Dedicated: Gov. John Bel Edwards is dedicating $10 million for a project to alleviate severe erosion along canals running through Southern University’s campus to the Mississippi River. The erosion—exacerbated by failed drainage structures—is impacting critical infrastructure and utilities on the campus, giving rise to safety concerns and challenges to the university’s day-to-day operation, a news release says. Edwards toured the campus in June, noting damaged caused by the erosion like a partially collapsed road. At least $7.5 million of the $10 million investment is Hazard Mitigation Grant Program dollars, which is administered by FEMA and is available statewide following a disaster declaration.
Shrinking waistlines: Tennessee has dethroned Louisiana as the state ranked No. 1 for the rate of overweight and obese children. That’s according to the most recent state-by-state data for the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health. Louisiana is now ranked No. 8 after its rate fell to 34% in 2016 from nearly 40% in 2011. By comparison, nearly 38% of children in Tennessee are overweight or obese while Utah has the lowest rate of 19%. The rankings are produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Trust for America’s Health. Read more.
In the air: Airline travelers who check at least one bag are paying more overall to fly than they did before airlines began unbundling fares in 2008, a new government report says. The proliferation of new fees for services means flyers aren’t always able to determine the full cost of their travel and compare prices across airlines before buying tickets. The Government Accountability Office says airlines collected $7.1 billion in revenue from checked bag and changed reservations fees in 2016. Those are the only fee revenues that airlines are required to report to the government.
