Louisiana
An Open Letter to Louisiana Waffle Houses – About This Weekend
Dear Louisiana Waffle House Restaurants,
I know you’re surprised to be hearing from the likes of me, especially at this time of day. I know our time together is usually on the “dark side” of the clock. It’s during the nighttime hours that you have always been a beacon of light, a beacon of hope, a beacon of bacon at two in the morning. I want you to know, that our time, especially at that time of day has been really important to me.
GioandJC via YouTube
But our wee-small-hour meals involving your oversized portions of delicious home-cooked masterpieces aren’t just about me. They’re about a lot of my friends too. While I am a regular patron of your food-enriched friendship during the week. A lot of my friends only know the glory that is Waffle House on the weekends.
And now it looks as if those special weekend moments are being taken away.
UTubeGlennAR via YouTube
Okay, we understand that you had to do what you had to do. We also know that the reason you had to do it was because of “us”. No, not the “us” that runs in my friendship circles but the “us” whose parents didn’t bother to teach their kids basic social skills at home.
Hey, we’re sorry that some people’s children can’t come into a Waffle House at 2:30 in the morning without causing a drunken ruckus. We also know that you have to protect your employees from those who might make poor choices after a night in the bars. And we get it. You don’t deserve that from “us”. You deserve better, dear Waffle House.
Jonathan Weiss // Shutterstock
I can’t help but think how many lives you kept from being scattered, smothered, and covered in six feet of dirt just by being there. Perhaps it was your pecan waffle, a side of bacon and grits, and several cups of strong coffee that helped sober up a driver who shouldn’t have been behind the wheel.
Perhaps it was your booth, reserved for two guests or more, especially during peak hours that allowed a designated driver time to arrive to pilot a polluted friend home after a bowl of Bert’s Chili and a conversation about the pitfalls of driving under the influence.
@sadolemisssimp via X
Again, we understand why you had to change. We understand why your beautiful booths, clean bathrooms, and “The Mark” will be closed to the public from 11:30 pm until 6 am on Fridays and Saturdays. We know it’s not you. It’s us. And we are sorry, we should have behaved better.
Look, we know we can still get your delicious food “to go” in the hours when most people slumber. But it just won’t be the same. We will miss your all-night wait staff that calls us “Darlin” or “Sugar”. We will miss the fact that some of your employees refer to spicy ground pork served in a patty as “sawsha” instead of sausage.
Ikura Prime via YouTube
But mostly we will miss what we love about Waffle House, it’s the feeling of being in a Waffle Home. If we behave and sales start to slip in the overnight hours would you consider taking us back on the weekend? We hope so.
Extending love from syrup-covered sticky fingers, take care,
Signed “US”
10 Best Cajun/Creole Seasonings
There are lots of amazing Cajun and/or Creole seasonings around Acadiana. However, we asked you, and here are the top selections.
Gallery Credit: Jude Walker
Louisiana
Louisiana to redraw congressional map after court ruling
A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.
Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.
The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.
“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”
The move would work in favor of incumbent 6th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.
The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.
The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.
According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.
The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.
It amounts to an intricate balancing act.
“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.
“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”
Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.
“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.
“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”
One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.
“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”
The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.
“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “
Louisiana
Neuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died
Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.
Louisiana
Louisiana State Police arrest 18-year-old in Vidalia crash t…
VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.
Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.
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