Fire crews spent the weekend battling the fire that resulted from Friday afternoon’s explosion at Smitty’s Supply in Roseland, in Tangipahoa Parish. As of yesterday evening, Louisiana State Police said the fire is 90-percent contained. Yesterday, crews began removing structural debris and addressing covered hotspots. Tangipahoa Parish President Robby Miller says a one-mile evacuation zone remains in effect.
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Among those evacuated were former Governor John Bel Edwards and his wife.
The EPA has now taken the lead at the site. They will deal with the collection and disposal of hazardous materials at the site and in area ditches and ponds, and the Tangipahoa River.
This week marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. As we look back at how the storm changed the state and the lives of so many we see resilience and the rise of new programs. Barry Erwin, the chief policy officer of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, says since Katrina we’ve seen the rise of charter schools and he says it started in New Orleans with results that are notable.
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Secretary of State Nancy Landry is joining registrars of voters across the state this week to promote Voter Registration Week. Andre Champagne has the story…
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Starting today, residents living in the 3-1-8 area code will have to dial 3-1-8, plus the seven other numbers when making a call to an existing 3-1-8 phone number. It’s because a new 4-5-7 area code will begin next September. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell says the ten-digit number is necessary to distinguish between the two area codes…