The Times-Picayune 05-14-2025 by The Advocate

Denka shutting down controversial plant

Future of operations

BY MIKESMITH

Staff writer

Denka’scontroversial plant in St. Johnthe Baptist Parish has suspended production and is exploringa potential sale of the site, the company said Tuesday,leaving the futureunclear for afacility that had become aﬂashpoint in adebate over environmental justice.

The plant, the only one that manufactures neoprenein the United States, had also taken on political signiﬁcance, with Gov.Jeff Landry visiting the site last year to announce the state’slegal support as it

Philanthropist known forher serviceto

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer

Elizabeth “Betsy” Nalty,avolunteer and philanthropist known for her serviceand dedication to charitable organizations, educational institutions and civic groups over more than halfacentury,re-

at facility unclear

facedtightened restrictions under theBiden administration over its emissionsofchloroprene,classiﬁed as likely cancer-causing.

President Donald Trump’sadministration has signaled amore friendly approach, butthe companysaid it still faced regulatory uncertainty alongwith alist of other challenges. Those issues have included reduced demand for neoprene andcost increases exacerbated by inﬂation at the site that employs250 people, located along the border between LaPlace andReserve.

Thecompany said no decision has beenmade on apermanentclosure,

ceived TheTimes-Picayune Loving Cup for 2024 on Tuesdayatan awards presentation packed with family and friends, business and civic leaders, andpriorLoving Cupaward recipients.

“Tobehonored as avolunteer in alongline of esteemed business executives and civic leaders whohaveimpacted our city is truly, truly humbling,”Nalty said to those gatheredatthe Audubon TeaRoom. Since 1901, theLoving Cup has beenbestowed to men andwomen whohaveworked unselﬁshly for

but it informed employees in aletter that it plannedto“safely transition thefacility to amothball status.”

Denka’s board decidedMonday to “suspend production, including neoprene,atDPE’s LaPlace, Louisiana facility,” the company said in a statement, referring to its full name, Denka Performance Elastomer “The facilityhad already safely ceased production last month as partofregularly scheduledbiannual maintenance,” it said. “No decision was made regarding workforce reductions or any permanent closure

bill could affect many in state

Congress eyes billionsin cuts,removal of enrollees

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON The future of Medicaid for the next decade— who gets tossed off its rolls and how much moreLouisiana taxpayers will have to pay —isbeing decided this week by aU.S. House committee charged with lowering the costs of health care forlow-income Americans. TheRepublicanmajorityonthe HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee began cobbling together itsbill Tuesdayafternoon andwarned members that they could be working allnight and through muchofWednesday before the legislation is ready Given the slim GOPmajority in the House, two of the more controversial proposals were sidelined: howmuchcould be spent on each Medicaid patient and requiring the states to pay more under the federal match rate.

ä See MEDICAID, page 9A

ä See DENKA, page 9A BY

thecommunity without expectation of public recognition or material reward.

Nalty,82, aﬁfth-generation New Orleanian and mother of four, embodies what the Loving Cup stands for,said StoreyCharbonnet, who chairedthe award committee and has known Naltysince his childhood.

“Betsy is indeedanaccomplishedcivic leader in New Orleans, known for her genuine warmthand deep-seated passion

concerns

ANTHONY MCAULEYand TYLERBRIDGES Staff writers

The owner of theFairGrounds Race Course & Slots in NewOrleans has threatened to pull out of Louisiana over courtrulingsthatbar it from using acertaintype of slotmachine,saying that without those games it would be unable to turn aproﬁt. Churchill Downs, which has owned the Fair Grounds since 2004, would not proceed with the 2025-26 racing season unless the state Legislature

ä See FAIR GROUNDS, page 13A

Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Nalty,center, receivesthe Loving Cup from Times-Picayune | Nola.comowners John and Dathel Georges during a presentation on Tuesday.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD

The Denka Performance Elastomer plant,located in St.John the Baptist Parish, is the only facilityinthe United States that produces neoprene, asynthetic rubber used in products likewetsuits and medical gloves.

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Court continues to block Florida’s drag-show ban

ATLANTA An injunction barring the enforcement of Florida’s drag-show ban will remain in effect after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the law is likely unconstitutional

A three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to back a lower court decision that described Florida’s law, purportedly aimed at protecting children from drag shows, as overly broad and vaguely written The case now returns to the Middle District of Florida, where a federal bench trial can be scheduled.

Attorney Melissa Stewart, who is representing Hamburger Mary’s, a drag-themed casualdining restaurant, said they’re thrilled the First Amendment rights of Floridians will remain protected as the case continues.

“The Court’s opinion recognizes this law for what it is — an egregiously unconstitutional attempt to censor the speech and expression of citizens,” Stewart said.

Brian Wright, a spokesman for the Florida governor’s ofﬁce, called the ruling an overreach by a federal court.

“No one has a constitutional right to perform sexual routines in front of little kids,” Wright said. “We will do everything possible to have this lawless decision overturned.”

The Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando, which filed the lawsuit in 2023, regularly hosted drag shows, including family-friendly performances on Sundays that children were invited to attend. The restaurant closed its downtown location last year but plans to reopen at a new spot in nearby Kissimmee. The restaurant’s owner has said the Florida law violated First Amendment rights by chilling speech.

Pope Leo XIV is back on social media

VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV has taken over the Vatican’s official social media handles, with a first Instagram post on Tuesday repeating the first words he said to the world as pope: “Peace be with you all!”

The @Pontifex – Pope Leo XIV post featured some of the photos that have documented the ﬁrst days of history’s ﬁrst American pope.

The Vatican said it was archiving the posts from Pope Francis’ 12-year papacy On X, the new account didn’t appear to be active Tuesday

The Vatican launched the @Pontifex handle in 2012 during the pontiﬁcate of Pope Benedict XVI. It now comes in a variety of nine languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Polish, Arabic and Latin and counts a combined 52 million followers

Past popes didn’t actually send the posts, which were curated by the Vatican. The former Cardinal Robert Prevost occasionally posted on X in an account started in 2011. It had been dormant since July 2023 but came back to life earlier this year to share criticism of Trump administration migration policies and comments by Vice President JD Vance.

Nvidia to send 18,000 AI chips to Saudi Arabia

U.S. chip maker Nvidia will partner with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund-owned AI startup Humain and will ship 18,000 chips to the Middle Eastern nation to help power a new data center project.

The partnership was revealed Tuesday as part of a White House trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been working to develop its artiﬁcial intelligence capacity and strengthen its cloud computing infrastructure with the help of foreign investment.

“AI, like electricity and internet, is essential infrastructure for every nation,” said Jensen Huang, founder of Nvidia. “Together with Humain, we are building AI infrastructure for the people and companies of Saudi Arabia to realize the bold vision of the Kingdom.”

The cutting-edge Blackwell chips will be used in a 500-megawatt data center in Saudi Arabia, according to remarks at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum in Riyadh on Tuesday

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli army airstrike on the European hospital in Khan younis, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. The Israeli military said it had carried out a strike targeting what it said was a Hamas ‘command and control center’ located beneath the hospital.

Netanyahu: ‘No way’ Israel halts war

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and ELENA BECATOROS Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says there is “no way” Israel will halt its war in Gaza — where airstrikes on two hospitals Tuesday killed at least eight and wounded dozens even if a deal is reached to release more hostages.

Netanyahu’s comments are likely to complicate talks on a new ceaseﬁre that had seemed to gain momentum after Hamas released the last living American hostage on Monday in a gesture to U.S. President Donald Trump, who is visiting the region but skipping Israel.

They pointed to a potentially widening rift between Netanyahu and Trump, who had expressed hope that the release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander would be a step toward ending the 19-month war

The Israeli military on Tuesday struck what it said was a Hamas “command and control center” located beneath a hospital in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis The strike on the European hospital was the day’s second strike on a hospital, and left at least six people dead and 40 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry

The dead were taken to Nasser hospital, which Israel struck earlier in the day, saying militants were operating inside it, without identifying them. Two people were killed in that strike.

In comments released by Netanyahu’s ofﬁce Tuesday from a visit to wounded soldiers the previous day the prime minister said Israeli forces were just days away from a promised escalation of

force and would enter Gaza “with great strength to complete the mission. It means destroying Hamas.”

Any ceaseﬁre deal reached would be temporary the prime minister said. If Hamas were to say they would release more hostages, “we’ll take them, and then we’ll go in. But there will be no way we will stop the war,” Netanyahu said. “We can make a ceaseﬁre for a certain period of time, but we’re going to the end.”

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceaseﬁre and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The dispute over whether to end the conﬂict has been the main obstacle in negotiations going back more than a year

Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with as many as 23 of them said to be alive, although authorities have expressed concern about the condition of three of them. Many of the 250 hostages taken by Hamas-led militants in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that started the war were freed in ceaseﬁre deals.

Monday’s release of 21-year-old Alexander resulted from negotiations between Hamas and the Trump administration that appeared to have largely bypassed Israel, which made no concessions for his release.

Alexander, who was 19 when he was taken from an Israeli army base during the 2023 attack, was the first hostage released since Israel shattered an eightweek ceasefire with Hamas in March and unleashed ﬁerce strikes on Gaza that have killed hundreds of Palestinians.

Israel has promised to intensify its offensive, including by seizing Gaza and displacing much of the territory’s population again.

French actor Gérard Depardieu convicted of sexual assault

BY SYLVIE CORBET Associated Press

PARIS French movie star

Gérard Depardieu was convicted Tuesday of sexually assaulting two women on a set and received an 18-month suspended prison sentence in a case that was widely seen as a post#MeToo test for the country’s ﬁlm industry.

The 76-year-old Depardieu, one of the most prominent ﬁgures in French cinema for decades, must also pay both accusers a total of around $32,350 in ﬁnes, and the court ordered that his name be listed in the national sex offender database

The actor was convicted of groping a 54-year-old woman responsible for decorating the set and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”) in 2021 Depardieu, who has denied the accusations, did not attend the hearing in Paris. His lawyer said that his client would appeal the decision.

The case offered a fresh assessment of how French society and its filmmakers would handle sexual misconduct allegations against a top actor in the wake of the #MeToo movement.

One of the accusers, the set dresser, said she was

A plaintiff arrives in a Paris court

found

“very much satisﬁed” with the verdict “I’m very moved,” she told reporters. “That’s a victory for me, really, and a big progress, a step forward. I feel justice was made.”

Her lawyer, Carine Durrieu Diebolt, said “it is the victory of two women, and it is the victory of all women beyond this trial.”

“Today we hope to see the end of impunity for an artist in the world of cinema,” Durrieu Diebolt said “I think that with this decision, we can no longer say that he is not a sexual abuser And today, as the Cannes Film Festival opens, I’d like the ﬁlm world to spare a thought for Gérard Depardieu’s victims.”

Schumer vows to push for answers about Qatar luxury plane

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate

Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that he will hold up all Department of Justice nominations on the Senate floor until he gets more answers about the free Air Force

One replacement that President Donald Trump says would be donated by Qatar

Trump said this week tha t he wants to accept the $400 million plane, and that it would later be donated to a presidential library White House press

secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News on Monday that the details of the donation are still being worked out.

The plan, Schumer said, “is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat.”

Schumer said he wants answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Trump administration about whether it is investigating activities inside the United States by Qatari foreign agents that could beneﬁt Trump or his business.

He also wants to know if Qatar will be responsible for adding security measures to the plane and how it will be built and paid for.

“The Attorney General must testify before both the House and Senate to explain why gifting Donald Trump a private jet does not violate the emoluments clause — which requires congressional approval or any other ethics laws,” Schumer said.

Democrats have expressed uniform outrage about the potential foreign gift and many Republicans are uneasy about the plan, as well.

Returning to Washington on Monday evening, senators in both parties questioned how the deal would

work and stressed the importance of following federal laws that govern how a U.S. president can accept gifts from foreign countries.

“We need to look at the constitutionality of it,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., who said she’d be concerned about possible spying devices installed on the plane

Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said that Trump had said he would follow the law, and “that’s the right answer.”

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky said Trump shouldn’t accept the jet. “I don’t think it looks good or smells good,” Paul said. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he’d prefer “a big, beautiful jet made in the United States of America.”

Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma was one of the few senators defending the deal. “Why would we care if another country wanted to give the United States a gift?” he asked.

Schumer’s holds mean that the Senate can’t quickly conﬁrm any of Trump’s Justice Department nominees. Many lower level nominations, such as U.S. attorneys, are often approved in groups by voice vote.

Democratic Sens. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Chris Coons of Delaware and Cory Booker of New Jersey also have said they will call for a vote this week to reafﬁrm the “basic principle” that public servants should not take foreign gifts for personal gain.

Murphy said in a floor speech Tuesday that Trump’s corruption is “wildly public” and that his hope is that “by doing it publicly he can con the American people into thinking it’s not corruption because he’s not hiding it.” Coons raised security concerns.

“The Trojan Horse was a gift, too,” he posted on X.

before French

A suspended sentence means that Depardieu does not have to go to prison unless he commits another offense. Suspended sentences are common in France for a wide range of crimes.

The court said it took into account Depardieu’s age, his poor health and his criminal record, which included one prior unrelated conviction, although the court offered no details.

Depardieu’s long and storied career — he told the court that he’s made more than 250 ﬁlms has turned him into a French movie giant. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1991 for his performance as the swordsman and poet Cyrano de Bergerac.

Schumer

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARIAM DAGGA

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By THOMAS PADILLA

Tuesday

actor Gérard Depardieu was

guilty

sexually assaulting two women who were working on

film with him in 2021.

RODLAMKEy

HouseGOP grinds to push aheadwithTrump’s bigbill

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Taxbreaks

tallying more than $5 trillion —but also sizable reductions in Medicaid health care, food stamps for older Americans and greenenergy strategies to ﬁght climate change —were facing sharp debate Tuesday as House Republicansgrind through marathon hearings on their “big, beautiful bill.”

Republicans are working to push President Donald Trump’ssignature legislative package througha gauntlet of committees over mounting opposition from Democrats, advocacy groups and even some wary Republicans themselves.

Rightfromthe start,one meeting was immediately disrupted by protesters shouting down what the panel’stop Democrat called “cruel” cutstoMedicaid

“People feel very strong because they know they’re losing their health care,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, DN.J., on the Energy &Commerce Committee. He asked for the police to refrain from making arrests, noting that some of the people protesting were disabled.

And on it went for hours.

It’sthe biggest political and legislative debate for the Republicans leading Congress since Trump’sﬁrst term, setting up acareerdeﬁning clash over the nation’spriorities, all coming at atime of economic unease with Trump’strade war and other uncertainties.

Trump, speaking at aforum in the Middle East, struck an ambitious chord, saying Congress was“on the verge of passing the largest tax cut and regulation cutin American history.”

“If we get that, that will be like arocket ship for our country,” Trump saidinSaudi Arabia.

But to be sure, there are many more steps before the package becomes law At its core,the goal for GOP lawmakers is to extend —and enhance —tax cuts

approved in 2017, adding the president’scampaign promises for no taxes ontips, Social Security income andcar loan interest.

There’salso larger standard deduction, $32,000 for couples,a boosttothe Child TaxCredit and apotentially higher cap of $30,000 on stateand local tax deductions, knownasSALT, among others.

That’soffset by $1.9 trillion in savings largely from the rollback of green energy tax credits, for anet tally of $3.7 trillion in costs over thedecade, according to the most recent estimates— alongwithbillions more in savings from the safety net cuts Additionally,the Republicans are boosting spendingontheir GOP priorities, with $350 billion for Trump’s mass deportationplans and fundingfor thePentagon.

At thesame time, the Republicans are seeking todefray the lost tax revenue and avoid skyrocketing national deﬁcits by with another GOP goal, whichisscalingback federal spending.

The Republicans are proposing cuts ofnearly$800 billionoverthe decade to theMedicaidhealthcare program,which is used by 70 million Americans; $290 billiontofood aid in the SupplementalNutrition Assistance Program, knownas SNAP; andothers.

Tucked into thepackage is asmattering of other provisions important to theWhite House —including one that would allow the Trumpadministration to yank the tax exempt status of groups it sayssupport terrorists, sending achill through civil society organizationswho warn it’saway to punish opponents.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries accused Republicans of “jamming another GOP tax scam” that beneﬁtsthe wealthyat the expense of programs andservicesused by many Americans.

Speaker Mike Johnson is determinedtopush the package through the House

by Memorial Day,sending it to theSenate, where Republicansare working on their own version and approach.

Johnson and his leadership team have been conferring constantly with Trump at every step.

Rep.Jason Smith, theRepublican chair of the Ways and Means tax writing committee, said he met with Trump on Friday andwent over the tax provisions “line by line.”

“He was veryhappy with what we’re delivering,” Smithsaid.

On Tuesday,the ﬁnal three of 11 House committees working on thepackage drilled down on some of the largest components.

Tempers ﬂaredinthe hearing rooms.Atone point, Rep. Brett Guthrie, theRepublican chairman of the Energy &Commerce Committee, banned lawmakers from accusing colleagues of “lying.” Democrats up posters of constituents with thewords “Medicaid Matters.” One, Rep. Marc Veasey of Texas, put one on speaker phone to share her story —until her testimony was ruledout of order

Estimates from thenonpartisanCongressional Budget Office show that at least 7.6 millionpeople could lose health insurance withthe Medicaid cuts, and potentially more with the changes to the Affordable CareAct. Mostly,the health care changes involve imposingnew workrequirements for aid recipients.

ButRepublican Rep.Gary Palmer of Alabama said his side is trying to makethe health care program work better by rootingout waste and inefﬁciencies.

“We’re trying to save Medicaid,” he said.

As the minority party in Congress, Democrats unable to stop the bill, are planning to use theprocedural tools available in to slowdown the process.

Republicans have dissent within their own ranks over the health care andgreen energycuts, whichshows thepressurepoints ahead.

Judgereduces Menendez brothers’murdersentences

BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press

LOSANGELES Erik and Lyle Menendez will have anew shot at freedom after 35 yearsbehind bars for murdering their parents, ajudge ruledFriday.

Los Angeles CountySuperior Court Judge Michael Jesic reduced the brothers’ sentences from life without parole to 50 years to life. They’renow eligible for parole underCalifornia’s youthful offender law because theycommitted the crime under the age of 26. The state parole board must still decide whether to release themfromprison.

“I’mnot saying they should be released, it’snot for me to decide,” Jesic said. “I do believethey’ve done enough in the past 35 years, that they should get thatchance.”

Thebrothersdid not showany apparent emotion during mostofthe testimony as they appeared via livestream video, but chuckled when oneoftheir cousins, DianeHernandez, told the court that Erik Menendez received A+ grades in all of his classes during hismost recentsemesterincollege.

ALos Angeles judge is presiding over the hearing beforedeciding whether they shouldbereleased after serving nearly 30 years in prison for thedouble murderoftheir parents. He said Tuesday that prosecutors must prove that if released, the brothers still pose ariskofcommitting a violent crime again.

If he shortens their sentences, the brothers would still need approval from the state’sparole board to getout of prison. They couldthenpotentially go free on timeserved. They were sentenced in 1996 to life in prisonwith-

outthe possibilityofparole formurdering their father Jose Menendez, and mother,Kitty Menendez, in their Beverly Hillshomein1989.

The brothers were 18 and 21 at the timeofthe killings. While defense attorneys argued thebrothers acted out of self-defense after years of sexual abuse by their father, prosecutors said the brotherskilledtheir parents for amultimillion-dollar inheritance.

The case has captured the public’sattention for decades—and last year,the Netflix drama “Monsters: The Lyle andErik Menendez Story” and documentary “The MenendezBrothers” brought newattention to the case. Supporters of the brothers have ﬂown in from across the country to attend ralliesand hearings in the past few months.

Testimonyfromfamily

Thedefense began by calling Ana Maria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, who

testiﬁed that the brothers have repeatedly expressed remorse fortheir actions.

“Weall, on both sides of the family,believe that 35 years is enough,” Baralt said. “They are universally forgiven by our family.” Another cousin, Tamara Goodell, said she had recently taken her 13-yearoldson to meet the brothersinprison, andthat they would contribute alot of good to theworldifreleased Hernandez, who also testiﬁed during Erik andLyle’s ﬁrsttrial, spokeaboutthe abuse she witnessed in the Menendez household when she lived with them and the so-called “hallway rule.”

“WhenJosewas with one of the boys …you couldn’t even go up the stairs to be on the sameﬂoor,” Hernandez said of the father Attorneys forthe brothersmust prove they have been rehabilitated in prison and deserve alesser sentence of 50 years to life.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Notice is hereby given pursuanttoArticle7,Section 23(C)ofthe LouisianaConstitution and La.R.S 47:1705(B) that apublic hearing of the Mandeville City Councilwillbeheld at its regularmeeting placeinthe CouncilChambersatMandeville City Hall,3101E.CausewayApproach on Thursday,June 26,2025at6:00p.m.toconsider levying additional or increased millage rateswithout furthervoter approval or adopting the adjustedmillage ratesafterreassessment and rolling forward to ratesnot to exceed the prioryear’smaximum. Theestimated amount of taxrevenuestobecollectedinthe next year from the increased Police Department Maintenanceand Operations millage is $1,272,420 and the amount of increase in taxesattributabletothe Police Department Maintenanceand Operations millage increaseis$1,021,943.

Speaker of theHouse Mike Johnson, R-Benton, speaks during anewsconference at the Capitol on May6inWashington.

Zelenskyy awaits Putin in Turkish capital for in-person negotiations

BY SAMYA KULLAB and ILLIA NOVIKOV Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian

President Volodymyr

Zelenskyy said Tuesday that he will be waiting for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in the Turkish capital this week to conduct face-to-face talks about the more than 3-year war amid heavy pressure from the U.S. and European leaders to reach a settlement.

Putin hasn’t yet said whether he will be at the talks, which U.S. President Donald Trump has urged the two sides to attend as part of Washington’s efforts to stop the ﬁghting.

Zelenskyy told reporters in Kyiv that he will be in Ankara on Thursday to conduct the negotiations He will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the two will wait for Putin to arrive, he said.

Zelenskyy said he would “do everything to agree on a ceasefire, because it is with (Putin) that I must negotiate a ceaseﬁre, as only he can decide on it.”

Zelenskyy said that if Putin chooses Istanbul to hold the meeting, then both leaders will travel there from Ankara.

“If Putin does not arrive and plays games, it is the ﬁnal point that he does not want to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian leader added that if Putin doesn’t show up, European and U.S. leaders should follow through with threats of additional and heavy sanctions against Russia Trump, who is on a fourday Middle East trip, said Tuesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would attend the talks. Special envoy Steve Witkoff also is set to take part, according to a U.S. ofﬁcial, who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview plans that have not been made public.

Washington has been applying strong pressure on both sides to come to the table since Trump took office in January with a promise to end the war Military analysts say that both sides are preparing a spring-summer campaign on the battleﬁeld, where a war of attrition has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides along the roughly 620-mile front line. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said Monday that Russia is “quickly replenishing front-line units with new recruits to maintain the battleﬁeld initiative.”

Ball is in Putin’s court International pressure has been growing to push Ukraine and Russia into ﬁnding a settlement.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz pressed

again for an unconditional 30-day ceaseﬁre as he met his Greek counterpart in Berlin on Tuesday

“We are waiting for Putin’s agreement,” he said.

“We agree that, in case there is no real progress this week we then want to push at European level for a signiﬁcant tightening of sanctions,” Merz added. He said that “we will focus on further areas, such as the energy sector and the ﬁnancial market.”

Merz welcomed Zelenskyy’s readiness to travel personally to Turkey, “but now it is really up to Putin to accept this offer of negotiations and agree to a ceaseﬁre. The ball is exclusively in Russia.”

Putin may not attend talks

Overnight Russia launched 10 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine, the Ukrainian air force said. It was Russia’s smallest drone bombardment this year

The Kremlin hasn’t directly responded to Zelenskyy’s challenge for Putin to meet him in person at the negotiating table.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined for the second straight day Tuesday to tell reporters whether Putin will travel to Istanbul and who else will represent Russia at the potential talks.

“As soon as the president considers it necessary, we will make an announcement,” Peskov said. Russia has said that it will send a delegation to Istanbul without preconditions.

Putin ‘dragging his feet’ Zelenskyy won’t be meeting with any Russian ofﬁcials in Istanbul other than Putin, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Zelenskyy, said Tuesday on a YouTube show run by prominent Russian journalists in exile.

Lower-level talks would amount to simply “dragging out” any peace process, Podolyak said.

European leaders have recently accused Putin of dragging his feet in peace efforts, while he attempts to press his bigger army’s battlefield initiative and capture more Ukrainian land.

Russia effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceaseﬁre, starting Monday, that was demanded by Ukraine and Western European leaders, when it ﬁred more than 100 drones at Ukraine Putin instead offered direct peace talks.

But the wrangling over whether a ceaseﬁre should come before the talks begin has continued.

“Ukraine is ready for any format of negotiations with Russia, but a ceasefire must come first,” Andrii Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, said Tuesday

Trump plans to ease sanctions on Syria

BY ZEKE MILLER, BASSEM MROUE and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he will ease sanctions on Syria and move to normalize relations with its new government to give the country “a chance at peace.”

Trump made the announcement shortly before he was set to meet Wednesday in Saudi Arabia with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, the onetime insurgent who last year led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar Assad.

Trump said the effort at rapprochement came at the urging of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi de facto ruler and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“There is a new government that will hopefully succeed,” Trump said of Syria, adding, “I say, good luck, Syria. Show us something special.”

The developments were a major boost for the Syrian president, who had been imprisoned in Iraq for his role in the insurgency following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of the Arab country Al-Sharaa was named president of Syria in January, a month after a stunning offensive by insurgent groups led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir alSham, or HTS, that stormed Damascus, ending the 54year rule of the Assad family

The U.S. has been weighing how to handle al-Sharaa since he took power in December. Gulf leaders have rallied behind the new government in Damascus and want Trump to follow believing it is a bulwark against Iran’s return to influence in Syria, where it had helped prop up Assad’s government during a decadelong civil war

Then-President Joe Biden left the decision to Trump, whose administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad also remain in place.

Before Trump spoke, the White House said he had “agreed to say hello” to the Syrian president while in Saudi Arabia.

The comments marked a striking change in tone from Trump and put him at odds with longtime U.S. ally Israel, which has been deeply skeptical of al-Sharaa’s extremist past and cautioned against swift recognition of the new government.

Formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, alSharaa joined the ranks of al-Qaida insurgents battling U.S. forces in Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion and still faces a warrant for his arrest on terrorism charges in Iraq. The U.S. once offered $10 million for information about his whereabouts because of his links to alQaida.

Al-Sharaa came back to his home country after

an American president since Hafez Assad met Bill Clinton in Geneva in 2000. Syria has historically had fraught relations with Washington since the days of the Cold War, when Damascus had close links with the Soviet Union and later when Syria became Iran’s closest ally in the Arab world. The removal of the Assad family could change the track.

group to Hayat Tahrir alSham and cut links with alQaida. He is set to become the ﬁrst Syrian leader to meet

Ibrahim Hamidi, a London-based Syrian analyst, said Trump’s planned meeting with al-Sharaa marks a “strategic shift” for the country “The Syrian-American meetings in Riyadh open the gate for the two sides to start discussing issues of disagreement between them in a positive atmosphere,” said Hamidi, editor-in-chief of the Arab magazine Al Majalla. “This is important.”

the conflict began in 2011 and led al-Qaida’s branch that used to be known as the Nusra Front. He later changed the name of his

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

President Donald Trump speaks at the Saudi-U.S Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.

Harvardlosesanother $450Mingrants

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON PresidentDonald Trump’sadministration is cutting another$450 million in grants to Harvard University aday after the Ivy League school pushed back against government allegations that it’sahotbed of liberalism and antisemitism.

In aletter to HarvardonTuesday,a federal antisemitism task force said Harvard will lose grants from eight federal agencies in addition to $2.2 billion thatwas previously frozen by the Trump administration.

The letter said Harvard has become a“breeding groundfor virtue signaling and discrimination” andfaces a“steep, uphill battle” to reclaim its legacy as aplace of academic excellence.

“There is adark problem on Harvard’scampus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability institutional leaders have forfeited the school’sclaim to taxpayer support,” the letter said.

It was signed by ofﬁcials at the Education Department,Healthand Human Services and the General ServicesAdministration Hours after the latest cutsTuesday,Harvard filed alegal challenge to several sanctionsimposed by the Trump administration in recentweeks. It was ﬁled as an up-

BYMEGAN JANETSKY Associated Press

MEXICO CITY Lawyersfor a

2-year-old U.S. citizen who was deportedwith her mother to Honduras conﬁrmed on Tuesday that the family was dropping its lawsuit against the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Thegirl— oneofthree U.S.born children who were deported alongside their Honduran-born mothers —had been at the heart of one of the mountinglegal battlesplaying out in theUnited States weighing if the Trump administration broke the lawinimplementing its new deportation policies.

“Given the traumatizing expe-

date to the university’sApril lawsuit seeking to block the initial $2.2 billion freeze.

Harvardhas facedescalating sanctions fromthe White House after becomingthe ﬁrst U.S. university to openly defy thegovernment’s demandstolimit pro-Palestinian activism and end diversity, equity and inclusion practices.

Trump, aRepublican, has said he wants Harvardtolose itstaxexempt status, and the Department ofHomeland Security has threatened to revoke the school’s eligibility to host foreign students Last week, theEducation Department saidHarvard will receive no newfederal grants until it meets thegovernment’sdemands.

The Trump administration has demanded Harvard make broad leadership changes, revise its admissions policies and audit its facultyand studentbodytoensure the campusishometomany viewpoints

The demandsare part of apressure campaign targeting several other high-proﬁle universities. The administration has cutoff money to colleges includingColumbia University,the University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University, seekingcompliancewithTrump’s agenda.

In its amended lawsuit, Harvard said much of the funding that was initially frozen has now been ter-

riences the families have been through, they are taking astep back to have full discussions about alltheir options, the safety and well-being of their children, andthe best ways to proceed so the harms theyhave suffered can be fully addressed,” said Gracie Willis, oneofthe family’slawyers. The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, National Immigration Project and several other allied groups, which said the deportations were a“shocking —although increasingly common —abuse of power.”

Willis andthe groupoflawyers had argued that the families did not have afairopportunity to decide whether they wanted the childrentostay in the United States.

minated, apparently with no hope to restore it

AMay 6letter from the National Institute of Healthnotiﬁed Harvard that grants were being cut over allegations of campus antisemitism.Itsaidgrantsare typically suspended pending an opportunity to take corrective action, but “no corrective action is possible here,” according to the lawsuit.

Harvardlater received similar lettersfrom the Defense Department,Department of Energy,DepartmentofAgriculture and other agencies, according to thesuit.It’s seeking to have those cuts overturned.

Harvard President AlanGarber disputedthe government’sallegationsinaMonday letter, saying Harvardisnonpartisanand has taken stepstoroot out antisemitism on campus. He insistedthat Harvard is in compliance with the law, calling the federal sanctions an “unlawful attempt to control fundamentalaspects of our university’soperations.”

Thegovernment’sletter on TuesdaysaidHarvard hasrepeatedly failedtoaddress racial discriminationand antisemitismoncampus It cited the SupremeCourt’s2023 decision strikingdownHarvard’s use of race in the admissions process, along with arecent internal report at Harvard detailing cases of antisemitic harassment.

Willis said the family of the 2-year-old girl andtheir lawyers jointly decidedtodismiss thecase to give the family “space and time to consider all the options that are available to them.”

Afederal judge in Louisiana had raised questions about the girl’s deportation, saying the government did not proveithad done so properly

The Honduran-bornmother whoispregnant —was arrested in Aprilonanoutstandingdeportation order along with the girl and her 11-year-old Honduran-born sisterduring acheck-inappointment at aU.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcementoffice in NewOrleans, lawyers said.The family lived in Baton Rouge.

Combs’ ex testifies in traffickingtrial

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRYNEUMEISTER AssociatedPress

NEW YORK Cassie,the R&B singer and formergirlfriend of Sean “Diddy” Combs, testified on Tuesdaythatthe musicmogul abused and sexually exploited her for years, as she took the witness standfor the ﬁrst time during his sextrafﬁcking trial.

Sighing heavily and pausing to compose herself at times, Cassie told the jury in New York that she felt compelled by Combs to participate in elaborate sexual marathons called “freak offs” involving male sex workers. She also said Combs assaulted hernumerous times during their turbulent relationship.

“He would mash me in the head, knockmeover, dragme, kick me. Stomp me in the head if I was down,” she said, leaving her bruisedand bloodied. She said it was difﬁcult to refuse Combs’ demands because she feared he would hurt her or leak videos of the “freak offs” to the internet.

Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, sued Combs in 2023 allegingyears of abuse The suit was settled within hours but dozens of similar legal claims followed, sparking the criminal investigation.

Sheisthe star witness forprosecutors who accuse Combs of using his status as apowerful executive to orchestrate adeviant empire of exploitation, coercing womeninto abusive sex parties and becoming violent if they refused.

Lawyersfor three-time Grammy winner argue that although he could be violent, Combs never veered intosex trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors that thesexual acts were consensual. Defense attorney Teny Geragos said in opening statements on Monday that jurors might think Combsisa “jerk” andmight not condone his “kinky sex,”but that “he’snot chargedwith beinga jerk.”

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty.Hehas been jailedsincehis arrest in September.Ifconvicted, could get at least 15 years and up

to life in prison. She and Combs metin2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within afew years, they started dating.

“Sean controlled alot of my life, whether it was career,the wayI dressed, everything, everything,” Cassie testiﬁed.

Underquestioning by aprosecutor, Cassie said her relationship with Combs ran the gamut from good timestoarguments and physical altercations.

“If they were violent arguments, it would usually result in somesort of physical abuse and dragging, just different things,” Cassie said. Askedhow frequently Combs became violent with her, Cassie softly responded: “Too frequently.”

Cassiesnifﬂed anddabbedher eyes with atissue while on the stand. She is pregnant and would occasionally rest her hands on her belly.Now 38, Cassie said she was barely 22 when Combs ﬁrst asked her to do a“freak off.” The encounters would go on for 36 or 48 hours, and she said the longest lasted four days. She said they stemmed from Combs’ interest in voyeurism.

Cassie said the “freak offs” involvedhiring asex worker and “setting up this experience so that Icould perform forSean”while Combs watched. This took place in private, often in dark hotel rooms, unlike Combs’ very public White Parties in theHamptonsthatattracted A-list celebrities and gossip columnists.

She said her first “freak off” occurredinCombs’ LosAngeles home witha male stripperfrom Las Vegasand she felt dirty and confused afterward,but relief that Combs was happy Cassie said she felt obligated to go along with future “freak offs.” “I just didn’twant to make him upset,”she said. “I just didn’twant to make himangry andregret telling me about this experience that was so personal.”

She also worried about potential violence and the threat of the sex videos being postedonthe internet if she refused, she testiﬁed.

DENKA

of the facility DPE is exploring all available options for the future of the site, including a sale of the facility.”

It said the decision was made due to significant and ongoing economic and other pressures.”

Those included costs related to pollution controls the Japan-based firm said were not anticipated when the facility was purchased in 2015 from DuPont Specialty Products USA LLC.

“The facility also faces a sustained slowdown in the global market demand for neoprene, along with increases in energy prices, raw materials, and repair work that have been exacerbated by inﬂation,” it said.

The statement made no speciﬁc mention of the tariffs Trump has pursued since taking office in January and related countermeasures, but noted “rising equipment repair and labor costs, as well as increasing prices for key raw materials” as factors.

Landry and state Attorney General Liz Murrill did not respond Tuesday to a request for comment. A prominent environmental group in St. John welcomed the announcement, but said it was dismayed that Denka blamed tightened restrictions on chloroprene as among the reasons for the decision.

“Every protection that the community had has been pretty much thrown away, with the state as well as with the federal government,” said Tish Taylor, a leader of Con-

cerned Citizens of St. John. “So we know that the environmental part of this really had no impact on their decision — it’s just that they’re not making enough money It’s always proﬁt over people, and that’s what this is actually about.”

The plant, long located next to Fifth Ward Elementary School, has been responsible for 95% of chloroprene emissions nationwide, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. It is located along the stretch of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans that activists have labeled “Cancer Alley.”

But the plan under consideration, which could be revised, contains policy changes that the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates could cut $715 billion from Medicaid. Roughly 8.5 million beneficiaries, about 10% of Medicaid’s rolls, would be removed and upward of 13.7 million lowincome Americans would be left without health care coverage by 2034, the budget office stated.

It’s not yet clear precisely what affect the changes would have on Louisiana, which has 1.6 million enrolled in Medicaid about a third of the state’s population. When all the various match rates for all the different programs are averaged, Louisiana is responsible for about 30% of the total costs. Many health care leaders in the state said they wanted to see the ﬁnal proposal before commenting on the impact it would have here.

Republicans argue they are reining in a program that has grown too expensive.

“Medicaid was created to protect health care for Americans who otherwise could not support themselves. The Democrats expanded the program far beyond this core mission,”

House Energy Chair Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., said to open a hearing on the plan “We make no apologies for prioritizing Americans in need over illegal immigrants and those who are capable but choose not to work. Our priority remains the same

development, and Denka warned it would force it to idle operations. The rule was aimed at reducing emissions of chloroprene, ethylene oxide and four other likely cancercausing air pollutants from more than 200 chemical plants nationwide, including 51 facilities in Louisiana. Part of it specifically targeted Denka, setting two fenceline monitoring action levels for chloroprene and requiring compliance within 90 days. Legal challenges resulted.

The EPA head under Trump, Lee Zeldin, has taken a far more business-friendly approach in leading the nation’s environmental regulator Landry has also pursued a more pro-business approach by the state’s environmental regulator, the Department of Environmental Quality

A 2014 report from the Environmental Protection Agency said ﬁve census tracts near the plant had the country’s highest risk of cancer because of exposure to airborne emissions. Landry and other supporters of the plant have cited its importance to the economy and the demand for neoprene, including by the military as reasons for defending its operations. Murrill has previously called the EPA’s tightened restrictions on the plant a politically driven “assault” and contended they were “impossible to comply with.”

— strengthen and sustain Medicaid for whom the program was intended to serve: expectant mothers, children, people with disabilities and the elderly.”

But Democrats argued the cuts are dangerous.

“The CBO estimates the Republican bill will gut $715 billion from Medicaid, forcing 13.7 million Americans to go without basic health care,”

U.S. Rep. Troy A. Carter, the New Orleans Democrat who is member of the House Energy Committee, said before heading into what was expected to be a contentious hearing

“That’s not reform; it’s cruel and unacceptable,”

Carter added

The hearing, which started a few minutes after 2 p.m. Tuesday, quickly became rowdy, with members of the audience disrupting member speeches and being removed from the hearing room, while the Democratic and Republican members bickered.

An effort to shut down the hearing came early but failed on a largely party line, 29-24 vote.

Democrats gave their speeches while holding photos of constituents on Medicaid The majority refused to allow those constituents to testify at the hearing. Each side entered documents to support their contentions.

Republican members called Democratic members liars. When Democrats got their chance, Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, said GOP leadership had lied about their plans to protect Medicaid rolls. Republicans objected, asking to suspend his comments.

“Only the Republicans can

Denka has said its costs to reduce chloroprene emissions by more than 80% were substantial. It noted that the Trump administration has committed to rewriting the Biden-era pollution rule requiring further reductions, but “the outcome is uncertain,” and added that it was “deeply grateful” for Landry’s support. The new pollution rule an-

say ‘lie.’ I’m going to say the Republicans are misleading,” Carter said in his opening statement. “It’s essential that we overcome this notion that it’s all waste, fraud and abuse. We’re misleading the American people by saying, ‘Go home, you won’t be hurt.’”

The legislation, if passed by the House committee, will be merged into a single spending measure that includes much of President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda, which he and GOP leaders have taken to calling the “one, big beautiful” bill. Much of the savings to offset the increased border spending and tax cuts Trump wants come from reducing Medicaid spending.

The Republicans’ Medicaid proposal would require enrollees making more than the federal poverty level — $32,150 for a family of four in Louisiana or about 19% of the state’s population — to start paying copays for each visit. If approved, the legislation also would require states to double-check income eligibility every six months or so and mandate work for all able-bodied and childless adults who get Medicaid. Additionally, the measure would lower to 80% the federal match rate, currently 90%, for those who signed up for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, requiring states to pick up those costs. That includes about 500,000 people in Louisiana, which means the reduction would force state government to pick up a signiﬁcant new share or reduce the number of people covered. New York California and

nounced last year was lauded by environmental activists and residents who had long fought for cleaner air in their communities.

The EPA chief under former President Joe Biden, Michael Regan, was the ﬁrst Black man to lead the agency and put a focus on environmental justice, even speaking near the Denka plant during a visit to Louisiana

The agency under Biden and former President Barack Obama had deﬁned environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income” with respect to environmental laws.

Petrochemical companies however harshly criticized the rule, saying it would harm economic

a couple of other blue states use their own money to cover undocumented immigrants with Medicaid. The law already forbids Medicaid coverage for most noncitizens. The proposal would penalize those states.

The bill, properly called a “title” because it is being merged into another bill, also would put a moratorium on “provider taxes” that most states use to come up with their portion of the match rate. The fees also are used in Louisiana to supplement hospitals where most patients are on Medicaid,

State Sen. Greg Miller, R-Norco, whose district includes the plant, has been a supporter of Denka and said he was disappointed in the decision.

“I’m very disappointed. It’s devastating for the workers and families,” he said, adding he had tried to call company ofﬁcials Tuesday to discuss the decision but had not heard back.

Sharon Lavigne, founder of the Rise St. James community activist group, said in a statement that “justice doesn’t stop at a shutdown.”

“Denka must honor the (new pollution rule) by fully remediating the site and funding a just transition that puts people back to work in industries that heal, not harm, our community,” she said.

Staff writers Tyler Bridges and Josie Abugov contributed to this story.

which pays substantially less than Medicare and private insurance. The impact on Louisiana is still being calculated, and many of the advocates for the state’s health care providers are keeping quiet until the title is ﬁnalized.

Still, the policies being forwarded by the Republicans in the base bill does influence the future of health care in Louisiana, maybe not immediately but within ﬁve years, said Jeff Reynolds, executive director of Louisiana Rural Hospital Association.

“Adding work requirements and adding frequency to (eligibility) checks can’t help but lower rolls and increase more people uninsured. That will increase the administrative burden on the state, doing these tasks, while decreasing the rolls means hospitals will have to treat more people without insurance,” Reynolds said. “These changes are nothing new These policies have been talked about in the state Legislature for years. We now have to see how far they go at the federal level.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

The Denka Performance Elastomer plant, located on River Road between LaPlace and Reserve employs 250 people.

BRIEFS

Wall Street rises again as S&P 500 erases loss

Most U.S. stocks roseTuesday following an encouragingreport that showed inﬂation unexpectedlyslowed across the country last month.

The S&P 500climbed, coming offanevenbiggergaintostart the week afterthe UnitedStates and China announced a90-day pause in their trade war to allow for negotiations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell andthe Nasdaq composite jumped as AI and other tech stocks led the way Stocks have been roaringback since the S&P 500 fell nearly 20%below its record last month on hopes that President Donald Trump will ease his stifftariffs on trading partners worldwide before they create arecession and send inﬂation spiking higher.The S&P 500, which sits at the center of many 401(k) accounts, is back within 4.2% of its all-time high set in February and positive again for the yearsofar On Wall Street, Coinbase Global jumped 24% after the cryptocurrency exchange learned its stock will join the widely followed S&P 500 index nextweek. That means many investment funds will likewise add it before trading begins on Monday Coinbase will replace Discover FinancialServices, which is getting bought by Capital One Financial.

Stocks in theartiﬁcial-intelligence industry were also strong. Nvidiarose 5.6% and was the biggest single force pushing upward on the S&P 500. It’spartnering with Saudi Arabia’ssovereign wealth fund-owned AI startup Humain to ship 18,000 chips to the Middle Eastern nation to help power anew data center project.

N.J. says 3M agrees to ‘forever chemical’ deal New Jersey’sattorney general said Tuesday chemical manufacturer 3M agreed to pay up $450 million to resolve lawsuits over natural resource contamination stemming from PFAS —commonly referred to as “forever chemicals.”

The settlement is subjectto court approval and apublic commentperiod, Attorney General Matt Platkin’sofficesaid.

St.Paul, Minnesota-based 3Mis expected to pay $285million this year,with additional amounts payable over the next 25 years. The total amount couldreach $450 million, Platkin’sofﬁce said.

“Corporate polluters must be held accountable when they contaminate our state’swatersupply,” Platkin said in astatement. PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyﬂuoroalkyl substances, are agroup of chemicalsthathave been around for decades and have now spread into the nation’s air,water and soil.

3M said in 2022 it would end all PFAS manufacturing by theend of this year. In astatement, the company said it’sontrack to do so.

Microsoft to lay off about 3% of workforce

Microsoft began laying off about 6,000workers Tuesday, nearly 3% of itsentireworkforce and its largest job cuts in more than two years as thecompany spends heavily on artiﬁcial intelligence.

Hardest hit wasthe tech giant’shome state of Washington, where Microsoft informed state officials it was cutting 1,985 workers tied to its Redmond headquarters.

Microsoft said the layoffs will be across all levels, teams and geographies but the cuts willfocusonreducing the number of managers. Notices to employees began going out on Tuesday The mass layoffs come just weeks after Microsoft reported strong sales and proﬁts that beat Wall Street expectations forthe January-March quarter,which investors took as adose of relief during aturbulent time for the tech sector and U.S. economy

Microsoft employed 228,000 full-time workers as of last June, the last time it reported its annual headcount. About 55% of those workers were in the U.S.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Economists expect inflationtowarminsummer

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON Inﬂationcooledfor the third straightmonthinApril even after some of President DonaldTrump’stariffs took effect though economists and many business owners expect inﬂation will climb bythissummer

Consumer prices rose 2.3% in Aprilfrom ayear ago, the Labor Department said Tuesday, down from 2.4% in March and thesmallest increase in morethan four years. On amonthly basis,prices rose modestly,increasing 0.2% from March to April after falling 0.1% the previous month, the ﬁrst drop in ﬁveyears.

Grocery prices dipped0.4% from March to Aprilinwhatwill come as arelief to many people stretching family budgetsfor the basics. It was the biggest decline in food costsathome since September 2020, thegovernment said. Egg prices fell sharply,declining 12.7%, the most in 41 years. Yet they are still 49% higherthana

Groceryprices

years. yettheyare still 49% higher than ayear ago.

year ago. Overall, the reportsuggests tariffshaven’t yetimpacted prices for many items. Economists say the impact will more likely be seen by June or July.The 10% tariff on all goods thattook effect April 5 could take twotothree months to

feed into theinflation data. And many companies built stockpiles of products earlierthisyear, enabling them to delay price hikes in hopes that the trade war will cool.

ed, also saw increases. And acategory that includes baby strollers and car seats also got moreexpensive.

Thecost of clothing, which is mostly imported, declined 0.2% from March to April, Tuesday’s report said. Newcar prices were unchanged. And grocery prices fell despitefears that tariffs on some goods from Mexico would boost food costs.

“It’searlydaysfor tariff effects,” said Laura Rosner-Warburton, cofounder of MacroPolicy Perspectivesand formerly an economist at theFederal Reserve’sNew York branch.“More will comeinMay, June and July.There are plenty of price increases already scheduled andonthe way.”

Andtherewere some early signs thatthe dutiesare having an impact. Computer prices rose 0.3% from March to April, acategory that is heavily imported from China and usually sees mild price declines.Sportinggoods andtoys, where many products are import-

Drago’stoopennew restaurant in BR

Louisiana seafoodchain to take space in PerkinsRowe

BYTIMOTHY BOONE Business editor

Drago’sisset to open anew Baton Rouge restaurant in Perkins Rowe this summer,after it closed its ﬁrst local location in January The restaurant will moveinto anearly 7,300-square-foot space that previouslyhad been occupied by Kona Grill. Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago’s owner,said the newlocation will be “extra cool” because of all of theeventsthatwillbeheld rightoutside therestaurant in the Perkins Rowe Town Square.

“I am really excited to reopen in Baton Rouge andadd breakfast like ouroriginal Metairie location,” Cvitanovich saidina statement. Drago’sisfamousfor its rich, garlicky charbroiled oysters. After years of eyeing aBaton Rougerestaurant, thechain opened aspot in the former FYE building near the intersection of Interstate 10 andCollege Drive in 2020. The business spent more than$6million to renovate thebuilding.

ButinJanuary,Drago’s announced it was being bought out of itsleaseonthe propertyand was searching for anew location in Baton Rouge. Loft18, a Metairie-based chain of sports bars that offershigh-tech golf simulation bays,isset to open in the former Drago’sspace at theend of the month. Alongwith the originalMetairie location, Drago’shas restaurants in New Orleans,Lake Charles, BossierCity and Jack-

son,Mississippi. The space Drago’sismoving intohas been vacant since April 2019, when KonaGrill was forced to close due to ﬁnancial struggles Will Chadwick, of Elifin Realty,who represented Perkins Rowe, said Drago’s is ahousehold name thatwill boost the restaurant lineupinthe lifestyle center Perkins Rowe has amix of national eateries, suchasJinya Ramen Bar, Texas de Brazil, Cava andCalifornia Pizza Kitchen, along withlocal operators such as Bin77, Rouj Creole andCaroline’sCookies. New Orleansbased Tacos del Cartel opened aPerkinsRowe locationlast month.

“It’sgreat to geta restaurant operator of that caliber,” he said. “It will be really good for theproperty.”

EmailTimothy Boone at tboone@theadvocate.com.

Still,excluding thevolatile food andenergycategories,coreprices were also muted, rising 2.8% in April compared with ayear ago, the same as in March. On a monthly basis, they increased a mild 0.2%. Economists watch core prices becausetheytypically provide abetter read on where inﬂation is headed.

Rosner-Warburton noted that someprices fell as business weakened, particularlyintravel. Air fares and hotel prices dropped noticeably last month, contributing to lower inﬂation, but that may have been driven by adecline in foreign visitors to the U.S. Matt Priest, president andCEO of theFDRA, said that thecost of shipping goodsfrom China likely will rise as many companies scramble to getorders to theU.S during the 90-day window “We’re not out of the inﬂationary cost woods yet,” he said.

BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP business writer

UnitedHealth CEO Andrew Witty is stepping down for personal reasons and the nation’slargest health insurer suspended its full-year ﬁnancial outlook due to higher-than-expected medical costs. Chairman Stephen Hemsley will become CEO,effective immediately,according to the Minnesota company Hemsley was UnitedHealth Group CEO from 2006 to 2017. He will remain chairman of the company’s board. Witty will serve as asenior adviser to Hemsley It has been apunishing period for UnitedHealth, starting in December when executive Brian Thompson was targeted outside of aNew York City hotel andkilled. While unrelated to the ﬁnancial operations of the $340 billion health care giant, its shares have tumbled severely since the attack.

“I’m deeply disappointed in and apologize forthe performancesetbacks we have encountered from both external and internal challenges,” Hemsley said during an early Tuesday conference call. “Many of the issues standing in the way of achieving our goals as well as our opportunities are largely within our control. Iam optimistic about our future as these issues are within ourcapacity to resolve. We willapproachthemwith humility,rigor and urgency.”

The 60-year-old Witty joined the company in 2018 after serving about nine yearsasCEO of the British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline. He was named UnitedHealth’sCEO in February 2021, replacing Dave Wichmann. UnitedHealth became one of the nation’slargest companies under Witty’s leadership. Total revenue topped $400 billion last year,a55% increase from the $257 billion UnitedHealth brought in the year before Witty became CEO. Shares of UnitedHealth rocketed higherunder Witty,too,up60.5% since he took the company’stop job. Yetthere have been several setbacks for UnitedHealth over the past five months as it wrestles with the national attention on Luigi Mangione, who was indicted last month on afederal murder charge in the killing of Thompson.

The casehas capturedthe American imagination, setting off acascade of resentment and online vitriol toward U.S. health insurers while rattling corporate executives concerned about security

UnitedHealth cut its 2025 forecast last month following its ﬁrst quarterly earnings miss in more than adecade. On Tuesday thecompany withdrew that ﬁnancialforecastentirely,saying that medical costs from new Medicare Advantage members were higher than expected.

Witty

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

dipped 0.4% from March to April. Eggprices fell sharply,declining 12.7%, the most in 41

STAFF FILEPHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

Drago’sisfamous for its rich, garlicky charbroiled oysters. Along withthe original Metairie location, the chain has restaurants in NewOrleans, Lake Charles, Bossier City and Jackson, Miss., and is reopening soon in Baton Rouge.

La.Senatetakes up carinsurance legislation

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Why are car insurance rates so high?

State senators battled over that divisive question Tuesday before aSenate committee. Some pressed the pro-industry view that Louisiana’s laws encourage too many lawsuits andbig payouts, while others pushed thetrial lawyers’ view that government regulators must force insurance companies to direct some their profits to lower rates.

The packed committee room —with dozens of people declaring supportor opposition to eachbill— reﬂected the stakes

“It’sstill the No. 1issue in my district,” said Rep. Jason DeWitt, R-Alexandria, oneof the representatives who presentedabill before the Senate Judiciary ACommittee, reﬂecting the view of many colleagues.

Each side could claim victories Tuesday

The Senate committee approved three bills sought by insurance and business interests and waspoised to pass two more Tuesday night. But the committee tookuponly ahandful of the pro-industry billsthat overwhelminglypassedthe House, indicating that the others may die from alack of attention.

The insurance industry and such trade groups as the Louisiana Association for Business and Industry and the Louisiana Motor Transport Association have been ﬁghtingthe trial lawyers’ lobby for years over how to rein in Louisiana’s insurance rates.

When the House took up and passed 16 bills favored by business interests, the trial lawyers’ advocates put up little opposition.

That changedTuesday in the Senate, when the Judiciary ACommittee heard the House-passed bills

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, hadHouse members and industry representatives squirmingasthey tried to answer his pointed questions while testifyingin favor of those bills

“The goal is to reduce lawsuits by taking away people’srights to sue?” Luneau, atrial attorney,asked DeWitt at one point.

“I’m trying to reduce the numberofthe peopleonthe road withoutinsurance,” DeWittrepliedabout his House Bill 434, which would keep injured uninsured driversfrom receivingthe ﬁrst $100,000 from anypayout, up from $15,000 under current law

“How muchisitgoing to lower rates?” Luneau asked DeWitt abit later

“It depends on how many bills get across thefinish line,” he replied.

Luneaunotedthat the Legislature in 1996limited injured drivers without insurance from collecting on theﬁrst $15,000 in aclaim, then asked how much that reduced rates.

“I don’tknow,” DeWitt replied.

“It didn’treduce rates a penny,” countered Luneau. Sen. Gary Carter,D-New Orleans, repeatedly pointed out to DeWitt and other proindustry officials that the measures they supported had no languageensuring the changes would actually lowerrates

“If you look at insurance companies,they’re having record proﬁts,” Carter said. Will Green,LABI’s president and CEO, told Carter thelegislation wouldlead to fewer lawsuits and fewer payouts, translating into higher insurance company profits. Louisiana’sinsurance commissioner would then requirethe companies to lower rates, he said.

“Wecan become amore attractive statefor carriers andbusiness,”Green said.

The committee passed DeWitt’sbill, House Bill 431 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-BatonRouge, and House Bill 450 by Rep. Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport. Each bill heads to thefullSenate forconsideration.

Chenevert’sbill would bar drivers responsiblefor at least 51% of an accident from receiving adamage awardtocovertheir injuries. Under currentlaw,a driver responsible for,say, 51%ofthe accident can collect apaymentequal to 49% of theoveralldamage award

Chenevertsaid 38 other states, including Louisiana’s neighbors, have this law

TomClark, alobbyist for Allstate, said statistics show

the problem lies withLouisiana’slegal system, tellingthe committee that Louisiana has twice as many injuryclaims as Alabama even though Alabama has500,000 more residents.

PaulSpalitta, president and CEO of S&W Foods in Hammond, saidhepays $7,000 ayear in insurance fora truckinIndiana but $28,000 for an identical one in Louisiana.

“It gives youa sense of how unfair therates are due to thefrivolous lawsuitsand outrageous payouts,”Spalitta said.

Brian Katz, aNew Orleans trial lawyer whoispresident of the Louisiana Association for Justice, called Chenevert’sbill “unfair” because it would allowpeople at fault for up to 50% of an accident to avoid having to pay anything It “takes responsibility away from parties that have acted irresponsibility,” Katz said.

As expected,threeDemocratsvoted against the three bills. They were Luneau, Carter and Sen. Sam Jenkins, of Shreveport

Also expected, threeRepublicans on the committee voted in favorofthe bills. Theywere Sen. RickEdmonds, R-Baton Rouge; Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton; and Sen. Alan Seabaugh, RShreveport

In each case, Sen. Greg Miller,R-Norco,the committee chair, cast thedeciding vote.

Millerhas been underattack by conservatives who sayhe’stoo aligned with trial lawyers

But while Millervoted three times with business interests, he scheduled on Tuesdayonlyﬁve of the 16 pro-industrybills passed by theHouseand wouldn’tcommit to hearing moreofthem in the ﬁnalthreeweeksof thelegislative session.

“Wemay take up some of them,” Millersaidlater in an interview

Insurance Commissioner TimTemple praisedpassage of the three bills by thecommittee but said in an interview, “It’sinthe best interests of the people of Louisiana to have all the insurance reform bills that passed the House to be heardinthe committee.”

insurance.

TheSenate Insurance Committee plans to hear another contentiousbill Wednesday.House Bill 148 by Rep. Jeff Wiley,R-Gonzales, would allow the insurance commissioner to reject “excessive and discrimina-

tory” rate increases without relying on hard data from insurance actuaries.

Temple arguesthatwould discourage insurance companies from operating in Louisiana. Gov. Jeff Landry has been lobbying hard for the bill and has said publicly that he would blameTemple forhigh insurance rates if it passes, and they don’tdrop. Email TylerBridges at tbridges@theadvocate. com.

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Simply put— without dentalinsurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.

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formakinga tangible difference,” Charbonnet said. “I have never reached outto Betsyfor advice,guidance or help and been denied.”

Over the years, Nalty has served on dozens of boards, including those of the most prestigious institutionsin the city.She’salso supported their efforts through years of philanthropy She chaired the board of Louise S. McGehee School, the ﬁrst woman to hold that position, and served three terms on the board of administrators for the Tulane Education Fund. She was on the Tulane University Health Sciences Center Board of Governors, the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation and theLSU Health Science Department of Psychiatry Advisory Board.

She served on the Ogden Museum of Southern Art board and the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, as well as theboard of the Hermann-Grima/Gallier Historic Homes.

She serves as presidentof the Edward G. Schlieder Ed-

FAIR GROUNDS

Continued from page1A

Loving Cup recipient Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Nalty,center,stands with, from left, Georges Media Group publisher Kevin Hall, co-owner John Georges, co-owner Dathel Georges and editor Rene Sanchez during the presentationatthe AudubonTea Room on Tuesday

ucation Foundation Board, agroupthat anonymously providesgrantstoeducational institutions across the state.

“Each organization has been an essential building block inmylife,”Nalty

steps in to allow those games, a lawyerfor the Louisville, Kentucky,ﬁrm told apacked emergency meeting of the Louisiana RacingCommissioninNew Orleans on Tuesday.The season usually starts on the third Friday in November

“I take no pleasure beinghere today,asitisboth disappointing and sadthat the future of one ofthe nation’soldest racetracks is now in jeopardy,” Ozair Shariff told the 12 commissioners.

But commissioners andformer Fair Grounds ofﬁcials cast doubt on the company’sclaims that the relatively new games, known as Historical Horse Racingmachines, were needed to keep the company from losing money Game ruledunconstitutional

Historical Horse Racing machines allow players to gamble on anonymized replaysofraces that occurred in the past.

The Legislature authorized those machines in 2021, but courtsruled that law was unconstitutional in adecision that classiﬁed the machines as anew form of gambling As anew type of game, adistrict court judge saidthe Historical HorseRacing machines could not be authorizedbythe state but would need to be approved by the voters in each parish where they

said. “I havelearnedtolead through listening, see asubject through neweyes,demand change, even ask for money.Ican only hope that whatIhave challengedmyself to do has expanded opportunities for New Orleani-

ans of every stripe.”

Nalty credited her parents with instillinginher alove of community and appreciation for volunteerism.

“Volunteerismwas intrinsicinour family,our faith and our education,”she said

“Wetalk often about service learning today,but growing up, service was learning and for me hasbeen alifelong curriculum.”

New Orleans, she added, “has been the ultimate campus, arich tapestry of need and generosity,challenge and opportunity.”

Shedeclinedtosay which of her manyvolunteer roles wasthe mostmeaningfulto her,but education is clearly apassion and an area where shehas made aprofound impact, Charbonnet said.

“Her primary focushas been on providingeach and every student the opportunitytobecomea betterperson,” said Charbonnet, who hasbeen active in charter school initiatives. “I look to Betsy as arole model and someone to emulate in those endeavors.”

Nalty reflected on her years of service as avolunteer and why she believes it is so important to foster community service.

“What you get by volunteering is priceless— the gifts of friendship, knowledge andcommunity, building consensus, crossing ideological divides listening with purpose and intent,” she said. “Volunteerism

brings us together as people. Volunteerism is the essence of our humanity.Tome, it is simply seven decades of great joy.”

Despite Nalty’stireless service, her family always came ﬁrst,saidher twin daughters, Helen Nalty Butcher and Elizabeth Nalty,who greeted guests as they arrivedTuesday afternoon.

“She set agreat example forall of us,”saidButcher.

“We’re so proud of her.”

AddedElizabeth Nalty: “Her family,her friends and her city mean everything to her.”

In accepting the award, Nalty’sremarks reflected the kind of selﬂessness that hasbeen ahallmarks of her service.

“I accept this award not for myself but for you, for allvolunteers, whoceaselessly give their time and talents to ourcity,” she said. “I hope we will plant the seeds forthe next generation of volunteers, our children and grandchildren.”

Members of the 2024 Loving Cup committeewere Charbonnet, Louis FreemanJr.,Monique Guillory, Mathilde Villere Currence and Aulston Taylor

would be located.

The state Supreme Court upheld that rulinginMarch. That would be asigniﬁcant blow to theracecourse, Shariff and Fair Grounds general manager Cathy Beeding said. The company would not be able to cover operating costs or itscommitment to invest in upgradesatthe racetrack unless the lost revenue is restored, they told the commission

The Fair Grounds operates 13 off-track bettingoutlets as well as theNew Orleansracetrack and slot floor.The Churchill Downs executives said the loss of the machines eliminated 46% of its annual revenueand 74% of after tax proﬁt in Louisiana. That would mean it couldn’t cover its $9 million annual spending for the Fair Grounds.

“Faced with this reality, operatingunder the currentstatusquo is no longer an option,” Shariff said.

TheChurchill Downs executives were challenged by the racing commission’schair,Edward Koehl, and several board members over their claims about proﬁtability

Also speaking at themeeting, LouisRoussel III, alegendary Louisiana racehorse breeder and former owner of the Fair Grounds, saidthe Louisville company’sCEO WilliamCarstanjen, was trying to bully the state,and he urged the commission to call its bluff.

“Carstanjen threatened me and Gov.(Jeff) Landry on thephone and said if we don’tget our way,

Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans

RB 23 THELAW OFFICE OF KYLE S. SCLAFANI LLC KYLE S. SCLAFANI

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 5/14/2025 & 6/17/2025 may14-jun17-2t $133.24

thenthey’re pulling out,” Roussel said. “Don’tlet themcomehere and poor-mouthyou. Do what is right for the horsemen, breeders and more importantly the citizens of the state and New Orleans.” Landry’s officedidn’timmediately respond to requestsfor comment.

Koehl told the Churchill Downs executives that if they failed to start making capital improvements in July and begin the season in November,aspreviously agreed, then they would be subject to daily ﬁnes.

Legislatureproposessubsidies

State legislatorshavebeen trying to ﬁnd away to make up for the revenue that gambling companies have lost because they cannotuse Historic HorseRacing machines That’smainly entailed allowing an expansion of an existing formof gambling: video poker

House Bill 540, which overwhelming passed in thelower chamber on Monday,would allow bars to operate four video poker machines,one morethan they can now.Truck stops could have up to 60 machines,upfromthe 50 they’re now allowed.

Underthe legislation, the first $22 million in tax revenue from the additional machines would boost winnings at the four horse racing tracksinLouisiana. Apart from the Fair Grounds,there is also Louisiana Downs,Delta Downs and Evangeline Downs.

g order fromsalepro‐ceeds; and (e)The property is to be sold in an "AsIs" condi‐tion with thepurchasers waivingtheir Rightof Redhibition; Notice is hereby given to allparties whomit mayconcern,including theheirs andcreditors of thedecedentherein, and of this estate,beordered to make anyopposition which they have foror mayhavetosuchappli‐cation,atany time,prior to theissuanceofthe orderofjudgmentautho‐rizing,approvingand ho‐mologating such applica‐tion andthatsuchorder of judgment maybeis‐sued after expiration of ten(10) days,fromthe date whereon thelast publicationofsuchno‐tice,all in accordance with law. BY ORDEROFCOURT CHESLEYRICHARD NAPOLEON Please publishonce(1) time in thefollowing publications: Attorney: CarolA.Newman Publications: TheAdvocateand TheLouisiana Weekly Address: 813 SouthCarrollton Avenue NewOrleans,Louisiana 70118 TelephoneNumber: (504) 861-0008 140592-may12-1t $82.32

“This is an opportunity to help thehorse racing industry,which is important to Louisiana,” Alton Ashy,the lead lobbyist forthe videopoker industry,said Monday

The Legislature authorized the historical racing machines four years ago. Then-Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, added the legalization late in thelegislative process, and no other legislator dared challengehim Under thelegislation, every OffTrack Betting parlor operated by theracetracks could have up to 50 of these machines.

Butthe video poker industry ﬁled suit against the legislation after Churchill Downs beganopening additional off-track betting parlors.

In March 2024, 19th Judicial District Court Judge Richard “Chip” Moore III ruled that the machines were illegal because they were a new form of gambling, andeach new formofgambling hastobeapproved on aparish-by-parish vote.

Churchill Downs challenged that ruling, arguing that themachines were aform of pari-mutuel wagering on horse races, which has long been legal.

The Louisville company faced a similar legal challengeinits home state.

TheFamily Foundation of Kentucky,asocially conservative organization,led thelegalchallenge against the use of Historical Horse Racing machines by Churchill Downs and other racetracks. The

j g rizing,approving and ho‐mologating such applica‐tion andthatsuchorder of judgment maybeis‐sued after expiration of ten(10) days,fromthe date whereon thelast publicationofsuchno‐tice,all in accordance with law. BY ORDEROFCOURT CHESLEYRICHARD NAPOLEON Please publishonce(1) time in thefollowing publications: Attorney: CarolA.Newman Publications:

CASH IMMOVABLEPROPERTY AT PRIVATESALE Whereas, thecourt ap‐proved Administratrix DAMITA BROWNJOHN‐SON, of theabove estate hasmadeanapplication to theCourt forthe sale of theimmovable prop‐erty hereinafterde‐scribed, to-wit: An undividedone-half (½)interestinand to: TWOCERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND,together with allthe buildingsand im‐provements thereon, and allthe rights,ways, privi‐leges, servitudes,appur‐tenances andadvan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐ingorinanywiseapper‐taining, situated in the ThirdDistrictofthe City of NewOrleans,State of Louisiana, in theLake‐frontSubdivision accord‐ingtoa survey made by WilliamWakeﬁeld, Sur‐veyor, datedMarch 10, 1925, annexedtoanact passedbeforePercivalH Stern, Notary Public, datedMay 6, 1927 and lots aredesignatedas Lots No.33and 34, in Square J, which square is bounded by Pompano, Croaker,Hayne Boule‐vard andthe property line of theadjoining property owner; said lots adjoin andmeasure each 30 feet frontonPompano Street by adepth of 100 feet 4lines between equaland parallel lines. Andaccording to survey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc surveying andEngineering, dated June 7, 1984, copy of which is annexedhereto said lothas thesame designation, location and dimensionasmentioned above, except said square is showntobe bounded by Mayo Boule‐vard (formerlyCroaker Street),Hayne Boulevard, PompanoStreet andthe rear line of Lakefront Subdivision. Theimprovements thereonbearthe munici‐palno. 7917 Pompano Street,New Orleans, LA UPON THEFOLLOWING TERMSAND CONDITIONS TO-WIT: (a)The purchase price will be paid Twenty Thou‐sand and00/100 ($20,000.00) Dollarstothe Succession; (b) Thesuccessionwill reimbursepurchaser for outofpocketsuccession fees at closing; (b) Buyerwillpay all closingfees; (d)The Succession will payAttorneyCarol A. Newman herattorney fees forhandlingthe succession andany out of pocket costsincurred in obtaining acourt d f l g pp tenances and advan‐tagesthereuntobelong‐ingorinanywiseapper‐taining, situated in the ThirdDistrictofthe City of NewOrleans,State of Louisiana, in theLake‐frontSubdivision accord‐ingtoa survey made by WilliamWakeﬁeld, Sur‐veyor, datedMarch 10, 1925, annexedtoanact passedbeforePercivalH Stern, Notary Public datedMay 6, 1927 and lots aredesignatedas Lots No.33and 34, in Square J, which square is bounded by Pompano, Croaker,Hayne Boule‐vard andthe property line of theadjoining property owner; said lots adjoin andmeasure each 30 feet frontonPompano Street by adepth of 100 feet 4lines between equaland parallel lines. Andaccording to survey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc surveying andEngineering, dated June 7, 1984, copy of which is annexedhereto said lothas thesame designation, location and dimensionasmentioned above, except said square is showntobe bounded by Mayo Boule‐vard (formerlyCroaker Street), HayneBoulevard PompanoStreet andthe rear line of Lakefront Subdivision. Theimprovements thereonbearthe munici‐palno. 7917 Pompano Street,New Orleans, LA UPON THEFOLLOWING TERMSAND CONDITIONS TO-WIT: (a)The purchase price will be paid Twenty Thou‐sand and00/100 ($20,000.00) Dollarstothe Succession; (b)The succession will reimbursepurchaser for outofpocketsuccession fees at closing; (b)Buyer will payall closingfees; (d)The Succession will payAttorney CarolA Newman herattorney fees forhandlingthe succession andany out of pocket costsincurred in obtaininga court orderfromsalepro‐ceeds; and (e)The property is to be sold in an "AsIs" condi‐tion with thepurchasers waivingtheir Rightof Redhibition; Notice is hereby given to allparties whomit mayconcern,including theheirs andcreditors of thedecedentherein, and of this estate,beordered to make anyopposition which they have foror mayhavetosuchappli‐cation,atany time,prior to theissuanceofthe orderof judgment autho‐i i i d h p p y line of theadjoining property owner; said lots adjoin andmeasure each 30 feet frontonPompano Street by adepth of 100 feet 4lines between equaland parallel lines. Andaccording to survey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc surveying andEngineering, dated June 7, 1984, copy of which is annexedhereto said lothas thesame designation, location and dimensionasmentioned above, except said square is showntobe bounded by Mayo Boule‐vard (formerlyCroaker Street), HayneBoulevard PompanoStreet andthe rear line of Lakefront Subdivision.

foundation argued the machines did not meet the legal definition of pari-mutuel wagering and were essentially unauthorizedslotmachines. This culminated in asignificant2020 Kentucky Supreme Court ruling that deemed the specific system in question illegal under state law

Ayear later,the Kentucky General Assembly passed alaw speciﬁcally legalizing the new game.

The horse-racing industry has shownitiswilling to lobby for direct subsidies in some states as well. In 2023, the Florida Legislature enacted atwo-year stimulus packagefor horse racing and horse breeding totaling over $66 million, which was extended indeﬁnitely in 2024.

State Sen. Jimmy Harris, aDemocrat whose New Orleans district includes the Fair Grounds, said Monday that he’sworking with Senate President Cameron Henry, aRepublicanfromMetairie,toﬁnd acompromise.

“They make money at the track,” Harris said.“They areprobably notmaking as much money as theirshareholders might want them to make.”

“Conversations are continuing,” he added.

Shariffsaidthe LouisianaSupremeCourt ruling in March made it impossible forthe Fair Grounds to cover its costs.

Email AnthonyMcAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

Publications: TheAdvocateand TheLouisiana Weekly Address: 813 SouthCarrollton Avenue NewOrleans,Louisiana 70118 TelephoneNumber: (504) 861-0008 140592-may12-1t $82.32

Theimprovements thereonbearthe munici‐palno. 7917 Pompano Street,New Orleans, LA UPON THEFOLLOWING TERMSAND CONDITIONS TO-WIT: (a)The purchase price will be paid Twenty Thou‐sand and00/100 ($20,000.00) Dollarstothe Succession; (b)The succession will reimbursepurchaser for outofpocketsuccession fees at closing; (b)Buyer will payall closingfees; (d)The Succession will payAttorney CarolA Newman herattorney fees forhandlingthe succession andany out of pocket costsincurred in obtaininga court orderfromsalepro‐ceeds; and (e)The property is to be sold in an "AsIs" condi‐tion with thepurchasers waivingtheir Rightof Redhibition; Notice is hereby given to allparties whomit mayconcern,including theheirs andcreditors of thedecedentherein, and of this estate,beordered to make anyopposition which they have foror mayhavetosuchappli‐cation,atany time,prior to theissuanceofthe orderofjudgmentautho‐rizing,approvingand ho‐mologating such applica‐tion andthatsuchorder of judgment maybeis‐sued afterexpirationof ten(10)days, from the date whereon thelast publicationofsuchno‐tice,all in accordance with law. BY ORDEROFCOURT CHESLEYRICHARD NAPOLEON Please publishonce(1) time in thefollowing publications: Attorney: CarolA.Newman PUBLIC NOTICE CIVILDISTRICTCOURT FORTHE PARISH OF ORLEANS STATEOFLOUISIANA NO.25-01452 DIVISION “A DOCKET NO.16

SUCCESSION OF KENNETHE.JOHNSON JR.,A/K/A KENNETH JOHNSON, JR.,A/K/A KENNETHE.JOHNSON A/K/AKENNETH JOHNSON NOTICE TO SELL IMMOVABLEPROPERTY AT PRIVATESALE Whereas, thecourt ap‐proved Administratrix DAMITA BROWNJOHN‐SON, of theabove estate hasmadeanapplication to theCourt forthe sale of theimmovableprop‐erty hereinafterde‐scribed, to-wit:

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

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Landry, students rally for LA GATOR

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

As Gov Jeff Landry ﬁghts for state funding to help parents pay for private education, he got an assist Tuesday from hundreds of schoolchildren.

“On the count of three,” he told the students, many of whom had been bused to the state capital from New Orleans, “Say, ‘Please support the GATOR scholarships!’”

Held across the street from the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, the

Facing a row of TV cameras, Landry led the private school students in a chant aimed squarely at state lawmakers who have balked at spending the $93.5 million Landry wants for LA GATOR, his program to give families tax-funded tuition grants.

State weighs seed oil labeling law

Move aligns with claims cooking ingredient harmful

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

Louisiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would require restaurants to disclose their use of seed oils, a move aligned with claims by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and the “Make America Healthy Again” movement that the cooking oils are harmful.

In a hearing two weeks ago before the Senate Health and Welfare Committee, a pediatrician called seed oils “toxic.” A wellness coach labeled them “inﬂammatory.”

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, who authored the bill, also claimed that certain ingredients in seed oils, most commonly referred to as vegetable oils, cause “chronic inﬂammation, which causes chronic disease.”

But as Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, pointed out in the meeting, “we like to fry stuff in Louisiana.” Seed oils — including canola, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, rice bran, safﬂower and soybean have been staples in Louisiana cooking for decades.

Nutrition scientists say they are perplexed by the backlash

“Seed oils got a bad name for a couple reasons, mostly — I hate to say it this way — but uninformed people on TikTok,” said Dr. Ron Quinton, medical director at Tulane University’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine.

Quinton, who spent 40 years as a thoracic-cardiovascular surgeon before leaving to teach nutrition, said seed oils aren’t the problem. It’s that they often wind up on long ingredient lists for packaged foods.

“The real problem isn’t the seed oils themselves — it’s that they are often used in ultraprocessed foods And ultraprocessed foods cause a lot of different health problems,” he said.

The extraction process for seed oils involves pressing and heating the seed, then reﬁning the oil with certain solvents to make it taste better in a process that is “kind of like percolating coffee,” said Joan King, a food chemist at the LSU School of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

Soybeans, for example, are pressed into ﬂakes, then heated to destroy an enzyme that interferes with digestion. A compound called hexane is introduced to help purify the oil, removing free fatty acids (which cause a soapy taste), color and soy lecithin (which can cause allergic reactions in some people). Nearly all oils undergo some form of reﬁnement, which makes them taste better, look better, last longer

rally was part of a public pressure campaign that Landry and private-education advocates are waging against recalcitrant legislators Landry also appeared in a television ad, paid for by a billionaire-backed conservative group, that urged voters to tell their state representatives to “fully fund Landry’s plan.” Tuesday’s event comes as the Louisiana House of Represen-

tatives is expected to vote this week on a state budget that includes the full amount Landry requested for LA GATOR. If passed, the budget would move to the Senate, where it could face closer scrutiny — including from Senate President Cameron Henry R-Metairie who has said he wants to spend no more than $50 million on the program next school year In a brief interview after the rally Landry said lawmakers who are wary of the program’s

cost should speak with families who would beneﬁt from it.

“Those senators that are skeptical, they should talk to the parents that are out here,” he said

“They should talk to the kids.”

Event aims to send message to state lawmakers ä See GATOR, page 2B

One step, two step

Passed with bipartisan support last year, the LA GATOR law gives tax dollars to eligible families to pay for private school tuition and other approved expenses, such as tutoring and special education services.

Tulane University graduates make

scheduled for this weekend at the

Metairie still seeking local food venders

Lafreniere Park to feature businesses in $3M pavilion

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

A new $3 million food pavilion

at Metairie’s Lafreniere Park is again asking local businesses to sell food at the park after the ﬁrst request was unsuccessful.

The Lafreniere Park Area Public Beneﬁt Corp., which manages the pavilion, put out a second request for proposals from food service businesses interested in operating one of four restaurant kitchens at the Pointe at Lafreniere Food Pavilion being built on the shores of the park’s lagoons, where construction is nearly completed.

Jefferson Parish Council mem-

ber Arita Bohannan, whose district includes the park, said the ﬁrst request, put out last September, did not receive enough responses and included a start date that was no longer feasible due to construction delays.

The pavilion will feature four kitchens with 383 square feet each, public restrooms and a covered seating area for more than 200 people. Outside the pavilion, a portable stage for musical performances will sit in front of 12,000 square feet of festival grounds, with the possibility for food trucks to use the space during events.

In the new request, the park expects each restaurant to operate from at least 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily for one year, with an option to renew for an additional two-year term. Vendors will be required to pay the public beneﬁt corporation $2,500 per month plus 6% of gross receipts for the ﬁrst year, a slight dip from the original request of monthly rent plus 8% gross re-

Hotel standoff ends with suspect’s surrender Man wanted in girl’s shooting

BY MICHELLE HUNTER and MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

A more than four-hour standoff at a Terrytown hotel Tuesday afternoon ended with the surrender of a suspect wanted in the shooting of a 9-year-old girl in Algiers, according to authorities. Evans Rogers, 19, was taken into custody at the La Quinta Inn and Suites, 50 West Bank Expressway,

said Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair He was wanted by the New Orleans Police Department on counts of attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon, Fair said. The victim, Leelani Brooks, 9, was playing outside near the 1600 block of Elizardi Boulevard when a “neighborhood feud” turned into a “large shooting event” just before 2 p.m. Monday, NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said. She had run

Kirkpatrick said at a Tuesday media brieﬁng regarding the victim, whose age had previously been reported by the NOPD as 8 years old. “It breaks everyone’s heart.”

Authorities tried making telephone calls to the room. Relatives

NOPD Detective Nick Davis led the investigation, which was aided by anonymous Crimestoppers tips, police said The U.S. Marshals Service got word that Rogers was hiding out at the La Quinta Inn, where someone else had rented a room for him, Fair said. Agents arrived about noon Tuesday It took them some time to identify the room where Rogers was staying. Agents knocked, but no one answered, Fair said. Rogers and a second person refused to exit the room. Several law enforcement agencies also responded to the scene, including the NOPD, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce and Gretna police, he said.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFEILD

their way to Audubon Park on Sunday for portraits ahead of commencement ceremonies

Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

STAFF PHOTO By LARA NICHOLSON

The Pointe at Lafreniere Food Pavilion is requesting proposals for vendors to fill its four restaurant kitchens.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Hometown residents recall LSUfreshman’s childhood

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

After watching the 18-year-oldcountrymusic artist grow up and get his start in the parish’sdives, festivals and churches, West Baton Rouge Parish is ready to make the homecoming for season 23 “American Idol” ﬁnalist John Foster unforgettable.

“We’re allinaroom together,doing what we can, putting all of our minds together,” Parish President Jason Manola said.“Our goal is to make this the most special day of John Foster’s life.”

Manola said he expects at least 5,000 people to turn out for the celebration, which includes aparade in Addis and aconcertin Plaquemine. (For context, the population of Addis is 7,532.)

Manola estimated more than 12 different government agencies areinvolved in the extravaganza, from local police departments to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

For the community on the west side of the Mississippi River,itisachance to both root for ahometown hero and celebrate Foster’s years spent in the parish.

“I’m just so happy that America gets to see the John Foster that we’ve always seen for the last 20 years,” Manola said.

stressed out.”

Dimaria Christophe,19, gottoknowFoster notfrom thesoulful performances on “American Idol” that have earned him anational following butfromrequired classes they shared together growingup. “We’d just always take class together —like, always,” Christophesaid. In their calculus course, sheremembered,another student carried around a container of slime to ﬁdget with.Somehow,that slime ended up in thenow rising country music star’shair

“I didn’tthink it was gonna stickthe wayitdid,” Christophe said.“He was

Many residents loved Foster long before he received his golden ticket on “American Idol.” He was a model student, graduating co-valedictorian alongside Emrie LeBlanc last year from Brusly High School. He started his musiccareer playing atlocal bars and events.

They gotthe slime out withminimal damage, Christophe said,laughingas she told the story.Itisone of herfavorite memories with Foster,she said.

Colton Sarradet, another of Foster’s schoolfriends, traveled to Hollywood this week to watch the18-yearoldLSU freshman make the cut for the Top5 and Top3 rounds of “American Idol.”

He said they have known each other since childhood as family friends. They even showedcattletogether,hesaid.

“It’s been really awesome to watch him go through the rounds of (‘Idol’) after

always hearinghim sing at bars and hearing him sing to us when we’re just hanging out,” Sarradetwrote in a message, “and take it from there to national television and make it all the way to thetop 3.”

He called Foster’s voice “a gift from God.”

“JohnFosterisa topnotch guy and you won’tﬁnd another like him,” Sarradet wrote. “He’sassmart as theycomeand has the best heartofanyone youwill ever meet.”

Thetown will celebrate with aparadethatwill be featured on national television forthe “American Idol” ﬁnale at 7p.m. Sunday. The parade will be

5p.m.Wednesday along First Street in Addis. Foster will then travel by boat from the landing on Bayou Road across to the Bayou Plaquemine Waterfront Park, 57845 Foundry St., Plaquemine, where he will hold afreeconcertexpected to startat 7:30 p.m There will be two checkpoint entrances for the mini-concert:one at the FoundryStreet entrance and also at the entrance from thelocksside. Doors open for the concert at 6:30.

Email HaleyMillerat haley.miller@theadvocate. com.

Jury convicts Slidellman in 2023 rape case

Sentencing set forJuly31

BY BOBWARREN Staff writer

A57-year-old Slidell man hasbeen convicted of raping ateenage girl in apark restroom in 2023.

The jury in St. Tammany Parish deliberated 90 minutes before convicting Bernard Denham of second-degree rape May 9, capping a five-day trial, authorities said.

Judge John Keller,ofthe 22nd Judicial District, is set to sentence Denham on July 31. In anews release, northshore District Attorney Collin Sims’ office said a second-degree rape conviction typically carries aprison sentence of be-

tween five and 40 years. But Denham has numerousprevious convictions, ranging fromaggravated burglary to battery of a dating partner, andfaces amandatory life sentencenow,according to theDistrict Attorney’s Ofﬁce.

TheDistrict Attorney’s Ofﬁcesaidthe trial marked the third in which the victim hastestified against asexual assault offender in unrelated cases.

Oneman isserving a life sentence for repeatedly raping the victim whenshe was under the ageof7.Another pleaded guilty to inappropriately touching thevictim when she wasa preteen during his2024trial,according to the DistrictAttorney’s Ofﬁce.

“This courageous young

girltookthe witnessstand at three separate trials and gave detailed testimonyabout the horrific crimes three different mencommitted against her,”Sims said in the news release

Trial testimonyshowed the teen victim went to Possum HollowParkin Slidell after school in March 2023. Denham grabbed her and dragged herinto the woman’srestroom,where he punched her repeatedly and then rapedher,according to the news release.

Denham fledonabicycle, andthe victim went home crying, the District Attorney’sOfﬁce said. The victim’smother brought her to ahospital, which thennotiﬁed Slidell police

Thevictim participated in aforensic interview

Manfatally shot in CentralCity

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Aman was killed in aCentral City shooting on Tuesdayafternoon,New Orleans police said. Police responded to areport of shots fired in the 2400 block of Second Street about 2:25 p.m. They found aman suffering from agunshot wound. New Orleans Emergency Medical Services pronounced him dead on scene. Investigators had gathered at 3:30 p.m. near the intersection of Second and Clara streets, where the victim’sbody was lying in the middle of the road on Second,authoritiessaid Crime tape and several New Orleans PoliceDepartment vehiclesblocked entry to the intersection. Awoman who asked not to be identiﬁed said she heard about adozen shots ring out

Aman was killed in aCentral City

on Tuesday

while she was getting anectarand green apple sno-ball at anearby stand. Minutes later,New Orleanspolice pulled up. ViolaPablo, who lives in the area, decried gun violence. “They’ll have aballoon release, andthatwillbeit— another life gone,” shesaid. “It’shorrible.” Policedid notimmediately release more information. Anyone with information may call Crimestoppersanonymously at (504) 822-1111.

at the Children’sAdvocacy Center’sHope House in Covington, providing a“meticulous description of the rapist,” according to the news release

Detectives returned to the park to continue their investigation and saw a manwho matchedthe victim’s description ride by on abicycle. Detectivesquestioned the man, who was lateridentiﬁed as Denham. He denied being at the park the day of the rape, but was arrested on an unrelated burglarywarrant, according to thenews release

Meanwhile, surveillance video from aresidencethatfaces thepark showed Denhamriding in the area during the time period of the rape. The victim pickedDenham out of alineup of six people,

according to District Attorney’sOffice. An expert testifiedthat DNA material consistent with Denham’sDNA profile wasfound on thevictim’sbody, according to theDistrictAttorney’sOffice.

TheDistrict Attorney’s Office said Denham was sentenced to lifeasarepeat offender after a2000 conviction for public intimidation,but thesentence wasreduced to 10 years under a2017 criminaljusticereform package adopted by theLegislature.

Assistant District AttorneysCasey Allen and Shelby Stoop handled the prosecution, according to theDistrict Attorney’s Office. DetectivesMatt Bauerand BenEzell,ofthe Slidell Police Department, led the investigation.

Annaloro, Darlene Barcelona,Shirley Boissiere, Elaine Breaux, Ira Carpenter,Patricia Caruso Sr., Louis Dixon, Lanier Emmons,Ann Espinoza, Zashaun Fouchia, Clarence Green,Louis Henderson, Elexia HymelJr.,Adam Jung, Michael Landry,Albert Martin,Denise Moga Jr.,Adrian Moore, George Pierre,Louis Rantz, Lorraine Ruiz, Patricia Schenck, Richard Shedrick,Florence Taylor,Curtis Windham, Ronald EJefferson Garden of Memories Barcelona,Shirley Caruso Sr., Louis LA Muhleisen Shedrick,Florence Leitz-Eagan Annaloro, Darlene NewOrleans Boyd Family Pierre,Louis Charbonnet Boissiere, Elaine Dixon, Lanier Martin,Denise DW Rhodes Green,Louis Greenwood Jung, Michael Lake Lawn Metairie Moga Jr.,Adrian Rantz, Lorraine Windham, Ronald Littlejohn FH Taylor,Curtis River Parish PatrickH Sanders Henderson, Elexia

STAFF PHOTO By MISSy WILKINSON

shooting

PROVIDED PHOTO By CHRISTOPHER WILLARD/DISNEy

Louisiana’sJohn Foster sings‘The

Idol’ before learninghewas headingto the‘Idol’ finals.

shaunnow restsineternal peace,reunitedwithhis paternalgrandmother, Diane Davis, andgreatgrandmothers, Vonne Davis andBerthaHarris—a heavenlyhomecomingthat offers us comfortamidthe pain. Though Zashaun’s timeonearth wasbrief,his lifewas ﬁlledwithmean‐ing.His storyisnot oneof sorrow, butofstrength, love, andtriumph over ad‐versity.Hetaughtushow tokeep going,how to love deeply,and howtorise above.His legacy liveson inevery life he touched, and hislight will never fade. Relativesand friends ofthe familyare invitedto attend thecelebration of lifeservice whichwillbe heldonFriday, May16, 2025, at Little Zion Baptist Church,433 Avondale Gar‐den Road,Avondale, LA 70094. Thevisitationwill begin at 8:30 a.m.,and the service will beginat10 a.m.PastorDamienJ Brown ofﬁciating, andin‐terment will follow at Rest‐lawnMemorialParkCeme‐teryinAvondale, La.Fu‐neral planning entrustedto RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 La-23, Belle Chasse,La. 70037,(504) 208-2119. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Clarence "Frog Fouchia on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Clarence lived afull life dedicated to his family, friends, and passions. He is survived by his wife, Burdette Livers Fouchia, four sons Terrance Thomas (Cookie), Coy FouchiaSr. (Chantell) ClarenceG.Fouchia, Leon Dupclay Jr. (Maggie), one daughter Shonett Terralyn Wesco (John), onesister-in -law Montrelle Farness (Erroll), two brothers-inlaw Irwin Livers (Dee) and Clifford McGraw, eighteen grandchildren, and one great granddaughter. Clarence was preceded in death by two brothers, Willard Rousselland Cornel Smith, and by his mother Vivian Roussell. He was amember of St. Katherine DrexelCatholic Church. His love for family was evident in every aspect of his life, and he took great pride in their achievements. Clarence enjoyed second lines, music, and watching sports. He was aproud Vietnam Veteran. Amemorial service will be held at alater date,where we will celebrate his life and the indelible mark he left on our hearts. Rest in peace, Clarence. You will be deeply missed, but your spirit will forever remain with us.

With

Lawrence Henderson, Jr.; daughterofthe late Dee Branham andEva Mae Owens;daughter-in-law of the late Lawrence Sr.and Justine NelsonHenderson sister-in-law of the late Doris H. Jacksonand es‐pousedmotherof thelate JosephRonaldFranklin. Godmother of thelate SharonSealy andChad Coleman.She wasthe motherofWendell B. Hen‐derson(Paula),Brandon B. Henderson (Tonya), and MaryFranklinGreen; grandmother of 10 grand‐children, and7 greatgranddaughters; sister,of Lucinda OwensBrooks; sis‐ter-in-lawofJames Brooks, Richard andShirley Manuel, Allenand JanieVee Henderson,Grace H. Spearsand Lois H. Duhe; aunt of numerous nephews,nieces, otherrel‐atives, andfriends.Rela‐tives,friends of family Pastors,ofﬁcers andmem‐bersofFirst Community Antioch BaptistChurch and all neighboringChurches are invitedtothe Funeral Service at 11:00amonFri‐day,May 16, 2025, at First Community AntiochBap‐tistChurch,10860 LA Hwy 3125, Lutcher, LA 70071.Dr. StevenD.Beckham,Host Pastorand Reverend Willie LawsofLutcher Chapel UME,Ofﬁciating. Visitation 9:00amuntil thetimeofFu‐neral.Interment St.Peters Catholic Cemetery,1550 LA-44, Reserve, LA 70084 Final Arrangements En‐trusted to PatrickH Sanders FuneralHome& FuneralDirectors,LLC.605 MainStreet, Laplace, LA 70068. 985-359-1919. “Pro‐vidingCare& Comfortis Our HighestMission.” There will also be apublic visitationonThursday, May 15,2025, from 4:00pm until 7:00pm at thePatrick H.Sanders FuneralHome, 605 Main Street,Laplace, LA70068

HymelJr.,Adam Davis'Cocolo

Adam "Cocolo" Davis Hymel,Jr. enteredeternal lifeonMay 7, 2025. Adam was born in Convent, LA onMay 6, 1928 to thelate AdamDavis Hymeland An‐nette Ballot Hymel. He was precededindeath by his beloved wife of 67 years, Pearl BrignacHymel and siblingsJoyce,Chester, Richard andHillard Hymel and ShirleyHymel Kinler Adamissurvivedbyhis children: DouglasHymel, Jerry (Pamela) Hymel, Chester Hymel, Rhonda (Marco) Rios,Marlene (Mike)Yoes, Darlene(Bill) Marquis andSusan (Guy) Stillinger. He wasa beloved grandfatherto10: Douglas (Tabitha)Hymel II, Dillon Hymel, Jeremy (Danielle) Hymel, Adam McEvoy, Nicole (Marc) Mc‐Closkey,Marc(Rachel) Rios, Michael(Autumn) YoesJr.,Jared Yoes,Zain (Jessica) Stillinger, Andrew (Stevi) Stillinger; and great-grandfather to 14: Abbyand LillyHymel,Is‐abella andRylandHymel Grace andOliviaMc‐Closkey,Naomi Rios Mason Yoes,Ty, Jase and Mia Yoes,RileyStillinger and Lyla andLuna Still‐inger.Adamisalsosur‐vived by hisbrother,Curtis Hymel andsisters-in-law, Dorothy Louviere andEs‐therBrignac,and ahostof nieces, nephews, relatives and friends. Adam wasa veteran of theU.S.Navy. He retired from ShellChemical Norco in 1988. He enjoyed ﬁshingathis camp in Cocodrie, baseball LSU and wasanactivepartici‐pantinthe American Le‐gionfor many years. The familywould like to thank Randy Bergeron andfamily for ministeringthe Holy Eucharist to Adam every Sunday. He wasa resident ofDestrehan,LAfor over 70years.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendvisitationonThurs‐day,May 15thatSt. Michael’s Catholic Church, Convent,LAfrom9-11am withmassand burial fol‐lowing. In lieu of ﬂowers, massespreferred at St Charles Borromeo Catholic Church,Destrehan,La.

Michael“Mickey”An‐thony Jung,formerlya na‐tiveofNew Orleansand a residentofLafayette, passedawayand went to HeavenonSunday, April 27, 2025, at theage of 91 Hewas born on May16, 1933, to hisparents,Joseph Pere”Charles Jung,Jr., and EdithSoulierJung Mickeyearneda Bache‐lor’s degree in Social Sci‐ences at Loyola University and aMaster’sdegreein Education in Lafayette,LA. Following hisfreshman yearatLoyola, he enlisted intothe Marine Corps (1952-54) andservedactive dutywiththe 1st Marine DivisioninKorea.Honor‐ablydischarged, he re‐turnedtocompletehis de‐gree, majoring in English. MickeytaughtEnglish for manyyears in both private and parochialschoolsbe‐foreretiringfromthe Eng‐lishDepartmentatDelgado Community Collegein2003 His love of theaterled him toa lifelong stageworkin community-wideproduc‐tions throughout NewOr‐leans.Mickeywas amem‐ber of theManresa House ofRetreatsbythe Jesuits. Mickeywas preceded in death by hisparents,an older brother, Charles Manie” Joseph Jung III, and sister-in-law, Gerrylee Survivors includea son, EricShawn Lincoln; two granddaughters, Nicole and Emma Lincoln; a younger sister,Jerry J. Hornbergerand brother-inlaw,the late FrederickC Hornberger; eleven nieces and nephews, andmany grand-niecesand nephews.Familyand friends areinvited to at‐tenda visitation on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 11:00 am, atSt. Pius XCatholic Church,6666 SpanishFort Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70124. Afuneral Mass will followat12:00 pm.Inter‐mentwillbeatLakeLawn Cemetery. In lieu of ﬂow‐ers,pleasehavemasses saidfor Mickey at St.Pius X Catholic Church

Landry, AlbertJ. Plumbers & Steamfitters Local Union60: Funeral services willbe held for our late Brother Albert J. Landry, Jr. on Thursday,May 15, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. at HolyFamily Catholic Church, 155 Holy FamilyLane, Luling,LA. By orderofJohn J. Sabathe President

Attest: Ronald R. Rosser, Business Manager

On Tuesday, May6,2025

DeniseBlanchard Martin transitionedtoher heav‐enlyhomeintothe loving armsofher Lord andSav‐ior,Jesus Christ.Wifeof the late Joseph M. Martin Beloved daughter of the lateEdgar,Sr. andMildred PerrilliatBlanchard.She is survivedbyher children, SharonMartin(Mike), Darolyn Martin,D’Andrea MartinWinchester(Freder‐ick), KarenMartin(Alfred), Keith Martin (Valerie)and Karla Martin;darling grandchildren,Kelli D. Scott-Hamilton (Clark,Jr.), LeahD.LeBlanc andher great-grandson, TristanJ LeBlanc,whomshe called her “Sunshine”;sisters-inlaw,JacquelineBlanchard (thelateEdgar Blanchard, Jr.), Louise Dupart (the late Floyd Dupart), Yvonne Du‐partMartin(thelateIra Martin),LorrainePayne (Rev. Tony Payne);brotherin-law, John Dupart,Sr. (Harriet),along with ahost ofnieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. In addition to her husband andparents Deniseisalsoprecededin death by siblings,Edgar Blanchard,Sr. andJulie Blanchard Norwood anda grandson, Harry S. Scott, Jr. ACelebration Service honoringthe life and legacyofthe late Denise Blanchard Martin will be heldatGentillyBaptist Church,5141 Franklin Av‐enue,New Orleans, LA on Friday, May16, 2025 at 10:30 am.Interment St Patrick No.2,Cemetery (CanalBlvd. at City Park Avenue). Visitation 9amin the church.Pleasesignon‐lineguestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504) 581-4411.

Adrian F. Moga, Jr passed away on May 11, 2025, at theage of 77. He was bornonDecember 23, 1947, in Alexandria, Louisiana. After graduating fromAlcée FortierHigh School, he began working for SouthCentral Bell, which later became BellSouth. He stayed with BellSouth for 31 be

ingtohelp anyone andeveryone. He wasprecededin death by hisparents, Adrian F. Moga, Sr.and Ella MaeRoy;sisters, Doris Stoneand Laura Baley; and brother, Thomas Moga. Adrian is survived by his belovedwife whostood by hissidefor over 60 years, JaneB.Moga; daughter, Ellen M. Lorio (Joseph) and Stephanie Moga; son, David R. Moga (Oliver Blanco); brother, James AnthonyMoga; andhis one andonlygrandsonwhom he absolutely adored, TrentJ.Lorio In lieu of flowers, please considera donation to the American CancerSociety.

Relativesand friends are invited to attenda memorial gathering at Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd in New Orleans, on Saturday, May 17, 2025. The parlor will be open from 11 AM to 1PM. Hisimmediate familywill lay himtorest privately in Lake LawnPark. To view andsignthe familyguestbook, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com Pierre,Louis

"Bob" Moore, born June 21, 1942, passed away peacefullyonMay 10, 2025 withhis familyby hisside. Hislong battle with ParkinsonsDisease is finallyover. George's family wouldliketoexpress oursincere thanks to PassagesHospice personnelfor theprofessionalism andgenuine care of George Mr.George wasa retired qualitycontrol engineer with Lockheed Martinand aself-taughtjack of all trades. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jewell Moore,3children, Lisa Moore,Mark Moore and Donald Moore (Tracy), a brother, JamesMichael Moore ,4 Grandchildren, ErinMoore,Megan Krause (Zach), Elizabeth Hand (Ryne), andJon-Tyler Moore.Mr. George is also survived by 2GreatGrandchildren,Charlotte Krause andEvelyn Hand. Preceded in death by his parents, ThelateMarion andLenaMae Moore and2 brothers, MarionF.Moore andJohnH.Moore Memorial service will be held on Saturday, May17, 2025 from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM at Williams Funeral Home, 67525 Hwy. 41, Pearl River, La.

working man who was will-

LouisPierre, abeloved husband,father, and grandfather,passedaway peacefully on May6,2025, atthe ageof82. Born on October 15, 1942. Louis lived alifemarkedbyhis lovefor sports andhorse racing, oftenenjoyingtime atthe racetrack. He leaves tocherish hismemoryto his devotedwife, Yvonne Pierre; four children: Yolanda,Monique,Dwight and Warren,ten paternal siblings; andeight grand‐children. Also survived by a host of extended family and dear friends. Preceded indeath by hisparents OliviaGeorgeand Louis Pierre, Sr.and twoofhis children: Cheryl Pierre and IrvinHawkins.Familyand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe HomegoingCele‐bration on Friday,May 16 2025, for10:00 a.m. at Ray AvenueB.C 4712 RayAv‐enue,New Orleans, LA.Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 a.m.PastorRobertBrown, ofﬁciating. Intermentis private.Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

Lorraine Claire Damiens Rantz returned to God, our Creator,onApril 24, 2025 She made hergoal...100 years old! Theworld lost a strongwoman:chemist, teacher,schoolcounselor, seamstressextraordinaire, amazing chef,traveler, pi‐anist,and competitive bridgeplayer. Shewas an artistinsomanyways: sewing, crocheting,turning plastic canvases into pic‐tures -all usuallywithout a pattern.Lorrainewas a teacher in everyway lov‐ingly sharingher many tal‐entswithusall.She was Mawsy:mom,grand‐mother, greatgrand‐mother, andfamilymatri‐arch. Born September4 1924 at hermaternal grandparents’ home in Jeanerette,Louisiana,Lor‐raine wasthe eldest and onlygirlof ﬁve siblings She joinsher mother,Adri‐enne AndreDamiens;her father, Lt.Colonel Joseph GeorgeDamiens,USAF; her fourbrothers, George Jr., Andre,Donald, andMarcel; her husband, Charles Rantz Jr.; herson-in-law, ErnieCobden; andcount‐

Jung,Michael Anthony'Mickey'

Martin,DeniseBlanchard

Moore,George

George

Fouchia, Clarence

Rantz, Lorraine Claire Damiens

Moga Jr., Adrian Frank

Green,Louis Anthony

OUR VIEWS

John Foster’s wholesome appeal is making state proud

When Addis’ own John Foster stepped tothe American Idol microphone Monday night, the song he belted out was not from his usual repertoire.

But it was Disney night on Idol, and to advance to the final three, Foster needed to make acompelling case. He went with“TheBare Necessities” from the classic animated film “The Jungle Book,” crooningout the up-tempo melody in away that both honored the original and glossed in Foster’smellifluous country tenor

The performance capped awhirlwind few months for the West Baton Rouge Parish teen, astudent at LSU studying biology with the hopeofone day becoming an oncologist It’snot just Foster’ssinging, or histrademark hat, that has gotten him this far,though. Foster’slikability has sweetened his appeal.

LA GATORprogram won’tfix education

ä Watch

“A lot of people think it’s just about singing, but people have to come to like you,” judge Lionel Richie said. “You’re doing alright, kid.” Foster’swholesomecharm was evident from early on, when he brought aselection of delicacies, including boudin, from his family’s meat shop for the judges to sample. It’s come through even more in his performances of songs like “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and “Jailhouse Rock.”

‘American Idol’ on Sunday night on ABC

7P.M.

Foster has also revealed a deeper side. To get into the top 20, he sang one of his originals, “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” which is dedicated tothe memory of Maggie Dunn, afriend who was killed on New Year’sEve in 2022 when aBrusly police ofﬁcer hit the car she was in during ahighspeed chase.

Foster’ssprint throughthe grueling American Idol process has beenadelight towatch, and like thousands of Louisianans, we have celebrated his ascentthrough the ranks of talented hopefuls.

No matter where he ﬁnishes, Foster is poised to become the latest in along line of Louisiana musicians who have made theirmark on the culture, alist that spans genres and eras, from Louis Armstrongtothe Lost Bayou Ramblers to Jon Batiste and so on.

Country may not be the genre one ﬁrst thinks of when the topic of Louisiana music surfaces, butthe state has along historyinthat,too. The Louisiana Hayride, mostfamous for featuring ayoung Elvis Presley,was amust-stop for upand-comingsingers in the middle of the last century,asort of American Idol of the day.

Foster is not the ﬁrst Louisianan tomake it this far on the show: Livingston Parish’sLaine Hardy became the seventeenthAmerican Idol in 2019.

The show’sfinale will air Sunday night on ABC at 7p.m. We join the rest of Louisiana and millions around the country —who hope Foster comes out on top. But even if he doesn’t finish first, he and his home statehave already won.

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

“Deja vu all over again” —Yogi Berra

The suggestions for improving instruction offered by Nathan Sanders and Tracy Schmidley in their guest column “LA GATORscholarships can fuel education innovation” are worthy,and Iamdelighted by thesuccess of young Isak Schmidley.Iamoffended by the letter’ssimplistic assumptions.

When reading Ithought,“Wait, this microschool sounds good, but what about the parents? Without them, this doesn’twork.”

It’sdeja vu, all over again.

History lesson: George W. Bush’s “No Child Left Behind”legislation passed, but it was underfunded. Teaching middle school, my thought-

The truth stings sometimes because it gives us areal-timetaste of reality We try to shrug it off, saying it isn’t thatbad. Well, you’re only fooling yourself and anyone you tellthat things aregreat.It’sbeen awhile now as the economy continues to sour.Doyou have friends who losttheir jobs after being sent an email? Maybe you have a relative who was forced to take abuyout thatthey really didn’twant. It could be your child wants to attend college. However,the road to higher education is abit challenging now.You areunsettled because you don’tknow what to do. How about having worked almost30yearsand you can’tget your full retirement becauseyour job has been eliminated? All of these scenarios arehappening in our stateofLouisiana. That’sthe truth. Recently,the Whitney Plantation lost

MallardFillmoremay

En réponse au désir de Mallard Fillmore(et de Donald Trump) de restituer La Nouvelle-Orléans (et la Statue de la Liberté) àlaFrance: Eh bien, de vos lèvres àl’oreille de Dieu. Imaginez! Un bon café, obligatoire. Le menu du Wafﬂe Houseenfrançais. Livraison àdomicile de Le Monde. Une édition française du Picayune! Citroën, Renault, Peugeot. Santéfrançaise. Éducation française. Adhésion àl’UE. Pas de tariffs douaniers. Ça me semble gagnant-gagnant!

ful colleagues and Iknew this wasthe beginning of siphoning money from public education toshare with private and parochial schools. The programs offered at Country Day Montessori School should be available to all students. With proper funding and good leadership at all levels of government (hard to ﬁnd in this state), these are worthy goals.

The writers stated, “By expanding access to funding and resources ‘traditionally limited’ topublic school”... There is apowerful reason whythe funds and resources to public schools are limited. It is thelaw

Toomuch emphasis has been placed on obtaining adiploma at 18 years old.

some of its funding. Ask your legislators about it.Will theanxiety and apathy get any worse? Let’sget some answersfromelected ofﬁcials about the next steps. What is thepath forward? Are we engaged nowinsurvival of the wealthiest, withothers falling off the table of prosperity? There is no need to quote numbers and percentages as theyare getting worse by the day So we go on with heads unbowed and shoulders straight. Iread abook each day,and one of the passages that gives me hope is, “this tooshall pass.” Our state and country have periods of uncertainty and upheaval. It is my opinion thatthis is one of those times Let’s remember tough times don’tlast but tough people do. Stay hopeful and remain faithful. Being down doesn’t mean being out

JAMES EWERS JR. NewOrleans

In response to Mallard Fillmore’s (andDonald Trump’s) desire to return New Orleans(andthe Statue of Liberty) to France: Well, from your lips to God’sear

Think of it! Decent coffee, mandatory. Wafﬂe House menus in French. Homedelivery of Le Monde. AFrench edition of The Picayune! Citroën, Renault, Peugeot. French healthcare. French education.Membership in the EU No tariffs. Sounds win-win, tome!

DANIEL DELAUREAL Lacombe

Attention needs to begin at the age of 3. Under the conditions described by Sanders and Schmidley,almost all children would be moreengaged and enabled. If achild can read, comprehend and recite what was read, understand and use measurements and estimation, makescientiﬁc predictions through life’sexperiences and observations and, mostimportantly,beexposed to all formsofartistic expression that show them that their thoughts, new ideas and creativity have no limits, the diplomaisanafterthought. Getinvolved!

CLYDE LEBLANC retired public middleschool teacher Baton Rouge

On Easter Sunday,Idrove down Claiborne Avenue, waiting to make aleft turn on Washington Avenue, whenalarge group of motorcyclists did wheelies, buzzed through afastfood driveway,totally ignored the red light and disrupted trafﬁc merrily

Three patrol cars were behind them afew cars back. Another patrol car was behind me also waiting to turn left. None of the patrol cars did a thing. It’snot the ﬁrst time I’ve seen this. The police need to do their job. Clearly,inNew Orleans, trafﬁc laws are meant to be broken. Law enforcement is nonexistent. Can’twedobetter than this?

JEAN VALLERE NewOrleans

In aletter that appeared on April 10, Preston Valois expressed his support for reducing vehicular trafﬁc in the heart of the French Quarter He stated that the area is small, only seven blocks between the river and Rampart Street, so “it should be no arduous journey for anyone” to park at alot on the river and walk to their destination. But what if it is? What about people who can’twalk seven blocks or at all? It cannot be assumed that everyone who livesin, works in or visits the French Quarter is able-bodied. Ihope the city considers this when deciding on the issue.

DARA

LONG Metairie

YOUR VIEWS

Black Creolesare claiming

As an elementary school student at St.Alphonsus in New Orleans’ Irish Channel, Jari Honora was fascinated with history and learning abouthis family lineage. His grandmother,Jo Ann Duncan, reared him.She would drop himoff at the New OrleansPublic Library downtown and pick him up when the library closed. When his grandmother couldn’t take him to thelibrary, he caught the bus.He was such aregular that establishedgenealogists and historiansgot to know the Uptown kid, took him on and providedtutelage Lolita Villavasso Cherrie, founderof the Creole Genealogy Historical Association, has known Honora sincehe starteddoing research at thelibrary. “Heknew so much. He said, ‘I know thehistory and the genealogy of the cityand my people. Just show me where certain things are,’”she told a small group of friends anda few others at aMonday night celebration in Honora’s honor.Librarians andresearchers “were just ﬂabbergasted that this little 10-year-old came and theyhad never seen anything like it,” shesaid.

Those of us who know Honora weren’tsurprised when hequickly dug up the family history of Pope Leo XIV Those of us who have broken bread with him and talked with him in more intimate settings have watched him snatch aname or apiece of information from aconversation andlaunch into acasual history lesson —without a computer,aphone or notes.

Honora goes deep into genealogy.Far more than an Ancestry.com search.Far deeper thanthe Mormon genealogy database search.

In less than two hours,Honora —one of only five African American certified genealogists in the nation —discovered that the man who had goneby the name Robert Francis Prevost has deep Louisiana Black Creole roots. So deep that we know exactly where thepope’sfamilylived in New Orleans. So deep that though his mother’sChicago birth certificate identifies her as White, most of his mother’ssisters, his aunts, are identified as Creole or mulatto on their birth certificates. So deep that the new pope’sgrandmother wasbaptized in St. Louis Cathedralin Jackson Square in the French Quarter, as an archivist with the Archdiocese of

Pope Leo as oneoftheir own WithoutaSALTfix,Republican majoritycould

At least six congressional Republicans are demanding aradical ﬁx inthe 2017 tax law targeting residents of high-incomestates. If they don’tget it, they may sinkDonald Trump’stax-and-spending package, his “one big beautiful bill.” And who can blame these reps from New York, New Jersey and California? At issue is the unfair cap on the state and local taxes (SALT) their constituents may deduct fromfederally taxable income

New Orleans discovered. So deep that in Honora’sestimation, the new pope is quite likely to have ancestors who were enslaved Pope Leois one of us, y’all.

Within 20 minutes of his Facebook post, local news media had reached out to hisFacebook friends, St. Augustine High School classmates and others trying to reach him. That day,hedid six news interviews. Thenextday,hedid 16 interviews. He’s hadcalls each day since. This newspaperwas theﬁrst news organization to share Honora’snews. The New York Times, CBS, The Associated Press and others followed. Ajournalist from Spainreached out. “He’sour rockstar,” Wanda Rouzan, thefamous “sweetheart of New Orleans” entertainer told me as shetook apicture with Honora while diningatthe Chapter IV restaurant nearNew OrleansCity Hall. Honora wasn’texpecting all the attention.Hewas just doing what he does.

Likeme, Honora is aself-identiﬁed Black Creole withthe genealogical prooftoback it up.Mymother’s lineageisCreole and we have Haitian roots. Butdon’tget it twisted. Honora explained that Creole is aculture. It’s notacolor.It’snot an ethnicity or tied to the ﬁneness of one’shair.“There are Black Creoles and White Creoles,” he

said. Since thepope’sLouisiana connectionshave been shared, there are lots of people claiming to be acousin or somekind of relative. While there are somewho have familial connections, Honora said not all Prevost and Martinez families are direct relations. Honora is looking forward to the pope’sAmerican visit, hoping New Orleans makes thetour.“We have to have asecond-line,” he told me. “Wehave to have St.Aug’sband. We have to have thebest gumbo from Dooky Chase for him.” ButisheBlack, Jari? “No,” he told me. “He hasn’tlived aBlack experience.”

As an American and as aLouisianan, I’m claiming thepope. As theproduct of aCatholic upbringing and aSt. Augustine High School education, I’m claiming the pope. As an Uptown baby who grew up in theLower 9th Ward and Gentilly neighborhoods in theculturally rich 7th Ward, I’m claiming the pope. As aBlack Creole with Haitian roots, I’m claimingthe pope. Louisianaissuch agumbo mix of cultures, ethnicities and races that we all should claim the pope. Welcome to the fold, Brother Pope! Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.

We’ve gotten anew tidbit of information about efforts by the Biden White House and someinthe press to cover up President Joe Biden’sage-related inﬁrmity.Itcomes from a new book, “2024: How TrumpRetook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,” by reporters Tyler Pager,Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf of The NewYork Times,Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, respectively

can easily have acombined income of $200,000 —and no one would call them rich given housing prices. In decidedly middle-class Levittown, on Long Island, homeowners typically pay aproperty tax of about $16,000. Then there are state income taxes.

The SALTdeduction, unlimited before 2017, was set at amaximum$10,000 What made it sweet to otherRepublicans wasthat it paid for other tax cuts by milking taxpayers in wealthier Democratic states.And that has made voters in key suburban districtssore. What makes this attackonthe SALT deduction outrageous?For starters, it taxes income that Americanshave already paid in taxes. Secondly,incomes in these states are higher because their everyday costs are higher.Teachers, road workers and other public employees must be paid more justto maintain the living standardsenjoyed elsewhere.

Defendersofthe cap argue piously —and wrongly —that the SALTdeduction is atax break only for rich people It’strue that taxpayers with higher incomes tend to get the most outofthe deduction, but acop married to anurse in New York, New Jersey or California

LETTERS TO

If Washington’sobjective is to raise morerevenue from higher-income Americans, then fine.Justraise the federal tax bracketsfor high incomes everywhere in theU.S The most obnoxious argument for the SALT cap is that it forces “profligate” state governments run by Democrats to restrain their own taxes. What state andlocal governments levy in taxes should be no business of Washington’s. Americansunhappywith their local tax regimes can moveelsewhere, and some do. Butmanyregard superior education systems and other public amenities worth thehigher taxes. Republicans should note that making it harder to paygood salaries to police is, in essence, aform of defunding thepolice. Raising thecap on this deduction mayrequire Washington lawmakers to find the revenues elsewhere. Well, that’stoo bad

House Ways and Means Committee

Chair Jason Smith representsthe most rural district in Missouri. It’seasy for himtosay Republicans from high-tax states may have to settle for an “un-

happy” compromise on theSALTdeduction. By that, he meansraising the cap to ameager $30,000. Republican reps from these swing districtsare having none of it,frankly, because their jobs are at stake. They know that the Republican brand has already fallen for their voters, given thetoll tariff chaos has taken on their businesses.

There’sa reason President Donald Trumpretreated on making New York Rep.Elise Stefanik United Nations ambassador.Hedoesn’twant to risk aspecial election that may replace her with aDemocrat. After 2022, Republicans ﬂipped at least four New York districts, without which they wouldn’tnow enjoy aHouse majority New York Republican Nick LaLota spoke for others when he told reporters that theSALTtalks are far apart, on the 25-yard line with 75 yards to go. LaLota’sdistrict covers eastern Long Island. If House Republicans thinkthey can threaten these “SALTCaucus” membersfor killing one of Trump’s top priorities, they need hearing aids. The general election, not primary challenges, is what these politicians should worry about most. Democrats already see opportunity,and the elected Republicans know it.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com.

The authors report that “top White House aides debated having [Biden] undergo acognitive test to prove his ﬁtness fora second term but ultimately decided against the move,” according to areport on the book in The New York Times

The revelation is the latest in aseries of news nuggets aboutthe 82-year-old Biden’ssenescence —stories like White House aides putting tape on the ﬂoor so that Biden wouldn’twander off course —thathavebeen includedinnew booksabout the2024 election.More is promised in yetanother book to be published later this month. But the fact is, you already knew about Biden’scognitive decline because you saw it with your own eyes. There is an inside story of Biden’sdecline and an outside story of Biden’sdecline. The inside story is the effort by the White House staff, plus its Democratic allies, plus its supporters in the press, to conceal Biden’sproblem.The outside story is the manypublic appearances moments of Biden appearing confused, lost or frozen —during which millions of Americans could see forthemselves that the president had aserious problem

Another waytoput it would be to say that the inside story wasthe effort to deny that the outside story existed. That was the strangest thing about the whole situation. Biden’sdecline happened in public. People knew about it. Opinion polls revealed that large numbers of Americans believed Biden wasnot up to the job of president, or at least not up to asecond term in the White House. If it wasasecret, it was the world’s best-knownsecret.

And yet those in the White House denied that there wasaproblem,and their allies outside the White House echoed those denials. And they went beyond simple denial. They also attacked those whosaid Biden had aproblem.Remember “cheapfakes?” That waswhat Biden’s defenders in the Democratic Party and the media called the clear video evidence of Biden’s problem

When Biden drifted away from agroup of leaders at the Normandy anniversary in France; when he appeared lost and had to be guided by former President Barack Obama at aHollywood fundraiser; and when he froze at aJuneteenth event at the White House, the administration accused Republicans of manipulating videos of each moment. And manyinthe press went along with it, as if the GOPwere the problem and not the White House effort to fool the public.

One example. On June 17, 2024, areporter asked then-White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre, “There seemstobeasort of rash of videos that have been edited to makethe president appear especially frail or mentally confused. I’mwondering if the White House is especially worried about the fact that this appears to be apattern that we’re seeing more often?”

“Yeah,” said Jean-Pierre. “And Ithink you all have called this the ‘cheapfakes’ video. And that’sexactly what they are. They are cheapfakes video. They are done in bad faith. And someofyour newsorganizations have been very clear,have stressed that the right-wing critics of the president have acredibility problem because the fact-checkers have repeatedly caught them pushing misinformation, disinformation.” In just afew words, Jean-Pierre managed to give apat on the head to those newsorganizations that displayed little curiosity about Biden’scondition but real energy in denouncing those whodid.

And then, just 10 days after that exchange, Biden met Trumpfor the debate in Atlanta. It wasnolonger possible to hide the extent of Biden’ssenility.The inside story failed to suppress the outside story,and Biden wasdoomed as acandidate. Nowwe’re learning moreabout the lengths to which the Biden team and its manyallies in politics and media wenttoconceal the truth. There is likely alot moreyet to discover Byron York is on X, @Bryon York.Email him at byronyork@yorkcomm.com.

Will Sutton

Byron York

Froma Harrop

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE

JariHonoraisafamily historian at the Historic NewOrleans Collection in New Orleans.

ForecastFrom WWL-TV,Your Local Weather Experts

southbreeze will add humidity,pushing theheat index into the mid- to upper 90s. This warm, stable patternisexpected to stickaround through the weekend. Acold front will sag toward us Saturday, butitwon’t have theupper-level supporttosend it into our area. Instead,itwill getstuck and then driftnorthward as awarmfront, leaving us with acontinuation of summerytemperatures. Skies will be partly cloudy, with minimal rain chances.

less otherfamilyand friends in eternallife. She issurvivedbyher three daughters Adrienne Keller (WoodyCumbo); Marianne Cobden(Ernie);Patty Glaser(Glen); ahostof beloved grandchildren and their spouses; hermany treasured great-grandchil‐dren; numerous adoring nieces, nephews, cousins, and otherextendedfamily. Lorrainewas 20 yearsold whenshe graduatedfrom Dominican Collegewitha degreeinchemistry in 1944. Sheimmediately started work as achemist atCoca-ColainNew Or‐leans,where sheworked until 1947. In 1958 shewas asked to join thefaculty of St. Leothe Greatelemen‐taryschool.Several years later,she joined thefaculty ofSt. JamesMajor high school, teaching chem‐istry,biology,general sci‐ence, andcomparative reli‐gion. Shereturnedtouni‐versity in the1970s, while still teaching,earneda Masters degree in school counselingfromLoyola UniversityNew Orleans, and worked as aguidance counselor at St.James Major formanymore years.InretirementLor‐raine livedinCarriere, Mis‐sissippi,and Char‐lottesville,Virginia. Until justweeks before her death,Lorraineloved cro‐cheting andcrafts, politics and puzzles, playing bridge, wineries,and a good party. HerCatholic faith wasalwaysthe bedrock of herlife. What a lady…whata life!The fam‐ily is very grateful forthe lovingsupport provided by Our Lady of PeaceRetire‐mentCenterand Hospice ofthe Piedmont.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attend thememorialMass inthe chapel of Lake Lawn MetairieFuneralHome 5100 PontchartrainBlvd. in New Orleans, on Saturday May 17, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. A visitation will be held at the funeralhomebegin‐ningat9:30a.m.The inter‐mentwillfollowthe Mass inMetairieCemetery. In lieuof ﬂowers, thefamily asksthatdonations in Lor‐raine Claire’s honor be madetoDiscovery Schools (https://www.discoveryhs f.org/page/friends), Hos‐piceofthe Piedmont (https://hopva.org/donateonline-now/),ora charity

DEATHS continued from of your choice.Toviewand signthe online guestbook, pleasevisit www.lakelaw nmetairie.com

Ruiz, Patricia Rebstock 'Patsy'

Patricia “Patsy”Reb‐stock Ruiz, 96,a native and residentofGolden Meadowpassedawayon Saturday, May10, 2025. Vis‐itation will be from 9:30AM until 11AM on Friday,May 16, 2025 at OurLadyof PromptSuccorCatholic Church in Golden Meadow Louisiana.A Memorial MassofChristian Burial willbecelebrated at 11AM withburialtofollowinthe church cemetery.Patsy is survivedbyher daughter, KathleenRuizSavino; grandson, CharlesVizier; sister-in-law,MovitaReb‐stock;and numerous niecesand nephews. Sheis precededindeath by her son,DrewRuiz; husband Horace Andrew Ruiz, Sr.; parents,Edison Rebstock and Jeanne BourgeoisReb‐stock;and brothers,Edison Rebstock, Jr.and Allen Rebstock. Patsytaughtin the Golden Meadow Schoolsfor 34 years. Her devotiontoher students and community wasevi‐dentinthe relationships she developedthroughout her yearsasaneducator. She wasa member of the Louisiana RetiredTeachers Association andthe Honor Society of PhiKappa Phi. In honor of herhusband,she was aCharter Member of the WorldWar II Museum inNew Orleans. Shewas alsoa member of OurLady ofPromptSuccorand taughtreligionfor 35 years.Inlieuof ﬂowers, donations maybemadeto the LouisianaBrain Injury Association,8325 Oak Street,New Orleans, Louisiana 70118 or St JosephAbbey,75376 River Road, St.Benedict, Louisiana 70457. Thefamily would like to thankthe aidesatWoldenbergVil‐

lage who provided tender lovingcaretoPatsy,espe‐cially Muriel Starwood Mothe FuneralHomeisas‐sisting thefamilyduring thismostdifﬁcult time The familyinvites youto share your thoughts,fond memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatwww.mot hefunerals.com.

Schenck, RichardA.'RA' International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, LocalUnion #130 The Ofﬁcers andMembers ofthislocal union are herebyrequested to attend the CelebrationOfLifeof our late brotherRichard “Ra”A.Schenck,onFriday, June 20, 2025, at St Bernard Memorial Funeral Home, 701 W. Virtue St., Chalmette,LA. Visitation willbefrom9:00am- 11:00 am, followed by amemor‐ial funeralservice at 11:00 am

Shedrick,FlorenceM.

Florence M. Shedrick passedawaypeacefully on Monday, April28, 2025, at the ageof74. Shewas a nativeofIronton,LAand a residentofMetairie, LA Florenceattended Belle Chase High School and later graduatedfrom Booker T. Washington High School in NewOrleans.Flo‐rence wasa member of Lit‐tle Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Kenner.Beloved wifeofthe late Elijah ShedrickJr. Devoted motherofTiffanyand Eli‐jah Shedrick III. Loving grandmother of Norman Joseph, andImani Shedrick and MikalChatman.Greatgrandmother of Le’Genn and Joseph Shedrick Jr and Kash’mir Seymore. Daughterofthe late Julia and Lawrence Miller Jr Sibling of PaulineManual, BrendaMiller, Eugene Willie Miller andthe late Matthew William, Thomas Herbert,Renard, andVer‐nonMiller. Florence is also

survived by ahostof nieces, nephews, cousins, and otherrelatives and friends.Relatives and friends of thefamily, also pastors,ofﬁcers,and members of Little Zion MissionaryBaptist Church and allneighboring churches areinvited to at‐tenda memorial serviceat LittleZionMissionaryBap‐tistChurch,2200 Kenner Avenue,Kenner, LA on Thursday,May 15, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Pastor LeroyA Taylor, ofﬁciating. Arrange‐ments by L.A. Muhleisen& Son FuneralHome, Kenner, Louisiana

Curtis Taylor,age 51 passedawayonApril 28, 2025, in NewOrleans Louisiana.BornonNovem‐ber 8, 1973, in thesamevi‐brant city he called home throughouthis life,Curtis brought joyand warmth to those around himwithhis ever-presentsmile andun‐waveringfaith.Curtisis lovinglyrememberedby his mother,Marlene Mc‐Swain;his siblings:Larry Malter, MarleneHunter (Norton), JamesTaylor, JanellTaylor(Toe),his lov‐ing sister SheriMcSwain (Kurt). Also,the Jordan family, Russell, Pamela, Rochelle,Howardand Dar‐ryl.His 10 children who he loved very much:Curtis Randolph, CoranishaRan‐dolph,CurtisCrump,Dar‐nellRandleston, Rickard Randleston, Troy Randle‐ston, Cory Randleston, Michael Randleston,and Lindell Randleston.Curtis alsoleavesbehindhis grandchildren Raya,Rylie Desi, Dreamand ahostof niecesand nephewswho loved himverymuch. He was preceded in deathby his father,CurtisMcSwain, his sister Donna Malter,his aunt LottieMae,his cousin Mae Helen, hisUncle Jr and hisson Darryl Randle‐ston.A Parlor Visitation

will be held on Thursday, May 15, 2025, from 10:00 amto11:00 am at Little‐johnFuneral Home,2163 Aubry Street,withfuneral servicesbeginning at 11:00 am. IntermentProvidence MemorialPark. Profes‐sionalservice entrustedto LittlejohnFuneralHome, 2163 AubryStreet,Cal K. Johnson,FuneralDirec‐tor/Manager,Info: (504) 940-0045.

Ronald "Ronnie" Thax‐ton Windham, age76, en‐tered into eternalreston Saturday, May10, 2025, at 10:28 AM.A native of Mon‐roe,LAand aresidentof New Orleansand Metairie, Louisiana forthe past 59 years.Beloved husband of Roxanne "Roxie"Rau Windham. BrotherofLyle Windham(wife Kathy) and the late Bill Windham(wife Kathy). Sonofthe late WilliamK.Windham and the late PaulineButler Windham. Devotedcousin andbestfriendofthe late

Dr.Jerry Welch(wife Katy). Son in lawofBetty Palliser Rau andthe late John Henry Rau. Also survived bymanyNiecesand Nephews.Ronnieservedas FuneralDirector/Manager for Lamana-Panno-Fallo Fu‐neral Home in Metairie,LA for over 34 yearsand he was amemberofthe Greater NewOrleans Fu‐neral DirectorsAssociation and theLouisiana Funeral Directors Association South District during his entirecareer.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend theMemor‐ial ServiceonThursday May 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM fromthe Chapel of LakelawnMetairieFuneral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd, NewOrleans,LA. The familywillreceive guests beginning at 6:00 PM until services. Fond memories and expressionsofsympa‐thy maybeleftfor the WindhamFamilyatwww lakelawnmetairie.com

Windham, Ronald Thaxton'Ronnie'

Taylor,Curtis

MLBlifts banonRose, Jackson, others

Commissioner Manfredsayslifetimepenalty will endatdeath

BY RONALD BLUM AP baseball writer

NEW YORK Pete Rose and Shoeless JoeJacksonwerereinstated by baseballcommissioner Rob ManfredonTuesday,making both eligible for the sport’sHall of Fame after their careers were tarnished by sports-gambling scandals.

Rose’spermanent ban was lifted eight months after his death and came aday beforethe Cincinnati

Reds willhonor baseball’scareer hits leader with PeteRose Night Manfred announced Tuesday that he was changing the league’s policy on permanent ineligibility, saying bans would expireatdeath. MLB said 17 individuals hadtheir status changed by the decision, including all eight banned members of the1919 Chicago Black Sox, former Philadelphia Phillies president Williams D. Cox and former New York Giants outﬁelder Benny Kauff.

Underthe Hall of Fame’s current rules, theearliest Rose or Jackson could be inducted would be in 2028. Rose agreed to apermanentban on Aug. 23, 1989, after an investigation commissioned by Major League Baseballconcluded Rose repeatedly bet on the Reds as a player andmanager of theteam from 1985-87, aviolation of alongstanding MLB rule. Rose first applied for

ä See ROSE, page 3C

SEVENFOR SEVEN

game-winning jumper as time expiredtobeat ColoradoState and send

IMaking hismove

Scheffler trending up as PGAChampionship arrivesonThursday

BY DOUG FERGUSON

AP golf writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ScottieSchefﬂer practically had thecourse to himself when he arriveda day early at the PGA Championship, atime to getreacquainted with QuailHollow. He hadplayed it onlyatthe Presidents Cupin 2022 when the holes werea little out of order because of the format Looking for alineoff the teeatthe par-5 seventh, caddie TedScott pointed to a small, black box beyond the bunkers. Scheffler delivered another beauty

An onlooker peered down the fairway,unable to see the target where theywereaiming.

fthe prayers of every New Orleans Pelicans fan had been answered Monday night, Joe Dumars would have won the NBA draft lottery With that victorywould have come ano-brainer of adecision on what to do with theNo. 1overallpick: draft Duke sensation Cooper Flagg. Or at worst, if the pingpong balls would have fallen the way thepercentages said they would, the Pelicans would have had one of thenext three picks. Rutgers guard Dylan Harper,Rutgers forward Ace BaileyorBaylor guard VJ Edgecombewould have been viable options. Instead, aPelicansteam thatﬁnished withthe fourth-worst record in the NBA fell three spots and will have the No.7pick at the June 25 event.

So whowill the Pelicans pick at No. 7?

Here’smyranking of seven possible draft prospectsthey may choose. We’ll assume thetop-ﬁve guys (Flagg, Harper, Bailey,Edgcombe and Texas guard Tre Johnson) are off the board by thetime the Pelicans are on theclock.

“Just follow the ball, and you’ll seethe blackbox,” Scottreplied with alaugh. Scheffler is starting to look like theNo. 1playerhehas been for the lasttwo years, off to aslow startbyhis standardsafter missing nearlytwo months because of afreak hand injury sufferedwhile making ravioli on Christmas. In hislaststarthepicked up hisfirst win of the year in abig way —aneight-shotvictoryat the CJ Cup ByronNelson, the largest margin on the PGATour in nearly five years.

For aguy who tries not to look too far ahead or behind, there was no denying his game was in agood spot going into the PGA Championship.

JEREMIAH FEARS,OKLAHOMA: The 6-foot-4 point guard may not be around at No 7. Butifheis, he could provide help

KONKNUEPPEL, DUKE: If Ihad to peg a favorite, it would be Knueppel. While Flagggot most of the attention at Duke, there was another freshman whose stock rose this season as theBlue Devils made theFinal Four. Knueppel is an excellent 3-point shooter (41%), and he’d get plenty of good looks playing alongside another member of theDuke brotherhood in Zion Williamson. Knueppel was named MVP of theACC Tournament 2

Poa’slawsuit raises NILquestions

Former LSUguard challenges limitson internationalathletes

ﬁnancialopportunities available to international athletes in anew age of collegiate sports. Poa, anative of Australia, is a

collegebasketballplayersubject to U.S. immigration laws that place tight constraints on which off-campus employment opportunities she can pursue. She filed the suit, one of her lawyershas said, so she couldcontest aU.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decision to deny hera visa that would have eased some of those restrictions —and therefore allow her to profit offher name, image and likeness (NIL) more freely. The filingisbelieved to be the first legal challenge tossed at that policysince the NCAA began allowing its athletes to strikeendorsement deals in 2021.

In January, defendants from USCIS ﬁled amotion to dismiss thelawsuit —the matter at the centerofTuesday’shearing before U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson. “There seemstobeagap,”Jacksonsaid, “that regulators have not addressed, that Congress hasnot addressed,that leavessomeathletes out in the cold.” Amy Maldonado, aMichigan immigrationattorney representingPoa, said Tuesday thatcompensation is a“criticalissue” for international collegiate athletes. Shethen posed thequestion of

ä See POA, page 4C

“I’m showing up coming off of atournamentthatI won,and that’salways agood feeling,” Scheffler said Tuesday.“Youcan definitely ride some of that momentum. WhenIlook back at my career,itwould be silly to say that Idon’t ride some of the momentum from those wins.” Meanwhile, Rory McIlroy was on atear that took him to victories at Pebble Beach, The Players Championship and then the crown jewel— aMasters green jacket to finally claim hisplace in history with the career Grand Slam. McIlroy had said before starting thatrun he drew inspiration from Scheffler’s dominance, his nine-win season from 2024 that included aMasters green jacket and Olympic gold medal and all the biggest tournaments in between.

“I’m abig admirer of Scottie for alot of different reasons,” McIlroysaidafter winning at Pebble Beach. “But everytime I play with himand Iwatch howhe playsand howdisciplined he is, it’s areally cool thing to watch. Justtrying to take alittle bit of a leaf out of his book.

Nowitmight be Scheffler’s turn to be inspired. He got the best seat on the 18th green at

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH

Maryland center DerikQueen drives past Wisconsin guard John Blackwell on Jan. 29 in College Park, Md. The 6-foot-10 Queen hitthe

the Terrapins to the Sweet16inMarch

Former Cincinnati Redsgreat Pete Rosewaves to the crowd during a ceremony to honor the 1976 World Series champions on June 24, 2016.

ASSOCIATED PRESSFILE

PHOTO By JOHN MINCHILLO

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Former LSU playerLast-Tear Poa takesphotos with fans before the Chicago Sky’sexhibitiongame against BrazilonMay 2atthe PMAC.

Pirates ace Skenes joins Team USA for WBC Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes announced Tuesday that he will join Team USA when the World Baseball Classic returns next spring.

Time set for LSU-Clemson opener

BY RASHAD MILLIGAN, REED

DARCEY and SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writers

There now is a kickoff time for the LSU football team’s 2025 season opener

The Tigers’ ﬁrst game, on the road at Clemson, will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on ABC on Aug. 30 It marks the ﬁrst football matchup between the teams since the national championship game in January 2020. Led by Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow and standout wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, LSU won 42-25.

LSU and Clemson have played each other four times. In the battle of the Tigers, LSU has a 3-1 edge over Clemson with the series starting on New Year’s Day 1959

This will be the ﬁrst matchup between the two schools that isn’t in the postseason. They have played each other in the Sugar Bowl, twice in the Peach Bowl and the national championship game.

This year’s LSU team is led by returning quart erback Garrett Nussmeier In 2024, Nussmeier completed 337 of 525 attempts for 4,052 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

Clemson retained a lot of key players this season including quarterback Cade Klubnik In 2024, Klubnik completed 308 of 486 passes for 3,639 yards passing, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Mulkey adds high schooler

The LSU women’s basketball team picked up a high school commitment Tuesday

Meghan Yarnevich, a 6-foot-2 post player from Maryland is set to become the ﬁfth high school recruit signed to what’s already the nation’s top-ranked freshman Class of 2025. She likely also will be the ﬁnal piece of the overhaul coach Kim Mulkey and her staff are giving their frontcourt.

“Her strength, physical presence, and relentless toughness

will bring a powerful edge to our frontcourt,” Mulkey said in a statement “Meghan’s work ethic perfectly aligns with the culture we continue to build here at LSU, and we can’t wait to see the impact she’ll make on and off the court here in Baton Rouge.”

The Tigers now have four post players on the 2025-26 roster: two freshmen and two transfers.

In November LSU signed Grace Knox, a California forward ranked as ESPN’s seventh-best prospect in the 2025 class.

In April, it inked former Notre Dame forward Kate Koval, a rising sophomore, and ex-East Carolina forward Amiya Joyner, a rising senior LSU had to replace eight of the 13 players from its 2024-25 roster. So far, it’s added ﬁve freshmen and three transfers, including former South Carolina star MiLaysia Fulwiley Yarnevich signed with Georgia in November, then announced on May 4 that she was backing off

that pledge and reopening her recruitment.

She’ll enroll at LSU as a freshman alongside Knox and three top-35 guards: ZaKiyah Johnson, Divine Bourrage and Bella Hines

Gymnastics adds from portal

Emily Innes is trading one purpleand-gold leotard for another, leaving Washington to spend her senior season at LSU Innes announced her transfer Monday on her Instagram account.

“I have made the difﬁcult decision to enter the transfer portal for my senior year,” Innes wrote.

“I want to thank uw (Washington) for the past three years. To all of the coaching staffs, support staffs, and teammates that I have had throughout my experience, you made my time here memorable and I will cherish that forever

“I have decided to commit to LSU on a full athletic scholarship!!! I am incredibly blessed to have this opportunity and can’t

wait to see what the next year brings!”

A senior for the 2026 season, Innes is the second gymnast to transfer to LSU this month. A week earlier, former Clemson gymnastics recruit Molly Brinkman announced her decision to compete for LSU after the ﬁring in April of coach Amy Smith

A native of Pittsburgh, Innes competed this past season for the Huskies on floor, vault and balance beam. It is on floor where she has excelled. During the 2025 season, Innes posted eight scores of 9.90 or better, with a season-high 9.925 three times. She won a 2024 NCAA regional floor title with a career-high 9.95. Brinkman was one of three 2026 LSU gymnasts to win titles this past weekend in the DP Nationals meet in Salt Lake City finishing first on vault. Incoming freshman Nina Ballou won the allaround, while fellow freshman Haley Mustari won bars.

NFL features seven international games

Vikings double dip in Dublin and London

BY ARNIE STAPLETON AP pro football writer

The Minnesota Vikings get a double dip of international play in 2025 with trips to both Ireland and Britain as the NFL features a record seven overseas kickoffs this season, including forays into Germany and Spain.

The Vikings will play the Pittsburgh Steelers at Croke Park in Dublin on Sept 28 in Ireland’s ﬁrst NFL regular season game, and then they’ll ﬂy over to London to face the Cleveland Browns at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a week later on Oct. 5.

“Our experiences in London have always been memorable, so to return in 2025 as the ﬁrst team to play in back-to-back international games in different countries was something we could not pass up,” Vikings owner Mark Wilf said.

The Vikings are 8-0 in international games, including 4-0 in the regular season. The Vikings and Browns also played in London in 2017, the last time the Vikings were scheduled to visit Cleveland. That means they’re going to go 24 years between trips to Cleveland, with the next one in 2033.

The matchups were revealed on Tuesday by the NFL as part of a series of announcements of notable games on each of the league’s broadcasters ahead of the full schedule release on Wednesday night.

That’s also when the league will announce the Los Angeles Chargers’ opponent for its ﬁrst international game of the season in Brazil, on Sept. 5 at Corinthians Stadi-

um in Sao Paulo. That’s where the Philadelphia Eagles began their Super Bowl quest last year with a game against the Green Bay Packers on opening weekend.

The Brazilian game will be streamed for free to a worldwide audience exclusively on YouTube and YouTube TV, marking the platform’s debut as a live NFL broadcaster NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and YouTube chief business ofﬁcer Mary Ellen Coe will announce the Chargers’ opponent Wednesday at YouTube’s 2025 Brandcast upfront event at Lincoln Center in New York. YouTube and the NFL also announced a multi-year deal for the annual Super Bowl ﬂag football game featuring creators and artists with additional international contests following the success of the inaugural game in February that drew more than 6 million live views.

Other international games

The Denver Broncos visit the New York Jets on Oct. 12 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London; the Los Angeles Rams visit the Jacksonville Jaguars a week later at Wembley Stadium in London; the Atlanta Falcons visit the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 9 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin; and the Washington Commanders visit the Miami Dolphins on Nov 16 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

This marks the 14th game in London for the Jaguars, as part of the team’s multi-year commitment to playing games in Britain. Overall, the NFL has played 39 regular season games in London.

The six international matchups that were announced will all be on NFL Network and streamed on NFL+.

The Colts-Falcons game in Berlin is the ﬁfth regular season NFL game in Germany Previous games have been played in Munich and Frankfurt. Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business and league events, said the largest-ever slate of international games “underscores our collective commitment to global growth as we continue our journey to becoming a truly global sport.”

Also Tuesday, the NFL revealed on “Good Morning America” that the Super Bowl champion Eagles

will play the Packers in Green Bay on Monday Night Football on Nov 10. The rest of the MNF lineup will be announced Wednesday The Week 10 game at Lambeau Field pits the teams at the center of the tush push debate this offseason. Green Bay has proposed a ban on the Eagles’ short-yardage tactic, calling for the NFL to outlaw the quarterback sneak where teammates push him from behind. The issue is expected to be debated at the league’s spring meeting next week.

The reigning National League Rookie of the Year — who spent two years at the Air Force Academy before transferring to LSU — is expected to be near the top of the rotation for the Americans, who are coming off a runner-up ﬁnish to Japan at the 2023 WBC. Skenes, who turns 23 later this month, was the top pick in the 2023 amateur draft. The 6-foot-6 righthander is 14-7 with a 2.16 ERA in 32 career starts. That includes a 3-4 mark with a 2.63 ERA this season. Skenes and the rest of Team USA will begin pool play in Houston from March 6-11.

Rangers place Seager on 10-day injured list

ARLINGTON, Texas Corey Seager was placed on the 10-day injured list again Tuesday by the Texas Rangers after the two-time World Series MVP shortstop had already missed four of their previous ﬁve games because of right hamstring soreness.

Seager is on the IL for the second time this season, with the latest move retroactive to Sunday He had played in only ﬁve games since being activated May 3 after missing 10 games with a right hamstring strain. There was no immediate move for right-handed closer Luke Jackson, who was struck on his pitching hand by a 111-mph comebacker liner on the only pitch he threw after coming into the ninth inning of their 2-1 win over Colorado on Monday night.

Yankees place Cabrera on IL with ankle fracture

New York Yankees third baseman Oswaldo Cabrera was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left ankle fracture ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners.

In a corresponding move, infielder DJ LeMahieu completed his rehab assignment and was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. In the ninth inning of New York’s 11-5 victory over Seattle on Monday night, Cabrera fractured his left ankle on an awkward slide when he reached back for the plate and scored the Yankees’ final run on Aaron Judge’s sacrifice fly Cabrera is in his fourth MLB season and has become a regular in the Yankees’ lineup. He is hitting .243 this season with one home run and 11 RBIs.

Curry ruled out of Game 5 due to hamstring injury

The Golden State Warriors have officially ruled out Steph Curry from Game 5 of their series with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Golden State must stave off elimination without its two-time MVP superstar in a road environment after losing the last three games since he went down with a hamstring injury in Game 1.

The team’s injury report submitted to the NBA on Tuesday afternoon confirmed what Curry and the Warriors had hinted Monday night after their loss to the Wolves in Game 4. In his postgame press conference, coach Steve Kerr declined to entertain the idea of Curry returning for Game 5. Curry has been on the sidelines of each game since, sitting on the bench and talking with his team during timeouts.

Sinner gets another win in return from doping ban

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner passed a big test in his return from a three-month doping ban, beating accomplished clay-court player Francisco Cerundolo 7-6 (2), 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the Italian Open quarterﬁnals.

The 18th-ranked Cerundolo has a tour-best 18 wins on clay this year and was coming off a run to the Madrid Open semiﬁnals. Sinner raised questions after a settlement with the World AntiDoping Agency as the three-month suspension conveniently allowed him not to

It’s Sinner’s

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier sets up in the pocket against Alabama on Nov. 9 at Tiger Stadium.

LSU notebook

Justin Thomas speaks during a PGA Championship news conference on Tuesday at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.

He’s finished tied for second or better in three of his past four tournaments.

ASSOCIATED

By MATT yORK

PGA Tour star playing well as he returns to site of first major win

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C Justin Thomas has positioned himself to turn back the clock at the PGA Championship.

The resurgent Thomas returns to Quail Hollow this week looking to recapture some of the magic from his first major victory at the 2017 PGA Championship when he posted a two-shot victory over Francesco Molinari, Louis Oosthuizen and Patrick Reed. The 32-year-old Thomas finally appears to have his game back on track after a years-long slump.

He’s ﬁnished tied for second or better in three of his last four tournaments with a combined score of 41-underpar, including a playoff win last month over Andrew Novak at the RBC Heritage that snapped a three-year winless drought on the PGA Tour

The only tournament he hasn’t been competitive in over the last month was the

SCHEFFLER

Continued from page 1C

Augusta National to see McIlroy’s joy since Scheffler helped him into the green jacket.

“It was really cool to see Rory be able to ﬁnish that off and to be there for that moment,” Schefﬂer said. “He’s a good buddy of mine out here, so I was very happy for him. That tournament and having to answer each year for a guy that’s had one of the best careers in the history of the game — for him to sit in here

Masters. He ﬁnished tied for 36th.

not much carryover from that to help him this week

here,” Thomas said. “I’ve hit the shots. I’ve made the putts.

ROSE

Continued from page 1C

reinstatement in September 1997, but commissioner Bud Selig never ruled on the request. Manfred in 2015 rejected a petition for reinstatement, saying “Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconﬁgured life.”

Rose died Sept. 30 at age 83, and a new petition was ﬁled Jan. 8 by Jeffrey Lenkov, a lawyer who represented Rose. Lenkov and Rose’s daughter Fawn had met with Manfred on Dec. 17.

Rose’s supporters have included U.S. President Donald Trump, who has said he intends to pardon Rose posthumously. Manfred discussed Rose with Trump when the pair met in April, but he hasn’t disclosed specifics of their conversation.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Africa; Nick Dunlap, United States; Harry Hall, England.

8:01 a.m.-1:26 p.m. — Greg Koch, United States; Marco Penge, England; Ryan Gerard, United States.

8:12 a.m.-1:37 p.m. — Dylan Newman, United States Daniel Van Tonder, South Africa; Victor Perez, France. 10th hole-ﬁrst hole

6:05 a.m.-11:30 a.m. — John Parry England; Justin Hicks, United States; Ryan Fox, New Zealand.

6:16 a.m.-11:41 a.m. — Andre Chi, United States; Patrick Fishburn, United States; Seamus Power, Ireland.

Still, it is one of Thomas’ best stretches of golf since 2016-17 when he became the fourth player behind Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth to win five times in the same season, including a major, before his 25th birthday “I’m just more patient, I’d say,” Thomas said of his recent improved play “I don’t feel like I’m forcing the issue as much. Just trying to trust my game and myself quite a bit more. I feel like some of the events maybe earlier this year or last year where I had a chance to win, I just felt like maybe I pressed a little too much.”

While the memory of celebrating his first major on the 18th green at Quail Hollow eight years ago with his father Mike — then a PGA Tour professional at Harmony Landing in Louisville, Kentucky — will forever be etched in his memory, Thomas admitted there’s probably

week in, week out and have to be asked about one single golf tournament I’m sure can be a bit frustrating. And I’m sure that’s why there was so much emotion coming out of him.

“It takes a lifetime of work to be able to even have a chance to win major championships, let alone win all four of them.”

They are the star attractions at soggy Quail Hollow and will be grouped together when the 107th PGA Championship starts Thursday, joined by reigning champion Xander Schauffele.

It’s a good thing Schefﬂer arrived early for nine holes

That tournament was played during the summer on what he called a “completely different golf course” with Bermuda grass versus overseed.

This one comes in the spring, with a course that will have absorbed several inches of rain by the time golfers tee off on Thursday, likely meaning that an already long course will play even longer.

“As much as I’d like to say (it matters), I think that’s a bit of a stretch,” Thomas said.

However, Thomas said his knowledge of the course and the confidence of knowing he can handle Quail Hollow’s difﬁcult three closing holes known as the “Green Mile” could pay dividends if he’s near the top of the leaderboard Sunday “If I’m coming down the stretch and trying to win the tournament, I can tell myself I’ve literally done this before

Sunday he was not at the PGA Tour event that week — because Quail Hollow has been inundated by more than 3 inches of rain since Friday, with downpours each of the two days of ofﬁcial practice. Scheffler meant to play nine holes on Tuesday He got in only ﬁve holes before the sun disappeared, dark clouds moved in and thunder claps arrived, with heavy rain not far behind.

McIlroy was supposed to meet with the media Tuesday afternoon and moved it back to Wednesday because of the weather That figures to make a

TEE TIMES

6:27 a.m.-11:52 a.m. — Max McGreevy, United States; Sahith Theegala, United States; Sepp Straka, Austria.

6:38 a.m.-12:03 p.m. — Brooks Koepka, United States; Rickie Fowler, United States; Shane Lowry, Ireland.

6:49 a.m.-12:14 p.m. — Phil Mickelson, United States; Tommy Fleetwood, England; Jason Day, Australia.

7 a.m.-12:25 p.m. Jon Rahm, Spain; Patrick Cantlay, United States; Matt Fitzpatrick, England.

7:11 a.m.-12:36 p.m. — Corey Conners, Canada; Min Woo Lee, Australia; Rasmus Hojgaard, Denmark. 7:22 a.m.-12:47 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Northern Ireland; Xander Schauffele, United States; Scottie Schefﬂer, United States.

7:33 a.m.-12:58 p.m. — Tony Finau, United States; Nicolai Hojgaard, Denmark; Max Greyserman, United States.

7:44 a.m.-1:09 p.m. — Andrew Novak, United States; Keegan Bradley United States; Maverick McNealy United States.

7:55 a.m.-1:20 p.m. Akshay Bhatia, United States; Denny McCarthy, United States; Sam Burns, United States.

8:06 a.m.-1:31 p.m. — John Catlin United States; Garrick Higgo, South Africa; Jesse Droemer, United States.

8:17 a.m.-1:42 p.m. — Eugenio Chacarra, Spain; Rupe Taylor, United States; Justin Lower, United States. First hole-10th hole

11:30 a.m.-6:05 a.m. Michael Kartrude, United States; Sami Valimaki, Finland; Jake Knapp, United States.

11:41 a.m.-6:16 a.m. — Erik van Rooyen, South Africa; Michael Block, United States; Mackenzie Hughes Canada. 11:52 a.m.-6:27 a.m. — Lucas Glover, United States; Max Homa, United States; Joaquin Niemann, Chile.

12:03 p.m.-6:38 a.m. — Tyrrell Hatton, England; Will Zalatoris, United States; Adam Scott, Australia.

12:14 p.m.-6:49 a.m. — Justin Thomas, United States; Dustin Johnson, United States; Collin Morikawa, United States.

12:25 p.m.-7 a.m. — Jordan Spieth, United States; Patrick Reed, United States; Ludvig Aberg, Sweden.

12:36 p.m.-7:11 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Japan; Wyndham Clark, United States; Tom Kim, South Korea.

12:47 p.m.-7:22 a.m. — Bryson DeChambeau, United States; Viktor Hovland, Norway; Gary Woodland, United States. 12:58 p.m.-7:33 a.m. — Sergio Garcia, Spain; Daniel Berger, United States; Russell Henley, United States. 1:09 p.m.-7:44 a.m. — Justin Rose, England; Cameron Smith, Australia; Brian Harman, United States

1:20 p.m.-7:55 a.m Brandon Bingaman, United States; Davis Riley United States; Sungjae Im, South Korea. 1:31 p.m.-8:06 a.m. — Takumi Kanaya, Japan; Christiaan Bezuidenhout, South Africa; Tom McKibbin, Northern Ireland. 1:42 p.m.-8:17 a.m. — Keita Nakajima, Japan; Timothy Wiseman, United States; Beau Hossler, United States. 10th hole-ﬁrst hole 11:25 a.m.-6 a.m. — Keith Mitchell, United States; Bob Sowards, United States; Adam Hadwin, Canada. 11:36 a.m.-6:11 a.m. — Eric Cole, United States; Eric Steger, United States; Cam Davis, Australia 11:47 a.m.-6:22 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, United States; Brian Bergstol, United States; Jacob Bridgeman, United States. 11:58 a.m.-6:33 a.m. — Niklas Norgaard, Denmark; Byeong Hun An, South Korea; J.J. Spaun, United States. 12:09 p.m.-6:44 a.m. — Patrick Rodgers, United States; Nick Taylor, Canada; Dean Burmester, South Africa. 12:20 p.m.-6:55 a.m. — Joe Highsmith, United States; Cameron Young, United States; Aaron Rai, England. 12:31 p.m.-7:06 a.m. — Tom Hoge, United States; Matthieu Pavon, France; Taylor Pendrith, Canada. 12:42 p.m.-7:17 a.m. — Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen, Denmark; Patton Kizzire, United States; Matt McCarty, United States. 12:53

I’ve handled all of that mentally on this exact golf course in this exact tournament.”

It’s helpful, too, that the weight of a losing streak has been lifted from his shoulders.

The win at Harbour Town last month — his ﬁrst since the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills — was something he called “the last thing I needed to do for my own well-being” and helped jettison him back into the top 10 in the world, while proving he’s capable of making big shots to close out a win. He nearly pulled off another last week at the Truist Championship but wound up tied for second after a late run at the leaders.

He’s in the right “head space,” and he appears set on reaching bigger goals ahead

“I have a lot of faith and a lot of ability — or trust in my ability,” Thomas said. “I have conﬁdence in, I feel like, what I can do.”

7,626-yard course even longer for a course where the strategy is the same for most players off the tee grab driver and try to keep it in the short grass. The exceptions are the eighth and 14th holes, both par 4s that are reachable depending on the tees.

“Off the tee, you’re just trying to get the ball in the fairway, really, and get the ball in the fairway probably as far as you can down there, just so you can have a shorter club into the ﬁrm greens,” Schefﬂer said. “I think there will be a lot of strategy going into the greens, just not as much off the tee.”

In a letter to Lenkov, Manfred wrote, “In my view, a determination must be made regarding how the phrase ‘permanently ineligible’ should be interpreted in light of the purposes and policies behind Rule 21, which are to: (1) protect the game from individuals who pose a risk to the integrity of the sport by prohibiting the participation of such individuals; and (2) create a deterrent effect that reduces the likelihood of future violations by others.

“In my view, once an individual has passed away, the purposes of Rule 21 have been served. Obviously a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game. Moreover, it is hard to conceive of a penalty that has more deterrent effect than one that lasts a lifetime with no reprieve. Therefore I have concluded that permanent ineligibility ends upon the passing of the disciplined individual, and Mr Rose will be removed from the permanently ineligible list.”

A 17-time All-Star during a playing career from 1963-86, Rose holds the record for hits (4,256), games (3,562), at-bats (14,053), plate appearances (15,890) and singles (3,215). He was the 1963 NL Rookie of the Year, 1973 MVP and 1975 World Series MVP A threetime NL batting champion, he broke the prior hits record of 4,191 set by Ty Cobb from 1905-28.

“Pete is one of the greatest players in baseball history, and Reds Country will continue to celebrate him as we always have,” Reds owner Bob Castellini said. “We are especially happy for the Rose family to receive this news and what this decision could mean for them and all of Pete’s fans.”

Jackson was a .356 career hitter who was among the eight Black Sox banned for throwing the 1919 World Series. He died in 1951, but he remains one of baseball’s most recognizable names in part for his depiction by Ray Liotta in the 1989 movie “Field of Dreams.”

This undated file photo shows Shoeless Joe Jackson, who played in the major leagues from 1908-20. Jackson is often remembered for his association with the Black Sox Scandal, in which members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series.

What else needs to happen for Rose or Jackson to reach the Hall of Fame?

Under a rule adopted by the Hall’s board of directors in 1991, anyone on the permanently ineligible list can’t be considered for election to the Hall. Jackson was twice considered on ballots by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, but received just 0.9% in 1936 and 1% of a nominating vote in 1940. Rose’s reinstatement occurred too late for him to be considered for the BBWAA ballot. If not on the permanently banned list, Rose would have been eligible on the ballots each from 1992 through 2006. He was written in on 41 votes in 1992 and on 243 of 7,232 ballots (3.4%) over the 15 years, votes that were not counted.

Hall of Fame Chairman of the Board Jane Forbes Clark said in a statement that players affected by Manfred’s ruling Tuesday would be considered.

“The National Baseball Hall of Fame has always maintained that anyone removed from Baseball’s permanently ineligible list will become eligible for Hall of Fame consideration,” she said. “Major League Baseball’s decision to remove deceased individuals from the permanently ineligible list will allow for the Hall of Fame candidacy of such individuals to now be considered.”

Without the ban, both players are eligible for the Hall’s Classic Baseball Era, which next meets to consider players in December 2027 and considers those whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.

A 10-person historical overview committee selects the eight ballot candidates with the approval of the Hall’s board and the ballot is considered by 16 members at the winter meetings, with a 75% or higher vote needed The committee members include Hall of Fame members, team executives and media/historians

THEVARSITYZONE

Riverside’smagical ride

fallsshort by onerun

Vermilion Catholic defeatsRebelsinDiv.IVsemifinal

BY MIKE COPPAGE

Contributing writer

Riverside Academy started only one senior,center fielder

Kaden Brumﬁeld, on ateamthat took down two higher seeds on the road to reach the Division IV selectsemiﬁnals.

The No. 11-seeded Rebels rebounded from deficits twice to take the lead in their semifinal game against No. 2Vermilion Catholic on Tuesday at McMurry Park in Sulphur,but theEagles escaped with a9-8 win after forcing adouble play with thebases loaded and one out in theseventh inning.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought,” Rebels coach Jade Falgoust said. “That was very,very good to see. Youcan cheer and hoorah all you want, but at the end of the day,the players have to do it. They competed every single inning.” Cole Jacob was hit by apitch and Brumﬁeld doubled in the seventh. First baseman Ayden Bullock walked, and cleanup hitter Brody Vicknair hit the ball hard, but right at pitcherDominic Gau-

Brother Martin’s BradyMcCluskey loses his sunglasses while makinga catch against Ponchatoula in the second inning during aDivision I select quarterfinal playoff game on May1atKirschRooneyStadium.

STAFF

PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD

treaux, who threw to the catcher Arelay throw to ﬁrst completed thedouble play for Vermilion Catholic (24-7), which losttothe Rebels in the regional round last year.

“It’sunfortunate how it ended with the double play,” Falgoust said. “With one out,you giveyourself achance to take the lead in thelast inning. That’sall youcan ask for.”

The Rebels (21-12), who knocked off No. 6Ascension Catholic and reigning champion No. 3Opelousas Catholic in the playoffs, ﬁrst rallied from a1-0 deﬁcit with four runs in the third. Bullock and shortstop Brock Bourgeois each hitatwo-run single.

“Our three- and four-hole hitters (Bullock and Vicknair) hit abunch of balls hard today,” Falgoust said. “They’re right where you want to be.Wehad our chances.Unfortunately,the ball didn’t bounce our way this time.”

Twoballs rolled the Rebels’ way in the sixth inning. Trailing 7-6, Brumﬁeld and Bullock each scored on pitches that got past the VC catcher.The duo each ﬁnished with three hits.

“That’s theblessing and acurse at the Class 1A school,” Falgoust said of having ayoung team. “You have guys fromeighth to 12th gradeall playing. Brumﬁeld will be greatly missed, hitting in the two-hole, but to have eight starterscoming back:that’sdeﬁnitely apositive.”

Junior JayceRuiz, whowon bothplayoff games, pitched 41/3 innings andwas charged with seven hits andsix earned runs. He walked ﬁve and struck out three, including astrikeout of Eagles shortstop Jonathan Dartez with thebases loaded to end an inning.

“Jayce is acompetitor,” Falgoust said. “Weknew he wouldn’t be as sharp as he wasagainst Opelousas Catholic (two-hit shutout)onshort rest, but he played pitch and catch this morning, and told me he felt good. Ithought he threw great.Hegave us achance to win.”

Vicknair andfreshman designatedhitter Will Raucheach collected twohits. Sophomore Colten Diamond had ahit andscored a run. Jacob, an eighth grader,had ahit, RBI and one run.

No. 3Maurepas 10 No. 4Ebarb 18, No. 1Family Christian 8 Final No. 2Harrisonburgvs. No. 4Ebarb, 11 a.m., Field 40 Select DIVISION I No. 1Catholic vs.No. 3Brother Martin Finals-best of three series Thursday-Sunday, 5:30 p.m. Field 40

DIVISION II No. 1Teurlings Catholic vs.No. 7E.D.White Finals-best of three series Thursday-Saturday2p.m. Field 40

DIVISION III No. 2U-High (27-9) vs.No. 4Catholic-New Iberia Finals-best of three series Thursday-Saturday, 11 a.m. Field 40

DIVISION IV Semiﬁnals No. 2Vermilion Catholic 9, No. 11 Riverside 8

No. 12 Ouachita Chrisian 12,No. 1Covenant Christian 7 Final No. 12 Ouachita Chrisian vs.No. 2Vermilion Catholic 2p.m., Field 40 Vermilion Catholic 9, Riverside 8 DIVISION IV SELECT SEMIFINAL Riverside 004 022 0–8114 Vermilion Catholic 101 142 x– 993 W—Dominic Gautreaux (2 IP,2H,0R,2BB, 1 HBP,1K). L— Brady Bourgeois (1.2 IP,3H,2R 1ER, 1BB, 2K) TopHitters: RA –Kaden Brumﬁeld 3-4, 2 runs; Ayden Bullock2-4, 2RBIs, 2runs; Brody Vicknair2-4, run; William Rauch2-4, RBI;Cole Jacob 1-2, RBI,1run. VC –Jackson Trahan 2-3, 2RBIs, 1run; Bryce Lege 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2runs; William Simon 3-4, 2B, RBI,2runs; CadenDehart1-3, 2RBIs, 1run; Jacob Dubois 1-3, 2B, RBI. Next: Division IV select ﬁnal: Vermilion Catholic vs.Ouachita Christian, 2 p.m. WednesdayonField 40 at McMurry Park in Sulphur.

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

The UNO baseball team enters the SouthlandConference Tournamentasthe No. 8seed, but its conﬁdence is high with an experienced group that includes 14 seniors. Atop four seed in each of the past three seasons, UNO (25-24) entersthisyear’stournament as thelowest seed. UNO was setto be the No. 7seed but droppedto No. 8after being swept by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to close out theregular season

The drop in seeding worked outfrom atravelstandpoint with UNO nowheading to Hammond to face No.1 seed Southeastern Louisianainstead of No.2 seed Texas-RioGrande Valley in Edinburg, Texas

“Wewere prepared to stay in Texas, but we’re very familiar with (Hammond),” UNO coach

Dax Norris said. “It worked out. All the Louisiana teams on one side (of the bracket)and allthe Texas teams on one side. We’re looking forward to getting up there andcompeting for the championship.”

UNO’s senior class is led by twowaystarBryce Calloway,who serves as theprimary ﬁrstbaseman andcloser. Calloway led UNO in battingaverage (.378),home runs (14), RBIs(55) and runs scored (55) as well as saves (8).

ANew Orleans native, Calloway has stayed healthy this season after missing games last year.He hasappeared in all 49 contests, including 16 as aright-handed relief pitcher

“Thisyear has truly been a blessing,”Calloway said. “Being able to comeback to the same school for the ﬁrst time in my college career has been awesome. There’sbeensomebumps in the road,but I’mtrulyblessed to be in the position I’min. We’vebeen pretty healthy allyearlong.”

UNO ﬁnishedinthe top half of the Southland in severalhitting categories.Seniorthirdbaseman BryanLoriga, senior outfielder Tristian Moore, junior second baseman Collin Loupe and junior outfielderCollin Husser were among the tophitters.

Loriga delivereda .302 batting average, andMooreﬁnished with 10 home runs. Astrong defensive presenceatsecondbaseand shortstop, Loupe hit.298. Husser launched nine home runs.

The UNObullpen hastaken shape down the stretch,with

juniorright-handed pitchers

Ira Austin andCarsonKimball emergingasgo-to arms.A Rummel graduate,Austin leadsUNO with a2.08 ERA and had ateamhigh four wins in 26 innings.

“We’ve cleaned up the walks,” Austin said.“We startedlanding our secondary pitches forstrikes, and it’shelped us out alot. To be abletoplayfor my hometown,it’s amazing.”

Seniors Grant Edwards and Zach Longshorehaveservedas UNO’s top starting pitching options. The right-hander Edwards had91strikeouts in 731/3 innings.

Edwards is set to take the mound in UNO’s ﬁrst Southland Conference Tournament contest at 6p.m ThursdayatAlumni Field against Southeastern. Edwards outdueled Southeasternace BrennanStuprich in a4-1 UNO win back on March28.

“You’re going against one of the toparms (Stuprich) in the league, if not the top arm,” Norris said. “Wecameout and scored four on him here, andour guy (Edwards) was able to match them from then on out.”

The UNO-Southeastern winner will face the winner of No. 4Northwestern State and No. 5 McNeeseState at 6p.m.Fridayin Hammond. The two losing teams will play at 1p.m. Friday, with the loserofthatgamegetting eliminatedfromthe tournament.

The Southland Tournament is double-elimination, withthe two winnersfromeachsideofthe eight-team bracket facing offin abest-of-three championship seriesbeginning May22. The tournament winner gets an automatic NCAA regionalberth. EmailSpencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

Hammondbracket

Thursday’s games Game 1–No. 4NorthwesternState vs.No. 5 McNeese, 1p.m. Game 2–No. 1Southeastern vs.No. 8New Orleans,6 p.m. Friday’s games Game 3–Game1Loser vs.Game 2Loser, 1 p.m. (elimination game) Game 4–Game1Winnervs. Game 2Winner, 4p.m. Saturday’s games Game 5–Game3Winnervs. Game 4Loser, 1 p.m. (elimination game) Game 6–Game4Winnervs. Game 5Winner, 4p.m. Sunday’s games Game 7–Game6Winnervs.

Brennan’s found itsnext chef close to home

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

Brennan’s Restaurant had afull house on thebooks for Mother’sDay,but even before the ﬁrst eggs Sardou went out thatbusy Sunday morning, the dining room wasringing with atoast and cheers followedby hugsand congratulations. When the staff gathered for the preservice meeting, proprietor Ralph Brennan announcedthat one of their own had been named as the restaurant’s new executive chef. No introductions were required. Kris Padalino has beenpart of the restaurant’sculinary team for thepasteight years. The new positionputs her at the helm of ahistoric New Orleans restaurant that hasbeen navigating its own transformation betweenthe timeless and the modern “Kris is going to writethe next chapter for us,” said Brennan. “She’smore than agreat cook. She’sagreat leader.”

Dual roles, ‘one voice’

She takes the role previously heldbyRyan Hacker,who had ledthe restaurant since 2019 (and who, in turn, took over from Slade Rushing).

Padalino worked with both prior executive chefs of Brennan’s modern era, bringing both continuity and her own perspective. Sheemphasizesthe collaborative andcohesive nature of her kitchen, an approach shesums up in the motto “one voice.”

“It’snot just me. It’sthe talent Ihave around me. Iwantto surround myself with talented people and supportthemand makesure they are seen,too. It’safamily unit,” she said. Some of Padalino’sdishes are alreadyonthe menu, and she will be gradually addingmore with her signature. She’ll be tapping herinterestinAsian ﬂavors, especiallyVietnamese, and influences from her own Sicilian heritage,though Brennan’stradition in Creole cuisine remains the foundation.

“Wetake care and pridein the classics, but with amore modern twist,” she said. “It’sspeakingtothe times, but still being true to its roots.”

Padalino was previously executive sous chef and pastry chef, adual role that speaksto her own path in the business. AMiami native,she started outstudyingchemistryand mathematics but switched

LIVING

AMetairierestaurant returnswith anew lens on Mexicanflavor Freshtake

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

Chopsticks at aMexicanrestaurant? By the time the waitress brought these to the table, next to the chips and salsa and mezcal cocktails, it didn’tevenseemall that unusual. We were at the Metairie location of Tacos del Cartel for its reopening, and it was ascene. There was aDJ thumping away,and lotsof “digital content” being gathered on phonesand cameras of variouscaliber.Thatwas all opening night stuff. But based on theother Tacos del Cartel restaurants underthe same brand, even an ordinary day here is bound to be extra.

The patio out front and the barare decorated like artful botanicalgardens of tropical bursts and artiﬁcial blooms.

Another room with aneonlaced ceiling andmirrored walls feelslike anightclub. Fantastical creatures called alebrijes adorn thewalls, amid intricate light ﬁxtures unfolding above. Some signature cocktails are like theatrical productions; many of theentrees are like

set between thestripmalls and Latin American groceries on this crowded suburban commercial cluster of David Drive. The first Tacos delCartel opened here in 2020 with afairlystandard taqueria menu and astriking design based on Mexican Díade Muertos motifs.The restaurant hadbeen closed forthe past year for renovations. Now that it’sback, the term renovation seems like awild understatement. In theinterim, thecreator

Tacos del Cartel has apatio screened fromthe street by colorful planters.

An espresso sauce is served tablesideoverthe pastel de elote dessert.

STAFF PHOTOSByIAN McNULTy

Neonlights lace the ceiling of adining room at Tacos del Cartel, aMexican restaurant in Metairie.

PHOTO By GEORGE H. LONG HaleyBittermann, from left,Titus Perkins and Christian Pendleton lift up and celebrate the naming of Kris Padalino as newexecutive chef at Brennan’sRestaurant.

By The Associated Press

Today is Wednesday, May 14, the 134th day of 2025. There are 231 days left in the year

Today in history: On May 14, 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition, organized to explore the Louisiana Territory as well as the Paciﬁc Northwest, began its journey near presentday Hartford, Illinois.

On this date: In 1607, Jamestown, the ﬁrst permanent English settlement in North America, was established by members of the Virginia Company In 1796, English physician Edward Jenner successfully inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps against smallpox by using cowpox matter (Smallpox would be declared the ﬁrst fully eradicated human disease in 1980.)

In 1948, the independent state of Israel was proclaimed in Tel Aviv by David Ben-Gurion, who became its ﬁrst prime minister In 1955, representatives from eight Communist bloc countries, including the Soviet Union, signed the Warsaw Pact in Po-

BITES

Continued from page 1D

with us on the journey,” she said

Justine opened in 2019, a year before the pandemic forced major changes across the hospitality sector that still reverberate in higher costs and altered dining habits. The timing of the closure is not coincidental. The impending summer is often the spur for restaurants to determine if they can make it through the typical slump again. Sometimes, as with the recent case of MoPho and Maypop, the answer is no, and restaurants close for good

“Every year you look at summer You try to learn from it, ask yourself how we can prepare better It’s the biggest challenge we face, like every other restaurant,” Devillier said. “It’s daunting; it’s just the reality of running a restaurant in New Orleans.

The Devilliers, a husband-andwife team, also run La Petite Grocery, 4238 Magazine St., a longtime ﬁxture of Uptown ﬁne dining. That restaurant continues unchanged by the Justine news

Justine opened three years after Devillier had won the James Beard award for Best Chef: South. He had earlier competed on the Bravo show “Top Chef.”

The 200-seat restaurant has a zinc bar and is ﬁtted out in marble and brass and plush banquette seating across rooms with the contours of a classic French brasserie. At the same time, neon ﬁxtures, contemporary murals mapping New Orleans and Paris (by local artist Ellen Macomber), and a list of programming that included DJs, burlesque dancers and drag brunches gave it a modern pose.

Justine initially focused on French-style steaks, including a kingly cote du boeuf, and brought dishes like seafood towers, raclette cheese service, mussels and lobster tartine. The menu later took a more casual direction, adding fried chicken sandwiches, ﬁsh and chips and shrimp and grits to its French standards.

The restaurant opened with a DJ booth built in by the bar, and customers have brought their

land (The pact was dissolved in 1991.)

In 1961, Freedom Rider civil rights activists were attacked by violent mobs in Anniston and Birmingham, Alabama.

In 1973, NASA launched Skylab, the ﬁrst American space station, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

In 2022, an 18-year-old White supremacist wearing body armor opened ﬁre in a supermarket in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 people before being taken into custody (The gunman, Payton Gendron, was sentenced to life in prison without parole in February 2023.)

Today’s birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Tony Pérez is 83. Filmmaker George Lucas is 81. Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis is 74. Musician David Byrne is 73. Actor Tim Roth is 64. Actor Cate Blanchett is 56. Filmmaker Soﬁa Coppola is 54. Former NFL running back Frank Gore is 42. Actor Amber Tamblyn is 42. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is 41. Former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski is 36. Actor Miranda Cosgrove is 32.

the French brasserie Justine.

own ﬂair, particularly around holiday functions The Friday before Mardi Gras the restaurant traditionally hosted a ticketed daytime party that always sold out.

As at other restaurants that have announced closings in advance, the proprietors are hoping the news gives regulars time to visit again and support their staff in the ﬁnal days.

— Ian McNulty Marigny hotel bar ranked high

When people choose to come to New Orleans, there are plenty of great hotel options, with six of them designated by the Michelin Hotel Guide in 2024.

And one of the hotels on the list is getting extra attention this year after Food + Wine released its list of the best hotel bars in the U.S.

The Elysian Bar (2317 Burgundy St., 504-356-6769), inside Hotel Peter and Paul in the Marigny, made the No. 2 spot on the list.

The No. 1 pick is the famous King Cole Bar at the St Regis Hotel in New York City

Food + Wine said it polled over 400 of its chefs, travel experts, food and travel writers, and wine pros worldwide. Brad Japhe’s article explained that the bars on the list are at “the forefront of modern cocktail culture,” excelling at classic cocktails while offering innovative concoctions.

Hotel Peter & Paul opened in 2018 in the former Peter and Paul Catholic Church, which had been closed for more than a decade before its transformation. The Elysian Bar is set up in the former church rectory and features a faux marble bar top with other exquisite details. In addition to its cocktail selection, the bar offers light bites and features a courtyard as another option to lounge.

—

Chelsea Shannon

TACOS

Continued from page 1D

of Tacos Del Cartel, the local VEHO Hospitality Group, opened a grand new location in downtown New Orleans last year, and another in Baton Rouge in April. These have recast the original concept from design to menu, and there is more on the way. The same company has a Tacos Del Cartel taking shape in West Palm Beach, Florida, and other concepts in the works for downtown New Orleans.

“We want to bring something different to our community,” said Vilexys Cruz, owner of the restaurant along with her husband Danny Cruz.

Mexico City chef at play

The menu shared by all the Tacos Del Cartel locations is guided by a new chef, Atzin Santos, who runs multiple restaurants in his native Mexico City, where he’s gained acclaim (his restaurant Limosneros is recommended by the Michelin Guide).

There’s plenty of traditional Mexican flavor in play at Tacos del Cartel but, as the chopsticks indicate, this is not a conventional Mexican restaurant.

Thus ordering the trompo al pastor meant staff soon were setting our table with a vertical rotisserie, with a ﬂame behind grates ﬂickering at pork slices stacked on the spit between pineapple and onion A quesadilla was arrayed beneath it, catching the drippings. This is how the restaurant presents buildyour-own al pastor tacos.

Before that, one of the numerous raw seafood dishes was a shrimp aguachile (a dish like ceviche be-

BRENNAN’S

Continued from page 1D

tracks and attended culinary school at the Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California. Early in her career, she cooked at the inﬂuential Los Angeles restaurant Campanile, working with chefs Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton, and later worked in Denver, often toggling between pastry and working the line on the savory side as her career progressed. Pastry chef is not the usual path to executive chef, and Padalino said she hopes her story will draw more attention to talent on that side of the kitchen. She also wants to encourage more women to pursue leadership roles in hospitality

fore it cures into ceviche), in a juicy marinade made black with charred vegetables. Next to this was a Mexican dynamite roll, a combo of shredded surimi (crab stick) dressed with Kewpie mayonnaise, one of a handful of dishes adding a dash of Japanese to the menu. But Santos’ menu is unmistakably Mexican, and that starts with the tortillas. Tacos are the basis for everything once you get past the appetizers and salads. Like the trompo, all the larger dishes, all the way up to a $150 Tomahawk steak, are served with tortillas. These are special This kitchen makes its own tortillas using nixtamalization, the ancient

“One goal is to inspire young female chefs to really take the plunge and see where they can go,” she said.

A revived classic Padalino joined Brennan’s in 2017, three years after the reincarnation of what had been a grand but faded New Orleans classic. Famous for its lavish “breakfast at Brennan’s,” for bananas Foster, the dessert invented in its kitchen, and for its Old World ambiance, the restaurant also looms large in the history and culture of New Orleans dining. It was here that the Brennan family established themselves as leading New Orleans restaurateurs and set a path that generations and various branches of the family have followed through

preparation for turning dried corn into masa, which gives them a toasty ﬂavor and gently stretchy texture.

The kitchen’s composed tacos run from carnitas (pork) and asado (steak) to soft-shell crab with chicharron-studded salsa and chorizo with roasted bone marrow

The house take on birria have the tacos clipped to a clothesline. A lot of this seems designed for social media, or at least entertainment dining, but the underlying ﬂavors are there.

Desserts, creative cocktails

Go all in for dessert and they will bring a miniature vending cart to the table with churros to dress up with ice cream sauces. The pastel de elote is a more mellow ﬁnale, like a sweet cornbread cake verging on the savory with an espresso sauce poured tableside.

Specialty drinks from the bar can make some Polynesian drinks look tame, at least in presentation. The “rosanova,” with a blend of rums and a cap of guava foam, is unveiled from a tall glass dome ﬁlled with smoke. The “beeyuzuful” pairs tequila, a watermelon honey and yuzu (the Japanese citrus) and lands before you in a glass shaped like a bee. You hold it horizontal to drink. If you can keep from making buzzing sounds as you do, you’re more mature than I. Finally, though, it was the mezcalita, balanced, refreshing with a bit of tajin mixed with toasted tortilla, that was the hit of the night. We ordered a second round of these straightforward sippers while sitting back to watch the show around this room.

Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

many other restaurants.

The historic restaurant had fallen on hard times, however when Ralph Brennan, a cousin of its former operators, and his then-business partner Terry White bought the property in 2013 at a foreclosure auction. They reopened it the following year after completely remodeling the interior and introducing a new culinary direction. Ralph Brennan took on full ownership in 2022.

In 2021, Brennan’s wine cellar regained its long-held status as a Wine Spectator Grand Award winner, in recognition of “offering some of the highest level of wine service in the world,” according to the publication.

Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.

By IAN McNULTy

short rib and frites is served at

STAFF PHOTOS By IAN McNULTy The bar is a hub of activity at Tacos del Cartel, the Mexican restaurant in Metairie.

The tlacoyocitos corn cakes are filled with beef and served with Wagyu steak at Tacos del Cartel.

John Davidson, Madeleine Landrieu, Cynthia Woodard, Frank

Adam Cossey, Deidre Deculus Robert,Mike

n Bar Foundation

Chuck Bourque, Brooke Tigchelaar

Giering,Colleen Jarrott, Chief Justice

The Four Seasons Hotel was the location for the laurels when the Louisiana Bar Foundationheld its 39th annual gala and honored four worthy individuals, including Frank X. Neuner Jr ,ofNeunerPate Attorneys at Law,asthe recipientofthe Calogero Justice Award.The three others were Distinguished Jurist Cynthia T.“Cindy”Woodard,retired, Third Judicial District Court; Distinguished Attorney Glenn J. Armentor, The Glenn Armentor Law Corporation; and Distinguished Professor Dean Madeleine Landrieu, LoyolaUniversity NewOrleans College of Law,a Pinnacle category sponsor,along with The Glenn Armentor Law Corporation, and Louisiana National Bank. Allfourrecognitions, theCalogero and the Distinguished, were attributed to 2024.

G.Adam Cossey and BrookeTigchelaar co-chaired thegala committee that included Travis Alexander Beaton, Magdalen BlesseyBickford, Gabrielle Broders, Kordell Caldwell, Michael G. Calogero, ClercCooper,Brett Mason, John F. Olinde and Sharonda R.Williams Listed as the2024-2025 LBF ofﬁcers were Deidre Deculus Robert,immediate past president; retired Judge John C. Davidson,president; and as respective vice president,treasurer andsecretary, Edmund J. Giering IV,Michael J. Mestayer, and Charles C. Bourque Jr Thegenerosity of the sponsors was extensive.

Patrons arrived in festiveforce at 6:30for their special hobnobbing. They,and the later gala assembly,admired thelook of thelevity.Harkins the Florist created arrangements of pretty spring mixes, while Billy Heroman‘s plantscaping division provided the tropical plants. Ice was nice —infact very nice!—thanks to thegiant logo sculpture at the Martini Bar done by AlbrechtIce Sculptures. The food complement to the ‘tinis were passed appetizers, suchasGulf ﬁsh ceviche, Caribbean chicken curry salad, andouilleencroute andcrabRangoon.Catering for boththe patron party and the seated dinner was by the Four Seasons Meanwhile, an array of 45 silent auctionitems luredthe black-tie crowd of judges, attorneys and law professors from acrossthe state. Thetop selling items were the Bayou Charters Fishing Trip, bought by an anonymoussupporter,along with acustom suit from RubensteinsNew Orleans, anda stayatthe GrandHotel Golf Resort &Spa. They were purchased respectively by Corey Pierce and Deidre D. Robert. The program began with awelcome by co-chairs Cossey and Tigchelaar,followed by outgoing LBF president Davidson’sintroductionofthe above 2024 honorees. The Paddle Raise generated more excitement andmoney forthe foundation’scause of funding civil legal aid andservices.

The next order of program activity wasthe installation of the next LBF ofﬁcersby Chief Justice John L.Weimer Dubbed as president,vice president and treasurer were the above Messrs. Giering,Mestayer and Bourque, whowere accompanied by their wives, Cathy, Suzanne and Julia. Colleen Jarrott is the new LBF secretary Joining the four honorees were spouses Tracy Neuner,Rusty Woodard, and PaigeSensenbrenner for Dean Landrieu. From thelatter’sfamily came sister MaryLandrieu,aformer U.S. senator,and husband Frank Snellings;and brother Mitch Landrieu,former New Orleans mayor,and spouse Cheryl. Diane Davidson and PennyWeimer were noted with their husbands, both named John.Still otherswereLouisiana Supreme Court Justice Jay McCallum with Deanna,and dozens from therosters of the 20 Year Fellows and the Fellows Class of 2024. All relished the dinner menuofsunburst salad, beef short rib and Gulf drum, and lemon mascarponecheesecake.

Throughout the gala evening, camaraderie aboundedand congratulations ﬂowed to the four honorees, whose awardswerecreated by India Stewart Designs.

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

n ‘Billy’ and Broadway Marqueed as “RazzleDazzle Evening” with “dinner,theatre (and) fun,” therecent fundraiser given by theNational Council of Jewish Women of Greater New Orleanswas ahit. The venue was the Jefferson Performing Arts Center in Metairie, where an exclusive reserved seating area accommodated the crowd for themuch-lauded performance of “Billy Elliot” with music by Elton John and CharlieStover as Billy.The dance-musical treats thestoryofthe eponymous 11-year-old boy,the son of acoal miner in Northern England, who stumbles upon a life-changing ballet class en route to his weekly boxing lesson.Dance becamehis destiny The sponsor categories were led off by Producer and included theGoldring, along with the Louis and Lillian L. Glazer,family foundations. Director category names were Jane Goldring,Hancock Whitney Susan and BillHess, Bob Merrick, and WVUEFox 8(MegGatto and Rob Masson), and the Principal Dance notables were BarbaraGreenberg, Lis and HugoKahn, Joyce andSidneyPulitzer, Karen and LeopoldSher and Pamela and RobSteeg. Susan Hess chaired the gala committee that included the above Barbara Greenberg, NCJW Section president Gail Chalew (with Stuart), AndreaKabat, BarbaraKaplinsky, Beverly Katz, Dana Shepard (with Louis), KathyShepard, Loel Samuel (with Larry), Nancy Pesses,and Tana Velen.Most all were sighted. Attending, too, were Tricia and Richard Kirschman,Vivian and Richard Cahn, Carole and Dick Neff,and Ana and Juan Gershanik. Many gathered forthe patron and sponsor cocktails.

After the“BalconyDinner forAll” of salmon, risotto, petitsfours andsmallpies by Rommel’s Catering, theparty pirouette wastothe theater places and the razzle-dazzle of show time.

n Birthday!

“Comecelebrate 70 years of constantly Constantine at Tipitina’s” lettered the aqua-colored invitation that requested black tie as the dress code. The “birthday boy” was Constantine Georges. Among his nearest and dearest werehis siblings, John (with wife Dathel), Pamand Alexa Georges (with husband Jerry Armatis), as well as his godchildren, Nike Georges, Marianna Salas and MatthewIonides.Cousin Constantine Pelias also maderounds. Adding to the funwere contemporaries of Constantine Georges whohad been celebrating their own three-score-plus-ten birthdays, as wellasabout twodozen of his friends from London. On Tipitina’ssecond ﬂoor,aballoon installation, in silvery,gold and blue tones and bathed in royal blue lighting, wasthe major decorative element. More blue lighting was cast on the stage, where three groups performed, starting with the Rickie Monie Quartet, and moving on to Tribe Nunzio and the Iguanas. Patois did the catering that included such taste tantalizers as boudin stuffed roasted pig. Ruinart and Taittinger champagnes were readily imbibed. Alate-night Big Easy treat awaited outside in the form of aCafé Du Monde truck with coffee and powdered beignets. After the partying had been going foragood hour or so, Constantine took to the stage moments after the

PHOTOSByJEFF STROUT

Neuner

Edmund

John Weimer

Mestayer

PHOTOSByMARy STROUT

Barbara Kaplinsky,Gail Chalew, Barbara Greenberg,Susan Hess

NancyPesses, Andrea Kabat

KathyShepard, Tricia Kirschman

Dana Shepard, Diana Mann, Loel Samuel

STAFF PHOTOSByNELL NOLAN

NikeGeorges, ConstantineGeorges, Marianna Salas, MatthewIonides

PamGeorges, Alexa Georges

John and Dathel Georges

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Refuse to let stubbornness set in, which could wreak havoc with others and stand between you and your goals. Be strong, stand firm and get agreements in writing. Put safety first.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Keep pushing for what you want. Focus on home improvements, nurturing meaningful relationships and personal growth that helps you achieve your desired happiness.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Refuse to let anyone pressure you into something you don't want to do. Concentrate on keeping the peace and maintaining security. Avoid joint ventures and shared expenses.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Up your game by keeping your image and appearance current and your body language approachable Get together with an old friend or associate to gain insight into personal prospects.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A shift in your surroundings will feed your soul and imagination, giving rise to new and exciting possibilities. Refuse to let emotional interference stifle your dreams.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take pride in your work, and don't be shy about showing off your talents, intelligence and kindness. Expand your plans to meet demands, but don't go over budget.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Guard against anyone interfering in your life, position and plans. Set high standards and

adjust to changes as they occur. Protect against unsavory situations, arguments and injury.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) You know the rules, and you have the energy and the willpower to put your plans in motion. Make changes at home that add to your convenience and comfort. A professional upgrade is within reach.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Keep tabs on your health and financial well-being. Money is available, but it will require time and effort to bring it to fruition. Leave nothing to chance.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. Someone will be happy to take charge or interfere, given the opportunity. Bring energy and a positive attitude into the mix, and you will gain ground.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Refrain from sharing your plans until you have everything in place. Your success depends on how you handle others and promote yourself. Go about your business and implement your plans privately.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Keep an open mind and let your intuition take the lead. Mix business with pleasure, and you'll be surprised by what you achieve. Don't hesitate to travel if it will promote your intentions.

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

TODAy'S CLUE: P EQUALS M

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

FrAnK And erneSt

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

dooneSbUrY

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

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

GramS Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

ken ken

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

Scrabble

Get fuzzy

roSe

DuStin

Drabble Wallace the brave

breWSter rockit

luann

DOTD, 5/29/25 Bidproposalforms,in‐formation andspeciﬁca‐tions maybeobtained by accessingthe bidnum‐ber in LaPacatwww.doa Louisiana.gov/osp or fromthe procurement section listed above. No bidswillbereceived after thedateand hour speciﬁed.The rightisre‐servedtorejectany and all bids andtowaive any informalities TomKetterer Director of StateProcure‐ment FAX(225) 342-8688 140793-may14-1t $15.20 Thursday,May 29, 2025, 10:00 am localtime. SeeRFP fordetails PROPOSAL DUE DATE: June 26, 2025, BEFORE 2:00PM LOCALTIME. CONTACT: CrystalWallace,Procure‐mentContracts Liaison, 713-744-8189 or cwallace@esc4.net. 140790-may14-1t $117.28 PUBLIC NOTICE Sealed Bids forthe B12 NHDPMuseumHVAC Renovations,GillisLong Center,

Security equal to ﬁve percent (5%)ofthe Base Bidand AdditionalBid Items (ABI) andmustbeinthe formofacertiﬁed check, cashier’s checkorbid bond. Bids shallbeaccepted fromContractors who

Allinterested parties are invited to attend theBid Opening on the same dayat10:00 a.m. in theCityofKenner,Building DAuditorium, 1610 Rev. RichardWilsonDrive, Kenner, Louisiana, at which time thebidswillbepubliclyread CITY OF KENNER /s/Elizabeth Herring Chief Financial Officer

Advertisement: The Advocate April 30, 2025 May 7, 2025 May 14, 2025

INVITATION TO BID Sealed Bid No. 25-6897 April 30, 2025 Remove, Furnishand Install Two(2) Air-Cooled RooftopUnits at Exhibition Hall Sealed Bid No. 25-6897

The City of Kenner (alsoreferenced as “Kenner” and “Owner”) will receive sealed bids for: REMOVE, FURNISH AND INSTALL TWO (2) AIR-COOLED ROOFTOP UNITSATEXHIBITION HALL

Bidders may also obtain copies of the biddocumentsand submit bids electronically by visitingwww.centralauctionhouse.com. Sealed bids may alsobereceived by mail or in-person until Thursday,May 29, 2025 at 9:45 a.m by the City of Kenner in the Finance Departmentlocated at: 1610 ReverendRichard Wilson Drive BuildingD Kenner,Louisiana70062

All interested parties areinvited to attend theBid Opening on the same dayat10:00 a.m. in theCityofKenner, Building D Auditorium, 1610 Rev. RichardWilson Drive, Kenner Louisiana, at which time the bids will be publiclyread.There will be an optional pre-bid meetingonTuesday,May 6, 2025 at10:00 a.m. at the Rivertown ExhibitionHall locatedat415 Williams Blvd.inKenner, Louisiana70062. All interested bidders are encouragetoattend.

CITY OF KENNER

/s/ElizabethHerring Chief Financial Officer

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INVITATION TO BID Sealed Bid No. 25-6900

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Sealed BidNo. 25-6900

The City of Kenner (also referenced as “Kenner” and “Owner”) will receive sealed bids for: CONTRACT TO PROVIDE ELECTRICALSUPPLIESAS NEEDED

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Sealed bids will be received until Thursday,June 5, 2025 at 9:45 a.m.,bythe City of Kenner in theFinance Department locatedat: 1610 Reverend Richard Wilson Drive BuildingD Kenner, Louisiana 70062

Allinterestedparties areinvitedtoattend theBid Opening on thesameday at 10:00 a.m. in theCity of Kenner,Building DAuditorium,1610 Rev. Richard Wilson Drive, Kenner, Louisiana, at which timethe bids will be publicly read. CITY OF KENNER

/s/Elizabeth Herring Chief Financial Officer

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Biddersmay alsoobtaincopiesofthe biddocumentsand submit bids electronically by visitingwww.centralauctionhouse.com. Sealed bids mayalso be received by mail or in-person until

Wednesday,June4,2025

Allinterestedpartiesare

a.m. in theCity of Kenner,Building

DAuditorium, 1610 Rev. Richard Wilson Drive, Kenner Louisiana,atwhich timethe bids will be publiclyread. CITY OF KENNER /s/Elizabeth Herring Chief Financial Officer

Advertisement: The Advocate May7,2025 May14, 2025 May21, 2025

INVITATION TO BID Sealed Bid No. 25-6902

May14, 2025 CONTRACT TO PROVIDE CARPENTRYSERVICES AS NEEDED (LABORONLY) Sealed BidNo. 25-6902

TheCity of Kenner (also referenced as “Kenner” and “Owner”) will receive sealed bids for: CONTRACT TO PROVIDE CARPENTRYSERVICES AS NEEDED (LABOR ONLY)

Bidders may also obtaincopiesofthe biddocuments

BuildingD Kenner,Louisiana 70062

Allinterested partiesare invitedtoattend the BidOpening on thesameday at 10:00 a.m. in theCity of Kenner,Building DAuditorium, 1610 Rev. Richard Wilson Drive, Kenner Louisiana,atwhich timethe

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften

TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on June 18, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

LA 70124 LOT24- SQUARE B 7THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1271130 LAKEWOOD SOUTHSUBDIVI‐SION WRIT AMOUNT: $347,577.09 Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans

RB 6 DEAN MORRIS, LLC318-3881440 ZACHARYGAR‐RETT YOUNG TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 5/14/2025 & 6/17/2025 may14-jun17-2t $90.36

EANS, LA 70118 LOT3,SQUARE 469 SEVENTHMU‐NICIPALDIS‐TRICT ACQMIN: 896288 WRIT AMOUNT: $28,235.55

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans

GH 17 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 EMILYA MUELLER

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 5/14/2025 & 6/17/2025

may14-jun17-2t $90.36

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 5700 NEWENGLAND DR,CITYOF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LIBERTY BANK AND TRUSTCOM‐PANY VERSUS TYWANDATAY‐LOR KIMBROUGH

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2013 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground oor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on June 18, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 5700 NEWENG‐LAND DR NEW ORLEANS, LA 70129 LOT22- SQUARE 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1403233 WRIT AMOUNT: $40,755.77

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. ACEMASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans

RB 20 NEWMAN, MATHIS,BRADY & SPEDALE

MATHIS BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 504-8379040 WAYNEA.MAIO‐RANA,JR

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 5/14/2025 & 6/17/2025 may14-jun17-2t $89.83

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 11206 CURRAN BOULE‐VARD,THISCITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:FMM BUSHNELL LONG LAKES, LLCVER‐SUSA ANDC DE‐VELOPERS,LLC AND ALDOLPHUS WILSON,JR CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-678

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground ﬂoor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on June 18, 2025, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 11206CURRAN BD NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70128 LOTS:1 AND2-A, SQUARE:160 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1348396 WRIT AMOUNT: $151,617.37

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Orleans GH 19 NEWMAN, MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 504-8379040 WAYNEA.MAIO‐RANA JR.

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 5/14/2025 & 6/17/2025 may14-jun17-2t $88.77

[

25 IanMcNulty picksdishesfroma year in NewOrleans dining youshouldtry in 2025

Ihope you’re hungry.Hereare 25 tastes, snapshot style, of eating around NewOrleans through another busyyear covering this ever-changingdiningscene.

Roastbeefpo-boy Brocato’sKitchen,422 S. BroadSt.

This is not aranking. Instead, theseare dishes experiences and memories that have stayed with me through the year.Manyare from new restaurants from 2024, othersfromrestaurantsI’vebeen revisiting.

Here’s anew restaurant with an old soul,the type NewOrleans needs to freshen the ranks. It’s all about po-boysand plate lunches,and the roast beef is agood intro. Themeatisthin, wavy slices,with adark richnessthatsmacksonthe palate withstock and gleaming gravy. Youcan taste thegarlic and sometimes seeslices of the clovestoo

Cote de boeuf MaMou, 942N.Rampart St

Chef TomBranighan‘s dishes areas intricately detailed andbeautiful as the restaurantheand Molly Wismeier created. It’sone of the best in town. But it wasstraightforward, classic French treatmentofthis regal steak thatIkeep thinking about after my last visit.The cut, all marbled and succulent, is idealfor sharing around the table,aneventhe accompanying potatoes were perfection.

Hamburger RevelCafe& Bar 133N.Carrollton Ave.

Here’s asleeper hit still waiting to be discovered. It’sthe second restaurant from the ownersofLa TiaCantinainMetairie, and goes moreupscale andglobal. ABasque cheesecakefor dessert seems to be streaked with chocolate sauce. But scoopyourspoon through and this reveals itself as mole, the same as fromthe carnitas dumplings, bringingachocolatey-chile savory contrast to the richcake. It’s outstanding. So arethe cocktails; have another with dessert

Icould have included manymore, but youhave to stop somewhere. Ipicked 25 in sync with 2025togiveyou ideas fordining out in the year to come.

Glazed octopus TANA,2919MetairieRoad

TANA is thereincarnation of chef Michael Gulotta‘s one timepop-up on astylish and grand scale forhigh-end Italian cuisine, mixing the simplicity of fresh pasta and robust sauce next to more complexdishes thatbuild layers of ﬂavor. This dish is apicture of composed Italian ﬁne dining. Thethick leg of octopus is crisp on the edge,tender within, glazed with smokedbone marrow overacake made from squidink risotto

Basque cheesecake Aguasanta, 8312 OakSt.

Here’s asleeper hit still waiting to be discovered. It’sthe second restaurantfromthe ownersofLaTia Cantina in Metairie, and goes moreupscale and global. ABasque cheesecake fordessert seems to be streaked with chocolate sauce. But scoop your spoon through and this reveals itself as mole, the same as from the carnitas dumplings, bringinga chocolatey-chile savory contrast to the rich cake.It’soutstanding. So arethe cocktails; have another with dessert

Siciliansashimi

Porgy’sSeafood Market 236N.Carrollton Ave.

Porgy’scombines an old-school fishmonger with amodern seafood deli. I’mconstantly coming here foroysters andfresh fish for home (especially forDIY crudo). Thisdinein dishdemonstrateswhatyou candowith a fish case filled with fresh catches. It’scrudo 101, with just olive oil andsalt,maybe capers and celery,and achanging varietyoffish.Pair with one of the affordable winesbythe glass.

Laziji (dry chili chicken) Miss Shirley’s ChineseRestaurant 3009 MagazineSt.

Here’s adishfor chili lovers,orfor just lovers.Itstartedasaone-off special as the restauranthas brought deeper regional dishes into play, and customers have embracedit. The chicken is choppedintobitsonthe bone,deep fried and thenwok fried and comes an avalanche of toasted redchilies,along with heroicdoses of garlic and ginger.It’sadishI neverwanttostopeating, and one I keep thinking about whenImust

[ what we ate > what we loved- NewOrleans ]

Arestaurantthatfunctions as a mostly Greek delibyday (with asatelliteespresso barfrom Coffee Science too) turns into acasual taverna at night, with table service, reservationsand an expanded menu with moredishes

ﬁt forsharing. That’show we took down this whole ﬁsh, with mild, yielding meat stuffed with ouzobraised leeksunder agolden-crisp surfacesparkledwith seasalt

Here’s one of my NewYear’s resolutions: I’m visiting the northshoremoreoften (and the Gulf Coast,and the West Bank,etc.). TheSt. Tammanydining scene is often on my mind, if not often enough on my schedule. This upscale Italian spot has been an anchor of it fordecades now, and areturn visit conﬁrmed its excellentconsistency.Lamb ragu has been in rotation foreverhere–simple, deeply ﬂavored, always satisfying.

Thenew ownersand operators at this Uptown gemhavebeen mixing their own signaturewith its long-standing style. This addition from chef RobMistry tells the tale, an eleganttakeonalocal ﬁsh,“scaled” with thin potato slices and dappled with the brinyburst of trout roe. TheVadouvan sauce gives the complexity of curry but with agentler spice thatmakes it agood ﬁt for seafood in particular

fusionﬁnd in eatmentofturkey ry morsels to pull bone. In nice weather antpatio herewith ote: hourschange us via instagram

The signaturedishofthis strip mall Dominican jointstarts with mashed plantain, smooth with olive oil, thick withgarlic and shot through withbitsoffatty fried pork. This is the basisfor anynumberofdishes,though the fat-gleaming crownonthe menu has to be the mofongocon chicharron, cut into thick squares likecracklin’ fused to acakeof tender,roasted pork.

7839 St.Charles Ave.

It wasthe deathoffounder VincentCatalanotto Sr.that broughtbeback to the Vincent’s restaurants overthe summer, to seehow these Creole Italian classics were faring as the next generationtook the helm.This dish wasthis epitome of comfort on aplate,withablend of veal and spinach in fatpasta tubesinan Alfredosauce baked to acreamy texture. The founder’s legacy feels well tended.

Le Ponce, 3133 PoncedeLeonSt.

Good bread, greatprices,early morning hours–it’sa simple recipe fora satisfying starttothe dayand that’sjust whatthis French bakery café from the family behind the adjacentCaféDegas bistro delivers. The build-your-own breakfast sandwiches areeverything they should be,with ﬂaky croissantsor densebaguettesassembled with French ham,smokyandouille and other good ﬁxingstospec. Youcan walk it off with stroll at nearbyCity Park to makeitfull morning.

[ what we ate > what we loved- NewOrleans ]

Friedchicken

Willie Mae’sNOLA, 898Baronne St

This is the new, modern outpost fromthe family behind Willie Mae’s Scotch House(the Treme restaurantthatisstill closed from aﬁre but is slatedtoreturn in 2025). It bringsa differentvibe, and an expanded menu,but there’snodoubt this kitchen revolves around fried chicken.Itmarksthe return of one of thecity’sbestrenditions awet-batter style with an exterior shell thatbreaksintolittle pieces at the bite, with asubtle peppery backbeatwithin.

Vaucroissant

Lagniappe Bakehouse 1825 EuterpeSt.

NewOrleans roots,an artistic aesthetic and culinary precision deﬁne this newbakery café in CentralCity. This grab-andgo savory snack is agood introduction, wrapping a link of localVaucressonhot sausage(of Jazz Fest fame) in alattice pastry.Get a coffee too, andsit forabit under the oak out front.

Nariyal ﬁsh

Saffron NOLA 4128 MagazineSt.

It is stunning to me thatthis restaurant is approaching its eighth year,because every time Ivisit it seemslikesuch afresh revelation. This is especially so when Ibring ﬁrst timersistoexperience it.This signatureentrée beautifully demonstrates the synchronicity of Indian cuisine interpreted in New Orleans,withthe spiced seared of the ﬁsh, the dollop of creamycurdrice, the biteofthe mangopickle and sauces you’ll want to drag some naanthrough.

Onigirazu

ChiChi’s,4714FreretSt.

Ilove arestaurantthatbringssomething new, and this newhot spotsurely does with Korean fried chicken and this other new addition. Onigirazu is likeJapaneseonigiri rice balls fashioned into asushi sandwich, with the sour rice serving as bread banded together by nori. Ilikethe spicy tuna variety the best,but youcan alsoget thesewith ﬁlled with the Korean fried chicken to further mixthingsup.

Pepperoni pizza

NighthawkNapoletana 141Delaronde St

This is the yin to St.Pizza’syang, the Neapolitan counterpointtothe NewYork style pie(yes, it wasagood year forpizza!). Nighthawk’s crust is marked by dark, charedged bubbles,with acrisp crackle and airy textureformed in the wood-ﬁred oven. Every neighborhood needs apizzeria.AlgiersPoint nowhas one I’dcross town to revisit,and, yes, crossthe Mississippi Rivertoo

Adobocracklin’ Southerns, 4620 Veterans Blvd

Thenew brick and mortar forthis food truck phenom gives afixedlocationfor itsbest-inclasscracklin’,which giveanaudible crack over meaty wonksthatburst with fattyflavor This adoboversion, withagarlic-soy flavor and scatterofpeanuts, is one of the subtle Asian touches augmenting the menu.

Glacier51sea bass

Nobu,Caesars Casino,8 CanalSt.

Theglobal brand Nobu is known forcelebrity sightings, foreye-popping prices and for sushi. But it’s the dishes from the kitchen, rather than the sushibar,thatrevealed a restaurantbringing something elsetothe local scene. This fish is truly the Wagyuof sea. Its sweet skin stuck just slightly to the teeth, its whiteflakes separated effortlessly under the fork likewaves,and aflavor bomb of aioli made with yuzu kosho(amix of Japanesecitrus,chile and seasalt) added acid, spice and pop. It’sanexquisitetaste from arestaurantbuilt forindulgence.

Lemoniceboxpie Clancy’s,6100Annunciation St

Muffuletta sticks

AyuBakehouse,801 FrenchmenSt.

This simple twistonalocal ﬂavorisanother compelling creation from thisstandout Marignybakery.Theydon’tlook likemuch, but the textureinthe pull of the bread had me yearning forthe next bite,and each biteisabit differentwiththe mixofItalian meats,olives and cheeseembeddedwithin.

Howtotie the rightbow on ameal thatstarts with aSazerac and movesthrough fried oysterswith Brie and asmoked, fried soft shell crab (topped withmorecrabmeat). Of course this wasatClancy’s,sothe signatureﬁnale forthis upscale Creole happymeal of adinner would be thelemon iceboxpie, singing with cool, tart ﬂavor. This year saw the passing of longtime proprietor Brad Hollingsworth, but alsothe reassurance that Clancy’s will endureunder the next generation

[ what weate > what we loved- BatonRouge ]

24 Here arethe best things we atelastyearin BatonRouge:arancini, tuna tostadas andmore

The news team has thepleasureofgoing aboutthe BatonRouge area to try all sorts of differentfoods —sharing our favorites each week. Looking back at theyear,hereare the24best thingsweate in BatonRougein2024.

Peppers

If there’sone tapa youmust getfromSolera, it’sthe piquillo peppers. Stuffed with manchegocheeseand drizzled with rosemary-infused honey, the blistered peppersoncrostini areamix between sweet,savory andcreamythatdelightand surprisethe tastebuds

Also to note:the Brussels sprouts at Solera aresome of the best Brussels sprouts I’ve had with piquillo pepper jelly,chorizoand crumbled goat cheese.

Lauren Cheramie, FeaturesCoordinator

Afullrackofribs

TJ Ribs, 2324 S. AcadianThruway

I’mnot surewhattook me so long to visitTJRibs, but for my inaugural visit,ribs seemed likethe only option —and I’mglad of the choice. The restaurantproclaimsthatits ribs aremarinatedfor 24 hoursinasecret seasoningand then slow-cooked in whattheydescribe as a“special oven,” before the ribs areﬁnished on agrill and lightly glazed with asignaturebarbecue sauce. So tender.So ﬂavorful. Though Idon’teat ribs often, I’ma fan—and knowwhere I’ll head the next timethe mood strikes JanRisher, LouisianaCultureEditor

SamplerPlatter

Jamaican Vibes, 4763 AirlineHighway

After tryingthe sampler platter fromJamaican Vibes, Ifelt likeplanning avacationtoJamaica andspending my wholebudget on food. Everything wascooked and seasoned to perfection. The jerk ribs fell off the bone when pickedup. They were incredibly tender,and the jerkseasoning wassweet,alittle spicyand well balanced. It’samust-try forany fanofpork ribs

Equally tenderwas the filling of the beef patty. The pastry encasing it wasdelightfully flaky. It wasmy first time tryingaJamaican beef patty, but Ican’t imaginetheyget anybetterthan this Javier Gallegos,staff photographer

Cast-ironredﬁsh

LibraryWineand Provisions

7530 S. BurnsideAve., Gonzales

Theambience in theLibrary Wine and Provisionsiscozyyet sophisticated, with velvet seating, dimlighting and agallery wall that features legendary writers. Theinterior alone is reason to visit,but the food is worth it,too Formyentree, Idecided on cast-iron redfish with risotto,spinach, crawfish and aspicy buttersauce. Oh. My.Gosh. Theredfish melted in my mouthwith the buttersauce, and the risotto complementeditperfectly.I can’twait to go back and try something new.

Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

Potdecrème

Beausoleil CoastalCuisine 7731 JeffersonHighway

On some days,you just need alittle extraboost of happy. Occasionally,chocolate is the only ﬁx. Last week,after along morning thatwas spectacularly cappedoff by alobster roll lunch at Beausoleil, Istill felt the needfor chocolate Potdecrème, translatesliterally to “potsof cream,”which doesn’t do this chocolate pudding dessert justice, in my opinion. Beausoleil’s version is aricher chocolate than mostothers I’ve tried—and that wasjustﬁne by me! JanRisher, Louisiana Culture Editor

Garlic knots

RoccaPizzeria 3897 Government St

CanIjust say: Theseknots arelife-changing?

When Itook my family to Roccafor dinner one evening, everyone kept saying, “Theseare so good. Thegarlic knots areenveloped in chimichurri,fresh herbs and grana,served in asmall cast-iron skillet with whippedprovolone on the side fordipping. Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

PhoCafé

3851 S. Sherwood Forest Blvd

Pho Café specializes in avariety of Vietnamesefare, but forme, the LemongrassChicken ClayPot with rice wonthe day. Served in ahomey, comforting claypot,the dish wasstuffed with savory and sweet chicken, squash, zucchini, bell peppers,onions,celery and rice.The vegetables were cooked to perfection, slightly crispyyet tender,and the chicken wasjuicy and ﬂavorful

The best part of the claypot was the infusionoflemon grassﬂavor mingled together with the chicken, vegetables and rice.The serving size wasgenerous, and Ihad enough for leftovers.All of this deliciousness and aglassofsweet teamet my lunch cravingsfor about $15 JoyHolden, Features Reporter

Zorba’sisone of thoseplaces in BatonRougethat feels likeahiddengem becauseofthe location and the size of the restaurant. The restaurant’s atmosphereischarming, and the traditional Greek dishes aremouthwatering Thechicken el grecoisexcellent, which features zestyoliveoil and garlic sauce, sautéed mushrooms,tomatoes and Kalamata olives, served with salad, grilled vegetablesand ricepilaf for$17

This wassome of the best chicken I’ve had,and it marinatedsowell withthe olive oiland garlic. Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

[ what weate > what we loved- BatonRouge ]

H.B.I.C

Var’sPizza,3030Perkins

This particular pizza at Var’sincludes red sauce, whitesauce, roasted chicken, spinach, bell pepper,Romatomato,pesto, banana peppersand artichokehearts

Every ingredienttasted fresh, and each one had its shining moment. Forme, though, the star wasthe crust,whichishomemade every dayfromSt. Bruno Bread Company. It was thin enough to have crunch andthick enough to hold everything together —the perfect happymedium.

Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

Stir-friednoodles areone of the best stresstests of agood Chineserestaurant. It tellsyou the ﬂavorpalette of aplace, and it showsyou howgenerous they arewith their liao (the non-noodle ingredients thatgointostir fry).

When Ibroughtmyvisitingfamily to eatatAsian Seafood House, Iwas excited about dimsum and congee, but morethan anything, Iwas impressedbytheir beef stir-fried fresh ﬂatricenoodles ($16.80). The ﬂavorissubtle anddelicious After tastingAsian SeafoodHouse’sricenoodles,myparents said theywanttodo Thanksgiving there.

Serena Puang,staff writer

Every Tuesday(and only on Tuesdays)ChowYum hostsTaco Tuesdaywith a birria taco special. Along with the birriatacos,there areother Tuesdaydrink and food specials

Foranappetizer,weordered The Mandu,which features fried spicy beef bulgogi dumplings,melted cheese, kimchi salsa, gochujang aioli, pickled jalapeños and scallions.The dish wasthe perfect amountofspicy without overpowering on the heat.

Next,itwas easytodecide on an entree because of theTuesdayoccasion. The bo kho birria tacos include three Vietnamesebeef stew-inspiredbriskettacos griddled with melted cheeseand onionsand served with Bo Rho consume, slawand pickledjalapeños.Each taco wascrunchyand full of ﬂavor. The dipping juice wassurprising, as it wasspicy but alsoincluded ahintofmint.

Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

If youﬁnd yourself at Gino’s, order the arancini. Thedish includes aball of goodnessstuffed with ground meatand peas and toppedwith sauce and Parmigiano cheese. Each biteisdelectable, and youmay ﬁnd yourself wanting more than one.

Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

Theroasted vegetable lasagna from Cocha looks small but is the perfect portionsizetosavor every biteand not getsick of theﬂavor.Italso comes withalightsidesalad. This veganlasagna provides all the satisfaction of itsnonvegan counterpart and features at least eight different vegetablesfor avarietyoftastes in everybite. A greatlittle mid-week treat.

Serena Puang,staff writer

When Ilived in Nevada forsix years, Igrew accustomedtoenjoying restaurants inside casinos. Turns out,the same is true closer to homethesedays.

At 1717 in The Queen BatonRougecasino on the Mississippi Riverjust north of downtown, the Philly cheesesteak nachos blewmeaway. Iloved the loads of Philly cheesesteak atop agigantic pile of freshly made corntortilla chips —with grilled peppers, grilled onions and cheese sauce on top. Eating while enjoying the viewofthe Mississippi Riverwas the icing on the cake.It wasthe kind of spot thatmade me think, “I can’t wait to be herewithfriends.”

JanRisher, Louisiana Culture Editor

Theexecutiveclub from Martin’sisnot only one of my favorite sandwiches in BatonRouge, but it’s packed withﬂavor First, thereisoven-roasted turkey, grilled ham,hickory smokedbacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Then, youget to pick your bread.Iwentwith 7-grain. All of the contents arelayered amongst three toasty pieces of bread.The cheesemelted in my mouth withthe turkey and ham, and the smoked bacon addedacrunch. To smooth thingsover, the tomatoes and lettuce added a refreshing punchwiththe mayo Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator

Lunch options at Chris’s includechicken Caesar salad wraps,Reuben sandwiches,po-boys and other weekly specials likerice and gravy. Iopted forthe catﬁsh po-boy—something Ihaven’thad in avery long time. When thepo-boyarrived,itwas huge. The bread wassoft on the inside and crispy on the outside, and the catﬁsh wassofresh thatittasted like someone broughtitinoff the boatthatmorning. Thefries were my favoritekind of fries:crispy, crunchyand topped with Cajun seasoning. Lauren Cheramie,FeaturesCoordinator