Book your tickets for Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, now. Sean Richardson has more.
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Texas State announced they’ll be moving on from the Sun Belt for the PAC-12 next year. Louisiana Tech is a hopeful replacement, but the sun might be setting on the Bulldogs. Kace Kieschnick has more.
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Amtrak announces that its Mardi Gras Service will begin August 18. It revives passenger rail between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama, with four stops in Mississippi – Bay St. Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross says you can get your tickets now.
Offering twice-daily scenic trips along the Gulf Coast, it connects to major Amtrak routes like the City of New Orleans. Ross says the service will bring convenience that one stop a day doesn’t have.
Restoring service lost since Hurricane Katrina, it boosts tourism, jobs, and regional mobility while celebrating Gulf Coast culture. Ross says the service reflects significant infrastructure investment, improving connectivity and economic growth.
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Texas State is officially set to leave the Sun Belt for the revamped PAC-12 in 2026 after approving the five-million-dollar buyout earlier this week. Louisiana Tech was rumored to be the apparent replacement, but Dave Schultz of the Locked On Sun Belt Podcast says the conference’s non-Louisiana schools feel the Sun Belt would be over saturated by the Bayou state.
While U-L Lafayette and ULM are pushing the Bulldogs due to their historic rivalries and quick commutes, others argue Tech won’t add new TV markets for the conference. Schultz says the Sun Belt has reached out to East Carolina who responded with a wait-and-see.
Schultz says if the Sun Belt wanted Louisiana Tech, there would have been a quick announcement. The conference has been surprisingly slow on the issue and Schultz expects there won’t be an answer by Sun Belt Media Days July 22. He hopes this is because they’re taking the time to consider expansion to 16 teams.
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Shreveport Senator Alan Seabaugh expressed frustration over the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to delay ruling on Louisiana versus Callais, a case challenging the state’s new congressional map with two majority-Black districts.
Last Friday, the Court opted for re-argument, leaving the map in place for now. Seabaugh, a vocal critic of the redistricting, argued it prioritizes race over equal representation, violating the 14th Amendment.
Seabaugh says the district has already been ruled unconstitutional and lines should be redrawn before the next election; but only Governor Landry can call lawmakers back to address the issue, and that’s not going to happen.