Louisiana News

DOTD springs last-minute meeting before legislative session

Residents in one of Louisiana’s most heavily-industrialized parishes sued their local government in federal court on Tuesday, accusing officials of cramming petrochemical plants into Black communities.

The Department of Justice asked a federal judge for an injunction that would require a St. John the Baptist Parish industrial plant to cut emissions of a chemical that likely causes cancer.

Early signs indicate the Gulf Coast could see fewer hurricanes this year as climate patterns turn less favorable for storm development in the Atlantic Ocean, according to national climate scientists in a briefing Thursday.

A man held at the ICE facility in Jena said detainees are being held in some cases up to three months after receiving their final deportation notices.

Across the Gulf South, hospitals are cutting labor and delivery services. A program at UMMC hopes to equip health care professionals to fill in the rising gaps.

A new study of the dramatic loss of wetlands in the Barataria Basin south of New Orleans during the last 130 years concludes that the two main causes have been construction of levees along the Mississippi River and subsidence due to oil and gas activity.But the study also contains potential good news: There may be enough sediment in the river to rebuild coastal land, disputing earlier estimates.

Alabama only allows state funds for sewage infrastructure to go to public bodies. A civil rights complaint argues the policy hurts communities of color.

The Gulf South is not known for its great public transit systems. Some believe Bus Rapid Transit could solve lingering issues and lead to a better future.

The former secretary for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development announced his run on Monday.