Louisiana

Stories 521 - 540 | << Prev   Next >>

Tropical Depression to Drench Gulf Coast

Region could see 20 inches of rain

(Newser) - A tropical depression heading toward the Gulf Coast could soak the area in as much as 20 inches of rain, prompting concerns about flash floods in Louisiana, whose governor declared a state of emergency yesterday. What could become Tropical Storm Lee prompted warnings from Mississippi to Texas, the AP reports,...

Dad Decapitates Disabled Son, 7

Wanted to make mom 'feel stupid,' Jeremiah Lee Wright tells cops

(Newser) - A Louisiana man decapitated his 7-year-old disabled son with a meat cleaver because he was sick of taking care of him and wanted to make his wife "feel stupid," he told police. Jori Lirette was bludgeoned, decapitated, and dismembered. His father, 30-year-old Jeremiah Lee Wright, said he left...

US Sees 1st Death by Vampire Bat Bite

19-year-old died in Louisiana but was bit in Mexico, CDC finds

(Newser) - For the first time in history, someone has died inside the US after being bitten by a vampire bat, according to a new CDC report. A 19-year-old Mexican man worked a single day at a Louisiana sugar cane plantation last year before fatigue, numbness, and pain in his shoulder sent...

Louisiana Pol Sorry for Underwear Sext

Councilman cops to affair after photo found on city server

(Newser) - Joe Stagni must be wishing his affair had been uncovered before the Anthony Weiner scandal. The New Orleans-area city councilman is in the news across the US and even internationally for texting a photograph of himself in his underwear to a colleague in 2009. The woman forwarded the image to...

Van Packed With Church Members Crashes, Killing 5

Victims included mother and two daughters

(Newser) - A van full of church members heading home from a Bible class veered off a northeast Louisiana highway and hit a culvert, killing five people and injuring several others. The van crashed Wednesday night, and the van's driver, Joey McKan, 30, died yesterday from his injuries, making him the...

And the Least-Stressed US State Is...

Hawaii, Wyoming top list

(Newser) - America is about as stressed as it was last year, a recent poll finds: Some 39.4% of 352,840 respondents called themselves stressed “a lot of the day,” compared to 39.9% last year. The year before was just a little more relaxed, with 38.8% saying...

University Prez Survives 4 Days Lost in Swamp

Missing Colombian prof Francisco Piedrahita rescued in Louisiana

(Newser) - A distinguished Colombian academic "became Rambo" to survive 4 days lost in Louisiana swamps, his sister-in-law says. Francisco Piedrahita, 65, a university president and renowned humanitarian, became lost during what was supposed to be a brief birdwatching jaunt in the vast Jean Lafitte National Park. Piedrahita, who had nothing...

First Death Reported in Mississippi Flooding

Man, 69, dies after being pulled out of water

(Newser) - The Mississippi River flood has its first casualty: Walter Cook, 69, died today after firefighters found him clinging to the top of a fence in chest-deep water yesterday, the AP reports. He was found in Vicksburg, Mississippi, where the river is expected to crest today at 57.1 feet. Most...

Residents Flee Spillway Waters
 Residents Flee Spillway Waters 
May 15, 2011 4:44 PM CDT

Residents Flee Spillway Waters

Many have cleared out ahead of expected Louisiana floods

(Newser) - Butte LaRose is “like a ghost town” after yesterday’s opening of the Morganza spillway , says one resident. People started clearing out their belongings last week and most were gone by today, when the water was expected. A sign outside town warns that animals, too, are likely fleeing for...

Louisiana Prepares to Flood Farmland

25K people urged to evacuate ahead of spillway opening

(Newser) - Louisiana—faced with the choice of flooding farmland or risking major floods in New Orleans and Baton Rouge —is preparing to open a relief valve and swamp large areas of farmland in Cajun country. The Morganza spillway is about to be opened for the first time in 38 years...

Louisiana's Awful Choice: Flood Cities or Drown Farms?

One option could devastate New Orleans; the other would destroy farmland

(Newser) - In Louisiana, a terrible choice: Frantically sandbag the levees in an attempt to prevent a flood in New Orleans and Baton Rouge that could be greater than Katrina in some areas—or open a relief valve and purposely flood 200 miles of farmland, potentially destroying the livelihoods of many Louisiana...

Louisiana Man Gets Life for Marijuana

Repeat offender Cornell Hood gets long time in joint

(Newser) - A Louisiana man convicted of marijuana possession for the fourth time has been sentenced to life in prison. A judge threw the book at 35-year-old Cornell Hood, using the state's tough repeat-offender law. Hood had previously admitted to three earlier charges of distributing marijuana and possession with intent to...

Mississippi Continues Steady Rise

More evacuate rising waters in Memphis

(Newser) - More Memphis residents were being told today to flee their homes for higher ground as the Mississippi's crest edged toward the city, threatening to bring more flooding to parts of an area already soaked. Officials were going door-to-door, warning about 240 people to get out before the river reaches...

Bobby Jindal Releases His Birth Certificate, Too

And guess what, he's a U.S. citizen

(Newser) - Keep your hands off Bobby Jindal, birthers. The Louisiana governor has released his birth certificate to prove he is a US citizen, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune . The certificate shows that Jindal—given the first name Piyush— was born in Baton Rouge on June 10, 1971, to Indian immigrants. Both...

Louisiana Bill Would Ban Abortion, Period

And violators would go to prison for 15 years

(Newser) - Conservatives around the country have tried to limit abortion in all kinds of creative ways , but Louisiana Rep. John LaBruzzo is cutting to the chase. The “unapologetically pro-life’ Republican has introduced a bill that would ban abortion outright, with no exception made for cases of rape, incest, or when...

BP's Gulf Cleanup Created 'Spillionaires'
 BP's Gulf Cleanup 
 Creates 'Spillionaires' 
investigation
Apr 13, 2011 6:42 PM CDT

BP's Gulf Cleanup Creates 'Spillionaires'

Many in Gulf Coast got rich in unsupervised spending frenzy: Pro Publica

(Newser) - A Pro Publica investigation introduces a new word in the Gulf Coast lexicon: spillionaire. As in, the nickname given to someone—usually someone politically connected—who raked in a lot of money from BP's unregulated $16 billion cleanup fund for localities. It puts a particular focus on St. Bernard Parish...

Beheaded Bald Eagle Found in Louisiana

Wildlife officials offers $2K reward for culprit

(Newser) - Louisiana wildlife officials say someone shot and beheaded a bald eagle, then disposed of it in a ditch, reports AP . They're offering a $2,000 reward for information, and the culprit better hopes it doesn't work: The offense can bring six-figure fines and possibly jail time. It's the fifth bald...

Mom Dies Protecting Child From Tornado

Jalisa Granger, 21, shielded daughter as a tree fell on their home

(Newser) - A tornado hit Rayne, Louisiana, yesterday, leaving a young mother dead—but thanks to Jalisa Granger’s actions, her child survived. Granger shielded her daughter to protect her, a sheriff’s office spokesperson tells the AP . When a tree fell on Granger’s home, the 21-year-old was killed, but she...

Child Molester Voluntarily Castrated

Frank Phillip Tullier agreed to surgery to get out of jail

(Newser) - A convicted child molester is about to go free—and all it cost him was his you-know-what. Francis Phillip Tullier, 78, underwent voluntary surgical castration yesterday as part of a long-delayed plea deal, the AP reports. The procedure was conducted at Tullier's expense. Tullier had faced hundreds of molestation counts...

Big Biz Can Only Donate So Much to Bobby Jindal...

... but is throwing a lot at his wife's nonprofit

(Newser) - If a corporation needs to get on Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's good side, there's a limit to how much it can donate to his campaign in order to do so. But there's no limit to how much it can donate to his wife's nonprofit. The Supriya Jindal Foundation for Louisiana's...

Stories 521 - 540 | << Prev   Next >>
Most Read on Newser