It’s been a real good year in professional football

Well, a Southeast Louisiana team didn’t make it to the Super Bowl. But we did the next best thing.

Our Peyton Manning was named the Most Valuable Player of that game of games.

We say our Peyton because he is one of us. He and his two brothers went to Newman High School in New Orleans.

They’re from Mississippi originally but they moved to Louisiana when their father, Archie, became the Saints’ quarterback.

And though the Saints’ coach let him go midway in his career, he has reclaimed New Orleans as his home.

So, overall, we have to say it has been a pretty good year for Louisiana in professional football. And we can’t wait for next season.

Our coast may be saved after all

We’re getting closer to actually doing something to save the coast of Louisiana. After some 40 years of study, talking, figuring, planning and negotiating with the feds over money, we seem to be ready to take action.

The recent allocation of more offshore royalty money to coastal states seems to be the trigger that will get us started. A revised master plan for the restoration has been revealed and the first annual budget for it has been issued by the state at the end of February. And then, of course, it will take many years to complete.

But a start is what we need to stop the rapid erosion that is taking away our homeland.

The plan is designed to reduce flooding of populated areas, rebuild the coast so it can sustain itself and keep Louisiana’s wetlands intact so it will continue to be the best fish and wildlife habitat in the nation – in addition to being our own habitat.