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T h u r s d ay, J a n u a ry 15, 2026
UL search panel hears from public
Speakers urge group tasked with recommending candidates to lead university to prioritize student success, budget woes
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Landry headed to D.C. for Greenland talks
Governor’s invite to dogsledding event may be in peril BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Committee members listen to public comment during a meeting of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Presidential Search Committee on Wednesday.
Gov. Jeff Landry is heading to Washington, D.C., for talks about President Donald Trump’s push to acquire Greenland, even as his invitation to the Arctic territory’s most prestigious dog sledding race may be in peril. Landry, Trump’s freshly ä Top Danish tapped “special envoy” to official says Greenland, still plans to visit ‘fundamental the country and has meetings disagreement’ in Washington on Thursday over Greenland and Friday, said Shane Guidry, remains with a businessman and close ally of the governor who said he Trump. PAGE 3A went hunting with Landry on Wednesday morning. Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, confirmed that he was headed to Washington to discuss Greenland and “state-specific issues.” The governor’s visit is set to take place one day
ä See LANDRY, page 5A
BY MEGAN WYATT Staff writer
A committee that will recommend candidates for the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette heard Wednesday from faculty, staff, alumni and community members who asked them to prioritize transparency in their search and to choose a leader who will focus on student success and address the university’s financial woes. The 21-member committee is chaired by UL system President Rick Gallot and includes eight members of the UL system board, the president of the UL Faculty Senate, the president of the UL Staff Senate, state lawmakers, local business leaders, UL alumni and UL Foundation representatives. Only the system board members and Faculty Senate president can vote. “The process itself is straightforward,” Gallot said. “And we’re committed to maintaining transparency at every step.” The committee voted to approve its charge — to define a procedure and timeline for the search. In doing so, they plan to visit the UL campus
Gabriela Wilson, director of the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation and a professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, addresses committee members during Wednesday’s meeting. and obtain public input from faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members; to screen applicants, to conduct reference checks and interview qualified candidates; to conduct open interviews of semifinalists; and to recommend at least two presidential candidates to the UL system board.
Cassidy and Murrill oppose abortion pills by mail BY EMILY WOODRUFF and ALYSE PFEIL Staff writers
The decision to form a search committee came last year during a Nov. 13 meeting that addressed speculation that the UL system board would forgo a search and install a president at the university without any input from faculty, staff or students.
A U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday placed Louisiana at the center of a national debate over abortion pills, highlighting a clash between Republican state officials seeking tighter restrictions and Democrats who say it is an effort to cut off one of the last remaining paths to abortion access for many women. Also on Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom denied Louisiana’s request to extradite
ä See SEARCH, page 5A
ä See ABORTION, page 5A
Gramercy alumina plant secures $450 million investment BY TIMOTHY BOONE
Staff writer
Private equity companies and the federal government are planning to make a $450 million investment in the Atlantic Alumina plant near Gramercy, a move officials say will allow the facility to boost production and clean up longstanding environmental issues. Concord Resource Holdings and its majority shareholder, Pinnacle Asset Management, will put up more than $300 million for the plant, and the Department of Defense will invest $150 million, said David LaPlante, a consultant working on the project. The money will allow Atalco to
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bring alumina production up to the 1 million pounds it is capable of delivering. Right now, the plant is producing below that level due to attrition of equipment, LaPlante said. Founded in 1959 by Kaiser Aluminum, the refinery extracts alumina from red bauxite ore. Alumina is smelted and used to make aluminum, and it also has a number of uses in the defense, aerospace and automotive supply chain. Over the years, alumina production has shifted to China because of what chemical industry officials have labeled as unfair trade practices. The Gramercy facility is the last alumina refinery in the U.S. The investment will allow the
plant to keep its current 500 jobs and will lead to some additional hiring when a gallium production facility opens at the plant. It will be the first large-scale gallium production facility in the U.S., capable of producing up to 50 metric tons a year. Gallium is used to make semiconductors. The exact number of new jobs that will be created by the gallium production facility has not been determined, and the timetable for construction is not known yet. In a joint statement, Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan B. Bourgeois praised the investment
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
The Atalco Gramercy complex in St. James Parish has secured $450 ä See ALUMINA, page 5A million in investments.
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