BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT | Staff writer Hurricane Ian was a ferocious Category 4 storm when it slammed into Florida yesterday. A huge swath of the state was without power, and videos showed buildings being swamped by storm surge and battered by winds. Louisiana, which knows what it's like to bear the brunt of such a storm, has promised to help. Here's how. Just how much would a new bridge help traffic? A recent study suggested that trucks and people just passing through actually make up a pretty small percentage of people going over the current bridge, which led some people to question whether a new one would actually help. But state officials say the data suggests a bridge from Iberville Parish over to East Baton Rouge would still make a big enough difference to justify its major cost. Here are the numbers they're citing. Some motels have been at the epicenter of the surge in fatal overdoses in East Baton Rouge Parish in recent years. And records show OYO hotels are among the most common places for those overdoses and other criminal activity. The one near I-12 and Sherwood Forest is now being sold. Here's what that might mean. |