Governor John Bel Edwards says the special legislative session aimed at solving a 940-million dollar budget deficit this fiscal year is heading in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go. Edwards is disappointed the House didn’t move the tax bills sooner, but is optimistic there’s enough time for the Senate to act…
The special session ends March ninth.
The 13 tornadoes that hit Louisiana on Tuesday set a record for the most in a day in February, according to officials at the Storm Prediction Center. The record more than doubled the old record from 2008, which was 6. The most powerful twister hit a mobile home park in Convent, where 2 people were killed and 30 were injured. The weather service upgraded the ranking of the Sugar Hill RV Park tornado to EF-3 with winds up to 140 miles per hour.
The “In for 10” campaign to build support for a new I-10 bridge over the Calcasieu River has been launched by the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Alliance. George Swift, president and CEO of the alliance, says the bridge endures heavy traffic every day, and that traffic will only get worse as more industrial projects move to the area in the next few years.
It will take millions of dollars from the federal government to replace the bridge.
State Police arrested a second officer assigned to the US Drug Enforcement Administration task force suspected of stealing and selling drugs seized in raids. Karl Newman, a deputy with the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, was booked on counts of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and abuse of office. State police spokesperson, Maj. Doug Cain, says investigators will get to the bottom of the allegations.