Due to legislation passed in July of 2012—the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act— there will be major changes coming to the National Flood Insurance Program in 2014, with changes for business owners coming into effect August of 2013: federal subsidized flood insurance will end, homeowners who rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina will no longer [...]
The Civil Service Commission at their January 16 meeting voted to start the entire hiring process over for the Director of Port Security and Vessels position. That process includes reviewing the job description and requirements, and re-advertising the job listing. The investigation into the hiring process for the Director of Port Administration position is still [...]
Emotions ran high in Judge Kevin Conner’s courtroom on Thursday, December 20, as Leonard Jourdan III’s family members— hugging each other and wiping tears from their eyes—anxiously awaited to hear the results of a psychiatric evaluation that would determine whether or not Jourdan would be released on bond. He wouldn’t. Not that day or until [...]
BP has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and agreed to $4.5 billion in fines, more than half of which will be dedicated to environmental and coastal restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast, according to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The amount is three-times more than any other criminal settlement in U.S. history. The company has [...]
After weeks of deferring the matter, the council approved Parish President Billy Nungesser’s appointment of Leo Palazzo as Lead Parish Attorney by a 6 – 2 vote. Palazzo, who ran for Plaquemines Parish Sheriff in 2011, is the owner of Jefferson Parish- based Palazzo Law Firm. He will be replacing Steve Braud upon his October [...]
The Corps of Engineers, FEMA and several regional parish officials, including Parish President Billy Nungesser, provided testimony on the response and on-going recovery from Hurricane Isaac at the September 25 U.S. Senate Field Hearing in Gretna. The hearing was led by chair of the Senate Appropriation Subcommittee, Mary Landrieu and other federal legislators including Senator [...]
Although both parties are split on where the blame lies for the lack of progress on the Braithwaite to White Ditch back levee, former Councilchair Don Beshel and Parish President Billy Nungesser both agree that even if it were completed, a 12 foot back levee would not have been much help in the face of [...]
On Sept. 3, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser met with President Barack Obama in LaPlace to discuss damage caused by Hurricane Isaac and ongoing recovery efforts in Plaquemines Parish. They discussed both short and long-term recovery plans for Plaquemines Parish, including immediate assistance provided by FEMA and long-term aid from local and state government. Nungesser [...]
Residents who rode out the storm in their South Plaquemines homes remained trapped by flooding on Hwy. 23 and were finally able to leave on September 1. As of press time, there were still flood waters from Ironton to West Pointe-a-la-Hache, making that crucial stretch of Hwy. 23 impassable. Parish President Billy Nungesser authorized police-led [...]
Louisiana State Police have confirmed that the white haze seen throughout Belle Chasse on August 17 was the result of nitrogen used to destabilize a tank full of divinylbenzine at Sun Drilling Co., not smoke from a fire as initially thought by many residents. No divinylbenzine was released. “We’re still looking at the cause for [...]
