Latest Louisiana Headlines
All the headlines from our Louisiana Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Southeast Louisiana Hit by Severe Storms, Tornadoes
Feb 20 2017 // The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF3 tornado on the enhanced Fujita scale, with winds between 136 mph and 165 mph, touched down in East New Orleans on Feb. 7. The twister was reported to have caused...
Louisiana Woman Pleads Guilty to $116K Insurance Fraud
Feb 17 2017 // A Monroe, La., woman has pleaded guilty to mail fraud, admitting that she filed a $116,000 insurance claim for $1,000 in assets. U.S. Attorney Stephanie Finley says 54-year-old Lasandra Edwards filed for bankruptcy in...
LA County Supervisors Order Inspection of Dams in Wake of Oroville Emergency
Feb 16 2017 // Supervisors have ordered inspections of all Los Angeles County dams in the wake of flooding concerns at Northern California’s Oroville Dam. The Los Angeles Times wrote that supervisors unanimously approved the order...
11 Children Injured When School Bus Overturns
Feb 15 2017 // Louisiana officials say a school bus carrying about 38 children has overturned, with 11 children and the driver suffering what were described as minor to moderate injuries. Louisiana State Police Trooper Dustin Dwight says...
Tough Budget-Rebalancing Awaits Returning Louisiana Lawmakers
Feb 15 2017 // Louisiana’s lawmakers are trudging back to work after Gov. John Bel Edwards called them to the Capitol for a special deficit-reduction session that many of them didn’t want to have. The 10-day session that...
Beyonce Faces $20M Copyright Lawsuit in Louisiana from Youtube Star’s Estate
Feb 13 2017 // The estate of a late New Orleans YouTube star has filed a $20 million copyright infringement lawsuit against Beyonce over the use of his voice in her “Formation” video. The estate of Anthony Barre, who went by...
State, Federal Officials Investigating Louisiana Blast that Killed 3
Feb 13 2017 // Authorities have identified the three workers who died in an explosion at the Packaging Corporation of America plant in DeRidder, La. The Beauregard Daily news reports that the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office...
Phillips 66: Worker Unaccounted for After Louisiana Pipeline Explosion
Feb 13 2017 // A Phillips 66 employee remains unaccounted for after an explosion sparked a fire at a pipeline station it operates west of New Orleans, the company said in a statement. Six people were working at the site in Paradis,...
New Orleans Mayor: 940 Homes Damaged by Half-Mile Wide Tornado
Feb 10 2017 // Dwight Powell lost his Lexus to the massive tornado that injured 33 people and destroyed or seriously damaged 940 properties on a half-mile wide rampage through two miles of east New Orleans. He had just parked it inside...
In Washington, Louisiana Governor Seeks More Flood Assistance
Feb 9 2017 // Gov. John Bel Edwards is making his sixth trip to Washington to lobby for $2 billion more federal flood aid for Louisiana. The state has received $1.6 billion from Congress so far to respond to the March and August...
Louisiana Commissioner Extends Flooding Emergency Rule after Tornadoes
Feb 9 2017 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon has issued Emergency Rule 32, which extends previous emergency rules issued after the historic flooding in the state in August 2016. The Louisiana Department of Insurance said...
Tornadoes Across Southeast Louisiana Cause Widespread Damage
Feb 8 2017 // The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF3 tornado touched down in East New Orleans on Feb. 7. The twister was reported to have caused widespread damage and forced around 100 people from their homes. NOLA.com...
Louisiana Universities to Receive $2.7M after Demise of HMO
Feb 7 2017 // Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon announced a favorable court order on the dissolution of health maintenance organization AmCare Health Plans of Louisiana Inc. (AmCare) that paves the way for more than $2.7...
Deadline Extended for Louisiana NFIP Policyholders Affected by August Flood
Feb 6 2017 // Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon says the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has granted an additional 90-day extension of an important deadline for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders affected...
Louisiana Insurance Department Clarifies Prescription Drug Coupon Cards
Feb 1 2017 // The use of prescription drug coupon cards has been on the rise in response high prescription drug prices. The Louisiana Department of Insurance is offering guidance on these cards and also urging patients to always ask...
Late Planting, August Floods Hurt Louisiana Sweet Potato Crop
Jan 31 2017 // The LSU AgCenter says late planting and August floods hurt Louisiana’s sweet potato harvest, cutting the yield from 450 bushels an acre in 2015 to 290 bushels per acre last year. Extension Associate Myrl Systrunk...
31 Houses Damaged or Destroyed by Tornadoes in Louisiana
Jan 25 2017 // Authorities say tornadoes destroyed or damaged 31 houses and RVs in Louisiana last weekend: 29 in the northwest near Plain Dealing, and two in the Natchitoches Parish town of Natchez. Officials say nobody was seriously...
Judge: Sorrento, Louisiana, and Ex-Police Chief Must Pay Legal Fees
Jan 24 2017 // A federal judge has awarded nearly $40,000 in fees to attorneys for a woman who accused a former Louisiana police chief of sexually assaulting her in his office while she was drunk and he was on duty. The woman’s...
Recovery Task Force Backs $1.2B Louisiana Flood Aid Plan
Jan 23 2017 // Louisiana’s flood recovery task force has agreed to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ proposal to spend $1.2 billion in federal aid allocated by Congress, with most of the money targeted for homeowners. Under the plan...
Louisiana Insurance Department Helps Consumers Recover $7.6 M in 2016
Jan 23 2017 // Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon reports that insurance policyholders in Louisiana were able to collect an additional $7.6 million last year as a result of assistance provided by the Louisiana Department of Insurance...
