Ready to open: The Greenwell Springs Library branch at 11300 Greenwell Springs Road is reopening six months after widespread floods in August engulfed the Baton Rouge area. The branch will reopen at 9 a.m. on Friday and will operate under its regular schedule, according to a news release. The East Baton Rouge Parish Library says about 65% of the Greenwell Springs library will reopen at this time as repairs continue. The 26,672-square-foot library took on four to six inches of water during the historic flood. The floors, walls, cabinets, millwork, furniture, equipment and supplies suffered extensive damage, and 16,000 circulating items were lost, though most of the library’s collection was saved.
Confirmed: Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who challenged Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination, won Senate confirmation today to join Trump’s Cabinet as housing secretary. USA Today reports that six Democrats and one independent joined 51 Republicans in voting for Carson to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also today, the Senate voted 62-37 to confirm former Texas Gov. Rick Perry to serve as Energy secretary under President Trump. Perry—who once pledged to eliminate the department—has repeatedly promised to be an advocate for the agency and to protect the nation’s nuclear stockpile. Perry also has said he’d rely on federal scientists, including those who work on climate change. Carson has never held public office and has no housing policy experience.
Raided: Federal law enforcement officials today searched three facilities of heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar, Reuters reports. Sharon Paul, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of Illinois, confirmed that federal law enforcement activity was conducted at locations in Peoria, East Peoria and Morton, prompting a sharp selloff in the company’s stock. It was not immediately clear why federal agents raided the three locations. Caterpillar spokeswoman Corrie Scott says in an emailed statement that the company was cooperating with authorities. She declined to comment further. Agencies involved in the search included the Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigation Division, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s Office of Inspector General, Paul says. Read the full story.
