By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
You might be interested in something that came up in our staff meeting yesterday. We all realized there’s a good chance three major news events could unfold in May. First, we know the congressional party primary is May 16. But there could also be a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Louisiana redistricting case, which would then likely trigger the legislature to act on a new map of U.S. House districts. Lawmakers have already pre-filed multiple redistricting bills, just in case.
Treated stormwater gushes into a U.S. Highway 51 drainage ditch out of a large hose leading from Spectrum Water’s portable treatment equipment at the Smitty’s Supply plant in Tangipahoa Parish. (Wes Muller/LAI)
By Wes Muller
A petroleum products plant that exploded in August might have missed a step in the approval process before it began pumping millions of gallons of treated water last week into a ditch that drains to the Tangipahoa River.
People shop for groceries at a Walmart store in Ohio. State officials across the country are looking to crack down on fraud and mistakes in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. (Marty Schladen/Ohio Capital Journal)
By Anna Claire Vollers
State officials across the country are looking to crack down on fraud and mistakes in the nation’s largest food assistance program, spurred by looming federal rules that will force states with high error rates to pay more.
The small, rare tinytim plant grows in spots throughout northern and central Louisiana and might soon be removed from the federal list of threatened species. (LDWF Photo)
By Elise Plunk
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on whether to remove tinytim, also known as earth fruit and by its Latin name Geocarpon minimum, from the federal list of endangered and threatened plants, citing both improved conservation efforts as well as the Trump administration’s goal to reduce regulatory hurdles for development across the country.
By Izzy Wollfarth, LSU Manship News Service
Secretary of State Nancy Landry said this week that $25 million more is needed to cover the $100 million cost of replacing Louisiana’s 35-year-old voting machines. The system would consist of new touchscreen voting machines that print paper ballots and have climate-controlled facilities for storage. Additional expenses would maintain cybersecurity protections and allow for risk-limiting audits, which are considered the top standard for voter integrity.
By Julian Spector, Canary Media
Sitting below sea level along the hurricane-prone Gulf of Mexico, New Orleans is particularly vulnerable to losing power during extreme weather. But the city plans to tackle that problem by helping residents buy backup batteries, without it costing them a dime.
NEWS FROM THE STATES
Lawmakers approve bill to halt ICE in hospitals | OR Capital Chronicle
Democratic AGs sue CDC over childhood vaccine changes | PA Capital-Star
Bill advances to require Ten Commandments in classrooms | SC Daily Gazette
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