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South Alabama plays Louisiana-Monroe in a NCAA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

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South Alabama plays Louisiana-Monroe in a NCAA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.


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Mike Kittrell

Louisiana-Monroe at South Alabama basketball

Louisiana-Monroe forward Makai Willis and South Alabama guard John Broom go after a rebound in the first half of a NCAA basketball game Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. (Mike Kittrell/AL.com)

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Louisiana

Guest column: Louisiana's education improvements are a bright spot

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Guest column: Louisiana's education improvements are a bright spot


The most recent national report card on education showed Louisiana had made impressive gains. Those came as part of an intentional strategy from the state level on down to school districts. Dr. Phillip Rozeman says that strategy should continue.



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Buc-ee’s will break ground in Ruston, Louisiana, soon: Here’s the time line for the Beaver

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Buc-ee’s will break ground in Ruston, Louisiana, soon: Here’s the time line for the Beaver


Construction on the infrastructure to accommodate the new Buc-ee’s in Ruston will begin next week, followed by early stages of construction on the travel center within five weeks, Mayor Ronny Walker said.

“It’s going to be a tremendous boost not just for Ruston and Grambling, but for the entire region,” Walker said in an interview with USA Today Network.

Buc-ee’s, with its toothy Beaver mascot, has developed a cult following among travelers who consider the stores tourism destinations rather than just giant convenience stores.

Every Buc-ee’s has wide varieties of meat jerky, roasted nuts and other culinary delights, like the signature Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets (similar to caramel popcorn), fudge, brisket and sausage on a stick.

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“I had no idea how many people love Buc-ee’s so much that they plan vacations around their locations,” Walker said.

If construction goes as planned, Ruston will finish its $8 million infrastructure project to improve the Tarbutton Road Interstate 20 interchange in 10 to 12 months, while construction of the Buc-ee’s campus will take 12 to 15 months, Walker said.

The city later will extend the service road to connect with the I-20 Grambling interchange in Phase 2.

Walker said the company projects 15,000 vehicles a day stopping at Buc-ee’s with 80% coming from 200 miles or more away. The mayor said he believes many of those visitors also will make other stops in Ruston and Grambling before or after leaving Buc-ee’s.

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“Many of them aren’t just going to get a chopped beef sandwich and drive away,” Walker said. “They’ll visit the Louisiana Tech University campus or the Eddie Robinson Museum.”

Ruston’s Buc-ee’s will employ at least 200 people at $18 to $20 per hour with benefits.

The Lake Jackson, Texas-headquartered company has more than 40 stores in seven southern states and Colorado, but none in Louisiana. A new Buc-ee’s store also is being built in Lafayette.

Buc-ee’s owner Arch “Beaver” Aplin III’s grandparents lived in Harrisonburg, La., and he often spent summers there as a child.

“For our family, opening a Buc-ee’s in Louisiana is like coming home,” Aplin said in a statement to USA Today Network. “We are very excited about Buc-ee’s coming to Ruston.”

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Ruston’s City Council, the Lincoln Parish School Board and Lincoln Parish Police Jury approved a tax incentive package that set the project in motion in 2022.

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.



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As Hooters weighs bankruptcy, are its Louisiana restaurants in danger of closing?

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Late last week, Bloomberg reported that Hooters for America is in talks to prepare a bankruptcy filing in the coming months.

Though the future of the international casual dining chain is currently unclear, it appears that Hooters restaurants in Louisiana have no plans to close.

“Hooters Louisiana locations are completely separate entities from Hooters of America,” Hooters of Louisiana wrote in a Facebook post on Tuesday. “The recent news concerning the possible bankruptcy of Hooters of America has no impact on Hooters Louisiana locations.”

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Hooters of Louisiana adds that its Louisiana locations have been “thriving” for the past 34 years and that it looks forward to serving Louisiana for 34 more.

Hooters of America is working with law firm Ropes & Gray to ready a bankruptcy filing, according to Bloomberg, with the court process likely to begin within the next two months.

While Hooters of America has yet to formally address why it is weighing bankruptcy, the company is known to be facing debt and liquidity problems.

Inflation is another pain point. According to data firm Black Box Intelligence, restaurant prices increased by about 44% from 2015 to March 2024, compared to a 26% increase for grocery items over the same period. Those inflated prices have made consumers less interested in eating out.

 

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