NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – When word came that Winn-Dixie was closing stores across the region, many in New Orleans East worried the grocery on Chef Menteur Highway would shutter, leaving a “food desert” for residents in the area.

But on Monday (Feb. 2), Rouses Markets held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the building, officially marking the transition from Winn-Dixie into something new.

“If anybody was to replace it, it would be Rouses. So, I’m excited,” one shopper told Fox 8.

Rouses Markets bought the location last November. It was a part of the company’s plan to buy up Winn-Dixie locations set for closure and turn them into new Rouses locations in markets and communities that didn’t already have a Rouses.

“If you only have one place to shop, you’re kinda stuck with whatever is available,” one shopper told Fox 8. “So now I have options and I’m taking advantage of it.”

In late 2025, Rouses announced the purchases of 10 Winn-Dixie locations:

• 9701 Chef Menteur Hwy., New Orleans
• 4627 Westbank Expressway, Marrero
• 12519 Airline Highway, Suite A, Destrehan
• 2104 Williams Blvd., Kenner
• 70431 Highway 21, Covington
• 4100 Highway 59, Mandeville
• 731 Washington St., Franklinton
• 1803 LA Highway 3125, Gramercy
• 10974 Joor Rd., Baton Rouge
• 4400 Hardy St., Hattiesburg, MS

CEO Donny Rouse said the intention was to ensure communities could get quality food along with Rouses’ signature service.

“It’s fun seeing the customers’ appreciation for us, opening up and bringing all of the programs we have to the communities,” Rouse said.

Related coverage

• Rouses opens new location in New Orleans East food desert
• Rouses Markets to acquire 10 Winn-Dixie locations in Louisiana and Mississippi

Beyond the fresh food, business leaders applaud the new grocery stores as a move to ensure economic stability and growth in communities across the region.

“This is a Louisiana company, a Louisiana business that continues to invest in Louisiana,” Ray Gregson said.

Gregson is the CEO of the River Region Chamber of Commerce, which represents businesses in St. Charles, St. John and St. James parishes. He recently attended grand opening ceremonies for the new Rouses stores in Destrehan and Gramercy — both of which were former Winn-Dixie locations.

Gregson said he was glad to see that Rouses not only retained all Winn-Dixie employees in the takeover, but hired new staffers, too. Rouses said roughly 120 employees are employed at each new location.

“We’re doubling the workforce that we have at each store, so we can have the departments and the customer service that we want at Rouses,” Rouse said.

Gregson said he sees the investments in the new stores as a signal for other companies to set up nearby.

“I think it sends a message. It says, ‘Hey, look who just invested in the River Parishes,’” he said.

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (7-16, 5-6 Sun Belt) at James Madison Dukes (11-12, 4-7 Sun Belt)

Harrisonburg, Virginia; Wednesday, 7 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Dorian Finister and Louisiana take on Justin McBride and James Madison in Sun Belt action Wednesday.

The Dukes are 7-2 on their home court. James Madison is seventh in the Sun Belt with 9.3 offensive rebounds per game led by Eli Wilborn averaging 1.6.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have gone 5-6 against Sun Belt opponents. Louisiana is 1-0 in games decided by less than 4 points.

James Madison scores 74.4 points, 5.5 more per game than the 68.9 Louisiana allows. Louisiana averages 7.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.4 more makes per game than James Madison gives up.

The matchup Wednesday is the first meeting this season for the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: McBride is scoring 16.7 points per game and averaging 5.6 rebounds for the Dukes. Cliff Davis is averaging 15.0 points and 2.8 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Finister is averaging 14.1 points for the Ragin’ Cajuns. De’Vion Lavergne is averaging 11.9 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Dukes: 4-6, averaging 72.6 points, 33.9 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 44.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.3 points per game.

Ragin’ Cajuns: 5-5, averaging 66.5 points, 25.5 rebounds, 12.8 assists, 5.4 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 42.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Entergy Louisiana teams have restored power to over 118,000 customers impacted by the winter weather that brought snow, ice and below freezing temperatures to North Louisiana have been restored. As of 12:00 p.m., approximately 6,000 customers in the hardest-hit areas of Louisiana are without power. Our crews will continue working to restore service until the last light is on.  

Ongoing environmental conditions continue to create dynamic challenges. Even after initial scouting and damage assessment, continued tree failures brought down additional poles and spans, resulting in new damage discoveries and additional outages as crews continued their work. Many locations require special vehicles simply to traverse muddy, water-ridden line sections before repairs can even begin.  

For safety reasons, please do not approach our restoration workers. They are working very hard to restore power as safely and quickly as possible. Interacting with crews while they perform work can be a distraction that creates safety issues and disrupts their efficiency.  

Customers in need of shelter and warmth should consider local warming centers or shelters if it is safe to travel. To find a listing of available warming centers, visit GOHSEP’s Louisiana Warming Centers.   

The latest updates on estimated restoration times can be found here: https://www.myentergy.com/s/outagemap 

Be on alert: stormy weather also increases scam attempts.  

Entergy will never demand immediate payment from customers over the phone. Customers should never share personal information with strangers.  

If a call sounds suspicious, hang up and call 1-800-ENTERGY (1-800-368-3749) to speak directly with an Entergy customer service representative.  

If you believe you are a victim of a scam, notify the proper authorities, such as the local police or the state attorney general’s office. Learn more about how to spot a scam by visiting, entergy.com/scams.  

Managing your energy usage during extreme cold temperatures  

Throughout the rest of this winter, use these tips to help reduce your energy usage:  

• Seal air leaks. Install weather stripping around your doors, windows and any location where there may be a path between the inside and outside of your home or business.  

• Adjust the thermostat. Grab a sweater or blanket to stay warm and set the thermostat to 68 degrees. Every degree higher can add three percent to your bill.  

• Conserve hot water. Wrap your electric water heater with a water heater blanket that can be found at local home improvement stores and set the thermostat to 120 degrees or medium.  

• Keep all doors and windows closed. Constant traffic will let out the warm air, forcing your heater to work harder to keep the room at the set temperature.  

• Ensure fans are turning the right way. Fans should be run at a low speed clockwise during the winter. This helps keep the cold air from blowing down on you.  

• Keep the air circulating. Don’t block heat registers or air returns with curtains or furniture.  

• Leverage the sun. During the day, open your curtains and blinds to let in the warm sunlight. Close them at night to reduce heat loss.  

Stay connected 

Customers are encouraged to stay informed through Entergy’s Storm Center for real-time outage updates, safety information and restoration progress: www.entergy.com/stormcenter 

Download the Entergy app. Customers can use the app to report outages or check on the status of power at their home or business. 

Check Entergy’s View Outage map. Maps show where outages are located and give information about restoration progress. Outages can be reported using the Entergy mobile app, online at myEntergy.com, or by texting OUT to 36778. 

Storm-related updates are also shared on social media.