May 2021

Tornado rips off roofs, knocks out power in N.O.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A tornado ripped off roofs, knocked down utility polls and cut off power to thousands in New Orleans early Wednesday, but no serious injuries were reported in what one city official called an unexpected “dry run” for the approaching hrricane season.

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Transgender sports debate heads to House floor

BATON ROUGE (AP) — The Louisiana House will debate whether to bar transgender athletes from competing on girls’ sports teams in schools, after a committee Wednesday advanced the Senatebacked measure and moved it one step from the governor’s desk.

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La. House narrowly backs bid to limit officer immunity

BATON ROUGE (AP) — With no votes to spare, the Louisiana House agreed Tuesday to place new limits on police officers’ wide immunity from civil lawsuits after Black lawmakers made emotional pleas for passage of the bill aimed at addressing police misconduct.

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Colonial Pipeline restarts operations days after major hack

CLEMMONS, N.C. (AP) — The nation’s largest fuel pipeline restarted operations Wednesday, days after it was forced to shut down by a gang of hackers.

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Consumer prices shot up 0.8 percent in April as worries escalate

WASHINGTON (AP) — A worrisome bout of inflation struck the U.S. economy in April, with consumer prices for goods and services surging 0.8 percent — the largest monthly jump in more than a decade — and the year-over-year increase reaching its fastest rate since 2008.

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Suit challenges restaurant aid priority to women, minorities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A conservative legal outfit filed a lawsuit Wednesday against President Joe Biden’s administration for its prioritization of restaurants and bars owned by women and certain minorities in its COVID-19 relief package, arguing white men are being “pushed to the back of the line” for aid for their eateries.