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S u n d ay, M a r c h 8, 2026
‘SUCH A BLESSING’
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Iranian families in La. cheer possible change They watch, wait after death of leader
BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRAD KEMP
Thomas Beer, left, and Jubal Hartzler, of Harvest Call, renovate a home on North Avenue C in Crowley on Feb. 27.
Volunteer groups bolster hurricane recovery years after the spotlight has moved on BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer
LaVera George lives alone on Avenue C in Crowley in the same house her grandparents built decades ago. Like many older homes across rural Acadiana, it has fallen into disrepair after weathering hurricane season after hurricane season. George, a retired health care worker and Marine widow, watched as storm damage slowly accumulated. Then, Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta dealt another blow to the Crowley area in 2020. “Delta hit us hard. Quite a few homes were damaged from that storm. I had a screen porch get torn down on top of all the issues the home already had,” George said. While Laura took head-
munities nationwide — volunteers often pour in after hurricanes and floods. But once the headlines fade and recovery programs wind down, many homeowners, especially elderly residents with limited incomes, are left living in damaged homes with few options for repairs. Groups like Harvest Call and Catholic Charities have stepped in to fill that gap. In 2024, George applied for assistance with Recovery Acadiana, which referred her to Catholic CharBarb Slagel, left, and Tim Slagel, of Harvest Call, stand in ities. The organization, in front of a house in Crowley their group is renovating on Feb. conjunction with the Apos27. tolic Christian Church’s outreach group Harvest Call, lines, Delta, which came the tural toll remains in many has helped repair dozens of following month, wrought homes across rural Aca- homes in Acadia, St. Landry damage mostly on small diana. Until very recently, and Lafayette parishes over towns in rural Acadiana. George’s home was one of the past several months, inFive years later, hurricane them. cluding George’s. relief funds have mostly Across Acadiana — and ä See GROUPS, page 7A evaporated, but the struc- in disaster-stricken com-
For years, Zohreh Khaleghi painted colorful landscapes and nude figures. But in January, as news from Iran filled with blood, the New Orleans artist’s sketches turned dark. A protester, dead in the street. A man, his mouth bound shut. A mother, grasping her son’s hand as an unknown force pulls ä Service him into the sky. members’ Khaleghi, 60, didn’t bodies return decide to make art to U.S. PAGE 2A about Iran, her home until she was 16 years ä Israeli old, when she fled with prime her sister to Germany. minister But the images kept promises coming. ‘many “My painting, my drawing, my writ- surprises.’ ing, everything, it all PAGE 2A changed,” Khaleghi said. It changed again last weekend, when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran, killing the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, known for his repressive rule. Khaleghi writes now of joy. Of hope. But she’s unsure what her artwork will look like in a week, a month, a year. Like many Iranian-Americans living in Louisiana, she is optimistic. Like many Iranian-Americans living across the world, she is clear-eyed. While surveys show that most Iranians have supported a regime change, a segment of Iran’s population still supported Khamenei, mourning the cleric’s passing. But those in the diaspora, many of whom fled after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, largely cheered his death. Over the course of the week since the war began, hundreds of Iranians have died, six U.S. soldiers have been killed and more countries have been dragged into the conflict.
ä See IRAN, page 5A
Tech giants poised for tax breaks on data centers La. officials say trade-off is worth it
Two years later, Meta has broken ground on a $27 billion data center campus in north Louisiana. Amazon is not far behind with plans for a $12 billion data center near BY SAM KARLIN Shreveport. And the state and loStaff writer cal governments are poised to give When Meta officials came to Lou- potentially billions in tax breaks to isiana in 2024 to negotiate a poten- the tech giants, based on projectial data center project, they told tions of Louisiana’s generous tax state officials that they would need exemptions and the expected exsignificant tax breaks in order to penditures of the companies. close the deal. The tax breaks are part of a “It was ‘If you don’t have this, complex puzzle that states are we will not consider your state,’ ” grappling with to land so-called Louisiana Economic Development “hyperscale” data centers, which Secretary Susan Bourgeois said in are massive warehouses filled with an interview. servers that power artificial intel-
WEATHER HIGH 78 LOW 67 PAGE 6B
ligence products offered by tech giants including Amazon, Meta and OpenAI. In some states, backlash to data centers has swelled where residents and elected officials say they are worried about them raising electric costs, draining tax revenue and straining water systems — as well as job losses their AI outputs may cause. Louisiana’s data centers have faced some pushback for their electricity plans, though so far most elected officials have welcomed them with open arms.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Construction continues at the site of Meta’s new artificial intelligence ä See DATA, page 4A data center in Richland Parish.
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