Louisiana
Scam calls surge in Louisiana with over 50 million targeting residents in December
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Louisiana residents received over 50 million scam calls in December, according to new statistics from the spam blocking app TrueCaller, showcasing an alarming increase in unwanted calls month by month.
The app identified over 2.5 billion spam calls nationwide in December, with Louisiana residents specifically targeted by over 58 million scam calls and over 3 million scam texts during the month.
“It’s insane, so I don’t get my number out anymore,” said Peter Simon, a local shopper.
Technology makes scams more sophisticated
Carmen Million with the Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana said new technology and artificial intelligence make it easier for scammers to contact consumers.
“Technology is with us. And where we could tell consumers where to look out, what warning signs to look out for these scams, you know, the new AI has made it easier for these scammers to make it look really valid. And it can dupe some consumers into believing that they’re a legitimate cause when in case it’s a scam,” Million said.
Scammers use various tactics to trick people and steal information, money, and focus from their targets.
“There was one, like, cruises for a lot. And then there was a lot of political ones that were surprising,” Simon said.
Patricia Martinez, another shopper, expressed concern about vulnerable populations.
“I have senior parents, too, that I feel are all so vulnerable to AI, and I see it really prevalent in social media spaces as well. So, it can create a lot of disinformation,” Martinez said.
How to avoid scam calls
The main goal is authenticity and verifying what the caller claims to represent. If a scammer claims to be from a government agency or organization, consumers should check directly with that organization or agency to see if the claims are true.
“I would tell everyone, like, take me off your list. And they were, I don’t know if that helped, but they stopped calling, so,” Simon said.
Martinez recommended researching suspicious calls online.
“I would always go and Google the sources to see if other people have spoken out about them. Social media is a great place to see where other people have maybe had these issues,” she said.
Million advised consumers to be skeptical of all unsolicited calls.
“Automatically assume it’s not valid. Investigate. And always do your homework,” she said.
The Better Business Bureau tracks scams and encourages consumers to report them anonymously on their website’s scam tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker. Million said many consumers hesitate to report scams due to embarrassment, making the anonymous reporting option vital for gathering information.
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Louisiana
After redistricting battles, Southern gathers for Juneteenth celebration: ‘Continue the fight’
Hundreds of community members, alumni and students gathered Thursday to observe Juneteenth on the Southern University campus in Baton Rouge.
The theme of the festivities was “celebrating freedom through culture and community,” but weeks after Louisiana’s bitter redistricting battles, the speakers Thursday morning had one message driving their remarks: Get out and vote.
“Freedom does not come in on the wheels of inevitability,” Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice John Michael Guidry said to the crowd. “But it takes the prodigious work and the tireless efforts of those who are willing to continue the fight.”
Great Beginnings summer camper Myni, 4, gets a hello kitty face painting during Southern’s Juneteenth celebration on Thursday, June 18, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Staff photo by Michael Johnson
The speech kicked off a day of discussions and cultural events centered on the holiday of Juneteenth, which commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union Gen. Gordon Granger brought news of emancipation to enslaved people in Texas more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued.
Speakers at Southern emphasized the need for protection of hard-won rights for Black Americans in the context of redistricting. The sentiments followed a contentious state legislative session that ended with the elimination of one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black congressional districts after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais.
“That Voting Rights Act is under attack,” Guidry said. “There’s voter intimidation, there’s voter suppression, there are voter ID laws and all types of laws and legal decisions that are trying to deny us our right to vote, and we are the ones who have to go forward and litigate these issues.”
The day opened with a libation ceremony and a rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Southern University student Claire Floyd.
Southern University alumnus Jeanet Cazenave said she felt it was important to celebrate Juneteenth on campus as not only a relative of the first dean of Southern University but also a descendant of the GU272, a group of enslaved individuals who were sold to plantations in Louisiana in 1838 by Jesuit priests to pay the debts of what is now Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Juneteenth “means everything,” Cazenave said. “It means the past, the present and the future.”
BATON ROUGE, La. (KLFY) — Governor Landry has officially declared Louisiana under state of emergency.
The state emergency declaration covers Avoyelles, Lafourche, Pointe Coupee, St. Landry, St. Tammany and Terrebonne parishes.
The declaration was issued Thursday following the impacts of Tropical Storm Arthur, which brough rainfall and strong storms to parts of the state on June 17 and 18.
Officials said the National Weather Service has confirmed three tornadoes tied to the storm system.
Officials also reported record or near-record rainfall totals in Avoyelles and Pointe Coupee parishes over a 12-hour period.
The order allows the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to coordinate resources and provide assistance to local governments if needed.
Certain state purchasing and bidding requirements have been temporarily suspended to speed up emergency response efforts.
The declaration took effect immediately and will remain in place through July 18 unless it is lifted or extended.
State officials are urging residents to stay weather aware, avoid flooded roadways and follow guidance from local emergency managers.
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