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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
T u e s d ay, F e b r u a ry 18, 2025
I-10 Washington St. ramp to be closed
DOTD says Baton Rouge exit causes traffic problems
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Lawsuit challenges amendment ballot wording Landry’s tax changes require revising state constitution
BY TYLER BRIDGES
Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
A tractor trailer looks for space on Interstate 10 as it nears the Washington Street exit on Monday. BY ALYSE PFEIL
Staff writer
A fertilizer plant’s towering mound of slightly radioactive waste along the Mississippi River in St. James Parish is being allowed to expand by state regulators, a move the company says is necessary to make up for ground lost to stability issues that had earlier posed concerns. Mosaic Fertilizer’s mound at the Uncle Sam plant in Convent, so tall it has its own aviation warning lights,
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ä See WASTE, page 5A
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Staff writer
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BY DAVID J. MITCHELL
is familiar to residents and those who drive through the area. It contains chalkcolored phosphogypsum, with acidic lakes embedded in the pile. Environmental and neighborhood groups are concerned about the expansion, while the company says it is unavoidable and will allow it to continue to operate as it already has for years. Along with its Faustina plant across the Mississippi, Mosaic employs 344 people and 200 contractors, is a top taxpayer in the parish and provides a critical resource for row crops that feed people worldwide, the company says. “The solid waste permit renewal allows us to
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Groups raise concerns about growing slightly radioactive pile
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Plant’s waste mound allowed to expand
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Louisiana officials plan to permanently close the Washington Street exit from Interstate 10 eastbound in Baton Rouge, saying it causes drivers to weave in and out of lanes and clog up traffic. State Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, said at a news conference Monday that he is pushing for the exit to be shut down by Christmas. “I’ve never talked personally to one person that wants this exit to remain open,” said McMakin, who called it “the worst exit in America.” Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Joe Donahue said the state needs approval for the exit closure from the Federal Highway Administration and needs to ensure the project satisfies requirements of the National Envi-
undertaken “in connection with the ronmental Policy Act. The transition to the administra- I-10 widening project.” To comply with federal rules, tion of President Donald Trump DOTD distributed along with some of flyers to 1,500 resiits new initiatives BATON Proposed have led to a period dences near the ROUGE closure of of adjustment with Washington Street Washington respect to agency exit advising of the Street exit Lorri processes, Donahue Burgess proposed permanent from I-10 Ave. said. closure, Donahue “But the entire said. A public comgoal of all of those ment period is open 10 new initiatives are until Sunday; comto speed up the proments can be submitted by email to cess and to remove City Park i10washingtonexit@ red tape,” he added. Lake la.gov. “And so, my hope Staff map State Rep. Chad would be that this would be something that, you know, Brown, D-Plaquemine, said Monday goes a lot quicker than it might have he was representing residents and commuters on the west side of the otherwise.” The closure will be accomplished Mississippi River. by installing barriers, Donahue said, ä See RAMP, page 4A and full removal of the ramp will be
Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana legislators overhauled the state’s tax system in November, but for the full plan to take effect requires one more step: A March 29 vote of the people to approve revising the state constitution. But a law firm went to court in Baton Rouge on Monday to keep that question off the ballot, saying the wording is illegally slanted in favor of the proposition and misrepresents what the proposed changes would do. “Amendment 2 The lawsuit notes that state law requires was thoroughly ballot language to be debated and passed “simple, unbiased, by a bipartisan concise, and easily supermajority of understood.” both houses of the Amidst the lengthy ballot language for Legislature. I am Amendment 2 next confident that voters month, voters are across Louisiana told that voting for it will see through this would “provide a perpolitical charade and manent teacher salary increase.” pass Amendment 2 “But there is no saloverwhelmingly on ary increase,” the lawMarch 29.” suit says, “only the extension of an existing GOV. JEFF LANDRy stipend that has been in place for several years. No teacher will be paid any more than they currently are due to this potential amendment, and some teachers may be paid less.” Landry takes issue with the thinking behind the lawsuit. “This lawsuit attempts to deny citizens their right to vote to grant teachers a permanent pay raise, lower income taxes for seniors, reduce the maximum income tax rate, and limit the growth of state government,” he said in a statement. “Amendment 2 was thoroughly debated and passed by a bipartisan supermajority of both houses of the Legislature. I am confident that voters across Louisiana will see through this political charade and pass Amendment 2 overwhelmingly on March 29.” The lawsuit was filed by Most & Associates, a New Orleans firm. William Most declined to identify who is behind the lawsuit, which lists three citizens as filing it. They are the Rev. Willie
ä See LAWSUIT, page 5A
Trump begins firing FAA staff Move comes just weeks after fatal D.C. plane crash BY TARA COPP
Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff ä Delta jet on a busy air travel overturns weekend and just at Toronto weeks after a Januairport. ary fatal midair PAGE 2A collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails Friday notifying them they had been ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By SETH WENIG fired, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees were fired by the
Trump administration on a busy air travel weekend.
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ä See FAA, page 5A
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