Aside from a boil water advisory in Lafayette, most of the state’s public utilities fared relatively well Tuesday as a historic blizzard covered southern Louisiana with as much as 10 inches of snow in some parts. But officials warn that could change very quickly over the next few days.
The biggest interruption of service Tuesday was a loss of water pressure affecting more than 12,000 customers of the Lafayette Utilities System. LUS Director Jeffrey Stewart said the city’s water system experienced pressure drops due to the large number of customers dripping their faucets all at once to prevent their pipes from freezing.
LUS issued a boil water advisory for residents and businesses in the Lafayette area north of Interstate 10, asking customers to turn off their faucets and conserve water if possible. Customers should boil water for one full minute prior to drinking or using it for cooking. The advisory is expected to remain in effect until at least Friday or Saturday once pressure is restored and stabilized after the storm has passed, Stewart said.
“We won’t begin testing until after we stabilize,” he said. “At that point, we sample and wait a minimum of 24 hours to clear.”
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On the electric front, the grid was relatively quiet with few outages across the state.
Some outages were reported in Lafayette during the day, but the utility was able to quickly respond and repair them. However, Stewart warned that this initial quiet period is unlikely to last through the week and said people should prepare and expect to lose electricity.
“The next couple nights will definitely test us,” Stewart said. “The deep freeze could cause issues, including making roads not passable.”
Temperatures are expected to dip below freezing each night through Friday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a blizzard warning Tuesday. Snow and ice could accumulate on tree branches, causing them to snap and pull down aerial power lines.
Vehicles, such as those of curious sightseers, pose a common hazard during winter storms as they will often slide off icy roadways and crash into utility poles. Such an event left thousands without power in Tangipahoa Parish late on Tuesday.
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More than 2,000 Entergy Louisiana customers in an area stretching from Amite to Independence lost power after a vehicle ran off the roadway and struck some utility infrastructure, Entergy spokesman Brandon Scardigli said.
“Drivers should avoid being on the roadways if travel is not absolutely necessary,” the Department of Transportation and Development said in a statement.
Entergy crews had restored about half of those outages by 8 p.m., deploying some of the roughly 2,600 personnel on standby as part of its storm response plan.
Entergy’s power line crews will respond in the rain or snow and have winterized bucket trucks outfitted with tire chains to help them navigate icy roads. Otherwise, the only hindrance that can cause them to suspend their response efforts is wind, Scardigli said. Line workers cannot use their bucket trucks if wind speeds exceed 35 mph — the same limitation they face during hurricane season, he added.
In the neighboring parishes to the east, about 2,300 customers of the Washington-St Tammany Electric Cooperative experienced brief outages Tuesday evening, but most were restored relatively quickly.
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Despite the quick responses Tuesday, customers should expect slower restoration times as the weather turns even colder.
“While crews are ready to respond, icy roads and other winter hazards are expected to slow travel and restoration efforts,” Entergy said in a statement. “Additionally, cold-load pickup, the increased energy demand that occurs when power is restored to systems impacted by extreme cold, may delay restoration times.”
Louisiana pastor Tony Spell must stay 50 yards from his neighbor’s home unless he’s checking the mail after a protection order was issued against him – as shocking bodycam appears to show him using a homophobic slur to describe his alleged assault victim, just two days after he was arrested.
Spell, 48, is banned from speaking with the neighbor either online and in person, according to the order issued Friday, which has since been reported by The Advocate.
“Mr Spell may walk over and check his mailbox; other than checking his mailbox, he is to be 50 yards away from the protected person’s property,” a note on the order says.
Pastor Tony Spell allegedly assaulted his neighbor’s son after he threatened to kill and rape his wife. WBRZ
Spell, the pastor of Baton Rouge’s Life Tabernacle Church, will appear in court in September after being charged with second degree battery over last month’s assault that unfolded opposite the church.
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He claimed Scott Sherwin’s son had threatened to rape and kill his wife before delivering 35 blows.
But two days after the brawl Scott Sherwin reported Spell for allegedly mowing his lawn at 4 a.m., WBRZ reported.
“He’s doing this to intimidate my victim son,” Sherwin claimed in bodycam video seen by The Post.
“Do you cut your grass at 4 in the morning?” he asked the responding officer.
“You gotta get him to stop man,” the furious dad said.
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Sherwin claimed his family was unable to sleep – alleging Spell was carrying out “psychological warfare.”
An enraged Sherwin then swore at his neighbor, allegedly flipping him off, according to the bodycam.
Tony Spell kneeling and holding a goat. Tony Spell / Facebook
“I was asleep when this started at four in the morning,” Sherwin stressed, aggressively pointing at his phone.
The cop then went over to Spell, who was sitting on his lawnmower, before asking for his name.
“Everybody in the world knows my name,” Spell brazenly replied to the cop.
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Spell, who faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, then labeled Sherwin’s son a “f—-t” and seemed to take pride in the now-viral beatdown.
“He’s just sore because I beat the crap out of his f—-t boy,” he said.
“And he’s next if he comes over here and harasses these boys,” Spell said, speaking while a group of teens gathered nearby.
He has been embroiled in a rivalry with his neighbor. Tony Spell
Spell then started his lawnmower up and told the boys “get to work,” essentially ordering them to clear off.
Spell strongly defended his actions after being released from jail over the assault.
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“Number one, I’m a husband, number two, I’m a father, and number three, I’m a pastor who shepherds his flock,” he said. “I will not allow a man to murder my children when I’m gone,” he told reporters.
He revealed what Sherwin’s son allegedly said, which prompted the beatdown.
“He said, ‘Tony, I’m going to rape your wife, I’m going to rape all your grandchildren, and the next time you go out of town, I’m going to kill them,’” Spell said.
He addressed the altercation to his congregation and compared it to “domestic terrorism.” He also cited a Bible passage from Mark 16:18, WAFB reported.
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“In my name, they shall lay hands on the sick. And they shall recover,” he said.
“So today, I fulfilled the scripture. I laid hands on the sick. I don’t know how much recovery they’re going to have, but I laid hands on the sick.”
Spell has been in a longstanding feud with Sherwin; the pastor filed a lawsuit during the pandemic in 2020 over surveillance cameras that were installed.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Spell was ticketed for holding in-person church services, defying Louisiana’s social distancing restrictions.
Spell claimed the cameras were installed to monitor him.
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In April 2020, Spell was accused of attacking a protester outside his church. Police alleged that Spell backed his church bus in the direction of the protester, who was identified as Trey Bennett, according to news station WAFB-TV.
He was arrested for aggravated assault but never formally charged.
A new study from researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, and the Metamor Institute found that metabolic and bariatric surgery can be delivered safely and effectively for adolescents and young adults living with severe obesity, leading to significant weight loss and improvements in obesity-related health conditions.
Published in Obesity Surgery, the study examined outcomes from 76 patients ages 10 to 25 who underwent bariatric surgery through a Louisiana-based program at the Metamor Institute between January 2020 and March 2025. Researchers evaluated safety outcomes as well as longer-term health improvements associated with surgical obesity treatment.
The study found that patients achieved an average total body weight loss of 29%-32% maintained over one to five years. Among patients with available follow-up data, 94% experienced remission of type 2 diabetes, 67% showed improvement in hypertension and dyslipidemia and 64% experienced improvement in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Surgical complications remained low, with only 5% of patients experiencing complications within 30 days of surgery.
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Researchers noted that these outcomes were likely supported by a comprehensive, multidisciplinary care model that included experienced surgeons, nutritional guidance, behavioral support and coordinated medical follow-up. The study population represented a broad cross-section of Louisiana patients, with nearly 75% covered by Medicaid, highlighting the importance of ensuring access to effective obesity treatment options across socioeconomic backgrounds.
The findings support current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that adolescents age 13 and older with severe obesity and related health risks be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery as part of comprehensive, evidence-based obesity care.
Meta Platforms Inc. has committed to spending an additional $40 billion on its sprawling data center campus in Louisiana, pushing its total expected investment beyond $250 billion for the site as it continues to grow its artificial intelligence computing footprint.
