LSU CAMP: PROJECTING THE DEPTH CHART ON DEFENSE 1C THE
ACADIANA
ADVOCATE
T H E A C A D I A N A A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
W e d n e s d ay, au g u s t 20, 2025
Graphics throughout the stadium greet fans at the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium.
$2.00X
Sulphur Mines 90
10 210
OPEN HOUSE
LAKE CHARLES
27 Staff map
More concerns arise over salt dome Parts of caverns already under state of emergency
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Visitors tour the McElligott Club area in the new Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium on Tuesday.
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
Lourdes Stadium renovations focus on fan experience BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
When fans of Ragin’ Cajuns football show up Aug. 30 for the ä Graduate first game assistant has of the 2025 key role with season, it be hard Cajuns QBs. will to miss the PAGE 1C renovations to Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Nearly everything on the west side of the stadium is new. The towering façade features 34 suites, 40 loge boxes, 524 club seats, an indoor club that can host community events and five
new chairback sections in the lower west bowl of the stadium. The $65 million project, which began in December 2023, is the most significant upgrade to the facility since it opened in 1971. The project was designed by DLR Group and AQ Studios, and the builder was J.B. Mouton. But beyond the upgraded premium seating options and the new-car smell, University of Louisiana at Lafayette officials hope the improvements, big and small, will provide a better gameday experience for all UL
Nearly everything on the west side of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium
ä See STADIUM, page 4A is new.
State regulators are examining the cause of an unexplained pressure drop in three conjoined underground caverns in the Sulphur Mines salt dome, parts of which have been under a state of emergency for a couple of years due to stability concerns. The latest potentially troubled cavern, owned by a Westlake Chemical subsidiary, is just south of one that prompted emergency measures in 2023 to contain a potential collapse, including a protective earthen berm that is now nearly finished construction. The new concern at the site, located in the Lake Charles area, involves “Cavern 2-4-5,” named that way because it used to be three separate caverns that joined in the 1950s. State officials said on Monday that they were being cautious with the drop in pressure, which is small but has been sustained for about 10 days, in light of the other problems elsewhere on the salt dome. Patrick Courreges, spokesperson for the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources, said that it is not unusual for older salt dome caverns to lose some pressure that could be the result of more common problems like failed concrete or metal casing on a well connected to the underground cavern. “Those are fixable things, or is
ä See DOME, page 5A
‘I wanted Louisiana to be proud’ and Cajun culture on the slaw and potatoes, followed by Lafayette fire captain Louisiana show — and he said he was honored firehouse cobbler. Bailey said his cooking foundathe place and recipes that wins national cooking toheshare loves with a national audience. tion began with his mother and contest on PBS “It was important to me to rep- grandmother, and was honed by
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
This longtime Lafayette Fire Department captain now has a new title: award-winning chef. Coby Bailey is the winner of Season 4 of “Great American Recipe,” a PBS competition cooking show that pits home chefs from across the country against each other. In each season, chefs typically represents a different cuisine, culture or place in America. Bailey was the first chef to represent
WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 75 PAGE 8A
resent Louisiana and the Cajuns,” said the captain of Fire Station No. 9 . “I love them, and I love my heritage, and I love my culture.” Cajuns excel at representing their culture through food, and that’s exactly what Bailey did over six weeks of sharing authentic Cajun recipes — like the rich, multidimensional alligator sauce piquante that got him to the final round. To cinch the win over chefs from San Diego and Columbus, Ohio, he made cornbread-stuffed chicken over grits with andouille cream sauce and a side of cole-
years of preparing communal meals at the fire station. Five years ago, Bailey started a Captain Coby Cajun Cooking YouTube channel following a fire station bet. He posted videos of himself cooking traditional Cajun dishes, as well as favorite meals from the firehouse. His channel and social media accounts began growing in popularity relatively quickly — as did his new line of seasoning blends, Captain Coby Cajun Seasoning.
Lafayette Fire Captain Coby Bailey is the winner of Season 4 of ‘Great American Recipe’ cooking show on PBS. STAFF FILE PHOTO By LESLIE WESTBROOK
ä See PROUD, page 5A
Business ...................10C Commentary ................3B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................4B Living............................5C Opinion ........................2B Comics-Puzzles .....7C-9C Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
101ST yEAR, NO. 51