Work has begun in Louisiana on a $146 million women’s prison to replace a prison that flooded six years ago, and a ceremonial groundbreaking was held Thursday for the new Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.

“I know that this new and improved facility is going to enhance access to education and vocational training programs such as cosmetology, horticulture, welding and computer programing – just to name a few," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. "This new facility will provide more space for these reentry and vocational programs than we had at LCIW before it flooded. That’s great news, and is going to help us rehabilitate a lot more women.”

The 938-bed prison in St. Gabriel will be the first state prison to be built since 1989, when the Raymond Laborde Correctional Center opened, the state Department of Corrections said in a news release. It's expected to be finished at the end of 2024.

“For six years, the state has worked with FEMA to agree on whether to renovate or rebuild,” the news release said.

The price has gone up $32 million just since August 2021, when a plan to borrow up to $46 million toward its cost was approved.

The new prison is going up on the west side of Elayn Hunt Correctional Center, the opposite side from the original Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.

Some women have been housed at Hunt since the prison flooded on Aug. 31, 2016. Others have been held at a closed juvenile prison in Baker, the Louisiana State Penitentiary and local facilities, the department said.

“Today’s groundbreaking marks the end of a very trying season for both the staff and the females housed at LCIW, and a new opportunity for our state in how we facilitate corrections and reentry preparation,” said Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary Jimmy Le Blanc. “The LCIW flood brought many challenges, but it also created an opportunity for us to design and build a new space that will help us better carry out our reform mission and transform the individuals we incarcerate.”

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NEW ORLEANS — Heavy rain could cause street flooding in low-lying areas. Neutral ground parking is allowed until 8:00 a.m. on Monday. The city asks drivers not to block intersections, streetcar tracks, sidewalks, or bike paths.

Avoid flood waters

• NEVER drive through flood waters. It's dangerous for you, and your vehicle, and can push water into nearby homes and businesses.
• If water rises around your car, abandon the car immediately.

Report flooding

• Call 911 to report street flooding and life-threatening emergencies.
• View reports of street flooding at streetwise.nola.gov

METAIRIE, La. — A community came together through social media to help a Metairie woman find her emotional support dog who ran off following a car crash.

The story went viral on the internet and now, thanks to a vigilant following, Gracie Langham’s dog “Mav” has been found and returned home.

Langham tells WWL Louisiana’s Meg Farris that Mav was spotted with someone in Pensacola Florida.

On Saturday Langham met with the person in Florida who happily reunited Mav with his owner who had been desperately searching for him since the car crash on Halloween over a week ago.

“Last night at 9:17pm we received a tip that Mav was potentially with a family in Pensacola, FL. This information proved to be accurate, and this morning Mav was happily and safely reunited with his owners in Pensacola!!!! We will not be disclosing the name of the tipster until they give us permission to do so. THANKS BE TO GOD!  We are so thankful and appreciative to all who have given their time, efforts, and resources in our search to find Mav. This would not have been possible without you. We are forever grateful for the power of this community and the kind hearts of many. Thank you!!!!!," said an update on the search in a social media post on a Facebook page dedicated to finding the lost dog.

"We’d like to express our extreme gratitude to the doctors and staff at Clearview Vet Hospital, Excel Signs and Graphics, and the many other businesses and community members who donated to helping get the word out about Mav being missing!"

"Now that Mav has been found, we need some time to rest and recharge. For this reason, we will not be providing any additional information or addressing any comments at this time so that we can focus on doing what we need to do for ourselves. Thank you for understanding this and respecting what we need. Thank you.”

On Halloween, it had rained, and the streets were wet and slick. Langham told WWL she was driving with her adolescent golden retriever, Mav when she made a turn in Metairie at Clearview and Utica and skidded out.

“All of the airbags deployed, and Mav was very scared, and I was very scared, and I had to kick the door out. He sprinted away from me, and I was screaming his name, and running as fast as I could behind him, but I lost him,” she said.

Startled by the commotion after the crash Mav ran off and after Langham launched a plea on social media, the public search began.

Mav is an emotional support animal offering emotional support and is being trained to detect nuts in food for Langham who has a nut allergy.

Mav’s family with the Humane Society of Louisiana offered a $5,750 reward for the golden retriever.

Mav has a microchip implant to identify him which may have helped with the search.

Langham says she is so happy that Mav was found safe and being checked out by a veterinarian.

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NEW ORLEANS — Security footage shows someone smashing the front windows of three neighboring businesses on Magazine Street early Saturday morning.

“It’s unnerving,” said Deborah Schumacher, who owns Slim Goodies Diner. “Really, it seems to be a very random act.”

The video, taken from outside the restaurant, shows someone walking by with what looks like a crowbar. They try the front door and find it locked. Then they swing the object in their hand into the front door and windows multiple times. 

Schumacher said the suspect does not appear to have entered the restaurant, making the crime all the more confusing. Two neighboring clothing shops, Hemline and NOLA Couture, also have fractured spots on their windows.

Despite the vandalism, Slim Goodies Diner opened at its normal time of 7 a.m. Saturday. Schumacher said she worked through the night to clean the glass up and board the broken glass door. 

“You don't have the option anymore of, you know, ‘I'm going to close because my doors are broken.’”

She estimates replacing the tempered door and windows will cost between $5,000-$7,000. “We've had a really tough economic summer. I think all of the businesses in New Orleans have really suffered this last year” said Schumacher. 

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