News

If you have never given any thought to what the agriculture industry means to Louisiana, today might be the day to do so. Tuesday is National Agriculture Day.

In a press release, Mike Strain, commissioner for the state Department of Agriculture and Forestry, said agriculture is important because it is meant to make people reflect on a sometimes overlooked industry.

Snakes are emerging with the warmer spring weather.

Jeff Boundy, a statewide wildlife biologist, said snakes become more active this time of the year after lying semi-dormant for an extended period.

“They tend to become inactive in the winter, and they find a safe and dry place to stay out of the cold weather,” he said. “They’ll most often hide in holes in the ground which are around 50 degrees, which is above freezing.”

Boundy said snakes begin to emerge in the spring to resume their life cycle.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s plan to combat opioid drug addiction calls for stiffer penalties for drug traffickers, including the death penalty where appropriate under current law, a top administration official said. It’s a fate for drug dealers that Trump has been highlighting publicly in recent weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s first meeting under Jerome Powell’s leadership will likely end Wednesday with an announcement that the Fed will resume its modest interest rate hikes.

But investors will be most attuned to what Powell signals at his first news conference about whether and how he might steer the Fed’s policymaking differently from his predecessor, Janet Yellen. Will he, for example, be inclined to step up the pace of Fed rate hikes?