Louisiana

Top elections official says Louisiana is ready for the presidential election

Published

1 year ago

October 8, 2024

Top elections official says Louisiana is ready for the presidential election

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Louisiana’s new Secretary of State Nancy Landry says her office is fully prepared for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for November 5.

Speaking at media outlets on Tuesday (Oct. 8), Landry emphasized the importance of voter participation and assured the public that her office is working closely with local election officials to finalize preparations.

“We’re ready, we’re ready to go now. We’re traveling the state right now doing a listening tour and meeting with our local election partners, our registrars of voters, our clerks of court just to see if they have any last-minute,” she said.

The deadline for online voter registration is October 15. In-person registration ended Monday and all other registration must be done online.

Voting rights advocates like Rosalind Blanco Cook, President of the League of Women Voters of New Orleans, are urging residents to exercise their right to vote.

“Exercise your right to vote. It’s very important. Don’t just stay home,” said Cook.

Landry, who became secretary of state in January, says under Louisiana law early voting has been expanded.

“One change that we had in the law, but this was a couple of years ago but it takes effect now. We have additional early voting days for presidential elections, so we will have 10 days of early voting for the presidential election. It starts October 18 and runs through October 29th but not on Sundays,” she said.

Over 300,000 people have been removed from Louisiana’s active voter list.

“The number that’s on the inactive rolls right now is 318,000 and that’s a figure that is a rolling number because of our annual maintenance that we do,” said Landry.

The state does a canvass of registered voters annually.

“We follow the federal law that allows us to move people who we can’t verify, we can’t verify their address, they’re moved to the inactive voter rolls and then if they come in to vote we can verify their address. They’re moved right back to the active rolls,” and Landry.

She said once their names are returned to the rolls they can vote.

Residents can check their voter status and access a sample ballot using the Geaux Vote app, which provides a range of election-related information.

Cook, who has also worked at the polls, says election fraud is rare.

“It’s almost non-existent and it’s not a prevalent problem and it’s not a situation that people should worry about that: my vote, although I’m voting but they have all these people that shouldn’t be voting that are voting, it’s just not true,” she said.

It is already illegal for non-citizens to vote but recently Gov. Jeff Landry signed a related executive order and Nancy Landry was present for the signing.

“What we did with the executive order is we got access to some data from state agencies like OMV that can tell us more information about who may be in Louisiana and have a Louisiana driver’s license but is not a citizen and allows us to check that,” she said.

What they have found so far is not a significant number.

“We’re working to check to see if any of those people are registered to vote but we did identify 48 that were registered, that were removed in the past from not being the citizen,“ Landry stated.

Still, during election season there is misinformation, and voters are urged to be careful.

“We encourage all voters to only get their information from trusted sources and that would be the secretary of state’s office, the registrar of voters, or the clerk of court,” said Landry.

Cook agrees.

“Do your research as much as possible. Try to look at reliable sources. Of course, you know, we all use Facebook and all the other social media but realize that might not be true all the time,” she said.

Landry stresses that the state’s voting machines are secure.

“Our voting machines are never, ever connected to the internet despite what you may hear from rumors circulating. Our elections are very safe and secure,” she said.

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Louisiana

Lana Del Rey gives rare look at modest Louisiana life

Published

6 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

Lana Del Rey gives rare look at modest Louisiana life

Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship.

The 40-year-old Young And Beautiful hitmaker (born Elizabeth Grant) took to her Instagram to post a gallery celebrating the swamp guide’s 51st birthday.

The couple looked just as in love as ever following their wedding in September 2024.

Del Rey shared several recent videos from their modest life together including a cute selfie of the couple by the ocean while she let her natural beauty show by going make-up free.

She also posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot.

Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view.

Lana Del Rey has enjoyed a low-key life with her gator tour guide husband Jeremy Dufrene in Louisiana and the talented singer recently gave an intimate peek into their relationship as she shared a tribute to him on his 51st birthday

Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket.

Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life in her new video.

Del Rey’s Insta Stories video opened with footage from the 1933 Betty Boop cartoon Snow-White, though it focused on a section starring the character Koko the Clown as he’s turned into a ghost.

Then the video abruptly cut to shaky handheld footage of Del Rey dancing with an ecstatic smile plastered on her face.

The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10.

The happy couple even stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer.

The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024.

In August, Del Rey revealed how she fell for her husband, a Louisiana bayou tour guide who spends his days surrounded by alligators.

Join the debate

What do you think Lana Del Rey’s choice to marry a swamp guide says about fame and real love?

She posted a cute video of Dufrene loading up the truck with plants they had just purchased from Home Depot and when he realizes he is being filmed, the Louisiana native flashed a big smile and proudly posed with a Jack-o’-lantern pot

Del Rey also shared a snap of her hand gripping his wrist as her massive engagement ring could be seen in full view

Another snap showed Del Rey wearing one of Dufrene’s tour guide shirts featuring his name embroidered above the pocket

Del Rey also posted a video of the cover of their wedding album

‘Like many people who work with large, dangerous beasts, Jeremy has a calm, strong presence,’ Del Rey told W magazine.

‘When we met, I realized pretty immediately that I loved him, but that it might get difficult because of what I was bringing to the table,’ she continued.

Del Rey added that Dufrene reassured her from the start: ‘I work with alligators — I have tough skin.’

And true to his word, he listened through all the drama: ‘All the things that made me upset — and there were so many! — he would just listen and say, “You be you — and I’ll just love you more.”’

Weeks ago the musical artist gave what appeared to be a glimpse into her married life and her new video

The two have kept a relatively low profile since their wedding day but did make a notable appearance last month at the pre-New York Fashion Week Ralph Lauren show on February 10

The happy couple stopped for a romantic kiss as they walked the red carpet for the iconic designer

The couple first met in 2019 during one of Dufrene’s swamp excursions and reconnected years later, before tying the knot in September 2024

Tying the knot in 2024 didn’t make the spotlight any gentler.

Del Rey recalled the intense scrutiny they faced, with drones reportedly hovering over their home to snap photos of their wedding and early days as newlyweds.

‘If I was him, I would have been nervous — my emotions were more overwhelming than usual, and my usual emotions can be quite overwhelming!’ she said with a laugh. ‘But Jeremy was fine. He told me, “Don’t worry about me.”’

And when it comes to music inspired by love, fans have already heard a peek. ‘Stars Fell on Alabama. I open my show with that song — that’s it, so far,’ she revealed.

‘Jeremy is the most impactful person in my life. He’s quiet in public, but around me he talks all the time.’

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Louisiana

Meta orders 10 gas-fired power plants for its Hyperion AI campus in rural Louisiana—more than triple the initial plans | Fortune

Published

18 hours ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Meta orders 10 gas-fired power plants for its Hyperion AI campus in rural Louisiana—more than triple the initial plans | Fortune

Meta will pay for a total of 10 gas-fired power plants—enough to power more than 5 million homes—to electrify its rapidly expanding plans for its massive AI data center complex in northeastern Louisiana, dubbed Hyperion.

Meta’s agreement with New Orleans–based Entergy, announced March 27, is to build and finance seven new power plants in Louisiana. That comes on top of plans approved last year to build three gas power plants for the sprawling AI hub. The 10 power plants with 7.5 gigawatts of capacity would represent a more than 30% increase to Louisiana’s entire grid capacity, not even counting up to 2.5 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity, including battery storage, that Meta also agreed to help fund.

Meta initially announced plans for a $10 billion investment in December 2024 for a 2,250-acre data center campus in northeastern Louisiana in rural Richland Parish. But Meta recently, and quietly, acquired an additional 1,400 acres, as Fortune reported in February. In October 2025, Meta entered a joint venture with funds managed by Blue Owl Capital to finance, build, and operate the Hyperion campus with up to $27 billion in total development costs, seemingly ensuring the mega-campus will serve as a long-term, multiphase AI hub.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said Hyperion would cover a “significant part of the footprint of Manhattan.”

“Our Richland Parish data center serves as a symbol of the ambition and scale of next-generation AI infrastructure,” said Rachel Peterson, Meta vice president for data centers, in a statement. “We are building foundations for the future of AI innovation right here in the United States. We’ve been working closely with Entergy since early on-site planning to ensure our power needs are met and, importantly, so that Entergy’s other consumers aren’t paying our costs.”

The Louisiana Public Service Commission will still need to approve the projects. The previous three power plants received regulatory authorization last year.

Entergy’s stock jumped 7% on March 27, lifting its market cap to a new record high of about $50 billion. The stock has risen almost 125% in two years.

Entergy is emphasizing that Meta is paying for the projects, rather than shifting the costs to other ratepayers. Entergy argues that the deals will save Louisiana taxpayers billions of dollars over several years.

The 10 power plants are estimated to cost nearly $11 billion. Critics contend ratepayers could be stuck with the bill after 15 years, which is the length of the contractual terms, if Meta no longer requires so much power after that span.

“This agreement reflects what’s possible when strong partners align around long-term growth and value,” said Phillip May, president and CEO of Entergy Louisiana, in a statement. “Working with our customers, regulators, and state leaders, we are making targeted investments that strengthen reliability, support economic development, and deliver meaningful benefits to customers—all while keeping energy rates affordable.”

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Louisiana

Guest Column: Louisiana can only win with a stronger workforce

Published

1 day ago

March 27, 2026

Press Room

Guest Column: Louisiana can only win with a stronger workforce

Louisiana’s recent tax reforms have improved the state’s competitiveness, but lasting economic growth will stall without a stronger workforce. That is why enacting policies to help businesses meet their workforce needs must start now.

Across industries, employers continue to report difficulty finding workers with the skills required for their jobs. At the same time, many Louisianans struggle to connect with opportunities that offer good-paying jobs and long-term career paths.

This disconnect is the reason Public Affairs Research Council and Leaders for a Better Louisiana are joining forces to call for the state’s renewed and sustained focus on workforce development, particularly in the ongoing legislative session.

This is not simply a labor shortage. It is a persistent mismatch between the needs of businesses and the preparation, awareness and mobility of our workforce.

If Louisiana wants to fully capitalize on its economic reforms, infrastructure investments and emerging industries, we must strengthen the systems that connect education and training to the needs of employers.

The challenge is visible in the data.

Steven Procopio.jpg — Steven Procopio, president of Public Affairs Research Council, has been with the organization for 10 years.
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Louisiana’s labor force participation rate hovers around 58% — 43rd worst among states and several points below the national average. That gap represents over 100,000 working-age adults who are neither working nor actively seeking work. Even modest improvements would translate into significant gains for families, businesses and the state’s economy.

At the same time, the state reports roughly 124,000 jobs open statewide, compared with about 88,000 individuals actively seeking employment. This imbalance reflects issues involving workforce solutions for employers, skills relevance and alignment in education and the ability of individuals to navigate from education or training into the available jobs.

These pressures are unfolding at a pivotal moment for Louisiana’s economy.

The state has seen significant jobs announcements and capital investment in recent years across manufacturing, energy, technology and other sectors. While these projects create opportunity, these announcements alone do not guarantee broad-based prosperity.

Without a workforce prepared at the necessary scale with the right skills or employers able to address their talent shortages, Louisiana risks constraining growth and limiting the benefits of that investment.

This is not a failure of workers or employers: It is a systems challenge.

Louisiana’s workforce development, education and economic development efforts often don’t operate in alignment. Students struggle to understand how academic choices connect to careers. Employers struggle to find training partners responsive to rapidly changing skill needs. Workforce programs are difficult to navigate, fragmented across agencies and inconsistent in their coordination.

Improving outcomes requires strengthening these connections. Better career counseling can help students make informed decisions about education and training pathways. Clearer workforce signals can help institutions align programs with high-demand fields. Stronger partnerships among business, higher education and workforce agencies can accelerate the transition from classroom to career.

Louisiana already has examples of progress to build upon.

The M.J. Foster Promise Program is funding working-age adults to earn credentials in high-demand fields. Industry partnerships, apprenticeships and technical training programs are expanding in key sectors. Regional collaborations are demonstrating how employers and educators can work together to meet workforce needs. These efforts show that targeted investments and intentional alignment can produce real results.

But isolated successes are not enough. Louisiana must scale what works and remove barriers that limit participation.

That means simplifying how individuals access education and training, strengthening coordination across agencies and institutions, improving transparency around outcomes and ensuring accountability for results. Workforce development should function as an integrated strategy, not a collection of disconnected programs.

The stakes extend beyond economic development. Workforce policy is also economic mobility policy. When Louisianans can access training that leads to stable, well-paying careers, families benefit. Communities benefit. Employers benefit. The state benefits.

Conversely, when individuals remain disconnected from opportunity, the consequences are felt in lower incomes, reduced growth and widening inequality.

Louisiana has meaningful economic opportunity ahead. The question is whether the state can connect its people to that growth at the scale required. Workforce development is the bridge between economic development and shared prosperity for Louisiana families. We believe that workforce reform is one of the urgent issues Louisiana leaders must address during the 2026 legislative session.

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