Natalie McLendon

The probe involves Jonathan Cernek, former chairman of the Coushatta Tribe, who federal regulators allege used a casino business credit card to build and furnish his personal home.

Shoe leather reporting at No Kings protest Oct. 18 at Lock Park in Lake Charles, La.

Shoe leather reporting at No Kings protest Oct. 18 at Lock Park in Lake Charles, La.

Louisiana joins the No Kings festivities with typical flair • Louisiana Illuminator Thousands of people gathered at 10 events across Louisiana as part of Saturday’s national No Kings movement to protest President Donald Trump.

More than 150 people assembled at the edge of Lock Park in downtown Lake Charles for its No Kings event, while a small group of counter-protestors stood across a quiet side street.

lailluminator.com/2025/10/18/l...

Feds order Coushatta casino to suspend former GM for not disclosing fraud concerns • Louisiana Illuminator The National Indian Gaming Commission ordered the Coushatta Tribal Gaming Commission to suspend the license of its former general manager who's now a consultant for the business.

According to documents obtained by the Illuminator, former GM Todd Stewart failed to alert auditors & potential investors about suspected fraud tied to ex-chairman Johnathan Cernek.

lailluminator.com/2025/09/22/c...

Audit shows Coushatta Tribe didn’t track credit card use • Louisiana Illuminator The Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana failed to keep track of its credit card use, with no receipts to show for purchases that totaled more than $100,000 over a two-month period.

A new audit of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana found over $100k in credit card charges without receipts during just two months of 2024. The review comes after the former chairman resigned amid reports of an FBI probe into casino credit card use.

lailluminator.com/2025/09/12/c...

Had a great time hosting our first Media Happy Hour in Lake Charles. Big thanks to everyone who came out to connect and swap stories. Excited to keep building space for local media to gather outside the newsroom. Stay tuned for the next one!

Protestors at Lock Park in Lake Charles, Louisiana

ICE, State Police raid Delta Downs in southwest Louisiana • Louisiana Illuminator Police sources report federal, state and local law enforcement took part in an immigration raid Tuesday morning at Delta Downs Racetrack, Casino and Hotel near Vinton.

DEVELOPING: ICE, State Police raid Delta Downs in southwest Louisiana. @nataliemclendon.bsky.social reports lailluminator.com/2025/06/17/i...

Coushatta Tribe’s next generation warns against risk from carbon sequestration • Louisiana Illuminator Two young Coushatta Tribe members are speaking out after state lawmakers voted against a bill they say was important to their land, culture and safety.

Two young members of the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana are speaking out after state lawmakers voted Tuesday against a bill they say was important to their land, culture and safety.

ICE raid at Port of Lake Charles results in 11 arrests • Louisiana Illuminator ICE arrested 11 workers last week at the Port of Lake Charles who allegedly lacked permanent legal status to be in the United States.

Federal immigration authorities arrested 11 workers last week at the Port of Lake Charles who allegedly lacked permanent legal status to be in the United States, the New Orleans office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday.

lailluminator.com/2025/03/20/i...

Local opposition mounts to carbon capture projects in Louisiana • Louisiana Illuminator A packed audience discussed the safety and risks of storing carbon dioxide underground near the Chicot Aquifer, which provides nearly half of the state’s drinking water.

Concerns about the risks of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects were the main focus of a community meeting Monday night in Allen Parish.

lailluminator.com/2025/02/26/c...

Neighbors, both for and against a proposed natural gas facility, had the chance to share their thoughts on the project during a public hearing Tuesday.

lailluminator.com/2025/02/19/v...

Greenhouse gases from proposed Venture Global site concern Calcasieu neighbors • Louisiana Illuminator Neighbors, both for and against a proposed Venture Global natural gas facility, had the chance to share their thoughts on the project.

Neighbors, both for and against a proposed natural gas facility in Calcasieu Parish, had the chance to share their thoughts on the project during a public hearing. @nataliemclendon.bsky.social was there. lailluminator.com/2025/02/19/v...

Thanks to Kris St. James for having me on at KYKZ KIX 96 this morning to talk journalism.

Thousands of U.S. Government Web Pages Have Been Taken Down Since Friday Federal agencies moved to satisfy Trump’s orders to remove topics like diversity initiatives and “gender ideology.”

More than 8,000 web pages across more than a dozen U.S. government websites have been taken down since Friday afternoon, a New York Times analysis found. The purges have removed information about vaccines, veterans’ care, hate crimes, scientific research and more.

I couldn’t find any photos of the lil guy that weren’t copyrighted.

Lake Charles mayor slams nonprofit leader for online criticism, leading her to resign • Louisiana Illuminator Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter complained to the board of a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth after its director criticized the city and school system on social media.

INVESTIGATION: Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter initially fought to withhold emails from the public in which he slams a nonprofit leader for her online criticism of city and school leaders. @nataliemclendon.bsky.social reports on the aftermath. lailluminator.com/2025/01/26/l...

Lake Charles mayor slams nonprofit leader for online criticism, leading her to resign • Louisiana Illuminator Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter complained to the board of a nonprofit that works with at-risk youth after its director criticized the city and school system on social media.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter describes former Big Brothers Big Sisters director ‘unhinged’ in emails he first fought to withhold from public view

lailluminator.com/2025/01/26/l...

How to Start a Public University LNG Research Center: An LNG Lobbyist Director and Donations for Research Votes At McNeese State University’s LNG center, “we want to ensure that our LNG industry has a major say in research direction,” one of its project leaders wrote.

When this public university set out to launch an LNG research center, they felt others hadn’t done enough to bring in fossil fuel industry’s views. So they hired an LNG lobbyist to lead it. That was just the start. @sarasneath.bsky.social @nataliemclendon.bsky.social

www.desmog.com/2024/12/19/m...

Revealed: how a US public university courted the gas industry despite climate impacts McNeese State University in Louisiana building a liquefied natural gas center, prompting fears of ‘corporate capture’

Revealed: how a US public university courted the gas industry despite climate impacts - @sarasneath.bsky.social and @nataliemclendon.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Revealed: how a US public university courted the gas industry despite climate impacts McNeese State University in Louisiana building a liquefied natural gas center, prompting fears of ‘corporate capture’

One of Louisiana’s top public universities has prompted concerns about “corporate capture” over its expanding relationship with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, despite environmental warnings about pollution and prolonging fossil fuel use.

Lake Charles mayor turns over emails he sought to withhold from public • Louisiana Illuminator The Louisiana Illuminator has withdrawn its lawsuit against Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter for holding back nearly 300 pages of his emails from a public records request.

The Louisiana Illuminator has successfully obtained emails that were initially withheld by Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter after I filed a public records request earlier this year.

lailluminator.com/2024/12/06/l...