Louisiana
Buc-ee’s will break ground in Ruston, Louisiana, soon: Here’s the time line for the Beaver
Construction on the infrastructure to accommodate the new Buc-ee’s in Ruston will begin next week, followed by early stages of construction on the travel center within five weeks, Mayor Ronny Walker said.
“It’s going to be a tremendous boost not just for Ruston and Grambling, but for the entire region,” Walker said in an interview with USA Today Network.
Buc-ee’s, with its toothy Beaver mascot, has developed a cult following among travelers who consider the stores tourism destinations rather than just giant convenience stores.
Every Buc-ee’s has wide varieties of meat jerky, roasted nuts and other culinary delights, like the signature Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets (similar to caramel popcorn), fudge, brisket and sausage on a stick.
“I had no idea how many people love Buc-ee’s so much that they plan vacations around their locations,” Walker said.
If construction goes as planned, Ruston will finish its $8 million infrastructure project to improve the Tarbutton Road Interstate 20 interchange in 10 to 12 months, while construction of the Buc-ee’s campus will take 12 to 15 months, Walker said.
The city later will extend the service road to connect with the I-20 Grambling interchange in Phase 2.
Walker said the company projects 15,000 vehicles a day stopping at Buc-ee’s with 80% coming from 200 miles or more away. The mayor said he believes many of those visitors also will make other stops in Ruston and Grambling before or after leaving Buc-ee’s.
“Many of them aren’t just going to get a chopped beef sandwich and drive away,” Walker said. “They’ll visit the Louisiana Tech University campus or the Eddie Robinson Museum.”
Ruston’s Buc-ee’s will employ at least 200 people at $18 to $20 per hour with benefits.
The Lake Jackson, Texas-headquartered company has more than 40 stores in seven southern states and Colorado, but none in Louisiana. A new Buc-ee’s store also is being built in Lafayette.
Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III’s grandparents lived in Harrisonburg, La., and he often spent summers there as a child.
“For our family, opening a Buc-ee’s in Louisiana is like coming home,” Aplin said in a statement to USA Today Network. “We are very excited about Buc-ee’s coming to Ruston.”
Ruston’s City Council, the Lincoln Parish School Board and Lincoln Parish Police Jury approved a tax incentive package that set the project in motion in 2022.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
Louisiana
Behind the Curtain: How Louisiana’s Parole System and Courts Shape Who Goes Free | The Lens
This week on Behind The Lens, the public gets a rare look inside one of the most powerful and least understood parts of Louisiana’s criminal justice system: the parole process.
In Louisiana, Parole Board hearings are sometimes held in public, offering families, victims, attorneys, advocates, and reporters an opportunity to witness how decisions are made about who is granted freedom and who remains incarcerated. But those hearings reveal more than individual cases. They expose the broader tensions shaping punishment, rehabilitation, public safety, and political pressure across the state.
Reporters Bernard Smith and Gus Bennett join editor Katy Reckdahl to examine how parole decisions are influenced not only by testimony inside the hearing room, but also by a growing wave of legal and political changes moving through Louisiana’s courts and legislature. From rulings connected to the Louisiana Supreme Court to election season politics and criminal justice reforms, the episode explores how policy decisions made at the highest levels can directly affect incarcerated people, victims’ families, prosecutors, and entire communities.
The discussion also breaks down how recent state actions involving sentencing, parole eligibility, election dynamics, and judicial oversight are reshaping Louisiana’s criminal justice landscape in real time. Together, the team examines the human consequences behind those decisions and what they reveal about accountability, power, and transparency inside the system.
Theme music by Podington Bear. Additional music “Fading Prospects” by Podington Bear (soundofpicture.com)
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Louisiana
Special Olympics Mississippi moves state games to Louisiana, holds swimming events in-state
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) — Special Olympics Mississippi will hold its State Summer Games May 22–24 at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana, with swimming competitions continuing to take place in Mississippi.
Officials with the Special Olympics said the games were moved from Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi to Louisiana because of security concerns.
“When they canceled the state games this year, it made it a little bit rough on some of the athletes, but they continued to train,” Sharon Patterson, Director for Area 3, said.
The swimming competitions will take place in Mississippi because Louisiana does not include swimming in its events. Two swimming events are scheduled for May 9, one in Tupelo and another at the Natatorium in Biloxi.
A torch run began in North Mississippi on Monday and will arrive in Bay St. Louis on Thursday.
“It’s a run, walk, or roll because we have wheelchairs in there as well,” Patterson said.
On Friday, the torch run will move through Pass Christian and travel along Highway 90, with law enforcement officers from each city carrying the torch through their jurisdictions.
The run will conclude at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, where the Biloxi Shuckers are sponsoring a celebration featuring the lighting of the cauldron. A special athlete will sing the “Star-Spangled Banner,” lead the pledge and recite the oath.
Special Olympics Mississippi includes nearly 20 areas across the state. Each area holds games to qualify athletes for the state games.
The organization will also send 126 athletes to the USA Games in Minnesota in June. The national competition occurs every four years.
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