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Tornado watch in effect for Baton Rouge until 8 p.m.

New petition to keep cars off of Bourbon Street; Bogalusa mayor arrested in drug sting; St. George leaders clash over salary proposals

Mayor Tyrin Truong of Bogalusa
Courtesy of Mayor Truong
Mayor Tyrin Truong of Bogalusa

A new petition to make Bourbon Street pedestrian-only now has more than 5,000 signatures. The petition comes after the deadly attack on New Year's Day when a driver rammed an SUV down Bourbon Street, killing 14 and injuring more than 30 others.

Chris Olsen, French Quarter resident and owner of the vintage stores Vice and Graft and Swamp Rags, started this petition on Change.org. He joins us for more on the efforts to make the area safer.

Last week, Bogalusa mayor Tyrin Truong was arrested as part of a multi-agency drug trafficking investigation. The Democrat was elected at just 23 years old, becoming the youngest mayor in the city’s history, ushering in a wave of hope and modernity to a community in decline. Now he’s facing charges for drug offenses and soliciting sex workers.

Reporter for the Picayune Item Alex Moraski joins us with the latest on this investigation and what’s next for Bogalusa.

The new city of St. George is taking shape. After seceding from Baton Rouge in April of last year, the city now has an approved tax to fund its budget and upcoming leadership elections. But there’s some tension surrounding big proposed salaries for the city’s leaders

Patrick Sloan-Turner has been covering the development of St. George for the Baton Rouge Advocate. He joins us with the latest updates.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Karen Henderson. Our managing producer is Alana Schrieber. We receive production and technical support from Garrett Pittman, Adam Vos and our assistant producer, Aubry Procell.

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Karen Henderson is an award-winning journalist whose stories have aired nationally on NPR.
Alana Schreiber is the managing producer for the live daily news program, Louisiana Considered. She comes to WWNO from KUNC in Northern Colorado, where she worked as a radio producer for the daily news magazine, Colorado Edition. She has previously interned for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul.