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Seafood cook-offs, Pride Month events, and exclusive sneak peeks in Louisiana entertainment news

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Seafood cook-offs, Pride Month events, and exclusive sneak peeks in Louisiana entertainment news


In this week’s Louisiana entertainment news, one Lafayette chef was selected to compete for the 2024 King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood crown. If you’re into fictional books, an Alexandria author based a book on an uncle who invented a working helicopter. And take a sneak peek into Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit Studios.

Goodbye May, hello June — Pride Month is officially here. Check out events to kick off Pride Month in northwestern Louisiana.

Seafood and Cook-offs

The annual Louisiana Seafood Cook-Off is set to kick off in Monroe for the first time. Twelve chefs will compete for the King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood crown.

Each chef will have one hour to prepare a dish featuring Louisiana seafood and present it to the judges. Born and raised in Lafayette, Sullivan Zant, an executive chef and one of the founders of a restaurant in downtown Lafayette, is set to compete for the Louisiana Seafood crown. The winner of LASCO will represent Louisiana at the Great American Seafood Cook-Off (GASCO) in New Orleans on Saturday, August 3, at the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center.

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Read more about Sullivan Zant Lafayette chef selected to compete for the 2024 King or Queen of Louisiana Seafood crown

Fictional books, Movie studios

There aren’t many people who know that the first working helicopter was invented by an Alexandria man. His name was Leo Ortego, and he is the uncle of Alexandria author M.E. Nevill. Nevill wrote “Leo’s War” based on stories she heard growing up about her uncle.

Read about first working helicopter Niece writes book about Alexandria man who invented working helicopter

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There is a new development out of G-Unit Studios in Shreveport. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson posted May 30 on his Facebook page a sneak peek into G-Unit Studios.

Shreveport was buzzing with excitement on the steps of Government Plaza as members of the city council and Jackson gathered to symbolically sign the lease for the former Millennium Studios in April. This revitalization of Millennium Studios is expected to have a cascading effect on job creation, attracting talent to the area and contributing to the overall economic resurgence of Shreveport.

Check out new G-Unit Studios Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson posts sneak peek into his studio

Celebrating Pride Month

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If you’re looking to get festive, check out these nine things to do in Shreveport-Bossier City that are perfect to celebrate Pride.

Join in some fun with great prizes and good food. For anyone in the mood for a great performance, Bear’s drag show happens the fourth Friday of the month. Or enjoy panelists, keynote speakers and community during the second annual LGBTQ+ Youth Summit happening at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. 

Check out more events in Shrevport Pride Month is officially here.



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Louisiana

Heart of Louisiana: Savoy Music

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Heart of Louisiana: Savoy Music


NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – You can feel the strong Cajun tradition the moment you step inside the Savoy Music Center near the southwest Louisiana city of Eunice.

The blend of strong black coffee, the savory aroma of boudin sausage, lively conversations, and the music create an atmosphere that is unmistakably Cajun.

For more, visit the Heart of Louisiana archive here.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.

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Army Black Knights, Louisiana Tech Offensive Stars To Watch in Independence Bowl

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Army Black Knights, Louisiana Tech Offensive Stars To Watch in Independence Bowl


The Independence Bowl will be a game of offensive contrasts as the Army West Point Black Knights face the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday at Independence Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 9:15 p.m. eastern on ESPN.

Army (11-2) enters the game using its run-based attack based on option, deception and power football. If the Black Knights don’t have 34 or 35 minutes of time of possession by game’s end, then they haven’t done their job. Army can create big plays, but the Black Knights would rather grind its opponents down to submission.

Louisiana Tech (5-7) runs a pass-based, Air Raid offense that coach Sonny Cumbie learned from one of his coaches and mentors, the legendary Mike Leach. The former Texas Tech quarterback doesn’t have the talent he needs to make it as effective as the Red Raiders’ glory days offensively. But, he’s found a quarterback that could help get him there in the coming years — if the Bulldogs can hang onto him.

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This is the transfer portal era after all.

Here are three offensive players to watch for each team going into Saturday’s contest.

QB Bryson Daily

Daily was the American Athletic Conference offensive player of the year and was sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. He is the focal point of this offense. He’s rushed for 1,532 yards and 29 touchdowns (tied for most in FBS) and has thrown for another 942 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. If LA Tech wants to win, it has to slow him down. Look at the Navy tape for a template.

RB Noah Short

With Kanye Udoh’s transfer to Arizona State, the bulk of the complementary backfield work may fall to short, who was the Black Knights’ third-leading rusher this season. He rushed for 542 yards and two touchdowns but gained more yards per carry (7.7) than Udoh (6.2).

This is Daily’s swan song so he’ll get plenty of work. But Short needs to be a solid complement. He’s also one of Army’s top passing targets with 17 catches for 318 yards and three touchdowns.

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WR Casey Reynolds

Reynolds leads the Black Knights with 19 receptions for 444 yards and three touchdowns. When Daily looks for a big play down the field, count on Reynolds to be the receiver he’s looking for. It’s been that way all season.

QB Evan Bullock

He finally emerged with the starting job in late September and the freshman ended up with 1,938 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions as he completed 67% of his passes. That’s a solid start in an offense that requires quick passing and high accuracy. Bullock has both, but he’s also been sacked 31 times.

RB Omiri Wiggins

The running game can be afterthought in an Air Raid offense. But Wiggins is coming off a huge game in LA Tech’s finale, as he rushed for 129 yards and three touchdowns and three interceptions against Kennesaw State. That was more than a quarter of his output this season (487 yards, four touchdowns).

WR Tru Edwards

The senior is from Shreveport, La., so this is like coming home. And he’s had a huge year for the Bulldogs. Edwards is their leading receiver by a significant margin, with 77 receptions for 897 yards and six touchdowns. He’s caught 25 passes in his last three games but hasn’t found the end zone.



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Letters: State should invest in training mental health providers

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Letters: State should invest in training mental health providers


Most of Louisiana is classified as a mental health professional shortage area, leaving countless families — especially children —without access to critical mental health services. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, over half of children in Louisiana who experience mental health challenges do not receive the care they need. This is a staggering number given that this study estimates that 30.3% of children ages 3-17 have at least one emotional, developmental or behavioral health disorder. This unmet need has far-reaching consequences, affecting school performance, family stability and community safety.

Addressing this gap starts with investing in higher education programs that train the mental health professionals our state desperately needs. Universities such as the University of Louisiana Monroe, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, Grambling State University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, McNeese State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of New Orleans, University of Holy Cross, Tulane University, Nicholls State University, LSU and others play a vital role in preparing skilled counselors, psychologists and social workers.

However, the current capacity of mental health training programs is not sufficient to meet the growing demand. We are facing another potential budget shortfall in Louisiana that could impact higher education. Without adequate funding and resources, these programs may struggle to equip students with the expertise and experience required to enter the workforce.

Investing in these programs is not just about addressing today’s challenges — it is about safeguarding the future of Louisiana. By increasing the number of trained mental health professionals, we can improve outcomes for children and families, reduce the strain on emergency services and foster healthier, more resilient communities.

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It is time to prioritize the mental health of our state by supporting higher education programs that make a difference. Together, we can build a brighter, healthier future.

MATTHEW THORNTON

chief executive officer, Center for Children and Families, Inc.

 



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