Louisiana
Domestic violence shelter funding cut in Gov. Jeff Landry’s budget plan – Louisiana Illuminator
Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposed state budget slashes funding for domestic violence victims by millions of dollars starting July 1, even as the governor says crime victims and public safety are his top priority.
State and federal funding for domestic violence shelters could go from $14.6 million in the current fiscal year to just $6.2 million in the next cycle, according to advocates for domestic violence victims. It would be the lowest level of funding for the shelters since Gov. Bobby Jindal was in office 10 years ago.
If the cut goes through, the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence will have to pull back on plans to add more shelter beds across the state. It would put the brakes on opening up five new shelters and expanding six of 16 existing facilities, executive director Mariah Stidham Wineski said.
“The new shelters that are opening will shut down,” Wineski said.
Domestic violence is one of the largest public safety issues facing Louisiana. In 2020, the state had the fifth highest female homicide rate in the country. More than half of women victims that year were killed by an intimate partner, according to the Violence Policy Center.
It’s unclear what led the Landry administration to propose a cut to funding for domestic violence shelters. The governor’s office has not responded to a question about why the money was removed. A spokeswoman for the Department of Children and Family Services, where much of the funding is housed, declined to comment.
Most of the cut, $7 million, came from the removal of state money the Louisiana Senate added for shelters in 2023. Wineski and other advocates said lawmakers told them the funding increase would be ongoing and baked into the family welfare budget for years to come.
But when Landry took office in January, he stripped down the state spending plan in preparation for a significant financial downturn next year. He took out money for dozens of programs legislators added in 2023, including for domestic violence shelters, higher education and economic development.
Landry and lawmakers will face annual budget shortfalls of over half a billion dollars after a 0.45% state sales expires in 2025. The governor said he wants to start limiting state spending this year to make it easier to deal with smaller, leaner budgets in the future.
Yet Landry isn’t sparing any expense when it comes to other public safety measures he is personally pushing.
State lawmakers are swiftly moving a package of Landry’s bills through a special session on crime. They are expected to add millions of dollars in prison expenses each year by lengthening the time incarcerated people stay behind bars.
At the same time, domestic violence shelters face reductions in funding, the governor has asked lawmakers to approve approximately $10 million more for a new state police troop for New Orleans and $3 million to send Louisiana National Guard members to the Texas border with Mexico over the next four months.
Landry said he is pushing these changes to benefit crime victims, but advocates for domestic violence shelters wonder why then their organizations haven’t been made a budget priority alongside state police and prisons.
“Every single person we are serving is a victim of crime,” said Julie Pellegrin, executive director of The Haven, a domestic violence shelter that serves Terrebonne, Lafourche and Assumption parishes.
A 2021 investigation by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor concluded the state desperately needed more shelter beds for domestic violence victims. Louisiana’s 16 shelters had a total of 389 spaces, while Louisiana had an average of 2,700 unmet requests for shelter beds every year.
The audit noted no domestic violence shelter exists in central Louisiana, even though Rapides Parish had the 10th highest number of protective orders issued in the state in 2020.
Wineski has been able to open a shelter in Iberia Parish after receiving a small boost in federal funding from the state a few years ago. The funding increase last year was expected to take shelter bed capacity around the state from around 390 to at least 600 slots, she said.
New facilities had been planned or recently opened in Livingston, Lafourche, St. Tammany, Caddo and Avoyelles parishes. The Avoyelles location would have helped fill the shelter gap in central Louisiana.
“Domestic violence shelters do keep people alive,” Wineski said.
At The Haven in Houma, Pellegrin used the extra state money to open up shelter beds and provide outreach services to remote portions of Assumption, Lafourche and Terrebonne.
A parent can be reluctant to leave an abusive relationship if it means they have to cross parish lines and send their children to a different school, she said. By having more locations, her organization can reach more people.
This year’s funding increase is the first hike in state support The Haven had seen in more tha 10 years, Pellegrin said. If Landry cuts that funding in the next cycle, she’ll have to close some of the satellite locations she only recently opened.
The Haven’s emergency shelter operates at near total capacity yearound already.
“When you make that phone call [to get help from a domestic shelter], you may have to wait,” she said.
In the Baton Rouge region, Iris Domestic Violence Center was using the money this year to expand its shelter capacity and provide children’s programming.
Construction is already underway on playrooms, study areas and a teen library at Iris. Executive director Patti Joy Freeman also hopes to add a music room to the facility with donated instruments for children.
Freeman said programs for children and teens are as important as what is offered to the adult victims. Teenagers in abusive families often take on a lot of responsibility helping raise younger children and need space of their own.
All children also need counseling and programming to ensure the familial cycle of violence is broken, according to Freeman. Those types of resources are crime prevention tools because they help keep domestic violence at bay.
But Freeman won’t have the resources to open the new children programs at Iris if state funding for domestic violence shelters gets cut next year. She won’t be able to afford the extra staff and utilities needed to run the program.
“I have to be a good steward with our money,” she said.
Before coming to Iris, Freeman oversaw domestic violence investigations for the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office. A former law enforcement officer, she considers shelters and their programs to be essential to fighting crime. Some victims feel comfortable coming to a shelter for help long before they are willing to interact with police, she said.
“Why are we wondering why these statistics don’t go down when we only have 16 shelters with wraparound services?” she said.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — For the fifth consecutive year, the Louisiana Children’s Museum hosted its annual environmental festival, Mud Fest, on Saturday, March 28.
From 10 a.m.-4 p.m., parents and their little ones had the opportunity to have fun in the sun and enjoy the “highlight” of the museum’s spring season.
This event was inspired by the iconic New Orleans festival culture which includes good food, live music and a nice, high-energy atmosphere. Mud Fest is tailored for the “youngest environmental stewards” to have fun and make all the mess they want with mud.
Due to the Crescent City being surrounded by wetland habitats, we interact with water daily in both our rural and urban communities.
The festival generates positive associations with our region and also builds critical thinking skills for future educators, engineers, fishermen and farmers. According to LCM, engaging with nature, water and plants “builds a child’s confidence and fosters a lifelong connection to the Earth.”
“As the Louisiana Children’s Museum celebrates its 40th anniversary, events like Mud Fest reflect our long-standing commitment to hands-on learning that sparks curiosity and connects children to the world around them,” LCM CEO Tifferney White said.
This year, Mud Fest had performances from young musicians of the School of Rock, the Louisiana Sunspots and more. There were also a storytelling stage and various family-friendly activities for visitors to engage in.
Mud Fest partnered with Pontchartrain Conservancy, STEM NOL, Whimscapes and Sugar Roots to put on the event.
Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter.
Latest Posts
Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship.
The 40-year-old Young And Beautiful hitmaker (born Elizabeth Grant) took to her Instagram to post a gallery celebrating the swamp guide’s 51st birthday.
The couple looked just as in love as ever following their wedding in September 2024.
Del Rey shared several recent videos from their modest life together including a cute selfie of the couple by the ocean while she let her natural beauty show by going make-up free.
She also posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot.
Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view.
Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship as she shared a tribute to him on his 51st birthday
Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket.
Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life in her new video.
Del Rey’s Insta Stories video opened with footage from the 1933 Betty Boop cartoon Snow-White, though it focused on a section starring the character Koko the Clown as he’s turned into a ghost.
Then the video abruptly cut to shaky handheld footage of Del Rey dancing with an ecstatic smile plastered on her face.
The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10.
The happy couple even stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer.
The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024.
In August, Del Rey revealed how she fell for her husband, a Louisiana bayou tour guide who spends his days surrounded by alligators.
Join the debate
What do you think Lana Del Rey’s choice to marry a swamp guide says about fame and real love?
She posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot
Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view
Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket
Del Rey also posted a video of the cover of their wedding album
‘Like many people who work with large, dangerous beasts, Jeremy has a calm, strong presence,’ Del Rey told W magazine.
‘When we met, I realized pretty immediately that I loved him, but that it might get difficult because of what I was bringing to the table,’ she continued.
Del Rey added that Dufrene reassured her from the start: ‘I work with alligators — I have tough skin.’
And true to his word, he listened through all the drama: ‘All the things that made me upset — and there were so many! — he would just listen and say, “You be you — and I’ll just love you more.”’
Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life and her new video
The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10
The happy couple stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer
The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024
Tying the knot in 2024 didn’t make the spotlight any gentler.
Del Rey recalled the intense scrutiny they faced, with drones reportedly hovering over their home to snap photos of their wedding and early days as newlyweds.
‘If I was him, I would have been nervous — my emotions were more overwhelming than usual, and my usual emotions can be quite overwhelming!’ she said with a laugh. ‘But Jeremy was fine. He told me, “Don’t worry about me.”’
And when it comes to music inspired by love, fans have already heard a peek. ‘Stars Fell on Alabama. I open my show with that song — that’s it, so far,’ she revealed.
‘Jeremy is the most impactful person in my life. He’s quiet in public, but around me he talks all the time.’
Louisiana
Meta orders 10 gas-fired power plants for its Hyperion AI campus in rural Louisiana—more than triple the initial plans | Fortune
Meta will pay for a total of 10 gas-fired power plants—enough to power more than 5 million homes—to electrify its rapidly expanding plans for its massive AI data center complex in northeastern Louisiana, dubbed Hyperion.
Meta’s agreement with New Orleans–based Entergy, announced March 27, is to build and finance seven new power plants in Louisiana. That comes on top of plans approved last year to build three gas power plants for the sprawling AI hub. The 10 power plants with 7.5 gigawatts of capacity would represent a more than 30% increase to Louisiana’s entire grid capacity, not even counting up to 2.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, including battery storage, that Meta also agreed to help fund.
Meta initially announced plans for a $10 billion investment in December 2024 for a 2,250-acre data center campus in northeastern Louisiana in rural Richland Parish. But Meta recently, and quietly, acquired an additional 1,400 acres, as Fortune reported in February. In October 2025, Meta entered a joint venture with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital to finance, build, and operate the Hyperion campus with up to $27 billion in total development costs, seemingly ensuring the mega-campus will serve as a long-term, multiphase AI hub.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said Hyperion would cover a “significant part of the footprint of Manhattan.”
“Our Richland Parish data center serves as a symbol of the ambition and scale of next-generation AI infrastructure,” said Rachel Peterson, Meta vice president for data centers, in a statement. “We are building foundations for the future of AI innovation right here in the United States. We’ve been working closely with Entergy since early on-site planning to ensure our power needs are met and, importantly, so that Entergy’s other consumers aren’t paying our costs.”
The Louisiana Public Service Commission will still need to approve the projects. The previous three power plants received regulatory authorization last year.
Entergy’s stock jumped 7% on March 27, lifting its market cap to a new record high of about $50 billion. The stock has risen almost 125% in two years.
Entergy is emphasizing that Meta is paying for the projects, rather than shifting the costs to other ratepayers. Entergy argues that the deals will save Louisiana taxpayers billions of dollars over several years.
The 10 power plants are estimated to cost nearly $11 billion. Critics contend ratepayers could be stuck with the bill after 15 years, which is the length of the contractual terms, if Meta no longer requires so much power after that span.
“This agreement reflects what’s possible when strong partners align around long-term growth and value,” said Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana, in a statement. “Working with our customers, regulators, and state leaders, we are making targeted investments that strengthen reliability, support economic development, and deliver meaningful benefits to customers—all while keeping energy rates affordable.”
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