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F r i d ay, d e c e m b e r 12, 2025
La. shifts strategy for coastal restoration
New projects focus on land bridges, not river diversions Staff writer
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR
Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration detailed a major shift in Louisiana’s strategy for addressing coastal protection and restoration on Wednesday, proposing a slate of projects for the next fiscal year that move definitively away from the large-scale river diversions long seen as linchpins in the state’s plans. The draft project budget for the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority for fiscal 2027, which begins in July, amounts to $1.27 billion, a significant drop from the current year. But that drop is largely because the state has canceled the controversial Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton sediment diversion projects while preparing alternatives to take their place. The state’s coastal leadership made clear that it intends to prioritize other types of projects, particularly large-scale “land bridges” built with dredged sediment in the Terrebonne, Barataria and Breton basins. Barrier island restorations will also be part of the strategy. The hope is that much of that work could be paid for with funding related to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, using funds that had been designated for the diversions. But much work remains ahead to evaluate the plans and gain approval from trustees overseeing the BP funds. “We have more funds available for all these projects … these land bridges, barrier islands, etc., and we’re going to be moving forward expeditiously,” said CPRA Chair
Staff writer
STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
The New Orleans skyline rises above marshlands in Chalmette. Louisiana is shifting its ä See COASTAL, page 5A strategy for coastal protection and wetlands restoration.
Major home insurer cuts rates The decision by SureChoice, the second-largest home insurer in the state, is one sign of improvement in a yearslong insurance crisis that has stretched Louisiana homeowners’ budgets. But the news is not all positive. BY SAM KARLIN The rate cut comes just eight Staff writer months after SureChoice inOne of Louisiana’s biggest prop- creased rates by 12.5% on its erty insurers sent a promising 73,000 home insurance policyholdsignal this week, saying declining ers. Both the increase and more reinsurance costs are allowing the recent decrease also applied to company to cut homeowners in- 17,000 dwelling policyholders. And overall, the average policysurance premiums by an average of 7.5%. holder in Louisiana is still being hit
WEATHER HIGH 76 LOW 49 PAGE 10C
Judge Colbert suspended for 6 months
La. Supreme Court also orders fine, anger management courses
BY MIKE SMITH
Many policyholders in Louisiana are still seeing hikes
$2.00X
with rate hikes. Through November, insurers have collectively raised homeowners’ rates by another 4.9% in Louisiana, the latest in a string of escalating rates year over year. State Farm, the state’s largest home insurer, filed for a nearly 10% rate hike on its 300,000 home insurance policyholders in September. That rate hike was the result of the firm’s hurricane modeling, “which projects higher future losses in Louisiana,” the Louisiana
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday ordered 15th Judicial District Judge Royale Colbert of Lafayette suspended for six months without pay based on two instances where it said he violated canons of the code of judicial conduct and the state constitution. In August, a Judiciary Commission recommended the Supreme Court suspend Colbert for 30 days without pay, and order Colbert to take anger management classes and pay $2,635.96 in costs incurred by the Office of Special Counsel and Judiciary Commission on his case. The Supreme Court reviewed the commission’s investigation but instead on Thursday recommended a six-month suspension without pay. The top court concurred with the need for anger management classes and the $2,635.96 in court costs. Three associate justices — Jefferson Hughes III, Piper Griffin and John Guidry — dissented. Hughes said he would impose a 90-day suspension. Griffin would impose no more than 90 days. Chief Justice John Weimer reluctantly concurred with the result to ensure enough votes to impose a sanction, he wrote, but said, “In my view, the sanction imposed is too lenient.” Weimer added, “I find respondent’s actions warrant a harsher sanction and he should not serve as a judge until he can demonstrate he possesses the proper temperament and discernment to sit in judgment.”
ä See JUDGE, page 5A
Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said he’s confident recent changes will improve rates among home insurers. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
ä See INSURER, page 4A
Business ......................6A Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................4A Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Living............................5C Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 165