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Meta to expand AI data center in La.
It will more than double the size of Richland Parish site BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Meta is planning a major expansion of its Hyperion data center in Richland Parish, more than doubling the size of the already massive project and making Louisiana a key part of the social media giant’s artificial intelligence strategy. The Facebook parent, which began construction of Hyperion last
year, now plans to spend as much as $50 billion on the project and related infrastructure, up from $10 billion two years ago. The site will encompass more than 3,200 acres — more than four times larger than New York City’s Central Park — and increase its computational capacity to 5 gigawatts, making it among the largest in the world. The expansion will increase the number of construction jobs in Richland, which has just 20,000
residents, to some 7,500 — about 50% more than originally announced. And it will double the number of permanent jobs to 1,000 once both phases of the project are fully operational, which is estimated to be in 2036. For Louisiana, the size and scope of the Meta expansion is unprecedented. It represents a win for Gov. Jeff Landry, who has aggressively pursued large economic development projects in the state.
It’s also setting a new bar for Meta, one of the world’s largest tech giants. “It is huge for us,” Meta President Dina Powell McCormick McCormick said in an interview Sunday. “We could not be more proud to be an investor in this amazing state.” At the same time, the expansion is likely to raise new questions about the power demands of the
24 HOURS IN A METABOLIC CHAMBER
“hyperscale” data center, its water use and its impact on Richland Parish, where many residents have cheered the project while others worry about the rapid changes it is bringing to the rural farming community. As part of its expansion, Meta said it will spend $1 billion upgrading roads, water and wastewater systems in the parish, which is among the poorest in Louisiana and is now dealing with a construction project and an influx of workers.
ä See META, page 4A
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham dies at 71 Close ally of Trump remembered for humor, zest in politics
BY SEUNG MIN KIM, MARY CLARE JALONICK and MEG KINNARD Associated Press
STAFF PHoToS By JAVIER GALLEGoS
Reporter Aidan McCahill works on his laptop while inside a metabolic chamber at Pennington Biomedical on June 23.
Volunteers participate in study on obesity and burning calories BY AIDAN McCAHILL
Clinic research nurse Annalee Campbell, left, and biomedical engineer Isabella Reed chat outside of reporter Aidan McCahill’s metabolic chamber at Pennington Biomedical on June 23.
Staff writer
For those seeking a no-frills, reclusive staycation in Baton Rouge, the second floor of the Pennington Biomedical Clinical Research Building offers a few unusual options. The stay is free; the only catch is unusually strict rules. Check-in begins at 6:45 a.m. with a greeting from Christian Rodriguez, an affable postdoctoral research fellow. The floor resembles a small inpatient unit, with bedrooms attended by registered nurses, dietitians and researchers. But there are no sick patients. Instead, those staying are paid volunteers in some of the world’s most advanced research on obesity and nutrition. With an operating budget
just shy of $100 million, Pennington you can, because you have all the probes fundamental questions about equipment you could ever want,” Rodriguez said. human health and metabolism. “Pennington is strictly this place ä See STUDY, page 3A set up to do the coolest studies
New East Baton Rouge school rules move forward
have to expel students the first has given preliminary approv- caught harassing a teacher onHandbook time they are caught with mar- al to the suggested updates, line, even if the students are but other illegal drugs and a final vote is set for July doing so off school property, proposals cover a inijuana, according to another proposal. the hands of students would 23. Students can already be And student athletes, if they lead to automatic expulnumber of changes still sion, according to proposed disciplined for cyberbully- are asked to take a random
BY CHARLES LUSSIER
new rules. The East Baton Rouge Parish school system has proposed a Principals at Baton Rouge set of changes to its student public schools no longer would handbook. The School Board
Staff writer
WEATHER HIGH 84 LOW 72 PAGE 6B
ing their peers. Under the re- drug test, may be asked to have worked “Student Rights & Re- their saliva checked for drugs sponsibilities and Discipline as opposed to just a urinalysis. Policy Handbook,” they would ä See RULES, page 5A now get in trouble if they are
WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of President Donald Trump’s closest allies in Congress who traveled the globe to advocate for a more aggressive U.S. foreign policy, has died after a “brief and sudden illness.” He was 71. His office’s statement posted on social media early Sunday said his family “appreciates prayers at this time and asks for privacy during this incredibly difficult period.” It did not provide any additional details about the circumstances surrounding the Saturday night death of the prominent South Carolina Republican, a former Air Force lawyer who served in Congress for three decades. Hours later, another statement from Graham’s office said the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia’s preliminary findings are that the senator died of aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic PRoVIdEd PHoTo By TnS cardiovascular That is U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, disease. an aorta rupture R-S.C., died Saturday stemming from night. He was 71. hardening of Graham’s arteries. Trump, who talked to Graham frequently, said he was “like a member of the family. It’s very tough.” He said on NBC’s ”Meet the Press” that Graham had called him on Saturday night after returning from a trip to Ukraine and “sounded a little bit tired, but perfect.” The president ordered that flags across the country be flown at half-staff until Saturday evening. A noted hawk, Graham was one of the most influential figures in Washington on foreign affairs and he advised Trump on matters such as the Iran war and Russia. On Friday, Graham had announced an agreement with the Trump administration to move forward on a package of Russia sanctions. As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, Graham also had a central role during Trump’s second term as Republicans pushed major legislation on party-line votes while holding a narrow 53-47 majority in the chamber. Under South Carolina law, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster will appoint a temporary replacement for Graham, who was seeking a fifth term in November. A new nominee will be selected in a special primary, which is required
Classified .....................6C deaths .........................7A nation-World ................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3C-5C Living............................1C opinion ........................8A Commentary ................9A Metro ...........................6A Sports ..........................1B
ä See GRAHAM, page 4A
102nd yEAR, no. 13