BY DEANNA B. NARVESON | Staff writer Tired of too many tires: Regulators are taking a closer look at Louisiana's state and local efforts to collect and recycle an estimated 4.6 million waste tires per year in a bid to cut into chronic illegal dumping, the state's environmental chief said Friday. In recent years, Louisiana's problem with waste tires has repeatedly popped up, touching all corners of the state — from the large burning pile of 100,000 waste tires at a shuttered and bankrupt tire recycling facility in Cottonport to big illegal dumps in New Orleans East. Read the full story. Thursday: Trene Walls was driving north Thursday evening on Interstate 110 in Baton Rouge when someone pulled up beside her and shot into her car, killing her, police said. Then, just hours later, Darryl Edebiri was standing in a group of people when someone pulled up in a car and opened fire, hitting him several times, according to a news release. He died at the hospital. The two shootings were part of a burst of violence Thursday that left three people dead. Martelle Hamilton was also killed after a fight at a convenience store on Plank Road ended in gunfire. Read the full story. In the Gulf: Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami are tracking two separate tropical disturbances as the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season reaches its peak month. See the latest. | 