WWNO News

The New Orleans Saints are facing increased scrutiny for their alleged coordination with the Archdiocese of New Orleans after recent court filings said team executives helped the Church with damage control surrounding accusations of clergy sexual abuse.

Last week, the Associated Press reported that lawyers for the Saints were attempting to conceal hundreds of emails between the team and Archdiocese from public view.

Louisiana health officials are reporting a third vaping-related death since August 2019, the first this year.

The news comes as the number of vaping-related illnesses nationwide has been declining for months.

The Louisiana Department of Health updated its vaping illness numbers on Friday.

Louisiana's Democratic governor John Bel Edwards has been re-elected to serve a second term. According to the Associated Press, the unofficial results show Edwards will win the election over his Republican challenger, businessman and political donor Eddie Rispone.

Even though Barry didn’t turn out to be as bad as many people feared, it still caused damage in several Louisiana parishes. Now, the state of Louisiana is asking the federal government to help pay for the costs of preparing for the storm and post-storm cleanup.

Last Update 5:00 p.m., July 11, 2019

The latest forecasts have Tropical Storm Barry making landfall no longer as a hurricane, but as a tropical storm, just west of Morgan City, on Saturday. However, forecasters say the storm could still grow to hurricane force as it approaches the coast.

The main concern is still rain. Most of the New Orleans area can expect 10-15 inches of rain, but some areas could get up to 20 inches. Areas near Morgan City and Houma are predicted to get the worst of the deluge -- 20 to 25 inches.

Updated: 2019-07-10 5:33 p.m. Louisiana School Closures

Louisiana’s coast is a unique mix of cultures. For hundreds of years Europeans, Africans and Native Americans have lived off the land and water. But that land is disappearing, battered by storms and rising seas, and people are migrating north.

Now, the state is trying to preserve some local traditions before they disappear.

The Water Institute is a Baton Rouge-based research institution that works with the state and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority on issues like land loss and river diversions. One of its former scientists is now under investigation by the FBI.

The Times Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate broke the story. WWNO’s Tegan Wendland talked with reporters Della Hasselle and Bryn Stole about the implications for coastal research.

Louisiana’s Department of Health is shutting down several oyster harvesting areas due to low salinity caused by a steady influx of freshwater from the Bonnet Carre Spillway. 

The spillway, which diverts flood water from the Mississippi River into Lake Pontchartrain, has been open for more than 95 days this year. That’s kept a steady stream of fresh water flowing into areas where oysters grow.