President Barack Obama sent a letter to Governor John Bel Edwards announcing the federal government will increase its cost-share for flood relief efforts in Louisiana from 75-percent to 90-percent, to cover repairs to public roads and infrastructure and first responder expenses. This means state and local governments will be responsible for the reaming 10-percent.
The Board of Regents placed four Louisiana universities on a fiscal watch list for being in poor financial standing. Higher Ed Commissioner Joe Rallo says they established this test to show legislators that these universities are struggling. He says there has been a lot of concern about the future of the LSU Health Center in Shreveport with many people worried it’s on “life support.”
Rallo says these schools are facing financial challenges because of a decline in state funding and lower enrollment.
A 15-year-old girl was killed and her 12-year-old sister was seriously injured while helping their mother take out the garbage in Belle Rose. State Trooper Jesse LaGrange says the two girls were in the tailgate of their mother’s truck bringing the garbage bins to the street and they were stopped on the highway as a truck approached…
Impairment has been ruled out.
After two devastating floods, Louisiana strawberry famers are struggling. Co-owner of Johndales Farm in Ponchatoula, Heather Robertson, says because strawberries are a specialty crop, there’s not much financial assistance, and a lot of producers will not grow strawberries again.
CUT 3 (10) “strawberry farmers”
Ag Commissioner Mike Strain says Tangipahoa parish is the center of strawberry production, and it was hit by both floods.