Louisiana
Defending against West Nile virus in Louisiana includes testing, trapping mosquitoes
Twice a week in the summer and fall, employees with West Baton Rouge’s mosquito control department — like workers in 31 other Louisiana parishes — set traps for the southern house mosquito, the species that carries the West Nile virus.
The parishes are looking for information that will tell them where to send their mosquito-spraying trucks. They set up the traps in drainage ditches and near septic tanks, places where the mosquitoes like to lay their eggs.
In fact, the traps are baited with what’s called “artificial stinkwater” and are designed to attract pregnant female mosquitoes — because only female mosquitoes bite people (and birds) for blood, said George Bragg, director of the West Baton Rouge Mosquito Control department.
Both male and female mosquitoes feed on plant nectar, Bragg said, but “the females also take blood, because they need the protein to make eggs.”
The mosquito control workers capture the trapped live insects in nets, then take the nets back to the office and put them in cold storage for 45 minutes, one way to kill a mosquito.
Then comes the important next step: preparing the mosquito samples for testing.
West Nile virus
About 80% to 90% of all West Nile virus cases have no symptoms, the Louisiana Department of Health said. That is one reason why it is important to monitor mosquito populations, according to a recent report.
Other people with the virus may have mild to moderate flu-like symptoms and don’t feel bad enough to go a doctor or be tested for West Nile, the department said.
Then there is the small fraction of people with West Nile virus who can develop neuroinvasive diseases like meningitis and encephalitis.
“Due to the severe nature of these cases, they are consistently detected and reported,” the Department of Health said in a report out this week on diseases transmitted to humans by insects this year through Sept. 14.
According to the report, two deaths from a neuroinvasive disease have occurred in Louisiana during that time period.
Testing process
The testing of the trapped mosquitoes happens at LSU Diagnostics, an animal disease diagnostics lab housed in the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.
But before that happens, parish mosquito control departments have more work to do.
After the mosquitoes in the nets come out of cold storage, they are separated by species — there are more than 60 in Louisiana — and gender, Bragg said.
The mosquitoes are then put into vials, anywhere from five to 100 per vial, and sent to LSU Diagnostics.
“Surveillance is a vital part of mosquito control,” Bragg said.
So far this year, 439 “mosquito pools” in Louisiana have tested positive for West Nile virus, out of 17,000 pools tested, said Alma Roy, Ph.D., a consultant with the diagnostics lab.
The state Department of Health describes a mosquito pool as aggregate samples of more than 50 mosquitoes from the same site.
Roy said the diagnostics lab at the LSU Vet School has been testing for West Nile virus since it first appeared in Louisiana in 2002.
“We test up to 1,000 vials a week and up to 30,000 vials yearly,” she said.
When the mosquitoes come in, they are ground up and tested for the genetic material of the virus.
“Not many people know about the lab, but we participate in the public health of the people of Louisiana,” Roy said.
Louisiana state epidemiologist Theresa Sokol said West Nile virus in humans is highly variable from one year to the next.
“The one thing you can count on is it’s unpredictable,” she said.
The West Nile virus season peaks in August, but will continue through the fall months, Sokol said. Testing ends in November.
“In Louisiana, I think, we’re particularly vulnerable, with our hot climate, lots of rain and humidity,” she said.
“Everybody throughout Louisiana right now is at risk at being infected by West Nile virus.”
She encourages people to take measures to protect themselves against mosquitoes.
The mosquito control department in West Baton Rouge is one of a handful in the state that regularly post their test findings, Bragg said.
For instance, earlier this week, the department posted on the parish Facebook page that it had submitted 22 mosquito samples to LSU Diagostics for testing on Monday and two tested positive for West Nile virus. The post continued with the department’s plans for spraying and other measures.
The numbers posted this week are small and no cause for worry, Bragg said.
The main reason the parish posts the information is that “we want people to be aware,” he said.
“We want to encourage people to do what they can around their yard” to protect against mosquitoes, Bragg said.
Some of those measures, according to Sokol and Bragg:
- Empty water from all containers around the property at least once per week.
- Get rid of or treat standing water on the property.
- Repair any holes in window and door screens.
- Make sure any gaps around window air-conditioning units are sealed.
- Clean the gutters.
- Make sure swimming pools are well chlorinated.
- Wear long, loosefitting clothing if possible.
- Wear mosquito repellent. If you wear sunscreen, put on the sunscreen first, then the mosquito repellent. Read the instructions for the repellent and reapply.
- Avoid activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Louisiana
Brother of Louisiana mayor accused of raping 16-year-old has a hauntingly similar criminal past
The brother of Louisiana mayor Misty Roberts — accused of raping her son’s teenage friend — is facing child sex crimes of his own.
Brandon Lee Roberts, 39, was accused of raping a teen girl and assaulting a young woman over the course of several years, KALB reported.
The alleged sexual abuse began when one of the victims was as young as 13, according to Beauregard Parish Sheriff Mark Herford.
He was arrested in October.
That comes years after his big sister – ex-mayor of DeRidder, 43-year-old Misty Roberts – allegedly got hot and heavy with her son’s 16-year-old friend at a drunken party at their home.
Roberts was allegedly caught in the tryst by her own kids.
She was arrested months later, and is currently on trial for rape charges.
The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing
02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing
3-9-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing
4-1-1-0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing
0-5-2-9-5
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.
By mail, follow these instructions:
- Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
- Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
- Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
- Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.
Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:
Louisiana Lottery Headquarters
555 Laurel Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:
555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.
When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
- Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
- Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.
NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.
The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.
New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.
During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.
According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”
New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.
“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.
While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.
“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.
Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.
“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.
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