Blog

Published on July 14, 2021 by Kristi Eaton for Smartcities Dive. Lucinda’s, a retail shop in downtown Wichita, Kansas, closed its doors for three months during the height of the pandemic last year. Closing a business that depends on foot traffic can be devastating for a business, said the store’s owner, Valerie Reimers. “It wasRead more

Baton Rouge, LA. – The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) will soon begin accepting applications for $12.4 million in financial assistance that will be available to Louisiana fishermen and others in the industry who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications for these funds will open at 8 a.m. August 9. ApplicationsRead more

New portal will streamline applications for loans $150,000 or less for over 6.5 million businesses.  The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is launching a streamlined application portal to allow borrowers with Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans $150,000 or less through participating lenders to apply for forgiveness directly through the SBA. “The SBA’s new streamlined applicationRead more

Applications for this 11-month program are being accepted now with completed applications to be submitted by Friday, October 1. Residents and individuals who work in the Acadia & Jeff Davis Parish areas are eligible to apply for Leadership Excel.

By Andy Medici-Senior Reporter, The Business Journals, 7/16/21 The Small Business Administration officially closed its Paycheck Protection Program to new loan applications at the end of May, and subsequently closed its Restaurant Revitalization Fund grant program in early July, leaving small business owners with dwindling options for relief. But there are still some grant programsRead more

Governments can appropriate American Rescue Plan dollars to help the travel and hospitality industries rebound from economic devastation brought by the pandemic.  Article written by Andrea Noble, June 16, 2021; for Route Fifty.  States are restarting their economic engines this summer and several are planning to use federal stimulus dollars to help bring back tourists.Read more

The American Rescue Plan is delivering an unprecedented $350 billion in direct aid to state and local governments across the country and the sheer size of their share has many leaders overwhelmed. Acadia Parish has received $12.1 million in funding, and the seven municipalities in the parish have between them another $10.7 million, the amounts variedRead more

Throughout the month of July, JT Meleck Distillers is teaming up with Acadiana Veteran Alliance (AVA) to produce “Spirit of Valor,” a collaboration to increase awareness and raise money for Acadiana veterans. “JT Meleck Distillers is proud to be supporting our veterans by partnering with the Acadiana Veteran Alliance through the Spirit of Valor campaign,”Read more

On June 30, 2021, Governor John Bel Edwards announced more then $315 million in federal coronavirus relief aid will be allocated to 290 Louisiana towns and cities under the American Rescue Plan to help them respond to the ongoing COVID-19 emergency and support economic recovery. “The American Rescue Plan provided vital aid for communities largeRead more

By Steve Bandy, Managing Editor of Crowley Post Signal The citizens of Iota are beginning to see the fruits of their labors. For years, a volunteer committee has been holding fund raisers–pausing for COVID-19–in order to build the first-ever community park. Carrie Leckelt, who chairs the all-volunteer group, explained they agreed to name the parkRead more