By Elise Plunk | Reporter
Louisiana lost a hospitality industry legend this week. Pam Fortner, co-inventor of the hand grenade cocktail, died Tuesday at age 80, according to a Facebook post from Tropical Isle, the French Quarter bar where the famous concoction originated. Fortner met business partner Earl Bernhardt, who passed in 2019, in 1984 when she worked at his frozen drink stand for the World’s Fair in New Orleans. They opened the bar later that year and came up with the Hand Grenade recipe a few years later.
Motortion/Getty Images
By Greg LaRose
A convicted sex offender from Assumption Parish is believed to be the first person in the U.S. sentenced to undergo surgical castration without their consent, but the lawmaker who pushed for the severe punishment to be made available said it’s unlikely to ever take place. The state corrections department has also confirmed it’s not currently staffed to handle the procedure.
Anti-abortion advocates lined the steps outside the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans, where Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill asked judges Wednesday, to halt federal policy that allows abortion drugs to prescribed without an in-person doctor’s visit. (Greg LaRose/LAI)
By Greg LaRose
The U.S. Supreme Court has already pressed pause on the lawsuit Louisiana filed 11 months ago against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reverse Biden-era policy for abortion drugs. But Attorney General Liz Murrill said she wants the Trump administration to take action now rather than wait on the U.S. Supreme Court to ultimate decide the matter. She has framed access to the medication through telehealth appointments as a strategy to circumvent the state’s abortion ban.
Brendan Steele hits his shot during the final round of LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, held April 23, 2023. (Chris Trotman/LIV Golf)
By Julie O’Donoghue
The state of Louisiana is listed as the 20th largest creditor in paperwork LIV Golf filed Tuesday as part of its request for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a New Jersey federal court. Several pro golfers are among those owed the most money, but Louisiana is the only government entity listed among creditors with the largest unsecured claims.
By Ames Alexander and Brad Racino | Floodlight
Over recent decades, federal funding for public air monitoring has declined, the number of monitors has fallen, and much of the remaining equipment is aging or located far from major polluters. Plus, a Louisiana law has become the blueprint for states that want to limit community efforts to hold industry responsible when they exceed allowed emissions.
COMMENTARY
By Greg LaRose
Part of me really enjoyed the beatdown LSU administered Saturday night to Clemson at Tiger Stadium, unquestionably cementing the venue’s status as the real “Death Valley.” But my typical enthusiasm for the start of the college football season is tempered by its most prominent programs’ headlong leap into an out-of-control arms race.
D.C. DIGEST
Trump promises cash to voters if Republicans hold Congress | States Newsroom
Salvadorans await word on protected status as deadline passes | States Newsroom
Trump administration aims to exclude many noncitizens from the census | States Newsroom
NEWS FROM THE STATES
THC businesses brace for ban in November; drinks get 1 month of relief | Missouri Independent
More Wisconsin communities are dropping Flock | Wisconsin Examiner
Nashville lawmaker proposes pause on data center tax exemptions | Tennessee Lookout
Thanks for reading Morning Look. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.