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“If there wasa reduction in funding for research to Tulane, that potentially couldslow our development of downtown, which would have averyserious impact on New Orleansand our ability to diversify this economy.”
PATRICK
NORTON,Tulane University chiefoperating officer
Tulane is in the midstofa$600 million expansionofits downtowncampus to 1.7 million square feet,including the rehabilitationofthe long-abandoned CharityHospital and repurposing the Tulane MedicalCenter.Most of thenew spacewill be devotedtolaboratories and other researchfacilities.
impact felt in Louisiana
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
The threat of sweeping cuts to federal spending on science andtechnology programs by President Donald Trump’sadministration has senta chill through Louisiana’sresearch commu-
nity, where leadershavewarnedof potentialbroader harm to the state’s economic development efforts.
The billions of dollars in proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health and theNational Science Foundation have been the main focus of concern for researchers in recent weeks. But broader proposed cuts across thefederal government andthe Trumpadministration’sfreezingofbillions of dollars in grants to universities including Harvard, Cornell and Princeton over policy disputes is an added worry,they said.
Patrick Norton, Tulane University’s
BY BEN MYERS and SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writers
Anew drainage fee, aban on homeless encampments,and more gubernatorial say over flood protection areamong the most contentiousproposals affecting New Orleans in the spring legislative session that began Monday
Otherbills impacting the city are aproposed hikeonshort-term rentaltaxes,anincrease to the homestead exemption and aproposal tocriminalizeunsafe gun storage. Some measures are being pushed quietly by Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sadministration, while Gov.Jeff Landry has urged passage of others. The session runs throughJune 12
The proposals carry significant weight for acityindireneed of more revenue to shore up its drainagesystemand onethat has grappled with ahomelessness cri-
chief operating officer,said the threatened cuts to federal research funding could alsohaveunintendedconsequences for broader economic objectivesinNew Orleans. Tulane is in the midst of a$600 millionexpansion of its downtown campus to 1.7million square feet, including the rehabilitation of the long-abandonedCharity Hospital andrepurposing the Tulane Medical Center
Most of thenew space will be devoted to laboratories and other research facilities.
ä See RESEARCH, page 8A
Lawmakers consider sweeping changes to DOTD Page 8A
sisthathas at times seemed intractable. They also showcase acontinued push for morecontrol of local affairs by Landry,a Republican
BY MARIEFAZIO Staff writer
More thanadozen internationalstudents studying in Louisiana have had their visas revoked without explanation, university officials confirmed Tuesday,part of the Trump administration’snationwide targeting of foreign-born students at American colleges and universities.
In New Orleans, at least six international students have had their student visa status terminated: two students at Tulane University,two at Southern University at New Orleans and three at the University of New Orleans, according to university officials. In Baton Rouge, seven international students at Southern University had their visas pulled, as did threestudents at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. An LSU spokesperson did not immediately respond to inquiries about whether any of its students were affected.
The visa revocations, first reportedbythe Louisiana Illuminator,puts those students at risk of detention or deportation.
Led by the U.S. State Department, the visa terminations are part of President Donald Trump’scrackdownonimmigration to the U.S., which has recently expanded to include noncitizens legally residing in the country Students whowere granted F-1 or J-1 visas that allowed them to study at American universities have been targeted,insome cases because they expressed pro-Palestinian viewsorparticipated in campus protests. Mike Strecker,aspokesperson for Tulane University,saidthatthe university was aware of two students whose visas had been revoked for“previous criminal arrests” that
who has sought since his election to consolidate his power in New Orleansand across the state. Landry’sspokesperson, Kate Kelly,did not return arequest for comment on the session on Monday,though business owner Shane Guidry,the governor’spoint persononNew Orleans affairs, has said that the nominating panel that presently selects membersofthe South Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East has too much control over that board. House Bill 633 from Rep. Jacob Braud, R-Belle
Belgian ant smugglers arrested in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species.
Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal.
In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen also were charged with illegal trafficking in the same courtroom, following their arrest while in possession of 400 ants.
The Kenya Wildlife Service, or KWS, said in a statement that the four men were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa.
The illegal export of the ants “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,” KWS said.
France expels Algerian officials amid tensions
PARIS France said Tuesday it was expelling 12 Algerian diplomatic officials a day after Algeria announced the expulsion of the same number of French officials in escalating tensions between the two countries.
Algeria said Monday that its expulsion of 12 French officials was over the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities in a kidnapping case, but relations between the two sides have been deteriorating since last summer That’s when France shifted its position to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria.
Tensions further peaked in November after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison a verdict he subsequently appealed.
In addition to what French officials called the “symmetrically” calibrated expulsion of 12 Algerian officials, France’s ambassador to Algiers also was being recalled home for consultations, a statement from the French presidential palace said Tuesday It said Algerian authorities were responsible for “a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations.”
Watchdog accuses Google of violations
TOKYO Japanese regulators on Tuesday accused U.S tech giant Google of violating anti-monopoly laws, echoing similar moves in the U.S. and Europe.
Google Japan said in a statement that it found the action “regrettable.” It said it has invested in Japan significantly to promote innovation as a technology leader.
The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s “cease and desist order” says Google must stop the preinstallation of the Google search engine in Android smartphones, which it said in effect shuts out competition.
It’s unclear if Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., based in Mountain View in the Silicon Valley, will take legal action to fight the order In the U.S., a judge ruled last year that Google’s ubiquitous search engine illegally exploited its dominance to squash competition. Google has denied the allegations, arguing that it’s immensely popular because people like what it offers. The appeals process is likely to take years.
Japanese regulators began their investigation into Google in 2023. They said they consulted with overseas authorities dealing with similar cases.
BY STEVE PEOPLES and FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press
CHICAGO Former President Joe Biden returns to the national stage Tuesday to elevate liberal concerns that President Donald Trump’s agenda is threatening the health of Social Security
The 82-year-old Democrat has largely avoided speaking publicly since leaving the White House in January, which is typically the tradition for immediate past presidents. That’s even as Trump frequently blames Biden for many of the nation’s problems, often attacking his predecessor by name.
istration’s fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. attorney offices, and establish Medicare and Medicaid fraud prosecution programs in 15 U.S. attorney offices, Leavitt said. Despite such moves, the Social Security Administration has been plagued by controversy under Trump’s leadership.
The Republican president almost immediately began slashing the government workforce upon his return to the White House, including thousands of employees at the Social Security Administration.
ByTheAssociated Press
ODESA, Ukraine NATO’s support for Ukraine remains “unwavering,” the alliance’s secretary-general said Tuesday, emphasizing that more than 20 billion euros — over $22 billion — in security assistance has already been pledged by NATO allies in the first three months of the year
Mark Rutte spoke on Tuesday in Ukraine’s port city of Odesa, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
His visit came days after two Russian ballistic missiles struck the city of Sumy on Palm Sunday morning, killing at least 35 people, including two children, and injuring 119.
The attack on the northeastern city, about 20 miles from Ukraine’s border with Russia, marked the second largescale attack in just over a week to result in significant civilian casualties. Earlier this month, about 20 people were killed, including nine children, after a Russian ballistic missile struck Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih on April 4.
“I’m here today because I believe Ukraine’s people deserve real peace, real safety and security in their country, in their homes,” Rutte said during a joint news conference with Zelenskyy
The two met with wounded Ukrainian soldiers at a hospital in Odesa.
This is Rutte’s first trip to Ukraine since U.S President Donald Trump assumed the lead in ceasefire negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow which have included several rounds of talks in Sau-
di Arabia.
“These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence,” Rutte said, referring to the recent strikes. “But we all support President Trump’s push for peace.”
Ukraine has endorsed the broader U.S.proposed ceasefire deal, though Russia has effectively stalled the process by attaching far-reaching conditions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine and its European partners are continuing to develop the infrastructure for the “coalition of the willing,” which is expected to act as a long-term security guarantee aimed at deterring future Russian aggression after a ceasefire is in place.
Amid that uncertainty and U.S. warnings that Europe must take care of its own security and that of Ukraine in the future, the multinational force is seen as a first test of the continent’s willingness to defend itself and its interests.
Zelenskyy said Turkey could play a significant role in providing future Black Sea security guarantees for Ukraine.
“This is not about ending the war, unfortunately,” Zelenskyy said, commenting on the security meeting being hosted by Turkey on Tuesday and Wednesday “It’s about what comes after — the security guarantees for Ukraine following a ceasefire.”
He said military representatives from Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom and Turkey are discussing the presence of a military contingent in the Black Sea as part of those guarantees.
BY STEVEN GRATTAN Associated Press
BOGOTA, Colombia — A recent amendment to Peru’s Forestry and Wildlife Law is drawing fierce backlash from environmental groups and Indigenous groups that warn it could accelerate deforestation in the Amazon rainforest under the guise of economic development.
The amendment eliminates the requirement that landowners or companies get state authorization before converting forested land to other uses. Critics say the change could legitimize years of illegal deforestation.
“To us, this is gravely concerning,” said Alvaro Masquez Salvador, a lawyer with the Indigenous Peoples program at Peru’s Legal Defense Institute. Masquez added that the reform sets a troubling precedent by “effectively privatizing” land that Peru’s constitution defines as national patrimony. “Forests are not private property — they belong to the nation,” he said. Supporters of the amendment, enacted in March, say it will stabilize Peru’s agricultural sector and provide farmers with greater legal certainty.
The Associated Press sought comment from multiple representatives of Peru’s agribusiness sector, as well as Congresswoman Maria Zeta Chunga, a vocal supporter of the law Only one person in the agribusiness sector
responded, saying they did not want to comment Peru holds the secondlargest share of Amazon rainforest after Brazil, with over 70 million hectares — about 60% of Peru’s territory, according to nonprofit Rainforest Trust. It’s one of the most biodiverse regions on the planet and home to more than 50 Indigenous peoples, some living in voluntary isolation. These communities are vital guardians of ecosystems and the rainforests they protect help stabilize the global climate by absorbing large quantities of carbon dioxide a greenhouse gas that is the main driver of climate change. Passed in 2011, the original Forestry and Wildlife Law required state approval and environmental studies before any change in forest land use. But recent reforms have steadily weakened those protections. The latest
amendment allows landowners and companies to bypass that approval, even retroactively legalizing past deforestation. Peru’s Constitutional Court upheld the amendment after a group of lawyers filed a constitutional challenge Although the court struck down some parts of the amendment, it left intact the law’s final provision, which validates past illegal land-use changes. Legal experts say this is the most dangerous part In its ruling, the court acknowledged that Indigenous communities should have been consulted on reforms to the law and affirmed the Environment Ministry’s role in forest zoning.
Environmental lawyer César Ipenza summed it up like this: “The court admits the law violated Indigenous rights and (tribes) should have been consulted but it still endorses the most harmful part.”
Biden is expected to fight back in an early evening speech to the national conference of Advocates, Counselors and Representatives for the Disabled in Chicago. While Biden has made a handful of public appearances in recent weeks, Tuesday’s highprofile address focuses on a critical issue for tens of millions of Americans that could define next year’s midterm elections.
“This is an all-hands-ondeck moment, which is why President Biden’s voice in this moment is so important,” Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a call with reporters ahead of Biden’s speech.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, meanwhile, took a shot at the former president’s age when asked about his speech.
“I’m shocked that he is speaking at nighttime,” Leavitt said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing “I thought his bedtime was much earlier than his speech tonight.”
She said that Trump, who is 78 years old, would sign a presidential memorandum Tuesday afternoon “aimed at stopping illegal aliens, and other ineligible people, from obtaining” Social Security benefits. The memorandum will expand the Social Security Admin-
Along with a planned layoff of 7,000 workers and contentious plans to impose tighter identity-proofing measures for recipients, the SSA has been sued over a decision to allow Trump adviser Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to access individuals’ Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information.
Musk, the world’s richest man and one of Trump’s most influential advisers, has called Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.”
At the same time, Social Security recipients have complained about long call wait times as the agency’s “my Social Security” benefits portal has seen an increase in outages. Individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income, including disabled seniors and low-income adults and children, also reported receiving a notice that said they were “not receiving benefits.”
The agency said the notice was a mistake. And the White House has vowed that it would not cut Social Security benefits, saying any changes are intended to reduce waste and fraud. Biden will be joined in Chicago by a bipartisan group of former elected officials, including former Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., former Sen. Debbie Stabenow D-Mich., and former Social Security Administrator Martin O’Malley
Jonathan Matessino President,Bank
BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press
On one side is Harvard,the nation’soldest and wealthiest university,with abrand so powerful that its name is synonymouswith prestige. On the other side is the Trump administration, determined to go furtherthan any other White House to reshape American higher education. Both sides are digging in for aclash that could test the limits of the government’s power and the independence that has made U.S. universities adestinationfor scholars around the world.
On Monday,Harvard became the first universityto openlydefy the Trump administrationasitdemands sweeping changes to limit activism on campus. The university frames the government’sdemands as athreat not only to the Ivy League school but to the autonomy that the Supreme Court has longgranted American universities.
“The university willnot surrender its independenceor relinquish its constitutional rights,” the university’slawyers wroteMondaytothe government. “Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itselfto be taken over by the federal government.”
The federal government says it’sfreezing more than $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in contracts to Harvard. The hold on funding marks the seventh time the Trump administration has taken such astep at one of the nation’smost elite colleges, in an attempt to forcecompliance with Trump’spolitical agenda. Six of the seven schools are in the Ivy League
Hundreds of demonstrators gather on CambridgeCommon duringarally at thehistoric park in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday, callingonHarvard University to resist what organizersdescribedasattempts by PresidentTrump to influence the institution.
No university is better positioned to put up afight than Harvard,whose $53 billion endowment is the largest in the nation. Butlike othermajor universities, Harvard also depends on thefederal funding that fuels its scientific and medical research. It’sunclear how long Harvard could continuewithoutthe frozen money
Already,Harvard’srefusal appears to be emboldening other institutions.
After initially agreeing to several demands from the Trump administration, Columbia University’sacting president took amore defiant toneina campus message Monday,saying some of the demands “are not subject to negotiation.”
In her statement, Claire Shipman said sheread of Harvard’srejectionwith “great interest.”Columbia was previouslyseen as a prime candidate to challenge the administration’sdemands and faced blowback from faculty and free speech groups when it agreed to make con-
cessions instead.
“Harvard is obviously a particularly powerful institution. Andits decision has potential to galvanizeother universitiesinto some kind of collective pushback,” said David Pozen, aColumbia law professor whoargued that the government’sdemands are unlawful.
Trump threatened Tuesdaytoescalate the dispute, suggesting on social media that Harvard should lose its tax-exempt status “if it keeps pushing political, ideological, and terrorist inspired/supporting ‘Sickness?’”
Theimpasse raises questions about howfar theadministration is willing to go. However it plays out,alegal battleislikely.Afaculty group hasalready brought acourt challenge against the demands, and many in academiaexpect Harvard to bring its own lawsuit
In its refusal letter,Harvard saidthe government’s demands violate the school’s First Amendment rights and other civil rightslaws
BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press
Fewer people crossed state lines to obtain abortionsin2024 than ayear earlier, anew survey has found.
The Guttmacher Institute, aresearch organization that supports abortion rights, estimates in areport releasedTuesday that the overall number of clinician-provided abortions in states whereit’slegal rose by less than 1% from 2023 to 2024.
But the numberofpeople crossingstate lines for abortionsdropped by about 9%.
Thereport, based on a monthly survey of providers, is the latest look at howthe abortion landscape in the U.S. has evolved since theSupreme Court reversedRoe v. Wade in 2022 in aruling thateliminated anational constitutional right to abortion and opened the door to state bans and restrictions.
Totalnumberrose
Guttmacher estimates there were1.04 million abortions in 2024, up about 1% from its total the previous year
Multiple studieshave found that the total number of abortions in theU.S. has risen since Dobbs, despite some states implementing bans
Twelve states currently enforce abortion bans with limited exceptionsatall stages of pregnancy. Four more have bans thatkick in after about sixweeks, which is beforemanywomen know they’re pregnant.
Guttmacher’stally does notcapture self-managed abortionssuchaspeople obtaining abortion pills from community networks, foreign pharmacies or through telehealth from medical providers in states
that have laws intended to protectthose who send pills intoplaces withbans. There’s acourt battle over the constitutionality of suchlaws. But another surveyfound thatthe number of telehealth pillsbeing sent into states with bans has been growing and accounted for about 1in10 abortions in the U.S. by the summerof2024.
Isaac Maddow-Zimet, a data scientist at Guttmacher,said even though thenumberofabortionsis up, it’slikely some people who would like to endtheir pregnancies are not able to.
“Weknow that some people are accessing abortion through telehealth,” he said. “And we know it’snot an optionfor everybody.”
Travel declined
The number of people crossing state lines for abortions dropped to about 155,000 fromnearly 170,000.
The year-to-year impact varies by state.
For instance, about 1in 8abortions in Florida in the first half of 2023 were provided to people coming fromout of state.Bythe second half of 2024 —when aban on abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy took effect —only about 1in50werefor people from another state.
More people traveled to states including Virginia and New York after the Florida law took hold.
Adropinpeople traveling to Minnesota could be linked to abortions being offeredagain in clinicsin Wisconsin.
Most abortions in Kansas are provided to people from elsewhere and the number grew as clinic capacity expanded.
Obstaclesaffectsome
Aworking paper released in Marchprovided different insight intothe
impact of the bans. It found that birth rates rose from 2020 to 2023 in countiesfartherfrom abortionclinics. Rates rose faster forBlack and Hispanic women, those with lowereducation levels, and people who are unmarried.
“The takeaway is that distance still matters,” said Caitlin Myers, aMiddlebury College economic professorand oneofthe authors of the working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. “It really wasn’t obvious that that would be the case.”
“These bans are more than just policies; these are direct attacks on bodily autonomy,” saidRegina Davis Moss, president and CEO of In Our OwnVoice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda.
The bans also exacerbate the huge disparities in maternal mortalityfor Black women in the U.S, she said. Black women died around the time of childbirth at aratenearly3.5 times higher than Whitewomen in 2023.
“We’re going to be faced with increasing numbers of births, which is going to increase the maternal mortality rate,the infant mortality rate and inequities in care,” she said. “It’s very upsetting and sad.”
Bree Wallace, director of case management at the Tampa BayAbortion Fund in Florida, which helps with the logistics andcosts of abortions, said people who consider getting an abortion don’t always know their options.
“Many people don’tknow theirchoices or thinkthat it’s just notpossible to go out of state,” she said. “A lot of people hear ‘ban’ or ‘six-week ban’ in their state and that’sit.”
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
GREENBELT, Md. Afederal judge said Tuesday that she will order sworn testimony by Trumpadministration officials to determine ifthey complied with her orders to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to anotorious El Salvador prison.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in Maryland issued her order after Trump officials continually refused to retrieve Abrego Garcia, saying they defied a“clear” Supreme Court order She also disregarded Monday’scomments by White House officials and El Salvador’spresident that they were unable to bringbackAbrego Garcia, describingtheir statements as “two very misguided ships passing in the night.” “The Supreme Court has spoken,” Xinis said, adding that what was said in the Oval Office on Monday “is not before the court.”
Xinissaidshe will callfor the testimony of government officials, including Robert Cerna, the acting fieldofficedirector forthe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Sheexpects theprocess to last about two weeks.
“The bottom line is it was a very simple directive,” Xinis said of her own order for the U.S. to return Abrego Garcia. “I’ve got nothing. I’ve got no real response.”
The hearing came aday after White House advisers repeated theclaim that they lack the authority to bring backthe Salvadorannational from his native country.The president of El Salvador also saidMonday that he would not return Abrego Garcia, likening it to smuggling “a terrorist into the United States.”
Abrego Garcia’sdeportation has becomea flashpoint as President DonaldTrump followsuponcampaignpromises of mass deportations, including to an El Salvador prison. FollowingTuesday’s hearing, acrowd outside the
federal court house in Maryland chanted, “What do we want? Dueprocess. Whendo want it?Now!”
An attorney for Abrego Garcia said contempt proceedings could be the logical next step after the discovery phase. “This is still awin, and this is still progress,” Rina Ghandi said. “We’re not done yet, though.”
Abrego Garcia’swife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, said shortly before Tuesday’s hearingthathewas working hard to achieve the American dream for his family
“That dream was shattered on March 12 when he was abducted anddisappeared by the United States government in front of our 5-yearold-child,”she said. “Today is 34 days after his disappearance Iwill not stop fighting until Isee my husband alive.”
Abrego Garcia,29, livedin the U.S. for roughly 14 years, during which he worked construction, got married and was raising three children withdisabilities, according to court records.
BY JONEL ALECCIA and ANDREWDEMILLO Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Republican governorsinArkansas and Indiana moved Tuesday to ban soft drinks and candy from the program that helps low-income people pay for groceries, becoming the first states to ask the Trump administration to let them remove such items from the program long knownasfood stamps.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanderssaidher state’srequest is aimed at improving the health of nearly 350,000 residents who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP
“Taxpayers are subsidizing poor health,” Sanders said at aLittle Rock news conference with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. “We’re paying for it on the front end and the back end.”
In Indianapolis, Gov.Mike Braun was joined by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.and MehmetOz, who leadsthe Centers for Medicare and MedicaidServices, to announcesweeping changes to “put the focus back on nutrition —not candy and soft drinks.”
The two states are among several takingsteps to strip the purchase of certain foods that may contribute to poor health through the federal program that spent $100 billiontoserve nearly 42 million Americans in 2024. The restriction hasbeenakey goal for Rollins and Kennedy and his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda.
“They changedour food system in this country so that it is poison to us,” Kennedy said Tuesday.“We can’t be astrong nation if we are not astrong people.”
The Arkansas plan, which would take effect in July 2026, would exclude soda,
including no-and low-calorie soda; fruit and vegetable drinks withless than 50% naturaljuice; “unhealthy drinks;” candy,including confectionsmadewithflour, like KitKat bars; and artificially sweetenedcandy It also wouldallow participantstouse benefitsto buy hotrotisserie chicken, which is excluded from the programnow TheIndiana change would exclude candy and soft drinks from thelist of foods eligible tobe paid for with SNAPbenefits. Braun also issued executive orders changing work requirements for SNAPparticipants; reinstatingincome and assetverification rules; and launching areview of “improperpayments and other administrative errors” to ensure that SNAPmeets federal goals.
Antihunger groupsoppose SNAP food restrictions, sayingthatresearch shows thatprogram participants
are no more likely than other low-income Americans to buy sugary drinks or snack foods. Andthey say that limiting food choices underminesthe autonomy anddignity of people who receive abenefit of about $187 per month —orabout $6.20 per day
“Theyjustseem to be targeting aspecific population without having data that says that they are theissue or thatthis is going to improve,” said Gina Plata-Nino, adeputy director at the Food Research and ActionCenter, anonprofit advocacy group. Trade groups representing beverage andcandy makers criticizedthe effort, saying that they narrowly target SNAP participants.
Representatives for American Beverage accused state andfederal officials of “choosing to be the food police ratherthantake truly meaningful steps to lift people off SNAPwithgoodpaying jobs.”
Notice is hereby given pursuant to Article 7, Section 23(C) of the Louisiana Constitutionand R.S. 47:1705(B) that a publichearing of the City of Harahan Council will be held at its regular meeting place, Harahan City Council Chambers, located at 6437 Jefferson Highway,Harahan, LA on Thursday June 26, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. to consider levying additional or increased millage rates without further voter approval or adopting the adjustedmillage rates after reassessment and rolling forward to rates not to exceed the prior year’s maximum. The estimatedamount of tax revenues to be collected in the next year from the increased millage is $2,388,153.00, and the amount of increase in taxes attributable to the millageincreaseis$94,398.00.
BY ORDER OF THE MAYOR
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BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer
People of color are underrepresented in jobs at oil refineries and chemical plants across the country according to a new peer-reviewed study, with some of the most extreme disparities in Louisiana.
Differences in education do not explain these outcomes, the study found. The researchers at Tulane Law School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst discovered that when people of color are employed in petrochemical jobs, they are mostly working in the “lowest of the low-paying” positions.
The authors of the study, which was published in the journal Ecological Economics on Wednesday, say the research raises questions about the economic justifications of these sectors in local areas
“We always think of pollution versus jobs tradeoff,” said Kimberly Terrell, a research scientist at the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic.
“It’s not really a tradeoff when the people who are being impacted aren’t getting any of the benefits and are getting all of the cost.”
Industry and economic development groups stressed their investment in supporting Louisiana workers. A representative for Louisiana Economic Development, the state’s business agency, said that “providing opportunity for every community in our state is not only our agency’s focus but our commitment.”
The Louisiana Chemical Association, which represents dozens of manufacturing companies in the state, stressed that the sector is invested in workforce and educational development. David Cresson, the CEO of the industry group, pointed to STEM programs for students beginning in elementary school as well as partnerships with Southern University and River Parishes Community College.
“We recognize the importance of examining equity in employment, however, this study offers an in-
complete and misleading portrayal of our industry and its contributions,” Cresson said.
Other industry and business associations declined to comment
What study said about La.
The study used publicly available federal data to examine the racial demographics for chemical manufacturing and petroleum and coal manufacturing across states, metro areas and Louisiana parishes. In this way, Terrell said, the authors “sliced the data every way possible.”
While previous research has shown that people of color in the U.S. are disproportionately exposed to toxic pollutants, there is much less research on employment equity in these sectors.
Louisiana had some of the starkest disparities among the handful of states with most of the high-paying chemical manufacturing jobs. Texas and Illinois were among the other states with the most extreme disparities, the study says.
“We focused on (Louisiana) because it stood out in our main analysis, but also due to its relatively large number of petrochemical
jobs, extreme racial inequities, and internationally-recognized environmental justice issues,” the study says.
While over 40% of working-age Louisianans are people of color, only 18.5% of the highest paid workers in the sector were people of color This trend persisted when looking at Louisiana cities and parishes individually
“People of color had about half their expected share of highest/ higher-paying jobs and about three quarters their expected share of lower-paying jobs, but more than their expected share of the lowestpaying jobs,” the study says.
For many environmental advocates in the industrial corridor of Louisiana — often dubbed “Cancer Alley” by activists and some residents due to health risks — the findings were affirming, though not surprising. Sharon Lavigne, founder of the organization Rise St. James, argued that job promises made in connection with petrochemical development often don’t pan out.
“With much more industry in the area than in the past, there are fewer jobs in general but especially
for people of color,” Lavigne said.
Kimbrelle Eugene Kyereh, who’s fighting against a planned blue ammonia plant in her St. Rose neighborhood in St. Charles Parish, said the study confirmed what she already assumed about heavy industry — “that the harm far outweighs the economic gains that are promised to the Black communities.”
“This isn’t about a lack of qualifications with chemical facilities operating in our backyards,” she said “It’s about the persistence of a system that was never designed for African Americans to truly thrive.”
‘Opportunity to discriminate’
The study singles out St. John as having the most extreme disparities identified in the paper Around 70% of people in St. John are not White, yet people of color only hold 17% of the highest-paying chemical manufacturing jobs, it determined.
There are more people of color in the lower-paid jobs, but still only 50% of the lowest-paying chemical jobs in St. John are held by nonWhite people.
St. John illustrates other national trends identified in the paper, including gaps in education failing
to explain economic outcomes. In the parish, there is a less than 2% difference in college education between people of color and White people.
All ‘should have access’
The study concludes that investment in education and training “is insufficient without attention to job access.” Over the past few years, programs on both fronts have cropped up in the state’s industrial corridor
Cresson of the Louisiana Chemical Association said that “everyone should have access” to high-paying employment in the state’s industrial manufacturing sector He pointed to Louisiana Economic Development’s FastStart program for workforce development and talent attraction, among other initiatives.
“We are committed to closing the training gap in Louisiana by investing in early education, STEM training and technical scholarships to ensure that all members of our communities are represented among our industrial workforce,” he said.
Local leaders in Ascension Parish have also collaborated on programs to prepare residents to capitalize on incoming industry jobs. The parish recently scored two major lower carbon, multibillion-dollar facilities for their west bank industrial complex just upriver of Donaldsonville. Some of these efforts include early childhood programs and a new workforce training facility at Donaldsonville High School, serving not only students but also adults in the evenings It is part of an effort by River Parishes Community College to bring services to a majority-Black community with poverty rates over 40%, an aging and shrinking population, and many residents without adequate transportation.
Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment said the programs are designed to give Donaldsonville-area residents a path to the $100,000-per-year jobs these future facilities are expected to provide.
“This is something that is not only good for Ascension Parish, but it’s good for the region, surrounding parishes, including the state as a whole,” Cointment said.
Staff writer David Mitchell contributed reporting.
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BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
In an effort to pick up the pace of how quickly Louisiana builds and maintains roads and bridges, legislators are considering sweeping changes to the state Department of Transportation and Development — including creating an entirely new office outside the department to handle road work as well as privatizing many services.
Over the course of a three-hour hearing Tuesday, House transportation committee chair Ryan Bourriaque, R-Abbeville, presented a package of four different bills aimed at overhauling the Transportation Department.
“We can acknowledge the department is unfunded,” Bourriaque said. “But we know we have issues with policies.”
It was clear over the course of the hearing that significant pieces of the plan are still under construction. But all four bills were approved in committee as members voiced frustration with the pace of infrastructure work in Louisiana.
Rep. Jeff Wiley, R-Maurepas, gave the example of a yearslong push to build a new Mississippi River Bridge crossing in Baton Rouge and long-standing traffic problems on Interstates 10 and 12 as examples of projects that are “begging for addressing.”
“I know that if we don’t do anything, nothing will happen,” said Rep. Travis Johnson, D-Vidalia, adding that in his six years as a member of the transportation committee, the project backlog “has not improved at all.”
If House Bill 621 passes, a new Office of Louisiana Highway Construction would be created not
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were not related to any protests. He did not elaborate on the criminal allegations but said the university has contacted the students and directed them to third-party legal resources.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority,” he said.
Janene Tate, a spokesperson for Southern University said the campuses were not given a reason for the revocations. Citing the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which protects student information, Tate declined to offer further information.
Katie Dawson, a spokesperson for the University of Louisiana system, confirmed that the UL and UNO students had been affected but declined to offer any more information, citing student privacy laws. The speed and scope of the federal government’s efforts to terminate the legal status of international students have stunned colleges
Continued from page 1A
“If there was a reduction in funding for research to Tulane, that potentially could slow our development of downtown, which would have a very serious impact on New Orleans and our ability to diversify this economy,” Norton said in an interview last week.
Louisiana’s universities and research centers depend directly on federal programs for hundreds of millions in funding each year for research into a wide variety of areas, from cures for Alzheimer’s disease to the study of the impacts of climate extremes along the U.S Gulf region to improving ways to grow sugar cane. While data on research funding for Louisiana from all federal agencies is not readily available, figures from the NIH alone provide insight into the scale of federal investment in the state’s research institutions. More than 460 Louisiana projects received $265 million in NIH funding last year, according to NIH RePORTER, which tracks funding by the agency Tulane University was the largest single institution, with more than $113 million in funding from the agency The Trump administration’s cuts are largely coming under the banner of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a newly created agency run by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk While there are supporters of DOGE’s motto — “Getting rid of waste, fraud and abuse” critics argue that the cuts often have lacked a full understanding
Louisiana lawmakers are considering legislation to overhaul the
Development
within DOTD, but under the Division of Administration, which functions as the administrative arm of state government. It would be led by an executive director appointed by the governor
The office would handle planning, engineering, design, construction, operation and maintenance of any of the state’s nonfederal aid highways, which include rural and local roads that aren’t major thoroughfares.
The highway construction office would be empowered to enter into contracts and promulgate its own rules for management of its own operations, independent of the Transportation Department.
But the purview of the Office
across the country Few corners of higher education have been untouched, as schools ranging from prestigious private universities, large public research institutions and tiny liberal arts colleges discover status terminations one after another among their students At least 600 students at more than 90 colleges and universities have had their visas revoked or their legal status terminated in recent weeks, according to an Associated Press review of university statements and correspondence with school officials. Advocacy groups collecting reports from colleges say hundreds more students could be caught up in the crackdown Around 1.1 million international students were in the United States last year — a source of essential revenue for tuition-driven colleges. International students are not eligible for federal financial aid and their ability to pay tuition often factors into whether they will be admitted to American schools Often, they pay full price. Many of the students losing their legal status are from India and
of the target, especially when it comes to science and technology research.
In the case of NIH funding, the administration has proposed reducing “indirect costs” covered through NIH grants by as much as 53%. Those indirect costs include things like building maintenance, utilities and environmental safety which aren’t specific to any one research project.
A federal judge in Boston has blocked those proposed cuts for now, though the administration said it plans to appeal.
For Tulane, those cuts alone would mean a $32 million reduction in its research budget, Norton estimates. “We would have to close labs and scale back at a time when we’re trying to show that we’re the state that innovates and takes advantage of new discoveries and inventions,” he said.
The Tulane downtown campus is expected to be at the heart of plans to develop the New Orleans BioDistrict. The city recently approved a plan that would allocate a share of sales taxes to be spent on landscaping, lighting upgrades, transportation improvement and other aspects of the BioDistrict, which covers a 750-acre swath of the city, running from the Xavier University campus to Loyola Avenue.
The area also incorporates LSU’s Health Sciences Center, the Veterans Affairs complex and University Medical Center
LSU has estimated that the proposed NIH cuts would result in a $12 million hit to its latest research budget Richard DiCarlo, dean of the LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, said they
of Louisiana Highway Construction could also grow if lawmakers transfer additional duties away from DOTD and to the highway construction office.
“If they are operating in a very efficient manner, there is opportunity for more duties to be transferred over,” Bourriaque said.
“This is a route to try and make improvements don’t know if it’s the best route, but it is a route, and we’re going to try and keep working through it.”
Inside of DOTD, a new Office of Transformation would be created and charged with implementing any departmental changes passed by the Legislature this year
An assistant secretary appointed
China, which together account for more than half the international students at American colleges But the terminations have not been limited to those from any one part of the world, lawyers said.
Some of the students were involved in pro-Palestinian protests, including Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University student and legal permanent resident who has been detained in Jena since last month. Last week, an immigration judge in Louisiana ruled that Khalil could legally be deported.
Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was revoking visas held by visitors who were acting counter to national interests, including some who protested Israel’s war in Gaza and those who face criminal charges
But many students say they don’t fall under those categories. Students have filed lawsuits in several states, arguing they were denied due process.
The Department of Homeland Security and State Department did not respond to messages seeking comment.
rely on grants not only from NIH and NSF but also from the departments of Defense and Commerce, which also are facing across-theboard cuts, including to their medical research grants.
“These grants advance both basic science and clinical application for the health,” and cuts would have “a significant impact,” DiCarlo said in an email.
Andy Kopplin, chair of the BioDistrict, said the threatened cuts come at a time when biomedical research has been a bright spot in the New Orleans economy with Tulane, LSU Health and Xavier attracting hundreds of millions of dollars of additional research dollars over the last decade.
“That’s just been an enormous economic development success story for the city,” he said in an interview Friday “It is also one of our key focal areas for the BioDistrict: to support the tech transfer from university research and be the feedstock for the commercial growth that we hope to see in the district in the coming years.”
Tony Hu, who oversees several Tulane research programs that are looking for better ways to diagnose illnesses, such as childhood tuberculosis, said it is not just the proposed cuts that are disrupting their work. He has about 30 staff working in his half dozen research programs, including international postgraduates who are concerned about the Trump Administration’s crackdown on student visas.
There have been reports that among the more than 1,000 student visas revoked at around 170 U.S. colleges and universities, some have been for minor infractions like traffic violations.
making a “good faith effort to try and identify efficiencies when it’s possible.”
On Tuesday morning, three of the four bills each had dozens of changes that had been incorporated just the day before, leaving little time for lawmakers and Transportation Department Secretary Joe Donahue to review them.
Donahue said he had yet to have “candid conversations about the intent” of the new highway construction office with Bourriaque
“That is not something that I’ve wrapped my head fully around,” he said. “As I have those conversations, hopefully we’ll get to understand how they see that operating and how it will be better.”
During the three-hour committee meeting, Donahue said multiple times that he had not yet had a chance to have a substantive discussion with Bourriaque about the updated legislation.
by the governor to lead the Office of Transformation would be “a change agent” that the public, lawmakers and the Transportation Department itself “could rely on” to implement transportation projects from planning and design through construction, Bourriaque said.
DOTD would be required to phase out its own equipment and repair shops and privatize those functions under House Bill 556.
In addition, within the department, a new Office of Project Management would be directed to privatize services “to the fullest extent possible,” under House Bill 528.
Privatizing to the “fullest extent possible” Bourriaque said, means
There are about 6,850 international students in Louisiana, according to data from the U.S. Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. They made up just over 3% of all students in Louisiana colleges and universities last fall.
The visa cancellations have resulted in a flurry of legal action. On Tuesday, the ACLU of Indiana sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on behalf of seven Indiana international students whose visas were “abruptly terminated without explanation.”
Earlier this month, the ACLU of New Hampshire sued the DHS on behalf of a Dartmouth College student. The lawsuit claims the student hadn’t committed a crime or participated in a protest in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Foreigners who are subject to removal proceedings are usually sent a notice to appear in immigration court on a certain date, but lawyers say affected students have not received any notices, leaving them unsure of next steps to take.
Some schools have told students to leave the country to avoid the
“Everything is unpredictable, that is the most horrible thing,” Hu said. The potential loss of grant funding and of key staff members, as well as uncertainty about potential import tariffs on laboratory equipment, has thrown planning efforts awry
The proposed federal cuts are not just hanging over biomedical research. The Trump administration also has proposed or implemented cuts to clean energy research and development programs, reflecting its broader shift toward prioritizing fossil fuel development.
Several of the 30 companies in Nexus Louisiana, a technology startup accelerator in Baton Rouge, are developing “clean energy” technology, which typically relies heavily on grants and other support from programs that are now threatened by cuts.
Another Nexus company, Directed Analytics, which helps schools with curricula for disabled children, won one of the largest-ever Small Business Technology Transfer grants two years ago. That program has been targeted for steep cuts.
“The suddenness of it all is a challenge to deal with when there are so many moving parts in this ecosystem that are relying on federal funding,” said Tony Zander CEO of Nexus.
Researchers say they recognize the need for greater efficiency in the federal grant application process, as Musk has said he is seeking to accomplish. Hernan Bazan’s New Orleans-based company South Rampart Pharma has raised more than $9 million in NIH grants in its quest to develop a non-opioid pain drug.
For example: The bills had previously called to eliminate the position of chief engineer at the department, but that provision had been removed.
After the hearing, Donahue said the department isn’t opposed to change and that he believes “ongoing discussions” with Bourriaque will yield “clarity about what it is they’re actually trying to achieve.”
But he argued that increased funding for the department “is the big missing piece from being able to have better roads and bridges in the state of Louisiana.”
“You will begin to see meaningful change to the status of the infrastructure whenever we begin devoting more revenue to that portion of the needs of the state,” he said.
risk of being detained or deported. But some students have appealed the terminations and stayed in the United States while those are processed.
Among the students who have filed lawsuits is a Georgia Tech Ph.D. student who is supposed to graduate May 5, with a job offer to join the faculty His attorney, Charles Kuck, said the student was likely targeted for termination because of an unpaid traffic fine from when the student lent his car to a friend. Ultimately, the violation was dismissed.
“We have case after case after case exactly like that, where there is no underlying crime,” said Kuck, who is representing 17 students in the federal lawsuit. He said his law firm has heard from hundreds of students.
“These are kids who now, under the Trump administration, realize their position is fragile,” he said. “They’ve preyed on a very vulnerable population. These kids aren’t hiding. They’re in school.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The NIH application process typically takes at least a year and he said any cuts to that timeline would be welcomed.
But he said that universities like LSU and Tulane cannot withstand arbitrary cuts to grant funding.
“They don’t have the endowments of Harvard, Princeton or Stanford,” he said. “It’s not like they can just tap into their endowments to make up the gap.”
Kris Khalil, who runs the New Orleans BioInnovation Center, or NOBIC, which is another key plank in the BioDistrict, said the administration might not understand what is at stake with cuts to research institutions. NOBIC, which now hosts more than three dozen startups, nearly collapsed six years ago before the universities and state government stepped in.
“The broader implications for the life sciences ecosystem are deeply concerning,” he said, noting that “academic research is the foundation of innovation in biotechnology and medical technology Any disruption to this pipeline threatens to slow or even stall the commercialization of novel breakthroughs.”
In February, Democratic Congressman Troy Carter, whose district includes New Orleans, assured a meeting that included Norton, Kopplin, Khalil and others that he would do what he could to stem the cuts. It’s not clear if there will be a concerted effort from the Republican-dominated Louisiana legislative group to fight cuts.
“We need others to step up during this time to keep momentum while the folks in D.C. figure out their next moves,” Khalil said.
BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Bills that insurance companies and business interests say would address Louisiana’scar insurance crisis advanced their first step in the legislative processTuesday
The measuresapproved by the House Civil Law and Procedure Committee would “levelthe playing field,” according to state representatives who blame Louisiana’s high car insurance rates on alegal system that they say encourages too many lawsuits and big payouts to people injured in wrecks.
The committee approved the
Continued frompage1A
Chasse, would change that. Landry hasalsosaid his office would work this session to “enact legislative reformsthatshouldproduce the framework necessary to properly move people from homelessness to housing.” Twostatewide bills banpublic camping and one requires municipalities to enforce theban. Guidry said that he had not been involved with eitherbill. “I don’tget involved in lawmaking,” he said, though he has been vocal about HB633.
Meanwhile,unlike previousyears, Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sadministration has not announced aformal agenda for the upcoming spring, and city officials declined to comment on the session.
But in at least two cases, Cantrell’sstaffers individually asked alawmaker to sponsor bills they favor Those are state Rep. Matthew Willard’sHouse Bill 220, which penalizes adult gun owners who fail to keep their weapons out of reach from minors, and Rep. MandieLandry’sHouse Bill 339, which allows affordable housing developments in New Orleans funded with federaltax creditstoreceive expedited permitting reviews.
Other lawmakers either did not respond to questions or said they have not spoken to the Cantrell administration about the session.
Drainage fee
Among the more controversial bills this year is House Bill 609, which would impose anew stormwater fee on city properties. The fee wouldberegulated by the Public Service Commission, an elected body that oversees utilities around the state. The city’sSewerage &Water Board funds its drainage operation chiefly through property taxes, but agency leaders havelong said the taxes —which generate about $75 million annually —aren’tenough.
State Rep. Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, discussed the bill with both the S&WB and Gov.Landry,but said she is filing it independently.S&WB Executive Director Ghassan Korban has stumped for adrainage fee but also said this week he did not ask Landry to file the bill.
“Weneeda functioning Sewerage &WaterBoard. It needs to be less political, Landry said. If thebillpasses this spring,the commission could enact afee without City Council or voter approval, as the S&WB is a state agency.Landry said she’sstill researchingifthe
bills Tuesday on party-line votes with Republicansflexing their legislative majority
Thetrial lawyer lobby made no public effort to oppose the bills, which will be heard on the House floornext week as part of astrategy to get them to the Senate early in the legislative session. Housememberssay privately that they believe thetriallawyer lobby hasgreater influence in the Senateand will try to kill or water down thebills there. Gov. Jeff Landry told legislators Monday when he kicked off the two-month regularlegislative session that he favors a“balanced”
state can unilaterally impose the fee, but it “makes sense” to do so if possible.
But City CouncilPresident JP Morrellcalledthe idea “completely silly,” since, in hisview, it violates acity charter provisiondesignating the councilasthe city’s sole utility regulator “I don’tknowhow you plan on, as alegislator,letting the PSCcome into thecity and begintoregulate us without getting the consent of citizens,” Morrell said The idea has long been debated. Proponents say afee would ensure tax-exempt property owners alsopay for drainage, butcritics call it adouble tax on properties already on the rolls. City Councilmembers havebeen lukewarm, saying they’ve yettosee aproposal that doesn’tsqueeze taxpaying propertyowners.
Encampment bans Twoproposals thissession target homeless encampmentsand were filed afterGov.Landry vowedto tightly focus on that issue. In thepast year,Landry has marshaledstate resources to move homelessresidents from downtown camps into astate-run shelter,which opened in January and closed after three months.
House Bill 619 from State Rep. Alonzo Knox, D-New Orleans,would bancamping on most publicproperty andempower residents to sue local officials for failing to enforce theban —except during astate of emergency, whichcan becalled by the governor. The bill as filed says that this wouldapply only during astate of emergency,but Knoxsaidthat he wouldbefiling an amendment to the bill to correct that language.
The bill also directs the state fire marshal to inspect homelesssheltersand other facilities. Alegislative audit this year found that New Orleans rarely inspects its own shelters.
approach thatbenefits neitherside over the other
That view has sparked consternation among the Republican House memberspushing theanti-trial lawyer bills in an alliance withInsurance CommissionerTim Temple. Landry andTemple set aside their differences —but didn’ttalk to each other —during anews conference Tuesday on the Capitol steps wherethey endorsed abill to allow drivers to use their cellphonesonly hands free. Rep.Brian Glorioso, R-Slidell, is thesponsor of the measure, House Bill 519. Landry, Temple, Gloriosoand state Sen. PatrickMcMath, R-
In astatement, Knox praised the Cantrell administration’sefforts to clear encampments over thepast year and put people into permanent housing.But, he said, thecity “must never return to theunsafe sprawling encampments that once occupied our historic neighborhoods and major economic corridors.”
Anotherproposal, Senate Bill 196 by state Sen. Robert Owen,R-Slidell,criminalizes unauthorized camping and creates “homelessness courts.”
Both proposals also come after aU.S. Supreme Court ruling last year allowed citiesand states to enforce bans on people sleeping outside.
District BCityCouncil member Lesli Harris, who has helped lead thecity’sefforts, said both encampment bills “do nothing to solve the root causes of homelessness and only pushes people further into crisis.”
Floodprotectionchanges
Good government advocates, meanwhile,say they’remystified by Braud’s HB633, which gives thegovernor control over themajority of boardseats on the regional agency thatoversees East Bankflood protection.The bill also removes a nominating committee that selects apool of board candidates with relevant professional experience for the governor to choose from.
The bill doesn’ttouch a twin agency overseeing the West Bank,where the nominating committee will continue choosing board candidates.Critics saythe bill undoes post-Hurricane Katrina reforms to takepolitics out of flood protection, and that Gov.Jeff Landry who asked Braud to carry the bill —hasn’t offered a rationale for the changes.
“Wehave no idea what theirgoals are or what they’re trying to fix,” said RebeccaMowbray,execu-
Notice is hereby givenpursuanttoArticle 7, Section23(C) of theLouisiana Constitution andR.S.47:1705(B) that apublichearing of theWestJeffersonLevee District in Jefferson Parishwillbeheld at itsregular meeting placeinthe SLFPA-W-Office- BoardRoom, 7001 RiverRoad, Marrero, Louisiana, 70072on Tuesday,May 27,2025at4:00p.m.toconsider levyingadditionalorincreased millage rates withoutfurther voterapproval or adopting the adjusted millage ratesafter reassessment androllingforward to ratesnot to exceed the prioryear’smaximum.The estimatedamount of taxrevenuestobecollected in thenextyear from theincreased millage is $6,796,773.07and theamount of increase in taxesattributable to themillageincreaseis$259,562.19.
Covington, whohas sponsored the legislationinpreviousyears,all said thatgetting fewer people to text and watch videos while drivingwill lead to fewer accidents. That in turn, they said, will reduce car insurance rates.
The action on car insurance then movedinsidethe StateCapitol building as the Civil Law Committee debated andpassedseveral major bills over four hours.
The Democratic legislators on the committee didn’twin over any of the Republicans after questioningthe legislative sponsors or insurance industry representatives who testified in favor of the bills.
tive director of theBureau of Governmental Research, anonpartisan research nonprofit Guidry has said the nominating committee hasbecome like “kingmakers” and the governor isn’tchanging themakeupofthe West Bank agency because it has “zero problems.” At least fourboard membersofthe East Bank agency resigned in protest of thegovernor and Guidry’schanges to that board.
Otherbills up for consideration include: n Rep. Stephanie Hilferty’sHouse Bill 610 to
“It actually went better than I thought,” Rep. Nicholas Muscarello,R-Hammond, the committee chair,said as the hearing ended. Landryissupportingone contentious measure, House Bill 34, by Glorioso,who told the committee that it would allow defendants to tell jurors how muchpeople injured in wrecks actually payinmedical bills. Under current law,jurors hear the totalamount billed,regardlessof whatthe plaintiff paid Glorioso said lowerpayouts for medical bills would lead to reduced car insurance bills. “Let’sunblindfold the jury,” Glorioso said.
increase short-term rental occupancy taxes
n Hilferty’sHouse Bill 611 to overhaul the composition of the Sewerage &Water Board
n Hilferty’sHouse Bill 29 and House Bill 31 on the New Orleans fire pension fund, which have been filed as placeholders but could makesignificant changes
n Knox’sHouse Bill 270 to minimizethe City Council’s role in approving developmentincentives
n Rep. Delisha Boyd’s House Bill 215 to create exceptions forrape in the state’sabortion ban
n Willard’s HouseBill 271 to increase the homestead
to require Senate confirmation of Port of New Orleansboardappointees n State Sen. Royce Duplessis’sSenate Bill 222 requiring 20%insurance discount for participation fortified roofsprogram n State Rep. Aimee Freeman’sHouse Bill 453 to require fortification of all new roofsincoastal zones. Staff writer Alex Lubben contributed to this story.
J&J expects$400M in tariff-related costs
Health care giant Johnson &Johnson expects about $400 million in tariff-related costs this year
The costs will be felt primarily within the company’smedical technology unit, which makes a range of medical devices and surgical products. The most substantial impact comes from tariffs against China and retaliatory tariffs from China, said Joseph Wolk, Johnson &Johnson’schief financial officer,in aconference call with analysts following the company’slatest earnings results. The company’sestimate also includes the impact from tariffs on aluminum and steel, along with tariffs against keyU.S trading partners Canada and Mexico. Johnson &Johnson said that contractual agreements already in place limitits leverage on price increases that could potentiallysoften the impact. The costestimate does not include possible tariffsonimports of pharmaceuticals. The Trump administrationhas launched an investigation into imports of pharmaceuticals, which is a step toward imposing tariffs. Tariffs, especially on pharmaceutical products, could lead to supply chain issues and shortages, said CEO Joaquin Duato. He said the best way to build up manufacturing in the U.S. is through tax policy,not tariffs.
Zuckerberg considered spinning off Instagram
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg once considered separating Instagram from its parentcompany due to worries about antitrust litigation, according to an email shown Tuesday on the secondsay of an antitrusttrial alleging Meta illegallymonopolizedthe socialmedia market.
In the 2018 email, Zuckerberg wrote that he was beginning to wonder if “spinning Instagram out” would be the onlyway to accomplish important goals, as big-tech companiesgrow.He also noted “there is anon-trivial chance” Meta could be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in five to 10 years anyway He wrote that while most companies resist breakups, “the corporate history is that most companiesactually perform better afterthey’ve been split up.” Zuckerberg, who was the first witness, testified formorethan seven hours over two days in the trial that could forceMeta to break off Instagram and WhatsApp, startups the tech giant bought more than adecade ago which have since grown into social media powerhouses.
The trial is one of the first big tests of the Federal Trade Commission’s ability to challenge Big Tech under the Trump administration. The lawsuit was filed against Meta —then called Facebook —in2020, during Trump’sfirst term. It claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market.
Bank of America to pay $540M in FDIC suit
Afederal judge has ordered Bank of America to pay more than $540 million to resolve long-running litigation from a U.S. regulator that alleged the company underpaid mandatory assessments for deposit insurance. The order,reached March 31 and published publicly on Monday,arrives overeight years after the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation suedBankof America in 2017. Back in 2017,the FDIC accused Bank of America of refusingtopay more than $500 million in assessments—a figure it laterexpanded to $1.12 billion —alleging that the banking giant failed to honor a2011 regulatory rule and “unjustly enriched itself” at the FDIC’sexpense. The Bank of Americalater filed amotion to dismiss in part, strongly denying it acted with an intent to evade such payments.
BY ELAINE KURTENBACH AP business writer
BANGKOK TheTrump administration has taken its next stepstoward imposing more tariffsonkey imports,launchinginvestigations into imports of computer chips, chipmaking equipment andpharmaceuticals.
TheDepartment of Commerce posted notices about the probes late Monday on theFederal Register,seekingpublic comment within three weeks. It had not formally announced them earlier
Although President Donald Trump paused most of his biggest tariff hikes last week for90days,
apart from those for imports from China, he has said he still plans tariffs on pharmaceutical drugs, lumber,copper and computer chips.
The Commerce Department said it is investigating how imports of computer chips, equipment to makethem and productsthat contain them— whichinclude many daily necessities such as cars, refrigerators, smart phones and other items —affect national security.Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 permits the president to order tariffs for the sake of national security.
The probe includesassessing the potential for U.S. domestic production of computerchips to meet U.S demand and the role of foreign manufacturing andassembly, testing and packaging in meeting those needs.
Among other aspects of the entire computer chip supply chain,
thegovernment intends to also study the risks of having computer chip production concentrated in other places and the impact on U.S. competitiveness from foreign government subsidies, “foreign unfair trade practices andstatesponsored overcapacity.”
After Trump said electronics wouldnot be included in what his administrationcalls “reciprocal” tariffs of up to 50% on somenations,U.S.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick explained in an interview on ABC News that pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and autos will be handled with “sector specific” tariffs “And those are not available for negotiation,” Lutnick said. “They are just going to be part of makingsure we reshorethe core national security items that need to be madeinthis country.Weneed to
makemedicineinthiscountry,” he said.“We need to make semiconductors.”
Theinvestigation into pharmaceutical imports includes ingredients used to make such drugs and touches on many of the same aspects of relying on imports to makethem
Askedabout his plans for more tariffs on pharmaceuticals, Trump saidMonday,“We’re doing it because we want to make our own drugs.”
More than 70% of the materials, or active pharmaceutical ingredients, usedtomakemedicines made in the United States are produced in other countries, with India, the EuropeanUnion and Chinaleading suppliers. TheU.S. produces about afifth of all pharmaceuticals made worldwide, but consumes about 45%,far more than any other country
Sugary treats come in nine colors
BYTASSANEE VEJPONGSA and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press
BETHLEHEM, Pa.— Love them or hate them, those marshmallowPeeps that comeinblindingly bright colors and an array of flavors are inescapablearound theEaster holiday. Millions aremadedaily in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, by Just Born QualityConfections, afamily-owned candy manufacturer that also churns outHot Tamales, Mike and Ike fruitchews and Goldenberg’sPeanut Chews Peeps is Just Born’s most recognizable brand and one of ahandful of candies that evoke strong reactions—good and bad.
Some sayanEaster basket isn’tcomplete withoutPeepswhile others deride themas being indestructible. Some use theminrecipes or even artwork.
“Evenifyou’renot usually one to gravitate to eating the Peeps, there’s always so many other funwaystoinclude them in your celebrations,” said Caitlin Servian, brand manager for Peeps On average, about5.5 millionPeeps are made each day That adds up to 2billion ayear —orroughly six Peeps for everyman, woman and child acrossthe U.S. That’s enough Peeps to circle the Earth twice.
First hatched in yellow, the sugary chicks and bunnies come in nine colorsfor this Easterseason, including pink, blue andlavender And there areeven more flavors —14for Easter —from cookies andcream, to fruit
punchand sourwatermelon. The varieties andcolorsvarythroughout the year with different holiday seasons.
Before the early 1950s, making the candies by hand took 27 hours.
Bob Born, who became known as the “Father of Peeps,” cameupwith away to speed up the process. He anda companyengineer designed amachine to makethem in less than six minutes. The same process is used today
The main ingredients —sugar,corn syrup andgelatin—are cooked andcombinedto createmarshmallows, which arethenshaped and sent through a“sugar shower.”
Awhopping 400 pounds of sugar is used per batch for Peeps’ colored sugars.
Freshly made Peeps —each chick weighs one-third of an ounce —then move along a conveyor so that they can cool before being packaged.
U.S. bond market showssigns of calm
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK U.S. stocks drifted Tuesday through arare quiet day for financial markets.
TheS&P 500 slipped, the Dow Jones IndustrialAveragefell and theNasdaq composite edged down slightly
Themodestmovesoffered some respitefollowing the huge swings thathave battered Wall Street recently,not just daytoday butalso hour to hour. The day before, the S&P500 went from again of 1.8% to aslightlossand back to againas it struggled to keep up with shifts
in President DonaldTrump’strade war,which some economists warn could cause aglobal recession unless it’sscaled back. Perhaps more importantly,the U.S. bond market also showed more signs of calm after its sudden and sharp moves last week raised worries that investors worldwide may no longer see U.S. government bonds as ano-brainer go-to when times are scary The yieldonthe 10-year Treasury eased to 4.33% from 4.38% lateMonday. It hadpulled back to there from 4.48% at theend of last week after surging from just 4.01% aweek earlier.Adrop in yields is what usually happens when investors are scared, and this week’smoves offera returntoform for what historically hadbeen seen as one of the safest
investmentspossible. Thevalue of the U.S. dollar also steadied after tumblinglast week, which had raised more worries that Trump’stradewar was degrading its status as asafe-haven investment, as with U.S. Treasury bonds. The dollar’svalue ticked higher againstthe euro andSwiss franc, though it slipped against theBritish pound.
On Wall Street,Albertsons’ stock fell 7.6% despite reportingastronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.The companybehind Safeway, Vons andother grocery stores gave aforecast for profit in the upcomingyear that was short of analysts’. DaVita sank 3% for asecond straight drop after it saidaransomware attack is affecting some
of its operations. The health care company said it’sstill investigating theattack, whichitlearned about Saturday,and that it can’tyet know the “fullscope, nature, andpotential ultimateimpact.”
On the winning sideofWall Street was Bank of America, whichclimbed 3.6% after the Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank reported stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Most bigU.S. banks have been reporting strong resultsfor the start of the year,boosted by their stock trading deskstaking advantage of all the huge swings caused by Trump’son-again, off-again tariff announcements. Citigroup also topped analysts’ expectations, and its stock rose 1.8%.
BY MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa.—
Aman
charged withsetting fire to Pennsylvania Gov.Josh Shapiro’smansion over the weekend had struggled with mental illness, twice being treated at apsychiatric hospitalin recent years, his brother said Tuesday Court records and interviews with family members show Cody Balmer’slife unraveled dramatically in the years before authorities say the 38-year-oldscaled an iron security fence in the middle of the night, eluded police and set the Democratic governor’smansion ablaze.
said he felt Cody was verbally abusive to their parents and urged his mother to stand up forherself.
“I remember specifically tellingmymom, ‘You need to getmad at himbecause he’staking advantage of you guys,’”hesaid.
Christie Balmer,Cody Balmer’smother,said Mondaythatshe hadmadecalls in recentdays about herson’s mental health,but “nobody would help.”
Dan Balmer said that his brother hada grudge against his wife because she pressed forCodyBalmer to getinpatient psychiatric care and that he claimed she wasawitch who hadcast aspellonhim.
and arson. He did not enter aplea. He had told police he planned to beat Shapiro with a smallsledgehammer if he encountered him after breaking into the building, according to court documents. The fire caused significant damage and forced Shapiro, his family and guests, including other relatives, to evacuate the building early Sunday.The residence, built in 1968, did nothavesprinklers, and the damage could be in the millions of dollars, Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterlinesaid.
DanBalmer,anelectrical engineer who lives in the Harrisburg suburbs, told The Associated Press that he had given Cody Balmera place to live acouple years ago. He wasinvolved in getting his brother treatmentat the PennsylvaniaPsychiatric Institute twice, saying Cody Balmer exhibited disturbing behavior “He’shad ups and downs his whole life with the bipolar,” Dan Balmersaid.“He doesn’tbelievehe’sbipolar,so he doesn’ttake his medicine.”
Fire forced an evacuation
Amotive for the attack, including whether ithad anything to do with Shapiro’s politics or religious beliefs, wasn’timmediately clear Cody Balmer,who is registered as an unaffiliated voter, hadalways been politically interested and considered himself “more of an indepen-
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip
An Israeliairstrike hit the northern gate of afield hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday,killing amedic and wounding nine other people, ahospital spokesman said Thestrike hitthe Kuwaiti Field Hospital in the Muwasi area, where hundreds of thousands have sought shelterinsprawlingtent camps. The wounded were all patients and medics, and two of the patients were in critical condition after the strike, saidSaber Mohammed, ahospital spokesman. There was no immediate comment from theIsraeli military
On Tuesday,aspokesman for Hamas said that strikes had causedthem to losecontact with the unit guarding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander.Hamas released avideo of the 21-yearold soldier days earlier,likely speaking under duress.
Hamas said adirect strike hitthe location where Alexander was being held and they were trying to reach them In aseparate development, PrimeMinister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to Palestinian statehood in aphone call with French President Emmanuel Macron, who had said France aimed to recognize aPalestinian state later this year Strikesonhospitals
The military has struck and raided hospitals on several occasions during
the 18-monthwar,accusing Hamas militants ofhiding out in them or using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegationsand accused Israel of recklessly endangering civiliansand gutting Gaza’shealth system.
On Sunday,Israel struck the last major hospitalproviding critical care in northern Gaza after ordering an evacuation. Apatientdied duringthe evacuation, and thestrike severely damaged the emergency room, pharmacy andsurrounding buildings, according to AlAhli Hospital.
The Episcopal Dioceseof Jerusalem, which runs the hospital, condemned the strike.
Israel said it targeted a Hamas command andcontrol center within the facility,without providing evidence. Hamas denied the allegations.
Netanyahuvisits Gaza
In the call with Macron, Netanyahu said thecreation of aPalestinianstate would be “a huge reward for terrorism”and resultina militant-run entity just miles from Israeli cities. In his own statement posted on X, Macron called for another ceasefire, the release of hostages and renewingthe delivery of humanitarian aidtoGaza, which Israel has blocked for over amonth.Hedid not mention recognitionofaPalestinian state.
Macron saidlast week that France shouldaim torecognize aPalestinian state by June when it joinsSaudi Arabiainhosting an interna-
dent thananything else,”his brother said, but thatseemed to change during the2024 election, when “hetried to convinceeverybody in the family” to votefor Donald Trump.
The night before the governor’sresidence was attacked, Dan Balmer said, Cody Balmer flipped over atable
containinga jigsawpuzzle at the home where he lived with theirparents.Dan Balmer
The attack is the latest act of political violence in the U.S. Balmer,ofHarrisburg, was deniedbailMondayas he faced charges including attempted homicide, terrorism
Shapiro said he,his wife, theirfourchildren, twodogs and another family had celebrated theJewish holidayof Passover on Saturday night in the room where the fire was started.Theywereawakened by state troopers pounding on their doors about 2a.m. Sunday.They fled and firefighters extinguished the fire, officials said. No one was injured
tional conference on implementing atwo-state solution.
Later on Tuesday,Netanyahu’soffice said he visited northernGaza. He’spreviously entered Gazaahandful of times during thewar Population displaced Thewar beganwhen Hamas-led militants attackedsouthern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200people,mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Fifty-nine hostages arestill inside Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, aftermost of the rest were releasedinceasefire agreements or other deals.
Israel’sretaliatory offensive haskilledover51,000 people,according to an updated toll released by Gaza’s HealthMinistry on Tuesday Thatincludesmore than 1,600people killed sinceIsrael endeda ceasefire and resumed its offensive last month to pressureHamas to accept changes to the agreement.
The ministry is ledby medicalprofessionals but reports to the Hamas-run government.Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies andindependent experts,though Israel has challengedits numbers. Israelsays it has killedsome 20,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The ministry does notsay howmany were civiliansor combatants but says women andchildrenmakeupmore thanhalf of the dead. The offensivehas destroyed much of the territoryand displaced around 90% of its populationofroughly 2million Palestinians
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BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
The leaders of the San Diego Transportation Department and Philadelphia Water Department are in the running to become the Sewerage & Water Board’s next executive director once Ghassan Korban departs in May
The S&WB unveiled the two finalists for the top job, Bethany
Campaigns for several offices heat up
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
City Council Vice President Helena Moreno remains far ahead of challengers in the New Orleans mayor’s race in fundraising, as candidates’ campaigns for several city offices heat up.
Moreno, who announced her campaign to succeed Mayor LaToya Cantrell in December, raised nearly $900,000 in the first three months of the year bringing the total in her campaign account to more than $1.5 million as of April 4, according to state campaign finance documents.
The filings which candidates filed by Monday to meet a reporting deadline 180 days before the primary cover races for New Orleans mayor, citywide New Orleans City Council seats, Orleans Parish sheriff, clerk of Civil District Court and other positions. Candidates are expected to spend millions of dollars ahead of the Oct. 11 elections on advertising, outreach and campaign staffing. Official signups for the races begin in July
In a statement, Moreno’s campaign manager Renée Lapeyrolerie said that the financial support “shows the hunger for change across our community,” and noted that more than 750 people have signed up to volunteer for Moreno’s campaign.
District E City Council member Oliver Thomas, who announced his bid for mayor in March, had $225,000 on hand April 4 after raising nearly $90,000 since the start of the year He said he was “extremely proud of” the campaign so far
“Fundraising hasn’t been as much of a priority to me as getting to know the concerns of the people in this city,” he said. “Deep pockets are not going to control this city We’re finally going to have a chance for the people to decide what they want.”
Arthur Hunter, a former criminal court judge who announced his candidacy in February, has surpassed Thomas in fundraising so far this year, raising $110,000 in both cash and in-kind contributions.
In a statement, Hunter’s campaign finance director Teri Smith Hutchinson said his fundraising is a “significant feat, especially considering Judge Hunter has been off the bench for five years and is running against two sitting City Councilmembers. His strong showing underscores the power of his message and the momentum building behind this campaign.”
Bezak and Randy Hayman, after a board committee held an hourslong executive session on Tuesday A final selection is expected by the end of the month.
Bezak, the San Diego transportation director for the past two years, previously served as that city’s stormwater director, according to her LinkedIn profile In her current role, Bezak oversees streets, sidewalks, traffic signals and other infrastructure, according to the city’s website
Bezak has also led green infrastructure projects for the Washington, D.C., water system, and holds a master’s degree in biological engineering from Virginia Tech University Hayman, meanwhile, has served as the Philadelphia water director for the past six years and last year was reappointed to
the position by a newly elected mayor The Philadelphia water system, like the S&WB, handles tap water, wastewater and stormwater. Before that, Hayman was a partner at a law firm handling water-related cases, according to his LinkedIn profile. He has also served as general counsel for water and sewer systems in Washington, D.C., and St. Louis. Hayman holds a law degree from Georgetown University “Both candidates are nation-
ally recognized in their fields and bring deep experience working in complex urban systems and leading large organizations tasked with delivering critical infrastructure and services,” S&WB officials said in a news release.
Bezak or Hayman will replace Korban, who has led the S&WB since 2018 and announced earlier this year that he will leave in May A total of 68 people applied
Five agencies contributing to N.O Lakefront Easter weekend
BY JONI HESS Staff writer
While New Orleans’ Lakefront is usually packed with locals enjoying good weather on Easter weekend, this year there will be a noticeable increase in security measures now that Gov Jeff Landry has pushed the New Orleans Levee Authority to expand its law enforcement.
On Tuesday, state and local officials held a news conference detailing
“unprecedented” security measures planned for this weekend, including eight barricaded checkpoints targeting speed, noise, seat belt use, window tint and license plate violations.
At least five law enforcement agencies, including Landry’s Troop Nola, will have 80 officers manning the area along with patrols by helicopters, drones, boats and mounted officers.
“Folks need to know what it is that they’re getting into,” said Levee District Police Superintendent Joshua Rondeno. “This will be the safest, most successful Easter Sunday along Lakeshore Drive.”
Officials did not say that safety has been an issue on previous Easter weekends,but levee district spokes-
Property levies go for drainage, recreation, libraries
BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer
Jefferson Parish is asking voters to renew vital property taxes on May 3 for three parish departments: drainage, recreation and libraries. The millages make up more than 90% of the operating budgets for recreation and libraries, and 45% of the drainage budget. Without them, the parish said it would have to close its playgrounds, parks and community centers, as well as halt capital projects and library programming. But the vote comes at a time when several local millages have
failed, including a renewal for the West Jefferson Levee District millage in March. Political observers have blamed the failings on the economic uncertainty faced by residents thanks to inflation and fears of a recession and trade war, as well as public backlash to rapid-fire changes by policymakers on the state and federal level. For a $200,000 home with a homestead exemption, the three millages would result in payments of $75 per year for drainage, $125 per year for recreation, and $81.25 per year for libraries. None of the millages will impose new taxes to residents. If passed the drainage and recreation millages will renew in 2027, and the library millage in 2028. Early voting runs from Saturday until April 26.
person Stacy Gilmore said the deadly Jan. 1 Bourbon Street attack served as an opportunity to improve planning for large-scale public events.
Gilmore added that “illegal takeovers by four-wheelers and dirt bikes are causing significant damage to the levee’s turf armor and posing serious safety risks to both pedestrians and drivers.”
Wide-ranging public safety efforts have been implemented for major events since the deadly Jan. 1 attack. Last weekend, officials rolled out new security measures for French Quarter Fest that saw Bourbon Street closed to vehicle traffic and additional police presence throughout the Quarter
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
A federal jury in New Orleans on Tuesday convicted three accused members of a violent Central City drug gang on racketeering and murder charges, in a case centered on a double killing in 2017 outside an Edna Karr High School basketball game. The killings of suspected gang rivals Wynston “Baby Ghost” Jackson and Lawrence Williams IV highlighted an 11-count racketeering indictment that once named 10 defendants Seven of them pleaded guilty leaving Tyrone “Sixx” Bovia, Javonta Doleman and Terran “Funky” Williams to stand trial as key figures of the “Byrd Gang,” an allegedly violent clan with roots in the former Magnolia housing develop-
ment. Prosecutors claimed over the two-week trial that all three men drove across the Crescent City Connection to commit a signature crime: the deadly assault the night of Jan. 31, 2017, after an associate, Briyan Love, spotted Jackson and Williams inside the school gym. The pair allegedly belonged to the rival “Ghost Gang,” hailing from the former Calliope housing development. Love, who pleaded guilty as an accessory after the fact to murder, was among the key witnesses to testify as the three defendants stood trial on a host of gun and drug crimes from an alleged racket that ran for years leading up to the Edna Karr killings. The jury culled from the 13-parish Eastern District of Louisiana, deliberated Monday and most of Tuesday before finding all three men guilty on the
Man shot in the hand in stable condition, police say
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
A woman shot her husband, then fatally shot herself outside a Ponchatoula fast food restaurant Monday evening as police officers ordered her to drop the gun, authorities said.
In a news release on their Facebook page Tuesday, the Ponchatoula Police Department said it responded to the McDonald’s on West Pine Street around 5:16 p.m. in response to a report of a shooting. Near the restaurant, police found a 60-year-old man with a gunshot wound to the hand, Police Chief Bry Layrisson said in an interview
As they helped the man, who Layrisson said was hiding near a carwash, officers came into contact with a 47-year-old woman who was armed with a handgun.
“They gave her two or three verbal commands” to drop the gun, but she refused, Layrisson said. Then she shot herself in the head.
Police identified the woman as Cabrina R. Stanley, of Hammond.
She was transported to an area hospital where she died, police said.
The man who was shot in the hand was listed in stable condition at an area hospital, police said.
New Orleans police lay evidence markers on Iberville Street in the French Quarter after five were wounded in a shooting on Sunday.
Court to hold ‘dangerousness hearing’
BY LAUREN WALCK Staff writer
The suspect in the shooting that injured five people just after the French Quarter Festival on Sunday is being held without bail pending a “dangerousness hearing,” the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office said Monday night in a news release.
Christopher Parker, 26, opened fire “into a crowded public space, injuring five
BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer
The start date of a toll to use the new Belle Chasse Bridge has been moved back again to April 22 to accommodate the installation of permanent signs, the Belle Chasse Bridge and Tunnel Replacement Project said Tuesday
The toll on the bridge, which opened March 17 after being delayed for nearly a year, was
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for the position during a consultant-led national search. Bezak and Hayman were selected from a semifinalist pool of nine applicants.
Attempts to reach Bezak and Hayman on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
The change in leadership comes at a critical juncture, as the S&WB nears completion of major capital projects and grapples with funding challenges. Meanwhile, state and local lawmakers over the past three years have passed new requirements on the S&WB’s billing practices and put it in charge of the city’s long-neglected storm drains.
More change could be afoot from proposals floating in this spring’s legislative session, including one that would overhaul the board that the new executive director will report to. The 11-member board is currently chaired by the mayor, who appoints most of the other members.
The board structure effectively puts the mayor in charge of the S&WB, but the utility is technically a state agency The City Council meanwhile must approve rate increases and drainage taxes, and has some regulatory authority
State Rep Stephanie Hilferty’s House Bill 611 would install a board with a mix of appointees by the mayor, City Council members, governor and state lawmakers, with no appointing authority holding a majority If Hilferty’s bill succeeds, the city’s next mayor — to be elected this year would potentially exercise far less influence over the executive director
The current S&WB governance setup tends to lead to political tangles involving officials
supposed to begin April 2 However, the toll has been moved back multiple times.
Most recently, the toll was supposed to start Wednesday. When the toll begins, it will be collected in both directions. Most vehicles will be subject to the following pay scale: 25 cents for Plaquemines Parish residents, $1.13 for nonPlaquemines residents with a GeauxPass and $2.26 for everyone else.
at different levels of city and state government, and navigating competing agendas is part of the S&WB leader’s job
Another bill, state Rep. Mandie Landry’s House Bill 609, would impose a drainage fee to force tax-exempt property owners to help pay for strained drainage infrastructure. The fee would be regulated through the state Public Service Commission.
City Council President JP Morrell has criticized Landry’s bill for potentially bypassing council and voter approval, and has said a drainage fee would likely be a double tax on properties already on the rolls.
S&WB officials urgently want to install a drainage fee because they fear voters will frown on a 10-year property tax up for renewal next year. In a recent interview, Korban said the S&WB is interested in working with Landry on her bill but stressed the S&WB did not ask for it.
Meanwhile, the S&WB is again asking lawmakers to approve $29 million in state capital funds for a power plant designed to stabilize electricity for the city’s ancient drainage pumps, which often short out during flash floods.
The first phase of the $360 million project is scheduled to come online in August, in time for the height of hurricane season But more funding is needed to connect a new power plant to drinking water pumps, as well as an operations center and other components.
Lawmakers appeared poised to approve the $29 million capital request last year, but they rejected it after Mayor LaToya Cantrell criticized what she said were unfunded mandates forced on the S&WB by the Legislature.
Email Ben Myers at bmyers@ theadvocate.com
people who were in no way involved with him,” the District Attorney’s Office argued before a judge Monday. “The gun recovered at the time of his apprehension was equipped with an extended magazine and was still hot to the touch, indicating it had been recently fired.”
The shooting happened just before 8:30 p.m near Decatur and Iberville streets after an argument, police have said. Parker was arrested after a foot chase, and two firearms were found at the scene.
Commissioner Jonathan Friedman ordered a hearing to determine whether he is a danger to the public It’s set for
3 p.m. Thursday Louisiana law allows for suspects to be held without bail until their trial when they are deemed either are a flight risk or a danger to the public. Parker faces five counts of aggravated second-degree battery and one count of illegal use of weapons. “This office takes any act of gun violence seriously — especially when it endangers entire crowds of families and festivalgoers,” District Attorney Jason Williams said in the news release. “We will use every available legal tool to prevent further harm and protect our residents and visitors.”
Pair accused of stealing more than $10,000
BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer
A roulette dealer at Caesars Casino in New Orleans and a Violet man were arrested Friday and accused of stealing more than $10,000 from the casino through late bets, according to Louisiana State Police.
Ahmod Junius, 23, and the dealer 46-year-old Margaret Lake, were each arrested on a count of theft between $5,000 and $25,000, troopers said.
On Tuesday, detectives from the New Orleans Office of the State Police Gaming Enforcement Division began investigat-
Continued from page 1B
The campaign noted that 113 of the 151 total donors are smalldollar contributors.
“This milestone shows that our message is resonating — not just with major supporters, but with everyday New Orleanians who want to see real change,” said Hunter
Tyrell Morris, a former 911 chief, raised just over $1,000 since launching his campaign in March. In a text message, Morris said that most of his early campaign contributors were friends and family
“We don’t have wealthy friends to call upon or the proverbial rich relative to ask,” Morris said “As the campaign gains momentum and I share my vision for making New Orleans work for all, not just a few that message will resonate with the average person.”
State Rep. Delisha Boyd, DNew Orleans, who announced her run for citywide at-large council seat currently held by Moreno, raised $156,000 in the first three months of the year “I’m a businesswoman, a legislator, and a mother — not a career politicians,” Boyd said in a text message. “I’m running to bring real change and get this city back on track.”
State Rep. Matthew Willard, D-New Orleans, announced his run for Moreno’s City Council seat last week but did not file a
Continued from page 1B
Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said her office is efforting an educational campaign to raise awareness on the millage vote and illustrate how taxpayers’ dollars are being spent beneficially
Her administration has hosted several public meetings on the ballot measures, launched a social media campaign and spoken at local civic association meetings in hopes of drumming up support.
On the West Bank, the millage renewals will share a ballot with a special election for the Jefferson Parish Council District 1 seat.
Drainage
For drainage, all parish residents except for Grand Isle are asked to renew a property tax of 6 mills, which generates $27 million per year over 10 years.
That money is used for acquiring, constructing, maintaining and operating Jefferson Parish’s drainage system, including 340 miles of drainage waterways and 1,465 miles of street subsurface drainage channels.
The department also oversees 72 pump stations across the parish, which are responsible for pumping stormwater out of canals during hurricanes and other severe weather events.
“The drainage pump system and canal system is the backbone to keeping our homes and businesses from flooding,” said drainage director Ben Lepine in a video.
Recreation
Residents in unincorporated Jefferson Parish and Jean Lafitte will decide on a tax of 10 mills to fund the parish’s community centers and playgrounds. The millage generates $35 million per year which is 93% of the recreation department’s budget and provides for athletic programs, senior activities, summer camps and other programming.
Recreation department director Harold Buhler said the parish’s playground sports program and “leisure services” like art, swimming and yoga each have over 20,000 participants. The parish’s 33 satellite parks also see up to 20,000 patrons each year
ing the theft and determined that Lake was intentionally assisting Junius by allowing him to place several late wagers, according to State Police.
Detectives executed search and arrest warrants at Junius’ Violet home Friday arresting him and booking him into the Orleans Justice Center. Lake was arrested and booked into the Orleans Justice Center the same day Late bets refer to placing a bet after the time when no more bets are allowed to be taken. Late betting is considered a form of cheating.
State Police did not say what evidence was used to conclude that Junius was placing late bets and that Lake was assisting Junius.
Email Marco Cartolano at Marco.Cartolano@theadvocate. com
disclosure by Monday’s deadline. Willard said in a text message he wasn’t required to file because he just announced last week. Board of Ethics rules say filings are only required after candidates receive contributions for the offices they’re seeking. Willard did not respond when asked if he had begun fundraising.
In the race for Orleans Parish sheriff, former interim New Orleans Police Department chief Michelle Woodfork has far surpassed her opponents with around $79,000 raised so far this year and had more than $60,000 on hand Hutson had raised nearly $49,000 and has $9,000 on hand. Constable Edwin Shorty has raised $44,500 and has more than $33,000 on hand.
“We’re incredibly proud of this milestone,” said Woodfork’s campaign manager, Tyronne Walker “In just a few short weeks, we’ve built a campaign powered by grassroots donors and local supporters who are ready for real leadership in the Sheriff’s Office.” Chelsey Richard Napoleon, the sitting Orleans Parish Civil District Court clerk, had not raised any cash by the deadline, according to a report.
Candidates for district council seats are not required to file by the 180 day deadline.
Staff writers Ben Myers and James Finn contributed to this report.
Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@theadvocate. com.
Libraries
All Jefferson Parish residents will vote on the renewal of 6.5 mills for the library system, which brings in $29 million per year, or 95% of the library budget.
The parish operates 16 libraries total and plans to open a new one in Avondale this month. In addition to traditional library services, patrons can also access the Library of Things collection to rent out objects like musical instruments and cookware, or obtain passes to regional museums and cultural institutions.
A millage failure would trigger “severe cuts to service,” according to the parish, and halt new capital projects and programs.
Recent votes
Residents in the suburban parish have long opposed the creation of new taxes, and have been on a recent streak of thwarting attempts to renew or levy new property taxes.
In December, voters narrowly struck down a tax proposal to fund pay raises for teachers and staff, which many theorize was the result of financial woes brought on by rising insurance costs and ballooning inflation.
Then last month, Louisiana voters showed out to overwhelmingly reject four constitutional amendments spearheaded by Gov Jeff Landry
The West Bank also voted down the renewal of a millage for the West Jefferson Levee District, which provides for more than $6.5 million per year to construct and maintain levees, fund capital improvements and upgrade equipment. Catherine Koppel, a public relations consultant for the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority West, declined to say what the change in funding might affect.
Should the property tax renewals fail, the parish will still have other opportunities to put the millages before voters before their expiration in 2027.
Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.
The Medical Association of Southeast Louisiana honors 57 New Orleans Fire Department members on Tuesday for their response to the New Year’sDay terror attack. The ceremony was held at Station 27 on ElysianFields Avenue in NewOrleans. Dr.Lindsay York, president of the Jefferson Parish Medical Society, and MASELA Executive Director Tara Legendre Winton presented certificates alongside NOFD Superintendent Roman Nelson, recognizing the firefighters’ courageous service
Closureis first time structure has been used
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
Apermanentgate thatblocks backwater flooding from affecting 30,000 people in six parishes began to be closed Monday morning ahead of expected high water on the Atchafalaya River
The closure of the 405-foot-long Bayou Chene floodgate is the first time the 3-year-old structure has been used due to high water in the Atchafalaya, aSt. Mary Parish levee official said.
The$80 millionfloodgate finished in April 2022 was first used last fall for Hurricane Francine. Levee district operations crews began moving the submersible
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main racketeering charge, adrug-dealing conspiracy aconspiracy to possess firearms, and two counts each of murder in aid of racketeering.
Bovia also was convicted of assault with adeadly weapon in aid of racketeering and an additional gun charge.The jury acquitted
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Levee board President Roy Carubba, who was appointed to his post by the governor last year,said Landry tasked him with making sure thelevee police department “got restored to its full capacity and made safety apriority.” When Landry took office last year, he pledged to tackle crime in the city, and created anew State Police unit called Troop Nola. “This is goingtobeour newnormal at theflood agency.Wewill do an incredible job protecting our citizens and patrolling the neighborhoods, and this event is emblematic of where we’regoing in our vision,” he said.
Newmeasures
On Sunday,traffic will be limited to eastbound vehicles along the 5-milestretch of Lakeshore Drive between the Seabrook Bridgeand West EndBoulevard, with an emergency lane open for first responders. Rondeno, who was hired in July to headthe Orleans and East Jefferson Levee District police departments, said that compared to last year,there will be more commissioned officers and technologies such as license plate recognition software and camera systems installed along Lakeshore Drive. To minimize trash buildup,
gateshortly before 7a.m. Monday and wereexpected to be finishedin theafternoon.
TimMatte, theformer mayor of Morgan City and the levee district director, said the levee district decided to move the gatemorethan aweek sooner than its operational plancalls for —whenthe Atchafalaya gauge at Morgan City hits 7feet.
The Atchafalaya at Morgan City was alittle over 4feet on Monday andisn’t predictedtohit 7feet untilApril 23,according to aNational Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration forecast Monday
Arelatively quick rise is predicted for the Atchafalaya and, as that water rises, the flow in Bayou Chene moves more quickly,creating achallenge to move thegate that’slongerthanafootball field and about as tall as afour-story building.
“Wethink by closing it alittle
all three on two counts each of causing death through the useofafirearm. Each faces apossible life prison sentence. U.S. District Judge Jane TricheMilazzo scheduled sentencing for July 16.
An FBI agenttold thejury that by 2021,authorities had pinned nine murdersonthe feud betweenByrd Gang and GhostGang
Allthree defendants wore white buttoned shirts and shackles as thejury ren-
bit earlierthat it will accomplish two things. One, it will be safer, and we won’tput theequipment at anyrisk by closing it alittle earlier and, numbertwo, thequickeryou can do that, the more water you can block from getting into thebasin,” Mattesaid. Crews mustemptywater from inside thefloodgate so it floats up from its resting location along the shore and can be swung on its hinge,known as apivot pile, into positioninBayou Cheneand resubmerged. The gatecloses off the bayou, becoming the centralpiece of a 1,100-foot-long floodwall that goes acrossthe bayouand ties into levees that head off into Terrebonne Parishand Avoca Island.
The gate and its levees can hold back arise of about 6.5 feet, based on current water levels in the bayou, Matte said. The floodgate south of Amelia protectsSt. Mary,Terrebonne, La-
deredthe verdicts Tuesday afternoon, as emotions flared in thegallery
Defense attorneys had argued that no physical evidencetied the defendants to theEdnaKarrmurders They pointed to aslain formermemberofthe clan, Terran”Trilla” Young, as a possible alternate suspect. He wasseenoutside the gym,being turnedaway at the door before theshooting. Missy Wilkinson contributed tothis story
Joshua Rondeno, superintendent of police at the Flood ProtectionAuthority-East, holds abriefing at the Orleans LeveeDistrict Police Department ahead of Easter weekend in NewOrleans on Tuesday.
an issue that hasplagued theareafollowing previous years’ festivities, officials have hired acontractor for additional trash pickups beginningFridaythrough Sunday It’s also thefirst time they’veplanned security measures far in advance.
Crowdedholiday weekend
Chas Ruiz,ofthe Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, said they expect hundreds of peopletogatheroverthe weekend“to do what we do in New Orleans.”
“You’re going to have alot of folks barbecuing, boiling seafood,” he said. “Wedon’t expect violence or anything like that.”
Lydia Lynn livesa block off Lakeshore Drive where she’s used tohearing the distant sound of music from Lakefront visitors on anormalweekend. Buton
special occasions, such as Easterand Mother’sDay, thearea is especially busy.
“I think people aregenuinely out there having fun and enjoying themselves,” shesaid.
It can be especially busy, she said, on the West End side near The Blue Crab restaurant as people set up their antique cars to be observed by those passing by While there have been accidents in years past, Lynn recalled, traffic andnoise from the crowds isn’ttypically an issue forher family
The public can stay up to date using the city’semergencycommunications platform NOLA Ready or text LAKESHOREDRIVE to 77295 for roadclosure updates
Email Joni Hess at joni hess@theadvocate.com.
fourche, St.Martin, Assumption and Iberville parishes from backwater floodinginthe basin. Temporary submersible barges andsheet piles have been used four othertimesinroughly the same location in Bayou Chene to block high waters in the Atchafalaya —1973, 2011, 2016 and 2019.
In 2019,Gov.John BelEdwardsannounced thatthe Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority would financethe floodgate with federalrevenuesharingfrom offshore oiland gas production. Heavy rains in the Midwest are filling watersheds that draininto theMississippi and its related waterways, like the Atchafalaya.
The Atchafalaya is projected to peak at 7.5 feet at Morgan City on April 25, andstay at that height until the predawn hours of April 26, when waters will begin to fall, according to the NOAA. Lastweek, state officials sug-
gested high water in the Mississippi wasleading to evaluation by the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers about partially openingthe Bonnet Carre Spillway upstream of New Orleans.
But Corps officials said the river is not expected to reach the required streamflow to trigger opening of the venerable seriesoffloodgates near LaPlace.
The spillway opens when Mississippi streamflow hits 1.25 million cubic feet per second, or roughly 17 feet on the Carrolton gauge in New Orleans. Forecasts last week put the peak just below that level but within the forecast’smargin of error
TheMississippi at Baton Rouge is expected to hit 40.6 feet, or just into major flood stage, on April 23. The river last reached that height or greater in Baton Rouge in April 2020, when it peaked 4feet higher It was also the last time the Bonnet Carre was opened.
working life,through employer-provided benefits.When those benefits endwithretirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading people to put off or even go without care
Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1
That’sright. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocovereverything. Thatmeans if you wantprotection,you need to purchase individual insurance.
Early detection canprevent small problems from becoming expensive ones.
The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.
Chester, Charleen
Fabre, Mathilde
Hebreard, Danny
Herkender, Nikki
Hoyt,Miriam
Keasley, Charles
LaCosteJr.,Roy
Larkin,Michael McNamara Jr., William
Morise,Mickie
Parrales,Kelle'
Phillips, Jimmy
Rodriguez, Patricia
EJefferson
Garden of Memories
Rodriguez, Patricia
Leitz-Eagan
Hoyt,Miriam
NewOrleans
Boyd Family
Keasley, Charles
Charbonnet
Hebreard, Danny
DW Rhodes
Chester, Charleen
Greenwood
Herkender, Nikki
LaCosteJr.,Roy
McNamara Jr., William
Lake Lawn Metairie
Parrales,Kelle'
Phillips, Jimmy St Tammany
EJ Fielding
Morise,Mickie West Bank
West Leitz-Eagan
Fabre, Mathilde
Obituaries
Chester, Charleen 'CC'
In Loving Memory of Charleen"CC" Chester, July30, 1952 -April 14, 2025
CharleenChester,lovingly known as “CC” to allwho knewher,passedaway peacefullyathome on April 14, 2025, at theage of 72, surrounded by her beloved family. Born in New Orleans, Louisianaon July30, 1952, Charleen was the cherisheddaughterof the late Isabelle Newton and AlvinJosephGuimont
A true nurtureratheart she dedicatedher life to caringfor others as a healthcareworker. CC treated everypatient as if theywereher ownfamily— offering comfort, kindness and compassion in every moment. CC is survived by her devotedhusband Leslie Ferrande;her loving childrenCocco Harrison (Terry KeithHarrisonSr.) and Ronald Walker of Har‐vey,Louisiana;and her adored grandson,Terry
KeithHarrisonJr. Shealso leavesbehindher dear sis‐tersApril Davis, Pamela Wallace,PatriciaWashing‐ton,and Mirrar Dumas; her stepdaughter Tabbitha Falkins andstepson Leslie Falkins;and ahostof nieces, nephews, and friends who will always carry hermemoryintheir hearts. Shewas preceded indeath by hersiblingsIs‐abell Sparlot, Gwendowlyn Newton, Tamara Williams, and Carl Guimont. Agrave‐sideservice to celebrate CC’sbeautiful life will be heldonThursday,April 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Rest‐lawnParkCemeteryin Avondale, Louisiana. Arrangementsentrusted byDuplain W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home,1020 Virgil Street,Gretna, LA 70053 Pleasevisit www.rhodesf uneral.comtosignthe on‐line guestbook,share memories, andcondo‐lencesfor thefamily. CC’s kindspirit, generous heart, and unwavering love touched countless lives. She will be deeply missed byher family, hermany friends,and allwho were fortunate enough to know her
Fabre, Mathilde Marie
MathildeMarie Fabre passedawayonSaturday, April 12, 2025 at theage of 95. Shewas born in Harvey, Louisiana on November13, 1929 to thelateRoy Scioneaux,Sr. and Elvire Scioneaux.Devoted wife of the late CliftonFabre,Sr. LovingmotherofDaleOrr (thelateGlenn),Trudy Cole (Greg)and CliftonFabre,Jr. (Phyllis).Proud grand‐motherofCindy (Jeff) Scott (Brandy)and Brad (Amy).Great-grandmother ofClayton Brandon, Blaise and Micah. Sister of Vickie Scioneaux andthe late Roy Scioneaux,Jr.,Earl Scioneaux andNed Scioneaux.Mathildeisalso survivedbymanycousins, nieces, nephews, friends and herspecial friend and caregiver,SheilaMason Family andfriends arein‐
vitedtoattend thevisita‐tionfor MathildeonMon‐day,April 21, 2025 from 9:00 a.m.until 11:00 a.m. at Westside/Leitz-EaganFu‐neral Home,5101 Westbank ExpresswayinMarrero.Fu‐neral servicewillbegin at 11:00 a.m. anda private burialwillfollow. Condo‐lencesand memories could be shared with the familyatwww.westsidelei tzeagan.com
Hebreard,Danny Michael Gilbert'DannyBoy'
Danny“DannyBoy” Michael GilbertHebreard, passedawaypeacefully at the ageof63onThursday April 3, 2025 with familyat his side.Hewas born on December11, 1961 in New Orleans,LAtothe late Ser‐ial,Sr. andMaryLouiseHe‐breard. Dannywas em‐ployedasa Facilities Man‐agerfor Gulf Ventures As‐sociates. He wasa mem‐ber of NOLA Church in New Orleans,where he wasac‐tiveinserving thecommu‐nity. Survivorsinclude his wife, Arlene BeitaHe‐breard; daughters, Layla DanielleHebreardand Madison Louise Hebreard; bonus children,ErisCe‐leste Ramosand Evan Gabriel Ramos; beloved granddaughter,Alaya Rosie” Ramos; siblings Sheryl(Donald)Brown, Stephanie Thaggard,Serial Hebreard, Jr., Sonia(Cleve‐land) Cobb andKeith (Lisa) Hebreard. He will be dearly missedbymanynieces, nephews,and cousins. In additiontohis parents, Danny is also preceded in death by abrother,John "Prince"Gilbert (Arlene).A Celebration servicehonor‐ing thelifeand legacy of the late Danny"Danny Boy"M.G.Hebreardwillbe heldinthe Chapel of Char‐bonnetLabat GlapionFu‐neral Home,1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Thursday,April 17, 2025 at 10 am.Inter‐mentPrivate.Visitation9 aminthe chapel.Inlieuof flowers, plants areappre‐ciated. Please sign online guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504)581 4411.
Nikki J. Herkender earnedher wingsto heavenonApril 9, 2025 Nikki wasbornonJanuary 10, 1947, to thelateMary AnconaHerkender and ClarenceHerkender,Sr. Nikki precedes hersignifi‐cantother,MaryDupuy Nikki is survived by her brother,ClarenceHerk‐ender,Jr. (Charlotte), her nephew, Kyle Herkender (Loretta), andher nieces GingerHerkender and AmandaHerkender West (Christopher),manygreat niecesand greatnephews, and many cousins. Nikki graduated from Riverdale HighSchool.She loved cooking, fishing, and spendingtimewithher familyand friends. Nikki madesuretohangout withher friendsevery week,doing differentactiv‐ities.She lovedcookingfor her familyand making hol‐idays meals. Shewillbe greatly missedbyevery‐one who knowsher.Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to visitGreenwood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124, on Saturday,May 3, 2025, starting at 11:00 a.m. followedbya funeralser‐viceat1:00p.m.Interment willbeprivate at alater date. Forcondolences and sharedmemories, please visit www.greenwoodfh com
Miriam JeanineHoyt, lovinglyknown as “Scubie” bythose closetoher,a woman of extraordinary grace,warmth, andtalent, passedawaypeacefully on Wednesday,April 9, 2025, at 6:10 p.m.,surrounded by
herlovingfamily. Shewas 88. Miriam wasthe cher‐ished widowofJames HaroldHoytand the beloved daughter of the lateOzieChristine Anthony and JamesWeaverSimpler She wasprecededindeath byher son, Mark Hodges; her sisters, Charlotte Marie Copelandand LydiaLor‐raine Simpler; andissur‐vived by hersiblings, James “Jimmy”Jeffrey Sim‐pler, JuliaLynnMooreGauntt, andAnthony Keith Moore. Adevoted mother, Miriamleavesbehinda legacyoflovethrough her daughters:AlysonHoyt (widowofthe late Peter Frangos), Kimberly Lane (marriedtoJeffrey Lane), DeniseGoulas(marriedto Randy Goulas), andMel‐lodySharon(marriedto Steve Sharon). Hernurtur‐ing spirit continuestolive oninher eightgrandchil‐dren: MariaFrangos, DustinLandry, Angele Sons, KatieGoulas, Za‐ckary Husband, Jordan Lane, MadisonLaneand Macie Husbandand nine great-grandchildren,all of whomweretouched by her unconditional love andjoy‐ful presence.Miriam sharedher remarkable mu‐sical giftsasa pianoplayer atPat O’Brien’sPiano Bar inNew Orleansfor 32 un‐forgettable years. Her stage presence wasas genuine as herheartlightingupthe room with every note andbringingjoy toall who hadthe pleasure ofhearing herplay. She was trulyselfless- never takingthe last cookie,al‐waysthinkingofothersbe‐foreherself.She never raisedher voice, never judged, andnever missed anopportunity to offer kindness. Whetheritwas her steady presence in the lives of herfamilyorher ever-supportivecomments
on Facebook,she made everyonefeel seen,loved and encouraged.Her pa‐tiencewas unmatched, her heart unshakably loving and herspiritendlessly positive. Shewas theheart ofher familyand aquiet, powerfulforce of good‐ness. Herlegacylives on not only in thegenerations she leaves behind,but in the wayshe lived- with sweetness, generosity,tal‐ent,and grace. Shewillbe forever lovedand forever remembered. Asecondline willbegin at St.Louis Cathedral in Jackson Squareatabout 1:30 pm on Thursday,April 17, 2025, led by ajazzbandtoPat O’Brien‘s pianobar where a tributetoher will be held from2:00pmuntil 4:00 pm A FuneralService will be heldat11:00 am on Friday, April 18, 2025, at LeitzEagan FuneralHome, 4747 VeteransMemorialBlvd. in Metairie, LA.Visitationwill beheldfrom9:00am11:00 am.She will be laid to restwithher husbandin LakeLawnParkinNew Or‐leans.Fondmemoriesand expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Lei tzEaganFuneralHome.com.
ResthavenMemorial Park 10400Old Gentilly Road,New Orleans, LA 70127
Servingthecommunityforover75years
Keasley, Charles Hamilton
CharlesHamiltonKeasley enteredeternal rest on Saturday, April12, 2025, at the ageof80. He wasa na‐tiveand resident of New Orleans,La. andthe owner and operator of Keasley DumpTruck Services from 1984 to 1999. Charleswas the belovedhusband of Cynthia Keasleyand father ofCharles (Sonya) Williams,RoseKeasley-Of‐fray, Cherie Keasleyand Ayana (Nelson) Ward.He was blessedwitha bonus daughter, Florence Banks aswellas11grandchildren and 17 great-grandchil‐dren. Also survived by a hostofnieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Charleswas precededindeath by par‐ents; Hamilton andMable Keasley,his former wife; LouiseKeasley,and sib‐lings;ElbeKeasley,Mary Scott, DorothyAdams Josephine Jackson, Ida RosePerkins,Tom Keasley, and Lucien Keasley. Family and friends, Pastors, offi‐cers, andmembers of neighboring churches,as wellasemployees of Pa‐ternostro Collision, The UnitedStatesPostalSer‐viceand MagicalMoments LearningCenterare invited toattendthe Celebration ofLifeService on Thurs‐day,April 17,2025, for10:00 a.m.atGentillyBaptist Church,5141 Franklin Ave, New Orleans, LA 70122. Vis‐itation and finalviewing willbeheldfrom9:00a.m to10:00 a.m. Pastor John A. Dyerofficiating. Interment willfollowatMt. Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Ave.,New Orleans, LA70122. Online guest‐book:www.anewtraditi onbegins.com(504)2820600. DonavinD.Boydand LinearBrooksBoydOwn‐ers/Funeral Directors.
LaCosteJr.,Roy Francis
RoyFrancis LaCosteJr. gainedhis wingsonThurs‐day,April 10, 2025 at the age of 59 yearsold.Hewas bornonSeptember 9, 1965 inNew Orleans, Louisiana toDiane Delery LaCoste and RoyLaCoste Sr.Roy was aresidentofHam‐mond, Louisiana, formerly ofChalmette,Louisiana.He isleaving behind hiswife and soulmate of 28 years, Laura LaCoste, andhis childrenRoy FrancisLa‐Coste III, KristinaAlexisLa‐Coste and(Joshua Turner) tocherish hissweet mem‐ories.AlsosurvivedbyRoy Francis LaCosteSr. (Un‐eeta),father-in-law ThomasP.Landa,steppar‐entsCharleneand Barry Wilson,brother ScottH.La‐Coste (Anna)withtheir childrenCade, Hailey,and Micah,brother-in-law ThomasP.Landa Jr.(Tina) withtheir children Thomas III (Rachel),ThomasJacob (Kimberly), Tiffanie (Austin), Sophia,sisters-inlaw Melissa Graham (Jeff) withtheir children Parker, Kristin (Brett),Collin, Brian, Brandon,JackieWalther (Mark)withtheir children Nick(Margaret), Paige (Zach), RobinLanda (Mitchell)withZuriand Flynn, dear friend Jerry Copeand allofhis Magno‐lia Crossing Families,along withmanynieces, nephews,cousins and great nieces,PalmerElaine Landa,Anastasia Rose Walther,AnnabelleAudrey Landa,MorganEstelle Landa,and EleanorGrace Landa.Precededindeath byhis mother DianeDelery LaCoste,mother-in-law EvelynMeyer Landa, mother-in-law Mary Cosse Landa,auntsLynette La‐Coste Langlois andSusan Delery, uncles,Herrmann Delery, DonJohnson cousinChadDelery, God‐motherDarlene Cole Martello, GodfatherRonnie LaCoste andmanygreatgrandparents. Royloved his familyand friends. If you were luckyenoughto beinhis Life 360Circle, he madesureyou got to your destination on time.Ifyou wererunning late,he would be sure to letyou know it!Heloved texting
hisfamily, friends, andcoworkers forevery Special Occasion in life,healways rememberedholidaysand birthdays.Roy always madeyou feel special! He textedLaura everymorn‐ing aftershe left forwork, Have aniceday,love you!” He wasanavidgolfer who always looked for‐wardtoplaying with his son RoyIII, brotherScott dad RoySr.,and nephew Cade. We wouldliketo sendout specialthanksto the ICUNurse Joyand Drs. JustinFowlkes andChris‐tineDominguez of North OaksHospitalSystemfor their excellentcareofRoy Relatives andfriends are invited to visitGreenwood FuneralHome, 5200 Canal Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124, on Monday,April 21, 2025, starting at 9:00 a.m. A FuneralMasswillfollow the visitation at 11:00 a.m. For condolencesand to share memories,please visit www.greenwoodfh com
Michael R.
Michael Larkin passed awayonApril 10, 2025.He was the widower of the late Mirtha Larkin.Michael is survived by hischildren: son, Michael A. Larkin, and daughtersLydia Larkin and Kenia Medina. He wasa proud grandfathertoEric Hall, Emily Larkin, Olivia Hall,Abigail Legnon, Juliana Soares, andLyla Larkin, and agreat-grandfather to ArmeliaLarkinTatum and Camilla LarkinTatum. In accordance with his wishes, the familywillhold aprivate ceremony to honor his life
McNamara Jr., William 'Coach'
William “Coach”Billy McNamara, Jr., 83 of Metairie, Louisianasadly passedawayonApril 10, 2025. Billywas born in New Orleans andgraduated from Holy CrossHigh School,Class of 1960. Billy was preceded in deathby his parents, WilliamJ.Mc‐Namara, Sr.and hisloving mother, MarguriteManale McNamara. He is survived byhis sister Rita MayMc‐NamaraBolen;niece Mary Kay Bolen(Tim) Molbert; nephewLieutenantColonel (Retired) Samuel J. (Julie) Bolen;three great nephews anda great niece;and five great-great niecesand nephews. While atHolyCross, Billywas the Captain anda star baseball pitcher anda forwardon the basketball team.He servedinthe AirForce Re‐serve 1963 to 1968. Billy was recognized as Coach ofthe Year with New Or‐leans Recreational Depart‐ment, NORD.Hecoached for NORDfor over 30 years, winning severalchampi‐onships.He wasawarded a certificate of Meritwitha “Key” of theCityofNew Orleans forhis outstanding service by MayorMoon Landrieu. Billywas also a loyal employee of Dori‐gnac’sFood Center for manyyears,and wasan avidLSU andN.O.Saints fan.Interment is private. In lieuof flowers, adonation toHolyCross High School would be greatlyappreci‐ated:HolyCross School, Attn:Sheri Salvagio,Assis‐tanttothe Presidentfor Advancement, Alumni Re‐
lations, andCommunica‐tions,5500 ParisAvenue New Orleans, LA 70122.
Mickie Morise,age 81, of Mandeville, Louisiana, passedawayonWednes‐day,April 2, 2025. Shewas bornonDecember10, 1943 inNew Orleans, Louisiana. She is survived by herchil‐dren, DamonMorise (Wendy),MarkMorise (Joann),and Ashley Morise Khashou (Jack);grandchil‐dren, Sage,Mason,Can‐non,Taylor, Morgan,Madi‐son,Keira,and Jacob; great-grandchildren,Beck‐ham andNoa;and stepgrandchildren,Cody, Alexandra,Ashley, and Amy,and step-greatgrandchild, Elliot.She was precededindeath by her lovinghusband of 59 years, EugeneGerardMorise; her parents,JohnJosephMar‐sigliaand JosephineMary Pisciotta Marsiglia; and her brother, John Mar‐siglia. Mickie Morise was known forher warm,faith‐ful andplayful personality. Her down-to-earth andcar‐ing dispositionmade everyonefeel welcometo share theirown story. She led alifeoflovewhich was evident in theway she reminiscedabout herown stories.Mostnotably,she loved to talk aboutthe crazylove” sheshared withher husband Gene and thejoy in raisingtheir childrenand grandchil‐dren. Mickie taught others tolovebyher ownexam‐ple,and shewillbedearly missedbyanyonewho was lucky to know her. In lieu of flowers, contributionsin memoryofMrs.Morise may be made to St.Jude Children’sResearchHospi‐tal at stjude.org/donate. A private memorial mass was held at E. J. Fielding FuneralHome, 2260 West 21st Avenue,Covington, Louisiana,and interment was in PinecrestMemorial Gardens.E.J.FieldingFu‐neral Home of Covington, Louisiana,ishonored to be entrusted with Mrs. Morise’sfuneral arrange‐ments.Her familyinvites you to sharethoughts, memories, andcondo‐lencesbysigning an online guestbook at www.ejfield ingfh.com
Kelle' Michele Hankton Parrales was born on October 9, 1977, to Ollie and thelate Joseph Hankton, Jr. in New Orleans, LA
Kelle' attended MaryD Coghill Elementary, St. Mary'sAcademy,and McDonough35High School. After graduating fromMcDonough 35 in 1995, she went on to obtain abachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Tulane University in May of 1999. She enjoyed avery successfulcareer as a chemical engineer in Norco and Geismar, LA withShell Chemical Company.
Kelle' acceptedChrist as her personal Lord and Savior at an earlyage. Her love forthe Lord shined bright throughout her ChristianLife
Kelle' married Rommel Parrales on November 6, 2010. On April 6, 2025, Kelle' answereda highercalling from heaven. When God said her fight was overand her battle was won, she left this earthly tabernacle looking towardsheaven rejoicing.
Kelle' is preceded in death by her father, Joseph Hankton Jr., paternal grandparents, JosephSr. and Irma Hankton,and her maternal grandmother, Wilhelmina Peterson. She leavestocherish her memory her loving husband, Rommel Parrales, her mother, Ollie Hankton, bigsister, Kimberlyn Lear (Winston Lear Jr.), little brother, Brandon Hankton, nieces, N'Diaand Bailey Lear,stepsons, Rommel Parrales Jr. and Jonathan Parrales, step-granddaughters, Leighton and Leigha Parrales, and ahost of otherrelatives and friends.
Relatives and friends are invitedtoattenda funeral service on Friday, April18, 2025, at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. NewOrleans, LA 70124. Visitation willbeheldfrom 10 AM -12PMwitha service to beginat12PM. Interment willfollow at All Saints Mausoleum.
T. Phillipsof Kenner, Louisiana passed away on April 5, 2025, at theage of 80. He was born in Laurel, Mississippi on March 27, 1945, son of thelate Robert and Hattie Phillips,brother of thelate Alice Carter, Weeda Jefcoat, Clyde Phillips and Lovell Phillips.Jimmy served in theUnitedStates Marine Corps, lovedLong Haul Trucking as owner/ operator,and spent time as an AnimalActivist. He was thebeloved husband of Mary JoelPhillipsfor 51 years. Avisitationfor Jimmy willbeheldThursday, April 17, 2025, at 10:00 AM at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home,5100 PontchartrainBlvd.,New Orleans, Louisiana 70124, followedbya memorial serviceat11:00 AM. Aprivate interment willbeheld at alaterdate. To sign and view theFamily Guestbook,pleasevisit www.lakelawnmetairie.co m
cember 4, 1933, to thelate HaroldF.Hahnand Beaulah SongyHahn. Patsy was preceded in deathby her parents, herloving husband of 46 years, Ed‐wardWilliam “Boo” Ro‐driguez,aswellasher chil‐dren, Al andPat Rodrigue She wasalsoprecededin death by hersiblings, HaroldHahn, Jackie Hosch, and DonnellJones.She leavesbehinda legacy of loveand family, surviving byher twochildren: Karen Rodriguez Bosworth (Brant Sr.)and Eric Rodriguez (Judy Schmidt),aswellas seven cherishedgrandchil‐dren: Tara Rodrigue Gi‐ambelluca (Mike),Allison Rodrigue, BrantBosworth Jr.,Brian Bosworth,EricRo‐driguez (Carlie),AdamRo‐driguez (Sophia),and Alex Rodriguez.Patsy wasalso the proudgreat-grand‐motherofseven:Ian,Reid, Rhys, andNolan Bosworth, Sophiaand Vivian Gi‐ambelluca,and Oliver Eu‐stis. Additionally,she is survivedbyher siblings: HattieMae Hahn,JoAnn Eiserloh, andDanya Wilke. Patsy wasa devoted homemaker andmother, whose life wascentered around caring forher fam‐ily andthose around her. In her free time,she enjoyed being an active member of the DeltaGoldenAgers and the RedHats, andshe was known forher love of sewing. Patsyhad akind and nurturingspirit, al‐waysputting others before herself.Patsy’s memory willliveoninthe hearts of her familyand friends, and she will be deeply missed byall who knew her. The familywould like to give special appreciation to Sis‐ter Servants of Mary and Donna Rodrigue fortheir assistance in hertimeof need.Relatives andfriends are invitedtoattendthe memorialservicesonTues‐day,April 15, 2025, at St AngelaMericiChurch,901 Beverly Garden Dr, Metairie, LA 70002. Visita‐tionwillbeheldfrom10:00 am–12:00 pm,witha mass tobegin at 12:00 pm.A bur‐ial will follow theservices inGardenofMemories Cemetery, 4900 Airline Drive,Metairie, Louisiana 70001. In lieu of flowers, the familyasksthatdona‐tions be made to Sister Servants of Mary,5001 Per‐
lita St., NewOrleans,LA 70122 or https://sisters ervantsofmary.org/donate. Tooffer thefamilyonline condolences,send flowers, orplant atreeinMemory ofPatricia“Patsy” Hahn Rodriguez please visit www.gardenofmemorie smetairie.com Morise,Mickie
It is disappointing to read that, decades after chemical- and energy-based industriesproliferated across the United States and in Louisiana, the employment opportunities that they provide arestill not widely shared.
That’sthe conclusion of anew analysis undertakenbyateam from Tulane Law School and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The study,published lastweekinthe academic journalEcological Economics, parsedpublicly available federalemployment data to arguethat people of colorlack broadaccess to thehighest paying job in those industries.
Louisiana did not fare well in thereport. St John the Baptist Parish, forexample, had the worstdisparities of all the areas the authors studied. The parish has apopulation that is approximately 70% people of color,but only about 17% of the highest-payingjobs at local chemical plantsare held by peoplewho are non-White It’s better in the lowest-paying jobs, butstill only about 50% of those are held bypeopleof color,the researchers found.
Statewide, approximately 40%of working-age Louisianans are people of color,but only 18.5% of those at the upper echelonsinthose industries are, the study found.
Among other states with highconcentrations of petrochemical industries, Texasand Illinois arealso among those with the worst disparities. The authors found thatthe oft-citedexplanation for these disparities —that differences in education resultindivergingemployment results —did not justify thestatus quo.InSt. John, for instance, they concluded that among the parish’sresidents there was “almost noracial gap in college education.”
The study also raises questions about the promises made when newplantsare announced or planned.
“Wealways think of pollution versusjobs trade-off,” said Kimberly Terrell, aresearch scientist at the Tulane EnvironmentalLaw Clinic. “It’snot really atrade-off when the people whoare beingimpactedaren’t getting anyof the benefits and aregetting allofthe cost.”
Thestudy’sauthors urge state andlocal authorities to consider economic benefitdistribution when deciding whether to permit anew project. In otherwords, officials should specifically make sure there are plansthatwill enable people of color, especiallylocals, to get highpaying jobs.
These conclusions werehailed byenvironmental justice groups like Rise St. James,which haslongargued that petrochemical plants in that parish disproportionately harm minority communities. On the other side, industry leadersinLouisiana stressed that they worked hard to make opportunities available for all residents.
We urge state and industry leaders to study these findings carefullyand redouble theirefforts to open employment opportunitiestoall. Per the study,this means not just investing in job training and educational initiatives, but undertaking specific policies tomake surejob creation benefitslocal communities.
Thesecommunities livewiththe effects of having alarge-scale industrial facility nearby. It’sonly right that they should also reap the benefits.
LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE AREOUR
GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence
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Trump’santagonizingcould harm state’stourism
President Donald Trump’srecent comments on Canada —specifically, his proposal for Canada to become the“51st state” —are troubling for manyreasons, not least of which is the potential economic harm it could inflict on New Orleans. Canadian visitors contribute significantly to our economy In 2023, Canadian touristsplayed akey role in thecity’stourism industry,generating millions in revenue and supporting tensof thousands of local jobs.
Canada represents theNew Orleans region’sNo. 1international tourism source, and any disruption to this flow could be devastating. According to arecent report, just a10% decline in Canadian visitation to the U.S. could lead to aloss of $2.1 billion in spending and the elimination of 14,000 jobs. International visitors are considered “long-haul” travelers, who generally stay longer and, in turn, spend moremoney,making them a lucrative part of our tourism market.International touristsalso tend to travel to more places across the
statethan domestic tourists.
For New Orleans, where tourism representsnearly 40% of the operating budget, theloss of Canadian travelers would directly impact our economic growth, thetaxes needed to keep our community safeand thelivelihoods of 75,000workers in our hospitality and entertainment sectors. Given the recent and arguably short-sighted tensions between the U.S. and Canada, it is critical to ask: AreLouisiana’srepresentatives in Washington, as well as ourgovernor,takingthe action needed to protect Louisiana’seconomy? Will they put politics aside andstand up to theWhiteHouse to address the real consequences this antagonism could have on tourism and jobs in New Orleansand Louisiana? Ourelected officials need to act decisively to ensure that New Orleans remains atop destination for international visitors. The economic stakes are simply too high to ignore.
GRANT COOPER NewOrleans
Voters should reject former convicts seekingoffice
In the1991 gubernatorial race, Edwin Edwards was tagged withan unofficial rallying cry: “Votefor the crook; it’simportant!”
It was dark but serious political humor that made for agood bumper sticker and probably had someminor influence on the outcome, which was agood thing for the state.
In very different circumstances, that could sadly be themotto for a New OrleansDistrict Ecouncil candidateand amayoral candidate in theupcoming election.
Convicted criminal Jon Johnson is one of three candidates running for theDistrict Eseat he vacated years ago when he entered aguiltyplea to federal charges. That seat is now available after the current council member,convicted federal criminal Oliver Thomas decided to run for mayor While no one should have ill wishes for Johnson and Thomas in their post-release lives, past public corruption crimes should be a
disqualification, not aqualification when making aselection in the voting booth.
In both cases, it’snot just about thecore local breach of public trust that occurred and whether citizens are able to muster trust going forward, but also themessage it sends to theworld outside of New Orleans.
The businesses and people thinking of perhaps locating in the East or elsewhere in thecity will be looking at who has been elected to lead those jurisdictions. That message is likewise about thewill of the people that put them in office. Likeitornot, electing candidates with arecord of prior serious public corruption will not inspire confidence in those thinking of investing in and locating in the district or the city This time, do not votefor the crooks; it’simportant!
PAUL WAIDHAS Metairie
Securing the French Quarter and New Orleans is ahot topic since the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street. Why doesn’tthis involve adiscussion of NewOrleans having “sanctuary city” policies? New Orleans is the only city in our region that refuses to cooperate with Homeland Security and Immigration and CustomsEnforcement to remove criminals and terrorists from our streets. My understanding is that our sheriff and district attorney regularly release illegal immigrants caught forcrimes back into the community,even when they are aware that ICEislooking forthese people. Why on earth would our mayor and City Council members countenance this insane policy? What is the position of the current candidates formayor on sanctuary city practices?
BETSY STOUT NewOrleans
Well, it didn’ttake long. The city is back to where it was prior to the Super Bowlcleanup. For example, there’strash all over the ramps of the Crescent City Connection bridge and elsewhere. Why can’twecontinue to keep our beautifulcity clean? Where is the profit made from the big game? Can’tsome be used forthis purpose? We must also do our part. Put your garbage in agarbage can. And to our elected officials, we deserve aclean city.Please makethis apriority LYNN SMITH Gretna
Marching clubs brightened theday
Ineed to shout it out! Ilive on Severn Avenue, on the Louisiana Irish-Italian Parade route. On March 23, the Sunday of the parade, at two different times, someparade marching club members got out of the parade and came up on my porch and handed out flowers to all my friends. What smiles they brought to all! Thank you so much!
JO ANN SCHMITT Metairie
These tariffs, just not those tariffs.
Will Sutton
Louisiana will see hundreds, then thousands, of members of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. as they head from their southern Louisiana homes, from parishes acrossthe state, from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas —the four states that make up Omega’s Mighty Ninth District. There willbe Omega brothers from beyond this region, too, because nearly everyone loves visiting New Orleans. The Bruhz will be headquartered at the Hyatt Regency on Loyola in New Orleans for the 88th annual district meeting. There were close to 2,000 brothers registered to take care of Omega’sfraternal business the last time Ichecked. That might be the official count,but if you’re anywhere in or near downtown and the Central BusinessDistrict, expect to see hundreds or thousands more men dressed in purple and gold. Freshly minted Tulane University Omega brothers Rodrek Williams, Justin Haysbert, Shazz Preston, Gerrod Henderson and George Washington will likely be there when they don’thave school responsibilities. Caleb McCray,Isaiah Smith and Kyle Thurman won’tbethere.
Neither will Caleb Wilson.
Wilson died one night in February after something happened during an unauthorized fraternity off-campus activity.Police allege that Wilson and others were punched. They say Wilson collapsed. McCray,Smithand Thurman have been charged in the incident. They were my Omega brothers. Now they are not. Thefraternity expelled them. Wilson likely would’ve been my Omega brother.Now he’s not. From all I’ve heard from those who knew him, he would’ve been a great Omega brother
The fraternity Iknow has azerotolerance policy against hazing, and we’ve been against hazing for decades.That doesn’tmeanthat there aren’tlots of Omegamen who have experienced hazing. “It was horrible,” said one Omega withmore than 70 years in the frat. “No one should experience that.” I, too, was hazed. Not as bad, though. The fraternity and most Omegamen have matured. Hazing is taken seriously.Like other fraternities and sororities, bands and organizations, hazing has been an unofficialpart of us. But it’s wrong. And it’sagainst the law
Touting ourselves with an unofficial mascothasn’thelped. Don’tcall me a “Que Dog.” I’m an Omega man
The Wilson case is probably the most prominent case since the Loui-
siana Legislature passed the felony anti-hazing law called the Max Gruver Act in 2018. The Legislature named it after aLSU Phi DeltaTheta fraternity pledge who died from an alcohol poisoning hazing incident in 2017. Prosecutors can bring felony charges in hazing incidents involving coerced consumption of alcohol, serious bodily harm or death.
I’m certain our Omega founders didn’tenvision hazing when they establishedour four cardinal principles for Omega: manhood, scholarship, perseverance and uplift.For the more than four decades that I’ve been an Omega,the fraternity has increasingly come down hardagainsthazing —with words, actions and punishment.
ThefraternityI know expelled three Memphis police memberswho were involved with the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in 2023. The fraternity Iknow expelled members who were involved withthe unauthorized and unsanctioned activity thatled toWilson’sdeath.
Wilson, 20, aSouthernUniversity and A&MCollege junior majoring in mechanical engineering, died on a February night in Baton Rouge as he was doing what he thought he had to do to become an Omega. The caseis still being investigated by theBaton Rouge Police Department, Southern University and Omega. There could be more charges. Therecould be more expulsions. Iwas initiated in July 1981 in aNew Jersey graduate chapter.Soon after,
Ibecame alife member,making a lifelong commitment to thefraternity beyond learning theorganization’s history,learning organization poems and songs and learning asecret handshake.
Ipaid what for me was alarge sum in my 20s.I’ve been achapter,district and national committee member,a chapter officer and adistrict officer I’ve volunteered with thegood brothers of Omega’sRho Phi Chapter scanning tickets at the New OrleansJazz and HeritageFestival. Next year will be my 45thyear in thefrat.
When Iheard the news about Wilson,myheart dropped and my shoulderssunk. Iwanted to write about the incident back then.Icouldn’t. Iwas so angry.One of my brotherstold me he cried. Omegas are hurting.
Ididn’tknow Wilson or themen charged in the incident. People I know tellmethosewho have been charged are good people, good people who made amistake.
Unfortunately,one or more mistakes cutshortthe life of ayoung man with apromising future.
As Omegas gather in New Orleans, Iask my brotherstorecommittothe organization’sfounding principles and stop hazing. Iexpect Omegatodo even more. Iexpect the state Legislaturetodomore. But, in theend, we must take individual responsibility as Omegamen to stop thecancer that hazing has become.
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
How did I, my parents, grandparents and ancestors going back to the founding of thenationmanagetoget adecent education before the federal Department of Education (DOE) was created byJimmy Carterand aDemocratic Congress?
Quite well, thank you. Iwent to apublic school where the basics weretaught —math, reading, U.S. history and science without apolitical agenda —and Igraduated from college without help from thegovernment. Ipaid back my small (by today’s standards) student loan. Tuition was cheaper thenbecausegovernment had not become involved in education to the extent it has today
the country are any indication, parents are increasingly fed up.
This has been the mealy-mouthed critique of President Donald Trump’strade wars frommany Democrats. They awkwardly triangulate between bashing Trump’scatastrophic ideas and touting support for their own similarly spirited, if scaled-down, ideas No wondertheir message is falling flat.
Trump’scurrent tariff regime —including “only” 10% levies on 70 countries, plus 145% on China will devastate the U.S. economy. His tariffs imposed so far are estimated to raise atypical household’sannual costs by $2,700, with lower-incomeAmericans shouldering the biggest burden. Recession risks have surged, companies have begun furloughing workers, and our once-close allies are flipping us the bird. If this is acurse to the U.S. economy,itshould be awindfall for Democratic politicians. Instead, Democrats areblowing their good fortune.
Rather than shouting from the rooftops that trade wars are bad, Democrats babble in “yes, buts.” Yes, these particular tariffs are costly and regressive, they say,but whenDemocrats impose tariffs, somehow they present no such downsides.
The most obvious cognitive dissonancerelates to Trump’sfirst-term tariffs. Democrats assailedthese policies in the 2018 midterms and 2020 presidential election —shortly before adopting themastheir own. For instance, in 2019 then-presidential candidate Joe Biden said Trump’sChina tariffs ledto“American farmers, manufacturers and consumers losing and paying more.” The 2020 Democratic platform said Trump had “launched reckless, politicallymotivated tariff wars that have punished American workers, antagonized our allies, and benefitedour adversaries.” They were right!
But as president, Biden extended (nearly) all of Trump’sexisting tariffs. In some cases, he expanded them or replaced them with slightly different trade barriers. He did so with vigorous support from his party Given this checkered record, it’snowonderDemocrats struggle to articulate aclear,credible critique of Trump’s(now muchworse) tariff policy. In asocial media video this month, House Democrats opened with an awkward defense of protectionism: “I think awrong-for-decadesconsensus on ‘free trade’ has been arace to the bottom,” Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pennsylvania, said, adding thatwe need “a better trade approach” that is “pro-worker. Deluzio clarified that he didn’tmean Trump’strade approach, per se —even though Republicans likewise claim Trump’sapproach is “pro-worker.” Recently,Michigan Gov.Gretchen Whitmer,a Democrat, gave aspeech criticizing Trump for wielding tariffs like a“hammer.” When askedhow would she deploytariffs differently,Whitmercould not answer.“Idon’tknow how Iwould have enacted them differently,” she said. “I haven’treally thought about that. What Ihave thought about, though, is, you know,tariffs are, need to be used like ascalpel, not ahammer.”
Elsewhere, lefty populist thinkers explain that Trump’stariffs are bad but tariffs could be good if only the resulting revenue were used forthings Democrats like. Both they and their horseshoetheory-demonstrating conservative counterparts contend that Trump’sexecution might be lousy but the underlying premise —that Americamust build higher economic walls —remains correct Real trade wars, it seems, have never beentried. To be clear,there are some limited circumstances in which tariffs (or sanctions) could be an appropriate waytobuild U.S. capacity or punish badbehavior.For example, if an adversarial country has a stranglehold on some technology criticaltonational defense. Or if an exporter is using slave labor
Cal Thomas
President Donald Trump’s stated goal of eliminating the DOE has begun with his executive ordersdownsizing the bureaucratic population andfederal grants. He will need Congresstoapprove its complete demolition.
The failure of the DOE to improve testscoresinwhat was once considered the basics is wellknown,but it bears repeating.
Federal spending on K-12 public schools has tripled just in thelast two decades, but proficiencyin reading and math has declinedand if tumultuous meetings at school boards across
Accordingtoanew Gallup poll, thepercentage of adults who report being dissatisfied with the public schools has steadily increased from 62% in 2019 to 73% today.That’s thelowest, notes Gallup,since 2001. Just how desperate theestablishmentistopreserve this failingeducation system can be seeninabill under consideration bythe Illinois legislature. If passed, it would severely harm the growing home-school movement. The bill would require home-school families to submit formseach year to their local public school that include names, birthdates, grade levels and home addresses of their children. Families whofail to submit the forms would be subject to criminal truancy penalties. Nevermindthat fewer than onein three Chicagopublic school students can read at grade level. Federal,state and local governments provide $878.2 billion, or $17,700 per pupil, to fund K-12 public education, according to the Education Data Initiative. Clearly thereturn on this investment is not advancing education achievement.
AWall Street Journal editorial doesn’tlet Republicans off the hook when it comes to education misspend-
ing at all levels: “Republicans in recent decades have helped Democrats expand the Education bureaucracy and balance sheet. Its $1.6 trillion in student debt would make it the fifth largest U.S. bank. The (DOE) doles out $270 billion ayear,which it can use to promoteaPresident’s agenda and please parochial interests in Congress.” That last part is where much of thechallenge lies when it comes to reform,not only in theDOE, but in so manyother programs and legislation where members vote according to their own interests, not thegeneral welfare. Whatever good theDOE might do can be rolled into other government agencies and the building leased to privatecompanies which will help reduce thenational debt.
Iwas not an “A” student in my public schools, but the quality of education Ireceived prompted me later in life to pursue knowledge in history and other subjects.
When he was running for president in 1980, Ronald Reagan told aPBS interview the federal government had “usurped” education “and has proven incapable of operating (it).”
No one could have said it better Email Cal Thomasattcaeditors@ tribpub.com
But that’snot whateither party has endorsed. Both Trump and his Democratic critics have supported broad tariffs on our allies and on randomconsumer goods (tiki torches, guitars, toothbrushes) with no plausible security or “resiliency” justification. How did Democrats back themselves into this corner? Partly they’re pandering to pro-tariff constituencies (i.e., unions, once reliable Democratic allies). Populist, anti-“neoliberal” think tanks have also overtaken the party.These often employpolitical operatives churning out pseudo-scholarly research, which the media then credulously cites.
That’show you end up with Democratic leaders embracing such quackery as “greedflation” and price controls —both of which, by the way,the Trump administration is also nowflirting with. This Trump blunder should be yet another layup for Democrats, but they can’treally dunk on it now, can they?
But the political calculus on all this is changing. Aggressive trade barriers, no longer abstract hypotheticals, are proving as disastrous as “neoliberal” economists predicted. Americans hate Trump’s tariffs. Even most manufacturing workers think they’re abad idea, according to aPostpoll. Democrats should stop pulling their punches. What the country needs is an unequivocal, full-throated condemnation of pandering protectionism. Let this be the moment that liberates the Democratic Party from the populists tying them to the same mercantilist, regressive, costly command-and-control economic policies that so often drive Trump’sagenda
Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@washpost. com.
LSUcoach says WR ‘was abrightstar’
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
CoachBrian Kelly on Tuesday
reflected on the death of former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy after the Tigers wrapped up their penultimate spring practice.
Lacy,24, died in Houston on Saturdayfromanapparent selfinflicted gunshot wound while authorities pursued him in acar chase, according to theHarris County Sheriff’s Office. On Monday,agrand jury was scheduled to hear evidence related to the fa-
talcar crash that Louisiana State Police accused himofcausing in December
“Kyren was abright star,” Kelly said. “He had an incredible personality.I’ll remember him as somebodythat had alovefor the game,alove for being aTiger and was aguy that played with great emotion. When you think of Kyren, you’re gonna smile most of the time because of the way he handled himself
“He wasa guy that was fullofenergy, andI think alot of histeammates will remember him that way as well.”
Kelly said LSU will “lean heavily” on itsprofessional counseling staffinthe days and weeksahead to give players access to one-on-
oneconversations, if they need them, to process Lacy’s death.
“Certainly,it’sa processfor them,” Kelly said, “the grieving andshock,and certainly,the disbelief.
“I think everybody on our team in some way had arelationship at different levels with Kyren. So, everybody is gonna deal with it differently,sofirst,understanding that, right? That there’s not one way that you’re supposedtofeel, right?”
On Jan. 12, state police said Lacy was booked into Lafourche Parish Correctional Complexoncounts of negligent homicide, felony hitand-run and reckless operation
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
April 24-26.
Four of the New Orleans Saints’ Week 1starters in 2024 along the offensiveline were homegrown, and all of them were top-50 picksintheir respective drafts. Might the Saints tryto make it five in 2025? It may as well have beenwritten in inkthat the Saints were going to select an offensive tackle with their firstround pick ayear ago. New Orleans had aglaring need at the position, and nobody knew whattomake of 2022 firstrounder Trevor Penning. New Orleans followed through, selecting Taliese FuagaNo. 14 overall. Fuaga was imperfect as arookie, especially against high-level pass rushers, but he immediately fortified the left edge of theoffensive line with aphysicalplaystyle.Penning, shifted to the right side, turned in his best season as a professional by far— though that was alow bar to clear This year,the Saints’attention turns to guard. Theylost one veteran (Lucas Patrick, who signed with theBengals) but picked up another (free agentsigneeDillon Radunz), but it’sprobablynot agood idea to write Radunz’sname in pen in the starting five.
NFL talentevaluatorscan’t seem to figure out whether several prospectsinthis class fit better as guards or tackles at the next level.
That was aquestion with Fuaga last year as well.And while New Orleans has shown no inclination to make this type of move, guard may wind up being Penning’sbestposition,too. Even though theSaints have bothtackles returning from lastseason, is it out of the questionthatthey use one of their premiumpicks on one of the top tackles in this draft, with theideaofshifting either thedraft pick or oneof their current startingtackles inside? Or perhapsthe Saints would prefer to snap up apure guard later in the draft. Here are some players who makesense.
LSUOTWill Campbell Dependingonthe scouting service, Campbell is considered the best offensive linemaninthis class, andhe might have been considered asurefire top-fivepick if it weren’tfor the measurables. Yes, we’re talking arm length. Campbellmeasured in with 32 -inch arms at the NFLcombine, which is short by NFL standards and is whysome wonderwhether he will need to play guard in theNFL.But despitegoing up against some of college football’sbest pass rushers in the Southeastern Conference, Campbell allowed
Joe Dumars’ 40-year NBAjourney has taken him from the Bad Boys to a bad team It will be up to Dumarstotransform that bad team into agood one and erase all of the misery leftbehind from the second-worst season in New Orleans Pelicans’ history Less than 24 hours after the Pelicans fired David Griffin as their executive vice president of basketball operations, they found his replacement. Dumars, aShreveport native and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer after a standout career with the Detroit Pistons, has been handed the keys to the Pelicans, asource confirmed to The Times-Picayune. The suddenness of the hire indicates team owner Gayle Benson and the rest of the team brass already had their guy picked out. Ideally,you would have liked to see the team go through athorough search to fill the position. Or at least pretend to. Instead, the Pelicans chose aperson they were familiar with before Griffin even had cleaned out his office. Dumars, 61, has been linked to this role with the organization in years past, and now he gets his chance to try to do in New Orleans what he once did in Detroit as both aplayer and an executive.
He played guard on the Pistons teamsinthe late 80s and early 90s that wontwo NBAchampionships. After he retired, he took over as the director of basketball operations for the Pistons in 2000 and helped build ateam that won the NBAtitle in the 2003-04 season. He was named executive of the year the season before that. He stayed with the Pistons through 2014 and took ajob in the Sacramento Kings front office five years later.In 2022, he wasnamed executive vice president and head of basketball operations forthe NBA. Now Dumars, whose jersey hangs in the rafters at McNeese State, returns to Louisiana to try to get the Pelicans pointed in the right direction after a disastrous 21-61 season.
Pelicans coach Willie Green, aDetroit native, grew up afan of those Bad Boy Pistons teamsthat featured Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer,Dennis Rodman and Dumars.
Soon over the next fewdays, we’ll see whether Dumarsisafan of Green. The first big decision Dumars will makeisdeciding whether Green remains the coach. The twoofthem never have worked together.Green just completed his fourth season with the Pelicans, and he increased his win total in each of his first three seasons, including last year when the Pels wonthe second-most games (49) in
BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer
One focus of LSU men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon’s attempt to remake his roster this offseason was to bring in experience and physicality, two glaring issues from last season.
Omaha transfer Marquel Sutton, who is entering his fifth collegiate season, arguably embodies those qualities more than any of LSU’s five transfer portal signings.
The 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward was the Summit League Player of the Year after averaging 18.9 points on 47.9% shooting from the field and 27.7% from the 3-point line. He also averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game.
The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native started his career at the juniorcollege level at Connors State College in Oklahoma. He recently led Omaha (22-13) to a Summit League regular-season and tournament title, and a NCAA Tournament appearance as a No. 15 seed.
Sutton’s best ability is his rebounding. He had a 22.6% defensive rebound rate, good for second in his conference. He had nine double-figure rebounding games and had a Summit League Tournament record 18 rebounds in the championship game against St. Thomas.
A proven rebounder is what LSU needs after finishing 347th in defensive rebound rate last season, according to KenPom.
Sutton is most comfortable scoring as a rim finisher in post-ups and fastbreak situations With his strong frame, he overpowered the smaller forwards in his conference. His rugged build also complemented his cutting. While Sutton’s athleticism isn’t immense, he still finished 36 dunks and made 70.4% of his 206 shots at the rim, according to BarTorvik.
A healthy share of his dunks came in the open court, where he’s capable of grabbing a rebound and advancing the ball.
Sutton’s self-created scoring likely will not be efficient offense in the Southeastern Conference. He was accustomed to having mismatches because many of his defenders were shorter and less athletic than him.
Against similar-sized defenders, Sutton doesn’t have the moves to create easy scoring.
The closest facsimile to SEC
competition on Omaha’s schedule were games against UNLV, Minnesota, Iowa State and St John’s. Against those opponents, Sutton averaged 10.8 points on 31.4% from the field (1 of 14 from 3), 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 turnovers in 32.5 minutes. Against St. John’s in the NCAA Tournament, he scored 11 points on 5-of-16 shooting while grabbing four rebounds.
The 22-year-old is not a high leaper or flexible mover At times, his feet looked heavy when maneuvering through traffic. He sometimes shuffles his feet when he looks to attack on the perimeter, and he isn’t an adept ballhandler in the half court.
The athletic concerns are pronounced on defense. He isn’t a good lateral mover, limiting his help and perimeter defense. He is more bound to the ground and not overly strong to make up for it when defending high-major bigs. Sutton’s raw defensive numbers were poor in the Summit League, which was ranked as the 17th-best conference by KenPom. He averaged only 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks. Against the four toughest teams, he was sometimes outmatched physically by players shorter than him.
To be a large-minute player, Sutton has to be a 3-point shooting threat for LSU. His 3-point shoot-
ing volume (101 attempts) was high, but he simply missed far too many He made 25 of 91 (27.5%) on catch-and-shoot 3s and 9 of 33 (27.3%) when unguarded in the same scenario, according to Synergy
While the Omaha signing will lose some of his advantages he once enjoyed in the Summit League, he’ll be asked to do far less for LSU. Sutton’s rebounding and experience should translate, giving him a chance to contribute for the Tigers right away Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com
BY DOUG FEINBERG
Bueckers will be heading to Dallas, the latest transcendent college star to go No. 1 in the WNBA draft Her spot is assured with the Wings. It may be tough for a lot of the other 37 players drafted Monday night to make teams when training camps open in less than two weeks. The WNBA has notoriously been one of the toughest leagues to make. Even with the addition of the expansion Golden State Valkyries this season, there’s a maximum of 156 roster spots in the league.
Last year’s draft class headlined by Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese had 13 players make opening day rosters, which was down two from the previous season and four from 2022. Many teams draft international players to stash them overseas until potentially having them join the franchise at a future date. The league is growing on and off the court. Last season had record viewership and attendance, which has led to huge optimism in the WNBA heading into the season which begins on May 16. While this season is in a good place, the league and players union are working on a new collective bargaining agreement that will need to be decided before the 2026 season takes place. WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said she’s “optimistic about coming to a transforma-
UConn guard Paige Bueckers looks to shoot against UCLA during the Final Four game on April 4 in Tampa, Fla
tional CBA at some point.” She described the talks being in the early phases. Players are looking for higher salaries, a new economic model and improved benefits.
“We want to have a fair deal for all, but it has to be within the confines of a sustainable economic
model that goes on for 10 years,” she said. Salaries are going to be a huge part of the negotiations. They are expected to grow exponentially in the new CBA with the 11-year media rights deal the WNBA signed last July that will bring in at least
LSU women add forward transfer from East Carolina
The LSU women’s basketball team picked up a commitment Tuesday from a transfer forward who started 72 games across three seasons at a mid-major school. Amiya Joyner, a 6-foot-2 rising senior from East Carolina, is now in line for a role in coach Kim Mulkey’s overhauled frontcourt rotation.
Joyner averaged 15.0 points and 9.6 rebounds last year in 32 appearances with the Pirates. She also shot 48% from the field. In 2022, she was one of the top 100 high school recruits in the country according to ESPN, and the most highly rated freshman signee in East Carolina program history
The Tigers now have landed two transfer forwards: Joyner and 6-5 rising sophomore from Notre Dame Kate Koval.
Reed’s great Masters run opens major opportunities
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrick Reed was so consumed with a putter that went cold during the Masters that he might not have contemplated where his third-place finish could lead. He moved up to No. 49 in the world ranking, which at the very least assures a spot in the PGA Championship next month if he wasn’t in already And the PGA Championship gives him another chance to accrue ranking points, something he can’t get with LIV Golf.
The PGA Championship, to be played May 15-18 at Quail Hollow, is the final week before the U.S. Open exempts the top 60 in the world. It doesn’t take much for Reed to move up because his divisor in the formula is at the minimum 40.
Smith to retire with Dallas with a one-day contract
Tyron Smith is set to retire with the Dallas Cowboys after the perennial Pro Bowl left tackle spent his final season with the New York Jets. The Cowboys set a Wednesday announcement from Smith without providing any details. A person who spoke with The Associated Press said the 34-year-old intended to sign a ceremonial oneday contract in order to retire with the franchise that drafted him in the first round 14 years ago.
The selection of Smith at No. 9 overall triggered a rebuilding of the Dallas offensive line, which was among the best in the NFL within a few years of that move. Smith made 161 starts over 13 seasons with the Cowboys before making 10 starts for the Jets last season.
$200 million a year That deal goes into effect next year
Bueckers is going to make around $78,000 this year in base salary That’s slightly more than Clark and Reese made last season under the current rookie contract scale. All three have supplemented that income with huge endorsement deals with companies such as Nike, Gatorade, Bose and State Farm. Those deals started when they were in college.
Prioritization will also be a key point in negotiations between the players and the league. Three of the top 10 picks in the draft were international players — tied for the most in league history The WNBA has had stiff penalties over the past few seasons for veteran players who don’t make training camp on time because of overseas commitments. As the game becomes more global, something will have to give.
The league is adding two more expansion teams in 2026 with the addition of Toronto and Portland. The WNBA will add at least one more franchise soon after that. Yet Engelbert is concerned about diluting the talent pool too quickly
“You don’t want to degrade the quality of the game, already going to 16. We’re adding 33% additional roster spots by adding 48 spots to a league of 144,” she said before the draft Monday night.
For now, the 38 players who heard their names called on Monday night will do their best to try to make a team in the upcoming weeks.
The Miami Dolphins are pursuing trade options for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, general manager Chris Grier confirmed on Tuesday Ramsey did not ask for a trade, and he didn’t ask for more money, Grier clarified, but after weeks of conversations with Ramsey’s representation, both agreed it would be best to potentially move on. Grier declined to go into detail about the contents of discussions he’s had with Ramsey nor a clear reason for potentially parting ways with the cornerback, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams in 2023 and given a three-year, $72.3 million contract extension ahead of the 2024 season. That deal made Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in the league at the time.
Reds activate Diaz, McLain and Hays off of injured list
The surging Cincinnati Reds will have all their key players for the first time this season after making a series of roster moves before Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners in their threegame series.
The Reds activated right-hander Alexis Diaz, infielder Matt McLain and outfielder Austin Hays. Diaz, who was dealing with a left hamstring strain since the start of
a
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BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer
The Fitzpatrick brothers are back for another crack at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans team title.
Tournament officials announced Tuesday that Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick of England will return to play in the Zurich Classic on April 24-27 at TPC Louisiana in Avondale.
“Both brothers have international team experience,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation that runs the tournament. “Matthew has played for three European Ryder Cup teams, and his younger brother Alex represented the GB&I (Great Britain and Ireland) side in the Walker Cup twice ”
The Fitzpatrick brothers join a flurry of Zurich commitments before Friday’s tournament entry deadline.
The tournament previously has received high-profile commitments from reigning champions Rory McIlroy (world No. 2) and Shane Lowry (No. 15), along with top-25 players Collin Morikawa (No. 4), Wyndham Clark (No 14) and Billy Horschel (No. 23), the latter a two-time Zurich champion who will pair with Tom Hoge (No. 42).
McIlroy, who completed the career Grand Slam on Sunday
BY RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writer
The New Orleans Saints’ logo is still theirs.
The NFL franchise recently faced a lawsuit brought by Michel Messier, a self-proclaimed member of French royalty who said he and his family own rights to the Saints’ logo design, Sportico first reported Tuesday Messier claimed he is a “direct descendant of the Kings of France (Scotland, Aragon and Castille).” That branch of royalty, according to him, owns the rights to the fleur-de-lis design used as the Saints’ logo. He lost the case in the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board at the Federal Circuit. Chief judge Kimberly Moore, judge Sharon Prost and judge Leonard Stark ruled Messier lacked enough of an argument to present an appeal, so the case was dismissed.
The Saints’ current logo has remained the same since their NFL inception in 1967. New Orleans
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only two sacks in his final two seasons at LSU.
Missouri OT Armand Membou
If it’s not Campbell at the top of the offensive line rankings, it is Membou. Like Campbell, there are questions about whether Membou best profiles as a guard or tackle for Membou, it is because he
with a sudden-death victory over Justin Rose at the Masters, is not entered this week in the RBC Heritage.
This will be the third Zurich Classic for the Fitzpatricks, who tied for 11th in 2024 after tying for 19th in 2023. Their play in the 2023 Zurich was featured in an entire episode of the Netflix series “Full Swing.”
Matthew Fitzpatrick, 30, turned pro in 2014 after playing collegiately at Northwestern.
His biggest win came in 2022, when he captured the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
He also won the 2013 U.S. Amateur there, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win both championships at the same venue. Fitzpatrick also won the 2023 RBC Heritage, has eight other international victories and competed for Great Britain in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
His world ranking has slipped to No. 75 from a career-high of No. 6 back in 2023. Fitzpatrick tied for 40th in this past week’s Masters.
Alex Fitzpatrick, 26, plays on the DP World Tour, having turned pro in 2022 after a collegiate career at Wake Forest.
He tied for 17th in the British Open in 2023 at Royal Liverpool, posted a second in the ISPS Handa World Invitational and tied for
received its trademark registration for the logo from the U.S Patent and Trademark Office in 1974. New Orleans was allowed to use the fleur-de-lis design for the logo for “entertainment services in the form of professional football games and exhibition.”
Louis VII is believed to have been the first French king to use the fleur-de-lis design on his shield, according to Britannica. The general use of fleur-de-lis designs on banners and French royal pieces might have been used earlier King Louis VII lived from 1120-80. According to trademark law, Messier had to show he suffered an imminent injury caused by the Saints. The judges also emphasized in the case dismissal that his family doesn’t offer or sell merchandise that uses the fleurde-lis design, or he isn’t involved in entertainment services related to football.
Email Rashad Milligan at rashad.milligan@theadvocate. com.
stands a shade below 6-foot-4. He was a two-year starter at right tackle for Missouri, and in 411 pass-blocking snaps last season he did not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus He also fits the athletic profile the Saints usually look for: Membou was named on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” last year
North Dakota St. OL Grey Zabel
Zabel was North Dakota State’s starting left tackle last season, but he played four different positions
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of a vehicle. The charges stemmed from a Dec. 17 crash that killed a Thibodaux man, 78-year-old Herman Hall, and injured two others on La. 20 near Perez Lane.
Police said Lacy “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a no-pass zone.”
Lacy’s defense attorney Matthew Ory said in February that his client “briefly passed other vehicles” and “safely reentered his lane without incident.”
Ory said in a statement Sunday that he believes evidence in the case would have led the grand jury to decline charges against Lacy He also said he would order a review into the police investigation of Lacy’s involvement in the crash.
“Kyren was a young man with immense promise,” Ory said, “and he was crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process. The pressure and perception likely became unbearable.” Lacy, who exhausted his collegiate eligibility at the end of the 2024 season, spent the first two years of his career at UL, then transferred to LSU prior to the 2022 season. He caught 112 passes for 1,692 yards and 16 touchdowns in three years with the Tigers.
The Thibodaux native did not attend the NFL scouting combine or the Senior Bowl, but he did participate in drills as part of the LSU pro day March 26.
On Saturday, a female family member called authorities to report Lacy had fired a gun at the ground during an argument, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement responded to the scene, then learned that Lacy had driven away
About 20 minutes later, police said, officers tried to stop Lacy, but he sped away in his car, starting a
during his time there and is considered one of the draft’s top interior offensive linemen — in part because of his 32-inch arms. Zabel is tall (6-6) and explosive for his size (combine-best 36.5-inch vertical), and he cleared up any small-school questions with an excellent week at the Senior Bowl. Some see him as a center, while others see him as a guard. Either way, he will offer positional flexibility
Ohio State OT Donovan Jackson
A three-year starter at a big pro-
chase that lasted several miles and ended in a crash.
Authorities discovered Lacy had shot himself once they tried to remove him from his vehicle and take him into custody
Lacy’s father, Kenny, encouraged parents in a Facebook post Sunday to talk to their children about mental health at an early age. Kelly said Tuesday that he is “always on guard” for mental-health concerns that can arise among players on his teams.
“Unfortunately, in my career,” Kelly said, “this is not the first time that this has happened. Mental health is part of one of the facets of player development that you’re working with in my field Unfortunately, it’s happened before, and I never take a situation like this as one that could never happen.”
gram with experience at both left guard and left tackle, Jackson is mainly viewed as an interior player in the NFL. The former five-star prospect started the first 31 games of his college career at left guard before switching to left tackle because of a teammate’s injury last season. While he struggled against Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter, widely considered a top-three pick om the NFL craft, he finished strong while Ohio State was making a national championship run.
Georgia OG Tate Ratledge
Ratledge was an All-American each of his final two years at Georgia, starting 37 games at right guard in his career there — including all 14 on Georgia’s 2022 national championship run. The former five-star recruit is also an excellent athlete, posting elite-level numbers on the explosiveness and speed metrics at the combine. According to Pro Football Focus, Ratledge allowed two sacks in his entire college football career
BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer
When Maurice Turner came out of Coffee High in Nicholls, Georgia, former Tulane coach Willie Fritz and his staff recruited him as a wide receiver If he carries his form from the spring into the fall under coach Jon Sumrall, he likely will be the Green Wave’s starting running back in its season opener against Northwestern.
Turner, a 5-foot-10, 190-pound redshirt junior who transferred from Louisville, has wowed Sumrall almost daily with his improvisational ability
“He is so great with short-area quickness change of direction,” Sumrall said. “He can stick his foot in the ground and we’ve seen it multiple times — where the ball may start in one direction, it kind of gets muddy and he comes out of the backdoor and makes a huge play He did it last week on a goal-line period He’s special with the ball in his hands.” No one player is going to replace two-time first-team AllAmerican Athletic Conference performer Makhi Hughes, who transferred to Oregon after rushing for 2,779 yards and 22 touchdowns over the past two seasons, but Turner heads a group Sumrall believes will be more versatile. Limited to four games at Louisville last year by a high-ankle sprain that required surgery he is eager to show what he can do in a full season.
“With the skill set the Lord blessed me with and with the coaching staff here, I’m confident I can be the guy,” he said “The injury slowed me down a little bit, and I’m still kind of hesitant to make hard cuts, so I’m working to get back and make big plays.”
He certainly has looked sure of himself throughout spring drills, which end Saturday with the annual spring game from 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m. Turner, redshirt freshman Jamauri McClure and junior Arnold Barnes who returned Tuesday after missing a couple of weeks with a nagging injury — all figure to play key roles in the running game Turner’s versatility gives him a leg up.
“He is a hard guy to get down on the ground,” Sumrall said.
“He’s going to bring a little different dimension to our offense out of the backfield catching the ball.”
Turner’s numbers were modest at Louisville, where he rushed 65 times for 314 yards with 12 catches for 72 yards as a freshman in 2022, and for 284 yards on 62 attempts with 11 receptions for 87 yards as a sophomore. Now he is in a system that feeds running backs.
Troy’s Kimani Vidal rushed for 1,661 yards under Sumrall and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock in 2023. Hughes carried 265 times with 15 touchdowns last season.
Both of them are more powerfully built than Turner, but it is easy to see what attracted him to Tulane over other suitors, which included James Madison. After arriving on campus, he became even more comfortable with his choice.
“I felt the brotherhood instantly,” he said. “Not downplaying Louisville, but we didn’t have that as much as they emphasize it here. I’m glad coach Sumrall sustains that into this team.”
He said he would have been equally happy at running back or receiver but has settled into his role as an explosive playmaker out of the backfield. Considering his work ethic, Sumrall does not foresee any drop-off from his fast start in a Green Wave uniform.
“He’s one of those guys that makes coaching fun,” Sumrall said. “He’s just fun to be around every day He shows up the same every day, and you don’t have to think about whether he’s going to bring it.”
Lagniappe
Wearing a green shirt, former LSU coach Ed Orgeron attended Tuesday morning’s practice and addressed the team after it was over Orgeron’s son, tight ends coach Tyler Spotts-Orgeron, is in his fourth year on the Tulane staff.
After the defense controlled the early portion of 11-on-11 work, the offense rebounded with a 70-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown by Bryce Bohanon on a pass from Kadin Semonza, a 30-yard scoring toss from Donovan Leary to Anthony Brown-Stephens, and a leaping grab in the back of the end zone in traffic from wideout Kellen Tasby, a converted quarterback
BY PAT GRAHAM AP sportswriter
the company of quarterback/ halfback Byron White, (No. 24), guard/linebacker Joe Romig (No. 67), quarterback/tailback Bobby Anderson (No. 11) and the late tailback Rashaan Salaam (No. 19). Hunter, who played both wide receiver and cornerback, is coming off a Heisman Trophy campaign. Sanders broke many of the program’s passing records in lead-
BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer
No. 9 Rummel and No. 8 John Curtis will face each other in the regional round of the LHSAA baseball playoffs next week, as shown when the LHSAA released playoff brackets on Tuesday
The best-of-three series between the two District 9-5A schools will be a rematch from when Curtis beat Rummel in the state semifinals last season Curtis won that game 2-1 with a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the 11th inning.
The schools split their two regular-season games this season. Curtis won the first game 9-7 and Rummel won the second 10-0 in five innings.
Among the six 9-5A schools that qualified for the Division I select playoffs, five have a bye into the second week of games.
Among others, No. 5 Jesuit will play next week at home against No. 12 Alexandria; No. 2 Holy Cross will face the bidistrict winner between No. 15 St. Paul’s and No 18 C.E. Byrd; and No. 3 Brother Martin will face the bidistirct winner between No. 14 Pineville and No. 19 Riverdale.
No. 13 St. Augustine will face No. 20 Liberty in a bidistrict series this week.
High placement
No. 2 St. Charles earned a high seeding placement in the Division II select bracket. The Comets most recently played in the Division III playoff field, but the move up to Class 4A has put St Charles in a higher classification.
St. Charles has been to the state finals in each of the past five seasons, not counting the 2020 season shortened by the pandemic. St. Charles won state titles in
2019, 2022 and 2023.
Quick
BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer
The Louisiana High School Coaches Association is in the market for a new director
“This means so much for me because of the relationship I had with coach Bags (the late Charles Baglio).
“To be able to serve in the role he did is special.”
Eric Held, who has served as the LHSCA leader within the LHSAA’s framework for six years, has been hired as the new director of alumni/ high schools relations by the LSU football program.
“To say it’s a dream job is kind of cliché but it is,” Held said. “Especially for somebody like me who has worked their whole life in football the way I have.
Division I select Bidistrict round No. 17 Higgins (18-10) at No. 16 Lafayette (15-13) No. 20 Liberty (15-15) at No. 13 St. Augustine (18-14) No. 19 Riverdale (16-12) at No. 14 Pineville (15-15) No. 18 C.E. Byrd (13-21) at No. 15 St. Paul’s (8-18) Regional round No. 1 Catholic-Baton Rouge (29-5) vs. No. 17/16 winner No. 9 Rummel (21-12) at No. 8 John Curtis (22-12) No. 12 Alexandria (18-14) at No. 5 Jesuit (22-10) No. 4 St. Thomas More (22-7) vs. No. 20/13 winner No. 3 Brother Martin (25-6) vs. No. 19/14 winner No. 11 Ponchatoula (19-10) at No. 6 Captain Shreve (23-11) No. 10 Acadiana (16-15) at No. 7 Tioga (19-11) No. 2 Holy Cross (27-4) vs. No. 18/15 winner Division II select Bidistrict round No. 17 Lake Charles College Prep (13-18) at No. 16 Tara (15-6) No. 20 David Thibodaux (3-13) at No. 13 Kenner Discovery (14-15) No. 19 Peabody (8-14) at No. 14 Haynes Academy (18-13) No. 18 McDonogh 35 (14-6) at No. 15 Leesville (11-15) Regional round No. 1 Teurlings Catholic (26-4) vs. No. 17/16 winner No. 9 St. Michael (15-17) at No. 8 Shaw (16-17) No. 12 Willow (12-13) at No. 5 Vandebilt Catholic (22-12) No. 4 Buckeye (24-7)
at No. 8 St. Frederick (18-12) No. 12 Ouachita Christian (15-15) at No. 5 Glenbrook (15-9) No. 4 Ascension Christian (24-9) vs. No. 20/13 winner No. 3 Opelousas Catholic (20-11) vs. No. 19/14
winner No. 11 Riverside (19-11) at No. 6 Ascension Catholic (22-10) No. 10 Central Private (20-14) at No. 7 Ascension Episcopal (21-8) No. 2 Vermilion Catholic (21-7) vs. No. 18/15 winner Division I nonselect Bidistrict round No. 1 Live Oak (26-5) bye No. 17 Mandeville (19-15) at No. 16 Denham Springs (21-13) No. 24 Thibodaux (19-13) at No. 9 Walker (24-10) No. 8 Northshore (29-5) bye No. 5 Benton (31-3) bye No. 21 Hahnville (22-12) at No. 12 Ruston (23-11) No. 20 Sulphur (16-18) at No. 13 Covington (22-8) No. 4 Haughton (28-6) bye No. 3 Northwood-Shreve (30-4) bye No. 19 Slidell (23-9) at No. 14 Zachary (22-12) No. 22 St. Amant (19-15) at No. 11 Sam Houston (27-7) No. 6 West Monroe (26-7) bye No. 7 Natchitoches Central (27-7) bye No. 23 Airline (20-14) at No. 10 Dutchtown (23-11) No. 18 Destrehan (23-12) at No. 15 Central (21-10) No. 2 Barbe (30-4) bye Division II nonselect Bidistrict round No. 1 Brusly (29-5) bye No. 17 Franklin Parish (15-11) at No. 16 Eunice (20-13) No. 24 Beau Chene (15-19) at No. 9 North Vermilion (16-15) No. 8 Iota (20-9) bye No. 5 Iowa (15-13) bye No. 21 Plaquemine (17-16) at No. 12 Pearl River (12-12) No. 20 Jennings (13-14) at No. 13 South Terrebonne (16-16) No. 4 West
“I am going to miss the staff and everyone at the LHSAA,” Held said. “I will miss working championship events and conventions. “Building relationships across the state was an important part of the LHSCA job for me. I think it will also be a great job for the next person who is hired.”
Held was a kicker at Nicholls State and spent the first 10 years of his career as an assistant in the Catholic League. He spent two years as head football coach at St. Mary’s-Natchitoches and five years as a head coach at St. Michael. He was an assistant coach in the Baton Rouge area at Redemptorist and Catholic High.
Held, 54, said he begins work at LSU on Monday The New Orleans native is a Brother Martin graduate who spent 25 years as a high school coach before taking the LHSCA job in spring 2019. Baglio, a successful football coach at Independence High and the founder of the Louisiana Football Coaches Association, was hired by Nick Saban as the first liaison to high schools and held the job for 20 years before retiring. Former University High and LSU running back Nick Brossette most recently held the job through the 2024 season. It was previously announced that Brossette wasn’t being retained.
BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter
DALLAS NicoHarrison is undeterred by the ongoing chants of fans calling for the Dallas Mavericks general manager’sjob.
Thosecatcalls persist in all sorts of settings 21/2 months after young superstar Luka Doncic was sent to the Los Angeles Lakers in aseismic trade that broughtAnthony Davis to Dallas and unrelenting criticism upon the man whotriggered the deal. At the time, Harrison thought the Mavs had the prospect of atitle contender by adding Davis to alineup that eventually wouldincludeguard Kyrie Irving, promising young center Dereck Lively II veteran 3-pointthreat KlayThompson andversatile defender P.J. Washington Jr Because of injuries, the next time those fiveplay together will be the first, and won’thappen until sometime during the 202526 season The star duo of Davis and Irvinghad just 21/2 quarters together before Davis injured agroin in his Dallas debut, andIrving tore theACL in his left knee while Davis was sidelined.
“I do agree that history will decide it,” Harrison said Tuesday in his first meeting with reporters in Dallas since the trade that shocked the NBA just past midnight on the East Coast on Feb. 2.
“But Igoback to what I said in my opening statement,” Harrison said.
“Putting the roster on the floor with Kyrie, Klay,P.J., Anthony Davis, and Lively, that’sachampionship-caliberteam. And although the fans could have been upset with trading Luka, they wouldn’thave been upset with the results.”
The injuries are forcing the fans to wait for theresults, but even if
theresults are good, one of the questionsishow many fans will care.The Mavs unloaded arguably the second-most popular player in franchise history behind Dirk Nowitzki just nine months after Doncic ledthem to the NBAFinals as a25-year-old.
Thebig German carried Dallas to the 2011 title and spent all 21 of his seasons with one franchise, an NBArecord.
Doncic’srookieseason was Nowitzki’slast, so the naturalassumption for many fans was that the same would happenwith the Slovenian who debuted as a19-year-old in 2018.
Harrison said he believes thevitriol from fans would haveeased if Davis and Irvinghad been able to finish the season together.
While he said he didn’t underestimate thereaction from fans, Harrison acknowledged how itleft little question as to the deep impact Doncic had in Dallas.
Noneofthe above has swayed Harrison’sbelief in the trade.
“There’snoregretson thetrade,” Harrison said.
“Part of my jobistodothe best thing for the Mavericks, not onlytoday,but also inthe future. And some of the decisions I’m gonna make are gonnabe unpopular.That’smyjob, and Ihave tostand by it.”
Standing by it meant saying multiple times, “Defense wins championships,”whenasked to justifythe trade.
Harrisonalsohas been criticized for not getting more than Davis, Max Christie and a2029firstround pick in the deal.
“With our philosophyof defensewins championships,wewanted atwoway player to lead our team,” Harrison said.
“And thatwas Anthony Davis. And so everybody’s going to have their critics. Butwegot what we wanted.”
our runners.”
For thepast four decades, theSaturday before Easter has meantone thingtoBennie Nobles: race day
The 81-year-old doctor from Metairie has run in every Crescent City Classic since the10K road race started in 1979, and he’ll once again be in thestarting corral Saturday at the Caesars Superdomeas the47th rendition of the Easter weekend classic takes off.
Alongtime member of the New Orleansand Chalmette track clubs, Nobles has been aregular on the local road race circuit for decades. He’salso competed annually in the Park 2Park race in Metairie, the Turkey Day run on Thanksgiving and the Tour de Cure race/ bike ride in Lakeview
in 1979, when Olympic gold medalist Frank Shorter beat afield of 904 runners to winthe inaugural race along the CCC’soriginal Uptownroute.
“I always enjoy (the Crescent City Classic),” Nobles said. “It’s one of the big races and always has anice field. Ireally look forward to it.”
Nobles is just one of countless New Orleanians and Gulf Coast residents who have maderunning in theCCC an annual rite of spring. The race regularly attracts thousands of runners, walkers and rollers. This year’srace is expected to be thebiggest in years, with an estimated field of 16,000-18,000, race director Eric Stuart said.
“Guys like Bennie are thebackbone of this race,” Stuart said. “They’re really what it’sall about —family and camaraderie. He embodies what we hope for in
on Aug. 6, 2013.
AgraduateofDeLaSalle High School and Loyola University,Nobles started running in themid-1970s not long after graduating from LSU Medical School. His interest was sparked after seeing Dr.Kenneth Cooper speak at aconference and reading his books on aerobics and running.
In 1977, Nobles completed his one and only marathon at the Rice Festival in Crowley.Athis peak, he logged 10 miles aday and was capable of clocking sixminutemiles. As the years have advanced, he understandably has dialed back his mileageand slowed his pace.
“You don’tneed that high mileageevery day,” he said, adding with aquip: “I’m slow now.Imostly walk.”
The Crescent City Classic has been recognized as thepremier road race in theGulf Coast and one of thetop-ranked 10Ks in the country sinceits inception
Continuedfrom page1C
franchise history
This season, the Pelicans hit rock bottom. They lost 17 games by 20 pointsormore, including a 49-point thumping (the worst in franchise history) to theMiami Heat in thenext-to-last game of theseason.
”I didn’tdogreat,”Green said after the regular-season finale.
“I have to takefull ownership of where we are right now as ateam. I’ll go back and reflect. Iwas beating myself up every gametrying to figure out how to get us competing and playing at thehighest level that we can play ”Wefailed. Ifailed.”
As aresult, Griffinwas fired by Benson. The next key decisions fall on theshoulders of Dumars.
Nobles fondly recalls the early days of the CCC, when its course wound through the Uptownneighborhood and finished in Audubon Park. The race has been run downtownfor the past twodecades, and Nobles said he particularly enjoys the 2-mile stretch along the tree-canopied Esplanade Avenue, which traditionally is lined with supporters from the surrounding neighborhood.
Nobles is nothing if not indefatigable. His streak of 46 consecutive CCCs has endured despite multiple incidents that could have derailed it.
There wasthe torn meniscus surgery in his early days. Abike wreck in 2003 lefthim hospitalized for twodays with apunctured lung and nine broken bones, including afractured clavicle.
Triple bypass surgery was an obstacle for 2017. He even ran in the virtual races held in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
“I’ve been very fortunate and blessed,” he said. “The good Lord has been good to me.”
Will Dumars put the Pelicans’ woes this season on Green and makeacoaching change?
Or does he run it back with Green, who wasdealt about as bad of ahand as acoach possibly could get this season. The injury bug started biting the team at training camp in Nashville, Tennesse, and never let up. The best fiver players (Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum,Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones) missed atotal of 220 games. That doesn’tinclude Brandon Ingram, who played just 18 games before Griffintraded him to the Toronto Raptors.
My guess is Green gets another year to finish out his contract.
Dumars’ second major decision will be what to do with Williamson, who just completed his sixth season. Williamson played in just 30 games this season, abig reason for the Pelicans’ woes. When
Nobles is one of the thousands of runners whocompete in the CCC’s popular “Run forIt” charity program.Hehas worked closely with Habitat for Humanity over the years and competes in the race to raise money forthe mission there.
“It’saworthwhile cause,” he said.
On Saturday morning, Nobles will go through his normal pre-race routine. He’ll spend 30-45 minutes reading his Bible, then eat alight breakfast of fruit or yogurt before showering and heading out.
He’sone of manyrunners whowill take advantage of the CCC’sshuttle service from City Park on the morning of the race. A soloist, he’ll run by himself so he can maintain his pace and take in the spectacle and pageantry of the event. Nobles is not sure how manymore Crescent City Classics he has in him.He said he plans to keep competing “until the good Lord tells me to do something different. I’mvery blessed. God has been good to me.” His wife of 44 years, Nancy,will be there at the finish line in City Park.
“He’squite aguy,” she said. “I have afeeling that this may be his last CCC, but Ihave said this before.”
Williamson plays, the Pelicans have achance against mostteams in the league. When he doesn’t, they don’t.
Does Dumars take achance on getting the version of Williamson that played in 70 games ayear ago?
Or does he trade away the guy whoGriffin tried, unsuccessfully, to build the team around forthe past six years?
My guess here is the Pelicans moveinadifferent direction. But only Dumarsreally knows. We’ll hear moreabout his plans when he speaks to the media in the next handful of days to lay out his vision.
Nobody knowshow well Dumarswill do.
Time, something Benson didn’t waste in hiring Dumars, will tell.
Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By
Boston Red Soxthird baseman Alex Bregman celebrates his homerun during the seventh inning Tuesday against the Tampa BayRaysinBoston. Bregman, aformerLSU star,hit twohomeruns in a7-4 victory
BY ZAK GILBERT Associated Press
TAMPA,Fla.— Alex Bregman went 5 for 5with two home runsand four RBIs, Jarren Duran added atworunhomer,and the BostonRed Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-4 on Tuesday night.
Bregman, aformer LSU standout, fell atriple shy of the cycle and had his seventh two-homer game of his career.Kameron Misner nearly robbed him of the second one, but the ball fell outofthe rookie’sglove and over the rightcenter fence.
The Red Sox got three hits in the first inning off of Ryan Pepiot (1-
2), onemore than they had in six innings against Shane Baz in a16-1 loss on Monday Boston starter Walker Buehler (2-1) allowed three hits and two runs over five innings. He walked three andstruck out three. Aroldis Chapman fanned Brandon Lowe for his fourth save. Jonathan Aranda, who entered leading themajors with a.395 average, was 2for 3witha homer and an RBI for TampaBay Ahigh-pitched ringing delayed the game for nearly two minutesin the bottom of the second withJake Mangum at bat. Then in thefifth, the left-field videoboard briefly wentblack as play continued.
TheRayshavesold out all 14 homegames at Steinbrenner Field (10,046) after Hurricane Milton heavily damaged Tropicana Field in October Buehler,who hadn’twalked more than one in anyofhis previousfive starts, issuedtwo in the fourth inningtoload thebases. After Misner’ssacrifice fly scored Junior Caminero, Ceddanne Rafaela’sdiving catchgot Buehlerout of the jam.
Bregman’sseventh-inning shot wasthe 40th homer already at SteinbrennerField this season. Entering Tuesday,only Yankee Stadium (40) hadasmanyhome runs in 2025.
Austin at Nicholls,6p.m. UTRGVatSoutheastern,6 p.m. Alcorn at Grambling, 6p.m. Liberty at Louisiana Tech, 6p.m. TexasA&M-CC at McNeese State, 6p.m. UL-Monroe at Troy,6p.m. Houston Christian at UNO, 6:30 p.m. Lamar at Northwestern State, 6:30 p.m. Alabama at LSU,6:30 p.m.
College softball
Area schedule
Monday’s games No games scheduled
Tuesday’s games
Grambling at Henderson State (DH),2p.m.
Thursday’s games Southeastern at UIW,3p.m. Northwestern St. at Nicholls (DH), 4p.m. South Alabama at UL, 4p.m. LSU at Texas, 4:30 p.m.
Tech at Kennesaw State, 6p.m.
Southern at UL-Monroe, 6p.m.
Top25poll
Fastpitch Coaches Association poll with teams, first-placevotes in parenthesis, records andprevious
Vegas at Vancouver,9 p.m. Edmonton at San Jose, 9:30 p.m. Transactions
Major League Baseball
League BALTIMORE ORIOLES —Activated RHP Scott Blewett. Optioned RHP Colin Selby to Norfolk (IL).Agreed to terms with CChadwick Tromp on aminor league contract. HOUSTON ASTROS —RecalledRHP Nick Hernandez from Sugar Land (PCL). Optioned RHP Luis Contreras to Sugar Land. TORONTOBLUEJAYS—RecalledINF Addison
Barger from Buffalo(IL). Placed OF Nathan Lukes on the paternity list National League ATLANTABRAVES —Released RHP Buck Farmer from aminor league contract. CINCINNATI REDS —Reinstated RHP Alexis Díaz from the 15-day IL. ReinstatedINF Matt McLainand OF AustinHaysfromthe 10-day IL. Optioned OF Jacob Hurtubise and INF Noelvi Marte to Louisville (IL).Placed LHP Sam Mill on the 15-dayIL, retroactivetoApril 11. MIAMI MARLINS —Reinstated OF
hitahome run
first
appearance. The
wonthe
5-4in11 innings on Carl Lind’s
Ruth, 40,
debut in Boston. His single and homeroff Carl Hubbell ledthe Braves overthe Giants 4-2. 1940 Bob FellerofCleveland defeated the ChicagoWhite Sox1-0 in the only opening dayno-hitterinmajor league history 1948 WGN-TV televised abaseball game for the first time.Itwas an exhibition game at Wrigley Field with JackBrickhouse doingthe play-by-play.The White Soxdefeated the Cubs 4-1. 1961 Beginning hishistoricchase of Babe Ruth’s 60 home run season-record Roger Maris connectsfor hisfirst homer in the twelfth game of the seasonfor the Yankees 1972 Burt Hooton of the Cubs no-hitthe PhiladelphiaPhillies4-0 at WrigleyField. 1978 Bob Forschofthe St.LouisCardinals no-hit the PhiladelphiaPhillies5-0. Less than ayearlater, Bob’s brother Ken of the HoustonAstrospitched ano-hitter against Atlanta. Theyare the onlybrothers to throw no-hitters. 1983 LA Dodgers first basemanSteve Garvey appears in his1,118th straight National League game,breakingthe mark held by Billy Williams. 1984 Dave Kingman of the OaklandA’s hit three home runs, including agrand slam, in his first three at-bats.Intotal, he droveineight runs in a9-6
asensational
theformerMilan Lounge ensures ‘approachable’ barconcept
BY POET WOLFE
Staff writer
On its last night of operation, grieving regulars crowdedMilan Lounge,where the purple wallsand checkeredfloors absorbed smoke and beer for nearly 100 years.
Acouple of patrons grabbed brooms and swept up abandoned cigarette butts scattered on the pavement. Some nestled inside of the bar in Uptown New Orleans, peeling boiled crawfish andshootingdarts.By9 p.m., as last call neared, crowdsoverflowedonto the sidewalk and into the street, uncertain of what the future held for Milan Lounge
That lingering question was answered on Wednesday afternoon, days after the iconic bar’s closure.
John Michael Rowland, who also owns upscale restaurants Pigeon and Whale and The Husky on Freret Street,isthe property’snew tenant. Heplans to transform the space into another neighborhood bar that is expected to open late summer or early fall.
His announcement cameless than aday after people turned to Reddit and Facebook to share assumptions about the new tenant, with some under the false impression that the former dive wouldbecome an upscale bar
But Rowland, who was aware of online speculation, said it will be acompletely separateproject from the two restaurants he runs with silent partners. He planstoopen an affordable bar thatwillhave the same cordialitythatmadeMilanLoungespecial. The concept, which does not have aname yet, will cater to allcustomers, from cocktail connoisseurs to those cravinga beer after along day of work.
“It’sall about neighborhood. It’sall about community.It’s all about welcoming everybody and making it approachable to all,” said Rowland.
Compared to Milan Lounge, the concept will have amenu that offers awider selection of whiskey,gins and rums. Rowland added that food is “being highly considered” as well. Certain aspects, such as the design, remain undetermined while Rowland focuses on renovating the building. Buthis goal isn’ttoreplace MilanLounge Rowland strives to “honor the spacethatitwas before in ways they can,” he said. “I want it to be something that people enjoy,something that people feel comfortable in, andsomething that people are proud of.”
Thehistory of MilanLounge Dubbed “Wrigley Field South,” MilanLounge was ahaven for the city’sdiehard Chicago Cubs
ä See BAR, page 2D
BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer
When ahot newrestaurant opens in the suburbs, you might hear it praised for feelinglike it should be on Magazine Street, perhaps bringing abit more modernflavor and style.
Buta newhead-turner called Rumba is instead aiming fora trip down to thewhite sand Gulf Coast or theislands. It’s acolorful, vibrant-feeling restaurant bringing beach vibes deep along VeteransBoulevardinMetairie.
The restaurant opened in late March. It arrives withlocal ties already in place,and some aspects maybefamiliar to craft beer hounds. There’salso possibly moretocome from its creators.
Tropical drinks,decor
LEFT: Nauticalrope and beachshackvibes are part of the look inside Rumba, the island-stylerestaurant in Metairie.
STAFFPHOTOSByIAN McNULTy Musselshavea Thai-style green currysauceat RumbainMetairie.
ropes, wicker baskets and some benchesthatare really swings. The booths feel like little cabins (some on the beach, someona boat)and thebar haswindows that open to thelargecovered patio,fitwith gastorches and fire pits, bringing the outside in. The colorful, playful design of Rumba is moreimpressive if you know that this building was formany years aRadio Shack. Now,instead of assembling DIY computer boards, they’re putting together tropical drinks and awide-ranging menuthat mixestacos and sandwiches with island flavors and adose of Louisiana Creole, too. for test Vi nola.com/
From decor to drinks, Rumba is doing for the Caribbean what some old-schoolChinese restaurants did withPolynesian flair Home cooking bona fides are notthe goal. Rumba’s aim is to transportyou somewhereelse when you cross that threshold. Theinterior is allnautical
ä See RUMBA, page 2D
BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer
ByTheAssociated Press
Today is Wednesday, April 16, the 106th day of 2025. There are 259 days left in the year
Today in history: On April 16, 2007, Seung-hui Cho, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before taking his own life. It remains the deadliest school history in US history
On this date:
In 1945, a Soviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoed the ship MV Goya, which Germany was using to transport civilian refugees and wounded soldiers. As many as 7,000 people died as the ship broke apart and sank minutes after being struck. In 1947, the French cargo ship Grandcamp, carrying more than 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, blew up in the harbor in Texas City, Texas. A nearby ship, the High Flyer, which was carrying ammonium nitrate and sulfur, caught fire and exploded the following day The combined blasts and fires killed nearly 600 people and injured 5,000 in the worst industrial accident in U.S. history
In 1963, the Rev Martin Luther King Jr wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in which the civil rights activist responded to a group of local clergymen who had criticized him for leading street protests. King defended his tactics, writing, “Injustice
anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off for the moon with astronauts John Young, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly on board.
In 2010, the U.S government accused Wall Street’s most powerful firm of fraud, saying Goldman Sachs & Co. had sold mortgage investments without telling buyers the securities were crafted with input from a client who was betting on them to fail. (In July 2010, Goldman agreed to pay $550 million in a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, but it did not admit wrongdoing.)
In 2012, a trial began in Oslo, Norway, for Anders Breivik, charged with killing 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in July 2011. (Breivik was found guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder and given a 21-year prison sentence.)
Today’s birthdays: Singer Bobby Vinton is 90. Basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is 78. Football coach Bill Belichick is 73. Actor Ellen Barkin is 71. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 62. Actor Jon Cryer is 60. Actorcomedian Martin Lawrence is 60. Actor Peter Billingsley is 54. Actor Lukas Haas is 49. Actorsinger Kelli O’Hara is 49. Actor Claire Foy (TV: “The Crown”) is 41 Rapper Chance the Rapper is 32. Actor Anya Taylor-Joy is 29. Actor Sadie Sink is 23.
Continued from page 1D
Dooky Chase’s Restaurant, was earlier announced as one of six national winners of the group’s America’s Classics award
The foundation says this award is for “locally and independently owned restaurants with timeless appeal and beloved in their region for food that reflects the character and cultural traditions of its community.” James Beard awards are closely watched across the hospitality industry Historically even a nomination can have a major effect on a restaurant’s popularity and a chef’s prospects.
New Orleans has traditionally been well represented in both the list of award contenders and the winner’s circle, though lately it’s been feast or famine as the foundation itself has changed its award program. During the pandemic, the foundation enacted an audit of its
awards, focusing on diversity equity and accessibility, and also added a code of ethics, an ethics committee and a tip line for people to report violations of that code.
The list of contenders nationally has, for the past few years, shown a broader range of restaurant styles, price ranges and cuisines, and also locations, with more awards going to chefs and restaurants in smaller cities.
For instance, the Best Chef: South regional award category, which chefs from New Orleans have won many times in the past, this year has two finalists in Puerto Rico, two in Bentonville, Arkansas, and one in Miami.
For two years, in 2022 and 2023, no New Orleans chefs, restaurants or bars won awards, the first time New Orleans had seen a shutout since 2012 (Mosquito Supper Club chef Melissa Martin won a media award in 2022 for her first cookbook, “Mosquito Supper Club”).
Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.
Get in the mood with a passion fruit piña colada and a spicy “sweet heat margarita” with blackberries, which is more heat than sweet. Rumba also makes a rum punch in three sizes: regular, “vacation size” and carafe. That vacation size is a quart Mason jar filled to the lid. Remember too that Rumba has a little liquid lagniappe, a dram of banana and vanilla flavored rum poured from a jug at the corner of the bar Pacing is prudent.
What’s on the menu
Coconut shrimp give the satisfying sweet crunch you remember from the last time you indulged (it’s been a while for me), but the shrimp are much fatter and better than what you usually get with coconut-coated fried shrimp.
The same butterflied beauties go into a BBQ shrimp rendition and there’s a seared redfish with smaller fried shrimp and a sauce of reduced rum that gives a hint of a cocktail behind its creamy base.
Continued from page 1D
fans, who would regularly gather at the bar to watch games on TV “It’s a social club that’s open to the public. We exist because of the neighborhood, by the grace of the neighborhood,” former owner Dave McCammon said in 2015. McCammon, who built wooden bleachers inside the bar and hung ivy on the ceilings, wanted Milan
I like that the chopped kale salad, with a mix of peanuts and also nutty Parmesan for a fresher take, and the steamed mussels drenched in a very mild, Thai-style green curry, brings something unexpected to the table.
The seared tuna salad is another light but highly satisfying dish, splashed with a bright ginger soy, and splayed around a salad of mango, avocado and greens.
For dessert, there’s a Key lime pie with a crumbly crust giving a handmade quality, and others designed to induce that being-a-kidagain feeling.
Guava bread pudding parfait does that job and the oversized hot fudge sundae with a rich chocolate sauce does all that and then some. Tacos and more to come?
If the taco menu seems familiar, that’s because Rumba is related to Avo Taco, which occupies the kitchen at Port Orleans Brewing in Uptown.
The chef behind both is David Hersh, who got to start in the business working at Houston’s in Metairie and New Orleans. His wife, Rachel Hersh, is from Long Island, New York; after relocating to her
Lounge to be a magnet for Cubs fans. He accomplished just that, with one fan describing it as “the only place to be on opening day” in a 1997 interview The hole-in-the-wall wasn’t exclusive to baseball enthusiasts. On weekdays, regulars shouted out answers during episodes of “Jeopardy!” and knocked back shots. And some sat at the bar table, engaging in small talk while smoking cigarettes.
It was deemed one of the smokiest bars in the city until smoking in
hometown, they started the first Rumba. They’ve grown this into their Rooted Hospitality Group, a significant player in the Long Island restaurant market. Rumba in Metairie is their eighth restaurant. Hersh says they never forget their Louisiana connections and Avo Taco gave them a portal back. As they spend more time here, they’re looking to expand further and perhaps even relocate their company headquarters. This could bode well for more restaurants in Metairie, whether they look like they should be on a beach, on Magazine Street or right at home on Vets.
As Rumba gets rolling, it will open its patio for service in the weeks ahead, add takeout and introduce Sunday brunch, dubbed the Rum Punch Brunch.
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Happy hour has drink deals on weekdays, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. There’s a Taco Tuesday deal and, in more for alliteration aficionados, on Mondays, margaritas and mojitos are half off all day
Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.
bars was prohibited in 2015. Days leading up to the citywide ban, Milan Lounge hung up a countdown calendar as smokers congregated and savored their final indoor drags. McCammon, who owned two tobacco stores, stocked every brand of cigarette smoked by each of his regulars.
“You know you’ve become a regular,” one said, “when Dave gets your cigarettes.”
Email Poet Wolfe at poet.wolfe@ theadvocate.com.
Stephanie Burks, Nadine Brown, Chelsey Richard Napoleon
Hundreds, count them, hundreds!, packed the Celestin Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency New Orleans for the recent Style for Success Luncheon of Dress for Success New Orleans. It was presented by Susco. The mission of DFSNO, empowering women, helps more than 700women through “suiting and job readiness programs.” The fundraiserluncheon certainly abetted that cause, as well as added midday merriment. Atasty lunch, an auction, tributes and speeches, and afashion show presented by local boutiques “celebrating style, confidence and empowerment” fusedfor fun and confraternity
Theprogram principals were Gina Swanson,WDSU NBC6news anchor;boardpresident Arie Roth Kaller;respective executive and program directors Dinah Campbell and Tracee Dundas;representativesofUlta Beauty,the business hailed as the Volunteer of theYear; and “A Success Story ”Client of the Year TiffanyByrd. SuscoSoftwareowner and CEO Neel Sus gave the enthusiastic titlesponsor address. The 2025 Empowerment Fashion Show, arunway delight that was POWERed by Entergy, featured DFSNO clientsand Entergy linemen, wearing jeans andhardhats,astheir escorts.The showwas coordinated by Aimée Gowland of ALGStyle. Atip of thehat wenttothe fashion show’spresenters, local style setters Monomin, Chatta Box, Em’s, Febe,Angelique Basics Underneath, Stella Dallas,and Swoon.
In addition to theluncheon’stitle sponsor,Susco, thepresenting ones were Entergy and Ochsner, and the Power Partners,Capital OneBank, The CocaCola Foundation,and UltaBeauty (recipient of the Volunteer of the Year encomiums).Individuals listed as Empowerment Sponsors were the above Arie Roth Kaller,Dr. Victoria Smith,and close friends Rachel Bernhard and Steven Putt Thetwosome who teamed to co-chair the 2025 luncheon were Andrea Gilich Roussel and Rachel Taravella, while Arie Roth Kaller and Katie Geist Portier chaired theauction anddécor.Flowers in softshades of pink andivory bedecked anumber of tables, while other arrangements featured darker hues of violet On the stage, twin pillars, lighted in turn by red and blue, flanked the lectern Theluncheon committee included Kristin Alvendia,Aimee Brice, Shannon Brice,Trishelle Cannatella, Lauren Lipscomb Caro, Michelle Delery, MimiFuselier, Shelley Dee Girgrah,Aimée Gowland, Rena Jolly,Rupa Jolly,Tanzania Jones, Clarice Kirkland,Tamica Lee, Sarah Martzolf (past president), BrookeMills, Diane Riche, Natalie Ruschak, Leigh Thorpe, and Tracey Wiley In additiontoboard president Kaller, the officers are Mses. Martzolf and Gowland, and Colleen Snyder Filostrat, Cherish vanMullem, MissyHopson, and Erin Primeaux. Carmen Jennings is DFSNO’scommunications and program assistant.They,and the scores of attendees and volunteers,made the“Style” luncheonyet another success.
Chateau Golf andCountry Club was the site for Sunday socializing when the East Jefferson General Hospital Auxiliary proudly presented the46thGreat Lady Great Gentleman Awards at aluncheon. Take abow, John P. Blancher,Marian Gibbs,Valarie Hart, Freddie Landry,Tricia StellaLincoln,Dr. MaryMaluccio, Nikki Pontiff,and Dr Roland S.Waguespack III.They were hailed for their outstanding volunteer service in theGreater New Orleans area. Since the auxiliary’sfounding,the mission has furtheredthe goalsofEJGH in getting community citizens “tocontribute their time, talent,and financial assistance.” Of interest, too, this awards luncheon givesdirect support to the nursingeducational andcertification/re-certification programs.
Event chairman Dolores Hall figuredonthe program that wasopenedbyauxiliarypresident Deborah Schmitz, and continued with Ginger Crawford (invocation and Pledge of Allegiance),hospital CEO Gregory Nielsen,and RubyBrewer, senior vice president, chiefquality andnursing officer Peggy ScottLaborde was themistress of ceremonies. More names to know were auxiliary immediatepast presidents MaryCrumb and Paige Lemieux, and president elect Carrel Epling,aswell as additional board members, and the 14-person luncheon committee. Thanks were abundant and tapped the above roster auction donors, eventsponsors, anda hostofothers who made “Great” just that.
Contact: nnolan@theadvocate.com
Anew name! Harmony at the Hermann-Grima marqueed theannual springtime togetherness of the historic house on St.Louis Street in theFrench Quarter The Friday fête was two-fold,beginning with aone hour patron party at Broussard’sRestaurant, before moving on to the mainevent in the house from 7-10 p.m Sponsorial thanks tapped Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, Lauren and GeorgeBrower,Amy and Stephen Farnsworth,The Pinkerton Family, and Michelle and Lamar Villere.Live music, local food, an open bar and alive-ly auction blended for thebash to benefit“historic preservation and museum education for all ages,” for theHermann-Grima +Gallier Historic Houses. The Harmony co-chairs were theabove Amy Farnsworth,Michelle Villere and Meredith Pinkerton (with husband Michael). Serving on the committee were Danielle Batten, Claire Sanchez Dilzell, Nancy Falgoust, Carolyn Fitzpatrick, Julie Habetz, Logan Howcott,Ann Irwin, Lilla Kearney,Catherine Gorman Kuuskraa, ReneeLaborde,Andrea Mahfouz,Sarah Martzolf, and Kris Vitrano
Local designer Keith Carroll conceptualized the rustic centerpieces, which featured local plants and flowers, such as dogwood, camellias, ferns, and pittosporum.Inthe smaller live auction, paintings by Demond Matsumoto and Kevin Gillentine were coveted items, as was the “New OrleansStyle &Design” package. Now,for the food and drink. At the Broussard’spatron party, Veuve Clicquot Champagne (donated by Little Bar on Gravier) and Buffalo Trace Bourbon (donated by Goldring Family Foundation/ Sazerac Company) wetthe collective whistle, while the restaurant’s passed hors d’oeuvres wereimmediate palate pleasers. Included were goat cheese and walnut crostini, beef tenderloin brioche, and fried oysters, which flewoff the trays. For themain event, “fun and casual” describedthe Broussard’s-catered chomps: andouille corndogs, panko-crusted fried mac and cheese balls, chicken and waffles, and short rib sliders and frites. The musical menus were by theHoney Island Swamp and NWBbands. Banding together forthe funfundraiser were family groups. From theWoman’sExchange Board of Managers, which manages theHermann-Grima +Gallier Historic Houses, came president Stacy Head with husband Jeremy and her mother, KathySingleton;vice president Celeste Eustis with Curtis and her parents, sponsors Donna and Paul Flower;and immediate past president MarySchmidt with Justin and all their children, including son Calder and fiancée Winnie McCarthy,and daughters Conery, Ellie and Anna. Also, interim executive director Susan Maclay,Lori and John Paige, Danielle and MikeBatten, Catherine and Jason Kuuskraa,Amy and John (an NWB Bandmember) Robertson,Amber Beezley,Jennie West and Jason Richards,
son
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Set the pace, agenda and goal and get moving toward your destination. Having a plan and the ability to do everything yourself will deter others from interfering.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take the time to declutter your life. Walk away from situations that are stifling your progress. Be responsible for your actions and straightforward about your intentions.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) A change will offer a different perspective regarding what's possible. Take a moment to view your options and adjust any aspect that doesn't fit your agenda. Avoid putting your health at risk.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Apply energy to whatever brings the highest return. Protect your reputation by going a step above others' expectations. Pay attention to how you present yourself and how you handle your money.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take pride in what you do and say; you'll appeal to people who can contribute to your long-term goal. Strive to reach the highest pinnacle and take a bow.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Concentrate on what's important to you. Initiate domestic and home improvements that can help to lower your costs. Engaging in a joint venture or sharing expenses will work out if you set ground rules.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Heart-to-heart talks will help you avoid a meltdown with someone. Incentives, a positive
attitude and suggestions regarding what you can contribute to make your relationship purposeful will help.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Tone down your rhetoric and avoid a dispute. Live within your means, regardless of temptation. Set feasible goals and focus on personal growth, health and fitness.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick to the basics, the truth and a budget you can afford. You will set yourself back if you take on too much or try to impress others with exaggerated information.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Cultivate meaningful relationships. Don't ignore the signs and signals you receive. Using your astute memory to find solutions that satisfy everyone will put you in the driver's seat.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Smile and move forward positively. What you achieve will send you to bigger and better opportunities. Financial gain, personal growth and advancement are apparent.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Educate yourself and confidently move forward. What you know and how you present your wisdom will help manifest optimal changes. Don't limit yourself by setting boundaries.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: H EQuALs P
InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
By PHILLIP ALDER
Carl Sandburg, a poet who won three PulitzerPrizes,said,“Apoliticianshould havethreehats:oneforthrowingintothe ring,onefortalkingthrough,andonefor pulling rabbits out of if elected.”
A bridge declarer should have three hats: one for counting his losers, one for countinghis winners, and one for watching his entries — our theme this week.
In today’s deal, how would a milliner play in three no-trump after West leads the spade queen?
The South hand has only 21 high-card points,butitisstrongenoughtoopentwo clubsinsteadoftwono-trump.Counttwo for an ace and one for a king. A typical two-no-trump opening totals seven. This hand tallies to nine. Upgrade when you have a lot of aces and kings.
North is nearly worth a slam-invitational rebid of four no-trump, but not quite. With no five-card suit or 4-4 fit, you normally need a combined 33 points for six no-trump. South starts with seven top tricks: two spades, two hearts, two diamonds and one club. He would hope to get a third diamond trick, assuming the missing cards split 3-2. But declarer would still need another winner. It is much simpler totakethreeclubtricks.However,South mustbecarefulbothnottoblockthesuit and to have a dummy entry available after driving out the club king. Declarer must take the first trick in his hand with the spade king, cash the club ace, and play another club — and keep leading that suit until West takes his king. With the spade ace still on the board, the contract is guaranteed. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication
Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD = gOOD aFTErnOOn
Previous answers:
InstRuctIons:
toDAy’s WoRD — FoRAGInG: FOR-eh-jing: Searching for food, especially by animals when taken to graze.
Average mark 24 words
Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 35 or more words in FORAGING?
yEstERDAy’s WoRD — DIFFIDEnt
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.
GramS 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
Services: TheselectedProposer will be required to per‐form allservicesasset forthinAttachment “A”ScopeofServices. MinimumQualifications: Please refertoattach‐ment Aofthe RFP. Obtaininga Copy of the Solicitation:
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-6882 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onMay 22, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 11037 CHAUCER ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70127 LOT1 - SQUARE F 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 972281 WRIT AMOUNT: $281,900.23
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/16/2025 & 5/21/2025 apr16-may21-2t $92.48
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 171 OAKMONTDR, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:WILM‐INGTON SAV‐INGS FUND SO‐CIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEEFOR FI‐NANCEOF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES AC‐QUISITION TRUST2018-HB1 VERSUS YVONNE PRICE ABADIE A/K/A YVONNE P. ABADIE A/K/A YVONNE ABADIE
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans RB 15 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR. LLC (225) 756-0373 DENNIS F. WIG‐GINS
lowingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 171 OAKMONT DR NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70128 LOT19- SQUARE B 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1123509 EASTOVER SUB‐DIVISION PHASE -1 WRIT AMOUNT: $589,368.88
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order.NoPer‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING.
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 13
LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHELC ADCOCK,JR. LLC (225) 756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-8505 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floorofthe Civil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May22, 2025, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐
The N.O. Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/16/2025 & 5/21/2025 apr16-may21-2t $96.18 OF NEWYORK AS SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO JP‐MORGAN CHASE BANK,N.A.AS TRUSTEEFOR NOVASTAR MORTGAGE FUNDINGTRUST, SERIES 2003-3, NOVASTAR HOME EQUITY LOAN ASSETBACKED CER‐TIFICATES, SE‐RIES 2003-3VERSUS KARENANN LALA A/K/A KARENA.LALA A/K/AKAREN LALA,HEIROF LEON GREGORY RADKOVICH A/K/ALEONG RADKOVICH A/K/ALEON RADKOVICH A/K/ALEON GREGORYRAD‐KOVICH,JR. A/K/A LEON G. RAD‐KOVICH,JR. A/K/ALEON RADKOVICH, JR CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2022-6164
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMNBER507 ELMIRA
By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May22, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 507 ELMIRA AV NEWORLEANS, LA 70114 LOT25- SQUARE 96 5THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 744206 WRIT AMOUNT: $106,785.15
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH
TERMS CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 24
THELAW OF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,L.L.C (225) 756-0373 COREYGIROIR
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/16/2025 & 5/21/2025 apr16-may21-2t $106.24
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NO.3611 SEC‐ONDSTREET, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:U.S BANK TRUST NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION, NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UAL CAPACITY,BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEEFOR FI‐DELITY& GUAR‐ANTY LIFE MORTGAGE 2018-1VERSUS
HAMILTON CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2023-213
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May22, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 3611 SECOND STREET LOTL &M SQUARE 460, FOURTH MUNIC‐IPAL DISTRICT, ACQUIRED MIN 1302459 WRIT AMOUNT: $111,784.45
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans GH 25 THELAW OF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,L.L.C (225) 756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NO.2612-14
tax revenues to be collected in thenext year from theincreased millage is $6,796,773.07 and theamount of increase in taxes attributable to themillage increase is $259,562.19.
OF NORMAN C. COLLINS CI
S Case No: 2019-8133 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onMay 22, 2025 at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2612-2614 MILANSTREET LOT4,SQUARE 624, SIXTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT, ACQUIRED MIN 822449 WRIT AMOUNT: $91,360.97
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS -CASH. Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans GH 23
THELAW OF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,L.L.C (225) 756-0373
COREYJ.GIROIR
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/16/2025 & 5/21/2025 apr16-may21-2t $98.83
public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May22, 2025, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: ACERTAIN LOT OR PORTIONOF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL THERIGHTS, WAYS,PRIVI‐LEGES, SERVI‐TUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISE APPERTAINING, SITUATED IN THEFIFTH DIS‐TRICTOFTHE CITY OF NEW ORLEANSIN AURORA GAR‐DENS SUBDIVI‐SION,AND BEINGA POR‐TION OF FOR‐MERLOT 1OF PLOT D, NOWDESIG‐NATEDASLOT 1 BOFPLOTD, ALLINACCOR‐DANCEWITH A PLAN OF RESUBDIVISION REGISTERED IN COB805, FOLIO 181 ANDWHICH SAID LOTIS MORE FULLYDE‐SCRIBEDAS FOLLOWS, TO WIT: LOT1 BOF PLOT D, WHICH PLOT IS BOUNDED BY GENERAL MEYERAVENUE, SIMPSON PLACE, BRIGHTON PLACEAND AURORA DRIVE, FORMSTHE CORNER OF GENERAL MEYERAVENUE ANDAURORA DRIVEAND HAS A FRONTOF 71.37 FEET ON GENERAL MEYERAVENUE AWIDTH IN THEREAROF65 FEET,A DEPTH A FRONTALOMG AURORA DRIVE OF 150.59 FEET AND ADEPTH ALONG THEOPPOSITE SIDELINEAD‐JOININGLOT 1A OF 121.11FEET WRIT AMOUNT:
$160,984.89
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 14 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR. LLC (225) 7560373 DENNIS FWIG‐GINS,JR
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/16/2025 & 5/21/2025
apr16-may21-2t $130.07
PUBLIC NOTICE
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-9284
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil DistrictCourt forthe Parish of Orleans, in the above entitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, onthe ground floor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onApril 17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: describedprop‐erty to wit: 1501 INDEPEN‐DENCESTNEW ORLEANS, LA 3713-13 1/2N ROBERTSONST NEW ORLEANS, LA SQUARE 660, LOTS THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQ MIN:1421844 WRIT AMOUNT: $2,610.00
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
BT 5 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS 504-658-4346 ANNA T. LEE
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $89.30
PUBLIC NOTICE
SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NO.3301 LAMARQUE STREET,CITYOF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUSAN‐DREW N. HOLMES AND PAMELA WASSO LOVE
ACQUIRED MIN 1256395 WRIT AMOUNT:
$1,255.00
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks.
FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans
BD 3 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS(504) 658-4346 ANNA T. LEE
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025 mar12-apr16-2t $87.71
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT
THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 814 N GALVEZ STREET THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUS CHARLEEN M. MABONORHER SUCCESSORS, HEIRS, ANDAS‐SIGNSIFDE‐CEASED
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-259
By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:
PUBLIC NOTICE
SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NO.901-03-05-07 PIETYSTREET CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUS 901 PIETYSTREET LLCAND JEF‐FREY S. HARRISON
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2021-7931
By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:
901-03-05-07 PIETYSTREET LOT14, SQUARE 285, THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQUIRED MIN 1369451 WRIT AMOUNT:
$16,629.56
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
BD 1 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS 504-658-4346 MARSHALL G. GRIES
public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 1447 BENTON ST NEWORLEANS LA 70117 LOTS 14 &15SQUARE 572 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1386788 WRIT AMOUNT: $223,035.00
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACEMASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 32 TREVATHAN LAWFIRM, APLC 225-334-9222 ALLISONN BEASLEY
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $90.36
Note: The pay ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 13 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, LLC504-5819444 RACHEL BREAUX
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $93
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 5752 BANCROFT DRIVE, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:NATION‐STAR MORT‐GAGE LLCVER‐SUSLOUELLA P.
ING) ANDTHE OPENED SUC‐CESSION OF CHARLESHARD‐ING, (A/K/A CHARLESCOR‐NELIUS HARD‐ING) AND41EN‐CAMPMENT,LLC
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-6824
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 5752 BANCROFT DR NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70122 LOT: 6, SQUARE: 46 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 712387 OAKPARKGAR‐DENS WRIT AMOUNT: $173,657.10
GIVENS HARD‐
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of the pur‐h i d
SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTION GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1501 INDEPENDENCE STREET,THIS CITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:CITY OF NEWOR‐LEANSVERSUS MICHAEL ED‐WARD DURON‐SLET
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2022-6020 By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parishof Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025,at12:00 o'clock noon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 3301 LAMARQUE STREET LOT1,SQUARE 10, FIFTHMUNICI‐PAL DISTRICT, TUNISBURG ACQUIRED MIN 1256395
814 N GALVEZ ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70119 SQUARE 267, LOT4 MUNICIPALSEC‐ONDDISTRICT ACQ MIN:1402220 WRIT AMOUNT: $1,710.00 Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
BT 4 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS 504-658-4346 ANNA T. LEE
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $87.18
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t
$87.18
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1129 SOUTHLAWNBD, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:U.S BANK TRUST NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION, NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR RCAF ACQUISI‐TION TRUST VERSUS ESTATE OF ELLIOTT H. WILLIAMS CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2023-1639
cent of the pur chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
GH 6
ALBERT WHITE LAWSON PENNY DAIGRE‐PONT
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $98.30
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF
ceed to sell by publicauction, h d
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 1129 SOUTH‐LAWN BD NEW ORLEANS, LA 70114 LOT33- SQUARE 3 5THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 828515 SOUTHLAWN SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $66,457.21 Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐
NOTICEISHEREBYGIVEN that theCouncil of theCityofHarahan willconduct aPublic Meeting on Thursday April17, 2025, at theHarahan City Hall Council Chambers, 6437 JeffersonHighway, Harahan,Louisiana, 70123, at 6:30PM
The meetingwillbelivestreamed.A link forthe broadcastwillbeposted on thecitywebsite.
The following agendaitems will be considered:
RESOLUTIONS PROPOSED RESOLUTION 2025-3
AResolution accepting theMunicipal Water Pollution Prevention Environmental AuditReport forthe periodofJanuary 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024, and to inform theLouisianaDepartmentofEnvironmental Quality that thefollowing actions weretaken and additional actions will be taken by theCityofHarahan
ORDINANCES FOR APPROVAL PROPOSED ORDINANCE2025-2
An Ordinanceamending OrdinanceNo. 2018, theannual Budget of Revenues and Expenditures forthe Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2025, forthe Capital Project Fund, of theCityofHarahan,Louisiana. (SoundSystem forPressBoxes -Recreation)
In accordance with the AmericanswithDisabilities Act, if you need special assistance, pleasecontact City Hall at (504) 737-6383, describing theassistance that is necessary. BY ORDER OF THEMAYOR
TIMOTHYBAUDIER CITY OF HARAHAN
AdvertiseApril 16, 2025
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RFP NO:2025-0001
The City of Harahan is soliciting Requestfor Proposals (RFP’s) from qualified firms to provide: DisasterDebris Management and Monitoring Services. PROPOSALS WILL BE RECEIVED BY THE CITY OF HARAHANCITY CLERK’S OFFICE 6437 JEFFERSONHIGHWAY HARAHAN, LA. 70123 UNTIL4:30PM ON MAY2,2025
The City of Harahan reserves therighttoaccept or reject any and all proposals, in whole or in part, pursuanttothe law Proposals are available gratis from: www.harahanla.gov,or Harahan City Hall City Clerk’sOffice 6437 JeffersonHighway Harahan,LA. 70123, or Email: CarrieHeustis,Municipal Clerk Carrie.heustis@ci.harahan.la.us
ADV: The Advocate: April9th,16th, &23rd, 2025
REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL RFP NO:2025-0002
The City of Harahan is soliciting Requestfor Proposals (RFP’s)
Case No: 2018-6255
By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onApril 17 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 1523 TITA STREET LOT20, SQUARE I, FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT
MIN 884116 WRIT AMOUNT: $132,648.67 Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be
SION WRIT AMOUNT: $108,720.65
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order.NoPer‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
RB 33 VEGA,JONES & DUBOIS, APLC 504-469-6699 JEFFERYJONES
TheN.O.Advo‐
cate Date (s):
3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $92.48
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 4734 GALLAHAD ( ALSO KNOWN AS GALAHAD) DRIVE, THIS CITY,INTHE MATTERENTI‐TLED:U.S.BANK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR VELOCITY COM‐MERCIALCAPI‐TALLOAN TRUST2022-5 VERSUSCO‐LETTE INVESTMENTS LLC
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2023-13605
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floorofthe Civil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 4734GALLAHAD DR NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70127 LOT32, SQUARE 5 THIRD MUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1399400 CASTLE MANOR SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $112,871.03
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING. SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of
RYAN M MC CABE
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025 mar12-apr16-2t $93.10
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT PORTION OF GROUND BEARINGMU‐NICIPALNO1327
SHIRLEYDR, THIS CITY IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED MCLP ASSET COMPANY, INC. VERSUSLEROH‐JANIECELEE
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2020-1921
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil DistrictCourt forthe Parish of Orleans, in the above entitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, onthe ground floor of theCivil DistrictCourt Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onApril 17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 1327 SHIRLEYDR NEWORLEANS, LA 70114 LOTF,SQUARE3 FIFTHDISTRICT ALBERNAPLACE SUBDIVISION ACQ#1293921 WRIT AMOUNT: $117,671.43
Seized in the above suit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING. SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans
GH 31 THE LAWOF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,LLC (225)756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR
The N.O. Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025 mar12-apr16-2t $85.60
2020-4347
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon, thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:
2520-22 JENA ST LOT17A SQ 604 SIXTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQUIRED MIN 894679 WRIT AMOUNT: $124,597.85
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans BD 30 THELAW OF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,LLC (225) 756-0373 COREYJGIROIR
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $95.13
ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT PORTION OF GROUND BEARINGMU‐NICIPALNUM‐BER20159 OLD SPANISHTR, THIS CITY,IN THE MATTERENTI‐TLED:FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS RYAN L. LABAUVE AND NICOLE CODY LABAUVE CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2022-9428
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 20159 OLD SPANISHTR NEWORLEANS LA 70129 LOT3,SQUARE 43, VENETIAN ISLE SUBDIVISION, ACQMIN: 1176340 WRIT AMOUNT: $250,056.28
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff,
Parish of Orleans GH 12 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, LLC504-5819444 CRIS JACKSON
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025
mar12-apr16-2t $88.24
PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT PORTION OF GROUND BEARINGMU‐NICIPALNO9920 EROCKTON CIR‐CLETHISCITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED WILM‐INGTON SAV‐INGS FUND SO‐CIETY, FSB, NOT INDIVIDUALLY BUTSOLELYAS TRUSTEEFOR FINANCEOF AMERICA STRUCTURED SECURITIES AC‐QUISITION TRUST2018-HB1 VERSUS VER‐DENE TAYLOR THOMAS
CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2020-1136
By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April17, 2025, at 12:00 o'clocknoon thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 9920 E ROCKTON CR NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70127 LOT3 SQUARE F THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT LAKE FOREST SUBDIVISION NO.6 ACQ#1066931 WRIT AMOUNT: $
WRIT AMOUNT: $160,804.17
Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter
Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING
SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans GH 11 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, LLC504-5819444 CRIS JACKSON
TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 3/12/2025 & 4/16/2025 mar12-apr16-2t $91.95
that MANDIGRIFFIN,the
CONG TU,isapplying for authoritytosellatpri‐vate sale theproperty describedasfollows,to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOF GROUND,together with allrights, ways,privi‐leges, servitudes,advan‐tagesand appurte‐nances thereuntobe‐longingorinanywise ap‐pertaining,situatedin thePARISHOFJEFFER‐SON, StateofLouisiana in that part thereof knownasWOODMERE SUBDIVISION, SECTION1 allasper plan of subdivi‐sion made by J.J. Krebs, Inc.,C.E.& S.,dated No‐vember 30, 1973, approved by the JeffersonParishCouncil on January17, 1974, under OrdinanceNo. 11506 andrecordedin COB808, folio 551, andin accordance with theAct of Dedication before BernhardtC.Heebe, No‐tary Public,dated Febru‐ary19, 1974, and recorded in COB808, folio 839, andaccording to which plan said property is more fullydescribed as follows, to-wit: LOT488, SQUARE Y, which said square is bounded by Woodmere Boulevard, Post Drive, TimbersDrive andPatriciaLane, and said lotmeasures60feet frontonWoodmere B l d ith i
and
IncludesNormalInstallation: AirCooledGenerator&ATS,Taxes, Labor,Permits,SurgeSuppressor, Battery,4”ConcretePad, GasPlumbing(abovegroundupto20’), &NormalElectricalWiring(upto60’).
IncludesNormalInstallation: Generator,Taxes,Labor,Battery, 4”ConcretePad,Permits, SurgeSuppressor,GasPlumbing (abovegroundupto20’), NormalElectrical &Wiring(upto30’).
Meet with an Install Designer Completethe In-Home Assessment -Location of generator -Sizerequired -How it works -How install happens -Qualify for financing -Answer questions
Receive aWritten Quote -Location of generator -kWsizer report -Install details -Total Price
Schedule Installation -Pick install date -Pay Down Payment -Sign Agreement
