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THE
ADVOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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F r i d ay, M a r c h 13, 2026
2026 LEGISLATURE
Recreational hunting of alligators proposed
$2.00X
Officials eye route for new BR bridge
Mississippi River span could cost $1.78B to $2.04B BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Chandler Franklin lifts a 6-foot alligator out of the water as Dwain Hodge, left, anchors the boat and Eric Edwards wraps up the string used to catch it during an alligator hunt in 2024.
Bill would create a season for licensed hunters BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
A $50 lottery could soon give anyone a chance to reel in one of Louisiana’s 3 million alligators. Senate Bill 244, sponsored by state Sen. Robert Allain, R-Franklin, would expand alligator hunting by adding a recreational season. Currently, the state has a three-month commercial period when licensed hunters can harvest alligators on land they own or des-
An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-toship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
WEATHER HIGH 74 LOW 49 PAGE 8B
ignated public land and water bodies. of alligator habitat. If the Louisiana Legislature passes “We’re trying to kind of kill two Allain’s bill, the Louibirds with one stone: “We’re trying to kind increase the availabilsiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries ity to go and harvest of kill two birds with would be able to issue one stone: increase the an alligator and, at the 10,000 tags for recresame time, not upset availability to go and the commercial marational hunters, accesharvest an alligator and, ket,” Allain said. sible via a lottery. at the same time, not Increasing hunting Cole Garrett, the of the reptile could upset the commercial general counsel of help address overLDWF, said hunters market.” would be able to get population of the onceendangered species SEN. ROBERT ALLAIN, R-Franklin up to two tags in the lottery, which would without disturbing the cost $50 to enter. The commercial industry, recreational season could begin Oct. according to Allain. The added season would also give a 1 in areas south of Interstate 10 if the broader swath of people the opportu- bill gains approval. The hunting would nity to hunt, as the commercial indusä See ALLIGATORS, page 9A try mostly serves private landowners
State highway officials say they expect to choose a route for a new Mississippi River bridge by year’s end — unless further study is needed on the environmental impact of the long-awaited project. The bridge, estimated to cost about $2 billion, would run between La. 1 south of Plaquemine and La. 30 near St. Gabriel. The state Department of Transportation and Development has narrowed down a field of 32 possible bridge crossings to three. All begin and end in Iberville Parish, which is split by the river, and require new approach highways. State highway engineers recently concluded the future intersections with La. 1 and La. 30 would need more land than previously thought, citing the results of deeper analysis. Christina Brignac, DOTD’s critical projects manager, said the additional land requires a targeted environmental review once engineers decide on a preferred route and the type of intersections needed. After that, DOTD hopes to pick a final route
ä See BRIDGE, page 8A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Traffic rolls into Baton Rouge across the Interstate 10 bridge over the Mississippi River.
Iran’s leader vows to keep up attacks BY JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, MIKE CORDER and NATALIE MELZER Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s secretive new leader issued his first public stateCO ONFLICT ments Thursday, IN THE T resolving to keep MIIDDLE fighting, promising more pain for EAST AST Gulf Arab states and threatening to open “other fronts” in a war that has already disrupted world energy supplies, the global economy and international travel.
INSIDE
yahu said his country’s attacks were creating conditions for the ä Pro-Iranian hackers starting to Iranian population to topple the stretch into the U.S. Page 6A government. “It is in your hands,” Netanyahu ä Trump administration denounces said at a news conference, adCNN for airing Iranian leader’s dressing the Iranian people. “We statements. Page 6A are creating the optimal conditions ä Oil prices jump to $100 per for the fall of the regime.” barrel. Page 3B Since the start of the war, U.S. and Israeli strikes have targeted ä Trump now trying to paint high oil security checkpoints in Iran to costs as positive. Page 3B undermine the government’s ability to suppress dissent, accordThe hard-line stance revealed ing to Armed Conflict Location by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mo- and Event Data, the U.S.-based jtaba Khamenei came as Israeli ä See ATTACKS, page 8A Prime Minister Benjamin Netan-
Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................5B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 256