Louisiana

Rural Community Funding Summit connects Louisiana officials with state, federal resources

Published

1 year ago

October 30, 2024

Rural Community Funding Summit connects Louisiana officials with state, federal resources

Residents and government officials came together for a Rural Community Funding Summit in Rayne on Tuesday. The summit was made possible in part by U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was passed.

Community members and local officials involved in the development of those communities met in the Rayne Civic Center Ballroom and learned of the resources available to them.

Cassidy said he hopes every town in Louisiana access dollars from the IIJA bill.

“When I travel to our state, I know there is a lot of need for sewer, and for water, for our ports, for broadband internet, for flood mitigation, coastal restoration, just go to different parts of the state, you can see what the needs are,” Cassidy said. “There are dollars in the infrastructure bill to help with these issues, and that is my goal.”

Richard Williams, deputy director of the Louisiana Municipal Association, was one of the officials on hand. He said the summit’s goal was to provide local governments, municipalities, parishes and local government units contact with agencies that can assist in providing funds needed to better their communities.

“We are trying to put together the people who have the money, with people who need the money,” Williams said. “The goal of this is for each municipality or local government to identify a grant or some grants that they can apply for.”

According to Williams, a grant, which is primarily federal money, is when the state or the federal government sets aside money for a particular purpose.

Chuck Robichaux, Mayor of Rayne, helped host the Rural Community Funding Summit. He said his goal is to let local officials know these agencies will be available.

“They will have support from the senator, and support from the LMA to help walk them through these programs, so they are more accustomed to it,” Robichaux said. “A lot of times, there are fears about what it takes to get a grant. They are going to take our hands and walk us through it.

Inside the Rayne Civic Center Ballroom, various organizations were on hand to provide information. Those booths included participants/funding opportunities for the following:

Broadband

Disaster Mitigation

Environmental & Agriculture

Technical Assistance with Grants

Water & Wastewater Systems

Buildings (Brick &Mortar)

Economic Development

Housing

Roads

Bigger cities like Lafayette or Rayne have grant writers who can help them request the necessary funds. But smaller cities may not have the assistance they need. Leslie Durham, executive director of the Louisiana Infrastructure Technical Assistance Corporation, also was on hand to answer grant questions.

If a mayor or a local official were to approach Durham, for instance, looking for funds to improve their town or city, she could help find the correct funds needed.

Durham said there are always hurdles for smaller comminutes. For the 33 percent that LITACorp is helping, she said they have not been applied for federal funds.

“There are hurdles that keeping them from doing that,” Durham said. “Maybe they don’t have their ability to apply for federal funds… are it is too difficult because they may not have a consultant or a grant writer and that is why we are all here.”

LITACorp is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that assists local governments with accessing federal grants to strengthen public infrastructure, according to its website.

Cassidy said it’s one thing to say the funds are out there, but it’s another to connect them with the resources. The money will be spent somewhere, and Cassidy said his goal is ultimately investing back into Louisiana.

“We are trying to help our communities,” Cassidy said. “Some people might be saying, ‘Should we be spending this money?’ Well one, it was paid for, and two, our tax dollars are going to pay it back.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

Published

3 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

Published

15 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.

The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.

New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.

During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.

According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.

“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.

While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.

“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.

Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.

“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.

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Louisiana

Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.

Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.

63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.

Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.

“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”

Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.

“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.

Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.

Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.

“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.

The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.

The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.

Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.

“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.

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