Louisiana
Get Your Mardi Gras Style On!
Lafayette, LA (KPEL News) – Dressing for Mardi Gras goes beyond ball gowns and chicken run costumes. In Louisiana, we show our Fat Tuesday spirit from Epiphany until Ash Wednesday. But where do you find the shops that have those fabulous tops, bottoms, and accessories you can wear every day?
You can always to find purple, green, and gold gear at most south Louisiana department stores, but truly unique fashion is found in the small businesses and boutiques throughout Lafayette and the surrounding parishes.
Boutiques have started posting their wares across social media, and a few of our friends sent us their ideas. We will continue to add to the list as we get your suggestions!
So cute!
Mardi Gras style for bigs and littles.
JC KATE BOUTIQUE
JC KATE BOUTIQUE
Dress for the “pardi” top to toe.
Sweet Caroline Boutique
Threads throws us lots to look at, including the bling.
Threads Clothing Boutique
Threads Clothing Boutique
Threads, A Clothing Boutique
Threads, A Clothing Boutique
Bring the style and the bling to the parade this year!
Londonee & Co LLC
Londonee & Co LLC
Londonee & Co LLC
From tops to tumblers, and accessories, too. Check out those earrings!
The Gift Pod
The Gift Pod
Little revelers should look the part, too.
The owners grew up and still live in Acadia Parish. They can even personalize your items!
Simply Stitchin
Simply Stitchin
Simply Stitchin
Gotta love king cake for those sweeties in your life.
Their Mardi Gras inventory is growing. Check out the clever styles they’ve created.
You can get your Mardi Gras fashion going and grab a treat at the bakery in the store.
For men, ladies, and littles, head to downtown Crowley for a pick up.
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The NCAA transfer portal officially closed January 16 and it was a somewhat quiet period for Louisiana football.
After a 6-7 overall finish for the Ragin’ Cajuns, head coach Michael Desormeaux and his staff were hoping to reset and reload. This go-round, they didn’t pick up a ton from the portal, while on the flip side lost double-digit players. Among those leaving were two starting running backs, Zylan Perry and Bill Davis, and former starting quarterback Walker Howard.
On the bright side, emerging star quarterback Lunch Windfield is set to return for the 2026 season. Along with him are more young talents from last season, such as true freshman defensive back Brent Gordon Jr. and wide receiver Shelton Sampson Jr.
Retaining some talent from last year plus signing 22 players from the Class of 2026, the Cajuns are hopeful to continue to build their roster with the a long offseason to go. Here’s a final roundup as of January 17 of UL football portal pickups and losses.
Louisiana football transfer portal additions
Listed at 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, Chikere was the fourth portal pickup for the Cajuns at the defensive lineman position. Last season for the Lions, he racked up 34 total tackles and a sack after appearing in 11 games. He has two years of eligibility after being rated a 3-star recruit out of high school by 247Sports.
LSU’s Prince Malbrue
The third portal pickup for the Cajuns is a local one in Lafayette Christian Academy alum Malbrue. The former LSU linebacker and will return to Lafayette after spending four years with the Tigers before two seasons at Northwestern State. This past season, he appeared in 12 games and finished with three total tackles.
Tarleton State’s Brodrick Stewart
The second addition from the portal comes out of Tarleton State in defensive lineman Stewart. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 315 pounds, he adds size to the line that would be lacking with the Cajuns graduating some starters from last season. He finished 2025 with six total tackles and has three years of eligibility remaining.
Tulane’s Jayce Mitchell
The first incoming transfer for the Cajuns addressed a group that needed more depth this past season on the offensive line. Former Tulane offensive tackle Jayce Mitchell announced his commitment to UL on January 5. At 6-5, 275, Mitchell was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports for the Class of 2024.
Louisiana football portal losses
- Quarterback Walker Howard to Ole Miss
- Wide receiver Charles Robertson
- Defensive lineman Fitzgerald West
- Cornerback Lorenzell Dubose
- Running back Hutch Swilley to McNeese State
- Offensive lineman Carter Milliron to Florida
- Linebacker Trey Fite to UTSA
- Running back Zylan Perry to Cincinnati
- Running back Bill Davis to Virginia Tech
- Offensive lineman Bryant Williams to Arkansas
Shannon Belt covers high school sports and the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow her high school and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ShannonBelt3. Got questions regarding HS/UL athletics? Send them to Shannon Belt at sbelt@gannett.com.
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Wing Wars of Acadiana: Acadiana’s Chicken Wing Festival returned for a fourth year. See and hear the sights and sounds.
Chicken wings have been a staple of American cuisine for a long time, with the smoky flavors and spicy sauces beloved by many.
While the popular delicacy of chicken wings is said to originate in New York, perhaps no one enjoys a good chicken wing quite like a southerner.
In order to find the best wings, Southern Living set out to food trucks, barbecue joints and other eateries to find the best chicken wings in the south.
Two spots in Louisiana made Southern Living’s cut.
Best chicken wings in New Orleans
Bayou Hot Wings, located at 6221 S Claiborne Ave. in New Orleans, is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. and serves fresh chicken wings made from scratch. At this restaurant, all chicken is seasoned and brined for 24 hours, and then cooked to perfection.
There are 14 different sauces and flavors to choose from, from bayou sweet or bayou hotboy to Korean BBQ or pepper jelly. In addition to sauces and flavors, there are also four different house-made dips that accompany the wings.
Bayou Hot Wings was founded by Chef Allen Nguyen and Chef Kyle Makepeace with the intention to create a wing restaurant the city of New Orleans can be proud of, as many of the menu items are made in-house using local ingredients.
Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings in Thibodaux named one of the best places for wings by Southern Living
Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings, located in Thibodaux at 710 St Mary St., is open Tuesday through Sunday and serves up flavorful food prepared by Executive Chef and CEO Cardell Smith.
At this joint, there are 15 different sauce choices, including chipotle Crown Apple, habanero Crown Peach, Caribbean pineapple jerk, sweet heat Hennessey and hot honey drip, to name a few.
The 20 best spots for chicken wings in the South according to Southern Living
- The Local: Atlanta, Georgia
- Seoulside Wings: Houston, Texas
- Ching’s Hot Wings: Memphis, Tennessee
- Local Cue: Greenville, South Carolina
- Howard China: Washington, D.C.
- The Camp Restaurant: Natchez, Mississippi
- SAW’s Juke Joint: Birmingham, Alabama
- Bayou Hot Wings: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Noble’s: Nashville, Tennessee
- Certified Pies: Little Rock, Arkansas
- Momma’s Mustard, Pickles & BBQ: Louisville, Kentucky
- Smoke’N Joe Box: Sherwood, Arkansas
- Nam Phuong: Atlanta, Georgia
- Cricket’s: Madison, Alabama
- Brother Z’s Wang Shack: Nashville, Tennessee
- Moosehead Grill: Charlotte, North Carolina
- Domu: Jacksonville, Florida
- Fairley’s Wings & More: Hattiesburg, Mississippi
- Kajun Kidd Burgers & Wings: Thibodaux, Louisiana
- Track One: El Paso, Texas
Presley Bo Tyler is a reporter for the Louisiana Deep South Connect Team for USA Today. Find her on X @PresleyTyler02 and email at PTyler@Gannett.com
For over a week, rumors have been circling that southwest Louisiana will once again see snow.
While it is not going to be the type of snowstorm that Louisiana saw last January, the National Weather Service in Lake Charles is forecasting there is some potential for southwest Louisiana to see some snow Sunday morning.
“A cold front will move through the region (Friday night) into early Saturday morning accompanied by a few showers,” the forecast states. “Lingering moisture behind the cold front may produce a brief period of light snow or flurries early Sunday morning across south central Louisiana.”
Specifically, the forecast states that there is a less than 10% chance of snow with no expected accumulation or travel hazards.
The snow chances are due to a light freeze with wind chills in the low to mid-20s that is expected Saturday night into Sunday morning across the entire region away from the immediate coastline.
The forecast states that the service does not know if snow will actually happen since the precipitation chances are “very low” and that the specific areas that may see snow are unknown, but that lower Acadiana is the most likely.
“Rely on trusted, official sources for weather information, not all social media posts are trustworthy,” the forecast states. “Stay informed by monitoring the forecast for updates and changes.”
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