Unlikely alliance forms to boost community air monitoring in Louisiana
A bulk storage facility plans to join with activists from the Louisiana Environmental Action Network to monitor air quality in St. Rose, a ‘Cancer Alley’ community.
Category: Top Story
This category showcases the lead coverage readers need to know, offering context, clarity, and insight into issues shaping New Orleans and beyond.
Mississippi River mayors agree to unify ports from Louisiana up to Minnesota
The cooperative agreement is the first between the inland ports in the heart of the Corn Belt and the coastal ports of Louisiana, which together export 60% of the nation’s agricultural products.
Louisiana sanctions use of pepper spray and mace on detained juveniles
In July, a new state law put all Louisiana pretrial juvenile detention centers under the umbrella of the state Office of Juvenile Justice. Soon after, the agency filed an ‘emergency order’ approving the use of ‘chemical agents’ in those facilities.
To bring insurance companies back to Louisiana, some suggest tackling it as a federal issue
At the height of hurricane season, Congressional candidate Devin Davis announces a plan to combat Louisiana’s home-insurance crisis. U.S. Rep. Troy Carter says he’s focused on a more apt federal concern: FEMA’s flood-hazard ratings.
Pencils, Laptops, and Guaranteed Income
Across the nation, there’s been an increase in programs looking at ways to help lift up young people – and move them from poverty into more secure futures. Administrators at Rooted School saw fewer absences, a jump in reading scores, and a boost in independence for students who received $50 weekly stipends.
No longer ‘half slave, half free’
Formosa Plastics returns to fight again
In January, an appeals court injected new life into Formosa’s plans to build a huge plastics plant in St. James Parish. But to make plastic requires vinyl chloride, which already has a toxic 40-year track record in Louisiana.
President Biden announces $150 million in research grants for cancer “moonshot” initiative
Near Louisiana’s Cancer Alley, the president and first lady prioritize goal to halve the nation’s cancer death rates within roughly the next two decades.
Fossil fuel spokespeople ask Louisiana academic to help promote carbon capture
An academic leader at the University of Louisiana Lafayette agreed to help spread industry talking points. Critics say that these relationships are a form of greenwashing.
Greenfield Terminal Terminated
Developers cancel the $800 million grain terminal proposed for Wallace after additional delays from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
