 BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer The death toll in the 168-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 near New Orleans rose to eight on Tuesday as cleanup continued after a mix of fog and smoke from marsh and swamp fires Monday combined to create near-zero visibility on the highway. Part of I-55 reopened Tuesday afternoon, but the highway won't fully reopen until the state Department of Transportation and Development completes an inspection. More than 63 people were injured in the fiery, chain-reaction crashes that shut down the north and southbound lanes of the highway.
After years of waiting, the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system broke ground on a new South Branch location on Glasgow Avenue, a step Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome called a "symbol of progress, enlightenment and unity.” The $11.6-million project is expected to be completed in December 2024. Read more about the branch's long path to Tuesday's groundbreaking.
On Tuesday, a ribbon-cutting celebrated the multimillion-dollar restoration of the Huey P. Long Field House, a historic facility that has stood on LSU's Baton Rouge campus for more than 90 years. The 106,451-square-foot facility will serve as the home of the LSU College of Human Sciences & Education. Construction on the restoration project began in 2021. | 
