Louisiana
Teeny-tiny Francine reminders prompt musings of Louisiana’s Walker Percy’s hurricane theory
Teeny-tiny reminders of Hurricane Francine have caught my attention daily since she blew through Louisiana.
Reminders in the form of poppy seeds.
I’ve coached myself to smile when I see them and think of Walker Percy’s hurricane theory — that not only do times of crises provide a setting for everyday people to do heroic feats, they are also a time for the rest of us to be freed from the everyday sameness of life.
Francine was like that for me. It was the first Louisiana hurricane I’ve weathered since my kids grew up, flew the coop and left the state. Turns out that hurricanes without children around are very different from hurricanes with children around, likely regardless of the children’s ages. Additionally, for Francine, my husband happened to be out of town.
Not wanting to be alone in a house without a generator, I gladly accepted the offer of friends to join them. Not only did they have a generator, they had made it to the store in time to stock up and were planning to cook throughout the day.
I gathered up ingredients to make my favorite cookies — an oatmeal, pecan and poppy seed concoction that is generally delicious and always provides a hard-to-understand level of comfort for me. By noon on the day of the storm, I had thrown all the ingredients in a mesh Frida Kahlo bag, grabbed my suitcase and raincoat and drove to be with my friends.
They had another hurricane guest whom I had never met. She was busy on a series of virtual calls working with people across the country whose lives had not been disrupted in the least by an approaching storm in the Gulf.
The moment I walked in my friends’ home, I could smell the red beans and rice. The rain began in earnest shortly after I arrived. All of us were busy for the afternoon.
The rain fell.
The muted meteorologists on the ever-playing television told and retold us about the potential track of the storm and surge along the shores.
The red beans simmered — and the earthy aroma filled the house.
By late afternoon, my friends and I were feeling like the storm was likely going to pass us by, and we loosened up a bit. Their friend was still working in another part of the house.
Prepare yourself. This next sentence is not one you will likely anticipate.
I had mentioned to my friends several times that I am a leg wrestling champion, and I was pretty sure I could take them both down even though they were 20 years younger than me. They laughed. I explained I was serious.
It was on — at least with one of them. My friend’s husband refused to leg wrestle.
As I knew I would, I walloped her. No woman had ever beaten me in leg wrestling.
Work was done. I made my oatmeal, pecan and poppy seed cookies. The red beans and rice were ready. Their friend I didn’t know joined us at the dinner table. I learned that pickled banana peppers take red beans and rice to the next level.
We enjoyed the cookies for dessert and sat at the table for a long time talking. We talked about big things and little things. We talked about our highlights of the day and what we all think happens after we die. We had time. The day was different. The storm was in motion.
The new friend asked what all the commotion earlier had been. We began to discuss leg wrestling — and the evening’s tournament began to take shape. First, to demonstrate, I beat my old friend again. Then, the new friend took her place on the carpet — and I beat her.
She said, “Oh, now I understand how to do it. Let’s try again.”
And we did.
And she beat me! She has no idea the magnitude of her accomplishment, and I have to face that my decades-long streak and bragging rights are done. We could not stop laughing.
While our hearts continue to go out to those affected by the storm, it was a day and night that my friends, both old and new, and I needed. It was a break from the sameness of life. It was a time to eat good food, work, play and laugh with each other.
Walker Percy was right.
So where do the poppy seeds come into play? I make my oatmeal pecan poppy seed cookies often enough that I buy poppy seeds in bulk. I took the whole zippered container of poppy seeds with me on the day of Francine’s impact. I brought it home the next day, in the same mesh Frida Kahlo bag. The problem was: I didn’t zipper the poppy seed bag completely. I now have poppy seeds in my car. In my driveway. On my steps. In my living room. On our big dining table. In the kitchen. On the ironing board. I find poppy seeds in new places every day.
And when I do, I smile and think of the warmth and wonder of friends and a storm that missed us.
Watch as Shreveport Regional Airport unveils Visitor Center
Visit Shreveport-Bossier and regional partners celebrate monumental tourism growth and unveiling of a new state-of-the-art Visitor Information Center.
Louisiana is expanding the fishing limit for its signature saltwater game fish as part of the state’s American 250 celebration, Gov. Jeff Landry and his Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Tyler Bosworth announced.
Bosworth signed a declaration of emergency to increase the red snapper bag limit from four fish per person to five fish per person for three days from July 2 to July 5 on Independence Day weekend.
“The celebration of America’s 250th birthday is a time to reflect on the blessings and abundant resources we have in our country and here in Louisiana, the Sportsman’s Paradise,’’ Bosworth said. “Increasing our red snapper limit to five fish is a way we’d like to thank the anglers of our state as they enjoy this special holiday with family and friends.’’
Landry is an avid angler, hunter and outdoorsman.
“The increase in the red snapper limit for the holiday weekend is a great way to celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” the governor said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing anglers across our state celebrating our nation’s independence in Sportsman’s Paradise.”
Louisiana is considered the epicenter of red snapper fishing in the Gulf of America, with Venice and Grand Isle as the state’s premier launching spots to reach the most prolific snapper grounds in the Gulf.
Venice is often call the “Red Snapper Capital.”
The state’s extensive offshore oil and gas rigs and artificial reefs provide exceptional access to massive populations for snapper, which are prized for their fight and taste.
Bosworth encourages anglers to reduce barotrauma while fishing for red snapper and other reef fish by using descending devices to return fish to a survivable depth before being released. See the LDWF barotrauma webpage for more information.
The bag limit will revert to four fish per person, per day on July 6.
For additional questions regarding the current red snapper season, go to the agency’s Red Snapper webpage.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A 53-year-old Louisiana man will serve 22 years in prison following a child sex crimes case that included possession of handmade childlike sex dolls — items that state lawmakers have since moved to ban.
Sabine Parish prosecutors say Yancy Elie Normand was sentenced after investigators received a tip that he forced someone to view child sexual abuse material. A search of his home allegedly uncovered more than 200 illegal files — including child sexual abuse material and bestiality — along with two handmade childlike sex dolls.
New state law bans child sex dolls
Louisiana lawmakers passed a law banning the possession, trafficking, and importation of child sex dolls statewide in 2024. State Sen. Beth Mizell said the push began after conversations with Homeland Security about human trafficking during the Super Bowl in New Orleans, at a time when the state had no specific law covering the dolls. The measure passed with near-unanimous support.
“I think the importance is that it’s a precursor to actual crimes against children,” Mizell said.
Mizell said the issue extends well beyond Louisiana’s borders.
“It’s a nationwide problem…when you look at just the volume of child abuse cases, to the point where our Attorney General now has multiple task forces in place all over the state,” Mizell said.
Task force expands statewide reach
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says protecting children remains the focus of its Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Supervisory Special Agent Chris Masters leads the group, which now includes more than 80 agencies and 250 detectives.
Masters said the dolls are often misunderstood by the public.
“When people hear sex doll, they think of the blow-up thing. These things are thousands of dollars, and they’re anatomically appropriate to a child,” Masters said. “They’re gonna look like a child. It’s not just what you think on TV.”
Masters said coordination across agencies is essential to the task force’s work.
“It’s completely impossible if law enforcement is not together on the same page with the same type of training, the same access, the same type of equipment,” Masters said. “We can tend to continue expanding our partnerships until there is no safe haven for any sex predator or child predator in this state.”
Lawmakers urge parents to monitor children’s online activity
Mizell said the volume of harmful material accessible online makes parental awareness critical.
“You have access to abhorrent material online in your hand all day, every day,” Mizell said. “Pay attention. Don’t be afraid to look at your child’s phone.”
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MONROE, La. (KNOE)—Over the past week, average gas prices in Louisiana have fallen 6.8 cents. That averages to $3.41/g today, according to a survey of 2,436 stations conducted by ‘GasBuddy’.
Compared to a month ago, prices in Louisiana are 45.3 cents lower per gallon. The lowest price of gas in Louisiana was $2.59/g on Sunday, with the highest being $4.99/g.
For reference, the national average price of gas has fallen 6.9 cents per gallon in the last week, which averages to $3.78/g, and is down 55.6 cents per gallon from a month ago.
On this date for the past five years, here’s how Louisiana’s gas prices compare to the nation’s average:
June 29, 2025: $2.75/g (U.S. Average: $3.14/g)
June 29, 2024: $2.93/g (U.S. Average: $3.48/g)
June 29, 2023: $3.02/g (U.S. Average: $3.51/g)
June 29, 2022: $4.37/g (U.S. Average: $4.85/g)
June 29, 2021: $2.76/g (U.S. Average: $3.12/g)
Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.
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