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$349
$259
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FRESH EXPRESS GARDEN SALAD OR SHREDS
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W e d n e s d ay, a p r i l 9, 2025
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FEMA ends storm grants program 148 applications in La. worth $721 million spiked
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration has ended a Federal Emergency Management Agency program heavily relied upon by Louisiana that paid to elevate homes, build levees and do other work to lessen damage from storms, calling it “wasteful and ineffective.” The end of the Building Resilient
Infrastructure and Communities program effectively spikes 148 applications worth $721,281,559 in Louisiana, according to FEMA’s financial obligations database. Louisiana, California and New York collectively receive about half of the program’s total budget. FEMA has stopped accepting applications for 2024 and is canceling projects on the drawing board from 2020 to 2023. Approved grant funds that have not been distribut-
ed will be returned to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury, according to FEMA. Plus, the agency is looking for ways to claw back money already paid out. For Louisiana, that could translate to about $282 million. “The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program,” an unnamed FEMA spokesperson said in a statement that accompanied the announcement. “It was more
concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters.” The program was created during Trump’s first administration. His successor, Democratic President Joe Biden, poured money into it from a fund that also included appropriations to address climate change, efforts opposed by Trump. The spokesperson added that closing the program would allow FEMA to devote more funds to respond to hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, tornadoes and other disasters.
TEE TIME
A decade in the making, Five O Fore golf-party spot on Howard Avenue finally opens for business
U.S. Sen Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said Tuesday he’s going to call FEMA, explain what the program means to Louisiana and ask that it be reinstated. It “has been an effective program benefiting people in Louisiana,” he said. Louisiana delegation members have long argued that infrastructure improvements that lessen the impact of storms should be considered when setting prices for flood insurance, which they consider
ä See FEMA, page 6A
Report: Close Bourbon to traffic Consultants brought in following deadly New year’s attack
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE, BEN MYERS and JEFF ADELSON Staff writers
Dylan Nguyen hits the ball during an event at Five O Fore Golf + Entertainment on Tuesday. BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
It’s been in the works for nearly a decade and its owners have had to deal with more obstacles than the typical $50 million golf entertainment project might expect, but finally the Five O Fore complex at 3800 Howard Ave. is open for business. The 175-foot-high poles supporting the driving range netting have been visible to drivers on nearby Interstate 10 for months, as have the colorful targets that golfers aim for from the three decks of hightech driving bays in the main building. On Tuesday evening, hundreds of invited guests, includ-
WEATHER HIGH 74 LOW 55 PAGE 8B
STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER
of hundred-hour weeks for me and my brother, Nick, so we’re just happy and relieved that we were finally able to get this project over the finish line,” Xiao said on the sidelines of Tuesday’s event. The Howard Avenue golf complex was touted from its inception as an economic development project that would help bring employment and attract other businesses to the B.W. Cooper/Broadmoor area, where light industry had fallen into decline over the years Guests gather during ‘A Taste of Five O Fore’ event on Tuesday. and nearby neighborhoods suffered as a result. Helena Moreno, City Couning politicians, business lead- ebrated getting their business ers and local sports stars, got license April 3. cil member and candidate for Friday is set to be the official mayor in this year’s election, to drive balls onto the artificial turf for the first time, as owner opening day. ä See TEE, page 8A “It’s been a couple of years Alex Xiao and his partners cel-
Business ...................12A Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................8D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-7D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
Permanently closing Bourbon Street to traffic, requesting the highest federal threat rating for Mardi Gras each year and increasing barricades along Bourbon Street and parade routes are some of the key recommendations in a long-awaited report by security consultants. The report, commissioned by New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick in the wake of the deadly New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street, is intended to guide city officials as they revise the city’s security plans to prevent a similar attack in the future. Consultants at global consulting firm Teneo, including former New York City and Los Angeles Police Commissioner William Bratton, found that “staffing levels, resource allocation and distribution, availability of critical infrastructure protective barriers, and communication inefficiency challenge the NOPD’s ability to address the growing threats against the city.” The Times-Picayune obtained a copy of the 43-page final report Tuesday. City officials are still reviewing the recommendations of the report, a spokesperson for Mayor LaToya Cantrell said in a statement Monday, adding that the city would release the report in full itself once that review was complete. Under Teneo’s proposal, Bourbon Street would be closed to traffic from Canal Street to Dumaine Street, including cross streets. Authorized vehicles would be permitted during certain hours to make deliveries and to perform other
ä See REPORT, page 7A
12TH yEAR, NO. 240