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For instance, the U.S. has blocked shipments of cotton coming from China, a top manufacturer of popular clothing brands, because it was produced by forced or prison labor. While prison labor seeps into the supply chains of some companies through third-party suppliers without them knowing, others buy direct. Cargill acknowledged buying goods from prison farms in Tennessee, Arkansas and Ohio, saying they constituted only a small fraction of the company’s overall volume. For instance, about a dozen state prison farms, including operations in Texas, Virginia, Kentucky and Montana, have sold more than $60 million worth of cattle since 2018. “What for?”FOLLOWING THE MONEYThe business of prison labor is so vast and convoluted that tracing the money can be challenging.

Persons: it’s, Willie Ingram, “ They’d, billy clubs, they’d, ”, Ingram, didn’t, they’re, don’t, Andrea Armstrong, Frank Dwayne Ellington, Ellington, Koch, “ It’s, it’s somebody’s, Alishia Powell, Clark, “, Bunge, Louis Dreyfus, Archer Daniels, Cargill, ” McDonald’s, Mills, ” Bunge, Burger, Jermaine Hudson, ” Hudson, Calvin Thomas, Thomas, Ken Pastorick, Pastorick, Jennifer Turner, Faye Jacobs, Jacobs, ’ ” David Farabough, they’ve, Joshua Sbicca, Cliff Johnson, Jimmy Dean, Sara Lee, Tyson, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, that’s, ” Ivey, “ They’re, ’ ”, William “ Buck ” Saunders, Hickman’s, Brooke Counts, Counts, John’s, Jack Strain, Tammany Parish, Russell Stover, Curtis Davis, Robert Bumsted, Cody Jackson, Columbia University’s Ira A, Lipman Organizations: Louisiana State Penitentiary, The Associated Press, Walmart, Cargill, U.S, Kroger, Target, Aldi, Corrections, Loyola University New Orleans, Koch Foods, Occupational Safety, Health Administration, Washington, Archer Daniels Midland, Consolidated, AP, Foods, Dairy Farmers of, Big, Sam’s, Tyson Foods, U.S ., Civilian, OSHA, Fair Labor, American Civil Liberties, Colorado State University, MacArthur Justice Center, University of Mississippi, PepsiCo, Brevard County Sheriff, Arizona . Companies, Costco, Correctional, Prisons, Nut, Maine Foods, Taylor Farms, Transitional, Associated Press, Public Welfare Foundation, Columbia, Lipman Center for Journalism, Arnold Ventures Locations: ANGOLA, La, Southern, Louisiana, Texas, In Louisiana, Angola, United States, “, Ashland, U.S, China, Tennessee , Arkansas, Ohio, Dairy Farmers of America, Texas , Virginia, Kentucky, Montana, Baton Rouge, Mississippi, Manhattan, America, Alabama, American, Arkansas , Texas, Florida , Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, In Alabama, Florida, Brevard County, Arizona, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, state’s St, Tammany, Idaho, In Kansas, Cal, St, Francisville , Louisiana, Feliciana, Investigative@ap.org

(AP) — New England Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was arrested Thursday on charges related to illegal online gaming while he was under age and played at Louisiana State University, authorities said. Boutte is accused of creating an online betting account under a fake name and then placing more than 8,900 illegal bets. Six were wagers on LSU football, according to a state police news release. Seventeen wagers were made on NCAA football, which included wagers on LSU football between Aug. 28, 2022, and Oct. 9, 2023, the warrant states. Six of the wagers were on LSU football, including one game — LSU versus Florida State — where he bet on himself, investigators allege.

Persons: Boutte, FanDuel Sportsbook, “, ” Boutte, Kayla Fortenberry Organizations: — New England Patriots, Louisiana State University, NCAA, LSU, Baton, Louisiana State Police, Investigators, Patriots, East Baton, Florida State —, Westgate High School Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Baton Rouge, East Baton Rouge, New Iberia, “

(AP) — A military veteran charged with attacking police officers with a baton during a mob's Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was ordered released from custody on Tuesday, a day after his arrest. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyman Thornton III said authorities found an AR-15 rifle and ammunition when they searched Richmond's Louisiana home this week. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesHowever, U.S. Magistrate Judge Erin Wilder-Doomes ordered Richmond's release from custody after a detention hearing attended by relatives, including his 16-year-old son. Richmond was arrested Monday in Baton Rouge on charges including civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding police with a dangerous weapon. Richmond initially was charged with unpremeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Persons: Edward Richmond Jr, Attorney Lyman Thornton III, Richmond, Thornton, ” Thornton, Erin Wilder, Doomes, Wilder, “, ”, John McLindon, Richmond hasn't, ” McLindon, Muhamad Husain Kadir, herder, Kadir, Michael Kunzelman Organizations: U.S . Capitol, U.S . Army, U.S, Attorney, Capitol, Army, Associated Press Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Iraq, Louisiana, Richmond, Baton Rouge, Geismar , Louisiana, Taal Al Jai, Silver Spring , Maryland

Richmond's Louisiana-based attorney, John McLindon, said he hadn't seen the charging documents and therefore couldn't immediately comment on the case. Richmond was 20 when an Army court-martial panel convicted him of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced him to three years in prison for killing the handcuffed Iraqi civilian near Taal Al Jai in February 2004. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesRichmond initially was charged with unpremeditated murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Richmond testified that he didn’t know Kadir was handcuffed and believed the Iraqi man was going to harm a fellow soldier. Police struggled for hours to stop the mob of Donald Trump supporters from entering the Capitol through the same tunnel entrance.

Persons: cowherd, Edward Richmond Jr, Richmond, John McLindon, hadn't, Muhamad Husain Kadir, Kadir, Donald Trump Organizations: U.S . Army, U.S, Capitol, Army, Richmond, FBI, Police, Washington , D.C, The Associated Press Locations: Iraq, Geismar , Louisiana, Louisiana, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Taal Al Jai, West Terrace, Washington ,

For decades, federal and state officials have struggled to control farm runoff, the biggest source of nutrient pollution that is not typically federally regulated. Water pollution from factories and industry is typically federally regulated. The Biden administration recently proposed toughening regulations on meat and poultry processing plants to reduce pollution, Wall said. When nutrient pollution flows into the Gulf of Mexico, it spurs growth of bacteria that consume oxygen. That affects the productivity of commercial fisheries and marine life in general, but nutrient pollution is also damaging upstream.

Persons: that's, It’s, ”, Olivia Dorothy, Tom Wall, Biden, Wall, Nancy Rabalais, Anne Schechinger, Gregory Klinger, Brad Carlson, Martin Larsen, He's, Larsen, ___ Walling, ___, Melina Walling Organizations: LOUIS, Environmental, Agency, Midwest, EPA, Louisiana State University, University of Minnesota, U.S . Department of Agriculture, Associated Press, Walton Family Foundation, AP Locations: Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Midwest, Minnesota, Olmsted County, Chicago

☆ Your College Football Team Went Undefeated? Sorry, That’s Not Good Enough.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Billy Witz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The metaphorical white puffs of smoke sent up by the College Football Playoff selection committee on Sunday signaled that the panel had chosen the four teams that would vie for this season’s championship — and that Florida State, unbeaten champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, was not among them. This caused smoke of a different sort to emanate from the Seminoles’ ears. Florida State’s résumé was hard to beat. The Seminoles began the season by walloping Louisiana State, which was led by the presumptive Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Seminoles’ only shortcoming was being shorthanded: Their star quarterback, Jordan Travis, broke his leg last month against North Alabama.

Persons: résumé, Jayden Daniels, Jordan Travis, Tate Rodemaker, Brock Glenn Organizations: College Football, Florida State, Atlantic Coast Conference, Seminoles, walloping Louisiana State, Clemson, persevering, Michigan, North, Louisville Locations: Florida, Washington, Texas, Alabama, North Alabama

☆ How the Raising Cane's founder, Todd Graves, turned a lousy college grade into a billion-dollar fast-food business
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Todd Graves opened the first Raising Cane's in Louisiana on August 28, 1996. He wrote a business plan for a chicken fingers chain as a college assignment. AdvertisementWhile attending Louisiana State University in the mid-1990s, Todd Graves wrote a business plan for a fast-food restaurant that sold only fried chicken tenders. He worked to raise his own funds and eventually opened his chicken tender restaurant Raising Cane's in 1996. AdvertisementHere's how Graves turned a bad grade into a billion-dollar business.

Persons: Todd Graves, Cane's, Graves, —, Graves didn't Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Louisiana State University Locations: Louisiana

The gubernatorial election was decided in October when Jeff Landry, a Republican backed by former President Trump, won outright and avoided a runoff. Voters will cast ballots this weekend to determine the winners of a slew of other races, including three vacant, statewide offices: attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer. Democrats hope to gain a statewide office in the reliably red state as the GOP tries to retain its current offices. The secretary of state race will be closely watched after GOP incumbent Kyle Ardoin declined to seek reelection. Republican Landry is a former state representative from Lafayette and has worked in Ardoin’s office for four years.

Persons: Donald Trump, runoffs, Jeff Landry, Trump, didn't, Republicans “, ” Trump, John Fleming, Dustin Granger, Kyle Ardoin, Nancy Landry, Gwen Collins, Greenup, Republican Landry, Democrat Collins, Alice Lee Grosjean, Huey P, Long, State James Bailey, Landry, Liz Murrill, Joe Biden's, Lindsey Cheek, Cheek Organizations: —, Democratic, Republican, GOP, Republicans, Louisiana Republican Party, Democrat, Ardoin, State, of Elementary Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Louisiana, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana lawyer who objected to the state bar association’s public statements on several issues including health tips and LGBTQ rights can no longer be forced to join or pay dues to the association, a federal appeals court has ruled. Circuit Court of Appeals order, dated Monday, blocks the Louisiana State Bar Association from forcing attorney Randy Boudreaux to join the LSBA or pay its dues, at least for now. Boudreaux's is one of more than two dozen cases playing out around the country challenging state requirements that attorneys join and pay dues to state bar associations. Organizations including the Goldwater Institute and, in Louisiana, the Pelican Institute, are challenging mandatory bar association membership as violations of free speech rights. The association's promotion of an article on the effects of student loan debt on young lawyers was not germane, the court found.

Persons: Randy Boudreaux, Boudreaux's, Monday's, LSBA, Jerry Smith, Boudreaux, ”, Smith, ” Smith, “, Dane Ciolino, Ronald Reagan, Carolyn Dineen King, Jimmy Carter, Jennifer Walker Elrod, George W, Bush Organizations: ORLEANS, —, U.S, Circuit, Louisiana State Bar Association, Goldwater Institute, Pelican Institute, Twitter, LGBT Locations: Louisiana, Texas

☆ ‘Like Winning the Lottery’: Mike Johnson’s Ascent Excites Conservative Christians
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Ruth Graham | More About Ruth Graham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two days after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, a little-known congressman named Mike Johnson took the stage at Christian Center Shreveport to celebrate. “This is a day we’ve been waiting on for a half-century,” he told the ebullient congregation, adding that there was no place he would rather be than with them. He beamed as he read portions of Louisiana’s new law punishing abortion providers with a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of at least $10,000. He closed with a prayer that cited scripture and Ronald Reagan. Mr. Johnson’s sudden ascent last month to speaker of the House, second in line to the presidency, was a surprising turn in a career built quietly in courtrooms, as a lawyer representing socially conservative causes, and through the Louisiana Statehouse and the House of Representatives, to which he was elected in 2017.

Persons: Roe, Wade, Mike Johnson, ”, “, Ronald Reagan Organizations: Christian Center, Louisiana Statehouse, Representatives Locations: Christian Center Shreveport

☆ Opinion | I Grew Up in Mike Johnson’s District, Where Kindness Can Mask Cruelty
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Charles M. Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

I don’t know Mike Johnson, the brand-new speaker of the House of Representatives, but I feel as if I do because we’re from the same neck of the woods. He’s from Shreveport, in Caddo Parish, La., where I was born and where one of my brothers died. He graduated from Louisiana State University. to accept one at Grambling State University, a historically Black college about a half-hour east of Gibsland. He also wrote opinion essays for the newspaper where I cut my teeth as a working journalist, The Shreveport Times.

Persons: Mike Johnson Organizations: Louisiana State University, Grambling State University, Shreveport Times Locations: He’s, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, La, Johnson’s, Gibsland, Bienville

WASHINGTON (AP) — Before House Speaker Mike Johnson was elected to public office, he was the dean of a small Baptist law school that didn't exist. “The law school deal was really an anomaly. As dean of the proposed law school, Johnson embarked on a major fundraising campaign and described a big-dollar event in Houston with former Arkansas Gov. Bobby Jindal and Pressler, according to an account Johnson wrote in a 2011 alumni magazine. Meanwhile, the historic former federal courthouse in Shreveport that was selected as the law school’s campus required at least $20 million in renovations.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, Kevin McCarthy, It's, “, ”, Gene Mills, Johnson's, ” J, Michael Johnson, Southern Baptist Convention luminary, Tony Perkins, Jerry Falwell, “ I’m, Joe Aguillard, Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Aguillard, “ Mike, Gilbert Little, ” Johnson, Perkins, Little, Barack, Kelly, Kelly Johnson, Louis “ Woody ” Jenkins, Jenkins, Democrat Mary Landrieu, Moon Griffin, Eugene Mills, Mills, ” Mills, Johnson’s, George W, Bush’s, it’s, Lamar White Jr, Lamar, Richard Lardner, Trenton Daniel Organizations: WASHINGTON, Paul Pressler School of Law, Louisiana College, Louisiana Christian University, Republican House, Southern Baptist Convention, Family Research, Southern Poverty Law, Liberty University, Daily, ”, Arkansas Gov, Louisiana Gov, Freedom Guard, Southern Baptist Conference, Shreveport Times, ABC News, Louisiana State University, Democrat, Louisiana Family, Alliance Defense Fund, Alliance Defending, ADF, CNN, Democratic, Civil, Associated Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, Alexandria , Louisiana, Houston, Pressler, Africa, Shreveport, Shreveport , Louisiana, everyone’s, America, New Orleans, Texas, Orleans Parish, Trump’s, Baton Rouge, New York

☆ Mike Johnson symbolizes a new turn for the religious right
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Ronald Brownstein | Analysis Ronald Brownstein | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

CNN —The arc of Rep. Mike Johnson’s career encapsulates the shifting priorities of the religious right in the era of Donald Trump. More than half of White evangelicals agreed with that statement as well – the only major religious denomination in which it found majority support. Yet both groups are much more influential inside the GOP coalition, with evangelicals representing nearly one-third of Republican voters and all White Christians about two-thirds. But in Congress, Johnson has also identified more with some of the party’s Trump-era priorities that revolve around demographic change. But each man appears equally committed to a vision of America that elevates the moral and political preferences of conservative White Christians over any other group.

Persons: Mike Johnson’s, Donald Trump, Barack Obama’s, Johnson, MAGA, Long, Trump’s, Trump, Robert P, Jones, Johnson “, ”, Mike Podhorzer, ” Podhorzer, Jimmy Carter, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, James Dobson, ” Jones, Dobson, CNN’s KFile, KFile, he’s, Ron DeSantis, Marjorie Taylor, it’s, ” Johnson, He’s, “, Biden, who’s, PRRI, there’s, Tresa Undem, Undem, White, George W, Bush, Obama, Pete Wehner, Wehner, David Barton, Barton, that’s, ” Wehner, ‘, ” Barton Organizations: CNN, Louisiana Republican, Republican, GOP, Yorker, Trump, Survey, Religion Research Institute, White, AFL, CIO, Republicans, Representatives, Alliance Defense Fund, Defending, Gov, Georgia Rep, Whites, Trinity Forum, ”, NBC News, Trump - Locations: Louisiana, America, White, “, Florida, Mexico

☆ Who is Mike Johnson, the new Republican US House Speaker?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Representative Mike Johnson has been elected by his fellow Republicans to serve as speaker of the House of Representatives, after three weeks of turmoil and three failed candidates. Prior to Congress, Johnson was a lawyer who mainly worked on religious freedom issues, successfully defending Louisiana's same sex marriage ban in 2004. U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the latest House Republican nominee for House Speaker, reacts to former Speaker nominee and current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) voting for Johnson during another round of voting to pick a new Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreHe opposes same sex marriage and introduced a bill in 2022 that would have banned schools from promoting or discussing gender identity. LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCEJohnson served as chair of the conservative Republican Study Committee and was elected vice-chair of the conference, but otherwise has no leadership experience - a potential hindrance as he enters into negotiations with the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House. RELATIONSHIP WITH TRUMPJohnson is an avowed supporter of Trump, as evidenced by his support for Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 election.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, CONSERVATIVE Johnson, Donald Trump's, Steve Scalise, TRUMP Johnson, Trump, Mike Johnson's, Moira Warburton, Alistair Bell Organizations: Republican, Louisiana Baptist Message, Louisiana statehouse, Congress, CONSERVATIVE, Trump, U.S . Rep, U.S . House, U.S, Capitol, Russia, Ukraine, Democratic, White, Thomson Locations: Shreveport, Louisiana's, Louisiana, Washington , U.S, UKRAINE, Ukraine, Washington

☆ Who is Rep. Mike Johnson, the House GOP’s latest speaker nominee?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Piper Hudspeth Blackburn | Shania Shelton | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Louisiana Republican was first elected to the House in 2016 and serves as vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, as well as GOP deputy whip, an assistant leadership role. During Trump’s first impeachment trial in January 2020, Johnson, along with a group of other GOP lawmakers, served a largely ceremonial role in Trump’s Senate impeachment team. My strong SUGGESTION is to go with the leading candidate, Mike Johnson, & GET IT DONE, FAST!” Trump posted. Rep. Mike Johnson files his paperwork at the secretary of state's office after qualifying for his congressional reelection bid on July 20, 2018, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For that, I stepped aside and threw all my support behind Mike Johnson.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Johnson, Trump’s, Joe Biden, “, Trump, Chip Somodevilla, ” Trump, Paul M, Melinda Deslatte, Kevin Hern, it’s, ”, ” Johnson’s, Tom Emmer’s, Steve Scalise, Jim Jordan Organizations: Washington CNN —, Louisiana Republican, House Republican Conference, House Republicans, Capitol, WIN, Committee, Armed Services Committee, Republican, Louisiana State University, Hebert Law Center, Rep, Oklahoma Republican, House Republican, Minnesota, Republicans, Trump, Reps Locations: Louisiana, Trump’s, Texas, Longworth, Washington ,, Louisiana’s, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Oklahoma, America

☆ Massive cosmic explosion creates rare elements in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope and other observatories witnessed a massive explosion in space that created rare chemical elements, some of which are necessary for life. Tracking stellar explosionsAstronomers have long believed that neutron star mergers are the celestial factories that create rare elements heavier than iron. What was unusual about this burst is that it lasted for 200 seconds, making it a long gamma-ray burst. One of the pair exploded as a supernova, leaving behind a neutron star, and then the same thing happened to the other star. Finding cosmic elementsAstronomers have been trying to determine how chemical elements are created in the universe for decades.

Persons: James Webb, ”, Andrew Levan, Levan, Webb, Fermi, Neil Gehrels, “, Dmitri Mendeleev, ” Levan, it’s, supernovas, Eric Burns, Om Sharan Salafia, Nancy Grace, “ Webb, Ben Gompertz, ” Gompertz Organizations: CNN, James Webb Space Telescope, Way Galaxy, Telescope, Radboud University, Observatory, Royal Society of Chemistry, Astronomers, Louisiana State University, National Institute for Astrophysics, Institute, Gravitational, School of Physics, University of Birmingham Locations: Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom

WASHINGTON (AP) — A low-key lawmaker in Congress for less than a decade, new House Speaker Mike Johnson isn’t recognizable to most Americans. But the social conservative and devoted ally of former President Donald Trump has been a quiet force within the Republican conference he now unexpectedly leads. “A friend to all and an enemy to none,” Republican conference chairwoman Elise Stefanik said when nominating Johnson ahead of the speaker vote Wednesday. A constitutional lawyer and former member of the Louisiana state House, Johnson was first elected to the U.S. House in 2016. Among the more conservative members of the GOP conference, Johnson has consistently opposed a woman’s right to abortion — “we will get the number of abortions to ZERO!

Persons: Mike Johnson, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy, “, Elise Stefanik, Johnson, ” Johnson, Newt Gingrich, —, Trump’s, Jim Jordan, Trump, ”, Doug Collins, Collins, Mike, ” Collins, Biden, Virginia Foxx, Hakeem Jeffries, Matt Gaetz, McCarthy’s, I’ve, ” Gaetz, ” McCarthy, Mario Diaz Balart, Jordan’s, Thomas Massie, Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly Organizations: WASHINGTON, Republican, Louisiana Republican, GOP, U.S . House, Twitter, Committee, Trump, ” Former Georgia, Capitol, North Carolina Rep, Democratic, Florida, Associated Press Locations: Louisiana, Israel, Georgia

☆ The new speaker of the House is in a 'covenant marriage,' a religiously-influenced legal agreement that makes it harder to get a divorce
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Rep. Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, is in a "covenant marriage." Johnson told a reporter in 2001 that he had encouraged other friends to do the same thing. Under Louisiana state law, couples sign a document in which they agree to seek marital counseling before getting a divvorce. "A covenant marriage agreement may not be dissolved, rescinded, or otherwise terminated by the mutual consent of the spouses," reads the relevant portion of Louisiana state law. "Because so few people have chosen covenant marriage in Louisiana, it seems like an unpopular idea," he said at the time.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Johnson, —, he'll, Mike Johnson of, Kevin McCarthy's, I've, Kelly, Kelly Johnson, It's, — it's Organizations: Service, Republican, ABC Locations: Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Louisiana, Arizona, Arkansas, I'm

☆ Louisiana 'super fog' kills 7 in massive car pile-up
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

At least one vehicle went over the edge and lay sideways in the water, pictures posted by the Louisiana State Police showed. The search for victims from the chain-reaction accident continued for hours after the crash, the state police said on Facebook. The accident closed Interstate 55 in St. John the Baptist Parish. The massive crash was one of several accidents in the area due to heavy fog, police said. He also urged drivers to take care from the "dangerous combination of wildfire smoke and dense fog."

Persons: John, Baptist, John Bel Edwards, Daniel Trotta, Sonali Paul Organizations: Reuters . Louisiana State Police, Handout, REUTERS Acquire, Louisiana State Police, Facebook, National Weather Service, Thomson Locations: St, Baptist Parish , Louisiana, U.S, Louisiana, New Orleans, Maurepas, Baptist Parish

A dense “super fog” hovered over New Orleans on Monday, shrouding the area in an impenetrable mist that led to traffic pileups involving dozens of vehicles and leaving at least seven people dead, the authorities said. At least 158 vehicles were involved in a series of crashes, which began just before 9 a.m. on Interstate 55 northwest of New Orleans, the Louisiana State Police said, noting that fog had been a “contributing factor.” An additional 25 people were injured, some of them critically, the police said. After the accidents, which involved vehicles in both the north- and southbound lanes, some of the vehicles caught fire, according to the police. A tanker truck carrying “hazardous liquid” was being removed, the police said, adding that it was possible that “additional fatalities could be located.” The State Police urged anyone with a missing family member to contact the agency. Aerial images posted to the State Police’s Facebook page show several pileups on Interstate 55, including some cars and trucks that appeared to be charred.

Organizations: Louisiana State Police, State Police, State, Facebook Locations: New Orleans

☆ Opinion | The People Who Broke the House
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-23 | by ( Michelle Cottle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

On Oct. 2, Mr. Gaetz filed the motion to vacate the speaker’s chair against Mr. McCarthy, just two days after Mr. McCarthy worked with Democrats to pass a stopgap bill to keep the government running through mid-November. A relatively moderate Republican representing a relatively moderate district in South Carolina, she was the striking outlier among the anti-McCarthy eight. She says Kev broke his word. “I made deals with Kevin McCarthy, with the speaker, that he has not kept to help women in this country. And we have done nothing for them,” she told reporters after the vote.

Persons: Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, McCarthy, Nancy Mace, Kev, Kevin McCarthy, ”, Mace, Ms, Scalise, Donald Trump Organizations: Republican Locations: Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana

☆ New Orleans saltwater: The toxic reason saltwater intrusion would be a catastrophe for New Orleans
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

But it’s a looming catastrophe for New Orleans, where officials estimate that tens of thousands of the city’s water pipes are made of lead. Many residents aren’t even aware they have lead pipes supplying their drinking water, said Jessica Dandridge, executive director of the Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans. Dandridge’s organization works both on water quality issues around the city’s lead pipes and stormwater management and flood control, and they are one of BlueConduit’s local partners working to map the pipes. As a result, lead drinking pipes are all over the country; some national estimates say the total number of pipes is around 9.2 million. It’s “almost a sleuthing or detective (work), trying to find out where the pipes are and where they go,” New Orleans City Councilmember JP Morrell told CNN.

Persons: it’s, Chris Granger, don’t, ” Eric Schwartz, Jessica Dandridge, “, Danielle Land, ”, Land, Dandridge, ” Dandridge, Biden, It’s, JP Morrell, Adrienne Katner, Justin Sullivan, ” Schwartz, BlueConduit’s, ” Grace Birch, “ It’s, Jeffrey Thomas, ” Thomas, “ There’s, we’re Organizations: CNN, Army Corps, Engineers, US Centers for Disease Control, US Army Corps of Engineers, The Times, New, University of Michigan’s, Michigan State University, Hurricane, city’s, Water Board, ” New, ” New Orleans City, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New, Army Corp, Biden Locations: Mississippi, New Orleans, Gulf, Mexico, “ New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish, Plaquemines, ”, ” New Orleans, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Louisiana

A Republican candidate, state Rep. Richard Nelson, withdrew from the race in September and endorsed Landry but will remain on the ballot per state election laws. Here’s a look at what to expect on election night:ELECTION DAYThe Louisiana state primary will be held Saturday. Neither Clinton nor Biden performed particularly well in Louisiana in the presidential elections: In 2016, Clinton won 38% of the statewide vote; in 2020, Biden won 40% of the statewide vote. In the 2019 Louisiana primary, 33 of the 164 races tabulated by the AP advanced to a runoff. These included the races for governor, secretary of state, five state Senate races and 24 state House races.

Persons: John Bel Edwards, Edwards, Sen, Sharon Hewitt, Jeff Landry, John Schroder, Stephen Waguespack, Richard Nelson, Landry, Shawn Wilson, Lake, Hunter Lundy, Donald Trump, Schroder, Trump, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Clinton, Biden, outperforming, it’s Organizations: WASHINGTON, Gov, Republican, Democratic, GOP, Press, WHO, AP, Senate Locations: Louisiana, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Caddo, East Carroll, Madison, Tensas, Baton Rouge and New Orleans

☆ USC’s Shaky Defense Could Mean the Fall of Troy’s Title Hopes
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Laine Higgins | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It has been 12 years since the so-called “Game of the Century,” when No. 1 Louisiana State beat No. 2 Alabama in a defensive slugfest that ended 9-6. It might as well have been 12 decades based on how differently the game is played these days.

Organizations: Louisiana State Locations: Alabama

The latest hurdle comes from a slow-moving threat — a mass influx of salt water from the Gulf of Mexico that is creeping up the drought-stricken Mississippi River. The issue is forcing farmers to brainstorm other ways to irrigate their crops with fresh water — including storing the little rain water they’ve gotten this summer, hauling in fresh water and establishing makeshift salination treatment facilities. Typically, the mighty flow of the Mississippi is enough to keep mass amounts of salt water from reaching too far inland. While officials believe adult citrus trees will be okay, seedlings are much more sensitive to salt water. Over the years some citrus farmers have focused on seedlings — shipping them to garden centers across the country and as far north as Canada.

Persons: They’re, ”, Joey Breaux, John Bel Edwards, Joe Biden, ” Biden, Belle Chasse, satsumas, Anna Timmerman, Louisiana State University AgCenter, Timmerman, “, ” Timmerman, Kim Dillon, Ben, Ben Becnel Organizations: Army Corps of Engineers, Orange Festival, Louisiana State University, Inc Locations: BATON ROUGE, La, Louisiana, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, Belle, Plaquemines Parish, Florida, California, Belle Chasse, Canada

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