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Wind farms in Louisiana? At least five land-based projects are in development. Here’s where.

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Wind farms in Louisiana? At least five land-based projects are in development. Here’s where.


Private wind developers are quietly inking lease agreements with landowners in parts of rural Louisiana for what could be the state’s first land-based wind farms, even as President Donald Trump takes aim at renewable energy projects in general and the wind industry in particular. 

According to public records, at least five utility-scale wind projects are in development in Louisiana. Two of those projects are based in St. Landry Parish in Acadiana. Three others are in Madison, Tensas and West Carroll parishes in the northeastern part of the state.

As of yet, no wind turbines have been erected in Louisiana, and the projects are likely years away from coming online. But they signal a new wave of interest in wind development in Louisiana, made possible by taller turbines and technological advances that are allowing developers to access faster winds.

St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard said landowners have signed lease agreements with two separate developers, AES Corporation, a Virginia-based power company that operates on four continents, and Toronto-based Cordelio Power, which has projects across Canada and the U.S. The wind farms could provide a new source of revenue for both landowners and local governments, he said. 

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They could also help attract new investments to Louisiana from industries that are transitioning away from planet-warming fossil fuels and toward renewable energy, economic development officials say. 

The deals come as the wind industry is facing an uncertain future. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order temporarily halting offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pausing the issuance of approvals, permits and loans for all wind projects. Last week, the Trump administration ordered construction to stop on a fully-permitted offshore wind project in the northeast that would provide power to half a million New York homes.

The wind industry also relies heavily on imports, and higher costs from Trump’s new tariffs could discourage new projects, analysts say. 

Powering data centers

While the administration is trying to thwart the development of new wind projects, some nearby states have embraced wind power for years and tied it into their power grids. Texas has 239 wind-related projects while Oklahoma has 29, with thousands of turbines between them that provide a significant portion of electricity to area customers.

Bellard toured the 14,000-acre wind farm in October and said that each of its 41 turbines takes up less than an acre of farmland. That’s a vastly smaller footprint than solar farms, which have stirred opposition in some rural areas for locating on land that could otherwise be used for agriculture. 

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“It’s no inconvenience to the farming industry,” Bellard said of wind farms. 

In a statement, AES confirmed that it has active lease agreements for two potential wind projects in Louisiana, one in St. Landry and Evangeline parishes and another in Madison Parish. The company wouldn’t say how much acreage it has under contract or its project timeline. 

Cordelio Power did not respond to a list of questions. 

The proposed projects range in size, with some calling for a few dozen wind turbines and others more than 100, according to interconnection requests filed with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which oversees the regional power grid. 

New revenues, new jobs

Unlike in the southwest, wind development in the southeastern United States is a relatively recent trend. The region has long been overlooked by developers because of its slower wind speeds, though technological advances are making projects in this part of the country more economical.

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To be sure, the industry is facing pushback in some Deep Red states that have yet to see significant investment from wind developers. Arkansas recently sent a bill to the governor’s desk that industry supporters say would essentially put a moratorium on new wind farms in that state.

No such legislation has been filed in Louisiana, however. Under both Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and his Democratic predecessor, John Bel Edwards, the state has tried to position itself as an energy hub that embraces traditional fossil fuels, renewable sources of energy and the infrastructure needed to produce it all.

A bill filed by state Rep. Kimberly Coates, R-Ponchatoula, would require land-based wind farms to get a permit from the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources before constructing projects. She said she doesn’t oppose land-based wind farms and simply wants to put rules in place before moving forward. 

Wind industry advocates say there’s a clear demand among commercial and industrial customers for renewable energy. Jenny Netherton, senior program manager at the Southeastern Wind Coalition, points to the waitlist for solar power from Entergy as evidence.

“Onshore wind is a readily deployable, utility-scale renewable energy resource that can help meet this existing demand by Louisiana businesses and attract new investments,” Netherton said.

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Wind energy is also among the cheapest forms of power in the country, and isn’t at the whims of fluctuating fuel prices, like gas-fired plants, she said.

Other benefits

Cameron Poole, energy and innovation manager at Greater New Orleans, Inc., said that land-based wind farms could attract new investments in Louisiana from industries that are seeking renewable energy to power their operations. He described the technology as another “tool” in the state’s economic development “tool kit.”

The projects could also provide job opportunities for students enrolled in a new, two-year program at Nunez Community College that trains students to be entry-level wind turbine technicians, Poole said. 

Bellard is bullish on what wind farms could mean for St. Landry Parish’s coffers, noting that property taxes are higher for commercial rather than agricultural land.

In December, the St. Landry Parish Council approved a new ordinance setting out permitting requirements for wind farms.

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Wind farms are also a boon for landowners, who on average receive around $6,700 per year for each megawatt of wind power produced on their property, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The AES project proposed for Acadiana is projected to generate around 156 MW of power. 



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Louisiana

Louisiana police arrest third suspect in Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel death

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Louisiana police arrest third suspect in Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel death


Louisiana police have arrested a third suspect in connection with Super Bowl reporter Adan Manzano’s hotel room murder.

Manzano, a 27-year-old Kansas City, Missouri-based Telemundo sports reporter, was in New Orleans on assignment to cover Super Bowl LIX. He was found dead with Xanax in his system in his room at the Comfort Suites hotel in Kenner, Louisiana, on the morning of Feb. 5.

Officials said his death was caused by the combined toxic effects of Xanax and alcohol, noting that he had been found “face-down in a pillow with no lividity around his nose and mouth.” Since then, Kenner police have arrested so-called “Bourbon Street Hustler” Danette Colbert, 48, and her accused accomplice, Ricky White, in connection with Manzano’s death,

On Friday, Kenner police also announced the arrest of Christian Anderson, 33, a New Orleans resident, for his alleged involvement in the plot that led to Manzano’s death.

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LOUISIANA POLICE ANNOUNCE UPDATE IN ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ CASE AFTER SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DRUG DEATH

Ricky White, left, Danette Colbert and Christian Anderson have all been charged in connection with the robbery scheme that led to sports reporter Adan Manzano’s death. (Kenner PD)

Colbert was nicknamed the “Bourbon Street Hustler” on social media due to her lengthy past targeting men in the French Quarter and stealing their money. She is accused of similar crimes in Las Vegas. Authorities believe she, White and Anderson conspired to drug Manzano and then steal his credit cards before authorities found him dead.

Colbert and Manzano “met in the French Quarter, probably in the wee hours of the morning,” Kenner Police Chief Keith Conley previously told Fox News Digital. 

SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEAD IN LOUISIANA HOTEL HAD XANAX IN SYSTEM AFTER ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ MEETUP: POLICE

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A split image of hotel security camera footage showing Adan Manzano and Danette Colbert next to Manzano's headshot

Telemundo reporter Adan Manzano was seen entering the Comfort Suites hotel with theft suspect Danette Colbert just before his death. (Kenner Police Department/ Telemundo)

“They came back to the hotel that was in the city of Kenner about 4:30 a.m. on Feb. 5, at which time we do have surveillance video from the lobby of the hotel showing them going into [Manzano’s] room around that time,” Conley said. “Then [Colbert] came out, ran to the store, came back about 30 minutes later, and within 10 or 15 minutes, she left the room. And he was never seen again on any video other than when he went into the room. So, she was the last one to be with him.”

Detectives found that one of Manzano’s credit cards was missing while processing his hotel room, Conley told reporters during a news conference on Feb. 8. Authorities then obtained a search warrant allowing them to track the locations where the credit card was used after Manzano was found, which led them to Colbert. 

NEW ORLEANS ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ SUSPECT IN SUPER BOWL REPORTER DEATH MAY BE TIED TO 2ND FATALITY: POLICE

Danette Colbert mugshot

Kenner police described Colbert as a “career criminal.” (Kenner PD)

White is facing various charges, including simple robbery and multiple counts of fraud. He was later charged with murder in connection with Manzano’s death.

Authorities have also obtained an arrest warrant for Anderson for principal to simple robbery, purse snatching, access device fraud, illegal transmission of monetary funds, bank fraud and computer fraud. He is currently detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center alongside Colbert and White, Kenner police said.

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LOUISIANA HOTEL SURVEILLANCE SHOWS SUPER BOWL REPORTER WITH ‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ JUST BEFORE DEATH

Adan Manzano

Adan Manzano was on assignment at the Super Bowl in New Orleans. (Telemundo Kansas City)

“Evidence gathered through search warrants, text message records, and digital communications revealed that Anderson, along with previously arrested suspects Danette Colbert and Rickey White, played an active role in a coordinated pattern of targeting victims, drugging them, and stealing personal property, including phones and financial account access,” Kenner police said in a Friday press release. 

“Detectives discovered that the vehicle used by Danette Colbert on the day of Manzano’s death had been rented by Christian Anderson, and further evidence showed that Anderson provided logistical support, engaged in post-crime communication, and assisted in attempts to financially benefit from the victim’s stolen assets.”

‘BOURBON STREET HUSTLER’ ARRESTED IN CONNECTION TO SUPER BOWL REPORTER’S DEATH LINKED TO LAS VEGAS DRUGGING

Records also allegedly show that “Anderson and Colbert communicated extensively following the incident, and that he played a role in the group’s recurring criminal behavior,” Kenner police said.

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Adan Manzano at a Chiefs celebration

Adan Manzano covered the Kansas City Chiefs. (Telemundo Kansas City)

Colbert was recently sentenced to serve 25 years in prison for crimes unrelated to Manzano’s death, including theft, computer fraud and illegal transmission of monetary funds stemming from a 2024 case.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP  

Police are asking anyone with information about Colbert to come forward. Some victims, Conley said, do not speak up, due to the sensitive nature of the suspect’s alleged crimes.

Authorities executed a search warrant at Colbert’s address after identifying her as a potential suspect in connection with Manzano’s death and said they had located a stolen gun that did not appear to be related to Manzano’s death and narcotics.

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City to close problem hotel along Louisiana Friday

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City to close problem hotel along Louisiana Friday


The Barcelona Suites off Louisiana seems to be the latest problem property on the city’s radar.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Barcelona Suites off Louisiana seems to be the latest problem property on the city’s radar.

Cops were seen going in and out of rooms on the property around 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

This wouldn’t be the first hotel to run into issues, the city recently closed some hotels off Coors and Illif.

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The city’s Planning Department told KOB 4 this was an announced inspection, they posted 24-hour notices on the property Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, Code Enforcement and APD conducted the inspection, ultimately decided to close the hotel by 2 p.m. Friday.

Residents near the Barcelona suites on Louisiana are breathing a sigh of relief.

“There has been so many activities going down the last couple of years, it has just gotten worse and worse. Shootings, stabbings, drug activity all hours of the day,” said Wendy Tafoya, a nearby Resident.

 “It’s the best thing ever, I feel a great relief,” said Mickie Johnson, a fellow nearby resident.

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Tafoya said all the commotion Thursday morning at the problem hotel was hard to miss. Then an Albuquerque police officer knocked on her door to deliver the news.

“This morning, we noticed that there was a bunch of police and police activity then one of the officers came and told us that what they were doing is they were going to shut that building down because it has become a nuisance,” she said.

We spoke to multiple residents who say their neighborhood association has been trying to get the hotel on the city’s radar, but the work doesn’t stop here.

“My concern is what are they going to do next,” said another resident who did not want to be on camera.

While the hotel is shutting down, they worry that won’t solve the issue of homelessness in the community.

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“I have mixed emotions about the motel because I know that it is not kept good. My feeling is they will congregate there, there is no doubt about that. Demolishing it, maybe. Unless there is a good owner who says in writing that they are going to fix it up,” said the resident.

The city said this was a large operation. We are expecting to hear more from the planning department and city leaders Friday afternoon after the hotel closes.



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Top prosecutor says 2 remaining New Orleans jail escapees may be in other cities: “They can’t hide forever”

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Top prosecutor says 2 remaining New Orleans jail escapees may be in other cities: “They can’t hide forever”


Two inmates — Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves — who were among 10 people who escaped from a New Orleans jail nearly two weeks ago may be in other cities, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told CBS News in an interview on Wednesday.

Eight of the 10 Orleans Parish Prison inmates have been recaptured after their May 16 jailbreak went unnoticed for hours. Some of them were found within the city’s famous French Quarter and others elsewhere within the state of Louisiana, but two of them were found in Texas following extensive surveillance efforts by the U.S. Marshals, authorities said Tuesday.

Attorney General Murrill said the escapees’ primary networks are based in New Orleans, and the high-profile case makes it tougher for them to walk around without being noticed.

“They can keep running, but they can’t hide forever,” Murrill said, adding that she’s confident the two who are still on the run will be taken into custody.

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Investigations into what Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry called the worst jailbreak in recent state history are ongoing, with at least 13 people arrested in connection with the breakout. 

The state’s top prosecutor said there are several factors that led to the escape, including the court system, jail staffing and infrastructure issues. A high-priority problem, Murrill added, is the issue of slow-moving criminal cases in the district’s court system, which she says has led to overcrowding at the facility.

Although one-third of the jail’s security cameras weren’t working at the time, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, one surveillance video captured several inmates forcing open a cell door at about 12:22 a.m. CDT and breaching a wall behind the cell’s toilet. At around 1 a.m., video showed, the inmates fled the building through a nearby loading dock, according to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The escape went unnoticed by the sheriff’s office until approximately 8:30 a.m. that day. At the time of the escape, no sheriff’s deputy was assigned to the area where the inmates initiated the jailbreak.

The sheriff’s office also said last week that locks on the cells were defective and the escapees were housed in that particular unit due to ongoing renovations at their previous unit, including new locks being installed.

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Murrill, who visited the jail on Tuesday, said that one unit has had all hinges and locks replaced, while another 160 cells need to have the same work done.

“I think that there is hardening that needs to happen at that facility that’s just physical changes to things like light bulbs and locks that needs to happen,” Murrill said Wednesday. “But at the end of all this, you really have to be able to efficiently move cases, or you’re still going to have a continuing problem with a violent population that’s there for a very long time, and will continue to beat up and exploit any kind of weakness they can find in that facility.”

In a post on X, the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office announced “significant flooding” problems at the jail following the escape, writing, “despite emergency repairs over the weekend, the plumbing challenges still remain, and water is continuing to accumulate in parts of the facility.”

The sheriff’s office added, “OPSO is working to bring in an external water supply to temporarily accommodate the plumbing issue.”

On Wednesday afternoon, inmates at the facility yelled out to CBS News cameras outside the facility, “we need water.”

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The attorney general said she has spoken with the sheriff about those issues, as well.

The dysfunction at the correctional facility dates back generations. In 1970, a federal judge declaring its overcrowding to be unconstitutional in 1970. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina stranded inmates in chest-high water and left the jail without power. In 2013, a video showed inmates using drugs, drinking beer and brandishing a gun. 

Issues continued even after the 2015 opening of the state-of-the-art Orleans Justice Center, which houses nearly 1,400 inmates. There were major issues with the building from the outset, including a lack of supervision and adequate housing for mentally ill inmates, The Associated Press reported.

Following the escape nearly two weeks ago, Gov. Landry ordered the removal of all remaining state Department of Corrections prison inmates from the facility.

The Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams also vocalized concerns about the sheriff’s office’s ability to securely conduct business, telling CBS News in an interview Monday night he plans to request for a private security detail to temporarily secure the New Orleans courthouse.

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Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who oversees the jail, said she “takes full accountability” for the escape. She also announced she was temporarily suspending her reelection campaign, saying, in part: “Now is the time to focus on security, accountability, and public safety.”

When asked what policy changes need to happen to ensure another jailbreak doesn’t happen, Murrill said: “I think that jail officials know the population at their jail, and they know whether that it’s suitable for the population that they have.”

She added that everyone in the community needs to be paying attention and “participates in insisting that the leadership, the facility, and the court system are all doing their part to protect us and to move these cases through.”

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contributed to this report.



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