Hold the phone! But not if you’re driving – that’s now illegal in Louisiana. Triple-A Louisiana had been pushing for a ban on handling cell phones while driving for years. Don Redman with Triple-A says a ban on texting while driving simply didn’t go far enough.
There’s an elevated presence of the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus in coastal waters this year, and it has proven deadly. So far this year, 17 people have been hospitalized after becoming infected, and four have died. State Epidemiologist Teresa Sokol says if you start experiencing symptoms, time is of the essence – contact your doctor or get to an emergency room.
The Louisiana Independent Party is now no more. Registered independents are now registered as “No Party.” John Couvillon with JMC Analytics and Polling says with this change, they can now participate in either the Republican or Democratic party primary.
There are closed primaries only in U-S Senate, U-S House, Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, and BESE contests, starting with the federal elections in April.
The LSU Veterinary School’s Wildlife Hospital has seen an increase in birds with gunshot wounds. It’s a specific bird that is being shot at it, called the Mississippi kite. Dr. Kimberly Boykin says last year they treated just two Mississippi kite birds for bullet fragments, this year they’ve treated eleven.