Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.

North Louisiana residents hit by a winter storm farm are getting support.

We'll take a look at what's being done.

Plus, as Monroe recovers from that storm, the mayor shares how the city's economy is bouncing back strong.

And from the quaint streets to the big changes, Saint Francis feels economy is growing and residents are taking notice.

Plus, from a small stage in Baton Rouge, Henry Turner Junior is keeping the sound and soul of Louisiana's dukes alive.

Let's get started.

All right, let's go.

For.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnnie Atkins and much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the State we're in.

But first, our questions nationwide about the future size and role of FEMA here in Louisiana, recovery efforts following winter storm fire and continue moving forward in North Louisiana, state, federal and local agencies are working side by side to help communities rebuild, showing what officials describe as a coordinated response, working to get people back on their feet.

When Winter storm first swept through north Louisiana and left behind icy roads and damage that many communities are still working through today in recent months, there had been concerns that a smaller federal footprint could mean slower disaster response there on the ground, what's unfolding tells a different story.

Federal, state and local agencies are working together.

I'm here with the sole purpose of ensuring additional resources are on the ground and getting directly to those in need.

I want to thank President Trump and Secretary, known for their constant support and communication throughout this process, and everyone here at FEMA who's been willing to help Louisiana.

Governor Jeff Landry made that statement while visiting FEMA headquarters in Washington, emphasizing continued federal support for Louisiana communities recovering from recent storms back in Louisiana.

That coordination is playing out through the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, known as Go Up, as they work together with local emergency managers and federal agencies.

One of the things that FEMA has been involved with since the start is making sure that any request that the state send up have have been answered.

And so there was a really quick turnaround on, an initial push for reimbursement, dealing with some of the emergency calls that the state had that our local partners, we're seeing Mike.

Steele says go.

CEP is working closely with local partners to assess the full extent of the damage, understanding the long term impacts and determining what assistance is available.

Right now, we're encouraging everyone to check with their local emergency preparedness directors, see what groups are out there.

There may be assistance available that people aren't aware of at this point.

And these are the types of, assistance levels that we see before we see any potential, you know, FEMA assistance kicking in for individuals and those type things.

Among the hardest hit areas was the City of Monroe, where some residents are still without power and certain roads remain inaccessible.

Mayor Friday Ellis says recovery there is ongoing and long term.

What we're waiting on right now is the federal government to deem this category a style, you know, recovery efforts.

That means it's, you know, our matching dollars, don't get smaller for communities after this recovery.

That just means more dollars can flow to your communities that we're eligible for.

I've spent, you know, countless hours on the phone with them, them checking back in on everybody.

And, you know, our, our, our state and, our federal partners have been wonderful throughout this whole process.

The governor has is called and checked in.

I mean, it is, you know, it feels good that we have folks that are, staying in touch and in tune with everyone else.

Says the city is now working to secure disaster recovery grants and low interest loans, while continuing to coordinate with FEMA and state agencies not just for Monroe, but for smaller surrounding communities as well.

In addition, the governor recently announced Louisiana will receive hundreds of millions of dollars from FEMA.

The funding will help communities recover from disasters, rebuild public infrastructure, and cover emergency response costs, governor Landrieu released a statement Tuesday saying in part, after working with President Trump's administration, I'm excited to announce Louisiana is receiving FEMA public assistance funds for critical projects to make Louisiana more resilient and help us fully recover from storms of the past.

Beyond infrastructure repairs, the governor is also announcing new relief aimed directly at families and small businesses impacted by winter storm Farm.

Small businesses across north Louisiana can now apply for SBA disaster loans to help with recovery efforts.

The disaster declaration covers 19 parishes in northeast Louisiana for residents dealing with storm damage, officials say, reporting that damage is critical.

People can scan a QR code to notify emergency managers information that helps guide recovery, funding and resources.

Since a winter storm hit, the city of Monroe has been working around the clock to repair roads, restore power, and support families affected by the storm.

City crews and local agencies have been focused on getting the community back on its feet as quickly as possible, mayor Ellis tells me.

The concern now is downed power lines and high winds.

It'll be about another five months before we see, I would say, the end of the cleanup recovery as far as the last limb, so to speak.

What's really concerning right now as I drive through the city, are these what they call leaners or hangers, those tall limbs up high that have fallen and are still just rested in the canopy.

And my fear is that, you know, with these high winds that we're going to expect in the coming weeks, that you're going to see a lot of people just go without power again, because they'll fall, they'll take out power and just go back and undo the work that these linemen have, have been working so hard to restore.

While cleanup continues in Monroe.

There is some good news.

Before the storm, I spoke with Mayor Ellis about new jobs and investment coming with the metadata center.

There are a lot of wonderful things happening in the city of Monroe in the year of 2026, and here to tell us more is Mayor Friday.

Ellis mayor, thank you so much for joining me.

Well, thank you and welcome back to Monroe.

I miss seeing.

So excited to be back here.

You know, I was here for two and a half years.

I was a news anchor, you know, integral part of the community.

And I do miss it.

Well, it's a joy to have you back in Monroe so we can talk about some of the things that have happened since you were here, and then since you've been gone as well.

I want to talk about the meta data center.

A lot of people are talking about that.

It is coming to Richland Parish.

However, it's very close to Monroe.

Yeah.

How did that come to be?

There were a lot of resources that northeast Louisiana has that made it attractive.

Number one, tons of natural gas.

So that's what you'll see powering this data center.

Natural gas turbines.

Entergy in particular is our energy provider, one of the lowest rates that you'll pay for large consumers in the country.

So that was attractive.

And also we live in the Mississippi Delta.

We have plenty of water to be able to cool this thing.

And so it was really was a perfect storm to come together.

But that's not to discount what the legislature did.

And passing tons of, great, tax incentives for businesses, making it a more business friendly environment in the state of Louisiana.

And we've got about 70 billion in new capital expenditure and jobs coming to this area.

It's amazing.

The the effects that we're already feeling are our sales taxes are through the roof.

Just in the month of October, we were up 29% in sales taxes.

We also have, infrastructure funds that are driven through sales taxes.

So there's a 1% sales tax that funds a lot of our infrastructure.

Of course, that has increased.

And so what that means is more investments in streets and roads and drainage.

And how many jobs are expected to come here.

And also what do you guys do in terms of housing.

So this data center, once done, is 500 employees at about 80,000 a year per per job.

Is what the average is.

And so that's 40 million in the annual payroll that will be circulated within here, our region.

So our economic development organization has about 50 RFP request for proposals of companies to relocate here to be able to service the mayor site.

And so what that equals is an additional 20 billion in capital expenditure and also, 10,000 potential new jobs.

If you were to land all of those, it's a new day for north Louisiana and northeast Louisiana in particular.

And so you asked about housing, grown.

Our economic development organization did a housing study, met a followed up with another one of their own.

It proved that just in Washington Parish, that there will be a thousand additional, single family homes that need to be built, to get ready for this influx.

You were here when we bought the historic candy company off the rolls.

I remember doing a story on that.

Yeah.

Our whole goal was to do mixed use development.

And so there's a developer right now that has responded and wants to buy the property, wants to build housing, retail, entertainment there.

This is not the end to the growth of an expansion of this data center.

It's only going to grow.

Are some of the employees already here from that project?

Last I heard there were about 3500 here already.

By April there will be 6000, I believe, on site.

Another interesting statistic.

We ran some data on employment for MLU, our airport here on our regional airport estimated 700 new fliers a week.

That's coming in and out.

So we've been working really hard with American Airlines.

We're trying to pick up another hub, either Chicago or Charlotte.

If there's one thing you want people out there to know about Monroe, I mean, this is a statewide show.

What would you tell them?

We entertain people from around the world, and you can imagine some of the folks that we have dinner with now.

Yeah, they come here and say we've had the best meal, we've met the best people, and they experience our culture and they understand just how warm our people are and how welcoming and inviting and all the things that we want to share with them.

They go back and tell their friends and, everybody wants to be a part of this and to to be able to lead in this capacity to lead our people through this change, to lead our people through this progress.

It is an honor.

It really is that it's been bestowed on me.

It's our turn to knock it out of the park.

And I think everybody's doing a great job here in Monroe.

I could say living here for two years, it has changed for the better.

Thank you so much for joining us and congratulations on your success.

Yeah.

Thank you.

And same to you.

I've been following you and your career in Baton Rouge.

I hate that you're gone, but you're representing us very well.

And I will be back.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Mayor.

All right.

Let's take a look at what's going on this week in the world of sports.

Sports correspondent Victor Houle joins us now with more.

How's it going?

Been doing great.

It's good to see all lots of big news.

And we're going to start with football.

And a big announcement for one Louisiana star for sure.

In the football game.

Canton Ohio is making room for a new resident representing the New Orleans Saints Thursday night.

Drew Brees was named a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class.

Statistically, Brees was one of the best quarterbacks to play the game in 15 seasons in New Orleans, Brees won 142 regular season games, made nine playoff appearances, and, as you know, led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title.

The class of 2026 will be enshrined into the Hall on August 8th.

Congratulations to drew.

The Super Bowl kicks off this Sunday outside of San Francisco, when the Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots.

And while neither team is anywhere close to Louisiana, the state will be well-represented in the big game to close out this football season.

There are five LSU Tigers on the Patriots active roster.

On the Seattle roster, Anthony Bradford is a former LSU Tiger who plays on the offensive line and with Louisiana, represented US on both teams.

Doesn't matter who you're cheering for.

Either way, we are guaranteed to have a rep as a Super Bowl champ.

So congratulations to all of them and good luck.

Future Pro Stars took their first step towards the NFL last weekend in mobile, playing in the annual Senior Bowl.

A week full of workouts and interviews wrapped up with Saturday's big game.

And while Garrett Nuss Meyer didn't end his LSU career on the field for the Tigers, he had a nice showing in mobile, threw for 57 yards, ran for a touchdown, and he was named the game's MVP.

His American team beat Team National 17 nine.

Next up, the NFL combine at the end of this month and then the NFL draft that will take place at the end of April.

Hey, look, there's nothing like lows in the 30s around the state to remind you, baseball season is about to crank up again.

Yeah, the boys are somewhere in the cold weather, but the season is literally around the corner.

It was a bright, sunny Omaha Day in late June, when an LSU roster with 22 new players captured the school's eighth national title and A53 win over Coastal Carolina.

The defending national champs opened this season right number one or number two, depending on your poll of choice.

But there's no arguing.

The purple and gold Tigers will be wearing a huge red and white target as the team everyone wants to be, because heavy are the bats that wear the crown.

I don't know if I've ever seen this where we lost so much contribution from a team that reached the pinnacle, and we return so much from a team that reached the pinnacle.

And I think it's probably a credit to, recruiting and balance.

You know.

We have not sold out to just Portal City.

We've developed really good high school players here.

You got to go hunt instead of being hunted.

And, you know, you got to have a tight group of guys.

And I feel like that's what we had last year.

And you know, that's what we're going to try and build on.

You know you got to trust each other.

You got to work it all out.

And at the end of the day, you got to go out there and win ballgames even when it's hard.

And, you know, I feel like we did a good job with that last year.

And, you know, we have a blueprint for it.

And, you know, we're trying to we're trying to recreate that.

First pitch for the Tigers next weekend at the bucks when they host Milwaukee in a three game series.

Here's a look at their non-conference schedule leading up to SEC play.

You notice a lot of home games.

They will have a tournament in Jacksonville and their one true road game.

That'll be March 4th.

They make the drive one hour down I-10 to the west to take on the Ragin Cajuns at Louisiana.

And before we get out of here, the softball season has started.

In fact, it started Thursday around the state in Lake Charles, McNeese taking on the number one team in the country and Texas Tech.

Watch this play out in the center field.

What an amazing catch for Alexis Dibley.

Except it's not.

She lost a glove.

The gloves came off her hand.

It had the ball with a three run homer.

Texas Tech went on to win big.

And this one.

They'll be there all weekend long for a big tournament in McNeese.

And then LSU opened up as well Thursday night.

Big game for the Lady Tigers as they were taking on North Carolina State.

Jayden Hebner was dealing struck out the side in the second.

She had ten strikeouts in the ballgame.

LSU scored in each of the first four innings.

They only played five because of the run rule.

LSU got the win 11 to 3, so there was a lot going on outside.

I'm telling you, winter is still here because baseball hasn't started yet.

Sometimes it's the coldest night around here.

I know when baseball.

Star and 11 to 3 go lady Tyler.

Brantley for the Lady Tigers.

Absolutely.

All right.

Thank you so much, Victor.

Well, moving on now.

Another new data center is coming to Louisiana.

And Saint Francisville is set to benefit with more jobs and economic growth.

Adding new shops and restaurants, drawing in tourists.

And this small town is experiencing a full blown renaissance.

I'm here in historic Saint Francis ville, where tourism has been on the rise.

New shops and businesses are bringing new energy to the downtown streets.

Over the years, visitors have been drawn to Saint Francis ville for its history, its natural beauty and a sense of place that's becoming increasingly rare.

Tourism continues to be the heartbeat of the local economy.

In 2023, visitors to West Feliciana Parish spent more than $30 million supporting hotels, restaurants, shops and the local jobs that rely on them statewide.

The numbers are just as impressive in 2020, for Louisiana welcomed 44.5 million domestic and international visitors, generating 18.5 billion in spending, effectively saving each household more than $1,200.

I think one of the things that makes Saint Francisville so special as that early on, it was concerned with preserving the quality of life and the historic preservation of buildings in the downtown area.

We became a main Street Association in 1994, and really put emphasis on maintaining and growing this quaint little town.

We have a lot of tried and true stores around here, from boutique shops to locally owned cafes.

Saint Francis Bill's downtown is seeing a small town revival.

I'm about to take a tour to see what makes this town so special.

It's a cool place to live, I love it well.

I would love to check out the other parts of the town.

Laurie Walsh with The Saint Francisville Mainstreet program, gave us a firsthand look at what's new and what's coming.

Today, the city is embracing a slower, more charming pace of life.

We're now golf cart community.

So we passed an ordinance about golf allowing golf carts downtown.

Okay, can you talk about how the downtown area has grown?

Because it hasn't always looked like this?

You know, when I got here, so I moved here in 1990.

And when I got here, we didn't look anything like we look today.

Part of that main Street program is in the beginning, it was to help people reinvest dollars back into the community, and it's taken us 30 years to look like what we look like today.

But the premise is to keep your downtown authentic, restore the architecture, keep the culture alive, get new investment dollars, create tourism offerings and downtown Saint Francisville is buzzing with new life.

Big River Pizza Company is drawing crowds with his Woodfired pies.

A new pharmacy is opening soon and boutiques and specialty stores are popping up along North Commerce Street.

Each new store opening adds to a growing rhythm, one that invites visitors to linger and locals to gather on.

Perdue and her husband own the District Mercantile in the downtown area.

They purchased the business in 2018.

District mercantile started out as just an investment in a rental property that we were going to turn around and lease to someone, we have some other rental properties here in town and then it wasn't until we bought it and really realized the history of it that it was truly a working mercantile since the late 1800s, that we kind of became protective of wanting to keep it that way and have that general store appeal.

Business is booming.

We stay really full.

I feel like we always have customers.

We have a great mix of local and out-of-towners.

Beyond tourism and retail, Saint Francis Built economy continues to expand.

Manufacturing provides steady jobs, while public sector positions in education and health care offer long term stability.

The city is part of the West Feliciana Parish School District, consistently ranked among the state's top performers for test scores and overall achievement.

Natural resources like oil and gas also remain a cornerstone of the region's economy.

And just beyond the city center, a project of historic scale is taking shape.

The Riverbend Campus, a $10 billion artificial intelligence data center, is under construction in West Feliciana Parish.

Developed by hut eight, the project is expected to position the parish as a national technology hub.

But even as growth accelerates, leaders here say balance remains the priority.

I'm moved from New Orleans, so it's a big change for me.

However, it's the beauty of a small town is and the bad of a small town is everybody knows everything about everybody, right?

But it's a great place to raise your kids.

It's got a great school system.

It's safe.

I can do everything I want here, you know?

Yeah.

Occasionally you have to go to Baton Rouge, but I don't think my children would have had the same experience growing up here as they would have had if we would have stayed in New Orleans.

As our tour winds down and the air settles, Saint Francis Ville feels much the same.

Welcoming, familiar, rooted in economy, built on history, a downtown rediscovering its energy and a future unfolding with care.

Inside a small venue in Baton Rouge, a big piece of Louisiana's musical history is being kept alive.

And our Black History Month.

We'll look at Henry Turner Jr, preserving the sound and spirit of the state's juke joint culture, one song at a time.

Here's a look at how the blues artist is protecting a tradition rooted in rhythm and soul.

There's nothing better than classic Louisiana jazz and blues.

It's been around since the 1800s, and people from around the world come here to listen.

One place in downtown Baton Rouge is working to keep that Louisiana sound alive.

And that's Henry Turner Jr's listening room.

For me to be prepared and gone for.

Henry Turner Jr has been performing across the world for 40 years, but he's back home in Louisiana now, working to keep our music alive.

My original concept was no alcohol, just music, no smoking or drinking.

That's just all the music.

Henry Turner Jr grew up in Baton Rouge.

His father was encouraging and always supported young Henry's passion for music.

So you started playing just as a kid.

Did you teach yourself?

I guess in the very beginning, you know, I was like a what I call a front porch player.

I would come on sat in front pushing my guitar, and people would walk through my community and say, hey, man, you play guitar?

And I said, no, actually, I'm just messing around.

And they would show me some stuff.

And one thing led to another and we started jam and.

Turner played in different bands and covered music from pop to hard rock to reggae and disco.

So in the 80s you played college parties and fraternities and things like that, right?

Yeah, that was my my bread and butter.

And of course we played neighborhood clubs and all that stuff too, and we wasn't doing that.

We did, you know, like college fraternities.

We did do it the, the blue House.

And, you know, just everything we could do.

But we got to be Henry Turner.

Junior finally settled back home in Baton Rouge and worked his way up to running his own listening room.

What do you think of Henry?

Well, he's colorful now.

He was a sweet young Christian man.

You know, when I'm at him and I think I baby him a little because I was afraid he would get hurt.

But then, of course, he's driven, and he just never quit.

I mean, he was.

Working self-sealing for his dreams.

Dusty Lightfoot Cascio is a performer from Los Angeles who's been writing and performing music around the world for more than 50 years, and she feels right at home with the listening room.

We've worked nonstop.

You do a 20 hour day.

So on your regular nights, Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, you don't have alcohol.

You sell these drinks?

Yes.

Why is that?

Well, basically it's an all age venue for the most part, and we try to leave it, you know, open to the to all ages so we can get everybody in here.

Whole families come here.

I see food you serve food here?

Yes we do.

Every time we open.

We have a soulful side dish.

Tonight we had, red beans and rice.

I like red means the rice.

Good.

The blues listening room attracts tourists from around the world.

And offers a great opportunity for the young musicians in Louisiana.

It's amazing because he provides beautiful opportunities for individuals who are creatives.

And so that's always a beautiful place where individuals could come and, showcase their.

Talent.

And we've got all of these schools here teaching people how to play jazz and no place to play.

And the same with the blues.

So the blues has to kind of come out of the bars.

I know that he's an innovative guy and he's always got creative ways to make things work.

I had to come here to band rooms to discover this place, and it's one of a kind, I love it, it's a Don Porter.

I'm Eric, so Henry took it upon himself to do everything he can to keep it alive.

It's the last blues.

Live music.

Juke box joint in Baton Rouge.

Had a smoke free, open all ages.

The blues know the different styles and the different backgrounds.

And you know it's, you know, it's kind of mind you.

Gone both up.

You know there's.

A lot of everything mixed together.

Yeah.

I think based on his songs, he got some very good original songs and I love playing bass on and I love hearing other people's original.

I'm learning so learning process for me can return in junior.

He's got some great originals.

He gives opportunities for people who have talents and gifts to come in here and showcase their talent.

I think it's a beautiful thing.

We wrote a Baton Rouge theme song, and it kind of sparked a lot of this stuff and up turning it into so.

You can play Baton Rouge, all right, and I can play bass.

Oh, close.

Johnny just learned one of the band's songs that he's going to sit in on.

His first song is We're Going to Capture You.

So let's give him a big round of applause.

Time.

That proves that I'm.

That blues.

Baton Rouge.

Your home better than you do that a blues band.

New modern top 40 music may attract kids now, but Henry Turner Jr's listening room delivers that heartfelt Louisiana music that will never be forgotten.

That band that blues band would.

You, me, Johnny, I see you joined the band at the end.

I didn't know you had skills like that.

Yeah, it's a lot of fun.

I used to play in a band in college.

Well, it turned out great.

Well, that is our show for this week.

And remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app.

And you can catch LPB news and public affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs that you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

I'm Christina Jensen.

And I'm Johnny Atkins.

And until next time, that's the state we're in.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together we power life.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana.

And by Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

And viewers like you.

Thank you.