Port for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by.

Every day I go to work for Entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So Entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the lights on and installing new technology to prevent outages.

Before they happen.

Together.

Together.

Together.

We power life.

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

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you.

And a Union Parish grand jury Thursday delivered the first criminal charges of any kind and the 2019 beating death of Ronald.

Green.

The grand jury indicted five state police officers on charges of malfeasance in office and additionally charged Master Trooper Corey York with negligent homicide.

York is seen on the body camera footage dragging green by his ankle shackles and forcing him into the dirt face down for 9 minutes.

Deadly and destructive weather.

The other big story of the week.

Here's more on tornadoes that killed three people.

And left damage statewide.

At least 21 tornadoes spun out of the skies touching down across Louisiana in 24 hours.

In the small Caddo Parish town of KY. Phil.

A mother and son perished when a tornado destroyed their home.

Dad was with us down there on the search and was in fact his first one to talk to when I first got here and he reported him missing.

And immediately we, you know, went in and we couldn't even find the house that he was describing.

And with the address, everything was gone.

An hour and a half away informed Rossville and Union Parish.

A tornado leveled a neighborhood and injured two dozen.

Jessica Torricelli, a news anchor at Key in a week TV and Monroe tweeted these images of ruin.

A grateful mother from Farmersville was shaken but thankful to be alive.

Thank God for everybody in our community I safe.

And that's the most important thing.

And I hope this brings us together because one thing about it, we need to come together and we need, as we are, like how we came together.

And I think that's.

A blessing because they show people and.

They show you how people love you.

They show you that people care because we have to have a lot of love.

To the south.

On New Iberia, people watched as this twister barreled across a highway and as it gets slightly closer to this vantage point.

Winds and rain pick up, rapidly blown out windows at the Iberia Medical Center, a reminder of the catastrophic damage to the much taller Capital One bank in Lake Charles.

During Hurricane Laura, there was solid advance warnings.

Forecasting trouble such as this.

But Saint Charles Parish to the southwest of New Orleans and still reeling from Hurricane Ida, got slammed again, taking another life.

There also were a couple of homes damaged in months.

I'm not aware of any injuries that were reported there.

If you look on the map, you'll see that this tornado literally follow the path.

Right across a schoolhouse.

Road, jumped the.

River right into Mount.

And damaged some homes there.

At least one tornado struck the West Bank of New Orleans, Gretna and Araby, landing a blow to the same part of Araby, terrorized by a powerful tornado less than a year ago.

From all of that now to other top stories around the state.

Major port terminal operators in the U.S. and Europe are savvy about the New Orleans port and are committing nearly a half of a planned $1.8 billion for a projected container facility on the lower Mississippi.

New Jersey based Ports America and Switzerland based Mediterranean Shipping will partner with the State and Port of NOLA on the project.

The announcement this week from the governor New Orleans based federal magistrate Judge Dana Douglas was confirmed Monday to serve on the fifth U.S.

Circuit Court of Appeals.

President Joe Biden nominated her to the appeals court in June.

The court hears appeals from lower federal courts in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.

The governor was also on hand at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Saint Landry Parish, one of three churches burned by an arsonist three years ago.

Online fundraiser spurred efforts to get the money to bring back the charred, predominantly black churches.

The arsonist was convicted of federal hate crimes and arson and sentenced to 25 years.

LP was there when the churches began picking up the pieces in 2019.

Hansel Emanuel is inspiring anyone who watches them, though he's given no special treatment.

But the one armed freshman brought down the house with two particular plays a weaving layup dribbling between defenders for the points, and later a thunderous dunk to punctuate his presence.

NDSU beat Ulm 9173.

Louisiana is a place of diversity, culture, food and a spirit that is under drinkable.

The spirit of Louisiana's people may be unbreakable, but our power grid is unsustainable and unreliable.

That is Devonte Lewis and his upset win for a position, a seat on the Public Service Commission is likely the takeaway story for Louisiana in this election cycle.

What you heard is what he campaigned on.

And here's a little more of it.

Hey, everyone, it's Devonte here, and it's a pretty hot day, but you know what's got me even hotter is these electricity bills that we are getting.

And right now there is a commission in Louisiana that regulates our utilities, and they're called the Public Service Commission.

But instead of fighting for us to make sure that we have lower bills, they've been sitting on their hands letting these multibillion dollar corporations raise your rates and raise fees.

Devonte Lewis, welcome so much.

Glad for you to be here.

Those words helped spur you on to this shocking victory, one that even surprised you from what I understand.

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, when we started this race, we were really talking about the people of Louisiana, the challenges they saw this summer with high skyrocketing utility bills, and then just the devastation that we were still recovering from with Hurricane Laura, Delta and Ida, all of them.

All of them.

And so we really were focused on a people powered grassroots campaign, and we wanted a great victory, but we didn't think we would get this big of a.

59% to 41% over Bossier, who had been there since 2005, and sort of a powerhouse family politically.

But what we've ignored so far is the fact that the headlines are reading First Openly LGBTQ Candidate Wins Election in Louisiana.

So that's part of you also.

Yeah, like we didn't shy away from who I am, but this issue in this campaign was about the people, about their issues.

And so we wanted to showcase that or our differences.

And our diversity only makes us stronger as a community on when we all join forces together for the common good.

Yeah, it does, doesn't it?

Yeah.

I tell you what, you had a large wide group of environmentalist grassroots groups, big national money groups that pulled together for you was this like a perfect storm of things coming together at a time because of the high power bills, because of the grid that goes down after a hurricane all the time, and that seems to be rebuilt the same way.

Absolutely.

I mean, I think this was a moment where we saw Louisianians were frustrated with the same old, same old.

They wanted change.

They wanted people who are committed to their issues and not to the people in power issues.

And so I think we saw a moment of people really wanting to be engaged because they wanted something different.

And we really tried to tap into that anger, that frustration, and make sure that people weren't apathetic, but they actually got out to vote because if we vote, we can make a change.

And the PSC is not a group that people it's not come to mind first.

It's not typically controversial.

There may be a reason for that.

However, you sort of call Bossier on his record to defend his record.

And what kind of response did you get as the campaign went on?

I mean, I don't think we saw a real response.

And I think that was part of what propelled us to such a strong victory, was that we were very clear on where we could have been stronger.

Now it is the fact that he was a Democrat.

I am a Democrat.

We'll still be in the minority of the PSC, but that doesn't mean you can't still be a strong advocate for your community.

And I think what we were highlighting is we really needed it.

Someone who represents District three to be a very vocal and visible advocate for the things that our community needs.

And that sounds like something that.

Craig Green.

Dr. Craig Green, who's also a PSC member, told me a couple of months ago when I interviewed him that it was time for the Public Service Commission to dictate what we need to the power companies, not what you'll give us.

Right, we'll live with.

Right?

I mean, I think this is the beauty of the Public Service Commission is this these are these are issues that are not partizan.

I think Democrats and Republicans alike want lower power bills.

No one loves suddenly going from 150 to $300 a month.

No, no, no.

Democrat.

No Republican doesn't want their power randomly going out on the day.

And so what I think you're going to be able to see is that I'm going to be very aggressive in working with my colleagues, both the other Democratic member, Foster Campbell, and the Republican members, because we know these issues are important to Louisiana and it's about making sure that we center them and not corporations.

And that's not a partizan issue.

Right.

Let's talk to Foster, interviewed him many times.

He's also someone who doesn't like to go along for the ride.

He seems to want to stir up things, which is the point here.

But is it a point that you think will ultimately have merit?

Can there be the PSC actually dictating?

Here's what we need and let's make it happen?

Absolutely.

I mean, I think what we are seeing in this election is a sign of the vast frustration that Louisianians have.

And I think it's going to be incumbent upon the five of us now to make sure that we are doing everything in our power to bring the services to the people of Louisiana.

And so I think this is going to be a moment where we see that engagement.

I'm hoping that the community starts to play a role in the PSC coming to our meetings, I'm going to be very active and ensuring they know our meetings and what's on the agenda item, but it's also a sign to the companies that it's time for you to start making the investments in people and not worrying so much about your profits.

Which is sort of interesting because it is as I mentioned, the perfect storm type of thing that has come together at this time for this to happen and for this commission to suddenly have a much bigger stature in the minds of the public than you had perhaps before.

And congratulations on your victory and for talking to us.

Thank you so much this year.

Good to see you.

In Washington, lawmakers are in a race to get some legislation done before the end of the year.

It is critical in the short and long term for state interests along the coast and also in the Gulf.

Where we're nearing the end of the year and the end of the Congress.

Still working hard to get the Rise Act, the RISE Act, a bipartisan bill to create and to increase offshore energy revenue sharing programs for wind and for the existing Gulf oil and gas program.

We're trying to get it included in a year end bill.

I recall that unanimous we passed through the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources earlier this year.

Why?

It's important.

It could bring conservatively up to $1.9 billion to Louisiana over ten years to help restore our coastline, which has been battered by storm after storm.

Currently, Gulf of Mexico, energy royalties are shared by the Gulf energy producing states.

Louisiana getting the largest share with also the US Treasury and the Land Water Conservation Fund, getting additional dollars.

So in Louisiana, by our state constitution, we use it for conservation and restoring our coastline.

But we've got this deal for offshore oil and gas.

But so far, offshore wind revenue is excluded.

So the riser act, aside from increasing the amount we get from oil and gas, will make offshore wind energy eligible for the same sort of revenue sharing we have from oil and gas.

And whoever gets the money, just like Louisiana, we would hope to help build resiliency for coastlines and to protect coastal communities.

Now, to say this has widespread support from Louisiana is an understatement.

Whether it's local officials, state business organizations, environmental groups, it's a real coming together of those folks.

And we're trying to get it through at the end has got bipartisan support.

It's good policy.

We're trying to include it in the end of the year package.

As you can tell, it's top of mind, which is why I spend so much time on it.

And fishermen in Louisiana have been sounding the alarm about a redfish shortage for years, and now the need for protections is growing.

Here to talk about the fish and their numbers is Patrick Banks with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Thank you so much for joining us.

Well, thank you for having me.

So first, let's get to the bottom of this.

What's causing a shortage with the redfish and how long has this been going on?

Well, we just finished up our stock assessment for that species.

And certainly the stock assessment numbers indicated that we have an issue with the population size.

And so that that issue has been out there for a number of years, according to our most recent data.

And so we have proposed to our commission that we need some tighter regulations for that species.

And so we're looking at that at this time.

We're going to be speaking to the public and holding some public meetings and some surveys with fishermen before we move forward with potential regulations.

All right.

So this is going to be a group effort to figure out what needs to be done.

Absolutely.

What we will do is we will propose a suite of regulatory options to our commission, will gather public input on those options.

And then we'll come back to our commission and ask them to adopt one of those regulations.

So before we get into more solutions, let me ask you this.

I mean, right now, as it stands, how many red fish can fishermen bring in each year?

Yeah.

Right now, the regulations are that each person each day can catch five redfish and keep them.

And those redfish have to be a minimum size of 16 inches long with a maximum size of 27 inches long.

That's called a slot limit.

And then they're also allowed to have one of those five fish over that 27 inch maximum size.

So you said that this is a problem that's been going on for years.

I mean, is it an overfishing problem?

Is this an issue with our water?

I mean, what's really causing this?

Yeah, this is a multitude of issues that's going on out there.

And so the the the biggest issue is the loss of habitat over our over our time.

And so with the marsh degrading and eroding away those younger fish just don't have the best place to hide and to grow.

And then our fishermen take more fish than what the population now can sustain.

So it's not necessarily that the fishermen have caused this issue, but the population has dropped to such a level because of habitat loss and different things that we just can't allow that same level of harvest that we did previously.

So this is happening with redfish.

Are we seeing this issue spreading to any other type of fish?

Yeah, unfortunately we are.

We've got some issues with speckled trout as well, and the anglers out there know full well.

We've proposed a set of new regulations for speckled trout that was recently adopted.

And so those will go into effect as well.

And so now after the speckled trout issue, now we've moved to redfish.

And based on the stock assessment we see, we need to make those kinds of changes to redfish as well.

So I know you said earlier that this is going to be a group effort.

You have to talk to a lot of fishermen and figure out exactly what's the best solution.

But is there an idea of about how much you want to reduce the fish that people are bringing home?

Yeah.

So like I mentioned earlier, we have a suite of options that we can present to our commission.

Our goal at the department is to try to reduce the amount of fish removed through harvest by 35% per year, and that will allow the population to rebuild itself.

And there are a multitude of options that will achieve that 35% reduction in harvest.

So we can increase the minimum size limit to, say, 18 inches.

That's one option and then reduce the amount of fish that folks can catch per day as a as another possible option.

Okay.

So there's a lot going on right now.

All right.

So when is that meeting expected to happen?

It's supposed to come up soon, right?

Well, it'll be several months before we go back in front of our commission, because it'll take some time for us to to survey the angling community, to have public meetings, if that's the way our commission wants us to go.

So we'll gather all of that input and then we'll come back to the commission.

We certainly hope to be back in front of our commission within about 4 to 5 months, but it may take us a little longer.

Four or five months, but it could take a little bit longer.

All right.

So the bottom line is we're going to be talking to a lot of different people, figure out what's the best solution and hopefully we can get, you know, our redfish population numbers back up and running.

Is there anything else anybody needs to know about this?

No, just the English just need to know that this is not something that we ever want to do.

You know, the agency regulations are something we we try to not do, but it's the last resort.

And it's also something that unfortunately, it's the really the only tool we have in our toolbox.

The population issues could be caused by a number of things, not the fishing itself necessarily, but the knob we have to turn is regulations on the fishing community.

And so we don't we don't do that lightly.

All right.

Well, thank you so much, Patrick.

Thanks for joining us.

And hopefully we can get this redfish population issue under control.

Absolutely.

Thank you for having me.

Thank you so much.

More than a year has passed since Hurricane Ida pummeled Louisiana's coast, especially in areas in Lower Terrebonne, in Lafourche and Wallace.

The Whitney plantation closed for three months following the storm.

Tonight, you'll see the latest on the final stages of the museum's revival.

You know, everything looks pretty normal.

It looks like it did before, Ida.

I think where we're at right now.

Yeah, but it was two months of cleanup before we opened to the public.

Two months of cleanup.

So big trucks, skids, tires, chainsaws, big trees, that kind of thing.

We'll go over here this way.

Yes.

The first cabin is right there.

The Whitney plantation is on the verge of recovery.

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana as a Category four in 2021, ripping through cities and towns all over the southeast coast.

Whitney survived several hurricanes, including Hurricane Katrina, but this time, the museum took serious damage.

Priceless artifacts and historical relics ruined.

There were other cabins on this side and those are gone.

Have you ever seen the quarter at Evergreen?

I have not.

In more than half of it's gone.

And they had an intact quarter of 24 buildings.

And I don't think.

But six are left.

All right.

So, yeah, I can definitely see the damage now.

The museum lost three slave cabins in the storm.

Two were severely damaged.

This roof twisted and was thrown into that canal.

And it actually took out two of those cane carts that at the time were full of water.

So we're talking about a pretty heavy thing that was just pushed over.

Wow.

So this roof has been redone.

The structure has been plumbed.

We'll have this opened by spring to the public.

But the damage that was the most notable is the first thing visitors see during the tour.

The Antioch Baptist Church built by former slaves in 1870 and nearly destroyed in 2021.

Ali Johnson has worked here for seven years.

To him, the storm just compounded issues already put in place by the pandemic.

I think pandemic was very uncertain for everybody.

You know, if they were going to ever have a job at their place again, it's going to open back up.

And then we open back up.

We're open a few months and we get hit by idle.

And we're closed for another three months.

I've never seen a storm just get on top of you and just sit on top of you for so long.

And of course, that's what led to so much damage.

And so I didn't expect either to do what she did.

It was amazing to see, you know, you go outside the next day and see all of the damage.

The roof on the church took most of the damage.

Strong winds knocked everything off the ceiling and walls.

Blocher says sheetrock was also taken off.

So any artwork on the walls, the statues or all hit by that as it came down?

All the pews have been cleaned a little bit here, but it was a filthy mess.

You didn't want to walk across it.

So it took the better part of two weeks to shovel it all out.

Another two weeks to take down what was left.

So where are you now with renovations?

I mean, what's.

What's next?

Oh, I have a lot.

All the buildings have been stabilized.

My main goal is our two original slave cabins.

They are in very poor shape.

When I came to work here.

So my intent is to have them fully restored in the next year if possible.

From there, I have two other slave cabins or sharecropper's cabins, depending on their age.

They were moved here at some time.

Those two are stabilized and ready for renovation and interpretation.

We have new executive offices coming in.

That's another renovation.

In the next year or two.

We'd like to add Overseers House to the tour.

It's part of the tour, but you're not able to enter the building.

So we'd like to interpret that space and tell part of that story there.

The restoration process has been slow and steady.

The roof of the church was completely removed.

New sheetrock was added.

And if you look at the building now, it's almost like it was before.

One thing I did notice was the statues there.

Usually I think they were lined up the middle of the aisle.

You could see some of them near the pews, but I'm not seeing them right now.

Are the statues okay.

About half of them have been severely damaged, missing limbs and things like that.

So we have them in storage and we're trying to contact the artists now.

We'd love to have him come down and I have a studio ready for him whenever he can to possibly restore some of these pieces.

It's been an emotional roller coaster trying to preserve this place.

But Blocher says there was never any doubt in his mind that the job would get done.

The subject was just too important.

We constantly have community that comes here to the museum and remembers these places.

We have staff who know some of these buildings because their parents lived in those buildings.

They remember staying in that building as a child before it was moved here.

We have visitors to the museum and see pictures on the wall and say, that's my grandfather.

So it it it makes it important to have these people coming to visit, be able to maintain this building and have their children and grandchildren visit.

I would say once a week we have an encounter here like that.

So for me, this is a campus.

Everyone comes here to learn.

Some people come here as a pilgrimage.

So to be a part of that.

That's how I see things and how important it is.

Like Walker said, big plans are in store for the museum, opening new exhibits, bringing in more history to an already culturally significant experience.

He says these renovations are just the beginning.

That is good news for the Whitney.

Hey, everyone, that's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything.

You leave any time, wherever you are with our Lvb PBS app.

You can catch Lvb news and Public Affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs you've come to enjoy over the years.

And please like us on Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram.

For everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Andre Mora.

And I'm Care sings here.

Until next time.

That's the state we're at.

Every day I go to work for Entergy.

I know customers are counting on me.

So Entergy is investing millions of dollars to keep the lights on and installing new technology to prevent outages before they happen.

Together, together, together.

We power life.

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

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is an historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

With support from viewers like you.