Behind the curtain of Louisiana power politics; inside Ascension's fierce flooding fights

The Advocate's Top Headlines

with Matthew Albright | Assistant metro editor

Good morning! We hope you had a great Independence Day. Here's some of our best reads from yesterday.

How to wield political influence

When you think of political power players, you probably don't think of the guys who steer ships up the Mississippi River. But Louisiana river pilots actually do wield big influence in the State Capitol behind the scenes.

Ace political reporter Sam Karlin pulls back the curtain with this story. He shows you how the pilots killed a bill aimed at curbing their role in commerce on the river. It's a fascinating look at how Louisiana politics gets played at the highest levels.

Ascension's fierce flooding fight

The battle over flooding in Ascension Parish has gotten so heated that the parish president is urging residents to calm down after a councilman said he and his family were being personally threatened.

This story looks at why tensions are so high and how parish officials are trying to find a way to solve the problem.

Legal intrigue over cold case

In 1981, Tommy Damico was a prosecutor who was involved in a rape case that eventually went cold. Almost four decades later, new DNA technology led to an arrest.

Now a defense attorney, Damico's law firm took the accused man's case. But that started a legal fight over whether his involvement all those years ago was a conflict of interest that disqualified him.

Read this story to see how the courts ruled, and what arguments each side made.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day!