UL WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Brodhead busy rebuilding roster 1C THE
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S at u r d ay, M ay 24, 2025
“They have been a blessing. I didn’t even know they were coming until they came.” KATHy ARCENEAUX, on the Catholic Charities team helping repair her home
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La. officials confirm refinery for Acadia
Net-zero emissions facility will employ fewer than reported BY ADAM DAIGLE
Acadiana business editor
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
Workers Jake Turner, left, and Ariel Lindsey of Catholic Charities place Sheetrock on the wall on Thursday as homeowner Kathy Arceneaux, right, works in the kitchen of her home in Rayne that was damaged by the recent flooding.
Catholic Charities team responds to storm, assisting Acadia Parish residents with recovery after flooding BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
The Catholic Charities of Acadiana disaster response team is helping some Acadia Parish residents recover after flooding from a torrential rainstorm in March. The rain led to extensive flooding in Rayne, damaging about 150 homes, said Catholic Charities’ spokesperson Ben Broussard. The disaster response team has so far helped to repair around five homes in the small community. But with more than 70 requests for assistance, the road to recovery is likely to be a long haul. Katherine Arceneaux, 79, was cooking bacon while the team started replacing insulation in her home, which received more than 4 inches of water on March 29. The city saw about 7 to 8 inches of Ben Broussard, right, of Catholic Charities, comforts homeowner Kathy rainfall in just a few hours that Sat- Arceneaux while they help to fix up her home on Thursday. urday afternoon. Arceneaux, who didn’t have flood “It was a nightmare,” Arceneaux across the city. The team eventually insurance, said the water destroyed the bottom half of her walls, her said. made it to Arceneaux and started fixCatholic Charities showed up in ing up her home at no cost to her. home’s carpet, flooring and furniture — things she couldn’t afford to fix or town the next day and began assessä See HELPING, page 7A replace. ing the damage to homes in need
State and regional officials confirmed earlier reports and offered new details regarding a net-zero emissions refinery that will be built in Acadia Parish, but indicated the project will employ fewer than what was initially reported. Officials with the Louisiana Economic Development office announced the deal Friday morning with Oklahoma-based Green Fuels Operating PC that will occupy the former Evangeline Processing Facility along the Mermentau River in the southwest part of the parish. The company will invest $110 million to transform the facility into a net-zero emissions facility and employ 60 with an average salary of $80,000. An announcement from Clean Refineries Inc., which claims GFO as an operating subsidiary, last week indicated the plant would employ 160 and have an average salary of more than $105,000. GFO handles the company’s daily operations at specific sites and will be over the Acadia site, a company spokesperson said. The $110 million price tag is only part of what is planned for south Louisiana, the spokesperson said. It has a $1 billion commitment to building
ä See REFINERY, page 7A
Trump threatens to raise tariffs on EU, smartphones BY JOSH BOAK Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday threatened a 50% tax on all imports from the European Union as well a 25% tariff on smartphones unless those products are made in America. The threats, delivered over social media, reflect Trump’s ability to disrupt the global economy with a burst of typing, as well as the reality that his tariffs have yet to produce the trade deals he is seeking or the return of domestic manufacturing he has promised voters. The Republican president said he wants to charge higher import taxes on goods from the EU, a long-standing U.S. ally, than from China, a geopolitical rival that had its tariffs cut to 30% this month so Washington and Beijing could hold negotiations. Trump was upset by the lack of progress in trade talks with the EU, which has proposed mutually cutting tariffs to zero even as
ä See TARIFFS, page 6A
Thousands of La. students could have to repeat third grade New law affects pupils far behind in reading
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Nearly a quarter of Louisiana third graders are ending the school year far behind in reading, the state Education Department said Thursday. Under a new state law, some of those students will have to repeat third grade. About 23% of third graders
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scored “well below” target reading levels on a recent end-of-year assessment, the state said, indicating they face a high risk of reading difficulties. Nearly 12,000 third graders could fall in that category, based on enrollment numbers. Those students can retake the literacy test two times under the 2023 law, which took effect this school year and only applies to traditional public schools. If their scores don’t adequately improve and they don’t qualify for an exemption, such as being diagnosed with dyslexia, then they cannot move to fourth grade.
State officials said Thursday that they expect the share of third graders who are held back to be much smaller than the 23% who scored at the lowest level on the reading test, called DIBELS. The law also exempts students with certain disabilities and those learning to speak English, as well as students who scored at the “mastery” level or above on this year’s state English test. Third graders at risk of being held back can retake the DIBELS test once before this school year ends and
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
About 23% of Louisiana third graders scored ‘well below’ expected ä See STUDENTS, page 6A reading levels on an end-of-year assessment.
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100TH yEAR, NO. 328