General Excellence Louisiana Press Association CENTRALCENTRAL CITYCITY National Newspaper Assn. Central’s Great Birthday Bash Central’s 12th Anniversary of Incorporation 5-10 p.m. July 15 Wildcat Stadium ® & The Leader NEWSNEWSJune 2017 • Vol. 20, No. 6 • 16 Pages • Circulation 18,000 • 50,000 online • www.centralcitynews.us • 225-261-5055 State Built I-12 Like a Dam, Then Added 5-to-7-foot Wall Did DOTD Worsen Flooding By Building Wall along I-12? • 1,400 Homeowners Sued DOTD after the 1983 Flood, Alleging That I-12 Was Built Like a Dam, Causing Their Homes to Flood. This Resulted in a Judgment of $93 Million against the State of Louisiana in 2002 • Since Then, DOTD Failed to Make Changes in I-12 And in 2015 Actually Added a 5’ to 7’ Wall to I-12 • Local Officials Claim Wall Caused 3’ to 5’ of Water To Back Up into Homes North of I-12 in 2016 Flood • Some Officials Believe I-12 Wall Contributed to Flood Waters Backing Up in Central and Even Baker Woody Jenkins ceiving three to five feet of water Editor, Central City News in the flood of August 2016, The plaintiffs are the cities of WALKER — The Louisiana De- Walker and Denham Springs, Liv- partment of Transportation & De- ingston Parish, and the Livingston velopment and 20 DOTD contrac- Parish school board. tors who constructed the wall that Damages could be in the hun- runs down the middle of I-12 have dreds of millions of dollars. been sued by four local govern- This litigation comes against the ments in Livingston Parish and a backdrop of previous litigation that host of individual citizens in Liv- found the State of Louisiana guilty Photo provided by Livingston Parish News Parish by Livingston provided Photo ingston and Tangipahoa parishes. of negligence in building I-12. The wall, which varies from In the floods of 1983, more than five to seven feet in height, was 1,400 homes north of I-12 suffered installed in 2015 as a means of enormous damage because I-12 preventing head-on collisions. But was built like a dam, trapping wa- The five to seven-foot concrete barrier down the center of I-12 served as a dam during the plaintiffs allege this new wall ter on the north side of Interstate. flooding in August 2016, holding water on the north side (left) of the Interstate. resulted in thousands of homes re- See DEFENDANTS on Page 16 Rep. Hodges Passes Landmark Flood Plan Bill BATON ROUGE — Rep. Valarie plan to be established by a new flood and drainage proposals Hodges (R-Central) authored land- commission chaired by the Secre- across the state with a view toward mark legislation during the recent tary of the Louisiana Department of making sure that a project in one Final Debris Pickup Regular Session that could have a Transportation and Development. parish does not worsen flooding in CENTRAL — The City of Cen- dramatic effect on preventing fu- The commission will be respon- another. tral’s final debris pickup for the ture flooding not only in East Ba- sible for establishing a statewide The commission will be respon- 2016 flood will begin June 26 ton Rouge Parish but throughout flood information database. That sible for maintaining flood basins and continue for seven to 10 Louisiana. database will in turn be used to that cross parish lines and specifi- days. The pickup will be only HB 691, which is awaiting the systematically review flood and cally for clearing and de-snagging for flood debris and not con- governor’s signature, requires the drainage problems in each area of the Amite and Comite rivers. struction debris. Mayor Jr. Shel- state to establish a comprehensive the state. Hodges’ bill passed the House ton emphasized this will be the statewide floodplain management 91-4 and the Senate 34-0. final debris pickup for the flood. The commission will review Photo by Eric Frank by Eric Photo CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 2017 celebrated after receiving their diplomas during ceremonies at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond May 23. 2 Thursday, June 22, 2017 COMMUNITY PRESS, LLC CAPITAL CITY NEWS CENTRAL CITY NEWS & & South Baton Rouge Journal Vol. 26 • No. 6 The Leader Vol. 20 • No. 6 • CCN No. 401 910 North Foster Drive Post Office Box 1 Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Greenwell Springs, LA 70739 910 North Foster Drive Vol. 1 • No. 3 Istrouma Journal Baton Rouge, LA 70806 Phone (225) 261-5055 • Entire contents © 2017 Email stories and photos to [email protected] Published Monthly on the first Thursday of each month The Leader was founded April 30, 1998. The Central City News was founded April 21, 2005. They merged May 4, 2006. The South Baton Rouge Journal began publication in 1989. It went on hiatus in 2008 during its 20th year of publication. The Journal resumed publication as the Capital City News on Aug. 16, 2012, with Vol. 21, No. 1. Istrouma Journal began April 6, 2017 Editor & Publisher Woody Jenkins Business Manager Jolice Provost Account Executive Kim Powers Member, Louisiana Press Association and Chamber EBR Deadline for news and advertising: 5 p.m. Friday before publication $18 a year by subscription in advance • $25 a year outside East Baton Rouge Popular miniature railroad at the Baton Rouge Zoo near Baker Another Wacky Idea from Secretive Billion-Dollar BRAF Will BREC Move Zoo to Iberville Parish Line? parish. That particular site would So now the $110 million plan to Unelected Rulers also isolate the zoo from the Inter- uproot the Baton Rouge Zoo from state. It is 8.6 miles of tough traffic North Baton Rouge and send it per- congestion and at least 20 minutes haps as far away as the Iberville Exercising Undue driving time from L’Auberge to I-10 Parish line is in the hands of the at Essen. Board of Commissioners of BREC Influence in EBR Moving the Baton Rouge Zoo out of North Baton Rouge is an- while the unelected BRAF tries to Woody Jenkins other wacky brainchild of the super call the shots from the sidelines. Editor wealthy secretive group known as the North Baton Rouge and fiscal Baton Rouge Area Foundation. With conservatives may complain but BATON ROUGE — Now the Board more than $1 billion in assets and let’s face it, too often BRAF has the of Commissioners of BREC is con- a real estate empire, the ostensibly money and makes the rules! sidering a plan to move the Baton non-profit, non-political BRAF calls Rouge Zoo from its home in North many of the shots in Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge to a site in the south- BRAF never met a tax it didn’t ern part of the parish, possibly near like. In fact, BRAF was the chief Four BR Area L’Auberge Casino on the Iberville architect of Kip Holden’s $1 bil- Parish line — 22.7 miles and at least lion Alive Riverfront tax, the CATS Republicans Join 34 minutes from the zoo’s present tax, the Council on Aging tax, and home near Baker. the mental health tax, which would Dems on Budget It would be a major blow to North have gone to BRAF’s coffers. BRAF BATON ROUGE — Four Baton Baton Rouge and would put the zoo is the big player behind the opposi- Rouge area Republican lawmakers far from the population center of the tion to incorporation of St. George broke ranks with their Republican Entrance to Baton Rouge Zoo colleagues to support the state bud- Baton Rouge Area Foundation Agenda for Capital City and the Southeast school district. get proposed by Democratic Gov. BRAF was also the architect of the John Bel Edwards. They were: Kip Holden’s $1 billion “Alive” Riverfront tax • CATS tax • The Gay Rights “Fairness” ordinance • Rep. Franklin Foil “Fairness” Gay Rights Ordinance • Council on Aging tax • rejected by the Metro Council. • Rep. Kenny Havard BRAF Mental Health tax • Opposition to Incorporation of St. As BRAF CEO John Davies says, • Rep. Barry Ivey George • Move BR Zoo to Iberville Parish line. “We’ve helped “We’ve helped in a small way to • Rep. Rogers Pope advance a progressive [left-wing] The bill passed 56-46 and in a small way to advance a progressive agenda for Baton agenda for Baton Rouge!” Indeed crushed the more conservative plan Rouge,” said John Davies, CEO, BRAF. they have! developed by House Republicans. Small Business Directory • Shop Local Auto Glass Dirt Work Furniture Good Furniture That Lasts Nicholas and Maisie Lovett General Sand & Gravel Co. Limestone, Gravel, Mason Sand, Clay, Top Soil, Advertise Riversilt, Crushed Concrete, Tractor Work, FURNITURE & GALLERY Swimming Pool Demo & Fill-In Wind Shield Repair & Replacement FENCING 7330 Florida Blvd. in We Come to You • 225-791-7440 225-261-3953 225-926-0250 Besse & Sons Fencing Wood, Chainlink, New Fencing Business Automotive andElectrical Repair Work Lawn Care North - Airline & 225-380-9555 Directory Choctaw FREESimple ESTIMATES Electric PRO CUTS 225-927-2311 Installation of All Electrical Work Mowing & Trimming • Tree Maintenance South - Airline Flower Bed Maintenance 3 months @ $50/mo Commercial • Residental No Contracts • Free Estimates & Cloverland Over 35 Years Experience • Any Size Job 6 months @ $47/mo 225-751-3656 Parking Lot Lights,225-921-2633 Security Lights, and Video 225-614-7496 9 months @ $45/mo Subscription Carpet Cleaning FENCINGFencing 12 months @ $42/mo BayouSteam Besse & Sons Fencing Call Carpet, Upholstery, Wood, Chainlink, New Fencing Central City News Tile & Grout Cleaning and Repair Work Capital City News Locally owned and operated 225-380-9555 $18 a year each 225-261-5055 225-955-6955 FREE ESTIMATES Call 225-261-5055 Thursday, June 22, 2017 3 Scalise: A Blue Collar Workhorse As He Fights for His Life, Scalise Is Remembered As Ordinary Guy With Pure Heart BATON ROUGE - When cable news networks car- ried the news on Thursday, June 15 that House Major- ity Whip Steve Scalise had been shot by an assassin targeting Republican Con- gressmen, many in Loui- siana were heartsick.