DONALDSONVILLE • DUTCHTOWN • GEISMAR • GONZALES • PRAIRIEVILLE • ST. AMANT
THE ASCENSION
ADVOCATE T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, Au g u s t 27, 2025
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Landry touts economic momentum BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT
Staff writer
In Donaldsonville, a former Louisiana capital city nestled roughly halfway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, two stories are playing out as multinational companies look to construct large industrial facilities in the area. One story says the area is at the forefront of an economic revival across the state that will make Louisiana into a powerhouse in the South. The other story says the proposals will not bring the community long-term economic prosperity and instead will contribute to health inequalities across the region. Those diverging narratives, the first told by elected officials and business leaders and the second by some locals and environmental advocacy groups,
came into sharp focus Aug. 20 at the Baton Rouge Industrial Group’s quarterly meeting in Donaldsonville with the city’s Chamber of Commerce. There, hundreds converged for networking, food and speeches from Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois. The contrasting opinions were visible from the start. As industry leaders from Hyundai and CF Industries entered the building, followed by politicians ranging from state representatives to local School Board members, a black truck in the parking lot with an electronic billboard on its sides displayed a message: “$600 million: That’s what Landry’s steel plant will cost taxpayers.” In the rural area of Ascension Parish above Donaldsonville, Hyundai intends
to invest $5.8 billion in a steel mill, while CF Industries wants to build a $4 billion ammonia plant. A third company, Ascension Clean Energy, hopes to build a $7.5 billion ammonia plant in the area as well. In his speech, Landry said he and the Legislature are “writing the greatest story that no one is talking about,” which he said was unparalleled economic growth and Louisiana becoming a leader across the southern United States. “We have an opportunity the likes of which we never had. We can write a new book,” he said of the state’s story. “Because I believe you elected me and them to change the state, and that is exactly what we’re doing.” He pointed to the Ascension Parish
STAFF PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS
Gov. Jeff Landry shakes hands with Donaldsonville mayor Leroy Sullivan during the Donaldsonville Chamber of ä See LANDRY, page 3G Commerce meeting at the Lemann Center on Aug. 20.
Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
Legislative Road Show coming to Gonzales The Ascension Chamber, together with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Gonzales and regional partners, will host the first stop of the statewide Legislative Road Show on Sept. 3 at the Price LeBlanc PACE Center in Gonzales. The kickoff event will feature House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, state Rep. Tony Bacala and other Louisiana House leaders as they highlight updates in tax policy, state budget, insurance, transportation, crime and education. A question and answer session will follow remarks. Doors open at 7:30 a.m., and the program is from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. To attend, visit the events page at ascensionchamber.com.
‘Steel Magnolias’ hits stage Ascension Community Theatre is staging “Steel Magnolias” on Sept. 4-7 at its Felicity Avenue theater in Gonzales. The play centers around a group of women who frequent a beauty salon in the fictional Louisiana city of Chinquapin. For tickets, visit https:// ci.ovationtix.com/35620/production/1212134.
Hazardous material collection Time to clear out the garage, shed or under the sink. Keep Ascension Beautiful is hosting Household Hazardous Material Collection Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 13 at the LamarDixon Expo Center in Gonzales.
CARA’s House needs fosters CARA’s House Animal Shelter is in need of volunteers, fosters and adopters. And if you’re missing your pet, don’t forget to call the shelter to see if it has been turned over. For information, visit www. carashouse.com.
Upcoming events Aug. 29-31: River Jam (Fred’s on the River) Aug 30: Summer Sips Pop-Up Market (Sugarfield).
Food distributions set Ascension Parish’s commodity distribution is set for the second Tuesday of each month in Donaldsonville and the second Wednesday of the month in Gonzales. Distributions are from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Frank Sotile Jr.
ä See AROUND, page 2G
STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Haley McGee takes a picture as Paisley Sagona, 14, holds a blood red corn snake from Fae & Fanges at the H.E.R.P.S. reptile show at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center on Saturday in Gonzales.
Snakes, rats, spiders and amphibians take over Lamar-Dixon BY WENDY LOUP Contributing writer
Reptile enthusiasts were able to pet and hold exotic animals as well as other nature’s oddities, during the HERPS Exotic Reptile & Pet Show this weekend at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. The event, which travels throughout Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma, featured 75 reptile and exotic animal breeders, as well as pet supply vendors. Pythons, rats, amphibians and spiders were available to purchase, along with various-sized enclosures and pet food. The popular expo also utilizes the opportunity to educate the public about the many different breeds of exotic animals and how they survive in nature. “For most attendees, this is an introduction to certain animals, reptiles and am-
a chance to talk to breeders about giving proper care. “We get a lot of repeat customers. More and more are buying animals, and our reptile community is growing.” The HERPS expo has been held at Lamar-Dixon for several years, including as recently as March. “The staff here is always attentive and we love this location,” Gray said. Vendors from around the country travel to participate in the expo. Some tote along their own family pets to display. Darian Rodriguez, owner of Rodriguez A Leachianus Gecko walks up the side of Reptiles, brought Zeus, his pet porcupine. an aquarium at the display for Cypress The crowd-pleaser Zeus proudly disState Reptiles. played his long quills and slender claws. Rodriguez, a breeder of reptiles such phibians,” said Shawn Gray, HERPS Ex- as blue-tongued skinks and bear dragon otic Reptile & Pet Show organizer. “They ä See SNAKES, page 2G may want to get one as a pet and this is
28 area schools land up-to-$50K security grants BY CHARLES LUSSIER
Staff writer
Twenty-eight schools in the Baton Rouge region and 117 across Louisiana recently received state grants of up to $50,000 to upgrade security on their campuses. The grants program, now in its third year, has awarded $5 million each year to cover physical improvements to campuses, such as new doors or fences, updating emergency plans and better train-
ing for staff. The latest awards, announced in July, were selected from 575 applicants. The grants are given out each year by the Louisiana Center for Safe Schools. The center, which opened in 2023, was created by the state Legislature in the wake of the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, which killed 21 people and injured 17 more. The center is part of the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergen-
cy Preparedness, or GOHSEP. Schools winning grants will be reimbursed for eligible costs. They have to complete projects within a set amount of time, usually about 12 months. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system, the second-largest traditional district in the state, has seven winning schools. Each school will receive the maximum of $50,000 each to pay for improved security measures. The seven campuses are Claiborne,
LaBelle Aire and Park elementary schools; McKinley and Southeast middle schools; and Belaire and Glen Oaks high schools. The improvements include new alarms, cameras, doors, gates, fences, radios and signs. They also call for modernizing entryways with new management systems for school visitors. “This initiative represents a significant investment in
ä See GRANTS, page 2G