In a Senate committee hearing, lawmakers passed a bill that would ban kratom, an unregulated product that has stimulant effects in small doses and opioid effects in larger doses. Now the bill heads to the Senate floor. Sean Richardson has more.
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A first-degree murder against a death-row inmate has been thrown out. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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Amtrak is getting ready to launch the Mardi Gras Service running twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. Jeff Palermo has more.
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A bill that would ban the sale of kratom was approved and moves to the Senate floor. Senate Bill 154 is authored by Monroe Republican Jay Morris.
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David Lebrano supports the bill and spoke to the dangers of the drug. Lebrano’s son died from an apparent kratom overdose, and he hopes to prevent others from experiencing this pain.
Cut 5 (11) “…gas station, headshops, anywhere.”
Critics like kratom user and advocate Wednesday Forrest-Bear says the ban will take away from people using the product medicinally and help manage pain.
Another opponent of the bill is Adam Peak, the owner of Bella Sunrise Smoke Shop. He says kratom has been a net positive, helping with overcoming addiction to other drugs and alcohol.
Cut 7 (11) “…an issue of kratom.”
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A man who has spent more than a quarter century on death row in connection with the death of his girlfriend’s nearly two-year-old daughter has had his first-degree murder conviction thrown out. In 1998, Jimmie Duncan was convicted of first-degree murder for the 1993 death of little Haley Oliveaux. Richard Webster, who’s been covering the story for ProPublica, says Duncan’s conviction was due in large part to testimony from forensic dentist Michael West and pathologist Steven Hayne that experts say is junk science.
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Webster says West and Hayne’s conclusions led prosecutors to up the charges to first-degree murder, which ultimately led to Duncan’s death sentence. Webster says new evidence led Ouachita Parish District Judge Alvin Sharp to reconsider the conviction.
Right now, even though his first-degree murder conviction has been thrown out, Duncan remains behind bars. Webster says the big question now is – to what degree, if any, is Duncan culpable for Haley’s death?
Cut 10 (19) “…newly-uncovered evidence.”
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Senator Bill Cassidy is hailing the 17-and-a-half-billion-dollar investment that Woodside Energy Group is making in Louisiana. The Australian-based company announced yesterday that it is putting up a greenfield liquified natural gas export facility in Calcasieu Parish. Cassidy says that plot of land is going to yield thousands of new jobs.
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Woodside’s announcement is the fourth major economic development announcement in the last several months, including a ten-billion-dollar Meta A-I data center near Monroe and a six-billion-dollar investment by Hyundai to build a steel plant in Ascension Parish. Cassidy says it all shows that Louisiana is open for business.
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Cassidy notes that this is the first greenfield LNG export facility to advance since President Trump rolled back the Biden administration’s pause on LNG export permits.
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Amtrak will launch a new intercity train service, the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service, this summer, running twice daily between New Orleans and Mobile, Alabama. It will also have four stops in Mississippi — Bay Saint Louis, Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Southern Rail Commission Chairman Knox Ross says it’s a long time coming.
Named to reflect the Gulf Coast’s rich Mardi Gras culture, the trains will offer scenic, comfortable travel with morning and evening departures. Passengers will enjoy connections to other major Amtrak routes, such as the City of New Orleans, Crescent, and Sunset Limited. The service aims to boost tourism, improve regional connectivity, and support local economies.
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Leaders from all three states hailed the initiative as a milestone in Gulf Coast development, made possible through bipartisan support and partnerships with the Southern Rail Commission. Ross says the target date for the launch is mid-July.
Cut 16 (12) “…piece of track.”