Lafayette is a celebration hotspot for carnival season with more festivities kicking off tonight. Matt Doyle has the story.
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Congressman Garret Graves will head the Republican side of the newly reformed Climate Crisis Panel. Matt Doyle talked to the Congressman about the high profile appointment…
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Mardi Gras celebrations continue around the state. In Lafayette, the weekend festivities get kicked off tonight, with parades on Saturday. Executive Director of Convention and Visitors Commission Ben Berthelot says they are expecting great crowds with lots of great music.
Berthelot says the party doesn’t stop when the parades are finished as the area offers plenty of great nightlife.
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Berthelot says over the years, the Mardi Gras festivities have grown with more options for those coming in from out of town to be a part of the festivities.
Louisiana has declared a state of emergency as the Mississippi River approaches flood levels. The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness spokesperson Mike Steele says this precaution is taken to speed up any support process needed for areas throughout the Bayou State…
Steele says there are no major problems looming but those living in flood-prone areas should be ready for a battle of attrition this rain season…
Steele says being prepared for flooding is imperative and it can start by going online…
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Authorities suspect the plane that lost contact with the tower yesterday shortly after launching from the Shreveport Downtown Airport may be located just north of the airport in the Red River. Caddo Parish Spokesperson Cindy Chadwick says the plane launched at 1037 yesterday, and authorities say no one saw what happened next.
Chadwick denied an earlier report where a bystander was quoted as saying the plane went straight up, and straight down. She says no eyewitness has come forward saying they saw the plane go down.
A local company has leased a barge that is set to park near the suspected crash site and a team of commercial divers from Morgan City will be on scene for 7pm tonight. Chadwick says so far though, they have yet to catch a glimpse of the plane.
KTBS reports a bystander saw fuel floating on the water at that location.
The plane was headed to Vernon, Texas, and KEEL is reporting it contained one passenger and the pilot. When asked whether anyone had survived the incident, Chadwick says they have not heard from anyone on the flight.
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Baton Rouge Congressman Garret Graves has been named the top Republican on the newly reformed Climate Crisis panel. The panel will focus on threats posed by climate change, but will likely feature a partisan split on the origin of the threat. Graves, who agrees that sea rise poses a threat to the nation, says the appointment will give him a platform to raise awareness of Louisiana’s vulnerabilities.
The panel was formed in 2007, but was deactivated in 2011 when Republicans took control of the House.
Graves joins five other Republicans on the panel that will be led by Democrat Kathy Kastor of Florida. The Congressman says he’ll use his position to push back against climate change policies from non-energy producing states that would impact Louisiana’s economy.
The panel, which has no subpoena or legislative authority, was brought back to life by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi amidst calls by a new wave of progressive lawmakers, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, for a powerful committee that would flesh out the details of the Green New Deal. Graves says the GND doesn’t pass the laugh test, and looks forward to it being discussed at the panel.