Governor John Bel Edwards will be heading back to Washington, DC this week where he is scheduled to meet with more congressional leaders and others regarding getting more money to Louisiana for flood recovery. He sent another letter to the White House asking for an additional $800 million dollars, on top of the $2 billion he was originally seeking. He says the new amount is for infrastructure projects and mental health support for flood victims.

Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden is under scrutiny for being in Taiwan last week rather than speaking before Congress with the mayors of Central, Denham Springs and Walker about flood relief. Holden says he went out of the country to attend a forum about building sustainable port cities. He says he did not go to Washington D.C. because his office was not invited:
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He says he’s always in communication with his staff and Baton Rouge isn’t going to fall apart just because he’s not physically here.

Baton Rouge Police are investigating the case of a woman who claims she accidentally shot and killed her boyfriend during a fight. Sgt. Don Coppola says 25-year-old Larriana Hughes told cops she was being slapped by her boyfriend, 27-year-old Christopher Payne, and as she was trying to put a gun back into a car it went off by mistake…:
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She is charged with negligent homicide.

AAA says the switch to winter blend gasoline has caused gas prices to fall nationwide for 12 straight days. The current statewide average for a gallon of regular in Louisiana is now $2.00, down about 4 cents from the prior week.

A Baton Rouge woman is behind bars after she allegedly accidentally shot and killed her boyfriend during an argument. That’s according to Baton Rouge Police Sgt. Don Coppola, who says 25-year-old Larriana Hughes came home to 27-year-old Christopher Payne, after receiving a text from him. Coppola says they began to argue, and the woman reported her boyfriend began slapping Hughes in the face…:
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He says the woman claimed she was acting in self-defense. She is charged with negligent homicide.

The Coast Guard continues to respond to the oil spill near Bay Long, as more than 6,000 gallons of oily-water mixture have been recovered.

The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Ian has formed in the Atlantic Ocean, but it is not projected to threaten land at all at this time. They are watching another disturbance near the Bahamas that is not expected to develop into a tropical system.

Kids in Livingston Parish Schools finally returned to class today after the flooding. Emelie Gunn has more…:
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is investigating a boat crash in St. Mary Parish that claimed the life of a 7-year-old girl. LDWF Spokesperson Adam Einck says at around 2 p.m. yesterday a bass boat with one passenger, collided with an aluminum vessel carrying four people in Bayou Cheramie. He says the collision caused Jaidyn Montet (Mon-tay) to hit her head:
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He says they are going to recreate the crash to try to determine if anyone was at fault.

About one-quarter of the estimated $8.7 billion dollars in overall flood damage affected businesses in the state. Michelle Southern reports on the assessment by Louisiana Economic Development…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards is holding a press conference at 11 AM this morning to discuss how new jobs are coming to the state as a result of a partnership with the Delta Regional Authority and local entrepreneurs. Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo will also participate in the press conference.

The push is on for more federal dollars to assist in flood recovery. Governor John Bel Edwards has requested Congress pass a two billion dollar federal aid package. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says time is a factor with Congress taking a recess at the end of the month for the November election….
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Hogan says House Minority Whip Steve Scalise of Jefferson Parish plays a critical role, because of his leadership position.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed several oyster harvesting areas, which adds another hurdle for a struggling industry. Oyster grower John Tesvich says sacking usually begins on October 15, but LDWF delayed it until November 15 in the hopes of helping the oysters grow more. He says most of the Louisiana oysters on the market are coming from private harvesting areas, not public reefs…
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Students in Livingston Parish are back in school today after being out for nearly a month while flood damage was being addressed. Superintendent Rick Wentzel says some schools were a total loss and students at those locations are sharing time with other while construction continues…:
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He says some schools are platooning, which means students at the home school attend classes in the morning, while kids from a flood damaged school go in the afternoon.

Oyster harvesting remains closed in several areas. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is hoping the oysters grow more which is why they delayed sacking until November 15th. John Tesvich is on the Oyster Task Force. He says high water levels in the rivers are bringing more nutrient rich water into the harvesting areas and killing the oysters…:
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Businesses in Louisiana suffered losses due to the historic floods to the tune of over $2 billion dollars. That’s according to Don Pierson, the Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development. He says FEMA has surpassed $1 billion dollars in total federal assistance to Louisiana disaster survivors…:

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Pierson says it’s vital that employers take advantage of the assistance being provided by FEMA and the Small Business Administration, and get their case in prior to October 13th.

The Saints had a heartbreaking loss to Oakland on Sunday. The Black and Gold couldn’t hang on to a two touchdown lead and fell to the Raiders 35-34. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees threw for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns, but the defense gave up numerous big plays in the 4th quarter to allow Oakland to score 22 points near the end of the game.

The effort continues to get more federal dollars to assist in flood recover in Louisiana. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says House Minority Whip Steve Scalise plays a critical role in Louisiana’s efforts. But he says Louisiana’s request could run into some resistance from a Republican-controlled Congress…:
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Governor John Bel Edwards has requested Congress pass a two billion dollar federal aid package.

Meanwhile businesses in flooded areas are struggling to reopen. The Louisiana Department of Economic Development says 6,000 establishments flooded in 22 parishes. LED Secretary Don Pierson says the workforce has been impacted in a major way…:
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LED is providing a complete resource guide for flood assistance at OpportunityLouisiana.com.

Students in Livingston Parish are headed back to school today, some this morning and some head out this afternoon. 6 schools were unable to open due to flood damage and are sharing space at other locations. Livingston Parish Superintendent Rick Wentzel says every school flooded there and the fact that most are reopening is a major milestone in recovery…:
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He says a timeline on when the closed schools will reopen is unknown at this time, but the goal is as soon as possible.

Governor John Bel Edwards along with the Delta Regional Authority are set this morning to unveil a series of new economic investments coming to Louisiana, according to a release from the DRA. The group is a federal-state partnership created by Congress in 2000 to help create jobs, build communities, and improve lives through strategic investments in economic development in 252 counties and parishes across eight states.

There are still 6 schools that are closed for now due to flood damage, but all Livingston Parish students will return to class today. Superintendent Rick Wentzel says going back to school gives these kids a sense of normalcy that’s been missing for too long….:
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Louisiana elected leaders are making the push for more federal aid to assist in the flood recovery, but will they be successful? Halen Doughty has more…:
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The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has closed several oyster harvesting areas and delayed the season because the industry is struggling. John Tesvich is a fourth generation oyster grower and also sits on the Oyster Task Force. He says planting usually opens after Labor Day, but this year was more of a partial opening…:
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Tesvich says sacking usually begins on October 15, but LDWF delayed it until November 15 in the hopes of helping the oysters grow more.

The US Coast Guard says they are continuing to respond to the oil spill near Bay Long, Louisiana in Plaquemines Parish, as more than 6,000 gallons of oily-water mixture have been recovered. They say a section of a damaged pipeline discharged an estimated 5300 gallons of crude oil on September 4th.

For week 2, the LSU tigers moved up one spot to No. 20 in the latest AP Top 25 College Football Poll.

The push is on for more federal dollars to assist in flood recovery. Governor John Bel Edwards has requested Congress pass a two billion dollar federal aid package. LSU Political Science Professor Robert Hogan says party politics could play a factor…:
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Businesses in Louisiana suffered losses due to the historic floods to the tune of over $2 billion dollars. That’s according to Don Pierson, the Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development. He says overall, the August 2016 disaster caused a total of about $8.7 billion dollars in damage…:
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Kids in Livingston Parish Schools finally return to class today after the flooding. Emelie Gunn has more…:

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The Raising Cane’s mascot, Cane II, has died at the age of 17. The company announced on their Facebook page the news of the beloved dog’s passing.