Louisiana Republicans are in court to fight efforts to establish new Black congressional district
Voting rights advocates are locked in a court fight with Louisiana's top Republicans over whether the state must follow Alabamaโs court-ordered path in drawing a new, Black-majority congressional district.
FBI is investigating alleged abuse in Baton Rouge police warehouse known as the 'Brave Cave'
The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into claims in recent lawsuits that Baton Rouge police assaulted and strip-searched drug suspects they detained in an obscure warehouse known as the โBrave Cave.โ.
Louisiana Congressman-elect Luke Letlow dead from COVID-19
Luke Letlow, R-Start, chief of staff to exiting U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, speaks after signing up to run for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, on July 22, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La. โ Luke Letlow, Louisiana's incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before he would have been sworn into office. โCOVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon,โ the Democratic governor said in a statement. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said: โOur hearts break tonight as we process the news of Congressman-elect Luke Letlowโs passing." When he announced his positive test for COVID-19, Letlow joined a list of Louisiana officials who have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began, including U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Lt. Gov.
Smart leads LSU past Sam Houston State without coach Wade
โ JaโVonte Smart had 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals, and shorthanded LSU beat Sam Houston State 88-66 on Monday without coach Will Wade after he tested positive for COVID-19. Hours before the game, LSU announced Wade would not be available because of contact tracing issues. Wade said during a Zoom press conference after the game that he tested positive while in quarantine last week. Freshman Cameron Thomas scored 19 points and Darius Days had 16 points and 10 rebounds for LSU (4-1). Demarkus Lampley scored 16 points and Zach Nutall added 13 for San Houston State (3-4).
Tide, Irish, Tigers, Buckeyes hold steady atop CFP rankings
Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) blows kisses to the stands after a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)For the third straight week, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State held on to the top four spots in the College Football Playoff rankings. Ohio State is also currently without a game this weekend after Michigan had to cancel because of a COVID-19 outbreak. Ohio State (5-0) might not play enough games to be eligible to play in the Big Ten championship game. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
AP Top 25: No. 1 Tide runs poll streak to 210, 3rd-best ever
Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) leaps over LSU safety JaCoby Stevens (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. 1 for the fifth week in a row Sunday and extended its streak of consecutive poll appearances to 210, the third longest in the history of The Associated Press college football poll. 1 for the third straight week and the top seven teams were unchanged for a fifth consecutive poll. Buffalo is the first Mid-American Conference team to be ranked this season, giving every FBS league at least one ranked team during this pandemic-altered season. The Ducks' and Huskies' exits left the Pac-12 with two ranked teams: No.
Supreme Court won't get involved in Louisiana pastor's case
WASHINGTON โ The Supreme Court is for now staying out of a dispute involving the state of Louisiana and a Baton Rouge-area pastor charged with violating state coronavirus restrictions by repeatedly holding large church services. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday evening turned away a request from Life Tabernacle Church pastor Tony Spell to get involved in the dispute. Alito denied the request himself, without asking Louisiana officials to respond and without referring the matter to the full court as often happens when a case is particularly significant or contentious. Spell sued state and local officials in May after being charged with violating state restrictions. Lower courts ruled against him.
Orgeron: LSU has COVID outbreak, injured QB still sidelined
โ LSU coach Ed Orgeron says his team is contending with a corona virus outbreak and resulting quarantines that have made it difficult to know whether a number of starters or regulars will be available for Saturday's scheduled game against No. โWe're talking to the doctors right now to see what's the best for Myles,โ Orgeron said during his usual Monday-of-game-week media conference. The number of related quarantines due to possible exposure also have thinned his roster in recent days, he said. The SEC requires teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available, less than that and the scheduled game cannot be played. By the middle of the week, LSU expects to know if the game could still be held this weekend as scheduled, Orgeron said.
Hurricane Delta inflicts new damage on storm-weary Louisiana
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. โ Ripping tarps from already damaged roofs and scattering debris piled by roadsides, Hurricane Delta inflicted a new round of destruction on Louisiana as it struck communities still reeling after Hurricane Laura took a similar path just six weeks earlier. Delta's reach stretched as far west as Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the storm struck Louisiana. Tropical Storm Marco fizzled as it hit the southeast Louisiana tip just three days before Laura struck. โThe wind is much worse than what Hurricane Laura brought,โ Gove said in a message on Twitter.
'This is not a bad dream': New hurricane menaces Louisiana
Louisiana residents still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. The projected path included the southwest area of Louisiana where Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall less than two months ago. Randazzo watched pieces of one of his restaurants, Panorama Music House, fly past a meteorologistโs car on a Facebook Live video during Hurricane Laura. The most recent forecast for Hurricane Delta has the storm making landfall โalmost preciselyโ where Hurricane Laura struck โ a region where homes and electrical infrastructure are still damaged, Edwards said in a radio interview. New Orleans, well to the east of the projected landfall area, was expected to escape the worst of Hurricane Delta.
$215M in BP oil spill money to restore Louisiana marshes
โ Louisiana will get nearly $215 million in BP oil spill money for two projects planned to restore more than 4,600 acres of marsh and other habitat in the New Orleans area, Gov. The money is from BPโs $8.8 billion settlement for natural resources damage caused by the blowout that killed 11 men and spewed more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, leaving long-lasting effects. โThe Mississippi River created our parish and the many historic ridges of our landscape,โ said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. It was based partly on the judgeโs estimate that the 87-day Deepwater Horizon spill spewed nearly 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of crude into the Gulf โ enough to fill the U.S. Capitol rotunda 13 times. Federal experts estimated the total at more than 176 million gallons (666 million liters), while BP estimated 102 million gallons (386 million liters).
Sen. Cassidy tests positive for virus, has COVID-19 symptoms
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., delivers remarks to media after registering as a candidate to run as an incumbent in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, July 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)BATON ROUGE, La. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Thursday that he's tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing some COVID-19 symptoms. Cassidy, a physician, said in a statement that he was tested after being notified Wednesday night that he'd been exposed to someone infected with the virus. I am strictly following the direction of our medical experts and strongly encourage others to do the same, he said.
Fair Oaks Ranch man gets 5 years for hazing death of LSU fraternity pledge
โ Matthew Naquin, 21, who was found guilty of negligent homicide in the 2017 hazing death of Louisiana State University student Maxwell Gruver, was sentenced to five years in prison, according to CNN. Naquin, of Fair Oaks Ranch, was arrested on hazing charges in Oct. 2017 for making pledges drink alcohol while playing a game called โBible Study,โ according to an affidavit. San Antonio-area man found guilty of negligent homicide in LSU hazing deathPledge members of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity were forced to take โpullsโ of 190-proof Diesel -- a โpull,โ according to the affidavit, is consuming the alcohol for three to five seconds. Naquin and nine other members of the fraternity were arrested on hazing charges related to the incident. Affidavit: Fair Oaks Ranch teen โmost aggressiveโ in alleged LSU pledge memberโs hazing deathGruverโs blood-alcohol level was more than six times the legal driving limit when he died in 2017.