A new study by Tulane University researchers say people in New Orleans should start planning to relocate. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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The Louisiana Department of Health has released its annual report card on public drinking water systems, and fewer water systems received a failing grade. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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The legislation that provides for easy cancellation of automatic renewal subscriptions continues to move through the legislative process. Joe Gallinaro has the story.
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Researchers at Tulane University say it’s only a matter of time before New Orleans gets swallowed up by gulf waters. Lead researcher Torbjorg Tornqvist (TORB-yorg TORN-quist), a professor of earth and environmental sciences at Tulane, says due to climate change, sea level is gradually rising, and that will lead to further coastal erosion.
Tornqvist says as a result, people need to start planning now to move to higher ground.
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Tornqvist says the most sustainable areas of New Orleans are the areas that date back prior to 1900, which escaped relatively unscathed following Hurricane Katrina more than 20 years ago. Still, though, he says perhaps as early as the end of this century, the entire city could be swallowed up by gulf waters. He says one thing that can be done to delay the inevitable is to restart the Mid-Baritaria Sediment Diversion Project that was cancelled last year.
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The authors of the study, which was published in the journal Nature Sustainability, says erosion can potentially shift the coast as much as 60 miles inland, which would also put cities like Baton Rouge, Lafayette and Lake Charles in danger.
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Tomorrow, the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will begin public hearings on a new legislative map, which is necessitated after the Supreme Court declared the current map an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. ULM political science professor Pearson Cross says when all is said and done, Louisiana will likely send an additional Republican to Washington next year.
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Cross says the most likely outcome is a map that yields five Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning district.
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Many Democrats will likely be pushing for a map that yields the same partisan makeup as the current one, but Cross says it will be next to impossible to draw one up that will pass Constitutional muster.
The legislature must finalize a new map by June 1st, which is when the session must end. After a new map is adopted, the U.S. House election process will start again from square one.
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The Louisiana Senate has responded to last month’s fatal mass shooting at the Mall of Louisiana by passing legislation that would result in a death penalty charge the next time a gunman fires his or her gun at a crowd of people and kills someone. Shreveport Senator Alan Seabaugh added an amendment to a House-approved bill that expands the definition of first-degree murder to such a situation.
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Seabaugh says the way the legislation is written, the death penalty would still be on the table for the defendant even if he or she shoots an unintended target.
On April 23rd, 17-year-old Martha Odom of Lafayette Parish was fatally shot when another teenager allegedly shot at a group of people. Odom was one of six people shot. Investigators say she was an innocent bystander.
First-degree murder charges are usually handed down if a person kills another person while also committing a felony. There was very little discussion when Seabaugh brought the amendment up for a vote.
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The legislation passed on a 35 to nothing vote and heads to the House floor for concurrence.
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The Louisiana Department of Health has released its annual report card on drinking water. L-D-H provides a letter grade for each of the state’s 909 community public water systems. L-D-H Chief Engineer Steven Joubert says there are fewer “D” and “F” graded systems — it went down from 105 in 2024 to 90 in 2025.
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Joubert says the water system grades can be found on L-D-H’s website.
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Sixty-seven-percent, or 608, of the state’s 909 community public water systems received “A” grade. Several water systems in St. Tammany Parish received an “A” grade, along with systems in East and West Baton Rouge parishes, as well as West Bank Water System in New Orleans.
Shreveport received an “F” grade, and that’s based on seven criteria that includes operation and maintenance, infrastructure sustainability and customer satisfaction. Joubert says Shreveport is taking steps to improve its water system infrastructure.
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The LSU baseball team will begin a series against sixth-ranked Georgia tomorrow night. It will be a tough test for the Tigers’ pitching staff as the Bulldogs have one of the best offenses in the country. LSU has a team ERA above five, and they lead the league in walks allowed and wild pitches. Pitching Coach Nate Yeskie…
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William Schmidt is expected to make his second straight Friday night start. He’s 5-4, with a 3.90 ERA. Schmidt has had some struggles, but Yeskie was encouraged with his last start against South Carolina…
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Deven Sheerin has emerged as LSU’s best reliever. He has a 3.16 ERA with four saves and has struck out 48 in 31.1 innings pitched. Sheerin missed last season because of a knee injury and Yeskie says the big right-hander used the year off productively…