Louisiana
Poet Jericho Brown, Louisiana native with New Orleans ties, wins MacArthur ‘genius’ grant
Jericho Brown, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who grew up in Shreveport and has ties to New Orleans, was selected as a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, a prestigious award often referred to as a “genius grant.”
Brown earned an undergraduate degree in 1998 from Dillard University, a historically Black university in New Orleans, and a Masters of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from the University of New Orleans in 2002. While in the master’s program, he worked as a speechwriter for then-New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial.
He also holds a doctorate in literature and creative writing from the University of Houston and currently teaches English and is the director of the creative writing program at Emory University in Atlanta.
Brown won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and was a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Poetry for his collection of poems called “The Tradition.” He has published three collections of poetry, as well as a 2016 poem entitled, “Meditations at the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park.”
“I’m from Louisiana,” he told UNO after being awarded the Pulitzer. “I know how to celebrate a big win!”
Announced Tuesday, this year’s MacArthur fellowship class includes 22 people from a variety of disciplines, including evolutionary biologists, writers, a historian, a violinist, a filmmaker, an oceanographer and a disability rights activist.
There is no application for the grant, which is given annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and includes a $800,000 no-strings-attached award distributed over five years.
The MacArthur Foundation lauded Brown for his “frankness and vulnerability about love, both filial and erotic.”
“In poems with astonishing lyrical beauty, Brown illuminates the experiences of marginalized people and shows the relevance and value of formal experimentation,” the foundation wrote.
New Orleans ties
Mona Lisa Saloy, a former Louisiana Poet Laureate who teaches at Dillard, said she acted as a mentor to Brown during his days at the university when his poetry talent began to blossom. At Dillard, she said, he was encouraged to submit his work to contests and the student journal and attend conferences; he also had dinner with celebrated poet Gwendolyn Brooks at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.
“I’m so proud for all that Jericho has achieved,” she said. “We admire him and all he continues to do. We cheer him. We love him. We are forever proud of him.”
Dillard president Manque Guillory praised Brown for using his “words and voice” to “elevate the significance of interpersonal connection amid our individual yet collective identities.”
Brown has also maintained close ties with UNO, said Samuel Gladden, dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Education and Human Development. UNO awarded Brown an honorary doctorate degree in 2021 when he gave an “unforgettable address” at the school’s commencement ceremony, Gladden said. Brown also met and shared career advice with students and faculty in UNO’s Creative Writing Workshop last year.
“Dr. Brown is a gifted and thought-provoking poet and teacher who regularly supports and inspires students,” Gladden said. “We are all so very proud of his connection to our institution, and we congratulate him on yet another honor.”
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A 53-year-old Louisiana man will serve 22 years in prison following a child sex crimes case that included possession of handmade childlike sex dolls — items that state lawmakers have since moved to ban.
Sabine Parish prosecutors say Yancy Elie Normand was sentenced after investigators received a tip that he forced someone to view child sexual abuse material. A search of his home allegedly uncovered more than 200 illegal files — including child sexual abuse material and bestiality — along with two handmade childlike sex dolls.
New state law bans child sex dolls
Louisiana lawmakers passed a law banning the possession, trafficking, and importation of child sex dolls statewide in 2024. State Sen. Beth Mizell said the push began after conversations with Homeland Security about human trafficking during the Super Bowl in New Orleans, at a time when the state had no specific law covering the dolls. The measure passed with near-unanimous support.
“I think the importance is that it’s a precursor to actual crimes against children,” Mizell said.
Mizell said the issue extends well beyond Louisiana’s borders.
“It’s a nationwide problem…when you look at just the volume of child abuse cases, to the point where our Attorney General now has multiple task forces in place all over the state,” Mizell said.
Task force expands statewide reach
The Louisiana Attorney General’s Office says protecting children remains the focus of its Louisiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Supervisory Special Agent Chris Masters leads the group, which now includes more than 80 agencies and 250 detectives.
Masters said the dolls are often misunderstood by the public.
“When people hear sex doll, they think of the blow-up thing. These things are thousands of dollars, and they’re anatomically appropriate to a child,” Masters said. “They’re gonna look like a child. It’s not just what you think on TV.”
Masters said coordination across agencies is essential to the task force’s work.
“It’s completely impossible if law enforcement is not together on the same page with the same type of training, the same access, the same type of equipment,” Masters said. “We can tend to continue expanding our partnerships until there is no safe haven for any sex predator or child predator in this state.”
Lawmakers urge parents to monitor children’s online activity
Mizell said the volume of harmful material accessible online makes parental awareness critical.
“You have access to abhorrent material online in your hand all day, every day,” Mizell said. “Pay attention. Don’t be afraid to look at your child’s phone.”
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MONROE, La. (KNOE)—Over the past week, average gas prices in Louisiana have fallen 6.8 cents. That averages to $3.41/g today, according to a survey of 2,436 stations conducted by ‘GasBuddy’.
Compared to a month ago, prices in Louisiana are 45.3 cents lower per gallon. The lowest price of gas in Louisiana was $2.59/g on Sunday, with the highest being $4.99/g.
For reference, the national average price of gas has fallen 6.9 cents per gallon in the last week, which averages to $3.78/g, and is down 55.6 cents per gallon from a month ago.
On this date for the past five years, here’s how Louisiana’s gas prices compare to the nation’s average:
June 29, 2025: $2.75/g (U.S. Average: $3.14/g)
June 29, 2024: $2.93/g (U.S. Average: $3.48/g)
June 29, 2023: $3.02/g (U.S. Average: $3.51/g)
June 29, 2022: $4.37/g (U.S. Average: $4.85/g)
June 29, 2021: $2.76/g (U.S. Average: $3.12/g)
Copyright 2026 KNOE. All rights reserved.
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Julia Letlow and Jamie Davis will face off this fall for U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy’s seat after winning their respective party runoffs Saturday night.
Letlow won the Republican runoff over John Fleming with 57% of the vote, less than an hour after polls closed on June 27. Davis won the Democratic nomination in a landslide, securing 80% of the vote over Gary Crockett.
Letlow, Davis claim victories
“I’ll fight for our families, I’ll fight for our farmers. I’ll fight for our teachers. I will fight for our parents. I’ll fight for our law enforcement. I will fight for everyone in this room, and we are just getting started,” Letlow said.
Davis said the issues driving his campaign cross party lines.
“Everybody wants better healthcare. Everybody wants better education for their children. Everybody wants a leg up with affordability. And everybody wants the Constitution to be upheld. Those issues are nonpartisan. I don’t have to change nothing but keep working,” Davis said.
Low turnout, Trump endorsement shaped Republican race
Estimated turnout was about 18% of registered voters. Political analyst Jim Engster said the low turnout actually benefited Fleming, who captured 43% of the vote, but was not enough to overcome President Trump’s endorsement of Letlow.
“He really had the 8 ball against him when President Trump endorsed Julia Letlow. President Trump is Hercules of Republican politics, and he’s carried this state three times by about 60 percent of the votes each time,” Engster said.
Engster said the results reflect the broader political landscape in Louisiana.
“It says that it’s more of the same. We’re a Republican state, and until further notice, we vote red in major elections,” Engster said.
New closed primary system draws scrutiny
Saturday’s election was the first major cycle under Louisiana’s new closed party primary system, in which Democratic voters could only choose Democratic candidates and Republican voters could only choose Republican candidates.
Engster said the change had a significant impact on participation, pointing to Cassidy’s vote totals as an example.
“Bill Cassidy might very well have held onto his seat in an open primary. After all, in the last open primary, he got 1,228,000 votes. This time he got 99,000 votes, so that’s a big difference,” Engster said.
Engster said critics of the closed primary system will use the turnout figures to make their case.
“It’ll be a case in which those who are against the closed primary will make the case that ‘The open primary may have its flaws, but more people participate. And after all, that is what we want. We want more people voting in our elections,” Engster said.
Road to November 2026
History suggests Republicans hold the advantage heading into the general election. Engster noted that Louisiana’s last elected Democratic senator was Mary Landrieu in 2008.
“It would really be a political miracle for Jamie Davis to win. Those things happen, but right now it’s a long shot, and there’s a lot of heavy lifting for him to do and for the Democratic Party to do to try to make up the inherent gap that is evident in Louisiana politics,” Engster said.
Letlow and Davis will face off in the general election on November 3.
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