Louisiana
Bourbon Street area designated as 'enhanced security zone' for Super Bowl • Louisiana Illuminator
Heightened security restrictions will be in effect for the busiest section of the French Quarter starting next Wednesday through at least the day after Super Bowl LIX is played, Gov. Jeff Landry announced Wednesday.
The additional safety measures follow a Jan. 1 terrorist attack that killed 14 people and injured 57 others. They apply to the first seven blocks of Bourbon Street and the parallel streets one block on each side. All blocks between Royal and Dauphine streets will become an “enhanced security zone,” where certain items will be prohibited and personal accessories could be searched or seized.
Ice chests and backpack coolers will not be allowed inside the zone. People are also discouraged from bringing standard backpacks, large purses, suitcases, fanny packs, large shopping bags and camera bags into the area. Any bags larger than 4.5 inches by 6.5 inches – roughly the size of a clutch purse – will be subject to search, Landry said.
Anyone who refuses a police search will be denied entry to the security zone. Police also have the authority to search bags within the area, and they will remove anyone who doesn’t comply.
“We want cooperation with the public and balancing freedoms to enjoy the Quarter, with the need for these heightened security measures based upon the threat level that we saw on January 1,” the governor said during a news conference at the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.
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Ice chests have been singled out for exclusion after Shamsud-Din Jabbar placed homemade explosive devices in two coolers and left them at separate locations in the midst of Bourbon Street revelers in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The FBI said a third bomb and a detonating device were found inside Jabbar’s rented pickup that he drove down three crowded blocks of Bourbon before crashing into a mobile lift platform.
Police killed Jabbar, a 42-year-old IT worker and U.S. Army veteran from Houston, in a shootout. He flew an Islamic State flag from the truck and had posted videos online ahead of the attack professing his extremist beliefs.
Landry created the security zone and provided police with enhanced powers inside of it through an executive order. It renewed the state of emergency he declared Jan. 1 for New Orleans, and its language indicates it could potentially be extended into Carnival season.
Read the governor’s order below
“We are going to focus on the Super Bowl right now,” the governor said. “We then will pivot once we get through the Super Bowl to Mardi Gras,” implying there will be heightened safety measures in place again for the French Quarter and potentially along parade routes.
The governor’s order does not apply to the Superdome, where the NFL and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security are handling security precautions for the Super Bowl. Landry said state and city law enforcement officers will be working within their perimeters, however.
“As you move closer to the Superdome, the security restrictions are enhanced,” Landry said.
Several streets in the vicinity of the stadium and Smoothie King Center are already closed to traffic. More will be blocked when pre-Super Bowl events take place at other downtown locations, including the Morial New Orleans Convention Center and the Saenger Theater.
The NFL championship game takes place Sunday, Feb. 9.
In addition to local, state and federal law enforcement, there will be 350 members of the Louisiana National Guard dispatched to New Orleans to assist with traffic control and security checkpoints, according to the governor.
In addition to heightened security, the temporary homeless Landry established near the Gentilly neighborhood will be used through Mardi Gras, he said. There are currently 176 people staying at a contractor-staffed Port of New Orleans storage facility on France Road, the governor said.
Landry clashed with some city officials when directed Louisiana State Police to remove unhoused people from encampments in close proximity to the Superdome. He used his emergency powers to award a contract to operate the temporary shelter, where he said residents are receiving services that “are exponentially better than the ones they were receiving on the street.”
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Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) has been reported in a hunter-harvested white-tailed buck in Concordia Parish, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) said. The buck was harvested on Richard K. Yancey Wildlife Management Area (WMA) and is the first CWD detection in a wild deer in Concordia Parish.
CWD was first detected in Louisiana in 2022. The latest positive brings the total number of CWD detections for Louisiana to 44.
Initial diagnostics by the Louisiana Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (LADDL) detected CWD prion in tissue samples submitted by LDWF. Per required protocol, LADDL has forwarded the sample to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa for confirmatory testing. Final confirmation is anticipated in the coming weeks.
Due to this preliminary detection during the ongoing deer season, hunters are encouraged to submit additional hunter-harvest samples for testing. A CWD sample drop-off site is located along Highway 15 near the northern boundary of Richard K. Yancey WMA.
To obtain viable samples for testing, a fresh head including a few inches of neck is required. Data submission cards and bags are available on site. Once completed, the bagged deer head and data card should be placed in the available cooler at the CWD drop-off site.
LDWF is currently in the process of implementing the LDWF CWD response plan. More information regarding the response plan and intended mitigation efforts for this area will be forthcoming.
“We continue to count on our hunters, property owners, deer processors and taxidermists for their assistance in monitoring CWD as their continued partnership with our department will help manage the expanse of CWD in the state keeping our deer population healthy,’’ LDWF Secretary Tyler Bosworth said.
CWD is a neurodegenerative disease of white-tailed deer and other members of the Cervidae family. The disease is caused by a prion, an infectious, misfolded protein particle, and is 100-percent fatal in affected deer after an indeterminate incubation period. There is no treatment or preventative vaccine for CWD. CWD-infected deer may exhibit symptoms of weight loss and emaciation, salivation, frequent drinking and urination, incoordination, circling, lack of human fear, and subsequent death of the animal.
Although CWD has not been shown to be contagious to humans, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization recommend against the human consumption of deer known to be infected with CWD. Also, it is recommended that people hunting in areas known to harbor CWD-infected deer have their deer tested for the disease prior to consumption. LDWF provides CWD testing for hunter-harvested deer free of charge.
For more information on CWD, go to https://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/page/cwd.
Questions can be addressed to Dr. Jonathan Roberts at jroberts@wlf.la.gov or Johnathan Bordelon at jbordelon@wlf.la.gov.
Louisiana’s approach to expanding high-speed internet access is being recognized on the national stage,
Recently, The Wall Street Journal highlighted the state as a model for reducing costs while accelerating broadband deployment.
In a recent editorial, the Journal pointed to Louisiana as a case study in how streamlined regulations and efficient program design can significantly lower the cost of connecting households and businesses to high-speed internet.
According to the Journal, Louisiana sharply reduced its average cost per connection after adopting updated federal guidance.
“The average cost for each new household or business connected in Louisiana fell to $3,943 from $5,245,” The Wall Street Journal reported.
The editorial credited fewer procedural requirements and increased private-sector participation as key factors allowing states like Louisiana to stretch taxpayer dollars further while expanding access, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Louisiana’s broadband strategy has drawn attention not only for its cost savings but also for how state leaders plan to reinvest those savings.
In September, Gov. Jeff Landry sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick outlining a proposal to redirect remaining broadband funds into state-led initiatives aligned with national priorities, including artificial intelligence, education, and workforce development.
In the letter, Landry requested federal flexibility to allow Louisiana to keep and use remaining grant funds within the state, rather than returning or reallocating them elsewhere. The governor argued that reinvesting the savings locally would support long-term economic growth, innovation, and community development across Louisiana.
Louisiana was also the first state in the nation to submit a revised broadband plan under the updated federal framework, positioning it at the forefront of efficient high-speed internet deployment. State officials said the approach not only accelerates connectivity but also opens the door to broader investments that strengthen education systems, workforce readiness, and emerging technologies.
As The Wall Street Journal noted, Louisiana’s experience is increasingly being viewed as a national example of how states can modernize infrastructure programs while delivering better value for taxpayers — a model that could influence broadband policy well beyond state lines.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – The U.S. Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump is seeking a record $9.6 million civil penalty against a pipeline operator over a massive offshore oil spill that sent more than 1 million gallons of crude into waters off Louisiana.
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, known as PHMSA, announced the proposed penalty against Panther Operating Company for violations tied to the November 2023 failure of the Main Pass Oil Gathering pipeline system.
PHMSA said the $9,622,054 penalty is the largest civil fine ever proposed in a pipeline safety enforcement action.
Federal investigators concluded the spill released about 1.1 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf after a subsea pipeline connector failed and operators did not shut the system down for hours.
“Safety drives everything we do,” Duffy said in a statement. “When companies fail to abide by the rules, we won’t hesitate to act decisively.”
According to PHMSA, the violations involved failures in integrity management, operations and maintenance, leak detection, emergency response and protections for high-consequence areas.
The agency also proposed a compliance order requiring Panther to overhaul how it evaluates geological and geotechnical risks affecting the pipeline system.
The spill occurred along the 67-mile Main Pass Oil Gathering system, which transports crude oil from offshore production areas south of New Orleans. Oil was first spotted roughly 19 miles off the Mississippi River Delta, near Plaquemines Parish.
Federal investigators later determined the pipeline was not shut down for nearly 13 hours after pressure data first suggested a problem. Regulators said quicker action could have significantly reduced the volume released.
The National Transportation Safety Board said underwater landslides and storm-related seabed movement contributed to the failure and that the operator did not adequately account for known geohazards common in the Gulf.
PHMSA said Panther must now develop a plan to protect the pipeline against future external forces such as seabed instability, erosion and storm impacts. The company has 30 days to respond to the notice of probable violation and proposed penalty.
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