Louisiana

New head of coastal protection intends to use rocks to protect Louisiana’s Gulf coast

Published

2 years ago

February 2, 2024

New head of coastal protection intends to use rocks to protect Louisiana’s Gulf coast

The new coastal protection chairman is a familiar face in Terrebonne, and he plans to use breakwater rocks to defend Louisiana’s coast.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry appointed former Terrebonne Parish President Gordy Dove chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Former Terrebonne Levee Conservation District Board President Tony Alford was appointed chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection on Jan. 31.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, also known as CPRA, creates an annual master plan for Louisiana’s coast, as well as a five-year plan, which is then submitted to the Louisiana Legislature. Dove recently termed out as Parish President. For more than a year he would say he was intending to retire and spend time with his grandchildren. He said the political animal in him won out, and he couldn’t turn down an opportunity to defend the coast.

“You know, my children and their grandchildren are going to live in Louisiana,” he said. “I’m going to make sure they don’t walk under water.”

Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District Director Reggie Dupree, who also served with Dove as a state Representative, said it’s good for Lafourche and Terrebonne that the two Houma natives are in positions to directly protect the coast.

“I think it’s a very very good move for the people of the bayou region,” Dupree said. “If you look at the big scale, what we’ve done in Terrebonne and Lafourche is multiple lines of defense strategy… Now, I think you are going to see it practiced more on the statewide basis.”

Dove said one of his major goals for the coast involved putting segmented breakwater rocks throughout the entire Louisiana coast. According to Dove, these rocks have proven effective on Raccoon Island and Grand Isle. The project would cost about $1 billion, he said, and likely take a year-and-a-half before the first rock is put down.

Scientists say breakwater rocks come with both pros and cons. In the short term, they say, the rocks are proven to rebuild landmass by breaking the waves and currents and depositing the sands carried by the water flow nearby. Areas like Racoon Island have proven this aspect out.

The cons are that they can generate undertows dangerous to swimmers, and that they are not natural to the coast. The coast is made up of sand, deposited by the Mississippi River, and the islands tend to naturally move – a phenomena known as “littoral drift.” Islands, such as Racoon Island, are supposed to migrate as tidal waters move the sands from one side to the other, biologist Gary LaFleur said.

“An island like Racoon Island, it’s supposed to migrate in a certain direction,” he said. “If you had a hotel or parking lot on there, that’s a big inconvenience, but it’s kind of like the way Mother Nature made barrier islands – that’s what they are supposed to do.”

More: Governor Jeff Landry names team to restore and protect Louisiana’s disappearing coastline

More: Lawsuit seeks to overturn Louisiana’s new majority Black congressional district

Senior Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program Scientist Andrew Barron said breakwater rocks as a solution are a bit of a “mixed bag.” He said it definitely can rebuild terrain in the short term, but instances like Wine Island are a cautionary tale. The island was encircled with rocks to protect it, but battered by Hurricane Issac, the shoal moved from within the rocks, to outside of it. The island ceased to be, but the rocks remained, posing a hazard for boat captains.

Both scientists said the coast needs aid, and couldn’t say whether it would be the right or wrong solution. LaFleur compared using the breakwater rocks to medicine, it could be used the way a cast is used for a broken arm, something unnatural used for a short time to repair something natural. With the coastline rapidly diminishing, he said action is needed to protect the people that live there sooner rather than later.

“In a place like Grand Isle, you can’t do something academic like I’m talking about, ” he said. “Grand Isle has to be saved right now for the people that live there.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Nov. 11, 2025

Published

16 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Nov. 11, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Nov. 11 drawing

10-13-40-42-46, Mega Ball: 01

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing

4-6-5

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing

6-4-7-9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Nov. 11 drawing

2-3-8-7-8

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

Sunpie Barnes and his Hot Spots will play in Covington

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

Sunpie Barnes and his Hot Spots will play in Covington

Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes and his Louisiana Sunspots band will fill Christ Episcopal Church with their distinctive fusion of zydeco, blues, gospel, jazz, Afro-Caribbean and African music on Nov. 16 as the Third Sunday Concert series continues in Covington.

Barnes’ powerful voice and the group’s distinctive sound are part of the rich soundtrack that defines New Orleans. It’s also a sound heard yearly at the city’s most significant music venues, including Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as Louisiana Cajun-Zydeco Festival and other major music events inside and outside of Louisiana.

But Barnes (born Bruce Barnes) and his band will curate and present a special hour of music for their 5 p.m. concert audience in Covington, and there’s plenty to choose from, having released six albums and played in more than 50 countries across Africa, Europe, Central America and South America.

Selections at Christ Episcopal are expected to include “Bunny Bread,” “Irene,” “Trouble In Mind” and “Island Man,” with Barnes on his accordion and harmonica; Matt Hampsey on guitar; Leroy Etienne on drums; and Kerry Lewis on bass.

In addition to the music, Barnes (who plays more than a half-dozen instruments) was a college All-American and NFL player; a book author and photographer who currently leads an iconic Mardi Gras Indian tribe in New Orleans and continues his longtime National Park Service employment as a ranger.

Come to the show for the music — this concert is just the latest concert in the church’s decades-long music ministry — and then meet Barnes and his band members in a reception immediately following the show.

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Louisiana

Mall of Louisiana Boulevard Project enters next phase under MOVEBR program

Published

3 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Mall of Louisiana Boulevard Project enters next phase under MOVEBR program

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A major traffic improvement project is moving forward near one of Baton Rouge’s busiest shopping areas.

The MOVEBR program has officially broken ground on the railroad underpass phase of the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project, a key part of the city’s effort to improve mobility and safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

The $38 million project is the latest phase in a multi-step plan to ease congestion and enhance flood control in the area. Fred Raiford, East Baton Rouge Parish’s director of Transportation and Drainage, said the project is designed to give commuters more options and reduce bottlenecks near the Mall of Louisiana.

“We just feel like it’s a good connector to be able to tie the interstate in Perkins and provide more opportunity for drivers to use the vehicles to go where they want to go in that general vicinity,” Raiford said.

Phase One included the Backcourt Drive Bridge and the Dawson Creek twin bridges. This new phase focuses on building a railroad underpass and pump station, a critical addition to keep traffic flowing and reduce flooding during heavy rain.

Raiford said once this stage is complete, crews will move into roadway construction and signal installation.

“Our next phase will be the actual road construction, and the last thing is to look at putting the traffic signal at Perkins and the Mall of Louisiana Road,” he said.

Previously known as the Picardy-Perkins Connector, the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is being developed in coordination with the Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Railroad to safely separate vehicle and train crossings. Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards said it’s a major step toward modernizing local infrastructure.

“I think this roadway is going to be a fantastic asset for our parish, for today and for the future,” Edwards said.

Once completed in roughly three years, the four-lane roadway will feature a 10-foot-wide shared-use path connecting to BREC’s Trail at Dawson’s Creek, along with a privacy wall to buffer nearby neighborhoods.

Officials said the Mall of Louisiana Boulevard project is another milestone in MOVEBR’s mission to reduce congestion and create safer, more accessible routes throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.