How a new AI data center is turning a small town into a tech hub; Alex Beard’s new collection of bird art and poetry

Earlier this year, Facebook’s parent company, Meta, broke ground on a $10 billion data center for artificial intelligence in the middle of a Louisiana cornfield. Located in the town of Holly Ridge, the unfinished data center is already turning Richland Parish into a boomtown.

Stephanie Riegel has been covering this for the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. She tells us about her recent trip to the region.

Renowned painter, author and illustrator Alex Beard might be known for his Magazine Street Studio, but the artist is waxing poetic in a new collection of bird artwork and original poems. His new book, “For the Birds: An Artist’s Aviary,” comes out later this month.

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Today’s episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.

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