BY DOUG GRAHAM | Staff writer Louisiana's largest military installation took on a new name Tuesday that honors a Black Medal of Honor recipient rather than a Confederate general. Fort Polk is now officially Fort Johnson, named after Sgt. William Henry Johnson, who served in a unit that fought with French forces on the front lines of World War I. It originally was named for Leonidas Polk, an Episcopal Bishop and Confederate general who was born in North Carolina. Read more about the name change and Tuesday's ceremony here. If you are making the 951-mile journey from Baton Rouge to Omaha, Nebraska, for the men's College World Series, we've got recommendations to add some fun, deliciousness and beauty along the way. We've got stops that offer great food (the landmark Mammy's Cupboard in Natchez, Mississippi), historic sites (Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas), and art (Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas). See our full list of options for your 15-hour trip. Gov. John Bel Edwards recently pushed lawmakers to outlaw the death penalty. The reaction from prisoners came Tuesday as a total of 51 clemency applications were filed with the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole. The filings do not ask Edwards to free all death row prisoners. Instead, the documents ask him to soften their sentences to life-in-prison — the only commutation available to people sentenced to die. It would mark a historic turn in the way Louisiana regards the death penalty. Read more about the requests here. |