John Bel Edwards

First US Congressmember dies of Covid-19

A representative-elect from Louisiana died of Covid-19 on Dec. 29, the first member of the U.S. Congress to succumb to the disease.

Republican Luke Letlow, 41, had been elected to Louisiana's 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday.

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards announced the news on Twitter with a "heavy heart."

Hurricane Harvey makes landfall as Texas braces for “catastrophic” rains, high winds

By the time Hurricane Harvey was downgraded to a Category 1 storm early Saturday, it had already delivered a 1-2 punch to the Gulf Coast of Texas, making landfall twice, with powerful wind gusts and the threat of catastrophic flooding.

It was still threatening to be the most powerful storm to hit the Lone Star State in more than a decade.