Louisiana

Louisiana lends a hand to states affected by Helene

Published

1 year ago

September 29, 2024

Louisiana lends a hand to states affected by Helene

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Local rescue organizations and first responders from Louisiana have headed out to the states affected by Hurricane Helene.

“We’re hearing reports about entire towns being washed away, people being trapped on mountains,” said Brian Trascher, Vice President and Public Information Officer for the United Cajun Navy.

Hurricane Helene destroyed many areas in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, and North Carolina.

“I know right now it seems hopeless, but just know that law enforcement, and local officials, and that the national guard out of those areas, they do know that you guys are out there, they do know you’re stuck, they do know the situation is they’re doing everything they can to get to you,” added Trascher.

The United Cajun Navy has made its way to the damaged states to assist in relief.

”We’re actually getting calls from the national guard, asking if we can assist with extractions because even with all their resources they are overwhelmed,” explained Trascher.

Trascher tells WAFB they have two dozen volunteer crews spanning across the states in Helene’s path. They have crews in Florida, near the Georgia border, and they have crews assisting with lifesaving rescues in the Carolinas and Tennessee.

“We’re getting calls of people saying, ‘Hey I haven’t heard from my grandmother for two days ago and I’m looking for my nephew and his wife.’ There’s a lot of people who have lost touch with their loved ones and they don’t know if they’re alive or dead and it’s really gut-wrenching to hear come in,” said Trascher.

Acadian Ambulance has sent 30 ambulances filled with 62 crew members to South Carolina to assist in disaster relief and lifesaving efforts. South Carolina is also receiving help from an urban search and rescue team consisting of Baton Rouge, Zachary, and East Side Fire Departments, as well as Louisiana Fire Marshal and East Baton Rouge EMS. Their crew consists of 21 people.

“Our team consists of structural collapse specialists, these guys are able to go into structures to get people out, we’re also a wide area search specialist, so we can cover a wide area and do damage assessments,” said Baton Rouge Fire Chief, Michael Kimble.

He says they headed to South Carolina thanks to a partnership between Governor Landry and Mayor-President Broome’s office.

”To go out and help others, it just says a lot about our state, our parish, and our community,’ added Kimble.

Chief Kimble says that they are in Greenville which has had little to no communication since the storm passed through.

”Cell phones are down, technologies down, no internet. So, these folks haven’t even been seen or touched since the impact of the storm,” explained Kimble.

Chief Kimble said anytime devastation has hit Louisiana, South Carolina has assisted, and now it’s time to return the favor. They are looking to be out there until the middle of next week.

If you would like to volunteer or donate to the United Cajun Navy, that information can be found here.

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Louisiana

57-foot-tall homemade Christmas tree lights up Kinder

Published

6 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Press Room

57-foot-tall homemade Christmas tree lights up Kinder

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) – Two Kinder men decided not to get a tree, but instead to build one of the largest Christmas trees the state of Louisiana has ever seen.

Kaleb Deaton and Donnie Domingue wanted a tree as big as they could imagine.

“Last year, we had a tree we built that was 20 feet, and this year we wanted to bring something special to the table. We came up with this 57-foot tree. We had all the supplies,” Deaton said.

The 57-foot-tall tree is lit up in their backyard, believed to be one of the largest man-made Christmas trees in Louisiana’s history

The tree is dressed with 20,000 bulbs connected to over a mile of wire and topped with an 8-foot star.

“I have some little girls, and I just love putting smiles on their faces,” Deaton said. “It’s just warming, and I wanted to do something special for them this year. Like I said, Donnie is a fabricator, and we put our heads together, and we just made it happen.”

They say they’ve been planning how big they were going to make the tree since last year.

“Our first plan was actually a 150-foot tree,” Domingue said.

It was a work in progress to be able to build the massive Christmas tree.

“It took an army to be able to put this thing up,” Deaton said. “I have a Treco in the back that has a lot of horsepower; it had to lift this baby up and Donnie’s welding machine.”

(KPLC)

They say it looks like lots of welding, cutting, and grinding.

Since the Christmas tree has been up in Kinder, hundreds of people have come out to enjoy the holiday spectacle. They say being able to bring Christmas cheer to the area of Kinder is fulfilling.

“Oh, it’s great seeing people come line up down my driveway. I live on a dead-end road, and it’s awesome to come out and see everybody here with us. Having people talk on Facebook about what joy it’s brought to them, it’s been great,” Deaton said.

They’re already coming up with ideas on how to top next year’s tree

“We got something special, we are not going to let that out just yet, but we got something we talked about earlier. You’ll be here next year,” Deaton said.

The tree will be lit up and on display in Kinder until Jan. 6.

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Louisiana

Cuban families in Louisiana celebrate Christmas with traditional lechon feast

Published

18 hours ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

Cuban families in Louisiana celebrate Christmas with traditional lechon feast

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – For many Cuban families in Louisiana, Christmas means gathering for a traditional lechon, a pig roast that serves as the centerpiece of their holiday celebration.

Vivian Nieto, owner of Churro’s Cafe in Metairie, said the Cuban tradition parallels Louisiana’s French Acadian cochon de lait but uses distinct seasonings and preparation methods.

“The Cuban use, basically, is the garlic, the naranja agria, and salt,” Nieto said. “If you don’t add anything else, that would be perfect.”

Traditional mojo marinade starts with citrus and garlic

The marinade, called mojo, always starts with garlic and citrus, specifically bitter orange juice known in Spanish as naranja agria. Nieto adds cumin and oregano to the base mixture.

At her Cuban restaurant, Nieto uses a Boston butt instead of a whole pig and lets it marinate overnight.

“I remember when I was a kid, the night before, they cleaned, they marinated,” Nieto said. “In our family, we exposed our babies early to the big pig that gets seasoned and marinated the night before.”

Pig roasted all day on Christmas Eve

Like the Acadian cochon, the lechon is roasted all day on Christmas Eve. Nieto said the taste testing during preparation bonds families together.

“Not too many people realize how tight is Cuba with New Orleans,” Nieto said. “The food, you respond deeply.”

The pork is served with congri, black beans and rice with onions and garlic, and yuca.

Nieto said she finds deep joy in making food that connects Cuban culture across generations.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 results for Dec. 23, 2025

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2025

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 23, 2025, results for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

15-37-38-41-64, Mega Ball: 21

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

3-1-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

4-6-9-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from Dec. 23 drawing

9-0-4-5-0

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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