 | By DREW BROACH | Deputy metro editor |
TORNADO TRENDS: True, more tornadoes have been logged in recent years. And true, December is not prime time for them. But are there really more tornadoes these days, or does it just seem that way because ubiquitous smartphones make it easier and more accurate to document them than does relying on expensive radar systems and after-the-fact inspections? Our Mark Schleifstein unpacks the trends. Crews on the ground and drones in the air, meanwhile, found dozens of homes destroyed and hundreds more damaged Thursday by a pair of EF-2 tornadoes that blasted four New Orleans area parishes and killed a Killona woman.
ENVIRONMENT EXTENSION: Mayor LaToya Cantrell has announced a new climate action plan that pushes back New Orleans’ deadline to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by five years. Her administration blamed the slow pace toward electric vehicles and a cleaner mix of power sources for the electric grid, among other obstacles. For more environment news, subscribe to our free Louisiana Coastal Watch newsletter, emailed weekly.
SECOND TIME AROUND: When Tashonty Toney was first sentenced for killing two bicyclists, while he was driving drunk on Esplanade Avenue in New Orleans after the 2019 Krewe of Endymion parade, Judge Laurie White gave him 91 years. An appeals court balked, however, so White on Thursday gave him less time.
Thanks for starting your Friday with Morning Headlines. Catch the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 
