The Times-Picayune 05-13-2025 by The Advocate

Tech labset for blighted navalstation

Incubatorstartup a$50 million public-private partnership

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

ABrooklyn, New York-based startup incubator is planning amajorinnovation hub at the blighted former U.S. naval station in New Orleans, aproject aimed at attracting and growing companies focused on energy efﬁciency, carbon management and portinfrastructure.

Newlab, which has created startupincubatorsfocused on industrial technology and “deep

tech” in Detroit andNew York, and is set to expand to Saudi Arabia, saidMonday it would be coming to New Orleans through apartnership with the city,Shell Oil, Louisiana EconomicDevelopment, LSU and Greater New Orleans, Inc.

The $50million public-private partnership, called Newlab New Orleans, will consist of laboratory space andadvanced machinerythatstartups can use as they

Bywater

the site of the planned 30,000-square-foot

‘Emperor of crawfish’AlScramuzza dies at 97

SeafoodCityowner knownfor hisiconic commercials

BY JOHN POPE

Contributing writer

Al Scramuzza,aplain-spoken man whose endearingly hokeycommercials for his Gentilly seafood store vaulted him into the pantheon of pitchmen, diedSunday at his Metairie home. He was 97. Scramuzza, who took credit for making crawfish popularinNew Orleans, sold mudbugs and other seafood on North BroadStreet for

43 years. He promoted his business, Seafood City,witha series of commercials thathewrote, produced and directed himself. In one spot, Scramuzza, wearing a white medical coat, was scrutinizing crawfish withastethoscopetodetermine whether they were healthy.Others featured him, again in the white coat, prescribing crawfish andother seafood to help people recover from falls, depression and infertility Each ad ended with Scramuzza, surrounded by employees, announcing the address —1826 N. Broad and waving. “I always hadplenty confidence”

Funds also allocated forprivate education grants

BY ELYSE CARMOSINO, PATRICK WALL and MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writers

ä Jefferson School Board OKs $1,500 stipends for teachers.

PAGE 1B

Louisiana would spend nearly $200 million on one-time paystipends for public school teachers and other school employees next school year under aproposed budget advanced by the House AppropriationsCommittee on Monday,essentially keeping educator payﬂat as lawmakers explore ways to fund long-term raises.

The spending plan, whichthe full House is expected to vote on Thursday,also includes $93.5 millionthat Gov.Jeff Landry requested for a new education program, called LA GATOR, that gives families tax dollars to pay for private school tuition and homeschooling expenses. It cuts $30 millionthat had been allocated for student tutoring.

Forthe thirdyearina row, certified teachers would get $2,000 andotherschool personnel would receive $1,000 under the proposed

ä See STIPENDS, page 5A

parishes have

homestoplace children

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

On arecent Tuesday afternoon in Watson, Rebecca Braun wasworking her shift at adonation center when she received acall from the state Department of Children and Family Services: A14-year-old girl needed aplace to stay for the night. Braun, whocurrently fosters seven children at her Livingston Parish home, can’tbring herself to say no. The Louisiana woman hasfosterednearly 100 children— from teenagers to anewborn baby she picked up from aWalmart. The parish consistently has some of the highest numbers of children entering foster care in the state. At one point this year,it had morethan 220 foster children but only 21 certiﬁed foster homes. Braun’sisone of them.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Al Scramuzza, whotook credit for making crawfish popular in NewOrleans, sold mudbugs and other seafood on North Broad Street for 43 years. He died Sundayat97.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETT DUKE

An abandoned former navalbase in the

neighborhood is

Newlab.

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

With arendering behindhim, David Belt speaks during anewsconference at the State CapitolonMonday to announcea$50 million investment in the NewlabNew Orleans ‘innovation hub’ at the former Navy base in NewOrleans.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Pope urges release of imprisoned journalists

VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV on Monday called for the release of imprisoned journalists and affirmed the “precious gift of free speech and the press” in an audience with some of the 6,000 journalists who descended on Rome to cover his election as the ﬁrst American pontiff.

Leo received a standing ovation as he entered the Vatican auditorium for his ﬁrst meeting with representatives of the general public.

The 69-year-old Augustinian missionary, elected in a 24hour conclave last week called for journalists to use words for peace, to reject war and to give voice to the voiceless

He expressed solidarity with journalists around the world who have been jailed for trying to seek and report the truth. Drawing applause from the crowd, he asked for their release.

“The church recognizes in these witnesses — I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed, because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said.

“The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.”

Kurdish militant group will disarm and disband

ANKARA, Turkey The Kurdish militant group PKK announced Monday that it is disbanding and renouncing armed conﬂict as part of a new peace initiative with Turkey, ending four decades of hostilities

The decision by the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party, promises to end one of the longest insurgencies in the Middle East and could have signiﬁcant impact in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. It was announced by the Firat News Agency, a media outlet close to the group, days after the PKK convened a party congress in northern Iraq.

In February, PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who has been imprisoned on an island near Istanbul since 1999, urged his group to convene a congress and formally decide to disband and disarm.

The call by Ocalan, 76, who continues to wields signiﬁcant inﬂuence in the Kurdish movement despite his 25-year imprisonment, marked a pivotal step toward ending the decadeslong conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s.

Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

TOKYO A 14th-century Korean Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago was returned on Monday, following a yearslong legal battle between Japan and South Korea over its ownership that had further strained sensitive ties between the two Asian neighbors.

Dozens of temple members and local residents standing by the roadside applauded to welcome the statue as a truck carrying a wooden container with it arrived at Kannonji, a temple on Japan’s western island of Tsushima.

The statue is expected to be kept at a local museum following a ceremony at the temple later in the day

The gilt bronze statue Bodhisatva — worshipped for mercy and compassion — is depicted in a sitting position and measures about 20 inches in height. It has been designated a cultural asset of the region and was one of two statues stolen in 2012 from Kannonji by thieves who were looking to sell them in South Korea.

Hamas frees Israeli-American hostage

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, SAMY MAGDY and TIA GOLDENBERG Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Hamas on Monday released an Israeli-American soldier who had been held hostage in Gaza for more than 19 months, offering a goodwill gesture toward the Trump administration that could lay the groundwork for a new ceaseﬁre with Israel.

Edan Alexander, 21, was the ﬁrst hostage released since Israel shattered an eight-week ceaseﬁre with Hamas in March and unleashed fierce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

He was handed over to the Red Cross and then to Israeli forces before being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Tel Aviv Israeli authorities released video and photos showing a pale but smiling Alexander in an emotional reunion with his mother and other family members.

Israel has promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza and displacing much of the territory’s population again. Days before the ceaseﬁre ended, Israel blocked all imports from entering the Palestinian enclave, deepening a humanitarian crisis and sparking warnings about the risk of famine if the blockade isn’t lifted Israel says the steps are meant to pressure Hamas to accept a ceaseﬁre agreement on Israel’s terms.

Wearing shirts emblazoned with his name, Alexander’s extended family gathered in Tel Aviv to watch the release. They chanted his name when the military said he was free, while in the city’s Hostage

Square, hundreds of people broke out into cheers.

Alexander’s grandmother, Varda Ben Baruch, beamed. She said her grandson looked mostly all right in the ﬁrst photo of him after nearly 600 days in captivity.

“He seemed like a man He has really matured,” she said. Reports that Alexander cracked a joke on the phone while speaking to his mother for the first time did not surprise her “He’s got such a sense of humor,” she said.

Alexander was 19 when he was taken from his military base in southern Israel during Hamas’

cross-border attack on Oct. 7, 2023, which set off the war in Gaza.

In his hometown of Tenaﬂy, New Jersey, hundreds of supporters packed the streets, holding signs with his image and listening to speakers blasting Israeli music. As they watched the news of his release on a large screen, the crowd hugged and waved Israeli flags. Since he was taken hostage, supporters there gathered every Friday to march for the hostages’ release.

Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity with about 23 of them said to be alive. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led mili-

Drones strike in Ukraine after Kremlin turns down truce

Russia promises talks this week

BY ILLIA NOVIKOV and DMYTRO ZHYHINAS Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Russia launched more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in nighttime attacks, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, after the Kremlin effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceaseﬁre in the more than threeyear war, but reiterated it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

There was no direct response from the Kremlin, meanwhile, to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s challenge for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him for face-to-face peace talks in Turkey on Thursday Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Monday refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side. “Overall, we’re determined to seriously look

for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all,” Peskov said.

The United States and European governments are making a concerted push to stop the ﬁghting, which has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, as well as more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians. Russia’s invading forces have taken around one-fifth of Ukraine in Europe’s biggest conﬂict since World War II.

Pres ident Donald Trump said Monday that he’s optimistic about the Istanbul talks. There is “the potential for a good meeting” between Putin and Zelenskyy, Trump said in Washington, adding that he was “thinking about ﬂying over” to the talks from his visit to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates that day

Zelenskyy supported the prospect of Trump attending the negotiations “I supported President Trump with the idea of direct talks with Putin. I have openly expressed my readiness to meet,” he said. “And of course,

all of us in Ukraine would appreciate it if President Trump could be there with us at this meeting in Turkey.”

In a ﬂurry of diplomatic developments over the weekend, Russia shunned the ceaseﬁre proposal tabled by the U.S. and European leaders, but offered direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday Ukraine, along with European allies, had demanded that Russia accept a ceasefire starting Monday before holding peace talks Moscow effectively rejected that proposal and instead called for direct negotiations in Istanbul.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday he had discussed Russian-Ukrainian peace efforts in separate calls with Zelenskyy Putin and Trump. Erdogan said “a new window of opportunity has emerged for peace.” Trump insisted that Ukraine accept the Russian offer of talks. Zelenskyy went a step further Sunday and put pressure on Putin by offering a personal meeting.

Trump signs executive order on lowering prescription prices

Deadline set for drugmakers to lower costs

BY AMANDA SEITZ and SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Monday signed a sweeping executive order setting a 30-day deadline for drugmakers to electively lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S or face new limits down the road over what the government will pay

lower prices paid by other countries.

“We’re going to equalize,” Trump said during a Monday morning news conference. “We’re all going to pay the same. We’re going to pay what Europe pays.”

A story Sunday deﬁned Louisiana Creoles of color as people of mixed French, African and Caribbean ancestry Creoles of color have mixed European, African or Caribbean ancestry The Times-Picayune regrets the error

The order calls on the health department, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to broker new price tags for drugs over the next month. If deals are not reached, Kennedy will be tasked with developing a new rule that ties the price the U.S. pays for medications to

It’s unclear what — if any — impact the Republican president’s executive order will have on millions of Americans who have private health insurance. The federal government has the most power to shape the price it pays for drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

Trump’s promised new — but uncertain — savings on drug prices, just hours after the Republican-led House released its new plan to trim $880 billion from Medicaid.

Taxpayers spend hundreds of billions of dollars on prescription drugs, injectables, transfusions and other medications every year through Medicare, which covers nearly 70 million older Americans. Medicaid, which provides nearlyfree health care for almost 80 million poor and disabled people in the U.S. also spends tens of billions of dollars each year for drugs.

The nation’s pharmaceutical lobby, which represents the top U.S. drugmakers, immediately pushed back against Trump’s order calling it a “bad deal” for American patients. Drugmakers have long argued that any threats to their proﬁts could impact the research they do to develop new drugs.

tants in the 2023 attack were freed in ceaseﬁre deals.

Hamas announced its intention to release Alexander shortly before President Donald Trump was set to arrive Tuesday in the Middle East on the ﬁrst ofﬁcial foreign trip of his second term.

Trump on Sunday called the planned release “a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones.”

“Hopefully this is the ﬁrst of those final steps necessary to end this brutal conflict. I look very much forward to that day of celebration!”

Trump said on social media.

Trump, who is traveling to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, is not scheduled to stop in Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Monday with the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and discussed efforts to release the remaining hostages, his ofﬁce said.

Netanyahu “directed that a negotiations team leave for Doha tomorrow,” the prime minister’s office said, adding that Netanyahu “made it clear that the negotiations would only take place under ﬁre.”

Netanyahu said Alexander’s release “was achieved thanks to our military pressure and the diplomatic pressure applied by President Trump. This is a winning combination.”

Judge refuses to block IRS sharing tax data with ICE

By The Associated Press

A federal judge on Monday refused to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. In a win for the Trump administration, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit ﬁled by nonproﬁt groups. They argued that undocumented immigrants who pay taxes are entitled to the same privacy protections as U.S. citizens and immigrants who are legally in the country Friedrich, who was ap-

pointed by President Donald Trump, had previously refused to grant a temporary order in the case. The decision comes less than a month after former acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause resigned over the deal allowing ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records. The IRS has been in upheaval over Trump administration decisions to share taxpayer data. A previous acting commissioner announced his retirement earlier amid a furor over Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efﬁciency gaining access to IRS taxpayer data.

Trump

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ODED BALILTy

People watch a live broadcast Monday at a plaza known as Hostage Square in Tel Aviv as Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander is released from Hamas captivity in Gaza.

U.S.,China agreetoslash

sky-high tariffsfor now

BY JAMEY KEATEN, DAVID McHUGH, ELAINE KURTENBACH and KEN MORITSUGU Associated Press

GENEVA— The United Statesand China agreed Mondaytoslash their massive recent tariffs, restarting stalled trade between the world’stwo biggest economies andsettingoff a rally in global financial markets.

But the de-escalation in President Donald Trump’strade wars did nothing to resolve underlying differences between Beijing and Washington. The deal lasts 90 days, creating time for U.S. and Chinese negotiators to reach amoresubstantive agreement. But the pause also leaves tariffs higher thanbefore Trump started ramping them up last month. And businesses and investors must contend with uncertainty about whether the truce will last.

U.S. Trade RepresentativeJamieson Greer said the U.S. agreed to drop the 145% tax Trump imposed lastmonthto30%.China agreed to lower its tariffrateon U.S. goods to 10% from 125%.

Greer and TreasurySecretary Scott Bessent announced thetariff reductions at anews conferencein Geneva.

The officials struck apositive tone as they said the two sides had set up consultations to continue discussing their trade issues. Bessent said that the triple-digittariffs the two countries imposedon each other last month —inanescalation of tensionsTrumpstarted —amounted to “the equivalent of an embargo, andneither side wants that. We do want trade.”

Thedelegations,escorted around town and guarded by scoresof Swiss police, met for at least adozen hours on both days of the weekendata sunbaked18th-century villa that serves as the ofﬁcial residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. At times, the delegation leaders broke away from their staffs and settled into sofasonthe villa’s patios overlooking LakeGeneva, helping deepen personal ties in the effort to reach amuch-sought deal

The 30% levy thatAmerica is now imposing on Chinese goods includes an existing 20% tariff intended to pressure China into doing more to prevent the the synthetic opioid fentanyl from enteringthe

UnitedStates. It alsoincludesthe same 10% “baseline” tariff Trump has slapped on imports from most of theworld’scountries.The 30% taxcomes on topofother levies on China, including some leftover fromTrump’sﬁrst termand kept by former President Joe Biden Trump had ratcheted the combined tariffto145% lastmonth, furious thatChina was retaliating, before backing down Monday China’s CommerceMinistry called the agreement an important step for the resolution of the two countries’ differences andsaidit lays the foundation for further cooperation.

“This initiative aligns with the expectations of producers and consumers in both countries and serves the interests of bothnations as wellasthe common interests of the world,” aministry statement said.

China hopes the U.S.will stop “the erroneous practiceofunilateral tariff hikes” andworkwith China to safeguard the development of economic and trade relations, injecting more certainty and stability into the global economy, theministry said

Thejoint statementbythe two countries saidChina alsoagreed to suspend or remove other measuresithas taken since April 2in response to the U.S. tariffs. China has increased export controls on rare earths, including some critical to thedefense industry,and added more American companies to its export control and unreliable entity lists, restrictingtheirbusiness with and inChina.

The full impact on thecomplicated tariffs and other trade penalties enacted by Washingtonand Beijing remains unclear.And much depends on whether they will ﬁnd ways to bridgelongstanding differences during the 90-day suspension.

Bessentsaid in an interview with CNBC that U.S. and Chinese ofﬁcialswill meet again in afew weeks.

But investors rejoiced as trade envoys from the world’stwo biggest economies blinked Futures for theS&P 500 jumped 2.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Averagewas up2%. Oilprices surged more than $1.60 abarrel, and the dollar gained against the euro and the Japaneseyen.

“This is asubstantial de-escalation,” said Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics. But he warned “there is no guaranteethat the 90-daytruce will

give way toalasting ceaseﬁre.”

DaniRodrik, an economist at Harvard University,said thatthe two countrieshad stepped back “fromaneedless trade war” but thatU.S. tariffs on China remain high at 30% “andwill mainly hurt U.S. consumers.”

“Trump has obtainedabsolutely nothing from China forall the chaos he generated. Zilch,” Rodrik wrote, posting on Bluesky

Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said thespeed at which the agreement came about suggested that “bothsides weremore economically boxed in than they let on.”

“For China, the economic pain was real:Risingunemployment, capital flight, and exportorders falling at theirfastest rate in nearly twoyears,” Singleton said. “For Trump, marketsmattered, and this deal gives him awin without abandoning leverage.”

The announcement by the U.S. andChina sent sharessurging, with U.S. futures jumping more than 2%. Hong Kong’sHang Seng index surged nearly3%, andbenchmarks in Germanyand France were both up 0.7%

“The dropfromsky-high to merelyhigh tariffs, alongwith the uncertaintyabout the pathof future tariffs, will still serve as a constraint on trade and investment ﬂows between the two economies,” saidEswar Prasad,professor of tradepolicy at Cornell University

“Nevertheless, it is apositive omen forthe worldeconomythat U.S. tariffs might eventually end up as signiﬁcant tradebarriersbut notunsurmountablewalls,” he said

Jay Foreman—CEO of Basic Fun, theFlorida-based company behind suchtoysasCareBears andTonka trucks —said he was relieved to see thetariff rate on Chinesegoods now down to 30%. But he wantsthat to drop to10%.

Foreman said he’d just advised histeaminChina to releaseits toy shipments, which had been paused since early April. Before Monday’s deal,hesaid, he thought he’d have to double prices —but they’llstill go up, by 10% to 15% for thethird and fourth quarters.

“It’slike they tried to feed us arotten eggsandwichand hope we’re happy to drink spoiled milk instead,” Foreman said Associated Press writers Paul Wiseman and Didi Tang in Washington and AP retail writer Anne D’Innocenzio in New York contributed.

Al Scramuzza, aplain-spoken man whose endearinglyhokey commercials forhis

SCRAMUZZA

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in those spots, he said in a2001 interviewwithThe Times-Picayune. “They wrote my commercials at the TV station; Ichanged the scripts. Itoldthe director, ‘Stand on the side.’”

The ads“were so goofy, so different that they resonated with people,” said Dominic Massa, who featured Scramuzza in “Stay Tuned: NewOrleans’ Classic TV Commercials,” aWYESTV documentary he produced. (Scramuzza was also the subject of WLAE-TV documentary last year.)

“New Orleansloves its characters,”Massa said, “andIthink he in so many ways typiﬁedaNew Orleans character.”

Scramuzza,who proclaimed himself the emperor of crawﬁsh, became acelebrity whowas in demand for appearances. He was on hand when the Crescent City Farmers Market started selling seafood in 1999. In 1990, wearing hisdoctor’scoat and stethoscope,Scramuzza reigned as king of theKrewe du Vieux parade. In 2017, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Boardproclaimed him“The Seafood Champion.”

He branchedinto music in 1962, when he launchedthe Scram record labelfrom the seafood store and hired pianist and singerEddie Bo to lead the studio band. Among the label’s songs was “Dothe Crawﬁsh” by Assumarks Derfla,analmostperfect backward rendering of Scramuzza’sname. In 1983, he traded on hisfame in arun for aseat in the state House of Representatives. When he was walking the streets of that Gentilly district, people recognized himfrom his commercials and said hello. His reply to onewoman:“If you look this good after eating my seafood,think howyou’ll look with my legislation.” His slogan: “Votefor Al Scramuzza andyou’ll never be a loser.” Nevertheless, he lost.

In 2018, The Times-Picayune named Scramuzza one of New Orleans’300 distinctive citizens in aseries to mark the city’stricentennial. Born on Sept. 19, 1927, Scramuzza wasthe youngest of six children. His father,who sold produce in the French Market, left thefamily whenScramuzza wasyoung, leaving hiswife and theirchildrendestitute.

attempt to turn their research and ideas into products for commercial and militaryuse. It’sexpected to open in fall 2026.

“Newlab was built to get critical technologies out of the lab and into the world,” David Belt, co-founder and CEO of Newlab, said at anews conference at theState Capitolon Monday.

The project is the ﬁrst announced tenantatthe Bywater base.InApril, along-touted redevelopmentproject to turn theabandonedarea into hundreds of affordable apartments cleared akey fundinghurdle and secured local property tax breaks.

Known as NSA East Bank Apartments, officials said construction could begin as soon as thissummer Newlab has turned blighted properties in other cities into job hubs. In New York, it transformed the Brooklyn Navy Yard into atech hub forentrepreneurs,and inDetroit, it partnered with the Ford Motor Company to convert avacant building into ahome for more than 100 mobility-based startups.

“This is aforce multiplier for our city and our state,” saidMayor LaToya Cantrell, calling it a“home

run” for New Orleans.

Newlab was attracted to Louisiana because of its “deep industrial legacy” and position as strategic hubs for energy,Beltsaid. It hasan experienced workforceand offers opportunities for entrepreneurs to deploy and testtheir technology,he said.

“Wehave thelegacy industry,the legacy infrastructureand thelegacy workforce in the energy space,” LED Secretary Susan Bourgeois said.“Youcan’tbuy that or replicatethat.”

Newlab’sworkinLouisiana began last year through two U.S. Department of Energy-backed programs that connected startups working on clean hydrogen and carbon management technologies with industry partnerslike Shell,Battelle and Carbonvert.

One of thestartups, MantelCapture, developed atechnologythat captures carbon dioxide released at high temperatures in industrial settings. Shell and 20 others made investments, according to Belt, who saidMantel planstomoveinto Newlab New Orleans when thesite opens.

“It went from avery ambitious pilot to acompany that’snow wellfunded and scaled,” Belt said of Mantel. “That’sthe goal.” Louisiana already has several

startup incubatorsspread throughoutthe state, including the Idea Village andthe New Orleans BioInnovation Center in New Orleans, that have helped early-stage startups develop into much-larger companies. And while those hubs have resources geared to companiesfocused on software and biotech, Newlabaimstohelpinmanufacturing and other sectors thatcan requireexpansive machinery and other tools, as wellasphysical space to test outideas

The effort is being funded with public dollarscobbled together from LED, the city,LSU, GNO and the Future Use of Energy in Louisiana initiativesupportedbythe National Science Foundation. Shell andother industry partners that have yet to be announced are also contributing.

Newlab New Orleanswill be located in anew,30,000-square-foot building at thenavalbase, though Belt said they expect to eventually expand.

“It’s not justthe startofanew venture for us,” he said. “It’s the start of along-term partnership with the people, the industries and the energy,literally and ﬁguratively,ofLouisiana.”

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.

His mother workedinsewing factoriesand at theAmerican Sugar Refinery.Inaninterview, Scramuzza recalled going under fish trucks at the market to find fallenshrimp and loose crabs that hismother could use in gumbo.Scramuzza earned money by selling newspapers, shining shoes in Exchange Alleyand selling duck eggs he had foraged in CityPark.

“I had my own way of selling shoeshines,” he said in a1993 interview.“‘Mister,’ I’d say,‘Ican’t standtosee shoes like that. Put your shoe on the box, I’m giving you afreebrush.’ They’d always pay me.”

He and his siblings spent time in Hope Haven, aMarrero home for orphaned and impoverished youngsters. At Hope Haven, Scramuzza wasintroduced to

FILE PHOTO

STAFFFILE PHOTOBySOPHIAGERMER

Al Scramuzza holds hisLouisiana SeafoodAmbassadoraward presented to himbyLt. Gov. BillyNungesserin2017 during Scramuzza’s90th birthday party at Melba’s in NewOrleans.The self-proclaimed ‘Crawfish Emperor’ famous for making crawfish popularinthe 1940s and said to have started the firstbackyard crawfish boil, diedatage 97.

sports, which, he said, changed his life

He graduatedfromWarren Easton High School, where he hadplayedfootball, and enlisted in theNavy. WhenScramuzza returned home in 1949, he operated afruit stand at Campand Calliope streets where he also sold oysters, shrimp, fish and crabs. Ayear later,hemoved his operation —Broadview Seafood & Produce —toTerranova’sBroadview MeatMarket at Broad Street and Bayou Road. In 1951, atruckfarmer sold him afew sacks of crawfish, which were notpopularoutside Cajun country.Scramuzza, who described himself as “a good promoter,” put his marketing skills to work, showing curious customers how to boil, peel and eat the crustaceans,and he promoted the then-exotic mudbugs by paying children to dangle them from fishing poles as cars roared past. Eventually,crawfish boils became an integral part of springtimeinNew Orleans, and Scramuzza did his bit to supply the main ingredients. He said he sold up to 50,000 pounds of crawfish on Saturdays. In 1961, he leased part of a building at 1826 N. Broad St. to open what becameSeafood City. Scramuzza became so successful thathewound up buying the entire block, and he operated the business until he retired in 1993. Scramuzza moved to Metairie, where he was alongtime volunteer coach of avariety of sports at Johnny BrightPlayground Last year,parish officials renamed asection of Marion Street near the playground in his honor Although he prided himselfon staying active intohis 10th decade, Scramuzzaacknowledged the aches and pains that are part of aging. Hisremedy: “I just get up in the morning and rub alittle crawfish juice on the aches and pains, and I’mready forthe day.” His marriage to Sarah Migliore Scramuzza ended in divorce. She died in 2017. Survivors include two daughters, Toni AnnScramuzza and SaraLyn Scramuzza Warren, five grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. Lakelawn Metairie Funeral Homewill handle arrangements, which are incomplete.

Contact JohnPope at pinckelopes@gmail.com.

Gentilly seafood store vaulted himinto the pantheon of pitchmen, died Sunday at hisMetairie home. He was 97.

PROVIDED PHOTO

Arendering of Newlab NewOrleans, a$50 million‘innovation hub’ that’sslated for the former Navy base in the Bywater

ä Wall Street rallies after pause announced.

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budget, which will move to the state Senate if it clears the House.

The Legislature added the onetime stipends to the budget, at a total cost of about $199.5 million, after voters in March rejected a constitutional amendment that would have dissolved several education trust funds to pay for permanent teacher raises.

On Monday, the House passed two bills that repackage the teacher-pay portion of the amendment. If the full Legislature passes the bills and voters approve the constitutional change, teachers would get lasting raises starting with the 2026-27 school year In that case, the onetime stipends would be a stopgap measure until the raises kick in.

Rep. Barbara Freiberg, R-Baton Rouge, said teachers earned the stipends especially after Louisiana students made record gains last year on a closely watched national test.

“I think that achievement is due to thousands of hardworking teachers who are in the classroom every day making a difference in the lives of students,” said Freiberg, who is a member of the budget committee.

The money allocated for the LA

The shortage is widespread across the state.

West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee parishes, where children are entering foster care in growing numbers, currently have zero foster homes available.

“You can’t turn a blind eye once you see what’s out here, and you know that there’s not enough people out here willing to do it with you you just stay in the trenches a lot longer than you should,” Braun said.

Children enter foster care after having to leave their families due mainly to neglect or abuse. Allegations of neglect are often connected with poverty, and Louisiana hovers at the top of the list of states with the highest rates. In 2024, Louisiana officials received more than 52,000 abuse and neglect reports and conducted more than 21,500 investigations

“I keep saying, ‘Once I get like 10 or 15 more foster parents doing this kind of work, then I’ll be able to retire,’” Braun said. “But as long as there’s only 21 homes in the parish, I feel like it’s not really fair for me to throw in the towel.”

She says being perfect is not a requirement to foster.

“You can be a normal person and be a foster parent You don’t have to be extraordinary,” Braun said. Recovering from COVID

The need for foster homes and related resources is dire statewide.

While the number of children in the foster care system has largely remained consistent over several decades, a noticeable change occurred during peak COVID years. The rates took a nosedive during the pandemic because fewer eyes were on children not because fewer children needed foster care, DCFS Secretary David Matlock said. When schools reopened and masks were removed, the number needing foster care quickly bounced back, as more eyes were on victims of neglect or abuse In some parishes in the Capitol Region and surrounding area, the demand reached record highs.

Last year, East Baton Rouge Parish had the highest number of foster children in the state, with 606, a noticeable increase from 386 in 2019. In some smaller, more rural parishes around the capital region, such as West Baton Rouge, Iberville, West Feliciana and Pointe Coupee, the numbers have more than doubled since 2019. However at the same time, some large parishes like St. Tammany, Ascension and Tangipahoa have had numbers fall below 2019 rates. Several state social service workers and child advocates say it is hard to pinpoint an exact reason for rise and fall of cases in certain areas. Causes can range from changes in unemployment

GATOR program will pay for grants for an estimated 12,000 students, or roughly a third of the eligible students whose families applied. Some lawmakers have balked at spending nearly $94 million to subsidize students’ private education when many public schools are underfunded.

But Landry and advocacy groups that promote school vouchers pressured reluctant lawmakers to fund the program, including with TV ads that said, “Don’t shortchange our kids.”

Committee Chair Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, said Monday that the new budget also includes $17.5 million for “differentiated pay,” which allows school districts to give extra money to high-performing teachers, those who teach hard-tostaff subjects and others

Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, a committee member who has called for higher teacher pay, said the new budget proposal includes “significant investments” in Louisiana’s children along with some spending cuts.

“I think the ﬁnal product is something we can all be proud of,” he said.

Paying for the stipends

The proposed budget is mostly a win for education with one big caveat.

It includes funding that state

education officials and advocates sought for teacher pay, early childhood education and the LA GATOR program.

But it sacriﬁces money for “highdosage” tutoring in math and reading, where trained tutors work with small groups of struggling students a few times a week, which state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has made a top priority and credits with driving some of the state’s recent academic gains

“While I’m disappointed by the cut to tutoring, today is one step in the budget process,” he said in a statement Monday “We look forward to the opportunity to share more about the vital role this support has played in our academic success.”

Lawmakers paid for the teacher stipends by removing roughly $200 million from the budget, which is spelled out in House Bill 1. The cuts came in a series of amendments to the bill that were added Monday

The biggest cut came from blocking $91 million in new vehicle and heavy equipment purchases by state agencies, according to a release from the House of Representatives. A hiring freeze imposed by Landry is expected to generate another $20 million in savings, and the state saved another $25.5 million by paying down retirement debt early according to the release.

Lawmakers also reduced Medic-

and poverty rates to ebbs and ﬂows in child welfare awareness and more mandated reporters.

Too few volunteers

The increase was alarming because COVID had already widened the gap between the number of foster children and parents

Joel Hooper, a manager of DCFS foster care recruitment, said COVID hurt foster family recruitment due to lockdown or fears of catching the virus. Despite COVID concerns disappearing, recruitment has yet to fully rebound.

“We had less families coming in on the front end, but on the back end, we had more families leaving the program due to similar concerns So over time, that caught up with us,” Hooper said. In the past two decades, the state has launched multiple foster parent recruitment initiatives. A project in the past year included hiring a new team of regional foster care recruitment and retention employees led by Hooper

Kellye Worley joined the team about a year ago and focuses on spreading awareness about the need for foster parents

“The need for foster parents is really, really huge right now,” Worley told a group of about 40 people gathered in Baton Rouge at a local child and family welfare leadership collaborative meeting. “Our foster parents are very overworked right now.

Other resources for foster children are also stretched, often operating only off volunteers, donations and grants.

Louisiana has 18 branches of the national Court Appointed Special Advocates Association. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to help children in the foster system. Those volunteers provide support as children go through the legal process for about a year Allison Traxler, executive director of the East Baton Rouge Parish CASA, said that before 2020, her branch had a volunteer for every child that needed one But foster care numbers have increased in the past three years.

“Since COVID, a lot of the CASA programs are not being able to keep up with the number of children who are placed in foster care,” Traxler said. “We have about 120 children on our waiting

aid funding by $26.3 million. McFarland said that number reﬂects overbudgeting from previous years.

Teacher pay wasn’t the only winner in the budget Monday

The amendments gave an additional $1.2 million to Louisiana’s Child Advocacy Centers, which serve children who are victims of abuse or human trafﬁcking or who have witnessed violent crimes. Federal cuts prompted those centers to seek state aid. And lawmakers restored $7 million that has helped expand domestic violence victim services in Louisiana.

It’s also possible that programs like tutoring that were cut to pay for the stipends could be restored in the ﬁnal budget, said Steven Procopio, president of the Public Affairs Research Council, a nonpartisan Louisiana research group. He said legislative leaders have indicated that updated state revenue forecasts will show the state has more money to work with than initially projected.

“That gives me a lot of confidence,” he said, adding that he thinks some of the cuts are only temporary

A plan for long-term raises

It was unclear until Monday’s budget meeting whether lawmakers would ﬁnd the money for stipends.

After Louisianans voted down the

amendment that Landry pushed for to raise teacher salaries and make other sweeping changes to the state constitution, critics blamed the amendment’s length and complexity for its defeat. Lawmakers then introduced a pair of bills — House Bill 466 by Rep. Josh Carlson, R-Lafayette, and House Bill 579 by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro that revived the plan to ﬁnance teacher raises. Both bills passed the House on Monday and now head to the state Senate.

But the raises would not take effect until 2026. That left open the possibility that Louisiana teachers, who on average earn about $5,000 less than their regional peers, would see smaller paychecks this fall after their current stipends expired. The amendments that the budget committee approved Monday avoid pay decreases by funding another year of stipends.

However, lawmakers say the stipends are a temporary solution, arguing that the state must ﬁnd a way to fund lasting raises.

“If we really want to keep competent teachers in the state,” said Rep. Barbara Carpenter, D-Baton Rouge, “we’re going to ultimately have to ﬁnd a way to pay salaries that are comparable to other professions.” Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@theadvocate.com.

list right now.”

The CASA of the 18th Judicial District Court, which covers Iberville, Point Coupee and West Baton Rouge parishes, echoed similar sentiments The number of foster children in all three parishes more than doubled from 2019 to 2024. Executive Director Kendall Hebert said about half of the children have an appointed CASA volunteer She cited rising foster rates, the newness of that CASA branch and a struggle to recruit.

Recently, CASA experienced a hit to its recruitment efforts. The U.S. Department of Justice issued hundreds of terminations of federal grant awards in late April, and the national CASA was one of the recipients.

Louisiana CASA Executive Director Amanda Moody says while the cut is “not detrimental to our survival” given diversiﬁed funding efforts, the $120,000 cut from the state impacted special projects — including one for recruitment

“That really does hurt,” she said.

Still, Louisiana CASAs had a record-breaking month of volunteers joining in March, according to Moody Retention and recruitment

Like CASA, other child welfare workers and groups are brainstorming ways to bring more people’s eyes to the foster system with cost-efﬁcient solutions.

Among the challenges are low daily rates for taking in foster children — families receive an average of $19 a day per child. The state Legislature sets those rates and last increased them in 2021 They currently fall below the recommended average for Southern states.

“We need 125 more child welfare workers, more cars.

We’re resource-trapped,” Matlock, the DCFS head, said recently

In turn, local volunteer community collaboratives and forming support groups are prioritized. Matlock said community collaboratives like the one in Baton Rouge are to be implemented throughout the state. Another focus is increasing faithbased collaborations, with many churches spreading the word about foster parent recruitment and urging people to become certiﬁed.

DCFS is also testing ways to improve the registration and training process for foster parents.

“We’re streamlining that

and trying to make it more friendly to foster parents.

We’re just making it a little more accessible,” Matlock said.

Some organizations outside of DCFS have found

success in prioritizing retention when it comes to foster parents.

Methodist Foster Care, a statewide foster program based in Monroe, has focused on support campaigns for its

foster parents, said Colby Hennigan, a family recruiter.

The private organization, created in 2015, is a therapeutic foster care program, meaning it serves children who are medically fragile or have special needs. In April, Methodist had 197 homes serving 173 foster kids across the state. At the same time, DCFS recommends about 40 children per month

sive support services that Hennigan believes make a huge difference.

“We recognize that it’s not enough to just recruit foster parents, we have to retain them too,” he said.

Email Claire Grunewald at claire.grunewald@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Foster mom Rebecca Braun is director of The Foster Village, where foster children and those in need can get clothing essential items and toys.

LSU names business school dean

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor

Abusiness professor at the University of Tennessee has been selected to become the newdean of LSU’sbusiness school

RussellCrook is settotake over as dean of the E.J. Ourso College of Business,effective July 28, pendingapproval by the LSUBoard of Supervisors, the university announcedMonday Crook has been head of the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship at the UniversityofTennessee’s Haslam College of Business since July 2022. He also serves as the First Horizon Foundation Distinguished Business Professor and Cheryl Massingale Business Faculty Scholar

Crook has been on theTennessee business school staff since 2007. During that time, he received multiple teaching and service awards fromthe school.

Crook said he is thrilled to join the LSU staff.

“Together,wewillnot only elevate the college to new heights in student success and thoughtleadership, but also enhance its role as acatalyst foreconomic growth and opportunityacrossthe stateof Louisiana,”hesaid in astatement. He earned abachelor’s in economics fromFlorida State University, amaster’sinbusiness administration from AmericanUniversityand a doctorate in strategic management from Florida State. Beforeheearned his doctorate,Crook worked for several Fortune 500 companies, including American Airlines, US Airways and IBM in strategic planning and global procurement.

Crook is afellow and aformer presidentofthe Southern Management Association.

LSU President WilliamF Tate IV and Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty praised Crook’s backgroundand abilities.

“His leadership skills, scholarly expertise and industry experience makehim the ideal candidate to lead LSU’sdistinguishedE.J. Ourso Collegeof Business,” Haggerty said in a statement.

Crook will replace Jared Llorensasdean of the business school. LSU ofﬁcials said Llorens, whohas served as dean since July 2020, will return to a facultyposition at the school’s Department of Public Administration.

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

BY MAE ANDERSON and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP business writers

NEW YORK American businesses thatrelyonChinese goods reacted with mutedrelief Monday afterthe U.S.and China agreedtopausetheir exorbitant tariffs on each other’s productsfor 90 days.

Importersstill face relatively high tariffs, however,aswell as uncertainty over what will happeninthe coming weeks andmonths. Many businesses delayedorcanceledorders after PresidentDonald Trump last monthput a145% tariff on items made in China.

Now,they’re concerned a mad scramble to get goods onto ships will lead to bottlenecks and increased shipping costs. The temporary truce wasannouncedasretailersand suppliers are looking to ﬁnalize plans and orders for the holidayshopping season.

“The timingcouldn’thave been any worse with regard to placing orders, so turning on a dime to pick back up withcustomers and our factories will putusseverely behind schedule,”said WS Game Company owner Jonathan Silva, whose Massachusettsbusiness creates deluxe versionsofMonopoly, Scrabble and other Hasbro board games.

Silva said the30% tariff on Chinese imports still is astep in the right direction. He has nine containers of products waiting at factories in China and said he would work to get them exportedatthe lower rate U.S. Trade Representative

BY JONEL ALECCIA AP health writer

People taking EliLilly’sobesity drug, Zepbound, lostnearly50% more weight than those using rival Novo Nordisk’sWegovy in the ﬁrst head-to-head study of the blockbustermedications.

Clinical trial participants who took tirzepatide, the drug soldas Zepbound, lost an averageof50 pounds over 72weeks, while those whotook semaglutide, or Wegovy, lost about 33 pounds. That’s according to the study fundedby Lilly,which was published Sunday

Jamieson Greer said theU.S. agreed to lower its 145% tariff rate on Chinesegoods by 115 percentage points,while China agreed to lowerits retaliatory 125% rate on U.S. goods by the same amount.The two sides plantocontinue negotiations on alonger-term trade deal.

Before Trump started the latest U.S. tariffbattlewith China,Miami-basedgame company All Things Equal was preparingtolaunch its firstelectronicboard game Founder EricPoses saidhe spent two years developing The Good News Is..., aﬁll-inthe-blank gamecovering topicslike politics andsports. He plowed$120,000into research and development.

Whenthe president in February added a20% tariff on productsmade in China, Poses startedremovingunessential features such as embossed packaging. When the rate went

up to 145%, he faced two options: leave the goods in China or send them to bondedwarehouses,a storage method that allows importers to defer duty paymentsfor up to ﬁve years. Poses contactedhis factories in China on Monday to arrange the deferred shipments, but with his games still subject to a30% tariff, he said he would have to cutback on marketing to keep the electronic game priced at $29.99. With other businesses also in arush to get their products, he saidheis worried he won’tbeable to his intoshipping containers and that if he does, the cost will be much more expensive

“It’svery hard to plan because if you want to go back to production in acouple of months, then you’re worried about what will the tariff rate be when it hits the U.S. ports after that90-dayperiod,” Poses said.

in the New England Journal of Medicine. Both drugs are part of anew class of medications that work by mimickinghormones in thegut and brain that regulateappetiteand feelings of fullness. But tirzepatide targets twosuch hormones, known as GLP-1 and GIP,while semaglutide targets GLP-1 alone, said Dr Louis Aronne,director of theComprehensive Weight ControlCenter at Weill Cornell Medicine.

“Two drugs together can produce better weight loss,” said Aronne, who led the study and presented theﬁndings Sunday at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain.

While tirzepatide won out in what Aronne said manyview as “a drag race of efﬁcacy,” both are important tools for treating obesity whichaffects about40% of Ameri-

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEWYORK— Stocks rallied Monday after Chinaand theUnitedStates announced a90-daytruceintheir trade war. Each of the world’stwo largest economies agreed to temporarily take down most of its tariffs against the other, which economists hadwarned couldstart arecession and create shortages on U.S. store shelves. TheS&P 500shotuptopullback within 5% of its all-time high set in February.It’sbeen roaring higher since fallingnearly 20% below the mark last month on hopes that President Donald Trumpwill lower his tariffs afterreaching trade dealswith other countries. The index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts is back above where it was on April 2, Trump’s“Liberation Day,” when he announced stiff worldwide tariffs that ignited worries abouta potentially self-inﬂictedrecession.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also climbed. It wasn’tjuststocksrising following what one analyst called a“best-case scenario” for U.S.-China tariff talks, which reduced tariffs by more than what manyinvestors expected. Crude oilprices climbed because aglobaleconomy less burdenedby tariffs will likely burn morefuel. The value of the U.S. dollar strengthened againsteverythingfrom the euro to the Japaneseyen to the Swiss franc. And Treasury yields jumped on expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t have to cutinterestratesas deeply this yearasearlier expected in order to protect the economy from the damage of tariffs. Gold’sprice fell, meanwhile, as investors felt less need to buy something safe.

The moveannounced Monday could add 0.4 percentage points to the U.S. economy’sgrowth this year,according to Jonathan Pingle, U.S. chief economist at UBS. That’sasigniﬁcant chunk, and every bit counts when the U.S. economy shrank at a0.3% annual rate in the ﬁrst threemonths of the year

The 90-day reprieve also comes at avital time forthe economy, allowing retailers and suppliers to “ensure that shelves are stocked forthe allimportant back-to-school andholiday shopping seasons,” said Carol Schleif, chiefmarket strategistatBMO Private Wealth.

Of course, conditionscould change quickly again, as Wall Street has seen all too often in Trump’son-againoff-againrollout of tariffs. Bigchallenges still remain in the negotiations between China and the United States, and there is “no reason to believe that this will be anything other than aslow process,” said Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

can adults. “The pointofthese medications is to improve health,” he said. “The majorityofpeople won’tneed the mosteffective medication.”

Thetrial included751 people from across the U.S. who were overweight or had obesity and at leastone other weight-related health problem,but notdiabetes.

Participants received weekly injections of thehighest tolerated doses of Zepbound, either 10 milligrams or 15 milligrams, or Wegovy,1.7 milligrams or 2.4 milligrams. By theend of the trial, those who took Zepbound lost about 20% of their body weight on average, compared with anearly 14% loss for those who took Wegovy.The tirzepatide group trimmed about 7inchesfromtheir waistcircumference,compared to about5

inches with semaglutide. In addition, nearly 32% of people taking Zepbound lost at least aquarter of their body weight, compared to about 16% of those taking Wegovy, the study found.

Weight loss was about 6% lower in menthaninwomen in both groups, the authors noted. As participants in both groups lost more weight, they saw improvements in health markers such as blood pressure, blood fat and blood sugar levels.

TheGLP-1 drugs have become increasingly popular,with at least 1in8 U.S. adults reportingtheir use, according to a2024 survey by KFF,aindependent health policy research organization. Zepbound generated $4.9 billioninglobal sales last year.Wegovy brought in nearly $8.8 billion.

Russell Crook

Modi says India has only paused military action

Country has ceasefire with Pakistan

BY RAJESH ROY Associated Press

NEW DELHI India has only

“paused” its military action and will “retaliate on its own terms” if there is any future terror attack on the country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday in his ﬁrst public comments since a U.S.-brokered ceaseﬁre over the weekend.

Modi spoke after Indian and Pakistani authorities said there was no ﬁring reported overnight along the heavily militarized region between their countries — the ﬁrst time in recent days the nations were not shooting at each other

The escalating hostilities between the nuclear-armed rivals after a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir had threatened regional peace India accused Pakistan of backing the militants who carried out the massacre, a charge Islamabad denied.

“We will be monitoring every step of Pakistan,” Modi said in an address to the nation. He added, in response to international calls for dialogue, that if India talks to Pakistan, it will be only about terrorism and Pak istan-controlled Kashmir

Both the nations administer parts of Kashmir but claim it in its entirety “Terror and talks can’t go together Nor can terror and trade,” Modi said. He did not acknowledge President Donald Trump’s

KHAN

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MUKHTAR

Indian soldiers patrol Monday as a street vendor takes a nap after India and Pakistan reported no incidents of firing overnight in Srinagar Indian controlled Kashmir

offer to mediate. India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all military actions on land, in the air and at the sea on Saturday.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, for his part, said his country agreed to the ceaseﬁre “in the spirit of peace” but will never tolerate violations of its sovereignty and territorial integrity He spoke during a meeting with the Turkish ambassador, according to a government statement.

Senior military officials from India and Pakistan spoke via a hotline on Monday to assess if the ceaseﬁre was holding and how to ensure implementation.

The Indian army in a statement said the officials discussed the commitment of not “ﬁring a single shot” or initiating aggressive action. The two sides agreed to consider taking immediate measures to reduce the number of troops in border and forward areas, it said. “The night remained large-

ly peaceful across Jammu and Kashmir, and other areas along the international border,” the Indian army said, adding that no incidents had been reported.

Local government ofﬁcials in Pakistan-administered Kashmir reported no incidents of cross-border ﬁring along the Line of Control — the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan — and said civilians displaced by recent skirmishes were returning to their homes.

Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, said late Sunday that Pakistan remains committed to upholding the ceaseﬁre and will not be the ﬁrst to violate it

Soon after the ceasefire announcement, Pakistan reopened all airports and restored flight operations. India on Monday reopened the 32 airports that were shut temporarily across its northern and western regions.

Trump administration welcomes 59 White South Africans as refugees

BY MATTHEW LEE, REBECCA SANTANA and MOGOMOTSI MAGOME Associated Press

DULLES, Virginia The Trump administration on Monday welcomed a group of 59 White South Africans as refugees, saying they face discrimination and violence at home, which the country’s government strongly denies.

The decision to admit the Afrikaners also has raised questions from refugee advocates about why they were admitted when the Trump administration has suspended efforts to resettle people ﬂeeing war and persecution who have gone through years of vetting

Many in the group from South Africa — including toddlers and other small children, even one walking barefoot in pajamas — held small American flags as two officials welcomed them to the United States in an airport hangar outside Washington. The South Africans were then leaving on other flights

to various U.S. destinations.

A group of 49 Afrikaners had been expected, but the State Department said Monday that 59 had arrived. “I want you all to know that you are really welcome here and that we respect what you have had to deal with these last few years,” Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said.

President Donald Trump told reporters earlier Monday that he’s admitting them as refugees because of the “genocide that’s taking place.” He said that in post-apartheid South Africa, White farmers are “being killed” and he plans to address the issue with South African leadership next week. That characterization has been strongly disputed by South Africa’s government, experts and even the Afrikaner group AfriForum, which says farm attacks are not being taken seriously by the government.

South Africa’s government says the U.S. allegations that the White minority Afrikan-

ers are being persecuted are “completely false,” the result of misinformation and an inaccurate view of the country It cited the fact that Afrikaners are among the richest and most successful people in the country

Speaking at a business conference in Ivory Coast, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Monday that he spoke with Trump recently and told him his administration had been fed false information by groups who were casting White people as victims because of efforts to right the historical wrongs of colonialism and South Africa’s previous apartheid system of forced racial segregation, which oppressed the Black majority “I had a conversation with President Trump on the phone and he asked me, ‘What’s going on down there?’ and I told him that what you are being told by those people who are opposed to transformation back in South Africa is not true,” Ramaphosa said.

Defense concedes Combs had violent outbursts, denies crimes

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK The public knew Sean “Diddy” Combs as a larger-than-life music and business mogul, but in private he used violence and threats to coerce women into drug-fueled sexual encounters that he recorded, a prosecutor said Monday in opening statements at Combs’ sex trafﬁcking trial.

“This is Sean Combs,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told the Manhattan jury as she pointed at Combs, who leaned back in his chair. ”During this trial you are going to hear about 20 years of the defendant’s crimes.”

Those crimes, she said, included kidnapping, arson, drugs, sex crimes, bribery and obstruction.

Combs’ lawyer Teny Geragos, though, described the trial as a misguided overreach by prosecutors, saying that although her client could be violent, the state was trying to turn sex between consenting adults into a prostitution and sex trafﬁcking case.

“Sean Combs is a complicated man But this is not a complicated case. This case is about love, jealousy inﬁdelity and money,” Geragos told the jury of eight men and four women. “There has been a tremendous amount of noise around this case over the past year It is time to cancel that noise.”

Geragos conceded that Combs’ violent outbursts, often fueled by alcohol, jealousy and drugs, might have warranted domestic violence charges, but not sex trafficking and racketeering counts. She told jurors they might think Combs’ is a “jerk” and might not condone his “kinky sex,” but “he’s not charged with being mean. He’s not charged with being a jerk.”

With the trial’s first witness, Israel Florez, prosecutors went right to proof of violence by showing footage of Combs kicking and dragging the R&B singer Cassie, his longtime girlfriend, on the ﬂoor outside a Los Angeles hotel’s elevators in March 2016. Jurors ended up seeing the video four times, including once in which Combs’ lawyer tried to poke holes in Florez’s recollection of events.

After CNN aired video of the attack last year, Combs apologized and said he was “disgusted” by his actions.

Florez, who worked hotel security in 2016 but is now a Los Angeles police ofﬁcer said he knew who Combs was when he encountered him sitting by the hotel’s elevators as he responded to a report of a woman in distress.

He said he encountered Combs by the elevators in only a white towel and slouching in a chair “with a blank stare like a devilish stare, just looking at me.”

He said that as he was escorting Cassie and Combs to their room, she indicated she wanted to leave and Combs told her: “You’re not going to leave.” Florez said he told Combs: “If she wants to leave, she’s going to leave.”

Cassie left, and Florez said Combs called out while holding a stack of money with a $100 bill on top, telling him, “Don’t tell nobody.” Florez said he considered it a bribe and told Combs, “I don’t want your money Just go back into your room.” Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, was expected to testify later Monday or Tuesday

The second witness called, Daniel Phillip, said he was a professional stripper who was paid $700 to $6,000 to have sex with Cassie while Combs watched and gave instructions, with the first encounter in 2012. He said he stopped meeting with them after he saw Combs throw a bottle at her and then drag her by her hair into a bedroom as she screamed. Combs watched Monday’s proceedings attentively When he entered the courtroom, he hugged his lawyers and gave a thumbs-up to family and friends. The case has drawn intense public interest, and the line to get into the courthouse stretched down the block. Combs’ mother and some of his children attended, including three daughters who left the courtroom when the testimony turned lurid.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ELIZABETH WILLIAMS In a courtroom sketch, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, center, motions a heart sign to his family in attendance as he is escorted out of lockup by U.S marshals on Monday on the first day of trial in New york.

JanRisher

LOUISIANA AT LARGE

Three blinks and apause

On Friday,Imade my way driving through the rain andfelt asense of relief when thelighthouse ﬁnally came into view.Even though Iwas in my car andnot in asmall boat on Lake Pontchartrain, Igot asmall glimpse to how ship captains must feel when they see the guiding light.

Kristi Trail, executive director of the Pontchartrain Conservancy, met me at the door of the organization’soutreach and education center.Wewalked along wooden walkways towardthe lighthouse, passing alarge bell.

Trail explained it was the “fog bell,” used when boats couldn’t see the lighthouse light.

“Weget alot of ﬁeld tripshere with students,” Trail said. “They love ringing it.” She gave me permissionto ring it —achance Icouldn’tpass up. Inside the lighthouse, ourhistory lesson began.

“Do you remember what year the Europeans came to this area?” Trail asked.

Ever the student wantingto answer ateacher correctly,Ifroze. I’d known the answer,but wasn’t sure how broadly she meant “this area.” I’m pretty sure Ihad alook of panic as Iscrambled mentally Sherescued me: 1718.

“At the time, they delivered goods into the city from LakePontchartrain. The river wasdifﬁcult to navigate upstream, especially with clipper ships,” Trail said She pointed to the lake behind us, stillrocking with wind and rain. In the 1700s, traders came in from the east and took BayouSt. John into the city Standing damp near thewater’s edge, Icould imagine what navigating those rough waterscenturies ago must have felt like. After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, things along the lakefront got dicey.

“Urban legend says the French living here weren’thappy about it,” Trail said. “They didn’twant to be Americans, so they wouldn’t allow American ships to enter

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Port

advances in House

St.Bernardcontainer ship terminal, road planned

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

Akey bill for the multibillion-dollar container ship terminaland road project in St. Bernard Parish moved forward in the Louisiana Houseof RepresentativesonMonday over continued opposition fromseveral parish politicians and residents. The bill, sponsored by Republican Mark Wright, of Covington, would give explicit permission for the Port of New Orleans to enter intonegotiations with private sectorpartners to build atoll road from thesiteof the proposed new terminalto theinterstate system 10 miles away. The fight over Wright’sbill in recent weeks had become thefocalpoint foralong-running battle

METRO

JeffersonSchoolBoard OKsstipend

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Jefferson Parish teachers will receive one-time stipends of $1,500 underabudgetamendment after an attempt last year to permanently increase teacher pay failed.

Otherschooldistrictemployees will receive $750 stipends.

TheJefferson Parish School Board approved the budgetamendment last week that allocated $9.4

million to employee stipends and $4.35 millionfor thepurchase of up to 30 new school buses.

The windfallcomes from an additional $27.5 million in anticipated revenuesfor 2025, including about $18 million from thestate, $5.6 million in sales tax revenue and $5.2 millionfrom other local revenue

sources

their full $1,500.

“Weare alwaystrying to ﬁgure outhow we can put moremoney into teachers’ pockets,” Jefferson Parish schoolsSuperintendent James Gray told the board.

Allstaff will be requiredto watch a23-minute video in order to receive a$750 stipend, while teachersmust watch an additional 30-minute video in order to receive

While the state funds are dedicated to speciﬁc projects,the local revenue goes to thegeneral fund and can be put toward salary increases, said School Boardmember Derrick Shepherd.

Jefferson Parish schools staff have untilMay 23 to completethe videos andwillreceivetheir stipends in June. As Jefferson Parish school leaders approve the new payment, the state Legislature is considering itsown teacher stipends totaling $2,000 for certiﬁed teachers and $1,000 for other school personnel. If approved,itwould be thethird year in arow the state doled out teacher stipends.

Picklersplayatthe newJefferson Parish

Theball’sintheir court

reach the front of the line. Once acourt becomes available, they can play onegame.

repurposed from tennis courts, at Miley will soon be available for reservation, accordingtothe recreation department.

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Jefferson Parish ofﬁcials have opened anew $2 million pickleball complex at Metairie’sMike Miley Playground, which they say is the largest public complex in theregion.

TheJefferson Parish Recreation Department Pickleball Complex, located at 500 Pickleball Court behind the ReeAlario Multi-Purpose Center,contains nine coveredpickleball courts, as well as benches, bleachersand a17-space parking lot.

The new complex will implement a “bucket system” to rotate players at eight of itscourts. Players, known as “picklers,” place their paddles into buckets labeled with theirskill level: intermediate,advanced intermediate and advanced. Anyonecan place their paddles into buckets in order to reach afull game of four players.

Players then wait for their bucket to

One court, located in the middle, will utilizea challenge system, in which the winningteam may stay on thecourt until acontender beats them.

Jefferson Parish President CynthiaLee Sheng said the bucket system will ensure shortwait timesfor prospective players, and allow for more communal interaction.

“One person whodoesn’tknowhow to play pickleball is abletoget agame,” Lee Sheng said. “Anyone who is able to show up can get agame.”

Lee Sheng has recruited ateamofvolunteerpickleball “ambassadors,”community memberswho frequent the parish’s other courts, to assist with the rollout of the new system.

“I’ve probably metover600 people playing the game, and Ilove it,” one of the ambassadors, Johnny Johnson, said at asoft opening of the complex last week.

The pickleballcomplexisopenfrom 8a.m. to 9p.m. daily for players aged 12 and up.

Another four outdoor pickleball courts,

Millions in opioid fundsremainunspent

Auditcites no oversightof distribution

BY EMILYWOODRUFF Staff writer

About$1.2 millionfor the project came from revenue generated by a9.71-mill recreation tax that wasrenewed by voters earlier this month. Another $800,000 came out of Parish Council member Deano Bonano’sdiscretionary money fund.

Pickleball combines elements of pingpong andbadminton. In teams of two, players use paddles to volley aplastic ball back andforthuntil oneside is unable to return theball after onebounce.

Pickleball has exploded in popularity nationwideinrecentyears.Over18,000 newcourtswereadded nationwidelast year alone—about 27% of allcourts in the country,according to Pickleball USA In the NewOrleansmetro, Drew Brees opened an indoor pickleball facility, Pickle NPins, in Metairie last October,and Tulane University announced last month it wouldconvert aportion of aparkinglot at

Hardin Park

Agencies seek to revitalize greenspace, reduce crime

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

See SPORTS, page 2B ä See STIPEND, page 2B ä See PICKLEBALL, page 2B ä See PORT, page 2B

Louisiana is set to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in opioidsettlement funds over the next decade, but thestate has no designated authority to enforce how those funds are used, accordingtoa new audit that recommendsgivingstronger oversight to the state’sopioid task force. The Louisiana Legislative Audi-

tor’sOfﬁce on Mondaysaid millions of dollars fromthe state’s portion of the opioid settlement fund remainunspent amidthe ongoing opioidcrisis. It concluded that theLouisiana Opioid Abatement Task Force, which is responsible for advising on the use of the funds, does not have the authority to ensure that sheriff’s ofﬁces and local agencies receiving the funds are using them as intended.

“Wehavenot foundany evidence of noncompliance,” said EmilyDixon,who managed the audit.“But we just felt that

DistrictAttorney’sOfﬁce, the 18th Ward,a pay-what-you-can sports club, will bring baseball, soccer and ﬂagfootballtothe long-underused site. The 18th Ward, an existing NORD partner thatrunssoccer programs at Easton and Normanplaygrounds, will relocate itssoccer program from Easton in Mid-City to Hardin Park. “Whentheysaid, ‘Would you like to runprogramsatHardinPark,’ we literallycamerunning because that’swhatwelovetodowith our kids and families fromall 17 wards in New Orleans,”18th Ward founder Organizedyouth sports return to

Organized sportsprograms have returned to the 7th Ward’sHardin Park, thanks to coordinated efforts by city agencies to revitalize thehistoricgreen spaceand at the same time tamp down on surroundingneighborhood crime. In partnershipwiththe NewOrleans Recreation Development Commission and the Orleans Parish

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

pickleball complex in Metairie on Monday

between Port NOLA, which is seeking to build a multibillion-dollar container ship terminal at Violet, and St. Bernard Parish politicians and residents, who say the facility and the thousands of trucks going to and from the terminal daily would disrupt their community and damage the local environment.

Monday’s committee meeting heard testimony over three hours about the pros and cons of the state’s largest public-private infrastructure project. Ofﬁcials with Landry’s administration, industry leaders and port executives talked about the strategic need for the terminal and road to maintain the region’s competitiveness and create thousands of new jobs.

Opponents said past experience meant they didn’t trust the port and they argued several pausing to apologize for being emotional — that such a huge project would irrevocably change the character of the close-knit parish.

The House Committee on Transportation, Highways and Public Works voted 10-3 in favor of sending a slimmed down version of the bill to the full House for a vote. At a previous hearing last month, the committee did not move the bill forward over concerns about transparency and the port’s powers to acquire land for the road.

Monday’s vote followed a move by Gov Jeff Landry to throw his political weight behind Port NOLA’s container ship project, known as the Louisiana International Terminal Landry and his administration previously had been neutral between the Louisiana International Terminal and a competing west bank container terminal project proposed by the Plaquemines

PICKLEBALL

Continued from page 1B

University Square in Uptown into four pickleball courts and six tennis courts. Pickleball has also played a ma-

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

Bayou St. John, only French ones.”

What did the Americans do?

They dug their own canal, naming it the “New Canal.” It was primarily dug by Irish immigrants escaping the potato famine. Many died from accidents and disease, especially yellow fever

Some are said to be buried in the canal itself.

Once the New Canal (or New Basin Canal) was completed in 1838, they built the lighthouse to guide ships into it.

“This area was heavily used for commerce, but nobody lived out here on the lake,” Trail said, as we walked through the museum.

It’s been in the same spot ever since its completion in 1939.

Before World War II, the federal government would appoint a family to run the lighthouse.

“The whole family wife, children — moved in. If the husband died, the wife took over,” Trail said “So we’re a little unique in that we’ve had several women lighthouse keepers.”

A museum display highlights them:

OPIOID

Continued from page 1B

moving forward, having somebody in that responsibility role could prevent any funds being spent outside of the approved methods.”

Millions distributed

Louisiana is set to receive roughly $600 million between 2022 and 2038 from pharmaceutical companies, which settled a class-action lawsuit brought by state and local governments in 2021 for their role in fueling the opioid crisis.

Each state decides how funds are distributed, and in Louisiana, 20% goes to sheriff’s offices and 80% goes to parishes.

Under a state agreement, the funds must be used for evidencebased, forward-looking strategies, programming and services aimed at addressing substance use disorders. Although the agreement allows for some ﬂexibility it cites examples such as providing funding for drug courts, addiction services, Narcan distribution, school education, first responder training and community outreach as approved uses.

Parish port authority, which was backed by LIT’s opponents.

The governor voiced his support in an April 29 letter asking Michael Hecht, CEO of Greater New Orleans, the regional economic development agency, to take charge of shepherding the Louisiana International Terminal and road project through. Hecht is a “neutral third party” who can help bring different parties together and mollify the concerns of parish residents, Landry said in the letter to Hecht’s board, which was made public on Friday

Hecht was also Landry’s point person last year for an effort to corral various city and state agencies to get New Orleans in shape for Super Bowl LIX. Susan Bourgeois, Landry’s secretary of Louisiana Economic Development was on hand Monday to stress the importance of the terminal project for the state.

St. Bernard Parish President Louis Pomes also told the committee that he now backs Wright’s bill to facilitate the road project, arguing that with the terminal looking inevitable, it is critical to build the road “before the ﬁrst container ship docks in St. Bernard.”

Port NOLA CEO Beth Branch has said she hopes to start construction on the terminal this year, with the ﬁrst phase coming online in 2028. She also said the road must be built in conjunction and be ready at the same time.

Monday’s committee vote is a small step but there is still a long way to go before the project can make headway Later this week, the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission will make public its shortlist of three options for the road link.

Pomes argued that the option chosen must completely bypass St. Bernard’s main two existing highways, which already are prone to

jor role in a larger plan to overhaul Jefferson Parish Recreation Department programming at underutilized playgrounds, particularly as the parish’s population ages and there are fewer young families that once filled the playgrounds. At some playgrounds, former tennis courts have been refurbished

n Mrs. Elizabeth S. Beattie, 1847

n Mrs. Jane O’Driscoll, 1850 n Mrs. Mary F. Campbell, 186993

n Mrs. Caroline Riddle, 18931924

n Mrs. Margaret (Madge) Norvell, 1924-32.

“Back then, women didn’t have obituaries, so we don’t have much information,” Trail said. “But this most recent one, Madge, we do.”

Norvell is credited with rescuing more than 200 people in Lake Pontchartrain when lighthouse keepers were also ﬁrst responders.

“If they saw an incident, they had to sound the alarm, notify authorities. Then she would row out and rescue people,” Trail said. “She even saw a plane go down and rescued the passengers.”

Norvell now has a Coast Guard cutter named after her: the USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC1105), based in Miami, commissioned June 1, 2013.

The lighthouse played a vital role in the New Canal’s commercial life through the 19th century After World War I, portions of the canal were ﬁlled in. By 1950, all but a half-mile near the lake was gone. Even still, the lighthouse persisted with its bright light

Louisiana and Georgia are the only two states that allocate a portion of opioid settlement funds directly to sheriffs, and Louisiana is one of a few states that does not allocate any funds to the state itself.

The task force stated that opioid settlement funds were given to parishes and sheriffs because they bore the costs of combating the epidemic, and these local governments were the initial parties to sue pharmaceutical companies, according to the audit. However, the audit found the money isn’t being spent or tracked, and recipients in some cases are unsure how to use it.

As of October, the task force had distributed approximately $98.5 million to parishes and sheriffs.

However auditors discovered that the actual spending was much lower A survey conducted as part of the audit revealed that, as of September, only $8.6 million had been used by 20 parishes and 24 sheriffs combined.

“That’s very strange,” said Glenn Sterner a criminal justice professor at Penn State University — Abington who is a member of Pennsylvania’s Opioid Overdose Task Force, in an interview to discuss how states can best use the money. Sterner said Pennsylvania tracks

congestion: East Judge Perez Drive and East St. Bernard Highway

“This road would have to be put in place from the location of the port directly to La. 47 (Paris Road), or even better, directly into the interstate,” Pomes said.

The latter would be the longest and most expensive option on the commission’s shortlist with an estimated cost of around $800 million.

Those who spoke against the bill included Doris Voitier, superintendent of schools in St. Bernard, who was joined by St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia. They’re suing Port NOLA to try and prevent it from removing the W. Smith Junior Elementary School, which is on the land where Port NOLA plans to built the terminal.

“There was no communication with the school system prior to any of this happening,” Voitier told the committee. “The port came in and bought all the surrounding area around the school before we even knew what was happening.”

St. Bernard businessman Sidney Torres III, who has been leading opposition to the terminal and road, said the ﬁght would continue. “I am as vigorously opposed as ever,” he said via text after Monday’s vote.

In his testimony, Hecht acknowledged that St. Bernard Parish had been the worst hit by Hurricane Katrina’s devastation and that economic development attempts had not delivered.

“The parish has been through so many challenges over the years,” he said.

“The schools have come back, the housing stock has come back, but business has not come back like it really needs to,” he added.

“The reality is that St. Bernard Parish badly needs a source of tax revenue and jobs for its people now and in the future. And the answer is the Louisiana International Terminal.”

to meet the new demand for pickleball.

The parish offers pickleball at Avondale, Estelle, Bright, Delta, Jefferson, Little Farms, Pontiff, Belle Terre, Miley Oakdale, PARD and Waggaman playgrounds on varying schedules for the summer

ﬂashing

From the 1960s until it was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, it served as a Coast Guard station The Pontchartrain Conservancy bought the remains at auction and rebuilt it as a museum and education center Trail and I climbed the ladder to the tippy top and looked out on a menacing Pontchartrain. She told me about the conservancy’s work to improve the lake’s water quality

Today, the lighthouse still shines — three blinks and a pause a beacon of resilience.

“If you’re ever out here at night, you’ll see it,” Trail said As I walked to my car, I looked back and reﬂected on the lighthouse’s role as a symbol of New Orleans’ resilience. It’s a small museum that packs a big punch whether you’re a curious student, a history buff or someone simply looking for a quiet place to watch the lake and ring a bell.

The New Canal Lighthouse is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday General admission tickets are $10. Seniors, students and military admission is $7.50. Children under 6 are free. The lighthouse is located at 8001 Lakeshore Drive, New Orleans.

every dollar spent and Arkansas has a public website tracking each county’s expenses He noted it is a challenge to ensure the funds make a tangible impact.

“The most important part is getting these dollars into the hands of people who are implementing interventions to address opioid and other substance use-related issues,” Sterner said.

Calls for better guidance

While parishes are required to submit an annual expenditure report, as of December only 36 out of the 53 required reports had been submitted, according to the audit. Louisiana’s agreement does not mandate the same reporting from sheriffs.

The auditors surveyed recipients of opioid funds as part of their fact-ﬁnding process. Nine out of 29 parishes and 19 out of 43 sheriffs that responded to the survey had not spent any of their opioid settlement funds. They cited the need for clearer guidance on spending, a lack of staff to manage the funds, and a shortage of eligible programs and services in their areas.

“Some of them were just like, ‘We’re not sure how to spend this money yet. We’re kind of wait-

STIPEND

Continued from page 1B

A series of stipends

From 2021 to 2023, the school system issued $40 million in stipends to employees, according to the administration.

Then last year, leaders issued the final employee retention stipends funded through federal pandemic aid and approved a roughly 5% permanent pay increase through costs saved from the closure and consolidation of several schools.

But even with the pay raises, the state’s largest and most diverse school system still struggles to provide a competitive wage.

Starting pay for teachers with a bachelor’s degree in Jefferson Parish is $51,800, lower than the $57,700 offered in Orleans Parish and $60,000 offered in both St. Charles and Plaquemines parishes.

District leaders attempted to boost teacher pay through a new property tax on last December’s ballot, which would have raised an additional $48 million per year through a tax of 10.89 mills.

Ofﬁcials planned to use the money to increase pay for certiﬁed teachers by $8,300 — making it the highest starting salary in the New Orleans area — but the measure failed by just over 300 votes.

Political observers have attributed the failure to a lack of voter mobilization and endorsements, as well as a changing demographic in the parish that includes fewer school-age families.

New property taxes in the suburban parish already face an uphill

SPORTS

Continued from page 1B

Lowery Crews said at a news conference Monday

It is also hoped that the restoration of sports and recreation programs at Hardin can also be a catalyst for curbing crime, ofﬁcials said.

“Today is truly about community restoration,” Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams said.

“We’re talking about joy, opportunity and hope in a neighborhood that has tried to survive without investment, attention and care.”

The move caps months of planning to restart recreational programs there after the District Attorney’s Office began analyzing high rates of neighborhood violence through its New Orleans Data Informed Community Engagement program. The data-driven approach launched in late 2023 and explores crime prevention strategies in areas where multiple quality of life issues are believed to contribute to crime “hot spots.”

In the case of Hardin Park, the return of youth recreation opportunities marks a major step by city ofﬁcials to improve upon decades of disinvestment that has plagued the area.

Previously called Crescent Star Park when it opened in the 1940s, Hardin Park was one of the first recreation spaces for Black New Orleanians that doubled as a place for community gatherings, according to researchers at the University of New Orleans.

After Hurricane Katrina, the park became a temporary housing site for displaced residents, lined with Federal Emergency Management Agency trailers and later abandoned, until it reopened some years later

The park is central to the once-

ing and seeing what everyone else is doing, so that we can come up with some ideas,’ ” Dixon said.

Additionally, 21 sheriff’s ofﬁces did not respond to the survey

The audit offered six recommendations, including that the task force coordinate with the Attorney General’s Ofﬁce to give it more authority and consider revising the agreement to require reporting from sheriffs as well.

The report advised using datadriven strategies with input from people who experienced opioid use disorder and required timely reporting of expenses.

The audit also suggests that the task force offer more guidance to parishes and sheriffs on how to spend the funds effectively Task force response

Louisiana’s task force is composed of ﬁve people, appointed by the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, Louisiana Municipal Association, Louisiana Police Jury Association, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and one licensed substance abuse and mental health provider chosen by the Governor’s Ofﬁce.

The task force agreed with all six

battle to win over voters, especially in recent months as fears of a potential recession have fueled economic uncertainty for consumers.

Three millage renewals, on the other hand, passed for drainage, recreation and libraries earlier this month.

‘We will try harder’

The School Board and administration have repeatedly been criticized at board meetings for the failure of the tax proposition last year as ofﬁcials work to strategize a new tax to put before voters.

“Obviously what we did didn’t work, and we will try harder,” Shepherd said last week after a speaker criticized the millage failure. “But I can tell you this, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”

Shepherd also cited a report by the district that found that 434 teachers registered to vote in Jefferson Parish did not vote in the December election, while another 576 teachers living in the parish were not registered to vote.

About 1,200 teachers were registered in Jefferson Parish and voted, which is about 55% of the teachers living in the parish.

“Not one time did you hear from this podium or from any of my colleagues that we beat up on any teacher who didn’t vote,” Shepherd added. “Let’s put our heads together as a group and show our children that us adults can work together to get something passed, as opposed to pointing ﬁngers.”

The district plans to reintroduce a property tax to voters in the future once a new game plan is decided, likely this fall or in spring 2027, Shepherd said in an interview

vibrant neighborhood bounded by Elysian Fields Avenue, St. Bernard Avenue, Broad Street, Florida Avenue and North Galvez Street For years, it’s been the ire of residents who say they feel unsafe bringing their kids on account of rampant drug activity, squatted homes and violence in the area.

The park adds to NORD’s portfolio of 35 active sites that offer team sports led by in-house site facilitators and volunteer coaches at no cost to families. The 18th Ward will hire its own coaches, addressing ongoing stafﬁng challenges NORD says has hindered programming at Hardin and other sites it maintains. Overall, NORD manages 160 passive parks, playgrounds, recreation centers and pools many of which have faced community scrutiny over poor upkeep and inconsistent program offerings.

NORD CEO Larry Barabino Jr said the department thrives on partnerships with other organizations to keep programs aﬂoat, citing the New Orleans Ballet Association — now in its 30th year — and youth tennis group A’s & Aces as examples.

Barabino said having the 18th Ward take on the site’s programming is ﬁtting as the park is a few blocks away from the Good Shepherd Elementary School where the 18th Ward runs outdoor activities for students.

School CEO Thomas Moran said the park’s reactivation is an opportunity to expand the 18th Ward partnership and allow students to use the ﬁeld regularly

“It’s this partnership that you see up here today that’s showing we’re vested in the 7th Ward We’re vested at Hardin Playground and I look forward to kids and parents coming here and being involved,” Barabino said.

Email Joni Hess at joni.hess@ theadvocate.com.

recommendations in the report. It outlined plans to improve guidance for parishes and sheriffs, including hosting open meetings, sharing best practices and providing resources on their websites.

Task force members also noted that the lack of enforcement authority stems from how the original agreement was structured, but said they are open to discussing potential changes to improve compliance monitoring.

Louisiana ranked No. 5 among all states and the District of Columbia for the rate of overdose deaths in 2022. Although opioid deaths are decreasing, they still exceeded 1,000 in Louisiana in 2023 — a 93% increase from 2019.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate.com.

AllLa. citizens should oppose erodingof ethics rules

This legislative session,bills that would give the public much lessinsight about the inner workings of government andwhomour public ofﬁcials are beholdentoare moving forward with little resistance fromlawmakers on either side of the aisle

One piece of legislation allLouisianacitizens who care about good government should be watching is House Bill 674, byRep.Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia, whichproposes to makea slew of changes to the stateethics codethat covers all publicemployees from teachersto lawmakers. The billwould addcumbersome layers to the proceduresofthe LouisianaBoard of Ethics, requiring atwo-thirdsvotebeforean investigation could be launched andsetting limitsonthe board’sability to gather information throughsubpoenas andsworn testimony. Rightnow,the board is required by lawto investigate any complaint it receives.Apparently, lawmakers think that toomanyofthose complaints are being aired andthatthe boardis harassingpublicofﬁcials.

There’smorepackedintothisbill —from changes to when ofﬁcials can acceptprivately paid travel to what amount they can acceptin gifts —soone would expect ittohavesparked spirited debate on theHouse ﬂoor.Yet nota single Republican or Democrat raised anyquestions. The bill passed the Houseunanimouslyon May 5and is now before the Senate GovernmentalAffairs committee.

We also note that this bill comes ayearafter alaw passed giving Gov.Jeff Landry and legislators sweeping control over whoisonthe board, even as the governor himself faces ethics charges over private plane trips paid forby adonor Government watchdog groupsworry that if this bill passes, future ethics investigations could be shut down before they even getoff the ground.

Steven Procopio, president of thenonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council,said, “I thinkit tips alittle too far in terms of protecting elected ofﬁcials from investigations.”

Another concerning bill makingits way through the Legislature is one that would allow the identitiesofthose who ﬁnance campaigns involving ballot measures to be kept secret.House Bill 596 by Rep. Mark Wright, R-Covington, would make numerous changesto campaign ﬁnance laws, includingeliminating the requirement that money spenttopromote or defeat tax propositionsorother elections that don’tinvolve candidates bedisclosed.

The state seems to go throughcycles where rampant corruption gives way togoodgovernment reforms prompted by public outcry.Then politicians, weary of the constraints placed upon them, push to weaken ethics rules, hoping thepublicwillhave forgotten whytheywere needed in the ﬁrst place.

As anewspaper,wewillalways defend the public’sright to know.But everyonemust speak up if we want to break this cycle. We must let our leaders know we wanttokeep strong safeguards that ensure our stateisamodelofopenness and good governance.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

WELCOME. HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Tulane students must learn howtobebetterneighbors

Tulane University often touts its positive and substantial economic impact on New Orleansand Louisianawhile ignoring the very real and worsening impact it has on the neighborhoods that surround it. The lack of adequate on-campus housing has pushed studentsintoresidential areas in growing numbers, withso-called dorm houses packing in far moreoccupants and consequently producing moretrash than residential neighborhoods were ever meant to handle.

As ahomeowner and resident near theepicenter of current fraternity activity,the neighborhood is suffering from thetotal disregard that many Tulane students have for the impact of their large gatherings on Broadway and side streets that involve loud music and excessive alcohol consumption Followingthe large student gatherings, there is overﬂowing trash that often stinks and attracts ﬂies. On our afternoon walk this Easter, we were greatly saddened by theappearance of our neighborhood —litter

When crafting thebill that authorized constitutional carry,the Legislature was wise enough to include exemptions for certain venues like schools, churches, courtrooms and, not surprisingly,the StateCapitol itself. It also realized that booze and ﬁrearms are abad mix and exempted all establishments that serve alcohol.

Although only afew of the lawmakers actually represent New Orleans, Ihave no doubt that most, if not all, have probably visited the French Quarter at some time in their lives. That is why it is hard to believe that being familiar withthe neighborhood, they rejected thecity’srequest for a carveout for theFrench Quarter.Perhaps if they had considered that, constitutional carry in aroughly 20-block area with at least 60 establishments that serve alcohol; coupled with an open container law that legally allows

At therate he’sgoing now,Iwould not be surprised if our president issued an executive order to renameour

everywhere and trash cans overﬂowing with spent liquorcontainers and other remnants of recentparties. Unfortunately,the problem is getting worse each year as longtimeresidents abandon the ﬁght and sell to investorswhose only interest seemstobe collecting rent. Many single family residences have beentransformed into “dorm houses” in order to maximize revenue.

Tulane President Michael Fitts, who lives just afew blocksaway,seems oblivious to how disruptive and disrespectful Tulane has becomeasa neighbor

Ideally,Tulane would provide oncampus housing for all of its students and keep thefrequentfraternity gatherings to adesignated spot on their campus. However,inthe meantime, their students should be educated in dealing withtheir trash, picking up the litter around their spaces, complying with city laws and respecting their own health.

KATHLEEN FOLSE NewOrleans

theconsumption of alcohol outdoors, they might have reached adifferent conclusion.

The streets of the French Quarter serve essentially as apatio forall of theestablishments that serve alcohol and should be treated the sameasthe patio of any other bar, where ﬁrearms are already prohibited Disregarding thewill of the mayor, thecity council, the district attorney, thepolice superintendent and the citizens of New Orleansshould not be an option.

If thegovernor and Legislature are so proud of their permitless carry law, why isn’titmentioned in any of Louisiana’stourism information?Perhaps, unless there are some restrictions placed on guns in the French Quarter it should be arequirement. SAL RAGUSA Old Jefferson

country theUnited States of Trump. MYRA FOSTER NewOrleans

So, Brenda Hafera, aHeritage Foundation vice president, and President Donald Trumpare concerned that museumslike the Smithsonian Institution are promoting a“false revisionist version of history,” as Hafera wrote in aguest column April 18, by presenting exhibits that feature the evils of slavery and the complicity of the founding fathers in that evil institution.

For example, Hafera complains that an exhibit at James Madison’s home, Montpelier,notes that Thomas Jefferson and James Madison did not free their slaves, but did not mention the fact that George Washington did free his slaves.

Let us leave aside forthe momentthe fact that Jefferson was too busy impregnating the teenager he enslaved, Sally Hemings, to free anyone.

While it is true that Washington did free his slaves, Hafera fails to mention that he did so in his will, which, even then, stipulated that his slaves could only be freed after Martha, his wife,died, which occurred three years after Washington’sdeath.

Donald Trumpand his enablers wanttowhitewash U.S. history to downplay slavery,Jim Crow and their effects on our current national life. This is presumably in order to shield the delicate sensibilities of White folks being confronted with the true history of this country

When Iwas in ﬁfth grade in Baton Rouge, the year that my elementary school was integrated, Iwas taught that the Civil Warwas about economics, not slavery (the economics of free labor,perhaps?).

My teacher also read to the class “Huckleberry Finn” so that she had an excuse to say the N-wordinfront of the two little Black kids in the back of our classroom.

Trumpwants us to return to that shameful past and shove slavery and racial oppression downthe memory hole.

I, forone, will not be complicit.

JAMES TAYLOR Baton Rouge

No on oneofTrump’s ‘lists’

It’s rarely comforting to appearona government “list,” even (or perhaps especially) when compiled in the name of public safety

It was alarming in the 1940s, whenthe U.S. government collected the names of Japanese Americans for internment. Likewise in the 1950s, whenthe House Un-American Activities Committee cataloged communists.And it’sjust as troubling now,asthe Trump administration assembles registries of Jewish academics and Americanswith developmental disabilities.

Yes, these are real things thathappened recently,the latest examples ofthe White House’sabuseofconﬁdential data

Not long ago,faculty and staff at BarnardCollege receivedunsolicited texts askingthemwhether they wereJewish Employees werestunned by the messages, which many initially dismissed as spam.

Turns out the messages came from the Trump administration. Barnard, which is afﬁliated with Columbia University,had agreed to sharefaculty members’ private contact infotoaid in President Donald Trump’spseudocrusade against antisemitism.

Ah, yes, afar-right president asking Jews to register as Jewish, in the name of protecting the Jews, after he has repeatedly accused Jews ofbeing “disloyal.” What could go wrong?

The same day,National Institutesof Health Director Jay Bhattacharya announced a“disease registry” ofpeople with autism, to be compiled from confidential private and government health records, apparently without its subjects’ awareness or consent. Thisis part of Health and Human Services SecretaryRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’svendetta against vaccines, which he hassaid causeautism despite abundant research concluding otherwise. This, too, is disturbing given authoritarian governments’ history of compiling lists of citizens branded mentallyorphysically deficient. If that historical analogue seems excessive, note that Bhattacharya’s announcement came justa week after Kennedy delivered inflammatory remarks lamenting that kids with autism will never lead productivelives. They “will never pay taxes, they’ll neverhold ajob,” he said, addingthey’ll neverplay baseball or go on adate, either This all happened during Autism Acceptance Month, establishedtocounter exactly these kinds of stigmatizing stereotypes. Kennedy’s comments and the subsequent “registry” set off awave

of fear in theautism advocacy community and earned condemnation from scientists. Obviously,advocates want more research andsupport for thosewith autism.Theyhave been asking for more help at leastsince 1965 (when what is nowcalledthe Autism SocietyofAmericawas founded in my grandparents’ living room).But few in this community trust political appointees hostile to scientificresearch —orapresident who has publicly mocked people with disabilities— to use an autism “registry” responsibly Theseare hardly the administration’s only abusesoffederal data. It has been deleting reams of statistical records, includingdemographic data on transgenderAmericans. It has also been exploiting other private administrative recordsfor political purposes. Forexample, theInternal Revenue Service —inaneffort to persuade peopletopay their taxes —spent decades assuringpeople that theirrecords are confidential, regardless of immigration status. The agency is in factlegally prohibitedfrom sharing tax records,even with other government agencies, except underverylimited circumstances specified by Congress. Lawmakersset these limits in response to Richard M. Nixon’s abuse of privatetax data to target personalenemies

Trump torched theseprecedents and promises.After aseries of top IRSofﬁcials resigned, theagency has now agreed to turn over conﬁdential records to help Immigration and Customs Enforcementlocateand deport some 7mil-

lion undocumented immigrants. The move, which also has troubling historical echoes, is being challenged in court.But,inthe meantime, tax collections will likely fall. Undocumented immigrant workers had been paying an estimated $66 billion in federal taxes annually,but they now have even more reason to stay off the books

This and other DOGE infiltrations of confidential records arelikely to discourage public cooperation on other sensitive government data collection efforts.But that might be afeature, not abug, for this administration. Chilling federal survey participation and degrading data qualitywerearguably deliberate objectives in Trump’sfirst term,when he triedtocrama question about citizenship into the 2020 Census. The question was expected to depress response rates andhelp Republicans game the congressionalredistricting process. Courts ultimately blocked Trump’s plans. That’s what it will take to stop ongoing White House abuses,too: not scrapping critical government records, but championing the rule of law Ultimately,the government must be able to collect and integrate high-quality data —toadminister social programs efficiently,help the economy function and understand the reality we live in so voters can hold public officials accountable. None of this is possible if Americans fear ending up on some vindictive commissar’s“list.”

Email Catherine Rampell at crampell@ washpost.com.

Youcould perhaps be forgiven formissing the May 3election. For much of Louisiana, it was just another Saturday

There were no controversial constitutional amendments, no felons seeking public ofﬁce, no national ofﬁces up forgrabs. Fewer than half of Louisiana parishes had anything on the ballot. The biggest municipal candidate races were formayor in Lake Charles and foraWest Bank parish council seat in Jefferson Parish.

in 1964.

“Itisthe policy of the United States to eliminate the use of disparateimpactliability in all contextstothe maximum degree possible to avoid violating the Constitution, Federalcivil rights laws,and basic American ideals.”

Those words, the operative section of “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy,” one of several executive orders President DonaldTrump issued on April 23, mark agiant step forward for equal rightsunder law,the motivating principle behind ratiﬁcation of the 14thAmendment in 1868 and passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. Unhappily,those motivatingprinciples were frustrated in practice. The legal establishment proved reluctant to interfere with Southern states bent on subjecting Black citizenstosecondclass citizenship. Thus, the Supreme Court adopted astingy view of the “privileges and immunities” clause of the14thAmendment in the Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) and, with just one dissent, sanctioned “separatebut equal” racial segregationinPlessy v. Ferguson (1896). With this history in mind, the framers of civil rights legislation in the 1960s took care to explicitlyban racial discrimination. The bill’sSenateﬂoor manager,Hubert Humphrey,assured colleagues thatifthe bill means “that an employerwill have to hire on the basis of percentage or quotarelated to color,race, religion, or national origin, Iwill start eating the pages one after another.” Alas, this assurance, by apolitician whose sincere belief in equal treatment and nondiscrimination was transparently sincere, turned out to be as illfounded in practice as Reconstruction laws proved to be three generations before.

In September 1965, Lyndon Johnson issued Executive Order11246, requiring federal contractors to take“afﬁrmative action” authorizing racial quotas and preferences in federal contracting. After some missteps, theNixon administration’s“Philadelphia Plan” implemented it in 1969. It was challenged in court by abuilding trades union whose practices were directed less at excluding Black people than at excludinganyone not abrother, son, nephew or cousin of acurrent member.A federal appeals court upheld theNixon regulation in 1971, and the Supreme Court declined to hear the case. In acomplex ruling in Regents of theUniversity of California v. Bakke (1978), justices ruled that “diversity” would justify racial discrimination in admissions. In Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), thecourtreafﬁrmed that quotas didn’tviolate the14th Amendmentbut also ruled that in 25 years, they might In advance of that deadline, thecourt in Studentsfor Fair Admissions v. Harvard (2023) ruled against that school’s well-documented use of racial quotas andpreferences. The April 23 executive order overturns the60-year-old Executive Order 11246 and, because of theinterlacement of the federal government withother governments andthe private sector,bans the racial discriminationthat Humphrey and congressional majorities tried to ban

Corporations and other private businesses, federal agencies and local governments are now on notice that the racial quotas and preferences they have routinely deployed are now subject to legal challenge by the Justice Department. The civil rights laws are ready to be enforced as Humphrey wanted. Public opinion polls show large and bipartisan majorities of people oppose theracial discrimination that has been practiced, not always surreptitiously but often pridefully,byelites in positions of institutional power.It’s not clear whether Trump’sopponents will want to spotlight this issue. Who’s against equal treatment?

The strongest argument against racial quotas and preferences, in my view,isthat they cast apall of illegitimacy over thegenuine achievements of the intended beneﬁciaries. They have also fostered, as the Harvard case showed, aculture of systematic lying among those elites who head institutionssupposedly dedicated totruth. They also violate common sense. The disparateimpact doctrine implies that in afair society,every discernible slice of the population would be found in equal proportions in every educational and occupational niche. Ordinarypeople know this is nonsense. They know that afair society should give everyone equal opportunity but that it cannot guarantee any group equal outcomes. Let’shope the people won’tlet this civil rightsinitiative be set aside as institutional elites set aside those of 1868 and 1964. Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

But there weresome notable results to be found among what was, formany,asleepy affair.In the bigger races, NewOrleans SheriffSusan Hutson’smillage renewal passed by just twovotes out of morethan 25,000 cast, and in Baton Rouge, District Attorney Hillar Moore’smove fora new 4-mill property tax wassoundly defeated. In Jefferson, adedicated library tax won62% approval, continuing libraries’ strong run at the polls.

Perhaps the quirkiest election took place in the state’snorthwest, in Bossier City,where, forthe second timeinjust over amonth, voters approved athree-term limit forthe city’s mayor and council. More than 80% of voters there approved ameasure that sets aretroactivelimit, meaning it doesn’tmatter when the ﬁrst term started. That measure will supersede another passed on March 29. That onewould have started the three-term clock with the next term,onJuly 1. The irony,for folks whodon’tfollow Bossier City politics closely,isthat the long-serving council members targeted by the stricter termlimits measure either opted not to run on May 3orwere defeated. So, despite the ballot question’spassage, no one in city government will be term-limited until June 2033.

Turnout formost of these races wasdepressingly but not surprisingly low.Just under a third of Lake Charles voters cast ballots for mayor,and just over aquarter pulled alever in the Jefferson Parish council race. The numbers wereeven worse forthe propositions. The incredibly close tax measure in Orleans Parish drew fewerthan 10% of the city’s voters. Samefor the hot-button issue in Bossier City.Turnout was slightly higher in Baton Rouge, where, perhaps boosted by twocouncil runoffs in the new city of St. George, almost 18% voted on the district attorney millage. It wasasomewhat brighter picture in someof Louisiana’spolitical nooks and crannies, where almost no issue —orelectorate —istoo small. Take, forinstance, the Belle Maison subdivision near Gonzales in Ascension Parish. The 54-homesite subdivision is still under construction, according to its website, with about two dozen of its lots sold.

Seven voters in that subdivision approved a 15-mill property tax in perpetuity,accounting for100% support. That’sabout 54% of the eligible voters in that subdivision. That means, if my mathisright, there are 13 eligible voters in Belle Maison. So even if the other six had voted against the tax, it would have passed.

Up north, in the tiny Jackson Parish village of Eros, 14 voters approved a1%sales tax. That wasfewer than one-ﬁfth of the eligible voters. In St. Mary Parish, Fire Protection District 1’s 2-mill renewal won23-1, the 24 votes making up about one-third of the district’seligible voters, according to the secretary of state.

These sorts of results weren’tlimited to the May 3ballot. On March 29, aparcel feecontinuation forthe Bayou Pierre Part N. Gravity Drainage District in Assumption Parish drew four votes, all in favor.That equates to about 16% turnout, according to the Secretary of State.

So, what’sthe takeaway here? Low turnout, even in major elections, is not exactly anew problem.Plenty have argued that Louisiana should reduce the number of election days. That’sprobably agood idea.

But maybe we should also look at the timing of when we ask voters to weigh in on, matters from ﬁre protection and road lighting to recreation, drainage and everything in between. Perhaps there should be fewerofthese taxing entities overall. If doing that helps encourage moreLouisiana voters to get to the polls, then it would be worth it.

Faimon A. Roberts III canbereached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

President Donald Trumpspeaks at an educationevent and executiveorder signing in the East Room of the White House in Washington.

Faimon Roberts

Michael Barone

Catherine Rampell

LSU football to play SMU

Home-and-home series set for 2028-29 seasons

BY WILSON ALEXANDER and RASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writers

LSU football scheduled a homeand-home series with SMU on Labor Day weekend for the 2028 and 2029 seasons, according to a copy of the game contract obtained by The Advocate.

The teams will play Sept 2, 2028, in Baton Rouge, and Sept. 1, 2029, in Dallas. In both cases, the home team will pay the visitor $750,000 for the game. LSU now has one game on the schedule in 2028. In 2029, the Tigers also have nonconference games set against Arizona State, Rice and McNeese State. They are scheduled to host Arizona State on Sept. 8 in the ﬁrst part of a home-and-home series, and Rice on Sept. 29 A date for the game against McNeese State has not been set. With the series against SMU LSU will continue to open the season against power-conference teams. The Tigers have lost ﬁve straight season openers, all against powerconference opponents, heading into a matchup at Clemson this fall. They host Clemson to start the 2026 season. Unless they schedule a Week

Zero game or alterations are made to the college football calendar, LSU will begin four of the next ﬁve seasons against Clemson and SMU. The Tigers have not scheduled a season opener in 2027.

LSU

has found a new college football home for his seventh season.

The former ﬁve-star recruit has signed with Texas-San Antonio, a source conﬁrmed with The Advocate.

Emery played in only one game last season, recording 61 yards rushing on 10 attempts in a loss to Southern California He also caught a pass for 10 yards. His best statistical season came as a sophomore in 2020 when he rushed for 378 yards and three touchdowns on 75 carries. Emery also reeled in 14 catches for 73 yards receiving.

Emery was a member of the 2019 LSU national championship football roster

He missed all of the 2021 season and the first two games of the 2022 season because of academic issues. He also tore his ACL twice, once in 2023 and then again in 2024. He appeared in only eight games in the past two seasons.

Emery is from St. Rose and went to Destrehan High School. Coming out of high school, Emery was the No. 2 running back in the Class of 2019 behind Trey Sanders, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Other notable prospects in that class included New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean, Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Travon Walker and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.

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

Colleges look to get control of the chaos

Changing contracts with athletes is one proposal being tossed around

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

As the amateur model of college athletics disintegrates, a handful of unusual ideas have been ﬂoated as ways to reign in some of the chaos surrounding the explosion in name, image and likeness compensation and a transfer portal that sees thousands of athletes changing schools every season.

Whether any of the ideas end up being implemented is unknown and every school is awaiting a decision from a federal judge on whether a $2.8 billion antitrust settlement against the NCAA and the ﬁve largest conferences will take effect as early as July 1. If it does, that opens the ﬂoodgates for schools to share millions in revenue directly with their athletes amid a host of other changes

Here is a look at some of the topics:

Athlete contracts

A formal agreement between an athlete and a school is not a new concept, but with the uptick of NIL deals the thought of pro-style contracts is becoming increasingly more common. There are plenty of ways to get creative with contracts. Rich Stankewicz, operations director for Penn State’s NIL collective Happy Valley United, said he favors an incentive-based approach essentially adding money for athletes who not only perform but stick around.

“I personally really like the idea of incentivizing performance in school, those kinds of things that would only be occurring in the season while they’re playing,” Stankewicz said “If more money is paid out in those time frames, then that gives the incentive for the player to stay and see those dollars from their contract, rather than potentially collect up front and then decide the grass is greener somewhere else three months later barely doing any school, you know, without playing at all.”

Transfers and buyouts

This topic is red hot at the moment. Entering the transfer portal comes with the risk of not landing

in a better spot — or any spot — but athletes have shown every single season over the past few years that they are comfortable going anyway Athletic departments are beginning to ﬁght back.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek recently encouraged the school’s NIL collective to pursue legal action after quarterback Madden Iamaleava departed for UCLA after just five months in Fayetteville. Iamaleava allegedly collected significant money upfront and cited homesickness as his reason for following his brother to California. This is a scenario Penn State hopes to avoid. And the importance of contract details is clear

“Commonly, there’s nothing binding students in certain instances to the institution they’re with for the entirety of the contract,” Stankewicz said. “We’ve deﬁnitely looked into having measures in place to discourage transfers during the time of the contract. There are a bunch of different ways to do that, from buyouts to how you load the contract.”

Athletes as employees

Groundbreaking shifts in the landscape have sparked conversations about athletes becoming ofﬁcial employees of their universities.

It’s a controversial subject to

say the least Universities would become responsible for paying wages, beneﬁts, and workers’ compensation and schools and conferences have insisted they will ﬁght any such move in court (some already have) Complexities go beyond the concept While private institutions fall under the National Labor Relations Board, public universities must follow labor laws that vary from state to state and it’s worth noting that virtually every state in the South has “right to work” laws that present challenges for unions.

There is also a new administration in power now, said Michael LeRoy, a labor and employment professor at Illinois who has studied the NCAA and athlete rights.

“With the election of Donald Trump, and what that would mean for a new National Labor Relations Board, what that would mean for repopulating the courts with judges who are likely not congenial to that view I no longer have much hope that we’ll get a ruling in the next 5-10 years that these are employees,” LeRoy said. Despite the lack of employment status, LeRoy said, athletes should advocate for themselves and use the entertainment industry as a model. He said athletes currently are offered “take-it-or-leave-it” NIL contracts when a broader approach might have beneﬁts.

Eagles-Cowboys matchup to kick off regular season

The Philadelphia Eagles will start defending their championship at home on Sept. 4 against the division rival Dallas Cowboys.

The matchup for the annual regular-season kickoff game was revealed by the NFL in the ﬁrst in a series of announcements of notable games this week ahead of the full schedule release.

The Cowboys-Eagles matchup will be on Thursday night in the first game in NBC’s package of primarily Sunday night games.

NBC also announced that its streaming service, Peacock, will exclusively broadcast a Saturday night game in Week 17 on Dec. 27, a matchup that will be determined later from a pool of possible options based on how the playoff races have shaped up then.

Jordan to work for NBC as NBA special contributor

NEW YORK — Michael Jordan is joining NBC Sports as a special contributor to its NBA coverage when the 2025-26 season begins.

NBC made the announcement on Monday morning during its upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall previewing the network’s offerings during the upcoming television season.

“I am so excited to see the NBA back on NBC,” Jordan said during a video message. “The NBA on NBC was a meaningful part of my career, and I’m excited about being a special contributor to the project. I’m looking forward to seeing you all when the NBA on NBC launches this October.”

NBC returns to carrying the NBA after a 23-year absence. It had NBA rights from 1990-2002.

Cavaliers star Mitchell questionable for Game 5 CLEVELAND — Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell is listed as questionable for Cleveland’s pivotal Game 5 of its second-round series against the Indiana Pacers after reaggravating a sprained left ankle on Sunday The All-Star guard had an MRI on Monday, which conﬁrmed the sprained ankle.

Mitchell did not play in the second half of the Cavaliers’ 129-109 loss at Indiana after he appeared to experience pain while warming up during halftime. His status for Tuesday’s game is likely to go down to game time. Mitchell ﬁrst suffered the injury on April 6 during the second half against the Sacramento Kings. He stepped on the foot of Sacramento’s Keon Ellis near midcourt before losing his balance and rolling his left ankle.

Hendrickson,

Bengals still deadlocked over contract

CINCINNATI Trey Hendrickson and the Cincinnati Bengals remain deadlocked on progress toward a new deal or ﬁnding a new team.

“I think athletes should start to look at Hollywood and Broadway contracting arrangements that deal with publicity rights,” he said “I think there’s a way to frame this collectively The framework of collective bargaining and employment, I would say, the entertainment industry generally offers a blueprint for success.”

Playing for another school

Things are so chaotic right now that the very lines of who an athlete is playing for could get blurred.

Saying he was inspired by the NBA’s G League, University of Albany basketball coach Dwayne Killings is proposing a two-way contract for college players. Albany would welcome transfers from top-tier programs who need more seasoning and help them develop — with plenty of game time vs sitting on the bench before sending them back to their original program, where they’d be ready to compete.

“The best development happens on the ﬂoor, not necessarily on the scout team, given the new 15-man scholarship limits,” Killings told CBS Sports. And then there is Division III, which recently approved an unusual pilot program: Athletes would play for one school but do their coursework at another school that does not sponsor varsity athletics.

Hendrickson, who led the NFL with 171/2 sacks last season, released a statement to ESPN on Monday saying there has been no communication between his representatives or the organization since the NFL draft two weeks ago.

Hendrickson was an All-Pro selection last season. He received permission from the Bengals to seek a trade in March, but no progress has been made.

Hendrickson’s 57 sacks since joining the Bengals in 2021 are third most in the league over the past four seasons.

Browns LB to miss 2025 season with neck injury

Linebacker Jeremiah OwusuKoramoah has been placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list by the Cleveland Browns and will miss the 2025 season because of a neck injury

Owusu-Koramoah suffered the injury last season during the second half of a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 27. He took a blow to the head and neck area while assisting on a tackle of Ravens running back Derrick Henry Owusu-Koramoah was wearing a protective padded guardian cap over his helmet but appeared to be unconscious when he hit the ground.

Owusu-Koramoah was leading the Browns with 61 tackles and having his best season at the time when he was injured.

Emery finds new home

Former

running back John Emery

STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

LSU coach Brian Kelly watches his team against Oklahoma on Nov. 30 at Tiger Stadium.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL CATERINA Texas forward Kyla Oldacre, right, throws a pass around Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, left, as she falls out of bounds on Dec. 5 in South Bend, Ind.

LSUpitchingsettlinginduringpursuit of national seed

BY KOKI RILEY

Staff writer

LSU earned amassive series victory last weekend over Arkansas, taking two games out of three at Alex Box Stadium.

The Tigers won 5-4 in 10 innings on Friday and 13-3 on Saturday before dropping the seriesﬁnale7-4 on Sunday Here are five takeaways from thepivotal series.

Eyansonshining

Juniorright-hander Anthony Eyanson is on ﬁre, allowing just one earned runand eight hitsin15innings over his past two starts. He also has struck out 25 while issuing only two walks.

Not only has he pounded the strike zone,Eyanson hasimproved his quality of strikes. He’sgotten ahead in the count consistently before getting hitters to chase his curveball, slider or splitter below the zone.

The curveball has looked sharper; the slider and splitter continue to break late; and he’s done an excellent job of locating his fastball in the upper half of the zone.

“He’sexecuting allhis pitches all the time now,soit’sreally hard to do anything with and feel convicted in the box,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “Those are the toughest (pitchers). We’veseen some guys like that this year.”

Shores’solid weekend

Redshirt sophomore righthander Chase Shores is showing improvement since moving to the bullpen after the Auburn series.

Last weekend was his best yet In two appearances, he struck out four batters and walked only one in 42/3 innings. He allowed a run in 11/3 innings on Friday before

giving up just oneearned run in 31/3

frames Sunday

Shores featured better command and asharper slider throughout theseries,and he’smadetwo noticeable mechanical adjustments since becoming areliever.He’s throwing from the stretch and closing off his stance to create moredeception with his delivery

“It just helpsmestayclosed andjustﬁnish down the mound,”

Shores said. “I thinkithelps my stuff kind of break later to kind of get thehitters off balance.”

The adjustments alsohave helpedhim command thebaseball better

“(Pitching coach Nate Yeskie) is helping me with that and Ithink it’staking good steps,” Shores said. Concerns aboutEvans?

Sunday wasn’tagreat afternoon for freshman right-hander Casan Evans, whoallowedfourearned runs in the thirdinning and lasted just 32/3 innings while walking three batters andallowing seven hits.

He left too manypitches high andover the heartofthe plate, and the Razorbacks made him pay.He alsohad trouble putting away hitters with two strikes, allowing all four runsontwo-strike counts. Allthree of Evans’ starts this season have come againsttalented lineups in Tennessee,Texas A&M andArkansas. He excelled against Tennesseebut failedtoget past the fourth inning in his last two outings. Given the quality of competition, thelast two weeks shouldn’tbe of major concern. Whoever LSU faces in theregional won’thave as much talent as its last three opponents, andthere’s astrongchance that also will be thecase in atheoretical super regional.

If Evanscan locate theballlower more and cut down on thewalks, he should be ﬁne moving forward. Is LSUanationalseed?

Probably.Barring adisastrous outcome at South Carolina next weekend, theTigerslikely have secureda top-eight seed in theNCAA Tournament LSUisNo. 7inthe country in RPI with13wins against Quad1teams Texas, Vanderbilt andAuburnare the only teams in the nation with moreQuad 1victories.

The Tigersalsoare No. 7inKPI

Saints addWR, safety aftertryouts

Veteranreceiver signed to 1-year deal

BY MATTHEW PARAS and LUKE JOHNSON Staff writers

DonovanPeoples-Jones gotan opportunity to try out for the New Orleans Saints at rookie minicamp, and that audition landed him ajob.

The Saints are signing the veteran wide receivertoaone-yearcontract, asource with knowledge of the situation said. Peoples-Jones, a2020sixth-roundpickout of Michigan, comes to the Saints after spending time with theDetroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

In five seasons,the 6-foot-2, 204-pound wideout has 122 catches for 1,895 yards and eighttouchdowns. The 26-year-old’smost productive year came in 2022 when he had 61 catches for 839 yards with the Browns.

“It’sawesome to see Donovan out there,” Saints coachKellen Moore said Saturday at rookieminicamp.

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

done enough to be considered as good, or better,than anyoneelse in aseason without aclear juggernautanywhereacrossthe college baseball landscape. Sitting three games back of Texas (40-10, 20-7) and onegame back of Arkansas (41-11, 18-9) in the SEC standings,the Tigers need asweep this week at South Carolina, Texas to get swept on the road at Oklahoma, and at least one loss by Arkansas at home against Tennessee to claim a piece of their ﬁrst SEC regularseasonchampionship since 2017. As Skip Bertman used to say, that’s“low percentage.”

But the most important thing is getting to Omaha and theCollege World Series. That makes the most important thing securing atop-eightnational seed. As everyone in the class knows, being atop-eight seed meansyou get to host an NCAA regional and then asuper regional, if you advance. It’ssuper important, becauseall nine times theTigers have advanced to Omaha in the super regional era (since1999) they’ve done so at home. Again, they’re not perfect, but it’s better than LSU’s0-4 super regional record on the road. Atop-eight national seed is within the Tigers’ grasp. Aboutall they need to do is not fall on their collective faces. Were LSU to pair

“He’sbeen areally productive player.Just acouple of years ago, he had aton of catches, aton of production in Cleveland, and so certainly aguy that when youwent through thedraft process, he was highlythought of.”

Hisaddition gives the Saints some size at widereceiver.General manager Mickey Loomis said after thedraftthat New Orleans would explore its options at theposition after electingtonot select a widereceiver

TheSaints also signed veteran safety TerrellBurgess afterhe tried out over theweekend.

Burgess was athird-round pick of the Los AngelesRams in 2020. He has appeared in 43 games with two starts over four seasons with theRams, Giantsand Commanders, mostly in aspecial-teams role.

The 5-11, 202-pound safety played underSaints defensive coordinator Brandon Staleyduring his2020 rookie season.

To make roomfor thesignings, theSaints are releasing safety Millard Bradford and running back Jordan Mims, bothofwhom

LSU starting pitcher Kade Anderson

throws apitch in the first inning of agame against Alabama on April 17 at Alex Box Stadium.

Sunday’sloss to Arkansas with being sweptatlowly South Carolina (26-26, 5-22) and go one-anddone in next week’snew 16-team, single-elimination SECTournament,thatwouldprobably knock the Tigers out of the eliteeight. So there is work to be done in Columbia, SouthCarolina, this weekend. One win,ortwo, may do it. That’sthe position LSU has put itself in.The only tournament projection that was out as of Mondayafternoon was On3.com, which had theTigers as aNo. 6 national seed Consideringhow brutal the SEC hasbeen —nineofits 16 teams are in theD1Baseball Top25— it’sabout allLSU and its legion of baseballeating/sleeping/breathing fans could haveasked for.The Tigers have agreat 1-2 pitching combination with Kade Anderson andAnthony Eyanson, have good

spenttimeonthe active roster lastseason.

Public practices

Aftertaking training camp on theroad last year to Southern California,the Saintswillallowfans to attend some of their minicamp practices in Metairie this summer

TheSaints announced Monday that the June 10-11 minicamp practices at the OchsnerSports Performance Center will be open to thepublic. The practices are scheduled to beginat11:50 a.m., andtickets will be free though capacityislimited.

Saints season-ticketholders can reserveticketswiththeir account manager starting 9a.m. Tuesday. All other fanscan reserve tickets by registering at neworleanssaints.com/minicamp, in the Saints mobile app or theSeatgeek app starting at 10 a.m.Tuesday Fans must haveatickettoattend the practices, andeach registrant is limited to six tickets. Free parkingwill be available in the lots next to theShrine on Airline. Gates are scheduled to open at 11 a.m.

TIGERS CLIMB TO NO.1 IN NATIONALPOLL

LSU is the No. 1collegebaseball team in the country.

The Tigers were awardedthe top spot in the D1Baseballpoll Monday aftertheydefeated Arkansas twice in their three-game series at Alex Box Stadium

LSU is followedbyFlorida State at No.2,TexasatNo. 3, North Carolina at No. 4and Oregon at No. 5.

LSU dethroned Texasfor the top spot.The Longhorns dropped two of three gamestoFlorida this past weekendand are 1-5 in their last sixcontests against Southeastern Conference foes

Koki Riley

hittingthroughout their lineup, play solid defense and have areasonably good bullpen. About the only thing LSU needs to makeadeep run into and in Omahaistoget athird starter to elevate his game to pitch when Anderson and Eyanson simply have to be rested.

It’seasy to point out the Tigers’ issues considering the magnifying glass this program always resides under.But LSU’sissues are no more signiﬁcant than anyone else around thecountry.They have as good of ashot as any halfdozen or so teams of winning the 2025 College World Series.

That’ssomething the Tigers would have taken in January,and they certainly should takeitnow

the Tigers in the RPI is Oregon State at No.6,but the Beavers have only ﬁve Quad 1wins. TwoorthreelossesinColumbia, SouthCarolina,could complicate things andmakea win or two at the SECTournamentimportant.But as long as the Tigers take careofbusiness againstthe strugglingGamecocks(26-26, 5-22 SEC), theyshould expect to have home-ﬁeld advantage throughoutapotentialruntoOmaha Signsoflife

LSU enteredthe weekend after scoring just seven runs the week before at Texas A&M. The performance screamed trouble heading into aseries against atalented Arkansas pitching staff.

beforeSunday.KPI —another results-based rating systemused by the selectioncommittee —has LSUbehind Texas, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Arkansasand Georgia, amongthe Southeastern Conference teams, but theonly non-SEC team it trails is North Carolina. LSUwent 1-5againstTexas and Auburn,but theTigershavea series victory over Arkansas and abetter conference record than Georgia and Vanderbilt. Even if thecommittee places LSUbehind mostofthose teams, the only team outside of the SEC that’sahead of

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

Week 4

 SUNDAY,SEPT.28(NOON): NEW YORK JETS

Aaron Glenn turned downan opportunity to interview in person with the Saints so he could coach the Jets. Is that enough of astoryline to put this game in prime time? This scheduling committee of one says no. Noon it is.

Week 5

 SUNDAY,OCT.5 (NOON): ATLANTA

FALCONS

Another divisional showdown. This also presumably will be New Orleans’ ﬁrst gameagainst Michael Penix, the Falcons quarterback whostarted the ﬁnal three games last year after Atlanta benched Kirk Cousins.

Week 6

 SUNDAY,OCT.12(NOON): AT MIAMI

DOLPHINS

This feels like ahuge season for theMike McDaniel era in Miami. The Dolphins have gone 28-23 with two playoffappearances in his three-year tenure, but Miami is coming off an under .500 campaign. Will Tua Tagovailoa still be healthy by this point?

Week 7

 THURSDAY,OCT.16(7:15 P.M.):SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Thursday Night Football wasn’tkind to the New Orleans Saintsayear ago. The team was blown outinprimetimebyformerSaints coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. But the 49ers areabig enough nameto put theSaints in this slot again.

Week 8

 SUNDAY,OCT.26(NOON): AT TAMPA

BAYBUCCANEERS

The Buccaneers have won the NFC South four years in arow, and if they do it again, they’ll set arecord forthe division since its formation in 2002. The Saints, whowon the NFCSouth from 2017-20, and TampaBay currently share therecord.

Week 9: BYE

Week 10

 SUNDAY,NOV.9 (NOON): TAMPABAY BUCCANEERS

I’m always afan of when the league schedules rivalry games sandwiched between abye like this.Let’smake it happen again.

Week 11

 SUNDAY,NOV.16(3:25 P.M.):ATLOS ANGELES RAMS

The Ramsallowed Matthew Stafford to survey the market this offseason, but he opted to stay in Los Angeles after overtures from the New York Giants

The weekendwasn’tperfect for theTigers, butitwas amuchbetter result than the week before. They scored 22 runs and blasted seven homeruns, improving their record in games where they’ve scored at least five runs to 34-1. LSU received contributions from avariety of sources. Sophomore Jake Brown hit two homers and drove in acareer-high five runs Saturday.Junior Daniel Dickinsonhad threehits on Sunday. JuniorEthanFreyhomered andhit awalk-off sacrificeflyonFriday. Freshman Cade Arrambide also had his first SEC homer and threehit gameSaturday

“We’re areally good team,” Brown said. “Wehaveareally good offense, and it wasnever that faraway.”

The Tigers had at least nine hits in every contest, including 10 on Sunday despite scoring only four runs. They werejust 3for 16 with runners on base in that game, but just being able to consistently generate opportunities as they did all weekend is agood sign.

and Las Vegas Raiders. Isn’tit nice when aquarterback and his team can be on the samepage?

Week 12

 SUNDAY,NOV.23(3:25 P.M.): AT SEATTLE Seahawks

Scheduling back-to-back games on the West Coast would allow the Saints to stay on that side of the country between games. NewOrleans has ahistory of doing so —the Saints practiced in Seattle in 2019 —but would need the NFLto cooperate.

Week 13

 SUNDAY,NOV.30(NOON): ARIZONA CARDINALS What are the odds the Saints face three straight NFCWest teams? Probably not great. But it’d be neat.

Week 14

 MONDAY,DEC. 8(7:15 P.M.):ATCHICAGO BEARS

This is asneaky great matchup, one worthy of being in prime time. Ben Johnson’sstaff in Chicago has several New Orleans ties, including hiring Allen as his defensive coordinator.Also, if Spencer Rattler somehow wins the starting job or has to ﬁllin at any point, he was once teammates with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams at Oklahoma. Rattler wasbenched for Williams, whichled Rattler to transfer to South Carolina. December in Chicago adds afun wrinkle, too.

Week 15

 SUNDAY,DEC. 14 (NOON): NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Iused too manywords to sell the Bears matchup. So, let’skeep this one concise: Shough vs. Drake Maye. Next.

Week 16

 SUNDAY,DEC. 21 (NOON): AT CAROLINA PANTHERS It’ll be fascinating to see what kind of step Bryce Young can take in the third year of his career,particularly after overcoming his benching last season. If things go south forboth Carolina and New Orleans, this could be an important gamefor draft position.

Week 17

 SUNDAY,DEC. 28 (NOON): NEW YORK

GIANTS

Schedulingthis gamelate in the season probablyopens up thepossibilitythatweget to see Jaxson Dart against Shough, rather than theGiantsstarting RussellWilson or oldfriendJameisWinston

Week 18

 SUNDAY,JAN. 4(NOON): AT ATLANTA FALCONS

The NFLloves to end the season with divisional games. It’s unlikely the division would be at stake forthis matchup, but you never know

PHOTO

PATRICK DENNIS

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher AnthonyEyanson finishes apitch against Arkansas in the second inning of their game on SaturdayatAlex Box Stadium.

THE VARSITY ZONE

Riverside pitcher works through back issues

Ruiz’s two-hitter helps Rebels get to state tourney

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Jayce Ruiz did all he could to be at his best on the pitching mound

Unable to throw a fastball to the best of his ability because of a sore back, the Riverside junior spent some extra time in the cold tub and on the massage table so he could pitch as effectively as possible.

The results showed. Now, after Ruiz struck out 11 and walked one with two hits allowed in a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Opelousas Catholic in a quarterﬁnal last week, No. 11 Riverside (21-11) will face No. 2 Vermilion Catholic (23-7) in an LHSAA Division IV select state semiﬁnal set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at McMurry Park in Sulphur

The winner will face No 1 Covenant Christian (36-0) or No. 12

Ouachita Christian (17-15) in the state ﬁnal set for 2 p.m. Wednesday

Ruiz used the week between his last two starts wisely so that he could be at peak performance.

“I had back problems when I played (in the regional round) against Ascension Catholic,” Ruiz said about the 6-2 victory when he allowed three walks and eight hits.

“And I just took recovery very seriously I kept doing a lot of recovery and kept doing it and doing it and it ﬁnally added up against Opelousas Catholic.”

The quarterﬁnal outing ranked among Ruiz’s best this season. In that game, he threw 80 pitches, 64 of them for strikes.

“He can touch the 90, 91 (mph) range,” Riverside coach Jade Falgoust said. “He doesn’t pitch there, you know, but when he needs to

Holy Cross’ Josh Brown competes in the 100-meter dash at the Class 5A, Region 3 track and field meet on April 30 at Hahnville High School. Brown was a double-winner at the LHSAA track and field championships on Saturday at LSU, winning the 100and 200-meter dashes.

bump it up there, he can, which is great. But in this past game against Opelousas Catholic, he was throwing fastball, curveball and changeup whenever he wanted and wherever he wanted.”

Another highlight in the quarterﬁnal win came with Ayden Bullock at the plate. The bases were loaded with one out in the third inning.

“It was a nothing-nothing ballgame,” Falgoust recalled. “And he’s down (in the count at one ball and two strikes), and he fights off a bunch of pitches and draws a 10-pitch walk to get our first run of the game. Which led to Brody Vicknair hitting the sacrifice fly to right after that to put us up 2-0.”

It was the 10-pitch walk by Bullock, whose RBI double in the ﬁfth inning made the score 3-0, that impressed Falgoust the most.

“We call it a teammate at-bat,” Falgoust said. “Getting us that run, doing everything in your power to get the next guy to the plate.”

That plate appearance showcased the unselﬁsh nature of the team, said Falgoust, in his ﬁrst season as the head coach at his alma mater Practice habits improved throughout the season.

“You don’t have to ask them, ‘Hey, we need to get this set up before we start this period,’ ” Falgoust said.

“They see the practice plan and they just know You don’t have to be on their butts every second.”

Ruiz last pitched on Friday, so it was uncertain if the right-hander would pitch in the semiﬁnal. Other top pitchers for Riverside include Bullock, a left-hander who primarily plays ﬁrst base, and sophomore Gage Thompson, a second baseman. Junior shortstop Brock Brourgeois, also the starting quarterback on the football team, has been the closer for most of the season.

Falgoust also noted Vicknair the starting catcher, and left ﬁelder Colton Diamond are pitching options. Another leading player is

center fielder Kaleb Brumfield, the only senior in the starting lineup. “I don’t know if I’m pitching (in the semifinal),” Ruiz said. “I need

to see how I feel in the morning. But overall, as a team, I feel very conﬁdent in my team. We’ve been all-in, getting ready, playing for each other.” Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Heavy rains keep most golfers, fans off PGA course

BY DOUG FERGUSON

golf writer

CHARLOTTE,N.C. Scottie Schefﬂer was among the few players to get in a little practice at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship, arriving a day early before rain soaked the course Monday and relegated most players to the practice areas only between burst of showers.

The PGA of America closed the course to spectators on the ﬁrst ofﬁcial day of practice because of the heavy rain. They can either seek a refund or use their tickets the next two days.

But one thing was clear: Quail Hollow became a little bit longer from the rain that drenched the 7,626-yard course.

Quail Hollow is familiar to most players in the 156-man ﬁeld, hosting a PGA Tour event every year since 2003 except for when it held the PGA Championship in 2017 and the Presidents Cup in 2022 Even so, it leads to a short week of practice.

Sunday would have been an ideal time to see the course, but there were only a few players here.

parade of stars at the signature event at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, won by Sepp Straka. There also was a PGA Tour event at Myrtle Beach, which featured more than a dozen players in the ﬁeld at the PGA Championship. That includes Ryan Fox, who won his ﬁrst PGA Tour title that earned him a spot at Quail Hollow Scheffler skipped the Truist Championship, typical for the world’s No. 1 player because he plays the two stops near home in Dallas — the CJ Cup Byron Nelson two weeks ago, which he won by eight shots, and the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial next week.

Brennan Robin, Parkway, 4:17.58. 3200: 1. Brady Mullen, Jesuit, 9:09.68. 2 Brennan Robin, Parkway, 9:13.26. 3. Brady Monahan, Jesuit, 9:19.36. 4x100 relay: 1. Holy Cross, 40.87. 2. Destre-

1. Acadiana, 1:25.62. 2. Catholic

200: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan, 23.85. 2. Destiny Harrison, Liberty, 24.30. 3. Gabriella Glover, Ouachita Parish, 24.62.

300 hurdles: 1. Reese Trahan, Barbe, 42.46. 2 Courtney Smith, Denham Springs, 43.75. 3. Leah Bryant, Captain Shreve, 44.49.

1:27.05. 3. Scotlandville, 1:27.11. 4x400 relay: 1. Catholic High, 3:18.21. 2. Ruston, 3:19.99. 3. West Monroe, 3:20.28. 4x800 relay: 1. Central Lafourche, 7:58.92. 2. Mandeville, 8:02.88. 3. Ruston, 8:08.63. FIELD EVENTS Discus: Lionel Prudhomme, Captain Shreve, 176-0. 2. Joseph Carter Rivet, Alexandria, 172-0. 3. Devon Oliver, Parkway, 162-6 High jump: 1. Gionni Wiltz, Slidell, 6-9.50. 2. Austen Nelson Dutchtown, 6-7.50. 3. Landon Gibbs, Huntington, 6-7.50. Javelin: 1. Robert Conley, Catholic High, 209-5. 2. Jaxon Talley, West Monroe, 202-0. 3 Austin Billiot, St. Paul’s, 186-2. Long jump: 1. Ferzell Shepard, Scotlandville, 24-5. 2. Gionni Wiltz, Slidell, 24-2.50. 3. Damien Richard, Destrehan, 23-6 Pole vault: 1. Carter Hooks, Barbe, 14-5.25. 2. Miller Malley Benton, 14-5.25. 3. Ryan Klester, Catholic High, 13-11.25. Shot put: 1. Kaden Adams, Central Lafourche, 60-4.50. 2. Darreyus Scott, Denham Springs, 59-3.50. 3. Devon Oliver, Parkway 59-2.25. Triple jump: 1. Ferzell Shepard, Scotlandville, 51-6.50. 2. Gionni Wiltz, Slidell, 48-9.50. 3. Marquis Butler, Alexandria, 48-5.50. Girls Team scores: 1. Barbe, 71. 2. St. Joseph’s’s 41. 2. Alexandria, 41. 4. Destrehan, 40. 5. Mount Carmel, 37. 6. Lafayette, 34.5. 7. East Ascension, 32. 8. Ruston, 31. 9. Liberty, 29. 10. Zachary, 27. TRACK EVENTS 100: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan, 11.53. 2. Gabriella Glover, Ouachita Parish, 11.81. 3. Destiny Harrison, Liberty, 11.86. 100 hurdles: 1. Katie Truett, East Ascension, 14.28. 2. Serenity Early, Zachary, 14.43. 3. Joelle Adegboye, Mandeville, 14.54.

400: 1. Kennedi Burks, Barbe, 53.82. 2. Madison Bailey, Hahnville, 53.85. 3. T’Avion Clark, Ruston, 54.75. 800: 1. Keira Melan, Dutchtown, 2:11.80. 2. Riley Siner, Lafayette, 2:11.87. 3. Grace Keene, Northshore, 2:12.13. 1600: 1. Grace Keene, Northshore, 4:59.93. 2. Catalina Reichard, Mount Carmel, 5:01.68. 3. Stella Junius, Mount Carmel, 5:07.33. 3200: 1. Catalina Reichard, Mount Carmel 10:59.00. 2. Michelle Daigle, St. Joseph’s, 11:15.04. 3. Stella Junius, Mount Carmel 11:20.89. 4x100: 1. Ouachita Parish, 47.90. 2. Airline, 47.93. 3. Zachary, 48.00. 4x200: 1. Liberty, 1:39.80. 2. Lafayette, 1:39.89. 3. Alexandria, 1:40.15. 4x400: 1. Barbe, 3:47.63. 2. Zachary, 3:55.53. 3. St. Joseph’s, 3:57.14. 4x800: 1. St. Joseph’s, 9:36.11. 2. Ruston, 9:41.76. 3. Lafayette, 9:42.77. FIELD EVENTS Discus: 1. Kiristen McGirt, East Ascension, 145-6. 2. Journi Douglas, Ruston, 134-2. 3 Nyla Stewart, Alexandria, 130-11. High jump: 1. Addilyn Dufrene, John Curtis, 5-7.75. 2. Stella Zippert, Dominican, 5-3.75. 3. Taylor Bennett, Barbe, 5-3.75. Javelin: 1. Maria LaFleur, Barbe, 125-2. 2. Morgan David, Barbe, 119-1. 3. Saylor Woosley, Central, 113-8 Long jump: 1. Marley Richard, Destrehan, 202.50. 2. Noelle Williams, Alexandria, 18-5.25. 3. Julia Jenkins, Covington, 17-8 Pole vault: 1. Scarlett Petticrew, Lafayette, 11-5. 2. Annabelle Grifﬁn, Live Oak, 10-11. 3. Miranda Weeks, Mount Carmel, 10-11 Shot put: 1. Kiristen McGirt, East Ascension, 45-4.50. 2. Kaci Fulton, Barbe, 41-5.25. 3. Layla

“They’re all at tournaments,” said Kerry Haigh, the championships director at the PGA of America.

Rory McIlroy Justin Thomas and Xander Schauffele led a

This is only the second time he has played Quail Hollow The other was the Presidents Cup, when the course had a different routing. He knows the holes, just not in the right order Schefﬂer played the front nine on Sunday afternoon, spending most of his time chipping around the greens as caddie Ted Scott with a long history at Quail Hollow from when he caddied for Bubba Watson — presenting different options with different pins. Some players tried to get on the course. Nicolai Hojgaard played the opening two holes in the rain, hit his tee shot on No. 3 and then walked over to the range.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MATT yORK Rain drops drip from a tree during practice for the PGA Championship on Monday at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C.

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO By THEO WARGO

Kerry Washingtonattends

Lionsgate’s‘ShadowForce’ New york premiere at AMC Lincoln Square 13 on May1inNew york

‘Scandal’ star Kerry Washington makesrare comments

BY VIVIAN KWARM Newyork Daily News (TNS)

NEW YORK Whenitcomes to Kerry Washington’sfamily life with her husbandNnamdi Asomugha and their three kids, the actor typically doesn’tpublicly share much But in arecent interview, the “Scandal” star gave the Daily News rare insight into why she decided to keepher personallife under the radar after being more “public” earlier in her career.

“I was much more public about my personal life, and Irealized that when you givethat much, you can’tarbitrarily decide ‘Oh, now Idon’twant to talk about it,’”Washington told the News. “I think from that point on, Ireally wanted to be more protective of my personal life so that Ifelt like it could belong to me.”

The New York native says she wanted to be sure her family’s choices were “authentic” and “not about the performance of who we are in the world.” Much like the role Washington plays in the new film “Shadow Force.”

Thefilmfollows twoformer shadow operatives Kyrah, played by Washington, and her husband Issac, played by Omar Sy.The couple is on the run from their old team while tryingtoprotect their son from the bountyoftheir heads.

As amother,Washington says she found the ﬁlm’splot relatable as someone who in her personal life is “willing to do whatever it takes to protect” her children. Whenshe’s outoftown withher kids,the Emmy-winning actress frequently enters hotels through kitchens to keep the paparazzi from seeing them.

“When they werereally little, we never went through the front door,Washington explained. “And so they really thought that, like when you enter ahotel, you walk into the kitchen.”

She continued: “It was avery theoretical idea beforeIbecame aparent, and then you becomea parent,and you’re like,‘Oh no, I

PSSSST....

Upstairs at acurio shop in Bywater, themostintriguingcollectionmight be thesecrets people have left there

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Down on St. Claude Avenue in Arabi, you’ll

ﬁnd aroom thatmay contain the mostdifﬁcult, disturbing andsomehow compelling collection you’ve ever seen.Maybe it’sa collectivediary,apsychological bulletin board or apublic confessional. Call it whatever you’d like. Brent Walker calls it “The Secret Room.”

Forthe past few years, thephotographer, author, artist and shopkeeper has invited people to share their secrets, the sorts of things theywouldn’tordinarily tell anyone, conﬁdences that bring tears, ruin relationshipsand change lives.Heprovides small sheets of paper—likeold-fashioned index cards— andcolored marking pens. He provides anonymity and catharsis.

Overthe years, people have written about their loves, their vices, thecrimesthey’ve committed, and the crimes committed against them. Addiction, incest,sexual proclivities and suicidal impulses all pop up in red, black and blueink on the cards.

ä See SECRET, page 2D

Visitors arewelcometorid themselves of unspeakable secrets in

Latino musicfestivalcanceledamidvisauncertainties

BYLAURA RODRÍGUEZ PRESA ChicagoTribune (TNS)

CHICAGO This summer was set to be Michelada Festival’sbiggest year yet.With thousands of tickets already sold,Miche Fest,a Chicago street festival of Latino music gone mainstream, was canceled on Tuesday just weeks before itsJuly dates at Oakwood Beach

The two-day festival, whichhad its roots in Pilsen’sstreets, moved first to Harrison Park and then lastsummertoOakwood Beach, becoming one of Chicago’slargest Latino music festivals,bringing together thousandsofpeople and featuring world-renowned artists whospeak to differentgenerations of Latinos. It hadsome 10,000 attendees daily in 2024. While some have criticized the

organizers forthe sudden 2025 cancellation, co-founder Fernando Nietosaid,many of their fans have been loyal to the festival for the last seven years. He saidthe cancellation felt like the right thing to do.

“Outsideofthe effect that it (the cancellation) might have on our business, we felt like it was aresponsible thing to do for our fan base,”saidNieto on Wednesday. “We’ve built up an extremely loyal fanbase sinceday one, andwefelt, due to theuncertainty with what’s going on, it would be irresponsible to moveforward without aclear path.”

The announcement on Tuesday said the reason was current concernsover visas and travel: “Because of the uncertainty around artistvisas andthe shifting politi-

calclimate,we’ve made thedifﬁcult decision to cancel Michelada Fest 2025.”

Their Sundaylineup wasmore than 60% international artists who would need avisatocome to the United States and perform. If they wereunable to do so, there wasnoway,organizers said, they could replace their lineup with the level artists as the ones they had promised.

WhileNieto said they cannot comment specifically on visa issues for speciﬁc artists, there were “enough to believe the issues over visas could escalate.”

“It’stoo big of arisk forour business andfor ourfan base,” Nieto said. “Although it’satough oneon abusiness side, we never want to

CHICAGO TRIBUNE PHOTO By CHRISSWEDA

Aconcertgoer takes in aset by Los Angeles Azules at Miche Fest at Oakwood Beach in ChicagoonJuly 13.

ä See STAR, page 2D

STAFF PHOTOSByDOUGMacCASH)

Brent Walker’s‘Secret Room’offers quiet redemption for those of us burdened with memories too terribletootherwise share.

Brent Walker’s‘Secret Room’inArabi.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Tally up the pros and cons of your situation before acting. You're best off watching what transpires and striking only when you have enough information to come out ahead.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) If you can imagine something, you can find a way to make it happen. Trust your instincts, intelligence and ability to implement your plans. A unique approach to life, love and happiness will pay off.

CAnCER (June 21-July 22) You'll receive mixed messages from those you deal with, which can confuse you and cause you to make poor decisions. A back-out clause is necessary if you plan to sign an agreement.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Get in the swing of things, participate and show off your skills, but don't make promises you can't keep. High energy and quick decisions will put you in a good position.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Set your sights on what's tangible and move forward with intelligence and cooperation. Being a good listener will prompt others to accept your suggestions and rely on you more readily.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Get the momentum flowing; nothing will stop you from reaching your objective. Home improvements will ease stress, lower overhead and bring you closer to someone special.

sCoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Listen, learn and excel. Put your mind, body and skills to work, and you'll find interest-

ing alternatives to make your life easier. A change is overdue, and discovery is your ticket to new beginnings.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Underestimating the extent of a job will be your downfall. Consider what might go wrong and have a plan to ensure success. Self-improvement will offer high returns.

CAPRICoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Shift your thinking to keep up with the times. Sign up for an event, activity or selfimprovement venue that will motivate you to implement changes that instill stability. Physical activity will ease stress.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take the plunge and change what isn't working for you. Set your sights on saving money, setting doable goals and using your creative skills to benefit you financially.

PIsCEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Learn through observation. Taking a fresh approach to an old project will encourage you to finish what you start. Debates will lead to anger, not to solutions.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) You'll come across unique investments, budget options or moneymaking ventures. A social event or activity will lead to someone who will enhance your life and your confidence.

Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

FAMILY CIrCUS

ToDAy's CLuE: F EQuALs V

CeLebrItY CIpher

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers1 to 9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s PuzzleAnswer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER

Celine Dion said, “Golf is a search for perfection, for balance. It’s about meditationandconcentration.Youhavetouse hand and brain.”

In bridge you must use your brain to gain the most from each hand you hold. And in this week’s columns, we are looking at balancing, when one player, if he passes, will end the auction.

If the dealer opens one of a suit, the next two players pass, and the fourth player jump-overcalls two no-trump, it is no longer unusual, showing at least 5-5 in the two lowest unbid suits. Now it is natural In principle, the intervenor has a hand with which he would have opened two no-trump, but he might be a point or two short of the normal requirements when he has a respectable six-card minor.

In this deal, though, South has a classic two-no-trump opening and a balancing two-no-trump overcall. North transfers intohearts,thenrebidsthreeno-trumpto offer a choice of games. South, with only two hearts, passes. After West leads the spade queen, how should South plan the play?

Declarer starts with eight top tricks: two spades, three hearts and three clubs. He should work to get a fourth heart winner. After winning the first trick in his hand with the spade ace (to keep dummy’s king as an entry), South should cash his heart ace, then overtake the heart queen with dummy’s king. He continues with the heart 10 to drive out the jack and ends with nine tricks. Note that if declarer gets greedy, cashing his two hearts, then crossing to the spade king, he goes down. © 2025 by nEa, inc., dist. By

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRuCTIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

ToDAy’s WoRD — FRAnTIC: FRAN-tik: Marked by fast and nervous, disordered or anxiety-driven activity

Average mark 14 words

Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in FRANTIC?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD — TEnAnTs

today’s thought

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.” Revelation 11:15

loCKhorNs

Amen! Even so come Lord Jesus. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato mallard

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

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

WiShinG Well

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

jump Start

roSe

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

LIMPIEZADEBIFENILOS POLICLORADOS (PCB)EN EL SITIODELAADMINIS‐TRACIÓNNACIONALDE

AERONÁUTICAY EL ESPA‐CIO (NASA),INSTA‐LACIÓN DE ENSAMBLAJE MICHOUD, 13800 OLD GENTILLY ROAD,NEW OR‐LEANS, LOUISIANA

La United States Environ‐mental Protection Agency (EPA oAgencia de protección ambiental de EstadosUnidos) Región 6estáentregando la notiﬁcación de aprobación para lastar‐easdelimpiezapropues‐tasenuna propiedadde la NASA ubicadaenel 13800 OldGentillyRoad, NewOrleans,Louisiana La MAF(porsus siglas en inglés)seutiliza para la instalacióndecompo‐nentes delNASAGeorge C. Marshall SpaceFlight Center (Centrodevuelo espacial George C. Mar‐shalldelaNASA),con sede en Huntsville,Al‐abama. Unaserie de in‐vestigacionesllevadas a cabo entre1998 y2022 determinaron eidentiﬁ‐caronsuelosafectados porbifenilos policlorados (PCB,por lassiglasen inglés). En febrerode 2025, la NASA entregó a la EPARegión6 un Plan de limpieza de PCB para su aprobación ylaEPA está aprobandolasolici‐tud. La EPAhaestable‐cido queelnivel de limpieza necesariopara recuperarellugar para su usolibre de restric‐ciones es de 1parte por

761.61(c) delCFR (Código de regulaciones fed‐erales). LosPCB se emplearon normalmentecomo ﬂui‐dosdieléctricosen equiposeléctricos. En 1979, se prohibió la fabri‐cación de estos ﬂuidos dieléctricos para limitar la liberación de PCBen lagoso quebradaspor losdaños quepuede causar su consumode‐bido alaposible bioacu‐mulación en la cadena alimentariadeproductos de pescadeportiva.Los PCBhan sido asociados a dañosenelhígadoy los riñonesdeingerirse en altasconcentraciones duranteextensos períodos Esta aprobación ylos documentos correspon‐dientesestán disponiblesenhttps:// www.epa.gov/pcbs/eparegion-6-polychlorinatedbiphenyls. Para consul‐tassobreestetema, por favorcomunicarse con Ms.CourtneyAllenpor el 214-665-6630 oallen. courtney@epa.gov 140331-may7-23-14t $7,235.00

sion of JOSEPH S. NOR‐MAN, hasmadeanappli‐cation to theCourt for theprivate sale of the followingpiece of im‐movablepropertyin whichthe Succession of JOSEPH S. NORMAN has an interest,for thesum

NOTICE OF SMALL SUCCESSION NOTICE IS GIVENthat HusseinIbn Kirkland,Ad‐ministratorofthe Suc‐cessionofClarenceKirk‐land,isapplying forau‐thoritytosellatprivate sale,onterms of SEV‐ENTY-FIVETHOUSAND AND00/100 ($75,000.00) DOLLARS cash,(forthe entire property), theim‐movablepropertyowned by theSuccessionof Clarence Kirkland,de‐scribedbelow AN UNDIVIDEDONE-HALF (½)INTERESTINAND TO THEFOLLOWING DE‐SCRIBEDPROPERTY, TOWIT: THAT CERTAINPIECE OR PORTIONOFGROUND, to‐gether with allofthe buildingsand improve‐mentsthereon,and allof therights, ways,privi‐leges, servitudes,appur‐tenances andadvan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐ingorinanywise apper‐taining, stuatedinthe THIRDDISTRICTofthe City of NewOrleans Parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof knownasGEN‐TILLYGARDENS SUBDIVI‐SION,designatedasLOTS 1and