The state department of transportation has redesigned the concrete barriers on interstates amid allegations the wall worsened flooding in Livingston Parish last year. Michelle Southern has more…
Cut 1 (30) “I’m Michelle Southern”
______________________________________
State Police announces its 96th Cadet Class will begin at the LSP Training Academy this Sunday. Emelie Gunn reports…:
______________________________________
On WWL radio, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu stated he’s not going to push to remove any more Confederate monuments. Landrieu says taking down the statues of Robert E. Lee, P.G.T. Beauregard, and Jefferson Davis were the right thing to do but removing Andrew Jackson is a step too far…
Landrieu says the Andrew Jackson statue was put in place for all the right reasons. He says after seeing the protests that turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia, it’s important to remember we have the right to protest, but peacefully.
Landrieu says the violence that broke out during last week’s the white supremacist rally shows how important security was in New Orleans when the four statues were removed earlier this year.
________________________________________________
Amid claims a concrete barrier on I-12 worsened flooding last year, the state department of transportation will redesign the walls on new construction projects. DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson says two inch tall openings stretching 12 to 24 inches wide will be put in the walls every so many feet. He says three projects currently underway will feature the new design.
The wall is constructed on the highest part of the interstate, but many homes and businesses adjacent to the highway are lower than the lowest part of the road. Wilson says that means even with the openings, the wall will not serve as a drainage system.
Cut 7 (12) “thousand year flood”
Wilson says the holes will only be put in new barriers because it would be too expensive to replace all the existing walls on the interstate system. Leaving these gaps in newly constructed barriers has a minimal cost. He adds that the holes will not compromise the integrity of the barriers.
Cut 8 (12) “high speed condition”
__________________________________________________________
The Restore Louisiana Task Force has approved the plan recommended by Governor John Bel Edwards that would expand the number of flood victims eligible for aid. Pat Forbes, executive director of the Office of Community Development, says this means all homeowners now qualify for assistance..:
Members of the board approved the changes without objection. Forbes says this also means some recipients will qualify for larger financial awards…:
The amendment to the program needs to be approved by HUD which will only take a few days. Forbes says the third change deals with reimbursement. He says flood victims who have already completed repairs will now get back more of that rebuilding money…:
Cut 11 (15) “but for the state”
The first step toward getting access to an award is filling out the survey online at Restore.la.gov.
__________________________________________________________
State Police announces its 96th Cadet Class will begin at the LSP Training Academy this Sunday. For about 20 weeks, thirty-six men and women, hailing from a variety of backgrounds, will officially begin an intensive training regimen. Sgt. Jared Sandifer…:
Cut 12 (08) “impaired drivers”
Sandifer says this class was chosen after completing an extensive hiring and recruitment process…:
Sandifer says upon successful completion of the LSP Training Academy, the newly graduated Troopers will participate in a 10-14 week field training program. He says they are continually looking for the best and brightest men and women to embark on a professional law enforcement career…:
Cut 14 (09) “become a State Trooper”
__________________________________________________________
The Powerball jackpot is up to $535 million since no one matched all the numbers in the drawing Wednesday night. Louisiana Lottery spokesperson Dustin Annison says this is the fifth largest jackpot in the history of the game.
Annison says the cash payout value of the jackpot is a whopping $340 million. He encourages everyone to play responsibly since it only takes one ticket to win. Players need to get their tickets before 9 p.m. Saturday night for their chance to win.
This is the fifth largest in the history of Powerball and the eighth largest in U.S. lottery history.
__________________________________________________________