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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 calling the worst flooding in living memory. The downpour began early Thursday morning, when remnants of Tropical Storm Arthur stalled over southeastern parts of the parish. “That band just kind of 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 Lafayette-based meteorologist Rob Perillo, the numbers point to a potential once-in-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 dur-
Residents sit on their front porch surrounded by floodwater on Thursday in Simmesport. ing 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 Pointe Coupee Parish — were already saturated from weeks of rain, and their largely bayou-based drainage systems were quickly overwhelmed.
U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on use of six-person juries Fla. arguments lean on La. case BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
In crimes where Louisiana’s criminal code does not specify hard labor upon a conviction, sixperson juries can decide a defendant’s guilt. It’s been that way for well over a century. But last week, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a Florida case that “sixpack” juries like those in Louisiana and a handful of other states are half what the U.S. Constitution requires, based on history.
WEATHER HIGH 89 LOW 77 PAGE 8A
The petitioners in the Florida case lean heavily on the high court’s 2020 decision in Ramos v. Louisiana, banning nonunanimous jury verdicts in criminal cases. In that case, the Supreme Court broke with a 50-year ruling to find by a 6-3 majority that American juries were always meant to be unanimous, scrapping long-standing laws in Louisiana and Oregon. In the Florida case, defendant Hamed Kian argues that a 1970 Supreme Court decision that endorsed six-member juries, Williams v. Florida, “cannot be squared with” the Ramos decision, claiming that a group of 12
ä See JURIES, page 5A
By midmorning Thursday, residents like Daren Wells in Lettsworth were stepping out of bed into standing water. Within hours, much of his home and belongings were soaked. Around 30 other homes in the town were flooded, according to Pointe Coupee Sheriff Rene Thibodeaux.
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.” Dalton called the deal “the most comprehensive industry agreement partnership in LSU’s history.”
ä See PARTNER, page 5A
Republicans running for Senate see positives in the 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 to the president. Farmer Jamie Davis and busiä See DEAL, page 4A ness owner Gary Crockett are fac-
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