Louisiana’s authorities deserves kudos for ending the much-maligned Street Residence program with a call to halt lawsuits in opposition to about 3,000 residents who suffered vital injury in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, the nation’s costliest catastrophe, and Hurricane Rita, which devastated the Lake Charles space weeks later.
A yearlong investigation by ProPublica, The Instances-Picayune | The Advocate and WWL-TV discovered that the catastrophe program didn’t present folks with sufficient to cowl what wanted to be mounted after their lives had been turned the wrong way up. And people with fewer sources to start with, the information organizations discovered, had been extra more likely to have been shortchanged.
From the start, it was a wrestle for Louisiana officers to get vital funding for owners to shut the hole between their insured and precise losses. The Street Residence identify turned a bitter jest within the areas hit exhausting throughout an extended restoration interval.
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In 2008, the state gave 32,000 owners elevation grants of $30,000 from the pot of federal housing assist. The state was tangled in federal crimson tape and took too lengthy to get the cash to residents, greater than three years after the epic flood. Then, the $30,000 offered per house owner was not sufficient for elevation tasks that usually value six figures or extra — a shortcoming that was apparent on the time. Some owners discovered further funding to get the job accomplished. Some used the grants for different home-related repairs.
Many individuals who took the cash agreed to lift their houses inside three years. Some say they had been informed by Street Residence representatives that they might use the money for different repairs. Certainly, in 2013 and 2015, the state modified guidelines to permit spending on repairs unrelated to elevation.
However the hitch was that owners must present how they used the cash, years after that they had spent it. By then, few nonetheless had receipts. A lot of them had been previous and poor. Some filed for chapter. Others uninterested in the state of affairs and failed to point out up in courtroom, and the state put liens on their properties.
The state sued about 3,500 of the owners to get the cash again. Solely about 5% of what the state sought has been collected.
Final month, Gov. John Bel Edwards, federal and New Orleans officers introduced the most important restoration program in U.S. historical past had ended — and associated lawsuits could be dropped.
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This was the suitable resolution, and it ought to have come sooner.
In hindsight, the Street Residence program helped many individuals get again house or transfer on to new houses, and it performed a big function in serving to Louisiana communities recuperate from the devastating 2005 storms. It did so by preserving fairness in houses for a lot of residents the place flooding — whether or not from levee failures or storm surge — devastated not solely people however the bigger native financial system.
However the house elevation element was bungled from the beginning. The grants had been inadequate, and the complexity of this system labored in opposition to residents.
“It’s been a depressing factor for the state of Louisiana to pursue these people as a result of we knew the overwhelming majority of them had been by no means going to pay,” Edwards stated.
He is proper. And we’re glad the state — lastly — determined to chop its losses, be taught from its errors and transfer on.
The Arkansas Razorbacks (6-5, 3-4 SEC) jumped in the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) following their 35-14 win Saturday over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
After coming in at 32nd overall following their loss to Texas, the Razorbacks moved up three spots to No. 29 off the back of the win over Louisiana Tech in ESPN’s FPI this week.
Head coach Sam Pittman’s squad now has a 6.3-5.7 projected win total and has secured six wins for bowl eligibility. Arkansas, of course, no longer has a chance at winning the SEC or making the College Football Playoff, according to the FPI.
According to ESPN, Arkansas now has the 15th-highest SOS (strength of schedule) and the 26th-best remaining SOS. The Razorbacks also slot in at No. 33 in Game Control rank, which reflects the chance that an average Top 25 team would control games from start to end. Finally, Arkansas is No. 56 in average in-game win probability.
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After 13 weeks of football, Arkansas dropped to No. 36 in the country in efficiency rankings, according to ESPN. This includes a 59.1 (No. 46) offensive rating.
The defensive rating moved up to 67.7 (No. 27) this week, and the special teams unit increased its rating to 45.2 (No. 87) after the Louisiana Tech game.
Compared to the rest of the SEC, the Razorbacks come in at No. 13 in the FPI just above Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Mississippi State. The Hogs are the same in the efficiency department, as they slot in at No. 13 in the SEC.
Arkansas’ next matchup will be on the road against No. 23 Missouri (8-3, 4-3 SEC), which ranks No. 33 in ESPN’s FPI with a 61.1 offensive efficiency (43rd) and 74.4 defensive efficiency (16th).
Per ESPN analytics, Arkansas has a 33.3% chance of beating Missouri this week.
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The Razorbacks’ game against the Tigers will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium on Saturday. It will be broadcast on SEC Network.
LONGVIEW, Texas (KLTV) – Three Corvettes were stolen from a dealership in Longview early Sunday morning, launching a chase that reached all the way to Shreveport.
According to Gregg County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Craig Harrington, three Corvettes were taken from Peters Chevrolet by drivers who fled eastbound towards Louisiana.
Harrington said one vehicle was spiked near Waskom on I-20, causing the driver to bail out and run on foot until being apprehended by authorities. A second car was recovered in Shreveport, and the third was found at a location in Louisiana that authorities have not yet released.
Law enforcement is in possession of all three vehicles, Harrington said, but no suspects are currently in custody and no further information is being released on them at this time. The vehicles are set to be returned to the dealership.
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KLTV has reached out to Peters Chevrolet for comment.
The Louisiana high school football playoffs are heating up, with underdogs defying the odds, powerhouse teams flexing their dominance, and individual stars shining under the bright lights. This week’s matchups offered everything from nail-biting finishes to unexpected blowouts, setting the stage for high-stakes quarterfinal showdowns. As the race to the state championships narrows, these eight key takeaways capture the action, drama, and standout performances defining this season’s playoff intensity.
In Division I nonselect, No. 6-seeded Southside rolled to a 47-0 shutout of No. 22 Walker and can reach the semifinals for the first time if the Sharks can upset the reigning state champs.
The Sharks (9-2), who will travel to No. 3 Ruston next, are led by running backs Ramon Singleton and Justin Williams. Singleton has rushed for 1,239 yards on 187 carries with 13 TD. Williams has 1,074 yards on 161 carries with 10 scores. Quarterback Parker Dies is averaging 8.2 yards per carry with six TD. The Sharks were 4 of 5 passing for 82 yards and a TD against Walker.
Three lower seeds advanced to the quarterfinals: No. 24 Chalmette upset No. 8 Hahnville, No. 21 West Monroe took down No. 5 Mandeville and No. 10 Destrehan blew out No. 7 Northwood-Shreveport, 63-21.
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Malachi Dabney scored six touchdowns in Destrehan’s win, according to Ryan Arena of The St. Charles Herald Guide. Receiver Jabari Mack left the game with an injury after scoring an early TD. The Wildcats (9-3) travel to No. 2 Airline (11-0) in the quarterfinals.
John Curtis Christian finished with a sub-.500 regular-season record for the first time since 1969, but the No. 19-seeded Patriots are doing Patriot things in the Division I select playoffs.
John Curtis, which lost its last three regular season games, beat No. 14 Brother Martin and No. 3 Acadiana to advance to the quarterfinals. Quarterback Reggie Johnson marched the Patriots, who were trailing by five points, 77 yards with less than two minutes remaining and threw a TD pass to freshman Jarvis Stevenson for a 28-27 win, according to Nick Fontenot of The Acadiana Advocate. Stevenson has five catches for 77 yards on the season with the huge touchdown.
The Patriots (6-5) travel to No. 6 Teurlings Catholic (10-1), which defeated No. 11 Jesuit, 31-23. John Curtis lost to Jesuit during district play, 17-10.
Cecilia and Opelousas, who met in the Division II nonselect final last year, defeated higher seeds to keep the chances of a rematch alive. The No. 18 Bulldogs and No. 14 Tigers will meet in the semifinals if both can win on the road again.
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No team had scored more than 20 points all season against undefeated No. 2 Lutcher before Cecilia visited on Friday, according to Reed Darcey of The Baton Rouge Advocate.
The Bulldogs topped that total in the first half of a wild 49-41 shootout. Senior quarterback Diesel Solari accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing). Sophomore Braylon Calais rushed for 113 yards on 15 carries with two TD.
Two UL Ragin’ Cajun commits went head-to-head with Cecilia’s Brent Gordon and Lutcher running back Trenton Chaney, who ran for 194 yards on 24 carries with three TD.
Opelousas kept its end of the bargain by eliminating No. 3 Jennings, 30-19. The Tigers (8-3) travel to No. 6 Plaquemine (11-1), which knocked out No. 11 Northwest, 49-34.
Cecilia (9-3) visits No. 7 North DeSoto (10-2).
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No. 1 Archbishop Shaw hosts No. 8 John F. Kennedy in a highly anticipated Division II select quarterfinal. The Eagles (9-2), who beat No. 16 Loranger 49-14, got three rushing touchdowns in the first half from Michigan commit Jasper Parker.
Parker, the district MVP, finished the regular season with 1,501 all-purpose yards and 22 TD.
John F. Kennedy (7-4) is a dangerous No. 8 seed that lost three games by forfeit. The Cougars got a scare from No. 9 Lake Charles College Prep but held on to win 51-37. JFK had allowed only 20 points during its last six games.
The No. 2 seed in Division III nonselect was ousted when No. 15 Loreauville defeated No. 2 Erath, 28-7, in a rematch of Week One won by Erath. Loreauville exerted control from the outset, stopping Erath on its first possession and taking a 7-0 lead on a 48-yard pass from Hayden Benoit to Gavin Judice.
Maddox Savoy didn’t reach the end zone, but he moved the chains with 155 yards on 27 carries for an offense that had 23 first downs and outgained the Bobcats by 200 yards.
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Loreauville (6-5), which began the year 0-4, travels to No. 7 Jena (9-3). Blake Delcambre relieved Benoit at quarterback during a drive and capped it off in two plays, completing a long pass to Blaise Romero and keeping the ball himself for a 30-plus yard TD run.
Lafayette Christian, like John Curtis, worked its way through a sub-.500 regular season. The Knights faced a challenging schedule that included Archbishop Rummel, Archbishop Shaw, Central-BR, Evangel Christian and a Westgate team that was fully loaded with Jaboree Antoine at the time.
The No. 9 Knights avenged an earlier loss by beating No. 8 Notre Dame in Division III select, 35-28. Ball-hawking defensive back Chris Helaire and LCA will have to upset No. 1 Dunham (11-0) and five-star QB Elijah Haven to keep their streak of consecutive title game appearances alive.
Junior quarterback Braylon Walker dissected the Notre Dame defense for 103 yards on 11 carries with four TD. He completed 14 of 17 passes for 187 yards and a score.
In the regular season loss to Pioneers, Walker rushed for 44 yards on 15 carries with a TD. This is the third time in eight years the Knights have lost a district game and avenged it in the playoffs, according to statistician Hayden Lessard. LCA did it in 2017 (Vermilion Catholic) and 2022 (Teurlings Catholic), beating both in the semifinals.
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No. 7 Catholic-New Iberia (10-1) and QB Luke Landry travel to No. 2 Isidore Newman (9-0) in another marquee D3 matchup. Landry has passed for 31 TD with only one interception. The Greenies will counter with QB Eli Friend.
Jeanerette pounded No. 13 Grand Lake, 46-24, in Division IV nonselect. Sophomore running back Devine Duhon, who was sidelined by injury late in the regular season, returned and accounted for 261 yards and six TD. The No. 4 Tigers (8-2), who host No. 12 General Trass in the quarterfinals, were also without quarterback Zyon Colar for a loss to Central Catholic.
The nation’s top running back, five-star LSU commit Harlem Berry, and the ninth-seeded St. Martin’s Episcopal Saints were handled by a St. Edmund offense that has produced zany numbers all year.
Quarterback Kane West completed 12 of 14 passes for 237 yards and two TD and rushed for 73 yards on 11 carries with five TD. But that’s not all. The strongman converted eight two-point conversions in the 78-37 win.
Tailback Henry Summerlin went over the 1,600-yard mark for the year with a 326-yard effort for the No. 8 Blue Jays (10-1), who travel to No. 1 Vermilion Catholic (11-0) and 2,100-plus yard rusher Jonathan Dartez in the Division IV select quarterfinals.
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West, who threw touchdowns on approximately half of his regular season completions, has 14 rushing TD. He scored five two-point conversions in a win over Opelousas Catholic.
With upset wins, stellar individual performances, and underdogs rewriting expectations, this year’s Louisiana high school football playoffs are shaping up to be unforgettable. The stakes only get higher as the quarterfinals loom, promising more drama and excitement ahead.
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