| BY CHAD CALDER | Staff writer |
Thanks for starting your day with Morning Headlines. Here are some of our top stories. The warm surface water pattern in the eastern Pacific Ocean known as El Niño is expected to disappear later this spring, taking with it the storm-busting Atlantic wind shear that has kept recent hurricane seasons quiet. As Mark Schleifstein reports, cold-water La Niña conditions should return by August, increasing the chances that tropical storms and hurricanes will form. State lawmakers on the northshore are calling on St. Tammany Parish Coroner-elect Christopher Tape to resign following news reports that detailed decades-old child sex assault charges brought against him in New Mexico. Alex Lubben has the story. The state Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has approved new rules governing Louisiana's controversial menhaden fishing industry, which critics say uses methods that damage the broader ecosystem. The rules represent a compromise but still fall short of what recreational anglers and conservationists want. Mike Smith has the details. Check out all the latest news, sports and entertainment coverage from The Times-Picayune. Chad | 