The Times-Picayune 03-29-2025

Big time at Book Fest

Crowds turn out for high-profile authors, speakers

BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer

The New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University has earned the nickname “Mardi Gras for the Mind.”

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Under mostly sunny skies Friday at Tulane’s Uptown campus, “Disney World for the mind” might have been the better comparison as thousands of fest attendees queued up in long lines to attend talks from a roster of highprofile speakers and authors.

Panelists and speakers for the first full day of the event included immunologist Anthony Fauci, journalist Connie Chung, political strategists

for four years,” said Fay Kimbrell, who with her daughter Mia Rouse was queued up to see a presentation called “Who Is Government,” featuring comic and TV host W. Kamau Bell. “Being around engaged people all in one space is so nice.”

A few feet away in the same line, returning attendee Robin DeLamatre said there’s one big difference this year

“It’s packed,” she said. “By the time we got in to see Dr Fauci, it was half over, but we all said it was worth it to only see half.”

EPA to cut $70M in funds for La.

Agencies, nonprofits to lose federal grants

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

The Environmental Protection Agency is cutting about $70 million in funding for Louisiana government agencies and nonprofits, as part of a far-reaching plan to cancel hundreds of federal grants nationwide, according to internal documents released by a U.S. Senate committee. The records show that grants for air quality monitoring, disaster response and environmental education are being terminated.

The move is part of an effort to curb what the Trump administration has said is excessive federal spending, and to cut support for government programs that promote diversity equity and inclusion. Earlier this month, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency was canceling hundreds of grants as part of a collaborative effort with the Department of Government Efficiency led by President Donald Trump’s billionaire adviser Elon Musk.

Many of the Louisiana organizations named in a list of roughly 400 grants are decades-old environmental nonprofits, such as the Louisiana Bucket Brigade and The Deep South Center for Environmental Justice. But state agencies, such as the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and commercial entities were also included. The feds are seeking to trim around $1 million

ä See EPA, page 7A

David Axelrod and Karl Rove Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and more.

Despite the extended wait times — a side effect of the free event’s growing popularity festgoers were in great spirits.

“I’ve been hearing about the fest

Founded 15 years ago by former New Orleans first lady Cheryl Landrieu, Book Fest began as a small children’s book gathering at the St Charles Avenue branch of the New Orleans Public Library It grew

ä See BOOK FEST, page 6A

LSU to enact hiring freeze

‘Unpredictable, unprecedented federal funding changes’ cited

BY PATRICK WALL and ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writers

LSU will enact a universitywide hiring freeze and consider eliminating some positions as the Trump administration seeks to slash higher-education funding, LSU President William Tate IV said Friday In a letter to faculty and staff, Tate outlined belttightening measures the public university will take in response to “unpredictable and unprecedented federal funding changes.” The school will pause hiring “with limited exceptions,” look

ä See LSU, page 3A

STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE

People make their way through the Tulane University campus during the New Orleans Book Festival on Friday.

Broadcast journalist Connie Chung speaks during the New Orleans Book Festival on Friday.

ABOVE: Griffin Dunne, center, signs a copy of his book during the New Orleans Book Festival on Friday.

RIGHT: Fran Fransen, left, looks through books for sale during the Book Festival on Friday.

ä Dr Anthony Fauci talks book, career and vaccines.

Denmark underinvested in Greenland, VP claims

NUUK,Greenland U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Friday that Denmark has “underinvested” in Greenland’s security and demanded that Denmark change its approach as President Donald Trump pushes to take over the Danish territory.

The pointed remarks came as Vance visited U.S. troops on Pituffik Space Base on the mineral-rich, strategically critical island alongside his wife and other senior U.S. officials for a trip that was ultimately scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danes who were not consulted about the original itinerary

“Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland,” Vance said. “You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change.”

Vance said the U.S. has “no option” but to take a significant position to ensure the security of Greenland as he encouraged a push in Greenland for independence from Denmark.

“I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States,” Vance said. “We could make them much more secure. We could do a lot more protection. And I think they’d fare a lot better economically as well.”

The reaction by members of Greenland’s parliament and residents has rendered that unlikely, with anger erupting over the Trump administration’s attempts to annex the vast Arctic island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pushed back on Vance’s claim that Denmark isn’t doing enough for defense in the Arctic, calling her country “a good and strong ally.”

Utah bans fluoride in public drinking water

SALT LAKE CITY Utah has become the first state to ban fluoride in public drinking water, pushing past opposition from dentists and national health organizations who warn the move will lead to medical problems that disproportionately affect low-income communities. Republican Gov Spencer Cox signed legislation Thursday barring cities and communities from deciding whether to add the mineral to their water systems. Florida, Ohio and South Carolina are considering similar measures, while in New Hampshire, North Dakota and Tennessee, lawmakers have rejected them A bill in Kentucky to make fluoridation optional stalled in the state Senate.

The American Dental Association sharply criticized the Utah law, saying it showed “wanton disregard for the oral health and well-being of their constituents.”

The ban, effective May 7, brings into the mainstream concerns over fluoridation that for decades were considered fringe opinions.

Khalil’s lawyers appear in New Jersey court

NEWARK, N.J Lawyers for Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate student facing deportation for his role in pro-Palestinian campus protests, urged a federal judge on Friday to free their client from an immigration detention center in Louisiana, describing his imprisonment there as a “Kafkaesque” ploy to chill free speech.

“The longer we wait, the more chill there is,” defense attorney Baher Azmy said. “Everyone knows about this case and is wondering if they’re going to get picked off the street for opposing U.S. foreign policy.”

The parties appeared Friday before a judge in Newark, New Jersey, to debate where Khalil’s legal fight to be released from federal custody should play out.

An attorney for the Department of Justice, August Flentje, wants the dispute litigated in Louisiana, where Khalil was taken after his arrest, “for jurisdictional certainty.”

U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz said he would consider the “tricky” venue issues at play and issue a written decision soon. He declined to hear an argument for bail from Khalil’s attorneys, pointing to the need to settle the jurisdictional issue first.

Quake rocks Myanmar, Thailand

Hundreds feared dead

BY DAVID RISING and JINTAMAS SAKSORNCHAI Associated Press

BANGKOK — A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar on Friday, causing extensive damage across a wide swath of one of the world’s poorest countries and prompting officials to warn that the initial death toll — above 140 — was likely to grow in the days ahead. In neighboring Thailand, at least 10 died in Bangkok, where a high-rise under construction collapsed.

The full extent of death, injury and destruction was not immediately clear — particularly in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled.

“The death toll and injuries are expected to rise,” the head of Myanmar’s military government, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing said as he announced on television that at least 144 people were killed and 730 others were injured in his country In Thailand, authorities in Bangkok said 10 people were killed, 16 injured and 101 missing from three construction sites, including the high-rise. The 7 .7-magnitude quake struck at midday, with an epicenter near Man-

dalay, Myanmar ’s secondlargest city Aftershocks followed, one of them measuring a strong 6.4 magnitude.

Myanmar is in an active earthquake belt, though many of the temblors happen in sparsely populated areas, not cities like those affected Friday The U.S. Geological Survey an American government science agency, estimated that the death toll could top 1,000.

In Mandalay the earthquake reportedly brought down multiple buildings, including one of the city’s largest monasteries Photos from the capital city of Naypyidaw showed rescue

Israel strikes Beirut

First

such attack since ceasefire ended with Hezbollah

BY BASSEM MROUE

Associated Press

BEIRUT Israel on Friday launched an attack on Lebanon’s capital for the first time since a ceasefire ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war in November

Associated Press reporters in Beirut heard a loud boom and witnessed smoke rising from an area in the city’s southern suburbs that Israel’s military had vowed to strike. It marked Israel’s first strike on Beirut since a ceasefire took hold last November between it and the Hezbollah militant group, though Israel has attacked targets in southern Lebanon almost daily since then.

Israel’s army said it hit a Hezbollah drone storage facility in Dahiyeh, which it called a militant stronghold. The strike came after Israel, which accuses Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields, warned residents to evacuate the area.

The area struck is a residential and commercial area and is close to at least two schools Israeli officials said the attack was retaliation for rockets it said were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel. They promised strikes on Beirut would continue unless Lebanon’s government worked to ensure such attacks ceased. We will not allow firing

at our communities, not even a trickle,” Israeli

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. “We will attack everywhere in Lebanon, against any threat to the State of Israel.”

Hezbollah denied firing the rockets, and accused Israel of seeking a pretext to continue attacking Lebanon.

Lebanon’s government ordered all schools and universities in Beirut’s southern suburb of Hadath to close for the day. Residents were seen fleeing the area in cars and on foot ahead of the strike.

Hezbollah began launching rockets, drones and missiles into Israel the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel by its Hamas allies ignited the war in Gaza.

Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 in Israel and abducted 251 others during the 2023 attack

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict exploded into allout war last September when Israel carried out waves of airstrikes and killed most of the militant group’s senior leaders.

The fighting killed over 4,000 people in Lebanon and displaced about 60,000 Israelis.

Under the ceasefire, Israeli forces were supposed to withdraw from all Lebanese territory by late January The deadline was extended to Feb. 18, but Israel has remained in five border locations while carrying out dozens of strikes on what it said were Hezbollah targets in southern and eastern Lebanon. Last week, Israeli airstrikes on several locations in Lebanon killed six people.

crews pulling victims from the rubble of multiple buildings used to house civil servants.

Myanmar’s government said blood was in high demand in the hardest-hit areas In a country where prior governments sometimes have been slow to accept foreign aid, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar was ready to accept assistance. The United Nations allocated $5 million to start relief efforts President Donald Trump said Friday that the U.S. was going to help with the response, but some experts were concerned about this effort given his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance.

But the effects of his administration’s deep cuts in foreign assistance through the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department will likely be tested in any response to the first big natural disaster of his second term. But amid images of buckled and cracked roads and reports of a collapsed bridge and a burst dam, there were concerns about how rescuers would even reach some areas in a country already enduring a humanitarian crisis.

“We fear it may be weeks before we understand the full extent of destruction caused by this earthquake,” said Mohammed Riyas, the

International Rescue Committee’s Myanmar director Myanmar’s Englishlanguage state newspaper, Global New Light of Myanmar said five cities and towns had seen building collapses and two bridges had fallen, including one on a key highway between Mandalay and Yangon. A photo on the newspaper’s website showed wreckage of a sign that read “EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT,” which the caption said was part of the capital’s main 1,000-bed hospital.

Elsewhere, video posted online showed robed monks in a Mandalay street, shooting their own video of the multistory Ma Soe Yane monastery before it suddenly fell into the ground. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was harmed. Video also showed damage to the former royal palace.

Christian Aid said its partners and colleagues on the ground reported that a dam burst in the city, causing water levels to rise in the lowland areas. Residents of Yangon, the nation’s largest city, rushed out of their homes when the quake struck. In Naypyitaw, some homes stood partly crumbled, while rescuers heaved away bricks from the piles of debris. An injured man reclined on a wheeled stretcher, while another man fanned him in the heat.

Trump asks Supreme Court to allow deportations to continue

President using 18th-century wartime law

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court for permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law, while a court fight continues.

The emergency appeal to the high court follows a rejection of the Republican administration’s plea to the federal appeals court in Washington. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of appellate judges left in place an order temporarily prohibiting deportations of the migrants under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act

The Justice Department argued in court papers that federal courts shouldn’t interfere with sensitive diplomatic negotiations. It also claimed that migrants should make their case in a federal court in Texas, where they are being detained.

The order temporarily blocking the deportations was issued by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, the chief judge at the federal courthouse in Washington.

President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act for the first time since World War II to justify the deportation of hundreds of people under a presidential proclamation calling the Tren de Aragua gang an invading force.

“Here, the district court’s orders have rebuffed the President’s judgments as to how to protect the Nation against foreign terrorist organizations and risk debilitating effects for delicate foreign negotiations,” acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris wrote in the court filing.

Attorneys from the American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit on behalf of five Venezuelan noncitizens who were being held in Texas, hours

after the proclamation was made public.

The court set a Tuesday deadline for a response from the ACLU.

Lee Gelernt, the lead lawyer representing the migrants, said, “We will urge the Supreme Court to preserve the status quo to give the courts time to hear this case, so that more individuals are not sent off to a notorious foreign prison without any process, based on an unprecedented and unlawful use of a wartime authority.”

The case has become a

flashpoint amid escalating tension between the White House and the federal courts. Boasberg imposed a temporary halt on deportations and ordered planeloads of Venezuelan immigrants to return to the U.S. That did not happen. The judge has since vowed to determine whether the government defied his order to turn the planes around. The administration has invoked a “state secrets privilege” and refused to give Boasberg any additional information about the deportations.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TADCHAKORN KITCHAIPHON

Patients are evacuated outdoors on Friday at a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HUSSEIN MALLA

A man stands next to a destroyed car on Friday at the site of an Israeli army strike that hit a building in the suburb of Dahiye, Beirut.

La. will vote on four constitutional amendments

Amendment 3

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Voters across Louisiana on Saturday will be asked to decide on four proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution. If approved, they would impact the state’s courts, taxes, treatment of juveniles in the criminal justice system, and elections for judges. The Louisiana Legislature approved the amendments during a special session in November, but voters now have the final say Some voters also have local issues on their ballots.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Find your polling location and see what’s on your ballot at www.GeauxVote.com, on the GeauxVote mobile app or by calling the registrar of voters in your parish.

Here’s an overview of the amendments:

Amendment 1

State lawmakers would gain the power to create regional and statewide specialty courts, should this amendment pass Currently, legislators can only create specialty courts within a parish or a judicial district. Drug, mental health and veterans courts

are examples of these legal programs.

Amendment 1 would also clarify that, under the Louisiana Constitution, the state Supreme Court has authority over disciplinary cases involving lawyer misconduct by out-of-state attorneys working in Louisiana. The constitution currently says the Supreme Court has authority over “disciplinary proceedings against a member of the bar.”

Proponents say this amendment will give state lawmakers flexibility to set up needed legal forums like business courts, and it will empower the state to punish bad actors who don’t live in Louisiana. Opponents, however, say the real reason for the changes is unclear and those pushing for them haven’t revealed why exactly the new courts are needed.

Amendment 2

This amendment restructures one of the 14 articles of the Louisiana Constitution that governs state taxes and finance.

The legislation is over 100 pages and includes dozens of changes But at the broadest level, Amendment 2 would give state lawmakers more power to decide which

revenue streams should fund government and how to spend those funds. This would be accomplished by moving some of the state’s tax and budgeting policies out of the constitution, where any policy change requires voter approval, and into state statute, which can be changed by lawmakers without a vote of the people.

Many property tax exemption programs and special trust funds dedicated to certain spending priorities would be moved into statute, where they could be more easily adjusted.

Some constitutionally protected education trust funds would be liquidated, and approximately $2 billion would go to pay down a portion of debt in the Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana.

Savings from that debt payment would fund a $2,000 salary increase for teachers, and $1,000 salary increase for support staff. It would be tougher for lawmakers to create new tax-break programs: they would need a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, rather than a simple majority And new property tax exemptions would need a threefourths vote.

Amendment 2 would cap the state individual income tax rate at 3.75% down from the current cap of 4.75%. It would also limit how much state government can in-

crease spending from one year to the next. Seniors age 65 and older would be able to double their standard income tax deduction.

Groceries, residential utilities and prescription drugs would continue to be exempt from state sales tax under the constitution And the homestead exemption would stay in the constitution, as would a property tax exemption for churches.

Proponents say Amendment 2 would streamline government and allow legislators to change economic development policies that are holding back the state. Opponents argue the policy changes will hurt the average individual taxpayer, and voters can’t understand the policy implications of the complicated amendment.

This proposed amendment would empower state lawmakers to expand the list of crimes for which juveniles age 16 and younger can be treated as adults in the criminal court system. Juveniles can only be charged as adults for 16 specific felonies listed in the constitution, most of which are violent offenses like murder and rape. Amendment 3 would throw out that list, and lawmakers could choose to have juveniles charged as adults for any felony offense.

Proponents say the change would help legislators respond more effectively to the state’s crime problems and make communities safer Opponents say that sending young people to adult prisons is not an effective

crime prevention strategy

Amendment 4

This amendment would change the timeline for elections for vacant and newly created judgeships.

Currently, elections for those judicial seats must happen within 12 months. Amendment 4 would instead require them to happen during a gubernatorial or congressional election happening within 12 months, or on “on the election date first available pursuant to applicable law” passed by the Legislature.

Proponents say the change would potentially reduce the number of elections the state must hold and election administration costs. Some opponents have said changes to election timelines should be made in statute rather than the constitution.

for “redundant” positions to cut and explore using AI to take over some administrative tasks.

Universities nationwide have announced hiring freezes, layoffs and other cost-cutting measures after the Trump administration said in February it would reduce federal research funding by an estimated $4 billion annually

A federal judge has paused the cuts to National Institutes of Health grants. But if they proceed, LSU could lose an estimated $12 million annually Tate said last month, warning that research institutions like LSU would “face crippling financial shortfalls.”

State funding also is uncertain. Louisiana was able to avoid drastic cuts to higher education by increasing sales taxes, but analysts say the state could face shortfalls in coming years.

In his letter, Tate said the budget-cutting measures would help the university make the best use of its funding while accelerating recent gains in enrollment, research and student outcomes.

“By acting decisively today, we build a stronger, more resilient institution for the future,” he wrote.

Trump has also threatened to pull federal fund-

“chaotic and haphazard actions of the federal government towards higher education.”

In an email, he said the Trump administration’s approach “leaves no room for a deliberate process,” and seems designed to “weaken the system of colleges and universities which has made the United States the global leader in academics and scientific research.”

Tate also announced other efforts Friday to “shore up” operations and protect resources in the LSU system, which educates more than 40,000 students across eight campuses.

ing from colleges and universities that run afoul of his efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs and crack down on some student protesters This month, his administration canceled $400 million in federal grants and contracts at Columbia University for allegedly failing to address antisemitism on campus.

Daniel Tirone, an LSU political science professor and president of the Baton Rouge campus’ faculty senate, blamed the hiring freeze and other measures on the

Next fiscal year, LSU will withhold 2% of each department’s budget, the letter said. Most of the money will go into a “strategic fund” to provide competitive grants for academic and research projects. Departments can also recover some funding by hitting annual goals.

The university’s procurement office will establish policies to promote “cost savings and operational efficiency,” the letter said And LSU will seek to expand its online courses to serve 10,000 students by 2030, about double the number who were enrolled last fall.

“These strategic actions will help our university navigate financial challenges while advancing academic distinction, research innovation, and student success,” Tate wrote.

Fauci talks career, vaccines at Book Fest

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

The line for Dr Anthony Fauci at Tulane University’s Book Fest began roughly two hours before his Friday morning talk and stretched from McAlister Auditorium down Freret Street. Dr Ashley Pastore, a New Orleans emergency room physician, wheeled her freshly vaccinated two-month-old along the curb and onto campus. In her first year out of residency in 2020, she looked to Fauci as a guide through unprecedented uncertainty, treating patients during some of the worst COVID-19 waves in the country

“It went from the normal stuff to seeing people my age die every single day,” Pastore said. “He was somebody objective and trustworthy.”

Fauci, former chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, was there to discuss his new book, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service,” in a conversation moderated by author and historian Walter Isaacson, a Tulane professor

Their talk touched on Fauci’s upbringing as the son of a pharmacist in Brooklyn, the “diabolical” slashing of science and health funding, late night phone calls from President Donald Trump, COVID-19 origin theories, the rise of vaccine misinformation and what keeps him up at night. Fauci’s remarks drew applause nearly a dozen times during the hourlong session, with the crowd of 1,800 giving him

a standing ovation as he entered and exited the stage.

But to his left, there was a loom-

ing reminder of the cost of being the face of the pandemic that caused division in the nation and Louisiana, despite the vocal support in the room. A tall bodyguard in a suit stood in the wings, scanning the crowd — protection Fauci now pays for himself, after the Trump administration revoked his security detail earlier this year

Fauci said, however that the dark years in his career weren’t the harassment or death threats stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. They were instead the early days of the AIDS crisis, when, as the chief of immunoregulation at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious

stages featured talks about many other topics, including science, religion, history fiction, food, art, sports and media.

dramatically when co-chair Walter Isaacson, the biographer, former Time magazine editor and now Tulane faculty member, worked with Landrieu to bring it to campus in 2022.

Last year’s event, which drew an overflow crowd to a talk by former U.S Rep. Liz Cheney attracted about 15,000 people, according to organizers. By the looks of it, this year’s iteration is even more crowded.

On Thursday night, more than 2,300 people heard a conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine, who on Monday broke the story about the Trump administration’s Signal chat leak. Friday morning, a similar number lined up to hear Fauci talk about his new book, “On Call: A Doctor’s Journey in Public Service.”

The discussion touched on Fauci’s upbringing as the son of a pharmacist in Brooklyn, the “diabolical” slashing of science and health funding, late-night phone calls from President Donald Trump, COVID-19 origin theories, the rise of vaccine misinformation and “what keeps him up at night.”

Big lines continued throughout the day and spread to Tulane’s dining hall, where more than a few students looked bewildered by the number of parent- and grandparent-aged people looking for cafeteria food.

Despite plenty of political content Book Fest’s 10

During an 11 a.m. presentation in Tulane’s business complex, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning and his son Cooper proved that Peyton and Eli aren’t the only family duo that can entertain an audience.

Several hundred people gathered to hear Archie tell stories from his career and assess the next crop of NFL passers, many of whom spend time at the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux.

“Last year we had a kid from Guam, and one from Finland and I never saw someone so sunburned in my life,” Cooper Manning said.

Nearby, at McAlister Auditorium, pioneering journalist Connie Chung was talking about the early days of her reporting career when she was one of very few women in the business.

“I was so aggressive and I wanted to be Mike Wallace on ‘60 Minutes,’” she said. Chung described experiences that didn’t sound too far removed from the sexism satirized in the “Anchorman” films.

“Some male anchors have ‘big shot-itis,’” she said “It’s an inability to stop talking, combined with unrelenting hubris, a huge ego and delusions of sexual prowess. I found them to be insufferable, frankly.”

While Chung was telling unflattering stories about former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a highprofile government official from a more recent era was

Diseases, he began to see desperately ill young men die.

“No matter what I did, they all died within 10 to 15 months with a terrible disease that devastated their community,” Fauci said.

That reality began to change in the mid 1980s, when the “engine of biomedical research” they kicked into gear led to a diagnostic test and, eventually, lifesaving treatments.

Fauci faced criticism and pushback then, too Playwright and activist Larry Kramer called him an “incompetent idiot” in an open letter published in the San Francisco Examiner

That criticism was warranted, Fauci said, and ultimately helped change how scientific institutions engaged with activists and pa-

at Tulane’s Dixon Hall, discussing war strategy and leadership.

Gen. David H. Petraeus, the former director of the CIA, analyzed Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

“I don’t believe (Israel) has the right campaign designed,” he said. “I agree that they should destroy Hamas, keep it from governing again and get the hostages back. The problem is their campaign has not achieved that.”

Another long line led to the 1 p.m. conversation between Axelrod and Rove, dueling political strategists who have a “buddy cop” vibe onstage.

Rove got big laughs for his Trump impersonation, and the two traded friendly jabs throughout.

Neither was surprised by the result of the 2024 presidential election.

“I expected Trump to win,” Rove said. “It’s hard for the Democrats to run that far ahead of Joe Biden, whose approval rating was around 37%. I am surprised he won all the battleground states, though.”

They agreed that Kamala Harris’s TV appearance on “The View,” during which she failed to distinguish her policies from Biden’s, was a major misstep.

Axelrod said his party has to make changes to win back trust from one of its core constituencies.

“The sense is Democrats have approached working people not as allies and peers but as missionaries and anthropologists,” he said. “The message has been, ‘We’re here to help you to become more like us.’”

tients, allowing faster access to medication. He does not feel the same way about the rejection of science that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic He said the phrase “it’s like apples and oranges” isn’t sufficient to describe the difference.

“It’s like peanuts and elephants,” said Fauci, who is now a professor at Georgetown University after serving as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious and the National Institutes of Health from 1984 to 2022.

“What’s going on now — the indiscriminate anti-science, anti-vax is totally different,” Fauci said.

Even though a person can have their opinion, they’re going against all the available data.”

Again and again, in response to questions about vaccines, masks, lockdowns, and the origins of COVID, Fauci circled back to evidence.

“It wasn’t censoring opposing opinions,” Fauci said, of the idea that the scientific community wasn’t open to dissenting views. “It was saying that if you have an opposing opinion it should be based on data and evidence — not just an opinion.”

Fauci spoke candidly about the intense political atmosphere during the pandemic, including his time under the Trump administration. He felt obligated to publicly correct misinformation, even at personal and professional cost. When Trump repeatedly declared the virus was going to disappear, Fauci had to tell reporters that it would not.

Rove said Trump is not without his challenges, either One big one is that income is rising at a quarter of the rate of inflation.

“He’s out there saying everything’s going great, but it’s not resonating with what ordinary people are feeling in their lives and it’s going to get worse with tariffs,” he said. “Can you imagine what happens when people go to buy school clothes for their kids next fall, and it costs 25% more?”

Book Fest expanded this year to take up more space on campus. Organizers also

When Fauci told the public they would likely need booster shots following the news of a vaccine in late 2020, he got a middle-ofthe-night phone call from Trump asking him to be more positive. When the stock market didn’t rise enough in response to vaccine announcements, Trump used “very colorful” language, according to Fauci.

“(He said), ‘You lost me a trillion dollars.’ I said, ‘Excuse me — all I did was say that we need a booster,’” Fauci said.

The pandemic, Fauci added, became part of a broader challenge he and his colleagues are still trying to address: a growing public distrust in science, fueled by misinformation and amplified online.

Dr Fauci warned that anti-science voices are “very energetic” and dominate social media, urging those grounded in evidence to be “more proactive.” He called for education rooted in critical thinking that compels someone to ask, “What is the basis of the statement?” if they see a claim on social media.

When Isaacson asked if the divisive state of the country had any path to reconciliation, the audience laughed. But Fauci still has hope.

“We’ve got to believe that there are better angels in everyone that we’re much more alike than we are different,” Fauci said.

Later, he was escorted through a back door by a half dozen police and armed guards into a waiting black SUV

have broadened programming to include new sessions on humor and cooking, plus content aimed at younger readers. Overall, there will be more than 200 speakers participating in 90 panels, plus book signings, a culinary symposium, family activities and a closing concert. Multiple tents on Tulane’s quad bring to mind Jazz Fest, just without the smell of horse manure — and no porta-potties. The temporary village is home to smaller stages, a bar, a bookstore and an area reserved for book signings.

The event continues Saturday, when there will be programming designed for families.

Novelist John Grisham and New Orleans-born nonfiction writer Michael Lewis will share the stage at McAlister Auditorium, while a Dixon Hall panel showcases a new generation of talents: novelists Alison Espach and Casey McQuiston. Isaacson will interview historian Doris Kearns Goodwin and statistician Nate Silver will talk about the “art of risking everything.”

STAFF PHOTO By EMILy WOODRUFF

Dr Anthony Fauci, right, speaks at Tulane University’s Book Fest in a talk moderated by Walter Isaacson on Friday.

OMV director resigns as tech issues continue

BY MATTHEW ALBRIGHT Staff writer

Dan Casey, commissioner of the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles, is resigning amid an ongoing breakdown in the agency’s computer systems that has disrupted services across the state for weeks.

“I want to sincerely thank Dan Casey for stepping up to serve as the Commissioner of Office of Motor

EPA

Continued from page 1A

apiece from the state’s chief environmental agency the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and the Port of New Orleans, according to the records. They also want to cancel a $20 million grant to Dillard University and eliminate another $20 million grant in partnership with the city’s Metro Bike Coalition for a “resilience hub” to support New Orleanians during storms.

“It’s devastating to the organization,” said Chuck Morse, the executive director of Thrive New Orleans, which received $1.5 million to promote environmental education for young people and small business development.

The Democrats who published the list, including senators from Rhode Island, Delaware and California, said that the canceled grants are an illegal violation of EPA contracts, congressional acts and court orders. The group is calling on Zeldin to reinstate the grants and “desist further unlawful terminations.”

Port of New Orleans officials confirmed that the EPA has notified them about terminating an environmental justice program at the port That initiative connects governments with nonprofit groups to address public health and environmental conditions in disproportionately burdened areas, according to the EPA. Some of the eligible activities include developing disaster preparedness plans and mitigating pollution.

According to the internal records, the EPA is targeting a $1 million grant awarded last summer to the state coastal agency titled, “Piloting Insurance Solutions to Increase Equitable Disaster Response in Coastal Louisiana.” CPRA declined to comment.

The records also show a $1 million environmental justice grant to the Louisiana Department of Health on the list. The grant funds indoor air quality monitoring and home assessments with asthma specialists to “improve asthma outcomes in vulnerable Louisiana communities,” according to the government’s spending tracker site, and supports a Center for Disease Control

Vehicles at a time when most people would shy away from the position,” Gov Jeff Landry said Friday in a news release announcing Casey’s departure. “Dan faced nearly impossible circumstances including a system that was designed in the 1970s, with the demands of the 21st century I am thankful for his leadership and wish him the best.”

The computer system that OMV offices use to process

driver’s licenses, car registrations and other important paperwork has been crashing or freezing repeatedly often multiple times a day That has disrupted appointments and lengthened wait times for customers at OMV offices and public tag agents across the state.

Officials have said the problem is that multiple users may be trying to access the same records or group of records, causing the sys-

tem to lock up. Landry last week declared a state of emergency that waives the $15 late fee for failing to renew a driver’s license The order also allows the OMV to skip the six- to nine-month procurement process, accelerating the process of purchasing a new software system.

“Taxpayers should not and will not continue to foot the bill for failed government systems,” Landry said in a

respiratory health tracking program

One of the two Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality grants appearing on the list was a $1 million award for the state’s air monitoring project. Agency officials said Thursday they had not received notice of any canceled EPA grants and that they are analyzing the information.

The terminated EPA grants are not the first instance of environmental impacts to Louisiana since Trump began his second term. Cuts to federal workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the country’s weather agency, affected scientists and researchers focused on coastal issues and hurricanes. And an earlier spending freeze put millions at stake for the New Orleans Office of Resilience and Sustainability, as well as local nonprofits.

But the city thus far has not seen any cuts to its own EPA grants, a representative for the sustainability office said Thursday.

For many of the community-based organizations targeted by the EPA, the canceled grants are having an abrupt impact on small nonprofits doing local work.

There was zero notice,” said Morse, of Thrive New Orleans.

Organization officials had talked to their grant officer the day before, he said. In the termination notice, the

EPA states that the grant is no longer consistent with the agency’s goals or funding priorities. One of these priorities is ensuring that grants do not conflict with “a policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence.”

Thrive New Orleans is a “bull’s-eye” target for the current administration, Morse said, because of its dual emphasis on racial equity and climate resilience. The $1.5 million grant focused on educating high school students in mostly Black and Brown communities about climate change, while also seeking to address “brain drain,” Morse said, by creating infrastructure for young people to enter climate-related professions.

“It’s climate resilience, but also workforce and small business development,” Morse said.

On the other side of the state, another nonprofit focused on environmental education for disadvantaged areas was also targeted by the EPA cuts.

“With this grant, we were able or we would have been able — to expand the number of informed, educated civically empowered community members,” said Cynthia Robertson, who runs Micah Six Eight Mission in Calcasieu Parish.

Robertson’s organization began in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura and the midst of the Covid pandemic, providing food, health

news release. “In the coming days I will name an Interim Secretary who will work to fulfill the mission of an OMV that works for the people.”

Casey has said the software system is roughly 50 years old. The agency is close to selecting a new system, though it could take two and a half years to fully install it.

Email Matthew Albright at malbright@ theadvocate.com.

ly, according to the termination letters shared with The Times-Picayune.

Like Morse, Robertson believes her organization was targeted because of the Trump administration’s ban on diversity, equity and inclusion, or policies that seek to ensure diverse workplaces and inclusive and equitable treatment. She said the diversity ban will have impacts on the community she serves, a predominantly low-income White area that supported Trump.

“If you target poor people of color, you also target poor White people because we all live in the same communities and work in the same kind of jobs,” she said.

information and clothing to residents in need.

Last summer, the organization received $150,000 from the EPA, and another grant from the Department of Energy that focused on environmental and civic outreach in an area with high rates of environmental hazards and low rates of education, Robertson said. Both grants to the organization were canceled this week, effective immediate-

While the cuts have left some nonprofits reeling, others on the list will likely be much less impacted. The Pontchartrain Conservancy was also included in the feds’ list, even though the nonprofit had already completed an environmental justice program for a student-led green infrastructure project.

As long as the EPA continues to offer grants — and the agency still has a few in the queue — the nonprofit will continue to apply, executive director Kristi Trail said.

“We will continue on this work in the 16-parish region regardless of the title of the grant program,” she said.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Port of New Orleans officials confirmed that the EPA has notified them about terminating an environmental justice program at the port.

New Orleans Forecast

NOLA.COM | Saturday, March 29, 2025 1BN

N.O. Coroner’s Office under fire

Employee accused of dragging body

BY CHAD CALDER and MISSY WILKINSON Staff writers

An Orleans Parish Coroner’s Office employee was fired after being captured on camera apparently dragging the bagged body of a homicide victim down the front steps of a Bywater home Thursday night, raising fresh criticism about the office’s procedures

Council’s ban on Cantrell’s travel again blocked

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

A New Orleans judge on Friday blocked the City Council’s temporary ban on most travel by city employees, ruling that it violates the city charter

Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who was traveling to Washington, D.C., as the hearing unfolded, won a temporary restraining order against the travel ban last week The injunction issued Friday is in effect until the underlying case over the constitutionality of the travel ban is resolved, though it could also be defeated on appeal.

Opposing lawyers representing the council and Cantrell traded accusations that each side is abusing authority adding more fuel to the mayor-council feud over the City Hall power balance that has engulfed Cantrell’s second term.

After listening for an hour Civil District Court Judge Sidney Cates said most of those arguments are better suited for the underlying lawsuit. The issue at hand Friday was “not that complicated,” Cates said, focusing solely on a section of the city charter that deals with

Judge admits campaign lapses

Commission challenges Medley’s claim she didn’t try to violate rules

BY JOHN SIMERMAN

Staff writer

Orleans Parish Civil District

Judge Jennifer Medley admitted to several lapses in her bruising 2020 campaign for office during a grilling Friday from the Louisiana Judiciary Commission. Medley, who unseated incumbent Chris Bruno for the

The footage released by Project NOLA, the crime camera operator that captured it, was taken as the investigators and other personnel worked the scene of a homicide reported by the New Orleans Police Department earlier that night.

A person can be seen dragging a body bag through the front door of a raised home and backing down several front steps before stopping. The stairs and sidewalk are

obscured by a fence and vehicle.

The body can next be seen on a stretcher that is elevated and wheeled to the back of a van with its rear doors open.

“We watched it happen live,” said Bryan Lagarde, executive director of Project NOLA, the nonprofit crime camera program that had been asked by New Orleans police to participate in a homicide investigation at the home.

“I called (police) and I said, ‘Did I just see what I think I saw?”” Lagarde said. “And (the officer) said,

‘Yeah, I can’t believe it either.’”

Shortly after, Project NOLA brought the incident to public attention, posting it to social media Thursday night.

“We’re so sorry folks to post this, but while assisting a homicide investigation tonight in Bywater, we just watched something so unbelievably upsetting that the only thing to do is to post the video,” the organization wrote in a Facebook post. “We immediately confirmed with on scene homicide detectives that we saw what we thought we

saw They too are besides (sic) themselves and are reporting the matter to the Coroner ...” “Individuals, especially murder victims, should be treated with dignity and respect!” the message concluded.

Late Friday morning, a Coroner’s Office spokesperson issued a statement apologizing to the family of the victim, whom it later identified as Michael Craig Hankins, saying the employee’s handling of the

FOREIGN AID

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

The historic Spanish tiles that appear on the corner of many buildings in New Orleans’ storied French Quarter are getting a facelift thanks to an international donor — Spain.

Ángeles Moreno Bau, Spanish ambassador to the U.S., has extended a gift to the city, helping to repair missing and broken Spanish-era ceramic street tiles that serve as place markers on many Vieux Carré properties, New Orleans officials announced.

The 156 decorative tiles were originally produced in Talavera de la Reina, Spain, at the workshop of the Ruiz de Luna family, famed Spanish ceramicists. They were gifted to the city in 1959 by then-ambassador José María de Areilza and promptly

installed throughout the Quarter

The tiles mark what the street or corner was named while Louisiana was under Spanish rule from 1763 to 1802. In 2013, Talavera de la Reina gifted additional tiles to the city that mark Jackson Square and its surrounding streets.

Over the years, the ceramic plates have deteriorated, and many are filled with chips or broken segments.

As part of the repair program, property owners and renters with existing damaged tiles can apply for them to be replaced. The replacements will be made by Spanish ceramic tile manufacturer ADEX and with the support of the Spanish Consulate.

The program is not installing new tiles; it is only replacing existing ones.

Spain to help fix broken French Quarter tiles

Applicants must upload the following documents with their application:

n For buildings that are part of condo associations, a letter from the association’s board president, signed by all owners, stating that all parties have knowledge of and consent to the proposed work.

n One photograph of each elevation where work is planned.

n One photograph of each whole Spanish tile street sign to be refurbished.

The deadline to submit applications is May 9, city officials said. Those interested can visit the city’s One Stop Shop website, at www.onestopapp. nola.gov, and search for the term VCC Spanish Tile Application.

Email Julia Guilbeau at jguilbeau@ theadvocate.com.

Jeff Parish seat, statewide amendments on ballot

BY BOB WARREN Staff writer

Voters head to the polls Saturday to decide a hot Jefferson Parish Council race, two highprofile tax propositions in St. Tammany and four state constitutional amendments, including one that would set in motion much of the tax “reform” work done by Gov Jeff Landry and the Republican-controlled state Legislature during a special session last November The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. In St. Tammany at least, the tax propositions are pushing what is expected to be a higher voter turnout than you might see in a typical late March election, said Lionel Rainey III, a St. Tammany-based political strategist who is working with parish

government to push a sales tax rededication.

“There’s been heavy pro-messaging” for the proposition to rededicate some roads and drainage tax revenue for criminal justice expenses, Rainey said. Couple that with both pro- and anti-messaging for the constitutional amendments, and turnout should climb, he added.

St. Tammany Registrar of Voters Dwayne Wall said around 8% of voters have either early voted or sent in mail-in ballots. He expects to match that on Saturday.

“So mid-teens,” Wall said. “We thought it would be a little lower.”

Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco was reluctant to hazard a guess of total turnout. His office said early voting turnout was around 7% and that much of that came from vot-

ers in the Parish Council district. The race for the open West Bank-based District 1 seat on the Jefferson Parish Council is perhaps the marquee item on the ballot. Three candidates Ricky Templet, a Gretna Republican who has served three previous terms on the council; Timothy Kerner Jr., the Republican mayor of Jean Lafitte; and Andrea Manuel, a Democrat from Gretna and bilingual Spanish educator are competing for the seat left open when Marion Edwards resigned in January

The campaigns turned testy, with Kerner and Templet heading to court this week over an attack ad.

Also on the Jefferson Parish ballot are three Westwego City Council races and one for a Gretna City Council seat. In St. Tammany, meanwhile,

a pair of tax propositions highlight the ballot and have sparked a plethora of comments and debates across social media.

The parish government is trying again for a sixth time to get voters to approve a tax dedicated to funding some costs of the criminal justice system. This time, they’re asking voters to rededicate a portion of an existing 2% sales tax for roads and drainage to also cover some of the criminal justice costs.

The sales tax is expected to bring in around $89 million annually If voters give the go-ahead, up to 17% of that revenue, or around $15 million, would then be used to fund the criminal division of the District Attorney’s Office, the 22nd Judicial District Court and expenses of the St

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Bicycle riders roll past a damaged Spanish tile marker on Chartres Street in the French Quarter in New Orleans on Friday.

Voting for the March 29 election starts at 7 a.m and polls close at 8 p.m. For more coverage of local elections, visit our election page at nola.com.

Party Affiliations

D = Democratic R = Republican I = Independent STATEWIDE

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

NO. 1

Allows the Louisiana Supreme Court to discipline out-of-state lawyers for legal work in Louisiana and allows the Legislature to create specialty courts not constrained to existing parish and judicial-district boundaries.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT

NO. 2

Amendment 2 is an expansive item that, among other things, would lower the maximum rate of the state’s income tax and increase deductions for citizens over 65; set a “government growth limit” that restricts how much lawmakers can increase spending from one year to the next; and gives parishes the option of repealing the property tax on business inventory. One of the highest-profile components of the amendment would give teachers a $2,000 pay raise and school support workers a $1,000 raise, though this would come at the expense of other educa-

CORONER

Continued from page 1B

body was “completely unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of professionalism and dignity that we uphold.”

It also said the employee, whom it did not name, had been fired.

Orleans Parish Coroner Dr Dwight McKenna also called the former employee’s actions “reprehensible,” “unacceptable” and “wrong” in a Friday news conference.

“This is horrendous. Every time I see it, I get angry,” said McKenna, who is up for reelection in October “This may be the low point in my medical career for the last 60 years.” Though he admitted his office had been short-staffed, McKenna said that is no excuse.

“There’s always two men on the scene, and the investigator and the police who offered their help, and he refused it,” McKenna said.

“They told him to stop and I understand his reply was, ‘I got this,’ and he continued

MEDLEY

Continued from page 1B

it over the court record

Another ad that labeled Bruno a “deadbeat dad” widely misstated key facts, Medley acknowledged Friday Bruno won a judge’s order that kept the ad from airing.

Medley also confirmed that she funneled much of a $100,000 loan from trash magnate Sidney Torres IV into her campaign, against state law She said she only did it on the advice of a lawyer for Torres who said he’d cleared it with an ethics official.

With hindsight, she would have done things differently, Medley said, though she insisted any gaffes were a product of ignorance, oversight or bad advice.

“At no time did I intend to try to violate any rules,” said Medley, who faces four misconduct counts

“I understand everybody here doesn’t know me.

I’m a stranger I feel very strongly about rules and procedure.”

Several commission members challenged her claims, while suggesting her ads went far beyond standard campaign fare, or anything a judicial candidate should air

“Here today we have a judge who is only a judge based upon a campaign that involved repeated deceptive or false claims,” said Assistant Special Counsel John Keeling. He added: “Win at all costs, win by deception, win by bending or breaking any rule you need to, cannot be tolerated in our judicial campaigns.”

tional programs. PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 3

Allows lawmakers to more easily expand the list of felony offenses people under 17 can be charged with by removing an existing list of 16 specified crimes.

PROPOSED AMENDMENT NO. 4

Changes the timing of filling a judicial vacancy or newly created judgeship so special elections coincide with regular elections.

JEFFERSON PARISH

PARISH COUNCIL, DISTRICT 1

Timothy Kerner Jr., R Andrea Manuel, D Ricky Templet, R GRETNA CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 4 Robert “Bobby” Black, R Randy Carr, R WESTWEGO CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 Maggie “May” Campbell, D Jason LeBlanc, R John I. “Johnny” Shaddinger Jr., D DISTRICT 2 Timothy “Tim” Matherne, R Johnny Nobles Jr., R DISTRICT 5 Robert “Bobby B” Bonvillian, R Larry Warino, R WEST JEFFERSON LEVEE

DISTRICT PROPOSITION

Renew 4.75 mills for 10 years

to drag the body down the stairs.”

History of problems

McKenna said that while the employee’s actions violated the victim, the victim’s family and the community, he was an “outlier.”

However it’s not the first time his office has been in the spotlight for mishandling human remains.

Earlier this month, an Orleans Parish Civil District Court judge ruled McKenna’s office was liable for “reckless and outrageous misconduct” for failing to identify Benjamin Pfantz, who died of a drug overdose, and misleading his parents for eight months. The Coroner’s Office did not take further steps after an NOPD officer misspelled Pfantz’s name in a fingerprint search. His body was eventually cremated, violating the family’s religious beliefs.

Judge Kern Reese awarded the family $10,000 in damages, though they plan to appeal, calling the amount inadequate. McKenna on Friday called that ruling “wrong,” citing

The Office of Special Counsel, which prosecutes judicial misconduct, is asking the commission to make an example of Medley by recommending her for a yearlong, unpaid suspension. Only the Louisiana Supreme Court can discipline judges. Medley is up for reelection next year Over a few hours of questioning, Medley said she was coming to recognize the concerns with her conduct Among them, commissioners said they were troubled by her responses regarding the ad with the purported rape victim, which accused Bruno of treating her badly in court.

“He called me a scorned woman and didn’t find me credible. Being raped is something no woman should have to endure, and Judge Christopher Bruno’s treatment of me was just as bad,” the woman said in the ad. A judicial campaign oversight committee found no truth to the ad’s allegations against Bruno. Medley said she pulled it after receiving a letter from the committee. She maintained that it was “an opinion piece that dealt with temperament.”

“This was her perception about how he made her feel,” Medley said. “She chose to use her own words. I could not take her feelings from her.” Bruno had found that the woman wasn’t a victim of rape, however Under questioning Medley she said she regretted the wording.

“It was definitely a mistake There was certainly no intent,” Medley said. “Maybe it just wasn’t a good commercial.”

ST. TAMMANY PARISH

starting in 2028 for construction and repair of levees and maintenance of the Bayou Segnette Complex, Harvey Sector Gate Complex and the district’s share of the West Closure Complex.

ORLEANS PARISH

LAKEVIEW CRIME

PREVENTION DISTRICT PROPOSITION

Levees an annual flat fee on each parcel within the Lakeview Crime Prevention District of up to $150 for 10 years beginning 2027 to be used for crime prevention and security, except for a 1% city collection fee.

PLAQUEMINES

PARISH

PARISHWIDE CHARTER

AMENDMENT PROPOSITION

Amends the charter to create the Plaquemines Port Commission as the governing authority of the Plaquemines Port, Harbor and Terminal District for matters set forth in council ordinance No. 24-190.

ST. JAMES PARISH

LAW ENFORCEMENT DIS-

TRICT MILLAGE RENEWAL

Continues to levy a special tax of 12.50 mills for 10 years beginning in 2027 to provide additional funding for law enforcement.

COVINGTON CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT 1

Blake Bushnell, R Hermon Joseph, I Blaine Stanga, I LIBRARY MILLAGE

CONTINUATION

Continues a special tax of 4.35 mills, an estimated $13,510,265 per year, for 15 years, beginning in 2025 for the library system and its facilities.

SALES TAX REDEDICATION

Authorizes Sales Tax District No. 3 to continue to levy its 2% sales tax, an estimated $89 million per year, for an additional 25 years beginning Dec. 1, 2031, and allows up to 17% of that revenue, or around $15 million, to be used to fund the criminal division of the District Attorney’s Office, the 22nd Judicial District Court and expenses of the St. Tammany Justice Center. ROAD LIGHTING DISTRICT NO. 10 PROPOSITION

Assesses $80 per structure or lot per year, an estimated $2,560 per year, for 10 years to pay for road lighting and maintaining and operating road lighting facilities and equipment.

VILLAGE OF FOLSOM, SALES TAX RENEWAL

Continues the 0.5% sales tax for 10 years beginning 2026, an estimated $250,000 per year, for police protection.

A New Orleans Coroner’s Office van pulls out from Canal Street after a mass casualty incident on Bourbon Street on Jan. 1

multiple extenuating factors.

“I totally disagree with the findings of Judge Reese,” McKenna said. “Identifying human bodies is always slowed when it involves other offices — whether it’s the police, forensic dentistry, DNA testing” or LSU’s Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Service, he said.

Asked whether mishandling the man’s body Thursday night could hinder the forensic investigation,

She also expressed some regret over an ad that claimed Bruno had refused to pay child support for more than a decade and was “called a judge by some and a deadbeat dad by others.”

An appeals court found that Medley “knew her commercial was false or at the very least acted with reckless disregard for whether her statements in the commercial were false.” Though the ad never ran, the commission alleges that later commentary on Medley’s social media violated that order Medley blamed her campaign’s social media manager.

Medley conceded that the court record showed Bruno in arrears for a span of two years before a judge determined the amount — not the 13 years the ad claimed. Medley acknowledged that “that part of the ad was in error,” while defending its premise

“You need to pay your child support, whatever it is,” Medley said, though she added that she regretted applying the “deadbeat” moniker “The word is not the best word. It’s an ugly word.”

Sandra Wilson, a state appeals court judge who co-chairs the commission, wasn’t satisfied.

“When you say for the public at large, for 13 years Judge Bruno avoided the obligation for caring for his child, I find that extremely misleading,” Wilson said. “We want to understand the Jennifer Medley who thought this was a good idea.”

Other commissioners took issue with the loan from Torres’ company, IV Capital Medley claims

ELECTION

Continued from page 1B

Tammany Justice Center, according to the ballot language.

St. Tammany voters have shot down five other criminal justice tax attempts since 2016.

St. Tammany’s ballot also includes a 4.35-mill tax for the library system. That tax would bring in around $13.5 million for the libraries, which amounts to around 96% of the library system’s budget, officials say Voters in Covington will also decide a special race for the open District B seat on the Covington City Council, and voters in Folsom will decide a halfcent sales tax renewal for police protection.

Statewide, the four constitutional amendments involve the courts, taxes, juvenile crime and elections for judges.

n Amendment 1 would give lawmakers new authority to create new regional

TRAVEL

Continued from page 1B

temporary prohibitions passed by the council.

Cates found that such ordinances must include a right to appeals for waivers and exceptions, which the travel ban does not.

“You both are painting really broad strokes on an issue that I think is pretty simple,” Cates said, addressing the council’s lawyer, Adam Swensek, and Cantrell’s contract lawyer, Charles Rice.

Power struggles

McKenna said he would have to perform the autopsy before answering. It was not clear whether authorities will pursue charges against the terminated employee, but the NOPD pointed to the Louisiana Human Remains Protection and Control Act, which says people who mishandle human remains may face criminal penalties.

Staff writer Jillian Kramer contributed to this report. Email Chad Calder at ccalder@theadvocate.com.

that a lawyer for Torres, John Litchfield, got clearance on the loan to Medley from Kathleen Allen, former general counsel for the state ethics board.

“I’m not trying to be evasive or deceptive. I relied on that advice,” Medley said Friday “I believe they should have told me something different, absolutely.”

Medley, who paid off the loan, also admitted failing to report two payments she’d made to the woman in the attack ad against Bruno on her campaign finance reports, saying it “truly was an error on my part.”

Her attorney, Steve Scheckman, argued that the campaign ads were protected under the First Amendment. He noted that all of the allegations relate to Medley’s first-time candidacy Scheckman described Medley as an “excellent judge” and called the proposed discipline outlandish.

“It’s off the charts. It’s not based on precedent,” said Scheckman, who once led the Office of Special Counsel. He pointed to other cases related to campaign misconduct for which the discipline was far less.

Among them was a public censure that the Louisiana Supreme Court handed in 2021 to one of its own, Justice Jefferson Hughes Hughes admitted to misconduct after a Hammond political operative alleged that Hughes offered him money to switch allegiances over an open seat on the state’s highest court

It’s uncertain when the commission will decide on any discipline for Medley

and statewide specialty courts.

n Amendment 2 is an expansive item that, among other things, would lower the maximum rate of the state’s income tax and increase deductions for citizens over 65; set a “government growth limit” that restricts how much lawmakers can increase spending from one year to the next; and gives parishes the option of repealing the property tax on business inventory One of the highest-profile components of the amendment would give teachers a $2,000 pay raise and school support workers a $1,000 raise. But the money for those raises would come at the expense of other educational programs, which has prompted some criticism.

n Amendment 3 would expand the list of crimes in the Constitution for which juveniles could be prosecuted as adults.

n Amendment 4 would change the timeline for elections for vacant and newly created judgeships.

Swensek argued that the charter provision applies only to temporary bans on zoning and permitting matters He also noted that Cantrell hadn’t vetoed the ordinance or called out any legal issues when it was introduced two weeks before the vote.

In a statement after the hearing, council President JP Morrell called Cates’ decision “absolutely absurd” and said the council will appeal.

“The judge chose to create new law by misinterpreting zoning power in the charter to conflate it with the council’s budget authority,” Morrell said.

The injunction is the latest in a string of court losses for the council in its feuds with the Cantrell administration, which said in a statement that the mayor “remains hopeful that we can move past these disputes and work together to address the issues that matter most to the residents of New Orleans.”

Last year, two judges ruled that the council has no authority to green light the administration’s professional service contracts, which is a new power the council has given itself — limited to certain circumstances — during Cantrell’s second term.

The council is appealing both rulings, which would impact a sanitation contract for the French Quarter and the Downtown Development District, as well as a legal contract for Rice in a different case.

“They are again attempting to usurp executive power and exercise control over the executive branch,” Rice argued in court Friday

Swensek retorted that the ban, which would expire on April 30, was an austerity measure within the council’s purview and in response to the administration’s dire calls for immediate belt tightening — even though Morrell and the council’s budget chair Joe Giarrusso, have said the administration fabricated a fiscal crisis for its own political purposes. “The mayor’s argument at the end of the day is

that she gets to do what she wants,” Swensek said. More controversy Friday’s ruling is the latest development in an ongoing saga over an aborted settlement with the Orleans Parish School Board that has splintered the Cantrell administration and, as has become common, pitted the council and the mayor against each other in court. The council, led by Giarrusso, negotiated a $90 million settlement with the School Board in a longrunning lawsuit over the city’s practice of keeping a slice of school-dedicated property tax revenue as a collection fee. Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño blessed the deal, and joined Giarrusso and school officials when announcing it in a press briefing in November Two months later, Cantrell said she hadn’t been told about it, and City Attorney Donesia Turner, who would typically lead settlement negotiations, said she had been frozen out until after the terms were decided. The School Board filed a motion — that the council joined — to enforce the settlement, and Judge Nicole Sheppard mostly rejected it on March 19. Sheppard found that Montaño wasn’t authorized to agree to the settlement, though she also ordered the city to pay $10 million to the School Board that had already been included in the budget.

Before Sheppard’s ruling, the controversy over the settlement had already spun into a new one when Cantrell and her chief financial officer, Romy Samuel, claimed the city was on the brink of fiscal crisis and couldn’t afford to pay the School Board.

Council members, smelling a bluff, called it by imposing a temporary ban on all city-funded employee travel. The ordinance wasn’t tailored to any individual, but it was an implicit jab at Cantrell, whose frequent globetrotting has garnered much derision. Giarrusso and Morrell have accused the administration of faking a fiscal crisis, and Montaño, without accusing anyone of lying, said in a media briefing last week that Samuel gave a misleading assessment of city finances.

Email Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate. com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Carmouche, Kathleen

Carriere III, Charles Cooper, Eugene Dorand, Donald

Gaillot, Kenneth

Gandolfo Sr., Rene

Kraus, Bonny

Kynerd Jr., James

Lange, Leslie

Lee, Warren

McCloud,Antoinette

Morlas, Simone

Nix, Denise

Peters

Tome-Daly, Carmen

White, Judith Young, Keishell

E Jefferson Garden of Memories

Gaillot, Kenneth Leitz-Eagan

Carriere III, Charles

arms. Kathleen's academic journey was atestament to her dedication and passion for learning. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with aBachelor of Arts degree, followed by amaster's degree in Italian from UCLA. Her pursuit of knowledge culminated in aJuris Doctor from Tulane Law School. With her law degree, Kathleen became a passionate prosecutor, tirelessly advocating for victims and earning the respect and admiration of her colleaguesand the community. Her unwavering commitment to justice and her compassionate spirit made alasting impact on many lives.An avid animal lover, Kathleen found joy in the company of her beloved pets, including her horse,Romeo, and her two Gordon Setters, Rose and McDougal.Her home was asanctuary of love, laughter, and warmth, where her family and furryfriends thrived. A celebration of Kathleen's remarkable life will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at St Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, located at 9150 Highland Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810. Visitation will begin at12:30 PM,followed by aMass at 1:45 PM. In honoring Kathleen's legacy, let us remember her fierce spirit, herunwavering love for her family, and her dedication to making the world abetter place.She will be dearly missed but forevercherished in the hearts of those who lovedher. The family expresses heartfelt gratitude to the Pinnacleand Decision Criticalmedical staff for providing compassionate care and ensuring her comfortduringher final days

New Orleans Carriere III, Charles Pierre

Charbonnet

McCloud,Antoinette

Nix, Denise

DW Rhodes

Lange, Leslie

Gertrude Geddes

Cooper, Eugene

Jacob Schoen

Kynerd Jr., James

River Parish

Patrick H Sanders

Young, Keishell

St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Dorand, Donald

Peters Jr., Edwin

Tome-Daly, Carmen West Bank

Mothe

Morlas, Simone

Obituaries

Carmouche, Kathleen O'Brien

Kathleen O'Brien

Carmouche, abeloved wife, mother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving familyonMarch 25, 2025, in her home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Born on October 16, 1949, in Delavan, WI to Edward and Laverne O'Brien. Kathleen is survived by her loving husband of 27 years, Don Carmouche, who was her partner in life and love Kathleen was adevoted mother to her daughter, Cristina (Michael), and a loving stepmother to her three stepsons, Donnie (Jaime), John (Trisha), and Brian (Shannon)and her wonderful ten step-grandchildren. Her familywas her greatest treasure, and she nurtured them with love, wisdom, and awitty sense of humor that brightened every gathering. She is also survived by her siblings, Patrick (Jenny), Colleen, and Molly (Erik), who will forever hold her memory close to their hearts. Kathleen was predeceased by her parents, Laverne and Edward O'Brien, and her siblings Mike, Rory, and Kerry, who welcomed her with open arms. Kathleen's academic journey was atestament to her dedication and passion for learning. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with aBachelor of Arts degree

He pre y some and survived by many of a lifelong group of friends who call them‐selves “the 21” along with their spouses and children. A host of other hooligans and ruffians were proud to call him friend. His family is so grateful to the amaz‐ing staff at Covenant Nurs‐ing Home who have cared for and loved Cynthia and Charles for the past two years. For those who had the good fortune of know‐ing Charles/Taz, please join his family at Bruno’s Tavern, 7538 Maple Street on Saturday, March 29 be‐tween the hours of 1:30 and 4:00 pm to celebrate his life In lieu of funeral at‐tire, please wear Bruno’s appropriate clothing In lieu of flowers, please con‐sider a donation to the Pro Bono Publico Foundation, Covenant Nursing Home or a charity of your choice that connects you with him.

Charles Pierre Carriere, III passed away while on hold…listening to recorded messages…waiting to be transferred to another de‐partment…and talking with technical support Well, it really didn’t happen that way, but for the last few years of his life, he was certain that it would Charles actually died peacefully in his sleep a graceful end to a blessed and full life. “Taz” as he was affectionately called by his grandchildren and their friends, was known for saying “any better and I couldn’t stand it” when asked how he was To all who knew him he was the eternal optimist, always ready with a joke or a song A graduate of Holy Name of Jesus School Charles attended Wood‐berry Forest School for two years before returning to New Orleans and graduat‐ing from Isidore Newman School He was the first in his family to earn a college degree, receiving his BA and JD from Tulane Univer‐sity before marrying his wife Cynthia. He served in the United States Navy as a member of the first JAG corps class. He sold insur‐ance and practiced law but was fond of pointing out that he was nevertheless a good man Charles’s true gift was writing. He penned school plays fol‐lies, poems, commercials, and songs. He did most of his writing in beautiful cal‐ligraphy and notes to friends and family became cherished keepsakes In 2004 he self published a novel, Dupree’s Crude War. He leaves behind an unfin‐ished memoir, titled “Man, Did I Laugh.” He loved to be surrounded by family and friends, singing playing guitar, telling stories and laughing. We know that is how we will remember him best Taz was devoted to and is survived by the love of his life, his wife of 59 years, Cynthia Doyle Car‐riere, as well as his beloved sister, Constance Carriere Barkley. He is also survived by his four chil‐dren, Charles Carriere (Leslie), Vaughn Carriere Downing (Doug), Cynthia Carriere Sewell (Sean) and Michael Carriere (Carrie). He was so proud of his ten grandchildren, Michael Downing, Maggie Malone, Andrew Downing Ellen Carriere, Colette Carriere, Jackson Koerner, James Downing, Luc Carriere, Chase Koerner and Tess Carriere as well as his two step granddaughters, Camille Sewell and Mignon Sewell. One of his favorite pastimes was supporting them in their academic, artistic and athletic en‐deavors He loved his many cousins as well as his 30 nieces and nephews who called him “Big Charles. He is preceded in death by some and survived by many of a lifelong group of friends who call them‐selves “the 21” along with their spouses and children. A host of other hooligans and ruffians were proud to

ase team He en‐joyed a long career in the beverage distribution in‐dustry, working with sev‐eral companies including Coors Brewing Company, and ultimately found his home at Crescent Crown Distributing, where he re‐tired in 2014. Don loved hunting, fishing, and spending time on his boat at the family camp. Above all he was a devoted hus‐band, father, and grandfa‐ther, always present to support his grandchildren in all their activities and accomplishments. Services will be held privately at a later date. E.J Fielding Fu‐neral Home has been en‐trusted with funeral arrangements The Dorand family invites you to share thoughts, fondest memo‐ries, and condolences on‐line at E J. Fielding Funeral Home Guest Book at www ejfieldingfh.com

Gaillot, Kenneth

Kenneth “Kenny” Jude

en, 1 great greatgrandchild. In addition to his parents Rene was pre‐ceded in death by his son, Duane Gandolfo, grandson Ashley Gandolfo, brother, Donald Gandolfo A Grave‐side Service will be held at Lake Lawn Park All Saints Mausoleum, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70124, on Mon‐day, March 31, 2025 at 2:00 pm. Arrangements have been entrusted to Harry McKneely & Son Funeral Home and Crematory of Hammond and Poncha‐toula An on-line guest book is available at www harrymckneely com.

Kraus, Bonny 'Bunny' It is with great sadness that we report the sudden death of Bonny Kraus, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and resident of New Orleans for 22 year, on November 7, 2024. She was born on May 6, 1966, in Philadelphia, and spent most of herlife there until 2003, when shemoved to New Orleans. She remained in New Orleans during and after Hurricane Katrina, where she prepared meals and gave assistance to first responders and victims of the storm. She is survived by her daughter, Jessica Mawson, and son, David Mawson.

Eugene Collin Cooper, age 29, was born on March 7, 1996, in New Orleans, LA He departed this earthly home on Wednesday March 19, 2025. Eugene graduated from Warren Easton Senior High School c/o 2014. In 2020, he gradu‐ated and obtained his de‐gree from Nunez Commu‐nity College and he was employed at Walgreens as a sales associate. Eugene leaves to cherish his mem‐ories his father Herbert Cooper, Sr., mother Rose Cooper two children De Arra Brazile Cooper and Denali Chanel Cooper two brothers Christopher Cooper and Herbert Cooper, Jr., sister Helenia Cooper-Carraby (Wilton) aunt Betty Brown, three uncles Roland Simmons, Glen Simmons, and James Brown, two nieces Ciara Jones and Destiny Cooper three nephews Herbert Cooper III. Alton Patrick Cooper, and Harold Cooper Jr and a host of great-nieces, nephews, family and friends Eugene is preceded in death by his grandmothers Pearl Cooper and Lerenza Sim‐mons, grandfather John Cooper and his brother Rev Harold Cooper, Sr Rel‐atives and friends of the family are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Ser‐vice on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, 2120 Jackson Avenue New Or‐leans, LA at 12:30 p.m Visi‐tation from 11:30 a.m until 12:30 p.m Interment Provi‐dence Memorial Park, 8200 Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003. You may sign the guest book on www ger trudegeddeswillis com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Fu‐neral Home, Inc in charge (504) 522-2525.

Donald Ernest Dorand, a devoted family man and lifelong outdoorsman, passed away on March 25 2025, at the age of 77. He was a resident of Madis‐onville, Louisiana, and was born on December 28, 1947, in New Orleans Louisiana to the late Albert and Iris Dorand He leaves behind his beloved wife of 54 years Jane Denley Dorand; his daughters Jennifer Guillory (Joe) and Denise Bachemin (Kenny); and his cherished grandchildren Cade Guillory, Cullen Guil‐lory, Sydney Bachemin, and Barrett Bachemin. He is also survived by his sis‐ter Judy Montello as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family and dear friends Don will also be missed by his “grand pups” Ruston, Croix, and Kash. Don is preceded in death by his brother David Dorand Don was a 1965 graduate of Chalmette High School and earned his degree from Nicholls State University in 1970, where he was a proud member of the baseball team. He en‐joyed a long career in the beverage distribution in‐dustry working with sev‐eral companies, including Coors Brewing Company, and ultimately found his home at Crescent Crown

Gaillot, a devoted husband father, and lifelong public servant, passed away on March 19, 2025, surrounded by his loving family Kenny was born on September 1, 1945, in New Orleans Louisiana and was a resi‐dent of Hammond, LA Kenny was preceded in death by his parents, Mr and Mrs Bernard Galliot Jr. and his brother, B.J Gaillot III. He is survived by his beloved wife of 55 years Gwen Perilloux Gail‐lot; his children, Ken (Kricket), Beth, and Re‐becca; his brother, Donald Gaillot (Susan); his nephew, Rich Perilloux; and many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins, several of whom considered him a second dad He is also survived by his best friend since child‐hood, Mike Barrios, whose friendship remained stead‐fast throughout the years A proud patriot, Kenny served in the Louisiana Na‐tional Guard from 19651971 and dedicated over four decades of his life to law enforcement He re‐tired at the rank of Major with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, where he worked for 37 years, 19662003 and also retired as Se‐curity Specialist with DEA after 12 years in 2015. Be‐yond his career, Kenny found joy in the outdoors and spending time with his extended family and friends He loved fishing, hunting and riding on his zero-turn lawnmower, meticulously caring for his property He was a parish‐ioner of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Ham‐mond. His dedication and integrity left an incredible mark on all who knew him A Memorial Service and Mass to honor and cele‐brate Kenny’s life will be held at Garden of Memo‐ries Funeral Home, 4900 Airline Dr., Metairie, LA 70001 on Saturday, April 5 2025. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m followed by a Mass at 12:00 p.m In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to: “Dose of the Coast” https://www doseoftheco ast org/donate/ or the American Cancer Society https://www cancer org/

Rene Alton Gandolfo Sr. of Covington, Louisiana, passed away on Thursday March 27, 2025, at the age of 94. He was born on Octo‐ber 30, 1930, in New Or‐leans, Louisiana, the son of the late Joseph Rene Gan‐dolfo and Lucille Choppin Gandolfo Rene retired from Louisiana Gas. Rene is survived by his children Sandra Falcon (Darryl), Rene Gandolfo Jr (Laura) David Gandolfo, Brian Gan‐dolfo, Michael Gandolfo (Debra) Glenn Gandolfo (Alisa), Keith Gandolfo, Suzanne Pitts (Marty) and Allison Gandolfo; 19 grand‐children 19 great-grand‐children, and 1 great greatgrandchild In addition to his parents, Rene was pre‐ceded in death by his son Duane Gandolfo, grandson, Ashley Gandolfo, brother, Donald Gandolfo. A Grave‐side Service will be held at

Although Bonny was very poor and had numerous health problems, she always looked outfor others and helped numerous individuals during their times of need. In addition, Bonny rescued and saved the lives of ten cats, including Prince, Onyx, Lucy, Luna, Pinkie, and especially Big Head Todd, who slept in thebed with Bonny every night. She also rescued people and was always helping andfeeding people less fortunate than herself. Her neighbors all knew abouther meals she prepared for everybody on Sundays. Although she was neither rich nor famous, sheimproved the lives of manypeople and animals. Anyone wishingtoremember Bonny should make acontribution in her name to anynumber of animal rescue organizations, particularly Trap Dat Kat, Spaymart, Animal Rescue of New Orleans, and/or Zeus Rescues. Also, anyone wishing to adopt one of Bonny's catshould contact Spaymart: ask for the Coolidge Court Cats.

Kynerd Jr., James Franklin

James Frankin Kynerd, Jr. “Pawpaw”, “The Eagle” “Jimmy” age 62 years old, born on January 18, 1963, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, resident of Luling LA went to be with our Lord on March 22, 2025. James passed away at his home with his wife and daughter Jenna at his side Beloved husband of Vanessa Braud Kynerd They were to‐gether for 26 years and married for 17 years. Fa‐ther of Jenna K Braud (John) Ritzmann and Ash‐ley Kynerd Grandfather of Andrew and Emma Ritz‐mann, who affectionately called him Pawpaw. James is survived by his mother Bridget Himel Kynerd, fa‐ther James Franklin (Sandy) Kynerd, Sr., sister Kim (David) Lawrence niece Marissa Lawrence and nephew Victor Lawrence, Aunts, Uncles, and numerous cousins James was preceded in death by his sister Linda Kynerd Boneau. James served in the US Navy Seabees and later worked on the Mississippi River as a deckhand tankerman and Crew Boat Captain. His last employer was Cres‐cent River Port Pilots where he worked as a Crew Boat Captain. James graduated in 2007 from Delgado Community Col‐lege with an associate’s degree in general studies James had many passions, working in the yard, going to the woods, trains, leathermaking but his greatest passion was being with children, espe‐cially his grandson An‐drew. They did everything together and went every‐where together and went on numerous adventures They were best buddies Then Emma came along and he started taking her everywhere with them It was a special bond that they will always cherish James was a devoted mar‐tial artist mentor, and friend. A third-degree black belt with over ten years of dedication to Tang Soo Do, he was not only a skilled practitioner but also an inspiring instructor who touched countless lives. Teaching was his true passion, and his students were his greatest joy. With patience wisdom, and un‐wavering encouragement, he guided each of them, not just in martial arts, but in life. He instilled confi‐

ves. T passion, and his students were his greatest joy With patience, wisdom, and un‐wavering encouragement, he guided each of them, not just in martial arts but in life He instilled confi‐dence, discipline, and re‐spect always believing in the potential of those he taught. Martial Arts Insti‐tute of Louisiana was more than a training space; it was a family, a place of growth, and a testament to his boundless generosity and kindness. To his stu‐dents, he was more than an instructor, he was a mentor a role model and a source of unwavering support. He poured his heart into every lesson, celebrating their victories and helping them rise after every fall. His legacy lives on in the strength, perse‐verance, and spirit of those he trained. A very special thank you to our daughter Jenna She was always here to help take care of him in every aspect. The care she helped provide and the constant assis‐tance and support was un‐wavering. And a special thank you to Holy Family and CrossLife Fellowship for their support with meals comfort and the outpouring of love pro‐vided to James and our family Relatives and friends of the family are in‐vited to the visitation at Jacob Schoen & Son, 3827 Canal Street New Orleans LA on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Family visitation at 10 a.m followed by friends at 10:30 a.m Words of Re‐membrance will take place in the chapel from noon until 12:45p.

Leslie Legaux Lange en‐tered eternal rest on Sun‐day March 23, 2025, at the age of seventy-five She was born on August 21 1949, in New Orleans, Louisiana to the late Ig‐natius and Cherry RomainLegaux Sr She was the beloved wife of the late Desmond Joseph Lange Sr Leslie was a proud 1967 graduate of St. Mary’s Academy and an active member of its alumni asso‐ciation She lived a fulfilled life as a faithful parish‐ioner of St Raymond and St. Leo the Great Catholic Church serving as a de‐voted servant of God and a powerful prayer warrior Her presence brought joy to everyone she met, and her love for the New Or‐leans Saints was un‐matched cheering on her beloved team at every home game in the Super‐dome since 1967. She cher‐ished time with family and friends, especially during her well-known annual Hal‐loween gatherings and trips along the Mississippi Coast for birthdays and an‐niversaries. Leslie built a successful career at Bell‐South later Lucent Tech‐nologies where she worked in various depart‐ments and traveled inter‐nationally before retiring She was a pillar of the community, dedicating her time to numerous organi‐zations. She was a long‐time member and held leadership roles in the American Business‐women’s Association (ABWA), devoted over 30 years to the National Multi‐ple Sclerosis Society by or‐ganizing rest stops for their annual bikeathon, and in 1994, became a mentor at Each One Save One, later serving as the program coordinator. Her mission was always to up‐lift and positively impact those around her Leslie is survived by her sisters Pam (John) Aubert and Hope (George) Cousin; brother Ignatius Legaux Jr ; daughter Ericka (Michael) Lewis; grandchildren Desmond Joseph Lange III, Leonard Singleton and Nathaniel Singleton; greatgrandson Ramir Jackson; granddaughters Courtney Gill and Maleah Lambert; and Godchildren Brandon Moran of Arizona and Alexis Cousin of Ten‐nessee. She also leaves be‐hind a host of nieces nephews, extended family, and dear friends. Leslie is preceded in death by her husband, Desmond Joseph Lange Sr.; her parents, Ig‐natius Legaux Sr. and Cherry Romain-Legaux; her sisters, Darnell (Anothony) Legaux Sayas and Cherry Legaux; and her sons, Desmond J Lange Jr., and Jeffery Lange. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Raymond and St Leo the Great Catholic Church 2916 Paris Avenue, on Mon‐day, March 31,

Jude 'Kenny'

Jr., Edwin Tate, James Cooper, Eugene Collin

Lange, Leslie Legaux

Dorand, Donald Ernest

Gandolfo Sr., Rene Alton

4B ✦ Saturday, March 29, 2025 ✦ nola.com

are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial at St Raymond and St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 2916 Paris Avenue on Mon‐day, March 31, 2025 at 11:00 am. Visitation will begin at 9:00 am Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery. Arrange‐ments by D.W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home, 3933 Washing‐ton Avenue Please visit www rhodesfuneral com to sign the guestbook

Warren "Weepy" Lee born on October 10, 1946, in Garyville, Louisiana, passed awayatthe age of 78 on March 12, 2025,in Reserve, Louisiana.A beloved son of the late Morris and Olivia Lee Sr., he was baptized in 1971 at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Marrero, La Warren was known for his kind heart, generosity, and ability to turn every new face into afriend.

He served in the U.S. Army in 1966 and received several honors, including the Combat Infantry Badge, an Army Commendation Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, aVietnam Campaign Medal with 1OS Dars, and MKM (Rifle M14.). After his military service, Warren worked in various roles, always demonstrating his freespirited and giving nature He enjoyed collecting and displaying newspaper clippings,and he loved gifting personalized hats and shirts to loved ones. Warren is survived by his siblings: Ernestine (Arizona) Batiste, Ruthie (Bobby) Turner, Calvin (Gaynell) Lee, Jackie (Burnell) Scott, Shynethia Parker, NathanLee, Corey Lee, and the late Morris, Michael, and Rosenell;and extended family, leaving behind alegacy of love and cherished memories.

Funeral services will be held at Heavenly Star Missionary Baptist Church in Marrero, Louisiana,on Saturday,March 29, 2025 starting with visitation at 10 am. His joyful and loving spirit willberemembered by all who knew him. Arrangements made by Cross Memorial Funeral Home, LLC.

McCloud, Antoinette

Antoinette "Nettie" Rickmon McCloud departed this life on March 14, 2025 Antoinette was born on July 11,1963, in New Or‐leans LA to the late Emma Woods and Joseph Hills She is survived by her hus‐band, Carl McCloud Sr.; three daughters, Shelita Rickmon, Arianne Rickmon and Tyreiana Rickmon; and two sons, Michael Rickmon and Brandon Rickmon Her god-child Montinique James Antoinette is also survived by her twin brother, Anthony Rickmon Sr, and brother Kevin Rick‐mon; and sister, Michelle Rickmon. She is also sur‐vived by her 12 grandchil‐dren, as well as a host of aunts, uncles nieces and nephews She is preceded in death by her mother Emma Woods; brother, Joseph Rickmon; grand‐mothers, Matilda Rickmon and Estelle Johnson; grandfather, George Woods; Great-grand‐mother, Emma Ford; un‐cles, Ronald Rickmon, and Michael Jiles, Sr. An‐toinette was employed at Ice House, Dorignac’s Chicken Sue and Brown Derby A homegoing cele‐bration honoring the life of AntoinetteRickmon Mc‐Cloud will be held at Char‐bonnet Labat Glapion Fu‐neral Home,1615 St Philip St, New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday March 29,2025 at 1:00 pm. Visitation at 12:00pm Repast will be held at Treme Recreation Community Center 900 N Villere St., New Orleans, LA 70116. Please sign the on‐line guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors, (504) 581-4411

Morlas, Simone Blazine

Simone Blazine Morlas passed away peacefully on March 26, 2025, at the age of 95. She was born in Mar‐rero, LA on October 27 1929, to the late Victor Francois Morlas Sr and Eugenie Dejean Morlas Survived by her brother Victor ‘Butsy’ Morlas, Jr (late Jackie) Preceded in death by her brother Noel ‘Buck’ Morlas, Sr. (late Mary Joyce) She was Aunt Monie to four nephews and two nieces: Victor Morlas III (Kathy), Noel Morlas, Jr (Antonette), Gary Morlas (Nikki), Perry Morlas (Kera Charpentier) Cathy Fallon (Glen), and Wendy Troc‐quet (Stephen). Great aunt to Katy Shannon (Robin), Holly Garcia (Martin), Dylan Morlas (Laura) Amanda Morlas, Jennie Hermann (David), Louis Trocquet, Eric Bishop (Kyrstyn) Abby Morlas (Ian Ockman, Sr.), Matthew Trocquet Connor Fallon Bertrand Morlas, and Anna Trocquet Also survived by eleven great-great nephews and nieces, many cousins and friends. Si‐mone retired from Pan American Life Insurance Company after forty-four years of service She was a lifelong parishioner of Our Lady of Prompt Succor Church in Westwego, LA where she was an honored recipient of the Order of St Louis Medalion from the Archdiocese of New Or‐leans In her earlier years, Simone enjoyed bowling traveling, and being a member of the Westbank Camera Club. Later she spent time reading doing jigsaw puzzles, crossword puzzles, sudoku and play‐ing rummikub Family and friends are invited to at‐tend the Visitation at Our Lady of Prompt Succor Catholic Church 146 Fourth St., Westwego, LA on Mon‐day March 31, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m , followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m Interment will follow at Metairie Ceme‐tery at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. New Orleans 70124 The family would like to thank the people of Sun‐rise of Metairie for their compassionate care and kindness. Mothe Funeral Home is assisting the fam‐ily during this difficult time. The family invites you to share thoughts fond memories and condo‐lences online at www mot hefunerals.com

Denise

Denise “Pearl” Nix de‐parted this life on March 14, 2025. She was born on January 22, 1966. Family friends, and colleagues will gather together to honor her memory of her ser‐vices she contributed, and the lasting imprint she has left on New Orleans and beyond A celebration of life for Denise "Pearl" Nix will held at Charbonnet Fu‐neral Home, 1615 St Philip St. New Orleans LA 70116 on Saturday, March 29, 2025 at 10:00 am. Visitation at 9:00 am. Interment Mc‐Donoghville Cemetery, 520 Hancock St., Gretna, LA 70053. Please sign the on‐line guestbook at www cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors (504) 581-4411.

Edwin Stanton Peters, Jr., 80, of Abita Springs, LA, passed away peacefully on March 22, 2025. Edwin was born on December 23, 1944 to Florence and Edwin Stanton Peters, Sr. in Abita Springs, LA Edwin was the seventh child of eleven in the Peters family After graduating from St Paul's School in Covington, LA in 1962, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and served his country in Viet‐nam as a cargo pilot. He went on to study Botany and Zoology at Southeast‐ern Louisiana University Edwin served as Mayor of Abita Springs 1974-1979, a member of the City Council in the mid-1980s, and sub‐sequently, President of the St. Tammany Municipal As‐sociation. In 1963, he re‐connected with his child‐hood sweetheart Linda Ann Goldate and they wed in 1967, going on to have two children Eric and Keri Edwin was a force of na‐ture, determined to pro‐vide for his family and give them the life he felt they deserved His family meant more to him than anything else in the world some‐thing he often mentioned He was unendingly proud of Eric, Keri and his grand‐daughter Averi Grace and always endeavored to sup‐port them Edwin was also a passionate gardener and prolific speaker, as many of his friends and family can attest Anyone who knew Edwin knew that he was the most loving father and husband a family could ask for His deep Catholic faith provided his strong foundation and sus‐tained him during difficult times Edwin was prede‐ceased by his father, Edwin Stanton Peters, Sr., his mother, Florence Happich Peters his brothers, Gerald Peters, Raymond Peters, and Bernard Peters as well as his sisters, Barbara Ann Peters Connie Peters Mail‐hos, Marion Peters, Carol Ann Peters Darbonne He is survived by his wife, Linda Goldate Peters, his son Eric Stanton Peters (Tracy Peters), his daughter, Keri Peters Truitt (Trey Truitt) his granddaughter, Averi Grace Truitt, his siblings Rosalie Peters Phillips, Sr Benita Peters, OSB and Harold Peters (Carol Pe‐ters) and numerous nieces and nephews In lieu of flowers the family re‐quests that donations be made to St. Jude Children's Hospital. A private service will be held at a later date E.J Fielding Funeral Home has been entrusted with funeral arrangements. The Peters family invites you to share thoughts, fondest memories, and condo‐lences online at E J. Field‐ing Funeral Home Guest Book at www ejfieldingfh com

With heavy hearts, we announce thepassing of our beloved child, James Tate, who was taken from us too soon on March 24th, 2025, at thetender ageof 38. He brought immeasurable joy and light into our lives withhis kind heart, radiant smile, and boundless curiosity. Thoughhis time with us was brief, the depthoflove and happiness he shared will forever remain in our hearts.

Tome-Daly, Carmen

Carmen Tome-Daly, after a long journey with Alzheimer's, she passed away peacefully with an in‐credible smile left on face, ful sp nigh 2025, round fami Covin was year ersonal latio Jesus give life. men is survived by daughter Angela Fecke, son-in-law Thom and her only ado granddaughter Ch Fecke. She was preced death by her hus Ronald J Daly of 56 ye her parents, Estan Tome and Do Quinon me He lings, ina, Delo Argen nsuelo, L Mariano and Carlos. D loved by many nieces

Carmen Tome-Daly,

after a long journey with Alzheimer's, she passed away peacefully with an in‐credible smile left on her face, on a beautiful spring night March 19, 2025, sur‐rounded by her family in Covington She was 92 years old Her personal re‐lationship with Jesus has given her eternal life Car‐men is survived by her daughter Angela DalyFecke, son-in-law Thomas, and her only adoring granddaughter Chloe Fecke She was preceded in death by her husband Ronald J. Daly of 56 years, her parents, Estanislao Tome and Dolores Quinonez de Tome. Her sib‐lings, Caya, Mina, Delores, Argentina, Consuelo Lalo Mariano and Carlos Dearly loved by many nieces and nephews And her long‐time, endearing friend Maria Escarra of 60 years Carmen came to the United States from Honduras in the mid 1950’s and made her new home in New Or‐leans She spent her early years of work at an oil & exploration company in the CBD area. She later transitioned to work at Sears Co. in Metairie where she would retire in 1993 After the birth of her daughter in 1968 she be‐came a stay at home mom She was devoted to being a homemaker, wife, mom and an avid gardener that could make anything flour‐ish so beautifully in the front, back and side yard 4629, their charming home was always open to family, extended family, friends and neighbors for savory lunches, dinners and de‐lightful special events If you would ask her which is your favorite sister, instant response, All of them. Be‐cause of her love and stewardship to all, she cer‐tainly has made everlast‐ing memories for all to cherish and remember She will be deeply missed for years to come In lieu of flowers please send dona‐tions to the Grief Share ministry held at First Bap‐tist Church, 16333 Highway 1085, Covington LA 70433 https://fbccov.org/give/. Helping those who are hurting in the community A celebration of life will be held Monday, April 14, 2025 at The Chapel of First Bap‐tist Church Covington 16054 Murphy Rd., Coving‐ton LA 70433. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m ser‐vice starting at 11:00 a.m with a reception to follow in the Garden Room E. J Fielding Funeral Home of Covington Louisiana, is honored to be entrusted with Mrs. Daly’s funeral arrangements Her family invites you to share thoughts, memories, and condolences by signing an online guestbook at www ejfieldingfh.com

Judith(Judy) Kay England White, beloved mother, grandmother and wife, passed away peacefully of pancreatic cancer with her daughters by her side at her home in Houston, TX on March 23, 2025, at the age of 75. Born in Houston to London Thurman England and Mary Anna Seibel England on June 1,1949, Judy returned to Houston after briefly living in Ohio with her family in her early childhood.Her family moved into her newly built Westbury home on her 9th birthday, ahome she would return to in 2005 for the remainder of her life. Music and performing was always afundamental part of her being.She referred to her theatre teacher, Mr. A. E. Davis at Johnston JuniorHigh, as "the personwho changed her life." She said, "He gave me amicrophone, and said,'Sing.'" In 1967, Whitegraduated

"the person who changed her life." Shesaid, "He gave me amicrophone, and said, 'Sing.'" In 1967, White graduated from Westbury High School where sheperformed as Fife Captain on the Rebelettes and served as Vice Presidentofthe Drama Club. She was afinalist in the 1966 Miss Teenage Houston contest. Upon graduation,she attended the University of Houston where she studied voiceand served as Rush Chairman of Chi Omega Fraternity. She began her musical career in Houston with Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) and later HITS Theatre. Aradio commercial featuring her voice eventually led to her fronting numerous local rock bands and eventually forming herown, Judy England andUnion Jack. She performedall over Houston, including NASA's celebration of the first lunar landingin1969 and at arelease party with John Denver for "Take Me Home, Country Roads," in 1971. In 1975, she married Charles (Charlie) Loy White, afellow musician who performed in bands around thecity, including Southwest Freeway and The Family Tree. In 1979, the couple welcomed afirst daughter, Ashley EnglandWhite, and in 1985, the family of three left Houston to begin a new chapter in New Orleans. The following year, 1986, the family welcomed asecondchild, Bethany Marie White.

Shortly after relocating, the couple joined the Jimmy Maxwell Orchestra with Judy as thelead vocalist, andperformed around the country, playing for events like the1988 Republican National Convention,the 1990 Presidential Gala at Kennedy Center and the 1990 inauguration of the Governor of Virginia, Douglas Wilder. The band was the premier orchestra for the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, performing for several balls and the Meeting of TheCourts of Rex and Comus on Mardi Gras night.

Bethany andfour grandchildren.Every family gathering wasnothing short of an extraordinary celebration where friends and neighbors were always welcome. Alifelong fan of West Highland Terriers, Judy was aproud member of the West Highland White Terrier Club of Southeast Texas and loved with her full heart Jasper, Max, Patty, GiGi, Pallas andHolly. Judy was preceded in death by her father, London Thurman England; mother, Mary Anna (Seibel) England; brothers, London Thurman England, Jr. and Frederick James England and beloved husband Charles Loy White. She is survived by daughters Ashley England White Fryer (Jeffrey) and Bethany Marie White Magalhaes (John), and grandchildren Jackson Charles Fryer, London Jane Fryer, Eliana Delta Magalhaes and Joseph Charles Magalhaes.

Aviewing and visitation will be held at Woodlawn Funeral Home on Monday, March 31 from 5-8 PM. Funeral servicewill be celebrated on Tuesday, April 1atWillow Meadows Baptist Church at

She performed all over Houston, including NASA's celebration of the first lu-

In 1993, Judy was inducted into theLouisiana Treasures Hall of Fame and recognized by the St. Elizabeth's Foundation and the Jerusalem Temple for donatingher talentfor charitable events. She began performingwith Harry Connick, Sr., travelingall over the US as aduo. Judy performed as a guest artist with the Houston Summer Pops Orchestra, theNew Orleans Summer Pops Orchestra, and theNelson Riddle Orchestra. In 1992, Harry Connick, Jr. invited Judy to perform as aspecial guest with him and his orchestra at therenaming of the New Orleans Convention Center. He accompanied Judy on piano while Charlie conducted his full orchestra. It was a highlight of their careers. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Judy and Charlie returned to Judy's childhood Westbury home in Houston. That same year, shebegan performing at Ovationswith pianist/vocalist Glennie Scott, acollaboration that lasted nearly 20 years. She also spent that time performing at herhome church, Willow Meadows Baptist Church, with their praise band. Her final performance was this past Christmas Eve, 2024. The truest source of joy in Judy's life was family: her daughters Ashley and Bethany andfour grandchildren.Every family gathering wasnothing short of an extraordinary celebration where friends and neighbors were always welcome. Alifelong fan of West Highland Terriers, Judy was aproud member of the West Highland White Terrier Club of Southeast Texas and loved with her full heart Jasper, Max, Patty, GiGi, Pallas andHolly. Judy waspreceded in death by her father, London Thurman England; mother, Mary Anna (Seibel) England; brothers, London Thurman England, Jr. and Frederick James England and beloved husband Charles Loy White. She is survived by daughters Ashley England White Fryer (Jeffrey) and Bethany Marie White Magalhaes (John), and grandchildren Jackson Charles Fryer, London Jane Fryer, Eliana Delta Magalhaes and Joseph Charles Magalhaes.

Keishell Jayla Young af‐fectionately known as “Kei”, was born on Febru‐ary 3 2004. She was a gift to the world and was deeply loved by both her birth mother Jenny Young and her adoptive parents Triche and Dominic Brown They were blessed to wel‐come her into their family Keishell transitioned from this earthly life on March 24, 2025, at the age of 21 She was baptized on April 4, 2014, by Rev. Rodney L Johnson, Sr. at the Historic Bethlehem Baptist Church Keishell was a proud grad‐uate of Hahnville High School Class of 2023. After graduation she attended Southeastern Louisiana University to pursue a Bachelors of Nursing De‐gree to become a Regis‐tered Nurse. Keishell also worked part time as a cashier at Walmart. Keishell had a heart full of warmth and love. She en‐joyed spending time with her friends and family, laughing at Tik Tok videos with her sisters and shop‐ping She had a smile that could brighten any room Keishell's memory will for‐ever be cherished by her birth mother, Jenny Young, her adopted parents Triche and Dominic Brown, 6 sis‐ters Kimberly Young Imu‐nique Carter, Dar’Jene, Ari‐ana, Amari and Tori Brown, 4 brothers, Kenneth Young Amonte Dominic Jr and Trey Brown and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces nephews, cousins friends and loved ones Relatives and friends of the family, Pastors, Officers and Members of The His‐toric Bethlehem Baptist Church and all neighboring Churches along with HHS class of 2023, Southeastern Louisiana University and Walmart of Boutte are in‐vited to attend the Funeral Services at 11:00 am on Saturday March 29, 2025, at the Historic Bethlehem Baptist Church 14989 River Rd., Hahnville, LA 70057. Pastor Rodney L. Johnson, Sr - Host Pastor, Pastor John K.

MEMORYOF Sandra (Red) Washington Mar06, 1956 -Mar 27, 2024

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,whose mindisstayedon thee:because he trusteth in thee We Miss YouSoMuch! Lovedyou then, love younow,loveyou forever,but God loved youmore! Husband(Clarence); Daughters(Chandrika, andSheena);

Aviewing and visitation will be held at Woodlawn Funeral Home on Monday, March 31 from 5-8 PM. Funeral servicewill be celebrated on Tuesday, April 1atWillow Meadows Baptist Church at 11 AM, followed by aluncheon procession to Woodlawn Cemetery for burial, and a final celebration of life at the family home. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Westie Foundation of America.

Lee, Warren

Young, Keishell Jayla

Rickmon 'Nettie'

Tate, James

White, Judith Kay

Nix,

'Pearl'

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Consumers remain cautious about spending

Inflation picked up last month and consumers barely raised their spending, signs that the economy was already cooling even before most tariffs were imposed.

Friday’s report from the Commerce Department showed that consumer prices increased 2.5% in February from a year earlier, matching January’s annual pace

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.8% compared with a year ago, higher than January’s figure of 2.7%.

Economists watch core prices because they are typically a better guide of where inflation is headed The core index has barely changed in the past year

Inflation remains above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, making it difficult for the central bank to cut its key interest rate anytime soon. The report also showed that consumer spending rebounded last month after falling by the most in four years in January Yet much of the additional spending reflected price increases, with inflation-adjusted spending barely rising. The weak figure suggests growth is rapidly slowing in the first three months of this year as consumers and businesses turn cautious amid sharp changes in government policies.

“Inflation too hot and spending too cold,” said Stephen Brown, an economist at Capital Economics, a consulting firm, in an email. “The Fed is unlikely to cut interest rates this year.”

Economist warns tariffs could add vehicle costs

Noted economist Arthur Laffer warns in a new analysis that President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on auto imports could add $4,711 to the cost of a vehicle and says the proposed taxes could weaken the ability of U.S. automakers to compete with their foreign counterparts

In the 21-page analysis obtained by The Associated Press, Laffer whom Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019 for his contributions to economics, says the auto industry would be in a better position if the Republican president preserved the supply chain rules with Canada and Mexico from his own 2019 USMCA trade pact.

“Without this exemption, the proposed tariff risks causing irreparable damage to the industry, contradicting the administration’s goals of strengthening U.S. manufacturing and economic stability,” Laffer writes in the analysis. “A 25% tariff would not only shrink, or possibly eliminate, profit margins for U.S. manufacturers but also weaken their ability to compete with international rivals.” Laffer said the report had caused a “kerfuffle” and cautioned that it only applied to the economics, rather than Trump’s negotiating skills and strategic approach to trade.

Javice convicted of defrauding JPMorgan

Charlie Javice, the charismatic founder of a startup company that claimed to be revolutionizing the way college students apply for financial aid, was convicted on Friday of defrauding one of the largest U.S. banks, JPMorgan Chase, out of $175 million by exaggerating her customer base by 10 times.

Javice, 32, faces the possibility of a lengthy prison term.

Javice was in her mid-20s when she founded Frank, a company with software that promised to simplify the process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a complex government form used by students to apply for aid for college or graduate school.

The company promoted itself as a way for financially needy students to obtain more aid faster, in return for a few hundred dollars in fees.

JPMorgan executives testified that she told them she had over four million clients and would have about 10 million by year’s end, but it turned out there were only about 300,000 customers.

Inflation, tariff fears

sink Wall St.

U.S. consumers more pessimistic about future finances

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Another wipeout walloped Wall Street on Friday. Worries are building about a potentially toxic mix of worsening inflation and a U.S. economy slowing because of households afraid to spend due to the global trade war

The S&P 500 had one of its worst days in the past two years. It thudded to its fifth losing week in the last six after wiping out what had been a big gain to start the week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also sank.

Lululemon Athletica led the market lower with a drop of 14.2%, even though the seller of athletic apparel reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It warned that its revenue growth may slow this upcoming year,

in part because “consumers are spending less due to increased concerns about inflation and the economy,” said CEO Calvin McDonald. Oxford Industries, the company behind the Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer brands, likewise reported stronger results for the latest quarter than expected but still saw its stock fall 5.7% CEO Tom Chubb said it saw a “deterioration in consumer sentiment that also weighed on demand” beginning in January, which accelerated into February They’re discouraging data points when one of the main worries hitting Wall Street is that President Donald Trump’s escalating tariffs may cause U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending Even if the tariffs end up being less painful than feared, all the uncertainty may filter into changed behaviors that hurt the economy

A report on Friday showed all types of U.S. consumers are getting more pessimistic about their future finances. Two out of three expect unemployment to worsen in the year ahead, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. That’s the

highest reading since 2009, and it raises worries about a job market that’s been a linchpin keeping the U.S. economy solid.

A separate report also showed that an underlying measure of how much income Americans are making, which excludes government social benefits and some other items, “has been treading water for the last three months,” said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management.

“Households aren’t in a good place to absorb a little tariff pain,” he said. “The Fed isn’t likely to run to the rescue either as inflation moved up more than expected in February.”

The Fed could return to cutting interest rates, like it was doing late last year, in order to give the economy and financial markets a boost. But such cuts would also push upward on inflation, which has been sticking above the Fed’s 2% target.

The economy and job market have been holding up so far, but if they were to weaken while inflation stays high, it would produce a worst-case scenario called “stagflation.” Policy makers in Washington have few good tools to fix it.

Federal judge blocks offshore lease sale

Claims feds failed to consider impacts on Rice’s whales

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

A federal judge on Thursday blocked an oil and gas lease sale in Gulf waters off the coast of Louisiana, finding that a federal agency didn’t adequately take into account how new offshore drilling would impact the highly endangered Rice’s whale.

The ruling from Judge Amit Mehta in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will require the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management, which oversees the sale of oil and gas leases in federal waters, to conduct additional environmental reviews before the lease sale proceeds The current lease sale is not canceled but will be subject to additional environmental review

The court also ruled that BOEM did not fully take into account the impact of greenhouse gas emissions that would result from the new oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico, also referred to as the Gulf of America after President Donald Trump moved to rename it via executive order

“BOEM acted arbitrarily by failing to address the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (NMFS’s) de-

termination that the whale’s habitat range extends into the western and central Gulf,” Mehta wrote in his ruling.

The lawsuit, brought in 2023 by a handful of environmental organizations over lease sale number 259, alleged that the federal government didn’t take into account the potential risk of future oil spills, or the disproportionate effects that the lease sale could have on low-income and minority communities.

On those issues, the court sided with the government, ruling that those issues were adequately taken into account.

“What a great victory this decision is for Gulf communities and wildlife, who’ve been living in a polluted sacrifice zone for far too long,” said Kristen Monsell, oceans legal director at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the environmental groups that sued over the lease sales.

Scott Lauermann, a spokesperson for the American Petroleum Institute which sided with the federal government in the lawsuit, said that the blocking of the lease sale was “yet another example of activists weaponizing the [National Environmental Policy Act] process in the courts to block critical access for exploration, underscoring how permitting reform is essential to ensuring access to affordable, reliable energy.”

He added that his group would

be reviewing the court’s decision and evaluating its legal options going forward.

BOEM referred questions on the ruling to its parent agency, the U.S. Department of the Interior A spokesperson for that agency said that its policy is not to comment on litigation.

Recently, the agency issued a statement celebrating the results of other oil and gas lease sales on federal lands, which Secretary Doug Burghum said “demonstrate Interior’s unwavering commitment to fostering American Energy Dominance.”

97% of oil and gas production

The lawsuit, filed by Healthy Gulf, Bayou City Waterkeeper, the Center for Biological Diversity Friends of the Earth, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club, alleged that BOEM did not properly evaluate the environmental impacts of the lease sale.

The Biden administration had sought to limit offshore oil and gas drilling in federal waters. During his last month in office, President Joe Biden issued an executive order that banned drilling in most federal waters but left waters off Louisiana open to new and existing oil and gas operations.

President Donald Trump has swiftly reversed course, promising to “unleash American energy” on his first day in office, in part by

encouraging offshore oil and gas development.

The federal government sells leases to private energy companies that allow them to drill offshore in the Gulf The vast majority of U.S. oil and gas production — about 97%, according to BOEM occurs in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ruling by Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, does not permanently bar the federal government from eventually proceeding with the oil and gas lease sales. Rather, it delays any lease sale until the government is able to provide additional environmental reviews.

The environmental groups have also challenged Gulf lease sale 261, which took place in December 2023, on the same grounds The ruling issued Thursday only applies to the lease in question, according to George Torgun, an attorney for Earthjustice who was involved with the litigation. He said that the ruling should apply to all oil and gas leasing in the Gulf.

The Rice’s whale lives in Gulf waters and nowhere else — and was only discovered to be a distinct species a few years ago. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association recently estimated that there could be as few as 51 Rice’s whales left in the wild.

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW

Traders work on the floor of the New york Stock Exchange on March 12.

OPINION

ANOTHER VIEW

Overlooked voter groups could elect next mayor

You can feel the campaign for mayor of New Orleans taking shape. Money’s being raised, endorsements are lining up, consultants are contemplating strategies and the gritty work of house-to-house campaigning has started.

Ron Faucheux

City Council members Helena Moreno and Oliver Thomas, plus former Criminal District Court Judge Arthur Hunter, are the top contenders in the Oct. 11 primary All have won citywide races Additional candidates could still jump in, but the clock is ticking. The public mood is clear: Voters are fed up with city government’s dysfunction. Polls show they want change. And when voters want change, they really want it. In Louisiana’s 1987 gubernatorial election, an unpopular Edwin Edwards was seeking a fourth term. Every candidate against him advocated change But the one who upped the ante was then-U.S. Rep. Buddy Roemer He promised not just change, but revolution. I recall his campaign consultant Ray Strother asking a group of political wags, “Do you think ‘revolution’ is strong enough?” Voters answered that question and Roemer won.

After one or two terms of a mayor (or governor or president), voters often want the opposite of what they’ve had — ergo, Donald Trump following Joe Biden. But what and who is the opposite of incumbent Mayor LaToya Cantrell?

Cantrell is a Democrat, as are all three candidates running to replace her She’s African American, as are two candidates vying for the job. She’s a woman, as is one candidate. Cantrell was elected from City Council, where two current candidates now serve. When elected, Cantrell had little experience managing a large organization, a weakness all three candidates this year share.

Perhaps the opposite of Cantrell will be determined by attitude, leadership style and, of course, an agenda for change. While this year’s campaigns are reluctant to go after the incumbent by name for fear of offending voters who personally identify with her, they’re also focused on tapping into deep-seated voter discontent, much of which is aimed at her It’s a difficult puzzle to solve

There are now 264,000 registered voters in New Orleans. Of those, 54% are Black, 36.5% White and 9.5% other races Women voters make up a solid majority, with 56.1%. Slightly more than a quarter of the city’s electorate is under 35 and slightly less is 65 and over By party: 62.8% are Democrats, 27.6% are independents (or other parties) and 9.5% are Republicans.

During the 2017 mayoral race, the most recent one without an incumbent running, 56.6% of registered voters were Black, 35.5% were White and 7.8% were neither This means that Black voter registration went down nearly three points over the last eight years while White registration went up one point and those labeled as “others” went up almost two points

Then there’s the matter of voter turnout.

In the 2024 presidential race, 52% of votes in New Orleans were cast by Blacks, 40% by Whites In the 2023 gubernatorial primary, the city’s voting electorate was 49% Black, 45% White. In the 2021 mayor’s race, it was 53% Black, 41% White.

One group of voters frequently overlooked are those who are considered neither Black nor White They are mostly Hispanic, Asian and mixed race. They make up nearly one-tenth of the city’s registered voters, and their share is growing. How they vote could determine the winner

It’s likely there will be a Black man and a WhiteHispanic woman in this year’s mayoral runoff, if there is one How that will shape voter perceptions is still an unknown. As one campaign strategist told me turnout will depend upon the emotional state of voters the week of the election. He’s probably right. But if Moreno, who was born in Mexico, wins the segment of the electorate that’s Hispanic, Asian and mixed race by a substantial margin, it would help her overcome the structural advantage a Black candidate would have, at least theoretically, in a runoff against her. Of course, if she doesn’t win these voters, it’s another story

Nobody has this mayor’s race locked up. Who votes will be a big factor How they vote will depend upon which candidate comes across as the biggest change agent — and makes the fewest mistakes.

Special request: In last week’s column, I offered some of my questions for the mayoral candidates. Quite a few readers responded and sent additional questions of their own. If you have a question to add, please email me at rfaucheux@gmail.com, and I’ll publish the best of them in a future column Thanks!

Ron Faucheux is a nonpartisan political analyst, pollster and writer based in Louisiana. He publishes LunchtimePolitics.com, a nationwide newsletter on polls and public opinion

ARTISTS’ VIEWS

SPORTS

SWEET AS EVER

After tight battle, LSU closes strong to reach third straight Elite

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

SPOKANE,Wash. — All that stood between the LSU women’s basketball team and a third consecutive appearance in the Elite Eight was North Carolina State, a No. 2 seed that the Tigers already had routed back in November On Friday, the two teams met in a much tighter battle in the Sweet 16. The No. 3-seeded Tigers still grabbed enough offensive rebounds and hit enough fourth-quarter shots to prevail, sending themselves back to the doorstep of the Final Four with an 80-73 win.

Aneesah Morrow finished with 30 points and 19 re-

Johnson not a backer of wooden bats in

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

The long ball has become an integral part of modern college baseball. Granted, this isn’t a new development. Home runs were plentiful in the late 1990s with the rise of “Geauxrilla Ball.” But the implementation of BBCOR standard bats in 2011, which were meant to lower the “trampoline effect” of metal bats, reduced home run totals drastically The change made that season one of thehardestforJayJohnsonasacoach.

“It was so drastically different of a game,” the current LSU coach said. But the new sticks only temporarily curbed home runs. With pitchers throwing harder than ever before and hitters getting much stronger, home runs are a major part of the sport again, especially in the Southeastern Conference.

college

RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY Because of inclement weather LSU-Mississippi State ended after this edition went to press. To stay up to date on baseball coverage, visit nola.com

Johnson said the uptick in homers has led some SEC coaches to believe the college game should transition to using wooden bats. Johnson is not among them.

He argues home runs and high scores have helped the sport become more popular Abnormally high run totals are a hallmark of the sport and a true differentiator from the professional ranks.

“I think it’s something that makes college baseball unique,” Johnson said on his radio show Monday “And I think we’re in a really popular spot

ä See JOHNSON, page 5C

bounds after shooting 12 of 25 from the field. Sa’Myah Smith added 21 points and 11 boards in another impressive tournament performance, and Mikaylah Williams notched 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists after finding a groove down the stretch in the fourth quarter

In November, LSU used a large edge on the glass to win by 17. On Friday it grabbed eight more offensive rebounds and took seven more field goals than NC State, a dangerous offensive team that shot only 37% from the field and 32% from beyond the arc in another loss to the Tigers. At the 4:29 mark of the fourth, the Wolfpack led 69-64.

See LSU, page 4C

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JENNy KANE

LSU forward Sa’Myah Smith, left, hugs guard Kailyn Gilbert after their Sweet 16 victory against North Carolina State on Friday in Spokane, Wash.

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA

Grizzlies fire team’s winningest coach

BY TERESA M.WALKER

The Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins, their winningest coach, on Friday with the team struggling down the stretch and at risk of losing home-court advantage for the postseason.

Still sitting at No. 5 in the Western Conference standings, the Grizzlies decided to dump Jenkins anyway without immediately announcing an interim coach Jenkins led the Grizzlies for six seasons. He was let go with the team on the verge of playing three home games in a four-day span starting Saturday — first the Lakers, then Boston on Monday, then Golden State on Tuesday

That starts a stretch where eight of Memphis’ final nine opponents are either playoff clubs or contending for a play-in spot But it’s still possible, at least mathematically, that Memphis could get back to No. 2 in the West, and it’s highly unlikely that the Grizzlies will fall into the play-in tournament range.

Still, Memphis decided it was time for a change.

“This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership,” Zach Kleiman, the Grizzlies’ president and general manager of basketball operations, said in a statement.

The Grizzlies did not practice Friday and announced no media availability

Jenkins was the fifth longesttenured coach with his current club in the league, behind only San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra Golden State’s Steve Kerr and Denver’s Michael Malone — all of them having won NBA titles.

Results against the league’s best teams so far this season weren’t a good sign for Jenkins

The Grizzlies were 0-4 against Oklahoma City, losing those games by 24, 13, 17 and 21 points. They’re 3-6 so far this season against Houston, Denver and the Lakers, the next three teams ahead of them in the West And that’s been a trend all season for Memphis. The Grizzlies were really good against the sub.500 teams, but struggled mightily against the winning clubs.

Against the 13 other teams that currently are over .500, the Grizzlies are 11-20 this season and getting outscored by 77 points.

Against the 16 clubs at .500 or worse, the Grizzlies are 33-9, outscoring those opponents by 462 points.

Jenkins, with a career record of 250-214, passed Lionel Hollins for most wins in franchise history Nov 20 with a victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.

He also coached the most games in Grizzlies’ history, with the franchise launching in 1995.

He took Memphis to the postseason three times during his tenure but only got to the second round once. In the 2021-22 season, the team won 56 games for the Grizzlies’ most in a season under Jenkins.

The Grizzlies captured the Southwest Division and were a No 2 seed in the West. They ousted the Minnesota Timberwolves in the opening round, but lost to Golden State in the second with star Ja Morant dealing with an injury

Jenkins replaced J.B. Bickerstaff, who was fired after failing to make the playoffs in the 2018-19 season. He had served as an assistant with the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks, both working for coach Mike Budenholzer

He also served a stint in the San Antonio Spurs organization, eventually becoming head coach of the Spurs G League team in Austin.

Jenkins’ arrival in Memphis coincided with the Grizzlies drafting Morant with the No 2 overall pick in 2019. Memphis made the postseason three straight seasons from 2021 to 2023. Then the Grizzlies went through a season plagued with injuries to major players.

Morant played only nine games because of a 25-game league suspension and a right shoulder injury that ended his season. Fellow guard Desmond Bane missed

considerable time with a left ankle sprain, and frontline reserve Brandon Clarke managed only six games because of a left Achilles tendon tear That left Jenkins to manage the season with forward Jaren Jackson Jr and a bunch of makeshift lineups eventually finishing 27-55.

This season, Jenkins turned over his coaching staff and brought in a new offense based on spacing.

Despite being plagued with turnovers, Memphis spent a large part of the season second in the West. Other teams surged as the Grizzlies’ rough patch dropped them to fifth place.

Again, Jenkins spent another season piecing together lineups around Morant limited to 43 games with various illnesses, soreness, contusions and sprains.

Morant missed Thursday night’s game, his sixth straight, with a strained hamstring.

MacIntyre-Detry team latest to commit to Zurich

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The international team of Rob-

ert MacIntyre and Thomas Detry has committed to play in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, tournament officials announced Friday MacIntyre, a native of Scotland and a McNeese State product, and Detry, a native of Belgium, teamed to finish tied for eighth in last year’s Zurich. The tournament will be played April 24-27 at the TPC of Louisiana in Avondale.

“They are both young but established European players who have found success on the PGA Tour, and who I’m sure are very

focused on being part of the European side for the Ryder Cup in September,” said Steve Worthy, the CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operates the tournament for the PGA Tour “Their strong play over the last year and high world rank will make them a team to watch.”

MacIntyre was a two-time winner on the PGA Tour last year

He took the crown at the Canadian Open, then won the Scottish Open, the championship in his home country

He became only the second player from Scotland to win the national tournament, following Colin Montgomery in 1999.

MacIntyre earned his PGA Tour card in 2023 and posted six

top-10 finishes in 2024. This season, he has posted four finishes in the top 15, including a sixth in the Phoenix Open. He currently ranks 18th in the world. He played in the 2023 Ryder Cup, posting a record of 2-0-1 helping his European team, captained by Luke Donald, win decisively in Rome over the U.S. squad 161/2-111/2 Detry, currently ranked 26th in the world and 10th in the FedExCup points, won his first PGA Tour title by seven strokes at this year’s Phoenix Open. It was the largest margin of victory on the PGA Tour this season. He opened the year with a tie for fifth in the Sentry in Hawaii.

Playing with Victor Perez of France, he tied for 13th in the 2023 Zurich Classic, then paired with Macintyre to finish tied for eighth in last year’s event.

In addition to his win on the PGA Tour this year Detry also won the Bridgestone Challenge on the DP World Tour in 2016, his rookie year as a pro. Last year on the PGA Tour, he recorded four top-10 finishes, the best a tie for second in the Houston Open.

He represented Belgium in the last two Olympics, finishing tied for 22nd in Tokyo and tied for ninth last year in Paris.

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@theadvocate.com.

Ravens extend coach Harbaugh by three years

OWING MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens extended coach John Harbaugh’s contract by three years, taking him through the 2028 season.

The 62-year-old Harbaugh is the Ravens’ all-time winningest coach with a 172-104 record over 17 seasons, not including going 13-11 in the playoffs along with him being the second-longest tenured active coach behind Mike Tomlin, who has been the Pittsburgh Steelers coach for nearly 18 years.

Baltimore has made the playoffs 12 times under Harbaugh, who even coached the Ravens to the Super Bowl title in their 2012 season.

Before renewing his deal with Baltimore, Harbaugh was entering the final year of his contract.

Sanders’ contract at Colorado extended

Deion Sanders brought back the glitter — and the wins — to a downtrodden program in just two seasons.

For that, the Colorado Buffaloes rewarded the charismatic coach with a contract extension through the 2029 season, making him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12 Conference and among the most lucratively paid across the country

His five-year $54 million extension includes $10 million in each of the first two seasons, $11 million in the next two and $12 million in Year 5.

The deal was reached with three years remaining on Sanders’ existing five-year, $29.5 million deal he signed when he was brought in from Jackson State.

Jets sign veteran WR Reynolds to one-year deal

The New York Jets signed veteran Josh Reynolds to a one-year deal Thursday adding depth to their wide receivers group.

The 30-year-old Reynolds, who spent last season with Denver and Jacksonville, is reunited with Jets coach Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand with whom he worked during three seasons in Detroit.

Reynolds joins a Jets wide receivers room that includes Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gipson, Malachi Corley, Irvin Charles and Tyler Johnson, who was also signed as a free agent this offseason. New York released wide receiver Davante Adams, who later signed with the Los Angeles Rams. Reynolds could end up replacing Lazard, who could be traded or released.

Cunningham misses third game with bruised calf`

DETROIT Detroit Pistons All-Star guard Cade Cunningham missed his third straight game with a bruised calf. The Pistons announced Cunningham would not play against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, adding that the All-NBA candidate is day to day

He hurt his left calf last week in a game at Dallas.

Cunningham has been the key player during Detroit’s turnaround, leading a team vying for home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs after having the league’s worst record the previous two seasons. The Pistons set a single-season record with 28 straight losses last year and finished with 14 wins, a year after winning just 17 games.

Djokovic advances to Miami Open final

Novak Djokovic cruised into the Miami Open final by routing 14thseeded Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-3 on Friday at Hard Rock Stadium. The fourth-seeded Djokovic is trying for his seventh Miami Open title in his first appearance in the event since 2019. The 37-year-old Djokovic, who won six times at the tournament’s previous venue at Key Biscayne, also is going for his 100th professional title. He has been out of form this year, starting with an injury retirement at the Australian Open in January Earlier this month, he lost

AP sportswriter

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROB GRAy

Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins looks on during a game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

Covington girls second at LHSAA powerlifting meet

BY SPENCER URQUHART

Staff writer

Covington High School took on the task of hosting the LHSAA state powerlifting meet at the Pontchartrain Center on Friday and its girls team was up to the task as they finished as state runner-up in Division I competition.

Covington had three seniors win their weight classes, with Lila Cooper breaking her own squat record in the four-day meet that combines the weights of squats, bench press and deadlifts. The athlete with the highest total weight is the winner

Despite the responsibility of hosting Friday’s girls Division IIII meet, Covington had a strong showing.

“We were put in rough spots, but I was very proud of overcoming the rough spots,” coach John Burford said. “When we needed to, the kids really responded to stay in the meet and ultimately put themselves in a position to finish out the day strong.”

“As for running this whole meet,

I couldn’t be more proud of my team. It’s such a monumental effort. We’ve asked a lot of them outside of just lifting. We’ve asked a lot them to help put this meet on, so I really can’t say enough about them.”

Cooper took first place in the 123poud weight class Other Covington winners included Kaylee Robin in the 165-pound class and Camille Crutcher at 105.

Cooper’s record-breaking squat of 355 pounds occurred on her final attempt It topped her previous best of 350 pounds at the regional meet. Cooper finished with an 885-pound total.

“I told myself that I just need to be better than I was,” Cooper said. “I totaled 25 pounds more (total weight) than I did last time. I just wanted to put the best I could on the platform, and that’s what I did.

Covington sophomore Mya Marigny placed second in the 181-pound class. Covington’s Madeline Schieble and Tessa Abram picked up third-place finishes in

their classes.

“I’m excited about some of the young lifters we have,” Burford said. “They got some good experience. Hopefully they can learn from some of the seniors we have. We’re losing a lot of seniors, but we’ve got a good group of young lifters.”

Other podium finishers

Slidell’s Cara McFarland won the Division I 97-pound class while Kaetlynn Billiot placed third in the 105-pound class.

St. Scholastica’s Juliet Gaffney won the Division II 114-pound class while teammates Abbey and Grace Hartdegen finished second in their classes.

De La Salle’s Caitlyn Vaughn finished as runner-up in the Division III 165-pound class. Destrehan’s Ye’Lyn Parker of Division I and Hannan’s Samantha Wetwiski of Division III finished third in their class.

The Division I, II and III boys will conclude action Saturday at the Ponchartrain Center

Ex-Vols coach Pruitt sues NCAA, says he was a

BY TERESA M. WALKER

AP sports writer

Jeremy Pruitt is suing the NCAA for $100 million for lost and future wages, accusing the organization of conspiring with the University of Tennessee to make him possibly the “last coach in America to be punished for impermissible player benefits.

Pruitt’s lawsuit was filed Wednesday in DeKalb County Circuit Court in northeast Alabama, about 170 miles south of Knoxville The lawsuit also accuses the NCAA of negligence and Tennessee of limiting the investigation into rules violations before his hiring.

“Jeremy Pruitt is one of the coaches who has been subject to an unfair, wrongful, and inconsistent NCAA investigation and ruling with potentially career-ending penalties,” according to the lawsuit “The NCAA conspired with the University of Tennessee (“UT”) and others to make Jeremy the sacrificial lamb for conduct that long preceded his tenure at UT.” When the NCAA punished Tennessee in July 2023, the sprawling report specifically called out Pruitt for his personal involvement and that “the former head coach violated head coach responsibility rules.” Four of his former staff members reached agreements with the NCAA’s enforcement staff and were given show-cause orders.

“NCAA rules are proposed and adopted by member schools and penalties for violations are imposed by a committee of representatives from NCAA member schools and conferences as well as individuals from the public who have legal training,” the NCAA said in a statement Thursday “In this case, the Committee on Infractions found violations and assigned penalties, both of which were affirmed by the Infractions Appeals Committee.” Tennessee fired Pruitt and nine others Jan. 18, 2021, for cause

‘sacrificial lamb’

after an internal investigation found what the university chancellor called “serious violations of NCAA rules.” Chancellor Donde Plowman said Pruitt was responsible for overseeing the program Tennessee had been conducting an internal investigation since a tip Nov 13 about alleged recruiting violations. Plowman called the infractions “serious violations of NCAA rules” at a news conference. Pruitt’s lawsuit claims Plowman told him Jan. 18 that “Jeremy, we know you haven’t done anything wrong.”

He was hired in December 2017 after a tumultuous search cost athletic director John Currie his job with former Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer taking over Pruitt’s lawsuit alleges the new coach learned less than one week after being hired “that payments were being made to some players” despite being against NCAA rules at that time. Pruitt reported what he learned to Fulmer and the lawsuit states Fulmer told Pruitt that “he

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Most no-hitters end with the winning pitcher getting mobbed by teammates as they celebrate on the field.

Then there was the no-hitter thrown by Evan Burg on Friday against John Curtis. The Rummel senior happened to be the final batter in a mercy-rule-shortened 10-0 victory that ended after five innings.

Rummel (18-8, 6-2 District 9-5A) had runners on second and third with two outs when Burg hit a grounder that the first baseman bobbled, then dropped as he tried to step on the base for the final out. The two runners scored as the ball rolled away from the first baseman.

“We’re up 8-0 and he’s busting his fanny to get down to first,” Rummel coach Frank Cazeaux said of Burg. “That’s just the kind of player he is. He’s a competitor.”

The hustle down to first base gave Burg the first no-hitter of his high school career

“In the top of the fifth, I looked over and (the scoreboard) said zero and I said, ‘Huh, pretty cool,’ ” Burg said. “This is my first year pitching full-blown like this, so it was pretty cool to see. I didn’t think about it too much.” Burg struck out three and walked three. A two-out error in the fourth inning preceded a walk that put runners on first and second. Burg struck out the next batter He pitched a 1-2-3 fifth to retire the final four batters faced. Burg, a Tulane signee projected to play outfield in college, became a starting pitcher this season.

“Coach told me that I would be pitching a lot more this year,” Burg said. “I got a couple innings my sophomore and junior year He told me I would be a guy for us this year on the mound. I took the opportunity and worked my butt off.”

Rummel scored three runs over the first two innings, but it was a three-run double by Gavin Nix that provided the big blow during a five-run third that included four walks and a hit batter On a night when Curtis (14-10, 3-5) combined for 10 walks and one hit batter, Nix tried to stay patient at the plate.

“You’re just waiting to see your pitch a fastball right down the middle,” he said. “I worked it to a 3-2 count, and I saw the fastball down the middle and I did everything I could with it and hit a double.”

Brandt Frey and Gavin Kennedy each drew a walk with the bases loaded to drive in the first two runs in the inning.

Kennedy, at the top of the Rummel lineup, reached base three times with two walks and an RBI single He scored two runs. Aiden Gernard hit an RBI single in the first. Lenny Cline had a sacrifice fly The win came one night after Curtis beat Rummel 9-7 in a game that included a late comeback attempt. That loss let Brother Martin take a one-game lead in the Catholic League race with three weeks to play

“Our goal is not to lose back-toback games, and we lost a heartbreaker last night,” Burg said. “We came out here and just tried to get this one tonight and that’s what we did.”

would handle it” and deal with the compliance department.

The lawsuit also alleges that Pruitt learned after being fired that one or more people inside the Tennessee athletic departments or boosters “had systematically engaged in making payments to players at a time when NCAA rules did not allow such payments.”

The NCAA found that Pruitt or his wife, Casey, were involved in impermissible payments to two prospects who later signed with Tennessee. The mother of one player received $6,000 from Pruitt’s wife as a down payment on a car

Pruitt’s lawsuit accuses the NCAA and Tennessee of a “farcical hearing” to determine if Pruitt violated any rules when the NCAA had a “direct financial stake” in the outcome with Tennessee’s “vested interest in the pre-determined outcome of the one-sided ‘investigation’ so that it could justify its failure to pay Jeremy the millions of dollars due under his buyout and other incentives stipulated in his contract.”

STAFF PHOTO By JOSEPH HALM

The Covington girls powerlifting team finished as the Division I state runner-up at the LHSAA state powerlifting meet on Friday.

ASSSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN BAZEMORE

Then-Tennessee head coach Jeremy Pruitt speaks during Southeastern Conference media days on July 18, 2018, in Atlanta.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

South Carolina holds off Maryland

The Associated Press

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — MiLaysia Fulwiley scored 23 points, including a go-ahead layup with 2:22 left, and Chloe Kitts added 15 points and 11 rebounds to help No. 1 seed South Carolina beat fourth-seeded Maryland 71-67 on Friday in the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament

The reigning national champion Gamecocks went back-and-forth with the Terrapins all game before finally doing enough in the final few minutes to put it away South Carolina will face Duke in the Elite Eight on Sunday The Blue Devils beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina 47-38 earlier Friday

Dawn Staley’s team trailed 60-59 with 3:25 left before holding Maryland without a point over the next three minutes. Fulwiley’s layup began the 7-0 run that gave the Gamecocks(33-3)justenoughofacushion. Kitts added three free throws during the spurt and Fulwiley scored on a coast-to-coast drive.

The Gamecocks were up 66-60 with 25 seconds left when Saylor Poffenbarger ended Maryland’s scoring drought with a 3-pointer But the Terps couldn’t get closer as the Gamecocks made five of six free throws down the stretch, including two by Fulwiley with 10.9 seconds left that made it 71-65.

“No one in the country has anyone to match that type of speed,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said

Continued from page 1C

Then Williams hit a mid-range jumper and scooped in a driving layup, giving LSU two buckets it used to cut the deficit to one. Williams scored two more baskets, including a layup with 1:07 left to give LSU a 74-73 edge after a key block by Kailyn Gilbert on the other end. Smith and Williams combined to make six free throws in the final minute to seal the victory LSU rocketed through the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament by scoring at least 100 points in both of its games. Through the first quarter of action Friday, it appeared that the Tigers’ red-hot shooting followed them to the Pacific Northwest. But LSU gave away an early 11-point lead as part of a challenging second quarter NC State started to catch fire from 3-point range, and the zone defense it deployed halfway through the quarter forced the Tigers out of rhythm Two LSU starters had at least 10 points by halftime, but Flau’jae Johnson was scoreless, Williams had only six points and the Wolfpack led 40-36. The Tigers also struggled to contain NC State guard Zamareya Jones, a 5-foot-7 freshman who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second quarter Things started to shift again in

of Fulwiley “We were trying to corral her with two or three players. I thought she was no question the most valuable player in this game. She played 20 minutes and had 23 points. We had no answer for her That’s how elite she is with her speed.”

Kaylene Smikle scored 17 points to lead Maryland (25-8) before fouling out.

Neither team could get into an offensive flow in the first three quarters. South Carolina trailed 43-39 late in the third before closing out the period with a 13-7 run that was capped by a spectacular transition basket by Fulwiley who went behind her back and then hit a pull-up shot.

The two teams had met once previously in the NCAA Tournament, an 86-75 win for South Carolina in the Elite Eight in 2023.

South Carolina avoided becoming the first reigning champion to lose this early in the tournament since Louisville knocked off Brittney Griner and Baylor in 2013 in the Sweet 16. DUKE 47, NORTH CAROLINA 38: Oluchi Okananwa had her third doubledouble of the season and Duke beat Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina in a grind-it-out defensive battle.

The second-seeded Blue Devils climbed out of an early 11-0 hole to advance to the 12th regional final in program history and first since 2013.

“I’ll be honest. I was a little worried down 11-0 and we hadn’t scored at all in the game,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said. “But I don’t think there’s ever been a shutout. I felt pretty good we could score at some point.”

That didn’t come until the fourminute mark of the first, when Jordan Wood drew a foul and made one of two free throws.

Okananwa, a reserve, scored 10 of her 12 points in the first half and had 10 rebounds. Duke (29-7) got 26 points from its bench compared to North Carolina’s six.

Ashlon Jackson finished with 10 points, and Toby Fournier, Duke’s leading scorer this season who was sidelined for the Blue Devils’ second-round win over Oregon with an illness, was held to three points

Fifth-year senior Alyssa Ustby had nine points on 3-of-10 shooting for the third-seeded Tar Heels (29-8), who were seeking their first Elite Eight appearance since 2014. Led by Ustby, who averaged 10.9 points per game, the Tar Heels had reached their second Sweet 16 in the past four years.

“Sitting up here after a loss is disappointing,” North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart said, “especially when you hold your third straight tournament team below 50 points and you don’t win the game.”

Neither team shot the ball well. The 85 points were the fewest combined ever in a regional semifinal. Duke shot 31% after missing its first nine attempts. North Carolina shot 28% from the field.

the third LSU missed 11 shots but grabbed six offensive rebounds, creating looks around the rim that propelled it back in front. By the start of the fourth, NC State coach Wes Moore was telling the ESPN broadcast that his team had no answer for Morrow, and LSU led 57-53. Once NC State took a five-point, fourth-quarter lead, LSU answered with a 16-4 run to close out the game. Johnson finished with only three points on 1-of-8 shooting. Williams scored eight of the Tigers’ 10 during a crucial stretch of the fourth. On Monday, LSU assisted on 29

shots in a 30-point, second-round win over No. 6 seed Florida State. But on Friday, the Tigers tallied only 14 assists on 32 field-goal makes. Mulkey-coached teams are now 13-5 in the Sweet 16. Because it won on Friday, LSU will make its 11th trip to the Elite Eight, the only round of the NCAA Tournament in which Mulkey’s teams have a losing record (5-7) in her career Last season the Tigers lost to No. 1 seed Iowa in the Elite Eight after Caitlin Clark erupted for 41 points. This year, it will face either No. 1 UCLA or No. 5 Ole Miss on Sunday with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Spartans dance into Elite Eight

Richardson lifts Michigan State past Ole Miss in second half

The Associated Press

ATLANTA Jace Richardson scored 24 points and Michigan State surged past Ole Miss in the second half for a 73-70 victory on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Ole Miss (24-12) was denied in its bid for its first Elite Eight appearance despite leading by 10 points in the first half and by nine in the second half.

Michigan State (30-6), the South Region’s No. 2 seed, rallied to keep alive coach Tom Izzo’s bid for his ninth Final Four and second national championship. The Spartans will play either No 1 seed Auburn or rival Michigan on Sunday Izzo, in his 16th Sweet 16, earned his 59th NCAA Tournament win, breaking a tie with Jim Boeheim of Syracuse for fourth all-time. A drive and short jumper by Jaden Akins gave Michigan State a 65-63 lead. Following two misses by Rebels guard Dre Davis, Izzo called timeout with 57 seconds remaining and then pumped his fist as he welcomed his players back to the bench.

Following the timeout, Carson Cooper’slayupstretchedtheleadto 67-63, the Spartans’ biggest of the game. A floater by Ole Miss guard Sean Pedulla, who led the Rebels with 24 points, cut the lead to two. Ole Miss was making only its second Sweet 16 appearance after losing to Arizona 66-56 and failing to advance to the 2001 Elite Eight.

The Spartans scored the final six points of the first half to trail 33-31 at the break.

TENNESSEE 78, KENTUCKY 65: In Indianapolis, Zakai Zeigler had 18 points and 10 assists, and Tennessee outhustled and outplayed Kentucky on both ends of the court in a victory Friday night that sent the Volunteers to a second consecutive Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The second-seeded Vols (30-7) beat their border rival in the first all-Southeastern Conference Sweet 16matchupsince1986andwillplay Sunday against Houston or Purdue in the Midwest Region final.

Chaz Lanier added 17 points and Jordan Gainey had 16 for the Vols, who lost twice to Kentucky in the regular season but prevailed on a much bigger stage this time. Lamont Butler scored 18 points to lead first-year coach Mark Pope’s third-seeded Wildcats (2412), who were held 20 points under their season scoring average. Their 65 points matched their fewest in a game this season.

Tulane gets good news about roster

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

Tulane basketball coach Ron Hunter joked about forgetting to wear a North Texas shirt right before talking to reporters on Friday, but he also offered some seriously positive news.

Specifically, top reserve Mari Jordan has taken his name out of the transfer portal and returned to practice after missing three days earlier this week as the Green Wave prepared for Tuesday’s College Basketball Crown opener against USC in Las Vegas.

“I’m one of those guys that if you put your name in, I usually don’t bring you back, but this is a circumstance where I’m willing to bend,” Hunter said. “Mari never, ever wanted to go, but there’s so many factors that go into this thing and who you are listening to.”

Jordan, who transferred from Georgia after sitting out his freshman year with an injury, averaged 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds this season but saved his best for last, scoring 10 points in both of Tulane’s AACTournamentgameswhileadding11reboundsandtwosteals.Asa near-certain starter next season if he holds to this decision, his change of heart softens the double blow of losing 6-foot-8 starters Kam Williams and Kaleb Banks, who also entered the portal Monday Williams, a member of the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman team who averaged 9.3 points, committed to Kentucky on Friday Banks, who spent two years as an Indiana reserve, was second on the Wave in scoring (14.7) and first in rebounds (6.7) and blocked shots (1.3).

Hunter himself appeared to be leaving Wednesday when a fake X account under his name posted about him having accepted the open job at AAC rival North Texas. Mean Green coach Ross Hodge will leave for West Virginia after his team finishes play in the NIT, where it reached the semifinals earlier this week, but the information about Hunter was fictional.

“I thought it was funny at first,” he said. “Then I realized it wasn’t funny anymore, so I had to put a statement out. We’re in a critical

time of recruiting.”

That recruiting starts with the remaining players on his roster Tulane will have nine scholarship players for the College Basketball Crown, including seven of the top nine in the rotation, but firstteam All-AAC point guard Rowan Brumbaugh refused Friday to commit to returning next year

“I love it here from a people perspective and a basketball school perspective,” he said. “Honestly, it would be more of a financial thing at the end of the day (if he chooses to leave). When you look back five years from now, do you regret not taking a big opportunity? That’s where I am.

“I’m always going to be an open book. There’s nothing more Tulane can do now at the end of the day.” Brumbaugh averaged a teambest 15.7 points, 4.8 assists and 1.5 steals He had 22 points, five rebounds and three steals in Tulane’s 78-77 AAC Tournament semifinal loss to Memphis, when his go-ahead basket on a goaltending call was overturned on replay review with 26 seconds left.

“He’s out there right now (practicing), and you’re not going to go through all this stuff if you’re not planning on being here,” Hunter said of Brumbaugh. “We feel pretty confident about that, but you never know what could happen.”

Little-used backups Spencer Elliott, a redshirt freshman center, and guard Michael Eley entered the portal, too.

One player Hunter does not have to worry about is center Gregg Glenn, who confirmed he would return for a third year with the Wave soon after the AAC Tournament ended Glenn averaged 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in a multifaceted role that had him equally comfortable posting up or running the offense from the top of the key He handed out seven assists in the tournament loss to Memphis.

“I feel comfortable here,” he said. “Everybody’s path is different, so I just try to focus on what I’ve got to do and my future This place is really good for me because I’m versatile. I can play one through five and do all things.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By yOUNG KWAK

North Carolina State guard Zoe Brooks, left, shoots while pressured by LSU guard Mikaylah Williams during the first half of their Sweet 16 game on Friday in Spokane, Wash.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, right and forward Joyce Edwards leap for a rebound against Maryland forward Christina Dalce, left during the second half of their Sweet 16 game on Friday in Birmingham Ala.

Gamecocks set to face Duke in Elite Eight

AP PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Michigan State guard Jace Richardson reacts to a play against Ole Miss during the first half of their Sweet 16 game on Friday in Atlanta.

Tulane comes out fighting in scrimmage

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall

loves to proclaim he would rather say “whoa” than “giddy-up” at practice.

Near the end of Friday morning’s 45-minute scrimmage at Yulman Stadium, he definitely said “whoa.”

After the second fight between offensive and defensive players broke out, he halted practice, forced everyone to run punishment sprints and gave a loud lecture about stopping the extracurricular activity

The truth, though, is he loved most of the energy in the Green Wave’s first spring scrimmage, which featured plenty of reps for starting quarterback candidates

T.J. Finley, Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary

“I’m not mad about any of it,” Sumrall said. “I’d rather that (the fights) happen than us be passive and soft. I just want us to do it the right way within the rules.

“At times, all three quarterbacks

did some good things. Nobody is going to be anointed off today’s performance, and nobody’s being demoted.”

Leary took the opening series with first-team players on both sides of the ball, directing a drive that started at the offense’s 25 and ended with Patrick Durkin’s 41yard field goal.

Wide receiver Shazz Preston converted a hitch into a 21-yard gain on the first play, juking cornerback

E’Zaiah Shine

Preston, a redshirt sophomore from St. James, used the exact same move to shake a tackle from cornerback Isaiah Wadsworth on a pass from Leary later in the scrimmage. A severe hamstring injury in preseason camp limited Preston to only four catches a year ago after he transferred from Alabama, but he should play a much bigger role with the loss of top wideouts Mario Williams Yulkeith Brown and Dontae Fleming.

“Today was a big turnaround and a big step up for me,” he said. “I left a lot on the field last year and

things didn’t go my way, but God had a plan for me and it got me out here today to showcase a little taste for the rest of the spring.”

Preston combines speed and physicality at 6 feet and 206 pounds, prompting Sumrall to compare him to Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, who was at Ole Miss when Sumrall was an assistant there.

“He’s a big, physical receiver, so he’s a hard tackle,” Sumrall said.

“Most DBs are looking like, ‘Why is this 200-pound guy out here?’

Semonza replaced Leary for the second series and struggled, taking a sack on a three-and-out and throwing back-to-back incomplete passes on another three-and-out

He berated himself after a third empty series when he scrambled to his right and overthrew wide open receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens for what would have been a long touchdown on an improvised route.

LSU softball a smashing success vs. South Carolina

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

The Smash Sisters were at it again for the No. 3 LSU softball team against South Carolina on Friday at Tiger Park.

Maci Bergeron and Tori Edwards hit home runs in the first and second innings, respectively, as LSU dominated the No. 10 Gamecocks, 11-3, in a five-inning mercy-rule win. The game’s start was delayed for an hour by inclement weather

Bergeron and Edwards combined to hit four home runs in a sweep against Kentucky two weeks ago and got the Tigers off to another fast start Friday Bergeron slugged a three-run homer to left field, her eighth, in a four-run first inning. Edwards hit her homer near the same spot for her third grand slam of the season and team-leading 12th homer overall.

“Me and Maci know what our roles are, we’re going to compete,” Edwards said. “Choose who you want, we’re going to keep doing our thing.

“(Smash Sisters is catching on) a tad. We’ve been hearing it from

yves Missi holds onto the ball as

State Warriors forward Draymond Green plays defense during the

half of their game Friday at the Smoothie King Center

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

people. It’s an inside joke we like to laugh about. It’s really cool.”

That gave pitcher Sydney Berzon a nice cushion as she bounced back from her worst career outing at Georgia to pitch a fivehitter Berzon walked one and struck out four She had allowed a career-high nine earned runs in an 11-3 loss at Georgia in her last appearance.

Berzon took a two-hit shutout into the final inning but loaded the bases on a single, walk and hit batter

Quincee Lilo hit a sacrifice fly to break up the shutout, and Karley Shelton and Arianna Rodi hit runscoring singles up the middle.

Berzon then got Ella Chaney on a grounder to third to end the game.

“Sydney was awesome tonight,”

LSU coach Beth Torina said. “We probably got a little ahead of ourselves trying to finish the game. I was worried about the rainstorm coming in and just trying to get three outs. Overall, she was awesome. I saw a lot of good things she’s been trying to do.”

Danieca Coffey also had a good night at the plate with two hits and two walks She started the game

with a single, and after Jalia Lassiter walked, Bergeron homered on a 2-2 pitch with a strong wind blowing in. Edwards followed with a walk, and McKenzie Redoutey made it 4-0 with a triple to left-center field off South Carolina starter Nealey Lamb as the Tigers batted around.

Lamb was relieved by Jori Heard, who finished the first inning, but LSU got to her quickly in the second. Coffey led off the second with a walk, Lassiter singled and Bergeron walked before Edwards hit a high, arching shot that easily cleared the left-field wall.

“This team has a knack for scoring first and did a good job,” Torina said “Danieca did a good job. We found a lot of different ways on base, a lot of walks, and that always helps with the crooked number innings. The offense was the star of the show tonight.”

Coffey, Edwards and Redoutey each produced run-scoring hits in the third inning as LSU piled onto the lead.

LSU improved to 31-2 overall and 6-1 in SEC play while South Carolina dropped to 25-7 and 2-5. The teams meet again at 6 p.m. Saturday

Finley entered next and led a 16-play drive that featured a double-pump completion to BrownStephens for 15 yards and a fourthand-11 conversion to Shaun Nicholas. On fourth and goal from the 2, Sidney Mbanasor dropped a bullet pass while being hit by two defenders on each side.

Leary, who tossed an interception that went through the hands of running back Javin Gordon, connected with Gordon on a short pass he converted into a 23-yard score a little later — a play that produced the first fight away from the ball.

The day’s other touchdown came on a pass from Finley to Bryce Bohanon, who turned upfield right after catching it for a 21-yard score during red-zone work.

“It was just a mesh play,” said Bohanon, a redshirt senior who has played his entire career at Tulane.

“T.J. and I have been connecting a lot recently He saw me, I saw him, and I knew what to do when he threw me the ball.”

Tulane is adjusting to life without playmaking cornerback Rayshawn

Pleasant, who entered the transfer portal this week after registering 35 tackles a year ago while scoring three touchdowns (one on an interception, two on kickoff returns). Pleasant was one of only four returning defensive starters.

“I hate to lose him,” said Sumrall, whose plea to Pleasant that Tulane was one of only two teams with two defensive backs at the 2025 Senior Bowl fell on deaf ears. “I think it’s in his best interest to stay He clearly doesn’t or somebody around him doesn’t. I hope it goes well.”

Lagniappe

Durkin added a 43-yard field goal and two extra points, continuing his perfect spring kicking, according to Sumrall. Tight end Ty Thompson’s knee injury in last Saturday’s practice proved to be more serious than originally thought.

Said Sumrall: “He’ll have a little procedure. It’s not an ACL or a meniscus. It was a unique, wonky knee deal. It’s not an out-for-the-year deal I don’t think, but it’s definitely a couple of months.”

HOF former Saints equipment manager Simmons dies at 78

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C

the Warriors fans were louder than those cheering for the Pelicans, was way closer than anyone would have expected. Especially considering how shorthanded the Pelicans were. Both Zion Williamson (lower back contusion) and CJ McCollum (right foot contusion) sat out the game. The Warriors, meanwhile, got Steph Curry back. He missed the Warriors’ past two games with a pelvic contusion. The Warriors, who entered Friday tied for sixth in the Western Conference standings, lost the two games without Curry Even at full strength, Golden State coach Steve Kerr knew that didn’t mean this would be a

cakewalk.

“Our guys know how often this happens where guys are out on the other team and how well everyone else plays because they are getting an opportunity,” Kerr said before the game. “We know that’s what’s coming tonight They’ll play with great energy All the guys getting the minutes are going to be excited about that. So it’s on us to bring our own energy.”

Early on, it was the duo of Brown and Jose Alvarado bringing the energy The Pelicans raced out to a 7-0 lead to start the game and stretched it to 14-2 with 7:49 left in the opening quarter Brown (eight) and Alvarado (six) scored all of the Pelicans’ points during their fast start.

The Pels led 28-21 after a first quarter in which the Warriors shot a woeful 1 for 14 on 3-point-

ers. The Warriors got some offense going in the second quarter, but the Pels still led 53-50 at the break. Curry led the Warriors with 23 points. The Pelicans used their 41st different starting lineup Friday With just eight games remaining, it’s unclear what the Pelicans’ plans are for Williamson the rest of the way Pelicans coach Willie Green, when asked Thursday whether they would possibly sit Williamson for the rest of the season, had this to say: “Not my call,” Green said. “That will be something that he decides or the organization decides collaboratively.”

The Pelicans host the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday Email Rod Walker at rwalker@theadvocate.com.

Dan Simmons, a beloved former equipment manager for the New Orleans Saints, died Friday in his hometown of St. Louis, team officials confirmed Friday He was 78. Simmons, affectionately known “Chief,” was a beloved figure in organization, serving as the head equipmanager for years before retiring in 2014. served as the /legends lopment cooration for mulretirement. mons was employee in organization and four-decade service. just the very quarterback Archie Manning said.

“He was so kind and sweet and humble. He just did his job and never sought attention. If everyone with the Saints had done their jobs as well as Chief did when I played, we would have won Super Bowls.”

Manning said he received numerous text messages and phone calls from former Saints players on Friday after news of Simmons’ death spread.

JOHNSON

right now. There’s more talent in college baseball, meaning more talent in the SEC, probably than ever before because of the contraction of the minor leagues, the contraction of the draft.

“It’s pretty marketable right now At least in our league, everybody’s going all in on baseball.

It’s forcing us to have to hustle, to keep up and keep where you want it to be. And I think the aluminum bat thing is unique.” Junior Jared Jones agrees with his coach, even if the slugger is used to hitting with wooden bats, having played in wooden bat leagues growing up.

“Obviously summer ball is wood bat as well. So, I think it’d be interesting,” Jones said. “(But) I think metal bats make college a little bit more exciting, a little bit more fun, but we’ll see.” Sophomore Steven Milam is more open to playing with wooden bats. He used wooden bats last summer while playing for the U.S. Collegiate National Team.

“Wood would be cool, I’d say,” Milam said “At USA, it was really cool to play with wood again and just kind of get the natural feel back.”

It’s no accident that the best teams in the sport over the last few seasons were also ones that could consistently hit the ball out of the park.

En route to winning its first national championship last season, Tennessee broke its program home run record by blasting 184.

The Volunteers became the first program in NCAA history to have

“Everyone loved Chief,” Manning said. “You never heard anyone say a bad word about him.” Simmons began working for the Saints as the equipment manager on April 1, 1973. He worked a total of 858 preseason, regular-season and postseason games and was proud to be a member of each of the franchise’s 10 playoff teams, including the Saints’ Super Bowl XLIV championship team. In 2022, Simmons was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural “Awards of Excellence” class, honoring the achievements of assistant coaches and support staff. In 2015, he was recognized by his colleagues from all 32 NFL clubs with the National Football League equipment managers’ lifetime achievement award. In 2010, Simmons and longtime assistant equipment manager Glenn “Silky” Powell were honored by the Saints Hall of Fame with the Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award, the hall’s annual honor recognizing contribution to the franchise. Simmons’ father Bill, was the equipment manager of the St Louis Cardinals football team for 22 years, with Dan assisting him on a full-time basis from 1971-72 before coming to New Orleans. A graduate of Meramec College in St. Louis, Simmons was also a Vietnam veteran who served four years in the U.S. Navy He is survived by his wife, Elaine, and their three children, Amy, Tony and Tracy

five players with 20 or more homers and were just four long balls shy of reaching LSU’s single-season home run record set in 1997.

The year before, when LSU won its seventh national title, it had eight players with double-digit homers and hit 144 on the season. The Tigers entered Thursday’s game against Mississippi State only 18th in the country in homers, but they hit three Thursday in an 8-6 comeback win over the Bulldogs. To keep up with the times, they’ll need to have more nights like that for a return to Omaha. “I was talking to somebody yesterday that is a fan, not like a baseball person,” Johnson said. “And they were telling me how much they love it. Like it’s so much more exciting

Sumrall

SCOREBOARD

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Share your thoughts and feelings. You must do the legwork to achieve something new or make positive lifestyle changes. Reach out to people in the know and pick their brains.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Handle matters personally. Pay attention, and you'll recognize when someone or something is excessive or exaggerated. Make your surroundings aesthetically pleasing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Turn your attention to learning, gaining experience and connecting with people who share your concerns and interests. Explore what's available, and adjust your routine to include what resonates with you most.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Put your energy where it counts. Rethink your financial strategy and look for investments or budgets conducive to helping you achieve your long-term plans.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Bang on doors to get answers. It's your responsibility to look out for your interests and to ensure you make good choices. Put your thinking cap on and fend for yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A direct approach will deter others from trying to take control. Emotions will surface over joint ventures or shared expenses Think before you act to avoid insult or a blow to your ego.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Look, and you will find the path that leads to solidarity. Unleash your persuasive powers using charm, insight and intelligence.

Listen, analyze and choose to take the path that suits you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) A change will do you good. Welcome challenges and discussions that help you help yourself. A social occasion will lead to a change of perspective and direction.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You'll be torn between what you want to do and what you should do. Protect your home, reputation and meaningful relationships from loss. Keep your eye on investments, medical issues and anyone trying to exploit you.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Be careful who you partner with and what you agree to do. Talks can lead to situations that back you into a corner. Misinformation is apparent; verify what you hear and get what you want in writing.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take control of money matters. Don't change what's not broken. Take time to summarize intricate details before reviving a plan that lacks substance. Smart moves require thought and precision.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Review your options and back the change that makes the most sense. Refuse to leave what matters to you most in someone else's hands. Put your energy behind the plan that suits you best.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

beetLe bAILeY Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Carl Hiaasen, a columnist and novelist, said, “My books are shelved in different places, depending on the bookstore. Sometimes they can be found in the Mystery section, sometimes in the Humor department, and occasionally even in the Literature aisle, which is somewhat astounding.”

At the bridge table, we try to find lines of play or defense that are favorites to succeed. We accommodate likely distributions. However, occasionally we must allow for an unlikely scenario to maximize our chances.

In this example, South is in three notrump. West leads the heart queen. What is the best defense? How should South then try to make his contract?

First,Eastmustovertakewithhisheart king at trick one. South will duck, hoping the king is a singleton, but East returns his second heart.

Let’s assume declarer plays low again. West wins and leads a third heart, East discarding a spade.

South starts with seven top tricks: three spades, one heart, two diamonds and one club. The other two winners obviously will come from the club suit.

But if West gets on play with the club king, he will cash his last two hearts to defeat the contract

Declarer must work to keep West off the lead.

After winning the third trick, South should play a spade to the board, then lead the club queen, encouraging East to cover if he has the king. But when East plays low, South should put up his ace. If the king does not fall, declarer leads another club, hoping East has to take the trick. Here, though, the king tumbles

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C. PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

the

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe iS roSe animal crackerS

DuStin

Drabble

Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

THE Centuries-old collectibles help transform an Algiers Point home

GREEN THUMB: Some houseplants need a little time outside Page 10

ONE IN A MILLION: A luxe Slidell home right on the bayou Page 18

HOME | DESIGN | GARDEN | REAL ESTATE

An Algiers Point house dates to 1896, but some of the artifacts on display there go back even further, thanks to a dig conducted in the backyard that turned up vessels, bricks, china and more. But it holds a lot that’s new as well, including local art and pieces from their travels. See Jyl Benson’s story on Page 14.

A popular New Orleans entertainment feature had its ups and downs. We’re talking roller coasters, and the

city’s first version was at West End in the late 1800s. Modern-day big thrills followed at Pontchartrain Beach and Jazzland. But today, our stomach-flipping delights have gotten a lot smaller. John McCusker has the history on Page 4.

Looking to add new tiles or stone in your kitchen or baths?

Find out what’s new — and why we shouldn’t necessarily use the latest fads — in Kara Nelson’s Inside Sources column. That’s on Page 8.

The InsideOut home and garden section is published every Saturday by The Times-Picayune Questions about InsideOut should be directed to the editor

INSIDEOUT EDITOR: Karen Taylor Gist, kataylor@theadvocate.com

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Victor Andrews, Jyl Benson, Dan Gill, Kara Nelson

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel

COVER PHOTO: Liz Jurey, PRC TO BE FEATURED: Send information and photos to insideout@theadvocate. com

Tell us about your spaces

BACKSTORY

The ups and downs of area roller coasters. PAGE 4

IN DETAIL

Taking the edge off through architecture. PAGE 7

INSIDE SOURCES

Fresh touches for using tile and stone. PAGE 8

GREEN THUMB

Some houseplants savor a little time outdoors. PAGE 10

InsideOut’s mission is to give readers peeks inside the many different ways that people in the New Orleans area live. We profile spaces that are opulent, or just offbeat; sophisticated or simple; functional or lighthearted; historic or brand-spanking new And anything in between Please help us by sending information and JPEG photos of your home, or specific spaces inside it, to insideout@theadvocate.com. We love gardens and outdoor spaces, too. And we’re waiting to hear from you.

COVER STORY

Algiers Point home’s history is on display. PAGE 14

ONE IN A MILLION

An artist’s luxe Slidell home right on the bayou. PAGE 18

INSIDE INFO

Home and garden happenings. PAGE 20

REAL ESTATE TRANSFERS

Recent transactions in the metro area. PAGE 21

Karen Taylor Gist

Nice twobedroom shotgundoubleinMid City. ClosetoBayou St.John, LafitteGreenway, ParkwayBakery, andmanyrestaurants,bars, andshops

Closetobus andstreetcar line.Great forhomeowner or investor!

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Discover refinedlivingon1.5-acreestate. 4spaciousbdrms &3 luxurious baths, single-story home w/ 3,104sfliv,comfortable &elegant.Formalliv area, massiveden,screened-in sunroom+ keepingroomw/frplc &Gourmet kit… allgreat forentertaining! Theprimary bdrm w/ luxury en-suite bath +heated tile flrs.Add’l features 2.5-cargarg, generator, newroof, &hurricane shutters!

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Oversizedlot locateddirectlyonthe Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, home offerspanoramicviewsfrommosteveryroom.Shorelineisreinforcedw/riprapto helppreventerosion&maintainintegrityoftheland.Incldsadd’lwaterfrontage across Carr Dr on thecanal,which couldbeusedtobuild watercraft strge& other propertyamenitiesforoutdoorlifestyle Luxurydetailsgalore…AMustSee!!! Chip Gardner• 504-236-3891 HerbertDubuisson •228-216-8456 LATTER &BLUM| Compass• 985-626-5695www.chip-herbert.com

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Stunning 4Bds,4.5 Bashomew/panoramic viewsofBay of St Louis& theJourdan River. Spacious frontporch,light filled living room,casual, butcoastal elegance at its finest!Every detail thoroughly thoughtout!Entertain in grandstyle from thegourmet kitchen& beautifulwinecellarORoutdoorspoolside, grilling or from thepierw/10,000 lb boat lift.Seekrestful retreatorhostfun parties! ReganKane228-363-0331

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Renovation opportunity! This Victorianstyle home 5bdrms,3 full baths, 2half baths, &anexpansive lot. Wholehouse generator. Thereare many historic architecturaldetails incld12ftceilings, pocket doors, coal frplcs &hdwd flrs, brickdrvwy &FrQtr stylepatio.1st levelalready remodeledtocreatemoreliving space. Phenomenal location just 1block off St.Charles w/ plenty of great dining. CharlesRedfearn• 504-313-0079 ShaunTalbot• 504-975-9763 Talbot Realty Groupwww.talbot-realty.com 504-525-9763

657E.WilliamDavid Pkwy •Metairie$338,000

Beautifulhomeinprimelocation.Renovatedw/refinishedorigwdflr,newkitchenthat comesw/refrigerator, gasrange.ALL Newwindows,plumbingunder thehouse,W&D +roof. No carpet.Kitchenwinmainhouse hasbreakfast barthatseats4 w/ remaining barstools&tile.Niceguesthouseover500sqftw/newkit,the3rdbath&W&Dhkups! LOOK forMoreofMYLISTINGSinthe SUNDAY’S LIVING SECTION! CarolynTalbert 504-330-0901 Keller Williams Realty Services 985-727-7000

5612-14WoodlawnPlace •Lakeview/ Navarre$525,000

Upper& LowerUnits arefully restored w/ orig hardwood floors,stained glass, brickedfireplaces(non-working)&lotsofwindowsfornaturallight!Chef’sKitchens w/updatedcabinets.Laundryinboth.4Beds,2.5Baths,2,733SqFtLivingSpace. Sharedstorageshed. Hugerearyardw/concretepatio&openareaforgardening orplayingsports! ZoningallowsforRentalorSingleFamily.GreatOpportunity! Jean Hunn 504-232-3570 RE/MAX N.O. Properties 504-866-7733

4713 Prytania Street •Uptown$1,295,000

Nestledinprime location,charmingCraftsman-style raised basement w/ 3Bds, 3Bas,4,274sf livspace,inclds2,067sf bonuslevel belowoffering flexible livg. Beautifullylandscapedentry,leads to spacious liv& dinareas w/ gorgeous wd flrs that open up to priv balcony. 2ndlevel hasGalleystyle kitw/bar seating& SS applsopens to cozy denw/frplc.Drvwy for3+prkg& so much more to see!!! Team RightSide504-233-2551 LATTER &BLUM| Compass• Historic District 504-948-3011

14HunterPlace•MetairieGardensEstates/Metairie$975,000 Welcometoyourdream home—where luxury meetsconvenience!Stunning two-storybrick beauty features aspacious, light-filled layout,cozy fireplace, & achef’skitchen designed foreffortlessentertaining. 4bedrooms, 3.5baths & awhole housegenerator,comfort is guaranteed in anyweather.Justminutes from NewOrleans,you getthe best of city excitement &suburbanserenity! Chip Gardner• 504-236-3891 HerbertDubuisson •228-216-8456 LATTER &BLUM| Compass• 985-626-5695 www.chip-herbert.com

505-07 N. SalcedoStreet• Mid-City $249,000

•Slidell

$650,000

343CarrDrive •Slidell

BY JOHN McCUSKER Contributing writer

When folks lined up on May 20, 2000, to ride the Mega Zeph roller coaster at the newly opened Jazzland (later Six Flags) theme park in New Orleans East, it was the first time in 17 years that there had been a full-size roller coaster in town. Pontchartrain Beach’s famed Zephyr had induced its last shivery thrills in the summer of 1983. New Orleans was ready to scream again. With its wooden frame and 4,000 feet of track, the Mega Zeph soared 110 feet in the air, hitting speeds over 50 mph. It was a nostalgic nod to classic coasters, but its time as the city’s top thrill ride was heartbreakingly short. When Hurricane Katrina roared in on that fateful August day in 2005, the Mega Zeph’s reign ended.

FILE PHOTO By TED JACKSON

The Mega Zeph, which hit speeds of 50 mph, is shown at Jazzland in 2001.

And here we are, 20 years later, still without a true roller coaster.

Hard to believe, considering roller coasters once were a staple of New Orleans’ entertainment scene. For most of the 20th century, you didn’t have to travel far for a thrill. From Spanish Fort to Lake Vista, from Milneburg to West End, locals lined up for heart-pounding rides through the decades. Fourteen presidents came and went, but roller coasters remained a near-constant presence.

Scream machines

By the 1920s, America had built more than 1,500 roller coasters, a time now known as the golden age of the thrill ride Newspapers dubbed roller coasters “the great American scream machine,” and New Orleanians were more than happy to join the chorus.

If you grew up here, chances are you either rode the Zephyr at Pontchartrain Beach or heard your parents and grandparents wax nostalgic about it. The amusement park first opened in 1928 at Lake Vista, later moving to reclaimed land at the end of Elysian Fields Avenue at old Milneburg. That’s

BACKSTORY

that signature clack-clackclack — the sound of the cars ascending the first steep incline — that there was no turning back. Then came the drop. Screams filled the air as the wind whipped past, the track twisting and turning beneath a creaking foundation of wooden cantilevers.

Zephyr was taking its final riders for one last, bittersweet plunge. Today, only a piece of its peak remains, a relic in Veterans Park on Williams Boulevard in Kenner — a monument to the thrills of the past.

Before the Zephyr

where the Zephyr was born. This wooden giant loomed over the flat landscape, its

glowing tower acting as a beacon for the brave. Riders knew the moment they heard

Up until the Civil Rights Act, Black residents did not have access to the city’s premier amusements. It wasn’t until the 1960s when Black patrons could finally buy a ticket to Pontchartrain Beach and ride the Zephyr

About two decades later, the

In the decades before the Zephyr became New Orleans’ most famous coaster, Spanish Fort had the Big Dipper “Big” might have been a bit of a stretch — it peaked at around 30 feet. But what it lacked in height, it made up for with

ä See COASTERS, page 6

ARCHIVE IMAGE

The first incarnation of Pontchartrain Beach, under construction at its original Lake Vista location, opened in 1928.

PROVIDED PHOTO By THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION

The Big Dipper at Spanish Fort

PROVIDED PHOTO By LIBRARy OF CONGRESS

A switchback railway, like the one at West End circa 1910 at left, was an early version of what became the modern roller coaster Functioning on physics and gravity to operate, it featured a light incline and an ascension over one hill. But it did not feature hard turns or twists or the large inclines typical of later roller coasters.

COASTERS

Continued from page 5

sharp twists, sudden drops and quick turns, all thanks to a revolutionary invention: the under-friction wheel.

Unlike earlier rides that relied on gravity alone, underfriction wheels locked coasters onto their tracks, making those fast turns and steep drops possible. Without this tech, rides like the Zephyr and Mega Zeph would not have been possible.

The first big thrill

Rewind even further, and you’ll find an earlier roller coaster at West End in the late 1800s. But it wasn’t really a roller coaster in today’s sense. It was a switchback railroad, which meant no sharp turns, no high speeds and no real terror. Riders rolled downhill on gravity alone, then slowly cranked back up for another go.

Compared with the Zephyr, the West End switchback railroad was about as terrifying as the Lady Bug ride at City Park. Still, if you’re looking for a coaster in New Orleans today, the Lady Bug is as close as it gets. Fun? Sure, ask any 6-yearold. But once upon a time, there were giants.

ABOVE: The second incarnation of Pontchartrain Beach, and its famous Zephyr roller coaster, at the old Milneburg site at the end of Elysian Fields Avenue. This colorized postcard is from the 1940s.

STAFF PHOTO

LEFT: City Park’s Lady Bug roller coaster is still running, but it doesn’t pack the same wallop as Jazzland’s Mega Zeph or the beloved Pontchartrain Beach Zephyr

By SCOTT THRELKELD

STAFF FILE PHOTO

CurveAPPEAL

By JOHN McCUSKER

Curb appeal usually means bright flowers and a clean-swept sidewalk. Curve appeal, however, adds that little something extra to the architecture itself — a dose of the feminine, gentling the rough edges of all those right angles that hold things steady.

— Karen Taylor Gist

STAFF

PHOTOS

FROM LEFT: The stone material on the bottom is a Cipriani marble tile. The ‘Star/Cross’ pattern is a new Zellige tile that comes from Morrocco. The 5x5 square solid tile is a beautiful color of green that comes from a factory near Staffordshire County, England. n Tumbled stones are available in updated shapes and completely new stone options including limestones and onyxs. n The look of terrazzo is back with a refresh, Stafford says. Originally popular in the 1920s to ’50s, the new versions are available in tiles in a plethora of shapes, sizes and colors.

Repeating pattern

A Louisiana native, Peggy Stafford founded Stafford Tile and Stone in 2001. The specialty stone and tile showroom offers exclusive lines and products as well as a fullservice staff of designers. Her clients include architects, interior designers, contractors and homeowners.

Sturdy tile and stone are home staples, but new versions carry fresh touches

BY KARA NELSON Contributing writer

Peggy Stafford doesn’t love the word trend. In her business, providing tile and stone for the home, it can have negative connotations.

“Tile is an investment, and it’s not temporary. So you don’t want to choose something just because it might be in vogue right now,” explained Stafford, who owns Stafford Tile & Stone on Magazine Street. “When it comes to tile and countertops, you want to think

about what will be desirable for a long time.”

Although you might get kitchen renovation inspiration from your favorite modern design magazine, Stafford said the key is to find the sweet spot between what’s happening now and what will be longlasting in its appeal.

In the vein of “everything old is new again,” Stafford lately has noticed some refreshed materials appearing again.

“In the world of tile and stone, we’re seeing many products that

Peggy Stafford, left, owner of Stafford Tile on Magazine Street, compares notes on a display with general manager Peggy Gundlach.

PHOTOS By JEFF STROUT

INSIDESOURCES

ABOVE: Blush is a color that’s popping up in tile designs, Peggy Stafford says. Shown are, in back, a dimensional stone tile, a leaf pattern in a blush ceramic tile, and a new color-solid blush in a ceramic tile. RIGHT: New versions of tumbled stones are textured and can take wear and tear because they’ve already been through a distressing process.

are reinterpretations of traditional shapes and patterns that we used 15 or 20 years ago,” she said. “For instance, it could be a classic Greek Key pattern, but now it’s shown and available in several colors of glass tiles and more playful to use.”

Maybe it’s a classic square tile with a clipped corner that will now have an oversized “dot” and comes in interesting colorways, not just the traditional, expected black-andwhite color palette.

Stafford is especially happy to see an increase in the accessibility of new tumbled stones.

“In the late ’90s, I worked often with tumbled stone, but we only had travertines or some basic marbles,” she said. “Now we have so many more options in tumbled stone that are phenomenal. In my showroom, I sell beautiful shades of blush and green. We also have a tumbled lilac stone that’s a favorite of mine and is now available in several finishes.”

These new versions of tumbled stones are great to work with because they have texture. Like stonewashed jeans, these are forgiving products that can be used in multiple applications. They can take wear and abuse because they have been through a distressing process.

“Working with these newly designed materials is refreshing, because it’s a reinterpreta-

tion of things I always loved. And customers enjoy how the materials sustain after installations,” Stafford said. “It’s a treat to work with the younger staff who might be selling these tumbled materials for the first time.”

To what does she attribute the resurgence of these materials’ popularity? Stafford believes good design and materials often get revived and recirculated, even if the public doesn’t grab on to the reinterpretation. Things may fade a little, but they don’t always go away.

Whatever the reason, Stafford says she and her team are

happy to see that the coldness of white on white doesn’t seem to be as appealing to customers. For more and more people, Calacatta marble just doesn’t cut it.

“It can be a lot of fun to use bold colors and striking materials. Maybe not for every space, but they can work well in smaller doses — in a backsplash or a powder room.”

The possibilities are endless.

Inside Sources is a column that tracks trends and provides user-friendly information from experts in their home and gardening fields.

SURFACE MATTERS

To choose the right tile or stone, ask the right questions.

ASK YOURSELF: How will this tile or stone fit in with the style of my home, my surroundings and my lifestyle?

ASK YOUR SUPPLIER: Is this material consistent? Can you show me installation photos of the finished product?

ASK YOUR SUPPLIER OR INSTALLER: Does this material have any special installation requirements? Will there be extra expense or time for an installation that requires special expertise?

GARDEN TIPS

SPRING GARDEN SHOW: Mark your calendar for the Spring Garden Show next weekend from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.April 5-6 at the New Orleans Botanical Garden.The show includes plant and garden products, exhibits and sales, educational programs, food, music, kids’ activities and cooking demos.

SWEET SECRET: If you plant a super sweet corn variety (noted on the seed package or in the vegetable description), it must be isolated from any regular sweet corn you plant, or cross pollination will reduce the quality of the super sweet corn. Corn is unique in this among homegrown vegetables.

STAKING A CLAIM: As tall-growing herbaceous perennials and annuals begin to grow, consider the possibility that they will need to be staked. Stake these plants before they begin to fall over, look unattractive and possibly damage other plants around them.

WEED WARNING: It is very important to pull up and dispose of coolseason annual weeds such as henbit, bedstraw and chickweed growing in beds now.These weeds are currently setting thousands of seeds that will plague you next winter if not removed now

FUNGUS WOES: Powdery mildew, a fungus disease that attacks a wide variety of plants, can begin to show up in April.The disease appears as a white, powdery spot or area on foliage or flower buds.This disease can damage the foliage and cause flower buds to abort. Control with chlorothalonil or other labeled fungicides.

Ready to bask

Bring your houseplants outside for a little vacation in the sun

Although we love to grow plants indoors, I often say that nature never created a houseplant.

The plants we choose to grow indoors come from natural, outdoor environments that are similar to growing conditions inside our homes — including low light, year-round mild temperatures and lower humidity

The ancestors of our indoor plants evolved to grow outdoors.

ä See HOUSEPLANTS, page 12

Even sun-loving houseplants can benefit from some times outdoors, as long as you ease them into it.

Dan Gill GREEN THUMB

FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL DEMOCKER

Cross-pollination question prompts lesson in genetics

BY DAN GILL

Contributing writer

Is it true that if you plant hot peppers on the same row as sweet peppers, the sweet pepper plants will cross with the hot peppers and become hot? — William

I get variations on this question all the time. Will yellow squash cross with nearby zucchini plants to produce odd green-and-yellow squashes? Will my lemon tree cross with a nearby orange tree and produce orangeylemons or lemony-oranges? While it is certainly possible for cross-pollination to take place between these plants, it does not affect the type of fruit a plant produces.

The type of fruit a plant produces depends entirely on the genetics of the plant producing the fruit, not where the pollen came from to pollinate the flowers.

Although peppers are selfpollinating and generally do not cross, sweet peppers and hot peppers belong to the same species and can cross with one another. Again, though, the type of pepper produced by a flower is based on the genetics of the plant producing the fruit — not by the pollen it was pollinated with.

If pollen from a hot pepper fertilizes the flower of a sweet pepper, all the hot pepper genes from the father plant go into the embryo in the seed. The genes from the male parent do not play a part in the formation of the fruit. That depends entirely on the genetics of the mother plant producing the fruit.

The fruit of the pepper plant we eat develops from the ovary of the flower of the mother plant. The ovary that develops into a pepper does not contain

any of, and is not affected by, the hot pepper genes that were in the pollen. The heat or mildness of the pepper itself is strictly determined by

Crosspollinating between sweet and hot peppers (and other fruit) won’t change what a plant produces, but the seeds that result can be affected.

By MAX BECHERER

the genes of the mother. As a result, even if a flower of a sweet pepper is pollinated by

FILE PHOTO

GREENTHUMB

ADVICE

Continued from page 11

pollen from a hot pepper plant, it absolutely, positively does not affect the fruit produced by the sweet pepper plant and will not make the fruit hot

Now, if you plant the seeds inside that sweet pepper, then you will see the effect of the male parent’s genes. The embryos inside the seeds inherited half their genetic makeup from the male parent. That means it is entirely likely that plants grown from the seeds inside the sweet pepper may turn out hot.

will produce sweet peppers and some will produce hot peppers.

This information applies to all vegetables (other than corn), such as squash and zucchini, and all fruit, such as citrus, peaches and pears. Crosspollination is not an issue.

Because of huge trees in our front yard, we have planted Asiatic jasmine over the entire ground (less the border garden). Is there any weed and feed product that is safe to control weeds? Two of the most prevalent of these are wild strawberries and dollarweed. — Reader

is a good option for controlling weeds in Asiatic jasmine. This ground cover is highly resistant to glyphosate (Killzall, Eraser Grass and Weed Killer). You may apply this herbicide to kill the existing weeds. Mix at the lowest recommended rate or buy it premixed if you like. Just spray the weeds and try to minimize getting the spray on the foliage of the jasmine. But Asiatic jasmine is quite resistant to glyphosate and will not likely be damaged by the spray

Cross-pollination, then, does not affect the fruit when it occurs between a sweet and hot

pepper But while it does not affect the fruit produced, it will affect the characteristics of the next generation grown from the seeds in the fruit

If the seeds from a fruit that resulted from cross-pollination are planted, some of the plants

HOUSEPLANTS

Continued from page 10

A moving experience

It’s not surprising, then, that houseplants moved outside during the warm summer months typically grow better and more vigorously than those kept inside. For this reason, we often provide some R&R for our houseplants by moving them outside this time of year. Now that the weather is warm and settled, houseplants may be moved to locations outside and left there until the weather begins to get cold in fall or just for a few months of vacation.

Plants form an important part of our indoor environment, so you may not want to move them all outside. Houseplants that have not been doing well, those that you want to encourage to grow or bloom better or those that need rejuvenation will particularly benefit from some time outside.

A light touch

Moving houseplants outside

There is no lawn weed and feed you could use on Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) to control existing dollar weed and wild strawberries. Generally, jasmine is so aggressive that it eventually crowds out any weedy competition. But, if necessary, there

A potted bougainvillea sits on an outdoor table. Houseplants that are moved outside will likely need to be watered more frequently than when they were indoors.

can be a little tricky because the plants become acclimated to lower light conditions while indoors. For that reason, initially move all houseplants to shady locations outdoors where they receive no direct sunlight.

Plants that like low light conditions will stay in those locations all summer. Others that

Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter. He hosts the “Garden Show” on WWL-AM Saturdays at 9 a.m. Email gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu. edu.

prefer more light can gradually be introduced to some direct morning sun over the next couple of weeks. Eventually sun-loving plants, like bougainvillea, hibiscus, plumeria, tibouchina, cactuses and some orchids, can be placed in locations that get six hours of direct sun or more.

Be careful; even sun-loving houseplants may burn if put in a sunny location as soon as they come out of the house.

Once outside, most houseplants would enjoy a good rinsing off with the garden hose. Months of indoor dust can be cleaned away by doing this.

Finding room to grow

Now is also a good time to begin to look at which plants might need to be repotted. How do you tell if a plant needs to be repotted? We repot plants when they fill up the container with roots — a condition called root-bound or potbound. Look for a solid mass of roots on the soil surface and/or roots coming out of the drainage hole. Lay the pot on its side and gently slide the root

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

A good option for controlling weeds in Asiatic Jasmine is to apply glyphosate, which is unlikely to affect the ground cover.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

GREENTHUMB

HOUSEPLANTS

Continued from page 12

ball out of the pot to visually check the root situation.

If you see a solid mass of roots, it’s time to repot. But you don’t necessarily have to A root-bound condition tends to slow the growth of a plant. This sounds bad, but if the plant is already about as big as you want it to be, it may be an advantage. Being root-bound means you must water more often and fertilize occasionally, but if the plant is healthy and looks good, repotting is optional.

Eventually, though, the rootbound condition will begin to affect the overall health of the plant. You will notice yellowing older leaves with little new growth to replace them. At that time, repotting is recommended. Plants that you are trying to encourage to grow should be planted into a larger pot as soon as the roots fill the pot.

Watering the right way

Houseplants that are moved outside will likely need to be watered more frequently than when they were indoors. Air movement, brighter light and faster growth all contribute to faster water usage by plants in containers.

Feel the soil often by sticking your finger into the upper couple of inches, and water when it feels dry. Monitor the soil moisture carefully until you re-establish a watering schedule.

As the temperatures rise you may need to water even more often. Daily watering is not unusual, especially for plants in smaller containers and those located in higher-light areas.

Plants that have been repotted, on the other hand, may need to be watered less often The additional soil space will not dry out as rapidly as when the plant was pot-bound Once again, monitor the plant carefully until an appropriate watering schedule can be established.

Houseplants, including cactus, moved outside during the warm summer months typically grow better and more vigorously

Slowly reintroduce houseplants like plumerla, which grows well in New Orleans, to direct sunlight by first moving them to shady, low-light areas.

Don’t forget to fertilize

Plants moved outside for the summer generally grow vigorously, and if you want to encourage that growth, it’s

a good idea to fertilize them. Fertilization is especially important to plants that are growing in soilless potting mixes, are root bound or that seem pale and lack vigor. It is generally optional to fertilize plants that appear healthy, vigorous and are already as large as you want them to be.

You do not need a bunch of different fertilizers for your houseplants. One generalpurpose houseplant food will generally do the trick. One option is to use your favorite soluble fertilizer (one with a 20-20-20 analysis is good for just about everything). These are generally applied every two weeks through the growing season.

Slow-release fertilizers and houseplant fertilizer spikes, on the other hand, fertilize slowly over a long period and do not have to be reapplied continually like the soluble fertilizers. Soluble fertilizers are great for gardeners who like to fuss, slow releases for those who would rather not have to remember to fertilize every two weeks.

If you’ve got some houseplants that have been languishing indoors, try giving them some time outside this summer. You will often be amazed as nature transforms your houseplants into the happy, vigorous plants they were meant to be.

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$615,000 • ALGIERSPOINT 6Beds/5Baths /3,709 SqFt. Thehome hasbeentotally renovated with energy-saving, modern updates keeping allthe beautifulmolding,arches anddetails.AMustSee!

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FILE PHOTO By JEFF STROUT

FILE PHOTO By R. STEPHANIE BRUNO

ABOVE: The dining table is a favorite piece, purchased before the couple bought their home.

‘We saw it and said, ‘whatever house we purchase, it has to fit!’ A quilt by local artist B Fos hangs on the wall, and chandeliers are from Arhaus.

PRESERVATION

RESOURCE CENTER

PROVIDED PHOTO Garrick and Darcie Braai shown on a vacation to Olympic National Park in Washington State.

PHOTO By LIZ JUREy

In one side of the parlor, a Buddha painting bought in Thailand takes center stage above the brick fireplace, ac Cart by Joe Mustachia hangs above Darcie Braai’s childhood piano. It is still well-loved and is used by her sons,

HISTORY LIVE-IN

A renovated shotgun keeps one foot in the 1800s

BY JYL BENSON Preservation Resource Center

Enthusiastic world travelers Garrick and Darcie Braai have collections of artwork and mementos from their travels with their young sons to such far-off places as Thailand, New Zealand and Iceland. Of all of their collectibles, however, the most attention is garnered by artifacts unearthed in their own yard, behind their 1896 four-bay Victorian shotgun double in

Algiers Point.

“When I took the plaster off the fireplace, I exposed the brick,” Garrick Braai said. “A few bricks were broken, but I couldn’t just go out and buy hard tan bricks at Home Depot, so I called this guy I had heard about who goes around digging up privies and selling off what he finds. I thought he might have some bricks.” A friendship with Shane Mears ensued. Soon, Mears,

ä See SHOTGUN, page 16

PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER PHOTO By LIZ JUREy The Braais’ four-bay Victorian shotgun double, built in 1896, had been converted to a single-family home before they bought it.

PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER PHOTO By LIZ JUREy

ccompanied by Thai Thepanom kneeling angel statues on the mantel. To the left, a painting of the Roman Candy , who take piano lessons.

SPRING TOUR OF HOMES

WHAT: The Preservation Resource Center’s selfguided tour of six Algiers Point homes, presented by Entablature Design + Build. Special guided architectural tours also are offered. WHERE: Starting point is Bargeboard NOLA, 530 Powder St.

WHEN: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 5-6

TICKETS: $30-$35, prc.org

HOME

Continued from page 15

aided by a Robinson Atlas detailing the area before the Great Fire of 1895 wiped out 200 buildings, was in the yard digging up the privy (outhouse) that had served the home that had burned on the site where the Braais’ house now stands.

“He explained that they would throw in the privy anything they couldn’t burn,” Braai said. “The hole in the ground would have been lined with cypress, which would have kept many things intact.”

Mears excavated old medicine and

liquor bottles, pickle jars, bricks, marbles, china plates, toys, inkwells and a toothbrush carved from bone.

The two men then divided up the treasures. The Braais’ collection of over 100 glass and pottery pieces is artfully displayed against the walls that Darcie Braai, a Realtor, painted in slate-colored gloss to highlight the shimmering colors of the old glassware. The Braais struggle to figure out what to call the room.

“Is it the privy, the library or the family room?” Darcie Braai mused. “We just can’t decide.”

The cypress that once lined the waterlogged privy has joined a collection of household artifacts Garrick Braai is assembling as a sort of mu-

ABOVE: The clean, bright look of the kitchen adds a modern anchor in the 1800s home.

LEFT: Across from the parlor fireplace is a bar area where a 2018 Preservation In Print magazine is framed. The home was featured as part of a Preservation Resource Center tour before the Braais owned it.

PRESERVATION RESOURCE CENTER PHOTO By LIZ JUREy

A pelican painting by local artist Ellen McCord hangs over a mantel in the dining room. The Singer sewing machine belonged to Garrick Braai’s grandmother, who used it to sew her own clothes. The house contains four fireplaces, all with original mantels

seum of the house. It includes old nails, slate roofing tiles and dated newspapers he found stuffed in the fireplace flue.

“I get excited about all old things,” he said, “but it’s the bottles everyone gets excited about.” The vessels date from 1840 to 1890

The couple — he from Old Gretna, she from Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras — bought the home in spring 2020. “I always wanted to live on Algiers Point,” he said. “We had been looking for a house, and I wanted to find one on the point of the Point near the ferry landing. This one was move-in ready.”

Previous homeowners had thoughtfully renovated it from a double into a single-family home. They updated the home’s utilities, kitchen and bathrooms, and added handmade, operable stained-glass transom windows above all the interior doors.

The look remains in keeping with the house’s historic character while adding vibrant bursts of color that play against local works by artists Becky Fos, Ellen McCord, Caliche and Pao, and Joe Mustachia

to make more room for their two sons.

“They kept the house’s historic character in the renovation,” Garrick Braai said. “They treated it with respect. It still has all its original woodwork, mantels and pocket doors. The walls are a combination of Sheetrock and plaster.”

A collection of indoor plants thrives throughout the home due to the abundance of natural light from numerous windows.

In the future, the couple plans to camelback the house

“We want to keep everything as original as possible. We have 10 feet of property on either side of the house to work with,” Garrick Braai said.

“But one thing we will never change is the color,” Darcie Braai said. “Our sons call this ‘The Yellow House.’”

This story was reported by The Preservation Resource Center, a nonprofit whose mission is to preserve New Orleans’ historic architecture, neighborhoods and cultural identity. For information, visit prcno.org.

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On one side of the front parlor, which is divided by the tothe-ceiling fireplace, the featured artwork is a Caliche and Pao oil painting purchased from their gallery on Royal Street. Tree carvings on the mantel came from just outside North Cascades National Park in Washington. The family vacationed last year in Washington and California and visited about a half dozen national parks.

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ONEINAMILLION

An artist helped envision compound on the banks of Bayou Bonfouca

BY VICTOR ANDREWS Staff writer

In Slidell, a dramatic home sits on a bend in Bayou Bonfouca, providing its owners with a panoramic view of the wetlands and the waterway. It is a solitary sentinel with a strong lineage to south Louisiana style.

Set on almost 2 acres of land, much of it along the pastoral bayou, the Lee Ledbetter-designed home is a gated compound sited on the raised point of the bend. It includes the main home with a stunning infinity pool, which seems to flow into the waterway, plus two art studios that can be used as guest houses.

Priced at $2.85 million, the dwelling in Coin du Lestin is on the market for the first time. Built in 2000 for an artist owner, the home features more than 2,100 square feet of space with two bedrooms in the main one-story building at 350 Faciane Lane.

The linear design of the Southern vernacular home takes advantage of the vistas. And the textural surfaces throughout the dwelling create a unifying tie to the local environment and park-like setting of the estate.

After passing through iron gates and a walled drive, visitors reach the entry porch that is framed by large shutters.

The curved foyer leads into the grand living room, a space with 21-foot ceilings and a wall of glass, its four sets of French doors spilling onto a rear patio leading to the pool. Anchoring one end of the room is a fireplace that sports a surround fashioned from a Mexican door, while the other end of the room is prime for a dining area.

Behind the dining spot is a dramatic bar that also has views of the bayou and plentiful storage for barware and wine.

The kitchen sports an island with a double sink, stainless appliances and a commercial-grade stove, carefully laid

A linear infinity pool links the home to the surrounding waterway in keeping with the environs of the compound

Walls of light wash over the space of the main living room in the home, a glistening space that includes areas for conversation, relaxation and dining

out to create the optimal use of space and afford plentiful preparation areas.

Next to the kitchen, the home’s second bedroom, currently used as an

office, is a cocooning space lined with shelves that could easily transform it into a library A side door affords access without going through the home.

The front of the home features a stone drive that leads to the entry, framed by robust foliage.

An en suite makes the space perfect for a guest quarter

Across the living room is the primary bedroom suite. The sleeping chamber, with a stand-out built-in entertainment and storage configuration, also has tall windows for viewing the wetlands and bayou. Twin bathrooms, one with a standing shower and one with a large soaking tub, straddle a walk-in closet. The rear of the home features a grand covered patio that steps down to a broad deck for sunbathing or socializing. The linear infinity pool stretches

PROVIDED PHOTOS

A working studio is the larger of the two outbuildings on the compound. It has a second-floor bedroom and full bath, plus a kitchenette.

ONEINAMILLION

along the space and is in harmony with the flowing waters of the bayou.

Set a distance from the main home, the larger of the two outbuildings, the workshop/ studio, boasts more than 1,000 square feet of space over two floors. A porch lines the side of the building, which has four arched entryways with wooden doors. The vaulted ceiling inside creates a vast space. A small loft at one end has a full bath, with a half-bath

downstairs.

The studio building, close to the main house, has more than 800 square feet of space and features porches on either end of the linear configuration. A bit more refined than the workshop space, the studio also features a half bath and plentiful storage for works of art.

The grounds of the home are laden with native foliage, from cypress and palmettos to magnolias, live oaks and wild irises and lilies. There are also two

C:504-495-9974 O:504-362-1823 ihernandez@latterblum.com

The kitchen features stainless chef-level appliances, with plentiful preparation space and a double sink in the well-placed island.

docks, a treatment plant and two generators. And along the bayou, Lake Pontchartrain is 15 minutes away by boat. The home is co-listed by Latter & Blum | Compass Realtors’ Mat Berenson, (504) 232-1352, and Alice McNeely, (985) 6265695.

One in a Million is an occasional series featuring upscale homes for sale in the metro area.

Wall-covering shelves in the second bedroom lend the space to use as an office or library. It can easily serve as a sleeping spot, with an en suite.

INSIDEINFO

Get inspired at home show at the Dome

The Caesars Superdome will be the place for information on all things home interior and exterior beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday for the New Orleans Home & Garden Show

The Home Builders Association of Greater New Orleans show features more than 200 exhibits on construction, renovation, restoration and remodeling inside as well as outside.

Plus, professionals will be on hand with advice and answers to questions.

The will also be a hot-air balloon ride experience inside the Dome and a Bark Park with adoptable dogs.

Tickets start at $8.

Visit neworleanshomeshows.com

Herb Society spring plant sale Saturday

Herbs, native plants and pollinator plants will be available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday during the Herb Society, New Orleans Unit’s annual spring sale at 2140 S. Carrollton Ave. next to Marsalis Harmony Park at Claiborne and South Carrollton avenues.

For information, visit the unit’s Facebook page

504-913-8665

Symposium offering design advice

Four featured speakers will look at how design and experiences combine in homes and environments at the annual Design Symposium on Wednesday through April 5 at Longue Vue House and Gardens, 7 Bamboo Road, in New Orleans.

In addition to lectures by architect Gil Schafer; Stella Chase Reese, of Dooky Chase Restaurant; Austen Barron Bailly, of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; and Tracee Dundas, of New Or-

leans Fashion Week, the event will host field trips for school groups and hold a community design day.

Tickets start at $250. For information, visit longuevue. com.

City Park to blossom for Spring Garden Show

The Botanical Garden at City Park will be flush with booths offering plants, arts and crafts, information and more from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 5-6 for the annual Spring Garden Show

Sponsored by the LSU Ag-

Center, more than 50 vendors will exhibit common and exotic plants as well as plenty of items for gardeners. There’s also live music, cooking demonstrations and more.

For information, visit neworleanscitypark.org.

Tours a look inside Quarter secret gardens

The Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré will hold its annual peek into some of the French Quarter’s most secluded spaces on April 6.

A minimum of five gardens and courtyards, not generally open to the public, will be open from noon to 4 p.m. for a self-guided walking tour through the historic district. (Only the outdoor spaces will be open, not the interiors.)

Locations of the gardens will be provided when participants receive their tickets, which start at $35 in advance and are limited. Tickets will be available for pickup on the day of the event at the Cabildo by Jackson Square.

For information, visit patioplanters.net.

Pitot House talk set for East Bank library

The historic Pitot House on Bayou St. John in New Orleans will be the subject of a talk by the executive director

of the Louisiana Landmarks Society at 7 p.m. April 10 at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 W. Napoleon Ave., in Metairie

Stacey Pfingsten will discuss the 225-year-old West Indies-style building that was home to the first U.S. mayor of the city, James Pitot, in 1810. It is the only colonial Creole country house in the city open to the public

The discussion is free. For information, visit jefferson. lib.la.us.

Learn to bonsai with drink in hand

Bonsai Bar offers an introduction to the ancient Asian art of gardening while enjoying a beer at local breweries. Instructors lead participants in lessons on the core concepts to pot, prune and design a bonsai tree.

Upcoming sessions in New Orleans include:

n Oak Street Brewery, 8201 Oak St.: 6 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. April 5

n Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois St.: 6 p.m. Monday and 6 p.m. April 7

Cost starts at $85. For information and other future sessions, visit bonsaibar.com.

Volunteer projects abound at City Park

A variety of cleanup days and initiatives are on tap at City Park to improve and maintain the extensive urban green space. Those coming up during the week of March 29 include:

n Graffiti Cleanup Krewe: 9 a.m. Thursday. Volunteer Center.

n Big Lake Native Plant Trail Restoration Project: 9 a.m. Friday. Big Lake Native Trail near 7 Friedrichs Ave. Register for the programs and find out more about what to bring at friendsofcitypark. volunteerhub.com.

Have a home and garden event coming up? Send it to events@theadvocate.com.

FILE PHOTO By JEFF STROUT

NEW ORLEANS

TRANSFERS ISSUED MARCH 17-21

DISTRICT 1

COMMERCE ST. 700: $250,000, Karen Mollie Radosevich Schott and Matthew James Schott Jr. to Lisa Katharine Olson and Ross Nathaniel Wirth.

EUTERPE ST. 1412: donation, no value stated, Ethan Puzarne and Sabrina Matlin to Debora Ann Rizzuto Hadeen.

GIROD ST. 333: $450,000, Cid F. Carmona and Kerry King Carmona to Wright Living Trust.

RICHARD ST. 1023-25: $710,000, RLM Development LLC to Wesley C. Young.

ST. CHARLES AVE. 1224: $133,350, Dawn Jayelynn Watkins, Jennifer Boorman Genter and Kenneth Frederick Genter to Shawn Lynch.

S. ALEXANDER ST. 316: $590,000, Kimberly Chehardy and Megan Roberts to Leigh Mahlum Garity and Matthew Garity

DISTRICT 2

ALLEN TOUSSAINT BLVD. 1033:

$1,415,000, Jean Albert Ouellet and Mary Rebecca Ouellet to Christine M. Couvillon and Tucker Couvillon.

ARGONNE BLVD. 6480: $464,000, Ryan Michael Pickert and Serena Louise Urdiales Pickert to Sarah Elizabeth Loftin.

BAYOU ROAD 1804: $410,000, Stefan McKenzie Riley to Boyd L. Bowling and Diane Sue Hall Bowling.

BLUEBIRD ST. 42: $763,500, Laure Ringel Chachere and Mark E. Chachere to Aniksha Ramaswamy Pillay and Senthil Anand.

CANAL BLVD. 5643: $540,000, Rogers Investment Properties LLC to David Lewis Haynes Rivera and Miguel P. Rivera Haynes.

CANAL ST. 1201: $290,000, Faiza Pirzadah and Mohammad Zohair Pirzadah to Fadi Y. Malek and Nahla Dahr Malek.

CANAL ST. 1201: $189,000, Faiza Pirzadah and Mohammad Zohair Pirzadah to Rondell Loran Milton Living Trust.

CHARTRES ST. 1201: $950,000, Evelyn R. Wilson to Dyar & Dyar Properties LLC, Angel Dyar Cotten Clark and Fred Lee Clark.

GOV. NICHOLLS ST. 516: $249,000, 801 Patterson Owner LLC to Scott E. Abel.

GOV NICHOLLS ST. 2212: $160,000, Barbara Ann Katharine Franklin to C&J Group LLC.

REALESTATETRANSFERS

N. BROAD ST. 1201: $280,000, Kim Nguyen Do and Tho Huu Do to E189 LLC.

VICKSBURG ST. 5819: $547,000, Annie Knazs Jung and Stephen S. Jung to Nathan Charles Fedor and Whitney Marie Braswell Fedor.

DISTRICT 3

ATLANTIC AVE. 1005-1007, DEVINE AVE. 7941: $275,000, JW Development LLC to Michael G. Wilson.

BACCICH ST. 6003: $210,000, T Lucas Management LLC to Austin Thomas Frazier.

BEAUVOIR COURT 7350: $235,000, Reginald J. Esteen to Kim Marie Lawson Lawrence and Troy Lynn Lawrence.

CARLSON DRIVE 6262: $850,000, What The Hell LLC to Victoria Amber Weatherington.

CHEF MENTEUR HIGHWAY 7421: $230,000, Bholenath LLC to Zelim Flores.

CLOUET ST. 923-925: $550,000, David William Field and Megan Elizabeth Pavageau Field to Eric N. Backes and Kathy A. Le Backes.

CONGRESS DRIVE 4412: $381,000, City of New Orleans to 4412 Congress LLC.

COVENTRY ST. 6931: $330,000, Chantell Brown Clair and Corey Anthony Clair to James Clark Hogan Jr. and Patrice Sonya Blair Hogan.

DEBORE DRIVE 6008: $309,000, Mark E. Slessinger and Toni Purvis Slessinger to Dianne Saizan Moore, Matthew A. Moore, Maurice Moore and Tamara D. Moore.

DESIRE ST. 2232: $169,000, Andersen Design Build LLC to Resznay Verna Skinner.

DEVINE AVE. 7941-43: $127,000, Michael G. Wilson to Ajuma O Imaji Joseph.

DUELS ST. 1819: $110,000, Thomas Berryhill Jr. and Trachina Branch Berryhill to Kollage Malak Le.

DWYER ROAD 6569: $85,000000, Oikodome Inc. to Merke Paul Bougere.

EDWARD ST. 7938: $136,000, Peters Construction and Improvements LLC to Andrea Mouton.

FELICIANA ST. 1924: $239,000, PJD Houses LLC to Hilary A. Robinson.

HESSLER DRIVE 4520: $340,000, Christian John Rhodes, Christopher Jude Blache and Gregory Joseph Blache Jr. to Joseph Corona III.

LAFAYE ST. 4910: $137,500, Haroleen W. West to 3 King Realty LLC.

LAKE OAKS PARKWAY 2248: $450,000, Succession of David Allen Pippin, Kimberly Michelle Pippin Vance, Kristin Ann Pippin Reasor and Matthew David Pippin to Willie E. Green Jr.

N. GALVEZ ST. 3039: $112,000, Mad III LLC to Bartolomeu Cruz LLC.

N. LAKE CARMEL DRIVE 12941: $197,000, Romelo A. Harper to Takiyah Hyde.

PAUGER ST. 3868: $195,000, What The Hell LLC to Kathleen Balma.

PRATT DRIVE 1853: $80,000, Upperline Construction and Design LLC to Claudinei Caron Spanhol and Yolany Gonzales Spanhol.

PRESSBURG ST. 2777: $168,000, Angela Age Hill to Gabriele Sabbioni and Shirley Ann Pugh.

REYNES ST. 2030: $245,000, Robert Armstrong to Brandon M. Wilson.

Over 2000sf of living on threefloors,thistownhouse is oneoffive independentspacescarvedout of an historic brickwarehouse.2 Bedrooms plus ofc./2.5 baths. Garage parkingfor 2cars. Twostory wall of windows bathes lightonlarge greatroom, cook’s kitchenwithgas Viking range. Primarybedroom suitewithoversized bathroom andclosetstorage leads to privateroofterrace with city views. Best of condolivingw/independence of owning your ownlot in an intimate building envelope.Low community fees!N.O.riverfront, finediningand downtown shopping aresteps away $735,000

REALESTATETRANSFERS

ORLEANS

Continued from page 21

SPAIN ST. 4920: $286,000, Joseph M. Derose to Anna M. Hansen and Gabriel G. Griffin.

TOURO ST. 2323-2325: $135,000, Deryl R. Andrews to Devin Jones and Lametra Catrice Miller Jones.

WARFIELD ST. 7106: $190,000, Louis Curt Pannagl to Steven L. Elloie.

DISTRICT 4

FIRST ST. 2130: $170,000, Charles Edward Taylor, Courtney Brown, Elizabeth Taylor Tanner, Emma Taylor Bellizan, Jacqueline Taylor, Jah’Will Taylor, Kenya Taylor, Terrence Taylor, Verlene Taylor Handy, Whitney Taylor, William Cage and William Taylor III to Aaliyah S U Shareef.

LAUREL ST. 2349-51: $579,000, Brian C. Davis to Dustin L. Yontz and Jennifer L. Wyckoff Yontz.

EAST JEFFERSON

n TRANSFERS FOR MARCH 15-20

HARAHAN

FERRARA DRIVE 8109: Patricia A. Abrahamson to Mary E. P. Nuckley, $409,900.

GENERES DRIVE 2317: Guy W. Smith to Wayne J. Noveh, $165,000.

HUNTLEY LANE 8409: Gloria C.

SECOND ST. 534: $740,000, Adam Whitworth and Brannon Wiedemann Whitworth to Kelsey Olivia King.

ST. CHARLES AVE. 2100: $220,000, Nell J. Ferguson Living Trust to Catherine R. Hinnant.

ST. CHARLES AVE. 2111: $10, Carol Gleason Toerpe and Lloyd Raymond Toerpe to Carol Gleason Toerpe and Fort Defiance Inc.

ST. CHARLES AVE. 3201: $190,000, Katherine Powell Parra to Camilo Hernandez Dulcey.

ST. MARY ST. 1405: $897,370, Courtney Wilburn Marse and Randy J. Marse Jr. to 1405 St. Mary LLC.

ST. THOMAS ST. 2100: $265,000, Kelsey Williams Harold to Gordon Wayne Stoll and Mary Lisa Stoll.

S. JOHNSON ST. 2610-12: $42,500, Sunset Harbour LLC to On I Real Estate Management LLC.

DISTRICT 5

BELLEVILLE ST. 430-32: $425,000, Richard A. Castro to Matthew

Smith to Nickolas Christakis, $143,000

JEFFERSON

CENTRAL AVE. 532: Brooks

Charles Revocable Living Trust Agreement to Tri Bui, $505,000.

KAYE ST. 907: Money Source Inc. to Amy C. Freese, $76,000.

ST. GEORGE AVE. 637: Nicole D Pelafigue to Barbara E. J. Huffman, $115,000.

Louis George.

DELACROIX ROAD 535: $57,000, Adony Suazo to Hummel Construction LLC.

FIESTA ST. 4508: $202,697, Gideon Abror to Ashley McGary Toney and Charles Edward Toney Jr.

VERRET ST. 223: $707,500, Elenore Lawson Falshaw and Ian Falshaw to Benjamin Norman Schaff.

DISTRICT 6

AUDUBON ST. 1803: $560,000, Elizabeth Dalton Acomb Crosby and William Howell Crosby to Courtney Marse and Randy Marse Jr.

BROADWAY ST. 225-227: $395,000, Elliot Snellings testamentary trust to Rusty Hammer LLC.

COLISEUM ST. 4510: $715,000, Lizette Landry Harkness and Taylor Geoffrey Harkness to Nola Trust.

CONSTANCE ST. 603: $985,000, SCAD Partners LLC to Deborah Ann Wing Dolan.

CONSTANTINOPLE ST. 701: $417,500, Paul C. Barbe and

KENNER

21ST ST. 2001: Yavonka Archaga to Yavonka Archaga, $539,385.

CONTINENTAL DRIVE 3243: Roland J. Turner to J. Gannoun, $200,000.

DUKE DRIVE 124: Legacy Mortgage Asset Trust 2020-gs5 to G. V. Velez, $185,000.

GRANADA DRIVE 74: Emily Duhe to Jay Gong, $328,000.

SUNSET BLVD. 901 APT A11: Federal National Mortgage Association to Munir Ahmad, $116,000.

Stephanie Preston Barbe to James Patrick Harris and Patricia Sievers Harris.

FOUCHER ST. 1019: $800,000, David Henry Kitchell and Hannah Ridder Mezan Kitchell to Felicia Humphrey

JEFFERSON AVE. 1119: $992,000, James W. Bean Jr. and Jessica K. Bean to Derrick Toups and Kristen Toups.

JOSEPH ST. 575-577: $600,000, Linda Jane McMahon to Leigh Ann Epting Goff and Stacey W. Goff.

JOSEPH ST. 2220: $310,000, Alexandra Leigh Pemberton, Matthew A. Pemberton and Suzan Kutchins Pemberton to Rebecca Shaine Hurst Gieger and Stephen W. Gieger.

PENISTON ST. 2319: $110,000, Barbara Guy Clanton, Errol Barry Conley and Lynn Clanton Choptovy to Marta Susana Prieto Alvarado Oviedo.

S. LIBERTY ST. 4716: $460,000, Erslynn Annette Holmes to Katnes Golaub.

VALMONT ST. 2424: $645,000,

W. ESPLANADE AVE. 1609: Ruby Torres to Carlos L. Aguilar, $150,000.

METAIRIE

18TH ST. 3105: Mercante Property LLC to Arabella Assets LLC, $1,265,000.

AURORA AVE. 330: Raymond M. Armstrong Jr. to Lhc Builders LLC, $500,000.

CANAL ST. 709: George S. Hesni II to Orly LLC, $344,000.

ELIZABETH ST. 2924: Joann F.

Carey Packard Brennan to Michael Mills and Vi Tran Mills.

WILLOW ST. 5518-20: $525,000, Made Real Estate LLC to John D Kay.

DISTRICT 7

DUBLIN ST. 2702: $140,000, Ruth Green Patterson, Shirley Moore and Wanda Harrison to Zelim Antonio Flores Palada.

MONROE ST. 1731-33: $387,500, Marathon Estate LLC to Jayson P. Wicker.

SEATTLE ST. 422: $355,000, Jeff Joseph Vinet to Joshua Samuel Wexler.

SHORT ST. 1125: $620,000, Ignacio Jonathan Lorenzo to Rose Haley Line Nicholson and Steven Tyler Nicholson.

ZIMPEL ST. 7929: $880,000, Alexandra Baranski Canary to Jason S. Sayatovic and Kimberly Nelson Sayatovic.

Ascani to Bertucci Property Development LLC, $165,000.

ELMEER AVE. 317: Fanor Rosales to Anne L. Bidou, $830,000.

FRANCIS AVE. 1009: Jeremy Walsh to Jacquelyn L.G. Weber, $182,500.

HARVARD AVE. 3808: Quinlivan Homes LLC to Gloria J. Melson, $410,000.

HASTINGS ST. 6904: Wolfpack Ceo LLC to Scarleth N. M. D. Lail, $257,000.

JUDITH ST. 2300: National Residential Nominee Services Inc. to Lauren Trigo, $350,000.

JUDITH ST. 2300: Rachel T. Evensong to National Residential Nominee Services Inc., $350,000.

LAKE AVE. 1436, UNIT D: Emily L. D. Rambin to Marie A. Dickerson, $235,000.

MANSON AVE. 600: Tracie O. Bartholomew to Six Zero Zero Manson LLC, $135,000.

METAIRIE LAWN DRIVE 2511, UNIT 11, BUILDING 204: Marie A. Dickerson to John P. Duet, $215,000. N. HULLEN ST. 2221: Cordina LLC to North Hullen Apartments LLC, $1,600,000.

N. LABARRE ROAD 3412: Matthew Landry to Lauren M. Stauder, donation, no value stated. NEYREY DRIVE 4801: Michael C. Cohen to Nicholas A. Johnson, $548,000.

ORION AVE. 1045: Dominic Miceli ä See EAST, page 23

REALESTATETRANSFERS

WEST JEFFERSON

n TRANSFERS FOR MARCH 15-20

AVONDALE

CAPITOL DRIVE 345: Leonard A. Lee to Waj Design & Build LLC, $43,000.

S. JAMIE BLVD. 317: Three Hundred Seventeen S. Jamie LLC to Fanny Kelley, donation, no value stated.

BARATARIA

HELMER ST. 4950: Diana M. Helmer to Michael A. Helmer, $10,000.

GRAND ISLE

CATHERINE LANE 168: Adesia Perrin to Tina B. Leger, $20,000.

GRETNA

CAROL SUE AVE. 2373: US Bank National Association to Donya Management LLC, $165,000.

HANCOCK ST. 1520: Jorge Amaya to Oscar E. Cabrera, $155,000.

HARVARD AVE. 1869: Brooke M. Spizale to Jennifer C. Watts, donation, no value stated.

HAWKINS ST. 1051: Kelly E. Sommers to Sara C. Fernandez, donation, no value stated.

HONEYSUCKLE ST. 809: Victoria Gray to Charlynn Fournet, $155,000.

LAKE FRANCES DRIVE 1012:

EAST

Continued from page 22

to American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities Inc., $200,000.

PASADENA AVE. 1004: Mary J. J. Villarrubia to Megan E. Oubre, $247,654.

PASADENA AVE. 2513: Artiom Muravschi to Wang Worldwide Rentals LLC, $77,000.

PERRY DRIVE 4816: Kathryn A. Kingston to Donna M. Porretto, $365,000.

RIVIERE AVE. 1805: Paula B. Hoppe to Xiuzhen Zhao, $160,000.

SENA DRIVE 725: Olivia J. B. Keen to Janice A. Browning, $478,000.

STARRETT ROAD 314: Gayle Craig to Margo Kieff, $255,000.

TRANSCONTINENTAL DRIVE 1024: Catherine A. Brown to Carla F. G. Rosales, $575,000.

VELMA AVE. 1701: Nhi Rusck to Kimberly Mighell, $362,000. W. WILLIAM DAVID PARKWAY

Patrick Wade to Carolyn Duran, $305,000

THOMAS ST. 1406: Craig Senner to Pmabemax Properties LLC, $75,000.

VAN TRUMP ST. 700: Stephen J. Boudreaux to Tjt LLC, $325,000.

WILLOWBROOK DRIVE 541: David M. Armand to Emily H. Hammad, $192,000.

HARVEY

TITAN ST. 2156: Marquita Meade to Raven Willis, $240,000.

VINEYARD LANE 2137: Barry M. Schaferkotter Jr. to Juliana Laurent, $250,000.

WOODMERE BLVD. 2344: Easter O. Williams to Johnny Do, $162,000.

MARRERO

AVE. A 720: Marcus T. Pfister to Lisa R. Sanchez, $156,500.

AVE. B 1404: Kevin Troescher to Jayden Roque, $265,000.

AVE. G 1326: John D. Mitchell Jr. to Jlcm Property LLC, donation, no value stated.

THREE OAKS COURT 5937: Canh

M. Do to Choctaw American Insurance Inc., $224,500.

WESTWEGO

AVE. A 621: Barbara A. Borders to Dale T. Bernard, $45,000.

AVE. B 928: Dale A. Dufrene to Stephanie Thompson, $190,000.

AVE. H 555: Carrie Faulks to Carrie Faulks, $210,000.

757: N. Johnson to Kristen M. Herr, $390,000.

WESTON ST. 8118: Mary S. F. West to Alessandra C. R. Franklin,

ST. TAMMANy

TRANSFERS FROM MARCH 5-11

ABITA SPRINGS

HILLCREST COUNTRY CLUB SUBDIVISION, LOTS 5, 6, SQUARE 23: Tamprop Inc. to Dragonfly Enterprises Inc. and Lindsay Land Inc., $500.

LA. 435 25514: Felix J. Famularo to Mary B. Dellsperger, donation, no value stated.

LEEMANS ROAD 22251: Succession of Colleen Leemans to Albert Forrester, $70,000.

NEAR ABITA SPRINGS, LOT X-1: Three Black Crows LLC to Wayne Wirth and Elaine Wirth Living Trust, donation, no value stated.

NEAR ABITA SPRINGS, PORTION OF GROUND: Jo Ann H. Rizan to Jonathan M. Wagner, donation, no value stated.

NORTHWOODS DRIVE 526: Paul C. Skrmetta II and Laura L. Skrmetta to Eric P. Sjunnesen and Gwendolyn U. Sjunnesen, $1,726,633.

COVINGTON

ABITA RIDGE SUBDIVISION, PHASE 3B, LOT 10: Darling Design Homes Inc. to Melissa Gelpi, $425,000.

ABITA RIDGE SUBDIVISION, PHASE 3B, LOT 9: Darling Design Homes Inc. to Caitlin E. Gelpi,

$90,000.

WOODLAWN AVE. 77: Donna S. Krail to Bertucci Property Development LLC, $130,000.

$375,000.

BERTEL DRIVE 115: Christopher W. Rogers and Clare E. Wilbert Rogers to Michael F. Sciortino Jr. and Amanda Sciortino, $336,000.

BIG PINE DRIVE 115: Glen A. Walden and Mary C. Walden to Jeffrey Becker and Deborah M. Becker, $599,000.

CANE COURT 208: Lawrence J. Champagne and Johnette G. Champagne to Jeremy J. Champagne, $800,000.

COIN ROAD 18441: Thomas J. Catalanotto to Jeanne Hebert, $75,000.

KENNY LANE 20043: Baron L. Edwards Jr. to Landon J. Curtis, $295,000.

LA. 437 73482: Succession of June V. Hendrick to Robert B. Hurst and June H. Hurst, $403,000.

NARROW ROAD 20398: Gillis E. Cure III and Jamie M. Cure to

Cory D. Stagg and Anita C. Stagg, $1,350,000.

NEAR COVINGTON, PORTION OF GROUND: Extraspace Properties Two LLC to St. Tammany Parish, $13,977.

NEAR COVINGTON, PORTION OF GROUND: Greenspring Capital Management LLC to Phine Properties LLC, $148,500.

NEW COVINGTON SUBDIVISION, LOT 10A, SQUARE 1911: 58221 Loblolly Lane LLC to Jeremy Torres and Brooke E. Loescher Torres, $100 and other valuable consideration.

SAW GRASS LOOP 262: Zachary D. Keahey and Kristen D. Keahey to Glen A. Walden and Mary K. Walden, $444,000.

WINGFIELD SUBDIVISION, PHASE 1, LOT 48: Tammany North Proper-

TAMMANY

Continued from page 23

ties LLC to David S. LaPorte Jr. and Lori M. LaPorte, $95,000

ZACHERY COURT 1424: DSLD Homes LLC to Kathryn Olavarrieta, $370,950.

ZETA AVE. 74499: George L. Crater II and Sarah B. Crater to Brandon J. Fucci and Meadow Leigh Ann Granat, $245,000.

FOLSOM

CHENEL ROAD 82003: Gerald T. Pearson and Lynn T. Pearson to Todd L. Matte and Lisa A. Frannino, $1,550,000.

LA. 1078 14562: Julian M. Thompson to Dalton M. Thompson and Hannah L. Thompson, donation, no value stated.

NEAR FOLSOM, LOT 4: Succession of Herbert L. Lacassagne to Patrick A. Hymel and Jamie P. Hymel, $135,000.

NEAR FOLSOM, PORTION OF GROUND: Matthew P. Westmoreland and Leslie T. Westmoreland to Louie R. Guertin Jr. and Evelyn L. Guertin, $41,400.

LACOMBE

FAIRFAX DRIVE 60853: DSLD Homes LLC to Jordan Leonard and Erica Willsey, $269,690.

FOREST GLEN SUBDIVISION, LOTS 40, 41, SQUARE 19: Louland LLC to Claudia Amador, $12,000.

ROWLEY DRIVE 30780: DSLD Homes LLC to Edward V. Cooper Jr., $245,655.

MADISONVILLE

BEDICO CREEK SUBDIVISION, LOT

REALESTATETRANSFERS

429: Shaw Investments LLC to Lori D. Coy, $347,500.

GUSTE ISLAND ESTATES, LOT 253: McHugh Construction LLC to Michael S. Sulzer, $448,000.

KELLY LAKE LANE 4028: Alvarez Construction Co. LLC to Lynn A. Melancon and Sally J. Pennino Melancon, $428,607.

PERIWINKLE COURT 1525: NAF Cash LLC to Adam J. Moskowitz and Ashley E. Kobe, $639,450.

PINE GROVE LOOP 668: Vareeporn Gonzalez to Daryl Rappold, $420,000.

SIERRA RIDGE COURT 126: Miguel E. Hernandez and Maria D. Euceda Hernandez to AIC & Son’s LLC, $75,000.

MANDEVILLE

10TH ST. 2227: Pamula B. Pereda to Shaun Xiao, $230,000.

AZALEA COURT 4057: Jeremy G. Cox and Laine K. Cox to Edna D Miller, $490,000.

BEAU CHENE DRIVE 518: Don E. Smolek and Andrea L. Smolek to Smolek Family Living Trust, donation, no value stated.

BEAU RIVAGE SUBDIVISION, LOT 83: Marlene A. Mancuso to Aliaksandr A. Shostak, $265,000.

BLUEWATER DRIVE 1212: Francine G. Gilliland to Candace Zenon and Jeremy Zenon, $538,000.

COFFEE ST. 126: Craig C. Andrews to James B. McGee and Claudia Z. McGee, $1,400,000.

DEBOUCHEL PLACE 325: Robert G. Adair and Kourtney N. Adair to Jacob Stoehr and Rowan Stoehr, $320,000

GEN. PATTON AVENUE, PORTION OF GROUND: Hi-Rollers Investment LLC to Knick Commercial NBP LLC, $360,000.

HARRY LEMONS ROAD 1855: Arthur J. Chatellier III to Anna E. Axum, $275,000.

HOLM OAK LANE 604: Denario D Edwards and Beth C. Edwards to Sally Magee Henk and Edmund F. Henk III, $259,900.

JASMINE DRIVE 385: Kevin G. Wascom and Voahangy Jayet Wascom to CJ Squared Properties LLC, $180,000.

LOTUS ROAD 1735: Robert E. Todd III to George L. Crater II and Sarah B. Crater, $332,000.

NEAR MANDEVILLE, LOT 58A, SQUARE 220A: Ayers Properties LLC to 2316 Cours Carson LLC, $38,000.

NEAR MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: Ernie Nagim Construction Co. Inc. to Craig S. McGehee Sr. and Paula G. McGehee, $120,000.

OLEANDER COURT 133: Scott Arceneaux Jr. to Wayne Krentel and Brianna McDaniel Krentel, $1,589,000.

TOWN OF MANDEVILLE, PORTION OF GROUND: Terry D. Welch Jr. and Anna Welch to Kris Guerra, donation, no value stated.

PEARL RIVER

FOREST RIDGE LOOP 1053: Luciana M. Bresciani Reese to Frank P. Mumphrey Sr. and Theresa F. Mumphrey, $299,000.

RICHLAND DRIVE 64578: Brent J. Devillier and Crystal CliburnDevillier to Michelle A. Barnes, $347,000.

SID CRAWFORD ROAD 39255: Travis Shuler and Elizabeth C. Shuler to James W. Pitman and Amanda N. Pitman, $340,000.

SIXTH WARD

LA. 435 32032: Ivan Millcevic and

oldworld charm combines with tasteful,stylish finishes. 3large bedrooms each with walk in closets, and3 ensuitebathrooms Lovely frontporch welcomes youintoa large, open kitchen-greatroomthat looksonto3 bayVictorian windows. Refinished

Kimberly L. Millicevic to Timothy H. Sullivan and Dariyn Sullivan, $220,000.

SLIDELL

AUTUMN DRIVE 59514: Silessi Construction LLC to Matthew Perniciaro, $252,000.

BONFOUCA STREET 59441: Roy M. Carney Jr. and Renee I. Carney to Speedy Home Solutions LLC, $112,155.

CARR DRIVE 299: Betty Ann H. Pagragan and succession of Robert G. Pagragan Sr. to Joanne M. Pagragan Ledet, donation, no value stated.

CHARLARD COURT 62405: DSLD Homes LLC to Nicholas J. Engolia II, $247,735.

CHESHIRE COURT 1805: Robert J. Morgan to Kade Prejean and Amber Muster, $165,000.

CHOCTAW DRIVE 58474: BP Real Estate Investments LLC to Joseph English and Diandra Cash, $293,000.

DELTA RIDGE AVE. 6688: D. R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Emmanuel A. Taylor, $409,395.

E. AUGUSTA LANE 277: Terrance LeShore to Thaddeus J. Petit Jr. and Crystal Petit, $525,000.

E. END BLVD. 1132: Mai D. Nguyen to Van V. Nguyen, donation, no value stated.

E. LAKESHORE VILLAGE DRIVE

369: D. R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Sandra N. Daggans, $230,628.

EASTRIDGE DRIVE 1475: Alanna N. Esler and Michael D. Esler to Gabara Family Trust, $215,000.

GRAFTON DRIVE 431: Berry J. Patterson Jr. and Bridget M. Patterson to Jean P. O’Neal and Jacalyn O’Neal, $259,000.

HARDWOOD DRIVE 105: Joseph F. Seoane to Regina B. Robinson,

Tankless

$185,000.

HIGHLAND BLUFF DRIVE 305: George I. David and Kimberly K. David to David Family revocable living trust, donation, no value stated.

LA QUINTA DRIVE 6: Elaine C. Herman to Betty Smith, $354,000. LAKESHORE VILLAGES SUBDIVISION, PHASE 1A, LOT 102: National Residential Nominee Services to Jaleesa S. Gibbs, $240,000.

MALLARD ST. 2111: Darrl Robert Jr. to Perrilynn M. Smith, $205,000.

MAPLEWOOD DRIVE 1505: Alexander M. Van Horn to Kencil Mejia, $195,000.

MARAIS RIVER DRIVE 4574: D. R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Lyric D. Turner, $298,890.

NEAR SLIDELL, PORTION OF GROUND: Adrian J. Doucette to Derrin M. Pierre Sr., donation, no value stated.

PERRET DRIVE 103: Nexus Nova LLC to Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp., $430,542.

PUTTERS DRIVE 229: Clyde Adams and Steve Adams to Brett J. Villars and Kimberly Villars, $70,000.

RICHARDS DRIVE 532: Stacia L. Johnson to St. Tammany Parish, $125,000.

RIVER GARDENS SUBDIVISION, LOTS 24, 25, SQUARE 21: Ernest L. Cooper and Virginia M. Cooper to Margaret Reppen, $47,000. RUE VERAND 1130: Harold J. Plourde and Lucille C. M. Plourde to Christopher J. Rhodes and Rachel K. Rhodes, $190,000.

SEAGULL CIRCLE 3894: Pete C. Nickelson to Quinn C. Nickelson, donation, no value stated.

SHORT ST. 112, UNIT A: Linda Davis-Short to Ti Cabirac, donation, no value stated.

WAKE RESERVE ROAD 5544: D R. Horton Inc.-Gulf Coast to Se Chien Hsu, $383,085.

WASHINGTON COURT 1416: William A. Robles II and Diana E. Major Robles to Jan Turpen Trust, $244,000.

WINBOURNE DRIVE 525: David W Douglass and Karen E. Douglass to Christopher Barr and Jennifer Bradley Barr, $515,000.

WINDWARD PASSAGE ST. 408: Jason T. Godfrey to Jacob M. Papa and Kerstin L. Gage, $304,000.

SUN/BUSH

NEAR BUSH, PORTION OF GROUND: Mike T. Fitzmorris to Gerald R. Spell, $7,000.

NEAR BUSH, PORTION OF GROUND: Margie A. White to James G. Jacob and Sandra L. Jacob, $275,000.

House hunters seeing 3D printed, factory-built alternatives

BY JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press/Report for America

DENVER — As Americans struggle under backbreaking rental prices, builders are turning to innovative ways to churn out more housing, from 3D printing to assembling homes in an indoor factory to using hemp — yes, the marijuana cousin — to make building blocks for walls.

It’s a response to the country’s shortfall of millions of homes that has led to skyrocketing prices, plunging millions into poverty.

“There’s not enough homes to purchase and there’s not enough places to rent. Period,” said Adrianne Todman, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under former President Joe Biden. One way to quickly build more is embrace these types of innovations, Todman said. “I can only imagine what our housing situation would be like now if we could have made a decision to be more aggressive in adopting this type of housing” decades ago.

So what are these new ways of building homes? And can they help reduce the cost of new housing, leading to lower rents?

Put together in a week

In a cavernous, metal hall, Eric Schaefer stood in front of a long row of modular homes that moved through the plant, similar to a car on an assembly line.

At a series of stations, workers lay flooring, erected framing, added roofs and screwed on drywall. Everything from electrical wiring to plumbing to kitchen countertops were in place before the homes were shrink-wrapped and ready to be shipped.

The business in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Fading West, has pumped out more than 500 homes in its just over three years of operation, each taking just five to seven days to build, even in the coldest winter months, Schaefer said.

Once assembled in the plant,

PRESS PHOTOS By THOMAS PEIPERT

Fading West, a modular home builder, works with towns, counties and housing nonprofits to help address the shortage of affordable homes, mostly for workers who’ve been squeezed out by sky-high prices in ritzy mountain towns.

A worker stands inside a framed modular home at the Fading West factory in Buena Vista, Colo.

the narrow townhouse-style homes with white trim, balconies and front porches, are about 90% done At their final destination they are move-in ready within six weeks, Schaefer said.

The company works with towns, counties and housing nonprofits to help address the shortage of affordable homes, mostly for workers who’ve been squeezed out by sky-high prices in ritzy mountain towns.

That includes Eagle, Colorado, not far from the Vail ski resort, where Fading West worked with Habitat for Humanity to install modular homes at affordable rents for teachers and other school

district employees. The homes tend to be on the smaller side, but can be multifamily or single family.

“You can build faster The faster you build — even at a high quality — means the lower the price,” Schaefer said. “We see this as one of the pieces to the puzzle in helping solve the affordable housing crisis.”

There’s a hefty upfront cost to build the factory, and part of the challenge is a lack of state and federal investment, he said. A patchwork of building codes governing how a structure can be built also makes it difficult, requiring changes to the construction depending on the town or county it is being sent to

Manufactured housing is similar to modular housing, but the units are constructed on a chassis — like a trailer — and they aren’t subject to the same local building codes. That’s part of the reason they are used more broadly across the U.S.

Roughly 100,000 manufactured homes were shipped to states in 2024, up from some 60,000 a decade earlier, according to Census Bureau data. Estimates of modular homes built annually often put them below 20,000.

building codes, which puts up more red tape.

The technology is also generally restricted to single-story structures, unless traditional building methods are used as well, Memari said It’s “a technology at its beginning, it has room to grow, especially when it is recognized in code,” Memari said. “The challenges that I mentioned exist, and they have to be addressed by the research community.”

Hempcrete’s ‘bright future’

Hemp — the plant related to marijuana — is being used more and more in the construction of walls.

The hemp is mixed with other materials, most importantly the mineral lime, forming “hempcrete,” a natural insulation that’s mold- and fire-resistant and can act as outer wall, insulation and inner wall.

Still ‘a long game’

Yes, there’s technology to 3D print homes.

A computer-controlled robotic arm equipped with a hose and nozzle moves back and forth, oozing lines of concrete, one on top of the other, as it builds up the wall of a home. It can go relatively quickly and form curved walls unlike concrete blocks.

Grant Hamel, CEO and cofounder of VeroTouch, stood inside one of the homes his company built, the wall behind him made out of rolling layers of concrete, distinct to a 3D printer. The technology could eventually reduce labor costs and the time it takes to build an abode, but is farther off than manufactured or modular methods from making a dent in the housing crisis.

It’s “a long game, to start chipping away at those prices at every step of the construction process,” Hamel said.

The 3D printers are expensive, and so are the engineers and other skilled employees needed to run them, said Ali Memari, director of the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center, whose work has partly focused on 3D printing. It’s also not recognized by international

Hempcrete still requires wood studs to frame the walls, but it replaces three wall-building components with just one, said Memari, also a professor at Penn State University’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Memari is now helping oversee research into making hempcrete that doesn’t need the wood studs. As much as a million hemp plants to be used for hempcrete can grow on one acre in a matter of months as opposed to trees, which can take years or decades to grow

The plant is part of the cannabis family but has far less of the psychoactive component, THC, found in marijuana. In 2018, Congress legalized the production of certain types of hemp. Last year, the International Code Council, which develops international building codes used by all 50 states, adopted hempcrete as an insulation.

Confusion over the legality of growing hemp and the price tag of the machine required to process the plant, called a decorticator, are barriers to hempcrete becoming more widespread in housing construction, Memari said. Still, he said, “hempcrete has a bright future.”

ASSOCIATED

Condescending husband pushes wife to the edge

Dear Annie: I’ve been married to my second husband for 38 years. He’s a good man, and I’m blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father to our daughter

We’ve had our ups and downs, but for the most part, he has been a gift from God. So what’s the problem? He is often condescending and patronizing toward me He frequently interjects a trivial opinion or repeats something that I’ve just said into conversations I’m having with someone else. He often “reminds” me of the simplest things, like

I’m too stupid to remember the smallest, most basic details. When I respond with “I know,” he gets angry.

Annie, I’m an intelligent, wise woman. Years ago, our counselor once said something to me during a session that I wish I had asked him to explain but didn’t. He said, “It doesn’t matter who’s smarter.”

I’ve always wondered what the counselor meant by that statement (I have three degrees to my husband’s four years of technical schooling).

I’ve asked my husband many times to stop treating me like this, but he just gets angry and continues to do it. This makes me so angry that I’ve told him if he doesn’t get counseling, I’m going to divorce him. He

also “does little things for me” that I haven’t asked him to do. An example is “helping me in the kitchen,” which actually distracts me while I’m cooking. He is often in the way and creating a mess. These little things often inconvenience or irritate me because they provide no value to me. I have asked him many times not to do these things, but he responds with indignant anger because I’m “ungrateful.”

I’ve tried to explain to him that being condescending and doing things I don’t need or want him to creates unnecessary tension and arguments between us, but he just doesn’t listen.

Life would be so much better

TODAY IN HISTORY

if he’d just stop doing these things, but he won’t.

Why does he act like this, and how do I handle it? I have seriously thought about ending our marriage because of this. Help! — Fed-Up Wife in WV

Dear Fed-Up: Your irritation is completely valid. Your husband’s behavior — between underestimating your intelligence to ignoring the simplest of asks — shows a consistent pattern of disrespect.

I’m sure your counselor meant that marriage shouldn’t be a competition. It doesn’t matter who is “smarter” or “right” in a given situation; what’s important is having a safe space to speak freely and be seen, heard and valued by your partner. I’d imagine your

husband acts this way out of his own insecurity, but insecure because of what isn’t totally clear. What is clear is that he doesn’t seem to care how this behavior makes you feel, nor does he want to change it. After pointing out what bothers you, asking him to stop, going to therapy and giving him an ultimatum, you’ve done everything you can — except figuring out ways to not let it bother you so much. Now you have to decide whether this is truly the deal-breaker you’ve said it is. Ask yourself, is it worth leaving a man you describe as a “gift from God”?

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

By The Associated Press

Today is Saturday, March 29, the 88th day of 2025. There are 277 days left in the year.

Today in history

On March 29, 1974, a group of Chinese farmers digging a well struck fragments of terra-cotta buried underground; archaeologists would ultimately discover terra-cotta sculptures of more than 8,000 soldiers and other figures. The “Terra-cotta Army” would become one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of the 20th century

On this date:

In 1943, World War II rationing of meat, fats and cheese began, limiting American consumers to store purchases of an average of about 2 pounds a week for beef, pork, lamb and mutton using a coupon system.

In 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were convicted in New York of conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. (They were executed in June 1953.)

In 1961, the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, allowing residents of Washington, D.C., to vote in presidential elections

In 1971, Army Lt. William L. Calley Jr was convicted

of murdering 22 Vietnamese civilians in the 1968 My Lai massacre. (Initially sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor, Calley’s sentence would ultimately be commuted by President Richard Nixon to three years of house arrest.)

In 1971, a jury in Los Angeles recommended the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers for the 1969 Tate-La Bianca murders. (The sentences were commuted when the California state

Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in 1972.)

In 1973, the last United States combat troops left South Vietnam, ending America’s direct military involvement in the Vietnam War.

In 1984, under the cover of early morning darkness, the Baltimore Colts football team left its home city of three decades, sending the team’s equipment to Indianapolis in moving trucks without informing Baltimore city or Maryland

state officials.

In 2004, President George W. Bush welcomed seven former Soviet-bloc nations (Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia) into NATO during a White House ceremony.

Today’s birthdays: Comedian Eric Idle is 82. Former British Prime Minister John Major is 82. Basketball Hall of Famer Walt Frazier is 80. Football Hall of Famer Earl Campbell is 70. Actor Brendan Gleeson is 70.

Idle

Actor Christopher Lambert is 68. Actor Annabella Sciorra is 65. Comedian-actor Amy Sedaris is 64. Model Elle Macpherson is 61. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nevada, is 61. Actor Lucy Lawless is 57. Tennis Hall of Famer Jennifer Capriati is 49. Musician-author Michelle Zauner is 36.

Annie Lane

DEAR ANNIE