Mobile homes returning to La.BATON ROUGE, La. — Mobile homes will fill front yards across southern Louisiana again, just like after Hurricane Katrina, as federal authorities bring in temporary housing for thousands of people displaced by catastrophic flooding.These houses, though, will be on blocks and strapped down — not on wheels like the travel trailers of a decade ago.As he announced the disaster housing plans Wednesday, Gov. John Bel Edwards described a “shelter at home” program as the more desirable option. Homeowners will be able to receive grants of up to $15,000 aimed at making houses habitable quickly so people can live inside while doing more extensive repairs.“That’s where our people want to be. They want their kids back going to their schools. They want to live in their neighborhoods, their communities. And they want to attend their church,” the Democratic governor said.

Yellowstone open for anniversaryYELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Popular tourist areas in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks will be open for the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service today, but a wildfire is forcing some visitors to drive a little farther than they expected to get to the celebration.The fire in Grand Teton National Park has shut down a route leading to Yellowstone’s South Entrance, so visitors coming from the south through Wyoming will have to take an hourlong detour into Idaho. Firefighters are hoping cooler weather will help slow the flames today, when U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is set to visit Yellowstone to mark the centennial celebration.“Yellowstone National Park is open for business,” and no changes have been made to Jewell’s plans because of the blaze, fire spokesman Bill Swartley said Wednesday.The wildfire in Grand Teton has burned about 11 square miles since lightning sparked it last month, forcing about 50 people to flee a lodge and cabin operation and several campgrounds. Thirty horses also were taken out of the area.Meanwhile, four fires were burning inside Yellowstone, but all major visitor areas and roads were open.

VA blocks holiday Confederate flagsWASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs will no longer allow Confederate flag imagery to be flown on flagpoles at national cemeteries on Memorial Day or Confederate Memorial Day.The policy change follows debate in the House of Representatives earlier this year over continued display of Confederate imagery on federal lands. It also further reduces the number of flag images that can be displayed on federal land after the National Park Service made similar policy changes last year.The Veterans Affairs decision comes a few months after an amendment barring the display of flag imagery in VA cemeteries was added to the House’s fiscal 2017 Military Construction-VA spending bill (HR 4974), but later removed from the conference report (HR 2577) behind closed doors.The VA will, however, continue to allow sponsoring groups, such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans, to display small versions of the flag on individual graves on certain holidays, at no cost to the federal government.