Getting back: The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reimburse East Baton Rouge Parish nearly $40 million for debris removal expenses, according to a news release. FEMA awarded the state of Louisiana nearly $146 million to reimburse local entities for expenses related to flood response and recovery efforts. More than $6 million will be paid back to Livingston Parish for debris removal expenses. The National Guard will receive roughly $5 million for public safety actions during the disaster response. The state will receive nearly $95 million for its Shelter at Home program.
Open temporarily: Regions Bank has set up temporary banking facilities in Baton Rouge’s Monticello neighborhood and in Denham Springs as the bank works to renovate and restore branches damaged during the August flooding. In the Monticello area, the temporary banking facility is located at 11880 Greenwell Springs Road. In Denham Springs, Regions established a temporary branch at 1509 S. Range Ave., adjacent to the bank’s permanent Denham Springs branch, which is undergoing extensive repairs due to the flood damage. The renovated branch locations are expected to reopen by the end of 2016.
In court: U.S. Senate candidate Troy Hebert says in a news release that he has filed for an injunction today in the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge against the Louisiana Public Broadcasting and Council for A Better Louisiana. The two entities are hosting a U.S. Senate Forum on Oct. 18 at Louisiana Tech University, but only five of the 24 candidates will be able to participate. Hebert, who was not invited, says the forum is rigged against “the little man” because candidates must have at least $1 million in their campaign fund to participate in the statewide forum. “So if a candidate is polling at 51%, they still could not participate because they are not rich enough,” Hebert says. CABL President Barry Erwin says criteria has always been used to determine participation in the forum. “Because of the large number of candidates this year, there’s been more than the usual amount of attention focused on how you determine which candidates to invite,” Erwin says. “We have always established criteria and in doing so again this year we followed principles that we believe are fair and well-recognized.”
