The Times (Shreveport)
Chef Niema DiGrazia brings Shreveport to ‘Chopped’
The entire second floor of the Robinson Film Center was full of smiling faces Tuesday evening as “Chopped” played on the big screen. Friends and family of Chef Niema DiGrazia came out to support her April 7 in a VIP showing of the latest “Chopped” —...
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Iran sets conditions for further talks with U.S.
Iran vowed on April 10 not to participate in negotiations unless a ceasefire takes hold in Lebanon and Iran’s assets are unfrozen, throwing doubt over highstakes peace talks set to begin the following day in Pakistan. Iran’s parliamentary speaker,...
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Plan to punish float riders for reckless throws is nixed
A Louisiana bill that had originally proposed fines and jail time for parade float riders who throw beads and objects in a way that causes injury was pulled by Rep. Sylvia Taylor after the lawmaker said she acted rashly in filing the measure. Taylor,...
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Buc-ee’s construction ‘rocking and rolling’
Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker said construction on Buc-ee’s first Louisiana store is “rocking and rolling” with a partial slab already in place, fuel tanks buried and the first walls to be raised this month. “They’re moving fast,” Walker said April 6 in...
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A ‘NEW ADVENTURE’ FOR BOSSIER ARTS COUNCIL
What is next for the Bossier Arts Council (BAC)? The long time arts institution will soon be leaving its current home at the Old Municipal Building, following Bossier City’s termination of its cooperative agreement with the art council. The...
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Caddo Parish students can get summer jobs through new program
Do you have a high school-aged student who is looking for work this summer? Well, the City of Shreveport, Caddo Parish Schools and the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce have launched a collaborative internship program — 2026 Summer Works. “This...
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‘Louisiana continues to grow its aerospace economy’
A rocket built in Louisiana is powering Artemis II’s trip to the moon. Nearly 90 percent of the rocket powering the mission was manufactured at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, which is known as “America’s Rocket Factory.” “For...
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Medicaid cuts could hit Native Americans hard
BATON ROUGE — New Medicaid rules requiring recipients to work and reverify coverage every six months will disproportionately affect the 85% of Native Americans living in Louisiana, tribal leaders and Indigenous experts say. While the 4,000 Native...
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Recent graduates find challenging job market
In 2025, new college graduates wanted remote, high-paying jobs that aligned with their values. In 2026, they just want a job. With 89% worrying artificial intelligence could replace entry-level roles – up from 64% last year – 67% of graduates now say...
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Residents protest proposed migrant family facility
A proposed facility at England Airpark in Alexandria that would house self-deporting migrant families has raised concerns among some Central Louisiana residents who attended the March 26 meeting of the England Authority Board of Commissioners to voice...
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AI regulation clashing with business lobby
Louisiana lawmakers have filed more than 20 bills this session touching on artificial intelligence, but only a narrow slice of them has moved so far. The clearest momentum has come on bills dealing with child exploitation. Senate Bill 42 by Sen. Rick...
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City’s No Kings protest targets Trump policies
People lined the sidewalk of the Caddo Parish Courthouse on Saturday, March 28, holding signs that stated, among other things, “No Kings Since 1776.” This large showing was part of the nationwide peaceful protest mobilized by the No Kings Coalition....
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House committee advances bill to use SAVE for voter checks
BATON ROUGE — Though a voting rights advocate cautioned that technology used for voter checks could pose security risks to residents’ personal identification information, the House Governmental Affairs Committee voted 9-7 Wednesday to move forward with...
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Louisiana legend
When it comes to a truly great restaurant, it’s never just about the food, but about the atmosphere and memories made. In the South, great food and comforting hospitality often go hand in hand, making restaurants in this region some of the best. In...
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Bill would give lawmakers power to remove elected judges
A bill that would give the Louisiana Legislature the power to remove what lawmakers consider unfit elected judges from office advanced from its first hearing in the Senate. Republican Monroe Sen. Jay Morris’ Senate Bill 123 is a proposed...
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Trump delays strikes on Iran power plants
IranThe Pentagon is weighing sending an additional 10,000 troops to the Middle East as the war with Iran rages, multiple news outlets reported. It remained unclear when a decision will be made on whether to send the additional combat soldiers,...
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Caddo Parish schools add Ten Commandment posters
Ten Commandment posters are now visible in classrooms across Caddo Parish after a federal court upheld Louisiana law requiring them to be displayed in all Louisiana public school classrooms. The Louisiana law had been blocked twice, with parents and...
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Students celebrate Match Day
One hundred forty-two LSU Health Shreveport School of Medicine students found out where they will be going for their residency training Friday, March 20. As confetti cannons released purple and gold streamers, students squealed as they opened their...
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HONORING ICONS
A late Louisiana civil rights icon from Shreveport could be recognized with the renaming of a portion of a state highway in his honor after lawmakers advanced a bill to memorialize the Rev. Harry Blake Sr. on March 17. Shreveport state Rep. Joy...
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Louisiana remains ‘tinderbox’ for wildfires after fire contained
A wildfire that destroyed about 1,500 acres of mostly timberland in Winn Parish was contained Thursday morning, but Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said the state remains “an absolute tinderbox.” Strain said his forest...
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‘INVENTED PROBLEM?’
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry said a federal data program that verifies citizenship status uncovered the 403 noncitizens registered to vote in Louisiana out of a total voting pool of 2.96 million, with 83 having voted in at...
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SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES
Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Rebecca Harris is asking the Legislature to increase the compensation for foster families as the agency seeks to expand safe homes for more than 4,000 children under state care. Harris and...
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Troops deployed to Middle East region
Despite President Donald Trump’s promises of the war with Iran ending soon and broad domestic disapproval of further involvement, the United States is sending more troops to the region, a defense official said. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit,...
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Julia Letlow poll has her leading
new poll commissioned by Congresswoman Julia Letlow shows her leading the field in the Louisiana Senate primary race in a survey that also measured the strength of President Trump’s endorsement of Letlow. The poll paid for by Letlow’s campaign was...
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4 hotspots for Copperheads
Louisiana is home to seven venomous snake species, one of them being the Eastern Copperhead. Copperheads are most active during the summer and inhabit a wide range of habitats across Louisiana. These snakes may bite if they feel provoked and they can...
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CELEBRATE LOUISIANA
Louisiana is often referred to as the “Festival Capital of the World,” earning this title because of the hundreds of festivals that take place annually throughout the state. More than 400 festivals take place each year in Louisiana, ranging from...
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What are the most populated cities in Louisiana?
Louisiana’s population is estimated to be approximately 4.6 million people, however the state is experiencing a significant, consistent population decline. In fact, Louisiana is one of the fastest shrinking states in the U.S., with many residents...
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‘We cannot be erased’
Ray Stevenson leaned over to history instructor Sherman Houston moments before he was going to speak to more than 100 students at Southern University at Shreveport’s “Our Century, Our Stories: A Black History Commemoration” event and said, “If I can...
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Louisiana faces higher SNAP costs
BATON ROUGE — Changes in federal law will require Louisiana to spend $42.3 million more on the SNAP program in the coming fiscal year, while food-stamp recipients cope with expanded work requirements and rising grocery costs. Under President Trump’s...
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6 U.S. service members killed in crash over Iraq
Six more U.S. service members were killed when their refueling aircraft crashed after a midair collision over western Iraq, officials said March 13, as the joint U.S.-Israeli war on Iran reached the two-week mark with few signs of slowing down. The...
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Shreveport airport avoids long TSA waits
There are no lines at the Shreveport Regional Airport. Airports across the country are facing long wait times at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening as airports experience staff shortages due to the partial...
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‘287 chickens and a goat’
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy has responded to former U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice saying “it’s not going to end well for entities that ‘bend the knee to Trump.’” Kennedy posted a video on X of him speaking in Congress, saying that using the law to...
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8 have entered race for state seat
This year, 33 out of the 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for election, with another two seats up for special election. Democrats hold 13 seats up for election and Republicans hold 22, with Republicans having a 5345 majority in Congress, according to...
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Louisiana’s industrial boom tops $100 billion
Louisiana has topped $100 billion in investments from economic development projects during its two-year industrial boom that could help reverse the state’s decades-long population decline, according to one study. Gov. Jeff Landry had forecast that the...
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Federal visa caps leave factories shorthanded
BATON ROUGE — The crawfish industry is facing a labor shortage due to federal immigration caps as the state enters the start of the harvesting season, Commissioner of Agriculture Mike Strain said in a House committee meeting on Tuesday. Most of the...
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Celebrating community leadership
Holy Angels announced this year’s Virginia K. Shehee Most Influential Woman Award winner during its tenth annual award luncheon at East Ridge Country Club Thursday, March 5. This year’s winner is Judy A. Madison, Vice President of Mortgage Loan...
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Trump demands Iran’s unconditional surrender
President Donald Trump demanded Iran’s “UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER” in a social media post the morning of March 6, insisting “there will be no deal” to end his 7-day-old war with the battered Persian Gulf power. The president added in a social media post...
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Insurance commissioner focusing on discounts for fortified roofs STRONGER SHELTER
BATON ROUGE – Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is working with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners to establish a targeted discount rate for homeowners who install a fortified roof. The benchmarks will be minimum discounts...
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Lawmakers skeptical of bills
BATON ROUGE — State Senate President Cameron Henry and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier both expressed concern Monday about a spate of bills that might give communities veto power over carbon capture projects in their areas. The push for a local option...
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Students uncover city’s past with photo tour
More than a dozen Southwood High School students walked down Texas Street on a recent weekday with Mark and Mike Mangham of Northwest Louisiana History Hunters. They stopped at designated spots where Mike Mangham would speak as Mark Mangham held up...
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What are the best seafood restaurants in Louisiana?
Whether it lives in freshwater or saltwater, Louisiana is renowned for its seafood, as the state sits along the Gulf Coast and has an abundance of waterbodies. Seafood has sustained Louisiana since its beginning, and the state’s most famous food...
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Designer’s fashion show celebrates Black history
More than 200 people, dressed in beige and brown, packed into the ground floor of The Lofts @ 624 Texas for designer Tasha Henderson’s “from the cotTON to the TOP” fashion show experience Sunday, Feb. 22. After the show, Henderson’s Facebook page was...
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‘It was the place to be’
As Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. poured in 49 points in a 117-115 doubleovertime loss to Alabama basketball on Feb. 19, it felt like the kind of night that bends a building’s memory. Forty-nine should be historic, but in Coleman Coliseum, it’s not...
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Clinton depositions show changed Democratic Party
WASHINGTON – In late February 2016, Hillary Clinton cruised to an overwhelming victory in the South Carolina Democratic presidential primary – an unambiguous statement of the former first lady and secretary of state’s dominance over her party as she...
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‘I AM WELL’
Louisiana Dr. Ralph Abraham said his abrupt departure this week as a top official with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has nothing to do with his own health or his continued support for Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America...
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Landry proposes $82M increase for prison system
BATON ROUGE — In 2016, Louisiana faced a $2 billion budget gap, and lawmakers decided they could no longer afford to lock so many people up. But in 2024, after a nationwide crime spike during the COVID pandemic, Gov. Jeff Landry reversed many of the...
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Amazon invests $12B in Louisiana AI data center
Amazon will invest $12 billion to build an artificial intelligence data center with two interconnected campuses in Caddo and Bossier parishes that Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said is the biggest economic development project in the region’s...
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LSU legend D-D Breaux featured in documentary
A new documentary, “The Fighting Tiger,” chronicled the career of legendary LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux as she built the program from scratch into a national powerhouse. Breaux, who is originally from Donaldsonville, led the gymnastics program for...
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Black colleges hold strong legacy
Historically Black colleges and universities are well known for their deep roots in U.S. higher education and proven effectiveness at graduating Black students who go on to become professionally successful. HBCUs are colleges and universities that...
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Primary poll shows tight GOP race
A new statewide poll on the Louisiana Republican Senate primary race shows state Treasurer John Fleming and Congresswoman Julia Letlow leading incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy with all three candidates within the margin of error of the survey. The poll,...
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Alleged trade leaks led to Andrew’s arrest
WASHINGTON – It wasn’t Jeffrey Epstein’s illicit past that led to the stunning arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Feb. 19. It was the alleged leak of confidential information from the former prince to the convicted sex offender while Andrew acted...
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Report: Baton Rouge ranks among worst capital cities
While capitals are not always the biggest city in a state, they are centers of government and typically have strong economic landscapes. Capital cities are also often rich in cultural scenes, and sometimes rank among the best places to live in the...
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Feist-Weiller gala raises $200K for patient housing
Supporters of Ochsner LSU Health – Feist-Weiller Cancer Center gathered Feb. 12 for the annual Life Savers gala to raise funds for patient services and facility improvements at North Louisiana’s only academic cancer center. The fundraiser was held at...
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LA rep. pushes for federal investigation
Louisiana state Rep. Danny McCormick on Friday filed House Concurrent Resolution 1, urging the state’s congressional delegation to investigate and prosecute individuals named in recently released documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey...
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Rascal Flatts’ Joe Don Rooney on sobriety, band’s return to touring
A chart-topping country music band will visit Bossier City this month as part of its “Life is A Highway” tour. Rascal Flatts, along with special guest Chris Lane and Lauren Alaina, will take center stage Friday, Feb. 20, at Brookshire Grocery...
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‘A very unique ability’
Julie Emerson was only 27 when she became the youngest Republican woman elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. h In the past two years, she emerged as one of Gov. Jeff Landry’s floor leaders, helping to push through ambitious proposals to...
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Lecompte eatery one of best in U.S.
Lea’s Lunchroom in Lecompte is a classic slice of Americana that has received many accolades throughout its 98-year history. Now, it can add another one to that list. h According to USA TODAY’s 2026 Restaurants of the Year list, this family-owned diner...
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Pride flag raised again at NYC’s Stonewall
NEW YORK – In defiance of a Trump administration edict, New York City officials and activists raised the rainbow pride flag again on Feb. 12 at the Stonewall National Monument, the birthplace of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, after it was removed over the...
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Johnson qualifies for re-election in 4th CD
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Shreveport-Bossier qualified for reelection Feb. 11 as the balance of power in the House and his future hinges on the mid-term congressional elections. Johnson qualified by proxy for the 4th Congressional District seat as...
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Over 490 arrested, drugs and guns seized
Over 490 arrests have been made in the Western District of Louisiana following a recent effort to fight violent crime and gangs. U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Zachary Keller held a press conference Monday, Feb. 9, to discuss the...
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‘Shreveport is better than this’
Krewe of Centaur issued a response Sunday following two incidents that occurred during Saturday’s Mardi Gras parade in Shreveport. A confrontation that led to arrest warrants being issued and a separate incident in which a woman was run over by a...
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Rep. Danny McCormick to push state action on Caddo Lake water use
Republican state Rep. Danny McCormick of Oil City said he planned to file legislation at the state level similar to a failed proposal by Caddo Commissioner Chris Kracman requesting a moratorium on large-scale water withdrawals from Caddo...
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Newsom to LA AG: ‘Go ---- yourself ’
California Gov. Gavin Newsom hurled a vulgar expletive at Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill in a social media post in response to Murrill’s plan to sue California and New York to force extradition of doctors accused of mailing abortion pills to...
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Where Louisiana’s environment ranks
Louisiana is known for its industrious landscape, and while industries support the state economy, there is an environmental trade-off that comes with the manufacturing process. In recent years, sustainability has become more and more of a priority in...
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MAGA vs. Bad Bunny splits Super Bowl
Sen. Tommy Tuberville was thrilled to attend the Super Bowl in 2025 when he hitched a ride on Air Force One, joining President Donald Trump and several other Republican lawmakers for the big game. “Happy Super Bowl Sunday,” the Republican senator for...
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Plan ahead to reduce the risk
With Mardi Gras season in full swing, increased safety is a top concern for parade-goers and businesses across Louisiana. Mardi Gras will end Feb. 17, and with less than two weeks left to enjoy the party, Louisiana’s Workers’ Compensation Carrier...
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Documentary highlights grassroots activists
The struggles and triumphs of two grassroots activists from Northeast Louisiana are spotlighted in a documentary now available to stream. “North Louisiana Rising: Two Women − No Fear” follows Shreveport activists Breka Peoples and Omari Ho-Sang as...
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LA offers rare opportunity for rainbow trout fishing
Louisiana anglers have a rare chance to catch a rainbow trout in their home state in public community lakes and ponds this winter. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has stocked 17 ponds in almost every region with adult rainbow trout...
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Water a new luxury symbol in India
NEW DELHI – At an Indian gourmet food store, Avanti Mehta is organizing a blind tasting of drinks sourced from France, Italy and India. No, this isn’t wine, it’s water. Participants use tiny shot glasses to check the minerality, carbonation and...
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Does Louisiana have its own groundhog?
This year, like every year, Groundhog Day will fall on Feb. 2, marking the midpoint between winter solstice and the spring equinox. Groundhog Day in the U.S. is a tradition where a groundhog is observed as he emerges from his burrow and either sees...
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ICE raids could hurt Republicans in midterms
President Donald Trump’s stern nationwide campaign against illegal immigration has reached boiling temperatures that could scald Republicans in swing states and districts ahead of the 2026 midterm election. Outrage over immigration enforcement tactics...
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Journalists at Minnesota church protest arrested
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was arrested by federal officials in Los Angeles days after a protest that disrupted a church service in Minnesota, his lawyer said, as mass demonstrations over federal immigration enforcement were planned nationwide and the...
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Landry confirms Greenland envoy role
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he still plans to travel to Greenland as a special U.S. envoy and spoke to President Trump as recently as Saturday about his role. “Yes, I’m still going (to Greenland),” Landry said in a brief interview with USA Today...
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Death toll from storm rises to 8
Louisiana’s death toll from Winter Storm Fern rose to eight Jan. 27 as state and local officials worked to restore free flowing traffic on Interstate 20, free flowing water where systems have failed and power to nearly 100,000 people who remained...
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Winter Storm Fern proves fatal
At least six people have died in northern Louisiana related to Winter Storm Fern, where the ice storm left more than 100,000 households without power, a major city without water and caused a crippling traffic jam on Interstate 20. Gov. Jeff Landry...
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Winter Storm Fern effects felt throughout Louisiana
A major winter storm moved across the Louisiana–Arkansas region, bringing a dangerous mix of ice, snow, and freezing rain. Forecasters said the most significant impacts happened across north Louisiana and western Arkansas, with hazardous travel,...
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