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S at u r d ay, J u n e 20, 2026
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AVOYELLES PARISH REELS FROM FLOODING Aftermath of tropical storm called worst in living memory
LSU, Hyundai to partner in new steel mill University will train workers for jobs at high-tech facility
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Residents walk through high water Thursday following heavy rain from Tropical Storm Arthur in Simmesport. A historic rainfall event triggered severe flooding in Avoyelles Parish, displacing residents, damaging homes and prompting emergency rescue efforts. BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
SIMMESPORT — Patrick Wright stood dismayed at the edge of floodwaters that had just inundated his home in Simmesport along the Atchafalaya River. “We’ve never had anything like this here in our lives,” the at-large alderman said. “We don’t know what we’re gonna do.” It was a sentiment echoed across Avoyelles Parish after sheets of rain triggered what many are ä Officials calling the worst flooding in living memory. monitor The downpour began rising early Thursday morning, water when remnants of Tropilevels in cal Storm Arthur stalled St. Landry over southeastern parts of the parish. Parish. “That band just kind of PAGE 1B stayed there,” said Andy Tingler, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Lake Charles. Between roughly 4 a.m. and 3 p.m., the system dumped between 20 to 30 inches of rain in some areas, catching most residents off guard. According to Lafay-
Residents sit on their front porch surrounded by floodwater on Thursday in Simmesport. ette-based meteorologist Rob Perillo, the numbers point to a potential oncein-1,000-years rainfall event that could break the state’s 24-hour rainfall record. “The amount of rainfall was simply historic,” said Gov. Jeff Landry during a news conference in Mansura on
Friday afternoon. Despite sitting above sea level, lowlying delta communities — including Simmesport, Cottonport, Plaucheville, Moreauville and Lettsworth in northern
ä See FLOODING, page 4A
The $5.8 billion Hyundai steel mill in Ascension Parish will be, by all accounts, colossal. It will import 3.6 million tons of iron ore and produce 2.7 million tons of steel, according to a news release from Louisiana Economic Development. It will create 1,300 jobs on the site. It will rely on a state-of-the-art electric arc furnace to melt steel with electrical currents at thousands of degrees Fahrenheit — a far cry from traditional steelmaking. And now, under a new research agreement announced this week, LSU is throwing its weight behind the mega project. The university will share scientific expertise and resources with the plant that promises to be one of the first in the U.S. to integrate a hightech furnace with a lower carbon footprint into all stages of steel production. And it will help train workers for the jobs the plant needs to run. “This does represent, I think, a new beginning for us in the research office to sign a master research agreement of this magnitude, of this importance, of this significance,” said Robert Twilley, LSU vice president for research and economic development. “It matches our research enterprise, the entire research enterprise of LSU, with one of the largest industrial investments that’s been made in Louisiana.” LSU and Hyundai Steel signed an agreement Tuesday finalizing terms for sponsored research and jointly developed technology for the steel mill, set to begin operation in 2029. The dollar amount of Hyundai’s investment in the state’s flagship university remains to be determined, LSU officials said. “If you look over the 10-year time, you could be talking about $50 to $100 million in research that might come up,” LSU Chancellor Jim Dalton said. “That would be an aspirational goal for us.”
ä See PARTNER, page 5A
U.S. strike on an alleged drug boat kills 3 in the Pacific Ocean Legality of military attack questioned By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The U.S. military attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, killing three people, as the Trump administration wages a monthslong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America. The latest attack brings the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 211 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterror-
WEATHER HIGH 88 LOW 78 PAGE 6A
ists” in early September. As with most of the military’s statements on strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. A video posted on X showed a boat speeding through the water before being struck and bursting into flames. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the
ä See STRIKE, page 4A
Republicans running for Senate see positives in Iran accord Democratic candidates join Cassidy in criticism
Crockett
Davis
Fleming
Letlow
ing off in the Democratic runoff on June 27, while U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming go head-to-head BY TYLER BRIDGES in the Republican Staff writer Cassidy primary that day. The winners will The two Democrats running to replace U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy have meet in a Nov. 3 general election. Trump’s deal calls for reopenjoined him in condemning President Donald Trump’s deal with ing the Strait of Hormuz, through Iran, while the two Republican which passes 20% of the petroleum candidates have voiced support for liquids consumed worldwide. It also would provide $300 billion the president. Farmer Jamie Davis and busiä See DEAL, page 5A ness owner Gary Crockett are fac-
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