The Times-Picayune 02-27-2025

CLOAKED IN SECRECY

A Mystic Krewe of Druids rider prepares to throw a favor as the parade rolls Wednesday. Led by the Archdruid, the group is limited to 250 members who belong to other Carnival organizations. Their identities are never revealed. As a paradeonly krewe, the Ancient Druids do not have a bal masque or traditional royalty

CARNIVAL 2025 INSIDE, 1B For Alla and more parade photos, go to NOLA.COM

Government efficiency group adds state auditor

Task force mirrors Elon Musk’s DOGE

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

A task force facing criticism for meeting outside of public view is partnering with state auditors to help find waste in government spending, Gov Jeff Landry announced Wednesday The Fiscal Responsibility Program, created by the governor in December, will work with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor in its mission to eliminate unneces-

sary spending. Landry appears to be modeling the Fiscal Responsibility Program on the federal Department of Government Efficiency created by President Donald Trump and headed by business owner Elon Musk He is inviting citizens to offer suggestions on how the state can save money to email ladoge@ lla.la.gov

The task force met twice this year in secret before pausing its work earlier this month. That move came after good government groups said it failed to adhere to the state public meetings law — which requires the group to

give public notice beforehand of its meetings that then have to be open to the public.

The task force includes eight state legislators and is led by Steve Orlando, a close friend of Landry’s who owned a successful oil field services company

“The partnership allows us to expand our work to create state fiscal responsibility,” Orlando said in a text. “The commitment is real. Results are coming!”

Mike Waguespack, the legislative auditor, seconded that point in an interview, saying his office already conducts regular financial and performance audits of state agencies.

“We do a lot of audits on state agencies that get put on a shelf,” Waguespack said. Now he added, “we have a group that will potentially look at our audits and take action. We’ll be the boots on the ground. I’m super excited about this.”

The governor’s news release did not say whether the group will begin holding public meetings.

“We will always comply with public meeting law,” Orlando texted.

Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate.com.

Docked benefits to start

retirees to receive lump sum

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

said Wednesday “There is going to be a lump sum check up front and from there forward you’ll get the updated amount each month.”

For example, if a public worker was supposed to receive $1,800 a month in Social Security benefits

See BENEFITS, page 4A

State to open applications Saturday

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

It’s officially GATOR season. On Saturday, Louisiana families can begin applying to LA GATOR, a new tax-funded scholarship program meant to help parents pay for private education. Replacing the state’s long-running voucher program, LA GATOR — officially the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity to Rise program — will be open to more families and allow for more uses than its predecessor In addition to private school tuition, parents can spend the scholarship money on tutoring, textbooks, special-education services and other approved expenses.

“For families who are looking for a different approach to educating their child, this is a great opportunity,” said Germain Gilson, assistant superintendent of school choice for the Louisiana Department of Education.

ä See APPLICATIONS, page 4A

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

The Mystic Krewe of Druids parades through the streets of New Orleans on Wednesday.

Trachtenberg, ‘Buffy’ and ‘Harriet’ star, dies NEW YORK Michelle Trachtenberg, a former child star who appeared in the 1996 “Harriet the Spy” hit movie and went on to co-star in two buzzy millennial-era TV shows — “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Gossip Girl” — has died. She was 39. Police responded to a 911 call shortly after 8 a.m. at a 51-story luxury apartment tower in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood where officers found Trachtenberg “unconscious and unresponsive,” according to an NYPD statement.

Paramedic s pron ounced her dead at the scene. No foul play was suspected, police said Trachtenberg was 8 when she began playing Nona Mecklenberg on Nickelodeon’s “The Adventures of Pete & Pete” from 1994 to 1996.

In 2000 Trachtenberg joined the cast of “Buffy,” playing Dawn Summers, the younger sister of the title character played by Sarah Michelle Gellar between 2000 and 2003.

Trachtenberg thanked Gellar for speaking out against Joss Whedon in 2021, following abuse allegations made against the “Buffy” showrunner Trachtenberg alluded to “his not appropriate behavior” she experienced as a teenage actor In 2001, she received a Daytime Emmy nomination for hosting Discovery’s “Truth or Scare.”

Man charged with threat to burn down xAI facility

ASHLAND CITY,Tenn.— A Tennessee man has been charged with an act of terrorism after he threatened to burn down an xAI facility because he was upset with its founder, Elon Musk, and President Donald Trump, authorities said.

Ethan Paul Early, 25, of Ashland City, was arrested and charged on Feb 20 after he spoke with a police officer about the threats, according to an affidavit He was booked into jail on $500,000 bond, court records show A lawyer listed in court records for Early did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday

A police officer in Ashland City said he received a call from a friend of Early’s who was concerned after Early said he wanted to burn down one of Musk’s data centers because he was upset with the tech billionaire and Trump, the affidavit says.

The officer went to Early’s home and asked him what he was thinking of burning down, the affidavit says. Early said Musk had an “AI factory” in Memphis. Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI, operates a supercomputer in Memphis.

Early told the officer that he was no longer thinking about going through with the idea “and that he had good friends that had talked him out of it,” the affidavit says.

Texas child dies from measles

BY DEVI SHASTRI and AMANDA SEITZ Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas

A child who wasn’t vaccinated died in a measles outbreak in rural West Texas, state officials said Wednesday, the first U.S. death from the highly contagious respiratory disease since 2015.

The school-aged child had been hospitalized and died Tuesday night amid the widespread outbreak, Texas’ largest in nearly 30 years. Since it began last month, a rash of 124 cases has erupted across nine counties.

The Texas Department of State Health Services and Lubbock health officials confirmed the death to The Associated Press. The Lubbock hospital where the child had been treated — and where most measles patients have been hospitalized during the outbreak — didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s top health official and a vac-

cine critic, said Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is “watching” cases, though he did not provide specifics on how the federal agency is assisting. He dismissed Texas’ outbreak as “not unusual” during a Wednesday meeting of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet members.

“We’re following the measles epidemic every day,” Kennedy said in response to a reporter’s question about the child’s death.

The federal government is providing vaccines as well as technical and laboratory support in West Texas, but the state health department is leading the response, said Andrew Nixon, spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services.

Texas Gov Greg Abbott said through a spokesman that his office is in regular communication with the state health department and epidemiologists, and that vaccination teams are in the “affected area.”

“The state will deploy all nec-

essary resources to ensure the safety and health of Texans,” said spokesman Andrew Mahaleris, calling the child’s death a tragedy

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it will provide only weekly updates on the measles outbreak, and has not yet updated its public webpage to reflect the child’s death. Texas health department data shows that a majority of the reported measles cases are in children.

The virus has largely spread among rural, oil rig-dotted towns in West Texas, with cases concentrated in a “close-knit, undervaccinated” Mennonite community, health department spokesperson Lara Anton said. Gaines County, which has reported 80 cases so far, has a strong homeschooling and private school community It is also home to one of the highest rates of school-aged children in Texas who have opted out of at least one required vaccine, with nearly 14% skipping a required dose last school year

Hamas hands over 4 more dead hostages from Gaza

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and JOSEF FEDERMAN Associated Press

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip Hamas handed over four dead hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will end.

An Israeli security official confirmed that Hamas handed the bodies to the Red Cross. The official spoke on condition of anonymity pending a formal announce-

ment

At around the same time, a Red Cross convoy carrying dozens of released Palestinian prisoners left Israel’s Ofer prison Crowds of cheering families, friends and supporters of Palestinian prisoners were gathered in Beitunia jostling for a glimpse of the bus that was on its way Israel had delayed the release of over 600 Palestinian prisoners since Saturday to protest what it called the cruel treatment of hostages during their handover by Hamas. The militant group has called the delay a “serious violation” of the ceasefire and said talks on a second phase aren’t possible until the Palestinians are freed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office had said Wednesday that the release of the bodies would be carried out without a ceremony, as opposed to past Hamas releases with stage-managed events in front of crowds. Israel, along with the Red Cross and U.N. officials, have called the ceremonies humiliating for the hostages.

33 hostages, including eight bodies, in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The family of a hostage in Gaza said it was notified he is dead and his body was among those to be returned to Israel. The family did not say who informed them.

Tsachi Idan was taken from Kibbutz Nahal Oz. His eldest daughter, Maayan, was killed as militants shot through the door of the safe room. Hamas militants broadcast themselves on Facebook holding the family hostage in their home as two younger children pleaded to let them go.

A fragile ceasefire in peril

The ceasefire’s six-week first phase expires this weekend. U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said he wants the sides to move into negotiations on the second phase, during which all remaining hostages held by Hamas would be released and an end to the war would be negotiated.

Talks on the second phase were supposed to begin the first week of February

The ceasefire, brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, ended 15 months of war that erupted after Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage.

Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 48,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials, who don’t differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths.

Israel buries mother, sons

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — which is safe and highly effective at preventing infection and severe cases — is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old for the first shot, with the second coming between 4 and 6 years old.

Vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the COVID-19 pandemic, and most states are below the 95% vaccination threshold for kindergartners — the level needed to protect communities against measles outbreaks.

The vaccine series is required for kids before entering kindergarten in public schools nationwide.

Last week, Kennedy vowed to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule that prevents measles, polio and other dangerous diseases, despite promises not to change it during his confirmation hearings.

Most kids will recover from the measles if they get it, but infection can lead to dangerous complications like pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.

Trump

sees ‘thirst’ for his ‘gold card’

BY ELLIOT SPAGAT and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to start selling a “gold card” visa with a potential pathway to U.S. citizenship for $5 million, seeking to have that new initiative replace a 35-year-old visa program for investors.

“I happen to think it’ll sell like crazy It’s a market,” Trump said. “But we’ll know very soon.”

During the first meeting of his second-term Cabinet, Trump suggested that the new revenue generated from the program could be used to pay off the country’s debt.

“If we sell a million, that’s 5 trillion dollars,” he said. Of the demand from the business community to participate, he said “I think we will sell a lot because I think there’s really a thirst.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters during the same meeting that Trump’s initiative would replace the EB-5

program, which offers U.S. visas to investors who spent about $1 million on a company that employs at least 10 people. Lutnick said that program “has been around for many years for investment in projects” but “it was poorly overseen, poorly executed.”

The new program could mark a dramatic shift in U.S. immigration policy but isn’t unprecedented elsewhere. Countries in Europe and elsewhere offer what have become known as “golden visas” that allow participants to pay in order to secure immigration status in desirable places. Congress, meanwhile, determines qualifications U.S. for citizenship, but the president said “gold cards” would not require congressional approval. Trump said of future possible recipients of the gold visa program: “They’ll be wealthy and they’ll be successful and they’ll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it’s going to be extremely successful.”

CustomerService: HELP@THEADVOCATE.COMor504-529-0522

Baby white rhino makes public debut in Belgium

BRUGELETTE,Belgium Baby white rhino Nova captivated visitors at Belgium’s Pairi Daiza Zoo on Wednesday, making her public debut with a playful display of jumps and frolics alongside her mother, Ellie.

Born on Jan. 2, the rare calf first had to be nurtured in the warmth of a secure area where she could gather strength and weight. Earlier this week, her mother brought her out to get acquainted with other rhinos. She was also given a hesitant outing where the public got a first peek.

Among those leaving Israel early Thursday were hundreds of detainees arrested from Gaza, held on suspicion of militancy after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, without charge for months. They include 445 men, 21 teenagers and one woman who were all arrested after the Hamas attack, according to lists shared by Palestinian officials that did not specify their ages. Only around 50 Palestinians were being released into the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem in this round. Dozens sentenced to life over deadly attacks against Israelis will be exiled out of the Palestinian territories, taken to Egypt at least temporarily until other countries accept them.

The handover will complete both sides’ obligations under the ceasefire’s first phase, during which Hamas returned

On Wednesday, tens of thousands of Israelis lined highways as the bodies of a mother and her two young sons, killed in captivity in Gaza, were taken for burial on Wednesday

The bodies of Shiri Bibas and her sons, 9-month-old Kfir and 4-year-old Ariel, were handed over earlier this month.

Israel says forensic evidence shows the children were killed by their captors in November 2023, while Hamas says the family was killed along with their guards in an Israeli airstrike.

The husband and father, Yarden Bibas, was abducted separately and released alive in a different handover His wife and their children were buried in a private ceremony near Kibbutz Nir Oz near Gaza, where they were living when they were abducted. They were buried in a joint grave next to Shiri’s parents, who were killed in the attack.

Trachtenberg

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO ByARIEL SCHALIT

Mourners gather around the convoy carrying the coffins of slain hostages Shiri Bibas and her two children, Ariel and Kfir, during their funeral procession in Rishon Lezion, Israel, on Wednesday. The mother and her two children were abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, and their remains were returned from Gaza to Israel last week as part of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

AP PHOTO By MARIUS BURGELMAN

Nova, left, an endangered southern white rhinoceros born in January, stands next to her mother Elie at Paira Daiza Zoo in Brugelette, Belgium, Wednesday.

Musk gets star turn at Trump’s Cabinet meeting

BY ZEKE MILLER APWhite House correspondent

WASHINGTON Elon Musk took a star turn at the first Cabinet meeting of President Donald Trump’s new term, holding forth in a black “Make America Great Again” campaign hat on Wednesday about his role as “humble tech support” for the federal government — and laying out dire stakes if his cost-cutting efforts fail.

“If we don’t do this, America will go bankrupt,” Musk told department heads assembled around a large wooden table in the Cabinet Room.

Trump, not one to easily share the spotlight, seemed happy to turn the top of the hour-plus meeting over to Musk for a “little summary” of what the Department of Government Efficiency has been up to, saying that Musk’s team had found evidence of “horrible things” afoot in the government.

“He’s sacrificing a lot,” Trump said of Musk, referencing the time the world’s richest man is taking away from his many business ventures. “He’s also getting hit.”

Musk, for his part, said his lightningfast efforts to right-size the government had drawn death threats and he jokingly knocked his fist on his “wooden head” as he said he hoped to find $1 trillion to trim from the federal budget, an effort that has caused extensive disruption among federal workers and those who rely on their services.

Musk defended his weekend attempt to require government workers to justify their prior week’s work under penalty of termination — a move that drew pushback from many in the room on national security and privacy grounds as merely a “pulse check” to ensure that those working for the government have “a pulse and two neurons,” adding that “this is not a high bar” for workers to meet.

Speculating that some workers are either dead or fictional, Musk added that the goal was to see that workers are real, alive and can “write an email.”

Musk did volunteer that his efforts to slash government spending would “make

mistakes.” He cited as an example that, while hustling to dramatically shrink the U.S. Agency for International Development, “One of the things we accidentally canceled very briefly was Ebola prevention.” Musk insisted that “there was no interruption” in services before the funding was restored. But a USAID official said Wednesday that no funds for the agency’s Ebola response had been released under President Donald Trump’s Jan 20 funding freeze for foreign aid, including for efforts to combat the spread of the deadly virus.

After about 15 minutes of focus on Musk and DOGE, Trump shifted the spotlight of the Cabinet meeting back to his own accomplishments in his first weeks in office. The Cabinet sat mostly silently for more than an hour as Trump opened the floor to questions from an invited group of reporters. Asked if he expected his Cabinet to follow his directives without exception, Trump initially scoffed at the question before answering, “of course, no exceptions.”

Memo sets stage for large-scale layoffs of federal workers

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The U.S. government is facing a generational realignment as President Donald Trump directs federal agencies to develop plans for eliminating employee positions and consolidating programs. Senior officials set the downsizing in motion on Wednesday with a memo that dramatically expands Trump’s efforts to scale back a workforce described as an impediment to his agenda. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now the Republican administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection.

“We’re cutting down the size of government. We have to,” Trump said during the first Cabinet meeting of his second term. “We’re bloated. We’re sloppy We have a lot of people that aren’t doing their job.”

The ripple effects will be felt around the country.

Roughly 80% of federal workers live outside the Washington area, and government services — patent approvals, food inspections, park maintenance and more could be hindered depending on how cuts are handled. Resistance is expected. Labor unions, Democratic

BY NATALIA DROZDIAK Bloomberg News (TNS)

WASHINGTON Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is moving to fire more than 100 intelligence officers who used a secret chatroom on a National Security Agency platform to exchange views about their transgender experiences, including at times sending sexually explicit messages.

Gabbard sent a memo Tuesday directing all intelligence agencies to identify the employees who participated in the NSA chatroom, terminate their employment and revoke their secu-

state leaders and other organizations have tried, with some success, to slow Trump down with litigation, while Republicans are growing more concerned about how a slash-and-burn strategy could affect their constituents.

“Once you do this damage, it’s going to be incredibly hard to rebuild the capacity of these organizations,” said Don Moynihan a public policy professor at the University of Michigan. “It’s not like you can turn the switch back on and everything is going to be the way it was before.”

Agencies are directed to submit by March 13 their plans for what is known as a reduction in force, which would not only lay off employees but eliminate the position altogether The result could be extensive changes in how government functions.

No specific targets for cutbacks were included in the memo. However, as an example, Trump said the Environmental Protection Agency could reduce its staff by 65%.

More plans are due on April 14, when agencies are expected to outline how they will consolidate management, become more efficient and potentially relocate offices to parts of the country that are less expensive than

rity clearances by Friday, a spokeswoman for the Office of Director of National Intelligence said.

The news of the chatroom was reported in City Journal by conservative activist Christopher Rufo and reporter Hannah Grossman. They obtained logs from the NSA chatroom in which officials from various agencies appear to be discussing transgender issues across sexual, medical and lifestyle lines. The action coincides with a Trump administration campaign to wipe out transgender and diversity initiatives across all government agencies.

Washington. The memo said agencies have a Sept. 30 deadline for implementation.

Administration officials framed their effort as a costsaving measure with a clear ideological goal.

“The federal government is costly, inefficient, and deeply in debt. At the same time, it is not producing results for the American public,” said the memo from Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, and Charles Ezell, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management, which functions as a human resources agency “Instead, tax dollars are being siphoned off to fund unproductive and unnecessary programs that benefit radical interest groups while hurting hardworking American citizens.”

Vought was an author of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term, and he has advocated for centralizing power under the presidency and dismantling federal bureaucracy

“We’re not going to save our country without a little confrontation,” Vought said last summer during a podcast hosted by Trump ally Stephen Bannon.

Moynihan described the memo as a “backdoor way” of reducing the size of gov-

The National Security Agency said in a post on X it is “aware of posts that appear to show inappropriate discussions by intelligence community personnel,” adding that “potential misuse of these platforms by a small group of individuals does not represent the community.”

Gabbard told Fox News late Tuesday that the plan to fire the employees was part of the mandate from President Donald Trump to “clean house, root out that rot and corruption and weaponization and politicization so we can start to rebuild that trust in these institutions.”

ernment since Congress hasn’t passed any legislation to cut programs.

“There’s a fundamental realignment of power here,” he said. “This administration is saying we have much more power than any previous administration when it comes to deciding how government works.”

Kevin Owen, an employment lawyer who represents federal workers, compared the administration’s initiative to the kind of disruptions that are caused by government shutdowns during congressional budget standoffs.

“This looks like a plan for a significant and shocking reduction of the federal workforce that I don’t think the American people are prepared for,” Owen said. “It’s going to cripple a lot of government functions.”

He said that Trump and his allies were focusing on speed rather than precision as they overhaul the government.

“Their plan is to do the damage and get sued,” he said. If a court ultimately rules

against them, “by that point, they would have gotten what they wanted in interim.”

Trump foreshadowed the effort in a recent executive order that he signed with Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who oversees the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE. The order said agency leaders “shall promptly undertake preparations to initiate large-scale reductions in force,” or RIF

Some departments have already begun this process

The General Services Administration, which handles federal real estate, told employees on Monday that a reduction in force was underway and they would do “everything in our power to make your departure fair and dignified.”

Law enforcement, national security, public safety, military positions and U.S. Postal Service positions are exempt.

The memo was released shortly before Trump convened Cabinet officials as well as Musk.

Musk has caused turmoil within the federal workforce, most recently by demanding that employees justify their jobs or risk getting fired. OPM later said that the edict was voluntary, although workers could face similar requests in the future.

Before the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “all of the Cabinet secretaries take the advice and direction of DOGE.” Musk’s operation became more powerful on Wednesday with a new executive order signed by Trump. He directed agencies to develop new systems for distributing and justifying payments so they could be monitored by DOGE representatives. Employee travel is being limited and agency credit cards are being frozen unless they’re used for disaster relief or supervisors create an exception. The order said government workers must be “accountable to the American public.”

POOL PHOTOVIAAP

Elon Musk speaks during a Cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington on Wednesday.

BENEFITS

but was docked $360 and received

$1,440, that retiree will soon receive a $5,040 lump sum check — or, more likely the amount will be direct deposited. Then, the monthly check will be $1,800.

That’s an average amount. Each case is different.

What changed for retirees

Some state and municipal governments, including Louisiana’s, did not pay Social Security taxes on the pensions for their public service workers. Many of those employees held jobs before or after their public service, or worked second jobs like those that teachers often take at night and during the summer — and contributed to Social Security The Windfall Elimination Provision, passed in 1983 and called WEP, reduces Social Security benefits by up to half the pension amount for people receiving pension income from jobs that didn’t contribute So-

cial Security payroll taxes.

The Government Pension Offset, passed in 1977 and called GPO, reduces benefits for survivors if the spouse had a pension that wasn’t taxed for Social Security The Social Security benefits can be cut by up to two-thirds of the public employee’s pension.

Both provisions were added to the law to help shore up ailing Social Security finances.

The Social Security Fairness Act repealed those rules, allowing some government retirees to receive the full amount of Social Security benefits The bill was finally passed after midnight on Dec 21.

The bill was signed into law on Jan. 5 by President Joe Biden shortly after Graves and co-sponsor

Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., had left Congress. Biden said the 3.2 million affected public workers would receive an average of $360 more per month in Social Security payments.

“These folks have waited years for this day,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, said in a statement.

“The fight took too long, but let’s focus on the victory ” Cassidy, who had pushed for the

Louisiana is one of nearly 20 Republican-led states that have created scholarships, also called education savings accounts, that give families public money to pay for private education. Champions of this approach, including President Donald Trump, say parents should decide whether the tax dollars allocated for their children go to public, private or home schools.

Gov Jeff Landry made the scholarships his top education priority last year pushing the LA GATOR bill through the Legislature despite opposition from public-education advocates, Democrats and some Republican lawmakers who said the program would divert money from under-funded public schools to loosely regulated private ones.

Last week, Landry proposed spending $93.5 million on LA GATOR scholarships next fiscal year — about double what the state spends annually on private-school vouchers. In the coming months, the Legislature will debate whether to grant Landry’s budget request or propose a different amount The outcome will determine how many students will receive scholarships this fall. For parents planning to apply — or taxpayers tracking state spending — here’s a complete guide to LA GATOR.

What is the process?

Families can apply to participate in LA GATOR from March 1 to April 15.

They’ll apply through an online portal operated by Odyssey, the company Louisiana is paying to manage the program. Parents will need documents proving their residency and income, such as driver’s licenses, utility bills and tax forms.

Eligible families who receive scholarships must apply separately to their chosen private schools, which control their own admissions Many private schools consider applicants’ test scores, grades, attendance and behavior records.

“This does not mean acceptance into the school,” Gilson said about applying for LA GATOR. “All schools have their own application, registration and admissions process.”

Who is eligible?

Students who received school vouchers this year and children from families with a total income at or below 250% of federal poverty guidelines ($80,375 for a family of four) are eligible for scholarships next school year So are incoming kindergartners and public-school students from families with any level of income. If applications exceed available scholarships, then the state will give priority to voucher students, followed by low-income students and students with disabilities

The LA GATOR law says scholar-

commissioner

Administration

repeal since 2009, was in charge of getting the Senate to pass the legislation over vociferous opposition from senators who argued that the repeal amounted to a windfall for public employees at the expense of private industry workers who paid into Social Security throughout their careers.

The change will cost about $196 billion through 2034 and will continue to rise, which could hasten insolvency of the fund that pays Social Security If the fund goes insolvent in nine years, which is predicted if nothing is done to prevent it, then everyone will see a

20% to 25% reduction in benefits even if their employers paid the taxes throughout their career

A faster timeline

The Social Security Administration began depositing retroactive payments into bank accounts Tuesday, and plans to complete nearly all retroactive payments by the end of March. Adjustments to ongoing monthly benefits will begin in April.

Graves said the Social Security Administration initially told him that its workers would have to manually review the cases of each of the 3.2 million people impacted to determine eligibility and calculate how much each would receive. The agency under President Donald Trump’s administration used automation to speed the process, Graves said. Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a statement: “The agency’s original estimate of taking a year or more now will only apply to complex cases that cannot be processed by automation. The American people deserve to get their due benefits as

quickly as possible.”

The complex cases will be handled manually

Some need to apply

In general, public retirees already receiving Social Security will need to do nothing more.

But thousands of workers and their spouses never applied for Social Security when they learned that their benefits would be docked because of their public pensions. Those people will need to apply to Social Security for retirement or spousal or surviving spouse’s benefits.

For additional eligibility information, visit www.ssa.gov/apply

However, the survivor benefit application is not available online

Call 1 (800) 772-1213 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday

When the system asks, “How can I help you today?”, say “Fairness Act.” Then, you’ll be asked a few questions. Your answers will lead you to a WEP-GPO trained representative to take your application.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

ships eventually will be available to families at or below 400% of the poverty guidelines and then to all families, but it doesn’t set a timeline for expansion.

Erin Bendily, senior vice president of the Pelican Institute a Louisiana think tank that promotes the scholarships, said the program’s growth will depend on how much money the Legislature allots it. Parents can help build support for it by signing up, she added.

“This is your way to communicate to lawmakers your demand and desire for this program for your child,” she said.

Homeschoolers exempted

Registered homeschoolers cannot participate — but there’s a loophole of sorts

Homeschool families were excluded from the LA GATOR bill partly at the insistence of advocates who didn’t want homeschoolers to face additional oversight or regulations

However, if a family is eligible for the program (for example, if they meet the income threshold), they can choose to no longer apply for state homeschool approval. The family could still educate their children from home but would register them as LA GATOR participants rather than state-approved “home study” students.

“Your legal status will change,” Bendily said. But “practically speaking for the child, it might not look very different.”

Families could spend the scholarships on textbooks, instructional supplies like pens and notebooks and fees for individual courses in subjects like chemistry or career

training, which students could take online or at a local school, Bendily said.

But homeschoolers should be aware that the money comes with strings attached, she added. Families must give their children annual standardized tests and submit to possible financial audits — regulations that don’t apply to traditional homeschoolers.

Amounts vary

Each family’s scholarship amount will depend on their circumstances.

Students with disabilities will receive up to $15,253, but the exact amount depends on the student’s needs. For example, children with multiple disabilities will receive more than students with speech impairments, and students with disabilities from low-income families will get extra funding.

Families at or below 250% of the poverty line will get $7,626. Other eligible families, including those with entering kindergartners or children in public school this year, will get $5,243.

Students in the voucher program will continue receiving the same amount they got this year but now the money will come through LA GATOR.

What can they spend it on?

Families can spend the scholarships on a whole host of education expenses — but they must be state approved.

More than 240 private schools have signed up for LA GATOR to date, according to the state Education Department. Scholarships can go toward tuition and fees at the participating schools, though fami-

lies must pay for any portion not covered by their award.

Other eligible expenses include textbooks and technology, such as laptops; career-training programs and summer school; fees for the Advanced Placement exams and other tests; special-education services, including behavioral, physical and speech-language therapy; college courses available to high school students; individual classes or extracurricular activities offered by participating public schools; private tutoring; and school uniforms.

Families will make purchases through an online marketplace run by Odyssey, the state vendor “I liken it to Amazon,” said Ken Bradford, the state Education Department’s chief of staff, during a webinar hosted by the Pelican Institute. “If you’re looking for a particular laptop to do your work, you would be able to type that in the search feature of the marketplace, and then the eligible laptops could be purchased.”

By pre-approving items for the marketplace, the state aims to streamline the process for families (no searching for service providers or submitting reimbursements) and prevent misuse. In other states, some families have used ESAs for questionable purchases, such as ski resort passes and video game consoles. But this approach also limits spending to the goods and services available in the marketplace. If families want an item to be considered for inclusion, they’ll be able to submit a request, state officials said.

Expanded eligibility

The most urgent question for

many families is when they’ll be eligible for scholarships.

For now, most middle and upperincome families with children in private schools can’t participate. But Landry has promised to expand the program until all families are eligible, regardless of financial need.

“I believe that within the next four to five years we can get to full implementation,” he told supporters at a Catholic high school in Metairie last year, adding that the state will move “as fast as the Legislature will appropriate the money.”

Eligibility is one thing, but funding is another The $93.5 million that Landry proposed for LA GATOR next school year is expected to cover just over 11,000 scholarships — nearly 6,000 for current voucher students and 5,300 for other eligible students.

In 2023, more than 110,000 Louisiana students attended state-approved private schools. If those students become eligible for scholarships, costs would skyrocket.

Funding might never match demand. But proponents of the scholarships, Landry being the most prominent, still plan to push hard on lawmakers to finance the program.

“This has been his signature education legislation,” said state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley, “so it’s hard for me to believe that he’s not going to fight for funding for GATOR.”

Email Patrick Wall at patrick. wall@theadvocate.com.

What’s next for congressional budget plan?

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Now that House Republicans have passed an ambitious budget blueprint for President Donald Trump’s agenda, its time for the hard work of turning ideas for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion of slashed spending into a bill that lawmakers warn could bring intense changes to Americans back home.

Republicans are insisting the costs of the tax breaks be partly paid for by the steep reductions in federal government spending as a way to ensure the nation’s $36 trillion debt load doesn’t not balloon to dangerous levels.

But deciding what to cut health care, food stamps, green energy, government regulations or student aid — is a politically agonizing choice.

And it’s not just the House that has to agree. GOP senators have their own plans Their priority is to make the tax cuts permanent, rather than temporary which would skyrocket the costs. Eventually the House and Senate must vote on a final package

“We have a lot of hard work ahead of us,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said after the late Tuesday vote.

It’s the start of a weekslong — if not monthslong — slog that is expected to consume the Congress as

ways to root out what Republicans call waste, fraud and abuse.

But the math doesn’t fully add up.

Without steep cuts to federal programs, Republicans won’t be able to claim the savings they need to offset the costs of the tax breaks. And without offsetting the costs, conservative GOP lawmakers won’t want to vote for the final package.

GOP senators on Wednesday met behind closed doors with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles on next steps.

With reductions to the Pentagon off the table, Republicans are hunting for cost cutting across the nondefense side of the budget. The next biggest pot of money available is the nation’s health care programs.

The House GOP’s bill directed the committee that handles Medicaid health care spending to come up with $880 billion in savings over the decade, which would be the bulk of what’s needed to offset the cost of the tax breaks.

ture Committee to come up with some $230 billion in savings. One likely place it will turn is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. GOP chair Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania said food stamps won’t be cut.

Democrats are having none of this, and advocacy groups have started showing up at town hall meetings to protest what’s happening.

Republicans try to deliver on Trump’s agenda and their own campaign promises.

Republicans say if they fail to act, the lower tax rates first approved in 2017 will expire, which would amount to a massive tax hike for many Americans. They believe the tax cuts will partly pay for themselves, unleashing economic growth and fresh revenues, though others say those projections are optimistic.

Democrats put up stiff opposition against the House GOP plan one lawmaker dashed from California after a week’s stay in the hospital and another returned to Washington for the vote with her newborn son.

“Republicans and Trump

promised to lower costs on day one, and instead their priorities have been focused on ripping health care away from kids, moms and others who need it most,” said Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., cradling her 4-week old son, Sam. “All to fund tax breaks for billionaires like Elon Musk while increasing our national deficit by trillions of dollars,” she said. “How can anyone show their face in their district after voting yes for this?”

Trump, during a freewheeling Cabinet meeting Wednesday at the White House, insisted he will not touch the nation’s premier safety net programs — Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security — but seek

Initially approved during Trump’s first term, many of the tax cuts were temporary and are expiring later this year Keeping them would cost $4.5 trillion over the next decade or more if they are made permanent as Senate Republicans want

And that’s not counting the new tax cuts that Trump is asking for The president wants to eliminate taxes on tips, which was a signature campaign promise, and has also talked about getting rid of taxes on overtime pay as well as Social Security benefits. Those would add to the price tag.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said it’s “to be determined” when the Senate would act on the House budget resolution. “It’s complicated,” Thune said. “It’s hard. Nothing about this is going to be easy.”

Republicans insist there will be no direct cuts to people who receive their health care through Medicaid, some 80 million adults and children, and that they only will target waste, fraud and abuse to make it more efficient.

Mostly Republicans talk about imposing work requirements or removing able-bodied men from the government-run Medicaid program. Doing that would save a small portion of what’s needed, some $100 billion over the decade.

For a bigger savings, Republicans consider altering the way the federal government provides Medicaid money to the states. Some 40 states expanded their Medicaid programs with the Affordable Care Act, when Obamacare provided money to enroll people in the program.

The Republicans have also directed the House Agricul-

“The enormity of program cuts called for by the House budget stand as a singular threat to the well-being of people in every state, city, and rural community,” Sharon Parrott, president of the center-left Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said in a statement after the vote. As Senate Republicans push to make the tax cuts permanent, chair of the Senate Finance Committee Mike Crapo has leaned into the idea of using a different accounting process. It involves essentially treating the tax cuts as what’s called “existing policy,” which would mean they are not a new cost, and therefore would not need to be offset by cuts elsewhere. But Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, top Democrat on the Finance committee, said Republicans are engaging in “funny math.”

“It’s all a big game in order to get more money to the billionaires through their tax breaks,” Wyden said.

VA pauses cuts as lawmakers, veterans decry loss of care

BY TARA COPP and CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Department of Veterans Affairs has temporarily suspended billions of dollars in planned contract cuts following concerns that the move would hurt critical veterans’ health services, lawmakers and veterans service organizations said Wednesday

The pause affects hundreds of VA contracts that Secretary Doug Collins a day earlier described as simply consulting deals, whose cancellation would save $2 billion as the Trump administration works to slash costs across the federal government.

“No more paying consultants to do things like make PowerPoint slides and write meeting minutes!” Collins posted to X Tuesday, in a post that was then lauded by Elon

Musk, President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting chief at the Department of Government Efficiency

The Associated Press has obtained the full list of 875 affected contracts, which shows the cuts would affect everything from cancer care to the ability to assess toxic exposure.

The list underscores how the Trump administration’s approach to broad spending reductions has immediate and potentially unintended consequences, generating significant concern not just among Democrats but also Republican lawmakers.

The VA said in a statement to the AP that its review of the contracts “is ongoing and not final.”

“We will not be eliminating any benefits or services to Veterans or VA beneficiaries, and there will be no negative impact to VA health care, benefits or beneficiaries. We

are always going to take care of Veterans at VA Period,” VA press secretary Pete Kasperowicz said in a statement. One contract that was on the chopping block supports assessing veterans’ disability ratings. Those evaluations are one of the most important steps needed for a veteran to qualify to have their medical care covered and receive financial compensation if they were wounded due to their military service. An inaccurate rating can have a long-term impact on their access to care and financial support.

Another contract is intended to identify and integrate data between the Pentagon, VA and other agencies to support the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act of 2022, a bill passed in 2022 to increase veterans’ access to care. Some of the other contracts

marked for cancellation also directly affect veterans’ care.

At a joint House and Senate hearing Wednesday with veterans services organizations, Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal submitted a partial list of the affected contracts his office had received and submitted it for the congressional record. If carried out, these cuts “will harm veterans and taxpayers for years to come,” Blumenthal said in a statement.

In an internal VA email sent Tuesday and seen by the AP, a VA contracting official said DOGE targeted contracts broadly categorized as “consulting” but they included ones that if terminated would halt chemotherapy and imaging services.

Contracts to calibrate radiation detection equipment, to support cancer care and veterans cem-

etery management, among others were also targeted. Another would directly affect the ability to assess toxic exposure because it supports more than 24,000 research requests to look through the National Archives and Records Administration and other government sources to validate service and toxic exposure events.

Former VA Secretary David Shulkin, who served in the Trump administration in his first term, said that while the agency has gotten larger and there are likely savings to be found, the VA grew, in part, to meet the large expansion of veterans enrolling to get care under the PACT Act. More than 740,000 veterans signed up for coverage after the law passed, according to a September 2024 VA news release. The Washington Post was first to report on the cancellations.

Trump says Zelenskyy coming to U.S. to sign critical minerals deal

But Ukraine can ‘forget about’ joining NATO

BY AAMER MADHANI, HANNA ARHIROVA and JUSTIN SPIKE Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy will visit the White House on Friday to sign a long-sought minerals deal that will closely tie the two countries together for years to come.

Trump made the announcement at the start of the first Cabinet meeting of his sec-

ond term, hailing the deal as a very big agreement.”

The Republican president has long complained that the United States has spent too much taxpayer money to support Ukraine in the war with Russia that began when the Kremlin invaded three years ago. Trump has framed the emerging deal that would give the U.S. access to Ukraine’s deposits of so-called rare earth minerals — used in the aerospace, defense and nuclear industries as a chance for Kyiv to pay back the U.S. for aid already sent for the war effort under Democratic President Joe Biden. “The previous adminis-

tration put us in a very bad position, but we’ve been able to make a deal where we’re going to get the money back and a lot of money in the future,” Trump said.

Zelenskyy said a news conference early Wednesday in Kyiv that a framework of an economic deal had been reached, but that it did not yet include U.S. security guarantees, which his country sees as vital. The full agreement could hinge on the upcoming talks in Washington.

The framework is a preliminary step toward a comprehensive package that will be subject to ratification by the Ukrainian parliament,

Trump administration says it’s cutting 90% of USAID foreign aid contracts

BY ELLEN KNICKMEYER and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration said Wednesday it is eliminating more than 90% of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s foreign aid contracts and $60 billion in overall U.S. assistance around the world. The cuts detailed by the administration would leave few surviving USAID projects for advocates to try to save in what are ongoing court battles with the administration.

Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine needs to know first where the U.S. stands on its continued military support Zelenskyy said He said he expected a wide-ranging conversation with Trump.

The economic agreement “may be part of future security guarantees, but I want to understand the broader vision. What awaits Ukraine?” Zelensky said. But Trump was noncommittal about any coming American security guarantees. “I’m not going to make

security guarantees very much,” Trump said. “We’re going to have Europe do that.”

He said a U.S. presence working on mineral extraction would amount to “automatic security because nobody’s going to be messing around with our people when we’re there.”

“It’s a great deal for Ukraine too, because they get us over there and we’re going to be working over there,” Trump said. “We will be on the land.”

Trump hopes to soon speak face to face with Russian President Vladimir Putin about reaching an agreement to end the war in Ukraine that began when Moscow invaded in February 2022. The Republican president underscored his administration’s position that Ukraine’s aspiration to join NATO, the Western military alliance, is not tenable.

“NATO, you can forget about it,” Trump said. “I think that’s probably the reason the whole thing started.”

The Trump administration outlined its plans in both an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press and filings in one of those federal lawsuits Wednesday Wednesday’s disclosures also give an idea of the scale of the administration’s retreat from U.S. aid and development assistance overseas, and from decades of U.S policy that foreign aid helps U.S interests.

President Donald Trump and ally Elon Musk say USAID projects advance a liberal agenda and are a waste of money Trump on Jan. 20 ordered what he said would be a 90day program-by-program review of which foreign assistance programs deserved to continue, and cut off all foreign assistance funds almost overnight. The administration and Musk’s Department of Government Ef-

ficiency teams have pulled the majority of USAID staff off the job through forced leave and firings. In the federal court filings Wednesday, nonprofits owed money on contracts with USAID describe both Trump political appointees and members of Musk’s teams terminating USAID’s contracts around the world at breakneck speed, without time for any meaningful review, they say In all, the Trump administration said it will eliminate 5,800 of 6,200 multiyear USAID contract awards, for a cut of $54 billion. Another 4,100 of 9,100 State Department grants were being eliminated, for a cut of $4.4 billion.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md on Feb 20.

BUSINESS

BRIEFS

Nvidia sales surge in the fourth quarter

Nvidia on Wednesday reported a surge in fourth-quarter profit and sales as demand for its specialized Blackwell chips, which power artificial intelligence systems, continued to grow

For the three months that ended Jan. 26, the tech giant based in Santa Clara, California, posted revenue of $39.3 billion, up 12% from the previous quarter and 78% from one year ago. Adjusted for one-time items, it earned 89 cents a share.

“Demand for Blackwell is amazing as reasoning AI adds another scaling law — increasing compute for training makes models smarter, and increasing compute for long thinking makes the answer smarter,” Nvidia founder Jensen Huang said in a statement.

Wednesday’s earnings report topped Wall Street expectations. Analysts had been expecting adjusted earnings of 85 cents a share on revenue of $38.1 billion, according to FactSet. The fourthquarter earnings are the company’s first report since Chinese company DeepSeek boasted it had developed a large language model that could compete with ChatGPT and other U.S. rivals, but was more cost-effective in its use of Nvidia chips to train the system on troves of data.

Amazon unveils

AI-powered Alexa

Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a generative-AI infused Alexa that it says will allow the popular voice assistant to have more personality, check a user’s tone and even plan romantic dates.

But unlike before, when Alexa was offered for free on any Alexa-enabled devices, customers will have to pay Amazon a monthly fee of $19.99 for the revamped voice assistant, which it calls “Alexa+.” However, the generative-AI powered Alexa will be free for Prime members, who pay the company a monthly or annual fee for free delivery and other perks.

The company says Alexa+ is able to have conversations with a more natural, humanlike flow and can learn more about a user — such as dietary preferences or allergies — the more it’s used.

Amazon says it will kick off “early access” of Alexa+, currently only available in English, in the U.S. next month.

BP to slash spending on net zero ventures

British energy company BP confirmed Wednesday that it would slash spending on green ventures and increase its oil and gas production, a change in direction that it hopes will bolster its flagging share price but has been met with incredulity from climate action campaigners. In a statement titled “Reset BP,” the company said it will reduce its spending on net zero transition businesses by $5 billion a year to up to $2 billion. By contrast, it said it would increase its investments in oil and gas production by about 20% to $10 billion.

CEO Murray Auchincloss said that the company is focusing its spending on BP’s “highestreturning businesses to drive growth” and that it will be “very selective” in its investments in renewables.

Egg prices could jump another 41%

Trump’s bird flu plan unveiled

BY JOSH FUNK and JOSH BOAK Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Agriculture Department predicts the current record prices for eggs could soar more than 40% in 2025, as the Trump administration offered the first new details Wednesday about its plan to battle bird flu and ease the cost of eggs.

With an emphasis on tightening up biosecurity on farms, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA will invest another $1 billion on top of the roughly $2

billion it has already spent battling bird flu since the outbreak began in 2022. Officials had hinted at the plan earlier this month.

It’s not clear how much more farmers can do to keep the virus out.

Egg and poultry farmers have already been working to protect their birds ever since the 2015 bird flu outbreak by taking measures like requiring workers to change clothes and shower before entering barns, using separate sets of tools and sanitizing any vehicles that enter farms. The challenge is that the virus is spread easily by wild birds as they migrate past farms.

And the main reason egg prices have soared to hit a record average of $4.95 per dozen this month

is that more than 166 million birds have been slaughtered to limit the spread of the virus after cases are found — with most of those being egg-laying chickens. Last month was the worst yet for egg farmers with nearly 19 million egg-laying chickens slaughtered.

The USDA now predicts that egg prices will increase at least 41% this year on top of the already record prices. Just last month, the increase was predicted to be 20%.

And the average prices conceal just how bad the situation is, with consumers paying more than a dollar an egg in some places. The situation is hurting consumers and has prompted restaurants like Denny’s and Waffle House to add surcharges on egg dishes.

The high egg prices, which have

more than doubled since before the outbreak began, cost consumers at least $1.4 billion last year, according to an estimate done by agricultural economists at the University of Arkansas.

Egg prices also normally increase every spring heading into Easter when demand is high.

Rollins acknowledged that it will take some time before consumers see an effect at the checkout counter. After all, it takes infected farms months to dispose of the carcasses, sanitize their farms and raise new birds. But she expressed optimism that this will help prices.

“It’s going to take a while to get through, I think in the next month or two, but hopefully by summer,” Rollins said.

EPA urges reconsideration of climate action

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON In a potential landmark action, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency has privately urged the Trump administration to reconsider a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action against climate change.

In a report to the White House, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called for a rewrite of the agency’s finding that determined planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare, according to four people who were briefed on the matter but spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the recommendation is not public.

The 2009 finding under the Clean Air Act is the legal underpinning of a host of climate regulations for motor vehicles, power plants and other pollution sources.

A spokesperson for the EPA on Wednesday declined to reveal Zeldin’s recommendation, which was made last week under an executive order from Republican President Donald Trump. The order, issued on Trump’s first day in office, directed the EPA to submit a report “on the legality and continuing applicability” of the endangerment finding.

The Washington Post first reported that Zeldin had urged the White House to strike down the endangerment finding.

The Obama-era finding “is the linchpin of the federal government’s policies for what the president and I call the climate hoax,” said Steve Milloy, a former Trump transition adviser who disputes mainstream science on climate change.

“If you pull this (finding) out, everything EPA does on climate goes away,” Milloy said.

Trump, at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, said Zeldin told him he is moving to eliminate about 65% of the EPA’s workforce “A lot of people that weren’t doing their job, they were just obstructionist,” Trump said.

Environmental groups and legal experts said any attempt to repeal or roll back the endangerment finding would be an uphill task with a slim chance of success.

“This would be a fool’s errand,” said David Doniger, a climate expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental group. “In the face of overwhelming science, it’s impossible to think that the

EPA could develop a contradictory finding that would stand up in court.”

Trump, who has repeatedly denounced what he calls a “green new scam” pushed by Democrats and environmentalists, may view a repeal of the endangerment finding as a “kill shot” that would allow him to make all climate regulations invalid, Doniger said.

“But it’s a real long shot for them,” he added, noting that courts repeatedly have upheld the EPA’s authority to regulate pollution from greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

Wall Street rises just enough to break its 4-day losing streak

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stock indexes

drifted to a mixed finish on Wednesday after climbing in the morning but then running out of steam.

The S&P 500 finished an iota higher, after surrendering virtually all of its early gain of 0.9%. But that was just enough to break a four-day losing streak that had knocked the index off its all-time high.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell and the Nasdaq composite rose

The stock market has generally been struggling following some weaker-than-expected reports on the economy, including a couple that showed U.S. households are

getting more pessimistic about inflation and tariffs pushed by President Donald Trump. Some of the harshest drops hit Big Tech and other high-growth stocks, whose incredible momentum had earlier seemed unstoppable.

Super Micro Computer, one of the stocks that’s soared in the frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology, lost nearly a quarter of its value over four days, for example. But it jumped 12.2% Wednesday after filing its annual report for its fiscal year that ended in June.

The company, which sells servers used in AI, had delayed filing its annual report and other required forms after its former accounting firm raised concerns

about some of its financial reporting and governance. Super Micro then had to get extensions from Nasdaq to file the financial reports as it conducted a review and hired another public accounting firm.

NRG Energy jumped 10.6% Wednesday after announcing it’s joining with GE Vernova and a subsidiary of Kiewit on a venture to generate more electricity for generative AI data centers. GE Vernova rose 5.5%.

NRG also reported results for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations. Most of the other companies in the S&P 500 have likewise been delivering better profits for the end of 2024 than analysts expected.

Off-price retailer TJX rose 1.8%

after joining the parade. The company behind TJ Maxx and Marshalls additionally said it plans to increase its dividend 13% and announced a program to buy up to $2.5 billion of its stock.

Worries have been rising about whether U.S. shoppers may cut back on their spending given stubbornly high inflation and jitters about the economy’s prospects. But TJX CEO Ernie Herrman said his company has benefited from its offprice model and sees opportunities to grow over the long term.

General Motors revved up by 3.7% after the automaker announced a program to buy back up to $6 billion of its stock. It will also send more cash to its shareholders by increasing its dividend.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHARLIE RIEDEL In a report to the White House, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called for a rewrite of the agency’s finding that determined planet-warming greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare.

Company launching lander toward moon

BY MARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private company launched another lunar lander Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moon’s south pole this time with a drone that will hop into a jet-black crater that never sees the sun.

Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Athena, caught a lift with SpaceX from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It’s taking a fast track to the moon with a landing on March 6 — while hoping to avoid the fate of its predecessor, which tipped over at touchdown

Never before have so many spacecraft angled for the moon’s surface all at once.

Last month, U.S. and Japanese companies shared a rocket and separately launched landers toward Earth’s sidekick Texasbased Firefly Aerospace should get there first this weekend after a big head start. The two U.S. landers are carrying tens of millions of dollars’ worth of experiments for NASA as it prepares to return astronauts to the moon.

“It’s an amazing time. There’s so much energy,” NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox told The Associated Press a few hours ahead of the launch.

This isn’t Intuitive Machines’ first lunar rodeo. Last year, the Texas company made the first U.S.

touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years. But an instrument that gauges distance did not work and the lander came down too hard and broke a leg, tipping onto its side. Intuitive Machines said it has fixed the issue and dozens of oth-

ers. A sideways landing like last time would prevent the drone and a pair of rovers from moving out.

NASA’s drill also needs an upright landing to pierce beneath the lunar surface to gather soil samples for analysis.

“Certainly, we will be better this time than we were last time. But you never know what could happen,” said Trent Martin, senior vice president of space systems.

It’s an extraordinarily elite club. Only five countries have pulled off a lunar landing over the decades: Russia, the U.S., China, India and Japan. The moon is littered with wreckage from many past failures. The 15-foot Athena will target a landing 100 miles from the lunar south pole. Just a quarter-mile away is a permanently shadowed crater — the ultimate destination for the drone named Grace.

Named after the late computer programming pioneer Grace Hopper, the 3-foot drone will make three increasingly higher and longer test hops across the lunar surface using hydrazine fueledthrusters for flight and cameras and lasers for navigation.

If those excursions go well, it will hop into the nearby pitchblack crater, an estimated 65 feet deep. Science instruments from Hungary and Germany will take measurements at the bottom while hunting for frozen water

It will be the first up-close peek inside one of the many shadowed craters dotting both the north and south poles. Scientists suspect these craters are packed with tons of ice. If so, this ice could be transformed by future explorers into water to drink, air to breathe and even rocket fuel.

NASA is paying $62 million to Intuitive Machines to get its drill and other experiments to the moon. The company, in turn, sold space on the lander to others. It also opened up the Falcon rocket to ride-sharing. Tagalongs included NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite, which will fly separately to the moon over the next several months before entering lunar orbit to map the distribution of water below Also catching a ride was a private spacecraft that will chase after an asteroid for a flyby, a precursor to asteroid mining.

Pentagon orders new purge of social media sites to dump DEI

BY LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP Associated Press

WASHINGTON Building lethality in the military may be the buzzword for the new Trump administration, but busywork and paperwork have become the reality at the Pentagon, as service members and civilian workers are facing a broad mandate to purge all of the department’s social media sites and untangle confusing personnel reduction moves. On Wednesday the department’s top public affairs official signed and sent out a new memo requiring all the military services to spend countless hours poring over years of website postings, photos, news articles and videos to remove any mentions that “promote diversity, equity and inclusion.”

If they can’t do that by March 5, they have been ordered to “temporarily remove from public display” all content published during the Biden administration’s four years in office, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The Associated Press.

The new directive comes as the military services also are scrambling to identify probationary workers the administration has targeted for firing under its campaign to slash the government workforce. They are also trying to figure out how many civilian workers have agreed to leave under the government-wide buyouts

and whether they have been approved.

Among the firings were a dozen senior military leaders late last week, including Gen CQ Brown Jr., who was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the chief of naval operations; Gen. Jim Slife, vice chief of the Air Force; and the judge advocates general for the services. Top leaders had been targeted as part of the campaign to rid the military of so-called “woke” leaders, but the firing of the JAGs didn’t seem to fall into that category The latest social media directive hits just days after

the department issued a separate memo to the services reminding forces to remain apolitical and focused on “the nonpartisan execution of their duties.”

“Given the intense focus on recent changes within the department, maintaining the public trust is more important than ever,” said the memo, signed Feb. 19, by Darin Selnick, who is temporarily working as the undersecretary for personnel.

The move to purge content on diversity is part of Trump’s broader executive order ending the federal government’s diversity equity and inclusion programs.

But confusion has swirled among federal agencies, since Trump himself marked Black History Month at the White House with a reception that featured golf legend Tiger Woods.

U.S. officials said this week that military leaders were initially told they would have just days to scour their websites going back decades for stories on gains in the military by women and minorities or stories celebrating cultural heritage

When the leaders said they didn’t have the manpower to meet the deadline, they got the option to simply wipe away all posts from the last

four years. Employees would then go through all that content to determine what must be publicly removed and archived and what can be reposted. But officials said that given the expanse of the task, many may just remove all content from the last four years and start over with new sites — essentially erasing the Biden tenure from the department’s online history The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to relay internal discussions.

Signed by Sean Parnell, the department’s new chief spokesman, the memo provides a bit more detail on the DEI purge that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered. But it also has left the services and department sections scrambling to find workers to devote substantial time to the detail-intensive task.

Officials said they are concerned that the directive has added yet another distraction as they try to focus on meeting Trump’s broader mandate to increase lethality They worry there is little time to strip years of old military Web pages of all DEI content — and to do so means pulling staff from other more critical warfighting and security tasks.

It also isn’t entirely clear what makes a story, post, photo or video “DEI-related.”

According to the memo, it includes content that promotes programs or materials about critical race

theory, gender ideology and special treatment for individuals based up gender, race or ethnicity It also refers to any content that is counter to “merit-based or colorblind policies” — which could include news items that focus on a service member or employee’s race or gender

And despite Trump’s celebration of Black History Month, it also calls for the elimination of all content that promotes so-called cultural awareness months that Hegseth decried in an earlier memo titled “Identity Months dead at DOD.” In that Jan. 31 memo, he said that “efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution.” He has also argued that efforts to broader diversity took emphasis away from warfighting. As a result, he said the department and the services can’t use official resources to host celebrations or event related to Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Pride Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and National American Indian Heritage Month. Instead, he said units and offices “are encouraged to celebrate the valor and success of military heroes of all races, genders, and backgrounds as we restore our warrior culture and ethos.”

BY TALIA RICHMAN and KAREN BROOKS HARPER

(TNS)

The Dallas Morning News

Texas Republicans’ demand for a school voucher-style program appears poised to clear a major hurdle as a slim majority of House members have signaled their support.

Gov Greg Abbott celebrated Wednesday that 75 Republican representatives signed on as co-authors to House Bill 3, priority legislation to create education savings accounts, which would give families access to public dollars to pay for private school tuition.

Joining the author, Republican Rep. Brad Buckley of Salado, the co-authors give HB 3 narrow majority support in the 150-member House.

“For the first time in our great state’s history, the Texas House has the votes to pass a universal school choice program,” Abbott said in a statement.

Historically, a coalition of Democrats and rural Republicans in the House have teamed up to defeat “school choice” proposals, united in their concern that such a program would funnel money away from the public schools that serve the vast majority of Texas children.

Abbott spent tremendous political and financial capital in last year’s primaries to oust many of the Republicans who stood in his way

“This session, Texas will usher in a new era where families have the opportunity to choose the learning environment that meets the unique needs of their children,” he said. “I will continue working closely with both chambers of the Texas Legislature to get the biggest launch of any universal school choice program in the nation to my desk, where it will be swiftly signed into law.”

Republican state budget writers have proposed spending $1 billion of the state’s nearly $24 billion surplus to fund the program. Despite the news in the House, hurdles remain before a bill reaches Abbott’s desk.

The Senate’s version of a school choice bill includes provisions that don’t match the House’s vision HB 3 has a stricter hierar chy for who would be prioritized for the limited dollars. Families would generally be prioritized based on their level of household income and whether their child has a disability In the House, the education savings account would

be valued at 85% of the average amount public schools receive per student in state and local funding. Children with disabilities would get that amount plus the amount a public school district would be entitled to based on that child’s special education plan.

The Senate’s proposed program would cover up to $10,000 for private school expenses or $2,000 for homeschooled students. Those in special education would be eligible for an $11,500 education savings account, while home-schooled students with a disability could get $2,500.

In an interview with The Dallas Morning News, House Speaker Dustin Burrows said both chambers’ bills are largely philosophi-

cally aligned. Burrows said his priority is ensuring any child with a learning disability “is going to be able to have the opportunity

POOL PHOTOVIAAP

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday at the White House in Washington as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listen.

How administration has advanced fossil fuels

Trump pledged U-turn away from Biden’s commitment to clean energy

BY MICHAEL PHILLIS and JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press

President Donald Trump began dismantling his predecessor’s climate change and renewable energy policies on his first day in office, declaring a national energy emergency to speed up fossil fuel development — a policy he has summed up as “drill, baby, drill.”

The declaration calls on the federal government to make it easier for companies to build oil and gas projects, in part by weakening environmental reviews, with the goal of lowering prices and selling to international markets.

Democrats say that’s a sham.

They point out that the U.S is producing more oil and natural gas than any other country and the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act boosted renewable energy at a critical time, creating jobs and addressing the climate change threat 2024 was Earth’s hottest year on record amid the hottest 10-year stretch on record

“It would also set a horrible precedent, that a president of either party can invent a sham emergency and then grab away from Congress powers that Congress has” in the Constitution, said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia.

Kaine spoke Wednesday in support of a Senate resolution from Democrats to terminate Trump’s declaration, a move likely to be only symbolic given the party’s minority status. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has already made the U.S. an even friendlier environment for fossil fuels. Congress is helping, too, with the House set to vote on a measure to repeal a Biden administration-era methane fee on oil and gas producers.

Here are some ways the Trump administration has moved to advance fossil fuels:

Lifting a pause on LNG exports

The Biden administration last year paused evaluations of new

liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals. That pleased environmentalists concerned that a big surge in exports would contribute to planet-warming emissions. The pause didn’t stop projects already under construction, but it delayed consideration of new projects.

Trump reversed that pause.

On Tuesday, oil and gas giant Shell said global LNG demand is forecast to rise by around 60% by 2040.

The United States is expected to play a major role in meeting that demand, with its export capacity expected to double before 2030, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

“I think investors have become much more comfortable that they can move toward final investment decisions without the concerns that they had over the last four years about potential roadblocks,” said Christopher Treanor an energy and environmental attorney at the law firm Akin.

Drilling expansion

Trump has opened more land for oil and gas lease sales, shifting away from Biden’s efforts to protect environmentally sensitive ar-

ä Trump’s EPA wants to repeal a landmark environmental finding PAGE6A

eas like Alaska’s National Wildlife Refuge and to prevent large swaths of ocean from being available for offshore drilling, including major areas off coasts in the Pacific, Atlantic and parts of Alaska.

Environmental groups are suing to stop Trump’s moves.

Expanding the area available for companies to lease and drill doesn’t necessarily mean that more oil and gas will be produced. When leases were made available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, for example, only smaller companies bid and there were no buyers for a second lease sale.

Sidestep Clean Water Act

The Army Corps of Engineers marked hundreds of Clean Water Act permits for fast-tracking, citing Trump’s order on energy, then removed that notation in its database. The agency said it needed to review active permit applications before publishing which ones will be fast-tracked.

“They don’t seem to be backing

off,” said Tom Pelton, spokesman with the Environmental Integrity Project. “They are just going to refine the list.”

Many of the permit applications that had been listed for expediting are for fossil fuel projects, but some others have nothing to do with energy, including a housing subdivision proposed by Chevron in southern California, according to the Environmental Integrity Project.

David Bookbinder, the organization’s director of law and policy, said the Trump administration is using the “pretext of a national energy emergency” to ask a federal agency to circumvent environmental protections to justify building more fossil fuel power plants. Bookbinder said there’s no shortage of energy

Slashing the federal workforce

Pat Parenteau, professor emeritus at Vermont Law & Graduate School, said Trump’s policy changes aren’t nearly as important as the deep cuts to the federal government that eliminate vital expertise. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, for example, Trump said the head of the EPA should

axe roughly two-thirds of its employees.

“I think they are going to accomplish what no other administration has been able to do in terms of crippling the institutional capacity of the federal government to protect public health, to conserve national resources to save endangered species,” he said. “That is where we are going to see longterm, permanent damage.”

Trump’s energy emergency calls, for example, for undermining Endangered Species Act protections to ensure fast energy development, even assembling a rarely used committee the socalled “God Squad” — that could have authority to dismiss significant threats to species. That move was coupled with recent deep cuts to the Fish & Wildlife Service, which administers the law

Parenteau said some species are likely to go extinct.

Orders take aim at renewables

Trump also targeted wind energy with an order to temporarily halt offshore wind lease sales in federal waters and pause federal approvals, permits and loans for projects both onshore and offshore.

In another order he listed domestic energy resources that could help ensure a reliable, diversified and affordable supply of energy Solar, wind and battery storage were omitted, though solar is the fastest-growing source of electricity generation in the United States. Trump has vowed to end tax credits for renewables as well, which would push up prices.

Substantially slowing renewables could leave the U.S. wedded to coal and gas for far longer as coal plants are extended and new gas plants are built, said David Shepheard, partner and energy expert at the global consultant Baringa. Shepheard said the U.S. is facing unprecedented growth in electricity demand largely to meet needs from data centers and artificial intelligence, and increasingly the deck is stacked against renewables to meet it.

A Baringa analysis found Trump’s policies will drive up emissions and put the agreed-upon international climate threshold further out of reach.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO ByALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall Oct. 14 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds in Oaks, Pa., as moderator South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem listens. Trump has opened more land for oil and gas lease sales.

NOLA.COM | Thursday, February 27, 2025 1bN

City Council to vote on Elysian hotel

Neighbors: N.O. project is too big

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

A group of developers will ask the City Council on Thursday to approve a new five-story hotel in the Faubourg Marigny that’s faced opposition from some neighbors since it was proposed two years ago. The Elysian, which is being planned by Metairie-based NOLA Hotel Group at the site of a former nursery at 621 Elysian Fields Ave. needs a waiver from council members because of its size. While the development group has

scaled back their original plans calling for a larger hotel, the latest proposal, at nearly 87,500 square feet, is roughly 30% larger than is allowed under current regulations.

Hundreds of residents in the historic neighborhood have indicated they oppose the project since it was proposed in 2023, arguing that a large hotel on the site would change the character of the area and dwarf their 19th-century cottages and shotgun doubles In late December the City Planning Commission agreed that the project was inappropriate for the site

and unanimously recommended that the council deny the waiver request.

But District C City Council member Freddie King, who represents the area and initially opposed the hotel, says he supports it now because the developers have scaled down their plans and dropped a request for height and parking waivers.

The City Council typically defers to district council members on land-use issues.

“We are trying to strike a balance so we can move forward with this project on a lot that has sat vacant for five years,” King said.

ABOUT THE THROWS

ABOVE and RIGHT: The Krewe of Nandi parade rolls on Lapalco Boulevard in Marrero on Wednesday. The allfemale krewe started in 2022 and was named after Shaka Zulu’s mother who was born in 1760.

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

2B, 3B NOLA.COM

St. Tammany pitches new tax plan

BOB WARREN Staff writer

will come before voters again March 29 for money to run the courts, jail and District Attorney’s Office. But this time they’re asking voters to rededicate a portion of an existing 2% sales tax that can now be used only for roads and drainage. On Wednesday a group of elected officials — Parish Presi-

dent Mike Cooper, District Attorney Collin Sims, Sheriff Randy Smith, District Judge Alan Zaunbrecher and Parish Council Chair Joe Impastato pitched the proposition to a St. Tammany Chamber of Commerce audience at the Sadie Jane in Slidell.

The overriding theme of their pitch: No new taxes are involved in this plan It only seeks voter permission to expand the use of the existing tax. The sales tax is expected to bring in around $89 million annually, according to the language on the ballot.

If voters say yes, the parish could then use up to 17% of that revenue to fund the criminal justice system. Only voters in unincorporated St. Tammany Parish will decide the proposition’s fate and it ap-

plies only to purchases made in the unincorporated parts of the parish. In addition to seeking the expanded use, the proposition would extend the sales tax for another 25 years.

That way, Cooper and Impastato say, bonds could be issued to cover some of the parish’s highway needs.

The proposition is an outgrowth of the often-pitched budget skirmishes of the past few years, as officials faced dwindling fund balances but had little hope that voters would adopt another tax for criminal justice

The skirmishes led to fingerpointing, ruffled feathers and lawsuits asking the courts to decide how the existing money should be divvied up.

Officials: Seized opossum released to wild

Pet was confiscated at Mardi Gras last year

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Remember

department spokesperson Taylor Brazan wrote in an email Tuesday. It was Feb. 10, the Saturday night before Mardi Gras 2024, and the French Quarter was the usual maelstrom of madness.

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

A resolution to adopt President Donald Trump’s Gulf of America on Jefferson Parish’s maps failed Wednesday after receiving sharp opposition from the Parish Council for being highly partisan and “inherently divisive.”

The resolution, authored by atlarge council member Jennifer Van Vrancken, would have replaced the name Gulf of Mexico with Gulf of America on all digital maps and newly printed maps in the parish, after an executive order issued by Trump titled, ”Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.” Jefferson Parish’s southern bor-

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

A new five-story hotel, The Elysian, would be located at 621 Elysian Fields Ave., photographed here.

See OPOSSUM, page 2B

ä See HOTEL, page 3B

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

Lawsuit alleges pipeline violates La. law

Carbon-capture project targeted

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

An environmental group has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana’s state government alleging it violated the law when it authorized a chemical manufacturing facility to construct a CO2 pipeline through the Maurepas Swamp one of the largest forested wetlands in the nation.

Healthy Gulf, representing plaintiffs who use the swamp for fishing and other recreation, wants a state judge in Baton Rouge to cancel agreements with Air Products, a company building a hydrogen manufacturing complex in Ascension Parish.

To offset emissions, Air Products plans to store millions of tons of carbon dioxide deep under Lake Maurepas via a 40-mile-long pipeline stretching from the facility through the Maurepas Swamp, snaking through Ascension, St. James and St. John the Baptist parishes.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) and the Department of Energy and Natural Resources (DENR) approved the company’s requests for the pipeline and carbon storage in the publicly owned swamp and adjacent lake.

But Healthy Gulf, represented by the legal nonprofit Earthjustice, says these agreements violate laws meant to protect wildlife management areas from industrial development.

The advocacy group filed the suit Monday in the 19th Judicial District Court.

“It doesn’t make sense to industrialize an area that’s only for fishing and wildlife,” said Scott Eustis, community science director for Healthy Gulf.

OPOSSUM

Continued from page 1B

A contingent of Wildlife and Fisheries officers had been dispatched to the streets of the Vieux Carre to help the New Orleans Police Department keep the peace. While patrolling the inebriated masses, on the lookout for illicit firearms and drugs, the state officers confiscated whatever examples of illegal wildlife they encountered. According to state records, that part of their mission was titled “Operation Exotic.”

An albino python as big as a fire hose was the most striking critter seized. But it was the much less dramatic tame possum that would eventually become a citywide sensation.

William Voiles said that he adopted the opossum as a palm-sized baby that had been orphaned when its mother was killed in city traffic. He’d raised Saffron as if it were a lap dog. Voiles said he didn’t realize that, in doing so, he was breaking the law

Saffron was in the basket of Voiles’ cargo bike, wearing a knitted pet sweater when Wildlife and Fisheries agents appeared, caged the opossum and carted it away on a four-wheeler

The agents gave Voiles a ticket for violating a state statute that prohibits owning a wild quadruped (four-legged animal) without a permit, and a New Orleans city ordinance that prevents anyone from keeping “any wild, or exotic animal as a pet.”

According to the agents’ report, “there was a tip jar with an unknown amount of cash and a flyer advertising Voiles’ Instagram and Venmo (cash sharing) accounts, affixed to the bicycle handle bars.”

The agents asserted that “Mr Voiles was accepting donations towards any photographs that were taken by the public.”

The law vs. laissez-faire

Saffron was examined by a state biologist, who determined that the possum suffered from fleas worms and malnutrition caused by his petfood diet. The biologist’s prognosis was that, despite his acclimation to captivity, Saffron could probably eventually be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, as per Wildlife and Fisheries policy

Opinions among New Orleanians were split. Some felt the state agents had rescued the animal, which would be much better off in a forest somewhere. Others didn’t see the need to take the creature away from the caring man who’d saved it from the street.

Beady-eyed Saffron became a symbol of the balance between the rule of law and New Orleans’ laissez-faire attitudes. The junc-

LDWF did not respond to requests for comment. DENR said the agency does not comment on pending litigation. In the wildlife agency’s approval of the pipeline last year LDWF cited a law that allows the state to lease land for carbon storage.

A spokesperson for Air Products said the proposed pipeline will comply with all laws, regulations and donation conditions within the wildlife management area. The company is required to mitigate any environmental impacts from the pipeline, the company noted.

“Our pipeline route predominantly follows an existing pipeline corridor in the WMA and was developed after extensive consultation with state and federal agencies, including the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Office of Coastal Management and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,” spokesperson Christina Stephens said.

‘Set aside’

The heart of the case is four publicly owned tracts of land that make up the Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area. When the state acquired the land, there were stipulations that the area would be used for conservation and public recreation, Healthy Gulf alleges.

For instance, the donation of one of the tracts prohibits commercial, industrial, agricultural use “or any other activity inconsistent with preserving the property’s natural state, flora, fauna and/or wetland ecological character,” the suit says. State law forbids breaching the terms of donations involving wildlife management areas.

The state agencies lacked the authority to approve the pipeline and storage agreement, Healthy Gulf alleges.

“The state’s approval of this pipeline flies in the face of why

this land was set aside for wildlife management, conservation and preservation and undermines the state’s credibility,” said Lauren Godshall, an attorney at Earthjustice.

CO2 pipelines spark worry

This lawsuit follows years of pushback over the proposed carbon storage project After Air Products announced the plan in 2021, residents of Livingston, Ascension Tangipahoa and other parishes expressed concerns over safety and public transparency.

Some fishers and crabbers pulled traps from Lake Maurepas ahead of Air Products’ carbon storage testing in 2022.

Healthy Gulf’s Eustis regularly swims, hikes and canoes in the swamp. He’s concerned about the dangers that a ruptured CO2 pipeline could wreak on people miles from the pipeline itself, such as canoers on a daylong trek or groups searching for springtime irises far from an accessible road.

In 2020, a CO2 pipeline ruptured in Satartia, Mississippi, causing hundreds to evacuate and hospitalizing dozens in the area.

The Maurepas Swamp is separately set to see an ecological revival through a diversion project that recently broke ground, which will reconnect the Mississippi River to the swamp after more than 80 years of separation. This project will resuscitate the cypress-tupelo swamp and encourage wildlife to return to a spot that was once a popular area for hunting and fishing.

“The idea of ramming another pipeline through this area is just more damage, more disease in a way,” said Richard Waller, a photographer who has catalogued the decline of the swamp ecosystem for years.

Email Josie Abugov at josie. abugov@theadvocate.com.

ture of wildlife and wild life, you might say

In Municipal and Traffic Court on Aug 27, a New Orleans assistant district attorney proposed a deal to drop the $450 fines against Voiles for illegally owning a wild animal in exchange for a plea of no contest to the charges against him.

During the court proceedings, Voiles’ pro bono attorney, Walter Unglaub, learned that Saffron was in the care of a wildlife rehabber, and the attorney hoped to arrange for Voiles to visit the animal.

But Voiles never saw his beloved Saffron again

The folks at Wildlife and Fisheries provided no information about Saffron’s ultimate fate, until The Times-Picayune made a public records request on March 9, 2024, that eventually brought forth 161 Saffron-related documents, which were received Dec. 9, 2024.

Trouble was, by late summer 2024, one office memo indicated the creature had been released and one insisted he had not. After that, mention of Saffron in the trove of documents ceased

As of Tuesday, the Wildlife and Fisheries spokesperson said that “we cannot confirm the date of when the opossum was released.”

‘I didn’t get any kind of closure’

Voiles said that after his court case was settled, he’d heard from a trusted source that Saffron had been released. But he’d never been officially notified

“I didn’t get any kind of closure,” he said. “I didn’t even get to say my goodbyes.”

On Wednesday, when he was told by a reporter that the state had announced that Saffron was set free, Voiles said he doesn’t “feel good” about the outcome, but “it’s better than hearing he was euthanized.”

Which was an outcome he feared. Asked how he felt about all that

ATTACK

Continued from page 1B

Constant, 40, was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder on Feb. 5 following a two-day trial.

The attack occurred May 23, 2020 at a Little Caesars restaurant in the 1600 block of Gretna Boulevard in Harvey Jazmyn Fradieu, 25, and her 52-year-old colleague were working there when Constant, a regular customer, entered the store, authorities said.

After asking to apply for a job, Constant pulled out a machete, hopped over the counter and began to chase the woman, according to authorities. He caught up to Fradieu, hacking at her head, hands, arms and chest. Fradieu had to play dead to halt the attack, relatives said. She suffered grievous physical, mental and emotional injuries that still traumatize her and limit her

TAXES

Continued from page 1B

But when officials first announced the rededication plan last year, they pitched it as a long-term solution. And by having leaders from the executive, legislative and judiciary bodies of government at the table Wednesday, they presented a unified front they hope will give voters confidence.

“Restructuring (existing taxes) should be a theme” for St. Tammany moving forward, Sims told the Chamber audience. If voters agree, the rededication would free up some $15 million that the parish could use to fund the jail, courthouse, and district attorney’s and judge’s offices. By law, the parish government is on the hook to cover those expenses.

life, according to family members.

In the Feb 21 sentencing hearing, Maloney ordered that Constant serve 50 years for the attempted murder without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence, according to court records. Constant was found guilty Feb. 5 and Feb. 21 on separate contempt of court charges. He was tried in absentia after he refused to come to court, the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office said.

According to Fradieu’s relatives, Constant was extremely disruptive during the first day of trial and tried to damage court property It’s not clear what occurred during the sentencing hearing. But Maloney sentenced Constant to six months in parish prison for each count of contempt and ordered those sentences to be served consecutively to his other sentence, according to court records.

“This rededication is that important,” Zaunbrecher said, adding that if funding cannot be found “you will not be able to recognize the court system.” Various officials have barnstormed across the parish to push the proposition. Sims, for instance, said he has spoken at several civic association meetings and he and Impastato addressed the Slidell City Council on Tuesday night. The tax rededication, which is called “Sales Tax District No. Three Proposition” on the ballot, is one of two high-profile tax measures voters will face March 29. The other is a 4.35-mill property tax to fund the parish’s library system. That tax, which is estimated to bring in around $13.5 million annually would be for 15 years. Early voting is March 15-22, except Sunday

had taken place since Saffron was taken, Voiles said “I just wish it never did happen.”

Since Saffron was confiscated, the laws governing rescued wild animals have changed. Louisiana House Bill 854, which was signed by Gov Jeff Landry on June 19, 2024, makes it legal to possess injured or orphaned animals, with certain stipulations.

Asked if Wildlife and Fisheries agents would patrol the French Quarter during the final days of Carnival, as they did in 2024, a spokesperson wrote: “In regards to Mardi Gras this year, at the direction of Gov Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) enforcement agents have been working alongside Louisiana State Police, the New Orleans Police Department, and other state, local, and federal agencies to provide added safety for the public and enforce game warden laws at large events including the Mardi Gras season.”

Reporter Jeff Adelson contributed to this story

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com. Follow him on Instagram at dougmaccash, on Twitter at Doug MacCash and on Facebook at Douglas James MacCash.

PHOTO PROVIDED ByWILLIAMVOILES

Saffron the opossum is shown in napping with his bunny friend Chocolate in 2023. The Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department announced the pet has been released into the wild by a licensed rehabilitator

N.O. man pleads guilty to machine gun charge

BY GABRIELLA KILLETT Staff writer

A New Orleans man awaiting trial in state court on two murder counts admitted this month in federal court to a charge of possessing a machine gun.

La’Donte Richardson, 22, pleaded guilty Feb. 13 to possessing a firearm fashioned with a conversion switch that allows a handgun to fire multiple rounds at once.

Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, of the Eastern District of Louisiana, will sentence him May 8, court records show Richardson’s attorney, Ernest Bauer Jr., declined comment Wednesday. Richardson is being held in federal custody pending sentencing. Richardson, also known by his rapper alias “MGTopYungan,” was arrested in New Orleans in October 2023, accused of second-degree murder in the December 2022 slayings of 21-year-old Kentrell Ancar and 17-year-old Kalaila Miller in the 3200 block of Gentilly Boulevard.

A federal grand jury indicted Richardson in December 2023 on the machine gun charge. A month later, in January 2024, a state grand jury indicted Richardson for murder in Ancar and Miller’s killings.

Richardson had posted a photo on his Instagram page in August 2023 with three train emojis, which authorities associated with selling Tapentadol pills, according to federal court records. The next week, he allegedly posted another ad for the pills, prompting FBI agents to seek a search warrant for his Instagram account.

There, investigators discovered Richardson had flashed a firearm at the camera during a livestream. They also found that he sold firearm switch devices to others, according to the factual basis supporting Richardson’s guilty plea.

An additional search of Richardson’s home in the 6200 block of Wadsworth Drive led investigators to a handgun equipped with a switch in a bedroom drawer Richardson admitted he both possessed

the firearm and that it functioned as a machine gun. Richardson still awaits trial in the 2022 killings of Ancar and Miller, who were inside a Walgreens store when two stolen cars pulled up and two men got out and started firing.

One of the vehicles was found burned the next day Detectives tracked Townsend Grant to the scene of the crime and booked him with murder in the case in January 2023. Grant also has been indicted.

Text messages between the two men led police to Richardson. An arrest warrant was issued for him in September 2023. Police booked him into the Orleans Justice Center on the murder counts a month later

Soon after his arrest, Richardson appeared in a YouTube documentary by the Taboo Room, in which he talked about seeing a shooting victim’s brain matter as a child and his brother in a coffin.

“I’m traumatized from a lot of things,” he told the filmmaker

LEADING THE WAY

HOTEL

Continued from page 1B

The controversy is the latest of several in the Marigny and Bywater between developers and residents.

Developers argue they are getting properties, some of which haven’t been maintained, back into commerce.

Opponents say additional hotels and short-term rentals are changing the character of historic, eclectic neighborhoods.

Within a few blocks of the proposed Elysian, three hotels have opened over the past few years — the Hotel Peter and Paul, the Hampton Inn and 2121 Chartres Street. More are planned.

Developers of The Elysian say that while they understand neighbors’ concerns, their project doesn’t work if they cannot build enough guest rooms to justify the cost of their investment in the property, which they purchased in 2022 for $2.75 million

“Our architects are already cringing because we have reconfigured the space to appease adjacent neighbors,” said Katie Minor Bliss, one of the partners in the project “So, we are wasting space as it is.”

Opponents of the project counter that the City Planning Commission found that the project did not meet any of the nine criteria that are required for a zoning variance like a size or height waiver to be granted. The commission also found the project was inconsistent with the city’s master plan.

“The City Planning Commission

GULF

Continued from page 1B

The measure was largely symbolic, as most of the maps produced by the parish’s engineering department don’t include the Gulf’s name in them, according to department director Angela DeSoto. It failed by a 6-to-1 vote, even though all but two of the council members are Republican.

Van Vrancken said she didn’t intend the resolution to be partisan, but rather a celebration of the oil,

was explicit that this project does not meet crucial legal requirements,” attorney William Most, who represents the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association, said in a letter to City Council members Tuesday. “If the City Council were to approve the conditional use and variance for this project, it would expose the city to substantial legal liability.”

Open to interpretation?

The proposed hotel is the brainchild of a seasoned hotel group whose local portfolio incudes the Andrew Jackson Hotel, Hotel St. Pierre and the St. James Hotel in the French Quarter, as well as the Blake and La Galerie downtown.

The group, led by Ty Angeron, Edward Jacobs and Bliss, have enlisted local lobbyists Ike Spears and Chris Young to help get approval from city regulators.

Young and Spears referred calls for comment to Bliss.

When first unveiled, the group proposed a 90,000-square-foot, seven-story Courtyard Marriott with 148 guest rooms and a rooftop pool.

Current zoning laws limit building size in the neighborhood to 67,000 square feet with a maximum height to 50 feet.

The Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association submitted nearly 600 signatures of people who say they are against the project to the council and the City Planning Commission. In response to the concerns, The Elysian will now have five floors, a maximum height of 50 feet and an estimated 110-120 guest rooms, according to Bliss.

The brand is now Home2 Suites by Hilton. Because plans were re-

seafood and trade industries in the Gulf.

The vote signals further political isolation for Van Vrancken, whose colleagues have banded together against her on several occasions after multiple feuds over the past year

The six council members criticized Van Vrancken for bringing national partisan politics to the local council, which they rarely touch.

Others called the resolution a waste of time and feared it would set a precedent for them to address future federal actions. Some took direct jabs at Van

Louisiana DOTD plans for changes after poor review

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

An internal review of the agency that maintains Louisiana’s roads and highways has found it too often allows construction to go past deadline and over budget, has flawed internal communication and lacks a good process for selecting projects, among other problems.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development faces high turnover rates for key technical and engineering staff, inadequate staffing levels and low employee morale, according to a Strategic Improvement Plan report recently issued by the department.

The review is a response to Gov Jeff Landry’s executive order last year that called on agency leaders to “reform the department as expeditiously as possible.”

To help fix the problems, DOTD has set up a “transformation office” and is considering plans to restructure its departments outsource some functions and redo how it handles permits and project bids, according to the report.

“DOTD recognizes the need to act decisively to rebuild the trust and confidence in the Department that has eroded over the years,” it states.

The review also states the department’s primary funding sources, federal and state fuel taxes, haven’t kept pace with inflation or growing infrastructure needs.

‘Inconsistency and inefficiency’

Among the most significant problems is “inconsistency and inefficiency in the delivery and execution of its transportation projects.”

“Delays in project timelines, cost overruns, and incomplete or poorly executed infrastructure projects occur frequently,” the report states. Policies and procedures are inconsistently applied throughout the agency, and a lack of internal coordination “frequently results in fragmented decision-making that delays projects,” the report says.

each district.

n DOTD General Counsel would report directly to the secretary

DOTD is working with a consultant to improve its project bidding and permit application procedures, and it’s planning to roll out a new website this year It also engaged a consultant to help win more federal grant money The agency is looking into ways it can outsource project development and project management and opportunities to outsource maintenance work.

It’s also working with the state human resources agency to develop Key Performance Indicators, or KPIs, which can serve as benchmarks to track and evaluate agency performance. And it’s undertaking a comprehensive review of its rules, manuals, policies, and procedures.

In addition to Landry’s executive order, legislators have also pushed for changes at DOTD. They commissioned a separate study by private consulting firm BCG, which found that the department would need to expand its annual budget by more than $1 billion to accomplish goals like eliminating a project backlog worth billions of dollars and completing four “megaprojects.”

DOTD Secretary Joe Donahue met with state lawmakers on Wednesday to discuss his agency’s roadmap for reform.

“It was a very collaborative effort, I would say between BCG and DOTD,” he told lawmakers. Donahue said that while the consultant’s analysis centered on funding, the agency is focused on “efficiencies issues” in particular transparency and project delivery

Funding and pay

Employee pay continues to loom over discussion of improving DOTD.

cently modified, no new renderings or plans have been filed in writing with the city, Bliss said. Neighbors say even at 50 feet, the project is too large and out of scale for their neighborhood.

“Our neighborhood is a historic neighborhood that matters with homes that have architectural significance,” said Barb LaFleur a longtime resident, whose home would back up to the hotel. “We don’t deny their right to build a hotel, but it’s the size of this one we’re against.”

Opponents also fear that greenlighting a project that does not meet any of the city’s requirements for a zoning waiver could open the door for other projects in a neighborhood that has seen a proliferation of new hotels in recent years.

“There is substantial risk here of setting a problematic precedent,” Most wrote in his letter “If the City Council were to say that that criterion is met here, then it would encourage other developers to seek similar variances.”

Bliss and King disagree and say the city zoning code is open to interpretation.

“It is subjective, and the Planning Commission and council do not always agree,” King said. “As a council member my job is to try to move the needle forward.”

Thursday’s meeting is the last opportunity that the developers have to bring their project to the council. The matter was deferred several times earlier this year and must be heard by the end of February

If council members deny their request, they will have to wait two years before refiling new plans with the city.

Vrancken. “I don’t have the luxury in my schedule or the desire to involve myself in something that is literally beyond the control of this parish just to score party points,” said council member Arita Bohannan, a Republican. “We have no authority to name an international body of water.” Google and Apple maps have already adopted the new name, and Gov Jeff Landry told the Shreveport Times he would implement the name change in Louisiana as quickly as possible. In an interview Tuesday Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle

Many issues stem from a failure to comply with legal mandates “out of a desire for expediency, political considerations, or a gradual departure from established practice,” the study says. For example, “at some point the agency abandoned efforts to comply with the Administrative Procedures Act,” which sets rules for how departments make decisions that will have impacts outside the agency

The department changes its processes without public or legislative input, the report found.

A lack of attorney involvement in projects has led to a variety of problems, according to the report. One example: “Execution of construction contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars prior to the completion of adequate design work or the receipt of necessary approvals.” DOTD also lacks a “clear transparent framework for evaluating and selecting projects.”

What DOTD is doing

To fix the problems, DOTD is creating a transformation office is charged with a slew of tasks: “Transform project management, undertake organizational structure analysis, deliver program delivery process improvement, encourage leadership and staff development, enhance performance management and accountability improvement, provide legislative support, and elevate communications.”

Under a contemplated restructure of the agency, officials have proposed merging some separate departments into the others.

Changes include:

n Creating of a new Office of Public Works that will house flood protection functions

n Creating a new “district construction engineer position” that will serve as a single point of contact for construction projects in

said he also supported the Gulf of America and would happily change any signs in Grand Isle if directed by the state or parish to do so. Van Vrancken has been outspoken on Republican politics outside of the parish. She endorsed Nikki Haley last year before she suspended her campaign, and months later wore a gown covered in Trump campaign logos saying “Save America Again” to a comedy show featuring a Trump impersonator at the Jefferson Parish Performing Arts Center She’s also clashed repeatedly

Transportation committee Chair Rep. Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, has a background in project management and infrastructure planning. He said Wednesday that he knows of highly skilled workers who have elected to take lower-skill jobs with better pay He asked Donahue about plans to address staffing challenges. Donahue said past salary studies have found that DOTD engineers are underpaid, but the agency doesn’t have funding to address that “at a large scale.”

And while pay bumps aimed at recruiting appear to be moderately effective, they end up turning into “a terrible retention tool,” he said. “Loyalty is not rewarded. It’s punished.”

The transportation chief acknowledged a recent attempt by Landry to remove engineers and attorneys from the state civil service system and designate those as unclassified positions — at-will appointments not subject to the pay, hiring and firing rules that must be followed with classified jobs in the civil service system.

“Whenever you do have the civil service system, you have to play by the rules,” said Donahue. “You are very limited in how you can equalize pay across an entire agency.”

But Donahue said that, whether DOTD addresses pay-scale challenges within the constraints of the classified civil service system or otherwise, “there needs to be additional funding.”

“The funding, I think, is the underlying, primary issue,” he said.

Other states designate certain pots of money specifically for infrastructure projects, and they pay for staff salaries with state general funds. But in Louisiana, transportation infrastructure project funds can be used for both project costs and for salaries.

“Every dollar that you pay your employees more, is a dollar less that you have in construction,” he said.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse. pfeil@theadvocate.com.

with her colleagues on a number of issues over the past year, like when she posted to social media that “the fix is in” on a bus advertising contract, or when she fought to pause a project to build a brewpub in Gretna with parish funds after the inspector general released a report admonishing the project.

The conflicts have created a rift between her and her counterparts, who last December decided to forego a tradition of handing off the chairman role to her Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

A rider on a three-wheel motorcycle leads the Krewe of Nandi parade in Marrero on Wednesday.

Bart, Hertha

Batiste, Merline

Berenger, Ronald

Brocks, Nathan

Brumfield, Jahsir

Crawford, Dianna

Deal, Elsie

Fontenelle, Ruth

Harris, JoAnn Johnson, Sandra Jones, Nasonta

Masters Sr., John Payton, Shirley

Prevost Jr., Leo Russ Jr., Jimmie Vega, Mary E Jefferson

Leitz-Eagan

Fontenelle, Ruth

Harris, JoAnn

New Orleans

Charbonnet

Batiste, Merline

DW Rhodes

Brocks, Nathan

Crawford, Dianna

Jones, Nasonta

Gertrude Geddes

Brumfield, Jahsir

Lake Lawn Metairie

Bart, Hertha

Berenger, Ronald

Little John FH

Payton, Shirley

Majestic Mortuary

Vega, Mary St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Masters Sr., John

West Bank

Davis Mortuary

Russ Jr., Jimmie

Robinson FH

Deal, Elsie Johnson, Sandra

Obituaries Bart, Hertha Rosenblum

Hertha Rosenblum Bart passed away peacefully in New Orleans at the age of 100 years. Born in St. Gallen Switzerland in 1924. She was ayoung model when she met her husband Morris Bart Sr. while he was stationed in Europe as apilot with the 82nd Airborne during WWII. At war's end, Hertha came to America and married Morris in Knoxville Tennessee where they lived till 1962. They then moved to New Orleans where her husband worked in real estate. Hertha continued her modeling career, and being bilingual, became amuch sought after tour guide for visiting Europeans. She also became an extraordinary Yoga teacher at a time when Yoga was just beginning to gain popularity. Her classes were so excellent that she developed ahuge fan base of followers. She even demonstrated Yoga positions to astudent well into her 90's! Always beautiful and elegant with erect posture, her healthy lifestyle served her well into her very advanced years Hertha leaves behind a loving family. Daughter Vivian Cahn (Richard),

Vivian Cahn (Richard), son Morris Bart (Cathy), grandson David Cahn, granddaughters CarrieMarks (Austin), Michelle Goehring (Jacob), JenniferKboudi (Elliben), and 6great grandchildren- Sammy, Maya, and Ari Marks,Max and Alexandra Goehring, and Nate Kboudi. Also numerous nieces, nephews and family in Switzerland

The funeral is scheduled for Friday, February 28, 2025 at TouroSynagogue at 11:00 am with visitation beginning at 10:00 am. Interment will follow at Hebrew Rest #3.

The family wouldlike to thank Dr.Charles Smith for his care,the staff at Poydras Home, Heart of Hospice and special friend Heidi Klee.

In lieuofflowers, please consider adonation to the SPCA in New Orleans, or Touro Synagogue.

Batiste, Merline Ann

Merline Ann Batiste en‐tered peacefully into eter‐nal rest on Tuesday, Febru‐ary 4 2025 at the age of 82 Daughter of the late Milton J Sr and Flordina (Mary) Jolivette Batiste Loving mother of Elmer Joseph LaBranch, Jr. (Lazelle) Penelope (Penny) Doty, Matt Doty Denise Marie Ann LaBranch and Mark Batiste Doty; sister of Mary Batiste Knapper, Martha Batiste Cade, Muriel Batiste Jackson and Mer‐cedes Batiste Toregano, the late Miriam T., Milton J., Jr. and Maurice Scipio Batiste Sr Also survived by a host of grand and great grandchildren nieces, nephews, other rel‐atives and friends A Mass of Christian burial honor‐ing the life and legacy of the late Merline Ann Batiste will be held at Cor‐pus Christi Epiphany Roman Catholic Church, 2022 St Bernard Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday, March 1 2025 at 10 am Interment Provi‐dence Memorial Park and Mausoleum Metairie, LA Visitation 9 am in the church Please sign online guestbook at www cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.

Berenger, Ronald Anthony

Ronald Anthony Berenger, of Metairie, Louisiana, passed away on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. He was 90. He was a loving husband, devoted father, and loyal,trusted son, brother, and friend. He was altruistic until the very end, to anyone, no matterifthey were family, afriend, or astranger. Ronald was preceded in death by his first wife of 34 years, RathnaindriPaul Berenger; his parents, Dodwell and Patricia Berenger; his elder sister and her husband, Maureen and Carlyle Young; and his youngerbrother, Malcolm Berenger. He is survived by his wife of seven years, Maline Levy Berenger; histwo daughters, Leisha Sonali and Nadine Romani Berenger; his two grandchildren, Ronald Leon Gaudin, III and Ariana Sonali Gaudin; his sister, Rosemary Forsyth (Peter); his two brothers, Trevor Berenger and Patrick Berenger (Virginia); and his sisters-in-law, Sheila Berenger and Dawn Berenger. Ronald was bornin Colombo, Sri Lanka on March 1,1934. He went to St. Joseph'sCollege in Colombo whereheplayed cricket, field hockey,and played1st and 2nd violin for the Colombo Orchestra. He receivedhis Bachelorof Science degreefrom the London School of Economics while studying at Aquinas University College in Colombo and studied with the London Institute of Shipping. He first workedinColombo in shipping at Delmege Forsyth &Co., thenwhen he was in New Orleans, he was the Vice President of Forest Lines, then he was appointed Senior Vice President of Gulfand Eastern Steamshipand Chartering Corporation

he was in New Orleans, he was the Vice President of Forest Lines, then he was appointed SeniorVice President of Gulf and Eastern Steamship and Chartering Corporation and then became amarketing representativeand consultant for RickmersLinie and then Ben Line Agencies.

Ronald was amember of St.Augustine's Episcopal Church in Metairie, theNational WWIIMuseum, and the Louisiana Bridge Association. He enjoyed playing bridge, tennis, racquetball, and golf. He achieved therank of Gold Life Master withthe American Contract Bridge League. He was an avid fan of American football, aloyal fan of the NewOrleans Saints team, he was fascinated by WWIIhistory and skilled in geography and writing, and loved James Bond films and classic films, especially ones about WWII. He was immensely passionateabout opera and classical music and frequently attended productions staged bythe New Orleans Opera Association. He also loved going on road trips and traveling the world with his family to see his relatives in Sri Lankaand Australia.

The family would like to extend their gratitudeto the staff of East Jefferson General Hospital fortheir care and compassion.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service in the chapel of Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. in New Orleans, on Saturday, March 1,2025 at 1:00PM. A visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning at 11:00AM. In lieuofflowers, please consider adonation in Ronald's memory to the Louisiana Bridge Association, www.labridge.com, the National WWIIMuseum, www.natio nalww2museum.org,orthe New Orleans Opera Association, www.neworle ansopera.org. To view and sign the online guest book, please visit www.lakelawnmetairie.c om

Brocks, Nathan 'Mop Top'

Terry (Jeanne) Brocks, Myr‐tle (Williams) BrocksParker Retired Master Sgt Clarence (Cynthia) Brocks, Joann Brocks Carroll Brocks, Carmen (the late Walter) Brocks-Foley and Charles (Yolanda) Williamson. He was the nephew of Rose Mary (Vernon) Payne-Rapp and Author Payne He was the greatnephew of Bernetta Young He was baptized at an early age at Zion Travelers Baptist Church in the muddy Mississippi River by Rev Emmett Summer Nathan graduated from Phoenix High School in 1971 and was drafted into the United States Marine Corps in 1971. He served in Vietnam and was honor‐ably discharged due to in‐juries sustained during his service. He received the Purple Heart He worked at the Pointe-la-Hache Water Department, Veterans Hos‐pital Lab, and Gaylord’s De‐partment Store He Orga‐nized the first baseball and softball team in Phoenix, Louisiana for boys and girls He was a past mem‐ber of the Fishermen and Concerned Citizens and was also a self-employed landscaper and handyman His many talents included nursing studies concrete work, gutter installation, and even attempting to build his own two-story home. Nathan was known for his infectious laughter and vibrant personality He brought joy to every gath‐ering. Everyone loved him and he never met a stranger. Nathan lived in New Orleans, Louisiana for many years before moving to Indianapolis, Indiana where he spent over two decades under the care of his devoted sister, Myrtle Brocks, affectionately known as “Momma Myrt” He formed countless friendships in Indianapolis that he cherished deeply Nathan was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, siblings: Oc‐tavia (Winston) BrocksThomas and Willie (Cyn‐thia) Brocks Jr., his niece April and nephew Sidney Routine” Bentley III. He leaves to cherish his mem‐ories his loving and de‐voted daughter, son-in-law, son grandchildren greatgrandchildren, and sib‐lings His Aunt Rose Mary (Vernon) Payne Rapp, Uncle Author Payne, and Great-Aunt Bernetta Young His best friend James Tay‐lor and a host of nieces nephews, cousins, and many cherished friends from Indianapolis Club Tri‐angle. Family and friends are invited to a visitation at St John Baptist Church 136 St John Ln., Phoenix, Louisiana on February 27 2025, at 9:00 a.m Followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m Burial will occur at Slidell Veterans Cemetery on March 5th at 12:30 p.m Arrangements by D.W Rhodes Funeral Home Please visit www rhodesf uneral com to sign the on‐line guestbook

Davis and Sharmaine

Williams Relatives and friends of the family are in‐vited to attend the Cele‐bration of Life Service on Friday, February 28, 2025, at Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, 2120 Jackson Avenue New Orleans LA 70113 at 11:30 a.m Visita‐tion from 10:30 a.m until 11:30 a.m Interment St Patrick #1 Cemetery, 5000 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70119. You may sign the guest book on http://www gertrudegeddeswillis com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, Inc in charge (504) 522-2525.

Crawford, Dianna

Dianna Crawford en‐tered into eternal life on Friday February 21, 2025 at the age of 76. She is pre‐ceded in death by her hus‐band, Leroy Crawford, Sr and her parents, Charles and Victoria Dominick Phillips. She leaves to mourn her passing, two sons, Wayne and Leroy Crawford, Jr., four siblings, Bettie P Antonio (Wayne), Tyronne & Keaton Phillips (Kathy), and Tracy P. Bur‐ton (Frank) She is pre‐ceded further in death by five siblings Charles Thomas, and Melvin Phillips, Jacqueline Farria and Candace Honore and a host of nieces and nephews Family and friends, and parishioners of St Raymond / St. Leo Catholic Church and sur‐rounding neighbors are in‐vited to attend the service on Saturday March 1, 2025 at 10 a.m. at St Raymond / St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 2916 Paris Avenue, New Orleans, La. 70119 Visitation from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m Interment: Mt. Olivet Cemetery 4000 Norman Mayer Avenue, New Or‐leans La 70122. Rev Stan‐ley K Ihuoma, SSJ, officiat‐ing Arrangements by D W Rhodes Funeral Home Please visit www rhodesf uneral com to sign the on‐line guestbook

in-law of Gloria Iles (the late James), Shirley Snow‐den (Sylvester), Bertha Brazier (Lewis), Patsy Gib‐son, Jeanette Davis Car‐olyn Jones, Juila King (Tony) and the late Richard, Sr., and Sam Deal, Jr. Daughter-in-law of the late Voila and Sam Deal, Sr She was the grandmother of Theametria,

Nathan “Mop Top” Brocks passed away peacefully on February 15, 2025, at the age of 76 in Slidell, Louisiana, at the residence of his loving daughter Terry Isidore, to be with his Heavenly Fa‐ther.He was surrounded by his devoted son-in-law, Grid Sr grandson Grid Jr. granddaughter Terrion Isidore and great-grand‐son Jakyi Simons Nathan was born on March 25, 1949 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised in Phoenix Louisiana He was the son of the late Willie “Routine” Sr. and Irene Payne-Brocks He was the grandson of the late Harry and Hannah Payne-Brocks and the late Nathan and Martha Richardson-Brocks. The Godson of the late Alvie Henry and Shirley Mae Johnson. He was the father of Terry (Grid Sr.) Isidore and Trenille “Albert” (Mick‐erria) Bentley. The hus‐band of the late Mary Brocks. He was the grand‐father of six grandchildren: Grid Jr and Terrion Isidore Tre’Anjalique, Allegra, Isa‐iah and MicKyren Bentley He was the great-grandfa‐ther of six but had a spe‐cial relationship with his great-grandson Jakyi Si‐mons. He was the brother of Audrey (Sidney) Bentley, Terry (Jeanne) Brocks Myr‐tle (Williams) BrocksParker, Retired Master Sgt Clarence (Cynthia) Brocks, Joann Brocks Carroll Br ks Ca (the late and lliew n) hor eatng an ers the by mer. rom in to the United States Marine Corps in 1971. He served in Vietnam and was honor‐ably discharged due to in‐juries sustained during his service He received the Purple Heart. He worked at the Pointe-la-Hache Water Department, Veterans Hos‐pital Lab and Gaylord’s De‐partment Store. He Orga‐nized the first baseball and softball team in Phoenix, Louisiana for boys and ‐

Jahsir Isiah Brumfield, age 6 months, was born on August 4 2024, in New Or‐leans, LA He departed this life on Wednesday, Febru‐ary 5, 2025. Jahsir was the loving son of Quinnira Brumfield and Michael Davis Beloved brother of Jahseh Brumfield and Ja‐mari Brumfield. Grandson of Qwanta Pellerin, Marcus Brumfield, Tammy Brum‐field, Michael Davis and Zakiya Perry Great-grand‐son of Janice Pellerin and Dennis Pellerin Greatgreat-grandson of Herman Williams Nephew of Qwanzireyah Brumfield Qworyiana Pamp, Qwansarh Thomas Qwantrella Pellerin, Quinyaddo Williams, Zyron Davis and Sharmaine Williams Relatives and friends of the family are in‐vited to attend the Cele‐bration of Life Service on Friday, February 28, 2025, at Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, 2120 Jackson Avenue New Orleans LA 70113 at 11:30 a.m Visita‐tion from 10:30 a.m until 11:30 a.m Interment St Patrick #1 Cemetery, 5000 Canal Street New Orleans LA 70119. You may sign the guest book on http://www gertrudegeddeswillis.com Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, Inc. in charge (504) 522-2525.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life John 3:16. Elsie Marie Taylor Deal (known as GeGe and T-Gee) transcended to her heavenly home on Satur‐day, February 15, 2025, at the age of 76. She was born on October 24, 1948, to the late Leo A. Taylor Sr and Elsie M Prout Taylor Nel‐son Also daughter of the late Reverend Isreal G. Nel‐son She was a native of Boothville, LA. And a resi‐dent of Amite, LA Elsie Marie Taylor was united in holy matrimony to the late Clinton Lee Deal Sr on Au‐gust 19, 1967. To this union 4 children were born Shantel Gardner (the late Avery Sr.) Donna Smoth‐ers Jones (Paul), Donnie M Deal (the late Conchita) Clinton L. Deal, Jr. (Tiffa‐nia). Elsie was the sister of Beverly Williams (Prosper Sr.), Leo A Taylor, Jr (Myra), Angela Baksh (Mo‐hammed) and Deanna Smith She was the sisterin-law of Gloria Iles (the late James) Shirley Snow‐den (Sylvester), Bertha Brazier (Lewis), Patsy Gib‐son, Jeanette Davis, Car‐olyn Jones, Juila King (Tony) and the late Rich Jr late She of T Sm Jr Dae Raga Camh and Grea Jayc Gard Deal Raga lene of F and Jone ern othe wa late Olive Baptist Church of Boothville LA She was a member of Zion Hill Christ‐ian Church of Boothville

an active choir member and missionary until her illness. Elsie was the owner of House of Beauty where she was a beautician. She also was a bus driver for Plaquemines Parish and Tangipahoa Parish School Board Elsie was a truly a woman of God Her favorite scripture was John 3:16

Gardner, Camorr Deal, one son-in-law, one daugh‐ter-in-law, 2 brothers-inlaw and 2 sisters-in-law Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the celebration of life ser‐vice on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at Mount Canaan Missionary Baptist Church located at 15650 LA-10 Roseland, Louisiana, 70456 The visitation will begin at 10 a.m., and the service will begin at 12 noon Pas‐tor John Smith officiating and interment will follow at Mount Canaan Mission‐ary Baptist

208 - 2119. For online con‐dolences please visit www robinsonfamilyfunerahom e com

Deal, Elsie Marie Taylor

Brumfield, Jahsir Isiah

Fontenelle, Ruth Dorsa

1, 1931 New Or LA to Theodore and Helen Dorsa and was raised there, where she attended grade school and gradu‐ated from Sacred Heart Canal High School She went on to attend South‐eastern Louisiana Univer‐sity and graduated in 1953 She married Roy Fontenelle and they had seven chil‐dren. Ruth was an active member of St Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church in River Ridge LA for over fifty years and was a beloved elementary school teacher there After retir‐ing, she travelled to many countries overseas with her friends and spent time vacationing with her chil‐dren in the US. Her proud‐est achievement and greatest joy was her fam‐ily She demonstrated a tremendous capacity for love and forgiveness with her family and friends and inspired all who knew her with her unwavering faith and gracious spirit. Ruth was predeceased by her parents, three brothers, Theodore, Lawrence and Robert Dorsa, her son, Wayne Fontenelle and her daughter, Gail Glesener She is survived by her sons, Gary Fontenelle (Suzy), Steve Fontenelle Charlie Fontenelle (Brid‐get), John Fontenelle (Ce‐leste), daughter Rene Brockhoeft, daughter-inlaw Kate Gundersen, 16 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren A fu‐neral mass celebrating her life will be held at St Matthew the Apostle Catholic Church on Satur‐day, March 1, 2025 at 12:00 pm with visitation to be held there from 10:30 am12:00 pm before the mass Interment will be in Lake Lawn Park Mausoleum Ruth’s family would like to thank Rhonda Manuel for all the love and compas‐sionate care that she pro‐vided her over the last five years of her life In lieu of flowers, those desiring may make a memorial do‐nation to the American Heart Association Fond memories and condo‐lences may be shared at www leitzeaganfuneralho me.com

JoAnn

With much sadness, the family of JoAnn (Jodie) Fleming Harris announces their mother’s passing on February 19, 2025, after a short illness. She lived a full life of 92 years. Jodie was born on June 23, 1932 in Roswell, New Mexico, the oldest of eight chil‐dren. She married Richard Harris her husband of 62 years, after a chance en‐counter in a cantina in Juarez, Mexico They began their marriage in El Paso, Texas, where they started their family From there they moved to Metairie, Louisiana, until their retirement. Jodie s greatest joy was spending time with her children grandchildren, and eventu‐ally great-grandchildren She was affectionately known as YaYa to them and to others who knew her and loved her like a mother. Jodie was a loving hard-working, and gener‐ous woman with a self-ef‐facing sense of humor Her big heart led her to many volunteer opportunities in her life. Night classes af‐forded Jodie the time to at‐tend Tulane University earning a Degree in Bache‐lor of Business Studies, the field in which she spent her career Not only was she a Tulane graduate and fan, but was elected presi‐dent of the Tulane Alumni Association, one of her first forays into volun‐teerism. She was a lifelong member of First Chris‐tian Church of Greater New Orleans, where she gave her time as the head of the Hospitality Committee and was a member of the Women’s Circle An avid reader, Jodie could often be found on her sunroom sofa with her cat nearby and a book in hand She also loved writing and joined a writing group that would support her en‐deavor to pen a novel In‐spired by the many mys‐teries she’d read, she wrote and had published her own local mystery Body at the Bonfire, it was not surprising that she found much joy and satis‐faction as a VITA -Volun‐teer Instructor Teaching Adults to read. Another special organization for which Jodie volunteered was The Ulster Project New Orleans. She and Dick hosted exchange students from Ireland, helping them to develop leadership skills and interact peacefully with teens in Northern Ire‐land and America. Jodie loved traveling with her ‐

was ster Pro New Orleans She and Dick hosted exchange students from Ireland, helping them to develop leadership skills and interact peacefully with teens in Northern Ire‐land and America Jodie loved traveling with her husband whenever possi‐ble, not only to spend time with their children, grand‐children and friends, but to explore the world. They visited countries in four continents across the globe Jodie is preceded in death by her beloved hus‐band Dick Harris; her par‐ents, Martin Van Buren Fleming and Margaret Lair Fleming; and brothers William Fleming and Jack Fleming. She is survived by family who will greatly miss her, her children, Steve Harris (Patsy) Keith Harris (Anne), Rick Harris (Charo) Wendy Hymel (Jef‐frey), Toni Jennings; her eleven grandchildren, her nine great-grandchildren, and her siblings Sue Scott, Carol Fleming, Patricia Fleming (Hack), Mary Fleming, and Jeri Ruth Fleming Lawrence (John) Please join us for Memorial Services at noon, Saturday, March 1 at the Ministerio Nuevo Jerusalem Church (new Jerusalem) formerly known as First Christian Church of Greater New Or‐leans 8121 Airline Drive Metairie.

Johnson, Sandra C. 'Mamoo'

Sandra "Mamoo" C Johnson, of Harvey Louisiana, passed away on Sunday, February 16, 2025 at the age of 81. She was born on May 29, 1943, in Harvey, Louisiana, to the late Josephine Taylor Cole‐man and Felton Chase Sr Sandra was a proud gradu‐ate of Southern University A&M College in Baton Rouge Louisiana, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Educa‐tion in 1964. After complet‐ing her degree, she re‐turned to her hometown of Harvey Louisiana, where she married the late Percy Johnson Sr Sandra's life was devoted to service both as a loving mother and a committed educator She taught for over 34 years in the Jefferson Parish School System, be‐ginning her career at Elm Grove Elementary School and retiring from Helen Cox Junior High School In addition to her career as a teacher, Sandra worked for over 20 years as a Juvenile Counselor at Rivarde Juve‐nile Detention Home, dedi‐cating her time to guiding and mentoring youth San‐dra was preceded in death by her mother, Josephine Taylor Coleman; father Fel‐ton Chase Sr.; brothers, Adam Coleman Lawrence Coleman, and Felton Chase Jr.; and sister, Marguerite Stiles Brown. She is sur‐vived by her brother, Ellis Coleman; sisters, Debra Eve Chase, Paulette Denis Chase Jones and Cathy Toni Chase; children, Percy Johnson Jr Craig D. John‐son, Kara D Johnson, and Patrice D Johnson; grand‐children, Madison Johnson, Jasmine Harris, Deja SmithRobins, Durand Harris and James Smith; as well as a host of nieces, nephews and other cherished family and friends Family friends, and former col‐leagues are invited to cele‐brate her life and legacy at a funeral service on Satur‐day, March 1, 2025, at Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church located at 817 Grefer Ave., Harvey, Louisiana Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m., followed by the funeral service at 10:00 a.m Interment will take place at Evening Star Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery #2, located at 1017 Grefer Ave., Harvey, Louisiana A repast will fol‐low at Mount Pilgrim MultiPurpose Family Center, 1006 Pailet Ave Harvey Louisiana Arrangements have been entrusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home, 9611 Highway 23 Belle Chasse, Louisiana 70037. For online condo‐lences please visit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Nasonta Myokka Jones age 41, passed away on Sunday, February 16, 2025 in Meridian, Mississippi She was born in Los Ange‐les, California on January 22, 1984, to Sandra Ann Jones and Michael Grant Nasonta grew up in New Orleans with her mother and three siblings. She was baptized at Greater Asia Baptist Church at an early age She attended Williams O Rogers Elementary School Charles E. Gayarre Elementary School, Charles J Colton Junior High School, and Francis T Nicholls Senior High School Nasonta was a lover of life and cherished time spent with her daugh‐ters, Sonique, Kimmonie and Lawren, and her life companion, Corey Johnson She enjoyed everything life had to offer and lived her life unapologetically and carefree. Left to cherish memories that would last forever are her mother, Sandra Jones-Williams; three daughters, Sonique and Kimmonie Jones and Lawren Harris; one grand‐son, Demetrius Jones; her partner in love and life Corey Johnson; two sisters, Nashua Jones-Harris and Nahlisha “Nippie” Smith; brother Kikyator “Phal Jones; nephew, Grant Jones; six nieces Darrin‐isha Jones, Diamonique Paige Alexis Bouie, Dar‐rinika Harris, Daria Jones Kiyah Jones and Peri Clark Smith; great-nephew Damir Cooley; her ex‐tended family the Johnson family and a host of aunts, uncles cousins and friends Nasonta was pre‐ceded in death by her grandparents, Sam and Mittie Jones, bonus father, Harry Denney, grand‐daughter, Son’jai Unique Jones nephew Brian Patrick Smith and brother, Nathaniel Kent Jones. Rela‐tives and friends of the family are invited to attend a Funeral Service at Greater Old Zion Baptist Church, 655 N. Rocheblave St. New Orleans LA 70119 on Saturday, March 1, 2025 at 10:00 am. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am. Inter‐ment: St. Bernard Memor‐ial Arrangement by D. W Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave. Please visit www rhodesfuneral com to sign the online guestbook

John William Masters Sr entered eternal rest on Sunday, February 23, 2025

He was born on November 1, 1932 to the late Joseph Al Masters and Edna Reuther Masters. John was pre‐ceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Sandra David Masters; his brothers Roland and Robert Mas‐ters; and his sister-in-law Sandy Masters. John served in the United States Army during the Korean War and was a member of the 56th AAA Defense Sys‐tem He was a lifelong resi‐dent of St Tammany and was a resident of Lewis‐burg for over 60 years. He was a Construction Super‐intendent for Becker and Associates, New Orleans Prestress Concrete Com‐pany for many years until his retirement in 1985. He loved dancing and the out‐door life, where he worked, fished and shrimped with hi

Prestress Concrete Com‐pany for many years until his retirement in 1985. He loved dancing and the out‐door life, where he worked fished and shrimped with his beloved wife Sandra He enjoyed throwing many parties, crawfish boils and fish frys with friends and family at his family fishing camp in Hopedale and also enjoyed spending time with family and friends at the Roving Bucks hunting camp in Mississippi He is survived by his daughter, Samantha Moley (Ronald) and his son, John W. Mas‐ters, Jr. (Ladette), his lov‐ing grandchildren, Dante and Sabrina Moley and Karlie Masters, step-grand‐daughter, Kelsie Gassen, his brother Richard Mas‐ters and his sister, Helen Stevens and many nieces and nephews Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Funeral Service on Thurs‐day, February 27, 2025 at 11:00 am from E J. Fielding Funeral Home, 2260 West 21st Avenue, Covington, LA and the visitation will begin at 9:00 am until ser‐vice time Interment will follow in Garden of Pines Mausoleum in Covington LA. E.J Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements Please sign the guestbook at www ejfieldingfh.com

Shirley Marie Payton en‐tered into eternal rest on Friday February 21, 2025 Daughter of Carry Batiste Payton and the late Elvia Edward Payton Jr.; Sister of Elvia III, Johnell, Germaine and Anthony Payton; Granddaughter of the late Elvia Sr. and Martha Ann Payton, Ethel George and Joseph Batiste; also sur‐vived by a cousin, Era‐niesha Payton, her care‐giver, a host of aunts, un‐cles, nieces, nephews, cousins extended family church family and friends Preceded in death by two uncles, Andrew Payton Sr and Vernell Payton Sr Rel‐atives and friends of the family also pastors, offi‐cers and members of New Orleans Bible Fellowship Baptist Church and Mount Salem Baptist Church; also employees of Xavier Uni‐versity, Payton Hodges Law Firm and Studio 7 Tax Service LLC are invited to attend the Funeral Service on Friday, February 28, 2025 beginning 10:00 a.m at New Orleans Bible Fellow‐ship Baptist Church 4430 Bundy Road, Pastor Leonard M Parker Jr. offi‐ciating Church visitation from 9:00 a.m until the hour of service. Interment Providence Park Cemetery Rev David M. Patin Sr. and Gwiena Magee Patin, Fu‐neral Directors Profes‐sional Service Entrusted to: Littlejohn Funeral Home, 2163 Aubry Street, New Orleans, La. 70119, Cal K Johnson, Funeral Direc‐tor/Manager, Info: (504) 940-0045.

Dr. Leo David Prevost, Jr., was born in New Orleans on April 9, 1954, but resided most of his adult life in Fayetteville, NC. He was accepted into the arms of our Lord God on January 30, 2025, at the age of 70 after succumbing to cancer. He was preceded in deathbyparentsLeo Prevost Sr. and Shirley Taylor Prevost;beloved wife, Priscilla Oates Prevost;a brother, Alan Prevost;and two sisters Gail es and Brian Dennis

ed in death by parents Leo Prevost Sr. and Shirley Taylor Prevost; beloved wife, Priscilla Oates Prevost; abrother, Alan Prevost; and two sisters Elaine Prevost and Gail Prevost Thomas. He leaves behind sister Collette, and brothers; Brian (Cassandra), Dennis (Sabrina), Keith, and Calvin (Brenda). He also leaves behind other extended family andfriends. Dr. Prevost was agraduate of St. Augustine High School, obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Xavier University, and aDoctor of Medicine degree from Meharry Medical College. He spent his early education years at St. Philip the Apostle School. He served in the army for a number of years before being honorably discharged and then, for many years, he worked as acivilian doctor at theWomack Army Medical Center (formerly known as Fort Bragg). He was aphysician with an excellent bedside manner. He strongly believed in delivering quality care to his patients with sincere empathyand concern.

Leo was aquiet, softspoken, spiritual man who believed deeply in God and Family. He was akind, considerate, and very generous person whooften did for others before himself. He expressed love andaffection by doingfor others while asking nothinginreturn. As ayouth, he was good at basketball and playing thesaxophone. Leo, the eldest child in the family, was agood role model, mentor, and protector. He lived arather simple lifestyle after his wife passed butenjoyed socializing with immediate and extended family.

While Leo will be greatly missed, his family takes comfort in knowinghehas reunited with his beloved wife, honored parents, and three siblings. May God bless Dr. Prevost andmay his soul rest in eternal peace.

Aprivate celebration of life social will be held for immediate andextended family on March1,2025, from Noon to 3pmatThe Leopard Bar, 3036 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117. We will gather to share stories, laughter, and memories of Leo's charitable life of giving and doing for others. Casual attire is encouraged.

Russ Jr., Jimmie

Jimmie Russ, Jr. entered eternal rest at his resi‐dence on Monday February 10, 2025, at the age of 92 He was a native of Woodville, MS and resident of Avondale, LA. Jimmie at‐tended Finch High in Cen‐treville, MS and he was a retired longshoreman Beloved father of Cordelia Elvira Russ, Caroline Russ Emma Jean Russ, Jimmie Russ, III, and the late Shirley Matthews. Son of the late Jimmie Russ, Sr and Elvira Russ. Brother of Jessie Jones, Henry Russ, and the late Thomas Joshua Russ, Ike Russ, Eliz‐abeth Russ, Johnnie Russ Viola Jefferson, and Martha Riley, also survived by 10 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends Relatives and friends of the family, also pastors, officers, and members of Second St John Baptist Church Mt Pleasant Baptist Church and all neighboring churches are invited to at‐tend the Celebration of Life at Second St John Baptist Church, 242 Avondale Gar‐den Rd. Avondale, LA on Friday, February 28, 2025, at 10:00 a.m Pastor Damien Brown officiating Visita‐tion will begin at 8:30 a.m at the above-named church Interment: Rest‐lawn Park Cemetery-Avon‐dale LA Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St Gretna LA

Vega SSF, Sister Mary Tekakwitha

Sister Mary Tekakwitha Vega, SSF (nee Teresita Lelia Vega), the daughter of Mr Gregorio Vega and Mrs Margarita Vega, en‐tered eternal life on Wednesday, February 19, 2025. She was born on Au‐gust 5, 1928, in Belize City, Belize Central America She was 96 years old. Sis‐ter entered the Congrega‐tion of the Sisters of the Holy Family on March 4, 1945, made her First Vows on September 8, 1947, and Perpetual Vows on August 16, 1952. Sister Tekakwitha had spent almost 80 years as a Sister of the Holy Fam‐ily In her initial entrance to the ministry in education, Sister Tekakwitha taught at All Saints Elementary School in New Orleans from 1949 – 1951 and St Nicholas in Houston, Texas from 1952-1958. From there Sister Tekakwitha studied at Mary Mount College in Salinas, Kansas,1958-1961, earning a BA in elementary and high school education Upon the completion of her studies, Sister was as‐signed to Regina Caeli High School in Compton, Califor‐nia For the next 12 years, 1962-1974, sister taught young ladies, earned a life Specialization in Sec‐ondary Teaching in Span‐ish and History, etc from the state of California, was local leader and rose to the Vice Principal position With her election to Vicar General of the Congrega‐tion of the Sisters of the Holy Family in 1974, Sister Tekakwitha returned to New Orleans. She served as Superior General (Con‐gregational Leader) from 1978-1986. In her tenure, the project for St John Berchmans Manor, a HUD project for the elderly and disabled residents was un‐dertaken At the end of her second term in office the Delille Inn, a smaller hous‐ing unit, was on the draw‐ing board with good prospects for completion When Delille Inn was com‐pleted in 1987, Sister Tekakwitha took the helm and served as Administra‐tor for the next 25 years From 2011- 2022, Sister Tekakwitha was consultant for Delille Inn and St. John Berchmans Manor. In addi‐tion, Sister Tekakwitha joined the Prayer Ministry Group at the motherhouse until she moved to Lafon Nursing Facility almost two years ago where she con‐tinued her ministry until Wednesday, February 19, 2025. Sister Tekakwitha was preceded in death by her parents, three broth‐ers: Miguel, Ignacio, Rutilio and two sisters: Angelita Vega and Melva Vega She is survived by one sister: Ms. Carmelita Vega Sister is also survived by her nieces, nephews, cousins, beloved students, friends, and Sisters of the Holy Family Rest in peace, Sis‐ter Tek as we lovingly called her. Mass of Christ‐ian Burial will be held on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at the Chapel of the Sisters of the Holy Family on 6901 Chef Menteur Hwy., NOLA 70126. Visita‐tion begins at 8:00 a.m Wake services begin at 9:15 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m Interment at St. Louis Cemetery # 2 Arrange‐ments entrusted to Majes‐tic Mortuary 504-523-5872.

Jones, Nasonta Myokka

Payton, Shirley Marie

Harris,

Fleming 'Jodie'

Masters Sr., John William

Prevost Jr., Dr. Leo D.

OUR VIEWS

Cuts to federal workforce disturbingly careless

We were not amused when the cost-cutting agency created by President Donald Trump took the acronym DOGE inspired by a silly internet meme. We weren’t laughing when billionaire Elon Musk described what he and his Department of Government Efficiency are doing as feeding agencies “into the wood chipper.” And we are certainly not yukking it up now that we are beginning to see the effects of those federal cuts on Louisiana jobs and workers. There is broad agreement that government spending needs to be reined in. Taxpayers expect and have voted for greater scrutiny over the federal budget. But that’s not what’s happening here. Let’s be clear: What Musk and DOGE are doing is nothing less than a wholesale dismantling of all that our tax dollars have built over decades. And they are doing so indiscriminately — and arguably without constitutional authority In Louisiana, which has around 19,000 civilian federal workers, that has translated into firings of workers in our forests, in our fields and in our cities. So far, we have heard of layoffs from employees at the National Finance Center in New Orleans; the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans; the Southwest Louisiana Wildlife Refuge; the Kisatchie National Forest; and the New Orleans federal immigration court.

The sheer mindlessness of some of these cuts is evident when you hear from the employees themselves. One interviewed by this newspaper said that she was an auditor whose job it is to root out waste, fraud and abuse. Another said her job was funded by fees and fines paid by the oil and gas industry, not the federal purse Yet another let go was a military veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, whose boss wrote a letter begging for him to be rehired. In a state that boasts a House speaker and majority leader, you might think our representatives in Congress could shield us from the worst of this insanity You would be wrong. They have been strangely silent amid a deepening crisis. We call on them to do what we sent them to Washington to do. Congress holds the power of the purse and any time now could stop this madness.

We believe that cost-cutting can happen without this outrageous assault on our institutions. In fact, we have seen it happen before Under President Ronald Reagan in the ‘80s and then again in the ‘90s, with Louisiana Rep Bob Livingston leading the charge, the size and scope of the federal government was reduced dramatically but in legal and constitutional ways. But perhaps the cruelty of these chaotic cuts is the point. Government workers have become everyone’s favorite punching bag However, we know that many perform vital functions that keep our society running smoothly Their jobs and their lives are not a joke. Except to DOGE.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

Trump’s plan is to keep citizens on edge, exhausted

President Donald Trump is pushing forth with an agenda to create fear and chaos, to divide the people of this country regardless of whether his agenda is constitutional or legal. He hopes that as we scurry to sort out those constitutional and legal problems, we will be grateful for any scrap we recover It is time to remember the words of Martin Niemoller, a German pastor speaking of the Nazi takeover, and how silence is complicity:

“First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because

I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.”

It is time for all of us to speak up and to urge our representatives, both state and national, to slow down all the president’s changes unless we can be assured beforehand that they are both constitutional and legal. Each of us deserves more than the mere scraps the president is willing to leave us.

DWIGHT DOSKEY Covington

Rampant anti-Christian bias is a myth

A task force to root out “anti-Christian bias?” That’s a reasonable way to spend taxpayer dollars and cut excess government staff under the new regime? I am repeatedly stunned by the conservative right, which espouses less government interference, yet continually tries to force its beliefs onto everyone else’s life.

I don’t care if or how my neighbors pray or worship as long as it doesn’t impinge on my life, my beliefs or lack thereof.

Federal agencies don’t discriminate against Christians; they protect the access/rights of all, including nonChristians you know that freedom of religion thing. Anti-Christian violence?? Might that really be antiBlack, anti-Muslim, anti-Semite, antigay, anti-Wiccan, etc.? For believers, God is always with them; they shouldn’t need god to be brought back; others should not be forced to have someone else’s god

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

I am dismayed by Mike Johnson and the Republican Party allowing Elon Musk to single-handedly shut down USAID without doing a formal audit of this $40 billion agency USAID feeds many of the most distraught infants and children around the world, and in particular, Africa. These same evangelical Christians, who put the Republicans in office, claim in the abortion issue that every life is a “gift from God,” even those conceived violently through rape or incest. Yet they allow a man who could fund this program by himself to kill it. This is a clear betrayal of the Christian principles. Personally, I can’t think of a worse way to die than from starvation.

GREG TENHUNDFELD Baton Rouge

brought into their lives. I think that’s what happens in the Middle East. Nonbelievers and non-Christians should be free also to “exercise their faith without government intrusion in school, in the military, in the workplace and in the public square,” to quote a recent guest column by Kelly Shackelford. I wonder how it feels to ultra-conservatives to see his words used for the benefit of everyone? Methinks ’twas not his intention. Religious liberty should mean homes, churches and churchbased schools can do all the indoctrinating they want; but public schools, public events and the public domain should be off limits to their control, influence or prejudice.

If the president meant what he said, that religious liberty is part of the bedrock of American life, and calls for protecting it, let’s see if he meant everybody’s liberty

ROSANNA MARINO Baton Rouge

Trump’s immigration policies beginning to work

I am thrilled to see the policies of President Donald Trump starting to take hold. Trump has a mandate to rid the United States of those who entered the country illegally As many as possible should be deported, and if they choose to follow the rule of law and gain entry into the

country legally, congratulations to them. Welcome to our country They should have never been allowed to come here in the first place. Shame on the Democrat Party and progressive liberals for giving them false hope.

BRYAN HALE Metairie

The cartoon depicting Elon Musk making a Nazi salute to a veteran is entirely accurate. To call it anything else is being willfully ignorant or is a limp-wristed attempt to hide personal Nazi sympathies. Even if I wanted to be generous and say that it was not an intentional salute, his attitude and actions afterward showed no remorse Did he say, “I denounce Nazi ideology, and I apologize to anyone that may have been confused?” No, he went on X and made jokes about it. Serious accusations such as being a Nazi should be responded to seriously not with flippancy and joke tweets. This shows that he doesn’t care if it is or isn’t a Nazi salute He’s happy to have the support from anyone, even the Nazis that are in our country right now who were in hiding but are now emboldened by his display

They retweeted their support of his salute. And others have started marching and flying their flags openly We’ve seen it in Texas. And they got chased off of a bridge in Ohio

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and sieg heils, it’s a Nazi.

La. should stand with Ukraine

Eleven years to the day after Russian forces moved to steal Crimea from Ukraine, three years to the week after Russia began its murderous attempt to conquer Ukraine entirely, it behooves Louisiana’s House and Senate delegations to stand with Ukraine despite executive branch lies about who started the war Solidarity with Ukraine is not only the right thing to do, but also the one most likely to keep service members from Louisiana’s Barksdale Air Force Base from being forced into combat The key Louisiana players are all Republicans For three years, Sens. John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy consistently have supported Ukraine During those same three years, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and especially Speaker Mike Johnson have ping-ponged back and forth on providing Ukraine with material support The latter three, along with their other Louisiana colleagues, should join Kennedy now in publicly pushing back against the false message from the Trump administration that Ukraine is responsible for starting the war and that Ukraine needs to make major concessions in negotiations with thuggish Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. Let’s set the record straight: Russia has been the aggressor all along at times verging on genocidally so. And in 1994, the United States signed an agreement providing “security assurances” for Ukraine’s territorial borders in exchange for Ukraine relinquishing large stores of nuclear weapons with which it otherwise could defend itself. That obligation, especially against Russia’s perfidy, is important.

pressure to try making Ukraine a puppet, but repeatedly was rebuffed by Ukraine’s voters. On Feb. 27, 2014, after Ukraine’s Russian-puppet president, Viktor Yanukovych, defied the overwhelming majority of his nation’s elected parliament and used deadly force against peaceful protests before absconding in fear and shame, Russia took advantage of the unrest to send tanks into Ukrainian Crimea. The Russian seizure of Ukrainian territory was utterly unprovoked

For the next eight years, Ukraine did nothing to Russia but merely asked to be left alone while building peaceful trade agreements with Western Europe. The Kremlindirected attack on Feb. 24, 2022, however was an attempt to obliterate Ukraine as a separate nation. Russia deliberately bombed hospitals, tortured civilians, used rape as a method of subjugation and abducted many thousands of Ukrainian children.

In fighting off Russia for three years against all odds, Ukraine has tremendously degraded Russia’s economy and its military strength, hobbled its offensive Black Sea fleet and made clear to Russia that territorial adventurism carries a terrible cost to Russia’s own lives and fortune. It also has forced Europe to rely less on Russian oil supplies, thus diminishing Russia’s ability to use economic blackmail against the free West.

would embolden Putin in his stated aims of retaking Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia and perhaps attacking our magnificent Polish allies.

Those who think Europe’s security doesn’t matter to us do not appreciate the importance of European stability for American commerce — or for the U.S.’ ability to protect its citizens and interests throughout the world while countering Chinese, Iranian or jihadist aggressions. And, either way, a Russian attack on a NATO nation (such as those four mentioned above) solemnly obliges the U.S. to use our own arms and personnel to repel it.

That is where the Barksdale air base comes in.

Its airmen in the 2nd Bomb Wing and its status as home to the Air Force Global Strike Command make it so important to potential war-fighting efforts that North Korea identified it as one of its four key U.S. targets for nuclear attack. Its pilots would surely be among the first to fight, and potentially die, if war broke out between Russia and NATO.

How unhinged and irresponsible is Elon Musk?

Ukraine not only lived up to the 1994 bargain, but diligently worked to operate as a pro-Western, representative republic. Russia repeatedly used

MARDI GRAS LOGISTICS

Pulling the rug from under Ukraine, though, would be devastating not just for Ukrainian nationalism and its magnificent cultural legacy — Odesa particularly is known for its historical, artistic and architectural bounty but for U.S. interests as well. People may tire of hearing this, but it’s true: Any sort of de facto defeat of Ukraine

For all those reasons, Kennedy last week spoke out (mildly, but clearly) against Russia. All of his Louisiana colleagues should do likewise. Scalise should reprise his helpful refrain in years past that more than two-thirds of aid for Ukraine actually is spent here in the U.S. North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis, up for reelection in 2026, made a fiery speech last week against the damnable lie that Ukraine is at fault for this war If he can do it, so should Louisiana’s House leadership, all while working to ensure the aid continues — not just for Ukraine’s benefit, but for our own.

Email Quin Hillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com.

Getting to and from parades is an art form around here. It’s anticipated and planned out year after year like a beloved family tradition.The real pros take great pride in knowing how to manage the chaos without a dreaded parking ticket or worse getting TOWED! So, what’s going on in this cartoon? you tell me. Be witty, funny, crazy, absurd or snarky — just try to keep it clean.There’s no limit on the number of entries. The winning punchline will be lettered into the word balloon and run on Monday in our print editions and online. In addition, the winner will receive a signed print of the cartoon along with a cool winner’s T-shirt! Some honorable mentions will also be listed. To enter, email entries to cartooncontest@theadvocate com. DON’T FORGET! All entries must include your name, home address and phone number Cell numbers are

The deadline for all entries is midnight Thursday. Good luck, folks! —Walt

President Donald Trump is moving quickly with his plan to end the war in Ukraine. What, exactly, that plan involves is still not publicly known But given the current status of the conflict, along with what Trump and others have said about it, the short version is that it appears likely Russia will keep some of the territory — roughly 20% of the country — that it seized after invading Ukraine three years ago, Ukraine will reclaim some of the territory it lost, there will be some provisions designed to prevent future conflicts, and the fighting will end.

want to abdicate to be the leader of the free world,” McFaul said. “They didn’t say we want to get in bed with Putin. They didn’t say we wanted to pull out of NATO.”

Many Democrats, along with their activist and media allies, and some Republicans, too, would like to stop Trump. But the president has a broad constitutional authority to conduct foreign affairs. That, of course, hasn’t kept the opposition from trying. A recent podcast gave the public a peek into the opposition’s thinking. The podcast is “Talking Feds,” hosted by Harry Litman, a law professor and senior Justice Department official during the Clinton years. In an episode about Ukraine, Michael McFaul, the Stanford University professor who was U.S. ambassador to Russia for a couple of years during the Obama administration and is a staunch supporter of the Ukrainian war effort, argued that Trump’s plan to end the war, whatever it is, does not represent the will of U.S. voters. “I just want to emphasize that the American people, they voted for the price of eggs, folks, they didn’t say we

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Just for the record, you might remember that during the campaign, candidate Trump often discussed international affairs, including ending the war in Ukraine. He also talked about the U.S. relationship with NATO — remarks that sometimes caused controversy — and he talked about Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Now McFaul said Trump is “overreaching” on a wide range of issues and will pay a political price at home. McFaul is helping the opposition prepare for that. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with Democrats in the Congress over the last couple of weeks, and I think they have not got their act together yet,” he said. “But just last night, with a group out here in California and I won’t name names, but we have some prominent people who have been in leadership positions from time to time out here their feeling is we just got to get the guy [Trump] down to below 45. And once he’s below 45, then all of our feckless Republican friends who are just scared to death of doing anything might start pushing back.”

By getting Trump below 45, McFaul was referring to the president’s job approval rating, which currently stands at 49.3% in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. Some have argued that 49.3% is not particularly high for a president at this point in his term,

which would be true if Trump were in his first term. Since Trump is in his second but nonconsecutive term, it’s hard to compare, but according to Gallup, former President Barack Obama’s approval rating was 49% at this point in his second term. So Trump’s 49% is certainly not unprecedented.

“I kept saying to my European friends and my Ukrainian friends last week, you know, hang in there,” McFaul said. “We just got to get to the midterms and then things will change. I’m not confident predicting that, but I’m trying to achieve that.”

Now, an influential American traveling abroad, speaking with high-ranking foreign officials in an effort to undercut an American president’s positions, is not particularly admirable. But McFaul appears to have concluded that he and his colleagues speak for more American voters than does Trump, who after all was elected on the price of eggs.

Trump’s job now is clear, if not simple to come up with the best possible agreement to end the war Make it stick. Then move on. None of that will be enough to satisfy his domestic political adversaries, who, if Democrats win in 2026, will try to undo Trump’s work, and, if they win the House, might well try (yet again) to remove him from office. Trump has seen all that before. His task in the area of international affairs is to stay focused on trying to restore some of the order in the world that collapsed in the years he was out of office. Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.

So much that even President Donald Trump’s newly confirmed and MAGA-certified Cabinet members are pushing back. Musk’s email blast to 2.3 million federal workers — ordering each to submit by Monday “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week,” with failure to respond constituting the employee’s resignation was nothing but an exercise in contempt. And in many agencies, it was promptly countermanded. Employees at the Defense Department, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, were told to ignore the government-wide email from the Office of Personnel Management, now being run by Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service minions. Workers at the State Department under Secretary Marco Rubio were also told to pay it no mind. So were staffers at the nation’s spy agencies under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard; those at the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi L. Noem; and those at the FBI, which is part of the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi. At some other agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., many workers were told by their supervisors to wait for further guidance. Thus begins the inevitable power struggle at the court of Mad King Donald, between his various ministers of state and his billionaire Lord High Executioner For the past month, with Trump’s nominees making their way through the confirmation process and then learning their way around the agencies they now lead, Musk has run rampant. His approach toward the federal bureaucracy is the same he used when he bought Twitter: smash the place to bits, then rebuild as necessary

As technically a “special government employee” who serves as an adviser to the president, it is unclear in my view doubtful that Musk has the legal authority to do any of what he is doing. But by the time the courts decide that question, much irreparable vandalism will already have been committed.

Musk was clever to begin by seizing key nodes of the bureaucracy — OPM, which is the closest thing to a government-wide human resources department; and the Treasury Department’s payments systems, through which all federal money flows and to use them as chokepoints. He was Machiavellian in choosing a relatively defenseless first victim, the U.S. Agency for International Development, to slay and hang on the wall as a demonstration of his power But now that Cabinet members and agency heads are in place, things are different.

Hegseth, Rubio, Gabbard, Bondi and the rest of Trump’s appointees now have large bureaucracies to run — bureaucracies with important work to do. However fervently they agree with the goal of shrinking the federal government’s headcount, they will be less able to fulfill Trump’s agenda, let alone any goals of their own, if their employees are constantly being bashed and menaced by the erratic Musk. As anyone who has successfully run any organization knows, morale matters. Authority matters, too. Cabinet members have the right to insist that they, not Musk, run their departments. They wouldn’t be where they are if they were eager to challenge Trump’s judgment including his ongoing support of Musk and DOGE — but I doubt any department head could possibly be happy taking orders from a mercurial plutocrat via snarky posts on his social media site X. And anyway, who is supposed to read 2.3 million emails reporting what every federal worker did last week? According to The Post, one U.S. Geological Survey employee defiantly told his supervisors that “anyone who replies is likely to have their responses fed into some AI woodchipper and used for goodness knows what purpose, legal or illegal.”

On Monday Trump said the bullet points email was “great because we have people that don’t show up to work” or that “don’t even exist.” At the same time, however, Trump did not overrule the orders of Cabinet members who told employees to ignore the email. As he now fancies himself a king, Trump may enjoy the sport of combat among his courtiers.

Pressure is mounting, however for Trump to bring Musk’s escapades under control — or to an end. This weekend, Republican members of Congress who held town halls with their constituents got an earful about the impact of Musk’s arbitrary cost-cutting. Capriciously halting USAID foreign aid programs, for example, may be consistent with Trump’s “America First” agenda — but it harms the farmers who provide the food that USAID distributes overseas.

Musk and his DOGE bros act as if they are playing a video game in which federal workers and programs are mere pixels on a screen. Pressure should and will mount for Trump to tell them: “GAME OVER.”

Eugene Robinson is on X, @Eugene_Robinson.

best.

Byron York

Eugene Robinson

Quin Hillyer

Louisiana death row inmate files lawsuit

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Jessie Hoffman, the death row inmate who could be the first man Louisiana puts to death by nitrogen gas, filed a new lawsuit late Tuesday seeking to stop his March 18 execution.

The suit challenges the state’s newest method of execution, nitrogen gas, which state officials have informed Hoffman that they intend to use to kill him The filing marks the latest in a flurry of actions set off this month when Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry announced the state had readied its nitrogen gas execution protocols and planned to resume executions after a 15-year hiatus. Within days, a St. Tammany Parish judge had signed Hoffman’s execution warrant. Hoffman’s attorneys have been fighting the decision in federal court ever since.

Their latest lawsuit, filed in Louisiana’s Middle District Court, says the state has refused to release the execution protocol to Hoffman, depriving him of his rights. It also claims that executing Hoffman via nitrogen gas would violate the Eight Amendment of the U.S Constitution, which forbids cruel and unusual punishment.

Louisiana followed Alabama in endorsing nitrogen hypoxia last year as a method of execution. Alabama has executed four people to date using nitrogen gas. Hoffman’s attorneys point to witness accounts that paint a grim picture of suffering by those inmates in their final minutes.

“Louisiana’s nitrogen gas protocol is completely untested and no court has had a chance to review it,” Cecelia Kappel, an attorney for Hoffman, said in a statement Wednesday “We haven’t even been able to see the full protocol ourselves, with Jessie’s execution set for just three weeks from now.” Hoffman’s legal team also requested a stay of Hoffman’s execution.

The new lawsuit appeared to land with U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick, the district’s chief judge, who last week reopened a long-dormant lawsuit Hoffman

and other death row inmates filed in 2012 over Louisiana’s execution protocols. A federal appeals court panel swiftly stayed the ruling by Dick, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, while it weighs an opposition from Attorney General Liz Murrill.

The panel of appeals court judges is comprised of Catharina Haynes, a nominee of former President George W. Bush; and two nominees of President Donald Trump James Ho and Andrew Oldham.

“I expected the lawyers to eventually file this lawsuit,” Murrill said Wednesday “I have not had a chance to review it so I can’t speak to the allegations, but I will vigorously oppose any attempts to delay carrying out justice under our law.”

Murrill’s team also questioned Hoffman’s tactics in federal court.

They sent a letter Wednesday to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals saying that in light of Hoffman’s new suit being filed, the appeals court should order Dick to vacate her ruling that reopened the Hoffman’s old suit. State Solicitor General J. Benjamin Aguiñaga wrote that Hoffman’s attempt to “commandeer a moot lethalinjection lawsuit to bring a nitrogen challenge is an extraordinary abuse” of the law

Kappel responded in a letter to the 5th Circuit that said the new suit “was necessary due to the exigent circumstances of the upcoming scheduled execution.” Hoffman needs to “ensure the opportunity to assert his constitutional rights before Petitioners run out the clock,” she wrote.

It’s been nearly 30 years since Hoffman committed the crime that landed him on death row He was 18 years old and working as a

parking attendant in New Orleans when he kidnapped 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott on the night before Thanksgiving in 1996 as she walked back to her car in the New Orleans Central Business District.

Hoffman took her to a remote area near the Middle Pearl River where he raped, shot and killed the advertising executive, who was married and lived near Covington. Death by gas

If his execution goes forward, Hoffman will be the first person put to death in Louisiana since 2010, when Gerald Bordelon volunteered.

Hoffman’s attorneys say he has had a “transformation” over nearly three decades in prison, is respected by prison staff and fellow inmates alike, and is focused on his faith. His attorneys this week applied for a commutation and asked Landry for a reprieve in the meantime. The death over the weekend of Christopher Sepulvado, who had been scheduled for execution a day ahead of Hoffman, leaves 56 people on death row Not all are yet eligible for execution because they have not exhausted their legal appeals, a process that usually takes many years.

Hoffman’s attorneys acknowledge that he has exhausted all of his.

But Hoffman’s case is the first time that Louisiana is expected to deploy nitrogen gas to put someone to death.

Alabama is the first and only state so far to have executed inmates by gas in the modern era.

Hoffman’s lawsuit says that “each of the four times (gas) has been used (in Alabama) it has resulted in an excruciating, prolonged death that was horrifying for both the person being executed and those who bore witness.”

Alabama’s first time using nitrogen gas as an execution method was in January 2024, when the state put Kenneth Eugene Smith to death.

News reports say he thrashed violently and shook for about two minutes after the gas was administered. He then took gasping breaths. It took 10 minutes until he could no longer be seen visibly breathing, The Associated Press reported.

Since then, Alabama has executed three others by nitrogen gas:

Alan Eugene Miller, Carey Dale Grayson and Demetrius Terrence Frazier

Eyewitness accounts of the later executions describe similarly prolonged deaths.

It took about 13 minutes for Frazier to die after gas began flowing into his system, according to a report from the Montgomery Advertiser During that time, Frazier twitched, shuddered and appeared to struggle to breathe, the report states.

And when Miller died by nitrogen gas, he shook on the gurney for about two minutes, and then he periodically gulped for air for about six minutes before he went still, the AP reported.

Alternate method

Hoffman is a devout Buddhist who has practiced his faith for more than two decades, according to his legal team. He has attended Buddhist services on death row since they became available in 2018, according to his complaint.

His lawyers argue “forcing him to breathe pure nitrogen” would interfere with his Buddhist practices at his time of death.

“According to the Buddha, one must maintain contact with the breath in order to be mindful,” the complaint states. “Mr Hoffman sincerely believes that he must practice breathing meditation at the most critical time of his transition between life and death.”

The lawsuit argues that the execution would violate federal law protecting religious freedoms. Hoffman’s complaint suggests two alternate methods would be more humane than nitrogen hypoxia, though neither is legal in Louisiana.

The first is execution by firing squad, which the lawsuit calls a “known, available, and feasible alternative method that would reduce pain and suffering.” Some other states have legalized executions via firing squads, and a South Carolina inmate recently requested to be put to death via firing squad in his upcoming execution.

The complaint also suggests the state use a cocktail of drugs called DDMAPh, which consists of digoxin, diazepam, morphine, amitriptyline and phenobarbital. Those drugs can be used for physician-assisted suicide in states where it’s legal.

For more than 30 years, lethal injection was the state’s only approved execution method At Landry’s behest, the state added nitrogen hypoxia to that list last year, along with electrocution, which Louisiana had outlawed in 1991.

Staff writer John Simerman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

Carr likely to return with Saints in ’25

New Orleans’ GM, coach suggest QB’s return

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS One of the biggest questions the New Orleans Saints are facing this offseason appears to have an answer: Derek Carr is likely to return in 2025 as the team’s starting quarterback.

While new coach Kellen Moore did not strongly commit to Carr in his introductory press conference, both he and general manager Mickey Loomis suggested Wednesday at the NFL Scouting Combine that Carr will be back with the team next season.

“We feel like we’ve got a guy we can win with, and we’re excited about it,” Loomis said Carr is about to enter the third year of his four-year deal he signed with the Saints prior to the 2023 season. New Orleans has gone 14-13 in games Carr has started, and 0-7 in games he’s missed.

New Orleans hired Moore earlier this month after enduring a rough 5-12 campaign that resulted in the ouster of former head coach Dennis Allen It was not clear at the time of his hiring whether Carr — and his large salary cap charge — was part of the team’s immediate or

UNO men’s basketball team under investigation for gambling

Four players have been suspended since Jan. 27

BY SPENCER URQUHART and JEFF DUNCAN Staff writers

UNO and the NCAA are investigating unspecified improprieties in the school’s men’s basketball program, athletic director Vince Granito said Wednesday

Four of UNO’s top five scorers in James White, Jah Short, Dae Dae Hunter and Jamond Vincent last played Jan. 27 in a 74-58 loss vs. Incarnate Word and have been out since.

TheFieldof68.com, a website that covers college basketball, reported Wednesday that the suspensions were “due to an investigation into sports gambling.”

Granito confirmed that the four players had been suspended since January for a team rules violation but declined to comment when asked if the suspensions were gambling related.

“It’s part of our policy that a student-athlete, no matter what the sport is, signs off on at the beginning of the year,” Granito said. When you break a rule, specifically something that you signed off on, then you have consequences. That’s why we’re in this limbo state.”

The news comes one day after a Sports Illustrated report about a widespread gambling ring in pro and college basketball that is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. The report described the investigations findings as “one of the most pervasive point-shaving scandals in North American sports history.”

When asked Feb. 15 about the missing pieces of his starting lineup, first-year UNO coach Stacy Hollowell declined to comment.

UNO debuted a new-look starting lineup without the four players against Southeastern on Feb. 1 and have played short-handed

long term plans. While Moore gave a non-committal answer in his opening news conference about whether Carr would be his opening day starter, he more clearly got behind the idea when asked about it Wednesday. Moore also said he has recently spoken to the veteran quarterback.

“We feel fortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has, and he’s a big-time quarterback in this league,” Moore said. The apparent decision to stick with Carr as the team’s starting quarterback should serve as a signal of what direction the franchise is taking in its first

We feel fortunate to have Derek here, the experience he has, and he’s a big-time quarterback in this league.”

KELLEN MOORE, Saints coach, on QB Derek Carr

LSU star Morrow close to reaching historic milestone

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Kim Mulkey is running out of words to describe Aneesah Morrow and her accomplished career, which is close to winding down now that only two games separate the LSU women’s basketball team from its first postseason action. At the end of her weekly radio show on Tuesday, Mulkey took a moment to discuss the Tigers’ four seniors and the ways they’ve contributed to her program. But she breezed right by Morrow, the star forward who transferred from DePaul to LSU in 2023 and cemented her status as one of the nation’s best players.

Pick your analogy Pandora’s box. Can of worms. Tip of the iceberg. Whatever you want to call it, the phrase applies to the gambling scandal that has ensnared the University of New Orleans men’s basketball team. With sports betting legal in 38 states and more than half of college-age students reportedly active bettors,

“Do I have to say any more about her that hasn’t been said?” Mulkey asked.

Morrow’s next double-double will be the 100th of her career Only one woman has ever posted that many in NCAA Division I history: Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris. Morrow could become the second as soon as Thursday when the No. 7 Tigers face No. 20 Alabama on the road at 8 p.m. on the SEC Network. For Morrow, that feat will be simply the latest in a season — and a career — full of them.

The LSU star stands only 6-foot-1, yet she’s on pace to finish her career ranked third on the NCAA’s all-time

ä See LSU, page 4C

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow looks to pass the ball against Northwestern State on Nov. 8. Morrow is on pace to finish her career ranked third on the NCAA’s all-time rebounding leaderboard. STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTTTHRELKELD

UNO guard James White rebounds against Tulane during the first half of their game on Nov. 22 at Devlin Fieldhouse. White is one of four UNO players suspended.

Jeff Duncan

LSU AT ALABAMA • 8 P.M. THURSDAy • SECN

New lineup boosts Pels rebounding

Olynyk’s addition making a difference

BY ROD WALKER Staffwriter

The glaring need was as noticeable as the 7-foot-tall, long-haired guy who has helped fill it

Rebounding has been a problem for the New Orleans Pelicans all season. So much so that executive vicepresident of basketball operations David Griffin had this to say about it two weeks ago.

“A lot of these are based on analytics, but we’re one of the worst rebounding teams in the last 15 years in the NBA,” Griffin said. “It doesn’t take a great deal for me to tell you we need to get bigger and more physical. I think that’s fairly obvious.”

Six days before that, Griffin had made the Brandon Ingram trade, a deal with the Toronto Raptors that brought 7-foot center Kelly Olynyk to New Orleans.

It’s a small sample size, but the trade so far has yielded some positive results. Olynyk has started three games since joining the Pelicans, inserted into a lineup with 6-foot-11 rookie Yves Missi, 6-foot6 Zion Williamson, along with Trey Murphy and CJ McCollum.

The Pelicans have outrebounded their opponents in all three of those games. Prior to that, the Pelicans had outrebounded their opponents just 16 times in the first 55 games of the season.

“We like the big lineups so far,” said coach Willie Green. “After many games of not being able to win the rebounding margin, we’re winning that and that’s giving us extra possessions. It’s allowing us to get out and play in transition.”

The Pelicans grabbed nine more rebounds than the San Antonio Spurs in Tuesday night’s win. When the two teams played on Sunday, the Pelicans outrebounded the Spurs 69-46, a whopping 23 rebound differential. The 69 rebounds were the third most in franchise history It helped that the Spurs missed 36 3-pointers in that game And it also helped that the Pels didn’t have to face Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio’s 7-foot-3 center who the Spurs have

shut down for the remainder of the season because of a blood clot in his right shoulder The game before that, they grabbed more rebounds than a Dallas Mavericks team that was missing centers Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively as well as forward Anthony Davis.

“We were playing with a lot of energy, a lot of effort and some bigger lineups,” Olynyk said. “They were playing with some smaller lineups, which helps. Just playing the right way taking the right shots and knowing that guys are going to take shots and so you’re in position to rebound. On the defensive end, it’s just limiting them to one shot.”

The new look Pelicans have taken advantage, getting season-best rebounding performances from the tallest and smallest guys on their roster.

Olynyk’s 15 boards against the Spurs on Sunday was a season-high stat for him. The 12-year veteran followed that up with 12 boards Tuesday, marking the first time he’s had back-to-back games with 12 or more rebounds in his career

Missi also grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds on Sunday Even 6-foot point guard Jose Alvarado got in on the action, snatching a career-high nine rebounds in the win.

It’s been refreshing for Green, who has had to answer questions about the rebounding woes all season.

“I don’t have to come in here (after games) and y’all say ‘you all lost the rebound battle and how are you going to get better?” Green said jokingly “We’re doing that right now.”

But, as Trey Murphy pointed out, there’s still work to be done

“Basically, I would still say there were a few rebounds that we should have gotten that they got as far as offensive rebounds,” Murphy said. “It’s getting better, but we still need to tighten the rope. That (rebounding) has lost us games in the past So if we want to keep building forward in the future, we have to keep rebounding the ball at a high level. I only had four rebounds (Tuesday), so I have got to be better on that end.”

ä Pelicans at Suns.

8P.M.THURSDAy,GSN

PELICANS SIGN

BOSTON TO STANDARD CONTRACT

The Pelicans signed Brandon Boston to a standard NBA contract, the team announced Wednesday. Boston, who has played in 42 games for the Pelicans this season, was on a two-way contract

The former University of Kentucky player started 10 games for the Pelicans and is averaging 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists The 6-foot-6 wing played his first three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before signing a with the Pelicans in October

His best game as a Pelicans came in November when he scored a season-high 26 points against the Orlando Magic. He grabbed a season-best 10 rebounds against the Oklahoma City Thunder five days later

The Pelicans had an open roster spot after waiving Javonte Green last week. Green has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pelicans also announced that they signed Jalen Crutcher to a twoway contract. Crutcher a 6-2 guard who played collegiately at Dayton, has appeared in 34 games this season with the Birmingham Squadron, the Pelicans’ G League affiliate. He is averaging 18.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.8 assists for the Squadron. Rod Walker

Rebounding doesn’t guarantee wins, especially when battling injuries like the Pelicans have this season. But it sure gives them a better chance. The Pels are 8-11 this season when they’ve outrebounded their opponent They are 7-32 when they haven’t. “(Coach) emphasized it all season,” Williamson said. “(Credit) the new guys, especially K.O.”

LSU gymnast Chio wins yet another SEC award

Four straight all-around titles, four straight Southeastern Conference freshman of the week honors for LSU phenom Kailin Chio. Chio won the all-around Friday in the Tigers’ 197.200-197.075 victory at Kentucky and Tuesday took top SEC freshman honors once again. It was her sixth freshman of the week award this season. The Henderson, Nevada, native beat out LSU senior Haleigh Bryant for the all-around title 39.57539.500. She also earned a share of first place on vault (9.925) and uneven bars (9.875). She now has 13 individual titles this season. Oklahoma’s Faith Torrez was named SEC gymnast of the week.

LSU takes on George Washington at 6:30 p.m. Friday in the Podium Challenge at the Raising Cane’s River Center

Matildas condemn radio host’s offensive comments

SYDNEY — The Matildas joined in the heavy criticism Wednesday of a commercial radio host’s misogynistic and crass comments about Australia’s national women’s soccer team. The host has since been taken off-air

The Matildas, coming off losses to Japan and the United States in the SheBelieves Cup, were the subject of a bizarre and offensive rant by comedian and host Marty Sheargold on his Triple M radio program Among other things, he described the players as high schoolers with “all the infighting and all the friendship issues” and asked his co-hosts if they had “any men’s sports” to talk about. Field hockey player, Rosie Malone, described Sheargold’s comments on social media as “disgusting” and “horrendous.”

Sooners hire Senior Bowl executive Nagy as GM NORMAN, Okla. — Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy has been hired as Oklahoma’s general manager for football, the school announced Wednesday Nagy will lead the Sooners’ roster management and talent acquisition, including player recruitment, evaluation, retention and compensation. He also will oversee name, image, and likeness, the transfer portal process, revenueshare allocation, scholarships and player eligibility Since 2018 he has been executive director of the Senior Bowl the college all-star game that showcases draft-eligible players. Nagy previously worked 18 years in NFL scouting with Seattle, Kansas City New England and Washington.

Ohtani to make training debut against Angels

PHOTO By MARK J.TERRILL

felt ‘so weird’ on other end of the court in Mavericks reunion

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOS ANGELES Although Luka

Doncic speaks four languages, he struggled for the words to express just how strange it was to play against the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Just 23 days after his world was upended by Dallas’ shocking decision to trade him, Doncic was on the Los Angeles Lakers’ home court to face those same

Mavs. His feelings of betrayal and uncertainty are still fresh, and they affected a performance that was inconsistent, occasionally brilliant and altogether fraught with anxiety

“It was just a lot of emotions

I was feeling,” Doncic said. “I can’t even explain. It was a different game. Sometimes, I don’t

know what I was doing. I’m just glad it’s over, honestly.”

Doncic’s game was all over the place — just like his head.

He posted his first triple-double in a Lakers uniform but he also missed 11 of his 17 shots and was wild from 3-point range.

He made a dozen sublime passes and at least that many big defensive plays, yet he could only score two points in the fourth quarter of a tight game.

“It was so weird,” Doncic said.

“There were moments I felt like

I don’t know what I was doing.

I’m glad we got a win.”

Fortunately for Doncic, he now has LeBron James for a team-

mate — and the top scorer in

NBA history simply wouldn’t let Luka lose.

In that fourth quarter, the Lakers’ eager fans saw another glimpse of what Doncic and

James can become. James took over the game, scoring 16 of his 27 points in the final period — including three key buckets on passes from Doncic to cap his superb playmaking performance.

Doncic finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in the 81st triple-double of his career

His teammates would have known it was an important night even if they hadn’t seen Doncic take a few meaningful looks at the Mavs’ bench, and they helped to sand off the rough edges on Doncic’s cathartic evening.

“We understood as his teammates that we wanted to try to get this win for him,” James said. “Obviously, we know what transpired not too long ago. As his teammates, we wanted just to back him in any way shape or form.

Woodland receives PGA Courage Award

ByAssociated Press

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — For-

mer U.S. Open champion Gary

Woodland was honored Wednesday with the PGA Tour Courage Award as he comes back from brain surgery to remove a lesion that was causing him to have unfounded thoughts that he was dying.

Woodland, who won the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach to go along with three other PGA Tour titles, had a hole the size of a baseball removed from his head so doctors could remove the lesion in a September 2023 surgery He returned last year and continues to make strides toward restoring his game and his life at home with wife Gabby and his three children.

“Receiving this is a testament to the people around me because there’s no way, one, I’d be back playing or no way I’d be sitting here today if it wasn’t for them,” Woodland said at PGA National, where he is playing the Cognizant Classic. “It means everything for me to receive it.”

The Courage Award is presented to a person who overcomes extraordinary adversity, such as personal tragedy or debilitating injury or illness, to make a significant and meaningful contribution to golf.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will make his first spring training appearance of the year on Friday night against his old team, the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani, 30, will be the designated hitter Roberts has not given a timetable for Ohtani’s return to the pitching mound Roberts has ruled Ohtani out for the opening series in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs on March 18-19.

Ohtani injured his left shoulder sliding into second base during the World Series, when the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games. He did not pitch last season, his first with the Dodgers as he recovered from surgery repairing a ligament in his pitching elbow

FIA confirms two pit stops requirment for Monaco

PARIS Formula 1 drivers will have to make at least two pit stops at the Monaco Grand Prix in an attempt to inject some jeopardy into a glamorous race where overtaking is almost impossible.

F1’s governing body, the FIA, confirmed Wednesday that it would mandate using at least three sets of tires “with the primary intent of improving the sporting spectacle of this race.”

The overtaking challenges for wide modern F1 cars has seen recent races in Monaco often decided largely by grid positions from Saturday qualifying.

Last year’s race was red-flagged after first-lap crashes and resumed with a standing restart. There was little action after that as Charles Leclerc took the victory without stopping again.

STAFF PHOTO By SCOTTTHRELKELD

San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell is defended by New Orleans Pelicans center Karlo Matkovic, left, and forward Kelly Olynyk on Tuesday at the Smoothie King Center

Saints see improvement in annual survey

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

The grades are in — and the New Orleans Saints earned higher marks than last year

The Saints jumped seven spots in the NFLPA’s annual report card survey, clocking in at No. 12 after ranking No. 19 in 2024. The report card, based on the feedback of players, grades teams on categories such as ownership, coaches, treatment of families, team travel and areas in the facility (locker room, weight room, dining area).

The Saints received As in four of the 11 categories, with their highest rankings coming in team travel (fifth league wide), locker room (ninth), ownership (10th) and strength coaches (10th)

The Saints again received poor marks for their cafeteria — graded a D-minus — but the report card notes that the survey was taken before the team’s construction of the area was completed and that the grade will likely see “significant improvement” next year

The Saints also graded poorly at head coach, where the team re-

ceived a B-minus.

“The team moved on from Dennis Allen midway through the season, and players hope new head coach Kellen Moore will bring positive change,” the NFLPA wrote.

Players felt Allen was only “moderately receptive” to locker room feedback, ranking him 28 of 32 coaches in the league Allen also ranked 23 out of 32 in terms of being efficient with players’ time.

Saints owner Gayle Benson ranked eighth for “perceived willingness to invest in the facilities,” 12th for contributing positively to team culture and 15th for building a competitive team — though for the latter, players still felt Benson was “extremely committed.”

The NFLPA said 77% of the league’s players participated in the survey, which began in 2023.

The Dolphins, Vikings, Falcons, Raiders and Chargers made up the top 5, while the Steelers, Jets, Browns, Patriots and Cardinals ranked at the bottom.

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

Saints expect to be ‘active’ in NFL free agency

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

INDIANAPOLIS When the NFL informed teams last week that next season’s salary cap was expected to fall between $277.5 million and $281.5 million, the projection was even higher than the New Orleans Saints anticipated internally

“So that’s good news for us,” general manager Mickey Loomis said with a smile.

And the Saints plan to take advantage of that higher number

Loomis said Wednesday that he expects the Saints to be active in free agency, a change of course after the team took a milder approach last offseason. The Saints are currently more than $50 million over the salary cap, but New Orleans can clear space with various contract restructures, as has become a yearly occurrence.

“I think we’ll be able to add a few pieces,” Loomis said. “It just depends upon the who, the where and the cost. I expect us to be active.”

Asked if that meant more than last year, Loomis replied, “Yeah.” Loomis said it was too soon to tell whether active would mean by the sheer volume of players signed or by the dollar amounts handed out. He noted some of the best free agent signings are the ones that are perceived to be under the radar, pointing to the Saints’ 2018 pursuit of linebacker

Demario Davis and the Philadelphia Eagles’ signing of former Saints linebacker Zack Baun last year

Baun signed a one-year deal for $3.5 million, had a breakout season and finished as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist en route to winning the Super Bowl with the Eagles.

“It’s a sore subject with me,” Loomis said. “But that was a fantastic signing that wasn’t on anyone’s radar. ‘Active’ is relative to how the performance turns out more so than the volume or even the amount.”

At last year’s owner meetings in Orlando, Florida, Loomis said he anticipated the Saints taking another quieter approach to free agency in 2025. That offseason, New Orleans made more than a dozen free-agent signings, but Chase Young’s deal was the only addition considered to be a conventional splash. Even then, that was a one-year, $13 million contract

But circumstances change. After going 5-12 in 2024 and overhauling the team’s coaching staff, Loomis acknowledged his shift in approach was determined by those outcomes Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s new scheme, for instance, could cause New Orleans to seek players in free agency suited more for it.

Loomis said the Saints are still

Saints general manager Mickey Loomis talks about the Saints’ 2024 season at the team’s training facility in Metairie on Jan. 13.

in the process of evaluating last year’s roster, wanting to hear the input of new coach Kellen Moore and his staff. That evaluation has progressed more on the offensive side of the ball than on defense, given the Saints are still fleshing out their defensive staff. Those evaluations will determine how aggressively the Saints

Kelly considering changes spring game

BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer

Brian Kelly is considering changes to LSU football’s annual spring game as a growing list of teams alter the format or cancel the public scrimmage altogether Kelly told The Advocate there will be “live action” that gives fans a chance to see the players April 12 inside Tiger Stadium, but he has not decided what that will look like.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be in a spring game format, but there’s going to be action,” Kelly said Wednesday “I just don’t know how we’re going to put it together at this point.” LSU begins spring practice March 8 Though some programs attract tens of thousands of people to their spring games, LSU typically hosts a smaller crowd because of interest in other sports and springtime festivals Nebraska, Texas, Southern Cal and more have called off their public scrimmages for various reasons. Texas coach Steve Sarkisian pointed to workload concerns and said he would hold NFL-style organized team activities Nebraska coach Matt Rhule feared other teams would poach players after seeing them on television

“The word ‘tampering’ no longer exists,” Rhule told reporters. “It’s just absolute free, open, common market. So I don’t necessarily want to open up to the outside world. I don’t want these guys all being able to watch our guys and say ‘Wow, he looks like a pretty good player Let’s go get him.’”

Elsewhere in the SEC, Ole Miss stopped holding a spring game last year, replacing it with a day of activities like a dunk contest and tug-of-war Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer told On3 this week that the

Crimson Tide will have a “modified” event instead of their typical scrimmage.

Not everyone is following the trend. Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks told reporters the Bulldogs would keep their spring game this year

Kelly questioned canceling spring games as a way to prevent other teams from evaluating rosters on television, saying “I’m not buying that one.” But he did think there was merit to the idea of changing spring games in an attempt to slow down transfer portal activity The transfer portal opens again April 16-25.

“I think that there’s more of,

‘Why don’t we just keep our business a little bit more closely guarded than being so public about it, especially with the ability to transfer so easily?’” Kelly said. “I think that there’s much more of a sense of that.”

Kelly also said coaches are “getting ready” for spring practice to be replaced by NFL-style OTAs in late spring or early summer, an idea he supports.

FBS coaches discussed a proposal to transform the 15 spring practices into OTAs at the American Football Coaches Association meeting in January, according to CBS Sports. Kelly thinks the concept is beneficial for training, recruiting and development

“I think we’re getting closer to maybe an NFL model in terms of what makes sense,” Kelly said. “I think it’s always been on the academic model, and I think we might be getting closer to what works best for the student-athlete outside of academics and much more on portals and revenue sharing and preparation for the season.”

At the AFCA meeting, Kelly and the other coaches in attendance

reportedly approved a proposal to shorten the transfer portal to 10 days in early January, an idea that will have to be passed by the NCAA. This offseason, the transfer portal was open for 20 days in December and will open again for 10 days in April.

“I think the game was under attack with the portal being open in December,” Kelly said.

This past season, LSU’s staff managed the signing of its 2025 recruiting class, the transfer portal, NFL draft decisions and the Texas Bowl within one month Though the early signing period was moved to the beginning of December for the first time in an attempt to alleviate some problems, Kelly still thought there were issues.

“When I went back out on the road, the group that felt the most as if they were disregarded was the ‘26 class,” Kelly said. “They were like, ‘Hey, did you forget about us?’ We’re like, ‘No, we’ve got five balls up in the air.’ This would really help and keep kids on your team.”

Eventually, Kelly thinks one transfer portal window will get pushed further into the spring, similar to the timing of NFL free agency He is generally supportive of adopting elements of the professional model as college football evolves.

“When we met as head coaches, I think our path was much more about progress over perfection,” Kelly said. “We wanted to make progress, but to be perfect with this would have required so many changes. Let’s make some progress right now and begin to look at what the next step is.”

For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

try to bring back any of their own free agents. Young and cornerback Paulson Adebo — coming off a broken leg — headline the team’s pending free agent class of 19 players, a group that also includes tight end Juwan Johnson, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and safety Will Harris.

“Now is the time we get to team

up on this thing and build it,” Moore said. “There’s a lot of attractive pieces on this roster coming into it.”

If the Saints are indeed active in free agency, one of the fascinating ripple effects will be how it impacts their cap for future seasons. New Orleans has taken steps to have a cleaner cap sheet, even in years like 2023, when the Saints made a big splash with Derek Carr’s five-year, $125 million contract.

But Loomis said there’s “nuance” to the salary cap and that the Saints are still “moving in that direction” of feeling more comfortable about the cap.

The situation is a line that the Saints have become accustomed to walking. But as they do, Loomis and Moore made clear the team is still chasing to win the NFC South.

“We’re going to try and win every game we can,” Loomis said “That’s what our players expect. That’s what our fans expect, what our coaches expect. That’s what I expect.”

“You can’t ever walk into a team in the locker room and say, ‘We’re not competing,’ ” Moore said. “We’re competing to win our division. That will always be the goal and we feel like we’ve got really good pieces to do that.”

Email Matthew Paras at matt. paras@theadvocate.com

SAINTS

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year under Moore.

Carr currently counts $51.5 million against the Saints 2025 salary cap, though that number is likely to change, as he represents the biggest chip the Saints can play when it comes to clearing cap space.

A contract restructure, in which the Saints convert the majority of Carr’s $30 million base salary and $10 million roster bonus into prorated signing bonus, would provide nearly $31 million in immediate cap relief for New Orleans. For a team that is expected to need to clear roughly $40 million just to be compliant with the salary cap by the first day of the new league year, that is a significant chunk.

“It’s tight,” Loomis said, describing the team’s position relative to the salary cap. “There’s no secret to that, and his is a big number, so we’re going to hopefully be able to maneuver.” Carr has already stated he does not intend to take a pay cut. And while restructuring Carr would

Saints quarterback Derek Carr warms up before a game against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 1 at the Caesars Superdome. Carr is likely to return as starting quarterback in 2025.

ease this year’s salary cap burden, it would also push some of it into 2026 — when Carr is already set to count $61 million against the cap. A full conversion would push that number near $70 million.

The veteran quarterback is coming off an injury plagued season, during which he played in a career-low 10 games. He suffered an oblique injury that forced him to miss three games in the middle of the season, then a concussion and broken left hand sidelined him for the final four weeks of the year His replacements in the lineup, rookie Spencer Rattler and second-year quarterback Jake Haener both struggled.

When Carr was on the field, he performed well statistically His 101 passer rating was a near career high and ranked 10th in the NFL, and Carr also finished 11th in the league in Expected Points Added per dropback, slotting just behind MVP finalist Joe Burrow But Carr also struggled to deliver against some of the Saints’ premier opponents. New Orleans went 0-3 against playoff teams in games Carr started, scoring 12, 13 and 14 points in those games.

STAFF

New Saints head coach Kellen Moore poses with Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and Saints Executive Vice President during a press conference at the Saints Practice Facility in Metairie, La. on Feb 13.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

4C

‘Triangle’ region schools vying for host sites

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

Kara Lawson is focused on the immediate challenge, the task of preparing her 16th-ranked Duke team to host eighth-ranked North Carolina. Yet a win would reach beyond merely taking a backyard scrap with the Blue Devils’ nearby rival. These days, that’s true of every Atlantic Coast Conference game in the 919 area code, for that matter The Blue Devils, Tar Heels and No. 9 N.C. State — all located within a 30-minute drive of one another in North Carolina’s “Triangle” region — have made their home state the only one in the country with three different programs cracking the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this season That has them all within reach of being seeded highly enough in the NCAA Tournament to host opening-weekend games together for the first time in more than a quarter-century “I think that’s just what makes this area unlike any place in the country,” Lawson said. “You think

about Power Four schools within a 30-minute radius of one another and how much this area loves basketball the environments in each of those venues on the men’s and women’s sides are great. College basketball is not like this anywhere else. It’s just not.”

They all made the cut when the committee that selects the NCAA field released its preliminary top16 seeds on Feb. 16 The committee updates that list again Thursday night, shortly before the Blue Devils and Tar Heels tip off in Durham

The three schools have hosted in the same year only once since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994. That came in 1998, when the Wolfpack made the Final Four under late Hall of Famer Kay Yow, while the Tar Heels and Blue Devils each reached a regional final. It could happen again depending on how things fall in the final week of the regular season and next week at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro. In the committee’s previous reveal, N.C. State was a regional

2-seed, while Duke and UNC were both 3-seeds. As of Wednesday, the Tar Heels are the nation’s only unbeaten team on the road at 9-0. The Blue Devils are the highest ranked of the trio (ninth) in the NET rankings used by the committee as it sorts through bid candidates. Then there’s the Wolfpack with six Quadrant 1 wins that top a postseason resume; only No. 1 Texas (11), No. 2 UCLA (10), No. 4 USC (nine) and No. 6 South Carolina (11) have more. N.C. State (22-5, 14-2 ACC) is coming off Sunday’s win against then-No. 1 Notre Dame in a double-overtime classic, a game with 21 lead changes, elite guard play and a few highlight-reel plays to double as a showcase moment for the entire sport.

It also came in front of a packed Reynolds Coliseum, where fans lined up for hours to get in prompting the Wolfpack team to bring them doughnuts with ESPN’s “College GameDay” broadcasting on site. “If we can play here at home in

New Orleans native Master P joins UNO men’s basketball staff

Miller’s plan includes getting local businesses more involved in NIL

BY SPENCER URQUHART

Staff writer

The University of New Orleans men’s basketball program made as optimistic of an announcement as they could have made on Wednesday in the face of being tied to an NCAA sports betting investigation involving four players.

UNO held a press conference at Lakefront Arena announcing New Orleans native Percy “Master P” Miller as president of basketball operations.

Miller is most known as a rap artist, Master P, but has deep ties to basketball having played and coached.

Miller was referred to as “Coach P” at Wednesday’s press conference and laid out a plan for UNO’s return to being a successful mid-major program, which included getting area businesses on board to help in the ongoing name, image and likeness battle.

“I feel like we have to get out of the traditional culture,” Miller said. “We know that NIL has changed the game, and we’re prepared to work under those guidelines to make sure our student athletes here get what they need

LSU

Continued from page 1C

rebounding leaderboard Morrow began her senior season already on that track, but then she started grabbing 14.3 boards per game, the best average of her career and the highest in the country this year Morrow has also pulled down more rebounds in her career than any other active Division I player As of Thursday she has 1,628 boards to her name, over 250 more than the active player with the second-most career rebounds, Illinois fifth-year senior Kendall Bostic. Think that’s impressive? Also

and get what they deserve.

“We’re going to get the community involved. I’ve got a bunch of people that are business people in this community that want this team to win. Our kids should be driving nice cars, especially with all the business people that we have. I’m going to be challenging them to work with us.”

UNO men’s basketball team began a new era this season with Stacy Hollowell taking over as head coach.

The team has a 4-25 record in Hollowell’s first season with two games remaining Building a roster in year one proved challenging for Hollowell after taking over the program with the transfer portal window closed and having four players, including its leading scorer, suspended earlier this season.

The hiring of Miller assures things will be different this coming offseason.

“(Miller) has deep roots to basketball,” Hollowell said. “He’s well connected in the basketball circle, and that will benefit us as well. We’ve been talking about this for some months now We’re excited to work together.”

UNO faced a recent budget deficit that resulted in university cuts. While there’s still some uncertainty, the men’s basketball program’s future appears brighter with Miller’s backing.

“We’ll be able to overcome this,”

consider the fact that Bostic has actually appeared in 12 more games than Morrow, who’s grabbed at least 10 boards in 101 of the 131 contests she’s played in her career Bostic has 75 doubledigit rebounding games, also the second-most among active Division I players. What’s more striking is that Morrow has grabbed at least 15 rebounds in 46 career games twice as many as any other active Division I player, according to Stathead. And she’s also on track to become the first qualified woman since 1995 to finish a Division I career with a scoring average of at least 20 points, a rebounding average of at least 12 boards and

the first and second round, we’ve got a pretty nice homecourt advantage,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said afterward.

Yet only a week earlier the surging Wolfpack lost for only the second time since November That came in Chapel Hill to the Tar Heels (25-4, 13-3), who survived losing fifth-year forward Alyssa Ustby early to injury and won on two clutch free throws by Grace Townsend in front of a sellout crowd.

It wasn’t long after that win, which pushed UNC into the top 10 a day later, that sixth-year coach Courtney Banghart pointed to that buzz in the building to weigh in on the hosting question. UNC — which is still awaiting Ustby’s return — hasn’t hosted NCAA games since 2015, while N.C. State (four) and Duke (twice) have done it multiple times since.

“This is a place where basketball is adored,” Banghart said. “I don’t care that we’re all so close. If the teams are good enough to host they should host. If we’re all trying to save money great, ESPN can just

send one crew down and they can do all the games.”

Now it’s Duke’s turn to make its own statement.

The Blue Devils (21-7, 12-4) have had two separate stints inside the top 10 this year They’ve lost two of three going back to a road loss to the then-No. 1 Fighting Irish before last week’s home loss to Louisville, and they’ve lost both road meetings against their Triangle neighbors.

This is the only time one of those teams visit Cameron Indoor Stadium, and Duke is battling to stay in the mix for a top-four seed in the ACC Tournament and the doubleround bye that goes with it.

Do that, and Duke could be in good shape, too.

“You want to get as high in the standings as you can,” Lawson said. “You want to get as high in the NCAA Tournament committee’s rankings as you can. And that that puts you in a good position to have homecourt.

“If they’re going to be giving it to 16 teams, why not be one of the teams that that tries to go after it?”

Tulane eases past Charlotte in rematch

Green Wave holds onto fourth in AAC

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

When the Tulane men’s basketball team opened up American Athletic Conference play on New Year’s Eve, it jumped out to an 18-2 lead on Charlotte and was ahead from start to finish.

If anything, the rematch was even easier Kaleb Banks scored 16 of his game-high 24 points in the first half, Rowan Brumbaugh added 14 points before the break and the hot-shooting Green Wave went up 25-6 at the midpoint of the first half on the way to an incredibly easy 78-64 victory on Wednesday night at home.

Miller said “I feel like with me being here, being able to communicate with Under Armour, talk to (Stephen) Curry, showing him where we’re at. We’ll be able to put the pieces to the puzzle to create a winning atmosphere. It’s well overdue.”

Miller played basketball at the Division I level at the University of Houston before making the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto Raptors training camp rosters.

He went on to coach an AAU team that featured six-time NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan Miller also had three sons, Romeo, Hercy and Mercy, each play Division I basketball.

“This is bigger than basketball,” Miller said. “This is my heart, this is what I love doing, and I love now that people call me Coach P. This is my greatest accomplishment to be a servant, and I want to be able to serve my city.”

The four UNO players currently suspended due to the ongoing gambling investigation include James White, Jah Short, Dae Dae Hunter and Jamond Vincent.

UNO has gotten an extended look at freshmen MJ Thomas, Kohen Rowbatham and Leland Coleman as Hollowell looks toward the future.

“I think Coach P said it well,” Hollowell said. “We’re looking for guys who are hungry, want to get out there, defend and put in the hard work to be great.”

a field-goal percentage of at least 45%

“When you’re undersized,” Mulkey said. “I would think you have to understand the game. You have to have a tremendous IQ to understand, ‘How am I gonna guard somebody bigger than me. How am I gonna outrebound them?’

Losing Angel Reese could’ve hurt LSU’s chances of rebounding at one of the top rates in the country. But in large part because they still have Morrow the Tigers are — just like they were last season — leading the Southeastern Conference in both total rebounds (43.6) and offensive rebounds (17.9) per game since league play began.

Tulane (16-12, 10-5), which bounced back from Sunday’s defeat at Wichita State, kept its hold on fourth place and the double bye in the AAC tourney that comes with it. The Wave has yet to lose twice in a row in league play Charlotte (10-18, 3-12) is in last place by itself and appears destined for the first-round game in Denton, Texas between the No. 12 and No. 13 seeds before the real tournament begins in Fort Worth, Texas.

“I felt like they didn’t really want to be here honestly,” Brumbaugh said. “They were kind of lazy from the jump and we just took the game to them.” Banks, who emerged from a four-game scoring funk with 25 points against East Carolina last Wednesday, drained a 3-pointer on his first attempt and stayed hot. He hit three more treys, all uncovered from the same corner, while missing only one before the break, and finished 9 of 11 from the floor

“When I hit the first shot I knew it was going to be a big game,” he said. “They just kept leaving me open.”

Brumbaugh sank a long 3-pointer when no one came out to guard him at the 13:15 mark but did most of his work on drives. His prettiest basket was a reverse lay-up when the severe English he put on the shot caused the ball to roll back in after it almost fell out. He also handed distributed the ball well, including a fast-break pass to Banks for a dunk, and caused havoc defensively, poking the ball away repeatedly Tulane, coming off a season-low five assists in Wichita, had 18 this time with all five starters contrib-

Last year, Morrow grabbed 23% of the boards LSU grabbed against SEC opponents. This season, her share is up to 30%, and she needs to pull down only 13 more rebounds to equal the number she snared across the 19 league games that the Tigers played a year ago. The road matchup with the Crimson Tide will be Morrow’s 14th SEC game of the season. And it’ll give the star senior another chance to make more history before her eligibility runs out at the end of the year

“She never gets tired,” Mulkey said. “That kid is tough as nails.” Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

“When I hit the first shot I knew it was going to be a big game. They just kept leaving me open.”

KALEB BANKS,Tulane forward

uting between two and four Freshman Kam Williams added 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting, and Gregg Glenn contributed 12 points.

Center Giancarlo Rosado paced Charlotte with 12 points Robert Braswell scored 11 off the bench, but the 49ers shot 32% in the first half and 36.8% for the game, going 7 of 29 from long range.

“We were really good defensively,” Tulane coach Ron Hunter said. “If we can find a way to continue to pack it on the road and take the defense with us, it’s hard to score on us. We were really locked in. These guys were special tonight.” Tulane took total control with a 14-0 run before the midpoint of the first half, with Banks scoring eight points in four minutes to outpace Charlotte’s six through the first 10 minutes. The 49ers trailed by as much as 19 in the first half, fell behind by 24 after the break and never pulled within single digits after the early outburst.

Charlotte sabotaged any chance of coming back by blowing fastbreak opportunities after careless Tulane turnovers in the second half.

Guard Kylan Blackmon stole a Gregg Glenn pass and drove for a lay-up but could not score over Glenn, who grabbed the easy rebound.

Brumbaugh lost the ball off the dribble to Nik Graves, Charlotte’s leading scorer for the year, but Graves gave it right back as he tried an ill-advised pass right under the basket.

The 49ers struggled to find open looks early against Tulane’s aggressive defense, and even when the Wave relaxed briefly late in the first half, they continued to misfire.

Glenn exhibited his multi-faceted skills when the game was out of reach, hitting Williams for a dunk on an alley oop and backing into Rosado, a 6-foot-8, 240-pounder, for a power lay-up before making the “too small” motion.

Rosado made the same gesture after scoring on Glenn the next time down the court, but the celebratory moments were few and far between for the 49ers.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU forward Aneesah Morrow reaches for the ball in the first

PROVIDED PHOTO By UNOATHLETICS

Percy ‘Master P’ Miller greets UNO basketball players at a news conference on Wednesday at Lakefront Arena. Master P was introduced as UNO’s president of basketball operations.

THE VARSITY ZONE

‘They’re really good’

Sacred Heart to host first quarterfinal playoff game

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Sacred Heart did whatever it could to get back to this point in the basketball playoffs.

The Cardinals competed in a summer league for the first time. The players followed a strength and conditioning program in the fall. And third-year coach Courtney Ward created a beefedup regular-season schedule that challenged her team.

While Sacred Heart didn’t win many games against larger-enrollment schools, “we did play them close,” Ward said. “It was a good measurement to see where we are and where we could be.”

The result of that work was a No. 2 playoff seed and a chance to be the home team when Sacred Heart (18-6) faces No. 10 Holy Savior Menard (14-11) in an LHSAA Division III select quarterfinal set for 4 p.m.

Thursday This is the second year in a row for Sacred Heart in the quarterfinals but first as the host team. The Cardinals lost to No 4 University (Baton Rouge) on the road last season. Sacred Heart, a 65-20 winner over Sarah Reed on Monday has won a playoff game in each of the past three seasons. The quarterfinal appearance last season was a first for the school.

“I’ve been talking with alumni and they’re like, ‘Basketball is good?’ ” athlet-

ic director Sue Bower said.

“They’re really good, yeah,” Bower replies. The Cardinals have a starting lineup of three seniors and two juniors.

Junior Leah Varisco has been a starting point guard since she was in eighth grade. She leads the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) and assists (five).

Described by Ward as a “dynamic type of player,” Varisco is a multisport athlete who excels in cross country and qualified for the state track and field meet in the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs.

Varisco also plays soccer and she booted a corner kick that resulted in the winning goal during stoppage time in a quarterfinal against St. Louis Catholic more than two weeks ago.

“After last year, we all just really thought we had a chance,” Varisco said. “We had to keep pushing, trying to do everything we could get further then we did last year and get to state.”

Among senior starters,

Taylor Robert and Bria Egana lead in rebounds. Audrey

Rose Lavie is a 3-point specialist.

Junior Libby Fitzpatrick averages more than 10 points per game.

Ward included Marguerite Doucet among the four seniors who “kind of started this whole process” of improvement from when they lost by 60 points in the first round as freshmen.

“We have a lot of people who are really dedicated to the sport,” Egana said.

“Everyone has gotten better since the beginning. Our team chemistry has gotten stronger over the three years. We have a lot of natural talent that was easy to build on.”

Ward a former McMain standout who played in college at Belhaven, previously coached St. Martin’s to a pair of state semifinal appearances in 2020 and 2021.

Bower, who arrived at Sacred Heart in 2020, was the

athletic director at St. Martin’s when she hired Ward for the first time and saw her build the program from when it won one game in her first season.

This also was the first season Sacred Heart had the same basketball coaching staff as Ward had at St. Martin’s. Danielle Dixon and Taylor Lionnet are the assistant coaches.

Holy Savior Menard has been to the semifinals the past two seasons.

“They have experience, which kind of bears well for them,” Ward said. “I think it’s going to be a good matchup.

“They have a couple (of) guards, a couple (of) shooters, a post player. I think we can match up with them. I’m sure they think they can match up with us.”

The winner will advance to the state tournament in Hammond — another potential first for Sacred Heart.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Just another no-hitter for Holy Cross

Pitching gems have become commonplace for Tigers this season

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Will Andrade knew before the first pitch he had the potential to have a good game. After 91 pitches, the senior completed what for Holy Cross has become a common occurrence this season. Andrade threw a seveninning no-hitter, the third for the Tigers through nine games.

Matthew Watson threw the first no-hitter on Feb. 13 in a 5-0 victory against E.D. White Chris Sercovich followed with the second no-

hitter on Friday in a 3-0 win against South Terrebonne

The third no-hitter came Tuesday, when Andrade struck out 11 and walked two in a 1-0 victory at Mandeville.

“In the bullpen I knew I was going to have a good game,” said Andrade, who carried what he did during his pregame warmup onto the mound.

“The ball was coming really well out of my hand,” Andrade said “The movement was there. Just throwing strikes.”

The three no-hitters came amid a 9-0 start to the season under first year coach Kal Bonura, a Holy Cross graduate who captained the baseball and football teams when he was in high school.

“You’re lucky if you can get one no-hitter in a season,” said Bonura, whose father Kenny is the pitching

coach and calls all the pitches from the dugout.

All three senior pitchers had plenty of praise for the fielders behind them, especially smooth-fielding Tulane commitment Dominic Pellegrin at shortstop.

Watson, who doesn’t throw many strikeouts, said Pellegrin “had about 15 groundballs hit that day” during his no-hitter “He really helped me out,” he said.

Pellegrin and senior second baseman Ryder Planchard are experienced middle infielders. Pellegrin, a junior, has been a starter since he was in eighth grade.

“Me and Matthew, we’re not too big a strikeout pitcher like (Andrade) is, but our defense is just playing great,” Sercovich said.

Holy Cross, with only five errors in the field this season, has five shutouts and

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allowed more than two runs only once.

The win against Mandeville was the most hardearned this season. Andrade pitched with a lead from the start after Holy Cross scored an unearned run in the top of the first inning.

“The most accurate I’ve ever seen him throw,” said senior Colton Gerrets, the catcher for all three no-hitters.

The final pitch resulted in a groundball toward second base that Pellegrin fielded in front of the base and threw to first for the out that set off another celebration — a third in nine games.

“I knew Dom was going to get it,” Andrade said “I wasn’t even worried. I knew he had my back.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

UNO

Continued from page 1C

ever since, with only seven players seeing the floor most nights.

White was averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game along with 7 rebounds. Short was third on the team in scoring at 9.2 points per game followed by Hunter with 8.2 and Vincent at 7.8.

UNO was 4-17 before the four players’ absence and has lost all eight games without them.

Freshmen MJ Thomas, Leland Coleman and New Orleans native Kohen Rowbatham have averaged over 30 minutes a night for UNO during the eightgame stretch, along with sophomore JR Jacobs.

“Have you seen our guys lately, how hard they’ve been playing?” Hollowell said. “Come out and watch

DUNCAN

and Vincent rank third, fourth and fifth, respectively, with averages of 9.2, 8.2 and 7.8 points.

Citing multiple gambling industry sources, ESPN reported that two of the games under scrutiny were the Privateers’ 86-61 loss at McNeese State on Dec. 28 and a 91-71 home loss to Southeastern on Jan. 11. In both instances, the Privateers fell woefully behind in the first half — 46-23 to McNeese and 47-27 to SLU — and never seriously threatened.

The point spread moved significantly against the Privateers in three other games this season.

Word of the gambling scandal had circulated around New Orleans in recent weeks but didn’t break in the news until Wednesday

“We suspended the four players at that time for violation of team rules that needed to be investigated,” Granito said. “Nothing has changed on that. They’ve been out since then, and the investigation is still ongoing.”

Time will tell how farreaching and widespread the scandal goes within the UNO program.

To their credit, UNO officials acted immediately and suspended the players after learning of the improprieties, sources said. They also reported the situation to the NCAA, which has since launched a separate investigation.

The scandal almost seems like cruel and unusual punishment for first-year coach Stacy Hollowell and the school’s beleaguered athletic department. Hollowell, a former Mandeville High School standout who led Loyola to the 2022 NAIA national championship, took over the program just a few days after the transfer portal closed last April. While hastily trying to assemble a staff and roster he also had to deal with his wife Nicole’s treatment for breast cancer at MD Anderson in Houston.

Because of the late start, Hollowell knew his first season on the Lakefront would be a challenge, but it’s been even more difficult than he could have imagined.

The suspensions and other attrition have whittled the UNO roster to eight players, with a regular rotation of seven.

At 4-25 and with just two games left in the regular season, the Privateers are assured of the worst season in the program’s 49-year history

these guys play, because they’re busting their tail.” Senior Luke Davis and juniors Theo Grant and Grant Kemp have also seen significant minutes for UNO. Thomas is averaging 11 points per game and a team-high 7.9 rebounds.

UNO held a news conference Wednesday at Lakefront Arena to announce New Orleans music icon Percy “Master P” Miller as president of basketball operations. Granito addressed the suspended players report at the beginning of the press conference. “I understand that there’s an interest in the status of our four suspended basketball players that happened earlier this year,” Granito said. “It’s an internal investigation for a team rules violation. Today’s press conference was planned in advance (of the report) and is about the future of UNO basketball.”

in just about every game.” This isn’t the first time gambling’s tentacles have extended into Louisiana college sports, and unfortunately it probably won’t be the last.

Forty years ago — coincidentally, almost to the day — Tulane’s men’s basketball program was rocked by a point-shaving scandal so egregious and deep-seated the school disbanded the program for four seasons.

Just last year, LSU football star Kayshon Boutte was arrested and charged with making thousands of illegal wagers on sports. The charges were later dropped but the story opened eyes to the pervasiveness of sports gambling on college campuses. So the news that college sports has another massive gambling scandal on its hands should surprise no one.

The basketball programs reportedly under scrutiny — Eastern Michigan, North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State and Temple all share similar vulnerabilities. They’re either underfunded, from small conferences, struggling through losing seasons, or all of the above.

The NCAA recognized the potential for such perniciousness almost immediately after states began legalizing sports gambling five years ago.

The organization’s manual states, “Sports wagering has the potential to undermine the integrity of sports contests and jeopardizes the well-being of student-athletes and the intercollegiate athletics community.”

The NCAA’s worst fears have been realized. The integrity of college sports is on the line.

“This is not a UNO story it’s a national story a societal story,” Granito said. “This is not about the schools. We’re just an arm of the system. This is a student welfare issue. And the question for the powers-that-be beyond our school is: What is going on here?”

Friday No. 19 St. Charles (18-13) at No. 14 Washington-Marion (17-10), 6 p.m. Friday No. 21 E.D. White (14-7) at No. 12 L.B. Landry (22-11), 6:30 p.m. Thursday No. 22 Willow (13-14) at No. 11 Sophie B. Wright (22-8), 2 p.m. Friday No. 23 Carver (13-16) at No. 10 Vandebilt Catholic (23-6), 6 p.m.

Even on a day when the school celebrated the announcement of local rap legend Percy “Master P” Miller as is new president of basketball operations, the positive news was tarnished by the negative shadow of the scandal.

“I know the record has not been very good, but I’m proud of Stacy and how hard the players have competed every night,” Granito said. “We’ve been

There’s no easy answer or quick fix here. As Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said at the Senate Committee Hearings on sports gambling in December, “Going back to 105 years ago and the (Chicago) Black Sox scandal, gambling and sports have been a lethal combination.”

But NCAA and government officials need to figure something out ASAP Or this latest black eye for college sports will only

PROVIDED PHOTO

LIVING

ardi Gras is right around the corner, and we are in peak parade season. If you love to wander up and down the parade route on Mardi Gras, especially if you have children with you, consider bringing a simple, portable picnic.

This picnic can be carried in a backpack with hand wipes and paper napkins. It’s easy to make, easy to carry and you’ll have happy paradegoers.

Oven-fried chicken is perfect finger food. There are no bones to deal with or discard on the parade route. The prep doesn’t totally take over your stove top like conventionally fried chicken does. You might want to prepare a dipping sauce or two, but this crispy chicken is delicious without it. For children, prepare individual servings ahead of time in Ziploc bags.

Oven Fried Chicken

Makes 6-8 servings.

I was way past the threshold of adulthood before I had any idea that there was more than one kind of dumpling, but it’s true. Now I’ve tried a variety of dumplings in a handful of countries and have enjoyed most of them, but in my heart of hearts, a real dumpling is what my mother makes a thin strip of dough boiled in rich chicken broth. The thinner the dumpling, the better Saturday night, when it was cold and rainy, my mom made her chicken and dumplings. The gloomy weather was perfect for enjoying the hot soup. My mom has made chicken and dumplings all of my life, but 44 years ago, she learned a few chicken-and-dumpling tricks from a fellow teacher named Naomi Magee. Magee shared a cherished chicken and dumplings recipe from The Revolving Tables Restaurant in Mendenhall, Mississippi, which was open from 1915 until it closed on Dec. 31, 2001. It was the predecessor of The Dinner Bell in McComb, Mississippi.

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the chicken strips into the buttermilk that has been placed in a bowl. Using your hands mix the chicken and the buttermilk to make sure that the chicken is fully coated. Set aside in the refrigerator, covered. 2. Place the remainder of the ingredients into a large bowl. Using a whisk, stir the ingredients into a uniform mixture. Before beginning to dredge the chicken pieces, spread the canola oil on 1 or 2 baking sheets, depending on the size of your sheets. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator Shake off excess buttermilk and dredge each piece in the coating mixture Be sure to completely coat each piece and place it on the oiled baking sheet. Leave a bit of space between each piece of chicken on the baking sheet.

BY GRETCHEN McKAY

3. Dredge each piece of chicken and place it on the baking sheet. When completely covered, place the baking sheet into the preheated oven on the middle rack. Cook each sheet for 15 minutes; then using tongs, turn each piece of chicken and return the sheet to the oven. Cook for 10 more minutes. Do this with each sheet until all of the chicken is cooked. Cool the chicken on a wire rack. When cool, place in individual servings in separate bags.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

gradually which creates a weaker gluten network, resulting in a dough that is easier to handle because it’s not so sticky My mom used a solid wood, heavy rolling pin that I had received when I judged a

STAFF PHOTO

Liz Williams TIP OFTHE TONGUE

Chinoiserie sets tone for Mystery’s Mardi Gras merriment

The lure and luster of Chinoiserie, including dancing dragons, created an elegant backdrop for the Mardi Gras revels of the Krewe of Mystery Wednesday when they gathered at the Orpheum Theatre for the 114th Ball of the Roses.

Wearing the Mystery crown as queen of the ball was Miss Emily Elizabeth LeBlanc, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Clifton David LeBlanc.

Members of the court of her majesty were Misses Mary Elizabeth Toso, daughter of Mr and Mrs Brien James Toso; Katie Paige Gardes, daughter of Mr and

Brooks Jr.; Marguerite Lisette Breaux, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Ralph Gerard Breaux; and Margo Irene Gilthorpe Weese, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Stuart Chaffe Bicknell Weese. Attending the queen as her trainbearers were Misses Cecilia Claire Caballero,

Mrs. Derek Dylan Gardes; Sophia Alise Linn, daughter of Mr and Mrs Joseph Ralph Linn III; Elizabeth Gale Brooks, daughter of Mr and Mrs. Philip Schoen

TODAY IN HISTORY

ByTheAssociated Press

Today is Thursday, Feb. 27, the 58th day of 2025. There are 307 days left in the year Today in history

On Feb. 27, 1933, Germany’s parliament building, the Reichstag, was gutted by fire; Chancellor Adolf Hitler, blaming communists, used the fire to justify suspending civil liberties.

On this date:

In 1951, the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, limiting a president to two terms in office, was ratified.

In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai issued the Shanghai Communique, which called for normalizing relations between their countries, at the conclusion of Nixon’s historic visit to China.

In 1973, members of the American Indian Movement occupied the hamlet of Wounded Knee in South Dakota, the site of the 1890 massacre of Sioux men, women and children; the occupation would last for over two months.

In 1997, Ireland became one of the last countries in the world to legalize divorce. Divorce remains

illegal in just two countries: the Philippines and Vatican City In 1998, with the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s House of Lords agreed to end 1,000 years of male preference by giving a monarch’s firstborn child the right to take the throne, regardless of the child’s sex.

In 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin dramatically escalated EastWest tensions by ordering nuclear forces put on high alert while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to talks with Moscow as Putin’s troops and tanks drove deeper into the country Today’s birthdays: Actor Joanne Woodward is 95. Football Hall of Famer Raymond Barry is 92. Consumer advocate Ralph Nader is 91. Broadcast journalist Charlayne Hunter-Gault is 83. Rock musician Neal Schon (Journey) is 71. Actor Timothy Spall is 68. U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., is 67. Basketball Hall of Famer James Worthy is 64. Actor Noah Emmerich is 60. Jockey Kent Desormeaux is 55. Singer Chilli (TLC) is 54. Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez is 49. Author Chelsea Clinton is 45.

Spicy Beef, Potato and Cheese Hand Pies

Makes 8 large hand pies. Recipe is from Gretchen McKay, Post-Gazette. FOR PASTRY CRUST:

shredded monterey jack cheese, divided Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper All-purpose flour, for dusting 1 egg, beaten Everything bagel seasoning or toasted sesame seeds, for garnish, optional

1. In a food processor pulse flour, sugar and salt. Add butter, pulsing until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining

2. Add water, pulsing until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary add up to 2 tablespoons water). Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

3. While dough is resting, make filling: Heat a large nonstick skillet over high. Add ground beef, onion, garlic and diced potato.

4 Cook until meat is starting to brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in spices and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. Continue cooking for another minute or two, then stir in chopped cilantro.

5. Remove pan from heat and allow meat to cool, then stir in 11/2 cups of shredded cheese

daughter of Mr and Mrs. Michael Antonio Caballero; and Marin Marie Taylor, daughter of Mr and Mrs. John L. Taylor

Two pages attended the king. They were Masters Hayden West Janke, son of Mr and Mrs. Benjamin West Janke; and John Thomas Waldrup, son of Mr and Mrs. Chad Michael Waldrup.

The 50-year anniversary queen, Ms. Elizabeth Jean “Linda” Diaz, who reigned over the ball when the theme was “Carnival in Venice,” was presented with Mystery roses. Also presented with the floral tribute was the 2024 queen, Miss Evelyn Blain Argote, daughter of Mr and Mrs. John Randolph Argote.

The krewe’s rose-vine throne was flanked by eight tall urns filled with hundreds of Mystery’s signature long-stemmed red roses. A backdrop depicting a rose garden in full bloom completed the scene. Following the grand march, the guests were invited to join in dancing with music by the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra. In keeping with Mystery tradition, the roses were distributed by the maskers to the women in attendance following the seventh dance. A festive queen’s supper followed the ball at the Roosevelt Hotel.

Potato Salad

Serves 6-8

2 pounds small red new potatoes, quartered and boiled until tender

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped

5 stalks celery, chopped 1 small bulb of fennel, chopped

6 green onions, sliced thinly, both green and white parts

½ cup chopped dill pickles, welldrained ½ cup sliced black Kalamata olives

Dressing (see below)

¼ cup chopped, fresh parsley

1. Place all of the ingredients, except the chopped parsley into a large bowl. Carefully and gently stir the

MARDI GRAS

Continued from page 1D

I save plastic deli containers and pack them with potato salad for parades. Snap the lid back on and use a rubber band or tape to attach a plastic fork to each container

The very simple but deli-

mixture to cover all parts of the salad with the dressing and to make the mixture uniform. Place in the refrigerator

2. Place in deli containers with lids to take to the parade.

DRESSING

1 cup mayonnaise

1. Place the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together thoroughly

cious apple/peanut butter

snacks can be eaten for dessert or as a mid-parade snack. Make them even more fun by using red and green apples, making the peanut butter sandwich with a red slice and a green slice.

Add variety by using almond butter or cashew butter instead of peanut butter And I even love these

Apple Peanut Butter Snacks

Each apple makes 4 snacks. ½ cup lemon juice

teaspoon sugar

apple 4 tablespoons peanut butter (use your favorite — crunchy or smooth)

¼ cup chopped peanuts

1. Place the lemon juice and the sugar in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

2. Cut the unpeeled apple in half through the stem, then into quarters, and again into eighths. Cut off the core edge. Dip the eighths into

snacks with pear slices — a crisp variety of pear like a Bosc or Asian.

Vary the crunchy bit around the outside of the snack by using any chopped nut, sesame seeds or sunflower seeds. if you want to make it a bit more like dessert, mix the chopped seeds or nuts with chopped bittersweet chocolate before crusting the edges. These

the lemon juice coating all sides. Spread the 1 tablespoon of peanut butter on each of 4 slices. Cover the 4 spread slices with an unspread slice, like a sandwich. Push down on the sandwich until a slight amount of peanut butter squeezes around the peel edge.

3. Place the chopped peanuts in a small bowl. Dip the oozed peanut butter side of the sandwich into the chopped peanuts. Pack 2 or 3 snacks in each Ziploc bag.

snacks can be placed in snack bag-sized self-closing bags — two or three to a bag. Liz Williams is founder of the Southern Food & Beverage Museum in New Orleans. Listen to “Tip of the Tongue,” Liz’s podcast about food, drink and culture, wherever you hear podcasts. Email Liz at lizwillia@gmail.com.

Mama’s Chicken and Dumplings

Recipe by Nelda Risher, adapted from a recipe by The Revolving Table Restaurant. Makes 8-10 servings.

8. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll each one on lightly floured surface into 7-inch circle (Don’t worry if it’s not perfect.)

9. Place a scant ¼ cup meat filling in the center Brush edges of dough with water and fold it over filling. Press to seal, trim any ragged edges, and crimp edges with tines of a fork dipped in flour. Brush tops with beaten egg, then pierce the top of each pie once with fork or knife.

(This allows steam to escape during baking.)

10 Sprinkle bagel seasoning or seeds on top, if using

11 Carefully place half of the hand pies on each prepared sheet and bake until golden brown, 20-25 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Transfer pies to wire rack and let cool.

6. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lowermiddle positions, place 1 rimmed baking sheet on each, and heat oven to 425 F 7. Divide dough into 8 equal pieces With your cupped hand, form each piece into a smooth, tight ball.

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces Enough water to cover chicken by one inch 2 cups of cold all-purpose flour ¼ cup of cooking oil

1 teaspoon salt ¾ cup ice water (approximate)

½ to ¾ cup of milk

½ stick of butter (if the chicken broth is rich, cut back to ¼ stick of butter) Salt and black pepper to taste

THE DISH

1. In a large pot, boil chicken pieces until tender

2. Remove chicken pieces and allow to cool. Once chicken has cooled to touch, remove meat from bones into bite-size pieces.

3. Combine the cold flour (kept in refrigerator or freezer), oil and salt.

4. Add cold water Stir with a wooden spoon or mix with hands. It should be soft.

5. Put dough out on a floured surface and roll thin (to about 1⁄8 inch thick). Using a sharp knife, cut thin dumpling dough into strips about an inch and a half wide.

4. Remove enough of the chicken broth from the pot to leave about 8 cups of water (Save chicken broth for another use.)

5. Bring chicken broth to a roll-

Continued from page 1D

jambalaya cookoff

Most chicken and dumplings connoisseurs appreciate a healthy dose of fresh-ground black pepper added immediately before eating

excited about the meal to come.

ing boil.

6. Picking up one long strip of dough at a time, break off pieces about 2 to 3 inches long and drop into places where the broth is full-on boiling. Gradually continue this process until all dough has been broken into dumplings and dropped into the boiling broth (careful to drop each dumpling into a boiling spot).

7. Once all dumplings are in the pot, turn burner to the lowest setting possible (or off if you have an electric stove).

8. Add butter into the broth with dumplings and stir to melt. Add milk to mixture and gently stir

9. Add pulled chicken into the broth.

10. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately

“You know, some people make them out of selfrising flour,” my mom said, “But I don’t like dumplings to be that puffy puffy, puffy, puffy means bad dumplings.” Chicken and dumplings is the perfect dish for a cold, wintry day, though growing up, we ate them year-round.

Last weekend, my mom and I enjoyed making chicken and dumplings

together, but we enjoyed sitting down at the table to eat them with my family even more.

The Dish is a Thursday column by Jan Risher. Each week, she tries her hand at making someone else’s signature dish — and compares notes. If you or someone you know has a signature dish that you would like Jan to try, email her at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Emily Elizabeth LeBlanc, queen of Mystery 2025

Breaux

Toso Gardes Brooks Weese Linn

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Liz Williams seves up homemade potato salad.

PIscEs (Feb 20-March 20) Emotions will surface, but how you handle them will be key. You'll require discipline, resources and an ironclad plan to flourish Refuse to let a canny operator get in your way or lead you astray.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Put anger aside and get things done. You have what it takes to reach your goal as long as you refrain from allowing anyone to push emotional buttons or throw you off guard

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) A change will open your mind to a host of new ideas and people who can offer specific skills you can utilize Participate in events that interest or concern you, and you'll gain insight into the possibilities.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Fact-checking will be necessary. Do the legwork, or you'll have no one to blame but yourself if things go wrong. Learning, communicating and separating truth from fiction will be mandatory to come out on top.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) You're on a roll. Follow the rules and regulations, and take care of every tiny detail to ensure you reach your destination of choice. A positive change is heading your way.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Pressure tactics won't work. Engage in educational pursuits, network and put the right people in place to reach your desired results. A little bravado will leave a lasting impression.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept 22) Embrace whatever is new and exciting. Live, laugh

and learn, and you'll find your way to the winner's circle. Take control, drive a hard bargain and enjoy the ride.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Take precautions when facing situations that can affect your reputation, position or prospects. Be a good listener, consider the possibilities and take sure-footed steps

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Give high regard to those deserving of it, and you'll gain allies to help you get ahead. A change within reach will help you close the gap between standing still and moving forward.

sAGIttARIus (nov 23-Dec 21) Tread carefully and note what everyone is doing. Be shrewd and perceptive, and the success you desire will unfold. A poker face and confident attitude will pay off.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec 22-Jan. 19) You've got more going for you than you realize. Refuse to let anyone deplete your confidence. Use your imagination and outmaneuver anyone who tries to get in your way.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Stick close to home and formulate a plan to help you engage in something interesting. Moderation and simplicity will help you build a solid base and improve your self-esteem.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

zodIAC

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: A EQuALs u

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

B. Cybrill wrote, “When the bold branches/Bidfarewelltorainbowleaves / Welcome wool sweaters.”

Now, in the depth of winter, we can relate to that At the bridge table, when we bid farewell to the auction, whether colorful or monochrome, we welcome hot leads.

Look at West’s hand. What should he lead against four spades after the given auction?

Note North’s one-diamond response. With a good hand, bid the longest suit first. Do not skip diamonds to show a major except with a weak hand (and only then if the major is particularly strong). Then, on the second round, North makes a splinter bid, indicating four-card spade support, at least game-going values, and asingletonorvoidinclubs.South,withso muchinclubsandthreelowhearts,signs off in game. (If you do not use splinters, North should rebid four spades.)

West has two sensible lead choices: the diamond queen (top of touching honors) and the heart two (low from an honor). In general, leading an unbid suit works better than one in a suit bid by an opponent. Also, North rates to have at least five diamonds. With four diamonds and four spades, he might have responded one spade. Here, the heart lead is necessary. East, knowing West has length and strength in the suit, wins the first trick with his jack, cashes the ace, and continues with a third round. Then he awaits the setting trick with his high trump. After a diamond lead, South, aided by the club jack dropping, can win 12 tricks. © 2025 by nEa, inc.,

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,”

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 - The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

Scrabble GramS

roSe

St. Thomas Streetcontains 14,316.30 SquareFeet.

SECTION 2. That the Mayor is hereby authorized to execute alease of the premises so described for an initial period of five (5) years (“Primary Term”), with five (5) consecutive renewal options of five (5) years each (“Renewal Options”), for and consideration of monthly rental rate of $6,000, with a rental increase of 15% every five years after the Primary.IfSLS Studios, LLC wishes to exercise any of the applicable renewal options thereafter, the annual rent will be determined by the procedures outlined in the lease.

SECTION 3. That the lease of portions of the public right-of-way be undertaken for the following reasons: (a) SLS Studios, LLC, which owns the improvements adjacent to the Cityowned property,has constructed or is planning to construct improvements upon the public rights-of-way after applying for and obtaining building permits, to the extent necessary,fromthe City of New Orleans; (b) Said improvements and constructions referred to in subsection (a) hereinabove aredependent upon the lease of land with the owner; the plans and specifications submitted by the owner,toobtain the building permits for the improvements described herein, accurately delineate the improvements and constructions which aresubject to the lease of land, and said plans and specifications wereinspected and approved by the CityofNew Orleans prior to the issuance by the City of building permits allowing the improvements to be constructed as shown therein; the disposition of property rights by the lease of land as authorized herein will not hinder or preempt the use by the public or the City of any other public property and will provide revenues to the City otherwise not attainable if the aforementioned property rights wereunused.

SECTION 4. That in accordance with the recommendations of the City Planning Commission, the potential lessee of the property shall submit aland survey by aProfessional Land Surveyor, that shows the following:

a) The boundaries and location of the existing servitudes and rights-ofway b) The location of all encroachments on the existing servitude and rightsof- way c) The location of all utilities (including the existing power and gas lines, water/sewer line/s and the proposed relocated water/sewer line/s) located within the existing servitude/rights-of-way

d) All improvements and topographical features within and adjacent to the existing servitude/right-of-way,including streets, pavement, fence lines, railroad tracks, etc.

SECTION 5. That the Mayor is hereby authorized to execute, after the effective date of this Ordinance, aLease of Land attached hereto as Exhibit “B” and described in SECTION 1.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ONNOVEMBER22, 2024

APPROVED: DISAPPROVED:

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5 NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0

THIS ORDINANCE WASRETURNEDBYTHE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:45 P.M. AND THE SAME WASNEITHERAPPROVEDNOR DISAPPROVED BY THE MAYOR. THEREFORE,SAID ORDINANCE

BECAME LAWAT12:00 NOON ON DECEMBER1,2024 AS REQUIRED BY LAW. ORDINANCE (AS AMENDED) CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: October 1, 2024 CALENDAR NO. 34,841 NO. 30139 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) AN ORDINANCE to provide an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025 in accordance with Sections 3-116, 4-206(1)(f), and 6-102 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

TOTAL

$878,414,281 SECTION 2. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTFUNDS

HOUSINGAND URBAN DEVELOPMENT- FUND 4110

Intergovernmental Revenue Federal Grants, Community and Regional Development 72,911,332

TOTAL HOUSINGAND URBAN DEVELOPMENT$72,911,332

SECTION 3. LIBRARYFUNDS

LIBRARYFUNDS -FUND1190

Library Dedicated Property Tax22,000,000

Library Fines and Fees 100,000

Library Fund Balance 15,319,400

TOTAL LIBRARYFUNDS $37,419,400

SECTION 4. GRANT FUNDS

LLE GRANT

LOUISIANACOMMISSION ON LAWENFORCEMENT–FUND 4411

Total Commission on Law Enforcement 158,010

TOTAL LLE GRANT$158,010

FEDERAL GRANTS

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY– FUND 4115

Total Federal Department of Emergency 112,519,408

LOUISIANAOFFICE

LOUISIANADEPARTMENT

SAFETY COMMISSION –FUND 4408

Total Louisiana Highway Safety Commission 203,450

LOUISIANAMILITARYDEPARTMENT –FUND 4412

Total Louisiana Military Department 191,918

CORPORATION OF NATIONAL AND COMMUNITYSERVICE –FUND 4420 Total Corporation of National and Community Service 60,000

LOCAL FOUNDATION GRANTS –FUND4900

Total Local Foundation Grants 1,829,492

TOTAL STATEAND LOCAL FOUNDATION GRANTS $61,133,085

TOTAL GRANTFUNDS $399,252,606

SECTION 5. INTERGOVERNMENTALFUNDS

INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUES -FUND6699

Intergovernmental Revenues Grants, Contributions, and Fund Transfers 229,226,238

TOTAL INTERGOVERNMENTAL FUNDS $229,226,238

SECTION 6. SPECIAL REVENUES AND TRUST FUNDS

JOE BARTHOLOMEW GOLF COURSE –FUND 1143

Total Joe Bartholomew Golf Course 1,561,529

NEW ORLEANSRECREATION –FUND1144

Total New Orleans Recreation 1,588,429

OFFICEOFPOLICESECONDARYEMPLOYMENT– FUND1145

Total Office of Police Secondary Employment 16,079,708 ON BEHALF PAYMENTS –FUND1150

Total On BehalfPayments 10,700,000

TERMITE CONTROL –FUND1155

Total Termite Control 1,486,305

NEW ORLEANSWAR ON DRUGS –FUND 1172

Total New Orleans WaronDrugs 7,983

SANITATION RECYCLING–FUND 1180

Total Sanitation Recycling35,000

STATEACT FUNDING –FUND 1184

Total Act State Funding 375,000

ADOPT APOTHOLE –FUND 5101

Total Adopt-A-Pothole 283

ASSET SEIZURE –FUND 5103

Total Asset Seizure550,000

CORONERS OPERATIONAL –FUND 5105

Total Coroners Operational 125,000

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER MITIGATION –FUND 5107

Total Environmental Disaster Mitigation 1,000,000

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENTREVOLVING FUND –FUND5108

Total Environmental Improvement Revolving Fund 331,820 FRENCH QUARTER IMPROVEMENT –FUND5109

French Quarter

INDIGENTDEFENDER –FUND 5112

200-OTHER OPERATING

200-OTHER OPERATING 3,623,518

TOTAL 9,235,746

DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND PARKWAYS

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 8,484,927

200-OTHER OPERATING 3,031,493

TOTAL 11,516,420

DEPARTMENT OF POLICE

100-PERSONAL

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS 100-PERSONAL SERVICES 9,396,723

200-OTHER OPERATING 18,002,240

TOTAL 27,398,963

DEPARTMENT OF SAFETY AND PERMITS

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 5,494,396

OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

OPERATING 68,887,783

69,702,582

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 72,911,332

COMMISSION ON LAWENFORCEMENT –FUND 4411 OFFICE OF THE MAYOR 200-OTHER OPERATING 125,000

125,000 POLICE DEPARTMENT

200-OTHER OPERATING 33,010

33,010

LOUISIANA COMMISSIONONLAW ENFORCEMENT 158,010 NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING IMPROVEMENT -FUND 5121 SAFETY AND PERMITS 100-PERSONAL SERVICES 116,436

116,436 NEIGHBORHOOD HOUSING IMPROVEMENT 200-OTHER OPERATING 809,309 TOTAL

LOUISIANAMILITARYDEPARTMENT -FUND4412

MOSQUITO CONTROL BOARD

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 39,918

200-OTHER OPERATING 152,000

TOTAL 191,918

TOTAL LOUISIANAMILITARYDEPARTMENT 191,918

CORPORATION OF NATIONAL ANDCOMMUNITY SERVICE -FUND

4420

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 60,000

TOTAL 60,000

TOTAL CORPORATION OF NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE

60,000

PRIVATEGRANTS -FUND 4900

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 116,436

200-OTHER OPERATING 1,200,000

TOTAL 1,316,436

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 72,187

200-OTHER OPERATING 433,819

TOTAL 506,006

WORKFORCEINVESTMENT

200-OTHER OPERATING 7,050

TOTAL 7,050

TOTAL PRIVATEGRANTS 1,829,492

TOTAL STATEAND LOCAL FOUNDATION GRANTS

FEDERAL FUNDS

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EMERGENCY- FUND

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 12,542,860

200-OTHER OPERATING 62,996,133

TOTAL 75,538,993

CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 1,936,409

200-OTHER OPERATING 24,876,884

TOTAL 26,813,293

200-OTHER OPERATING 33,170 TOTAL 33,170 HEALTH DEPARTMENT

200-OTHER

OFFICEOFTHE

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

200-OTHER OPERATING 7,588,965 TOTAL 9,374,288

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

200-OTHER OPERATING 74,004

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY –FUND4140

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

200-OTHER OPERATING 381,470

381,470

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 381,470

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE –FUND 4143

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

200-OTHER OPERATING 398,500

TOTAL 398,500

TOTAL FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FEDERAL DEPARTMENTOFCOMMERCE– FUND4144

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

200-OTHER OPERATING 1,378,606

TOTAL 1,378,606

TOTAL FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE1,378,606

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES -FUND 4145

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 8,149,983

200-OTHER OPERATING 26,737,582

TOTAL 34,887,565

MOSQUITO CONTROL BOARD

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 720,040

200-OTHER OPERATING 2,961,170

TOTAL 3,681,210

TOTAL DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMANSERVICES 38,568,775

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE-FUND 4147

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 381,126

200-OTHER OPERATING 4,359,795

TOTAL 4,740,921

POLICEDEPARTMENT

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 4,253,910

200-OTHER OPERATING 880,259

TOTAL 5,134,169

HEALTH DEPARTMENT

100-PERSONAL SERVICES 406,179

200-OTHER OPERATING 2,505,069

TOTAL 2,911,248

TOTAL FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE12,786,338

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION -FUND 4149

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR

200-OTHER OPERATING 751,631 TOTAL 751,631

FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 751,631

FEDERAL TREASURY DEPARTMENT -FUND4150 CITY COUNCIL

200-OTHER OPERATING 336,301

OFFICEOFTHE MAYOR 100-PERSONAL SERVICES 1,865,749

200-OTHER OPERATING 13,602,478 TOTAL 15,468,227

CHIEF

GALLIER HALL MAINTENANCE 600,000

FUND -FUND 5139

JUDGMENT FUND 2,000,000

1,890,938

LA OPIOIDABATEMENT TASK FORCE 1,890,938

ORLEANS HOUSING TRUST FUND –FUND 5155

OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

OPERATING 20,977,028

TOTAL 20,977,028

TOTAL NEW ORLEANS HOUSING TRUST FUND 20,977,028

LAFAYETTE CEMETERYNUMBERONE TRUST -FUND 5305 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

200-OTHER OPERATING 1,108

TOTAL 1,108

TOTAL LAFAYETTE CEMETERYNUMBERONE TRUST 1,108

MAHALIAZIMMERMAN TRUST -FUND 5306 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

200-OTHER OPERATING 558

TOTAL 558

TOTAL MAHALIA ZIMMERMAN TRUST 558

PLYGO COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMISSION TRUST -FUND 5309 PARKS AND PARKWAYS

200-OTHER OPERATING 1,023

TOTAL 1,023 TOTAL PLYGO COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMISSIONTRUST 1,023 ED BENJAMIN TRUST -FUND 5312

CEMETERYNUMBERONE TRUST PROCEEDS -FUND 5405

OFFICEOFTHE

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENAMORENO

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYORONNOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 PM

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Thomas -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: King, Morrell –2

RECUSED: 0

ORDINANCE

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,843 NO. 30141 MAYOR COUNCILSERIES

BY:COUNCILMEMBERSMORRELL, MORENO, GIARRUSSO, HARRIS,

KING, GREEN AND THOMAS (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE providing aCapital Budget for the year 2025 in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-117 and 4-206 (1) (f) of the City Charter; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

SECTION I. THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That the following Capital Expenditures be made or incurred in accordance with the Capital Budget Program for the Year 2025 from the funds indicated when available, all in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-117 and 4-206 (1) (f) of the City Charter

APPROPRIATIONS Storm Water and Green Infrastructure FEMA (BRIC) 34017 –RESILIENTALGIERS PROJECTSCOPING$852,000

Storm Water and Green InfrastructureTotal:$852,000

TOTAL APPROPRIATIONS$852,000

GRANDTOTAL $852,000

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENAMORENO

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 PM

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 0 ORDINANCE

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,844 NO. 30142 MAYOR COUNCILSERIES

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE to adopt the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund’s “Tourism and Cultural Economy Program, Proposed Grant Scoring Matrix,”and budget for the year 2025, to be administered by New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund to: (1) provide services and financial support to the culture-bearers and cultural economy of New Orleans, including, without limitation, the people, enterprises, and communities that transform cultural skills, knowledge, and ideas into economically productive goods, services, and places, and (2) enhance tourism in New Orleans by strengthening the cultural economy, which attracts tourists to New Orleans, supporting events and festivals, for the year 2025; and to provide otherwise with respect thereto.

SECTION 1. THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund’s“Tourism and Cultural Economy Program” for 2025, attached hereto as ExhibitA and its “Proposed Grant Scoring Matrix” for 2025, attached hereto as ExhibitB,are hereby adopted, and the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund’s2025 budget is hereby adopted as follows:

2025 REVENUES

Hotel Occupancy Privilege Tax5,260,000

Harrah’sCasino Lease 1,000,000

Interest Income 50,000

NOTCF Honors Gala 175,000

Reserves 2,068,157

TOTAL FUNDING$8,553,157

2025 EXPENDITURES

Dedicated to Mayor’sOffice of Tourism and Arts, including the Film and Video Commission &Music Commission 450,000 Cultural Economy Support 6,086,351

Marketing Expenditure619,000

Major Event Support 617,707

Balance for NOTCF Operations Administrative Expenses 780,099

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $8,553,157

Estimated Beginning Reserves $5,842,961

Estimated Ending Reserves $3,774,804

PROVISOS:

1. The program adopted herein dedicates money to the Mayor’sOffice of Tourism and Arts Fund, New Orleans Film and Video Commission, the Music Commission, and to Major Event Support. The New Orleans Tourism &Cultural Fund shall spend the money approved for Cultural Economy Support in accordance with aCooperative Endeavor Agreement to be entered into between New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund and the City of New Orleans.

2. The New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund may from time-totime submitrequests to the City of New Orleans for additional funding and is hereby authorized to obtain funding and donations from nongovernmental sources.

3. The New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund shall adjust its expenditure levelsduring the year to accommodate any revisions in estimated revenues, provided that any increase in allocation to any category of 5% or moreshall be approved in advance by Ordinance of the Council.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENAMORENO PRESIDENTOFTHE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

MAYOR: LATOYACANTRELL RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED:

Grants &Sponsorships 0 Reserves $0 Total Revenue $10,244,168 (BeforeBond Proceeds) Bond Proceeds $300,000

Total Revenue &Cash $10,544,168

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 PM

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King –1

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE (AS AMENDED) CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,846 NO. 30144 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) AN ORDINANCE relative to the

of New Orleans prior to the issuance by the City of building permits allowing the improvements to be constructed as shown therein; the disposition of property rights by the servitude agreement as authorized herein will not hinder or preempt the use by the public or the City of any other public property and will provide revenues to the City otherwise not attainable if the aforementioned property rights wereunused. SECTION 3. That the Mayor is hereby authorized to execute the servitude agreement attached hereto as described hereinabove in SECTION 1. ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ONNOVEMBER26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: October 24, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,893 NO. 30150 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES

BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into that certain First Amended and Restated Lease Agreement (the “Amended Lease”) with TouroShakspeareRevitalization Company,LLC (“Lessee”) for acertain portion of ground together with all buildings and improvements thereon situated in the Parish of Orleans, Fifth Municipal District, Square5,Part 9orLot A(as part of asubdivision of Arpents 14 and 15), formerly known as the TouroShakspeareHome, and which improvements bear the municipal address of 2621 General Meyer Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 (the “Leased Premises”); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WHEREAS, the TouroShakspeareHome was the legacy of the philanthropist Judah Tourowho sought carefor the aged and indigent. Upon his death, Judah Tourobequeathed funds for the purchase of immovable property for the construction of an “alms house” (a term used in the 19th century for aform of housing for people, typically but not necessarily elderly,who could not earnenough money to pay rent); and WHEREAS, Act 100 of the 1867 Louisiana Legislatureauthorized the BoardofDirectors of the TouroTrust to transfer any funds and real estate owned by the trust to the City of New Orleans with the restriction that said funds and property could only be used for the purpose listed in the will of Judah Touro, an alms house in the City of New Orleans; and WHEREAS, the Leased Premises have been vacant since Hurricane Katrina, and the City of New Orleans sought the renovation and adaptive reuse of the

City of New Orleans may authorize the lease of immovable property when the

needed for

is no

purposes; and WHEREAS, pursuant to City of

of

Orleans declared that it has

Orleans Ordinance No. 28642, the

or need for the Leased Premises; and WHEREAS, pursuant to City of New Orleans Ordinance No. 28642, Lessee was the successful bidder with respect to the renovation of the Leased Premises and the City of New Orleans and Lessee entered into that certain Lease Agreement (the “Original Lease”), which was recorded in the conveyance records on March 13, 2022 and required that the Leased Premises be used in accordance with its intended purpose of an “alms house” to provide housing for the indigent, defined as residential housing or an independentliving facility that is 100% dedicated to housing individuals whose incomes are50% or less of Area Median Gross Income, as defined in 26 U.S.C. §42(g)(1), and 26 U.S.C. §142(d); and WHEREAS,following the execution of the Original Lease, through no fault of either party,weather events and other natural disasters resulted in further physical deterioration of the buildings and improvements located on the Leased Premises and threatened Lessee’sability to commence the renovation of the Leased Premises under the terms of the Original Lease; and WHEREAS, in connection with the mutual desireto continue working towards the commencement of the renovation of the Leased Premises, which is anticipated to address affordable housing needs of the elderly community in the area and preserve an endangered historic building, the City of New Orleans and Lessee have agreedtoamend and restate the Original Lease in its entirety in order to facilitate Lessee’sstabilization and protection of the buildings and improvements located on the Leased Premises in auseable condition to permit the ultimate renovation of the Leased Premises; NOW,THEREFORE SECTION 1. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY ORDAINS, That the Mayor,on behalf of the City of New Orleans, is hereby authorized to enter into that certain First Amended and Restated Lease Agreement (the “Amended Lease”) with TouroShakspeareRevitalization Company,LLC (“Lessee”) for acertain portion of ground together with all buildings and improvements thereonsituated in the Parish of Orleans, Fifth Municipal District, Square5,Part 9orLot A(as part of asubdivision of Arpents 14 and 15), formerly known as the TouroShakspeareHome, and which improvements bear the municipal address of 2621 General Meyer Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 (the “Leased Premises”).

SECTION 2. That Lessee, in addition to the rental amounts described in the Amended Lease, shall pay all costs in connection with the Amended Lease, including the notice and promulgation of this Ordinance, the cost of recordation of the executed Notice of First Amended and Restated Lease attached as Exhibit Ctothe Amended Lease, and all expenses relating to the Amended Lease.

SECTION 3. That the Amended Lease, substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, is incorporated and made apart hereof.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024 HELENA MORENO PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER22, 2024

NOVEMBER 26, 2024

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ONNOVEMBER26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M. AISHA R. COLLIER

CLERK OF COUNCIL

CALL VOTE:

Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6

-1

the City of New Orleans, relative to the City of New Orleans’ amendments to the adopted International Building Code, 2015 Edition; to amend therein the Stormwater Code of the City of New Orleans, which includes permitting and submittal requirements, removal of bonding requirements, fees, plan review,and various standards relative

SECTION 1. THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY

ORDAINS, That Section 26-15 of the Code of the City of New Orleans is amended and reordained to read as follows: “Chapter 26 –BUILDINGS, BUILDING REGULATIONSAND HOUSING STANDARDS.

ARTICLE I. –INGENERAL

Sec. 26-15. –SAME—AMENDMENTS That the following provisions of the International Building Code, 2015 Edition, shall be deleted in their entirety and the following shall be substituted in lieu thereof:

SECTION 121 -STORMWATER

121.1 General.These regulations shall be known as the Stormwater Code of the City of New Orleans.

121.2 Permit Required. No building, clearing, grubbing, grading, foundation, or other land development permits shall be issued until all requirements of this Stormwater Code have been met.

121.3 Intent. The stormwater management requirements established by this Stormwater Code areintended to:

(a) Assist in the development of aresilient New Orleans by encouraging sustainable practices for sitedesign, construction, and maintenance; (b) Reduce urban runoffand mitigate the effect of new development, redevelopment, or infill development on the existing drainage system by ensuring the preservation of permeable surfaces and requiring the installation of stormwater control measures (SCMs) to slow surface flow of stormwater runoffand promote filtration, plant uptake, absorption, and infiltration into sub-soils to reduce subsidence rates;

(c) Improve the built environment in the city by incorporating design features that mimic natural processes, conserve natural areas, manage rainfall on site, and detain water;

(d) Leverage the benefits of rainwater through proper management; (e) Manage water as asystem with right-size solutions in an equitable manner; (f) Encourage visible green infrastructureand minimize the use of subsurface engineering devices;

(g) Reduce and safely manage the use of pollutants and chemical-laden products; (h) Diminish the heat island effect by limiting paving and increasing vegetated land cover,particularly trees;

(i) Improve education by increasing stormwater project visibility; and (j) Increase flexibilityinpermissibledesign approaches to promote innovation in stormwater management

121.4 Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following definition shall apply Best management practices (BMP): Devices, practices, or methods used to manage stormwater runoffonconstruction sites by controlling peak runoffrate, improving water quality,and managing runoffvolume.

Bioretention: The process of collecting stormwater in atreatment area consisting of soil and plant materials to facilitate infiltration and filtration of pollutants through physical,chemical,and biological processes.

Bypass Volume: Any amount of stormwater that is not detained, retained, or filteredbythe stormwater feature.

Construction Activity: Construction or demolition activity,clearing, grubbing, or excavation, or any other activity that may result in land disturbance.

Design Storm Event: A10-year,24-hour storm event.

Detention: Slowing, dampening, or attenuating runoff flows entering the storm drainage system by temporarilyholding water in areas such as surface and subsurface green infrastructure, detention basins, reservoirs, on rooftops, or within the drainage system itself, and releasing the water at adesiredrate of discharge.

Development: Any human-induced change to improved or unimproved property,including but not limited to, construction, installation,or expansion of abuilding or other structure; land division; drilling; and site alteration such as dredging, grubbing, grading, paving, excavating, filling, or clearing. Development includes both new development and the redevelopment, modification, or alteration of existing property,whether publiclyorprivatelyowned or managed.

Development Site: The land, whether publiclyor privatelyowned, where any development activities areplanned, conducted, or maintained. It includes contiguous areas of disturbance including across property lines, private streets and alleys, and other rights-of-way,regardless of individual parcel ownership, on any portion or part, or during any stage, of alarger common plan of development or sale.

Drainage Area: Acatchment area formed by natural or man-made topography that drains to agiven point.

Infiltration: The penetration and vertical movement of water through the earth’ssurface.

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (“MS4”): Aconveyance or system of conveyances, including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains, separate from asanitary sewer,that conveys runofffrom individual parcels and public rights-of-way to storm drains, treatment facilities or receiving waters.

Off-Street Parking Space: The storage space for amotor vehicleona lot, not including the parking lot drive aisle or parking spaces on streets, alleys, or rights-of-way

Permeable Paving: Apavement system designed to allow vertical movement of stormwater through the pavement surface and into an aggregate base. Concrete bases and mortar areprohibited. Materials include, but arenot limited to, pervious concrete, porous asphalt, aggregate if stabilized with agrid-system that prevents compaction and washout; and permeable pavement, such as open-jointed blocks, pavers, or bricks that provide void spaces between to allow stormwater infiltration.

Qualified Stormwater Manager: An individual responsiblefor implementing, maintaining, and revising the stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP).

Siltation: Water pollution caused by particulate terrestrial clasticmaterial, with aparticle size dominated by silt or clay.Itrefers both to the increased concentration of suspended sediments and to the increased accumulation (temporary or permanent) of fine sediments on bottoms wherethey are undesirable.

Stormwater Runoff: Any part of precipitation that flows over the land during or following arain event.

Stormwater: Water that originates as precipitation on aparticular site, basin, or watershed.

Stormwater Control Measure(SCM): Any man-made or natural structure, system, landscape feature, channel,orimprovement designed, constructed, installed,orused to detain, retain, infiltrate, filter,orotherwise controlstormwater runoffquality,rate, or quantity.The term stormwater control measureissynonymous with the term green infrastructure.

121.5 Green InfrastructureToolkit.

(a) The Green InfrastructureToolkit is an online manual published by the Department of Safety and Permits that sets forth design criteriaor other engineering and design information necessary to comply with the Stormwater Code, including stormwater and water quality calculations through the Stormwater Calculator,recommended plant materials, specifications and construction detailsneeded to comply with the Stormwater Code.

(b) An applicant must use the Green InfrastructureToolkit to complete the permit application for adevelopment. All design calculations and other output from the toolkitmust be submitted digitally with the application.

(c) The Department of Safety and Permits shall update the Green InfrastructureToolkit at least every five years. The Director of the Department of Safety and Permits may delegate the responsibility of drafting and updating the Green InfrastructureToolkit to another department or office of the City of New Orleans.

121.6 Requirements.

(a) An applicant must submit astormwater management plan when the development site, viewed as awhole, satisfies any of the following circumstances, including during any period of construction:

(1) Development that increases the runoffrate above pre-construction runoffrate for the development site; (2) When the development footprint encompasses one acreormore; or (3) Any site wherethe current or intended principal use is stormwater management (b) The following types of developments areexempt from the requirements of this Stormwater Code:

(1) Single- and two-familydwellings, and any residential dwellingoffour units or less, together with any accessory structures on alot containing same. (2) Interior renovations that do not change the runoffrate. (3) Maintenance activities, such as top-layer grinding (grind and overlay), repaving when aggregates or gravelsare

of sediment or other pollutants from the site. (a) Mark Clearing Limits and Environmentally Critical Areas. Within the boundaries of the development site and prior to beginning construction activity,including clearing and grading, clearly mark all clearing limits, easements, setbacks, all environmentally critical areas and their buffers, and all trees and drainage courses that aretobepreserved within the construction area.

(b) Establish Construction Access. Limit construction vehicle access, whenever possible, to one route. Stabilize access points and minimize tracking sediment onto public roads. Promptly remove any sediment tracked offsite.

(c) Retain TopLayer.Within the boundaries of the development site, the dufflayer,topsoil, and native vegetation,ifany,shall be retained in an undisturbed state to the maximum extent feasible. If it is not feasible to retain the top layer in place, it should be stockpiled on site, covered to prevent erosion, and replaced immediately upon completion of the construction activity to the maximum extent feasible.

(d) Protect Downstream Properties and Receiving Waters. Protect properties and receiving waters downstream from the development site from erosion due to increases in the volume, velocity,and peak flow rate of drainage water from the

of

is documented in the SWPPP

(8) The best managementpractices (BMPs) aremaintained in good working order

(j) Maintain Best Management Practices (BMPs). All best management practices (BMPs) set forth in the stormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) aremaintained and repaired as needed to ensuresuch measures continue to function as intended. All best management practices (BMPs) areremoved within five days after final site stabilization is achieved or after the temporary control measures arenolonger needed, whichever is later.Trapped sediment is removed or stabilized on site. Disturbed soil areas resulting from removal arepermanently stabilized.

(k) Concrete Waste Management for Construction Activities. Concrete waste from washout of ready-mix trucks, concrete pumps, and other concrete equipment causes chemical changes in runoff by increasing sediment and changing the

green infrastructurefeatures, and, at aminimum, provide

on the type of green infrastructureinstalled, amount of stormwater runoffbeing

plant types (whereapplicable), and

quality improvements. For developments that have utilized the

in-lieu process described in section 121.13, below,and do not have stormwater infrastructure, signage must educate the public on topics such as, but not limited to, green infrastructure, funding opportunities for green infrastructure, and best practices to manage stormwater Under no circumstances is adevelopment site exempt from this signage requirement. 121.12 Procedure. (a) Application Procedure. Abuilding permitapplication for adevelopment site subject to this Stormwater Code must include astormwater management plan. (b) Completeness Review.Upon receipt and review of all documents required by the Stormwater Code, the Department shall notify the applicant if additional materials areneeded to complete the review (c) Review of Plans. The Department shall notify the applicant of any deficiencies in the proposed stormwater management plan. Failureofthe applicant to respond to deficiencies within aperiod of six months will result in expiration of the building permitapplication.

(d) Issuance of Building Permit. Once aplan has demonstrated compliance with the requirements of the Stormwater Code to the satisfaction of the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits or arepresentative, the Department shall issue abuilding permit, provided that all other applicable legal and permitting requirements aresatisfied.

(e) Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Upon issuance of abuilding permitand until acertificate of occupancy is issued, the stormwater pollution prevention plan must be implemented on the development site.

(f) Changes to Approved Plans. No departureordeviation shall be made from stormwater management plan and supporting documentation, specifications, or description after issuance of the permitunless new information is submitted, approved by the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits and incorporated in the permit. No person may modify remove, fill, landscape, or alter any stormwater control measures (SCMs) without the written approval of the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits.

(g) Post-Construction Certification. Prior to the issuance of acertificate of occupancy,post-construction certification must be obtained in accordance with section 121.15, below (h) Annual Inspection. Re-certification of all stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructureisrequired on an annual basis in accordance with the Stormwater Code.

(i) Expiration. An approved stormwater management plan is deemed invalid:

(1) If the work authorized by the permitisnot commenced within six months after its issuance; (2) If the work authorized by the permitissuspended for morethan six months after its issuance; or (3) If the work authorized by the permitissuspended or abandoned for a period of six months after the time the work commences. The expiration period may be extended for one or moreperiods of not morethan 90 days each. The extension must be requested in writing with justifiablecause demonstrated to the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits. The Director of the Department of Safety and Permits may grant an extension, which shall be in writing. 121.13 Fee In Lieu of Compliance.

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green,

(2) Be accessible in all weather conditions with sufficient controls to keep mud or debris from the streets surrounding the facility;

(3) Physically restrict all runofffromthe area by using atemporarypit or bermed area. Artificial berms may be created fromstraw or sand provided that the berm is staked and is double- or triple-lined with polyethylene sheeting of sufficient thickness and without holes, tears, or defects that compromise the impermeability of the material;

(4) Be clearly marked by signage; and (5) Be lined with polyethylene sheeting of sufficient thickness and which is free from holes, tears, or defects that compromise the impermeability ofthe material.

(c) Maintenance and Shutdown Requirements.

(1) The temporary pit or bermed area must be cleaned and maintained onaregular basis and must be cleaned immediately of any liquid or other contaminant found outside the washout facility

(2) The washout facility must be removed or cleaned out when the facility is no longer required for work in the area or when the facility is at 75 percent capacity.Toremoveorclean the facility,the hardened concrete must be removed and disposed of. Materials used to construct the temporary facility must also be removed and disposed of when they are no longer suitable for use or no longer needed.

(3) Any holes or depressions caused by the creation and use of the facility must be backfilled and repaired and the soil stabilized.

(4) All concrete waste material must be properly discharged.

121.11 Permit Submittal Documents. All documentation which must be submitted with each permit application must be prepared by or under the direct supervision of aLouisiana-licensed landscape architect or aLouisiana-licensed civil engineer and imprinted with such licensed professional’sseal. Wherespecial conditions exist, the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits may requireadditional documents to be prepared by aLouisiana-licensed design professional. All such documentation must be submitted in two or moresets with each permit application and must include the following: (a) Project Description. Asummary of existing conditions and proposed stormwater management design. (b) Existing Site &Stormwater Drainage Plan. Asite assessment detailing the current drainage conditions on the property.This must include: (1) Location and boundaries of all existing property lines, lot names, easements or servitudes, or other land divisions for the development site; (2) Location and boundaries of all adjacent rights-of-way,streets, private roads, drainage rights-of-way,orother features; (3) Existing drainage areas delineated with flow lines indicating direction of flow; (4) All above ground and subsurface infrastructureand invert elevations, including but not limited to existing drain lines, culverts, catch basins, headwalls, manholes, and existing SCMs; (5) Location of all existing roof and yarddrains, downspouts, or other featuresand their connections to SCMs;

(6) Existing topography and any significant topographic features;

(7) Soil classifications; and (8) All existing buildings, structures, land covers and site features, including but not limited to curb cuts, interior streets, driveways, parking and loading areas, landscaped areas, and lawns. (c) Proposed Site &Stormwater Management Plan. Adetailed illustrated plan of the proposed stormwater management site design. This plan must include:

(1) Location and boundaries of all property lines, lot names, easements or servitudes, or other land divisions for the development site;

(2) Location and boundaries of all adjacent rights-of-way,streets, private roads, drainage rights-of-way,orother features;

(3) Proposed drainage areas delineated with flow lines indicating direction of flow;

(4) All proposed above ground and subsurface infrastructureand invert elevations, including, but not limited to, drain lines, culverts, catch basins, headwalls, manholes, and stormwater control measures (SCMs); (5) Location of all proposed roof and yarddrains, downspouts, or other features and their connections to stormwater control measures (SCMs); (6) Proposed topography and grading plan; (7) All proposed buildings, structures, land covers and site features, including but not limited to curb cuts, interior streets, driveways, parking and loading areas, landscaped areas, and lawns; and (8) Sections and details of all proposed stormwater control measures (SCMs) showing depth, dimensions, compositional layers, drainage media, overflows, connections into and out of all drainage related features and project specification in compliance with the Green Infrastructure Toolkit.

(d) Calculations. Calculations for pre- and post-development runoffrate, required detention volume and capacity of stormwater control measures (SCMs), and empirically estimated pollutant load calculations completed and provided using the latest version of the City of New Orleans Stormwater Calculator (e) Infiltration Test Results. All plans must include the results of at least one infiltration test per stormwater control measure (SCM), signed and sealed by aprofessional engineer or landscape architect licensed in the State of Louisiana, conducted according to the ASTM International C1701 or C1781 standards, as appropriate.

(1) Infiltration test results must be incorporated into the required stormwater management design, including anarrative fromthe design professional that indicates the test results and identifies compliance with such requirements.

(f) Operations &Maintenance Plan. Site-specificoperations and maintenance schedule for each stormwater control measure(SCM) including routine maintenance, frequency of inspections, indications of failure, corrective actions (repair and replacement),

(a) Submittal Requirements. Arequest to pay afee in lieu of compliance with the requirements of the Stormwater Code must be filed with the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits and must include:

(1) Documentation of lack of practicabilityofon-site compliance, including existing and proposed site and stormwater drainage plans; (2) Calculations for the required volume, existing and proposed runoff rate, and existing and proposed pollutant loads prepared by aLouisianalicensed landscape architect or professional engineer; and (3) The estimated and itemized cost of construction, materials and annual maintenance of stormwater control measures (SCMs) that is feasibleonsite.

(b) Approval Standards. In reviewing fee-in-lieu of compliance applications, the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits or the Director of the Department of PublicWorks shallconsider if stormwater management within the site is achieved to the maximum extent practicable.

(c) Payment. Calculationofthe fee is based on the per cubic foot volume of stormwater requiring management as provided herein, at the rate established in Section 2-1105 of the Code of the City of New Orleans. (d) Condition. The fee paid in accordance with this section is intended to offset the 1.25-inch detention volume standard. In no event shall the postdevelopment peak runoffrate exceed the pre-development runoffrate for adesign storm event.

(e) Deviations. Existing development sites wherethe conditions do not allow runofffroma certain portion of the site to flow into astormwater control measure(SCM) may apply to manage the entirequantity on a separate portion of the development site (allowing for bypass runoff) or apply for partial fee-in-lieu payment for the volume of stormwater not detained. 121.14 Enforcement of Regulations.

The Department of Safety and Permits shall not issue acertificate of occupancy for any development site until its stormwater management plans arecertified. Failure to implement the stormwater management plan is cause for the withholding of the certificate of occupancy.The applicant shall maintainall stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructureinperpetuity in accordance with the associated maintenance plan or program. The development site owner or authorized agent shall inspect all stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructuremonthly and shall keep records indicating all maintenance actions required and taken each month. These records may be requested by the Department of Safety and Permits at any time and, once requested, shall be timely provided to the department by the property owner.Failure to maintaincompliance with the approved stormwater management plan is cause for the application of fines and penalties, as allowed under City Code. All landscape and stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructuremust be maintained in conformance with the approved plan, aresubject to periodic inspection by the Department of Safety and Permits and must be recertified annuallyasrequired by the Stormwater Code. Failuretomaintainthe stormwater control measures (SCMs) or certify the stormwater management plan is cause for revocation of the certificate of occupancy,and the application of fines and penalties as allowed under the City Code. 121.15 Fees. Thereisafee of $250 for annual certification of stormwater management plans. Thereisapenalty of $500 for annual recertification of stormwater management plans that have passed the expiration date. Failuretosubmit plans 30 days after expiration shall subject aproperty to administrative adjudication with adaily penalty of $500.

121.16 Post-Construction Certification.

(a) Requirements for Certificate of Occupancy.The Department of Safety and Permits shall not issue acertificate of occupancy until it receives the following:

(1) Digital as-built plans showing the final design and specifications for all SCMs, the field location, size, depth of all measures, controls, and planted vegetation, and devices, as installed; and (2) Affidavit signed by the civil engineer or landscape architect of record attesting that the stormwater control measures (SCMs) have been installed in accordance with all approved plans and specifications, and in compliance with all other applicablestandards.

(b) Initial Certification. Stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructureare subject to an initial certification period of 12 months, starting from the date that the department issues acertificate of occupancy for aproperty with an approved stormwater management plan. (c) Annual Certification. Recertification of all stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructureisrequired annually. (1) No morethan 30 days prior to recertification, aLouisiana-licensed landscape architect or professional engineer,asapplicable, shall conduct an inspection of all stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructure, and shall certify that the stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructurefollow the recorded as-built stormwater management plans and designs, and with all other applicable standards. (2) The property owner shall be eligibletoapply for re-certification not morethan three months prior to the expiration of the previous certification. (3) The property owner or operator shall retain detailed records of any maintenance performed on, or changes made to, stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructurefor review on an asneeded basis. SECTION 2. THE COUNCIL OF THE

OF

ORDAINS, That the provisions of this Ordinance shall become effective on January 1, 2025. ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024 HELENAMORENO PRESIDENTOFTHE COUNCIL DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

or filteredbythe stormwater feature.

Construction Activity: Construction or demolition activity,clearing, grubbing, or excavation, or any other activity that may result in land disturbance.

Design Storm Event: Aten10-year,twenty-four24-hour storm event.

Detention: Slowing, dampening, or attenuating runoff flows entering the storm drainage system by temporarily holding water in areas such as surface and subsurface green infrastructure,detention basins, reservoirs, on roof tops rooftops, or within the drainage system itself, and releasing the water at adesired rate of discharge.

Development: Any human-induced change to improved or unimproved property,including but not limited to:, construction,installation, or expansion of abuilding or other structure; land division; drilling; and site alteration such as dredging, grubbing, grading, paving, excavation excavating, filling, or clearing. Development includes both new development of new structures and modifications, alterations the redevelopment, modification, or additions to an alteration of existing structure property,whether publicly or privately owned or managed.

Development Period: Aperiod of two(2) years from the date of issuance of the initial permit for adevelopmentsite.

DevelopmentSite: The land area,whether publicly or privately owned, where anydevelopment activities areplanned, conducted, or maintained. It includes contiguousareas of disturbance including across property lines, private streets and alleys, and other rights-of-way,regardless of individual parcel ownership, on any portion or part, or during any stage, of alarger common plan of development or sale.

Drainage Area: Acatchmentareaformed by natural or man-made topography that drains to agiven point.

Green Infrastructure (GI): Stormwater systems or features that mimic the natural water cycle and areused to manage the quantity and quality of runoffassociated with development. The term encompasses awide array of best managementpractices and methods including, but not limited to, bioretention, detention, permeable pavement, and green or roofs. Impervious Surface: Any building, pavement, structure, or other material that impedes the natural infiltration of water into the ground. Infiltration:The penetration and vertical movement of water through the earth’ssurface. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (“MS4”): Aconveyance or system of conveyances, including roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, manmade man-made channels, or storm drains, separate from asanitary sewer,that conveys runofffromindividual parcels and public rights-of-way to storm drains, treatment facilities and/or receiving waters.

Off-Street Parking Space: The storage space for amotor vehicle on a lot, not including the parking lot drive aisle or parking spaces on streets, alleys, or rights-of-way

Permeable Paving: Apavement system designed to allow vertical movement of stormwater through the pavement surface and into an aggregate base. Concrete bases and mortar areprohibited. Materials include, but arenot limited to, pervious concrete, porous asphalt, aggregate if stabilized with agrid-system that prevents compaction and washout; and permeable pavement, such as open-jointed blocks, pavers, or bricks that provide void spaces between to allow stormwater infiltration. Stormwater Runoff: Any part of precipitation that flows over the land during or following arain event.

Stormwater: Water

Stormwater

121.5 Green InfrastructureToolkit.

(a)The Green Infrastructure Toolkit is an online manual published by the Department of Safety and Permits that sets forth design criteria or other engineering and design information necessary to comply with the Stormwater Code, including stormwater and water quality calculations through the Stormwater Calculator,recommended

public or private, must meet each of the elements minimum requirements below or document why an element is not applicable Additional controls may be required by the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits when such minimum controls requirements arenot sufficient to prevent erosion or transport of sediment or other pollutants from the site:.

(a.) Mark Clearing Limits and Environmentally Critical Areas. Within theboundaries of the project development site and prior to beginning land disturbing activities construction activity,including clearing and grading, clearly mark all clearing limits, easements, setbacks, all environmentally critical areas and their buffers, and all trees and drainage courses that are to be preserved within the construction area.

b. Retain TopLayer.Within the boundaries of the project site, the duff layer,topsoil, and native vegetation, if thereisany,shall be retained in an undisturbedstate to the maximum extent feasible. If it is not feasible to retain the top layer in place, it should be stockpiled on-site, covered to prevent erosion, and replaced immediately upon completion of the land disturbing activities to the maximum extent feasible.

c. (b) Establish Construction Access. Limit construction vehicle access, whenever possible, to one route. Stabilize access points and minimize tracking sediment onto public roads. Promptly remove any sediment tracked offsite.

(c) Retain TopLayer.Within the boundaries of the development site, the dufflayer,topsoil, and native vegetation, if any,shall be retained in an undisturbed state to the maximum extent feasible. If it is not feasible to retain the top layer in place, it should be stockpiled on site, covered to prevent erosion, and replaced immediately upon completion of the construction activity to the maximum extent feasible.

(d.) Protect Downstream Properties and Receiving Waters. Protect properties and receiving waters downstream fromthe development sites site from erosion due to increases in the volume, velocity,and peak flow rate of drainage water from the project site. If it is necessary to construct flow control facilities to meet this requirement, these facilities shall must be functioning established prior to implementation of other land disturbing activity,including, but not limited to, the use of silt fencing along all site boundaries. If permanent infiltration facilities areused to control flows during construction, these facilities shall must be protected from siltation during the construction phase of the project development.

(e.) Prevent Erosion and Sediment Transport fromthe Site by Vehicles. Whenever construction vehicle access routes intersect paved roads, the transport of sediment onto the paved road shall be minimized. If sediment is transported onto apaved road surface, the roads shall be cleaned thoroughly at the end of each day.Sediment shall be removed frompaved roads by shoveling or sweeping and shall be transported to acontrolled sediment disposal area. If sediment is tracked off-site, roads shall be cleaned thoroughly at the end of each day,oratleast twice daily during wet weather.Street washing is allowed only after sediment is removed,

into

but not be limited to,the following measures: must be taken:

(1.) All pollutants, including sediment, waste materials, and demolition debris, that occur onsite shall be on site arehandled and disposed of in amanner that does not cause contamination of drainage water and pursuant to complies with all applicabledisposal laws.

(2.) Containment, cover,and protection from vandalismshall be provided for All chemicals, liquid products, petroleum products, and other materials that have the potential to pose athreat to human health or the environment arecontained, covered, and protected from vandalism.

(3.) On-site fueling tanks shall include secondary containment around a primary container as an additional layer of protection or barrier to prevent the spread of hazardous materials in case of aleak or spill.

(4.) Contaminated surfaces shall be arecleaned immediately following any discharge or spill incident.

(5.) Fertilizers and pesticides Application of shall be conducted in are applied in accordance with the manufacturers’ instructions and in a manner and at application rates that will do not result in loss discharge of chemical to these products into the drainage water.Manufacturers’ label requirements for application rates and procedures shall be followed. (6.) For any paint removal,paint preparation, pressure-washing or sandblasting activities that will may result in particles entering the air or landing on the ground, BMP best management practices (BMPs) steps shall be areimplemented to prevent or minimize to the maximum extent practicablethe release of such particles releases into the environment. Discharge of wastes from such activities to the MS4municipal separate storm sewer system is prohibited.

(7.) Astormwater pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) coordinator is identified on the permit and ensures that all development site stormwater control measures (SCMs) aresite-tested, inspected, and repaired or replaced, as needed, at least weeklyand beforeand after amajor rain event, or as necessary.Each inspection by the coordinator is documented in the SWPPP (8.) The stormwater control measures (SCMs) aremaintained in good working order (j.) Maintain Best Management Practices (BMPs.). All temporary and permanent erosion and sediment controlBMPs shall be measures are maintained and repaired as needed to assurecontinued performance of their intended ensuresuch measures continue to function as intended. All temporary erosion and sediment controls shall be areremoved within five days after final site stabilization is achieved or after the temporary controls control measures arenolonger needed, whichever is later.Trapped sediment shall be is removed or stabilized on site. Disturbed soil areas resulting from removal shall be arepermanently stabilized. (k.) Signage. Signage that adheres to the requirements set forth in the Green InfrastructureToolkitisprominently displayed on the development site notifying the public and construction personnel that the location, site, or structureissubject to stormwater related improvements. 121.611 Concrete waste Waste management Management for

Construction Activities. Concrete waste from washout of ready-mix trucks, concrete pumps, and other concrete equipment causes chemical and changes in runoffbyincreasing sediment and changing the pH of the water used in the concrete waste washout. Concrete waste management is the practice of capturing all concrete wastes and protecting the drainage system from any discharge contaminated by concrete. This concrete waste includes sweepings from concrete or other concrete slurry wastes. (a.) Applications. Concrete waste management requirements shall apply tois required of all construction sites, phases, subdivisions, or developments with concrete work. This includes,including, but not limited to, the use of concrete delivered by truck or other concrete coated equipment, mortar-mixing stations, or whereconcrete dust, debris, or slurry is created by either construction or demolition. Concrete waste management practices shall also apply to any Additionally,the operator of a any vehicleused to deliver or apply concrete products must employ concrete waste management practices. (1.) All construction sites shall applicants must provide and identify a reasonable concrete washout facility for the use of by those providing concrete or concrete-related services on that site or make arrangements shall arrange for the removal of concrete waste.

(2.) In some cases, particularly in the case of an owner-builder construction or renovation by an owner-builder of asingle structure, the concrete provider is expected to must dispose of or washout any excess concrete or debris in amanner consistent with this section even if the site does not lend itself to aseparate washout facility. (b.) Design Criteria. Provide Concrete washout facilities must have a minimum of six cubic feet of containment volume for every ten10 cubic yards of concrete to be poured. Theremust be aminimum freeboardofsix inches for those Facilities built above the ground or must have aminimum freeboardofsix inches. Facilities built below grade must have aminimum freeboardof12inches for those built below grade..Prefabricated washout facilities areallowed so long as if they meet the criteria required of temporary facilities in terms of capacity,protection from runoffand cleanout requirements. All concrete washout areas facilities must: (1.) Be located as far away from storm drains, ditches, or other bodies of water as is practical practicable; (2.) Be accessibleinProvide all -weather access conditions with suf

cient controls to keep mud or debris from the streets surrounding the facility.; (3.) Physically restrict all runofffromthe area by construction of using atemporary pit or bermed area of sufficient size. Artificial berms may be created from straw bales or sand bags so long as provided that the same berm is staked and is double- or triple-lined with polyethylene sheeting of sufficient thickness and without holes or,tears., or defects that compromise the impermeabilityofthe material; (4.) Be clearlymarked by signage.; and (5.) Be lined with polyethylene sheeting of sufficient thickness and which is free from holes, tears, or defects that compromise the impermeability of the material.

(c.) Maintenance requirements.and Shutdown Requirements. (1.) The washout temporary pit shall or bermed area must be cleaned and maintained on aregular basis and must be cleaned immediately of any liquid or other contaminant found outside the washout facility (2.) The washout facility must be removed or cleaned out when the facility is no longer required for work in the area or when the facility is at 75 percent capacity.Toremove or clean the facility,the hardened concrete should must be removed and disposed of. Materials used to construct the temporary facility must also be removed and disposed of when they are no longer suitable for use or no longer needed. (3.) Any holes or depressions caused by atemporary washout the creation and use of the facility should must be backfilled and repaired and the soil shall be stabilized. 4. Be cleaned up immediately in the event that any liquid or other contaminant is found outside the washout facility (4.) All concrete waste material must be properly disposed of discharged. 121.7 Permeable and Pervious Paving Materials. Except as otherwise required for persons with disabilities, all non-residential, surface-level off-street parking spaces in the City shall be paved using permeableand pervious paving material. This requirement shall apply to all new paving installationsand to the substantial improvement of development sites with existing nonresidential, surface-level,off-street parking spaces. The removal of impermeable paving shall not be required for any existing parking space that is already subject to an approved, postconstruction stormwater management plan that satisfies the requirements of Sec. 121.10. To the extent practicable, permeablepaving shouldbeused in place of impervious paving materials in all other permitted locations.

a. PermeablePaving Standards and Certification. Any installation of permeable paving shall be subject to the standards of this section.

1. Types of Permeable Pavement. The types of permeablepavement

downspouts, or other features and their connections to BMPs stormwater control measures (SCMs); 6. Proposed topographic and any significant topographic features at amaximum of 1’ elevation intervals. If the site is less than 2% slope, NAVD88 point elevations arerequiredataminimum of every 25’ and at the property line. (6.) Proposed topography and grading plan; (7.) All proposed buildings, structures, land covers and site features, including but not limited to curb cuts, interior streets, driveways, parking and loading areas, landscaped areas, and lawns.; and (8.) Sections and details of all proposed BMPs stormwater control measures (SCMs) showing depth, dimensions, compositional layers, drainage media, overflows, connections into and out of all drainage related features and project speci

Safety and Permits shall notify the applicant of any deficiencies in the proposed stormwater management plan. Failureofthe applicant to respond to deficiencies within aperiod of six (6) months will result in expiration of the building permit application. (d) Issuance of Building Permit. Once aplan has demonstrated compliance with the requirements of this section the Stormwater Code to the satisfaction of the Director or his of the Department of Safety and Permits or arepresentative, abuilding permit may be issued the Department shall issue abuilding permit, provided that all other applicable legal and permitting requirements aresatisfied.

(e) Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). Upon issuance of abuilding permit and until acertificate of occupancy is issued, the stormwater pollution prevention plan must be implemented on the development site.

(f) Changes to Approved Plans. No departureordeviation shall be made from the plans stormwater management plan and supporting documentation, specifications, or description after issuance of the permit unless new information is submitted, approved by the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits and incorporated in the permit. No person shall may modify,remove, fill, landscape, or alter any stormwater BMPs control measures (SCMs) without the written approval of the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits.

(g) Post-Construction Certification. Prior to the issuance of acertificate of occupancy,post-construction certification must be obtained in accordance with this chapter section 121.16, below (h) Annual Inspection. Re-certification of all stormwater BMPs control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructureis required on an annual basis in accordance with this chapter the Stormwater Code.

(i) Expiration. Every An approved stormwater management plan shall become is deemed invalid:

(l) If the work authorized by the permit is not commenced within six (6) months after its issuance, or;

(2) If the work authorized by the permit is suspended for morethan six (6) months after its issuance,; or

(3) If the work authorized by the permit is suspended or abandoned for aperiod of six (6) months after the time the work is commenced. commences. The expiration period may be extended for one or more extensions of time, for periods of not morethan ninety (90) days each, may be allowed for the permit.. The extension must be requested in writing and with justifiable cause demonstrated to the Director.When of the Department of Safety and Permits. The Director of the Department of Safety and Permits may grant an extension is granted it,which shall be in writing by him 121.14 Fee-in lieu In Lieu of Compliance.

(a) Submittal Requirements. Arequest for payment of the to pay afee in -lieu of compliance with the requirements of the Stormwater Code must be filed with the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits and must include: (1) Documentation of impracticality lack of practicability of on-site compliance, including existing and proposed site and stormwater drainage plans.; (2) Calculations for the required volume, existing and proposed runoff rate, and existing and proposed pollutant loads prepared by aregistered Louisiana licensed landscape architect licensed by the Louisiana HorticultureCommission or aregistered professional engineer licensed by the Louisiana Professional Engineering;and Land Surveying Board (LAPELS) (3) The estimated and itemized cost of construction, materials and annual maintenance of stormwater BMPs control measures (SCMs) that could beis feasible on-site.

a. (b) Approval Standards. In reviewing fee-in-lieu of compliance applications, the Director of the Department of Safety and Permits or the Director of the Department of Public Works shall consider the following standards:ifstormwater management within the site is achieved to the maximum extent feasible;practicable.

1. The cost of materials, construction, and maintenance that would be required to comply on site; and 2. The topography,soil, vegetation, drainage, spatial limitations, unusually shaped pieces of land, unusual servitude requirements, or superseding regulatory requirements aresuch that full compliance is impractical. (c.) Payment. Fee payments, in lieu of compliance, shall be Calculation of the fee is based on the per cubic foot volume of stormwater requiring management as provided herein, at the rate established in Section 2-1105 of the Code of the City of New Orleans. (d.) Condition. The fee in-lieu payment paid in accordance with this section is intended to offset the 1.25”-inch detention volume standard. In no event shall the postdevelopment peak run-off runoffrate exceed the pre-development run-off runoffrate for the 10-year 24-houradesign storm. event. (e) Existing development sites wherethe conditions do not allow runoff from acertain portion of the site to flow into astormwater control measure (SCM) may apply to manage the entirequantity on aseparate portion of the development site (allowing for bypass runoff) or apply for partial feein-lieu payment for the volume of stormwater not detained. 121.15 Enforcement of Regulations. No Certificate of Occupancy may be issued The Department of Safety

Re-certification Recertification of all stormwater BMPs control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructure is requiredona biennial basis annually (1) No morethan thirty (30) days prior to recertification, aLouisianalicensed landscape architect or professional engineer,asapplicable, licensed in Louisiana shall conduct an inspection of all BMPs stormwater control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructure, and shall certify under seal,that the stormwater control measures BMPs(SCMs) and associated infrastructureare in compliance with follow the recorded as-built stormwater management plans and designs, and with all other applicablestandards. (2) The property owner shall be eligibletoapply for re-certification not morethan three months prior to the expiration of the previous certification. 3. (3) The property owner or operator shall retain detailed records of any maintenance performed on, or changes made to, stormwater management BMPs control measures (SCMs) and associated infrastructurefor review on an as needed basis. d. Transfer of Property.The recordation of the stormwater plan as required

herein shall constitute areal right in or over the immovable and shallbe effective as to third persons as provided by law

ORDINANCE (AS CORRECTED)

CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34897 NO. 30152 MAYOR COUNCILSERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER GREEN (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE to authorizethe Mayor of the City of New Orleans (“City”) to enter into Amendment No. 1tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the City and Louisiana State University Agriculture Center (“LSU”) to extend the CEA’s term for four (4) years and to increase the CEA’s compensation, as morefully set forth in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “1” and made apart hereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section (14)(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City, may enter into cooperative endeavors with each other or with any public or private corporation or individual;and WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into cooperative endeavors with any public or private association, corporation, or individual for activities in support of economicgrowth or other public purposes; and WHEREAS, LSU is apublic university,whose Agriculture Center is located at 101 Efferson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70808; and WHEREAS, the City and LSU desiretoenter into the attached Amendment No. 1tothe CEA relative to the valued public purpose of creating astrong, comprehensive, multi-sectoral Gulf Southregional network thatcombats the effects of inadequate staffing, gaps in mosquito surveillance, and controls corecompetencies within Mosquito Control Abatement Districts; and WHEREAS, the City and LSU desiretoenter into this Amendment, extending the term of the parties’ CEA for four (4) years and to set forth certainother matters in connection therewith; NOW,THEREFORE

SECTION 1. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANSHEREBY

ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the City and the Mosquito, Termite, and Rodent Control Board, is hereby authorized to enter into Amendment No. 1toits CEA with LSU, relative to the valued public purpose of creating astrong, comprehensive, multi-sectoral Gulf South regional network that combats the effects of inadequate staffing, gaps in mosquito surveillance, and controlscorecompetencies within Mosquito ControlAbatement Districts, to extend the CEA’s term for four (4) years and to increase the CEA’scompensation, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit“1”.

SECTION 2. That said Amendment No. 1isattached hereto as Exhibit“1” and incorporated and made apart hereof.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENAMORENO PRESIDENTOFTHE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0

**Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34898 NO. 30153 MAYOR COUNCILSERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE authorizingthe Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement among the City of New Orleans (the “City”), the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (the “Commission”), and A’s &Aces, for aterm greater than one year,for the public purpose of supporting, promoting, stimulating public interest in, and raising and distributing funds to benefitthe construction, creation, preservation, and maintenance of public parks and playgrounds, recreational facilities, and recreational and other leisureprograms and activities in the City of New Orleans, as morefully detailed in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City, may enter into cooperative endeavors with each other or with any public or private corporation or individual;and further pursuant to Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into cooperative endeavors with any public or private association, corporation, or individual for activities in support of economic growth and other public purposes; and

WHEREAS, the Commission is acommission of the City as set forth in Sections 5-1001, 5-1002, and 5-1003 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans withthe powers, duties, and functions as established therein and pursuant to M.C.S. Ordinance No. 24126; and WHEREAS, A’s &Aces is aLouisiana non-profitcorporation that teaches tennis, physical fitness, literacy,and life skills to promote healthy lifestyles to youth and teens throughout the year; and WHEREAS, the City,the Commission, and A’s &Aces desiretoenter into acooperative endeavor agreement in order to accomplishthe valued public purpose of supporting, promoting, stimulating public interest in, and raising and distributing funds to benefitthe construction, creation, preservation, and maintenance of public parks and playgrounds, recreational facilities, and recreational and other leisureprograms and activities in the City of New Orleans; NOW THEREFORE

SECTION I. THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANSHEREBY

ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the City of New Orleans, is hereby authorized to enter into the attached cooperative endeavor agreement with the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, and A’s & Aces, for aterm greater than one year,for the public purpose of providing quality recreational, academic, cultural,and/or economicopportunities for the City’sresidents by providing space to A’s&Aces at NORD’sRecreation

Center for A’s&Aces’ tennis program and supporting the upkeep of the Joe W. Brown tennis center

SECTION 2. That said cooperative endeavor agreement is attached to this ordinance as “Exhibit A” and incorporated and made apart hereof.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENAMORENO PRESIDENTOFTHE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s

Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall. ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: November 7, 2024 CALENDAR NO. 34,900 NO. 30154 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL,GIARRUSSO,

BECAME LAWONDECEMBER 1,

AT 12:00

WITH SECTION 3-113(2) OF THE CITY CHARTER. ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: November 7, 2024 CALENDAR NO. 34,911 NO. 30155 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) AN ORDINANCE to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into AmendmentNo. 1toanexisting Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the City of New Orleans (the “City”), and the Municipal Yacht Harbor ManagementCorporation (“MYHMC”), relative to extending the CEA for the construction of a fishing pier on City land leased by MYHMC, as morefully set forth in Amendment No. 1tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement form attached hereto and made apart hereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. WHEREAS, the City is apolitical subdivision of the State of Louisiana; and WHEREAS, MYHMC is aLouisiana nonprofitpublic benefitcorporation organized pursuant to the provisions of Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 12, Section 201, et seq. and by Ordinance No. 7026, M.C.S., adopted January 18, 1979, with its principal address at 401 North Roadway,New Orleans, LA 70124; and WHEREAS, MYHMC has leased the area commonly referred to as the Municipal Yacht Harbor from the City pursuant to an agreement dated July 17, 2006, whereby MYHMC is to operate and maintain the Municipal Yacht Harbor; and WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City,may enter into cooperative endeavors with each other,orwith any public or private corporation or individual; and further pursuant to Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into cooperative endeavors with any public or private association corporation, or individual for activities in support of economic growth and other public purposes; and WHEREAS, the City and the MYHMC desiretoamend an existing Cooperative Endeavor Agreement to provide for the implementation of the forgoing and to set forth certain other matters in connection therewith; NOW THEREFORE SECTION I. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS HEREBY ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the City of New Orleans, is hereby authorized to enter into the first amendment to aCooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans and the Municipal Yacht Harbor ManagementCorporation to allow and facilitate planning and construction of a fishing pier at the Municipal Yacht Harbor in the City of New Orleans.

SECTION 2. That said AmendmentNo1tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement is attached hereto as Exhibit “A” and incorporated and made apart hereof.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0

**Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,912

NO. 30156 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER GREEN (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into AmendmentNo. 2tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the Mosquito, Termite, &Rodent Control Boardand Florida A&M BoardofTrustees (“FAMU”) to extendthe CEA’s term for four (4) years, to increase the CEA’s compensation, and to modify certain terms and conditions, as morefully set forth in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “1” and made apart hereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section (14)(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City of New Orleans (“City”), may

MAYOR RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ONNOVEMBER26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHAR.COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,913

NO. 30157 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GREEN (BY REQUEST)

AN ORDINANCE to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into Amendment No. 1tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the Mosquito, Termite, &Rodent Control Boardand Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (“AgriLife”) to extend the CEA’s term for four (4) years, to increase the CEA’s compensation, and to modify certain terms and conditions, as morefully set forth in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “1” and made apart hereof; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

WHEREAS, pursuant to the authority contained in Article 7, Section (14)(C)ofthe Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and statutory authority supplemental thereto, the State of Louisiana and its political subdivisions, including the City of New Orleans (“City”), may enter into agreements with each other or with any public or private corporation or individual; and WHEREAS,pursuant to Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into agreements with any public or private association, corporation, or individual for activities in support of economic growth or other public purposes; and WHEREAS,AgriLife is amember of the Texas A&M University System and an Agency of the State of Texas, located at 400 Harvey Mitchell Parkway South, Suite 300, College Station, Texas 77843; and WHEREAS,the City and AgriLife desiretoenter into the attached Amendment No. 1tothe CEA relative to the valued public purpose of creating astrong, comprehensive, multi-sectoral Gulf South regional network that combats the effects of inadequate staffing, gaps in mosquito surveillance, and controls corecompetencies within Mosquito Control Abatement Districts; and WHEREAS, the City and AgriLife desiretoenter into this Amendment No. 1that will extend the term of the CEA for four (4) years, increase the CEA’s compensation, and modify certain terms and conditions, and to set forth certain other matters in connection therewith; NOW,

THEREFORE SECTION 1. THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OFNEW ORLEANS HEREBY ORDAINS, That the Mayor,onbehalf of the City and the Mosquito, Termite, &Rodent Control Board, is hereby authorized to enter into Amendment No. 1toits CEA with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (“AgriLife”), relative to the valued public purpose of creating astrong, comprehensive, multi-sectoral Gulf South regional network that combats the effects of inadequate staffing, gaps in mosquito surveillance, and controls core competencies within Mosquito Control Abatement Districts, to extend the CEA’s term for four (4) years, to increase the CEA’s compensation, and to modify certain terms and conditions, in the form attached hereto as Exhibit “1”.

SECTION 2. That said Amendment No. 1isattached hereto as Exhibit “1” and incorporated and made apart hereof.

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ONNOVEMBER26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2

RECUSED: 0 **Copies of the attachment may be seen in full in the Clerk of Council’s Office, 1300 Perdido Street, Room 1E09, City Hall.

ORDINANCE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

CALENDAR NO. 34,917 NO. 30158 MAYOR COUNCIL SERIES BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING

SECTION 1. THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANSHEREBY ORDAINS, That thereishereby establisheda “Special Event Clean Zone” consisting of all public property located within the area bounded by Earhart BoulevardtoCalliope Street; Annunciation Street to Euterpe Street; Religious Street to Race Street; proceeding across the Mississippi River along the West Bank Levee (at the Orleans Parish Line); continuing across the Mississippi River to Esplanade Avenue; Esplanade Avenue to North Claiborne Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue; North Claiborne Avenue and South Claiborne Avenue to Earhart Boulevard; and including the Louisiana Superdome property (Champions Square), the New Orleans SmoothieKing Center property,and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center property (the “Clean Zone Area”). The Special Event Clean Zone Area does not include private property,except as otherwise expressly provided herein.

SECTION 2. The Special Event Clean Zone shall commence at 6:00 a.m. on Monday,December 30, 2024 and continue through and until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday,January 2, 2025 (the “Effective Period”).

SECTION 3. The following activities conducted by any person or entity within the Clean Zone Area, except for those approved, sanctioned or authorized by the City, shall be regulated as follows during the Effective Period.

a. The construction, placement, occupation, or use of any temporary structureorenclosureofany kind shall be prohibited, including but not limited to tents, canopies, and air-supported, air-inflated, and tensioned membranes except for those sanctioned or authorized by the City or as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit. b. Unless expressly permitted by the City,commercial activity and transactions shall be prohibited upon all public streets, sidewalks, or rights of way.This prohibition shall not apply to the following:

1. the commercial operation of permitted taxicabs, rideshares, limousines, charter buses, pedicabs, or similar permitted conveyances on public streets; 2. the continuation of ordinary business operations within an existing, permitted parklet attached to arestaurant or bar and/or currently permitted sidewalk use, provided that (i) no holder of aparklet or sidewalk use permitmay assign the rights to operate aparklet or sidewalkuse to any thirdparty during the Effective Period, and (ii) no advertising of any kind may be installedwithin or adjacent to aparklet or as part of a sidewalkuse except as part of apermitted Aframe sign;

3. ordinary vehicular usage of public streets;

4. ordinary pedestrian usage of streets and sidewalks to access private property and businesses;

5. delivery of goods to retail business establishments by wholesalers and suppliers; 6. the sale or distribution of artworks in the areas immediately abutting Jackson Squareand St. Louis Cathedral; 7. street performances that do not unreasonablyinterferewith pedestrian or vehicular trafficassociated with the Event or with Event security or public safety 8. operations surrounding the New Orleans Eve Concert 2024 presented by New Orleans &Company which will be operated by French Quarter Festivals, Inc. c. Except as provided in Section 3(b)(1)-(7), the sale or distribution of any merchandise, food, beverages, or services shall be prohibited on public streets, sidewalks, rights of way,and outside of an enclosed building to patrons on public streets, sidewalks, or rights of way

d. Permits relative to amplified sound outside an enclosed structureshall not be granted except as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit.

e. Inflatables, cold air balloons, banners, pennants, flags, building wraps, A-frame signs, projected image signs, electronic variablemessage signs, light emitting diode signs of acommercial natureshall be prohibited except for those sanctioned or authorized by the City or as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit.

f. Mobile advertising and advertising for goods, products, and services not offered at the adjoining business establishment shall be prohibited except as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit, provided that no taxicab, pedicab or bus permitted for operation as of the effective date of this Ordinance shall be required to requiretoremove or obscureexisting any advertising.

g. No alcoholicbeverages shall be provided, served, or sold to the general public from any temporary outdoor use or structureexcept for those sanctioned or authorized by the City or as set forth in Sponsor’s special event permit.

h. The distribution, promotional giveaway,orprovision of free products, services, coupons or samples shall be prohibited except as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit.

i. The erection or placement of mobilewireless communication facilities shall be prohibited. Amobile wireless communication facility is defined as astructure, antenna, or trailer,temporary and portableinnature, that is used to provide or increase wireless cellular communication.

j. No person or entity shall sell, offer for sale, or distribute counterfeit, unauthorized, unlicensed, infringing, or otherwise illegal merchandise, including, without limitation, merchandise that bears the trademarks, service marks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights of any entity that has not consented to the use of its intellectual property

SECTION 4. That any activity or undertaking conducted by any person or entity on private property located within the Special Event Clean Zone that requires the issuance of apermitor license by the City of New Orleans, shall be regulated and governed by the applicableprovisions of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans City Code, as well as existing federal,state, and local law.Applications for such permits or licenses for activities or undertakings during the Effective Period shall be completed and submitted to the City of New Orleans no later than close of business on December 18, 2024, or the applications may be denied for untimeliness.

SECTION 5. That nothing in this ordinance shall be construed as arepeal or suspension of any existing laws prohibiting or governing the issuance of permits outside the Clean Zone geographical boundaries as detailed in Section 1hereinabove.

SECTION 6. Nothing in this ordinance is intended to prohibit noncommercial speech or to impairconstitutionallyprotected speech or activity on public property.Due to the significant congestion and traffic associated with the event, however,nopermit for aparade (except as set forth in Sponsor’sspecial event permit) or demonstrationwithin the Clean Zone may be issued during the Effective Period, nor shall amplified sound be permitted. To mitigate any impact on constitutionallyprotected activity, the City shall establish one or morepublic participation areas within the Clean Zone Area. Each public participation area shall allow for the reasonableexpression by the public in amanner that shall not be disruptive to the Event. Each public participation area shall be provided for during such reasonabletimes and in such areasonablelocation within the Special Event Clean Zone as to allow for meaningful and effective expression by the public.

SECTION 7. That the violation of any provision of this ordinance shall be punishablebya fine not exceeding $500.00 per violation or by imprisonment for not morethan six months or both such fine and imprisonment. Additionally, any unauthorized promotional materials, products, or displays shall be immediately removed and temporarily confiscated and stored by the City until the expiration of the “Effective Period”.

SECTION 8. The provisions of this Ordinance areintended, in part, to protect the significant investment of the Event sponsor and the economic benefits that flow to the City from the Event. The provisions of this ordinance shall constitute prohibitory laws and, as such, may be enjoined without the requisite showing of irreparableharm. In addition to any other

AN ORDINANCE to provide for the designation of public property within aspecified area of the City of New Orleans as atemporary“Special Event Clean Zone” during the time period beginning at 6:00 a.m. on Monday,December 30, 2024, and continuing through and until 11:59 p.m. on Thursday,January 2, 2025 (the “Effective Period”), relative to the use of public property in conjunction with the 2025 CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and related activities and events; to provide for the temporary prohibition of certain commercial activities in the Special EventClean Zone unless approved, sanctioned or authorized by the City or as set forth in “Sponsor’s” (as defined, below) special event permit, if and as applicable; to provide for the establishment of one or more public participation areas; to provide for the establishment of fines and penalties for violations of this ordinance; to establish the Special Event Clean Zone within the area bounded by Earhart BoulevardtoCalliope Street; Annunciation Street to Euterpe Street; Religious Street to Race Street; proceeding across the Mississippi River along the West Bank Levee (at the Orleans Parish Line); continuing across the Mississippi River to Esplanade Avenue; Esplanade Avenue to North Claiborne Avenue and South Claiborne; North Claiborne Avenue and South ClaiborneAvenue to Earhart Boulevard; and including theLouisiana Superdome property (Champions Square), the Smoothie King Center property,and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center property; to provide for atemporaryperiod of applicability; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. WHEREAS, the City of New Orleans is hosting the 2025 CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl and related activities and events (“Event”), presented by the College Football Playoff(“Sponsor”); and WHEREAS,the dates of the Event is scheduled to occur on Monday December 30, 2024 through Thursday,January 2, 2025; and WHEREAS,the Event will attract tens of thousands of visitors and participants to the City of New Orleans and provide the city with national exposure; and WHEREAS, the Event will have atremendous positive economic impact onthe City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana; and WHEREAS, given the thousands of residents, participants, and visitors who will be in attendance, it is necessary that certain public areas surrounding events related to the Event be regulated and controlled to provide for the health, safety,and welfareofall residents, participants, and visitors; and WHEREAS, the sale or distribution of merchandise and commercial goods or wares on public property in proximity to Event will exacerbate congestion, potentially lead to public safety hazards, and hinder security operations; and WHEREAS, the City desirestoprevent the sale, offer for sale, or distribution of counterfeit, infringing, or otherwise illegal merchandise to residents, visitors, and participants within the Clean Zone; and WHEREAS, the proper regulation of the flow of peopleand goods on public property will ensurethat all that theEvent events have to offer may be safelyenjoyed by all; and WHEREAS, to that end, it is necessary to establish aClean Zone in the area within the City whereEvent activities arescheduled to occur during the “Effective Period” and within the specified boundaries designated in this ordinance; NOW THEREFORE

available remedy,the provisions hereofmay be enforced by injunctive relief.

SECTION 9. That, if any of the provisions of this ordinance arefor any reason held to be unconstitutional or invalid by acourt of competent jurisdiction,such holding shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions, and

PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

ON NOVEMBER

closure. The notice shall not be placed in mailboxes.

(d) Nothing herein shall be construed to exempt municipal or other governmental or quasi-governmental agencies from the neighborhood street closurenotice requirements. (e) herein, even if no city permit is required for the right of wayclosure. In the event of an emergency requiring the closureofa public right of way by amunicipal or other governmental or quasi-governmental agency,for example, to repair abreak in awater main or sinkhole, such agency shall provide the notice described hereinasearly as reasonably possible.”

ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS NOVEMBER 21, 2024

HELENA MORENO PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

DELIVERED TO THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 22, 2024

APPROVED: NOVEMBER 26, 2024

LATOYACANTRELL

MAYOR

RETURNED BY THE MAYOR ON NOVEMBER 26, 2024 AT 3:35 P.M.

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King,

NAYS:

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS REGULAR SESSION CITY HALL: NOVEMBER 21, 2024

The Council of the City of New Orleans met this day in Regular Session, at

10:03 A.M., in the Council Chamber,City Hall, Council President, Helena Moreno, presiding.

On calling the roll, the following members answered to their names:

PRESENT: MORENO (PRESIDENT) MORRELL (VICE PRESIDENT) GIARRUSSO HARRIS GREEN THOMAS ABSENT: KING (Arrived later in the meeting).

SIX MEMBERS PRESENT,CONSTITUTING AQUORUM.

ROLL CALL

AISHA R. COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

INVOCATION

BISHOP BRANDON BOUTIN UNITED FELLOWSHIP FULL GOSPELBAPTIST CHURCH

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

HELENA MORENO

COUNCILMEMBER-AT-LARGE AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT TO ORD. CAL. NO. 34,841 (NO. RB-FEDERAL-SF-IG)

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

This Amendment contains aseries of adjustments to revenues to be recognized in 2025 in certain special funds, grant funds, and the Intergovernmental Revenues Fund (Fund 6699). These revenue adjustments will have corresponding expenditureadjustments in Amendment No. EB-Federal-SF-IG.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO ORD. CAL. NO. 34,841 (NO. RB-OMNIBUS)

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

This Amendment contains aseries of adjustments to revenues to be recognized in 2025 in the General Fund and the Priority Multi-Year Projects Fund(Fund 1183). These revenue adjustments will have corresponding expenditureadjustments in Amendment No. EB-Omnibus.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO ORD. CAL. NO. 34,842 (NO. EB-FEDERAL-SF-IG)

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

This Amendment contains aseries of adjustments to appropriations in special funds, grant funds, and the Intergovernmental Revenues Fund (Fund 6699). Fund 6699 is aplaceholder fund, meaning no actual revenue (cash) is recognized in it and no actual expenditures aremade from it. When grants or special revenues areamended (added) into the budget, the Intergovernmental Revenues Fund is decreased by acorresponding amount, and the budgeted activities areaccounted for in the grant or special revenue funds.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:0 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO ORDINANCE CAL. NO. 34,842 (NO. EB-OMNIBUS)

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

This Amendment contains aseries of adjustments to appropriations in the General Fund and the Priority Multi-Year Projects Fund (Fund 1183). The Priority Multi-Year Projects Fund accounts separately for one-time or temporary projects or programs funded by one-time or temporary revenues.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO ORD. CAL. NO. 34,846 (TAX-1)

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

This amendment contains an adjustment to the ordinance to levy ad valorem taxes to reflect areduction in the millagelevied for the purpose of paying the interest on and for the redemption of City bonds.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO ORD. CAL. 34,864

BY:COUNCILMEMBERSGIARRUSSO GREEN, THOMAS AND KING

An amendment to Ord. Cal. No. 34,864 to clarify the prohibition applies to all electrically conductive balloons, including but not limited to Mylar balloons.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED.

AMENDMENT TO CALENDAR NUMBER34,894

BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL

An amendment to Ord. Cal. No. 34,894 to add definitions, clarify language, and distinguish between stormwater control measures and best management practices; and otherwise provide with respect theret

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell-5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:King, Thomas -2 AND THE AMENDMENT WASADOPTED. VCC APPEAL OF ZELLA V. MAY, ZGROUP,LLC -Requesting to appeal the Historic District Landmarks Commission’s(HDLC) decision not to allow the demolition until aCertificate of Appropriateness is issued for anew construction project for the property located at 2600 St. Claude Avenue.

WITHDRAWN. (At the applicant’srequest). ZONING PETITION

ZONING DOCKET NO. 81/24 –PRAISE BE,LLC -Requesting a Conditional Use to permit abar in aMedium Intensity Mixed Use (MU-1) District, on Square90, Lots 7-10, in the Sixth Municipal District, bounded by Tchoupitoulas Street, Austerlitz Street, and Constantinople Street (Municipal Address: 3959 S. Front Street). The recommendation of the City Planning Commission being “FORDENIAL”. WITHDRAWN. (At the applicant’srequest). ORDINANCESONFINAL PASSAGE

CAL. NO. 34,695 -BY: COUNCILMEMBERHARRIS (BY REQUEST) -An Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into acontract of lease with SLS Studios, LLC for aportion of the St. Thomas Street public right-of-way located in the First Municipal District, being aportion of St. Thomas Street between RichardStreetand Market Street, and to fixthe monthlyrentand terms of said lease, to declarethat such land to be leased is not needed for public purposes, and to set forth the reasons for said lease of land; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,841 –BY: COUNCILMEMBERGIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance to provide an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025 in accordance with Sections 3-116, 4-206(1)(f),and 6-102 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED. CAL. NO. 34,842 –BY: COUNCILMEMBERGIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance providing an Operating Budget of Expendituresfor the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025 in accordance with Sections 3-115, 4-206(1)(f),and 6-102(3) of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Thomas -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King, Morrell -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED. CAL. NO. 34,843 –BY: COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL, MORENO, GIARRUSSO, HARRIS, KING,GREENAND THOMAS (BY REQUEST) -An Ordinance providing aCapital Budget for the year 2025 in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-117 and 4-206 (1) (f) of the City Charter; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,844 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance to adopt the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund’s “Tourism and Cultural Economy Program, Proposed Grant Scoring Matrix,”and budget for the year 2025, to be administered by New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund to: (1) provide services and financial support to the culture-bearers and cultural economy of New Orleans, including, without limitation, the people, enterprises, and communities that transform cultural skills, knowledge, and ideas into economically productive goods, services, and places, and (2) enhance tourism in New Orleans by strengthening the cultural economy,which attracts tourists to New Orleans, supporting events and festivals, for the year 2025; and to provide otherwise with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,845 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance to adopt the Downtown Development District’s 2025 Plan to provide additional capital and special services, facilities, and improvements for the Downtown Development District (“District”) of the City of New Orleans (“City”) for the year 2025; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: King -1 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,846 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance relative to the levy of ad valorem taxes upon the assessed value of all property,real, personal,and mixed, subject to taxation in the City of New Orleans and relative to the levy of ad valorem taxes on property located in special development and security districts in the City of New Orleans for the year 2025, to levy millage rates for the year 2025, and to reallocate the tax receipts for astate millage; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,847 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance relative to the levy of fees on property located in special security and improvement taxing districts in the City of New Orleans for the year 2025; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,848 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

-AnOrdinance to amend and reordain Section 2-1103 of the Code of the City of New Orleans, setting fees for notarial services and related costs; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Thomas -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Morrell -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,864 -BY: COUNCILMEMBERSGIARRUSSO, MORENO, MORRELL, HARRIS, KING, GREEN AND THOMAS -AnOrdinance to add Section 66-292 to the Code of the City of New Orleans, to ban the public release of Mylar balloons; and otherwise to provide thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,886 –BY: COUNCILMEMBERSTHOMAS AND MORENO

-AnOrdinance to establish aconditional use to permita salvage yard in aGPD General Planned Development District (Zoning Docket 079/24), on Square207, Lots 31 and 32, in the ThirdMunicipal District, bounded by Grant Avenue, Almonaster Avenue, and Old GentillyRoad (Municipal Address: 3795 Grant Avenue); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. (ZONINGDOCKET NO. 79/24)

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: Thomas -1 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,887 -BY: COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST) -An

Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into an agreement to grant aservitude to an adjacent property owner for encroachments on/over portions of public right-of-way located at the municipal address 2421 Rousseau Street; to fixthe minimum price and terms of said servitude agreement; to declarethat such use as granted in the servitude agreement will incorporate space that is neither needed for public purposes nor shall such use interferewith the use of the public right-of-way; to set forth the reasons for said servitude agreement; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,893 -BY: COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST) -An

Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into that certain First Amended and Restated Lease Agreement (the “Amended Lease”) with TouroShakspeareRevitalization Company,LLC (“Lessee”) for acertain portion of ground together with all buildings and improvements thereon situated in the Parish of Orleans, Fifth Municipal District, Square5,Part 9orLot A(as part of asubdivision of Arpents 14 and 15), formerly known as the TouroShakspeareHome, and which improvements bear the municipal address of 2621 General Meyer Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70114 (the “Leased Premises”); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas -6

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Moreno -1 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,894 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL- An Ordinance to amend and reordain Section 26-15 of the Code of the City of New Orleans, relative to the City of New Orleans’ amendmentstothe adopted International Building Code, 2015 Edition; to amend therein the Stormwater Code of the City of New Orleans, which includes permitting and submittal requirements, removal of bonding requirements, fees, plan review,and various standards relative thereto; and otherwise provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell-5

NAYS: 0

ABSENT: King, Thomas -2

AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,897 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GREEN (BY REQUEST) -An

Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans (“City”) to enter into Amendment No. 1tothe Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”) between the City and Louisiana State University Agriculture Center (“LSU”) to extend the CEA’sterm for four (4) years and to increase the CEA’s compensation, as morefully set forth as Exhibit“1”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,898 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST) -

An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into aCooperative Endeavor Agreement among the City of New Orleans (the “City”), the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission (the “Commission”), and A’s &Aces, for aterm greater than one year,for the public purpose of supporting, promoting, stimulating public interest in, and raising and distributing funds to benefitthe construction, creation, preservation, and maintenance of public parks and playgrounds, recreational facilities, and recreational and other leisureprograms and activities in the City of New Orleans, as morefully detailed in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement as Exhibit“A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,900 –BY: COUNCILMEMBERSMORRELL, GIARRUSSO, MORENO, KING, GREEN AND THOMAS -AnOrdinance to establish and ordain Section 2-162 of the Code of the City of New Orleans to prohibit certainexpenditures of public funds relative to persons and entities contesting the city’srights relative to the EdwardWisner donation; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED.

CAL. NO. 34,911 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) -AnOrdinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into AmendmentNo. 1toanexisting Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“CEA”)

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell -5

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King, Thomas -2 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED. CAL. NO. 34,912 –BY: COUNCILMEMBER

Giarrusso,

NAYS: 0 ABSENT:King,

ABSENT:Thomas

will be closed to vehicular traffic; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto.

ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE ORDINANCE WASADOPTED. MOTIONS/RESOLUTIONS (LYING OVER)

NO. M-24-562

CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS

WHEREAS, SECTION 6-104 (3) of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans requires that a five-year capital program be prepared and submitted to the Council; and WHEREAS, Ordinance Calendar No. 34,843 sets forth aCapital Budget for 2025, covering the first year of the five-year program; and WHEREAS, the remaining four years, 2026-2029,ofthe five-year capital program should also be identified; NOW THEREFORE BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS,

herein approved.

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-567 CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Operating Budget of the Orleans Parish Communication District for the year 2025, as herein below specified, be, and the same is hereby approved: ORLEANSPARISH COMMUNICATION DISTRICT OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2025

ANTICIPATED REVENUES

ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That said budget may, from time to time, be amended by the Orleans Parish Communication District, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer,provided that such amendment shall not have the effect of increasing or decreasing the total amount budgeted, as herein approved.

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-568 CITY HALL: October 1, 2024 BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Operating Budget of the New Orleans Building Corporation for the

(BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBERMORRELL

BE IT MOVED BY THECOUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Operating Budget of the New Orleans Aviation Boardfor the year 2025, as herein below specified, be, and the same is hereby approved: NEW ORLEANS AVIATION BOARD

BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2025

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, that said budget may,fromtime to time, be amended by the New Orleans Aviation Board, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer,provided that such amendment shall not have the effect of increasing or decreasing the total amount budgeted, as herein approved.

NOVEMBER 21, 2025 THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Thomas -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:Morrell -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED.

NO. M-24-564 CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBERMORENO

BE IT MOVED BY THECOUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Operating Budget of the Delgado-Albania Plantation Commission for the year 2025, as herein below specified, be, and the same is hereby approved: DELGADO-ALBANIA PLANTATIONCOMMISSION OPERATING BUDGET FORTHE YEAR 2025

ANTICIPATED REVENUES

Interest Income

$37,000

TOTAL REVENUES $37,000

ANTICIPATED EXPENDITURES

Other Operating $37,000

TOTAL EXPENDITURES $37,000

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That said budget may fromtime to time, be amended by the Delgado-Albania Plantation Commission, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer,provided that such amendment shall not have the effect of increasing or decreasing the total amount budgeted, as herein approved.

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTIONTHEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-565 CITY HALL: October 1, 2024 BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBERGREEN

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Operating Budget of the French Market Corporation for the year 2025, as herein below specified, be, and the same is hereby approved: FRENCH MARKETCORPORATION OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2025

ANTICIPATED REVENUES Rental Income $6,330,935 Tenant Advertising 550,000

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That said budget may,fromtime to time, be amended by the New Orleans Building Corporation, with the approval of the Chief Administrative Officer,provided that such amendment shall not have the effect of increasing or decreasing the total amount budgeted, as herein approved.

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 THE FOREGOINGMOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-569

CITY HALL: October 1, 2024

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER THOMAS

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCILOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Councilauthorizes the Clerk of Council stafftomake any necessary technical,typographical,mathematical,and/or structural adjustmentsto any ordinances, motions, and amendmentsrelated to the adoption of the 2025 budget. This motion allows for the assurance of accuracy and the elimination of errors.

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 THE FOREGOINGMOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas -7

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:0 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-680 CITY HALL: November 7, 2024

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS

WHEREAS, Section 21.8.C.18.m of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance (“CZO”) permits the issuance of only one non-commercial short-term rental permitwithin each city block, inclusive of all lots fronting any exterior boundary of said block and all interior lots; and WHEREAS, CZO Section 21.8.C.18.rauthorizes the City Counciltogrant special exceptions to the one-permit-per-block limit imposed by Section 21.8.C.18.m and to allow for the issuance of up totwo additional noncommercial short-term rentals in any given block; and WHEREAS, Tina Marquardt has applied for aspecial exception from the Section 21.8.C.18.mblock limit on non-commercial short-term rentals for the property located in Square446 and bearing municipal address 5221 Hawthorne Place; NOW THEREFORE BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Council,having reviewed the report and recommendation provided by the City Planning Commission staffinaccordance with Section 21.8.C.18.r of the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, does hereby DENY the request from applicant, Tina Marquardt, for aspecial exception from the Section 21.8.C.18.m block limit on non-commercial short-term rentals for the immovableproperty located in Square446 and bearing municipal address 5221 Hawthorne Place (the “Property”). The applicant may not reapply for aspecial exception for any property in the block that includes the Property for two years from the date of this motion. BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall forwardcopies of this motion to the Executive Director of the City Planning Commission, the Department of Safety and Permits, and the applicant. NOVEMBER 21, 2024 THE FOREGOINGMOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6 NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-699 BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING Denying the applicant’srequest and affirming the decision of HDLC for the demolition for property located at 2600 Saint Claude Avenue. WITHDRAWN. MOTIONS/RESOLUTIONS NO. M-24-702 BY:COUNCILMEMBERSMORRELL,

MORRELL AND GREEN

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the report and recommendation for approval of the City Planning Commission on ZONING DOCKET NO. 75/24 –City Council Motion No. M-23-192, requesting azoning change from an S-RS Suburban SingleFamily Residential District to an S-LRS2 Lake Vista and Lake Shore Single-Family Residential District on all residential lots located in Lake Terrace (bounded by Lake Pontchartrain,the London Avenue Outfall Canal, Allen Toussaint

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD

BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the President of the Council shall be added as asignatory to: 1) the Loan DisbursementAgreement and between the City of New Orleans and TouroShakspeareRevitalization Company; and 2) Promissory Note to be executed by TouroShakspeareinfavor of the City BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the President of the Council is hereby authorized to sign: 1) the Loan Disbursement Agreement between the City of New Orleans and TouroShakspeareRevitalization Company; and 2) the Promissory Note to be executed by TouroShakspeareinfavor of the City BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall forwardcopies of this motion, including Exhibits A, B, and Ctothe City Attorney’sOffice to effectuate this request. THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-705 BY:COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL,KING AND GREEN (BY REQUEST) WHEREAS, Section 70-10 of the Code of the City of New Orleans requires that certain contracts providing for the aggregate expenditureofmore than $1,000,000.00 in city funds during the initial term and all allowable renewal terms or having an initial term of morethan one year must be signed by the President of the City Council; and WHEREAS, Section 70-10 further provides that the President of the City Council shall not execute any such contract unless authorized to do so by Council motion; and WHEREAS, The City of New Orleans, Office of Resilience &Sustainability and Toole Design Group, LCC, selected through RFP No. 3935, desireto enter into acontract for the development of the Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to reduce and eliminate fatal and severeroadway crashes, for aperiod of 2years, the total compensation being $340,000.00; NOW THEREFORE BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the President of the Council shall be added as asignatory to the contract between the City of New Orleans and Toole Design Group, LLC; and BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the President of the Council is hereby authorized to sign the contract between the City of New Orleans and Toole Design Group, LLC, as attached hereto as Exhibit 1; and BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall forwardcopies of this motion, including Exhibit 1, to the City Attorney’sOffice to effectuate this request. THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-706

BY:COUNCILMEMBER KING SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORENO

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the reappointmentofStephen Smith, nominee of the District C councilmember,asa member of the BoardofTrustees of theFinance Authority of New Orleans, effective upon approval by the Council of the City of New Orleans, for athree-year term that will expireonNovember 21, 2027, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed and approved.

BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to Stephen Smith, the Finance Authority of New Orleans, the Law Department, and the Mayor’sOffice of Intergovernmental Affairs. THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED. NO. M-24-707 BY:COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORENO

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Mayor’sreappointment of Geraldine Theresa Broussard(vice self), as amember of Morial Convention Center New Orleans, effective upon approval by the Council of the City of New Orleans, for aterm that will expireonJune 30, 2028, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved. BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to Geraldine Theresa Broussard, the Morial Convention Center New Orleans, the Law Department, and the Mayor’sOffice of Intergovernmental Affairs.

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED.

NO. M-24-708

BY:COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST)

SECONDED BY:COUNCILMEMBER MORENO

BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the Mayor’sreappointment of Emily Harville (vice self), as amember of Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board,effective upon approval by the Council of the City of New Orleans, for aterm that will expireonJune 30, 2030, be, and the same is hereby ratified, confirmed, and approved. BE IT FURTHER MOVED, That the Clerk of Council shall immediately provide acertified copy of this motion to Emily Harville, the Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, the LawDepartment, and the Mayor’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.

THE FOREGOING MOTION WASREAD IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF,AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS:

YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell -6

NAYS: 0

ABSENT:Thomas -1 AND THE MOTION WASADOPTED.

IT’S OUR SILVER ANNIVERSARY!

Margaret Orr 2024

Irma Thomas 2023

Swin Cash 2022

Jennifer Coolidge 2020

Patricia Clarkson 2019 and 2012

LaToya Cantrell 2018

Tamron Hall 2017

Solange Knowles 2016

Sue Zemanick 2015

Julia Reed* 2014

Ruby Bridges 2013

Liz McCartney 2011

Mary Matalin 2010

Kimberly Rivers Roberts 2009

Marva Wright* 2008

Brenda Marie Osbey 2007

Becky Zaheri 2006

Charmaine Neville 2005

Becky Allen 2004

Maria Giacobbe* 2003

Muses turns 25 this year and we want to take this opportunity to give extra thanks to everyone who has made our parade happen. This has been a labor of love for the volunteering sisters in our krewe who dedicate endless hours to making our parade roll and outdoing ourselves year after year. Great love goes out to the talented artists and sculptors who have brought our parade vision to life. A special appreciation for the Superheroes in the NOPD, NOFD, EMS and City of New Orleans who keep Mardi Gras rolling safely. And for all of you who have come to the route year after year, through cold and rain and perfect nights, we love your enthusiastic cheers that have inspired us for a quarter of a century. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!

Not pictured among our floats are two special traditions. Coolbone has ridden with us as the Mount Olympus Brass Band for 25 years. The Molly Marines, Women Marines Association members, ride with us as a salute to women in the military.

* In memoriam

We also pay tribute to the exceptional Honorary Muses who have led our procession each year. Several have returned to join us for this 25th anniversary celebration.

Cherice“Queen Reesie”Harrison-Nelson 2002

She’s

The Goddessey

The Muses are patrons of the arts and sciences, of knowledge. Almost every element of this float is illuminated to demonstrate how knowledge brings things to light. The waterfall is mirrored and reflects the crowd as well as light. The Muses loved to frolic on Mt. Helicon in the springs created by Pegasus’hooves. This float is a combination of the origins of Muses as well as what they represent. Introduced in 2018.

Honorary Muses 2025 — Rutina Wesley

The Muses Shoe carries the Honorary Muse, a woman who inspires our Krewe and our community. Introduced in 2004.

Muses to the Muses

They are our Sheroes the women who inspire us – the real super heroines of our community, our Culture Bearers This float has been made possible with a grant provided by the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund

Our 2025 Honorary Muse is actress Rutina Wesley, star of filmed-in-Louisiana classics Queen Sugar and True Blood

Katrina Andry, widely acknowledged to have reached mastery in woodcutting printmaking

Ms. Linda Green, culinary icon known as the "Ya-Ka-Mein Lady."

Givonna Joseph, founder and artistic director of the award-winning OperaCréole

The Muses Old Officers Float (aka the MOOF) has earned a coveted spot in the parade, and our hearts No, the riders are not old, the float is

The Bathing Muses hit the avenue each year for some good, clean fun! Introduced in 2004.

Doreen Ketchens, world-renowned clarinetist aka “Miss Satchmo & The Female Louis Armstrong.”

Monique Lorde award-winning published author and versatile artist

Stella Chase Reese president of Dooky Chase’s Restaurant Corporation and the Edgar and Leah Chase Foundation & an Honorary Imagineer with Walt Disney Co.

DJ Soul Sister internationally known DJ vinyl collector and veteran WWOZ-FM volunteer show host

Queen Tahj New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian of the Golden Eagles Tribe, designer of the Super Bowl LIX logo

save our city. She’s brought some super friends because with al the new villains out there, she’ll need all the help she can get! Welcome to the Age of Sheroes!

Nola Rising came home after Hurricane Katrina and opened her rotten, flooded refrigerator, thinking “How bad could it be?”We all know the answer to that! The volatile combination of spoiled milk, champagne, old Chinese food nail polish and baking soda exploded giving her superpowers and the mission to Save New Orleans!

She protects a long list of Louisiana charities, even when she is not backed up by her army of athletes. Her generosity is her Superpower!

Birthday Cake/Happy are They Whom the Muses Love

Bathtub

Mamma Duck and Duckies Make way for Muses’Mama Duck and Baby Duckies Introduced in 2017.

#9 Title Float: Return of SuperMuse – The Age of Sheroes 2025

back…after nearly twenty years away, SuperMuse has returned to New Orleans to once again

#10 The Origin of SuperMuse

#11 The Black and Gold Widow

RESOURCES, SERVICES,AND EVENTS

SATURDAY APRIL5

DILLARDUNIVERSITY

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL ANDSCIENCESBUILDING

/nolalibrary @nolalibrary

Main Library

219LoyolaAvenue (504)596-2570

AlgiersRegionalLibrary

3014 Holiday Drive (504)596-2641

AlvarLibrary 913Alvar Street (504)596-2667

CentralCityLibrary 2020 JacksonAvenue,Suite 139 (504)596-3110

Children’sResource Center Library 913NapoleonAvenue (504)596-2628

Desire /Florida SatelliteLocation 3250IndustryStreet

East NewOrleans Regional Library 5641Read Boulevard (504)596-0200

Cita DennisHubbell Library 725Pelican Avenue (504)596-3113

Rosa F. KellerLibrary and Community Center 4300SouthBroad Avenue (504)596-2660

Dr.MartinLutherKing, Jr.Library 1611 FatsDominoAvenue (504)596-2695

Milton H. LatterMemorialLibrary 5120 Saint CharlesAvenue (504)596-2625

Norman MayerLibrary 3001 Gentilly Boulevard (504)596-3100

Mid-City Library 4140 Canal Street (504)596-2654

Nora NavraLibrary 1902 SaintBernardAvenue (504)596-3118

NixLibrary 1401 SouthCarrollton Avenue (504)596-2630

REACHCenter

2022 St.BernardAvenue,BuildingC (504)256-6983

Robert E. SmithLibrary 6301 Canal Boulevard (504)596-2638

EARLYLITERACYEVENTS

BABY STORYTIME

Bond with your baby through books, bouncyrhymes, andsongs in this baby storytimethat introduces earlyliteracy skills and encourages language development.Thisprogram is designedfor newborns to pre-walkers.

Mondays from 10:30am– 11:30am AlvarLibrary NixLibrary

STORYTIME

Read,sing, talk,write,and play together in aformatdesigned forchildrenfrom birthto 5years oldand theircaregivers.

Tuesdays from 10:30am– 11:30am AlgiersRegionalLibrary

Milton H. LatterMemorialLibrary

Main Library

Norman MayerLibrary

Robert E. SmithLibrary

Wednesdays from 10:30am– 11:30am AlvarLibrary

CentralCityLibrary

Children’sResourceCenter Library NixLibrary

Thursdays from 10:30am– 11:30am

CitaDennisHubbell Library

Rosa F. KellerLibrary &Community Center

Dr.MartinLuther King, Jr.Library Mid-City Library

Budding Artists

EVENINGSTORYTIME

Forchildrenfrombirth to 5years old andtheircaregivers.

Tuesdays from 5pm– 6pm East NewOrleans RegionalLibrary

Thursdays from 5pm– 6pm Nora NavraLibrary

CHILDREN’S EVENTS

PLAYTIME AT THELIBRARY*

Imagineand play with Library-provided toys,dress-up clothes, puppets,and more.For childrenages2 –5and theirfamilies.

This month’sthemes include

•Let’s Play with Puppets

•Let’s Play Camping

•Let’s Play Seafood Boil

•Let’s Play Diner

•Let’s Play TrainStation

•Let’s Play Market

•Let’s Play Barber Shop andBeautySalon and more!

Visitnolalibrary.co/playtime or scan the QR code to gettimes andlocations

MARTES EN MID-CITY CONLA FAMILIA/ FAMILY FUNNIGHT*

Hang out timefor Spanish-speaking/ bilingual familieswith freeactivities, snacks,and books. Tiempo parapasar juntos en familia.Actividades gratuituas que incluyen merienda ylibrosde regalo. In partnershipwith theStone Center forLatin American Studiesat Tulane University

Register at nolalibrary.co/martes to help us plan supplies.

Tuesday,March 11 from 5:30pm –6:30pm Mid-City Library

BRAINDAY

CelebrateBrain AwarenessWeek with funactivitiesfor kids around the brainand its function. For children ages 6- 12

Saturday,March 15 from12pm –4pm

Children’sResource Center Library

GrowwithNOLAArtistIncubatorasyou createsustainableart projects and discover storiesinspiredbynature. Experiment with materialsand learnabout nature.Let your littlegardenersget theirhands dirtywhile exploringpainting, planting, andobserving themes in nature.Designed forchildren2 -5 yearsold andtheircaregivers.

Register at nolalibrary.co/buddingartists

Mondaysfrom10:30am –11am Rosa F. KellerLibrary &Community Center

FAMILYDAY AT NEWORLEANS BOOK FESTIVAL

Stop by the Library table at this year’s Family Day at The New Orleans Book Festival. Makeorupdate your Library card,do afun activity,and learn about our great free programs for every age.

Saturday March 29 from 10am –2pm

Avron B. Fogelman Arena in the Devlin Fieldhouse,Tulane University

STEAMCLUB

Experiment, create,orcraft at this handson STEAM event for children ages 6–12.

This month’s activities include

•Kaleidoscope Kits

•Art Smarts –Louise Bourgeois Spiders

•MakeYour Own Instruments

•Art Smarts –Blue Art

Visit nolalibrary.co/STEAM for times and locations.

CATURDAY*

Louisiana SPCA cats and kittens are headedtothe Library.Kids and families can meet these fluffyvisitors and craft toys to go back with themtothe shelter

Saturday,March22 from 2pm– 3:30pm Nix Library

Reading Buddies xWee Write*

Kidsingrades K-2will read,write, and play games withteen mentors to strengthen literacy skills throughcreative storytelling, writing, and reading activities. Light dinner will be served.

Register at nolalibrary.co/reading-buddies-form.

Wednesdaysbeginning March 19 from 5pm –6:15pm Rosa F. Keller Library &Community Center

Teens, want to volunteer to be amentor? Teens in grades 8-12may sign up to volunteer as aBig Reading Buddy at nolalibrary.co/teen-volunteer-application.

Big Reading Buddiesare asked to commit to volunteering all 5sessions and attending an orientation on Wednesday,March 12

TEEN EVENTS

TEEN DROP-IN*

Hang out, play games, make art, learnanew hobby,or explorenew tech at this program for teens ages 11 -18.

Visit nolalibrary.co/teendrop-in for times and locations.

TEEN VOLUNTEER DAY

Serve yourcommunity, be creative, socialize,and earn service-learning hours. Teen Volunteer Dayisopen to teens ages 14 -18. Registration is required.

Visit /nolalibrary.co/teenvolunteer-day or scan the QR code to gettimes and locations.

LIBRARYLINK-UP: MONTHLYQUEER

TEEN HANGOUTWITH NOLAHYPE*

Enjoy games, activities, pizza,and wellness discussions each monthatthis drop-in event for teens ages 11 -18.

Thursday,March13 from4pm –5:30pm Main Library

ADULT EVENTS

AUTHOR NIGHTSAT THELIBRARY

SHARON LACOUR,

The Meeting of Air and Water

This historical novel steeped in South Louisiana culture follows the stories of a young photographer in 1920s Cocodrie, and her granddaughter,who investigates her life and photographs decades later

Tuesday,March 11

from 6:30pm –7:30pm Cita Dennis Hubbell Library

NEWORLEANS WOMEN AUTHORS

MARGUERITESHEFFER, ANNELL LOPEZ, AND VANESSASAUNDERS

Three local fiction authors read from their debut books: the short story collections The Man in the Banana Trees and I’ll Give YouaReason and the novel The Flat Woman.

Wednesday,March 19

from 5:30pm –6:30pm Norman Mayer Library

CREATIVE WRITINGWORKSHOP:

THEINTERSECTION OF LOVE AND HATE WHERECHARACTER AND CONFLICTMEET*

Author Allison Alsup leads acraft talk and guided writing exercisesonanessential aspect of writing: the connection between character and conflict. No formal writing experience required.

Thursday,March 13

from 5pm –6:30pm Rosa F. Keller Library &Community Center

Grow your garden

with free seeds fromthe Seed LibrariesatAlvar Library, Hubbell Library,East New Orleans Regional Library,Mid-City Library,Latter Library,Navra Library,and Keller Library &Community Center.

Visit nolalibrary.org/seed-libraries for more information.

FREE FORALL:

THEPUBLIC LIBRARYSCREENING AND DISCUSSION WITH FILMMAKER DAWN LOGSDON*

FilmmakerDawnLogsdon will introduce her new film about public libraries in a debut screening. Filming was done on location at libraries including the New Orleans Public Library

Monday,March24 from7pm –9pm The Broad Theater

PICKPOCKET FLASH

WRITE2-SENTENCESTORIES

Read,write,and share intriguing flash fiction stories in just twosentences while exploring various genres including mystery,crime, horror,sci-fi, speculative, dystopian, fantasy,and humor.

Saturday,March 29 from2pm –3:30pm

Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Library

DISCUSSING THENEW YORKER

Each edition of TheNew Yorker is packed with interesting articles. Join this conversation group to discuss the articles in each week’sedition of The New Yorker

Don’t have asubscription?Visit the Library to read our copy.You can also access The New Yorker and otherdigital magazines through the Library’s digital resource Flipster

Thursdays from1pm –2:30pm

Milton H. Latter Memorial Library

VIRTUALAUTHOR TALKS

Register at libraryc.org/nolalibrary to receive the link to join and to submit questions.

DANHEATH –Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working Wednesday,March12from 1pm -2pm

CLARABINGHAM –How Women’s Liberation Transformed America

Thursday,March20from 1pm -2pm

JENNIFERWEINER

–The Dreams We Chase Wednesday,March 26 from6pm -7pm

View previously broadcastauthor talks here: libraryc.org/nolalibrary/archive

SAVE THEDATE

APRIL 5 from 10am–3:30pm Dillard University Professional School, 24 East Road

Celebrate the power of place and how it shapesour community.This year’s GenFest will feature over 50 local genealogical, cultural, historical and preservation groups; four educational speakers; and apaneldiscussionfrom experts and partners. We are thrilled to present asession in partnership with Leonard Smith, III, on ourHousing Authority of New Orleans digitization project and to highlight HANO’s impact on community and culture.

don’t miss don’t miss don’t miss

zulu lundi gras festival

The day before Fat Tuesday, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club cranks up the 31st year of free festivities from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Woldenberg Park along the Mississippi River with food, arts and crafts, music and Carnival royalty. Three stages will feature James Andrews, Renetta Maze and more. Plus, the Zulu characters will be on hand, from Mr. Big Stuff to the Witch Doctor and in between — not to mention King Rodney P. Mason Jr. and Queen Kristen B. Mason. lundigrasfestival.com.

taste of ireland

Irish music and dancing will flavor the big weekend before Carnival when the off-Broadway show travels to Jefferson Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Friday. With former World Irish dance champions, plus dancers from “Lord of the Dance” and “Riverdance,” this stage show opens the world of Celtic sounds and sights to local audiences with a capella tap battles and storytelling. Tickets start at $29. jeffersonpac.com.

lundi gras in rivertown

Kenner keeps the Carnival beat going from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday for the annual meeting of the courts of Argus and Zulu in a festival atmosphere that includes food, entertainment by The Topcats, and arts and crafts in the 400 block of Williams Boulevard near the Mississippi River. Then at 11 a.m., the Krewe du Kenner will stage a wagon float parade. kenner.la.us/445/lundi-gras.

greasing of the poles

The poles in the French Quarter need to be greased again to keep folks from shimmying up to the coveted balcony spots during the last days of Carnival. The annual “only in New Orleans” festive foray starts at 10 a.m. Friday at the Royal Sonesta, 300 Bourbon St

jazz worship

Dr. Michael White and the Original Liberty Jazz Band headline the musical meditations for the St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church’s 31st annual “Catch the Spirit” service at 9 a.m.

Sunday at the corner of St. Charles Avenue and Broadway. The early hour provides plenty of time to make it to the street processions, and parade attire is encouraged. King cake will be served after. stcharlesave.church.

ABOUT LAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each Thursday by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiries about Lagniappe should be directed to the editor. LAGNIAPPE

EDITOR: Annette Sisco, asisco@ theadvocate.com

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel

CONTRIBUTING

WRITERS: Victor Andrews, Jake Clapp, Will Coviello, Doug MacCash, Ian McNulty, Keith Spera, Emily Woodruff

GET LISTED IN LAGNIAPPE

Submit events to Lagniappe at least two weeks in advance by sending an email to events@theadvocate. com.

ON THE COVER

A string of baby ducks led by a mama duck is among the signature floats in the Krewe of Muses’ annual parade. Photo by Chris Granger. Muses celebrates 25 years when it rolls Thursday. Story by Doug MacCash on Page 16.

FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT TO FIGHT

FRIDAY

music music music

THURSDAY

Tipitina’s hosts “Freedia Gras” starring New Orleans’ Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia The bill also features Robin Barnes x Esho Diva Showtime is 10 p.m.; tickets are $30.

It’s Zydeco Night at Rock ‘N’ Bowl with Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-chas ($15).

Born in Honduras and now based in New Orleans, pianist Oscar Rossignoli is equally fluent in classical and jazz. Often heard accompanying the likes of John Boutte and Jason Marsalis, Rossignoli leads his own trio at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro on Frenchmen Street for shows at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday Tickets are $25.

Pianist Tom Worrell is featured for the weekly 6 p.m. “Booker Sessions” at the Maple Leaf Bar. Starting at 8 p.m., drummer Johnny Vidacovich is onstage with a trio ($15 advance, $20 day of show)

Anchored by keyboardist and vocalist Ivan Neville, Dumpstaphunk cranks out New Orleans funk, soul and R&B. Trumpet Mafia opens for Dumpstaphunk at Tipitina’s on Friday starting at 11 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Born in Havana and based in New Orleans since 2020, multi-instrumentalist Yusa is a guitarist, bassist, vocalist, tres player and composer. She showcases her World of Rhythm at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.; tickets are $30.

Bon Bon Vivant fires up on the Broadside’s indoor stage at 9 p.m.; tickets start at $10.

Ever-popular cover band the Topcats plays hits from multiple decades at Rock ‘N’ Bowl ($10).

LadyBEAST Productions presents “Vaudeville Revival: Mardi Gras Unhinged,” a contemporary take on classic vaudeville with “singing, comedy, dancing, hair hanging, contortion, bottle walking, aerial antics and more,” at the Joy Theater. Tickets start at $40.

Singer-songwriter Mia Borders plays a 6 p.m.

All because it’s Carnival time, here are options for live music in New Orleans through Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday.

SUNDAY

After Bacchus rolls out from the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street, Tipitina’s features the Preservation Hall Jazz Band

The Original Pinettes Brass Band opens the show at 9 p.m. Tickets are $32.

It wouldn’t be Carnival without “Funk ’n’ Chant,” the annual pairing of keyboardist John “Papa” Gros and Golden Eagles Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. Hear them together at the Maple Leaf starting at 10 p.m. Ticket are $20 advance, $25 at the door.

Keyboardist Brian Haas, vibraphonist and percussionist Mike Dillon and saxophonist Brad Walker uncork their avant-jazz trio at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

The Treme Brass Band visits d.b.a. at 6 p.m., followed by the soul, funk and R&B of the Vegas Cola Band at 9:30 p.m.

Comedian, digital entertainer and podcast host Jake Shane holds court at the Orpheum Theater with Connor Wood opening. Tickets start at $39 plus fees.

Keith Spera SOUND CHECK

Bon Bon Vivant

Big Freedia

Big Chief Monk Boudreaux

music music music

POCKETS FULL

New Orleans

performer George Porter discusses latest Runnin’ Pardners album

BY JAKE CLAPP GambitWeekly

George Porter Jr and the musicians he tours with tend to eat well when they’re out on the road, the bassist and New Orleans funk icon said with a laugh. Looking through the song titles on his recently released album “Porter’s Pocket,” a culinary theme emerges with tracks like “Tito’s Dumpling Machine,” “Sauce on the Side,” “Proteins & Carbohydrates” and “Buttermilk.”

“It’s not necessarily that it’s always good,” Porter said. “So sometimes ‘sauce on the side’ might have been related to that sauce that was horrible.”

Porter, who is working on his 38th year of sobriety, had to field a couple of text messages from friends after they saw the track “Don Julio Rides Again.”

“I had to call them back and tell them how the song developed and where it came from,” Porter said chucking. “I couldn’t name any names, but they said, ‘Oh, cool,’ because they thought I had slipped off the wagon. I had to tell them, ‘Oh, no, no, no. You don’t have to worry about me.’”

Porter earlier this month released the album with his band Runnin’ Pardners, which includes keyboardist Michael Lemmler, guitarist Chris Adkins and drummer Terrence Houston.

When Porter isn’t on the road, the group can be seen most Mondays at the Maple Leaf. There’s an 8 p.m.

George Porter Jr & the Runnin’ Pardners

set March 3 ahead of the New Orleans Suspects’ Lundi Gras show.

The title of the eight-track instrumental album is a nod to where Porter can be found in the songs: in the pocket. The Meters co-founder is content to let Lemmler, Adkins and Houston — who shines on the record — take the forefront on the album of classic New Orleans funk, with some touches of jazz and reggae.

“I think the idea of these songs was to identify those individual players and not necessarily be centered around George Porter Jr.,” Porter said. “I think I’m doing what I do best, which is hold down a deep pocket for the keys and the guitar to shine.”

“Porter’s Pocket” came out of a few days of recording sessions, when the band ended up with around 40 new tracks, Porter says. The idea was to earmark songs for a Runnin’ Pardners album, a set for his trio with Lemmler and Houston, and a project featuring Porter singing some of his favorite songs from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, including tunes by Earl King and Curtis

Mayfield.

For the new Runnin’ Pardners album, though, Porter initially wanted to cut an instrumental jazz record. “Sometimes we do a lot of swing and bebop,” Porter said. “We can swing hard.”

But things didn’t quite work out that way in the studio. “It was on the table, but it kind of fell off because we tend to be more funky,” Porter said.

After Mardi Gras, Porter has a handful of dates along the East Coast before returning to New Orleans for a busy schedule during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He tends to stay busy during the two weeks of the festival, racking up around 20 gigs both at Jazz Fest and around the city. This year, he said, he’ll play about 16 shows.

“I’m getting ready to pull the plug on that,” he said. “I’m 77 years old now I need to think more about getting paid more and playing less.”

Find “Porter’s Pocket” at georgeporterjr.com.

Email Jake Clapp at jclapp@ gambitweekly.com.

SOUND CHECK

Continued from page 4

SATURDAY

Chickie Wah Wah is right on the Endymion parade route. Starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Chickie Wah Wah opens its doors for the “Endymion Azztravaganza.” From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., a $10 “Carnival Pass” grants access to the club’s bathrooms and the Levee One Sound System. For an additional $20 at the door, you can upgrade to a pass good for that evening’s bounce-centric performances: rapper HaSizzle is on from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., followed by DJ Rusty Lazer with special guest 504ICYGIRL. The members of contemporary New Orleans funk band Galactic headline their own Tipitina’s on the Saturday of the big Carnival weekend, with singer Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph out front. The contemporary Mardi Gras Indian band the 79rs Gang opens the show at 10 p.m. Tickets are $32.

Blues-based guitarist, pianist, singer, composer and actor Chris Thomas King is joined by bassist Justin Davi and drummer Darryl White at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor Tickets are $40.

Sweet Crude and SaxKixAve share a bill at the Toulouse Theatre in the French Quarter Tickets are $20.

Tuba Skinny revives early 20thcentury jazz at d.b.a. at 6 p.m.

Guitarist Giovanni Ventello and opening act 7Ten are at the Maple Leaf starting at 8 p.m. ($15 ad$20 the door).

PROVIDED PHOTO By STEVE RAPPORT

HaSizzle

music music music

MONDAY

On Lundi, Gras, experience the New Orleans swamp funk of The Iceman Special at Tipitina’s. Showtime is 11 p.m.; tickets are $27.

The duo of electronic music mad scientist Quintron and visual artist/puppeteer Miss Pussycat stage a show of “barely controlled electronic chaos, “SwampTech” dance beats, small explosions, incredible clothes, and entertaining puppet stories” at the Joy Theater The bill also includes Snooper & 1 800 Hot Duck. Tickets are $25.

After the parades, d.b.a. hosts a tribute to Daft Punk featuring Khris Royal & Dark Matter with special guests Jelly Joseph,Thomas Glass, Danny Abel and Kenaniah Turner Tickets are $20.

At 8 p.m., Meters bassist George Porter Jr. is joined by keyboardist Mike Lemmler, drummer Terrence Houston and guitarist Chris Adkins at the Maple Leaf ($15 advance, $20 door). Later on Lundi Gras, the New Orleans Suspects fire up at the Maple Leaf starting around 11 p.m and jam until the wee hours of Fat Tuesday ($20 advance, $25 at the door).

New Orleans singer and entertainer Charmaine Neville holds down her weekly Monday at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Charmaine Neville

TUESDAY

Start off Mardi Gras with a sunrise show at Tipitina’s featuring Big Chief Juan Pardo & the Golden Comanches, augmented by guitarist Billy Iuso The music starts at 5:15 a.m. and admission is free.

The New Orleans Klezmer Allstars are at the Toulouse Theatre for their annual Fat Tuesday show starting at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20, with proceeds going to the Son of a Saint mentoring organization.

Trumpeter Kid Chocolate & the Free P.O.C. are at d.b.a. starting around 9:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY

Carnival is over, but the music continues.

Drummer Gerald Watkins Jr. powers the swinging NOJO 7 at Snug Harbor at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $30.

Nearby, trombonist Stephen Walker N’em hit d.b.a. at 6 p.m., followed by the Lagniappe Brass Band at 9 p.m.

Big Chief Juan Pardo

COUP DE GRÂCE

The Krewe of Proteus parades on Lundi Gras in 2024. Carnival cranks up the festivities in its final stretch. Several days straight of parades will fill the streets of New Orleans and the surrounding areas this year with stunning dancers, bands in lockstep, riders donning bright costumes and floats with elaborate designs.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

carnival carnival carnival

A

Baby’s first king cake

New Orleans rite of passage comes in a sweet, egg-free version

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

King cake indoctrination starts early in New Orleans. I was reminded of this when my daughter’s day care mentioned that her class — a room full of almost 2-year-olds — would be having king cake.

But not my daughter, who has an egg allergy that causes her to break out in hives when a pastry so much as touches her face.

That’s how we found ourselves at Bywater Bakery, which sells king cake by the slice and is one of a handful of bakeries with a vegan version.

The slice I grabbed from the bakery’s plastic case was delicious. It had a praline filling made from butter, brown sugar, pecans cream, all tucked inside their soft brioche dough. In fact, I even thought to myself, this is way too delicious to be vegan. was right I had grabbed the wrong slice. Luckily, my daughonly ate the icing, far too distracted by the dog at the next ble to dig any deeper. She did, however, manage to pluck a tiny gold baby from the slice. I’m not

BOURBON CINNAMON KING CAKE

WHERE: Bywater Bakery, 3624 Dauphine St. COST: $6.50 for a slice

BEST FOR: People with an egg allergy, vegans, babies trying king cake for the first time

With a fork clutched in both hands, a 2-yearold tries king cake for the first time at Bywater Bakery.

sure if every Bywater Bakery slice has a baby in it, but it was a special moment to witness my baby’s first baby.

Determined to give her a proper introduction to the Mardi Gras staple, we went back inside for the vegan option: the bourbon cinnamon king cake. This plant-based version is made from a soft sweet potato dough with a cinnamon bourbon filling. It was more cakelike than the praline version, with no gooey center, but it had its own appeal. It tasted the way a king cake should — like a cinnamon roll that doesn’t overwhelm you with sweetness.

It was festive, it was inclusive, and most importantly, it gave my daughter her first real taste of this cherished New Orleans tradition. Three bites in, she started singing “Happy Birthday,” so it clearly tasted like cake to her.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By EMILyWOODRUFF

STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy

The bourbon cinnamon king cake at Bywater Bakery is made from a soft sweet potato dough h a cinnamon bourbon filling.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The Knights of Babylon parade on the Uptown route in 2024.

carnival carnival carnival

RA DE ROU TE S l FRIDAy

Flambeaux carriers march with Krewe d’Etat in 2024.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By

SCOTT THRELKELD

lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Photographers await the arrival of Rex, King of Carnival, from a perch on Canal Street in Del Hall’s 1965 ‘Standing Room Only.’

PROVIDED PHOTO

A crowd on Canal Street awaits Rex in a timeless moment of anticipation

BY BRIAN PIPER Contributing writer

In this 1965 photograph, New Orleans-born photographer Del Hall captures the collective anticipation of the crowd as they await the arrival of Rex, King of Carnival, on Canal Street on Mardi Gras. Those anxious minutes right before a parade arrives are also part of its ritual: the latent moments spent connecting with neighbors which ultimately make the arrival of the lead marching band or float that much sweeter.

The photograph is also notable for Hall’s subtle sense of humor, which hinges here on a layered combination of text and image. The impossibility of casually strolling through such a dense crowd makes the “Don’t Walk” order on the crossing signal a moot point and a superfluous scold.

Another photographer has climbed on top of the signal itself,

and Hall piles on with his own title: the top of the elevated signal is the only “standing room” available. In a tight circle of puns, Hall presents a metonym for the playful inversion of everyday social rules and customs that make carnival so important.

The details that Hall represents around that circle — sweet treats, balloon bouquets, countless crossing glances, a full range of human emotions — show us some of the scope of carnival season and remind us of what we might look forward to in the weeks to come.

Hall’s photo is on view through March 16 at the New Orleans Museum of Art in the exhibition “Show & Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text.”

Brian Piper is the Freeman Family curator of photographs, prints and drawings at the New Orleans Museum of Art.

In this series, Lagniappe presents works from the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art, with commentary from a curator

ART BEAT

PA

LCMChealth.org

LCMC Healthismorethan18,000 people workingineight hospitalsand hundreds of clinicsand practicesacrossthe NewOrleans area.We’re doctors andnurses, float ridersand therapists,marchers, lab techs, dancers, nutritionists, paradegoers,and more.We’re prepared to celebrateCarnivaland to help keep ourfriends andneighbors safe andhealthy.Mardi Gras is coming,and LCMC Healthisready to roll!

carnival carnival carnival

Float riders launch bubbles into the air as the Krewe of Iris parades through New Orleans in 2024.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SCOTTTHRELKELD

An elaborate float rolls through Mid-City as crowds swarm the 2024 Endymion parade.

OFSOLE THE

CARNIVAL

A quarter-century ago, Muses revolutionized Mardi Gras parades

Doug MacCash

For years now, the Thursday evening before Mardi Gras has been a not-to-miss highlight of the Carnival calendar. It’s Muses Thursday, or tHERSday, as the all-female krewe members like to call it. It’s the night of the behemoth rolling bathtub, the enormous rubber duckies and the topless sculptures of beseeching demigoddesses.

It’s a night of sophisticated jokes on floats, of decidedly untraditional marching troupes, and the glittering handdecorated shoes that are among the most coveted of all Mardi Gras throws. And it’s the night of a two-story, ruby-colored, highheeled pump ridden by a remarkable woman from the New Orleans community, who might be anyone from a historic civil rights icon, to a celebrated singer, to a beloved television meteorologist.

See MUSES, page 18

ABOVE: Actress and Ne native Patrica Clarkson, honorary Muse, rides in a gi shoe in the Krewe of Muses parade. LEFT: From the beginning of Muses incorporated al dancing groups in its li STAFF FILE PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Innovation has always been part of the Krewe of Muses’ DNA. Looking back over the quarter century, Dionne Randolph, one of the original Muses, said that as soon as the new krewe got rolling, ‘everybody looked at Muses and said, “Parades can be different.”’

float sketch for the Muses parade’s 2021 ‘Sirens’ float

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PROVIDED PHOTO By KREWE OF MUSES

FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

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MUSES

Continued from page 16

In 2025, actress Rutina Wesley — known for her roles in “Last of Us” and “Queen Sugar” — will serve as Honorary Muse.

The Muses parade is a delight-filled spectacle that doubles as a demonstration of female assertiveness, though female assertiveness wasn’t the original intention. In the beginning, the Muses parade was founded because — as Cyndi Lauper put it — girls just want to have fun.

Staci Rosenberg grew up in Pittsburgh. She came to New Orleans to attend Tulane University, then stayed, establishing a successful real estate law practice. In 2000, she was a Carnival parade spectator, a little jealous of male colleagues riding in the Mystic Krewe of Druids parade, which had started a few years before. Druids, like many other krewes, was an allboys club.

True, there were a few coed parading groups, and there was the venerable, all-female Iris parade. But still, it was safe to say that the opportunity for a man to ride in a Carnival parade was much, much greater than a woman’s chances. To Rosenberg, the solution to the imbalance was obvious. What New Orleans needed was a new all-female parade.

Built from scratch

Right away, Rosenberg began gathering friends informally to discuss the characteristics of the potential future krewe. Searching for a femaleoriented neoclassical name for the club, someone suggested the Krewe of Maenads. But because, in Greek mythology, the Maenads were known as ecstatic, orgiastic, sometimes murderous devotees of the male god Dionysus, they didn’t exactly strike the right tone. Not only that — but as an early member pointed out — they sounded too much like the New Orleans pronunciation of mayonnaise.

The Krewe of Muses was obviously a better choice, because the Muses were already the inspiration for several unpronounceable Uptown streets. In

The short-lived all-female flambeaux troupe, the Glambeaux, took to the streets in 2014 during the all-female Krewe of Muses parade in New Orleans.

A paradegoer uses a sign in hopes of snagging a coveted signature shoe during the 2024 Krewe of Muses parade.

addition, the demigoddesses are the female personification of the arts, which were to be among the new krewe’s main themes.

Rosenberg and other early leaders decided that there would be no royalty among the Muses, and membership would be open to all adult women, with an emphasis on racial and economic diversity. “We were trying to do something more democratic, and it was supposed to be just fun,” Rosenberg

said. “We’re not society We’re friends. We’re sisters.”

In May 2000, Rosenberg circulated an email to gauge interest in the nascent krewe. She said she hoped for 350 inaugural members and — to her astonishment — immediately had 610 readymade float riders.

“We had no idea of the demand,” Rosenberg said. “We had a waiting list the first year.”

A new krewe for a new age

The concept of a modern, all-female organization had obviously struck a chord. Rosenberg insists that there were no political pretentions in the beginning. But it seems clear that at the millennium, the zeitgeist demanded more female participation in Carnival. Was it a feminist action? Maybe, Rosenberg said, “if feminist means supporting girls and women, and believing that they are equal in every way.” As subsequent history has proven, the Muses parade was ready to lead the shift into the 21st century If it could get a parade permit.

Then as now, the number of official Mardi Gras-season parades was limited by city ordinance. And then as now,

the schedule was full. But after lobbying city officials, about a dozen Muses appeared before the City Council to appeal for permission to roll, despite the parade cap. It probably didn’t hurt that they appeared at City Hall wearing ivy wreaths, just like their namesakes. Sufficiently amused, you might say, the City Council unanimously approved the new procession.

Muses’ first time

Like Chaos and d’Etat, Muses’ parade would be satirical. Marketing consultant Virginia Saussy, one of the charter members, was called upon to develop the parade theme and float designs. The parade’s 2001 maiden voyage was titled “Muses’ First Time,” and the float topics were meant to be subversively self-effacing, with jokes that seemed to embrace the sexist tropes aimed at women. Preening, cat fighting, gabbing and capriciously changing one’s mind were all featured in the parade. Plus, of course, womanly devotion to shoes, shoes, shoes.

“We wanted to do something nobody else could do,” Saussy said of the sexist humor The reverse mockery was brilliantly unexpected. The last float in the “Muses’ First Time” parade was a reclining woman wearing a negligee, exhaling cigarette smoke and pensively asking, “Was that it!?!” Thus, the coy, worldwise vibe of Muses’ satire was established.

In 2025, an enormous statue of Scrim, the celebrity stray dog, will ride on the bow of one of the Muses floats.

At first, the Muses parade took place on Wednesday night, but after a few years, the procession was moved a day later. Every year, it got more spectacular.

“We just kept growing,” Saussy said. “We were trying so hard to outdo ourselves.”

In time, it became clear to Saussy — and everyone else — that Muses meant something important. “What blew my mind, was we had fans,” she said. It wasn’t just about Mardi Gras, “it was different,” she said. It was aspirational.

“I still hope that every little girl can look up and say, ‘I hope I can do that someday,”’ Saussy said.

Dancing double entendres

One of the original Muses, Dionne Randolph, was given the responsibility of hiring bands and other marching

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON

Rosenberg

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groups that would appear between the floats. She said she knew right away it was going to be a lot of work. What Randolph may not have realized was that she would change the course of Carnival

Randolph, an environmental compliance auditor, said she certainly wanted the parade to include traditional marching bands — the St. Augustine Marching 100 was the first groups to agree to perform. But she meant to mix things up a little, too. The Rebirth Brass Band and the Lady Buckjumpers also brought their raucous secondline style to the first Muses parade. For reasons that remain unclear, a certain eccentricity began creeping into the minds of Carnival-loving New Orleanians in the early 2000s. Unlike the usual majorette squads and earnest dance school teams of the past, new adult dance troupes and marching clubs began popping up with somewhat surreal themes, and Randolph welcomed them into the Muses parade. The sardonically sexual

This year’s Krewe of Muses parade on Thursday will pay tribute to New Orleans’ favorite runaway pup, Scrim.

Pussyfooters, Bearded Oysters and Camel Toe Lady Steppers all got their start in Muses. Likewise, the Rolling Elvi, 610 Stompers and Dead Rock Stars all found a place in the Muses

ä See MUSES, page 20

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

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MUSES

Continued from page 19

lineup. And for a time, Muses rankled traditionalists by hosting the Glambeauxs, an allfemale crew of flambeaux carriers

“We didn’t have a hand in these groups forming,” Randolph said. But Muses became their greenhouse. Including those groups in the procession was an “opportunity to be different,” Randolph said. “We’ve been comfortable being different.”

Throw me something, lady

Like untraditional dance troupes, Muses can be credited with being ground zero of another 21st-century custom. Along with the usual beads and baubles, a lucky handful of members of the audience who attended the first Muses parade were surprised to receive a hand-decorated woman’s shoe. Inspired by the age-old, embellished coconuts tossed by riders in the Zulu parade, Muses member Nicola Wolf decorated some thriftstore footwear for the new krewe’s inaugural parade. In doing so, she launched a viral phenomenon.

Other Muses riders began creating elaborately transformed stilettos, cowboy

‘Bathing Muses’ ride motorized bathtubs in the 2024 parade in New Orleans.

boots and Mary Janes. The Muses shoe was suddenly a sensation. Soon, the members of other krewes were busying themselves painting, glittering and augmenting everything from masks to miniature umbrellas to plastic Holy Grails to rubber shrimp boots to you name it. Such signature objects are now a purely New Orleans form of folk art.

Innovation has always been part of Muses’ DNA, and it remains so to this day. In recent years, as Carnival fans began questioning the wisdom of tossing tons of plastic into the city’s fragile drainage system and landfills, Muses has increasingly turned to more practical, reusable throws. These days, paradegoers are as likely to catch pencil pouches, paper napkins, playing cards and such — while continuing to provide the blinking, branded beads that paradegoers have come to expect

Looking back over the quarter century, Randolph said that as soon as the new krewe got rolling, “everybody looked at Muses and said, ‘Parades can be different.’”

Now, she said, “I think you see Muses in everybody’s parades.”

The Muses parade rolls at 6:30 p.m. Thursday on the Uptown route, starting at Jefferson Avenue.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Shriners ride with the Krewe of Okeanos in 2024.

STAFF FILE

PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

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FILE PHOTO By SCOTTTHRELKELD Actor Kevin Dillon reigns as Bacchus LV during the 2024 Krewe of Bacchus parade rolling through Uptown.

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

The Krewe of Athena parade rolls in Metairie in 2024.

The Krewe of Orpheus’ Smokey Mary train float rolls along Napoleon Avenue in 2024.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

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STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Rex parades down St. Charles Avenue in 2024.

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Beads are thrown directly to a reveler during the 2024 Elks Krewe of Jeffersonians truck parade in Metairie.

STAFF FILE

By SCOTT THRELKELD

Covington Lions and Mystic Krewe of Covington: 10 a.m. Bogue Falaya: 10:30 a.m.

events events events

LadyBEAST will do her bottlewalking act in her Vaudeville Revival act on Friday at the Joy Theater in New Orleans.

Former Ringling Bros. clown joins Vaudeville Revival

BY WILL COVIELLO GambitWeekly

Professional clown Chase Culp has performed in New Orleans before, first with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus and more recently in Vaudeville-style circus and variety shows produced by LadyBEAST. He returns for a new edition of her show, “Vaudeville Revival,” on Friday at the Joy Theater.

After joining Ringling Bros. at 18 years old, Culp got a lot of attention in the ring. One of the big group gags he did featured a group of clowns whipping up shaving cream and getting into a battle royale, splashing a whole circus ring

“We called it a soap gag,” Culp said “We whipped up bars of shaving soap, like the old mug soap. We would make over 100 gallons of shaving cream a show that we would throw on each other and make a huge mess. I was one of the lucky three clowns that would get com-

pletely covered and have to redo my makeup between shows.”

But he loved it. Becoming a clown had been a lifelong dream.

“I always wanted to be a clown, since I was 3 — since I was able to speak,” he said. “My favorite movie growing up was ‘The Greatest Show on Earth,’ which was old-time Hollywood, shot at Ringling Bros. In 1953, it won Best Picture. I was totally enamored with circus life and clowns. I taught myself how to juggle in the third grade.”

His parents probably hoped it was a dream that would fade. His father is an attorney, and his mother was the first member of her extended family to graduate college. But Culp was hooked.

“I taught myself how to do pratfalls and things like that and drove my parents nuts,” he said. “Much to their chagrin, I am still doing it. But now they’re proud of it.”

While he didn’t run away to join the circus, he joined a touring summer troupe, Circus

VAUDEVILLE REVIVAL

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Joy Theater, 1200 Canal St., New Orleans TICKETS: $40 via ticketmaster.com.

Smirkus!, at 16. That led directly to Ringling Bros., and he lived on the touring clown train, where clown accommodations were a 5.5-foot by 7-foot room with a sink, microwave, fridge and bed. The train pulled into a new city every week for as many as 13 shows in a week.

Since leaving Ringling Bros., Culp has performed in 11 countries and recently off-Broadway in New York with Cirque Mechanics at the New Victory Theater. Culp constantly masters new skills and works up new acts, based around anything from physical tricks to humor. At “Vaudeville Revival,” he’ll do a bit tuning cowbells and a trick manipulating stacks of wooden boxes. Culp met LadyBEAST when they toured together for a summer with Venardos Circus.

FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

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She draws from her connections performing elsewhere to bring new performers to New Orleans shows. Also visiting for the Friday show is Chris McDaniel, who does cowboy-style roping tricks with a lasso. LadyBEAST will do her bottle-walking act. There also are aerial acts, including hair hanging, circus arts, comedy, music and burlesque. Performers include Kitten N’ Lou, Angie Z, Aria Delanoche, Mz. Juno, Gigi Marx, Lauren Mearcat and more.

Culp is based in Las Vegas, but for the summer, he’s turning his attention to Ringling Bros. again He’ll be performing for several months at Circus World in Baraboo, Wisconsin, where Ringling Bros. began.

While that show is more traditional, the circus is in a period of change. Many circuses have changed as they’ve stopped featuring elephants and large animals. At the same time, Cirque de Soleil has modernized the art form and brought circus back to large theaters.

“The great thing about circus right now is that it’s in a changing time,” Culp said “Any time that circus has changed over the years, it’s gotten a new level of popularity.”

Email Will Coviello at wcoviello@ gambitweekly.com.

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PROVIDED PHOTO By LADyBEAST Kitten N’ Lou perform in Vaudeville Revival.

Bridget Jones is middle-aged

now. And we still love her, just as she is

BY JOCELYN NOVECK AP national writer

It is a truth universally acknowledged, as Bridget Jones herself might write in her diary, that at the end of any Bridget Jones movie, our heroine has triumphed over all doubts and obstacles and is finally happy.

With a man. Well, so far, with one particular man: Mark Darcy, the stuffy-yet-dashing man of her dreams.

This, dear viewer, is not a spoiler for the new fourth movie, “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” In fact, if you’ve seen the trailer, you’ll know that Bridget (Renée Zellweger, still pretty delightful), who finally married Mark at the end of the third film, is now a widow.

We’re not supposed to divulge exactly what happens next. But remember, folks, this is a classic romantic comedy franchise Rom-coms can be sad and deep, but they still need to be romantic.

What makes “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” especially enjoyable, then — and the best since the 2001 original — is not that Bridget finds a way yet again to triumph over doubts and obstacles. It’s that she still makes us care so darned much.

How does she do it after all these years? All I know is, I was rooting harder for her at the end of this film than I was with the others, even the original where she’s kissing Mark in the snowy street in underwear and sneakers.

There are various possible explanations

One is Zellweger herself, who has brought her character gracefully into her 50s, retaining Bridget’s goofiness and deep-set optimism while reflecting hard-won life experience. And there are subtle changes to the equation. The relationships in this latest film are more interesting — old ones and new.

Bridget’s relationship with herself is more

Zellweger’s

installment of the series.

‘BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY’

HHH

DIRECTOR: Michael Morris

STARRING: Renée

Zellweger, Leo Woodall, Hugh Grant, Chiwetel

Ejiofor, Colin Firth RATED: R RUNNING TIME: 124 minutes.

interesting, too — and healthier Sure, she can swig a full bottle of chardonnay on a bad night. But the smoking is gone, and so, thank heavens, is the ridiculous weight obsession — a phenomenon that hit its nadir in the icky final line of the second film, with Bridget saying yes, you can find happiness, even if you “have a bottom the size of two bowling balls.”

Nothing like that in this latest installment, directed by Michael Morris based on Helen Fielding’s novel (Fielding also co-wrote the script), which begins four years into Bridget’s widowhood. She’s living in a lovingly cluttered home in Hampstead with her kids, Billy and Mabel.

Bridget is getting dressed for a rare night at a dinner party, awaiting the sitter That sitter is Daniel Cleaver himself, back for the fourth film after missing the third, which contained his funeral. (He wasn’t dead!) Hugh Grant is less adorable than in the beginning, more grizzled, still slightly creepy but more vulnerable — and a devoted friend.

At the party, all the couples want to know how Bridget is moving on with her life She escapes, and at a bar later with her stalwart friend group (the gang from the previous movies), says she’s done with romance.

Of course, that will prove untrue. Bridget will meet her new love interest in the most Bridget Jones of ways: stuck awkwardly on a tree in the park, trying to rescue her children, also stuck.

To the rescue comes a dreamy park ranger (Leo Woodall), who also happens to see on Bridget’s phone that her friends have set up a Tinder account: “Tragic Widow Seeks Sexual Awakening.”

And thus, Bridget’s new love interest is 29-year-old Roxster McDuff — a ridiculous name, rivaling how ridiculously sexy he is. The two embark on a steamy courtship.

At the same time, Bridget has returned to work as a TV producer. Her colleagues salivate at the sight of Roxster, especially when he shows up to a party, rips off his shirt and dives

PROVIDED PHOTOS By UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Renée

Bridget Jones is trying to move on after tragedy in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,’ the fourth

Hugh Grant, left, and Renée Zellweger reprise their roles from the original 2001 film in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.’

into a pool to rescue a dog.

“Now THAT’S a rebrand,” Bridget’s friend says approvingly of her new life. But can their relationship triumph over the considerable age gap? It’s a subject — older woman, younger man — that’s a hot topic in current movies.

Also raised here is the question of how one moves on from deep grief to

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renée Zellweger share a scene in the latest ‘Bridget Jones’ film.

live fully again — a goal that Bridget’s late father had urged upon her (Jim Broadbent reappears briefly, as does Gemma Jones as Bridget’s mother Colin Firth appears in a few dreamy moments.)

And there are plenty of other new issues for Bridget to navigate, too, such as how hard it is to keep up with other

parents at school. For example: When Bridget is asked, by her son’s handsome and interesting yet seemingly guarded science teacher Mr Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor), to speak to the class about her career, he tells her the previous parent to come in was a Nobel winner in nuclear physics.

No worries. The lessons of this last —

or so they say — Bridget Jones chapter speak to how one adjusts expectations and finds the right way to live in the world.

And on that note, as old photos from 25 years of Bridget’s life fly by during closing credits, it’s hard not to feel like she’s family — and to be more than a little proud of how she found her way.

Renée Zellweger, left, and Leo Woodall star in ‘Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.’

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After party

New shows and musicals are waiting in the wings while Carnival’s in the spotlight

Live theater will be mostly in the streets this coming week, as Carnival parades are the biggest productions to see throughout the metropolitan New Orleans area. Local stages will be dark for the most part, gearing up for a March full of shows.

Victor Andrews

For those craving live staged experiences, several talented drag and burlesque acts will be taking the spotlight in hot spots of the city But plays, musicals and more will march into March like a big brass band.

Here’s a look at what’s coming up. Check upcoming Lagniappes and on NOLA.com for informa-

tion as shows get closer

“FUNNY GIRL”: The national touring company of the big show comes to New Orleans with the story of comedian Fanny Brice in this mega-musical that features such memorable melodies as “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “People” and “Sadie, Sadie Married Lady.” Songster Melissa Manchester comes as Fanny’s mother The show will run March 11-16 at the Saenger Theatre. Tickets start at $39. saengernola.com.

“JERSEY BOYS”: One of the better jukebox musicals, this rock romp about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons is crammed with hallmark songs like “Sherry,” “December, 1963 — Oh What a Night” and “Who Loves You.” Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux

PROVIDED PHOTO By MATTHEW MURPHy Grammy winner Melissa Manchester stars as Mrs. Brice with Hannah Shankman as the lead Fanny Brice in the national touring company of ‘Funny Girl,’ opening March 11 at the Saenger Theatre.

stages stages stages

Carré’s production features Sebastian Rohn, Brian Sanford, Bryce Slocumb and Jake Winne-Wilson as the quartet, with A.J. Allegra and Jauné Buisson taking the helm. The high-energy show takes off March 13 to April 6 at the 616 St. Peter St. playhouse. Tickets start at $27. lepetittheatre.com

“ONCE UPON A MATTRESS”: What happens when you need a princess for your son, but you are the original Mommy Dearest? Sabotage, sarcasm and scathing humor all come to play in this musical fairy tale spin on “The Princess and the Pea” that launched Carol Burnett as an evil queen (again), along with a goofy prince, a quirky princess and a court desperate to get him married off so they can get married themselves. It’s great fun, with such tunes as “The Swamps of Home,” “The Spanish Panic” and “In a Little While.” The show, at Rivertown Theatres for the Performing Arts, 325 Minor St., Kenner, runs March 14-30. Tickets start at $41. rivertowntheaters.com.

“I LOVE THE NIGHTLIFE”: A new musical by Brian Fontenot, Sara Pagones and Dawn Mastascuso is a love letter to the disco era and beyond at Cutting Edge Theater, 767 Robert Blvd., in Slidell. Pagones said the show is “a celebration of the music and culture that shaped our lives, and we can’t wait for the audience to join us on this nostalgic journey.” It’s a story about love, friendship and living in the moment. The show runs March 14-29. Tickets start at $30. cuttingedgetheater.com.

“THE PLAYTHAT GOESWRONG”: Anyone who’s ever participated in a play knows if something can go wrong, it usually will. That’s what’s happening at the Cornley University Drama Society’s “The Murder at Haversham Manor,” the next production at 30 by Ninety Theatre, 880 Lafayette St., in Mandeville. Monty Python meets Sherlock Holmes in this mischief maker directed by Tom Brubrig. The show runs March 15-30. Tickets start at $17. 30byninety.com.

“THEY PROMISED HER THE MOON”: Relive

the life of Jerrie Cobb, the first American woman to test for a space flight, first as a youngster in Oklahoma, then learning how to fly, testifying before Congress and facing the discrimination of the period. Directed for Playmakers Theater, 19106 Playmakers Road, in Covington, by Van Turner, the show will run March 15-30. Tickets start at $15. playmakersinc.com.

LINDA EDER: The Broadway and recording star of “Jekyll & Hyde” visits the River Parishes on March 22 to perform at the Lafon Performing Arts Center. The vocalist, who got her start on “Star Search,” has several albums to her credit and a strong of sold-out concert performances. Tickets start at $45 at 275 Judge E. Dufresne Parkway, Luling. lafonartscenter.org.

“ORPHEUS DESCENDING”: The Tennessee Williams Theatre Co.’s new season, March 27 to April 13, mounts the author’s tale of a lonely woman in a dreary Southern hamlet filled with secrets and scandal. Williams introduced a col-

orful palette of characters, brutal situations and a landscape of interwoven relationships that will drag down the desperate characters longing for a better life — or something resembling a life. Austin J. Correro directs the show. Tickets start $25 at Loyola University twtheatrenola.com.

In production

”ALL’S WELL IN ROSWELL (ISN’T IT?)”: 8 p.m. March 7-8, plus 2 p.m. March 9; Slidell Little Theatre, 2024 Nellie Drive. When a UFO plunges into a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico in the late 1940s, rancher Ulysses T. Boone gets bombarded by government types, journalists and his family Plus his ranch hand Jake, a mysterious fellow who’s been around for a decade, turns out to be an alien waiting to be retrieved. “E.T., phone home?” Tickets start at $25. slidelllittletheatre.org.

Email Victor Andrews at vandrews@ theadvocate.com.