The Kingfish Project

kingfish.laWe are Kingfish — KingfishAn introduction to The Kingfish Project — and an argument that the most expensive thing Louisiana owns is its secrets.

Huey Long understood Louisiana power better than anyone before or since. He used it to build a machine. We pay the same close attention, and point the light the other way. We are a new investigative newsroom for central Louisiana. Bring a flashlight. #kingfish kingfish.la/we-are-kingf...

kingfish.laApplied Digital has two unregistered water wells at its data centerApplied Digital told KALB the finished data center would use 1,200 to 4,800 gallons of water a day. Two wells at the site had already pumped about 12 mill…

12 Aug

Two water wells at Applied Digital's Delta Forge 1 site have pumped about 12 million gallons since April, and neither one is registered with the state. kingfish.la/data-center-...

kingfish.laOne scenic river exemption expired Aug. 1. Another began the same day.Louisiana loosened its scenic rivers law twice this year — a five-year suspension on the West Pearl, and a new class of permits issued with no public comm…

10 Aug

Aug. 1: one Scenic Rivers Act exemption expired on the Comite River. The same day, a new 5-year one began on the West Pearl — passed 35-0, 97-0, zero press. Since 2018, the law has never applied in full to every river it covers. kingfish.la/scenic-river...

kingfish.laHow to read a public noticeThe most consequential documents in government are written to be skipped: dense, gray, and buried where almost no one looks. But every one of them starts…

28 July

⏳ First thing to do with any public notice: expiration date minus publication date. That's your window. Often 15 or 20 days. Those are legal minimums, not courtesy invitations. Calendar it before you read another word. kingfish.la/how-to-read-... #CenLa

kingfish.laThe 10,356-acre solar project quietly taking shape near Hineston — KingfishTreaty Oak Clean Energy — owned by funds tied to Cleco's co-owner, which also bankrolls a local data center — wants federal approval for a 16-sq-mi solar…

18 July

A 10,356-acre (16 sq. mi.) solar project near Hineston is quietly moving through federal permitting. Kingfish found no public announcement before the Corps notice. Public comments close Aug. 2. We traced the project, the companies behind it, and the public records. kingfish.la/about-sunstr...

kingfish.laThe Deduct Box — KingfishHuey kept a locked strongbox at the Roosevelt Hotel, filled with a cut of other people's paychecks. We keep one too. Ours is filled with something the peo…

Huey kept a locked strongbox at the Roosevelt Hotel, filled with a cut of other people's paychecks. We keep one too. Ours is filled with what the people in power owe you: votes, minutes, contracts, filings — collected, connected, searchable. Meet the Deduct Box: kingfish.la/the-deduct-b...

kingfish.laHow Louisiana's public records law works — KingfishLouisiana's Public Records Law gives any person of the age of majority the right to inspect and copy the records of state and local government, backed by…

In Louisiana you don't need a lawyer, press credentials, or a reason to see government records — the custodian isn't allowed to ask why. Real deadlines, real penalties, and a court that can order the files produced. Our working guide: kingfish.la/how-louisian...

kingfish.laHow to read The Kingfish Project — KingfishThe Kingfish Project publishes six kinds of pages — Investigations, Records, Meetings, Explainers, Briefs, and Documents — built on one rule: every claim…

Most news asks you to trust the reporter. Kingfish is built so you don't have to: every claim links to a document you can check, records requests are tracked in the open, and source files are cryptographically signed. How to read the site: kingfish.la/how-to-read-...

kingfish.laWhat is the Rapides Parish Police Jury? — KingfishThe Rapides Parish Police Jury is a nine-member elected board that serves as both the legislative and executive branches of government for Rapides Parish.…

Nine elected jurors run Rapides Parish's roads, drainage, and fire districts. Their meetings are supposed to stream on YouTube — the channel is empty. The full roster, what they control, and how to be heard: kingfish.la/what-is-the-...

kingfish.laWhat is a police jury? — KingfishA police jury is the elected board that governs most Louisiana parishes, combining legislative and executive powers that other states split between a coun…

"Police jury" has nothing to do with police. It's the elected board that governs most Louisiana parishes — one body holding both legislative and executive power, no separation between them. Why we govern this way, and what it actually controls: kingfish.la/what-is-a-po...