Louisiana
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy touts infrastructure grants awarded to Louisiana municipalities, utility districts during Donaldsonville event
Louisiana U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy released a statement after awarding more than $52 million in grants from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to municipalities and gas utility districts during an event May 17 in Donaldsonville.
“This money will decrease the risk of explosion and decrease the amount of wasted methane which people are paying for, thus saving folks money,” Cassidy said in the announcement. “It also cleans up our environment. It’s a good investment of taxpayer dollars for the benefit of folks in Louisiana.”
In an effort to safeguard natural gas pipelines, nearly $1 billion will be awarded over a five-year span throughout the country with $392 million being awarded this year, the senator added.
As previously reported, the cities of Donaldsonville, Port Allen and Walker, the town of Berwick, and gas utility districts in East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana and West Feliciana parishes were grant recipients.
Similar funding was awarded last April with more than $27 million going to municipalities in south and central Louisiana.
Per Cassidy, the IIJA has awarded more than $9.1 billion to Louisiana since the president signed it into law in late 2021.
The funding has gone toward repairing bridges, building flood protection systems and extending broadband in rural areas.
Cassidy noted Donaldsonville Mayor Leroy Sullivan’s city received the largest grant, which was $20 million to replace 27.3 miles of natural gas infrastructure.
Sullivan said the gas line improvement grant from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration “is a pivotal moment for the City of Donaldsonville.”
“Sen. Cassidy was instrumental in helping us secure this funding and we are deeply grateful for his unwavering support.,” the mayor said in the announcement. “This project is an investment in the future of our city and positions our community for continued growth.”
Gonzales Weekly Citizen and Donaldsonville Chief, part of the USA Today Network of Louisiana, cover Ascension Parish and the greater Baton Rouge area. Follow at facebook.com/WeeklyCitizen and facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleChief.
The 2025 Louisiana high school girls basketball season continued on Tuesday, and High School On SI has a list of all the final scores from tonight’s slate of action.
Abbeville 45, Westgate 42
Albany 56, Mandeville 49
Alexandria 45, Northwest 36
Archbishop Chapelle 58, Thibodaux 36
Baker 41, Tara 35
Basile 50, Gueydan 32
Ben Franklin 40, Kenner Discovery Health Science 32
Benton 55, Woodlawn – Shrev. 24
Berwick 50, Northside Christian 20
Bolton Academy 40, Westminster Christian – Lafayette 9
Bossier 59, Magnolia School of Excellence 22
Broadmoor 45, Central – B.R. 39
C.E. Byrd 30, Red River 28
Caldwell Parish 41, Delta Charter 17
Calvary Baptist 53, Loyola Prep 33
Calvin 60, Doyline 6
Castor 64, Converse 45
Central Catholic 56, Comeaux 34
Central Lafourche 51, Morgan City 15
Chalmette 44, St. Mary’s Academy 18
Choudrant 61, Weston 29
D’Arbonne Woods Charter 40, Lincoln Preparatory School 20
David Thibodaux 34, South Cameron 27
Delhi Charter 57, Forest 40
Denham Springs 62, Edna Karr 26
Destrehan 67, McDonogh #35 32
Dodson 42, Grace Christian 9
Dominican 36, Archbishop Hannan 27
Downsville 28, Georgetown 26
Doyle 71, Maurepas 22
Dunham 44, Central Private 31
Dutchtown 60, East Iberville 17
E.D. White 39, Acad. of Sacred Heart – N.O. 34
East Ascension 41, East St. John 34
Eunice 40, Crowley 23
Evans 53, Pickering 41
Fairview 76, Glenmora 32
Florien 53, Hicks 47
Fontainebleau 38, Loranger 26
Franklinton 42, Academy of Our Lady 5
Franklin Parish 54, Ferriday 32
GEO Next Generation 46, Glen Oaks 44
Grand Lake 44, Kaplan 27
Green Oaks 43, Evangel Christian 21
Hackberry 59, DeQuincy 11
Hammond 60, Jewel Sumner 13
Hanson Memorial 47, Delcambre 33
Hathaway 79, Welsh 25
Haynes Academy 66, Fisher 24
Hornbeck 51, Montgomery 14
Independence 47, Kentwood 27
Iota 51, Port Barre 11
John Curtis Christian 52, Natchitoches Central 42
Johnson Bayou 38, Sabine Pass – TX – UIL 13
LaGrange 63, Beau Chene 18
Lake Charles College Prep 47, Port Allen 0
LaSalle 33, Monterey 24
Liberty 65, West Jefferson 4
Live Oak 50, Plaquemine 47
Mangham 64, General Trass 11
McKinley 49, Collegiate Baton Rouge 33
Merryville 70, East Beauregard 33
Midland 84, Lacassine 50
Minden 61, Lakeside 15
Mt. Hermon 55, Bogalusa 29
Negreet 51, Ebarb 33
Neville 67, Bastrop 40
North Vermilion 59, St. Thomas More 40
Northshore 53, Belle Chasse 32
Northside 53, Jennings 42
Northwood – Shrev. 61, Many 38
Oak Grove 54, West Monroe 43
Oakdale 55, Leesville 27
Opelousas Catholic 42, Ascension Episcopal 24
Ouachita Christian 61, Harrisonburg 11
Parkway 48, Carroll 29
Pine 58, Varnado 16
Pineville 48, DeRidder 27
Pitkin 51, Claiborne Christian 9
Plain Dealing 44, North Caddo 39
Plainview 54, Elizabeth 40
Providence Classical Academy 50, Glenbrook 4
Quitman 48, Jonesboro-Hodge 46
Rapides 40, North Central 31
Reeves 75, Kinder 59
Richwood 61, Delhi 24
Rosepine 57, Pleasant Hill 53
St. Amant 70, Assumption 20
St. John 43, Capitol 17
St. Joseph’s – Plaucheville 40, Northwood – Lena 31
St. Joseph’s Academy 65, St. Michael the Archangel 31
St. Martinville 46, Jeanerette 39
St. Scholastica 31, Northlake Christian 27
Salmen 57, Booker T. Washington – N.O. 20
Sam Houston 65, Lake Arthur 50
Scotlandville 47, Family Christian 12
Simpson 71, Oak Hill 62
Singer 40, Stanley 32
Slaughter Community Charter 38, Belaire 10
Slidell 65, Terrebonne 54
South Lafourche 27, Mt. Carmel 22
Southern Lab 67, Ponchatoula 44
Southwood 57, Booker T. Washington – Shr. 52
Sterlington 64, Haughton 49
Teurlings Catholic 47, Acadiana Renaissance Charter 13
Tioga 67, Avoyelles 35
University Lab 71, Brusly 19
Vandebilt Catholic 34, West St. Mary 18
Vermilion Catholic 49, Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy 23
Vidalia 55, Madison 20
Ville Platte 57, Avoyelles Public Charter 11
Walker 38, H.L. Bourgeois 34
West Feliciana 66, Rayne 45
West Ouachita 63, Beekman Charter 11
West St. John 40, Frederick A Douglass 14
Westlake 63, Jena 34
White Castle 60, Donaldsonville 47
Winnfield 67, Lakeview 53
Woodlawn – B.R. 66, Istrouma 36
Wossman 61, Ouachita Parish 44
Zachary 55, Madison Prep 49
Zwolle 57, Anacoco 48
Cherokee author hopes her novels spark curiosity about Native history
Cherokee author Vanessa Lillie hopes her suspense novels inspire readers to explore and learn about Native American history.
In the U.S., there are 574 federally recognized Native American tribes and Alaska Native entities, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
As for Louisiana, the state is home to more federally recognized Indigenous tribes than any other state in the South.
This isn’t including state recognized tribes, which Louisiana also has a significant number of.
Louisiana has the most federally recognized Native American tribes in the South
Louisiana has four federally recognized Native American tribes, including the Chitimacha, Coushatta, Jena Band of Choctaw Indians and the Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana, according to the American Library Association.
In the case of federally recognized tribes, they have a sovereign, government-to-government relationship, which grants the tribes inherent rights, self-government, as well as eligibility for certain federal benefits and services, says the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Louisiana among states with the most state-recognized Native American tribes
The state of Louisiana recognizes 11 Indigenous tribes, in addition to the four federally recognized tribes. Louisiana’s state-recognized Indigenous tribes, not including the four federally recognized tribes, are:
- Bayou Lafourche Band
- Grand Caillou/Dulac Band
- Jean Charles Choctaw Nation
- Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe
- United Houma Nation
- Four Winds Cherokee
- Clifton Choctaw
- Louisiana Band of Choctaw
- Addai Caddo
- Choctaw-Apache
- Natchitoches Tribe
When it comes to state-recognized Native American tribes, they lack a federal relationship with the U.S. government and its associated benefits. Therefore, state-level acknowledgement does not guarantee federal funding and the tribes remain subject to state law, according to Native Nations Institute.
Why are there so many Indigenous tribes in Louisiana?
Louisiana has a number of recognized Native American tribes predominantly because of its historical background as a diverse ancestral homeland with an abundance of natural resources, which served as a refuge for various groups, including those that were displaced by European settlement, according to Louisiana State Museums.
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — A new law signed by President Donald Trump could make simple tax return mistakes easier to fix.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy authored The IRS Math Act, aiming to clear up confusion around IRS error notices. Millions of Americans receive a letter from the IRS saying, “There’s a math error” on their federal return every year.
For many, the notices are hard to understand, and even harder to fix, but the new IRS Math Act aims to change that.
“For all of you who called our office, my office, you made an honest mistake on your tax return, and now you feel the whole weight of the IRS coming after you,” said Cassidy. “It says if you make an honest mistake, you confess, you pay the difference, and all is clear,” Senator Cassidy said.
The bill requires the IRS to make the error notices on federal returns clearer and provide a path for correcting honest mistakes. It spells out how taxpayers can respond, what they owe, and how to resolve issues without escalation. The bill passed with bipartisan support.
Trump also signed another bill from Cassidy, the Support Act, which further targets the fentanyl crisis in the U.S.
“The Support Act is about preventing, treating, and delivering recovery services for Americans co-diagnosed with both addiction and mental illness,” said Cassidy. “One law enforcement officer I spoke to said, ‘You cannot arrest your way out of this epidemic of drug abuse.’ So, we’ve got to address two things at once in this bill — addiction and mental illnesses; they often go together. Now, I speak as a doctor, I know that giving the opportunity to be healed, to return to wholeness, is one of the ways we get out of this drug crisis.”
Implementation guidelines for the acts are expected from federal agencies in the coming months.
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