'Louisiana lost a champion': Governor during Hurricane Katrina dies

Former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, Louisiana’s first and only female governor who also led the state during Hurricane Katrina, died Sunday after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Blanco, 76, was a Democrat who served as governor from 2004 to 2008 in a term that was defined largely by Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and the Gulf coast, killing more than 1,000 people. The office of Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed her death Sunday, the Monroe News Star reported.