A caged tiger was wheeled onto the Tiger Stadium field for the first time in nearly a decade before kickoff of Saturday night’s game between No. 14 LSU and No. 11 Alabama.

Louisiana’s new law categorizing two widely used abortion drugs as controlled dangerous substances is being challenged in a state court lawsuit by a physician, a pharmacist, two women who had difficult pregnancies and others.

Gov. Jeff Landry confirmed his support on Tuesday of restarting the tradition of bringing Louisiana State University’s live tiger mascot onto the football field ahead of home games.

LSU coach Brian Kelly says linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. has an anterior cruciate ligament injury that has ended what was expected to be his final season with the Tigers before entering the NFL draft.

Ariel Anderson, 26, faces a kidnapping charge in Harris County, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office confirms.

Angel Reese had 10 points and 19 rebounds, and third-seeded LSU overcame a feisty performance by No. 14 seed Rice for a 70-60 victory in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

A Louisiana State University freshman football player has been arrested and charged with attempted second-degree murder after a shooting last week that injured two people.

South Carolina remains the clear No. 1 team in the country and No. Kansas State matched its best ranking ever after a chaotic week that saw nearly half of the AP Top 25 lose at least one game.

The Louisiana Legislature passed a congressional map with a second majority-Black district on Friday, marking a win for Democrats after a legal battle and political tug-of-war that spanned nearly two years.

When it was introduced 75 years ago, the purpose of the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll was to foster discussion and debate.

The College Board has released an updated framework for its new Advanced Placement African American Studies course, which officially launches next academic year.

Louisiana lawmakers now have until the end of January to draw and pass new congressional boundaries to replace the current map that a federal judge says dilutes the power of the state’s Black voters.

Florida coach Billy Napier began a much-needed defensive makeover by firing two assistants.

Louisiana voters will return to the polls to decide runoff elections in which no candidate received a majority of the vote in the October primary.

The American Athletic Conference is adding Army as a football-only member starting in 2024.

LSU All-American Angel Reese has a new endorsement deal with a major shoe and athletic apparel company.

Voting rights advocates are locked in a court fight with Louisiana's top Republicans over whether the state must follow Alabama’s court-ordered path in drawing a new, Black-majority congressional district.

Three Baton Rouge police officers have been hit with criminal charges as investigators probe allegations that a street crime unit turned an unmarked warehouse dubbed the “Brave Cave” into a torture chamber where innocent people were assaulted, stripped, and subjected to body cavity searches, the police chief said Friday.

The FBI has opened a civil rights investigation into claims in recent lawsuits that Baton Rouge police assaulted and strip-searched drug suspects they detained in an obscure warehouse known as the “Brave Cave.”.

Louisiana’s Republican-dominated Legislature overturned Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ recent veto of a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors on Tuesday.

Officials say a fire at a Louisiana chemical plant triggered explosions that shook homes several miles away and sent flames and smoke billowing into the air.

Louisiana is poised to become the latest state to enact laws targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Two Louisiana police officers are dead after their helicopter crashed into sugarcane field.

The U.S. government says Exxon Mobil violated federal law for failing to take sufficient action as five hangman's nooses were displayed at a facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The official curriculum for a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies released Wednesday downplays some components that had drawn criticism from conservatives including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said the class would be banned in his state.

Defense lawyers are asking for a University of Alabama basketball player charged with capital murder to be released on bond, arguing there is scant evidence against him and he is not a threat to the community.

Authorities say a University of Alabama basketball player charged with capital murder provided the gun used in the fatal shooting.

The deaths of two teenage girls in a Louisiana town have brought renewed attention to fatalities that happen during high-speed police chases.

The Coast Guard has spent hours searching off the coast of Louisiana for four people on board a helicopter that crashed while departing an oil platform.

LSU re-entered The Associated Press College Football poll at No. 18 and No. 25 South Carolina earned a ranking for the first time in four seasons.

Jayden Daniels ran for three touchdowns and passed for two scores, and LSU roared back from an early two-touchdown deficit to hand No. 7 Mississippi its first loss this season, 45-20.

A shipwreck has emerged along the banks of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as water levels plummet — threatening to reach record lows in some areas.

Access to abortion in Louisiana has been back-and-forth for weeks — with the state’s three clinics relying on rulings and temporary restraining orders to continue operations.

Louisiana authorities have once again been blocked from enforcing the state’s near total ban on abortion.

A federal appeals court has put on hold a district judge’s order for Louisiana to redraw U.S. House districts by June 20 to include a second majority Black district.

Louisiana's Democratic governor says he'll call the state's Republican-dominated Legislature into special session to draw up new congressional districts.

A livestreamed fatal stabbing of a woman on social media led police to her body in an office building parking lot in Louisiana’s capital.

The second-in-command of Louisiana State Police has been placed on leave while an investigation continues into the wiping of his cellphone data during an investigation into Black motorist Ronald Greene’s death.

The Louisiana State Police have hired an outside consultant to conduct a top-to-bottom review of the scandal-plagued agency.

LSU has moved into the top 10 of The Associated Press women's basketball poll for the first time in 13 years.

Brandon Murray capped a 21-point performance with a pair of clutch free throws in the final minute, and No. 19 LSU outscored Texas A&M 13-2 in the last 3:34 to beat the Aggies 70-64 and snap a three-game skid.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers have been working tirelessly to stop the spread of the virus and help those who fall ill but it's leading to anxiety, depression, substance abuse and other issues.

Texas A&M holds the lead in the race for the national recruiting title in college football.

Police say a man was arrested for slapping a 14-year-old boy in the face during a football game at Louisiana State University.

Newly hired LSU coach Brian Kelly is in Baton Rouge after flying in on a private jet with athletic director Scott Woodward.

Tyrion Davis-Price rushed for an LSU-record 287 yards and three touchdowns, and the Tigers’ banged-up defense produced four interceptions in a 49-42 victory over No. 20 Florida.

Commercial flights have resumed in New Orleans and power has returned to parts of the business district in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

A Louisiana sheriff’s office has reported the first death from Hurricane Ida.

A Louisiana man is regretting his decision to not get the coronavirus vaccine as he recovers from a hospital stay and prays for a 22-year-old nephew who is in intensive care on a ventilator and in a medically induced coma.

Louisiana on Monday reinstated a mask mandate in all indoor locations, including schools and colleges, as the state struggles with a fast-growing fourth surge of COVID-19 driven by the delta variant and one of the nation’s lowest vaccination rates.

Over the past year, National Guard members have been called in to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters and race riots.

The National Urban League and other civil rights activists are calling for authorities to fire and prosecute Louisiana State Police troopers involved in the 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, a Black man who died in police custody.

A national effort helping to bail poor and low-income people out of jail has formally announced its expansion into the Deep South.

The first known deaths from the virus in the U.S. were in early February 2020. Virus deaths have fallen from more than 4,000 reported on some days in January to an average of fewer than 1,900 per day. And in Nashville, Tennessee, health officials were able to vaccinate more than 2,300 senior citizens and teachers over the weekend after days of treacherous weather. She made multiple calls to health officials Monday, but they weren’t returned. New York City officials expected to catch up on vaccinations after being forced to delay scheduling tens of thousands of appointments last week, the mayor said Monday.

Luke Letlow, R-Start, chief of staff to exiting U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, speaks after signing up to run for Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, on July 22, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La. – Luke Letlow, Louisiana's incoming Republican member of the U.S. House, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19 only days before he would have been sworn into office. Ghali, of LSU Health Shreveport, told The Advocate that Letlow didn't have any underlying health conditions that would have placed him at greater risk to COVID-19. “COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. When he announced his positive test for COVID-19, Letlow joined a list of Louisiana officials who have contracted the coronavirus since the pandemic began, including U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, Lt. Gov.

Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) blows kisses to the stands after a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)For the third straight week, Alabama, Notre Dame, Clemson and Ohio State held on to the top four spots in the College Football Playoff rankings. Iowa State moved up a couple of spots to seventh after earning a spot in the Big 12 title game. Those two schools are scheduled to meet Dec. 19 in the American Athletic Conference title game. ___Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Alabama running back Najee Harris (22) leaps over LSU safety JaCoby Stevens (7) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020. 1 for the fifth week in a row Sunday and extended its streak of consecutive poll appearances to 210, the third longest in the history of The Associated Press college football poll. 1 for the third straight week and the top seven teams were unchanged for a fifth consecutive poll. Buffalo is the first Mid-American Conference team to be ranked this season, giving every FBS league at least one ranked team during this pandemic-altered season. The Ducks' and Huskies' exits left the Pac-12 with two ranked teams: No.

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court is for now staying out of a dispute involving the state of Louisiana and a Baton Rouge-area pastor charged with violating state coronavirus restrictions by repeatedly holding large church services. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Friday evening turned away a request from Life Tabernacle Church pastor Tony Spell to get involved in the dispute. Alito denied the request himself, without asking Louisiana officials to respond and without referring the matter to the full court as often happens when a case is particularly significant or contentious. Spell sued state and local officials in May after being charged with violating state restrictions. Lower courts ruled against him.

– LSU coach Ed Orgeron says his team is contending with a corona virus outbreak and resulting quarantines that have made it difficult to know whether a number of starters or regulars will be available for Saturday's scheduled game against No. “We're talking to the doctors right now to see what's the best for Myles,” Orgeron said during his usual Monday-of-game-week media conference. The number of related quarantines due to possible exposure also have thinned his roster in recent days, he said. The SEC requires teams to have at least 53 scholarship players available, less than that and the scheduled game cannot be played. By the middle of the week, LSU expects to know if the game could still be held this weekend as scheduled, Orgeron said.

This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image taken Friday, Oct. 9, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. EDT, and provided by NOAA, shows Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. – Ripping tarps from already damaged roofs and scattering debris piled by roadsides, Hurricane Delta inflicted a new round of destruction on Louisiana as it struck communities still reeling after Hurricane Laura took a similar path just six weeks earlier. Delta's reach stretched as far west as Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the storm struck Louisiana. Tropical Storm Marco fizzled as it hit the southeast Louisiana tip just three days before Laura struck. “The wind is much worse than what Hurricane Laura brought,” Gove said in a message on Twitter.

Louisiana residents still recovering from the devastation of a powerful hurricane less than two months ago braced for another hit as Hurricane Delta steamed north through the Gulf on Thursday after swiping Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. The projected path included the southwest area of Louisiana where Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall less than two months ago. Randazzo watched pieces of one of his restaurants, Panorama Music House, fly past a meteorologist’s car on a Facebook Live video during Hurricane Laura. The most recent forecast for Hurricane Delta has the storm making landfall “almost precisely” where Hurricane Laura struck — a region where homes and electrical infrastructure are still damaged, Edwards said in a radio interview. New Orleans, well to the east of the projected landfall area, was expected to escape the worst of Hurricane Delta.

– Louisiana will get nearly $215 million in BP oil spill money for two projects planned to restore more than 4,600 acres of marsh and other habitat in the New Orleans area, Gov. The money is from BP’s $8.8 billion settlement for natural resources damage caused by the blowout that killed 11 men and spewed more than 100 million gallons (380 million liters) of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, leaving long-lasting effects. “The Mississippi River created our parish and the many historic ridges of our landscape,” said Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine. It was based partly on the judge’s estimate that the 87-day Deepwater Horizon spill spewed nearly 134 million gallons (507 million liters) of crude into the Gulf — enough to fill the U.S. Capitol rotunda 13 times. Federal experts estimated the total at more than 176 million gallons (666 million liters), while BP estimated 102 million gallons (386 million liters).

Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello (3) passes in the first half an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., delivers remarks to media after registering as a candidate to run as an incumbent in Baton Rouge, La., Friday, July 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)BATON ROUGE, La. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy announced Thursday that he's tested positive for the coronavirus and is experiencing some COVID-19 symptoms. Cassidy, a physician, said in a statement that he was tested after being notified Wednesday night that he'd been exposed to someone infected with the virus. I am strictly following the direction of our medical experts and strongly encourage others to do the same, he said.

BATON ROUGE, La. – A fire inside an ExxonMobil refinery in Louisiana turned the night sky a shade of orange and sent a large plume of smoke into the air. The fire erupted at the facility in Baton Rouge around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte told news outlets. ExxonMobil is the largest manufacturing employer in Louisiana and its Baton Rouge refinery is the fifth largest in the country, WAFB-TV reported. There was no off-site impact, fire department spokesman Monte said.