Officials said Monday that they are aiming to complete construction of a new federal levee system protecting LaPlace and surrounding areas by 2023, the first concrete timeline for a project originally conceived nearly 50 years ago. St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom briefed the media on the $760 million project Monday, joined by U.S. Rep. Garret Graves and Col. Michael… Read more »
ammie Angel and her husband scrambled to raise the furniture in their home and evacuate at 3 a.m. on Aug. 14, 2016.The couple had lived in their suburban Baton Rouge home for 25 years and never imagined that nearly three feet of water would swamp most of their possessions, costing them $100,000 in damages and devastating the surrounding area during historic flooding across parts of south… Read more »
In approving a four-month extension of the National Flood Insurance Program on Tuesday, the U.S. Senate did a good thing for the people of Louisiana who depend on the program to sustain homes and businesses in the region. We commend the members of Louisiana's congressional delegation who worked to secure the extension in both the House and Senate.In the longer term, though, residents of… Read more »
A Senate vote on the duplication of benefits issue could come sooner than expected.The Senate will likely bring the matter to a vote by mid-August, Congressman Garret Graves said Tuesday after the Livingston Parish Chamber of Commerce's Young Professionals Luncheon on Tuesday at Greystone Country Club.The vote is long overdue, he said."We're not just talking eight months – we're… Read more »
DENHAM SPRINGS — Opening a U.S. Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at any school would be an achievement. There are just 235 in the country at any given time, and offering such a program is considered an honor.
But the dedication ceremony for a new program at Denham Springs High School took on special meaning Tuesday afternoon because it will be housed in a… Read more »
Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana), Governor John Bel Edwards, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development Secretary Shawn Wilson and other state leaders marked the beginning of construction today on a solution to the Capital Region's traffic bottleneck at the I-10 Washington St. Exit. The "I-110 Interchange Modification Project at Terrace Ave" is designed to… Read more »
Improvements to federal fisheries policy that Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) has been pushing for in Congress advanced to the U.S. Senate today as the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 200 - Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act.H.R. 200 includes several Graves provisions that benefit saltwater fishermen and women,… Read more »
Louisiana has secured the federal funds necessary to complete the long-delayed Comite River Diversion Canal, U.S. Rep. Garret Graves says. Nearly $1.4 billion in funding from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been awarded to Louisiana for flood and hurricane protection projects, Graves' office announced this afternoon. The money is coming from five different federal funding streams, Graves… Read more »
St. John the Baptist Parish will receive full funding for the construction of a West Shore hurricane protection levee, according to Parish President Natalie Robottom and U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-Baton Rouge).Robottom called it the biggest win in Parish history."It will remain so for many years to come," Robottom said. "Thanks to the leadership of Congressman Graves, a strong will and… Read more »
One of the largest flood protection investments in Louisiana history includes full funding for completion of the long-awaited Comite River Diversion Canal.The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers allocated $343 million – 100 percent federal funding – to finish the flood protection project which has been on the drawing board since 1985.The bill covers nearly $3 billion in federal… Read more »
