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Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum, located in Jennings City Hall.

The museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

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Thank you.

Scientists at LSU are working to ease concerns over carbon capture projects reaching rural Louisiana women's hospitals, making health care more accessible than ever.

A look at how Louisiana sportsmen can make space in their freezers and at the same time, help people in need.

And we're taking you to Abbeville for a Cajun Christmas celebration.

Let's get started.

Okay.

Hi, everyone.

I'm Christina Jensen, and I'm Victor Howell.

Much more on those top stories in a moment on this week's edition of Louisiana, the State we're at.

But first, Governor Jeff Landry has put a stop to new carbon capture permits across the state.

Some residents and environmental groups are raising concerns about property rights and the risk of environmental mishaps.

I sat down with LSU researchers who are working to make sure the technology is safe.

Louisiana's landscape, from refineries to river communities, has made it a focal point for carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS.

The technology involves collecting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from industrial processes, compressing them into a near liquid state and injecting them deep underground.

The goal to store the CO2 permanently in geological formations, preventing it from entering the atmosphere.

Supporters say it could help reduce greenhouse gases while preserving the state's energy economy.

Critics argue the projects are moving too fast without enough input from the communities expected to host them.

Now, Governor Landry has issued a moratorium on new applications for carbon injection wells, calling for companies to do more, to seek public input and involve local governments to better understand the science behind carbon storage.

We spoke with Doctor Carsten Thompson, a professor at LSU who leads CO2 drilling test at the university's well number three.

If we're capturing a large amount and preventing it from being emitted, then geologic storage allows us to put massive amounts of CO2 underground and store it safely, instead of allowing it to be emitted into the atmosphere.

Louisiana is uniquely suited for carbon capture.

Its deep underground rock layers can store CO2 coupled with existing pipelines and energy infrastructure.

The state is well positioned to lead in this emerging technology.

It's not going to be as impactful unless you can capture huge quantities of CO2, but we can do that from some of our chemical plants, especially if they're already emitting the CO2 in a concentrated form.

So we have the petrochemical industry, we have the geology.

The other two pieces of that, we have a good transportation network in terms of pipelines, and that doesn't exist everywhere.

And then the last thing is we have the workforce, the, the, the same workforce that does oil and gas traditionally is is adept at what we need for a CO2 capture.

So it's ideal.

But even with promising geology, the success of carbon storage may depend on something more basic public trust.

Many residents say companies moved too quickly, filing dozens of, well, applications with limited outreach.

Governor Landry's moratorium is designed to slow that process and put communities at the center of the conversation.

But improving safety isn't just policy.

It's also technology ensuring storage sites remain sealed for decades, even centuries.

At LSU, researchers are developing new tools to detect leaks before they become a danger.

The university is one of the only schools in the nation building a dedicated test well for CO2 research.

LSU professors Justin Sharma and Mona Garcia are creating new technology to detect CO2 leaks from pipelines and sequestration sites.

The goal was to develop a novel sensing technology for monitoring CO2 leaks, because one of the concerns with a lot of CO2 sequestration projects is not in my backyard.

Nobody wants to be close to it because of the fear that there is.

There could be leaks underground, or if there is a CO2 pipeline, can there be leaks of CO2 which can cause, you know, safety issues, health problems.

So we wanted to develop a sensor that can allow larger monitoring versus just monitoring at few locations and potentially missing a leak.

She says that one sensor can detect a leak about ten kilometers away.

Researchers will soon test the sensor at LSU.

Can you show us how it works?

Yeah, sure.

So as you can see, I'm shining light, into this fiber from one end.

And right now I'm using my phone.

But we will use a laser light.

So because, you know, so from one end, we are shining the light.

So there's no electricity.

So I am not passing any electric current.

And you can see on your end that the light is coming out of the fiber.

So now in the presence of CO2 in the atmosphere, because we are trying to detect light leaks of carbon dioxide because of the functional nanomaterial that we coat on the fiber, it's going to change how the light is traveling.

So it modulates the light.

So right now with our eyes, we won't be able to see how it is changing.

But once we analyze the spectrum we can see a change in that spectrum.

And that's how we detect what is the CO2 concentration and where is that CO2 concentration.

The aim is to enhance safety and eventually bring the technology to market to support local communities.

I think it's important, as we are thinking about you know, sequestering CO2, reducing the amount of CO2 in the environment.

It is very important to also ensure that all that money and operational expenses that we are incurring to put the CO2, compress the CO2, put it in the ground.

We want to make sure that it stays in the ground.

Louisiana emits more carbon per capita than almost any other state.

CSE advocates say the technology could help lower emissions without dismantling the state's industrial economy.

A major employer and tax base.

I would say two things, you know, one is that all of us that are in this area believe it's very important to answer the questions that have been raised and try to alleviate people's concerns.

And so if if we need to pause to make sure that gets done, that's a good thing.

I think I also speak for a lot of people in this area that that say the concern is that we view this as a huge opportunity for Louisiana, both in terms of being a technology leader and the economic investment that will come related to CSE and chemical manufacturing.

And, you know, that could be a window of opportunity that won't last forever.

For now, the governor's moratorium applies only to new applications.

Projects already under federal review can continue, though the governor says they will face more scrutiny.

The future of carbon capture in Louisiana may depend on three things.

The science below ground, the technology above it, and the trust of the people who live in between.

Let's check out what's trending this week.

Very exciting news.

The lineup for the 2026 Jazz Fest has been announced.

Yes, announced earlier than usual, and they came out with this lineup, but it includes a huge list of big names and some massive headliners, including You Ready, the Eagles, Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart.

Love Me Some Eagles now!

The headliners also included former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and Lawn and It's always you're going to have a lot of new Louisiana acts, including country star Lainey Wilson.

That's a headliner in itself.

I love, by the way, John Baptiste, Irma Thomas and so much more.

Yeah, Jazz Fest runs for two four day weekends April 23rd through the 26th and April 30th through May 3rd.

Weekend passes and VIP packages.

They are on sale right now.

Single day tickets will be available in the near future.

That's great that they announced a little early because so many people try to plan for that big event.

You want to know the weekends they're going to be there so they announce it's ready, let's go.

I haven't been yet, but hopefully I get to go this year.

Great time.

Well, the movie centers, filmed in several locations across Louisiana, is in the running for seven Golden Globe Awards.

I'm looking at the film's star, Michael B Jordan was nominated for Best actor.

Centers is also nominated for best Motion Picture drama, best Director and several others.

I don't know if you've seen it.

It's a great but not fantastic you should watch it.

Okay.

Movie focuses on twin brothers, both played by Jordan, who confront the supernatural.

Workers say films that come out of Louisiana have a certain spark to them.

Drawing from the state's rich culture and history, the only two films received more nominations than Center's Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another got nine nominations, and Sentimental Value, with eight nominations, certainly keep our eyes on the awards.

Golden globe winners will be announced on January 11th, and we wish them all the best of luck.

Can we turn to some sports real quick?

Let's start when we go down to New Orleans for Tulane, where the Green Wave of announced their next head coach after John Summerall announced he was taking over the Florida Gators, the new coach the wave is Will Hollins, currently on Tulane staff now.

Summerall, Tulane and Florida agreed that some old stay with Tulane through the playoffs as far as the team advances.

Their first round game is next weekend in Oxford.

It's a rematch against the Ole Miss Rebels.

Now, once the season's over, Paul will take over the active head coaching duties.

He says Tulane's a special place with a unique spirit, and that he plans to build on the team's success.

And right now they've got a lot of success making the playoffs.

Yeah, good luck to that.

Absolutely.

Moving on now, Women's Hospital is expanding its outreach to parishes across Louisiana.

They recently launched a second mobile coach, bringing high tech mammograms to people who may not otherwise have access.

The initiative hits close to home for the staff involved.

For thousands of women across Louisiana, early detection can be the difference between life and death.

But getting a routine mammogram isn't always simple, especially in communities where hospitals and clinics are miles away.

One Louisiana patient knows that struggle all too well firsthand.

The mobile coaches convenient is closed.

The people are very nice and friendly, but it also gives me peace of mind to knowing that my health as well.

This is my second mammogram and both times have been favorable.

But nevertheless, every now and then we'll worry about a little something.

But like I said, when I come here and get my results, thank God they've always been favorable.

Carolyn Higginbotham is one of thousands of women this year who received a 3-D mammogram from Women's Hospital.

Not in a clinic, but a board, their mobile coach, a fully equipped medical suite built into a 40ft bus.

The coach travels across 36 parishes in Louisiana and into two counties in Mississippi, a rolling lifeline crossing state lines and backroads.

Women's hospital says the mission is simple but urgent.

Catch breast cancer early before it's too late.

Our main mission is to provide accessible care for women that may not have transportation.

They have mobility issues.

They need the lift, the handicap lift to get up.

They can't walk very far.

A lot of these areas, they don't have access.

We travel up to two hours.

They know that they are getting first rate care, but it's it's coming to the inside.

The mobile coach patients meet the same highly trained technologists they find at Women's Hospital.

Every scan, travel securely to radiologists, read with the same accuracy as if it were taken inside the hospital itself.

And the coach exists for one reason to bring life saving care directly to women where they live, where they work, and where they care for others.

Mammograms can only help.

They don't hurt.

There's a lot of myths out there about mammography, and that's why that's why we do what we do.

I mean, we all have a passion for it.

We see from the beginning and people come back to us and say, y'all saved my life.

The program has been on the move since 1995, long before mobile health care was common.

It started as a simple van carrying a single machine small enough to roll into a doctor's office or parish health unit, and through every mile of that journey.

Lead radiologic technologist Lisa Baker has been there.

She's been part of this mission since day one.

We would drive to site.

We would push these little machines down a lift into the clinic.

We had a portable darkroom.

It's you would stick your hands in and unload actual cassettes, and we would do a lot of patients handwrote, registration forms.

Once the mammography went to digital, we saw need we needed coaches.

It had to be a fixed machine.

That's when we got our first coach in 2006.

Today, two mobile coaches crisscross Louisiana, each one driven by a pair of brothers.

One of them is Robert Walker, a 20 year veteran who's been there since the very first rollout.

Walker isn't just driving a coach.

He's honoring a promise.

He chose Women's Hospital because it's the place that treated and ultimately saved his mother after her breast cancer diagnosis.

I kind of felt like I was giving back and I just enjoyed doing it and even staying.

Now I enjoy it, not just for my mother, for other women, and try to tell them about getting the mammograms and importance of it.

It feels special to know that we can bring health care to them.

And a lot of people don't think, you know, they don't want to go that far.

They never worry about it or sometimes affordability might be a question and they give up.

They say, you know what, maybe it's just not for me.

It feels good to know that we bring it to them.

This week, the coaches stationed in Zachary offering walk ups when space allows.

Yet Women's Hospital says the mission stretches far beyond the parking lot.

It's about changing how communities think, talk and act when it comes to breast health.

Go to the doctor, check yourself and if there's nothing wrong, you'll have total peace of mind and relief.

That'll take that weight off your shoulder.

And if there is something wrong, thank God you can be fixed and it doesn't get out of hand for Carolyn Higginbotham, a single convenient stop has turned a routine mammogram into peace of mind.

And she's not alone.

For thousands of women across Louisiana, preventative care now comes on wheels one stop at a time.

Hunters don't need us to tell them.

Deer season is underway in Louisiana, and a lot of hunters are getting set to pack the freezers with fresh meat.

Hunters for the hungry is calling on hunters to donate their extra game to help feed families in need.

Johnny Atkinson joins us now in studio.

And Johnny, what a great program, especially during the holidays.

Yeah, it really is.

It is a great program.

Great idea.

One of the families need a little extra help this time of year, and hunters for the hungry is one of the only sources of protein for food banks across Louisiana.

They take extra meat or fish and have it processed and delivered directly to food banks and shelters.

I talked to the executive director for more on how they're helping fight hunger across the state.

My guest today is Julie Grunwald, and she is the executive director of the hunters for the hungry program.

I Julie, hey, how are you?

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, well, so what is the hunters for?

The hunger program?

Yep.

So it is a nonprofit organization that, encourages outdoorsmen to share a portion of what they harvest in the fields or catch in the waters in Louisiana with the needy in their community.

So it was started, 31 years ago.

It's a really cool story, actually.

The chairman of our board of directors, Judy Campbell, was on a hunting trip with her husband, Richard Campbell.

In another state, and she picked up a publication and was reading about kind of what that state did and, in their little community.

And she learned about, an organization similar to hunters for the hungry.

And she looked at her husband and said, we have got to bring this back to Louisiana.

We live in sportsman's Paradise.

We have so many avid outdoorsmen.

And so they did.

They brought it back and, you know, kind of filled out paperwork to become a nonprofit.

And 31 years later, we are just soaring with donations that we have, of protein.

Yeah.

I was reading by a lot.

You have a lot of different programs for different hunters who have supplies.

So what are some of the programs?

So one of our biggest things is our, freshly harvested game program, which right now it's deer season.

So we have, deer processors throughout the entire state that partner with us where a hunter can donate a deer and they pay nothing.

So, we pay the processing fee.

The processor takes the animal, grinds it up into ground meat, and then we call this, soup kitchen or food bank in that region to come and pick up the donations.

So for every pound of food that gets donated, how many families with that feed?

Yeah.

So, we average about 1 pound of ground meat.

Will feed for a family of four.

So last year, we collected over 1500 deer through our freshly harvested game program.

So that's roughly about 40,000 pounds of ground deer meat.

So imagine a 1 pound, package that you would pick up in the grocery store.

So, you know, we're able to feed, you know, quite a, quite a lot of people and the clean out your freezer program.

How many people, donate to something like that?

So last year, we collected about 30,000 pounds of food.

Basically, a lot of times the wives are saying, where are you going to put all this food whenever you bring it back?

So, we have Drop-Off locations throughout the entire state on one day on a Sunday, the end of August, and we have volunteers all over, and people can just literally clean out your freezer, bring it to the drop off locations where we are, and, we distribute it out to the needy, to the, food banks in that area.

Okay.

Well, there's recently been problems with food assistance programs like Snap benefits.

Do you work with programs like that?

Where we really come in handy is for the protein, which, as you know, is the most expensive part of every meal.

And most people think is the most important part of every meal.

So, so what we do is very beneficial to kind of help offset some of those snap, cuts because we're literally donating the protein directly to them.

Okay.

Well, you know, as a kid, I remember we'd go hunting, we have a couple of ducks.

So our someone would kill a deer and our freezer would fill up.

If someone's like, that has a lot of extra food, what should they do?

Oh, my contact information is on our website, on all of our social media platforms.

You can just reach out to me and then I can kind of guide you in the, direction of whatever area you you are in.

We have contacts throughout, in every parish throughout the state.

So we always have people that are begging us for protein donations.

You know, if you think about people like a Saint Vincent de Paul that are serving hot meals to, you know, 4 or 500 people every day, or even a smaller shelter that maybe just houses eight people, or ten people, you know, having their freezers full of the protein where it kind of takes that line item out of their budget makes a huge difference for some of these organizations.

Well, you've got a lot of partnerships that you work with.

Yeah.

Tell me about some of those.

You know, we have been blessed, some people have been around and within the organization for the entire 31 years.

You know, we, work a lot with, you know, Mr.

Richard Lipsey, for instance.

He's been a supporter of ours for all these years.

Was there the first the first clean out your freezer day that they ever had?

We recently, you know, were able to team up with, like, the Joe Burrow Foundation.

You know, his main focus is not only feeding, you know, people, but also protein.

He's very, you know, with all the athletes and that sort of thing.

So, we have been blessed with great volunteers, with great supporters, Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation.

I mean, the list, you know, kind of goes on and on of people that realize what a unique organization we are.

Because like I said, we are the only people that are providing protein to the needy in their communities.

And, you know, a lot of just Louisiana hunters in general want to give back.

They want to be able to help.

Some may not have the means to do so financially, but this is a way that they can do something for the needy in their own community.

By using the resources that we have in Louisiana, to help feed their neighbor.

Okay.

Well, thank you for being here and selling us in on the hunt for the hunger Program.

Sounds really good.

Sure.

Thank you.

Shawnee sounds like a great program helping people across the state.

Yeah, as a kid, I remember we go hunting.

We have a freezer full of food and not know what to do with it.

Great job.

We have to share with others who need it at this time of year.

Thanks for sharing the story.

God.

Great job, we appreciate it.

Well, Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and we are highlighting some of the holiday events around our great state.

The town of Abbeville and Vermilion Parish is getting ready for its annual Cajun Christmas celebration this weekend.

Here's Karen LeBlanc stories from last year's celebration.

It's all aboard the ante belle for Abbeville Cajun Christmas.

As conductor Stacy Landry takes people of all ages on a train ride through town with a police escort.

Stacy built the train as a labor of love and a tribute to his wife, who is battling cancer.

She's a fighter, so we're trying.

But that's her name is Annie.

It's Angie.

Angie Bear is her maiden name, and the family adopted to calling her Annie.

So Annie Belle, Belle is a beautiful southern lady.

So the name fit, you know?

And, yeah, that's her legacy, and we can keep it going.

She had to put up with all the weekends, and I'm not now working on this train in the shop, but, we had a blast building it.

A lot of fun.

Not a work.

The Rotary Club takes the lead hosting Abbeville Cajun Christmas, along with help from other civic organizations.

Live Cajun music.

The community's version of Christmas carols turned streets into dance floors as people congregated in the town square, twinkling with lights and populated with vendors selling treats and handmade crafts.

This is the most Cajun place on Earth, so it's easy to be Cajun when you're in the most Cajun place on Earth.

So we show up, with the Cajun music and all these folks know how to be Cajun.

We don't have to.

We don't have to put on any airs.

We know what to do.

It's a good time for everybody.

We pass a good time, as they say.

You pass a good time, and you also pass out toys.

And there's other altruistic things that you do.

Yes.

Part of the project is, we do a toy drive, that's, by the Rotary Club, and, we what we do is, we we we gather toys year round.

We sorted them all out yesterday.

We were filthy, in the shop doing that.

We got all that done, and then we bring.

Half of them are on the float for tonight.

We throw off the float, and the rest are right here under our tent for our 7 to 8:00 giveaway.

Santa's posed for pictures with children along with a roaming cast of Christmas characters.

Even the Grinch couldn't steal Abbeville Cajun Christmas spirit.

Mr.

Grant, wish everybody Merry Christmas.

I know it's it's going against your nature, but you can do it.

Yeah that's right.

Merry Christmas here.

Christmas.

I live here in Abbeville.

Actually, I live in downtown.

I consider this my neighborhood.

And these are three of my six grandchildren.

This is Emma and this is Jude.

And this is Ellie.

It's just a good community, feeling.

There's lots of people and, a Christmas spirit.

It feels like a hallmark movie.

From classic cars on display to Christmas trees, the festival builds up to the main event, a Christmas parade that rolls through Abbeville, led by grand marshals and world champion high school powerlifters Brylee Batista and Candy Shelford.

This is a great honor.

It's a good opportunity.

We had to show Abbeville on the spot.

Very proud of myself and of Candy, because we know we could do it.

And we did it.

It's it's a really big, experience for us.

It's the first time anything big like this has happened.

Like we're something positive about Abbeville.

True to Abbeville is genuine hospitality.

I was invited to march in the parade with this group of glowing ladies wearing light and starch crafted of crawfish nets, the Cajun Christmas spirit, and Abbeville with Mayor White.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

It's the one time of year that we can give a little bit of magic to the kids of Abbeville and hopefully the surrounding areas also.

And as we continue to grow it, I think it's become it's really become kind of our signature event at the end of the year for the city.

Well, I want to thank you for inviting me to be a part of the parade.

So any tips for me?

Well, just get ready because as we go a little further along the road, the kids want prizes and they expect, so we have hand-painted oyster shells, we have glow in the dark rings, lots of goodies for the kids.

Those who couldn't attend the event can watch it live streamed on the city's web cams.

Those folks who can't make it or like my my daughter and my children all live in South Carolina.

They're all tuned in.

So it's great.

And we have a bunch of French partners in France because we're sending some students to France in 2026, so they're all watching, too.

The parade ended with Santa arriving on an airboat as kids lined up for free toys.

The anti Belle made its final stop of the season, leaving lasting memories of holiday cheer for countless families and a loving legacy.

Born and raised here, love the city.

It looks like it's coming back a little bit.

So for a few years we were run down.

I love to see the kids.

I love to see everybody coming over to celebrate.

It is a special little town.

Theater.

That Christmas celebration look like a blast.

Such great areas around the state for the holiday season.

Thanks to Karen LeBlanc for that story, and be sure to tune in to Louisiana, the state ring next week for our special holiday show.

We're going to take you across the state to check out some holiday traditions you'll only find right here in the state of Louisiana.

That's our show for this week.

Remember, you can watch anything LPB anytime, wherever you are with our LPB app, you can catch OPB news and public affairs shows as well as other Louisiana programs.

You've come to enjoy over the years.

And please take a moment and like us on Facebook, on zoom, and on Instagram for everyone at Louisiana Public Broadcasting, I'm Christina Jensen and I'm Victor Hall.

Until next time.

That's the state we're at.

In.

Support for Louisiana.

The state we're in is provided by Entergy.

Louisiana is strengthening our power grid throughout the state.

We're reinforcing infrastructure to prepare for stronger storms, reduce outages, and respond quicker when you do need us.

Because together, we power lights.

Additional support provided by the Fred B and Ruth B Ziegler Foundation and the Ziegler Art Museum.

Located in Jennings City Hall, the museum focuses on emerging Louisiana artists and is a historical and cultural center for Southwest Louisiana and by Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center.

Visit Baton Rouge and the Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting and viewers like you.

Thank you.