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M o n d ay, J u ly 6, 2026
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Fading islands thrown a lifeline STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, left, gives a thumbsup to Gov. Jeff Landry as they chat during Washington Mardi Gras in January.
Eyeing reelection, Landry flexes political muscles Campaign reports $10.7M on hand, with no major challengers yet
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By MIKE SMITH
Matthew Weigel, of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Todd Baker, of the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, examine a turtle crawl on the Chandeleur Islands. Sea turtle habitat is a key part of a restoration plan for the islands.
Plan to restore wild Chandeleur chain moves forward with $90.8 million grant “It truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When would we have gotten this kind of money for these islands? It wouldn’t happen. It makes it that much more important that it is appropriately used.” TODD BAKER, project manager, state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer
They are Louisiana at its most remote, accessible only by boat or seaplane. But these islands could be lost forever in the decades ahead. Far out on the state’s southeastern boundary, what’s left of the Chandeleur Islands curves into the Gulf like a fading parenthesis, heavily eroded but still acting as a speed bump for storms while providing crucial habitat for wildlife and seagrasses. That’s why, despite their remoteness and accelerating vanishing act, the state wants to restore as much of them as possible. An important lifeline has now arrived.
ä See ISLANDS, page 3A
Brown pelicans roost among mangroves on North Chandeleur Island.
Car emissions tests remain ‘a gray area’
Audit says federal funding left unspent BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN
BY ALYSE PFEIL
WEATHER HIGH 89 LOW 75 PAGE 10C
ä See LANDRY, page 3A
State ranks last in WIC program participation
do we do about emissions Inspection stickers What tests that are still required unspecific federal rules for no longer needed der the area?
Shops that handle inspecStaff writer tions said they — and many of their customers — are in the You can no longer get a ticket dark about how to proceed. “Right now, it’s a big gray for not having a state inspection sticker on your windshield area,” said Slater Nall, managafter Louisiana put an end to er at 360 Automotive Solutions, the vehicle safety checks. a tire and auto repair shop in But since that law passed, a Baton Rouge. question has lingered for drivä See EMISSIONS, page 4A ers in the Baton Rouge region:
Gov. Jeff Landry scored a major victory on June 27 when U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for the Senate, after the governor aggressively defended her and raised big bucks to back her campaign. He needed the win. Only a month earlier, voters had decisively rejected all of the constitutional amendments that Landry pushed, for the second time in a year. With Letlow’s triumph behind him, the governor is expected to begin ramping up his campaign to secure reelection next year. Landry especially needs to win back Republican voters whom he alienated during the Senate campaign by trashing Letlow’s GOP opponents, Sen. Bill Cassidy and state Treasurer John Fleming. Landry boasts several strengths: He has announced a record-setting number of bigticket corporate investment projects. Crime has dropped on his watch, while education test scores have risen. He got the Legislature to reduce income taxes. He has delivered for social conservatives by tightening Louisiana’s anti-abortion laws even further and getting lawmakers to approve putting the Ten Commandments in classrooms. “We have put the data on the board that says we’re winning, and our policies are working,” Landry said during a 30-minute phone interview on Tuesday. He had accumulated a formidable amount of cash on hand — $10.7 million — at the beginning of this year, when he had to file his latest campaign finance report. No major figure is making moves to run against him, at least not yet.
Staff writer STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Baton Rouge-area businesses that offer safety inspections said they haven’t received any information from the state about new procedures regarding required emissions tests after Louisiana changed the law regarding inspections.
Louisiana, which struggles with a high infant mortality rate and is one of the lowestranked states when it comes to women’s health, could better tap federal resources to aid pregnant women by making the WIC program more accessible, a state audit has found.
Classified .....................4B Deaths .........................4B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Commentary ................3B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
The state’s participation rate in the WIC program, which provides routine testing, nutrition counseling and money for healthy foods to low-income pregnant women and their babies, was ranked the lowest in the nation by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to a June report from the
ä See WIC, page 4A
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