Articles by Melinda Deslatte and Janet McConnaughey

47 Long-Term Care Sites in Louisiana Seen as Coronavirus ‘Clusters’

As coronavirus cases spike ever higher in Louisiana, the state’s nursing homes, assisted living sites and adult residential care facilities are showing more and more “clusters” of the virus, but the full scale of the outbreak at those sites remains …

Lawyer Says OSHA Looking into Arrest of Worker in New Orleans Hotel Collapse

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating allegations that the immigration arrest of a construction worker hurt in the collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel construction site in New Orleans was retaliation for his reports about problems at the …

Gulf Coast Seafood Biz Slammed by Freshwater from This Year’s Floods

Fresh water from Midwestern floods has killed oysters along the coasts of three states and cost Mississippi half of its blue crabs. Water that came through a Louisiana spillway killed 95% of the oysters in Mississippi’s share of the Mississippi …

Flooded Mississippi River Still a Threat as Hurricane Season Heats Up

The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running far higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies. For months now, a massive volume of water has been pushing …

New Federal Study Contradicts Owner’s Claims About Years-Long Gulf Oil Spill

A new federally led study of oil seeping from a platform toppled off Louisiana’s coast 141/2 years ago found releases lower than other recent estimates, but contradicts the well owner’s assertions about the amount and source of oil. Oil and …

Midwestern Floodwaters Harming Louisiana, Mississippi Seafood Businesses

This is a bad year for people who make their living from seafood in Louisiana and Mississippi. Floods from the Midwest are killing oysters, and driving crabs, shrimp and finfish out of bays and marshes, into saltier water where they …

Louisiana Diocese Releases List of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse

The U.S. Catholic diocese where the first widely reported case of clergy sex abuse became public in the 1980s released a list Friday of 33 priests and four deacons credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor or vulnerable adult. The …

McDonald’s Workers Across U.S. Protest Against Sex Harassment

McDonald’s workers staged protests in several cities late last month in what organizers billed as the first multistate strike seeking to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. In Chicago, one of the targeted cities, several dozen protesters rallied in front …

McDonald’s Workers in Several Cities Rally Against Sex Harassment

McDonald’s workers staged protests in several cities Tuesday in what organizers billed as the first multistate strike seeking to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. In Chicago, one of the targeted cities, several dozen protesters rallied in front of McDonald’s …

Study: Mississippi River Flood Control Work Likely Worsened Downstream Flooding

Flood control engineering on the Mississippi River and its tributaries has likely made floods worse in Mississippi and Louisiana, researchers say. Using 500 years of data from tree rings and from sediment in oxbow lakes — bends that once were …