TRANSCRIPT
You’re listening to Red River Radio News.
Good morning, I’m Jeff Ferrell.
INTRO:
There’s a tremendous amount of buzz, not to mention questions, about the announcement on Tuesday, August 25, that SpaceX will invest $100 billion to build its 4th and largest launch facility right here in Louisiana.
Following the announcement, Governor Jeff Landry addressed the lack of transparency around the SpaceX negotiations:
SOT:
“Corporate America has a lot of competition out there. And they want an opportunity to be able to have discussions with elected officials and to insure that policies meet their expectation.”
TAG:
Construction of the launch site on 125,000 acres in Vermillion Parish is expected to begin next year.
SpaceX is expected to create 3,000 new jobs over the next 10 years.
Louisiana Economic Development estimates the spaceport will also generate more than 8,000 indirect new jobs.
But at least some nearby Residents say they were kept in the dark about the project, which was concealed by nondisclosure agreements with elected officials.
The Gulf States Newsroom’s Drew Hawkins continued his conversation with the governor right after the big announcement:
SOT:
LANDRY: “You think I want Texas to steal my thunder?”
HAWKINS: When asked, Landry, says the NDAs make Louisiana more competitive. The scale and the scope of the SpaceX project, Landry says, means the NDAs were worth it to close the deal. And brings the total state investment from companies to $250 billion. LANDRY: “Today is an unbelievable day because what we’re doing is we’re making history.”
HAWKINS: The site is expected to start launching rockets by 2029, according to SpaceX officials. For the Gulf States Newsroom, I’m Drew Hawkins.
TAG:
The Gulf States Newsroom is a partnership among public radio stations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
<**** NEW STORY ****>
INTRO:
Rising food costs are having an impact on some of the most vulnerable Texans.
That includes seniors living on fixed incomes.
The group “Feeding Texas” has seen more seniors turning to food assistance as grocery prices take a larger bite out of household budgets.
While speaking on the Texas Public Radio program “The Source,” the group’s CEO, Celia Cole, described how seniors often have little ability to increase their income when the cost of food rises:
SOT:
“We definitely see seniors, more seniors in our lines, in the just terrible choices it can mean if you don't have enough resources for food.”
TAG:
Cole said food insecurity can force seniors to make difficult decisions, including choosing between food or medicine.
The latest figures from “Feeding Texas” reveal that food insecurity among seniors in Texas increased from 13.6% in 2025 to 15.1% so far in 2026.
<**** NEW STORY ****>
INTRO:
Arkansas will receive more than $172 million over 10 years as part of a multi-state settlement with tech giant Meta in a trial over teen social media addiction.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin says it’s the largest settlement ever with a tech company.
And Louisiana will receive more than $180 million. At a press conference, Attorney General Liz Murrill said the money would primarily go towards remediation to address the harms Meta allegedly caused.
Murrill also said she’s going to continue pushing for stricter age verification laws on social media platforms:
SOT:
“It defies common sense to believe that they can’t tell when someone who claimed to be 17 is in fact 13.”
TAG:
The settlement requires Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta to limit the amount of time that young people spend on the sites.
<**** FORECAST ****>
The National Weather Service in Shreveport is calling for:
A chance of showers and thunderstorms today.
Mostly sunny with a high near 96, and a heat index max of 104.
Tomorrow, into the weekend, and beyond: dry, sunny & highs seemingly stuck in the mid-90s.
By Tuesday, another chance of showers and storms may come around.
* Temperatures today will be closer to normal for late August with highs ranging mostly through the 90s.
There will continue to be a chance of showers and thunderstorms today with those chances mainly near and south of the I-20 Corridor.
******* END *******
