Blocked off: The Sunshine Bridge in Donaldsonville was hit by a barge carrying a crane around 3 a.m. this morning, damaging the bridge and forcing its temporary closure, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development said in a release today. Unknown is what is needed to repair the bridge as well as how long it will take. Detours are in place and a second ferry is available to help with traffic congestion. Read the full story.
Bug traps: Louisiana and Arkansas have stepped up boll weevil trapping because two of the destructive, long-snouted beetles were found in northern Mississippi. Boll weevils did more than $23 billion in damage to U.S. cotton despite being largely eradicated from all cotton-producing states except parts of southern Texas. Arkansas has increased trapping at entry points from Texas and Mississippi. Louisiana has boosted trapping along Interstate 20 in eastern Louisiana. Read the full story.
Safety first: A nonprofit auto safety group is demanding that Hyundai and Kia recall 2.9 million cars and SUVs in the U.S. due to consumer complaints that they can catch fire. The Center For Auto Safety says there have been more than 220 complaints to the U.S. government since 2010 about fires and another 200 complaints about melted wires as well as smoke and burning odors. The complaints involve the 2011 through 2014 Kia Sorento and Optima and the Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe. Also included is the 2010 through 2015 Kia Soul. The fires are being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as part of a 2017 probe into Hyundai and Kia engine failures. Read the full story.
