By KELLY P. KISSEL | State news editor Livingston Parish officials say there's a reason they're trying to ban the herbal extract Kratom. They say it was involved in the death of a 2-year-old girl in 2021. Who knew that being the state insurance commissioner could be so interesting? Take a look at our profile of Jim Donelon, whose ties to politics go back to the time when Richard Nixon was president. Louisiana's insurance crisis has put him in the spotlight, as he seeks to shore up a system that suffered through four major hurricanes in 2020 and 2021. Some say, however, that he's also responsible for some of the trouble. What does a rat know about forecasting the weather? The world's best-known prognosticating rodent was pulled out of his hutch in Pennsylvania this morning and predicted the weather. The legend goes that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on Candlemas Day, he retreats and that signals that another six weeks of winter are on the way. When I covered the rat for The Associated Press 30 years ago today (see clipping), the joke was that he saw his shadow because of all of TV cameras stuck in his face. Check out this year's forecast, and also note that spring arrives in the third week of March every year anyway. And be sure to see what our fauna have to say about the weather. | 