On shaky ground: Officials in central Louisiana fear that Fort Polk, the state’s largest military installation, will lose 5,300 troops in coming years under an ongoing U.S. Army internal assessment. That would mean Fort Polk, which is in Vernon Parish, would lose more than half the number of troops currently stationed at the 200,000-acre Army post, which officials say has an economic impact of $1.7 billion. To read more from nola.com, click here.
Shedding some light: Three entities—Entergy; the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, the state agency that owns the Mercedes-Benz Superdome; and SMG, the management company that operates the stadium—have jointly hired an outside engineer to determine what caused the 34-minute power outage that brought Super Bowl XLVII to a halt. Nola.com reports that John Palmer, a forensic engineer based in Utah, was contacted by the city’s utility Friday about leading the investigation. You can read the full story here.
Washed out: State wildlife and fisheries regulators say all hunting seasons, except waterfowl, on the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area will be closed today, when the river stage at Pearl River reaches 16.5 feet. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries says the closure on the wildlife management area in southeastern St. Tammany Parish will remain in effect until the river drops below that level. Officials say the gate at Old U.S. Highway 11, a primary access point to the area, also will be closed.
