Louisiana

HEART OF LOUISIANA: Chemin-a-Haut State Park

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2024

HEART OF LOUISIANA: Chemin-a-Haut State Park

BASTROP, La. (WAFB) – This is a rare site in Louisiana, giant old growth cypress trees whose ages are counted, not In years, but in centuries.

“We have several, um, large trees here. Several unique looking trees here. But then also you have a cypress trees that almost probably get as tall as me,” Demetrius Fields said.

The trees are located in a state park in extreme north Louisiana, at a site that includes trails used by Native Americans. The name is French.

“Chemin-A-Haut. It means the high road,” said Fields.

Demetrius Fields is manager of Louisiana’s Chemin-A-Haut State Park. The ancient treasures of this park are found by paddling up Chemin-A-Haut creek.

“It’s going to take, you have maybe about an hour to paddle to it, but once you get there, it’s worth it” Fields said.

The main attraction is a cypress giant that locals call the ‘castle tree’.

“It’s magnificent when you see it. So you know why they named it the castle tree. The age is going to be about 800 years to maybe a thousand and, um, size. We’re looking at more than 20 feet in diameter as far as around the base of the, of the tree,” said Fields.

This tree, and a few others here, managed to avoid the saws and axes of the lumber business.

“I think based on the position they are in, in our creek, um, also, based on the fact that the water levels here only kind of give you a great float a certain time of year that kinda helped save them,” Fields said.

The tree has a large hollow that begins below the water line. And it’s big enough that you can paddle a boat inside of the cypress, where you see a giant, wooden arched ceiling.

“That’s where a plenty of people get great pictures in kayaks, you know,” said Fields.

When you view the tree from the creek bank, you don’t see the big hole. You need to paddle to the other side. And that’s led to a legend of moonshiners taking advantage of the hidden hollow.

“We had moonshiners that would be in the area and they may have still several stills or something in the area. And the, you know, police may be able to find a stills, but a lot of times they weren’t able to recover the alcohol. And the reason being is because the alcohol was being hidden in the tree and the only, the only people who knew about it was people who could float to it and access it by canoe,” Fields said.

This is the second oldest state park in Louisiana. It was built in the 1930s during the great depression by the civilian conservation corps.

Today, the park has modern cabins that stand at the edge of a bayou. It’s a place of quiet, natural beauty.

“We’re looking at, now that we have something in this area for, for recreational purposes, was Morehouse Parish,” Fields said.

But this park’s main attraction is nature, a quiet creek, the gentle sound of the wind as it rustles the leaves, and seeing a tree that has anchored this little wilderness for a thousand years.

More information on Chemin-a-Haut State Park can be found on Heart of Louisiana’s website.

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Louisiana

Goon Squad victim arrested by Louisiana Police, held without bond on multiple charges

Published

3 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Goon Squad victim arrested by Louisiana Police, held without bond on multiple charges

TALLULAH, La. (WLBT) – One of the two Goon Squad victims who later won a civil suit against Rankin County and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department was arrested by the Louisiana State Police Wednesday night.

According to officials, Eddie Terrell Parker is currently being held in the Madison Parish Jail without bond on at least two pages of charges.

These charges include multiple narcotics violations, possession with intent to distribute, felon in possession of a firearm, and carrying a concealed weapon.

No other information has been released at this time.

This is a developing story. More updates will come as further information is released.

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Louisiana

Louisiana lands another $10 billion AI data center

Published

15 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana lands another billion AI data center

Hut 8 is building a new $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in Louisiana’s West Feliciana Parish.
The project is expected to employ more than 1,000 construction workers at its peak.
AI company Anthropic has signed a long-term deal to use the new facility.
This is the second major data center project announced in Louisiana, following Meta’s investment in Richland Parish.

Louisiana has finalized details on another $10 billion data center, this one from Hut 8 in West Feliciana Parish.,

Hut 8, which develops and operates an integrated portfolio of power, digital infrastructure and compute assets, said more than 1,000 construction workers will be on site of its River Bend artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus at its peak.

Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company whose flagship chatbot is Claude, has signed a long-term deal to use the facility, Hut 8 and the state announced Dec. 17.

“It’s a transformational and generational project for our parish and region,” West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard said in an interview with USA Today Network. “The possibilities really are endless.”

The official announcement and details come after months of preparation from the parish government and its partnership with the state for the data center on which construction has been underway for months.

It’s the second $10 billion plus data center announced in Louisiana during the past two years. Meta’s massive data center project is under way in northeastern Louisiana’s Richland Parish. Meta originally announced a $10 billion investment but has since increased that scope to at least $25 billion.

“Hut 8’s investment in River Bend builds on our track record of attracting global-scale projects in the industries of the future,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement. “As the campus grows, it will further cement Louisiana’s position as a national leader in energy and innovation, creating thousands of jobs and reaffirming our ability to compete and win on the global stage.”

Construction is scheduled to be complete in the second quarter of 2027.

“River Bend demonstrates that Louisiana’s economic strategy is taking our state from plans to progress,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said in a statement. “This project will generate high-wage jobs and create pathways for Louisianans to build long-term careers in the industries of the future. It’s a clear example of how aligning policy, partnership and people translates into lasting opportunity.”

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

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Louisiana

Louisiana man arrested for allegedly planning attack in New Orleans – UPI.com

Published

1 day ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana man arrested for allegedly planning attack in New Orleans – UPI.com

Dec. 16 (UPI) — A suspect identified as Micah James Legnon has been arrested by agents from the FBI’s New Iberia office for allegedly planning an attack on federal agents.

Legnon, 29, was a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front and had communicated with four members who were charged with allegedly planning a series of New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks in the Greater Los Angeles area on Monday, WDSU reported.

He is a resident of New Iberia and was arrested on Friday while driving to New Orleans after FBI agents saw him loading a military-style rifle and body armor into his vehicle and telling others in a Signal chat group that he was traveling to New Orleans.

New Iberia is located about 120 miles west of New Orleans, and Legnon allegedly shared a video that showed multiple firearms, gas canisters and body armor before leaving on Friday.

In that post, Legnon said he was “On my way to NOLA now, be there in about two hours,” but the FBI arrested him while driving east on U.S. Highway 90, according to WWL-TV.

In a Dec. 4 post, Legnon shared a Facebook post showing Customs and Border Protection agents arresting someone and said he wanted to “recreate Waco, Texas,” on the federal officers while referencing the 1993 federal siege on the Branch Davidians compound there.

He is a former Marine who was trained in combat and a self-professed satanist who used the alias “Black Witch” in group chats with four suspects accused of targeting locations throughout California.

Federal prosecutors filed a federal complaint against Legnon and asked the magistrate judge to seal it and related records due to an ongoing investigation.

They asked that it be unsealed on Tuesday, which is a day after the four suspects accused of planning the California terror attacks were charged with related crimes.

The FBI said Legnon had been communicating with the four suspects in California before the arrests were made and charges filed in the respective cases.

The Turtle Island Liberation Front is a far-left, anti-government, anti-capitalist and pro-Palestinian group, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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