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, J a n u a ry 14, 2026
1GN
Site bought for Hyundai mill is ‘shovel-ready’ Darlene Denstorff AROUND ASCENSION
Stick horse rodeo set for Friday On Friday, Ascension Parish 4-H will host its 15th annual Stick Horse Rodeo at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Barn 8. Registration opens at 6 p.m. with the rodeo set to begin at 6:30 p.m. The event is open to all youth 11 years old and younger. The classes are bucking horse, bucking bull, flag race, and barrel racing. The stick horse rodeo costs $5 to participate. Participants do not have to be a 4-H member to participate. Spectators are free. A silent auction will take place throughout the show and the rodeo. After the stick horse rodeo, there will be fellowship and an adult showmanship contest for all 4-H and FFA alumni. The 80th annual Livestock Show at Lamar-Dixon barns 7 and 8 on Saturday. Exhibited species will include cattle, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits and poultry, along with showmanship contests. The show is open to the public for spectators. The show begins at 8 a.m. with dairy cattle followed by beef cattle, lambs, goats and swine. The rabbit and poultry show will both begin at 9 a.m.
BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
The state recently purchased more than 1,700 acres in rural Ascension Parish for $91 million to be used for the proposed $5.8 billion Hyundai Steel mill. The Dec. 31 deal was another critical step in the process of building the massive facility, which is expected to be completed in 2030 and the first week of January was named one of the country’s top industrial projects. The plant will be built by Hyundai Motor Group, which also owns Kia Corp., and would be the company’s first steel mill in the U.S.
former Germania Plantation, is on the upper west bank of the parish, near Donaldsonville and the rural community of Modeste, and has frontage along the Mississippi River. The facility is expected to create more than 1,300 direct jobs, with construction scheduled to begin this year. Emma Wagner, a spokesperson STAFF FILE PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS The state recently purchased more than 1,700 acres in the upper west for Louisiana Economic Development, said Hyundai will make bank of Ascension Parish near Donaldsonville and the rural community payments in lieu of traditional of Modeste, for $91 million to be used for the proposed $5.8 billion property taxes, or PILOT. Marshall A. Rice, of Beau Box Hyundai Steel mill. Commercial Real Estate, helped It will supply the company’s two the more than 600,000 vehicles broker the property sale to the U.S. auto factories in Alabama they produce annually. ä See LAND, page 3G and Georgia with steel sheets for The land, which includes the
MLK Day of Service Each year on Martin Luther King Jr., the River Road African American Museum will have its annual MLK Day of Service: Community Volunteer Event. The event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at 511 Williams St. in Donaldsonville. The family-friendly day is rooted in service, connection and care for our shared spaces. Volunteers will assist with community trash pickup, museum cleaning, gardening and grounds beautification. Free food and music will be available as a thank-you for volunteers’ time and commitment.
STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
King Chul ‘Charles’ Jang raises his glass as the Royal Court stops for a toast Sunday on Railroad Avenue during the Krewe of D’ville’s 2026 Mardi Gras parade in Donaldsonville. More photos on 2G.
SET TING THE COURSE
Ducks Unlimited banquet The Ascension Varsity Chapter of Ducks Unlimited is hosting its banquet from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday at the Price LeBlanc PACE Center, Gonzales. For information, visit ascensionvarsitydu.com.
Home show coming up The Home and Remodeling Show and Ralph’s Market Food Fest is set from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 25-26 at the LamarDixon Expo Center, 9039 S. St. Landry Ave., in Gonzales. Over 30 food brands and Ralph’s Market will be giving away free samples, tastings, coupons and recipes and new products from all your favorite supermarket brands. For tickets, visit tinyurl.com/ anjwrmum.
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 to 11 a.m. at the Frank Sotile Jr. Pavilion in Donaldsonville and the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. All recipients must be prequalified by visiting the Ascension Parish Health Unit, 1024 E. Ascension Complex Blvd., in Gonzales or the Donaldsonville courthouse, 300 Houmas St. Contact Layne
ä See AROUND, page 3G
ABOVE: A member from the Krewe of Lou tosses a bag of candy to the crowd. RIGHT: An Ascension Parish sheriff’s deputy greets children along the route.
Community staff report
The Krewe of Dville’s 2026 Mardi Gras parade rolled through Donaldsonville on Sunday with float riders tossing trinkets to revelers. Quintin D. Taylor. Quintin, the chancellor of River Parishes Community College, was the grand marshal. Chul “Charles” Soon Jang rode as king and LaTonya Sullivan-Prejean was queen.
Prairieville’s Comery, Gatlin lead Hurricanes to 16-3 start Being the focal point of an opposing team’s scouting report is a compliment to a player. Prairieville Hurricanes girls basketball standouts Rhian Comery and Marly Gatlin fit that mold. “Rhian has been a joy to coach. Her attitude and adjusting to a new environment and tough coaching has been seamless. Her patience and pose and leadership in the locker room, practices and during games brings tremendous value to our
Green Early Learning Center’s queen and king ride in the parade.
Ascension agrees to split costs with DEMCO BY CHRISTOPHER CARTWRIGHT Staff writer
Troy LeBoeuf ASCENSION SPORTS
team’s strong start,” said coach Chase Delrie. The Hurricanes are off to 16-3 start and a No. 2 power ranking
ä See TROY, page 3G
A yearslong legal dispute between Ascension Parish and DEMCO over who will pay to move power lines that get in the way of road construction is nearing an end after the Parish Council voted this week to approve a settlement. The lawsuit concerned the cost of moving utilities for multiple road projects in the parish, like
widening and roundabout construction. Dixie Electric Membership Corp. filed the suit in August 2022 when tensions arose between parish officials and the company. After a closed executive session, the Parish Council agreed to split equally the costs of moving all utilities located within 25 feet of a road’s centerline. “After three-plus years, I’m
ä See DEMCO, page 3G