Barely two weeks ahead of hurricane season, the Army Corps of Engineers tested the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway West Closure Complex just south of Belle Chasse. The pumping station is the largest of its type in the world, consisting of 11 Caterpillar [...]
It looks like traffic cameras will not be coming to Plaquemines Parish quite yet, as the council deferred the vote on the speed and stop sign photo enforcement system. In a statement released before the April 25 meeting, Commander Eric Becnel stated that “due to misinformation in the public, Sheriff Lonnie Greco has respectfully requested [...]
The controversial traffic cameras despised by many Orleans and Jefferson Parish drivers could soon be coming to Plaquemines. An ordinance bringing the cameras was introduced on behalf of the Plaquemines Parish Sheriff’s Office by District 9 Councilwoman Marla Cooper at the April 11 council meeting. It can be voted on as soon as the April [...]
The council and administration made the first formal step last week to appeal FEMA’s 2012 flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs) that if implemented, would shoot base flood elevations South of Belle Chasse and on the Eastbank of Plaquemines up to as high as 21 feet. The ordinance passed unanimously, and authorizes Parish President Billy Nungesser [...]
At a meeting last week of the St. Bernard Parish Council, life-long shrimper George Barisich, President of the United Commercial Fishermen Association urged the council to pass a resolution that supports the exemption of commercial fishermen from paying taxes on BP settlement money. After the St. Bernard council unanimously passed the resolution, Barisich said he [...]
By a narrow vote, the Plaquemines Parish Council passed a resolution that allows the bi-monthly meeting sites to rotate between Pointe-la-Hache and Belle Chasse beginning March 14. Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 voted for the legislation. “The Charter allows this,” said District 2 Councilman Keith Hinkley, who offered the resolution. “The intent is [...]
An ordinance approving a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between Plaquemines Parish Government and the Sheriff’s, to create the position of a zoning and permits enforcement officer, was deferred after a heated exchange between District 9 Councilwoman Marla Cooper and District 7 Councilman Jeff Edgecombe, who offered the legislation. The legislation had been previously deferred and carried [...]
The administration announced at the Feb. 14 council meeting that Tesvich Enterprises. has been selected as the contractor to complete the temporary repairs needed to get the Pointe-a-la-Hache ferry operational for light traffic. Director of Public Works Byron Williams made the announcement on behalf of Parish President Billy Nungesser, who was not in attendance. According [...]
When it comes implementing the new State-mandated curriculum— intended to get students college- and career-ready—Plaquemines Parish School District says the changes are daunting but they are ahead of the curve in preparing for them. All public schools in the state are required to fully switch over to Common Core Standards for the 2013 – 2014 [...]
After the Parish President Billy Nungesser closed the Pointe-a-la-Hache ferry landing per a State Department of Transportation order, Eastbank residents and the council have been outraged at the sudden move. District 1 Representative P.V. Griffin says that the 7-day bid process for a construction firm is wrapping up and once the firm is selected, he [...]
