The fight for more flood recovery dollars continues today, as Congress reconvenes after the election. Michelle Southern has the story…
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Today is the last day to register with FEMA for disaster assistance. Emelie Gunn has more…
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It will be a heated GOP-dominated runoff in the 3rd Congressional District, as Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle and Capt. Clay Higgins go head to head. Halen Doughty has more…
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Congress reconvenes today, which means Louisiana’s congressional delegation will resume its efforts to get more federal funds appropriated for flood recovery. Baton Rouge Congressman Garrett Graves says right now the state still needs to come up with a plan for spending the $438 million they’ve already received.
The Governor’s Office says the Restore Louisiana Task Force has delayed a vote on how to allocate the funds because the money is tied up in red tape. But Graves says even though they need HUD’s approval, the state should still submit one sooner rather than later.
Graves says at this point, they aren’t sure how many payments Louisiana will receive because president-elect Donald Trump’s victory changes the dynamic. He says they’ll probably have to approve a short-term plan before he takes office in January.
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Today is the final day for flood victims to register for Disaster Assistance. Ray Perez with FEMA says approximately 152-thousand individuals have registered for federal aid. He says families are finally able to start the recovery process.
Today is also the final day to submit a disaster loan application to the Small Business Administration. Perez says the SBA has already approved $1.15 billion dollars in low interest loans. He says victims are also getting money from National Flood Insurance and even more is expected to be issued.
To apply for federal disaster aid visit disaster-assistance-dot-gov (disasterassistance.org). Perez says just because registration stops today, does not mean that the work stops. He says FEMA will be in Louisiana for the long term because they’re just getting started.
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Gas prices have once again dipped below two dollars. Senior Petroleum Analyst with GasBuddy.com, Gregg Laskoski says the nation is seeing prices five cents lower than a week ago, with Louisiana being four cents lower. He says there is a very good chance we will see these gas prices continuing to decline.
Laskoski says retail gasoline prices are moving lower and crude oil prices are trading in a steady but narrow range. He says we typically see significant decreases in price through November and December.
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Laskoski says these decreases are the continuation of the significant trend of prices dropping lower than they were a year ago.
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Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle is up against fellow GOP contender Capt. Clay Higgins in the runoff for the 3rd Congressional District seat. Higgins is confident he will win soundly, and he says he feels good going into the runoff. He says if elected, he will not be a part of the corruption in Washington.
Higgins, like many candidates this year, has presented himself as an outsider to voters. He adds that Angelle has been in politics most of his life.
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Angelle believes he is in a strong position going into the runoff, as he beat Higgins in the polls by three percent. But he says he’s not taking anything for granted.
Angelle says he has a long history of disrupting the status quo, which he says is what voters want to see in their elected officials. He says south Louisiana needs a champion in Washington.
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The Golden Boot Trophy is back in Baton Rouge as a result of LSU’s dominating 38-10 win over Arkansas in Razorback Stadium. It’s the Tigers first win over the Hogs since 2013. Interim Head Coach Ed Orgeron says the players were determined to get a win in Fayetteville…
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The Tigers won thanks to a stingy defense that forced three turnovers and a ground game that couldn’t be stopped. LSU had 390 yards rushing. Derrius Guice led the way with 252 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Orgeron says he still had faith in his offense after a tough performance against Alabama…
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The Saints lost in a shocking manner on Sunday afternoon in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome as Denver blocks an extra point with 1:22 left in the game and returned it for two points for a 25-23 victory. Will Parks returned the blocked kick for a score. It appeared he may have stepped out of bounds, as he raced to the end zone. Coach Sean Payton was ok with the officials not reversing the call…
The Saints nearly won this game, despite committing four turnovers. Quarterback Drew Brees touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks tied the game, but a jubilant Dome went silent when the blocked kick was returned for a score. The loss drops New Orleans record to 4-5. Payton says the team will have to bounce back, with Carolina coming up on Thursday…