Louisiana

Louisiana inmate scheduled to die tonight argues execution method would violate his religious rights

Published

8 months ago

March 18, 2025

Louisiana inmate scheduled to die tonight argues execution method would violate his religious rights

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Hours before a Louisiana man is scheduled to be put to death Tuesday evening, his attorneys were hoping for a last-minute court ruling to halt the state’s first execution by nitrogen gas.

Louisiana plans to use the new method to put Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, to death Tuesday evening in the state’s first execution in 15 years. Nitrogen gas has been used just four times to execute a person in the United States – all in Alabama, the only other state with a protocol for the method.

Hoffman’s lawyers say the method is unconstitutional, violating the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on cruel and unusual punishment. They also say it infringes on Hoffman’s freedom to practice religion, specifically his Buddhist breathing and meditation in the moments leading up to death.

Louisiana officials maintain that the method, which deprives a person of oxygen, is painless. They say it is past time for the state to deliver justice promised to victims’ families after a decade and a half hiatus – a pause brought about partly by an inability to secure lethal injection drugs.

Attorney General Liz Murrill says that she expects at least four people on Louisiana’s death row to be executed this year.

Murrill said that she expected the execution to go forward as planned and that “justice will finally be served.” Hoffman was convicted of the 1996 murder of a 28-year-old advertising executive, Mary “Molly” Elliott, in New Orleans. At the time of the crime, he was 18.

After court battles earlier this month, attorneys for Hoffman are turning to the U.S. Supreme Court in a bid to halt the planned execution. However, the court declined to intervene in the nation’s first nitrogen hypoxia execution in 2024.

On Monday, Hoffman’s attorneys filed several challenges in state and federal courts in a last-ditch effort to spare him.

At a hearing Tuesday morning, 19th Judicial District Court Judge Richard “Chip” Moore declined to stop the execution. He agreed with state lawyers who argued that the man’s religion-based arguments fell under the jurisdiction of a federal judge who had already ruled on them, according to local news outlets.

Under Louisiana protocol, which is nearly identical to Alabama’s, Hoffman is to be strapped to a gurney and have a full-face respirator mask – similar to what is used by painters and sandblasters – fitted tightly on him. Pure nitrogen gas is then to be pumped into the mask, forcing him to breathe it in and depriving him of the oxygen needed to maintain bodily functions.

The nitrogen gas is to be administered for at least 15 minutes or five minutes after his heart rate reaches a flatline indication on the EKG, whichever is longer.

Each inmate put to death using nitrogen in Alabama has appeared to shake and gasp to varying degrees during their executions, according to media witnesses, including a reporter from The Associated Press. The reactions are involuntary movements associated with oxygen deprivation, state officials have said.

Currently, four states – Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma – specifically authorize execution by nitrogen hypoxia, according to records compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center.

Alabama first used the lethal gas to put Kenneth Eugene Smith to death last year, marking the first time a new method had been used in the U.S. since lethal injection was introduced in 1982.

In an effort to resume executions, Louisiana’s GOP-dominated Legislature expanded the state’s approved death penalty methods last year to include nitrogen hypoxia and electrocution. Lethal injection was already in place.

Over recent decades, the number of executions nationally has declined sharply amid legal battles, a shortage of lethal injection drugs, and waning public support for capital punishment. That has led a majority of states to either abolish or pause carrying out the death penalty.

Hoffman is scheduled to be the seventh person put to death in the country this year.

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Louisiana

Louisiana ranks near bottom in new report on best states for jobs

Published

10 hours ago

November 3, 2025

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Louisiana ranks near bottom in new report on best states for jobs

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A new study from the personal-finance company WalletHub ranks Louisiana among the worst states in the country for job seekers in 2025.

The report places Louisiana 49th overall out of 50 states in WalletHub’s annual Best & Worst States for Jobs ranking.

WalletHub said the national unemployment rate sits at 4.3%, and its labor force participation is at its lowest level in the past couple of years.

To help job seekers find better opportunities, WalletHub compared all 50 states using 34 key indicators of job-market strength and economic vitality. The study looked at factors such as employment growth, job opportunities, median annual income and average commute time.

WalletHub said that states ranking higher tend to have stronger economies, higher wages, and more stable employment conditions.

Louisiana’s rankings in major categories include:

40th – Job opportunities.
27th – Employment growth.
28th – Monthly average starting salary.
42nd – Unemployment rate.
48th – Median annual income (adjusted for cost of living).
47th – Average work week (in hours).
33rd – Average commute time.
50th – Job security.

Best states to find a job, according to WalletHub

Massachusetts.
Connecticut.
Minnesota.
Vermont.
New Hampshire.

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Louisiana

Two girls injured after being thrown from Ferris wheel at Louisiana festival

Published

1 day ago

November 2, 2025

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Two girls injured after being thrown from Ferris wheel at Louisiana festival

Two young girls were injured after they were thrown from a Ferris wheel at a Louisiana festival Saturday.

The two girls, around the age of 11, fell off the ride at the Harvest Festival in New Roads just before noon Saturday, Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux said.

Both were taken to the Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge for their injuries. Though the extend of injuries were not disclosed, they are expected to survive.

After the incident all the rides at the Harvest Festival were temporarily shut down.

The Louisiana State Fire Marshals inspected the rides, and all were reopened except the Ferris wheel, which remains shuttered.

Video of the incident suggests that a mechanical failure in the part holding the children in their seat may be to blame, the sheriff said.

The fire marshals are conducting an investigation into the incident.

The festival, which runs from Friday to Sunday is to celebrate agriculture and community and includes food, live music and rides, according to its website.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Nov. 1, 2025

Published

2 days ago

November 2, 2025

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The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 1, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

02-26-43-44-62, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

3-8-4

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

6-0-9-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

2-8-9-1-3

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Easy 5 numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

11-12-18-19-21

Check Easy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Lotto numbers from Nov. 1 drawing

04-11-15-30-40-41

Check Lotto 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.

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