 BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer A Baton Rouge police officer has been arrested, accused of racing through a red light at 79 miles an hour Oct. 20, with the resulting crash killing a man, police said Tuesday. Officer Sharmaine Buckley, 28, now faces a count of negligent homicide, two counts of negligent injuring and one count of reckless operation of a vehicle and emergency vehicles. At least six people have died in crashes involving Baton Rouge police in the past 18 months.
It took two years to construct the 18-mile-long Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, which opened to the public in 1973. At the time, it was the second-longest bridge in the United States, behind the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge. On Tuesday, officials marked the 50th anniversary of the opening of the bridge, which is actually two parallel spans, one for eastbound travel and one for westbound travel. “It was a major economic impact for our area,” said state Rep. Michael Huval, R-Breaux Bridge.
State officials are banking on the new LSU Litter Institute to bring together state, national and international experts with the goal of ending litter on land and in waterways, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Tuesday. According to a 2023 report, nearly 144 million pieces of litter marred Louisiana’s roadways, and litter clean-up, prevention and remediation efforts cost state and local agencies an estimated $91 million in 2022. | 
