Louisiana
Faimon Roberts: In Central Louisiana, ‘data center’ are the magic words for economic development
ALEXANDRIA — Roaming among tables in an expansive event room on a converted Air Force base earlier this month, Chris Masingill was certain of one thing.
“We will get our opportunity for a data center,” he said with conviction of a revivalist preacher. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Masingill’s enthusiasm for the region has been on display a number of times in the last three months, as the newly minted economic development leader for a 10-parish region across the state’s middle embarked on a tour that was part pep-talk, part community relations and part listening tour.
His message has been simple: Yes, Central Louisiana has been an economic laggard. But a turnaround is possible if the region unites behind a single vision.
Part of his message involves touting the region’s broad potential, but right now, he knows there are two magic words that folks want to hear: data center.
Chris Masingill, CEO of St. Tammany Corp., addresses guests at the St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce’s State of Economic Development breakfast.
The recent rush across the south to build sprawling new server farms to feed the ravenous AI beast has set off a silicon-rush of sorts, with each state and region competing to make itself the most attractive to massive technology development firms.
The hope, of course, is to land a project like what is coming to Richland Parish, where a subsidiary of Meta is building a $27 billion data center. That project, in the less than two years since its announcement, has already transformed a sleepy agricultural parish into a hub of construction and economic activity.
Central Louisiana’s leaders hunger for that sort of project.
But the economics of such projects are changing. The really big companies, like Meta or Google or Amazon, are not building as many of their own data centers like the one in Richland Parish, Masingill told me.
Instead, it’s smaller companies purchasing land, building the centers and then offering them up to the bigger companies on a contract basis, he said. That’s what appears to be happening in West Feliciana Parish, where a company called Hut 8 is building a $7 billion data center.
Hut 8 recently announced a 15-year deal with Anthropic, the company behind popular AI chatbot Claude.
Faimon Roberts
Central Louisiana’s turn may be coming sooner than some thought. Last month, a company named Applied Digital purchased about 670 acres near Boyce in Rapides Parish. Applied Digital is a Dallas-based firm that describes itself as “constructing the epicenter of AI” on its website.
Masingill alluded to the news in his talk to those business leaders. “You all saw the news with the land transaction, that’s no secret,” he said.
Masingill told me that Central Louisiana has plenty of the things that data center developers are looking for: available land, water and power generation potential. So, even if this project doesn’t pan out, one eventually will.
Plenty of folks in CenLa hope he’s right.
NEWTON COUNTY, Texas. (KPLC) – A DeRidder man reported missing was found dead in the Sabine River Sunday morning, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.
Newton County Sheriff Colton Havard said Jordan Jamal Allen was located around 7:50 a.m. on July 12 with help from Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, and 409 Search and Rescue.
Authorities say the body was recovered not far from where Allen went under Friday night near the U.S. 190 bridge east of Bon Wier at the Texas-Louisiana state line.
The sheriff said that Allen and a woman were said to be wading across the river Friday when the current began pulling the woman.
The sheriff said Allen tried to help her, but went under around 8:45 p.m. and wasn’t seen again. He said the woman made it back to land safely.
We will have more in this story as it develops.
Copyright 2026 KPLC. All rights reserved.
MONDAY
RED STICK FLY FISHERS PROGRAM: 7 p.m., Bluebonnet Regional Library, 9200 Bluebonnet Blvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com. Website: rsff.org
WEDNESDAY
FLIES & FLIGHTS: 7-9 p.m, Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave., Baton Rouge. Casual fly tying. Open to public. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@gmail.com
THURSDAY
ACADIANA FLY RODDERS PROGRAM: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Open to public. Email Darin Lee: at cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: acadianaflyrodders.org
FRIENDS OF NRA/SOUTHWEST LA BANQUET: 6 p.m., Riverside Bar & Grill, 3748 Louisiana 3059, Lake Charles. Call Brack Cole 337-912-1620. Email: jbcoleair@yahoo.com
ONGOING
STATEWIDE TOURNAMENT & ANGLERS RODEO/S.T.A.R.: Through Sept. 7, Coastal Conservation Association’s summer-long fishing event. Tagged redfish, coastal/offshore species categories & youth division. CCA membership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com/star
LOTTERY HUNTS
DOVE/TEAL: July 27 application deadline for dove hunt on Elbow Slough Wildlife Management Area and teal hunt on White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. Website applications only on Wildlife & Fisheries/Louisiana Outdoors License, Permits and Tags webpage. Fee $8.50. Details: dove hunt, David Hayden at dhayden@wlf.la.gov; teal hunt, Lance Ardoin at lardoin@wlf.la.gov
AROUND THE CORNER
JULY 21 — LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHING CLUB MEETING: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call 337-232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com
JULY 21-22 — GULF COUNCIL SHRIMP COMMITTEE MEETING: Gulf Council office, 4107 W. Spruce St., Tampa, Florida. In conjunction with Scientific and Statistical committees. Website: gulfcouncil.org
JULY 23 — ACADIANA BUGS & BREWS: 6 p.m., Pack and Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Casual fly tying and local beers provided. Open to the public. Email Darin Lee: cbrsandcdc@gmail.com. Website: packpaddle.com
JULY 23-25 — International Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo, Grand Isle Marina & Otto Candies Pavilion, Grand Isle. Website: tarponrodeo.org
JULY 24-25—BASSMASTER JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Kentucky Lake, Paris, Tennessee. Website: bassmaster.com
JULY 26 — SOUTH LOUISIANA HIGHPOWER CLUB MATCH: 8:30 a.m., Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Range, St. Landry Road, Gonzales. NRA XTC & F-Class match rifle or service rifle, 200-yard/50-rounds match course. Fee $15 members, $20 nonmembers, $5 juniors. $25 annual club (first match free) and Civilian Marksmanship Program membership (allows purchases from CMP). Call Mike Burke, 337-380-8120. Email: SouthLAHighPower@hotmail.com
FISHING/SHRIMPING
SHRIMP: Spring inshore season closed except for Breton/Chandeleur sounds; all outside waters open.
OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Private recreational red snapper; gray triggerfish; flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers and wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters.
CLOSED SEASONS: Greater amberjack; bluefin tuna; gag, goliath and Nassau groupers in state/federal waters. Commercial greater amberjack season closed.
LDWF UPDATES
Closed: Roads on Pomme de Terre, Richard Yancey & Bogue Chitto WMAs (flooding)
Drawdowns: Saline Lake (Natchitoches/Winn parishes through Oct. 5); Iatt Lake (Grant Parish through Oct. 5).
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