Insufficient evidence: Louisiana’s Attorney General Jeff Landry isn’t recommending the prosecution of two former Wildlife and Fisheries workers who were accused of keeping state-owned equipment for personal use that was bought with oil spill recovery money. A spokeswoman for Attorney General Jeff Landry says the office found insufficient evidence to charge Eric Newman and Monique Savoy. A June 2017 investigative report from Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera’s office said auditors looking for $55,000 in missing state-owned fishing equipment believe they found many of the items with Newman and Savoy, who are married and own a charter fishing company. Read more.
From the bench: A Baton Rouge federal judge who halted construction of a crude oil pipeline through a Louisiana swamp says the project’s irreversible environmental damage outweighs the economic harm that a delay brings to the company building it. U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick issued a 61-page ruling Tuesday explaining that the order only applies to the basin and doesn’t prevent the company from working elsewhere along the pipeline’s 162-mile-long path from Lake Charles to St. James Parish. Bayou Bridge Pipeline LLC asked the judge to suspend her order while it appeals, but Dick refused. Read more.
Any way you slice it: Pizza Hut has been tapped as the new official pizza sponsor of the NFL, CNBC reports. The announcement comes a day after Papa John’s severed ties with the league to focus on deals with specific teams and players. In a joint statement, Papa John’s and the NFL said the decision was mutual. Under the terms of the new partnership, Pizza Hut will be able to work with the league on local deals with the teams, including fan experiences and game tickets. Pizza Hut also may use all 32 of the team marks. The sponsorship will begin with this years NFL Draft. Read more.
