By Greg LaRose | Editor-in-Chief
On this day in history in 1959, NASCAR held the first Daytona 500, which was won by Lee Petty.
A view through a microscope as foam derived from castor oil extracts microplastics from water. New research at Louisiana State University shows that the structure of the foam can remove a wide variety of microplastics from water. (Kennedy Guillot, Louisiana State University)
By Elise Plunk
Bodies of water around the world face a human-made problem invisible to the naked eye, but new research could one day help remove it. An LSU chemical engineer has developed an eco-friendly foam from a fatty acid found in castor oil that can remove a wide variety of microplastics from water.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy faces a reelection challenge from U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow. Both qualified Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, for the Republican Party primary. (Photos by Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator)
By Piper Hutchinson
President Donald Trump’s surprise endorsement of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow in her bid to unseat fellow Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy has set up a heated showdown, and the pair did not disappoint on the final day of candidate qualifying as they traded barbs on the final day of candidate qualifying for the May 16 party primaries.
By Piper Hutchinson
A committee tasked with hiring the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette has advanced three candidates to be interviewed on campus this week. The current interim campus leader is considered the odds-on favorite to get the job.
MORE LOUISIANA NEWS
Students walk between classes at the University of New Orleans on Feb. 10, 2026. (Photo by Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
As Louisiana seeks to have 60% of its adults hold a college degree or credential, President Donald Trump’s administration is investigating the state’s effort to increase the number of minority residents who reach that goal.
Since November, the U.S. Coast Guard — the military branch of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — has conducted regular raids at Louisiana fishing docks and in Louisiana bayous to arrest immigrant deckhands and oyster harvesters, The Lens reports.
President Donald Trump has approved Gov. Jeff Landry’s request for more federal funding to help with recovery from a severe winter storm that hit North Louisiana in late January.
IN NATIONAL NEWS
Dan Reynolds Photography/Getty Images
Republicans, Democrats and the White House are methodically, calmly inching toward a common goal: agreeing on a thick package of laws that would do something quickly about slowing housing costs and boosting supply.
A coalition of public health and environmental groups is challenging the Trump administration’s recent finding that the Environmental Protection Agency could not regulate climate-warming greenhouse gases.
Despite immigration detention numbers receding from recent highs and even as conservative judges are opting to release more detainees by rejecting President Donald Trump’s mass detention policy, tools for detainees to seek release or appeal cases are disappearing.
COMMENTARY
Thanks for reading Sunday Brunch. Did you know our daily morning newsletter 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.