louisiana Legislature
New Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge narrowed down to 10 possible locations
Louisiana residents will have a chance to review 10 proposed locations for a new bridge over the Mississippi River in the Baton Rouge area. The consultant group the state has hired for the project told a local committee Monday afternoon they will use public feedback to narrow that list to three by the end of […]
White House imposes travel restrictions for Africa amid new COVID-19 variant
WASHINGTON — The White House is set to announce travel restrictions to eight countries in Southern Africa on Monday due to the discovery of a new coronavirus variant, according to senior administration officials. The World Health Organization classified the COVID-19 variant as a “variant of concern” due to its high mutation and transmission rate, and […]
Louisiana Gaming Board approves license for proposed St. Tammany casino
A California company is one step closer to opening a casino in Slidell thanks to a decision by the Louisiana Gaming Control Board on Wednesday to approve the relocation of a Bossier City riverboat casino to the company’s proposed site in St. Tammany Parish. In a unanimous vote, the Gaming Board approved the relocation requested […]
EPA should force Louisiana to curb air pollution, environmentalists say
Environmental groups are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to reject Louisiana’s draft proposal to meet federally-mandated pollution reductions and instead enforce its own federal plan in place of the state’s, which they say ignores key sources of pollution that burden national parks and majority-Black communities. In a Wednesday news release, the Sierra Club and […]
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser tests positive for COVID-19
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser confirmed that he tested positive for COVID-19 Wednesday evening — making him the fourth statewide elected official in Louisiana to do so. U.S. Sen Bill Cassidy, Attorney General Jeff Landry and State Treasurer John Schroder also had COVID-19 and have since recovered. Schroder was hospitalized for three days last month with […]
Gov. Edwards creates new environmental task force to study Atchafalaya Basin
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Monday signed an executive order creating the Atchafalaya River Basin Restoration and Enhancement (ARBRE) Task Force in an effort to address long-standing environmental issues in the basin and raise public awareness of those issues. “The irony of the Atchafalaya Basin is that while it is suffering from an abundance of […]
LA attorney general vows to help musician Lauren Daigle in dispute with New Orleans mayor
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has taken sides in the dispute between Christian musician Lauren Daigle and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, vowing in an open letter Monday to protect Daigle’s legal rights. The dispute stems from an illegally-held music concert in November, in which Daigle participated. The Nov. 7 concert, titled “Let Us Worship” […]
With COVID-19 rate still high, Louisiana enters eat-drink-and-be-merry phase
COVID-19 has been infecting fewer people in Louisiana than it did during a first peak in April or a second peak in July, and Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Thursday that the state was entering Phase 3 of its coronavirus reopening plan. Many Louisianians are probably celebrating the loosening of restrictions, but we’ll likely look […]