Mardi Gras 2021: Bars closed, Bourbon Street barricaded amid COVID-19 pandemic

Parades and parties on Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) and the days leading up to the annual pre-Lenten bash were canceled and bars were ordered closed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Up to 50,000 COVID-19 cases can be traced back to Mardi Gras 2020, study finds

A new study shows the lack of COVID-19 safety regulations during last year’s Mardi Gras at the dawn of the pandemic likely caused it to be a superspreader event that spawned up to 50,000 cases.

New Orleans shutters bars, bans liquor sales during 2021 Mardi Gras weekend

New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell announced that all bars will be closed and liquor sales will be banned during Mardi Gras weekend in order to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Mom killed in botched murder-for-hire plot pretended to be target to save daughter's life, officials say

Police in Louisiana say Brittany Cormier told a hitman that she was the rape victim he was hired to kill in order to save the life of her daughter, the gunman's intended target. Investigators said her brother, a convicted sex offender, had raped his niece, then hired hitmen to murder her so she couldn't testify.

15-year-old girl's killing shown on social media

A 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death inside a Louisiana Walmart store in a brutal incident captured on social media.

Louisiana Congressman-Elect Luke Letlow dead at 41 from COVID-19

Luke Letlow, Louisiana's newest Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before being sworn into office. He was 41 years old.

Man jailed for life over $20 marijuana sale released after 12 years

Fate Winslow was approached by undercover officers in 2008 and they asked where to buy some marijuana. He borrowed a bike, found some marijuana, and gave it to officers who then gave him $5. He got life in prison.

US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed 2-year-old daughter, second execution this week

The Trump administration continued its unprecedented series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.

41 attendees of swingers convention in New Orleans test positive for COVID-19

Bob Hannaford, the organizer of the annual Naughty in N'awlins swingers gathering wrote in a blog post that "If I could go back in time, I would not produce this event again."

New Orleans prohibiting Mardi Gras parades in 2021

New Orleans city officials said parades of any kind will not be permitted for Mardi Gras 2021 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the potential to be a super spreader event.

Louisiana authorities 'following every lead' into Quawan Charles' death

A Louisiana sheriff says his office is “working hard to ensure no stone is left unturned” in determining what led to the death of a Black 15-year-old whose disappearance sparked speculation about racial crime.

Gulf storm damage from Zeta causes polling place moves ahead of 2020 election

Storm destruction caused polling places to be moved in Louisiana, and utility companies and election officials scrambled to restore power, or make sure generators were available, at polling places in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

Zeta leaves millions without power; 6 dead

Zeta sped across the Southeast on Thursday, leaving a trail of damage and more than 2.5 million homes and businesses without power in Atlanta and beyond after pounding New Orleans with winds and water.

Hurricane Zeta surges inland, causing flooding, power outages along Gulf Coast

An average season sees six hurricanes and 12 named storms. This extraordinarily busy season has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing wetter, stronger and more destructive storms.

Hurricane Zeta: Wind, rain lash Mexico coast as storm nears

Zeta — the earliest ever 27th named storm of the Atlantic season — was centered about 45 miles (70 kilometers) south-southeast of Cozumel island, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Hurricane Delta makes landfall on southwestern coast of Louisiana

Hurricane Delta is spinning across the Gulf of Mexico toward an expected landfall in coming hours along the U.S. Gulf Coast.