BY VICKI FERSTEL | Staff writer Louisiana's Republican governor, Jeff Landry, is perfecting the art of working both sides of the aisle to reach his goals. Staff writer Tyler Bridges says the back-slapping Cajun employs a strategy of negotiating behind the scenes with Democrats and other foes to further his political agenda when he hits a roadblock, while also trying to keep his base happy as well. Looks like it's working: Over three special Legislative sessions and the regular session, the pragmatic populist got much of what he wanted. Read Bridges' analysis here. Michael Hecht has some 550 items on his to-do list — a list that needs to be completed by Feb. 9, when New Orleans hosts the Super Bowl for the first time in more than 10 years. Hecht, dubbed the Super Bowl infrastructure czar, probably won't get all those items completed. Of course, security will be a major focus, but Hecht tells staff writer Anthony McAuley his team "might do almost everything" on that list. Here's some really old news: More than 10,000 years ago, a meteorite fell in St. Helena Parish creating a crater that's a mile wide and is now bisected by a highway. Alas, most folks driving through the area are unaware they're going through a crater. Leave it to staff writer Robin Miller to track down a retired research associate with the Louisiana Geological Survey who knows all about Brushy Creek Crater. |