The Times-Picayune 03-21-2025 by The Advocate

MARCH MADNESS! McNEESE UPSETS CLEMSON 3C

Trump orders closure of Education Dept.

Shutdown likely impossible without act of Congress

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives. Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the depart-

ment in 1979. Republicans said they will introduce legislation to achieve that, while Democrats have quickly lined up to oppose the idea.

The order states the education secretary will, “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.” It offers no detail on how that work will be carried out or where it will be targeted, though the White House said the agency will retain certain critical functions.

Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its “core necessities,” preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell Grants and money for children with disabilities. The White House said earlier Thursday that the department will continue to manage federal student loans, but the order appears to say the opposite. It states the Education Department doesn’t have the staff to oversee its $1.6 trillion loan portfolio and “must return bank functions to an entity equipped to serve

ä See TRUMP, page 6A

Landry pushing tax overhaul amendment

Measure is one of four on the March 29 ballot

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry is crisscrossing Louisiana, running an advertising campaign and appearing on talk radio shows to get voters to approve the next big item on his agenda: a tax overhaul on the March 29 statewide ballot known as Amendment 2. At the governor’s behest during a special session in November, the Legislature reduced income taxes, raised the sales tax, abolished a tax on big businesses known as the corporate franchise tax, imposed a tax on digital goods and lowered taxpayer subsidies for ﬁlm producers and developers of historic buildings.

Those changes are now state law But Landry and lawmakers want to make a host of other changes to the tax section of the state constitution that requires a vote of the people.

“Amendment 2 will set Louisiana on a course to create more jobs, grow the economy and put more money in the pockets of hardworking Louisianans, teachers and our senior citizens.”

GOV. JEFF LANDRy

“Amendment 2 will set Louisiana on a course to create more jobs, grow the economy and put more money in the pockets of hardworking Louisianans, teachers and our senior citizens,” Landry wrote in a column published in the Ouachita Citizen on Wednesday Amendment 2 has the support of several prominent advocacy groups, including the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, Americans for Prosperity and the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, among other groups. Groups on both the left and the right are mounting a grassroots campaign against Amendment 2 for divergent reasons. Those on the left say it would lead to spending

ä See LANDRY, page 4A

Fourth board member quits N.O.-area levee authority

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

A fourth board member at the New Orleans-area levee authority resigned on Thursday, escalating the fallout over controversial changes to the agency being sought by Gov Jeff Landry’s administration. Derek Rabb’s resignation was announced at a meeting that included pushback from board members against some of the actions being spearheaded by Landry’s close adviser, Shane Guidry Be-

sides the upheaval being triggered by the resignations, they also leave the flood control agency at risk of being paralyzed and unable to act with the start of hurricane season just weeks away There are only five members remaining on the nine-member board. In order to take any action, the board must have a fivemember quorum, without which it cannot legally meet. The departures may also allow Landry’s administration to fill the board with members willing to support the governor’s proposed changes to

the state’s levee authorities, which include giving him more power over board appointments.

The agency, ofﬁcially known as the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, oversees the complex system of levees and pumps that were rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes. Critics of Landry’s approach argue he risks weakening reforms put in place following the catastrophic levee failures during the 2005 storm.

Guidry has argued he is seeking to streamline the agency’s operations, save taxpayer money and make better use of its police force while maintaining its vital flood protection responsibilities. Changes he has sought include scrapping the nominating committee for the board, which is intended to be nonpartisan, and the possibility of transferring the responsibilities of the agency’s regional director to its police chief.

In his letter of resignation, Rabb urged the remaining board members to “continue to focus on the

mission of flood protection and readiness.”

Earlier this week, three members resigned in a jointly signed letter addressed to Guidry, who is neither on the board nor employed by the ﬂood protection authority but has been overseeing changes there. Those board members — William Settoon, Roy Arrigo and Thomas Fierke — alleged that the agency’s focus on flood protection had “diminished” since Landry appointed Roy Carubba to

ä See LEVEE, page 6A

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BEN CURTIS

President Donald Trump is joined by students as he signs an executive order

Report: Plane showed high rate of descent

TORONTO The alert system on a Delta Air Lines jet that ﬂipped upside down and burst into ﬂames as it tried to land in Toronto last month indicated a high rate of descent less than three seconds before touchdown, a preliminary report said Thursday

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which issued the report, continues to investigate the Feb. 17 crash-landing in which 21 people were hospitalized.

All 76 passengers and four crew members survived when the Delta plane arriving from Minneapolis burst into ﬂames after ﬂipping over and skidding on the tarmac.

The TSB of Canada report says when the plane’s ground proximity warning system sounded 2.6 seconds before touchdown, the airspeed was 136 knots, or approximately 155 mph. It says the plane’s landing gear folded into the retracted position at touchdown and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught ﬁre as the plane slid along the runway

Family of whistleblower suing Boeing in his death

CHARLESTON, S.C. — The family of a former Boeing quality control manager who police say killed himself after lawyers questioned him for days about his whistleblowing on alleged jumbo jet defects sued the airplane maker Thursday Boeing subjected John Barnett to a “campaign of harassment, abuse and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited,” lawyers for the family wrote in a wrongful death lawsuit ﬁled in federal court in South Carolina Barnett, 62, shot himself March 9, 2024, in Charleston after answering questions from attorneys for several days. He lived in Louisiana. “Boeing had threatened to break John, and break him it did,” the attorneys wrote in court papers. Boeing has not yet responded in court ﬁlings.

‘Coco 2’ in the works at Disney and Pixar

“Coco” is getting a sequel Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Thursday that “Coco 2” is currently in development at Pixar Animation Studios.

“While the ﬁlm is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” Iger said at the company’s shareholders meeting. The sequel will reunite the creative team behind the first, including directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina. “Coco” followed Miguel, a 12-year-old boy with musical dreams who goes to the Land of the Dead to ﬁnd out more about his family’s history

The original grossed over $814 million at the worldwide box ofﬁce and won two Oscars, for best animated feature and best song for the catchy hit “Remember Me.” It also won a Golden Globe and the BAFTA for best animated ﬁlm.

“Coco” was Pixar’s ﬁrst feature ﬁlm with a lead character from a minority group, and one of the largest American productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast.

“Coco 2” is reportedly eyeing a 2029 theatrical release Finland again ranked world’s happiest country

HELSINKI — Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness — the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012

The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 85

BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR-AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Israeli strikes killed at least 85 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to local health officials. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel broke their ceasefire.

Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January Israeli bombardments in the past three days have killed at least 592 people, said Zaher al-Waheidi, the head of the records department at the Gaza Health Ministry

The Israeli military said it was again enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Palestinians were not being ordered to leave northern Gaza but can no longer enter, the military said, and are only allowed to move south on foot using the coastal road Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to what remains of their homes in the north during the ceaseﬁre.

Israeli ground forces are also

pushing into Gaza near the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah, the military said Thursday. The operations come a day after Israel moved to split Gaza in two by retaking the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south.

The military ordered Palestinians to evacuate an area in central Gaza near the city of Khan Younis, saying it would operate there in response to Thursday’s rocket ﬁre from Hamas. The Palestinian militant group said it targeted Tel Aviv One rocket was intercepted and two fell in open areas, according to the army Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also launched two missiles at Israel, one early Thursday morning and another in the evening, the military said. Both were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, according to the army, and no injuries were reported. Air raid sirens rang out and exploding interceptor rockets were heard in Jerusalem. There have been three such attacks since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis earlier this week.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 85 people, mostly women and chil-

dren. The ministry’s records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

The Indonesian Hospital said it received 19 bodies after strikes in Beit Lahiya, near Gaza’s northern border, which was heavily destroyed and largely depopulated earlier in the war

“It was a bloody night for the people of Beit Lahiya,” said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency service in northern Gaza, adding that rescuers were still searching the rubble.

“The situation is catastrophic.”

Israel’s military said Thursday its airstrikes in Gaza had killed the head of Hamas’ internal security apparatus and two other militant commanders. Israel has said it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.

A United Nations-backed group of human rights experts accused Israel last week of “disproportionate violence against women and children” during the war in Gaza.

One of the strikes early Thursday hit the Abu Daqa family’s home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village outside Khan Younis near the border with Israel. It was in an area the Israeli military ordered evacuated earlier this week, encompassing most of eastern Gaza.

Taliban frees American abducted in Afghanistan

BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

WASHINGTON An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said

Thursday

George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S government as wrongfully detained the following year

In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann was on his way back to the United States to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra, and praised Qatar for “steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts” that he said were “instrumental in securing George’s release.”

“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.”

Glezmann was being accompanied back to the U.S., through Qatar’s capital, Doha, by Adam Boehler, who has been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trump’s administration. The Taliban disclosed earlier Thursday that Boehler had met with a delegation that included Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Glezmann, 66, was in Afghanistan as a

tourist at the time of his abduction and has visited more than 100 countries as part of his passion for exploring different cultures, according to a proﬁle on the website of the Foley Foundation, an organization that advocates for the release of Americans detained by foreign countries.

The release of Glezmann is part of what the Taliban has previously described as the “normalization” of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Most countries still don’t recognize the Taliban’s rule.

Glezmann’s release follows a separate deal, arranged in January in the ﬁnal days of the Biden administration and also mediated by the Qataris, that secured the releases of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty

The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul said at the time that those two U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two life terms in 2008 after being convicted under U.S. narco-terrorism laws for securing heroin and opium that he knew was bound for the U.S.

Unlike in that arrangement, the U.S. did not give up any prisoner to secure Glezmann’s release, which was done as a goodwill gesture, according to an ofﬁcial briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.

On Thursday, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry conﬁrmed Glezmann’s release on “humanitarian grounds.” In a statement, it said the “Islamic Emirate again reafﬁrms its longstanding position that dialogue, understanding and diplomacy provide effective avenues for resolving all issues.”

Military leaders discuss Ukraine peace force

Ceasefire plans being formulated

BY HANNA ARHIROVA and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press

KYIV Ukraine Senior military officers from more than 30 countries across Europe and beyond met in England on Thursday to ﬂesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine as details of a partial ceaseﬁre are worked out.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he didn’t know whether there would be a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, but “we are making steps in the right direction” as a “coalition of the willing” led by Britain and France moves into an “operational phase.”

“We hope there will be a deal but what I do know is if there is a deal, the time for planning is now,” he said during a visit to the meeting of military planners at a British base outside London “It’s not after a deal is reached.”

“It is vitally important we do that work, because we know one thing for certain which is a deal without anything behind it is something that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will breach,” he said.

Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in Norway on Thursday said that although he originally had sought a broader ceaseﬁre, he was committed to working with the U.S. to stop arms being directed at power production and civilian facilities.

“I raised this issue with President Trump and said that our side would identify what we consider to be civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said. “I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about what the sides are agreeing on.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM DAGGA

Volunteers and rescue workers use a bulldozer Thursday to remove the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Khan younis, southern Gaza Strip.

Higgins won’t challenge Cassidy for Senate seat

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — Acadiana U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins wrote in a letter Thursday that he would not run in the 2026 U.S. Senate race — even though he pointed to a poll that found he would have won

“It is my considered determination that, current engagement in the House being incredibly significant, it may be ultimately more beneficial to the Republic that I remain in service to the MAGA America First agenda as a senior Republican in the House of Representatives,” wrote Higgins, R-Lafayette. “So, fellow citizen, I shall continue to serve you in the People’s House.” Higgins did not endorse incumbent Sen Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican who has angered many right-wing Republicans after voting to convict President Donald Trump of impeachment charges for provoking the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Cassidy, however, has been invited to the White House twice in the past week.

“I respect the Senator, I thank him for his service, and I wish him well,” Higgins wrote “A MAGA America First Republican

LANDRY

Continued from page 1A

cuts on such vital needs as education and health care, while those on the right say one provision could cause churches to lose property tax exemptions they need to survive.

“Politics and policy can make for strange bedfellows sometimes. I’m sure they’re coming from a sincere place, and so are we,” Jan Moller, director of Invest in Louisiana, a Baton Rougebased group that supports state programs that help low-income people said of his newfound allies Amendment 2 would double the standard deduction for seniors on their income taxes, lower the top individual income tax rate and impose a limit on the growth of government spending.

It would pay stipends that the Legislature approved last year — $2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for support staff a recurring part of their salaries. The money would come from ending three education trust funds That would free up $300 million per year by eliminating $2 billion in debt.

Interest income from those trust funds has been providing $50 million per year for early childhood education, for improving struggling schools and for teacher recruitment. So eliminating the trust funds would put the money for those programs in doubt, Moller said.

Richard Nelson, the revenue secretary and the intellectual architect of the amendment, said the governor has committed to ﬁnding money to keep funding those programs. The amendment also would give parishes the op-

candidate will emerge, my Brothers and Sisters, and that Louisiana Patriot Republican nominee will be held accountable to stand by their promise to We the People of Louisiana. I shall be watching, in this season, very, very closely.”

Cassidy responded Thursday, “Clay and I both love our country and Louisiana. We’re both work-

ing to defend the American dream and support President Trump’s Pro-America agenda. He’s a man of strong faith and will continue serving southwest Louisiana well.”

State Treasurer John Fleming, R-Minden, is the only announced challenger to Cassidy. A former congressman, Fleming also worked in the White House during

Trump’s ﬁrst term.

State Sen. Blake Miguez, RNew Iberia, and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, RMetairie, have made noises about also challenging Cassidy from the right. U.S Rep. Julia Letlow, RStart, and former U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, have been named by others as potential candidates, but they have nothing to say about the possibility

Higgins said he commissioned a poll by the Trafalgar Group, of Atlanta, which was released March 12. The survey questioned 1,068 Louisiana voters, with a 2.9% margin of error on the candidacies of Cassidy, Higgins, Fleming and the other four Higgins was shown with 30.7% support in the April 2026 Republican primary Most of Higgins’ support is based in his congressional district, where more than two-thirds of the Republicans back him.

Cassidy scored 23.5% support, with most of his backing coming from Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport.

“Incumbent Cassidy is especially vulnerable in front of a Republican primary audience,” Trafalgar reported. None of the named candidates

could win in the primary outright, the poll says. Both Letlow and Higgins could beat Cassidy in a GOP runoff, it says. The Louisiana Legislature changed the state’s primary election system in January 2024 so that Republicans vote for Republicans and Democrats for Democrats. Voters without party affiliation can choose which primary to participate. Then the winning Democrat faces the winning Republican in the November general election. Previously, all candidates faced each other, regardless of party If nobody won outright, then the two top vote-getters met in a runoff.

Trump is one of the most popular politicians ever to be on a Louisiana ballot, carrying 58% to 60% of voters in the past three presidential elections. Only Trump has polled more Louisiana voters 1.25 million in 2020 than Cassidy, who got 1.23 million votes to win without a runoff that same year

Cassidy has $6.5 million ready to spend for this campaign and has most of the major GOP funders on his ﬁnance committee.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

tion of repealing the property tax on business inventory, make it harder to create more tax breaks in the future and take most property tax exemptions out of the constitution and put their continued existence in the hands of legislators.

The property tax change is the provision prompting some social conservatives — including the Rev Tony Spell, who made a name opposing COVID-19 restrictions — to work to defeat Amendment 2

The amendment also would merge two state savings accounts, and, if passed, allow Landry to use some of that money to pay parishes to drop the inventory tax program

The proposal does not touch two popular tax protections in the state constitution: the $75,000 homestead exemption and the sales tax exemption for the purchase of groceries, residential utilities and prescription drugs.

Landry moved quickly in his first year to put his stamp on government after eight years of Gov John Bel Edwards, a Democrat. A Republican supermajority in both the House and Senate the ﬁrst ever in modern times — has mostly approved his proposals.

Last year, Landry got the Legislature to pass a raft of anti-crime measures, including one that allowed the execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr at Angola on Tuesday night; to create Education Savings Accounts that allow children to attend private schools with taxpayer dollars; and to give him greater power to control state boards and commissions.

The various changes to the tax system approved by legislators in November came in bipartisan votes that will shift the burden from income taxes to sales taxes,

which hit the poor hardest.

Amendment 2 was put on the ballot by passage of House Bill 7, sponsored by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro. It consisted of 115 pages.

On Tuesday, during an interview on Talk Louisiana with Jim Engster on WRKF in Baton Rouge and WWNO in New Orleans, Landry said approval of Amendment 2 would make Louisiana more attractive to investors and move the state closer to his goal of phasing out the income tax.

“It paves the way for so many great things to happen,” Landry told listeners.

The political stakes for Landry are high said Bernie Pinsonat, a veteran pollster and political analyst He notes that then-Gov Buddy Roemer never got back on track and lost his reelection race after voters in 1989 rejected his bid to rewrite the tax system.

Landry has more political support than Roemer had then, Pinsonat said, but added, “He has a lot riding on it politically.”

To help make sure it passes, Landry has spoken to chambers of commerce in Monroe, Covington, Houma and Plaquemine in recent days.

Make Louisiana Great Again, a Landry-supported PAC, is running TV, radio and digital ads extolling Amendment 2, said Brent

Littlefield, the governor’s longtime media strategist.

While several prominent conservative organizations support the plan, some members of Landry’s political base are trying to defeat the measure because they say taking property tax exemptions for nonproﬁts and religious institutions out of the constitution — as Amendment 2 would do — would allow future Legislatures to eliminate the tax breaks with a two-thirds vote and the governor’s support.

“How do we know who will be the next governor?”

asked Hunter Lundy, a Pentecostal minister who finished ﬁfth in the 2023 governor’s race and otherwise praises Landry’s performance as governor

Lundy is paying for a digital media campaign against Amendment 2.

Woody Jenkins, a former state legislator from Baton Rouge who was a delegate to the 1973 assembly that wrote the constitution now in effect, called the property tax provision “a poison pill” in Amendment 2 and is writing articles against it that are being shared throughout Louisiana.

“This is people to people talking and pastors talking,” Jenkins said. “They don’t appreciate a lot of things loaded up onto one thing. When in doubt, people don’t vote for thingstheydon’tunderstand.”

Moller said people who are not well educated on the amendment before they vote could be confused by the contents of a 115-page

bill explained in only 91 words on the ballot.

“The overall message is that this amendment makes it harder to make the investments we need, drains critical trust funds and is based on misleading language and misleading promises,” Moller said.

A coalition of progressive groups are behind a webpage that tells voters to reject all four amendments on the March 29 ballot.

“They are using smoke and mirrors to pass them,” reads the webpage, which doesn’t identify who is behind the effort to defeat all four amendments. Email Tyler Bridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

The East Jefferson Levee District is in possession of these items from the levee system. If you are the rightful owner of any of these items, proof of ownershipwill be requiredtoclaim. Please contact the East Jefferson Levee District at 504-467-1368 in reference to claiming property Pursuant to LRS33:2333the advertisement shall call upon the ownertopresent himself, prove ownership, and pay the accrued storage charges, as well as thecost of the advertisement.

A-00128-07

NEXT PowerClimber Mountain Bicycle

SN:48482350 A-05069-08

1black Golf Bag/cart and8golfclubs A-05069-08

Purple MT Fury Roadmaster Bicycle A-20693-14

Grey Mongoose Bicycle B-24465-10 Red/Blue MT Fury Roadmaster Bicycle SN:F03120010127 B-11718-11

Murray UltraBicycle B-12965-11 RedNEXTBicycle SN:S104105058 B-02366-10

Grey StalkerModel ProBicycle C-0018-05 HuffyBicycle with Fisher PriceHelmet SN:1665054299511H60 C-00097-07

Childs Pink TridentBicycle C-00098-08 SilverRazor Scooter C-00131-05

RedShimeno Mountain Bicycle SN:03TD9062164 C-00138-05

Mongoose Mountain Bicycle

SN:M007646 C-00145-10

F-28045-08

RedSchwinn Bicycle

SN:ACE05612336

G-00888-05

Yellow/BlueHuffy GirlsBicycle

SN:NE02609488

G-05300-10

Silver/Green TurboMotoXBicycle SN:08938780 G-06247-14

GreenMountainBicycle SN:01TD676883

G-10662-10

BlackDiamond Back Bicycle

SN:ACA070014474

H-00078-05

Gray SpecializedExpeditionBicycle SN:P5CT11466

H-06922-09

Silver MongooseBicycle SN:SNFD055EC6344 H-15135-10

GreenNEXTChaos Bicycle SN:GS080Z254 H-25201-09

Trek Mountain Bicycle I-00103-02

Pink Mongoose BMXBicycle SN:R1591WMT03M01JA I-04141-11

Blue Zone GT Bicycle SN:SANPA33011 I-11512-08

Purple HurricaneRidge Roadmaster Bicycle

C-04502-13

Pink/White HuffyBicycle

SN:HEZ11E013UU C-16826-13

RedTrek3700Bicycle SN:055A1767

Pink GirlsHuffy Mountain Bicycle SN:Z6232K I-25899-08

BlackSierraQuest Bicycle SN:LWGH149341

J-00075-07

C-20425-10

Ross Razorscooter

C-21418-13

SilverOzone 500Bicycle

SN:34559765

D-01627-10

Murray Bicycle

E-00017-11

GreenHuffy SuperiaBicycle

SN:K-66019321723F1988

E-00065-07

RedFuji4130MountainBicycle

SN:5360225

Blitzgas cans 1and 2gallon

E-00146-07

Chrome Haro FusionBicycle

SN:F3W414549

SilverDynoVFR Bicycle

SN:SY4100387

E-20824-08

Red/BlackBicycle HuffyPure18inBicycle F-12922-09

NEXT Clutch Bicycle

Pink Columbia Head TrailBicycle SN:06C0007093 J-07563-08

Blue Sierra 2000 J-07715-09

HuffyDashBicycle SN:C8203526835

J-30496-10

Gray MagnaExcitor Bicycle SN:9944156 L-26402-09 Blue/SilverMongooseBicycle SN:MUG0GI1667 L-80071-09

Ozone500 Bicycle SN:3287800 RedRally Extreme SN:LC20202781

WetWillieWorld Skateboard Blue/Black NEXT UltraTerrain ShockBicycle SN:99TD865599

GreenKentF520Chaos Bicycle SN:JC14008377

Black/WhiteMongooseBicycle

America’s students.”

At a signing ceremony, Trump blamed the department for America’s lagging academic performance and said states will do a better job.

“It’s doing us no good,” he said.

Already, Trump’s Republican administration has been gutting the agency Its workforce is being slashed in half, and there have been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she will remove red tape and empower states to decide what’s best for their schools. But she promised to continue essential services and work with states and Congress “to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”

The measure was celebrated by groups that have long called for an end to the department.

“For decades, it has funneled billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system — one that prioritizes leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all while student achievement stagnates and America falls further behind,” said Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation Advocates for public schools said eliminating the department would leave children behind in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal

“This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend

on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said. Opponents are already gearing up for legal challenges, including Democracy Forward, a public interest litigation group. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., called the order a “tyrannical power grab” and “one of the most destructive and devastating steps Donald Trump has ever taken.” Margaret Spellings, who served as education secretary under Re-

publican President George W. Bush, questioned whether the department will be able to accomplish its remaining missions, and whether it will ultimately improve schools.

“Will it distract us from the ability to focus urgently on student achievement, or will people be ﬁguring out how to run the train?” she asked.

Spellings said schools have always been run by local and state ofﬁcials, and rejected the idea that the Education Department and the federal government have been holding them back.

Currently, much of the agency’s work revolves around managing money — both its extensive student loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, like school meals and support for homeless students. The agency also is key in overseeing civil rights enforcement. The Trump administration has not formally spelled out which department functions could be handed off to other departments or eliminated altogether It hasn’t addressed the fate of other department operations, such as its sup-

port for technical education and adult learning, grants for rural schools and after-school programs, and a federal work-study program that provides employment to students with ﬁnancial need.

States and districts already control local schools, including curriculum, but some conservatives have pushed to cut strings attached to federal money and provide it to states as “block grants” to be used at their discretion.

Block granting has raised questions about vital funding sources including Title I, the largest source of federal money to America’s K-12 schools. Families of children with disabilities have despaired over what could come of the federal department’s work protecting their rights.

Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%. The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable students, such as the McKinney-Vento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools.

Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents’ groups demand more authority over their children’s schooling.

In his platform, Trump promised to close the department “and send it back to the states, where it belongs.” Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of “radicals, zealots and Marxists” who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.

be president of the board.

Rabb’s letter was addressed to the remaining members of the agency’s board. While the board needs five members present to conduct any business at all, the board cannot approve any infrastructure projects with fewer than six votes, or two-thirds of the board. Before Rabb left the meeting, the board voted on a few ﬁnal measures while it

still had six board members, including the approval for a crucial project to raise the levees along Lake Pontchartrain to their prescribed height. With Rabb’s departure, the board also cannot vote to raise taxes. Next month, the board will consider a millage renewal for St. Bernard Parish It can maintain the current millage but cannot increase the tax without a sixth board member present. The following month, it will consider the property tax rate for residents on the

East Bank in Jefferson Parish.

The remaining members opened with strong statements, rebutting comments that Guidry made earlier this week suggesting, without evidence, that the city’s ﬂood control infrastructure had not been properly maintained. Interim regional director Chris Humphries also emphasized in emotional testimony that the engineers and staff work continuously to maintain critical ﬂood infrastructure.

Board member Randall Noel emphasized that the

city’s ﬂood control system, which he stressed may be the largest ﬂood control system in the world, had “survived 12 hurricanes without even a glimpse of failure.”

“I want to assure the public that this system works,” he said.

Richard Duplantier, another board member echoed those comments. He emphasized that everything the agency does has been “subject to international peer review.”

“They have given us high marks in our operations and used our work as a re-

source for what’s happening around the world for ﬂood protection,” he noted. “It’s not just us that’s saying this. It’s experts from around the world.”

“Regardless of what you hear in the media we’re here, still working every day,” Humphries said. “Everything is inspected.”

“It’s not just our job,” he added. “We live here too.”

Carubba, the board president, stressed that the work that he has done at the agency since he took ofﬁce last year has substantially enhanced flood protection

for the city of New Orleans. He suggested that the bluecollar staff at the ﬂood protection authority had been given short shrift.

“The days of neglecting them are over,” he said. “It doesn’t take a 40-year professional engineer to ﬁgure out that if you don’t close the gates, it doesn’t matter If the pumps don’t work, it doesn’t matter, we’re done.”

“That’s not going to happen,” he added.

Email Alex Lubben at alex.lubben@theadvocate. com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BEN CURTIS

young people listen as President Donald Trump speaks at an education event and executive order signing in the East Room of the White House on Thursday.

Judge: Response ‘woefully insuffi

Answers sought on El Salvador deportation flights

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal judge instructed the Trump administration on Thursday to explain why its failure to turn around ﬂights carrying deportees to El Salvador did not violate his court order in a growing showdown between the judicial and executive branches.

U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg demanded answers after flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants alleged by the Trump administration to be gang members landed in El Salvador after the judge temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th-century wartime law Boasberg had directed the administration to return to the U.S. planes that were already in the air when he ordered the halt. Boasberg had given the administration until noon Thursday to either provide more details about

the flights or make a claim that it must be withheld because it would harm “state secrets.” The administration resisted the judge’s request, calling it an “unnecessary judicial fishing” expedition. In a written order, Boasberg called Trump officials’ latest response “woefully insufficient.”

The judge said the administration “again evaded its obligations” by merely repeating “the same general information about the ﬂights.”

And he ordered the administration to “show cause,” as to why it didn’t violate his court order to turn around the planes, increasing the prospect that he may consider holding administration ofﬁcials in contempt of court

The Justice Department has said the judge’s verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed and that it couldn’t apply to ﬂights that had already left the U.S. A Justice

Department spokesperson said Thursday that it “continues to believe that the court’s superﬂuous questioning of sensitive national security information is inappropriate judicial overreach.”

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ofﬁcial told the judge Thursday the administration needed more time to decide whether it would invoke the state secrets privilege in an effort to block the information’s release.

Boasberg ordered Trump officials by Friday to submit a sworn declaration by a person “with direct involvement in the Cabinetlevel discussions” about the state secrets privilege and to tell the court by next Tuesday whether the administration will invoke it.

In a deepening conﬂict between the judicial and executive branch, Trump and many of his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg, who was nominated to the federal

DOGE blocked from Social Security systems

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST

Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a “ﬁshing expedition.”

The order also requires the team to delete any personally identiﬁable data in their possession.

U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland found that the team got broad access to sensitive information at the Social Security Administration to search for fraud with little justiﬁcation.

“The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspi-

cion,” she wrote.

The order does allow DOGE staffers to access to data that’s been redacted or stripped of anything personally identiﬁable, if they undergo training and background checks.

“To be sure, rooting out possible fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the SSA is in the public interest. But, that does not mean that the government can ﬂout the law to do so,” Hollander wrote.

The Trump administration says DOGE is targeting waste in the federal government.

Musk has been focused on Social Security as an alleged hotbed of fraud, describing it as a “Ponzi scheme” and insisting that reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending.

The ruling, which could be challenged on appeal, comes in a lawsuit filed by labor unions, retirees and

the advocacy group Democracy Forward. They argued that DOGE access violates privacy laws and presents serious information security risks. The lawsuit included a declaration from a recently departed Social Security ofﬁcial who saw the DOGE team sweep into the agency said she is deeply worried about sensitive information being exposed.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DOGE detailed a 10-person team of federal employees at the SSA, seven of whom were granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identiﬁable information, according to court documents.

The staffers were all federal employees allowed to access the data under federal privacy laws, the government argued, and there’s no evidence that any personal data was improperly shared.

bench by Democratic President Barack Obama. In a rare statement earlier this week, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

rejected such calls, saying “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”

Deportation of Georgetown scholar halted by court ruling

BY OLIVIA DIAZ and BEN FINLEY Associated Press

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge on Thursday ordered immigration ofﬁcials not to deport a Georgetown scholar who was detained by the Trump administration and accused of spreading Hamas propaganda in the latest battle over speech on U.S. college campuses.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered that Indian national Badar Khan Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order.”

Suri’s attorney wrote in an earlier court ﬁling that Suri was targeted because of his

social media posts and his wife’s “identity as a Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech.”

“Dr. Suri is an academic, not an activist,” his attorney Hassan Ahmad wrote in a court ﬁling on Thursday “But he spoke out on social media about his views on the Israel-Gaza war Even more so, his wife is an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and the violence it has perpetrated against Palestinians.”

Suri’s attorney argued that federal authorities have provided no evidence that he’s committed any crimes and that his detention violates his free speech and due process rights.

Suri, who has no criminal record, holds a visa autho-

rizing him to be in the U.S. as a visiting scholar, and his wife is a U.S. citizen, according to the motion.

“The Trump Administration has openly expressed its intention to weaponize immigration law to punish noncitizens whose views are deemed critical of U.S policy as it relates to Israel,” Suri’s attorney wrote. Suri was accused of “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” and determined to be deportable by the Secretary of State’s ofﬁce, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said late Wednesday on the social platform X. Suri’s case was ﬁrst reported by Politico.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS

People holding photos of migrant relatives, who they say were detained in the U.S. and are awaiting deportation, participate Tuesday in a government-organized rally in Caracas, Venezuela.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

Demonstrators gather outside the Edward A. Garmatz United States District Courthouse in Baltimore before a March 14 hearing regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to Social Security data.

Families process Hoffman’s execution

Angola inmate put to death using nitrogen gas, a first for La.

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Hours before he was executed, Jessie Hoffman Jr meditated. He cried and laughed with his family He played charades And though Hoffman declined to make a public, ﬁnal statement when he was strapped to the execution table at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, his wife said that he tried to calm her anxieties ahead of his death.

“He kept saying, ‘I know you’re strong, and I know you can do this, and I will always be there,’” said Ilona Hoffman in an interview Thursday

Ilona Hoffman, who lives in the Netherlands and has spent the past few weeks in Louisiana to be with her husband ahead of the execution, said she was still trying to process the loss.

So was a family member of Hoffman’s victim on Thursday Hoffman was on death row for the 1996 abduction, rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliott Elliott’s sister-in-law, Kate Murphy made an unsuccessful plea for Louisiana to spare Hoffman’s life. She said the state never got back to her on a letter she sent requesting a pardon for Hoffman the day before he was scheduled to be put to death. Instead of issuing a pardon, state ofﬁcials used nitrogen gas for the ﬁrst time in an execution Tuesday night when they put him to death

“We have experienced some closure because the decision has been made — that’s the problem with the death penalty It’s irreversible,” said Murphy, who lives in Phoenix. “Jessie Hoffman’s story is over Molly (Elliott) Murphy’s story is over But it doesn’t change the feeling that justice was not done in this case.”

She did not believe Hoffman resembled the 18-year-old who killed Elliot, she said The night of the execution, Elliott’s husband, Andy also expressed mixed emotions. He described it as bittersweet. He said he hoped the case could help bring change to how death penalty cases happen, saying a multidecade wait blunts the effectiveness of the punishment being a deterrent for crime.

“There is relief that this long nightmare is finally over, but also renewed grief for Molly and sadness for Mr. Hoffman’s family whose nightmare began when mine did and who’ve also had to go through nearly 30 years of this gut-wrenching process through no fault of their own,” said Andy Elliott, who lives in Covington.

Last moments

Thursday would have been Jessie and Illona Hoffman’s threemonth anniversary. They met through a prison pen pal website, where from the beginning Ilona said she noticed in Hoffman a tranquility and a nuanced way of looking at the world.

Hoffman’s attorneys described him as a man who transformed in prison, and who became a mentor to others and a faithful Buddhist.

He displayed those qualities to the end, she said, focusing on helping his family members ﬁnd peace when they visited him Tuesday She said he wanted to make sure they knew he was OK.

“He was there with us, and he said, ‘Let’s gather and let’s meditate’ and was chanting,” she said. “That was so impressive. Everybody got calm and their emotions together and that was a very beautiful spiritual moment.”

The rest of the family left at

2:15 p.m., she said, while she and Hoffman’s son Jessie Smith stayed for another 45 minutes. After that, they would be escorted to the warden’s ofﬁce, leaving Hoffman alone with his spiritual adviser to prepare for the execution chamber

Before they parted, he gave Ilona Hoffman his wedding ring. They shared a ﬁnal hug and kiss.

“I’m OK You need to know that I’m OK,” he said, in her recollection. “Everybody dies at some point. What makes me so special?”

‘I am truly sorry’

Murphy felt that executing El-

liot’s murderer would only spread more pain, she said Thursday

“We move away from emotional reactions over time, and we’re able to see things more clearly,” Murphy said.

“And when you see things more clearly, you realize that ﬁnishing violence with more violence is not the answer.”

Jessie Hoffman offered an apology to Elliott’s family in a 2023 petition for clemency but it never reached the family

“To Mr Elliott, to Molly Elliott’s parents, and to all those impacted by such a senseless and painful loss, I want to say that I am extremely and genuinely sorry for all the pain that my very selﬁsh, horrible and heartless acts caused you all,” it read.

“I cannot begin to comprehend the pain you have had to endure because of me. I know that I am the cause of unimaginable pain and suffering. I am truly sorry.” Murphy said she wished she would have had the opportunity to receive his apology in person and that she regrets that they were never able to meet.

Still, the two were able to interact through a therapist and victim’s advocate She was able to ask Hoffman questions about the murder and receive his apology, she said.

“That helped me a lot, personally,” Murphy said.

“I was also able to offer him forgiveness for the worst thing he had ever done.”

Email Haley Miller at haley miller@theadvocate.com.

Oklahoma executes man who killed woman 20 years ago

BY SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

McALESTER, Okla. — An Oklahoma man who fatally shot a woman during a home invasion and robbery 20 years ago apologized to the victim’s family before he was executed Thursday remorse a woman wounded in the attack said was sincere but came too late. Wendell Grissom, 56, was de-

clared dead by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m. It was Oklahoma’s ﬁrst execution of 2025.

“It took him a total of 13 minutes to die, and it took him a total of two minutes to kill my best friend,” said Dreu Kopf, who was shot multiple times by Grissom but managed to ﬂee the home. Grissom and a co-defendant, Jes-

sie Floyd Johns, were convicted of killing of Amber Matthews, 23, and wounding Kopf at Kopf’s Blaine County residence. Johns was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

“I apologize to all of you that I’ve hurt,” Grissom, bearded and wearing a grey prison uniform, said while strapped to the gurney, an IV line afﬁxed to his arm. “I regret so much that I’ve put that hatred in your heart for me.”

Grissom said he was under the inﬂuence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the killing and asked the victims’ family to forgive him.

He appeared to stop breathing at 10:09 a.m. and the color started to drain from his face.

More than two dozen of Matthews’ friends and family witnessed Grissom’s execution. Three other executions were scheduled this week around the United States.

“I pray that you all can forgive me,” he said. “Not for my sake. For your sake.” A minister prayed at Grissom’s feet as the lethal drugs began to ﬂow. He exhaled forcefully several times and could be heard snoring when a doctor entered the execution chamber and declared him unconscious about ﬁve minutes later

ThePearl is amonthlymagazine showcasing the bestofNew Orleans FASHION, LIFE,and DESIGN.From curated trend stories to profiles on local leadersand creatives, residents and visitorsalikewill benefitfrom this stylishguide readers, in Gambit +Times-Picayune —morethanany lifestyle magazine in NewOrleans.

44,000 households

232,000 THE PEARL’S REACH: INCL UDING with an incomeof$150,000+ –morethan double anylifestyle magazine in NewOrleans

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Faith leaders, activists and supporters of Jessie Hoffman Jr., 46, sit in silent prayer Tuesday outside the entrance, far left, to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola as Hoffman is executed

BUSINESS

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street edges lower despite solid data

U.S. stock indexes edged lower Thursday following another reminder that big, unsettling policy changes are underway because of President Donald Trump, along with more signals suggesting the U.S. economy remains solid for now

The S&P 500 slipped after ﬂipping between modest gains and losses through the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped slightly and the Nasdaq composite fell.

Wall Street has been swinging for weeks on a roller-coaster ride, as stock prices veer on uncertainty about what Trump’s trade war will do to the economy Stocks got a boost Wednesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said the economy remains solid enough at the moment to leave interest rates where they are.

It’s not just uncertainty about the trade war affecting Wall Street. Accenture fell to one of the market’s larger losses Thursday even though the consulting and professional services company reported slightly better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Worries are rising about the hit Accenture may take to its revenue from the U.S. government as Elon Musk leads efforts to cut federal spending. The federal government accounted for 17% of Accenture’s North American revenue last fiscal year, and its stock sank 7.3%.

Home sales rise as mortgage rates ease

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in February as easing mortgage rates and more properties on the market encouraged home shoppers.

Existing home sales rose 4.2% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday Sales fell 1.2% compared with February last year, ending a string of ﬁve straight annual increases. The latest home sales topped the 3.92 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet On an unadjusted basis, sales fell 5.2% from February last year, when the month included an extra day because 2024 was a leap year Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 20th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 3.8% in February from a year earlier to $398,400, an all-time high for February. All told, the U.S. median home sales price is up 47% over the last ﬁve years

While the average rate on a 30-year mortgage brieﬂy fell to a two-year low last September, it didn’t stay there long, climbing to just above 7% by midJanuary The rate averaged 6.67% this week, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. That’s more than double the 2.65% record low that the average rate reached a little over four years ago.

Applications for jobless benefits inch up

Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment beneﬁts last week, but layoffs remain historically low U.S. jobless claims ﬁlings rose by 2,000 to 223,000 for the week ending Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday That’s just less than the 224,000 new applications analysts forecast. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and have remained mostly in a range between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years. The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week swings, inched up by 750 to 227,000. It’s not clear when job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency will show up in the weekly layoffs report, though the Labor Department’s February jobs report showed that the federal government shed 10,000 jobs. That’s the most since June 2022.

N.O. Ritz-Carlton has new owner

Miami investment group buys iconic property

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, a luxury hotel on Canal Street in one of the city’s most iconic buildings, has a new owner — Miami investment group Gencom, which purchased the property from its longtime Dallas-based owner in a deal that was ﬁnalized Thursday

As part of the sale, Gencom also acquired the Courtyard by Marriott French Quarter/Iberville, which is connected to the RitzCarlton and, together, takes up almost an entire city block on the edge of the French Quarter

A sale price for the properties, which, together, will add 758 hotel rooms to Gencom’s portfolio, was not disclosed. But industry experts

estimate the hotels, together, could have fetched as much as $265,000 per room, or more than $200 million.

In a statement announcing the deal, Gencom founder and principal Karim Alibhai said New Orleans represents a “compelling market for luxury hospitality.”

“We continue to build upon our legacy of investing in and enhancing world-class hospitality assets with this significant acquisition that expands our presence in this high-proﬁle destination,” he said.

The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans opened in 2000 in the former Maison Blanche building, a historic Beaux Arts-era building that, in the mid-20th century, was home to the department store’s beloved Christmas character Mr Bingle.

When the hotel opened in the newly renovated building, it ranked with the Windsor Court as one of just two ﬁve-star hotels in the city at the time.

In the years since, competition has stiffened, with more luxury hotels and high-end boutique hotels opening, including the Four Seasons, the Hotel St. Vincent and Hotel Peter and Paul.

“They used to be one of the only games in town,” said local industry expert Lenny Wormser vice president of HREC, a hotel brokerage.

“There’s a lot more competition now, but they have held their own and are still a top property.”

With 528 hotel rooms and suites, the Ritz-Carlton has more than 48,000 square feet of event space, a ﬁtness center, an indoor swimming pool and spa, as well as jazz trumpeter Jeremy Davenport’s

eponymous lounge.

The adjacent Courtyard by Marriott has 230 rooms and markets itself to business and leisure travelers. Both hotels recently underwent major renovations.

Both Ritz-Carlton and Courtyard by Marriott are among the 30 Marriott hotel brands. Gencom has an $8 billion portfolio that includes dozens of high-end resorts and hotels around the country, including nearly a dozen Ritz-Carlton hotels. Gencom’s investment in the properties is a boon for the city, according to Wormser “They’re one of the top Ritz-Carlton owners in the country,” he said. “When they come into the market, they do good things.”

Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.

Disney seeking successor to Iger

Replacement with Chapek as CEO nearly a disaster

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press

Behind the red carpet movie premieres and new thrill-inducing rides for fans of its amusement parks, there is a quiet search underway to ﬁnd the successor to Bob Iger, the face of Disney for most of the past two decades.

Disney went through the CEO search recently, and it was nearly a disaster

Only two years after stepping down as CEO, Iger returned to Disney in 2022 after a period of clashes, missteps and a weakening ﬁnancial performance under his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek But how do you replace a chief executive who is considered by many to be the gold standard?

Iger strengthened the Disney brand through his acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasﬁlm, oversaw the expansion of the company in China and India and had a laserlike focus on technology that both made the Disney product better, and more accessible. Iger, at the same time, is approachable, media savvy and has deftly managed a company that is like no other Under Disney’s umbrella are theme parks, movies studios and streaming technology, all with priorities seemingly at odds with each other, or at least vying for the attention of the company’s chief executive.

Disney did not provide succession updates at its annual share-

Regulators

holders meeting on Thursday Still, the question of who can follow Iger remains on investors’ minds.

Disney created a succession planning committee in 2023, but the search began in earnest last year when the company enlisted Morgan Stanley Executive Chairman James Gorman to lead the effort.

Gorman said in a January letter to shareholders that the committee had made “strong progress” over the past year

“The full board is engaged in and committed to finding the right leader for the company and we are planning for a smooth leadership transition that will

Exterior panel can detach, creating hazard, NHTSA says

BY MATT OTT AP business writer

U.S. safety regulators on Thursday recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road, the eighth recall of the Tesla-made vehicles since deliveries to customers began just over a year ago.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall, which covers more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.

The stainless steel strip, called a cant rail assembly, between the windshield and the roof on both sides, is bound to the truck’s assembly with a structural adhesive, the NHTSA report said. The remedy uses an adhesive that’s not been found to be vulnerable to “environmental embrittlement,” the NHTSA said, and includes additional reinforcements Tesla will replace the panel free of charge.

Owner notiﬁcation letters are expected to be

enable Disney’s continued success,” he wrote.

Disney does has the beneﬁt of time. After signing a two-year contract mostly to right Disney’s trajectory after a rocky two years under his hand-picked successor, Iger agreed to a contract extension that keeps him at Disney through the end of 2026.

Disney declined to comment on its succession planning efforts. It is a broad search Disney is looking inside and outside of the company Internal candidates are being mentored by Iger, interacting with the company’s 15 board members (including Iger) and receiving external coaching.

The internal candidates are widely believed to include the chairman of Disney-owned ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro; Chair of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Josh D’Amaro; and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden.

Given the complex and unique nature of Disney, many expect the next leader of the company to come from within.

“Internal candidates make sense when a company doesn’t need a major shakeup and when the bench of potential candidates is deep,” said Jason Schloetzer, associate professor at Georgetown McDonough School of Business.

mailed May 19. The recall of 46,096 Cybertrucks covers all 2024 and 2025 model years, manufactured from Nov 13, 2023, to Feb. 27, 2025. The NHTSA order says that Tesla became aware of the problem early this year Videos posted on social media showing people ripping the panels off of Cybertrucks with

their hands have gone viral in recent days.

The Cybertruck, which Tesla began delivering to buyers in late 2023, has been recalled eight times in the past 15 months for safety problems, including once in November because a fault in an electric inverter can cause the drive wheels to lose power Last April, the futuristic-looking trucks were recalled to fix acceleration pedals that can get stuck in the interior trim. Other recalls were related to windshield wipers and the display screen. It’s the latest setback for the Elon Muskowned electric automaker, which has come under attack since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that’s slashing government spending.

While no injuries have been reported, Tesla showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and privately owned cars have been targeted. Even before the attacks ramped up in recent weeks Tesla has been struggling, facing increased competition from rival electric vehicles, particularly out of China.

Though largely unaffected by Thursday’s recall announcement, Tesla shares have plummeted 42% in 2025, reﬂecting newfound pessimism as sales crater around the globe.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX

A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICHARD VOGEL

A Cybertruck is on display in 2023 at the Tesla showroom in Buena Park, Calif.

Texas wildfire prompts evacuations

Arkansas, Florida crews also battling blazes

BY JIM VERTUNO, FREIDA FRISARO and ANDREW DEMILLO Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas Wildﬁres fueled by dry conditions and gusting winds burned in a few Southern states

Thursday, forcing evacuations in Texas and prompting Florida ofﬁcials to close part of a major highway with spring break in high gear

A wildfire in Sam Houston

National Forest near Houston prompted the evacuation of about 900 homes and closed schools. The National Weather Service issued elevated ﬁre warnings around the nation’s fourth-largest city.

The ﬁre burned about 3.7 square miles and was only about 20% contained Thursday afternoon as firefighters used water-carrying helicopters to douse hot spots and bulldozers to dig containment

lines, the Texas A&M Forest Service said

Investigators believed the fire was started Wednesday by what was supposed to be a controlled burn on private property, said Josh Mizrany, assistant chief law enforcement ofﬁcer with the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Investigators will look into how the ﬁre spread, he said, and evidence could be turned over to local prosecutors if necessary

Ofﬁcials had not reported widespread damage or any injuries.

Montgomery County ofﬁcials said they knew of one home that burned to the ground

The Cleveland Independent School District, which has about 12,000 students, canceled classes as a precaution

In the Florida Keys, a large brush fire that began Tuesday caused authorities to close the two

roads leading in and out of the island chain, because of smoky conditions and to allow ﬁreﬁghters to move equipment.

Ofﬁcials said the ﬁre had burned about 34 square miles and was about 20% contained.

Spring break is in full swing in Florida, and ofﬁcials said U.S. 1, the major thoroughfare that connects the mainland to the islands, was expected to have intermittent closures in the coming days. It is also a heavily traveled road for people who live on the mainland and work at many of the hotels and restaurants in Key Largo and beyond.

In Arkansas, crews responded to nearly than 100 ﬁres Wednesday that were fueled by high winds and were dealing with five new ones Thursday

The fires closed several highways, including a portion of Interstate

Family of Menendez brothers leads rally for their release

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOS ANGELES The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez on Thursday rejected claims by the Los Angeles district attorney that the brothers hadn’t appropriately taken responsibility for the 1989 killing of their parents and said that any lies they told during their murder trial were due to trauma and fear “Kids lie when they’re scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized. They lie when they don’t know who to trust. But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility,” said Tamara Goodell, a cousin of the brothers who spoke Thursday at a rally calling for the brothers’ release from prison.

The family’s rally was supposed to coincide with a resentencing hearing for the brothers that could result in them being immediately eligible for parole after 35

years behind bars. It was postponed to April after Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced his office was withdrawing the resentencing motion previously submitted by his predecessor, George Gascón.

While it is possible for the judge to proceed without the district attorney’s support, legal experts say the brothers’ chances of success have diminished tremendously

The brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, were convicted of murdering their mother, Kitty Menendez, and their entertainment executive father, Jose, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

They began their latest bid for freedom in recent years after their attorneys said new evidence emerged about their father’s sexual abuse. The brothers had the support of most of their extended family Hochman said he doesn’t support resentencing at this time because the brothers have failed to take “complete

responsibility” for the lies they told as the case unfolded, including their original claim that they did not kill their parents and, later, that they acted in self-defense. Hochman has also cast doubt on new evidence of sexual abuse.

“They have lied to everyone for the last 30 years,” Hochman said in a news conference last week.

Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of the brothers, said they have already taken responsibility and acknowledged their mistakes. The family has no intention on changing their position, and Baralt said she hopes the brothers don’t as well.

“We won’t let him rewrite history,” she said of Hochman. “That would be pandering to his truth.”

Their remaining pathways to freedom include being granted clemency by California Gov Gavin Newsom, or a habeas corpus petition for a new trial their attorneys submitted for court consideration in May 2023.

Flames damaged structures in several cities, including Little Rock. The roof collapsed at St. Jo-

530 southeast

Little Rock due to heavy smoke.

seph’s, a 115-year-old building in North Little Rock that once served as an orphanage and is now the home of a nonproﬁt that provides urban farming resources.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP Fire crew members drive Thursday along a fire line while working to contain the Pauline Road wildfire in Cleveland, Texas.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAMIAN DOVARGANES

Supporters hold signs Thursday during a news conference regarding developments in the Menendez brothers’ case in

National Guard to oversee La. agency

Restructuring will reduce costs, Landry says

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry an-

nounced Thursday he is placing the Governor’s Ofﬁce of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness under the Louisiana National Guard in a “cost savings restructure.”

“As part of our fiscal responsibility initiative, we’ve identified an opportunity to save millions by bringing GOHSEP under the National Guard,” Landry said in a news release. “This move not only delivers significant cost savings but also aligns with my belief in the importance of relying more on our National Guard to strengthen our state’s resilience.” Louisiana National Guard Brig. Gen. Jason P. Mahfouz will serve as the interim director of GOHSEP and oversee “day-to-day operations,” and Adjutant Maj. Gen.

Thomas Friloux “will provide oversight to GOHSEP during this transition,” according to the announcement.

Jacques Thibodeaux, an appointee of Landry had been serving as the agency’s director “GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodeaux took on a challenging role and served our state with dedication under difficult circumstances. We deeply appreciate his service,” Landry said in the announcement.

Thibodeaux said in an interview that, over the next 30 days, he will help transition GOHSEP from a standalone agency to one under the purview of the National Guard in a role titled special assistant to the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard His plans after that are undetermined, Thibodeaux said. He noted that he’s worked in emergency management for 40 years and is also a retired Army soldier and retired U.S marshal.

“I’m gonna take (a) well-

needed break and enjoy my family, and then I’ll determine what’s gonna be the next chapter,” he said.

The state’s emergency management ofﬁce has existed since the 1970s. It had previously existed as the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness and was under the direction of the Louisiana National Guard adjutant general from 1990 to 2006. It was changed to a cabinet position in the Governor’s Office and became GOHSEP after Hurricane Katrina.

Thibodeaux said the agency is “just going back to its roots.”

The transition should be “relatively seamless,” he said, because the National Guard is already “integrated into all aspects of emergency management.”

“I certainly support Gov Landry in the streamlining of state government,” Thibodeaux said.

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

Top DEQ lawyer departs

Executive leaves for federal position

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

The top lawyer for the state Department of Environmental Quality has left for a federal government position, creating another opening in the agency’s leadership circle.

W. Noah Hoggatt is the latest in a string of top executives who were tapped by Secretary Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto only to leave within a year’s time. Hoggatt became DEQ’s executive counsel last April.

Some of those executives have left with criticisms of Giacometto’s leadership style, while others have said they were simply moving to different spots in Gov Jeff Landry’s administration. Giacometto and Landry have defended her leadership, saying she is seeking to create a more business-friendly approach while protecting the environment.

In an email sent to staff March 10, Hoggatt wrote that he was resigning “in order to move into a federal position” and that it was “an honor and a pleasure” to work with the agency’s “talented and dedicated legal”

and Criminal Investigation Division staff.

“Throughout my time at LDEQ, I’ve been consistently impressed with your wide breadth of knowledge, professionalism, and dedication. I wish you all nothing but the best in your continued service and future endeavors,” he wrote.

The resignation formally took effect March 11, according to state civil service ofﬁcials.

Hoggatt didn’t say in the email what federal position he was taking and didn’t respond to requests for comment Wednesday. DEQ ofﬁcials also hadn’t immediately responded to a request for comment Rumored for several weeks, Hoggatt’s departure means the loss of an ofﬁcial who oversees the many legal matters raised by DEQ’s regulation and enforcement of environmental laws.

He also was often at Giacometto’s side last year in public settings at the State Capitol.

During unplanned interactions with the media in those settings, he would on occasion step in to try to end interviews with Giacometto if they strayed off script.

His loss also came a little more than a week after a state workplace audit and employee survey was made public Feb 28 and turned up mixed views of the agency

While majorities liked their direct managers and jobs, near majorities had far less positive views for executive leadership. More

North Macedonia holds mass funerals for young fire victims

BY VISAR KRYEZIU and KONSTANTIN TESTORIDES Associated Press

KOCANI, North Macedonia

Thousands of mourners flocked to funerals Thursday in North Macedonia for the dozens of victims of last weekend’s devastating nightclub ﬁre, bringing flowers and photographs and some of them collapsing in grief.

near graves dug by excavators.

Thousands of mourners walked solemnly along dirt paths to the freshly dug graves marked with paper signs. Many carried baskets of white ﬂowers or clutched photographs of their loved ones. Many wore T-shirts and badges with pictures and names of the deceased.

young people.

Thursday’s religious service at the cemetery in Kocani was led by clergy from the country’s Orthodox Church, while Red Cross and emergency personnel were present to support grieving families.

than three-fourths reported low morale, and about onethird also reported working in a toxic environment.

A small percentage reported being asked to do things that they believed were procedurally or legally improper

Though the audit was driven by workplace concerns that have arisen during Giacometto’s tenure, it doesn’t indicate that employees were asked directly in the survey about her leadership individually

Despite the concerns emanating from DEQ under Giacometto, civil service data shows the agency’s turnover rate was below the state average in the 2024 ﬁscal year, which included the ﬁrst six months of the secretary’s tenure.

The state average voluntary turnover rate is 14.3%; DEQ’s voluntary rate was 10.2%, according to an annual report.

Like some others of Giacometto’s departing executives, Hoggatt is a military veteran.

He served in the Marine Corps with two combat deployments in Iraq, according to his agency biography

He previously worked for the Louisiana Public Service Commission and, in his private sector work, worked as an in-house counsel for an oil and gas company and later handled energy disputes and negotiations for clients.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

The March 16 blaze claimed 59 lives, mostly young people, including several members of the pop band DNA, who were performing when flames engulfed the venue in the eastern town of Kocani. Authorities have set up cordons around burial sites to provide privacy for mourning families

Burials were held in several cities and towns throughout the country, but the main funeral was in Kocani, a town of about 25,000 people east of the capital, where 30 of the victims were being buried, with cofﬁns lined up

Several people overcome by grief required medical attention. A weeping man rested his head on the edge of one of the cofﬁns.

Ana Kostadinovska, a backing vocalist for the band DNA, who survived the ﬁre, wrote in an online post: “A part of my second family has left. Along with them, my soul.”

“All that remains is ashes and emptiness and who would have thought that emptiness could hurt so much,” she wrote.

The ﬁre, and emerging stories of the harrowing scenes at the nightclub, have triggered an outpouring of grief and protests, led mostly by

Ahead of the funerals, the country’s spiritual leader, Orthodox Archbishop Stefan, called for national unity in prayer for the victims and their families.

“We pray constantly for the salvation of the innocent victims, holding memorial services for the deceased and offering prayers for the healing of the injured, as well as for the comfort of their families and loved ones,” he said.

“National solidarity and unity are most needed in such difficult times,” he added. “We call on all the faithful to preserve peace within ourselves and peace among ourselves, and, praying diligently, to mourn with dignity.” Stefan presided over the Kocani funerals.

Hoggatt

Report finds no IG wrongdoing

Jefferson Parish official under fire in brewpub controversy

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

A lawyer hired to investigate Jefferson Parish Inspector

General Kim Chatelain issued a 19-page report Wednesday, saying Chatelain acted independently and within her authority over the past year, undercutting accusations she’s used her

position to help at-large council member Jennifer Van Vrancken try to halt a brewpub project in Gretna.

The ﬁndings were presented at a meeting of the parish’s Ethics and Compliance Commission, hours after Parish Council members once again lambasted Chatelain at their meeting for her September 2024 public letter criticizing the brewpub project. Their reprimand came the same day Chatelain released an annual report summarizing her issues with the project.

Chatelain’s letter has now derailed months of public meet-

ings as supporters continue to defend the $28 million project, which will use parish and state funds to build leasable commercial space with a linear park and parking garage. Port Orleans Brewery and Avo Taco will operate the building.

The parish ethics commission, which oversees the inspector general, hired attorney Stephen Herman of Fishman Haygood earlier this year to investigate her ofﬁce after she became the center of a political firestorm for publicly admonishing the brewpub project. It ignited accusations that

Chatelain is too close with Van Vrancken, a friend who has been Chatelain’s only supporter since the letter was publicized, and that Chatelain acted politically by casting the project in a negative light without evidence of wrongdoing. The fallout prompted the Parish Council to ask the ethics commission for an outside probe. Chatelain has repeatedly denied those accusations.

Herman said in his report that the two letters Chatelain issued last year achieved the office’s

Back home in the Gulf

Endangered turtles released after months of rehab

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

In the back of a large SUV, 15 small sea turtles wrapped in wet towels and packed in individual

banana boxes awaited their new lease on life Thursday, preparing to swim off the Louisiana coast after their journey back from the brink of death.

The turtles launched from the beaches of Grand Isle on Thursday, released in the warm Gulf waters by Audubon Aquarium Rescue after months of rehab and being nursed back to health.

N.O.

$10M from city ‘better than zero,’ official says

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

The Kemp’s ridley turtles were brought to Louisiana in December, ﬂown in from New England in critical condition after they were “cold-stunned” from extended exposure to frigid temperatures They’re the ﬁrst of the full group of 28 to be released back into their natural habitat.

roadwork faces $800 million shortfall

Dozens of projects left unfunded

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

With money running out for a citywide streets overhaul and dozens of projects left unfunded, ofﬁcials with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration on Thursday said they still haven’t ﬁgured out how to cover a cost overrun of around $800 million. City Council members, meanwhile, said they’d been excluded from decisions on which projects will move forward and which are left on the shelf.

“My question is, how do you tell people, ‘You’re a winner,’ and, ‘You’re a loser,’ ” said District A council member Joe Giarrusso, ad-

dressing city ofﬁcials at a council committee meeting “Is it the poorest communities? Is it the communities that had the largest amount of hurricane water come in after Katrina?”

The streets program, funded by a decade-old, $1.7 billion settlement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, included around 200 projects when it was conceived.

A little more than half have been completed or are under construction but city ofﬁcials say there is only enough funding to start about 20 more. That leaves around 60 projects with no identiﬁed funding. City officials first announced the

The young turtles, all named after constellations, were guided into the sea by rescue

team members who waded into knee-deep water as Grand Isle residents, Audubon volunteers and groups of school children watched from the sand.

Dr Logan McAllister, Audubon Aquarium Rescue’s veterinarian, described the scene as a full circle moment.

“It takes a whole village to get

ä See TURTLES, page 2B

Cassidy discusses RFK Jr. in Mandeville

‘Bobby has grown through this,’ senator says

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

More than a month after play-

ing a key role in the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be nation’s top health ofﬁcial, U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a medical doctor who has promoted vaccines, doubled down on his support of Kennedy, a vaccine skeptic, during a talk Thursday in Mandeville.

“He has got a spotty record on vaccines. I will say that. But I was able to get sufﬁcient commitment from him that I felt OK with supporting him,” Cassidy,

R-Baton Rouge, said at a lunch meeting of the Northlake-Mandeville Rotary Club. Cassidy has said Kennedy committed to maintain existing vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not remove statements on the Center for Disease Control website saying that vaccines do not cause autism, among other promises. “On the other hand, one thing I’ve learned is that Secretary Kennedy has an incredible following among so-called ‘MAHA Moms,” he said, referring to parents that have adopted Kennedy’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again.” Cassidy said parents worried about ultra processed foods are “on to something” and expressed optimism

After a New Orleans judge ruled Wednesday that the city is only obligated to pay a small portion of the money it agreed to give the school district in a settlement deal, will that derail the district’s urgent effort to close a nearly $50 million budget deﬁcit? Not really The settlement, meant to end a yearslong legal battle between the city and School Board, would have provided the city’s schools $90 million over a decade, including $20 million this year But Cantrell abruptly backed out of the deal last month, saying she had not agreed to it and the city could not afford it.

The district had planned to use the $20 million to ﬁll about half of a nearly $50 million budget gap caused by an unrelated tax-revenue projection error, which led schools to budget for more money than was really coming. If the deﬁcit caused a reduction in school funding, school leaders warned they would have to cut staffing and student programs. But knowing the agreement was in legal limbo, the district didn’t bank on the settlement money Instead, interim NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore concocted a plan using money the district could count on. It calls for $18 million from district savings and $7 million from the operating budget to ensure payments to schools will not be reduced through the end of the year If the settlement money had come through, the district would have used it to replenish its reserves. “We have to move forward and let things play out in litigation,” Fulmore said recently “As the interim superintendent, I had to bring forth a solution and resolve it with what’s at our disposal right now.” Board members unanimously approved the plan on Thursday evening.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER Inspector General Kim Chatelain listens to a Jefferson Parish Council meeting at the Jefferson Parish Government Center in Gretna on Jan. 15.

Giarrusso

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Gabriella Harlamert, a sea turtle mammal stranding coordinator with the Audubon Aquarium Rescue, assists Jerome Holmes, a state park employee, with releasing an endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle named Hercules off the beach at Grand Isle on Thursday

ä See REPORT, page 2B

ROADS

Continued from page 1B

shortfall last year and blamed it on project delays and rising construction costs.

Responding to Giarrusso’s question about picking winners and losers, city Public Works

Director Rick Hathaway said that it’s largely luck of the draw: The projects furthest along in design will move forward.

“The earlier jobs that were in design were the priorities,” Hathaway said. “The remaining jobs were the lower priorities.”

CASSIDY

Continued from page 1B

about Kennedy’s potential inﬂuence on Americans’ diets.

In supporting his nomination, Cassidy said he weighed Kennedy’s influence from his “MAHA bully pulpit” against Kennedy’s views on vaccines, which Cassidy said he thought he could work with Kennedy on. Plus, Cassidy said, he knew Kennedy was “going to have the ear of the president, just like Elon has the ear of the president,” referring to Elon Musk, who has overseen Trump’s Department of Government Efﬁciency

Cassidy chairs the Senate committee that confirmed Kennedy as the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services During the conﬁrmation hearing, Cassidy questioned Kennedy about his views on vaccines.

TURTLES

Continued from page 1B

them there,” McAllister said, praising the other members of her team who helped to get the turtles back to a clean bill of health.

Kemp’s ridley, the world’s smallest sea turtle species, are found primarily in the Gulf of Mexico, renamed the Gulf of America by President Donald Trump. Populations crashed during the 20th century as the turtles faced habitat loss and dangers from ﬁshing gear

Today, they are one of the most endangered turtle species in the world.

The path to recovery

Kemp’s ridley turtles typically hatch from the beaches of Mexico and spend most of their time in the Gulf. Some will migrate north for better feeding grounds and move back south in the fall to warmer temperatures.

SCHOOLS

Continued from page 1B

Meanwhile, the city and board will continue to battle in court.

In 2019, the board ﬁled a lawsuit alleging that the city improperly diverted taxes intended for the school district to pay its pension obligations and that the city improperly charged an administrative fee for collecting taxes on the district’s behalf. Had it not fallen apart, the settlement would have ended the

REPORT

Continued from page 1B

purpose of informing officials and the public of potential waste, fraud and abuse. He added, however, that Chatelain likely should have distributed the letters for review and gotten responses from involved officials, giving credence to one of the main criticisms of the letter Herman said Chatelain could have met with officials privately instead.

In addition to Herman’s investigation, the Parish Council has since implemented new rules requiring the inspector general to get responses from involved parties on any public reports, as well as prohibiting public speech on reports that have not yet been published

Supporters of the brewpub project have also suggested Chatelain colluded with Van Vrancken to try to halt the project as part of a political vendetta against Gretna, and that Chatelain declined to investigate Van Vrancken’s failed attempt to create the EAT Fat City coworking space in 2023.

Herman’s report noted that the inspector general’s ofﬁce doesn’t investigate projects based on district or council person, and that the

Several of those planned to move forward are in Gentilly and along the lakefront, with a handful of others in New Orleans East, Uptown and Gert Town. The shelved projects are spread across the city, though the bulk in terms of dollar value are in council districts A and D.

Upcoming bond request

A possible funding source for lingering road projects could be a $600 million bond issuance that the Cantrell administration wants to seek voter approval for later this year But even if that passed, and all of it were dedicated to the unfunded roadwork, it still wouldn’t be enough to cover the entire shortfall, Giarrusso said.

At the same time, funding for the 20 or so projects the administra-

Kennedy has repeatedly asserted a link between vaccines and autism, though Cassidy has noted the claim has been debunked by scientists.

Cassidy said Kennedy and the administration promised him that he and Kennedy would have an “unprecedentedly close collaborative working relationship” and “would meet or speak multiple times a month.”

“This past weekend, he and I texted or spoke three or four times,”

Cassidy said of he and Kennedy Cassidy faced intense pressure from his Republican colleagues and the White House to conﬁrm Kennedy Cassidy is also running for reelection in 2026 and already has a primary challenger in Louisiana Treasurer John Fleming, who has been critical of what he described as Cassidy’s insufﬁcient support of Trump. Cassidy voted to convict Trump of inciting the attack on the Capitol on Jan 6, 2021.

In March, media reports said the

tion wants to start isn’t guaranteed.

A FEMA spending deadline, which had already been extended, passed this month, said LaNitrah Hasan, director of the Public Works Department’s project delivery unit.

Hasan said she has “no indication we are in jeopardy,” although city ofﬁcials in general have said they are concerned about the reliability of federal funding under the Trump administration.

Troubled history

The FEMA roads projects got off to a slow start under former Mayor Mitch Landrieu, whose administration had spent almost none of the money before transitioning to Cantrell.

The Cantrell administration kickstarted numerous projects at once, but many stalled midway through

Center for the Disease Control and Prevention, which falls under Kennedy’s purview, planned to study a link between autism and vaccines, a possibility Cassidy called not just a “waste of money” but an “opportunity cost.”

“Let’s just take that dead horse and beat it, beat it, beat it, one hundred more times,” Cassidy said of the proposal.

While Cassidy’s talk also touched on infrastructure and Social Security, many of the audience members’ questions focused on vaccines and public health.

A military member, who described herself as “very anti-vaccine,” asked Cassidy about military vaccination requirements and said she was not satisﬁed with Cassidy’s response.

“He is very pro-vaccine and I don’t care for that at all,” Renee Seruntine, a member of the Mississippi Army National Guard, said. She said she liked Kennedy, though, and

Occasionally, the turtles will miss their cue to head south and get stuck in the New England winter, leaving many young adults like

legal dispute and eliminated the tax-collection fee, which costs the school district $11 million annually Civil District Court Judge Nicole Sheppard on Wednesday ruled the settlement could not be enforced because it had never been ﬁnalized.

But she said the city still is responsible for paying the ﬁrst $10 million installment of the settlement, because it had been allocated in a budget signed by Cantrell.

The judge set a June trial date for the ongoing lawsuit.

Board member Olin Parker, who chairs the school board’s finance

council voted unanimously for the brewpub, including Van Vrancken.

“From a political or PR standpoint, the IG seems to be a lot more interested in things that are going on in this district (District 1) than she is of her friend that’s over in this district (District 5),” Herman said.

“However, the reality is, in general, all these votes are unanimous. If someone wasn’t supposed to vote on something, then that’s an issue for the entire parish council.”

Herman also noted that Chatelain’s ofﬁce did open an investigation into EAT Fat City but could not publish a report before it was ultimately shelved due to a rule that prohibits the IG from issuing reports about ofﬁcials running for an election within 90 days of that election. An investigation could also still be pending, he said.

Herman noted Chatelain recused herself from handling accusations that Van Vrancken had voted on items that would benefit her and her husband’s business interests, which has since been taken up by the Louisiana Board of Ethics.

Chatelain commended the report, and Van Vrancken, the only council member at Wednesday’s commission meeting, said she hopes the report will reassure council members of Chatelain’s independence.

as contractors juggled huge workloads, argued with the administration over slow payments or abandoned the work. The administration has since moved to a new strategy of completing projects one phase at a time, and also hired an outside consulting ﬁrm to manage the overall program. But those improvements coincided with post-pandemic inﬂation, resulting in soaring costs.

Council President JP Morrell faulted mismanagement for dragging out the projects so long and driving up costs.

“So many projects were mismanaged and became more expensive that we had to do less roads,” Morrell said. “There are other streets that should have been done quicker, more expeditiously and cheaper, that ate up the money.”

believed he was more anti-vaccine than he has been letting on.

In response to a question from the audience about the measles outbreak in Texas that killed an unvaccinated child last month, Cassidy said he had spoken with Kennedy about the outbreak “four or five times” and shared his concerns Kennedy faced criticism for an initially weak response to the outbreak, with some contrasting his response with that of Alex Azar’s, the secretary of health in Trump’s ﬁrst term who came out strongly in support of vaccines after a measles outbreak in 2019.

But Cassidy was optimistic about Kennedy’s response to the measles outbreak. He pointed to Kennedy’s op-ed in Fox encouraging vaccination against measles. “I think Bobby has grown through this,” Cassidy said.

Email Willie Swett at willie. swett@theadvocate.com.

tation center in New Orleans in December, they were all battling pneumonia, with some suffering from frostbitten lesions, McAllister said. The four-person core team at the marine rehab center used antibiotics and topical treatments, some applied daily or every other day, to help the turtles recover The pod of 15 released Thursday was the ﬁrst group to arrive at the rescue. A second group was ﬂown in a month later, and rescuers are hopeful they’ll be released next month.

The Audubon center tries to take in groups of cold-stunned Kemp’s ridley turtles each year, depending on capacity As the only group in the state that rehabilitates marine animals, they are dedicated to rescuing any sea turtles that are found sick, injured or dead.

Man faces attempted murder trial

Patton accused of shooting wife, bystander

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Harvey man accused of critically injuring his wife in a double shooting was taken back to Jefferson Parish on Tuesday to stand trial for attempted murder Ernest Patton, 32, was extradited from Birmingham, Alabama, and is expected to be arraigned Friday The Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce charged him with two counts of attempted second-degree murder and obstruction of justice, according to court records.

The shootings occurred just before 8 a.m. Aug. 29, 2024, in the 1500 block of Westwood Drive in Marrero, according to authorities. At time, Patton was wanted on a warrant for domestic abuse battery against his wife, 30, according to court records. That incident occurred in June, but no other details were immediately available. On the day of the shootings, witnesses told Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce investigators that they saw a woman, later identiﬁed as Patton’s wife, run from her car parked at an apartment complex on Westwood, authorities said.

The woman frantically dashed into the street and flagged down a passing pickup. The frightenedlooking woman begged for a ride, and the 67-year-old driver agreed, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. But as she entered the truck, Patton approached the vehicle armed with a gun, authorities said He demanded the woman get out of the truck, but she refused.

the newly-released group— hypothermic. When the turtles ﬁrst arrived to Audubon’s marine life rehabili-

committee, declined to comment on the legal matters but said that the district will turn its focus to the remaining budget deficit. Fulmore’s plan would only ﬁll about half of the gap. Caroline Roemer, chief of Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said that while she was heartened by the partial payment, she was disappointed the judge declined to rule on the case outright. It will further delay an answer to the question at the heart of the board’s lawsuit: whether the city can legally charge the district a taxcollection fee, she said.

At Wednesday’s council meeting, council members again criticized Chatelain, this time for summarizing the brewpub letter’s contents in her annual report, titled, ”Achieving Accountability.” In it, Chatelain writes that the public was “obscured — possibly deceived” by ofﬁcials who approved funding in increments over several meetings, and that the project will only beneﬁt Port Orleans Brewing Company “with no equivalent return in revenue to the parish.”

Interim council member Joe Marino III, who spearheaded the project while serving the state House of Representatives, called Chatelain to the dais and said her report repeated false claims about the brewpub project and failed to get comment from anyone involved.

Van Vrancken countered by accusing Marino of publishing misleading information about the project in a recent parish video, including that the project was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act. The brewpub was funded through District 1 discretionary funds, which were freed up by supplementing the parish’s payroll with rescue-plan funding.

District 4 council member Arita Bohannan said she felt as though Chatelain’s letter intended to

McAllister said any resident who spots a stranded turtle can call (877) 942-5343 to report the sighting.

Email Julia Guilbeau at jguilbeau@theadvocate.com.

“$10 million is better than zero,” Roemer said, “but there’s more that needs to be decided.”

Dana Peterson, CEO of New Schools for New Orleans, an education nonprofit, said Fulmore’s plan was a “good move forward” as the district continues to contend with its financial crisis. He added that the $10 million payment would benefit the district.

“It’s obviously good news for schools even if it’s not all folks had hoped for,” Peterson said, adding that he thinks “it’ll go a long way forward helping schools.”

“throw some mud” on the project and disregarded the work the two entities put in to reach a compromise earlier this year

“Our ethics commission is going to have to decide if they are going to support an IG that consistently thumbs her nose at the law, because that’s what this is,” Bohannan said.

Chatelain declined to answer questions at the podium because of new restrictions on public speech imposed by the council, as audits and reviews on the project are in the works. But she said in a text message that the letter and subsequent annual review contain no factual inaccuracies, and that the council “has chosen not to engage with the JPOIG to consider or discuss this risk landscape.”

The renewed arguments about the brewpub come at a murky time, as early voting started this week for Council District 1, which includes Gretna. On the ballot are Ricky Templet, who previously represented the district and spearheaded the brewpub; Timothy Kerner Jr., the mayor of Jean Laﬁtte who has chided the project as an unfair waste of parish funds, and Andrea Manuel, a Gretna Democrat.

Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.

As the truck’s driver tried to pull away, Patton began shooting into the vehicle, the Sheriff’s Office said. The woman suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her torso, according to authorities. The truck’s driver suffered a gunshot wound to his leg. He hopped out of the still-moving vehicle, which continued to roll with the injured woman in the passenger seat, according to authorities.

Another witness ran after the vehicle, got into the driver’s seat and stopped the truck.

The witnesses and deputies reported that the woman identified the Patton as the gunman, repeating while in pain, “My husband shot me. My husband shot me,” according to authorities. She was hospitalized in critical/grave condition but survived her injuries. The truck’s driver was taken to a hospital in stable condition.

Patton fled the scene. He was arrested Sept. 24 in Birmingham by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, authorities said. The District Attorney’s Office formally filed charges against him on Dec. 17, according to court records. Patton was being held without bail Wednesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 2025

3: 9-9-0

4: 3-6-1-1

5: 8-4-9-3-0

5: 8-15-16-28-29

Hathaway

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A Kemp’s ridley sea turtle appears to salute goodbye to the crowds gathered on the beach at Grand Isle as about 15 of the endangered turtles were released on Thursday.

Brown, Deborah

Arceneaux, Laurie Williams, Leonard

Bonneé, Janet Obituaries

Brown, Deborah Arceneaux, LaurieAnn

Carter,Alvin

Causey, Keenan

Crinel, Belva

Crochet, Lillian

Davis, Florine

Kelson, Gloria

Lawson,Amanda

Lewis, Roosevelt

Mitchell, Eddy

O'Brien, Frances

Parrott, Zachary

Patterson,Angela

Payne Jr., Warren

Payton Jr., Lovell

Picou, Janice

Pierre, Charles

Ratcliff, Doris

Reynolds, Juanita

Rush, Cynthia

Smith, Patrice

Smith,Ann

Sternberg, Theodora

Waker, Cynthia

Williams, Carolyn

Williams, Leonard

E Jefferson

Richardson FH Carter,Alvin New Orleans

Boyd Family

Laurie Ann Arceneaux, age 62, was welcomed into heavenSunday,March 9, 2025. She was born on January 2, 1963 to Lucien Joseph Arceneaux, Sr. and Hattie Mouton Arceneaux. She is the sisteroftwin Leslie Arceneaux of Slidell, LA; brother, LucienJoseph Arceneaux, Jr. of New Orleans, LA; all precededin death. She is survived by nephewLucien Arceneaux, III and niece, Lasonne Arceneaux, both of Houston, TX as well as greatniece and nephew Liya, LucienIVand Zakai. Laurie was agraduate of St. Mary's Academy and Dillard University of New Orleans. She lived alifeof service. She wasaneducator in Los Angeles, California for some years before coming back to New Orleans where she was apart of the change in the very thinking of how social workisdone in New Orleans. Remarked by those who workedwith her as "a giant in the field", she was alifelong advocate for persons experiencing homelessness, mental illness, and IDD. She was responsible for helping them find resources for housing, healthcareservices, financial aid or counseling through the best possible programs. AMass of Christian burial honoring the lifeand legacy of the late Laurie Arceneaux will be heldat Corpus Christi-Epiphany Roman Catholic Church, 2022 Saint Bernard Ave., New Orleans, LA on Saturday, March 22nd. Visitation 9:30 am in the church. Service at 10.

Lawson,Amanda Reynolds, Juanita Bonneé, Janet Mary

Charbonnet

Bonneé, Janet

Kelson, Gloria

Patterson,Angela

Payton Jr., Lovell

Pierre, Charles

Zardies, Denise

DW Rhodes

Ratcliff, Doris

Williams, Carolyn

Gertrude Geddes

Lewis, Roosevelt Mitchell, Eddy

Heritage Funeral

Crinel, Belva

Waker, Cynthia

Lake Lawn Metairie

Sternberg, Theodora

Majestic Mortuary

Causey, Keenan

Picou, Janice

Professional

Janet Mary Bonneé en‐tered into eternal rest on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at age 88. Janet is survived by her ﬁve daughters, Monique Black Jeanique (Lynell, Sr.) Desdunes, An‐nette Bonneé, Lynette Bonneé, Jeanette (Jeffrey) Lopez; three sons Peter (Chanel) Bonneé III, Perry Bonneé, and Phillip Bonneé, 16 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren; brother, Ernest Berniard, Jr., sisters, Lynn West and Patricia Berniard as well as a host of other relatives and friends A Mass of Christian Burial honoring the life of the late Janet Mary Bonneé will be held at St Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 5621 Elysian Fields Avenue New Orleans, LA 70122 on Satur‐day, March 22, 2025 at 11

a.m Visitation begins at 9 a.m in the church Private interment: St Louis Ceme‐tery No. 3, New Orleans, LA

Rush, Cynthia Brown,

River Parish Robottom

Smith,Ann St Tammany

Audubon

Crochet, Lillian

West Bank

Davis Mortuary

Davis, Florine Payne Jr.,

Smith, Patrice

Wilson, Rita Mothe

O'Brien, Frances

Louisiana Metro State School as a supervisor until her retirement in 2005. Deborah continued her career with Crossroads until 2021. One of her greatest joys in life was coaching the Mc‐Donoghville Girls Softball Team for ten years. Debra as she was affectionately known, accepted Christ at an early age and was bap‐tized at St Paul Missionary Baptist Church by the late Rev Paul Payne She con‐tinued to serve under the late Rev. Eugene J Robert‐son until his demise, and thereafter served under Rev Dr Orin D Grant, Sr Sis Debra was a member of the Senior Choir where she served as Treasurer Senior Saints Ministry and the Women's Ministry serv‐ing as Chairperson of many Women's Day Pro

grams Her quiet spirit did not stop her from being a willing worker for Sis Deb

orah did not have any nick‐names other than Debra Lee (by few cousins) Sis Debra always said the only name she wanted to be called when the time came was "Servant of God" In her home-going she leaves to mourn and cherish her loving memories, her chil‐dren: Chantrice Monique Ricard, and Duane Jesse (Geneva) Ricard; grandchil‐dren: Devine, Zamirah, ly‐onna Robert Montee Kinslee, Jesse and Xavier; Siblings: Moses Montee Brown, Jr., Louis Edward Brown, Sr. Rev. Kenneth Obbie (Kathy) Brown, Keith Anthony Brown, and Dedryl Marie Brown, Alton (Phyl‐lis) Wilson, and Dr. Jacque‐line Clark; aunts: Gladys Johnson, Angel Brooks, Au‐drey Collins; uncle: Major (Annette) Wilson; special friends: Rachel Gray Yvette Mattox- Singelton, and Shirley Custard. She also leaves to cherish her loving memory a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends Sis Debra was preceded in death by her parents: Moses M Brown, Sr. and Jessie Mae Davis Brown; siblings: Daisy, Moses Brown, and Lois Gipson; grandparents: George and Ingel Wison, and Leona Hardy Brown and Lem Brown. Relatives and friends of the family are in‐vited to attend the celebra‐tion of life service which will be held on March 22 at St. Paul Baptist Church, lo‐cated at 1509 Monroe Street, Gretna, La., 70053 The visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the service will begin at 10 a.m. Rev Dr. Orin Grant ofﬁciating and interment will be pri‐vate. Funeral planning en‐trusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home 9611 LA-23 Belle Chasse, La 70037 (504) 208-2119. For online condolences, please visit www robinsonfamilyfuner alhome com.

Carter, Alvin L

Keenan Raymond Causey entered into rest on Monday, February 24, 2025. Keenan was born and raised in New Orleans, La He was the grandson to Florence Causey, Lenard Banks and the late Willie Causey and Annie D Quinn Keenan was a loving hus‐band, father son, brother and grandfather He was a very giving, outgoing, well respected and funny per‐son Keenan brought so much joy to everyone who knew him. He was a huge fan of fashion, he loved to dress to impress. Music was his comfort zone and he had so much passion behind it. He had a smile that would light up any room he walked in to He was very big on family and being there for everyone in any way that he can He al‐ways put others before himself. Keenan is survived by his mother Lillie Causey and father Keenan Banks His wife of 6 years Shan‐non Cooper-Causey. Kids Keenan and Miracle Causey. Stepkids Kyi’Ra Joel, Kayla, Jaydan and Jayveon Franklin. Grandson Kayjé Franklin. Siblings, Carlene Causey Keenya Banks, Keenada Jones, Kentrell Banks. Along with a host of aunts, uncles cousins and friends Keenan has joined his sib‐lings Keenan Baham, Lashawn, Donetta and Earnest Causey. Keenan will forever be loved and missed by so many Rela‐tives and friends of the family are all invited to at‐tend the Funeral Service on Friday March 21, 2025 at Calvary Tabernacle C.M.E Church 3629 Dryades St New Orleans, LA 70115. Vis‐itation will begin at 10:00 am. Service starts at 11:00 am. Burial will be private Professional arrangements entrusted to Majestic Mor‐tuary Service, Inc. (504) 523-5872.

Edwards, Vivian Williams, Leroy Edwards (Cynthia), Floyd Edwards (Helen), Calvin Edwards andthe late Jerome Edwards. Visitation and funeral service are Saturday, March 22nd at Greater St. Matthew #2, 1626 S. Rampart Street, Pastor Cary Payton, officiating. Visitation starts at 9:00am and the funeral service begins at 10:00am. Arrangements entrusted to Heritage Funeral Directors, 4101

Crochet, Lillian Vidosh

Lillian Vidosh Crochet, of New Orleans Louisiana passed away peacefully on March 14, 2025, at the age of 97, in Madison, Missis‐sippi Born on September 8, 1927, in the vibrant city of New Orleans, Lillian's life was as colorful and spir

ited as her hometown The daughter of the late Veron

ica and Anton Vidosh, Lil‐lian, affectionately known as "Aunt Lil" to family and friends was the heart of a large and loving family She was preceded in death by her devoted husband Virgil "Gee" Crochet, and her siblings Josephine Tomasovich (Joe), Vivian Vidosh Andrew Vidosh (Mamie), Mary Pyffer (Red) Veronica Lopez (Earl), and Adam Vidosh She is survived by her sis

Alvin L. Carter departed this life on Thursday, March 6 2025. He was the son of Patricia Carter and the late Johnny Carter He is survived by his grand‐mother Gloria Lewis Scott; wife Tarangela Dawson; daughter Maya Dawson; 2 sisters, Oranetta and Vanessa; 6 brothers, De‐metrick, Delan Jhon Emanuel, Chico and Kahron and host of aunts, uncles nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends He is preceded in death by his son Allamar Silas Dawson Relatives and friends are invited to attend the funeral service at Richardson Funeral Home, 11112 Jefferson Hwy River Ridge, LA 70123 on Saturday, March 22, 2025. Viewing at 9:00am and service at 10:00am In‐terment: Jefferson Memor‐ial Gardens, St. Rose, LA Richardson Funeral Home of Jefferson, River Ridge, LA in charge of arrange‐ments www richardsonf uneralhomeofjefferson com

Belva Jean Lyons Crinel entered intoeternal rest on March 7, 2025, at the age of 82. She was born in New Orleans, Louisiana to the late Clarence Lyons and the late Hilda Lagarde Edwards. Belva graduated from Booker T. Washington. Her career spanned 30 years at Sewerage and Water Board.Belva was married to the late Reverend Leroy Crinel, Pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, where she served as 1st lady. Belva leaves to cherish 3children, Darren Paul Lockett (Alicia), Monetta Lockett-Harrison (William) and Darrenetta Williams. Her grandchildren Andrea Ward (Quincy), Kayla Harrison, Whitney LockettMason, Darren Lockett, III, Daneia Williams, Marcus Lombard, Jr and step granddaughters, Wilneisha Jakes and Journee Beard. Her great grandchildren, Alaina and Brysen Ward, Brandon Davis, Mariah Mason, Jacque and Jaxson Jakes. Her siblingsJuanita Curtis, HildaGibson, Reginald Johnson (Corline), Lawrence Edwards, Ledora Nicholas, Ronald Edwards, Rudolph Edwards, Vivian Williams, Leroy Edwards(Cynthia), Floyd Edwards (Helen), Calvin Edwards and the late Jerome Edwards. Visitation and funeral service are Saturday, March 22nd at Greater St. Matthew #2, 1626 S. Rampart Cary Payt Visitation and the funeral gins

ter, Olga Cella (Raymond), and a host of nieces, nephews great-nieces great-nephews, greatgreat-nieces, and greatgreat-nephews whom she cherished as if they were her own children. Lillian's early years were spent in the French Quarter, where she attended St. Louis Cathedral School and sang in the St Louis Cathedral Choir alongside her sisters Her voice was not only a testament to her faith but also a symbol of the har‐mony and unity she brought to her family and community As a proud restaurateur, Lillian, along with her husband, owned and operated the beloved "Gee & Lil's" in New Or‐leans East. The restaurant became a local treasure, known for some of the best seafood in town and Lil‐lian's innate ability to make every guest feel like family Her radiant smile and joyous personality were the secret ingredi‐ents that kept patrons coming back for more Lil‐lian's zest for life extended far beyond her profes‐sional endeavors. She was an avid traveler who de‐lighted in the adventures of cruises, reveling in the beauty and culture of dis‐tant shores Her love for excitement found her fre‐quently at the race track, casino, and on ﬁshing trips, where she often out‐shined her companions with her enthusiasm and good fortune A true social butterﬂy, Lillian was an ex

ceptional dancer and the ultimate hostess. Her par‐ties were the highlight of the social calendar for family and friends, ﬁlled with laughter, music and the warmth of her gener‐ous spirit. Lillian held sea‐son tickets to her beloved New Orleans Saints and never missed an opportu‐nity to cheer on her team, surrounded by her loved ones Holidays at Lillian's restaurant and home were legendary, with Christmas and Thanksgiving gather

ings that brought together

sur‐vived by her great-grand‐children, Tijaah and a dozen others and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends Relatives and friends of the family are in‐vited to attend a viewing at Davis Mortuary Service 6820

Arrangementsentrusted to Heritage Funeral Directors, 4101 St.ClaudeAve., New

tentment of family bonds being strengthened. Lil‐lian's legacy is one of love laughter, and the kind of

Davis, Florine Frazier

Wilson, Rita Zardies, Denise

Crinel, Belva

4B ✦ Friday, March 21, 2025 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

6820 Westbank Express‐way Marrero LA on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Funeral Ser‐vice will be held at St. John Missionary Baptist Church 5456 Morrison Rd., Utica, MS on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 12:00 p.m Pastor James Roby ofﬁciating In‐terment: Saint John M.B Church Cemetery, Utica, MS. Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Mon‐roe St. Gretna LA As‐sisted by Peoples Funeral Home, Jackson, MS. To view and sign the guest‐book please go to davis‐mortuaryservice.com Face masks are recommended

Gloria A. Kelson de‐

parted this earthly life on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 She was born May 23, 1941 to Everlena Smith and Her‐man Davenport Mrs. Kel‐son was married to the late Rev. Wilmer Kelson for 33 years. She was a mem

ber of James Chapel Bap

tist Church in New Orleans, LA prior to Hurricane Kat

rina and later she became an active member of First Emmanuel Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, LA. Gloria was employed with the Of

ﬁce of Community Ser

vices/State of Louisiana for 33 years, where she re‐tired She participated ac‐tively with the OES and served as a Worthy Ma‐tron. She leaves to cherish precious memories, daugh‐ter, Crystal K Williams; son Dwight W Arceneaux; siblings, Tyronne Smith, Sr. Greta Dixon and Gynne Smith; one grandson, two great-granddaughters, two Godchildren, a host of other loving relatives and special friends. A Celebra‐tion service honoring the life and legacy of the late Gloria A Kelson will be held in the Chapel of Char

bonnet Labat Glapion Fu‐neral Home, 1615 St Philip Street, New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10 am Inter

ment at Greenwood Mau

soleum. Visitation at 9 am in the chapel Please sign online guestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome. com Face mask and social distancing encouraged Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors (504)581 4411

Lawson, Amanda Shantrell 'Manda'

Born: July 10, 1998 –

Passed Away: March 8, 2025. It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Amanda Shantrell Lawson, lovingly known as “Manda,” at the age of 26. She passed away on March 8, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana Amanda was a kind loving and vibrant spirit who touched the lives of every‐one she met She was a de‐voted mother, daughter, sister granddaughter, and friend. Manda will be re‐membered for her infec‐tious laughter, her caring heart and her unwavering love for her son, Aiden Anton Lawson She is sur‐vived by her mother, Danielle Richardson-Proﬁt; her beloved son, Aiden Anton Lawson; her grand‐mother, Parmala Lawson; her grandfathers, Charles Lawson and Kirk Acker; her brother, Antonio Collins; and a host of nieces, aunts uncles, and cousins who will forever cherish her memory Amanda was pre‐ceded in death by her fa‐ther, Anton Lawson; grand‐mother, Minerva Richard‐son; and her great-grand‐mothers, Victoria Richard‐son Carrie Hatcher, Gloria Friendship-Taylor and Aretha Faye Lawson Amanda’s family take com‐fort in knowing that she will live on in their hearts and in the memories of all who knew and loved her. A Funeral Service honoring Amanda’s life will be held on Saturday, March 22, 2025, for 1:30 p.m. at The Boyd Family Funeral Home, 5001

New Or LA 70126 viewing will begin at 12:30 p.m. Pastor Torin Sanders Ph.D The Sixth Baptist Church Ofﬁciating Inter‐ment is private Guestbook Online: www anewtraditi onbegins com (504) 2820600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Own‐ers/Funeral Directors.

Lewis, Roosevelt

Roosevelt Lewis, age 65, was born on September 26, 1959 in New Orleans, LA. He departed this life on Wednesday, March 5 2025 He was educated in the New Orleans School Sys‐tem He was also a Domes‐tic Engineer for St. Augus‐tine High School until his retirement. Roosevelt was the loving father of Roo‐sevelt Molett. Beloved son of Velma Lewis. Devoted brother of Lloyd Lewis, Clarence Lewis and Kath‐leen Gilbert He was also survived by 3 grandchil‐dren and a host of nieces, nephews cousins, family and friends Roosevelt was preceded in death by his siblings Katherine Gilbert, Charles and Joseph Lewis Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Ser‐vice on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, 2120 Jackson Avenue 2120 Jack‐son Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113 at 12:30 pm Visi‐tation from 11:30 a.m until 12:30 pm. Private Burial You may sign the guest book on http://www ger trudegeddeswillis com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home Inc. in charge (504) 522-2525.

Mitchell, Eddy E.

Eddy E Mitchell, age 85 was born on December 11 1939, passed away peace‐fully surrounded by his loving daughters on Wednesday, March 5 2025 He was a native of Kaplan, LA and a resident of New Orleans, LA. He attended Herod High School in Abbeville, LA where his youthful spirit and innate wisdom were already evi‐dent. Shortly after leaving school Eddy ventured to New Orleans, where he began working at Charity Hospital, a testament to his innate desire to help others He also worked at Acme Welding Company as well as several trucking and construction compa‐nies. Eddy was a man of many passions. He adored cars, was a huge sports fan, found solace in the company of animals-espe‐cially his pony, Danny Boyand lived his faith as a de‐voted member of Star of Bethel Baptist Church in New Orleans, LA. He was a devoted member of the Ambassador Social and Pleasure Club for a number of years. Eddy was a longtime member of the Jugs Social Club Inc. where he reigned as King Nomtoc XXIII in 1992 and looked forward to the annual balls until his health failed him Eddy, ever the entrepre‐neur, opened 'Cozy,' his beloved bar where he con‐tinued his reign as king, entertaining visitors with his wit and tales Even in his later years he deﬁed age and embraced technol‐ogy sending hundreds of inspiring and uplifting text messages each day, a cherished blessing to all who received them. Eddy's life is a testament to courage, generosity, and the enduring power of love He faced adversity with unwavering strength shared his blessings with open hands, and cherished the bonds of family and friendship above all else He deﬁed doctors and lived years longer than they pre‐dicted. He will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him Eddy was the devoted fa‐ther of Tanya Darensburg (Dwyane) and Traci Mitchell Austin (Roy); grandchildren, Dwyane Darensburg Jr. Laci Darensburg, Trey Austin and Peyton Austin; sib‐lings, Joyce Reaux, Love‐less Mitchell (Annette), Mary Eaton (Walter), Iris Simmons, Amy Clanton

grandchildren, Dwyane Darensburg Jr., Laci Darensburg, Trey Austin and Peyton Austin; sib‐lings, Joyce Reaux Love‐less Mitchell (Annette), Mary Eaton (Walter), Iris Simmons, Amy Clanton (William), Peter Mitchell (Billie), Alan Mitchell and Helen Hebert; great-grand‐son Demauri Dwyane Darensburg; brother-in-law (Nelson Mitchell); and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins friends and friends He was preceded in death by his parents Douglas and Isabell Mitchell, sisters, Clara Thomas, Rutha Mae Mitchell, Josephine Gilbert, Shirley Bernard and broth‐ers, Douglas Mitchell Jr and Parnell Mitchell Sr Relatives and friends of the family also Pastors, ofﬁ‐cers and members of Star of Bethel B.C and Liberty In Christ Christian Church; employees of EEOC and Robert Fresh Market; mem‐bers of the Jugs Social Club, Inc Krewe of NOM‐TOC and Cozy’s are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at Star of Bethel Baptist Church, 2217 Harmony Street New Or‐leans, LA 70115 at 10:00 a.m Visitation and Final Viewing from 9:00 a.m until 10:00 a.m Interment Lake Lawn Metairie Ceme‐tery, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans LA 70124. You may sign the guest book on www ger trudegeddeswillis com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, Inc in charge (504) 522-2525.

Frances Euvino O’Brien entered into eternal rest on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at the age of 93 at Touro Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana She was born to the late Leah Cheramie Eu‐vino and Joseph Euvino She was the beloved wife of the late Edward “Eddie John O’Brien, Sr. for 56 years She is survived by her three children who dearly loved, respected, admired and adored her Vicki P O’Brien, Edward Eddie” J O’Brien, Jr. and Patti Jo O’Brien (Ken The‐riot) Her greatest joys were her grandson, Edward Doogie” J O’Brien, III and her granddaughter, Frances Isabella O’Brien (Orlando Ortiz) She is the sister of JoAnn Green (the late Paul Green Sr.) Frances is preceded in death by her siblings Joseph “Bubba” Euvino (Loucille), Rosemary Rink (John), Donald “Dooley” Euvino (Barbara) and Deanna Williams (Lawrence); her mother-inlaw, Mary O’Brien; her fa‐ther-in-law, William O’Brien and her brothers-in-law William B. O’Brien (Marie) and Charles O’Brien (Alyce). Frances is also sur‐vived by many nieces nephews, great nieces and great nephews whom she loved dearly. Frances was the Ofﬁce Manager for over 50 years for Doctors Agamy, Kistler, Orestano, Konrad Grant, Murphy and Shanableh. She was a de‐voted woman to her Catholic Faith proving this by being a lifetime Parish‐ioner of Immaculate Con‐ception Catholic Church serving her church com‐munity as a Lector, Ladies Altar Society Member, Money Counter and KC Council 4222 Ladies Auxil‐iary Member. In the KC Ladies Auxiliary, she served as President and various other Ofﬁces and Committee positions. She was also a member and volunteer of West Jefferson General Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and a Member of the Italian American Soci‐ety where she always served to the best of her ability. Frances loved bak‐ing She was famous for baking all types of Italian Cookies and Angel Food Cakes She was an avid and loving LSU Football Fan holding season tickets for well over 60 years. She also loved traveling taking a ride and shopping (She loved Uncle Clearance) Frances always gave her all to her family, church and to all community services and hobbies The family would like to thank her guardian angel, Theia Ann Creppel (Tutti) for her un‐failing love, dedication, and care We would also like to thank her many other caretakers, espe‐cially Peggy Creppel and Newanda Joshua The fam‐ily would also like to thank Touro Hospital for their kindness and compassion Family and friends are in‐vited to attend the Visita‐tion at Immaculate Con‐ception Catholic Church 4401 7th Street, Marrero, Louisiana on Friday, March 21, 2025 beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Rosary will be re‐

ride and shopping loved Uncle Clearance). Frances always gave her all to her family, church and to all community services and hobbies The family would like to thank her guardian angel, Theia Ann Creppel (Tutti) for her un‐failing love dedication and care. We would also like to thank her many other caretakers, espe‐cially Peggy Creppel and Newanda Joshua The fam‐ily would also like to thank Touro Hospital for their kindness and compassion Family and friends are in‐vited to attend the Visita‐tion at Immaculate Con‐ception Catholic Church, 4401 7th Street Marrero Louisiana on Friday, March 21, 2025 beginning at 9:30 a.m The Rosary will be re‐cited at 10:30 a.m Eulogies and Words of Remem‐brance will begin at 12 noon followed by a Funeral Mass at 12:30 p.m A Pri‐vate Interment will be held at a later date Mothe Fu‐neral Home is assisting the family during this difﬁcult time. The family invites you to share your thoughts, fond memories and condolences online at www mothefunerals com.

Born in Gretna, La. Graduated fromBelle Chasse High School in 2012. Earned aMechanical Engineering degree in 2017 from LaTech. He lived in Metairie La. until his passing.

Angela

Angela Patterson of the 7th Ward, widely regarded as the “Mother Teresa” of New Orleans for her unwa‐vering love and advocacy for the city and its most vulnerable passed away on Sunday, March 16, 2025 For 27 years, she dedicated her life to leading initia‐tives that provided housing and critical services to in‐dividuals experiencing homelessness. As the long‐time Deputy Director of UNITY of Greater New Or‐leans, a collaborative of 50 organizations working to‐gether to house and sup‐port approximately 3,500 people at any given time, Angela played a pivotal role in transforming lives Previously, she worked with the Louisiana Public Health Institute, the MultiService Center for the Homeless and served as Director of Religious Edu‐cation and Social Services at Corpus Christi Catholic Church She held three Master’s Degree's in theol‐ogy social work and pas‐toral counseling. Angela was deeply beloved radi‐ating extraordinary com‐passion and inspiration to all who crossed her path She personally saved thou‐sands of lives by leading efforts to place individuals with deteriorating health into permanent housing with supportive services. Angela’s selflessness shone brightest during Hurricane Katrina. As the levees broke she was in‐side the Superdome, hav‐ing volunteered to care for individuals with disabili‐ties Despite losing every‐thing in the flood, she never focused on her own losses. Instead, she pro‐vided care to displaced Ka‐trina survivors in Houston and Jackson, MS She later founded UNITY’s awardwinning Street Outreach Team spearheading a hu‐manitarian initiative that successfully closed two massive homeless en‐campments at Duncan Plaza and Claiborne Av‐enue (2007-08), providing permanent housing for nearly 500 people. She also led the Abandoned Build‐ings Outreach Team, which spent more than six years post-Katrina searching thousands of abandoned buildings for unhoused in‐dividuals and placing them in permanent supportive housing Angela was a fierce advocate before Congress, securing 3,000 Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers for the most vulnerable survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita establishing the na‐tion’s largest Permanent Supportive Housing Pro‐gram for people with dis‐abilities, which continues today. A gifted orator she testified before Congress on homelessness issues

ves y efforts to place individuals with deteriorating health into permanent housing with supportive services. Angela’s selflessness shone brightest during Hurricane Katrina As the levees broke, she was in‐side the Superdome, hav‐ing volunteered to care for individuals with disabili‐ties. Despite losing every‐thing in the flood, she never focused on her own losses. Instead, she pro‐vided care to displaced Ka‐trina survivors in Houston and Jackson, MS. She later founded UNITY’s awardwinning Street Outreach Team, spearheading a hu‐manitarian initiative that successfully closed two massive homeless en‐campments at Duncan Plaza and Claiborne Av‐enue (2007-08), providing permanent housing for nearly 500 people. She also led the Abandoned Build‐ings Outreach Team, which spent more than six years post-Katrina searching thousands of abandoned buildings for unhoused in‐dividuals and placing them in permanent supportive housing. Angela was a fierce advocate before Congress, securing 3,000 Permanent Supportive Housing vouchers for the most vulnerable survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, establishing the na‐tion’s largest Permanent Supportive Housing Pro‐gram for people with dis‐abilities, which continues today A gifted orator, she testified before Congress on homelessness issues and conducted national trainings on street out‐reach and staff care in high-stress environments Angela was the guiding light of the UNITY collabo‐rative leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of lives saved and a genera‐tion of inspired advocates dedicated to housing and supporting the most vul‐nerable individuals of our city. Angela is the daughter of James and Elizabeth Patterson (née Cummings) She was a devoted mother to Anaïs St John and Christopher Patterson; a loving grandmother to Elle St. John and Zoe St John; a cherished sister to Eliza‐beth Martin, Debra Quinn and Michelle Parker Her humor, warmth and deep commitment to education will live on in all who were fortunateenough to know her Beyond her tireless work as a community ad‐vocate she was also a gifted academic who re‐ceived a Bachelors degree from Brandeis University and Masters Degrees from Loyola of New Orleans, Xavier University and Tu‐lane University Forever stylish, she effortlessly made every room she ever stepped into brighter. Her impact was immeasurable and her legacy will con‐tinue to shine in the city she so fiercely loved A Mass of Christian burial honoring the life and legacy of the late Angela Patterson will be held at Corpus Christi/ Epiphany Catholic Church 2022 St Bernard Avenue, New Or‐leans LA on Saturday March 22, 2025 at 1 pm. In‐terment St Louis No 3 Cemetery Visitation 11:30 am in the church In lieu of flowers, please donate to either of the places closest to our mother's heart Unity of Greater New Or‐leans https://donatenow networkforgood org/UNI TYofGreaterNewOrl Corpus Christi - Epiphany Catholic Church https:// giving.parishsoft.com/ App/Giving/corp2022133

Please sign online guest‐book at www charbonnetf uneralhome.com Face mask and social distancing encouraged. Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors (504)581 4411.

At the blessed age of 72 years, The Illustrious War‐ren Albert Payne Jr Past National Southwest District Grand Master and Past Grand Master for the State of California International Free and Accepted Modern Masons Incorporated, and The Order of The Eastern Star transitioned to Heaven on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, in Mar‐rero, Louisiana at Wyn‐hoven Community Care Center A native and resi‐dent of New Orleans, Louisiana Warren was the beloved second child of the late Warren Albert Payne Sr., and Dolores Ruffin Payne He shared a full loving life from childhood until the time of his pass‐ing with three siblings Gilda Marie Malarchar, Chester Carl Payne, Sr. and Harold Ruben Payne, Sr. Warren is the father of Melita ‘Kellie’ Payne and grandfather to her daugh‐ter, Kori Kellette Spencer He was espoused to the former Gail Patrice Harris, with whom he raised her daughter Keisha Ger‐maine, and relished in the joy of their granddaughter Kei’Ari Jones For 49 years, Warren enjoyed a distin‐guished and successful ca‐reer as a professional au‐tomobile sales manager and salesperson During his career, he worked for companies such as Buick, GMC Honda, Ford, Toyota and others which included Medical Transportation He was a graduate of McDo‐nough 35 Senior High School Class of 1970, was a 2-year Matriculating Stu‐dent of Southern University at New Orleans and ob‐tained numerous profes‐sional and civic organiza‐tion certifications and li‐censes. He pursued be‐coming a minister of the Gospel while he was a member of Lily Grove Mis‐sionary Baptist Church of Oakland, California where he led the Music and Youth Ministries Devoted hus‐band of Gail H. Payne Lov‐ing father of Kellie Payne Beloved grandfather of Kori Kellette Spencer and Kei’Ari Jones Adoring son of Dolores Ruffin Payne and the late Warren Albert Payne, Sr Grandson of the late Walter and Daisy Olivia Johnson Rose, Albert and Lula Payne, Wesley Sr., and Olivia Landry Ruf‐fin. Great grandson of the late Orelia Felo Johnson Brother of Gilda Marie Malarchar (Kenneth, Sr.) Chester Carl Payne, Sr (Veronica) Harold Ruben Payne, Sr., and the late Donald Newerls, Sr Cousins and caregivers Kerrol Smith Marketta Avis, Wanda Joseph, and Jessica Cain Uncle of Ken‐neth Malarchar, Jr., Tracy Malarchar, Chester Carl Payne Jr Justin Warren Brandon Warren, Ryne Payne and Donald New‐erls. Nephew of Laverne Rose, Wesley Ruffin, Jr. (Jolynn), Curtis Ruffin, Sr., Gladys R. Butler John Ruf‐fin (Angela), Marguerite R Robinson Linda R. Black Merite R. Cain, and Otis Tonzo Ruffin, also survived by a host of other family members and friends. Rel‐atives and friends of the family, pastors, officers, and members of Second Baptist Church, Asbury United Methodist Church Second Nazarene Baptist Church Christian Fellow‐ship Cathedral, and other neighboring churches; the care teams of Wynhoven Community Care Center, West Jefferson Medical Center LCMC Health, Ochsner Health Westbank HCA

Payne Jr., Warren Albert

Kelson, Gloria A.

Parrott, Zachary Wayne

O'Brien, Frances Euvino

Patterson,

Bap As United Methodist Church, Second Nazarene Baptist Church, Christian Fellow‐ship Cathedral, and other neighboring churches; the care teams of Wynhoven Community Care Center, West Jefferson Medical Center LCMC Health Ochsner Health Westbank, HCA Houston Healthcare; McDonough 35 Senior High School Class of 1970; mem‐bers of the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons, Incorporated, and The Order of Eastern Star Prince Hall Afﬁliate Ma‐sons and members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority In‐corporated are invited to join Warren’s family in re‐ﬂection and remembrance at Second Baptist Church 2826 Sullen Place, New Or‐leans LA on Saturday March 22, 2025 at 10:00a.m Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m until the time of ser‐vice at the above named church Viewing will be held at Davis Mortuary Ser‐vice 230 Monroe St Gretna LA on Friday March 21, 2025, from 3:00p.m.5:00p.m Interment: Resthaven Cemetery New Or‐leans, LA Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service 230 Monroe St Gretna, LA To view and sign the guest‐book please go to davis‐mortuaryservice.com Face Masks Are Recommended

Lovell Payton Jr., affec‐tionately known as Brother" departed this earthly life on February 27, 2025, surrounded by his loving family Born on Oc‐tober 17, 1953, to Bertha Payton and the late Lovell Payton Sr. Lovell’s legacy is one of dedication, love, and exceptional musical talent Brother was edu‐cated in the Orleans Parish School System and gradu‐ated from Francis T Nicholls High School in 1972. He worked as a Night Watchman for Boh Bros Construction Company for over 30 years before retir‐ing in 2007. Brother, a selftaught multi-instrumental‐ist was a dedicated mem‐ber of 5th Church of God in Christ, where he served as a church guitarist/musi‐cian for the praise team His love for family, music, and his unparalleled talent touched the lives of many, and his inﬂuence on those who knew him will forever live on Brother was a de‐voted husband to Shirley Fisher Payton for 47 years He was a loving and proud father to Lovell Payton III (Antanik) and Niyoka Pay‐ton James (Ron Sr.), and a doting grandfather to eight grandchildren He is also survived by his cherished siblings, Darryl Payton (Linda) Evelyn Adams Sandra Williams (Stanley), Terri Bracey (Kent) and Pamela Ganier (Donald), along with a host of nieces, nephews and numerous loving relatives and friends Brother was pre‐ceded in death by his fa‐ther, Lovell Payton Sr and his sisters, Regina Payton and Roslyn Payton. Rela‐tives and friends of the family as well as members of Macedonia Church of God in Christ, 5th Church of God in Christ, former band members, classmates, and employees of Boh Bros Construction Company, are invited to attend the Cele‐bration of Life for Lovell Brother” Payton Jr. at 5th Church of God in Christ, 3007 Law St New Orleans LA 70117on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10:00 a.m Visitation at 9:00 a.m Interment Salvation Church Cemetery 61562 LA-1091, Pearl River, LA 70452. Please sign the on‐line guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors (504) 581-4411.

Picou entered into rest on Friday, February 28, 2025. She was born September 12, 1924 in New Orleans, Louisiana to the union of Osborne and Mary (Smith) Dwight. Being born the 2nd child of four daughters. As a child she was given the nickname of “TuTu” or sometimes known as Ellen by her favorite cousins Janice attended Paul L Dunbar Elementary School, J.J Hoffman Middle School and McDonogh 35 High School After marriage Jan‐ice became a devout Catholic She was a mem‐ber of St Joan of Arc Catholic Church for 80 years Janice was married for over 18 years and from that union there were ﬁve children Osborne Picou, Sr. set of twins: Jean and Joan, Alfred Jr. and Yvette She was employed at Dean's Gate sewing factory for over 30 years and re‐tired in 1990. Being a de‐voted daughter and sister, she was caretaker to her father Osborne and sister Rita for many years Janice hobbies were helping and caring for others she loved to cook and of course being in charge sewing cross stitching, reading the newspaper and her bible on a daily basis, playing Pokeno, and of course walking her favorite baby her dog, "Cupcuke" Janice was very active in her church, belonging to the Ladies Sodality Knights of Peter Clavier Court 22 and the Women’s Ministry Jan‐ice was a member of Gay Orchids Social and Plea‐sure Club and the Thrifty Matrons Savings Pokeno Club, which was her fa‐vorite playing game. Janice was the Matriarch to our family She leaves behind a legacy of love and cher‐ished memories, carried on by her sister, Marion Dwight Stephens, her lov‐ing children Jean Goines Alfred Picou, Jr and Yvette Picou, devoted grandchil‐dren: Ansanta Cole, John Goines, Jr., Osborne Picou, Jr. Tonia Hall, Alfred Picou III, Brandi Paige, Adam Picou Shannon Picou Brit‐tney I. Wilkins, Isreal Picou and Christopher Owens, I, 13 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces nephews, cousins, and friends She is preceded in death by her parents Os‐borne and Mary (Smith) Dwight, her children Os‐borne Picou, Sr and Joan Picou Paige her two sis‐ters Rita Caldwell and Bar‐bara Boissiere, grand‐daughter Diondra Ann Picou and her great-grand‐daughter Alexis M Wheaton. A special thanks to her dear friends, Joyce East, Janice Stewart, Ms Lee and her caretaker Gail Lee. Relatives and friends of the family are all invited to attend a Mass of Christ‐ian Burial on Saturday March 22, 2025 at Blessed Sacrament/St Joan of Arc Church, 8321 Burthe St , New Orleans, LA 70118 Vis‐itation will begin at 8:30 am. Service will start at 10:00 am. Burial will be in Lakelawn Park Cemetery, 5454 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70124 Professional arrangements entrusted to Majestic Mor‐tuary Service Inc. (504) 523-5872.

Charles "Charlie Chicken" Pierre, passed away at home on Tuesday March 11, 2025. Mr. Pierre was born on May 28, 1949 to the late Lucille Pierre and James Isaac He leaves to cherish precious memo‐ries, his loving wife of 18 years, Avrell Walker Pierre; one stepson; four daugh‐ters; twenty-one grandchil‐dren; five great grandchil‐dren; Mother in law; two sisters in law; two sisters and a host of nieces nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends Rela‐tives and friends; Pastor, officers and members of Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist and all neighboring churches; Staff of Compas‐sus Hospice, Ms. Selena w/Quality Services, Care and Development Health Services Orleans Parish Sewerage and Water Board are invited to attend the funeral. A Celebration ser‐vice honoring the life and legacy of the late Charles Pierre will be held at First Mount Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, 2919 Sixth Street New Orleans LA 70115 on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10 am Uyless D Landry, III, Officiating In‐terment Carrollton Ceme‐tery, 1701 Hillary Street, New Orleans, LA 70118 Vis‐itation from 9 am until 9 50 am in the church Please sign online guestbook at www charbonnetfuneralho me com. Face mask and social distancing encour‐aged Charbonnet Labat

Mar22, 2025, 10:00

New Orleans, LA 70118. Vis‐itation from 9 am until 9 50 am in the church Please sign online guestbook at www charbonnetfuneralho

me com. Face mask and social distancing encour‐aged. Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors (504)581 4411.

Ratcliff, Doris Holmes

Doris Holmes Ratcliff, a cherished mother, grand‐mother, great-grand‐mother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on March 12, 2025, at the age of 94. A lifelong resident of New Orleans, LA, Doris was known for her warmth, re‐silience, and unwavering devotion to her family and faith She was preceded in death by her parents, Mer‐cedes Holmes and Delaney Holmes Sr.; her siblings, John Holmes Delaney Holmes Jr., Oliver Holmes, Preston Holmes Mary Braud, Gloria Anderson, and Mercedes Schexnay‐der; her children, Stephen E Ratcliff Sr and Mark F Ratcliff; and her grandchil‐dren, Dwyne J Brown, De‐shawn Ratcliff, and Court‐ney Clair Doris leaves be‐hind a lasting legacy in her children, Shelia A. Brown and Karl M. Ratcliff (Glenda); her sisters, Ann White (late Alvin) and Cheryl Gilbert (Leonard); her 14 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great-grandchildren She will also be deeply missed by a host of nieces, nephews extended family and friends A dedicated worker throughout her life Doris was employed at Raintree Children’s Ser‐vices Touro Hospital Wal‐mart, Harrah’s Casino, and the Windsor Court Hotel She was also a devoted member of Ephesian Bap‐tist Church and First Dis

trict Missionary Baptist As

sociation, where her faith guided her in service to others Doris Holmes Rat‐cliff will be remembered for her kindness, strength, and the love she shared with everyone who knew her Her spirit will live on in the hearts of those she touched A Christian Burial service will be held on Sat‐urday, March 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m at Ephesian Bap‐tist Church, 4020 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. New Orleans, LA. Visitation will begin at 8:00 am. Interment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave New Orleans LA. Following the inter‐ment, a repast will be held from 2:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m at KP Event Palace, 8700 Lake Forest Blvd., Suite 102, New Orleans, LA. Arrange‐ments are entrusted to D.W Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave New Orleans, LA. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guest book at www rhodesfuneral com.

Juanita D. Reynolds en‐tered eternal rest to be with the father on Friday March 7, 2025, surrounded by loved ones at her resi‐dence She was a beloved daughter of the late Mary Reynolds and the late Mil

ton Jennings She is sur

vived by her children: Omar Washington (Beverly Pitt-Washington), Sharonda Washington, Sheba Washington, and Viney Washington (Robert Balt‐hazar). Juanita is also sur

vived by 5 grandchildren: Omar Washington Jr., Zion Washington, Zori Washing‐ton, Bella Washington, Penelope Balthazar; Broth‐ers Eli Reynolds and James Reynolds. She proceeded in death by her late grand‐son Cristan Washington; late sisters: Anna Lou Brown, Viney Reynolds Barbara Byrd She is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews cousins other relatives and friends Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Fu

neral Service on Saturday March 22, 2025, for 10:00 a.m at Gentilly Baptist Church, 5141 Franklin Ave, New Orleans,

a.m. at Gentilly Baptist Church 5141 Franklin Ave New Orleans, LA 70122. Vis‐itation will begin at 9:00

a.m. Pastor Corey Gallaty, ofﬁciating Interment will be held at Mount Olivet Mausoleum, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave New Orleans LA 70122. Guestbook On‐line: www anewtraditionbe gins.com (504)282-0600 Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D. Boyd Own‐ers/Funeral Directors.

Rush, Cynthia Francis Dubose

It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that the family of Cynthia Francis Dubose Rush announce her departure from this earthly life on Saturday, March 08, 2025, to go home to her Heavenly Father Cynthia was the sixth child of eleven children, six boys and five girls She was born in a close-knit family to the late Leontine Smith and Octave Joseph Francis Sr. Cynthia was the proud mother of Darius Michael Dubose and the late Officer Christy Chevon Rush Her grandchildren were the love of her life. Bryánne Anderson, Dariánne Du‐bose Kellar (KyShawn) Ireánne Dubose, Kaiden Word and her only grand‐son Da’Shaun Word Jr She was blessed to have a great granddaughter Maliyah Kay Keller. Cynthia was the sister of Octave Francis Jr (Late Betty), the late Ronald Francis (late Constance), late Erskine Francis (late Cordia) Ran‐dolph Francis (Adrian), Leonetta Francis Haten (Late Joseph Haten) Elaine Francis Miller (Brian), Karen Francis Chairs (Larry), Thaddeus Francis Sr. (Late Shirley), Sybil Francis Martin (Late Ray‐mond) of Woodland Hills CA. Her Ex-Husband and Best Friend the Late Grover L Dubose and Ex–Husband and Friend Charles E. Rush. Family and friends are In‐vited to attend the Cele‐bration of Life on Saturday March 22, 2025, at Franklin Ave Baptist Church 8282 I10 Service Road, New Or‐leans LA 70127. Visitation from 9:00am –10:00am, and services to follow officiat‐ing by Senior Pastor Fred Luter Jr. Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery Mau‐soleum 4000 Norman Mayer Ave New Orleans LA 70122.

John Smith &Louise Smith. Mother of Craig Smith Sr. ,Audrey LaRose (Charles), Veronica Smith, Yvette Smith Payne (Patrick), Alfred Smith and the late Troy Lee Smith. Sister of Ellen L. Taylor, Jean M. Smith, Mary Ann Bearing, Audrey NKing (Kenny), Johnny Smith, RaymondSmith (Audis), Frederick Smith (Iris), the late Gary Smith, Clarence Smith, andRonald Smith. Sister-In-Law of Eva Smith, and DorothySmith.Also survived by 15 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. Relatives andfriends of the family also pastors, officers and members of Greater Goodhope Baptist Church and all neighboring churches; employees of East Jefferson General Hospital are invited to attend thefuneral at Greater Goodhope Baptist Church, 47 Cathy Street, Norco ,LA on Saturday ,March 22 2025 at 11:00 AM. Rev. Tyrone Scott, Pastor, Officiating. Interment Providence Cemetery Montz, LA. Visitation at the above named church from 9:00 AM until service time. Final Arrangements Entrusted to Robottom Mortuary.

and the late Cheryl Sanders and Charlie Tem‐ple, Sr. Godsister of Patrica Bowman. Godmother of Ashley Nicole Martin. Patrice is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews cousins, other relatives, and friends Relatives and friends of the family also pastors, ofﬁcers, and members of New Shiloh M

Sternberg, Theodora Rachel Born in the Bronx, NY, on 6September, 1924; died at Poydras Home, NOLA, on 18 March,2025, after having lived there for twelve years. She was first married to Dr. Harold Lief, with whom she moved from New York City to New Orleans in 1951. She later married Dr. Will Sternberg, who died in 1990. During hermanyyears in New Orleans, Tedda (as she was called) made a great number of close and loving friends. Shewas a board member of theNew Orleans Friends of Music and avolunteer on the Help Desk at Tulane Hospital. Shewas famous for her borshtparties, her wit, and her compassion. She has two children, Polly Lief Goldberg (Elliot) and Jonathan Felix Lief (Judith), as well as two step-children,Deborah Sternberg Bernstein (Howard (z"l)) and Michael Sternberg (Linda). Shehas in all seven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, for all of whom she was alovingpresence and asource of joy. She also loved cats. Graveside services for Mrs. Sternberg will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025 in Unadilla, NY.

Cynthia

Ann Marie Smith; anative of Norco (Sellers) and resident of Destrehan, LA transition from her earthly life, at home on Thursday, March 13, 2025, at the age of82. Daughter of the late John Smith& Louise Smith. Mother of Craig Smith Sr. ,Audrey LaRose (Charles), Veronica Smith, Yvette Smith Payne (Patrick), Alfred Smith and the late Troy Lee Smith. Sister of Ellen L. Taylor, Jean M. Smith,MaryAnn Bearing, Audrey NKing (Kenny), Johnny Smith, Raymond Smith (Audis), Frederick Smith(Iris), the late Gary Smith, Clarence Smith, and Ronald Smith Sister-In-Law of EvaSmith, and Dorothy Smith. Also survived by 15 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. Relatives and friendsof the family also pastors, officers and members of Greater Goodhope Baptist Church churches; East General Hosp tend Greater Goodhop Church, 47 ,March Rev. Pastor, Interment Cemetery , at the from time. ements bottom

Patrice Sanders Smith, affectionately known as “Red” or “Trice”, departed this life unexpectedly at her residence on Friday, February 28, 2025, at the age of 67. She was a native of New Orleans (Algiers), LA and resident of West‐wego, LA. Patrice was edu‐cated in the Orleans Parish School System. She worked in the hospitality industry She received the precious gift of the Holy Ghost at First Pentecostal Church of Austin in Austin, TX. She loved to travel and lived in St. Louis, MO Chicago, IL, Oakland, CA and Austin TX. She will be remem‐bered for her fun-loving spirit, uniquely stylish walk and beautiful smile She will be dearly missed by her family friends and community Devoted mother of LaShetta (Charles) Ballet Loving grandmother of Rasheed, Rashon, Rashad, Sr (Monique Patterson), David III, and Char’Less. Greatgrandmother of Shamari, Key’Mai Ty’Jay Zaire Ja’Sani and Rashad Jr Daughter of the late John H Sanders Jr and Betty Bowman Sanders Grand‐daughter of the late Beat‐rice and Frellie Bowman Sr., Ella and John H Sanders Devoted sister of Stephanie Temple Jacque‐lyn Sanders, Nathaniel (Yu‐londa) Sanders, all of Austin, TX, Michael Degree (Derrick) Smith, Shantella (Sam Sr.) Martin, Nicquo‐lette (Darrel Sr.) and the late John H. Sanders, III, Ju‐dith D. Sanders and An‐toine Sanders Aunt of the late John H. Sanders, IV, Nathaniel Sanders II, and Haywood C. Reed Jr. Sisterin-law of Tracy Sanders and the late Cheryl Sanders and Charlie Tem‐ple, Sr Godsister of Patrica Bowman Godmother of Ashley Nicole Martin Patrice is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, and friends. Relatives and friends of the family, also pastors ofﬁcers, and members of New Shiloh M. BC Touch of Love Min‐istries, and Heavenly Star

On March13, 2025, Cynthia Marie "Brenda" Waker departed into eternallife with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at the age of 75. Cynthia is survived by her lifelong spouse Nathaniel Waker, Sr. Children: Nathaniel Jr., Darryl (Franchell), Christopher (Ashaki), Devona, Keisha (Reginald), and Kenisha(Euell). Grandchildren:Darryl Jr. (Elissa), Christiana, Kaci, Chrishon,Chrishell, Jacai, Caila, Reginald, Riyah, and Riyan. GreatGrandchildren:Hunter, Demi, Daila, and Zein. Cynthia was aretired Paraeducator with the Orleans Board. by her McNealty, Trahan, Christopher Jacobs Jr., and daughter Denise Waker. Family invited the Celebration Life HomegoingService for Cynthia Marie "Brenda" Waker on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at Abundant Life Church, 9900 Haynes Blvd. New LA 70127. Visitation begin at 9am -10am, service starts at 10:00am. Heritage Funeral Directors (504) 944-5500.

M.B.C. are invited to attend a Celebration of Life Ser‐vice at St Stephen Mis‐sionary Baptist Church, 1738 L. B Landry Ave., New Orleans, LA on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Pastor Bryan Bowman Sr ofﬁciating; Pastor Nor‐man Franics Host Pastor Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. until service time at the above-named church Interm are recommended.

Payton Jr., Lovell 'Brother'

Smith, Patrice Sanders

Waker,

Smith, Ann Marie

Pierre, Charles 'Charlie Chicken'

Reynolds, Juanita D

Picou, Janice Ellen Dwight

OPINION

Plans to change the levee boards are a bad idea

Shane Guidry the governor’s close adviser and self-styled Elon Musk of Louisiana, wants to “reform” how board members are chosen for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authorities, which are responsible protecting the New Orleans metro area. His plans have just prompted four board members to resign in protest, charging that the east bank Flood Protection Authority no longer focuses on ﬂood protection For his part, Guidry claims board members are “scammers.” This makes me wonder whether he’s a liar, a fool or both.

writing an award-winning book exploring flood protection, chairing a post-Katrina bipartisan working group on flood protection created by the state’s congressional delegation, and being the only nonscientist ever to give the National Academies of Sciences’ Abel Wolman Distinguished Lecture, which honors contributions to knowledge about water And I was the least qualified member of the board.

storm surge modeling.

After Hurricane Katrina, voters approved a constitutional amendment with 81% of the vote statewide, 94% in Orleans Parish That amendment led to the creation of the flood protection authorities and created a nominating process designed to minimize political influence while still giving governors the final decision.

I served on the authority protecting the east bank for six years. My qualiﬁcations included

My colleagues on it included Tom Jackson, a president of the American Society of Civil Engineers; Rick Luettich, chair of a National Academy of Sciences committee on coastal risk reduction; Ricardo Pineda, the chief engineer for California’s levee system; Steve Estopinal, an engineer and college textbook author; Paul Kemp, one of Louisiana’s most respected coastal scientists and a member of the state forensic team that investigated Katrina; Larry McKee, president of the Louisiana Council of Engineering Companies; and Dave Barnes, a meteorologist who pioneered

We had no legal authority over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but our board’s expertise forced the Corps to listen and sometimes change course when we objected to their plans. I have no doubt we would not have tolerated a fatal error the Corps made when building the pre-Katrina system the Corps drove sheet piling along the drainage canals to prevent water from undermining the ﬂoodwalls from below, but the piling did not go deep enough to accomplish that task. The old board, picked by politicians, failed to prevent this.

The most important change we did force involved armoring the system adequately against overtopping. That would not have happened without our board, and Tim Doody focused on that problem

As board president Doody was entitled to a salary, which he refused.

I would like Guidry to explain to the state and to the Legislature what scams we were engaged in, and how board members were “just out for themselves,” as he also charged.

Last year, the nominating pro-

In case of Mahmoud Khalil, due process must be protected

Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and a leader of the proPalestinian protests at Columbia University, was detained by ICE at his home in New York earlier this month and is now being held in an immigrant detention center in Jena, an action undertaken by the federal government reportedly to ﬁght antisemitism. As Jewish leaders committed to our community’s safety, we feel compelled to respond — not to defend Khalil’s words or actions, but to defend the constitutional principles his arrest may challenge. It must be said that since Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism has surged to levels unseen in our lifetimes. American Jews have faced an onslaught of violent rhetoric, relentless misrepresentation of our history and exclusion from communities of which we have long been a part. Nowhere has this been more apparent than college campuses. Jewish students and faculty are regularly intimidated, harassed and sometimes even assaulted for being visibly Jewish. This has created an environment where Jewish students often feel unheard and unsafe in spaces intended to foster intellectual and cultural exchange. While some campus protesters express good-faith objections to the war in Gaza, others glorify Hamas’ brutal actions on Oct. 7 mutilation, burning alive, rape and taking of hostages as legitimate forms of resistance. Jewish students have had

to grapple daily with the impact of such violence not only being excused but celebrated in public spaces. Believe us when we say that American Jews have never felt more unsafe than during this period.

Bloch

Lewis GUEST COLUMNIST

Khalil has a history of leading protests some of which led to violence, property damage and signiﬁcant disruption to campus life. These protests have sometimes included explicit support for terrorism against Jews and Israelis, including Hamas-branded propaganda and images praising terrorist leaders.

We do not know the full extent of his individual speech or action, nor whether they crossed legal lines. First Amendment rights are sacred, but they are not without exception. What we do know is that due process is essential, and we must not allow fear to alienate us from this knowledge.

Jews have a long history of activism in defense of civil liberties.

Our families, with histories of pogroms and forced expulsions, bear the scars of life without them. Throughout Jewish history in the Diaspora, no community has been safer than American Jews, thanks to the nation’s commitment to individual rights — freedom of expression, religious liberty — and the protection of due process, which shields us from abuses of power

Under U.S. law legal foreign residents can lose their status and face deportation under speciﬁcally enumerated circumstances, but the

burden of proof rests with the government. While immediate detention may be warranted in cases involving imminent danger or ﬂight risk, the government has not made such an accusation in this instance.

Bypassing these legal protections undermines fundamental due process rights and establishes a dangerous precedent, leaving all of us vulnerable to potential governmental overreach.

Civil liberties must be universally upheld. We do not consent to the erosion of fundamental rights in the name of ﬁghting antisemitism, in this instance or any other, and we demand due process for all.

Yes, we want safety But sacriﬁcing constitutional protections does not make Jews — or anyone — safer Instead, it subjects us to the instability of ever-changing political winds rather than securing us under the protection of a legal system grounded in inalienable rights.

Our Jewish tradition teaches that we must treat others with fairness, even those whom we might consider our enemies. Our American tradition teaches that constitutional rights are sacrosanct.

We must never relinquish our freedom for a ﬂeeting sense of safety but rather we must continue to champion due process and civil rights for everyone.

Katie Bauman is the senior rabbi at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans. Aaron Bloch is the director of Jewish-Multicultural and Governmental Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Sara Lewis is the vice president of advocacy at the National Council of Jewish WomenGreater New Orleans Section.

cess yielded Norma Jean Mattei, another president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, but the governor rejected her without giving a reason.

Perhaps he thought she might not defer to him as current board President Roy Carubba, who worked for Guidry in the past and apparently thinks he still does, clearly does.

Indeed, Guidry is not a member of the authority’s board but seems to be running it, since Carubba even asks his permission before talking to the media and three of the board members who resigned addressed their resignation letters to Guidry Will new board members have the qualiﬁcations of my colleagues or Mattei? Or will they simply do whatever Guidry wants?

The proximate cause of Guidry’s “reform” proposal is that Guidry and Carubba want police chief Joshua Rondeno serving as the east bank authority’s regional director although he lacks qualiﬁcations required by law Most board members have blocked this move.

Rondeno himself has said he “would rather stand alone on the governor’s side than stand with everyone who is going against his will.” In other words, Rondeno favors the governor’s opinion over the opinion of engineers and ﬂood experts.

That statement flies in the face of the constitutional amendment that formed the board in the first place. It alone should disqualify Rondeno not only from the regional director’s position but from any position with the authority The whole point of the post-Katrina reform was to take politics out of flood protection as much as possible and put it in the hands of those with expertise.

That’s a lesson the state learned 20 years ago, but apparently Shane Guidry is a slow learner What he wants, unfortunately, may lead to a refresher course none of us want to take.

John M. Barry is a distinguished scholar at the Celia Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University

Amendment 2 will make state more competitive

I believe in Louisiana and making it a better state. I am positive that voting yes on Amendment 2 will truly move Louisiana forward. As a business owner I want more investment and more companies moving into the state, and Amendment 2 will make us more competitive for economic development. This amendment represents a major improvement to a key part of our constitution that is more sweeping than any constitutional changes we have seen in decades.

Admittedly, it may be hard for the voters to understand just what it does and why it is so important. Our organization, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, has analyzed it thoroughly and — while it is not perfect — it accomplishes many things groups like ours have advocated for years. Amendment 2 makes commonsense changes to policies dealing with state and local taxes, government spending and state savings accounts.

It streamlines the constitution, gives the Legislature more flexibility over fiscal issues and uses almost $2 billion now invested in three different trust funds to eliminate an equal amount of debt in the state’s teacher retirement system. Reducing such debt makes more money available for education. That’s why such a broad range of education advocates and good government groups agree with conservative fiscal reform groups on this amendment.

In most cases, these are moves constitutional reformers have backed for years They don’t solve every issue that has been identiﬁed in this section of the constitution, but this amendment does a number of signiﬁcant things that we believe voters should be aware of:

n Raises the cap on how much money can go into the state’s “Rainy Day” fund and ﬁlls it up with a transfer of $1.8 billion from another savings account

n Lowers the maximum income tax rate from 4.75% to 3.75% and

doubles the standard deduction on income taxes for seniors

n Reduces the debt in the state teachers’ retirement system and uses the savings to make a temporary teacher pay stipend permanent

n Requires a two-thirds vote to create or change tax exemptions or credits

n Attempts to address longstanding issues surrounding the business inventory tax and lack of uniformity between the state and local sales tax base

n Moves several funds and tax deductions out of the constitution and places them in statute giving the Legislature more ﬂexibility to deal with ﬁscal problems

There are also some important things this amendment does not change:

n Sales tax exemptions on food at home, residential utilities and prescription drugs

n The homestead exemption

n The requirement for a balanced budget

n Constitutional protection of the “Rainy Day” fund, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund and the Transportation Trust Fund.

Yes, the amendment is complex and might be difﬁcult for some to navigate. But that is because it addresses years of changes that have complicated the longest and most heavily amended article of our constitution.

Is it perfect? No. It’s hard to write a perfect document when you are talking about something this substantial. But it is very good and ﬁnishes the job on the important tax and ﬁscal reforms the Legislature passed last November It’s good for citizens, it’s good for businesses and it sends a signal that Louisiana is addressing many of the longstanding issues that have held us back and made our state less competitive.

For these reasons, our leaders for Better Louisiana and I strongly support this amendment. I hope citizens will approve this important rewrite of a major piece of our constitution.

Scott Ballard is a board member of Leaders for a Better Louisiana.

COMMENTARY

ROOM FOR DEBATE THE ECONOMy

With tariffs and trade deals, President Donald Trump is aiming to fundamentally reshape the nation’s economy His tactics have been cheered by some who consider them a long-overdue course correction and booed by others who consider them a major mistake that will weaken our nation’s financial strength

Here are two perspectives.

Beautiful economy was a terrible

thing to waste

Boy do I miss Joe Biden. I especially miss the former president when Donald Trump and his bobbleheads unfairly blame him for everything that’s gone wrong since Inauguration Day Trump has since proven beyond doubt that he can wreck the economy all by his lonesome. And that’s not all he’s wrecking Trump was handed a great economy, “The Envy of the World,” according to ﬁnancial media. His trade war, lack of coherent economic policy and perhaps low interest in governing when cameras aren’t present have investors close to panic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost more than 2,000 points since Election Day

tion rate has at times been inching up. And it’s not just eggs, which MAGA still yaps about as Biden’s fault, not the result of bird ﬂu.

Froma Harrop

Consumer conﬁdence just scored its largest decline since August 2021. Americans are falling behind on car payments at the highest rate in more than 30 years. Inﬂation and employment numbers have gone wobbly, and the U.S. dollar is losing value.

Money aside, Americans risk losses of personal security as Elon Musk rants against Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security Musk calls the beloved Social Security program a “Ponzi scheme. There is the hard-to-quantify loss of “domestic tranquility,” that is, the beneﬁts of a well-functioning society as promised in the U.S. Constitution. Musk is cannibalizing old-fashioned government services that the citizenry expected as perks of being American — basics such as the Small Business Administration and having people at the IRS to answer questions. Trump now talks of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service.

Musk jumping like a chimpanzee as he waves his chainsaw is an unappetizing sight.

We all want to cut government waste, but shouldn’t he inquire into what the government workers he’s ﬁring do? The Tesla Chainsaw Massacre is clearly sport for the richest man on earth, but what about the rest of us?

Since Biden left ofﬁce, the inﬂa-

Trump posted on Truth Social an article by right-winger Charlie Kirk entitled, “Shut up About Egg Prices.” We shall ignore the order and note that the U.S. Agriculture Department expects egg prices to rise more than 40% this year Trump’s bizarre trade war against neighbors Mexico and Canada is as scary as it’s economically nuts. As a shaken commentator on Fox Business News graphically noted on Monday “A sinkhole has opened up under the NASDAQ.”

During some recent chaos, Trump turned to the cameras and said that this economy is going to boom. “We can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.” Exactly whom was he threatening?

When Ontario responded to Trump’s 25% tax by announcing a tax on the energy Canada sends Michigan, Minnesota and New York, Trump retaliated with a 50% tax on Canada. Things calmed down a bit when Ontario and Trump backtracked.

But both Europe and Canada announced new tariffs against American products, hours after Trump slapped new tariffs on metal imports. Clearly, Trump isn’t the only one in charge.

We didn’t have these spectacles when Biden was president. The economic indicators were simply lovely Perhaps a man who ﬁled for bankruptcy six times is not exactly a ﬁnancial “genius.”

One fears that when stocks show any kind of recovery, Trump will drag us back into his circus house of funny mirrors. Biden may have slowed down toward the end, but he never subjected America to lunacy His administration sailed on smoothly Boy do I miss Biden.

Email Froma Harrop at fharrop@ gmail.com.

We’ve been here before with the economy

When I began investing in balanced mutual funds in 1983, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 1,190. On a recent Monday, despite the drop of more than 1,000 points, the DJI closed at 41,911. It’s the difference between looking at short-term vs. long-term investing.

I called my ﬁnancial adviser who told me not to worry about the latest decline because I am diversiﬁed. Besides, she said, “it’s only paper.” That may not sound reassuring until one considers we’ve been here before.

The year was 1981 and the country was struggling with doubledigit inﬂation (13.5% at the end of the Carter presidency), high unemployment (8%), high interest rates (mortgage rates soared to 16.64%) and sinking public conﬁdence.

It took Ronald Reagan nearly two years to turn the economy around, beginning with the 1981 Economic and Recovery Tax Act, which substantially reduced taxes and eventually led to strong economic growth.

Bruce Bartlett, who wrote the draft of an earlier version of the bill, defended it in an article for The Washington Post: “Keynesian economics, which was the dominant theory at the time, said that higher taxes would curb inflation by reducing people’s disposable income and spending, and that any tax cut would exacerbate inflation. Our thinking, by contrast, was that lower taxes would increase the incentive to work, save and invest; if that led to an increase in the supply of goods and services, then the impact would be anti-inflationary.”

So it was, and so it did.

Reagan’s approval rating sank to 35% in 1983, but as the economy began to recover, it soared to 61% by November 1984, leading to his landslide re-election.

President Donald Trump has expressed a “wait and you’ll see” attitude about his economic policies. He promises a great economic boom and a new “Golden Age.” We’ll see if that replicates the Reagan pattern. Trump didn’t help consumer conﬁdence when he punted after being asked twice whether a recession might be coming.

Writing in The New York Post, Fox Business commentator Charles Gasparino advises to ignore the stock market because Wall Street is dealing with “painful detox from (its) government spending addiction.”

“Think of the current US economy as a junkie weaning himself off heroin, which is never easy,” Gasparino writes. “It’s been addicted to the heroin of government spending — both monetary and ﬁscal for so long that we are running $2 trillion deﬁcits when the economy is growing near 3% with low unemployment as sleepy Joe Biden spent money we didn’t have.”

As with President Reagan, Trump is still having to deal with the fallout from his predecessor’s economic policies, including Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act,” which caused inflation and produced the high prices and other negative consequences Democrats are claiming are Trump’s fault. Really? After only a few weeks in office and with his last cabinet officer confirmed by the Senate only recently?

Detox is painful, but the result is worth the effort. Our problem is that too many Americans have become over-reliant on government to take care of them, while ignoring the old Puritan ethic of self-reliance. Politicians have been ﬁne with this because it contributes to their careers and power That attitude has contributed to our $36 trillion national debt and inﬂation which the administration, with the help of Elon Musk and his DOGE squad, are trying to reduce.

Economic roller coasters can be scary, but like the rides at the fair, the end produces satisfaction, relief and even a thrill. So, hang on.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

Cal Thomas

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost more than 2,000 points since Election Day.

Chrishell, Jacai, Caila, Reginald, Riyah, and Riyan. GreatGrandchildren: Hunter, Demi, Daila, and Zein. Cynthia was aretired Paraeducator with the Orleans Parish School Board. Preceded in death by her mother

her teaching career at L.V.

Church, 9900 Haynes Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70127. Visitation will begin at 9am -10am, service starts at 10:00am. Heritage Funeral Directors (504) 944-5500

Carolyn Hall Williams transitioned from labor to reward on March 8, 2025, at the age of 76. Born on Feb

ruary 11, 1949, in New Or‐leans LA she was the daughter of the late James Hall and the late Betty Bap

tiste Hall. Her foundational education took place at Holy Ghost Catholic School followed by a ful

ﬁlling experience at Xavier University Preparatory High School which she cherished. After graduat

ing from high school she pursued higher education at Xavier University, earn

ing a Bachelor of Arts de

gree in Elementary Educa

tion in 1971. She then be

came an educator within the New Orleans Public School System Driven by a desire to enhance her stu

dents’ learning, she re

turned to her alma mater Xavier University, and achieved a Master of Arts Degree in Education in 1984. Carolyn continued her teaching career at L.V Hansberry as a third and fourth grade teacher, where she was recognized for twenty-ﬁve years of dedicated service to the students of Hansberry After retiring from New Or

leans Public Schools, she felt her gift and passion for teaching was not yet ful

ﬁlled. She joined the Arch

diocese of New Orleans and taught at St Simon Peter for nearly a decade, where she loved shaping the minds of her young scholars. Upon her second retirement, she opted to relax and embrace the joys of life, spending quality time with the love of her life, her husband, Warner. They enjoyed traveling to

gether and attending his live performances as a mu

sician, all while relishing their role as grandparents and cherishing time with their grandchildren. She leaves to cherish her mem

ory, her stepdaughters, Terri Mercadel-Luster (Brian) and Regina Mer‐cadel of New Orleans LA and Shannon Riddell of Os‐hawa Canada; her grand‐children, Julius Gibbs (Kahlia) of Houston TX, Shelrick Bezue, Kieron Bezue and Tajh Mercadel of New Orleans, LA and Bri‐ana Riddell (Cory) of Os‐hawa Canada; along with four great-grandsons, Kruze Raymond Gibbs and Kole Joseph Gibbs of Hous‐ton, TX and Kingsley and Gabriel Wilding of Oshawa, Canada; her brothers-inlaw Vincent and Brennan Williams of New Orleans, LA; her best friend Diane Whitlow and a host of nieces nephews, family and friends. She was pre‐ceded in death by the Love of her life, her husband Warner Joseph Williams her parents James Hall and Betty Baptiste Hall, her sis‐ter-in-law Idara Williams Elam and her brother-inlaw Vaughn Williams Fam‐ily and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christ‐ian burial that will be cele‐brated at St Maria Goretti Catholic Church, 7300 Crowder Blvd. New Or‐leans, LA on Friday, March 21, 2025. The visitation with the family will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the Mass at 10:00 a.m Interment will take place at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery Professional services are entrusted to D. W Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave

Hansberry as a third and fourth grade teacher where she was recognized for twenty-ﬁve years of dedicated service to the students of Hansberry After retiring from New Or‐leans Public Schools, she felt her gift and passion for teaching was not yet ful‐ﬁlled She joined the Arch‐diocese of New Orleans and taught at St. Simon Peter for nearly a decade, where she loved shaping the minds of her young scholars Upon her second retirement, she opted to relax and embrace the joys of life, spending quality time with the love of her life, her husband, Warner They enjoyed traveling to‐gether and attending his live performances as a mu‐sician all while relishing their role as grandparents and cherishing time with their grandchildren She leaves to cherish her mem‐ory, her stepdaughters, Terri Mercadel-Luster (Brian) and Regina Mer‐cadel of New Orleans, LA, and Shannon Riddell of Os‐hawa, Canada; her grand‐children Julius Gibbs (Kahlia) of Houston TX, Shelrick Bezue Kieron Bezue and Tajh Mercadel of New Orleans LA and Bri‐ana Riddell (Cory) of Os‐hawa, Canada; along with four great-grandsons Kruze Raymond Gibbs and Kole Joseph Gibbs of Hous‐ton, TX and Kingsley and Gabriel Wilding of Oshawa Canada; her brothers-inlaw Vincent and Brennan Williams of New Orleans, LA; her best friend Diane Whitlow and a host of nieces, nephews, family and friends She was pre‐ceded in death by the Love of her life her husband Warner Joseph Williams, her parents James Hall and Betty Baptiste Hall, her sis‐ter-in-law Idara Williams Elam and her brother-inlaw Vaughn Williams Fam‐ily and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christ‐ian burial that will be cele‐brated at St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church 7300 Crowder Blvd., New Or

leans LA on Friday, March 21, 2025. The visitation with the family will begin at 9:00 a.m., followed by the Mass at 10:00 a.m Interment will take place at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery. Professional services are entrusted to D W Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Ave.

Williams, Leonard

Leonard Williams transi‐tioned from his early life on February 5 2025, at the age of 76. Leonard, was born August 12, 1948, to the late Gladys Williams and Alex Williams Leonard was the father of Shelby Williams Leonard Williams Jr., and Ivory Williams Leonard was the brother of Elouise Marie Cooper, Linda Mae Williams and Earlene Williams Leonard worked as a Laborer for US Maritime Service, Dixie Ma‐rine. Leonard was a loving uncle brother and an un

wavering friend to many He cherished time spent with family, especially his time ﬁshing dancing rap

ping and being the TV Hog He was known for his kind

ness, helpfulness, sense of humor He was also a loyal member of "Sum Serious Ent." He is preceding in death by his parents Gladys and Alex Williams Six Brothers; Alex Williams Oliver Williams, Joe Williams James Williams Samuel Williams and Fred‐die Williams. Three Sisters; Francis Williams Precilla Williams and Yolanda Williams He is also sur

vived by a host of nieces, nephews,cousins other relatives, and devoted friends Relatives and friends of the family are in

vited to attend the Memor

ial Service which will be held on Saturday, March 21, 2025, at Robinson Fam

ily Funeral Home 9611 La23, Belle Chasse La 70037 Services will begin at 10 a.m Funeral planning en‐trusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home 9611 La - 23 Belle Chasse, LA 70037(04) 208 - 2119. For online con‐dolences please visit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Rita Wilson entered eternal rest on Thursday, March 6 2025, at the age of 78. She was a native of Marrero, LA and a resident of Slidell, LA. Rita was a graduate of Lincoln High School She was a retired bus driver with Jefferson Parish School System Beloved mother of Rhonda Smith, Alisha Smith Cov‐ington, and Juanika Brooks Walker. Daughter of the late Albert Smith, Sr. and Juanita Smith Sister of Elaine Brignac, Rocky Smith Eric Smith Alex Smith, Sr., Albert Smith, Jr., the late Alvis Smith, Walter Smith, and Reginald Smith Mother in law of Samuel (Alisha) Covington, and Jermaine (Juanika) Walker Sister in law of Ramona (Rocky) Smith, and Connie (Albert, Jr.) Smith, also sur‐vived by 10 grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, 1 great great grandchild, and a host of nieces, nephews cousins, other relatives, and friends Relatives and friends of the family also pastors, ofﬁcers, and members of Rock of Ages Baptist Church, Holy Ground Sanctuary Interna‐tional Ministries, and neighboring churches are invited to attend the Cele‐bration of Life at Rock of Ages Baptist Church 6533 Acre Rd Marrero LA on Saturday, March 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m at the above-named parlor Inter‐ment: Will Be Private Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service 230 Mon‐roe St. Gretna, LA. To view and sign the guestbook please go to davismortu‐aryservice.com. Face Masks Are Recommended

Zardies, Denise Mae 'Mommie' 'Deedy'

Denise Mae "Mommie "Deedy" Zardies, age 71, peacefully passed away on Monday, March 10, 2025 surrounded by her loving family in Georgia She was born on October 2 1953 in New Orleans, LA to Melvin, Sr. and Gloria Zardies Denise is survived by her devoted children, Tyrek, Sr (Courtney) Tyran, Sr (Kizzy) and Tyese Zardies Also survived by a host of grand and great grandchil‐dren; four siblings as well as a host of aunts, nieces, nephews, Godchildren other loving relatives and friends. Denise was a grad‐uate of George Washington Carver High School and further honed her skills at Steven’s Academy of Hair Design. A Celebration ser‐vice honoring the life and legacy of the late Denise Mae Zardies will be held in the Chapel of Charbonnet Labat Glapion Funeral Home 1615 St Philip Street, New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 1 pm. Visitation 12 noon in the chapel Please sign online guest‐book at www charbonnetf

PATRON AND PREVIEWPARTY

WEDNESDAY,MARCH 26

PATRON PARTY 6pm | PREVIEWPARTY 7–9 pm

WEDNESDAY,MARCH 26 —SUNDAY,MARCH 30 Floral displayswill be on view to thepublic 10 am –5pm

This five-dayannual eventshowcases interpretive, creative, and breathtaking floral designs by local and regional artists,gardenclubs,florists,designers, and professional landscapers. This year’s theme, LesJardins de la Nouvelle-Orléans will celebratethe gardens of NewOrleans in all of their splendor and beauty

ARTINBLOOM CHAIRS

CharlotteMeade and KeithPorteous Meade NOMA VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE CHAIR Taylor Pospisil

GARDEN STUDYCLUBOFNEW ORLEANS PRESIDENT Courtney Le Clercq

THANK YOUTOOUR SPONSORS

ORCHID

PRESENTINGSPONSOR

BOUQUET

TIMBER AND PEGGY FLOYD

EUGENIE AND JOSEPH JONES FAMILYFOUNDATION

IRIS

LYNNE AND RICK McMILLAN

MIGGYAND JAYMONROE

MEDIA SPONSOR

ELIZABETH BOH MARION BRIGHT

CAROLINE AND MURRAY CALHOUN

SUSAN AND JAMESGUNDLACH

ELLYAND MERRITT LANE

PIXIE AND JIMMY REISS

LYNN AND CHARLIE SMITH

SARAHAND DOUG STOKES

JAYAND SALLYLAPEYRE

SARAHAND GEORGE YOUNG

MAGNOLIA

E. TIFFANY ADLER DEBB ALMEIDAAND DAVID G. PERLIS

BEN BAGERT, THE BAGERTLAW FIRM

JOHN AND GAIL BERTUZZI

BLACK BAYENERGY CAPITAL

SUSAN AND TIMOTHY BRIGHT

LYNNE BURKART

LEAH ENGELHARDT

SARAHAND GREGFEIRN

SARAHAND RICHARD FREEMAN

DATHEL AND JOHN GEORGES

MRS. NANCYHALESAND

DR. STEPHEN HALES

CAROLAND JOHN HALL

MRS. SUSAN JOHNSON COURTNEYAND TED LE CLERCQ PATTI AND ROBERTLAPEYRE

ALLISON CRUTCHER MCASHAN

CHARLOTTE AND JOHN ALDEN MEADE KEITH AND CHARLESMEADE

PALM ORLEANS

ANNE AND EDMUND REDD

MELISSA AND ALFRED RUFTY

SHLENKER FAMILYFOUNDATION

LIZ AND POCOSLOSS

ANNE REILYSUTHERLIN

DOUGLASDOCKERYTHOMAS

Wilson, Rita

Williams, Carolyn Hall

SPORTS

Ortiz has wired the

in

year

Veteran rider has found success at Fair Grounds

Jose Ortiz wasn’t sure what to expect in his ﬁrst year in New Orleans.

When the veteran rider joined the Fair Grounds jockey colony this winter, he hoped to be as successful as he had been at his previous stops in New York and Florida. What’s transpired has exceeded even his lofty expectations.

Ortiz has turned the Fair Grounds’ leading jockey competition — pardon the pun! — into a one-horse race. Through Thursday, he had won 90 races in 312 mounts. Jareth Loveberry was a distant second with 53 wins.

“The goal was to come here, win as many races as we can, get (the) leading rider (title) as you go and pick up some nice horses for the summer,” Ortiz said “It’s worked out well.”

Ortiz won three races on the opening day card and hasn’t looked back His 29% win rate was almost twice as high as his closest competitor, Ben Curtis, at 18%. No jockey has been this dominant at the Fair Grounds since Rosie Napravnik rode here a decade ago.

Transfer portal window dire for McMahon, LSU basketball

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

LSU men’s basketball was a boat filled with holes. The Tigers’ 11-2 nonconference record came against all non-NCAA Tournament teams. The auspicious start masked the leaks that imminently sank coach Matt McMahon’s team during Southeastern Conference play In January, it steadily became clear that there wasn’t a strategic adjustment that would help LSU (14-18, 3-15 SEC) compete in a conference that sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament It was also unrealistic for McMahon, who prides himself on player development, to turn the season around with in-season improvement from the four freshmen who each started at least ﬁve games.

The team needed its older players with expected three returners in the rotation and three transfer guards in senior Cam Carter and ﬁfth-year seniors Jordan Sears and Dji Bailey Carter, a Kansas State transfer, lived up to expectations, scoring 16.2 points per game on 39.2% 3-point shooting — good enough for eighth in the SEC. Sears underperformed, averaging nine less points and shooting 13% worse from 3 compared to

ä See PORTAL, page 3C

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer

The 2025 LSU softball team has gotten a lot of attention for its revved-up offense and 27-1 start, which has led to a No. 3 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. But junior pitcher Sydney Berzon’s work puts a different spin on the Tigers.

It’s the same ability to spin a softball that has made her a two-time All-American, but increased strength and focus has reﬁned her game to a near-perfect place. Berzon has made 12 appearances, one in relief, and won every one of them while dialing up a 1.01 earned run average in 68 1/3 innings. She has struck out 62 batters, walked 11 and hurled four shutouts.

LSU (3-0 in SEC play) carries that elevated ranking into its ﬁrst SEC road trip at No. 13 Georgia (22-6, 2-4) beginning with a Friday game at 5 p.m. The teams meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday

Berzon credits her experience and growth for taking her game to another level. By the end of her freshman year, she was the ace of the staff with a 14-8 record and 1.91 ERA. Last year she blossomed to 20-9 and 1.78 and is far ahead of that pace near the midpoint of the current season.

“Reviewing ﬁlm,” Berzon said when asked what her secret is. “The longer you play in the SEC the more you learn what to look at, what to focus on, and on how to approach hitters. Being able to take that ﬁlm seriously and studying it, you learn how to beat these hitters.

“I’d like to say I got stronger Our strength and conditioning coach (Melissa Moore Seal) is phenomenal. My body is in a better position than it has been any other year.”

Catcher Maci Bergeron has been on the receiving end of Berzon’s pitches for three years now and has an inside take.

n pounds a priority

By MICHAEL JOHNSON

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Derek Curiel wouldn’t characterize himself as a big eater

Picky isn’t the right word. He’s just someone who doesn’t tend to stuff his face in food.

“That’s why it’s hard for me to gain weight,” Curiel told The Advocate. Curiel has had to change those habits since joining LSU baseball. Gaining weight was a top priority when he decided last summer to spend, at least, the next two years in Baton Rouge and take his name out of the MLB Draft. His commitment to LSU is paying off so far The freshman outﬁelder owns a .434 batting average, .578 on-base percentage and has reached base in all 22 games. He was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors following LSU’s sweep over Missouri, and he looks to lead the Tigers’ attack as they head to Austin for a three-game series against Texas beginning on Friday (7 p.m., SEC Network). The weight he’s already added has been a key component to his success. He’s gained more than 10 pounds since arriving on campus. LSU has him listed at 182 pounds.

“I’m not a fully grown man yet,” Curiel

said. “I’m 19. I still have some weight to grow on me and all that stuff.”

Adding and maintaining weight hasn’t been an overnight ﬁx for Curiel. It’s not just about what he eats; when and where he consumes food matters. For the ﬁrst time in his career, he’s started eating during games, whether it’s a turkey and provolone sandwich from Jersey Mike’s or snacking on peanut butter crackers and almonds.

Then after games, he’ll make himself a shake.

“I usually make like a vanilla shake,” Curiel said. “I just put strawberries, peanut butter, protein powder obviously, creatine (and) all sorts of stuff. Honey and all that stuff.” He also makes sure to wake up at a reasonably early hour every morning to have breakfast. If he wakes up at 11 a.m. — Curiel likes to sleep in he loses valuable hours that could’ve been devoted to having a good breakfast.

LSU strength and conditioning coach Chris Martin orders Curiel to eat

he gets full.

LSU ace Berzon looks to lead Tigers in first SEC road series

OF Derek Curiel STAFF PHOTO

LSU AT GEORGIA • 5 P.M. FRIDAy • SECN+

AP FILE PHOTO By GREGORy BULL

Jockey Jose Ortiz celebrates after riding More Than Looks to victory in the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 2 in Del Mar, Calif.

Jeff Duncan

By HILARy SCHEINUK

2:25

3:40

5:30

COLLEGE WRESTLING 11 a.m.

p.m.

Tournament ESPN2 GOLF 1 p.m. PGA: Valspar Championship GOLF

5 p.m.

2:30

4:30 p.m. Oregon vs.Vanderbilt ESPNEWS

5 p.m. Ball St. vs. Ole Miss ESPNU 6:30 p.m. Ga.Tech vs. Richmond ESPNEWS

7 p.m. South Florida vs.Tennessee ESPN

7 p.m. Lehigh at Duke ESPNU

9 p.m. Southern U. at UCLA ESPN MEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS

7 p.m. Michigan at Nebraska BTN WOEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS

5 p.m. Big Ten Tournament: Session 1 BTN

7:30 p.m. N Dakota vs W. Michigan CBSSN COLLEGE SOFTBALL

2:30 p.m. Mississippi St. at Northwestern BTN

5 p.m. Florida St. at Duke ACCN

5 p.m. Mississippi at Kentucky SECN

Singapore Classic GOLF

RACING 12:30 p.m.America’s Day at the Races FS2 4:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2

Pels show plenty of pride in latest win

Two nights after playing a game that made you think the New Orleans Pelicans may have thrown in the towel on this season, they showed that they haven’t.

You really couldn’t have blamed them if they did though.

Unlike the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Pelicans’ playoff hopes have pretty much been dashed since before the All-Star break. They were ofﬁcially eliminated from postseason play last week

At this point, there isn’t much to play for other than pride and building chemistry for the future.

In Wednesday’s 119-115 road win over the Timberwolves, the Pelicans showed they still have some pride left in the tank

Just 48 hours earlier, it didn’t look that way

The Pelicans fell to the Detroit Pistons 127-81 on Monday, a margin that tied the record for worst regular season loss in franchise history

Nobody had ever beat the Pelicans so convincingly on their home court in the regular season. Making matters worse, the Pelicans lost one of their best players for the remainder of the season when Trey Murphy suffered a season-ending injury to his right shoulder

The Pelicans could have called it quits then and there. Or at least they could have called it quits on Wednesday when they fell behind by 16 points to the Timberwolves in the ﬁrst half. But they never folded.

“I’ve got to give coach (Willie) Green the respect on that one,” said Zion Williamson. “After the (Detroit) game, he was honest with us on how bad we looked. He said when we get to Minnesota, we’re going to practice, we will have a good practice because we need to regroup I feel like that practice did a lot for everybody’s conﬁdence and just chemistry of the team.”

The result?

The Pelicans followed up their

worst performance of the season with their best one.

The win came against a Timberwolves team that has won 40 games this season, a rare Pels’ win over a quality opponent.

There are 10 teams in the NBA that have won 40 games so far The Pelicans are a dismal 3-24 against those teams after Wednesday’s victory at Target

Center The Pels’ other two wins against teams that currently have won 40 games were against the Denver Nuggets way back in November and the Los Angeles Clippers last week. Those two wins came at home.

This one was on the road against a team that was in the Western Conference Finals lasts season. Minnesota is straddling the line of being a top 6 seed this year, which means they could avoid the play-in tournament. They had far more to play for than the Pels. Yet, Timberwolves’ star Anthony Edwards had this to say after the game.

“They just played harder than us.”

That says a lot about the Pelicans.

“Collectively as a group, this was an extremely well-executed game,” Green said. “All the guys that touched the ﬂoor contributed in a big way We played with force. We played with physicality But more importantly, we trusted each other on the ﬂoor I’m extremely blessed to be able to coach high character guys in that locker room.”

The Pelicans, led by Zion Williamson’s 29 points, eight assists and ﬁve rebounds, had six players in double ﬁgures.

“I’m not going to lie,” Edwards said of Williamson. “He’s incredible.”

It’ll take a similar Pelicans’ effort to duplicate their win Friday against these same Timberwolves.

They’ll need a similar effort from Williamson. A similar effort from his supporting cast.

And a similar amount of the pride they played with Wednesday

S. Carolina trio seeking 3rd national title

BY PETE IACOBELLI Associated Press

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sania Feagin, Raven Johnson and Bree Hall are chasing history, even if South Carolina’s trio do it a bit under the radar at times.

The three, all part of the Gamecocks’ No. 1-ranked recruiting class before the 2022 season, are seeking a third national championship in the past four years.

It’s something they’ve talked about heading into top-seeded South Carolina’s NCAA Tournament opener with 16th-seeded Tennessee Tech on Friday

The Gamecocks (30-3) are coming off a third straight Southeastern Conference Tournament title while the Golden Eagles (26-5) are on a 17game win streak through the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

No. 8 seed Utah (22-8) plays ninth-seeded Indiana (19-12) in the opener

It’s a bigger, final prize that Feagin dreaming of cutting the down the nets in Tampa in a few weeks.

“I think it about it, I do,” said Feagin, whose had a career high in points, rebounds and minutes this season. “Making this kind of history for the team.” Johnson, a highly regarded point guard in high school, played just two games during the 2022 national title season due to injury

She has started 48 of 50 games the

put us in the position to make history,” Staley said. “You know, I love this class for that. They don’t get the credit, they don’t get the individual credit that they deserve. But they get the national spotlight because they win.”

Handling change

Just four games in, Utah’s year took a sudden turn when coach Lynne Roberts, who had led the team to the past three NCAA Tournaments, left to become coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks.

The Utes elevated assistant Gavin Petersen and barely missed a beat for another 20-win season and a fourth straight trip to the NCAAs.

Pels’ Geriot named head coach at Iona University

The New Orleans Pelicans are losing one of their assistant coaches. Dan Geriot, in his ﬁrst season as one of Willie Green’s assistants, has been named head coach at Iona University, three days after Tobin Anderson was ﬁred following two years on the job as Rick Pitino’s replacement.

The school announced the hiring Thursday morning. Geriot will begin his duties at Iona immediately, according to a source familiar with the hiring.

“I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work,” Geriot said in a press release from the school. “Iona has a strong basketball tradition and history of success and I look forward to being a part of it. Our goal is to build a team hat plays hard, competes at the highest level and makes our fans proud. I can’t wait to get started.”

Jackie Robinson’s story restored after DEI purge

An article highlighting the U.S. Army career of baseball legend

Jackie Robinson has been restored to the Department of Defense website. Its removal appeared to be related to the Trump administration’s stance against diversity, equity and inclusion.

Robinson, the Hall of Famer who broke baseball’s color barrier when he started at ﬁrst base for the Dodgers in 1947, was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served until 1944, achieving the rank of second lieutenant.

The article is one of at least 50 pieces that appear on the department’s site as part of a series titled “Sports Heroes Who Served.”

Written by David Vergun of DOD News and published on Feb. 9, 2021, the article recently disappeared from the site. The page displayed an error message, and the URL had been altered to include “DEI.”

Stars Clark, Reese set to play two prime-time games

Caitlin Clark and former LSU standout Angel Reese will have two of their WNBA games broadcast in prime time nationally for the ﬁrst time in league history

The June 7 and Aug. 9 games between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky will be shown on CBS. Both games are on Saturday night.

The WNBA will have more than 175 games broadcast across multiple platforms in the regular season, including 13 on ABC The network will have an opening weekend doubleheader of Las Vegas against New York and Chicago vs. Indiana on May 17.

Celtics sold for record $6.1B to private equity firm

BOSTON Private equity mogul William Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a deal that values the NBA’s reigning champions and the most-decorated franchise in league history at a minimum of $6.1 billion the largest price ever for American professional sports team. If the deal is approved by the NBA’s board of governors this summer, the sale would top the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023.

A Massachusetts native and graduate of Dartmouth College and Penn’s Wharton School of business, Chisholm is the managing partner of California-based Symphony Technology Group.

Stanford selected as U.S. captain for Solheim Cup

past two years. Hall has started all 50 games the past two seasons, although she’s averaged three fewer points this season (6.2) than a year ago as the Gamecocks became the ﬁrst undefeated champions in nearly a decade.

“It’s very exciting,” Hall said.

“It’s something I’ve thought about, but I try to keep present, stay in the moment.”

The group, which also included North Carolina State forward Saniya Rivers who left after the

2022 title, has been caught among some of the best and brightest Staley has brought into the program. As freshmen, they played behind between WNBA players Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke. Last year, it was 6-foot-7 forward Kamilla Cardoso and dynamic freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley gaining the headlines. Dawn Staley their coach, said this group had sacriﬁced the most for the benefit of the program when all three could’ve followed Rivers’ choice to ﬁnd success elsewhere.

“Because of their sacriﬁce, they

The Utes, seeded eighth in the Birmingham 2 Regional, will face ninth-seeded Indiana to start things on Friday

“This was not on my Bingo card,” Petersen said.

Or anyone elses, although junior forward Gianna Kneepkens thought the transition took place as smoothly as possible. The team knew Petersen’s style and demeanor, so hearing his voice in charge was not a dramatic change.

“It was obviously unexpected and it was a surprise to everybody,” Rhode Island transfer Maye Toure said. “But we already knew Gavin. But also we are a player-led program, so just keep the same mindset.”

Angela Stanford was introduced Thursday as the next U.S. captain of the Solheim Cup, leading a young core of Americans who are coming off a victory and will try to win the cup overseas for the ﬁrst time in more than a decade. Stanford was on the last American team that won away from home, in 2015 in Germany when Juli Inkster was at the helm She was an assistant on the last three teams, including what she calls a “massive” victory in Virginia last September

The 2026 matches will be held at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. Anna Nordqvist of Sweden had been selected captain for Europe.

Stanford, 47, has seven LPGA Tour victories, including her lone major in the 2018 Evian championship. She also played in 98 consecutive majors, the longest streak in LPGA history

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHRIS CARLSON South Carolina forward Sania Feagin celebrates after scoring against Texas in the second half of the SEC Tournament championship on March 9 in Greenville, S.C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ABBIE PARR Pelicans forward Zion Williamson dunks during the first half of a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

Rod Walker

No. 12 McNeese holds off Clemson

BY JIMMY GOLEN Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — McNeese coach

Will Wade and his boombox-toting manager are moving on in March Madness after the 12th-seeded Cowboys held off late-charging No. 5 seed Clemson 69-67 on Friday in the ﬁrst bracket buster of the NCAA Tournament.

Brando Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in a stifling first half, when the Southland Conference school from Lake Charles, Louisiana, held Clemson to 13 points After falling behind by as many as 24, the Tigers rallied, erasing most of a 12-point deficit in the final minute before running out of time. With its first NCAA Tournament victory, McNeese earned a secondround matchup on Saturday with fourth-seeded Purdue, a 75-63 winner over High Point.

Chris Shumate added 13 points and 11 rebounds for McNeese, which has been best-known this March for its viral, rapping manager and a renegade coach who has reportedly already lined up his next job at NC State.

The Wolfpack will have to wait at least another 48 hours, because Wade is still needed in Providence A 71/2-point underdog, McNeese (28-6) held the Tigers to one basket over almost eight minutes during a 17-2 ﬁrst-half run that turned a tie game into a 23-8 lead. After Clemson (27-7) scored the first three points of the second, the Cowboys ran off nine in a row and led by as many as 24 points.

Jaeden Zackery scored 24 points, Chase Hunter had 21 and Viktor Lakhin grabbed 10 rebounds for Clemson before fouling out with six minutes left in the game.

No. 1 HOUSTON 78, No. 16 SIU EDWARDSVILLE 40: In Wichita, Kansas, Milos Uzan scored 16 points, LJ Cryer added 15 and No. 1 seed Houston was able to rest up for the rest of the NCAA Tournament while romping past No. 16 seed SIU Edwardsville on Thursday in the ﬁrst round of the Midwest Region.

Ja’Vier Francis added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Big 12 champs, who will carry a 14-game winning streak into a second-round matchup with eighth-seeded Gonzaga or No. 9 seed Georgia Houston (31-4) has won 26 of 27 overall.

“I thought our defense and our

PORTAL

Continued from page 1C

his previous season at UT-Martin. Bailey, a Richmond transfer, was a good defender but a 25.7% 3-point shooter Entering the season, LSU ranked 63rd in the country in 247Sports transfer portal team rankings and was 14th in the SEC. The two teams behind it were South Carolina and Oklahoma. Each have a projected ﬁrst-round NBA draft pick in Collin Murray-Boyles and Jeremiah Fears, respectively

rebounding, two of the things we really emphasize, was good today,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Shot selection was really good to start the game — knocked some shots down, got off to a good start.”

No. 9 CREIGHTON 89, No. 8 LOUISVILLE

75: In Lexington, Kentucky, Jamiya Neal scored a career-high 29 points and had 12 rebounds, Steven Ashworth connected from well beyond the arc on the way to 22 points and ninth-seeded Creighton beat No. 8 seed Louisville on Thursday in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Greg McDermott’s Bluejays (25-10) won their fifth consecutive March Madness opener and beat a team ranked in the top 10 for the second time this season. Louisville (27-8), despite its unimpressive seeding, entered at No. 10 in the AP Top 25

“We felt like we had to win the 3-point-line battle,” McDermott said, “so we did what we could to force them into 2s, and if they shot 3s that they’d be challenged. I think for the most part we were able to do that.”

No. 6 BYU 80, No. 11 VCU 71:: In Denver, Igor Demin and Richie Saunders led BYU to an victory over VCU in the NCAA Tournament on

The Tigers’ portal misses were compounded by unexpected losses.

The team never had junior Tyrell Ward, who averaged nine points last season, as he stepped away to prioritize his mental health. It changed the starting lineup after junior Jalen Reed’s season-ending ACL tear on Dec. 3, inserting redshirt junior Daimion Collins.

After ﬁve games, LSU replaced 18-year-old freshman Robert Miller with redshirt freshman Corey Chest in the starting lineup. The Tigers reshuffled the starting group another six times in hopes of landing the right com-

Thursday giving first-year Cougars coach Kevin Young a better memory of Ball Arena than his last one. The former Suns assistant watched the Denver Nuggets bounce Phoenix from the playoffs at this arena in 2023, leading Young to say this week that he still has nightmares of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray It was Saunders (16 points) and Demin (15) who haunted VCU and propelled the sixth-seeded Cougars (25-9) into a Saturday showdown against third-seeded Wisconsin, which handled Montana earlier in the day in the East Region. No. 3 WISCONSIN 85, No. 14 MONTANA 66:: In Denver, Wisconsin backup forward Carter Gilmore made a sweet 3, then turned to the Montana fans and signaled for them to “shhhh.”

Back on defense, he took a charge from one Montana player, then altered another’s shot. By the time Gilmore’s flurry was over Thursday, the game pretty much was, too. The Badgers pulled away for their ﬁrst March Madness win in three years, over the Grizzlies.

“He’s a major key to our team,” said John Blackwell, who ﬁnished with 19 points and was one of ﬁve Badgers in double digits. “He’s a

bination during a seven-game losing streak.

LSU moved Sears to the bench sporadically and started freshman Curtis Givens 12 games as he averaged 4.8 points on 26.9% shooting.

Starting on Feb. 12, they experimented and found the most success with a four-guard starting group, helping the Tigers beat South Carolina and Oklahoma. After those wins, LSU closed the year on a six-game losing streak, lacking enough shot-making to keep up with the elite offenses of the SEC.

These changes were McMahon’s attempts to give his team

spark plug off the bench, a guy who’s always going to give us energy whether he gets 15 points or zero points.”

No. 1 AUBURN 83, ALABAMA ST 63: In Nashville Tennessee, Miles Kelly made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, All-American Johni Broome added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Auburn beat 16th-seeded Alabama State on Thursday in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament.

Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers (29-5) lasted one game in 2024, losing to Yale days after winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament This time, Auburn came in having lost three of four inside the powerpacked SEC with a resume still strong enough to earn the top overall seed among the four No. 1 teams.

Auburn will play No. 9 seed Creighton, an 89-75 winner over eighth-seeded Louisville, in the second round of the South Region on Saturday for a trip to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.

GONZAGA 89, GEORGIA 68: In Wichita, Kansas, Khalif Battle scored 24 points, Nolan Hickman had 18 and eighth-seeded Gonzaga routed Georgia in the ﬁrst round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday Braden Huff added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting as Gonzaga (26-8)

the best chance to win. Also true, these were moves of desperation to overcome the reality of having inferior talent.

LSU is 133rd in offensive rating on KenPom and, as of Thursday it ranks last in the SEC by 30 spots behind South Carolina.

When the transfer portal window ofﬁcially opens on March 24, McMahon and his staff have to study the landscape and acquire players who will be upgrades at all positions.

LSU is guaranteed to lose 52% of its scoring from just the players who are out of eligibility

Replenishing the team should

advanced to an intriguing secondround matchup with top-seeded Houston. The Cougars rolled to a 78-40 victory over SIU Edwardsville.

The Zags used a sharp, focused performance to move into the second round for the 22nd time since Mark Few took over as coach in 1999. They went 12 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% from the ﬁeld overall.

No. 2 TENNESSEE 77, NO. 15 WOFFORD 62: In Nashville, Tennessee, Chaz Lanier scored 29 points on 11-of22 shooting and No. 2 seed Tennessee never trailed in a victory over Wofford on Thursday night that sent the Volunteers to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. Coach Rick Barnes’ Vols (28-7) will play either No. 7 seed UCLA or 10th-seeded Utah State on Saturday in the Midwest Region as they try to reach a third straight Sweet 16.

Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 12 assists. He became Tennessee’s career assist leader after setting the single-season record for assists at the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

No. 4 TEXAS A&M 80, No. 13 YALE 71: In Denver, Texas A&M snuffed out hope of another Ivy League upset Thursday, sending Yale back to class with a victory behind a career-high 25 points along with 10 rebounds from big man Pharrel Payne in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-seeded Aggies (23-10) were on a lot of “upset watch” lists, thanks mainly to going against a Yale team some thought might be even better than the one that pulled off a first-round shocker last year against Auburn. But an upper-division team from the best conference in the country, the Southeastern, proved too much for the Yalies.

ARKANSAS 79, KANSAS 72: In Providence, Rhode Island, Jonas Aidoo scored 22 points to help 10th-seeded Arkansas to a opening-round NCAA Tournament victory over No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday night in the latest meeting between two of college basketball’s winningest coaches. Johnell Davis added 18 points, including some crucial late free throws, to help John Calipari to his ﬁrst tournament victory as Razorbacks coach. Freshman standout Boogie Fland played for the ﬁrst time since having right thumb surgery in January and scored six points in 24 minutes. Arkansas will get either No. 2 seed St. John’s or No. 15 Omaha in the second round of the West Region on Saturday

be achievable as The Advocate reported McMahon will have additional NIL funding.

An amazing haul in the portal doesn’t guarantee greatness — Indiana missed the tournament and was second in the 247Sports portal rankings but the more talent a team has, the more opportunity a coach has to mold it.

If LSU doesn’t maximize its recruiting efforts along with proper retention, it won’t just be home watching the NCAA Tournament from the couch for a fourth straight year it will once again be the doormat of an elite conference.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

McNeese State head coach Will Wade calls to his players during the first half of their first-round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday in Providence, R.I.

Tulane looking for solid footing vs. Wichita St.

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Having played ﬁve weekend series against opponents with a combined record of 33-66, the Tulane baseball team (15-6) enters American Athletic Conference play unsure of where it stands.

Wobbly or not, the Green Wave will have to pick up the pace to secure its ﬁrst regular season championship since 2016 in a league that has exceeded outside expectations despite the uncharacteristic struggles of its two projected favorites. A year after ranking an all-time low 12th in conference RPI, the AAC was sixth as of Thursday and was even ﬁfth at the end of last weekend, trailing only the four power leagues

“I’d certainly feel a whole heck of a lot better if we were operating on better cylinders going into it,” Tulane coach Jay Uhlman said “The record serves well for conﬁdence, but we’re clearly not putting it all together right now.”

The Wave opens with Wichita State (7-12) which was picked sec-

LSU

Continued from page 1C

“Sydney is incredible; no matter what is happening, she has so many pitches she can work with she always fights through it,” Bergeron said.

“She’s always evolving, working on her pitches, where she’s throwing them. And she studies the game exceptionally well. She studies the hitters and watches hours and hours of ﬁlm on the hitters she’s going to face. She hasn’t added pitches, just developed the ones she has.”

LSU coach Beth Torina, formerly a college pitcher at Florida and the team’s pitching guru, said Berzon’s performance has been building over the past two years A Buffalo, N.Y., native who won two state titles at Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she brought a unique ability to spin a softball.

“Herbestpitchisprobablyadrop ball, although she might argue with me on it,” Torina said. “She has the phenomenal ability to throw it with perfect spin down and perfect spin up, which is as rare as you can ﬁnd in the game. The combination of up and down is truly unheard of. I’ve never been around somebody that can do that with a softball. Most coaches would say the same. “And then there’s her change of

DUNCAN

Continued from page 1C

Napravnik set the record for single-meet wins with 125 in 20122013. With the meet ending this weekend, Ortiz won’t threaten Napravnik’s benchmark but he has a chance to hit his personal goal of 100 wins.

“He’s riding with a lot of conﬁdence and is really in a groove,” trainer Wayne Catalano said “The best jockeys are the ones that make the fewest mistakes, and he makes very few mistakes.” Ortiz had ridden intermittently at Fair Grounds throughout his career prior to this year but never at the meet as a full-time

ond to East Carolina in the coaches’ preseason poll. The Shockers have suffered some shocking losses, including a 27-12 defeat last Friday at Louisiana Tech, but they took Tulane to the ninth inning of the 2024 AAC Tournament championship game before falling on Jackson Linn’s walk-off home run.

Four-time reigning regular-season champion East Carolina (12-9) has scufﬂed a bit, too. The Pirates dropped their ﬁrst three weekend series and were below .500 until going 5-0 last week.

The league’s unexpected strength has come from Florida Atlantic (17-4), which was picked sixth out of 10 teams, and UAB (14-7), which was picked eighth.

That twosome and South Florida, which was tabbed seventh, boast the strongest RPIs while favorites East Carolina, Wichita State and Tulane all are outside the top 100.

Tulane needs to be sharper at the plate and in the ﬁeld. Starting with a rough trip to Pepperdine on the third weekend, the Wave is batting .246 while registering double-digit

hit totals only three times in 14 games. Its ﬁelding percentage of .962 ranks 197th out of 299 Division I teams. Its 29 errors through 21 games are nearly halfway to the total of 59 in 62 games a year ago.

“We know that baseball is going to have its up and downs,” second baseman Connor Rasmussen said. “That’s part of the game.”

Those numbers counterbalance a team ERA of 4.50 that is the nation’s 65th best and was even better before a 14-4 loss to Lamar on Tuesday night. Friday starter Luc Fladda (1-1, 4.40) had his best outing of the year a week ago, limiting Xavier of Ohio to two runs in seven innings with nine strikeouts.

The status of Saturday starter Trey Cehajic (3-1, 2.57) is uncertain after he sat out last weekend because of unspeciﬁed soreness. He threw 105 pitches in his previous outing.

“We feel good about his ability to respond, but if we have to push him back again, then we’ll push him back,” Uhlman said. “The good thing is we have enough arms to get through the weekend if he can’t go.”

speed She has a lot of pitches, a lot of different speeds, changeups that really keep people off balance.” Torina said on top of that her competitive instincts are just starting to kick in.

“She understands how to win,” Torina said. “It’s being in a lot of moments and understanding how to make big pitches. She’s always working on improving her location and putting pitches in good spots. She understands how to win the big game. She’s been in a ton of them, and she’ll be in a bunch

member of the jockey colony

After moving his family from New York to Kentucky last year, he quickly realized the regular Churchill Downs-to-Fair Grounds circuit would be best for his business, allowing him to maintain the network of horsemen connections he’d established in Louisville.

Ortiz has accomplished just about everything possible in his 14-year riding career He’s won six Breeders Cup races. He was the leading rider on the New York racing circuit in 2016, 2020 and 2021. He topped the jockey standings at Saratoga three times, in 2016, 2017 and 2019. He won the Preakness in 2022 aboard Early Voting and the Belmont in 2017 on Tapwrit.

One feat, though, has eluded

more.” As far as arguing with Torina, that never happens. In three seasons Torina said she hasn’t had a single pitch call shaken off. “I do have an idea of what I want to throw but it normally syncs up with coach,” Berzon said with a smile. “I have this unwavering trust. I know when she’s calling a pitch, there’s a reason. I study ﬁlm but I know she studies double, if not triple, what I see. She’s trying to give me the best option she can in the moment, so I go with it. I trust her.”

him: the Kentucky Derby In nine career Derby mounts, his best ﬁnish was second on Good Magic in 2018. His best chance this year might be on Built, a Catalano trainee who is the 4-1, second choice in the Louisiana Derby on Saturday Built is seventh in the latest Kentucky Derby standings with 35 qualifying points and can punch his ticket for Churchill Downs with a top placing on Saturday

“He’s got Derby points and is a really nice horse,” Ortiz said. “I’m looking forward to riding him.”

If it doesn’t happen for Ortiz this year, he knows his Derby hopes have only been enhanced by his move to New Orleans.

The Fair Grounds meet, with its

Another injured player, right ﬁelder Matthias Haas, likely will be ready to play after hitting his head diving for a ﬂy ball on Tuesday and leaving the game at the end of the half-inning.

“When I got out there (to check on him) he had a big knot on his head,” Uhlman said. “He did know

CURIEL

Continued from page 1C

He wants him to have roughly four meals and two snacks a day

Curiel’s not used to doing any of that.

“The ﬁrst thing (Martin) asks me before I work out, he’s like, ‘What have you ate today?’ And I have to tell him,” Curiel said. “And if it’s not enough, then he gets pretty mad at me. So I’ve got to make sure that I eat on the good schedule.”

Curiel’s from California, so the one meal he doesn’t need to be convinced to eat is a burger from InN-Out Burger During LSU’s trip to Arlington and Frisco, Texas, he went to In-N-Out four times.

But Curiel’s also becoming more accustomed to having Louisiana cuisine. His girlfriend is from New Orleans and his roommates are Baton Rouge native William Schmidt and Luling native Mikey Ryan — so he’s had king cake and has learned what boudin balls are too.

He also likes crawﬁsh, shrimp and clams. Yes, broils exist in California as well.

“Before, I was a little more picky,” Curiel said. “But I’ve opened it up a little bit.”

Gaining weight has become such an emphasis for Curiel in part because he does almost everything else well on the ﬁeld. He has the

highly successful Kentucky Derby prep series, is a perfect means to the end. Ortiz receives the ﬁrst call for trainer Cherie DeVaux’s powerhouse stable and is also riding regularly for top trainers like Steve Asmussen, Phil Bauer, Joe Sharp, Brad Cox, Brendan Walsh and Mike Maker It seems like only a matter of time until he scores his ﬁrst garland of roses.

“At this point, we’re trying to ride as many prep races as we can and then if you get three, four horses Amen! you have to make a decision,” Ortiz said.

“That’s a good thing. But the one thing we don’t want is to not have any (Derby prospects).”

A noted workaholic, Ortiz hasn’t had much free time to enjoy New Orleans. In the limited free time,

speed

and

“Luckily, he wasn’t 25 pounds heavier prior to coming here,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It would have been probably hard to keep (him here if he was).”

Packing on the pounds is what should catapult Curiel’s game to the next level, allowing him to hit for more power He only has one home run, but has blasted eight doubles and two triples.

The additional weight will also help him stay healthy He hasn’t gotten hurt this season, but being stronger should help him survive the grind of playing in his first year in the SEC.

“With the extra muscle, it helps absorb the shock of all the games we play,” Curiel said. “... And I thank Chris for that, because Chris has done a great job with that for all of us.”

As LSU’s leadoff hitter, Curiel has been one of the Tigers’ best hitters. It’s hard to beat a 1.210 onbase plus slugging percentage. But if he adds a couple more pounds, maybe he can.

“Some guys are born to play baseball, and born to line up the barrel with a baseball,” Johnson said. “He’s one of those guys.” Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@ theadvocate.com.

he has had away from the track, he’s tried to visit some of the city’s top restaurants.

Earlier this month, his wife, Taylor, a former jockey and the daughter of longtime New York-based trainer Linda Rice, and their three children, Leilani, Derek and Nikolai, visited for the ﬁnal Mardi Gras weekend, but the family’s ﬁrst Mardi Gras experience was limited to Lundi Gras.

“It’s been a great experience so far,” Ortiz said. “I deﬁnitely hope to come back next year I love it here. It feels like home.”

Great news for horse racing fans. Bad news for the other jockeys.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

FILE PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS

LSU’s starting pitcher Sydney Berzon chats with head coach Beth Torina in the ﬁrst inning a game against Virginia Tech on Feb 16 in Tiger Park

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

TTulane coach Jay Uhlman gives directions to his team in a game against Southern Miss. on April 23 at Turchin Stadium. Tulane is set to open AAC play on Friday.

New Orleans Forecast

Your Local Weather Experts

Brother Martin’s Tingstrom shuts down Holy Cross Right-hander

helps Crusaders complete two-game sweep

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Brother Martin right-hander

Blaise Tingstrom returned to the mound with a comfortable lead and a chance to secure a seven-inning shutout Thursday at KirschRooney Stadium.

The closest he came to allowing a run came in the fourth, when Holy Cross put runners on second and third with none out.

The next batter put down a bunt, and Tingstrom used his glove hand to scoop up the baseball and gave it an underhand toss to the catcher for a tag-out at home.

“I couldn’t get it to my hand, so my second option was to throw with my glove,” Tingstrom said. “Made the play It was a big play at that moment.”

Brother Martin led by one run at that moment and went on to secure a 5-0 victory that completed a twogame district series sweep of Holy Cross

Tingstrom, who got the next two batters out with a strikeout and a groundout, struck out nine and walked two. He allowed ﬁve hits — four of them singles. He pitched into the seventh inning but allowed a single and a walk to start the inning.

Sophomore reliever Nolan Amato relieved Tingstrom and got the next batter to ground into a double play The ﬁnal batter hit a groundout to third baseman Cole Navarro.

Tingstrom used a good mix of pitches to get the win.

“We were landing the curveball and slider good,” Tingstrom said.

“I don’t throw that hard, so when I can mix in pitches and come back with the fastball, it’s a little bit harder.”

Tingstrom, whose brother Jude is a senior pitcher for Brother Martin, has held various pitching roles for Brother Martin during his time on the varsity

“He’s been a flex guy,” coach

Jeff Lupo said “He started some games and came in relief. He’s got one of the best arms that we have.

We felt it was a really good matchup for him to throw against them today.”

Tingstrom said Brother Martin pitching coach Adam Durand con-

ducts several pitcher ﬁelding drills to have him ready to make the play like he did against Holy Cross.

“Our pitching coach, coach Adam, actually rolls the ball, and we got to run,” Tingstrom said.

“It’s called do or die. We were trained for that. You never know what you’re going to get in these

intense Catholic League games.” Holy Cross coach Kal Bonura said Tingstrom threw “a breaking ball whenever it was a big pitch, and he was able to land it. Their catcher (Egan Prather) does a really good job making every pitch look like a strike.”

The Brother Martin offense

struck first in the third inning when Brady McCluskey singled in a run for a 1-0 lead. Ryan Darrah, an Arizona State signee, homered for the third time in four games — his two-run shot in the ﬁfth inning made it 3-0 Brother Martin scored two unearned runs in the sixth on a pair of errors with two outs. For Holy Cross, sophomore Greg Ruiz doubled to put runners on second and third with none out in the fourth For other batters each singled once.

Tingstrom especially enjoyed the win because it came against his father’s alma mater Tommy Tingstrom — Blaise and Jude’s father — pitched for Holy Cross.

“It was a really fun game,” Tingstrom said. “My dad went there. A little personal behind the win, you know? So it’s always good to win and we got to keep rolling.” Brother Martin (15-5 4-0 District 9-5A) will resume district play against John Curtis in a game that is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Harahan Playground. Holy Cross (17-2, 2-2) will face Jesuit in the opener of a series set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Jesuit’s John Ryan Stadium.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Hannan’s Timmons named Gatorade La. Player of Year

Navy signee recently led Hawks to state title

BY JOSEPH HALM Staff writer

Hannan senior forward Drew Timmons ended his high school career with two state championships. Now he has some more hardware to add to his trophy case and a little more Hannan history

Timmons was named the Gatorade Louisiana Boys Basketball Player of the Year on Thursday

He’s the first Hannan player to earn that honor “It’s deﬁnitely special,” Timmons said. “It was always in the back of my mind, but I was never really too focused on it during the season. But then, after the season, I started to think about it. It’s just a very special award.”

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Navy signee led the Hawks to a 26-7 record and the LHSAA Division II select state championship just the second in school history

Timmons averaged 21.4 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game, and he capped his season with 22 points and four rebounds in a 59-55 win over Shaw in the state ﬁnal on March 15.

A three-time first-team AllState selection, he concluded his prep basketball career with 2,910 points and 1,491 rebounds.

“Drew is a great kid, and he is clearly the best player in Louisiana this year that I’ve seen,” said Country Day coach Mike McGuire in a news release. “He’s the reason for their success this year and, really since he’s been in eighth grade. He’s smart, fundamentally sound, tough and a great leader for them.” Previous winners include Ponchatoula’s Allen Grace, Newman’s Chris Lockett and Carver’s

Solomon Washington the past three seasons. Timmons helped lead the Hawks to their first basketball state title as a freshman in 2022. After back-to-back quarterfinal losses as a sophomore and junior, the Hawks claimed their second state crown this past season.

Timmons was also named the Louisiana MaxPreps High School Basketball Player of the Year on Wednesday

“It feels great knowing that I’ll leave a legacy behind at Hannan,” Timmons said. “Just ﬁnishing my high school career out doing stuff that no one has ever done at Hannan is special. Before I got here, we had never won a playoff game on this campus, so to build it up from that to two state championships is deﬁnitely something special.” Hannan coach Errol Gauff said Timmons, who started for him in eighth grade, never stopped improving his game.

“As talented as Drew is, he put in

a lot of sacriﬁces to work extra to develop himself as a player,” Gauff said. “The team success is always first, but now that the season is over, the individual awards are something special. The key to his success has been all the hard work that he put in.”

Timmons joins Salmen’s Chris Duhon, who won the award in 2000, as the only other St. Tammany Parish player to earn the honor Gauff credited Timmons’ versatility he led the Hawks in steals last season — for his success.

“He’s able to affect the game as more than just a low-post player,” Gauff said. “Whether it is as a driver, cutter or passer, the fact that he can do all those things is a big reason why I think he is garnering these postseason awards. I’m glad people are realizing just how versatile he is on the basketball court on offense and defense.”

Contact Joseph Halm at jhalm@ sttammanyfarmer.net.

FILE PHOTO By MATT DOBBINS Hannan senior Drew Timmons dunks as John F Kennedy’s Joseph Bernardez attempts to block him during the Hannan Hoops Classic championship game on Dec. 30.

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Brother Martin’s Blaise Tingstrom pitches against Holy Cross on Thursday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium.

n The Italian American St Joseph Society takes to the streets of the CBD and the French Quarter at 6 p.m. Saturday for the ST JOSEPH’S DAY PARADE, starting and ending at the Hilton Riverside New Orleans, 2 Poydras St. The annual street procession, with Caesar Dr Darrell Sanfilippo Bourg and Queen Sophia Elizabeth Maraldo, works its way to Canal Street, heads into the quarter on Chartres Street and out on Royal Street, then returns to the hotel. On Friday, the society stages the annual PASTA PARTY at noon at the hotel with the traditional pasta con le sarde. italianamericansociety.org.

The magic word

N.O. magician will try to trick Penn & Teller on television

BY LESLIE CARDÉ

Contributing writer

It all began when 5-year-old Michael Dardant received a magic kit from Santa under the Christmas tree.

Once he learned all the tricks, he did a show in his backyard for the neighborhood kids. He was hooked.

“I knew early on I had an afﬁnity for the art of magic, and entertaining generally,” Dardant explained. “So, I began augmenting my skill set by acquiring other performance-based skills, like juggling and acting

n Get ready to suck the heads and pinch the tails! The LOUISIANA CRAWFISH FESTIVAL in St. Bernard Parish, celebrating a 50th anniversary, will run through Sunday at the Frederick Sigur Civic Center on W. Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. Food, entertainment, carnival rides, arts and crafts and more are all part of the quintessential south Louisiana celebration that focuses on the tasty crawfish and its many uses. The fest is open 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission starts at $10. louisianacrawfishfestival.com.

n Keeping up with a crazy parade season, the LOUISIANA IRISH-ITALIAN PARADE rolls down the traditional Veterans Memorial Boulevard route in Metairie Sunday at noon, starting at Clearview City Center and ending at Martin Berhman Drive. Floats, marching clubs and bands will celebrate the rich heritage of Italy and Ireland in the greater New Orleans area. Ricky Templet and Charles Marsala are grand marshals. lairish-italian.org

“I don’t know that as a teenager I ever consciously said to myself that I could make a living doing this, but during my high school years, I was heavily into speech and debate tournaments, and to pay for the travel, I did magic shows on the weekends a lot of sleight-ofhand, roaming around table to table in restaurants.”

He eventually made a career of it. On Friday, Dardant will realize a longtime dream when he appears on “Fool Us,” the show from the legendary Penn & Teller that challenges the duo to ﬁgure out how guest magicians accomplish their tricks. The show airs at 7 p.m. Central on the CW.

Paris-born, Louisiana-raised Dardant lives in the Lake Vista neighborhood of New Orleans, but he was born in France to a French father and a Frenchteacher mom from Metairie who traveled to Paris to soak up the culture. Michael and the family lived in France for the next ﬁve years. Upon returning to America, they settled in Cajun country, outside of New Iberia, where Michael grew up. By high school graduation, he had honed

New groove

Ed Sheeran debuts new song in N.O. with a surprise parade and the Soul Rebels

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

Ed Sheeran popped into New Orleans on Saturday to premiere a new song, “Azizam,” on the streets of the French Quarter with a little help from the Soul Rebels.

At 11 a.m., the pop star emerged from a black SUV with tinted windows parked across from Jackson Square on Decatur Street in front of Washington Artillery Park. Normally street performers entertain tourists seated on the steps of the park’s small amphitheater But the couple hundred Sheeran fans who had either deciphered his social media clues about a surprise event in New Orleans — or just happened to be in the right place at the right time — got a very dif-

ED SHEERAN

ferent kind of show

Armed with a microphone attached to a small amplifier with wheels — and bedeviled by brisk wind whipping the pink, heartshaped helium balloon tethered to the ampliﬁer back and forth in his

BY SAMANTHA MASUNAGA Los Angeles Times (TNS)

face — Sheeran explained that he was about to play “Azizam” publicly for the ﬁrst time.

“We’re gonna do one song here — we’re ﬁlming a bit of content and then we’re going to do a parade and walk down and play some songs, if you want to come with us,” Sheeran announced to the seated crowd.

“I’ve got a new song coming in a couple weeks that no one’s heard. This will be the ﬁrst time it’s ever been played live. We’ll play it once now and then we’ll walk down, play some songs that you know, and I’ll play this song again.

“Thanks for coming out. It’s nice to be back here.”

Turning to the Soul Rebels, he said, “Shall we give it a whirl?”

PROVIDED PHOTO By CAITLyN RIDENOUR

Ed Sheeran performs with the Soul Rebels during a surprise mini-parade in the French Quarter of New Orleans on Saturday. During the event, Sheeran debuted a new song,‘Azizam.’

Dardant

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, March 21, the 80th day of 2025. There are 285 days left in the year

Today in history

On March 21, 1965, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev Martin Luther King Jr began their third attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama this time under the escort of U.S. Army and National Guard troops assigned by President Lyndon B. Johnson.

On this date:

In 1963, the United States closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary; more than 1,500 inmates had been jailed at the island prison off the coast of San Francisco over its three decades of use.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Summer Olympic games in Moscow because of the Soviet Union’s failure to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.

In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule. In 2012, meting out unprecedented punishment for a bounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for the coming season and indeﬁnitely banned the team’s former defensive coordinator; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell ﬁned the Saints $500,000 and took away two draft picks.

Today’s birthdays: Football Hall of Fame coach Tom Flores is 88. Actor Timothy Dalton is 79. Actor Gary Oldman is 67. Actor Matthew Broderick is 63. Comedian-actor Rosie O’Donnell is 63. Former soccer player

Ronaldinho is 45. Actor Sonequa Martin-Green is 40. Actor Scott Eastwood is 39. Tennis player

Karolína Plíšková is 33. Actor Jasmin Savoy Brown is 31. Actor Jace Norman is 25.

SHEERAN

Continued from page 1D

With that, the Soul Rebels conjured a brassy arrangement of “Azizam.” Sheeran, in a tie-dyed T-shirt, blue-gray cargo pants and Nike sneakers, threw himself into the task at hand, undeterred by the wind and the amp’s sonic limitations.

After “Azizam,” with sheriff’s deputies blocking the street and bodyguards maintaining a space for Sheeran to sing, the procession started down Decatur past Café du Monde.

Backed by the Soul Rebels and pulling the amp like a piece of luggage, Sheeran sang “I Don’t Care” as his ﬁlm crew recorded the scene. He paused to slap highﬁves as fans and photographers pressed in close. He continued onward with “Don’t.”

As the procession turned onto Dumaine Street, he and the Soul Rebels reprised “Azizam.” Halfway down the 500 block of Dumaine, he stopped to thank the fans and the Soul Rebels. “We’re going to play one more song, you’re going to know what it is,” he declared “Let’s have a singsong.”

The Soul Rebels’ drummers then counted off the intro to Sheeran’s smash “Shape of You.”

When the song was over, Sheeran bro-hugged each musician before his bodyguards hustled him into the back of an Orleans Parish sheriff’s department SUV It sped away with him barely 25 minutes

after he’d ﬁrst appeared on Decatur Street.

Fan shares special memory

The fans who had followed Sheeran on the streets will be able to bask in this only-in-New Orleans moment. But one fan came away with an even more special memory

Grayton Hoffman is an 11-yearold Sheeran super-fan with Down syndrome. One of his birthday parties was Sheeran-themed.

Hoffman made his ﬁrst communion on April 29, 2023, the same day Sheeran headlined the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Going to the Jazz Fest show that afternoon was Hoffman’s first communion present

So after his mother, Cherisse Hoffman, saw a Sheeran social media post about the pop-up event, she brought her son to Decatur Street with an acoustic guitar in hand

Before Sheeran first emerged from the SUV to start the performance at Washington Artillery Park, he spotted Hoffman with his guitar A bodyguard fetched the guitar and passed it to Sheeran in the back seat of the SUV Sheeran then had his bodyguard summon Cherisse to the SUV to check the spelling of Grayton’s name. Sheeran autographed the guitar with, “Grayton, play this guitar!

He then invited Grayton into the SUV’s front seat to take a snapshot with him.

Sheeran himself didn’t play any guitar on the streets of New Orleans on Saturday But he made memories for fans nonetheless.

MAGICIAN

Continued from page 1D

his magic act, and when thinking about college, wanted to major in theater

“But, at LSU they wanted me to take a bunch of liberal arts classes,” remembered Dardant. “I was already performing, not just as a magician. I could also act or do juggling or work as an M.C. and make a living doing entertainment.” He loved what he was doing, and decided he didn’t need a degree.

A regular on the circuit

Over the next 30 years, Dardant, while living in the French Quarter and performing around the country would become a regular on the contestant circuit worldwide, racking up awards left and right. His extraordinary domestic achievements qualiﬁed him for the World Championships of Magic in Italy, back in 2015.

He placed in the top 10 globally in the “Parlour Magic” category which means magic performed for larger audiences than close-up, but smaller than stage magic which often includes giant illusions and apparatus.

Dardant’s style has been described as the perfect combination of sleight-of-hand and comedy According to card whiz Shin Lim, a fellow magician who came to world attention after winning “America’s Got Talent” years back, ‘Very rarely do we see a performer who can execute both skills well.’”

As for Dardant’s comedy-infused magic, he honed his shtick in that arena by hanging out with comedians over the years and performing at open mics.

“I’ve done some of the comedy

‘SNOW WHITE’

Continued from page 1D

the mandatory two years in the Israeli army

All of these issues are colliding ahead of the ﬁlm’s theatrical opening Friday, a high-stakes debut for Burbank-based Disney The movie, which reportedly cost $250 million to make before marketing expenses, is the latest in the company’s mostly successful strategy of rebooting animated classics.

In the Disney vault, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” Walt Disney’s ﬁrst full-length animated feature ﬁlm, is considered among the fairest of them all.

But now it becomes the latest Disney redo to go through the culture war buzzsaw Previously, actor Halle Bailey, who is Black and starred in the 2023 “Little Mermaid” remake, faced racist backlash after being cast as Ariel, who was White in the 1989 animated ﬁlm.

The company has frequently been a tinderbox: for diverse casting in its “Star Wars” franchise and for its opposition to antiLGBTQ+ legislation in Florida, which led to a prolonged battle with Gov Ron DeSantis. Disney has also been on the receiving end of intense conservative criticism over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

“Disney is now the most storied brand in America; if you are that, you have a target on your forehead,” said Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. “This is not the little animation outfit Walt Disney created. When you’re a mega-corporation every single issue you deal with is part of a globally interlinked hor-

Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In “Fool Us” magicians perform a trick in front of the live audience, while Penn & Teller attempt to unravel how the trick is done. Most often the duo can ﬁgure out the trick, but occasionally, they’re stumped.

Does he fool them and win the trophy? His lips are sealed, so we’ll have to wait and see. But, he did agree to give a hint of what the trick is about.

“I’m doing a bit with imaginary cards,” Dardant explained. “I try to fool them with a deck of cards that doesn’t exist.”

On Friday Dardant will watch the show from his home in Lake Vista, along with his photographer wife and a houseful of “talented, smart cats” who have their own YouTube channel.

clubs, as the magic component catches people off-guard,” said Dardant. “If you’re doing standup, you have a matter of seconds to win the crowd over, but if you’re doing a trick, you can keep people for a minute or two as the trick evolves, allowing you time to strike up a rapport with the audience.”

A lifetime’s dream Within the magic world, Dardant has long admired stage magicians David Copperﬁeld and Lance Burton, who headlined Las Vegas for three decades. The comedy duo of Penn & Teller has always intrigued him. Ironically, after seeing their performance at The Saenger Theatre many years ago, he attempted to meet them backstage, but inadvertently got locked out of the theater upon trying to reenter Their long-running television show, “Fool Us,” tapes from the stage of their residency at the

ribly complex map that you can’t avoid.”

Disney will host a Hollywood premiere this weekend for the ﬁlm at its El Capitan Theatre, though there will be no press line to interview actors along the red carpet. (Journalists will, however be in attendance at the premiere.)

Disney did not make executives available to comment.

How this myriad of issues will inﬂuence the box ofﬁce performance of “Snow White” is an open question, analysts and industry experts said. If the movie is good enough, it could cut through the cultural noise. Critics’ reviews have not been published yet.

“Do they actually have a terriﬁc movie?” Galloway said “If they do, it will obliterate all the other concerns. If they don’t, it’ll feed the narrative.”

Live-action remakes of Disney’s animated ﬁlms have become a cornerstone of the studio’s ﬁlm strategy

“Snow White” is currently tracking for a $50 million opening weekend at the box office in the U.S. and Canada, according to people who have reviewed pre-release audience surveys. That figure is below average compared with Disney’s past live-action remakes, according to analysts. But that may be due to the older nature of the film’s intellectual property, rather than the current controversies, said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at movie ticket seller Fandango and founder of tracking site Box Office Theory

Many previous live-action remakes, such as 2019’s “Lion King” (which had a $191.8 million domestic opening), 2017’s “Beauty and the Beast” ($174.8 million), 2023’s “The Little Mermaid” ($95.6 million) and 2019’s “Alad-

“Magic Mike” as he’s known in the industry (which predated the “Magic Mike” movies by over a decade, and caused so much confusion that Dardant’s YouTube channel is now called #NotThatMagicMike), he has some aspirational magic plans for the city of New Orleans. Performing last year at Hollywood’s famous “Magic Castle,” he wants to open a magic club here, in a city that currently has no place for the world’s clever conjurers to perform.

“I want to own a club where not only can I perform but I can book magicians that I’ve met from all over the world, bringing the crème de la crème of magic to New Orleans,” said Dardant.

Dardant will make his appearance at 7 p.m. Central on Friday on the CW Magic lovers can hardly wait.

Contact Leslie Cardé at lesliecardejournalist@gmail. com.

din” ($91.5 million) were based on animated ﬁlms released in the late 1980s and early ’90s — part of the so-called Disney Renaissance period. Those efforts appealed to the nostalgia of millennials and Gen X moviegoers, many of whom now have children of their own Robbins said.

Another success — 2010’s “Alice in Wonderland,” which brought in $116 million in its opening weekend had the benefit of being one of Disney’s early live-action remakes.

Despite Snow White’s presence at Disney theme parks, the character and her story may be less recognizable to a younger audience, Robbins said.

“That’s probably going to play into the generational appeal that is usually a factor for other remakes on the Disney side,” he said. Though, “there’s no question that some of the other narratives that have developed around ‘Snow White’ over the last year or so aren’t helping matters.”

But even a poorer performance from “Snow White” won’t halt Disney’s live-action plans. The company is preparing to release a liveaction version of “Lilo and Stitch” in May, and has also announced a remake of the 2016 animated ﬁlm “Moana.”

“Snow White” has little competition right now in the family ﬁlm market: Warner Bros Pictures will release “Minecraft,” based on the gaming franchise, in April. Other options for children earlier this year included Universal Pictures’ “Dog Man” and StudioCanal’s “Paddington in Peru,” which was distributed by Sony

“There is something to be said that family movies have been holding up the box ofﬁce recently in the last few months,” Robbins said.

PROVIDED PHOTO New Orleans magician Michael Dardant poses in front of a poster advertising Penn & Teller’s show.

STAFF PHOTO By KEITH SPERA

Ed Sheeran performs with the Soul Rebels on Dumaine Street during a surprise mini-parade in the French Quarter on Saturday.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Participate in events conducive to meeting new people and exploring possibilities that can change your perspective. Set a routine that offers mental, physical and emotional stimulation and enjoy the outcome.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Change begins with you and your choices. Consider your lifestyle and what you can do to improve your situation. Think outside the box and pick what makes you feel good about yourself. It's OK to be different.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Emotions will surface, causing you to question your relationships, pastimes and frequent haunts. The time to switch things up to suit your needs is now. Align yourself with people heading in a similar direction.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) When one door closes, another opens. Look for the door that leads to peace and happiness. Take control of your destiny and concentrate on what interests you most.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy where it brings the highest returns. Speak up, show interest and follow through with vim and vigor. Your showmanship will put you in a position that warrants attention.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take a chance and discover what's possible. Mulling over whether to do something doesn't count as doing it. Challenge yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Rethink your

pursuits and manage your relationships with care. Not everyone you know is looking out for your best interests. Don't be fooled by someone's charm or unrealistic promises.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take a moment to consider your plans. Don't take a risk that can harm your reputation or emotional or physical well-being. Review the past and learn from your mistakes.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick close to home and loved ones. Tally up your overhead costs, and you'll discover a way to cut corners. A work-related alternative will help bring in extra cash.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pick up the pace, speak your peace and adjust your lifestyle to fulfill your heart's desire. Refuse to let someone call the shots or push you in a direction that doesn't suit your needs.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Set boundaries, standards and rules to live by. Harness your strong points and use your skills to reach your goal. Settling for less to appease someone else will lead to disappointment and regret.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Think big but live within your means, and you'll discover how to fulfill your personal and financial needs. Distance yourself from people who set poor examples or tempt you to be frivolous.

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

toDAy's cLuE: D EQuALs B

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe peAnUtS

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

Ann Landers offered the advice that if you want to catch a trout, don’t fish in a herring barrel. The segue from that to this deal is thin But South is in four hearts. West leads the club queen. How should declarer plan the play? What were West’s more effective opening leads?

North’s rebid was a double negative, showing a very weak hand, choosing either two no-trump or three clubs, according to partnership preference Here, South would have done better to sign off in three no-trump.

South starts with four potential losers: two spades and two diamonds. He has only nine winners: six hearts, one diamond and two clubs.

Probably there is an instinct to play a heart to dummy’s nine, followed by a diamond to the queen. However, when the finesse loses, if West now returns his remaining trump (or shifts to spades and East leads a trump in time), South’s contract is, as the British phrase it, kippered(fromthenoun“kipper,”asmoked herring).

The diamond queen is a red-card herring. After South takes the first trick, he should cash his diamond ace and play anotherdiamond.Thedefenderscanwin, cash two spades and shift to a trump, but declarer takes that in his hand, ruffs the diamondqueenwithdummy’sheartnine (getting a seventh trump trick), crosses back to hand with a spade ruff or a club, draws trumps and claims.

Previous answers:

The contract can be defeated if West leads a trump, or if he starts with a spade and East switches to a trump at trick two or three. Then, when South concedes a diamond, the defense plays a second trump to deny dummy a ruff. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield B.C.

PiCKles

hidato

mallard

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.

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

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

roSe

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

COLLIER

ASSISTANT CLERK OF COUNCIL

PUBLICATION DATE: March 21, 2025

NOCP 8246

OFFICIAL NOTICE CAL. NO. 35,009

EXHIBIT 1

COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, AND UNITED WAYOFSOUTHEAST LOUISIANA [COVER PAGE]

COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT BY AND BETWEEN THE CITYOFNEW ORLEANS AND UNITED WAYOFSOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FOR HOME FOR GOOD: RAPID REHOUSING

THIS COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT (the Agreement”)

is entered into by and between the City of New Orleans, represented by LaToya Cantrell, Mayor (the City”), and United WayofSoutheast Louisiana, represented by Michael Williamson, Chief Executive Officer (“United Way”). The City and United Waymay sometimes each be referred to as a“Party,” and collectively,asthe Parties.” The Agreement is effective as of March 1, 2025 (the “Effective Date”). RECITALS

WHEREAS,the City is apolitical subdivision of the State of Louisiana; WHEREAS,United Wayisa non-profitcorporation, which principal address is located at 2401 Canal Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70119; WHEREAS,pursuant to Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and related statutes, and Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into cooperative endeavors with the State of Louisiana, its political subdivisions and corporations, the United States and its agencies, and anypublic or private corporation, association, or individual with regard to cooperative financing and other economic development activities, the procurement and development of immovable property,joint planning and implementation of public works, the joint use of facilities, joint research andprogram implementation activities, joint funding initiatives, and other similar activities in support of public education, community development, housing rehabilitation, economic growth, and other public purposes;

WHEREAS,the Partiesdesiretoaccomplish avaluable public purpose of reducing the number of unhoused individuals in the city by providing moving assistance to recently rehoused individuals;

WHEREAS,the City of New Orleans seeks to rehouse several hundred individuals currently living in encampments across the city and in the city’sLow Barrier Shelter (“Home for Good Initiative”). In order for the Home for Good Initiative to be successful, rehoused individuals will requirea place to stay as well as supportive wrap-around services and case management; WHEREAS,onDecember 27, 2024, the City issued aNotice of Funding Availability,seeking apartner to implement arapid rehousing program to reduce unsheltered homelessness; WHEREAS,United Waysubmitted aresponsive project proposal and was selected to be the City’srapid rehousing partner; and WHEREAS,the Parties desiretoset forth in this Agreement their respective obligations, responsibilities, and liabilities with respect to this collaborative effort.

NOW THEREFORE,inconsideration of the mutual covenants herein contained, the City and United Way, each having the authority to do so, agree as follows: ARTICLE I–UNITED WAY’S OBLIGATIONS United Wayhereby agrees as follows:

A. Statement of Work.United Waywill administer aprocess to manage and distribute rent and utility assistance funds in accordance with funding regulations and program requirements and provide appropriate case management services in support. This includes:

Maintaining appropriate records and financial management practices; and

7. Perform all other services and obligations as set forth in United Way’sproposal dated January 17, 2025, marked as Exhibit A.

B. Administration.United Waywill:

1. Provide apoint person for this Agreement who is available at all times during working hours;

2. Take all necessary steps to ensurethat United Wayisacting as a prudent fiscal agent;

3. Provide prompt payments, no later than fourteen (14) days after receiving the required supporting documents fromthe City;

4. Provide timely,regular,and ad-hoc reports related to all financial assistance payments and obligated funds.

5. Disburse funds solely for the purpose of the programmatic activitiesofthis Agreement;

6. Maintain aseparate accounting for these funds and establish a separate general ledger account, fund, or cost center;

7. Maintain complete and accurate accounting, detailing receipts and expenditures made under this Agreement;

8. Maintain arecordofthe receipt and expenditures made under this Agreement during the term of the Agreement and for at least four (4) years after the end of this Agreement;

9. Maintain and provide the City with access to all books, documents, papers, accounting records (including without limitation the generalledger,fund, or cost center), receipts, contracts, invoices, materials records, work papers, and other evidence pertaining to the services or payments of funds by NOCSF under this Agreement;

10. Utilize consistent accounting practices (cash or accrual) and ensurecertification only by agents authorized to submit financial accounting on behalf of NOCSF;

11. Remain in good standing with the Louisiana Secretary of State and provide immediate notification of any change in NOCSF’s tax status; and

12. Timely comply with all reasonable requests by the City pertaining to this Agreement.

not disbursed (not including United Way’sadministrative fee of 10% of the overallfunding) shall be returned to the City reasonably promptly following the expiration or termination of this Agreement.

B. Maximum Amount.The maximum amount funded by the City under this Agreement is $4,500,000.00. The maximum administrative fee payable by the City to United Wayis$450,000.00, provided, however the entire$4,050,000.00 is disbursed in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The full anticipated budget breakdown is incorporated into this Agreement, and marked as Exhibit B.

C. Fiscal Agent Fee.United Wayshall retain an administrative fee not to exceed $450,000.00, as set forth hereinabove.

D. Cost Recovery.Inaccordance with Section 2-8.1 of the Municipal Code entitled “Cost recovery in contracts, cooperative endeavor agreements, and grants,” to the maximum extent permitted by law United Wayshall reimburse the City or disgorge anything of value or economic benefitreceived from the City if United Wayfails to meet its contractual obligations.”

E. Payment.Unless otherwise agreed to by the City,the payment terms areNET 30 days upon United Way’sdelivery and the City’s acceptance of the services contemplated in this Agreement and/or upon the City’s receipt of the properly submitted, complete, and accurate invoice via the City’ssupplier portal. The City will make payments to United Way at the rate of compensation established in this Agreement based upon United Way’scertified invoices, except:

1. The City’sobligation to pay is contingent upon United Way’s: (a) submission of acomplete and accurate invoice; or (b) satisfactory performance of the services and conditions required by this Agreement;

2. The City, in its discretion, may withhold payment of any disputed amounts, and no interest shall accrue on any amount withheld pending the resolution of the dispute;

3. The City may set offany amounts due to United Wayagainst any amounts deemed by the City to be owed to the City by United Waypursuant this Agreement;

4. All compensation owed to United Wayunder this Agreement is contingent upon the appropriation and allocation of funds for work under this Agreement by the City;

5. The City is not obligated under any circumstances to pay for any work performed or costs incurred by United Waythat: exceed the maximum aggregate amount payable established by this Agreement; arebeyond the scope or duration of this Agreement; arise from or relate to the any change order within the scope of the Agreement; arefor services performed on days on which services weresuspended, due to circumstances beyond the control of the City,and no work has taken place; arise from or relate to the correction of errors or omissions of United Wayorits subcontractors; or the City is not expressly obligated to pay under this Agreement; and

6. If this Agreement is terminated for any reason, the City will pay United Wayonly for the work requested by the City and satisfactorily performed by UnitedWay through the date of termination, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV -DURATION AND TERMINATION

A. Term.The term of this Agreement (the Term”) shall be for two (2) years from the Effective Date.

B. Extension.The City shall have the option to extend the term of this Agreement by giving written notification to United Waystating such intentions at least thirty calendar days prior to the termination of the Agreement.

C. Termination for Convenience.The City may terminate this Agreement at any time during the term of the Agreement by giving United Waywritten notice of the termination at least thirty (30) calendar days beforethe intended date of termination.

D. Termination for Cause.The City may terminate this Agreement for cause by sending written notice to United Way. “Cause” includes without limitation any failuretoperform any obligation or abide by any condition of this Agreement or the failureofany representation or warranty in this Agreement, including without limitation any failureto comply with the requirements of the City’sDisadvantaged Business Enterprise program and any failuretocomply with any provision of City Code §2-1120 or requests of the Office of Inspector General. If a termination for cause is subsequently challenged in acourt of law and the challenging Partyprevails, the termination will be deemed to be a termination for convenience effective thirty (30) days from the date on which the original written notice of termination for cause was sent to the challenging Party,and no further notice will be required. ARTICLE V- INDEMNITY

A. In General.Tothe fullest extent permitted by law,United Waywill indemnify,defend, and hold harmless the City, its agents, employees, officials, insurers, self-insurance funds, and assigns (collectively, the Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all claims, demands, suits, and judgments of sums of money accruing against the Indemnified Parties for loss of life or injury or damage to persons or property arising from or relating to any act or omission or the operation of United Wayand its agents or employees while engaged in or in connection with the discharge or performance of this Agreement, and for any and all claims and/or liens for labor,services, or materials furnished to United Wayinconnection with the performance of work under this Agreement.

B. Limitations.United Way’sindemnity does not extend to any loss arising from the negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct of any of the Indemnified Parties, provided that neither United Waynor any of its agents or employees contributed to such negligence, gross negligence, or willful misconduct.

C. Independent Duty.United Wayhas an immediate and independent obligation to, at the City’soption: (a) defend the City from or (b) reimburse the City for its costs incurred in the defense of any claim that actually or potentially falls within this indemnity,even if: (1) the allegations areormay be groundless, false, or fraudulent; or (2) United Wayisultimately absolved from liability.

D. Expenses.Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary,United Wayshall bear the expenses including, but not limited to, the City’s reasonable attorney fees and expenses, incurred by the City in enforcing this indemnity ARTICLE VI -INSURANCE

A. Except as otherwise noted, for the duration of this Agreement or the performance of work required by this Agreement, the United Way agrees to have and maintain the policies set forth in said Agreement. All policies, endorsements, certificates, and/or binders shall be subject to approval from the City of New Orleans as to form and content. These requirements aresubject

employment without regardtotheir race, color,religion, sex, gender,age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, creed, culture, or ancestry.This requirement shall apply to, but not be limited to, the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer,recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoffortermination,rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. All solicitationsoradvertisements for employees shall state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regardtorace, color,religion, sex, gender,age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, creed, culture, or ancestry

B. Non-Discrimination.Inthe performance of this Agreement, United Waywill not discriminate on the basis, whether in fact or perception, of aperson’srace, color,creed, religion, nationalorigin, ancestry, age, sex, gender,sexual orientation, gender identity,domestic partner status, marital status, physical or mental disability,orAIDS- or HIVstatus against (1) any employee of the City working with United Wayin any of United Way’soperations within Orleans Parish or (2) any person seeking accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, services, or membership in all business, social, or other establishments or organizations operated by United Way. United Wayagrees to comply with and abide by all applicable federal, state and local laws relating to non-discrimination, including, without limitation, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section Vofthe Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

C. Incorporation into Subcontracts.United Waywill incorporate the terms and conditions of this Article into all subcontracts, by reference or otherwise, and will requireall subcontractors to comply with those provisions.

D. Termination for Breach.The City may terminate this Agreement for cause if United Wayfails to comply with any obligation in this Article VII, whichfailure is amaterial breach of this Agreement. ARTICLE VIII -FORCE MAJEURE

A. Event.Anevent of Force Majeure will include any event or occurrence not reasonably foreseeable at the execution of this Agreement, whichwill include, but not be limited to, abnormally severe and unusual weather conditions or other acts of God (including tropical weather events, tornados, hurricanes, and flooding); declarations of emergency; shortages of labor or materials (not caused by the City); riots; terrorism; acts of public enemy; war; sabotage; cyber-attacks, including threats or incidents involving same; epidemics or pandemics; court or governmental order;

2025 NOCP 8248

OFFICIAL NOTICE CAL. NO. 35,030 EXHIBIT A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND ETERNAL SEEDS, INC [COVER PAGE]

COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS AND ETERNAL SEEDS INC WISNER GRANT THIS COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is entered into by and between the City of New Orleans, represented by LaToya Cantrell, Mayor (the “City”) and the Eternal Seeds Inc, represented by EdwardOdums, Director of Finance, and Elizabeth LeFrere, Director of Programs (the Contractor”). The City and the Contractor may sometimes each be referred to as a“Party”and collectively referred to as the Parties.” The Agreement is effective as of the date of execution by the City (the Effective Date”).

RECITALS

WHEREAS,inoraround August 1914, EdwardWisner made a donation of certain immovable property in the State of Louisiana (“Wisner Donation”), which property was put into aone hundred (100) year charitable trust of which the City is abeneficiary;

WHEREAS,the percentage of money received by the City annually from the Wisner Donation must be used by the City to support local needs in the areas of education, recreation, beautification, and human services; WHEREAS,the City is apolitical subdivision of the State of Louisiana; WHEREAS,the Contractor is aprivate, 501(c)(3) nonprofitorganization whose purpose is to serve artists and culturebearers in New Orleans, which has aprincipal address located at 56 Yellowstone Drive, New Orleans, LA 70131;

WHEREAS,Eternal Seeds Inc is aprivate, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is to encourage, promote, and nurtureartists and cultural practitioners, and foster economic mobility through creative engagement, revitalizing arts education in the City of New Orleans;

WHEREAS,pursuant to Article 7, Section 14(C) of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and related statutes, and Section 9-314 of the Home Rule Charter of the City of New Orleans, the City may enter into cooperative endeavors with the State of Louisiana, its political subdivisions and corporations, the United States and its agencies, and any public or private corporation, association, or individual with regard to cooperative financing and other economic development activities, the procurement and development of immovable property,joint planning and implementation of public works, the joint use of facilities, joint research and program implementation activities, joint funding initiatives, and other similar activities in support of public education, community development, housing rehabilitation, economic growth, and other public purposes; WHEREAS,the Contractor’s grant awardwill be used to fund dayto-day operations and asuite of initiatives aligned with our foundational pillars of: Inspire, Educate, and Empower; to foster economic mobility through creative engagement, revitalizing arts education in New Orleans while creating job opportunities for local creators; and address systemic inequities through skill development, entrepreneurship, and cultural representation, our work aims to make alasting impact on the New Orleans community WHEREAS,tothat end, the Contractor will facilitate the creation of at least three (3) public art projects that enhance community revitalization efforts, provide high-quality arts education to at least 200 youth participants, and increase the number of artists and cultural practitioners supported through our operational stability WHEREAS,the City and the Contractor desiretoaccomplish avaluable public purpose of fostering education through creative engagement, and revitalizing arts education in New Orleans while creating job opportunities for local creators; WHEREAS,each Party is receiving value commensurate with their respective commitments pursuant hereto. NOW THEREFORE, the City and the Contractor,each having the authority to do so, agree as follows: ARTICLE I-OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTIES

A. Obligations of the City.The City shall:

1. Provide administration of the Agreement through the Mayor’s Office;

2. Provide access to all personnel and recordsdeemed necessary for the Contractor to complete its obligations;

3. Provide one (1) time funding to the Contractor in the amount of $500,000.00 to fund the Projects described in Exhibit “A” which is fully incorporated herein, attached hereto, and made apart hereof.

B. Obligations of the Contractor.The Contractor shall:

1. Perform the services detailed in Exhibit “A”, which is fully incorporated herein, attached hereto, and made apart hereof;

2. Perform each of the following services as set forth below:

a. Provide services in amanner consistent with the intended purposes of the EdwardWisner Donation, namely beautification and education;

b. Provide services in accordance with the scope of work outlined in Exhibit “A”;

c. Timely comply with any and all requests by the City pertaining to this Agreement;

d. Maintain astrict accounting of all grant funds; and

e. Provide a final report to the City at the termination of this Agreement detailing all of the services accomplished hereunder,confirming that all funds received in connection with this Agreement wereused for the intended purpose(s), and evaluating any findings with respect to the Contractor’s expected outcomes as set forth in Exhibit “A”.

3. Receive the awardof$500,000.00 and release payments to any other professionals subcontracted, employed, or hired in accordance with industry standards, local and state laws, and as otherwise set forth in Exhibit “A”;

4. Coordinate Projects to the City through the Mayor’sOffice by ensuring that the City will have ademonstrable objective and reasonable expectation of receiving abenefitorvalue at least equivalent to the amount expended or transferred;

5. Provide the City with documentation to show that all subcontractors, materialmen, and vendors (if applicable) have been fully paid and that no liens have been placed with respect thereto;

except:

a. The City’sobligation to pay is contingent upon the Contractor’s: (a) submission of acomplete and accurate invoice; or (b) satisfactory performance of the services and conditions required by this Agreement; b. The City,inits discretion, may withhold payment of any disputed amounts, and no interest shall accrue on any amount withheld pending the resolution of the dispute;

c. The City may set offany amounts due to the Contractor against any amounts deemed by the City to be owed to the City by the Contractor pursuant this Agreement;

d. All compensation owed to the Contractor under this Agreement is contingent upon the appropriation and allocation of funds for work under this Agreement by the City;

e. The City is not obligated under any circumstances to pay for any work performed or costs incurred by the Contractor that: exceed the maximum aggregate amount payable established by this Agreement; arebeyond the scope or duration of this Agreement; arise from or relate to the any change order within the scope of the Agreement; arefor services performed on days on which services weresuspended, due to circumstances beyond the control of the City, and no work has taken place; arise from or relate to the correction of errors or omissions of the Contractor or its subcontractors; or the City is not expressly obligated to pay under this Agreement; and f. If this Agreement is terminated for any reason, the City will pay the Contractor only for the work requested by the City and satisfactorily performed by the Contractor through the date of termination, except as otherwise provided in this Agreement. ARTICLE III –DURATION AND TERMINATION

A. Term.The term of this agreement shall be for 3years from the Effective Date.

B. Extension.The City can opt to extend the term of this Agreement provided that the City Council approves it as amulti-term cooperative endeavor agreement and that additional funding, if required, is allocated by the City Council

C. Termination for Convenience. The City may terminate this Agreement at any time during the term of the Agreement by giving the Contractor written notice of the termination at least 30 calendar days beforethe intended date of termination.

D. Termination for Cause.The City may terminate this Agreement immediately for cause by sending written notice to the Contractor “Cause” includes without limitation any failuretoperform any obligation or abide by any condition of this Agreement or the failure of any representation or warranty in this Agreement, including without limitation any failuretocomply with the requirements of the City’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program and any failureto comply with any provision of City Code §2-1120 or requests of the Office of Inspector General.Ifatermination for cause is subsequently challenged in acourt of law and the challenging partyprevails, the termination will be deemed to be atermination for convenience effective 30 days from the date of the original written notice of termination for cause was sent to the challenging party; no further notice will be required.

E. Termination for Non-Appropriation.This Agreement will terminate immediately in the event of non-appropriation of funds sufficient to maintain this Agreement without the requirement of notice and the City will not be liable for any amounts beyond the funds appropriated and encumbered for this Agreement.

ARTICLE IV -INDEMNITY

A. Duty to Indemnify the City.Tothe fullest extent permitted by law the Contractor will protect, defend, indemnify,and hold harmless the City,its agents, elected officials, and employees (collectively,the “Indemnified Parties”) from and against all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, losses (including, without limitation, economic losses), and costs, arising out of or related to (a) any actual or alleged act or omission in the performance of this Agreement by the Contractor its employees, or any subcontractor or (b) any act outside the scope of this Agreement by the Contractor,its employees, or any subcontractor

B. Limit on Duty to Indemnify Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,the Contractor is not required to indemnify the Indemnified Parties for any loss that results from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of any of the Indemnified Parties, provided that the Contractor or any subcontractor did not contribute to such gross negligence or willful misconduct.

C. Independent Duty to Defend. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,the Contractor,atits option, will immediatelydefend the City from, or reimburse the City for the City’s costs incurred in the defense of, any claim that actually or potentially falls within the scope of this indemnity,even if the claim is groundless, false, or fraudulent, or if the Contractor is absolved of liability.

D. Expenses.The Contractor will bear all expenses, including without limitation reasonable attorney fees, of the City in enforcing the terms of this article. ARTICLE V- INSURANCE

A. Except as otherwise noted, at all times during this Agreement or the performance of work required by this Agreement, the Arts Council will maintainthe following insurance in full force and effect for the duration of the work under this Agreement. Evidence of coverage shall be provided prior to the start of any activities/work, in conjunction with the Contractor’sscope of work under the Agreement. If the

Contractor (1) will not be discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, sex, color,religion, gender,age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity,creed, culture, or ancestry,and (2) where applicable, will take affirmative action to ensurethat the Contractor’semployees aretreated during employment without regardtotheir race, sex, color,religion, gender age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity,creed, culture,orancestry. This requirement shall apply to, but not be limited to the following: employment, upgrading, demotion or transfer,recruitment or recruitment advertising, layoff or termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation, and selection for training, including apprenticeship. All solicitations or advertisements for employees shall state that all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regardtorace, sex, color,religion, gender,age, physical or mental disability,national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity,creed, culture,orancestry.

B. Non-Discrimination.Inthe performance of this Agreement, the Contractor will not discriminate on the basis, whether in fact or perception, of aperson’srace, color,creed, religion, national origin, ancestry,age, sex, gender,sexual orientation, gender identity domestic partner status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or AIDS- or HIV-status against (1) any employee of the City working with the Contractor in any of Contractor’soperations within Orleans Parish or (2) any person seeking accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, services, or membership in all business, social, or other establishments or organizations operated by the Contractor.The Contractor agrees to comply with and abide by all applicable federal, state and local laws relating to non-discrimination, including, without limitation, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section Vofthe Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americanswith Disabilities Act of 1990.

C. Incorporation into Subcontracts.The Contractor will incorporate the terms and conditions of this Article into all subcontracts, by reference or otherwise, and will requireall subcontractors to comply with those provisions.

D. The City may terminate this Agreement for cause if the Contractor fails to comply with any obligation in this Article, which failure is amaterial breach of this Agreement. ARTICLE VII -PERFORMANCE MEASURES

A. Factors.The City will measurethe performance of the Contractor according to the following non-exhaustive factors: workperformed in compliance with the terms of the Agreement; staffavailability; staff training; staffprofessionalism; staffexperience; customer service; communication and accessibility; prompt and effective correction of situations and conditions; timeliness and completeness of submission of requested documentation (such as records, receipts, invoices, insurance certifi

scribed as fol

lows: Commencing at the intersection of the easterly right of way of Barnes Court and the Southerly right of way line of Barnes Court at a point of tan

gent; THENCE con‐tinue along the aforesaid southerly right of way line, in an esterly direc

tion, a distance of 141.37 feet to the POINT OF BEGINNING. THENCE con‐tinue along the aforesaid southerly right of way line, North 85 de

SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Novem‐ber 13, 2014, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on April 30, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ALLISON N BEASLEY Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025

mar 21-apr 25-2t $121.48

3001 B together with an undi‐vided oneeighth interest in and to the common ele‐ments as set forth in the aforesaid act.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

with a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Cou‐turie, Inc Sur. dated October 13, 2000; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal No 344 Aris Avenue, Metairie, LA 70005

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

said lot or por‐tion of ground mea

utes 51 seconds west a distance of 100.00 feet to a point on the southerly right of way line Barnes Court, said point being the POINTS OF BEGINNING. All in accor‐dance with a plan of survey by BFM Corpo

ration, dated March 21, 1994, and resurveyed to locate improve

ments June 22, 1994. Improvements thereon bear the Municipal Number 140 Barnes Court, Gretna LA 70056.

This sale is sub

ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

JEFFREY A JONES Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $139.47

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL THE RIGHTS, WAYS PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTO BELONGING OR IN ANYWISE AP‐PERTAINING SITUATED IN THE PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT PART THEREOF KNOWN AS LIVE OAK MANOR SUBDIVISION, ALL AS PER PLAN OF SUBDI‐VISION BY SUB‐DIVISION PLANNING ENGI‐NEERS, INC., DATED MARCH 16, 1959, RE‐VISED JUNE 9, 1959, APPROVED UNDER ORDI‐NANCE NO 4152, ADOPTED BY THE JEFFERSON PARISH COUN‐CIL, FILED OF RECORD UNDER ENTRY NO 159352, IN COB 486, FOLIO 469, AND AS PER ACT OF DEDICATION BE‐FORE HAROLD J. ZERINGER, JR., N.P., DATED SEPTEMBER 16, 1959, FILED OF RECORD UNDER ENTRY NO 160982 IN COB 488, FOLIO 343, SAID LOT BEING MORE PARTICU‐LARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS, TOWIT:

LOT 3, SQUARE 23, WHICH SAID SQUARE IS BOUNDED BY WILLARD PLACE, LISKA STREET AND SHAREN PLACE, AND WHICH SAID LOT COMMENCES AT A DISTANCE OF 316 FEET FROM THE INTERSEC‐TION OF WILLARD PLACE AND SHAREN PLACE AND MEASURES

THENCE 66 FEET FRONT ON WILLARD PLACE ALONG THE ARC OF A CURVE, BY A WIDTH IN THE REAR GP 61.54 FEET ALONG THE ARC OF A CURVE, BY A DEPTH OF 95 FEET ON EACH SIDE LINE. ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH A SURVEY BY J J. KREBS & SONS INC. C.E. & S., DATED FEBRUARY 14, 1984, RESUR‐VEYED MARCH 1, 1983 AND MARCH 22, 1984 TO SHOW IM‐PROVEMENTS, ALSO IN ACCOR‐DANCE WITH SURVEY BY GILBERT, KELLY & COU‐TURIE, INC DATED MARCH 12, 1993.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ALLISON N BEASLEY Attorney for

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 860-472

PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC VS SHAWN AN‐THONY WARD A/K/A SHAWN A WARD A/K/A SHAWN WARD AND BRANDY FOURNIER WARD A/K/A BRANDY F WARD A/K/A BRANDY WARD

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer

son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti‐tled cause, dated January 10, 2025 I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana 70058, on April 30, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

That certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in any wise apper‐taining situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in Harlem Parkway Subdivision upon Lots 15 through 18 of Square 49 which said square is bounded by Ninth Street, Ridgelake Drive Eighth Street and the eastern boundary of said subdivi‐sion, which said condominium parcel forms a part of Lake Towne Condo‐minium II, which was created and established by act of Master Deed Creating and Es‐tablishing Con‐dominium Prop‐erty Regime ex‐ecuted before Louis B Graham, Notary Public, under date of May 21, 1979 and duly registered in COB 958, folio 472, Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, (hereinafter sometimes re‐ferred to as "Declaration"), and according to a survey of Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., dated May 21, 1979, said con‐dominium or unit is desig‐nated as apart‐ment unit no 3001 B together with an undi‐vided oneeighth interest in and to the common ele‐ments as set forth in the aforesaid act

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and

COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025

mar 21-apr 25-2t $98.18

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 855-061

FIFTH THIRD BANK, NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION VS SUSAN LEMOINE

THREE CERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining situated in the Parish of Jefferson , State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as INGLESIDE HEIGHTS SUBDI‐VISION, in SQUARE 5 bounded by Aris Rose Focis and Chrysanth‐ernum and Canal Streets, designated as LOT NOS. 71, 72 AND 73 which adjoin each other and mea‐sure each 25 feet front on Aris Street the same width in the rear by a depth between equal and parallel lines of 120 feet All as per plan of Al‐fred E Bonnabel, Sur‐veyor, dared November 12, 1921, and in ac‐cordance with a survey by Ster‐ling Mandle, Land Surveyor, certi‐ﬁed correct on October 14, 1966. LOT NO. 73 commences 400 feet from the intersection of Aris and Rose Streets. Further in accordance with a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Cou‐turie, Inc., Sur., dated October 13, 2000; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025

mar 21-apr 25-2t $97.12

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 851-959

MIDFIRST BANK VS MINDY MARIE MOREL (AKA MINDY MOREL)

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated March 13, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH of JEFFERSON STATE of LOUISIANA, in BISSONET PLAZA SUBDIVI‐SION, SECTION 3, all in accordance with the survey of Adloe Orr Jr & Associates, Civil Engineers, dated May 1, 1957, approved by the Police Jury of Jefferson Parish under Ordinance No 3497, adopted June 11, 1957, approved by the Jefferson Parish Planning and Zoning Commis‐sion on May 15, 1957, and regis‐tered in Plan Book 33, folio 21, in the ofﬁce of the Clerk of Court for Jefferson Parish which said lot or por‐tion of ground mea‐sures as fol‐lows to-wit: LOT 417 bounded by Academy Drive, Kawanee Avenue, Elm‐wood Canal and West Esplanade Avenue, com‐mences at a dis‐

sures as fol‐lows, to-wit: LOT 417 bounded by Academy Drive Kawanee Avenue Elm‐wood Canal and West Esplanade Avenue, com‐mences at a dis‐tance of 507.31 feet from the ﬁrst point of curvature of Academy Drive into Kawanee Avenue, and measures thence 67 feet front on Acad‐emy Drive, the same width in the rear, by a depth along the side‐line nearer to Kawanee Av‐enue of 117.59 feet, by a depth along the opposite side‐line of 117.58, all in accordance with the survey of Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associates, Civil Engineers, dated Decem‐ber 5, 1956.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

EMILY E HOLLEY Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $100.83

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 861-306

CITIZENS BANK NA F/K/A RBS CITIZENS NA VS COREY D LEMIEUX A/K/A COREY LEMIEUX AND ERICA L LEWIS-LEMIEUX A/K/A ERICA L LEWIS A/K/A ERICA LEWIS A/K/A ERICA LEWIS LEMIEUX A/K/A ERICA L LEMIEUX A/K/A ERICA LEMIEUX By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 7, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on April 30, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That certain piece or portion of ground, to

gether with all the buildings and improve

ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges servitudes and advantages thereunto belonging or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, Southeastern Land District of Louisiana, west of the Missis

sippi River, in that part thereof known as Southwood West Subdivi

sion Extension

in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, Southeastern Land District of Louisiana, west of the Missis‐sippi River, in that part thereof known as Southwood West Subdivi‐sion Extension, being a resubdi‐vision of Parcel A-2, J J. Manson Tract, located in Sec‐tions 30 & 68, T 14 S, R 24 E, as per that survey of resub‐division by J. J Krebs & Sons, Inc. C.E.&S dated July 10, 1987, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under ordinance num‐ber 17386 on De‐cember 2, 1987, ﬁled in the clerk’s of‐ﬁce of the Parish of Jeffer‐son under entry number 8761662 in COB 1865 folio 098 on Decem‐ber 18, 1987, said property being more par‐ticularly described as follows to-wit: Lot 3, Square 2, which said square is bounded by Southwood Drive, Mt. Laurel Drive, existing canal, 100’ servitude in favor of Jeffer‐son & Plaquem‐ines Parish drainage district, LaPalco Boulevard (side), parcel "X" (side), and said lot com‐mences 379.09 feet along the arc of a curve, from the inter‐section of Mt Laurel Drive and Southwood Drive and mea‐sures thence 53 feet front on Southwood Drive, same width across the rear having a depth of 175.71 feet between equal and paral‐lel lines. All in accordance with that survey by BFM Corpo‐ration dated Au‐gust 17, 1988 and resurveyed September 30, 1988 to show improvements a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $117.77

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 13, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That portion of ground to‐gether with all the buildings improvements thereon, and all rights, ways, privileges servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise appertaining, situated in the City of Kenner, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Chateau Es‐tates Lakefront Subdivision Extension being a re-subdivision of the remaining portion of Chateau Estates Section “A” all in accord with a survey of J.J. Krebs & Sons Inc. C.E. dated June 27, 1976, approved by Or‐dinance No. 1916, of the City of Kenner, regis‐tered in COB 874, folio 958, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana and according to said survey, said lot is desig‐nated as follows:

Lot 39 of Square No 1 com‐mences at a dis‐tance of 80 feet from the corner of Fleurie Drive and Echezeaux Drive and measures thence a ﬁrst front of 49.28 feet and a sec‐ond front of 20.72 feet front on Fleurie Drive. Said square is bounded by Fleurie Drive, Echezeaux Drive, Petit Berdot Drive and Chateau Es‐tates Lakefront Subdivision This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $93.95

FOUSCH

24th

District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated April 25, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana and more fully described below as fol‐lows: LOT “A” SQUARE 7, BEV‐ERLY KNOLL SUBURB SUBDIVISION, As per the resubdi‐vision of Lots 1 and 2, Square 7, Beverly Knoll Suburb Subdivision into Lot A per the re‐subdivision map approved on June 9 2010 under Ordinance No 23825 and recorded July 2, 2010 at COB 3265, folio 196. Together with any and all pre‐sent and future buildings con‐structions, com‐ponent parts, improvements, attachments, appurtenances, ﬁxtures, rights, ways, privi‐leges, advantages batture, and batture rights, servitudes and easements of every type and description, now and/or in the future relat‐ing to the Prop‐erty, and any and all items and ﬁxtures at‐tached to and/or forming integral or com‐ponent parts of the Property in accordance with the Louisiana Civil Code The Property or its address is commonly known as 817 ATHERTON DRIVE, METAIRIE, LA 70001 TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

KREIG A BREAUX Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $87.59

By virtue of and in obedience to

a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer

son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti

tled cause dated February 6, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har

vey, Louisiana, 70058, on April 30, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop

erty to wit:

A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR

TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi

leges, servi

tudes, appurte

nances and advantages thereunto be

longing or in anywise apper

taining., situ

ated in the State of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer

son, in TRUDEAU PARK SUBDIVI

SION, in the Square bounded by Trudeau Drive, Versailles Street (formerly Gail), West Metairie Avenue (Audrey StreetClosed) and the Westerly line of Trudeau Park, which said lot of ground is designated as LOT NO 76; said lot commences at a distance of 200.00 feet from the corner of Ver‐sailles Street and Trudeau Drive and mea‐sures thence 50 feet front on Trudeau Drive, same in width in the rear by a depth on its sideline nearest West Metairie Avenue of 148.23 feet According to a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc dated April 20, 1992, said lot has the same location desig‐nation and mea‐surements as set out above; subject to re‐strictions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofway and out

standing min‐eral rights of record affecting the property.

Improvements bear Municipal No 716 TRUDEAU DRIVE

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CANDACE A COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025

A/K/A MICHAEL

AND TERI MAR

CANTEL CON‐STANTINO A/K/A TERI M CONSTANTINO A/K/A TERI CON‐STANTINO

That certain lot of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and ad‐vantages there‐unto belonging or in anywise apper‐taining situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that subdivision known as Acadi‐ana Subdivision all in accor‐dance with a plan of resubdi‐vision by Dufrene Survey‐ing & Engineer‐ing, Inc., dated March 17, 2004, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordinance No 22234, adopted on June 23, 2004 said or‐dinance ﬁled at COB 3128, folio 108.

According to said plan, said lot is desig‐nated as Lot 5, Square C Acadi‐ana Subdivision, Lot 5 is bounded by Creole Court, Acadiana Trace (side), Bayou Des Familles (side), and Savannah lane, and Lot 5 measures 50 feet front on Creole Court by a ﬁrst width in the rear of 86.10 feet and a second width in the rear of 28.08 feet, by a depth along the easterlymost side of 120.77 feet, and a depth along the opposite or westerlymost side of 144.32 feet

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J GIRIOR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $96.59

feb 14-mar 21-2t $96.59 and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 847-744

FINANCE OF AMERICA COM‐MERCIAL LLC VERSUS MCGOWANMATHIS PROP‐ERTIES, L L C AND ELGIN MC‐GOWAN-MATHIS

scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights ways privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in that part thereof known as BUCCOLA SUBDIVISION which was formed from a part of original Farm Lot C-7 of Ames Farms, Southside (Mar‐rero) in accor‐dance with plan of subdivision by Alvin E Ho‐tard, C. E dated August 31, 1959 bearing the approval of st the council for the Parish of Jefferson by Ordinance No 4353, dated December 3rd 1959 and recorded in COB 495, Folio 567. which said piece or portion of ground is de‐scribed as fol‐lows: LOT NO 16 in SQUARE #2 of BUCCOLA SUB‐DIVISION which said lot forms the corner of Bywater Street and Buc‐cola Avenue, and measures 50 feet front on Buccola Avenue same width in the rear by a depth and front of 104.62 feet on Bywater Street between equal and paral‐lel lines. All in accordance with plat of sur‐vey made by F. G. Stewart, Surveyor, dated December 6th, 1961, and re‐vised May 5th, 1962. Further in accordance with survey made by Mandie Survey‐ing, Inc dated February 12, 1992 and at‐tached to act recorded at COB 2652 folio 187; subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

Address of Premises: 1664 Buccola Ave Marrero, LA 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe

Address of Premises: 1664 Buccola Ave Marrero LA 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $109.30

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 834-183

PLANET HOME LENDING, LLC VS STACEY GILCHRIST LEMAY

THAT CERTAIN PIECE 'OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights ways privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana in that part thereof known as SOUTH AVONDALE HOMES SUBDI‐VISION, SEC‐TION II, accord‐ing to a plan of William Maier, C.E., dated March 10, 1964, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordinance No 6565 and ﬁled for record as Entry No 287-491, reg‐istered in COB 589, folio 77, and in Plan Book 49 Plan 42, of the records of the Clerk of Court for the Parish of Jeffer‐son, according to which the said lot is desig‐nated as LOT 5, in SQUARE 9, which said square is bounded by Jacqueline, Clara and Margie Drives, and James Boulevard, and measures 54 feet front on Jacqueline Drive, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines; subject to restrictions servitudes,

and James Boulevard, and measures 54 feet front on Jacqueline Drive, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines; subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

Improvements thereon bear the Municipal No 117 Jacque‐line Drive Avon‐dale, Louisiana 70094. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CANDACE A COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $99.24

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 861-169

STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VS NOEMI MAR‐TINEZ PEREZ, DI‐VORCED WIFE BY FIRST MAR‐RIAGE OF TONY MULLER, DI‐VORCED WIFE BY SECOND MARRIAGE OF/AND RIGOB‐ERTO H PEREZ

ALL THAT CER‐TAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND to‐gether with all of the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, means privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances, advantages and component parts thereunto belonging or in anywise appertaining thereto, lying and being situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Terrytown Subdivision, Subdivision 4-A and according to a plan of resubdi‐vision by Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associ‐ates, C. E., dated April 30, 1962, ap‐proved by the Parish of Jeffer‐son on May 24, 1962 under Ordi‐nance Number 5553, registered as Entry Number 232,635, and a

plan of resubdi‐vision by Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associ‐ates C. E dated April 30, 1962, ap‐proved by the Parish of Jeffer‐son on May 24, 1962 under Ordi‐nance Number 5553, registered as Entry Number 232,635, and a plat of survey by J. J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., Civil Engineers & Surveyors, dated June 21, 1973, a copy of which is annexed to an act registered in COB 806, folio 175, said portion of ground is designated as Lot 26, Square 48, which square is bounded by Emerson Street, Deerﬁeld Road Carol Sue Av‐enue and Oak‐wood Drive, and which lot forms the intersection of Pakwood Drive and Emerson Street and mea‐sures thence 65 feet front on Emerson Street same width in the rear, by a depth of 110 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

L GRAHAM ARCENEAUX Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $101.36

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 838-985

U S BANK NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS IN‐DENTURE TRUSTEE OF CIM TRUST 2021-R4 VS THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF CHARLES E DENNIS, THE UN‐OPENED SUCESSION OF ATHENETTE WASHINGTON NOBLE AND WANDA JEAN NOBLE DENNIS By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of FIERI FACIAS from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated January 3, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all of the building and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, advan‐tages and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐

GROUND to‐gether with all of the building and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, advan‐tages and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana in that part thereof known as the Harbor Estates Subdivision, designated as Lot 68, Square 3, bounded by Britt Street Wayne Avenue, Angela Street and Emile Av‐enue Said lot 68 begins two hun‐dred (200') feet from the corner of Britt Street and Wayne Avenue and measures thence ﬁfty (50') feet front on Britt Street the same in the rear, by a depth of one hundred (100') feet between equal and parallel lines All in accordance with the plan of survey by Mur‐phy Engineer‐ing, Inc., Consulting Engi‐neering, dated November 3 1972; subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

The improve‐ments bear the municipal Nos 7833 Britt Street

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

ZACHARY GAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $98.71

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 859-018

FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORT‐GAGE CORPORA‐TION VS MICHAEL MOR‐TON ANDING AND ASHLEY ELLIS ANDING

following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, all of the rights, ways, privileges servitudes, ad‐vantages, and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing, or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of JEFFERSON, State of LOUISIANA, in that part thereof known as OWNY‐OUROWN SUBDIVISION, in SQUARE NO.193, bounded by At‐lanta Street, Boone Street Starrett Road and Olga Street, which said portion of ground is desig‐nated by the LOT "X-1 according to a survey of Adloe Orr, Jr., & Asso‐ciates, Consult‐ing Engineers, dated March 22, 1955, annexed to ordi‐nance Number 2712, of the Po‐lice Jury of the Parish of Jefferson, dated April 12, 1955, approving the resubdivision of said Lot and ac‐cording to said survey said Lot "X-1" measures as follows, to-wit: LOT "X-1" com‐mences at a dis‐tance of One Hundred (100') feet from the in‐tersection of Atlanta Street with Boone Street, and measures Fifty (50') feet front on Atlanta Street, same width in the rear, by a depth of One Hundred Fifteen (115') feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines LOT "X-1" is composed of a part of that por‐tion of ground designated as Plot "A-3" on a survey by W.F Calongne, C.E dated Decem‐ber 5, 1953, a print whereof is annexed to Ordinance No 2375, of the Po

lice Jury of Jef

ferson Parish, registered in C.O.B. 350. folio 563, and likewise is com‐posed of part of original Lot No. 5 and all of orig‐inal Lots Nos. 6 and 7

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

EMILY A MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $

One certain lot or parcel of ground to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ad‐vantages and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Jefferson Drive Subdivi‐sion Ext No. 2 in Square F, bounded by Bel‐mont Place, 47th Street Taft Park and 45th Street which said lot of ground is designated as lot no 3, which lot commences at a distance of 157.12 feet from the corner of Bel‐mont Place and 47th Street and measures thence 75 feet front on Bel‐mont Place, the same width in the rear, by a depth on the side line near‐est to 47th Street of 73.73 feet and a depth on the opposite side line of 74.47; all according to sketch of survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Everett V. Trei‐gle, Jr. Sur‐veyor, dated December 7 1993.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $86.54

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer

son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti

tled cause, dated February 7, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on April 30, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop

erty to wit: THAT PORTION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve

ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ad

vantages and appurtenances thereunto belonging or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, State of Louisiana, BELLE MEADE SUBDIVISION, UNIT

B, all as per plan thereof made by Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associates, C.E., dated February 29, 1968, ap‐proved in COB 680, Folio 232, and in COB 681, Folio 374, described as follows, towit:

LOT 368 in SQUARE 13, which said square is bounded by Westmeade Drive, Brookmeade Drive, Belle

meade Boule

vard and Wood

meade Court, commences at a distance of 125 feet from the corner of West

meade Drive and Wood

meade Court, and measures thence 65 feet front on West‐meade Drive, same width in the rear, by a depth of 105 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines. All ac‐cording to sur‐vey by Sterling Mandle, Land Surveyor, dated February 20, 1978. Improvements thereon bear the Municipal No 393 West‐meade Drive, Gretna, LA 70056

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests mort

gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

BRIGHAM J LUNDBERG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $98.71

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 857-024

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS HOLLI SARRIO

That certain piece or portion of ground, to

gether with all the buildings and improve

ments thereon, and all the rights ways privileges, servitudes, ap

purtenances and advantages thereunto be

longing or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana in that part thereof known as Joseph Rath‐borne Land Company, Inc Industrial Sub‐division Section "B", all in accor‐dance with sur‐vey by Dufrene Surveying & Engineering, Inc. Tilton J. Dufrene, Jr., Registered Land Surveyor, dated May 13, 2000, a copy of which is annexed to act dated May 31, 2000, regis‐tered in COB 3031, folio 277, and desig‐nated as fol‐lows: Lot 14, Square D in Section "B" of the Joseph Rathborne Land Company, Inc., Industrial Sub‐division, which square D is bounded by Eighth St. Jen‐nie Street, St Joseph Lane, Grefer Avenue

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $80.71

DANIEL BLASIUS

One certain lot or parcel of ground to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the City of Kenner, Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part known as Chateau Es‐tates East Sub‐division, Section Two, being a resubdi‐vision of Parcels 6 and 11, Chateau Estates North in Square 6, thereof which square is bounded by Normandy Drive, 41st Street, the Dun‐can Canal, Chateau Boulevard and Sunset Boule‐vard, desig

nated as Lot 15, on a plan of subdivision by J.J Krebs & Sons, Inc., dated March 25, 1975, approved by the mayor and board of al‐dermen of the City of Kenner under ordinance no 1722 on April 28, 1975 registered in the Parish of Jefferson, in COB 835, folio 67 on May 13, 1975, and according thereto Lot 15 commence 823.04 feet from the corner of Normandy Drive and 41st Street and measures 60 feet front on Normandy Drive, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 125 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

COREY J GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025

March 21, 2025

feb 14-mar 21-2t $95.54

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT

PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA

NO: 854-078

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS JASMINE ANGELLE STEIB

A certain lot of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Estelle Heights Subdivi‐sion located in Square 5, which square is bounded by An

nette Drive Marie Drive, Jeanne Drive (side) and Ames Boulevard (side) and said lot is desig

nated by the Number 36-A and is more fully de

scribed as fol

lows: Lot 36-A, Square 5, commences at a distance of 160.88 feet from the corner of Annette Drive and Marie Drive and mea‐sures 75 feet front on Annette Drive, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 117 feet between equal and paral‐lel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

EMILY A MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $75.95

VERDIN

A/K/A MYRTLE BREAUX VERDIN A/K/A MYRTLE B VERDIN A/K/A MYRTLE, AND NICHOL ADAM VERDIN, JR A/K/A NICHOL A VERDIN, JR A/K/A NICHOL VERDIN, JR

A certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all buildings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways privi

leges, prescrip

tions, servi

tudes, advan

tages and appurtenances thereunto be

longing or in any wise apper

taining, situated in what is known as Belt Bridge Subdivi

sion in the Fifth Ward of the Parish of Jeffer

son, State of Louisiana, above the Town of Westwego, Louisiana, ac

cording to a blue print of survey made by Corwin A. Robert, C.E., Surveyor, dated November 21, 1994, said lots are designated by the numbers 14 and 15 of square twenty-nine (29), which square is bounded by the Old Spanish Trail, Fifteenth Street, River Road and the property of the Belt Bridge Sub‐division, Inc., said lots mea

sure as follows: Lots 14 and 15 adjoin and measure each 25 feet 5 inches front on the River Road with a width in the rear of 25 feet by the following depths: Lot 14 has a depth on the sideline sep

arating it from Lot 15 of 102 feet 6 inches and depth on the other side

line of 98 feet; Lot 15 has a depth on the line separating it from Lot 16 of 107 feet and depth on the sideline sepa‐rating it from Lot 14 of 102 feet 6 inches

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

COREY J GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025

feb 14-mar 21-2t $109.83

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 852-376 HANCOCK WHITNEY BANK VS LEWIS SADEK ELIAS TOUNA By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 20, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, prescrip‐tions, servi‐tudes, advantages and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, formerly being a part of Lots 17 and 18 of Destrehan Divi‐sion located in Section 56, Township 14 South, Range 24 East, and now known as Span‐ish Oaks Subdi‐vision, Phase 1, all as per plan thereof made by S. K Landry C. E dated Novem‐ber 8, 1972 and approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nance No 11007 on January 4, 1973, recorded in COB 780, folio 729 and as per Act of Dedi‐cation before Bernhardt C. Heebe, N.P., dated January 24, 1973, recorded in COB 781, folio 112, and in accor‐dance with a plan made by S K. Landry, C E., dated Sep‐tember 7, 1973, adopted by the Jefferson Parish Council on Oc‐tober 4 1973 under Ordi‐nance No 11393 and recorded in COB 801, folio 954 and accord‐ing to the aforesaid plans, said property is more particu‐larly described as follows:

feet, minus and plus, near to Lot 59 and a depth on the opposite sideline of 141 feet

And according to a print of sur‐vey by S K. Landry, Land Surveyor dated February 12, 1976 said survey Lot 58 measures 54.32 feet front on Spanish Oaks Drive a width in the rear of 96.75 feet more or less, and a depth on the side nearer to Lot 59 of 165.5 feet more or less, by a depth on the opposite sideline of 163 feet more or less. Square 15-B is bounded by Spanish Oaks Drive, Bayou Fatma, Square 15-C (side) and the west boundary of subdivision (side) Said Lot 58 commences 775.57 feet from the corner of Span‐ish Oaks Drive and the west boundary of subdivision

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

L GRAHAM ARCENEAUX Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $123

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 861-412

JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION VS WILLIAM MODIS MARTIN, JR AND KATHERINE MCDONALD MARTIN

THE PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, BEING COM‐POSED OF A PORTION LOT H-125, AND A PORTION OF SECTIONS 7, 65 AND 103, T 14S, R 23E, SOUTHEASTERN LAND DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, DESIG‐NATED AS OR‐LEANS VILLAGE, SECTION 4, ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH A SURVEY BY J.J KREBS & SONS, INC., DATED APRIL 3, 1970, APPROVED BY THE JEFFER‐SON PARISH COUNCIL UNDER ORDINANCE NO 10036, REGISTERED IN COB 731, FOLIO 30, AND AC‐CORDING TO WHICH SURVEY, SAID LOT IS DESIG‐NATED AND MEASURES AS FOLLOWS, TOWIT; LOT 8, SQUARE H, BOUNDED BY MT BLANC DRIVE, MT. RE‐VARB COURT, MT KENNEDY DRIVE AND ROCHESTER DRIVE. SAID LOT 8 BEGINS 278 FEET FROM THE CORNER OF MT BLANC DRIVE AND MT REVARB COURT AND MEASURES THENCE 62 FEET FRONT ON MT. BLANC DRIVE, THE SAME WIDTH IN THE REAR, BY A DEPTH OF 90 FEET BE‐TWEEN EQUAL AND PARALLEL LINES. ALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH A PLAN OF SURVEY BY J.J KREBS & SONS, INC., DATED FEBRUARY 9, 1972, A COPY OF WHICH IS AN‐NEXED HERETO AND MADE PART HEREOF

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

erty to wit:

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $109.83

Lot 58 in Square 15-B which square is bounded by Spanish Oaks Drive, Bayou Fatma and Sonora Via Lot 58 measures a ﬁrst front of 33.28 feet and a second front of 21.04 on Spanish Oaks Drive, a width in the rear of 90 feet, minus and plus, by a depth of 145 feet, minus and plus, near to Lot 59 and a depth on the opposite sideline of 141 feet

And according to a print of sur‐vey by S K. Landry, Land Surveyor dated February 12, 1976 said survey Lot 58 measures

EMILY A MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $107.18

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 852-848

FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION VS AARON STEVEN HARRIS JR By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated April 4, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex

pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND with all improvements and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and advantages thereunto or in anywise apper‐taining situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in SECTION 1 of ORLEANS VILLAGE SUBDI‐VISION being a resubdivision of Lots H-400, H401, H-402, and H-403 of Ames Farms Subdivision in Township 14 South, Range 23, East West of the Mississippi River, which said lot accord‐ing to a survey made by J. J Krebs & Sons, Inc., Civil Engineer and Surveyors, dated August 11, 1969, ap‐proved by Ordi‐nance 9654 adopted by the Jefferson Parish Council on May 14, 1970, reg in COB 715 folio 582 is located and designated as follows, to-wit: LOT 1, of SQUARE E, bounded by Rue Racine, Rue Louis Philippe and Sauvage Avenue said LOT 1 com‐mences 237.59 feet from the corner of Rue Racine and Sauvage Avenue and measures then 36 feet front on Rue Racine to a point on a curve; thence along said curve hav‐ing a radius of 20 feet, a dis‐tance of 31.42 feet to a point; thence still along Rue Racine a dis‐tance of 80 feet to a point, a width in the rear of 56 feet and a depth on the sideline nearest to Sauvage Avenue of 100 feet; sub‐ject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

ASHLEY E MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t $104.00

Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

BRIGHAM J LUNDBERG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 21, 2025, April 25, 2025 mar 21-apr 25-2t $95.54

NO: 829-862

U S BANK NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS LEGAL TITLE TRUSTEE FOR RMTP TRUST, SERIES 2021 BKM-TT-V VERSUS PATRICK L FERTITTA

purtenances and advantages thereunto be

longing or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in that part known as LOUIS PARK SUBDIVISION, in accordance with plan of re‐subdivision made by Wilton J. Dufrene Land Surveyor, dated 4/18/1973, said plan being ap‐proved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordinance No 11221, adopted 6/7/1973, regis‐tered COB 792 folio 495; and according to said plan of said lot is desig‐nated as the WHOLE OF LOT NO. 49-A in the square bounded by Mi‐mosa Street, Av‐enue E Four‐teenth and Fif‐te th Street

Council under Ordinance No 11221, adopted 6/7/1973, regis‐tered COB 792, folio 495; and according to said plan of said lot is desig‐nated as the WHOLE OF LOT NO. 49-A in the square bounded by Mi‐mosa Street, Av‐enue E Four‐teenth and Fif‐teenth Streets; and according to said plan said Lot 49-A mea‐sures 90.65 feet front on Mimosa Street by a width in the rear of 91.61 feet, by a depth on the side line adjoining Lot 50 of 97.49 feet and by a depth on the sideline adjoining Lot 47A of 103.80 feet And according to survey of Wilton J Dufrene dated 3/18/1974 and redated. 8/14/1974, Lot 49-A has a ﬁrst frontage of 30 feet and an ad‐ditional frontage along a curve of 60.65 feet on Mimosa Street, a width of 30 feet and a second width of 61.61 feet in the rear, a depth of 97.49 feet on Fourteenth Street side, a depth of 103.80 feet on the Fif‐teenth Street side, and com‐mences 65.11 feet along the curve of Mi‐mosa Street from the corner of Fourteenth Street; subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty. The improve‐ments thereon bear the Im‐provements thereon bear the Municipal No. 1404 Mimosa Street Marrero, LA 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with B k Lette

This sale

sub

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACE A COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P

LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t

bered and enti‐tled cause, dated October 5, 2020, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: Two Certain lots of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana in that part known as the Town of Harahan, said LOTS are desig‐nated by the NOS 163 and 164, in SQUARE “N-2”, which square is bounded by Oak Avenue Fourth Street, Tenth Street and the Upper Boundary Line of Subdivi‐sion known as HARAHAN CITY, Harahan, Louisiana Lots Nos 163 and 164 adjoin each other and mea‐sure each 30 feet front on Oak Avenue, by a depth of 120 feet between equal and paral‐lel lines Ac‐cording to survey made by Gilbert, Kelly Surveyors dated January 15, 1959, said lots are desig‐nated by the same numbers, adjoin each other, have the same locations and are shown to be bounded by Oak Avenue the Rear Line of the Subdivision Ninth and Tenth Streets and Grove Park Sub‐division,; said lots measure each 30 feet front on Oak Av‐enue, the same width in the rear, by a depth between equal and parallel lines of 129 feet Lot No 163 is shown to commence at a distance of 245 feet (actual) 240 feet (original plan), from the corner of Oak Avenue and Ninth Street Said measure‐ments are more fully shown on a Plat of Survey by Dading, Mar‐ques and Associates, Inc., land Surveyors dated Novem‐ber 2, 1994. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges

Grove Park Sub‐division,; said lots measure each 30 feet front on Oak Av‐enue the same width in the rear by a depth between equal and parallel lines of 129 feet Lot No 163 is shown to commence at a distance of 245 feet (actual) 240 feet (original plan), from the corner of Oak Avenue and Ninth Street Said measure‐ments are more fully shown on a Plat of Survey by Dading, Mar‐ques and Associates Inc. land Surveyors dated Novem‐ber 2, 1994. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit.

HERSCHEL C ADCOCK, JR Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t

ERMS - The full urchase price s due at the ime of the sale

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with irrevocable Bank Letter of Credit

HERSCHEL C ADCOCK, JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: February 14, 2025, March 21, 2025 feb 14-mar 21-2t

NO: 823-989 JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION VS MARTHA BEAT‐RIZ TINOCO DI‐VORCED WIFE OF/AND ALLAN TINOCO By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti

tled cause, dated January 19, 2022, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon and all the rights ways privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana in that part thereof known as TIMBERLANE ESTATES, and according to plan of subdi‐vision of Alvin E Hotard, Civil En‐gineer dated 2/12/1959, attached to Or‐dinance No. 3986, dated 4/2/1959, regis‐tered under Entry No 147596 in Conveyance Book 473, folio 611, of Jefferson Parish, said piece or portion of ground is designated as LOT

CHASE BANK NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION VS MARTHA BEAT‐RIZ TINOCO DI‐VORCED WIFE OF/AND ALLAN TINOCO By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated January 19, 2022, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana 70058, on March 26, 2025 at 10 o'clock a.m the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon and all the rights, ways privileges, servitudes ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as TIMBERLANE ESTATES, and according to plan of subdi‐vision of Alvin E Hotard, Civil En‐gineer, dated 2/12/1959, attached to Or‐dinance No 3986, dated 4/2/1959, regis‐tered under Entry No. 147596 in Conveyance Book 473, folio 611, of Jefferson Parish, said piece or portion of ground is designated as LOT NUMBER 83, in SQUARE NUM‐BER 4, bounded by Timberlane Drive, Fernwood Street Colony Road, Wildwood Road, Fairﬁeld Avenue and Pa

gent Place, which said Lot 83 forms the cor‐ner of Fairﬁeld Avenue and Timberlane Drive and measures 122.51' front on Fairﬁeld Av‐enue, the same width in the rear, by a depth and front on Timber

THE NEW ORLEANS BOOK FESTIVAL will bring the world’sleading authors to TULANE UNIVERSITY’S uptowncampus for amulti-day celebration! This FREE festival will provide an opportunity for authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in theworld. Be sure to BOOK IT to Tulane MARCH 27,28&29! Visit bookfest.tulane.edu forthe completelineup and schedule of events!

F MIA ARAUJO

F MARTI DUMAS

F M.R FOURNET

F ADAM KARLIN

F RACHEL MARSH

F ADAM DENNIS

F NAOMI DEBERRY

AUTHORS march 29 2025 10 am to 2pm AVRONB. FOGELMAN ARENA IN THE DEVLIN FIELDHOUSE

F DR.DIONNE NICHOLS-CONDOLL

F JOHNETTE DOWNING

F LESLIE HELAKOSKI

F MICHAEL STRECKER

F ALEXANDRANAVARRE DAVIS

F DENISE MCCONDUIT

F TESSA B.H. RUIZ

F MARIE RATHE

F MEREDITH JAO

F PAUL SCHEXNAYDER

F LOREAL IVORY

F GAYLE WEBRE

F DEREK ROBERTS &K.A. LEIGH

F MADI HANNAN

FAMILYDAY at the NEW ORLEANS BOOK FESTIVAL is a FREE family event on the campusofTulane University full of fun activities, aScholastic book giveaway,aswell as some of your favoritechildren’s book authors! This year’s festival features a FamilyDay session especially for Middle Grade students Mystery, Magic, Myth and the PowerofImagination. Visit bookfest.tulane.edu for moreinfo,alist of events and the FAMILYDAY schedule!

FAMILY DAY! to

BALDWIN &CO. BOOKSTORE 1030 Elysian Fields Avenue, NOLA COMMUNITY ACADEMIES OF NEW ORLEANS (Esperanza Academy) 4407 South Carrollton Avenue, NOLA KIPP CENTRAL CITYACADEMY 2514 Third Steet, NOLA JEFFERSON PARISH EASTBANK REGIONAL LIBRARY 4747 W. Napoleon Avenue, Metairie

JEFFERSON PARISH

BRANCH

680 Heritage Avenue, Terrytown