News
Two more parishes added to FEMA’s individual assistance program
Union and Morehouse parishes have been added to FEMA’s individual assistance program, bringing the total number of parishes where residents are eligible for aid to 18, the governor’s office announced Thursday. “This FEMA aid will help the people of these two parishes recover, and I encourage all residents affected by the storm to register for […]
Is it safe to open Tiger Stadium and the Superdome?
Update: Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced Friday that the Saints will not be allowed to have people at the team’s game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 27. This story was published a few hours before that announcement. Original Story: By the end of the month, Louisiana expects to have thousands of cheering fans in […]
‘We’re not through this’: Governors plead with Congress for emergency assistance
WASHINGTON — Democratic governors on Thursday begged Congress to come to the aid of ailing states, which face unexpected expenses as they attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19 as well as massive revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic. But Republicans at a House hearing rejected their pleas, arguing that states have yet to spend […]
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 […]
As Louisiana’s COVID-19 response continues, the state’s top public health official is resigning
The person who oversees Louisiana’s public health office — and the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — is leaving his job. Alex Billioux, a medical doctor and the assistant secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health, will step down at the end of the month, the health department confirmed Wednesday. He has been in […]
Two weeks after Hurricane Laura, Cameron and Calcasieu parishes are almost completely in the dark
Two weeks after Hurricane Laura made landfall as the strongest storm to hit Louisiana, about 75 percent of the power had been restored, Dan Brouillette, the secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, said at a Wednesday press conference, but in the area where the storm struck, almost no progress has been made. Ninety to […]
No direct aid for states in GOP’s emergency relief plan
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their latest coronavirus relief proposal Tuesday but were met with swift objections from Democrats. The GOP plan failed to include direct aid to cities and states, a priority for Democrats, or rental relief or nutrition assistance, and it appeared it wouldn’t go far enough to resolve a monthslong stalemate over […]
Secretary of state’s election plan ‘just contravenes too many CDC guidelines,’ Edwards says
At Tuesday’s press conference at the Louisiana State Police Training Academy in Baton Rouge, Gov. John Bel Edwards talked about voting after Hurricane Laura, voting during a pandemic, and he updated the storm’s death toll. Hurricane-voting plan Hurricane Laura so thoroughly wrecked southwest Louisiana that Edwards announced the formation of a task force that is […]
National champion LSU Football Tigers may play home games before crowds at quarter capacity
After months of speculation about what LSU football games would look like the season after the Tigers were crowned national champions and if even if there’d be a season at all, Gov. John Bel Edwards said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference that he would consider opening Tiger Stadium at a 25 percent capacity for […]
Emergency election plan courtroom fight begins with plaintiffs winning a battle
Louisiana voters who say they will be disenfranchised by the state’s absence of a pandemic-related emergency election plan will begin making their case to U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick this morning. But Dick, the chief judge of the federal court in Baton Rouge, issued a ruling yesterday that suggests she’s skeptical of the state’s argument […]