| By Drew Broach | Deputy metro editor
STONEWALLED: Miranda Ferrand traveled from Bamberg, South Carolina, to the University of New Orleans to demand information Thursday about her late daughter, a college student who died at New Orleans East Hospital on Feb. 19, about 25 minutes after an Uber driver deposited her there. Ferrand and her attorneys said they've been given little information by police, the coroner, the hospital and the ride-hailing service about Whetstone’s final hours.
STUCK IN TRAFFIC: You can drive from New Orleans to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and beyond without much trouble. It's getting back that's hard. For almost two months, ever since a truck crashed and burned on the Interstate 10 bridge over the Pearl River, westbound I-10 there has been down to one lane, choking traffic trying to cross the state line. Highway officials expect repairs to take at least another month.
SONGS OF SUMMER: After two years of virtual presentations, the Essence Festival of Culture returns to live, in-person concerts in New Orleans this summer with headliners such as Nicki Minaj, Janet Jackson, Kevin Hart, New Edition, the Isley Brothers, the Roots & Friends, Summer Walker, Jazmine Sullivan and DJ D-Nice.
Thanks for starting your Friday with us. You can find the latest news all day on NOLA.com. D.B. | 
