A St. Tammany Parish pastor was arrested for allegedly sexual abusing several children decades ago while serving at a church in Benton. 72-year-old David Mercer was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a property owned by First Baptist Church of Folsom, where he was working as a youth pastor. Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Matthew Bertrand says it’s baffling that Mercer has continued to serve as youth pastor all this time.

Cut 14 (10) “…a little concerning.”

It’s a wet start to the work week. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says some parts of Louisiana had six to seven inches of rain on Saturday alone, and that rainy pattern will continue today and tomorrow.

Cut 7 (11) “…the same area.”

Meta is committing another 50-billion dollars to its Richland Parish data center, expanding the campus to nearly ten million square feet and five gigawatts of IT capacity. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

Three youths at the Swanson Center for Youth in Monroe escaped the facility Saturday morning and were brought back into custody Saturday night. Juvenile Justice Specialist Makayla D. Kelly was arrested and fired and in connection with the escape.

Meta is doubling its A-I data center in Richland Parish. Governor Landry says as artificial intelligence continues to accelerate worldwide, the infrastructure powering it is expanding to meet the growing demand. He says with this investment, Meta is establishing the Richland Parish Data Center as the cornerstone of its global infrastructure and it puts Louisiana in a great spot too.

Cut 4 (10) “…the world.”

It’s another wet start to the work week, with some areas getting around two inches of rain today and tomorrow. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says the prolonged rainfall raises the potential for certain major conditions, but other forms of severe weather are not expected for the time being.

Cut 8 (10) “…of weather conditions.”

If you need a job, the “help wanted” sign is out in West Feliciana Parish. Andrew Greenstein reports.

Cut 2 (34) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”

A federal appellate court has thrown out a lawsuit that attempted to stop the construction of the nation’s first floating LNG terminal, to be located off southwest Louisiana. The plaintiffs in the case were calling for a new environmental and public review, but a three-judge panel found that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the petition to court.

Meta is doubling its AI data center in Richland Parish. President and Vice Chairman of Meta, Dina Powell McCormick, says they now plan to spend as much as 50-billion dollars on the project and related infrastructure, up from the ten billion it originally planned

Cut 3 (12) “…Richland Parish and beyond.”

There are concerns this massive AI data center in north Louisiana will increase electricity bills for residents, because of the amount of power it takes to run one of these facilities. But Governor Landry says Meta and Entergy have come up with a plan so ratepayers are not burdened with extra costs…

Cut 6 (12) “..infrastructure”

In the last segment, we told you about the expansion of the Meta A-I data center in Richland Parish. Construction is also underway on the Hut 8 data center in West Feliciana Parish. Parish president Kenny Havard says there is a job fair from three to six tomorrow afternoon at West Feliciana High in St. Francisville as they are looking for skilled technical workers, and the salaries are lucrative…

Cut 12  (07) “…dollars a year”

Havard says in the months since, those figures have actually gone up from there.

We are seeing a lot of rain on the western side of the state today and there’s a good chance for more rain tomorrow and then the state will start to dry out. LSU Health climatologist Barry Keim says that just means, it will be hot and humid when the rain goes away…

Cut 9 (10) “…be pretty oppressive”

Heat index values are expected to reach the triple digits later this week.

Meta is doubling its A-I data center in Richland Parish. Governor Landry says as artificial intelligence continues to accelerate worldwide, the infrastructure powering it is expanding to meet the growing demand. He says with this investment, Meta is establishing the Richland Parish Data Center as the cornerstone of its global infrastructure and it puts Louisiana in a great spot too.

Cut 4 (10) “…the world.”

It’s another wet start to the work week, with some areas getting around two inches of rain today and tomorrow. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says the prolonged rainfall raises the potential for certain major conditions, but other forms of severe weather are not expected for the time being.

Cut 8 (10) “…of weather conditions.”

The “help wanted” sign is out at the Hut 8 data center in West Feliciana Parish, and there will be a job fair tomorrow afternoon to fill scores of construction and permanent technical positions. Parish President Kenny Havard says the job fair will be from three to six tomorrow afternoon at West Feliciana High School in St. Francisville.

Cut 11 (10) “…involved in it.”

Thanks to a grant from the Louisiana Department of Health, up to six physician assistant students at LSU Health Shreveport will receive scholarships in exchange for a two to three year commitment at participating rural hospitals upon graduation. Dr. Sharon Dunn, the dean of the School of Health Professions and Sciences, says the longer the scholarship, the longer the hospital commitment will be. 

Cut 14 (11) “…August of 2029.”

Meta is doubling the size of its Richland Parish data center. The site will encompass more than 32-hunred acres, more than four times larger than New York City’s Central Park. Governor Jeff Landry says his administration has created an environment where companies can move quickly and build at scale..

Cut 5 (14) “…150 billion investment.”  (applause)

Meta now plans to spend as much as 50 billion dollars on the project.

The “help wanted” sign is out at the Hut 8 data center in West Feliciana Parish, and there will be a job fair tomorrow afternoon to fill scores of positions. Parish President Kenny Havard says the positions cover both immediate and future jobs.

Cut 10 (06) “…15-hundred construction jobs.”

Permanent jobs for skilled technical workers have average salaries between 130-thousand and 150-thousand dollars a year.

Three former LSU Tigers were taken on the opening day of the Major League Baseball Draft. Jeff Palermo has the story…

Cut 22 (32) “…I’m Jeff Palermo.”

On day two of the MLB draft yesterday, five LSU relievers went off the board. Grant Fontenot was picked by Kansas City in the tenth, Santiago Garcia went to Toronto in the 12th, Connor Benge was selected in the 13th by Miami, Gavin Guidry went in round 16 to the Mets and Cleveland picked Zac Cowan in the 19th.

At this hour, Meta is announcing that the technology conglomerate that owns Facebook is doubling its AI data center in Richland Parish. President and Vice Chairman of Meta, Dina Powell McCormick, says they now plan to spend as much as 50-billion dollars on the project and related infrastructure, up from the ten billion it originally planned…

Cut 3 (13) “….and beyond”

The expansion increases the number of construction jobs to 75-hundred, and it will double the number of permanent jobs to one-thousand once the data center is fully operational, which is estimated to be in 2036.

An employee at the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice has been arrested after three youths escaped from the Swanson Center for the Youth on Saturday. The escapees are back in custody and Makayla Kelly of Monroe has been fired and faces multiple charges.

Over 20 cases of the parasitic infection cyclosporiasis have been reported in Louisiana. State epidemiologist Theresa Sokol says typically those cases come from those who become infected when traveling abroad, but this year’s outbreak is domestic.

Cut 4 (09) “…the parasite.”

Sokol recommends you wash your hands before and after you eat and wash all fresh produce thoroughly to best reduce your risk of becoming infected.

It’s a wet start to the work week. LSU Health Climatologist Barry Keim says some parts of Louisiana had six to seven inches of rain on Saturday alone, and that rainy pattern will continue today and tomorrow.

Cut 7 (11) “…the same area.”

Nearly all of south Louisiana has seen rain this morning.

Louisiana is one of 29 states to report cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasitic infection causing severe diarrhea. Kace Kieschnick has more.

Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”

A St. Tammany Parish youth pastor is arrested for allegedly sexually abusing several children during the 1990s. 72-year-old David Mercer was taken into custody Friday afternoon at a property owned by First Baptist Church of Folsom.

After exchanging social media posts with Governor Landry about the city’s finances, New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno is asking for a face-to-face meeting with the governor to discuss the issue. In Moreno’s latest post, she asked the governor to work with her administration so that both the city and the state can be successful.

Cut 11 (06) “…our conversation.”

Thanks to a grant from the Louisiana Department of Health, up to six physician assistant students at LSU Health Shreveport will receive scholarships in exchange for a two to three year commitment at participating rural hospitals upon graduation. Dr. Sharon Dunn, the dean of the School of Health Professions and Sciences, says the longer the scholarship, the longer the hospital commitment will be. 

Cut 14 (11) “…August of 2029.”