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 [...]
As a means to maintain the parish’s water supply while in the midst of the salt water river intrusion, the parish has been working feverishly with neighboring parishes to pump water in, while the Corps builds the underwater sill to stop the wedge from moving any further upriver. Orleans and Jefferson Parishes are continuing to [...]
“Here we go again—industry before human life,” said Ironton native Rose Jackson at the August 23 Plaquemines Parish Council meeting. Nearly a dozen Ironton residents showed full force at the temporary courthouse in Belle Chasse to protest the council’s support of RAM Terminals, a coal export company looking to build in the area. Jackson and [...]
Celebrating the announcement of the newest Orange King, former festival royalty, made the traditional toast to King Ben Becnel, seated. From left, the former kings are Patrick Becnel Sr., Bobby Gravolet, Dale Benoit, David Pavlovich, Bobby Thomas, Anthony Buras Jr., Borden Wallace, Frank Patti, Judge Micheal Kirby, Stanley Gaudet, Robert Cappiello, Darryl Bubrig, George Pivach [...]
As many taxpayers may have noticed in reassessment letters that have gone out in the mail, property values in the parish have increased. According to Assessor Robert Gravolet’s most recent analysis, values parish-wide are up by 17 percent and the parish’s tax base has also increased by 7 percent. Gravolet feels that since the parish’s [...]
The six month moratorium on the issuance of new borrow pit permits may soon be lifted if the council votes on the new legislation at their August 21 meeting. An ordinance was introduced at the August 9 meeting that would lift the six month moratorium on permits, but in order for that to pass, the [...]
After months of litigation, the parish has reached a settlement with the Livaudais Company and Levee Materials LLC, as announced during the August 9 PPC meeting. In March, the companies were denied a permit to excavate borrow pits at a Scarsdale Rd. site in Braithwaite. The companies argued that everything in their application packet in [...]
Several of the parish’s big issues were discussed at a Town Hall meeting in Buras on August 8. The meeting was led by parish president Billy Nungesser and Councilmembers Byron Marinovich, Jeff Edgecombe and Marla Cooper. Oil Spill Claims Belle Chasse Attorney Brandon Taylor briefed the Town Hall attendees on the new claims process for [...]
After the ceremonial ribbon cutting of the South Plaquemines Faculty Housing apartments in Buras, the Plaquemines Parish School Board headed south to the Boothville-Venice Elementary School Campus for its August meeting. Highlights from the meeting are as follows: • The School Board announced the South Plaquemines High School will have a soft opening in November [...]
Built on the site of the former Buras High School, the new apartments are raised on concrete pilings. In fact 4,600 cubic yards of concrete was used to build the 32-units, making it durable in 150 mph winds, said Chris Barker of HOV Services, the construction managing company for the apartments and the campuses of [...]
