Quietbillionaire MacKenzieScott’s $180 million in surprise donationsbolsteringLa.’s
neediest families
Heavenly Care Child Development Center 3employeeKenyiaBoydreads to Noah Hall at
May30. Hall is able toattend thecenter for free thanks to agrant from MacKenzie
BY JENNA ROSS Staff writer
ALEXANDRIA— Theday care center’s door opened beforeAnanda Flanagan and her son, Noah, reached it. “Good morning, Noah!” thecenter’s director sang to the 1-year-old,her arms stretched out to him. “How are you today?”
Noah beamed.
Scott
When Flanagan was pregnant,she had planned for family to help with child care.But after her aunt’sschedule shifted, the Colfaxresident found herselfshuffling Noah to work with her, settinghim in apack-and-play Desperate for an alternative,she came across an online ad for an early childhood education grant.
“It was God,” shesaid
It was also MacKenzie Scott. In late 2023, flush with asurprise, $14 million grantfrom Scott’s charity,now known as Yield Giving, the Alexandria-based Rapides Foundation decided to help school districts in Rapides, Grant andNatchitoches parishes match dollars from the
That $2.13million helped 380 infants, toddlers and preschoolers attend an early childhood center —in Noah’scase, for free.
In thefive years since Scott,abillionaire philanthropist, novelist and former wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, began bestowing big, flexible
grants on unsuspectingnonprofits, themoney has taken root in communities across Louisiana. It is giving organizations —someupstart,some well-established —the rare chance to hire, to launch, to expand. To help morepeople.
Xavier Universityreceived $20
Widened useoffacial recognition proposed
NOPD asks City Councilto loosen near-ban on technology
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
Apowerful tool for catching criminals in New Orleansisn’tbeing usedthese days by local police. But after the New Year’s Dayattack on Bourbon Street andlastmonth’sjailbreak by 10 Orleans Parish detainees, somecivic and elected leaders say it’stimethe city loosened the reins on the Police Department’suse of facialrecognition technology At the request of NOPD,City Council members Oliver Thomas and Eugene Green are sponsoring arewrite of a2022ordinance that has kept the department’suse of facialrecognitionincheck, following anear-ban on it before then. The proposed changes come after NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick in April halted theabilityofher officerstoreceive alerts on facial recognition hits for wanted subjects through Project NOLA, aprivately run network
Challenges, opportunities await LSU’s next president
Boardpreparing to launch national search fornew leader
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
WilliamTateIV’sfinal months as president of LSU,leading up to his May announcement that he would step downtobecome president of Rutgers University,had been —toput it mildly —eventful.
In January, LSU’sgeneral counsel resigned andwas soonfollowedbytwo moreofTate’stop lieutenants. In February,Tate testified in the high-profile case of alaw school professor whowas suspended from the university aftermakingcrude classroom remarksaboutGov.JeffLandry andPresident Donald Trump. In March, Tate enacted asystemwide hiringfreeze due to “unpredictable” federal
ä See LSU, page 10A
ä See FACIAL, page 9A ä See GIFTS, page 8A Ballard
STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD
thecenter in Alexandriaon
Scott.
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Deidre and
Central City nonprofit
Scott.
Iran claims access to cache of Israeli files
Iran’s state television said on Saturday the country obtained a large trove of sensitive Israeli nuclear information.
The Islamic Republic’s intelligence services have acquired “thousands of files related to that regime’s nuclear projects and facilities,” according to the broadcaster
The report added that a mission to obtain the material — which it said contain extensive documents, images and videos — was carried out “a while ago,” without providing details on the files or how they were obtained
The claim comes amid renewed escalation of hostilities between Iran and Israel, two countries that came close to an all-out war last year amid the Gaza conflict and Israeli strikes on Iran-backed groups.
The Israeli government made no immediate comment on Iran’s claims.
Last month, reports emerged that Israel was weighing potential strikes on Iranian nuclear sites — a move that Iranian officials have warned could trigger a proportionate response and derail the country’s ongoing negotiations with the U.S.
Chicago police officer killed by friendly fire CHICAGO A Chicago police officer was unintentionally shot and killed by her partner after they chased a suspect into an apartment and encountered another person with a rifle, officials said.
Krystal Rivera, 36, a fouryear veteran of the department is survived by a 10-year-old daughter
The partner was the only person who fired a weapon, and the “gunfire unintentionally struck Officer Rivera,” city police said in a statement Friday An autopsy showed she was shot in the back Rivera died at a hospital late Thursday, less than an hour after being shot.
Colleagues had brought her to the hospital in a squad car that crashed and caught on fire due to a malfunction, according to Police Superintendent Larry Snelling. She was then transported in another squad car
The person who allegedly brandished the rifle was taken into custody, police said. They did not immediately say what charges the person would face.
The shooting occurred just before 10 p.m. on Thursday as Rivera’s tactical unit conducted a stop on someone suspected of having a weapon. A chase ensued that ended in the apartment Investigators later found three weapons at the scene, police said. Snelling called Rivera “young, vibrant and a hard worker.”
Her mother told The Chicago Sun-Times that she had dreamed of being a police officer since she was young.
“For me, it’s a privilege,” Rivera told the Sun-Times when she graduated from the academy in 2021. “I come from a family of serving. To help people in need, that’s my calling.”
Salmonella outbreak in eggs sickens dozens
A salmonella outbreak linked to a large egg recall has made dozens of people sick in seven states in the West and Midwest, federal health officials said Saturday
The August Egg Company recalled about 1.7 million brown organic and brown cage-free egg varieties distributed to grocery stores between February and May because of the potential for salmonella, according to a posted announcement Friday on the Food and Drug Administration’s website.
At least 79 people in seven states have gotten a strain of salmonella that was linked to the eggs, and 21 people have been hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. The recall covers Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Wyoming. A list of brands and plant codes or Julian dates can be found on the FDA and CDC websites.
95 people reported killed in Gaza
Israel says it retrieved body of Thai hostage
BY SAM MEDNICK and MOHAMMAD JAHJOUH Associated Press
TEL AVIV, Israel Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as Israel’s military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s health ministry Nattapong Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel’s government said he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023.
Thailand’s foreign ministry said the bodies of two other citizens were yet to be retrieved. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, the first places overrun in the attack. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the war, according to the foreign ministry
Israel’s defense minister said Pinta’s body was retrieved from the Rafah area in Gaza. The army said he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two IsraeliAmerican hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrieved on Thursday Israel’s military later said it killed the head of the Mujahideen Brigades, As’ad Aby Sharaiya, in Gaza City on Saturday Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families rallied again Saturday evening in Israel, calling
for a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home.
Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker saying Israel’s military had surrounded the area where he’s held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel’s responsibility Israel’s military didn’t immediately comment.
“The decision to expand the (military) ground maneuver is at the cost of Matan’s life and the lives of all the hostages,” Zangauker’s mother, Einav, told the rally in Tel Aviv
Israel continues military offensive
A strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel’s military said the strike targeted the Mujahideen Brigades leader “This is the real destruction,” a
man said as he carried the body of a small boy from the scene.
Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis.
In northern Gaza, a strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital.
“Stand up, my love,” one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies.
Israel said it was responding to Hamas’ “barbaric attacks” and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm.
Reports: Dead tried to get food
Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza’s population of over 2 million relies on
aid after widespread destruction of agriculture as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine.
Israel’s army has warned that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours. It said several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight “in a manner that posed a threat.” The army said troops called out, then fired warning shots as the suspects advanced.
Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel’s military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching.
The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and aid groups.
A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group’s rules, said it didn’t feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response.
Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha.
“I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,” said Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. “I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.”
Trump warns Musk about backing Democrats
President not interested in fixing relationship
BY MICHELLE L PRICE and BILL BARROW Associated Press
BRIDGEWATER, N.J Presi-
dent Donald Trump is not backing off his battle with Elon Musk, saying Saturday that he has no desire to repair their relationship and warning that his former ally and campaign benefactor could face “serious consequences” if he tries to help Democrats in upcoming elections.
Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker in a phone interview that he has no plans to make up with Musk. Asked specifically if he thought his relationship with the mega-billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX is over, Trump responded, “I would assume so, yeah.” “I’m too busy doing
other things,” Trump continued. “You know, I won an election in a landslide. I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration, and saved his life in my first administration, I have no intention of speaking to him.”
The president also issued a warning amid chatter that Musk could back Democratic lawmakers and candidates in the 2026 midterm elections.
“If he does, he’ll have to pay the consequences for that,” Trump told NBC, though he declined to share what those consequences would be. Musk’s businesses have many lucrative federal contracts.
The president’s latest comments suggest Musk is moving from close ally to a potential new target for Trump, who has aggressively wielded the powers of his office to crack down on critics and punish perceived en-
emies. As a major government contractor, Musk’s businesses could be particularly vulnerable to retribution. Trump has already threatened to cut Musk’s contracts calling it an easy way to save money
The dramatic rupture between the president and the world’s richest man began this week with Musk’s public criticism of Trump’s “big beautiful bill” pending on Capitol Hill. Musk has warned that the bill will increase the federal deficit and called it a “disgusting abomination.”
Trump criticized Musk in the Oval Office, and before long, he and Musk began trading bitterly personal attacks on social media, sending the White House and GOP congressional leaders scrambling to assess the fallout.
Vice President JD Vance in an interview tried to downplay the feud. He said Musk was making
Bucharest gay pride march turns 20
BY STEPHEN MCGRATH and ANDREEA ALEXANDRU Associated Press
BUCHAREST, Romania Tens of thousands of LGBTQ+ supporters took to the streets of Romania’s capital Saturday for its annual gay pride parade, following a tense election cycle marked by an increase in hate speech against the community Marchers of all ages walked through Bucharest’s streets and down the central Victory Avenue, as many waved colorful flags, blew whistles and held placards that read: “Be proud, be bold, be you!” Held since 2005, the event marked Bucharest Pride’s 20th anniversary
A highly divisive and chaotic election cycle in Romania saw a rise in support for far-right and conservative political figures and parties in the European Union member, one of the bloc’s most religious countries. Victor Ciobotaru, executive director of ACCEPT Association, an LGBTQ+ rights group, told The Associated Press that throughout the 2024-2025 election cycle, the organization registered “a huge increase” in hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community
“We had more people complaining about being harassed on the streets or being attacked,” he said. “This hate speech doesn’t remain without effect. We can feel the tension within the society We are going to continue to fight for our
rights, no matter the political climate.”
Earlier on Saturday, right-wing groups who advocate for traditional family values and oppose same-sex marriage held an anti-LGBTQ+ countermarch in the capital, with many waving Romania’s tricolor national flag and others holding placards depicting religious icons.
Before the parade, the ACCEPT association also reported a large “STOP LGBT” banner that had been draped over an abandoned Bucharest apartment building, which was later removed.
“These types of actions are now more legitimized by the hate discourse which was spread all during these years, during these electoral campaigns,” Ciobotaru said. “We will not be afraid to go on the streets.”
a “huge mistake” going after Trump, but called him an “emotional guy” getting frustrated.
“I hope that eventually Elon comes back into the fold. Maybe that’s not possible now because he’s gone so nuclear,” Vance said.
Vance called Musk an “incredible entrepreneur,” and said that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, which sought to cut government spending and laid off or pushed out thousands of workers, was “really good.”
Vance made the comments in an interview with “mano-
sphere” comedian Theo Von, who last month joked about snorting drugs off a mixedrace baby and the sexuality of men in the U.S. Navy when he opened for Trump at a military base in Qatar
The Vance interview was taped Thursday as Musk’s posts were unfurling on X, the social media network the billionaire owns. “This stuff is just not helpful,” Vance said in response to a post shared by Musk calling for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vance. “It’s totally insane. The president is doing a good job.”
Obituaries: 504-636-7245
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
A man dances while holding a rainbow flag Saturday during the Bucharest Pride Parade in Bucharest, Romania.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI
Displaced Palestinians carry wood and other items Saturday in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip.
Immigrationauthorities active in L.A. area
By The Associated Press
LOSANGELES U.S. immigration authorities extended their activity in the Los Angeles area Saturday in the wake of protests at afederal detention facility and apolice response that included tear gas, flash-bangs and the arrest of aunion leader Border Patrol personnel in riot gear andgas masks stood guard outside an industrial park in thecityof Paramount, deploying tear gas as bystanders and protesters gathered on medians and across the street, some jeering at authorities while recording the events on smartphones.
“ICE out of Paramount.
We see you for what you are,” awoman said through amegaphone. “You are not welcome here.” One handheld sign said, “No human
being is illegal.” Theboulevard was closed to traffic as Border Patrol officers circulatedthrough
the area. ICE representatives did notrespond immediately to email inquiries aboutweekendenforcement
activities.
The immigration arrests in Los Angeles cameasPresident Donald Trump and his
administration push to fulfill promises of mass deportations across the country
On Friday,Immigration andCustoms Enforcement officers arrested morethan 40 people while executing search warrants at multiple locations, including outside aclothing warehouse where atense sceneunfolded as a crowd tried to block agents from driving away Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said the activity was meantto“sow terror” in the nation’ssecond-largest city In astatement Saturday, ICE ActingDirector Todd Lyons chided Bass forthe city’sresponse to protests. “MayorBasstook theside of chaos andlawlessness over law enforcement,” Lyons said. “Make no mistake, ICE will continue to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and arrest criminal illegal
aliens.” Protesters gathered later Friday outsidea federaldetention center in Los Angeleswhere lawyers said those arrested had been taken, chanting, “Set them free, let them stay!” Someheld signs that said“ICE out of LA!” or scrawled graffitionthe building. Federal agents carried out the search warrants at three locations including the fashiondistrict warehouse after ajudge found probable cause that the employerwas using fictitiousdocuments forsome of its workers, accordingtorepresentatives for Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’sOffice. Advocates forimmigrant rights saypeople were detained by immigration authorities outside Home Depot stores anda doughnutshop.
Democratic states resistingTrump’s immigrationenforcement
BY DAVID A. LIEB Associated Press
As President Donald Trump’sadministration targets states and local governments for not cooperating with federal immigration authorities, lawmakersin some Democratic-led states are intensifying their resistance by strengthening state laws restricting such cooperation.
In Californiaalone, more than adozen pro-immigrant bills passedeither the Assembly or Senate last week, including one prohibiting schools from allowing federal immigration officials into nonpublic areas without ajudicial warrant. Other state measures have sought to protect immigrants in housing, employment and police encounters, evenas Trump’sadministration has ramped up arrests as part of his plan for mass deportations. In Connecticut, legislation pending before Democratic
Gov.Ned Lamont would expand alaw that already limitswhen law enforcement officers can cooperatewith federal requeststodetain immigrants. Among other things, it would let “any aggrieved person” sue municipalities for alleged violations of thestate’sTrust Act. Twodaysafter lawmakers gave final approval to the measure, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security includedConnecticut on a list of hundredsof“sanctuaryjurisdictions”obstructing the enforcement offederal immigration laws. The list later was removed from thedepartment’s website after criticism that it errantly includedsome local governmentsthat support Trump’s immigration policies. States splitonwhattodo Sincetaking office in January,Trump has enlisted hundreds of state andlocal law enforcement agencies to help identify immigrants in theU.S. illegally anddetain
them for potential deportation.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement now lists 640 such cooperative agreements, anearly fivefold increase under Trump.
Trumpalso has lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals, and ordered federal prosecutors to investigate state or localofficialsbelieved to be interfering with his crackdown on illegal immigration. The Department of Justice sued Colorado, Illinois and New York, as well as several cities in those states and New Jersey,alleging their policies violatethe U.S. Constitution or federal immigration laws.
Just three weeksafter Colorado was sued, Democratic Gov.Jared Polis signed a wide-ranging law expanding the state’sprotectionsfor immigrants. Among other things,itbars jails from delaying therelease of inmates forimmigration enforcement and allows penalties
of up to $50,000 for public schools, colleges, libraries,child carecenters and healthcare facilities that collect informationabout people’simmigration status, with some exceptions.
Polisrejected theadministration’sdescription of Colorado as a“sanctuary state,” asserting that lawofficers remain “deeplycommitted to workingwithfederal authorities on criminal investigations. “But to be clear, state and local law enforcement cannot be commandeered to enforce federal civil immigration laws,” Polis saidina bill-signing statement.
Illinois alsohas continuedtopress pro-immigrant legislation. Abill recently given final approval says no child can be denied afree public education because of immigration status —something already guaranteed nationwide under a1982 U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Supporters say the state legislation provides abackstop in casecourt precedentis overturned.
The bill also requires schools to develop policies on handling requests from federal immigration officialsand allows lawsuits for alleged violations of the measure.
Many formsoflegislation
Democratic-led states are pursuing awide range of means to protect immigrants.
Anew Oregon law bars landlords from inquiring about the immigration status of tenants or applicants.New laws in Washingtondeclareit unprofessional conduct for bail bond agents to enforce civil immigration warrants, prohibit employers from usingimmigration status to threaten workers and let employees use paid sick leave to attend immigration proceedings forthemselves or fam-
ily
members. Vermont last month repealed astate law that let law enforcement agencies enter into immigration enforcement agreements with federalauthoritiesduring state or national emergencies. They now need special permission from the governor to do so.
As passed by theHouse, Maryland legislation also would have barred local governments from reaching immigration enforcement agreements with the federal government. That provision wasremoved in the Senate following pushback from some counties that currently have agreements. The final version, which took effect as lawatthe start of June,forbids public schoolsand librariesfrom granting federal immigration authorities access to nonpublic areas without a judicial warrant or “exigent circumstances.”
BY SYRA ORTIZ BLANES Miami Herald (TNS)
MIAMI AMiami Republican who co-founded the group Latinas for Trump is condemning PresidentDonald Trump’smass-deportation campaign and blasting recent immigration enforcement actions as harmful.
“This is not what we voted for,” state Sen. Ileana Garcia said in astatement Saturday.
“I have always supported Trump, through thick and thin.However,this is unacceptable and inhumane.”
Trump’sexecutive orders and the Department of Homeland Security’sactions havetargeted hundreds of thousands of immigrantsin the region, includingCubans and Venezuelans —communities that threw their support behind Trump in the
November election, helping him win Miami-Dade County As top White Houseaide Stephen Miller reportedly demands 3,000 immigration arrests aday,federal agents in Miami and across theU.S.are swoopinginto courthouses to detain people andplace them in quick deportationproceedings that don’trequire ajudge
“I understand the importanceofdeporting criminal aliens,but whatweare witnessingare arbitrary measures to hunt down people who are complyingwith their immigration hearings —inmany cases,with credible fear of persecution claims —all driven by a Miller-like desiretosatisfy aself-fabricated deportation goal. This undermines the sense of fairness andjustice that the American people
value,” said Garcia. Garcia criticized Miller, widely considered the architect of Trump’simmigration agenda.She said in the statement that herparents, Cuban refugees, “are now just as American,ifnot more so than Stephen Miller.”
“I will notback down. I am committedtobeing vocal and proactive in seeking real solutions,not engaging in grand-standing like Stephen Miller,” she told The Miami Herald over text.
In astatement, White Housespokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the administration’srecord, saying that “any illegal alien who is deported from the United States receivesdue process, and if they have pending asylum claimsthey are adjudicated by USCIS prior to any removal.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ERICTHAyER
Trump’s‘bigbill’ chipsawayatbig Obama, Bidenbills
Affordable Care Act, InflationReduction Actwould be affected
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON Chiseling away at President Barack Obama’sAffordable Care Act. Rolling back the green energy tax breaks from President JoeBiden’sInflation Reduction Act.
At its core, the Republican“big, beautiful bill” is more than justan extensionoftax breaks approved during President Donald Trump’s first term at the White House.
The package is an attempt by Republicanstoundo, little by little, the signature domestic achievements of the past two Democratic presidents.
“We’re going to do what we said we were going to do,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, saidafter House passage lastmonth.
While the aim of the sprawling 1,000-page plus bill is to preserve an estimated $4.5 trillion intax cuts that would otherwise expire at year’send if Congress fails to act —and add some new ones, including no taxes on tips —the spending cuts pointed at the Democratic-led programs are causing the most political turmoil.
The nonpartisanCongressional
Budget Office said this week that 10.9 million fewer people would have health insurance under the GOP bill,including 1.4 million immigrants in the U.S. without legal status who are in state-funded programs.Atthe same time, lawmakers arebeing hounded by businesses in states acrossthe nation whorelyonthe green energy tax breaks fortheirprojects
As the package moves from the House to the Senate, the simmeringunrestovercurbing theObama andBiden policies shows just how politically difficult it can be to slash government programs once they become part of civic life.
“When he asked me, what do you think the prospects are for passageinthe Senate? Isaid, good —ifwedon’tcut Medicaid,” said Sen. Josh Hawley,R-Mo., recounting his conversation lastweek with Trump. “And he said, I’m 100% supportiveofthat.”
Health care worries
Not asingleRepublican in Congress votedfor the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, in 2010, or Biden’s inflation act in 2022. Both were approved using thesamebudget reconciliation process now being employedby Republicans to steamroll Trump’s bill past theopposition
Even still, sizable coalitions of GOP lawmakers are forming to protect aspects ofboth of those
programsasthey ripple intothe lives of millionsofAmericans.
Hawley,Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska andothers are wary of changes to Medicaid andother provisions in the bill that would resultinfewer people being able to access health care programs.
At thesame time, crossover groupings of House andSenate Republicans have launched an aggressive campaigntopreserve, at least for sometime, the green energy tax breaksthatbusiness interestsintheirstatesare relying on to develop solar,wind and other types of energy production.
Murkowski saidone area she’s “worried about” is the House bill’s provisionthatany projectnot under construction within 60 days of the bill becoming lawmay no longer be eligible for those credits.
“These are some of the things we’re working on,” she said.
The concerns are running in sometimes opposite directions and complicating the work of GOP leaders who have almost no votes to spare in theHouse and Senate.
While someRepublicans are working to preserve theprograms from cuts, thebudget hawks want steeper reductions to stem the nation’s debt load.
TheCBO said the package would add $2.4 trillion to deficitsover thedecade.
Aftera robust private meeting with Trump at the White House this week, Republican senators
said they wereworking to keep thebill on track as they amend it fortheir own priorities.
The disconnect is reminiscent of Trump’sfirst term,when Republicanspromised to repeal and replace Obamacare, only to see their effortcollapse in dramaticfashion when thelateSen.JohnMcCain, RAriz, voted thumbs downfor the bill on the House floor Battle over Medicaid
In the15years since Obamacare became law,access to health care has grown substantially.Some80 million people are now enrolled in Medicaid, and the Kaiser Family Foundation reports 41 states have opted to expandtheircoverage. The Affordable Care Act expanded Medicaid to all adults with incomes up to about $21,500 foran individual, or almost $29,000 for a two-person household.
While Republicans no longer campaign on ending Obamacare, advocates warnthatthe changes proposed in the big bill will trim back at access to health care.
The bill proposes new 80 hours of monthly work or community service requirements for ablebodied Medicaid recipients, age 18 to 64, with someexceptions. It also imposes twice-a-year eligibility verification checks and other changes.
Republicans argue that they want to right-size Medicaid to root
out waste, fraud and abuse and ensure it’s there forthose who need it most, often citing women and children.
BY DAVID G. SAVAGE
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
WASHINGTON— The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the DOGE team that had been led by Elon Musk to examine SocialSecurity recordsthat include personal information on most Americans. Acting by a6-3 vote, the justices grantedanappeal from President Donald Trump’slawyers and lifted a court order that had barred ateam of DOGE employees of freely examining Social Security records. “Weconclude that, under the present circumstances,”
the SocialSecurity Administration “may proceed to afford members of the SSA DOGE Team access to the agency recordsinquestion in orderfor those members to do their work,”the court said in an unsigned order. In asecond order, the justices blocked the disclosure of DOGE operationsas agency recordsthat could be subjecttothe Freedom of Information Act Thecourt’sthree liberals —Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson,Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan —dissented in both cases. “Today,the courtgrants ‘emergency’ relief that allows the Social Se-
curity Administration (SSA) to hand DOGE staffersthe highly sensitive dataofmillions of Americans,” Jackson wrote. “The Government wants to give DOGE unfettered access to this personal, non-anonymized information right now —beforethe courts have time to assess whether DOGE’saccess is lawful.”
Thelegal fight turned on the unusualstatus of the newlycreated Department of Governmental Efficiency This was anot true department, but thename given to theteam of advisers led by Musk. Were the DOGE team
members presidential advisers or outsiders who should be not given access to personal data?
While Social Securityemployees are entrusted with the records containing personal information,itwas disputed whether the 11 DOGE team members could be trusted withsame material. Musk had said thegoal was to find evidenceoffraud or misuse of governmentfunds. He and DOGE were sued by labor unions who said the outside analysts were sifting through records with personalinformation which was protected by theprivacy laws.Unlesschecked,
“Medicaid was built to be atemporary safety netfor people who genuinely need it —young, pregnant women,singlemothers, the disabled, the elderly,” Johnson told The Associated Press. “But whenwhenthey expandedunder Obamacare, it not only thwarted the purpose of the program, it started draining resources.”
Senate Democratic Leader
Chuck Schumer has said the changesare an Obamacare rollback by another name.
“It decimates our health care system,decimates our clean energy system,” Schumer of New York said in an interview with the AP
Thegreen energy taxbreaksinvolve not only those used by buyers of electric vehicles, like Elon Musk’sTesla line, but also the production andinvestmenttax credits for developers of renewables and other energy sources.
The Housebill hadinitially proposed aphaseout of those credits over several years. But the conservative Freedom Caucus engineered thefasterwind-down within 60 days of thebill’spassage.
the DOGE team could create highly personal computer profilesofevery person, they said.
Afederal judgeinMaryland agreed and issued an orderrestricting thework of DOGE U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander,anObamaap-
pointee, barred DOGE staffers from have accessing to the sensitive personal information of millions of Americans. But herorderdid not restrict the Social Security staff or DOGE employees from using data that did not identify persons or sensitive personal information.
La.could make it illegaltotry to modify theweather
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
Louisiana could soonban any attempt to modifythe weather through techniques like solar geoengineering or cloud seeding after abill passedthe Louisiana Legislature. Those techniques are still either experimental or not widelyused. ButSen.Mike Fesi, R-Houma, said his Senate Bill 46 aims to protect “the people of Louisiana and theintegrity of our environment.”
“With so many unknowns around geoengineering and atmospheric interventions, we’re takinga standfor transparency,public health, andnatural balance,” he said in astatement. “Senate Bill 46 ensures that decisions about our air and climate are made responsibly.”
The bill says that no person shall “intentionally inject, release, apply,ordisperse, by any means, achemical, chemical compound, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere within the borders of this state for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, weather, climate, or intensity of sunlight.”
It also requires the DepartmentofEnvironmental Quality to collect reports from anyone who believes they observe aweather modification activity
When SB46 firstpassed theSenate, support forthe bill fell along party lines, with Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. In theHouse, some Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the bill, though it stillpassed by amarginof 58 to 33. The bill stillneeds Gov.Jeff Landry’ssignature to become law
There are several types of weather modification, both theoretical and real. Few if any such activitiesare taking place in Louisiana. The activity that is primarily associated with solar geoengineering —using
aircraft to disperse aerosols like sulfur dioxide into the atmosphereinaneffort to reflect sunlight and cool the planet —isnot takingplace anywhere in the world, according to Josh Horton, a senior program fellow in solar geoengineering at the Harvard Kennedy School. That conceptisknown as stratospheric aerosol injection, he said, and it is the leading solar geoengineering proposal. So far,there have notbeen any real-world experiments of the theory, anditisnot clear how safe it would be, he said “There have been acouple of attemptstodovery smallscale experiments that have been canceled fora number of reasons. It’svery controversial,” Horton said. “Right now all the research based on stratosphericaerosols is desk-based— it’s either using computer models or small-scale laboratory tests to see which kinds of particles would be most effective andmost benign.” There is another type of solar geoengineeringknown
as marine cloud brightening that hasbeenexperimented with in Australia over the Great Barrier Reef. It involves spraying seawater intolow-lying clouds in hopesthattheywill whiten andreflect sunlight back into space,Horton said. That’s “not really what mostfolks who arepushing these (weather modification) bans in different states have in mind when they’re concerned aboutgeoengineering and claiming it’s happening,” he said. “They’re thinking aboutthese aircraftreleasing megatons of sulfur or something else in thestratosphere that envelopes theplanet, which of course is not happening but perhaps one day would, although we’re nowhere close to that.”
Cloud seeding
Onetype of weather modification that does occur in the United States is cloud seeding. It typically involves using aircraft to release silver iodide intoclouds in an attempt to increase rainfall
or snowfall.
Thescience behind cloud seeding,anactivity that is seventyyears old and mostly takes place out West, is uncertain, said Horton.
“There continues tobedebates among scientists about whether or notit’sthe least bit effective, but Ithink what there is agreement on is that it’snot really harmful,” he said.
According to theU.S. Government Accountability Office,ninestatescurrently use cloud seeding.
“Federal cloud seeding involvement and supportis minimal,” the agency’sweb-
site says. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration does not conduct weather modification activities but requires companies that do to reportsuch activity.Ofover 1,000 project reports dating back to 2000 in the NOAA’s database, none specified Louisiana as alocation. One did mentionthe Gulf, but thevast majority wereinstates like California, Utah, Texas, Colorado, Idaho and North Dakota.
Veeringinto‘chemtrails’
Though SB46 does not mention the conspiracy theoryknown as “chemtrails,” debate on the House floor veered into the topicwhen Rep. Kimberly Landry Coates, R-Ponchatoula,presentedthe bill and saidit wasmeant to protect Louisiana from them.
“Chemtrails” refers to a wide-ranging conspiracy theory based on thebelief that the lines left behind by aircraft areinfactchemicals or metals spread by the government or other organizationsfor purposes such as mind control or weather modification.
Coates, who spoke about chemtrails in relation to weather modification, said she was concernedabout those lines and that multiple “groups” were spreading heavy metals to deflect sunlight.
The lines are actually contrails, line-shaped clouds that are created when the hot air from aplane’sexhaustmixes with cooler air
in the environment, causing condensation, according to the National Weather Service.
Contrails are completely harmless, said Horton, addingthatchemtrailsare not real.
Now,“the idea of chemtrails predates geoengineering but hassortofnaturally swallowed up geoengineering and has sort of even morphed into conspiracy theories aboutgeoengineering happening,” he said. In astatement Friday, Coates explainedshe supported SB46 because it was “a vital step toward protecting Louisiana from the unknownand potentially dangerous consequencesof geoengineering.”
“As these experimental climate interventions become morecommon around the world, Louisiana must take astand to ensure that our skies, air,and environment arenot subject to untested technologies without public oversight,” she said. Coates sponsored abill thatwould more broadly limit activities in the atmosphere, House Bill 608. But, even after the bill’sscope was narrowed through amendments,itfailed to pass the House by avote of 21-72.
Lastyear,Tennessee passedits ownbill banning weather modification,NBC News reported.Florida passed one this year
Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.
LCMC Health combines efforts with theNew Orleans Violence Prevention Ecosystem to addressthe issueofgun violence
from thegroundup
By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com
This articleisbrought to youbyLCMCHealth.
A manisbrought into thehospitalbyEMS after beingshot. Whilethe medicalteamworks to save thepatient,the family anxiouslysitsinthe receptionarea, awaiting news. Descriptions of theincidentare on social media, thefamilyknows whowas involved in theconflict,and tensions are high.The risk of retaliationisreal. This scenario playsout alltoo oftenin NewOrleans andinEmergency Departments across thecountry.Often,thisscenarioisthe beginning of acycle of violence that impactsthose whowereshot, theirfamilies, neighbors, andthe entire community.
This scenario also represents an opportunityfor intervention.Ifcyclesofviolencecan be stopped on thefront end, this canprevent exponentially more violence foryears to come.The Violence Intervention Program, whichoperatesintandem with theSeeds of NOLA Trauma Recovery Center at University MedicalCenterNew Orleans(UMC) wasbornout of theneedtoaddress thedeepseated issueofgun violenceand to make strides in preventing recurrentinjuries.
“ThepartnershipbetweentheTraumaRecovery Center andthe Violence Intervention Programgot startedduringthe height of thepandemic, when we were seeing howmuchofa problemthere was with gunviolence,”saidDr. De Wulf,Directorof ViolenceInterventionServicesatUMC.“We were having alot of conversationsabout howwecould do better forour patients.”
WhenavictimofgunviolenceisbroughttoUMC first andforemost, they aretreated medicallybythe EmergencyDepartmentandTraumaphysiciansand staff.Then,oncethe patienthas been resuscitated oneofUMC’s certifiedViolenceInterrupters willmeetwiththe patientfor immediatecrisis intervention.Theyworkwiththe individual who wasshotand with theirfamilytooffer emotional supportinthe aftermathofthe shooting.They also work to ensure patientsafety, especially after dischargefromthe hospital,and deescalate any potentialongoing conflictorretaliation plans. ThisprogramisacrucialpartoftheNewOrleans ViolencePreventionEcosystem,a networkof organizationsfocused on preventing gun-related injury anddeathand aiding victimsand family membersinrecovery.Thisuniqueand strategically designed ecosystembringstogetherThe New OrleansHealthDepartment’sOffice of Violence Prevention (OVP), Ubuntu VillageNOLA’sPeace Ambassadors,Seeds of NOLA Trauma Recovery Center (TRC), andthe Violence Intervention ProgramatUMC.Eachagencyplays an integral role in addressing theproblem with acollaborative strength that exceeds thesum of itsparts AccordingtoRoberta Dubuclet,DirectorofNew OrleansHealthDepartment’sOffice of Violence
Prevention,thehospital’steamworkswiththeOffice of Violence Prevention to ensure thepatientand family arereferredtothe partnerorganizations whichmostsuittheirneeds.Trauma-focusedmental health treatmentisoffered throughthe Seedsof NOLA Trauma Recovery Center,seeking to break cycles of generational trauma andhelppeopleheal. Furthercasemanagementand coordination of multi-agency services areprovidedbythe Office of Violence Prevention,and mentorship,conflict mediationand additional violence prevention services areoffered by Ubuntu VillageNOLA’s PeaceAmbassadors,which offersindividualized services within acommunity environment.
“Wearealwayshavingconversationsaboutwhat best serves theneeds of theindividual,”Dubuclet said.“We want to meet people wherever they are. WiththeOfficeofViolencePrevention’soversight, thecollaborationsofUMC’s ViolenceIntervention Programand theTraumaRecoveryCenterand Ubuntu VillageNOLA, expand in theirability to motivatechangeinthe livesofindividuals who areat-risk forrecurrent gunviolence.
“Our services in thehospitalare limitedtothe survivor of gunviolence, but what we seeisthat theriskfor furtherinjuryisn’t just in that one person.It’sinthe wholecommunity around them,” said De Wulf.“Youcan thinkofgun violence as an infectious diseasethatspreads from person to person.The biggestriskfactorfor gunviolenceis beingclose to someoneinvolvedingun violence.” Astudy conductedinChicago,published in 2017 by JAMA Internal Medicine,concluded that gunviolenceoperatesinthe manner of a social contagion. People areexposed to therisk of gunviolencethrough social interactions,and efforts to preventfurther gunviolenceare most effective when addressing thesocialcontagion factor versus solely addressing at-riskindividuals basedondemographics. (Green B, HorelT Papachristos AV.ModelingContagion Through Social Networks to Explainand PredictGunshot Violence in Chicago, 2006 to 2014.JAMAIntern Med. 2017 Mar1;177(3):326-333.doi:10.1001/ jamainternmed.2016.8245. PMID:28055070.)
“It’sbeyondour scopetomediate conflicts in the community, butthat’s100%something Ubuntu VillageNOLA’sPeace Ambassadorsare very skilledat. They arereducingcyclesofviolenceby gettingtothe root of it,” De Wulf said.“There’s a lotofbenefitfromhavingthese differentagencies workingtogether. We cancover much more ground than we ever couldonour own.”
The‘it takesavillage’mentality adoptedby theNew OrleansViolencePrevention Ecosystem extendsbeyondtheboundariesoftheorganizations andthisJunethe NewOrleans Health Department is hostinga #WearOrangeawareness campaign to spread awarenessofthe issue, as well as to commemoratethose lost to gunviolence.
“Wecelebrate so many things here in New Orleans, but abranchofour family tree—our heritage—iscut when gunviolenceerupts. Loss of life affects everygeneration,”saidDubuclet. “Wecan do better NewOrleans.” FormoreinformationonSeedsofNOLATrauma Recovery Center,visit:https://www.lcmchealth. org/university-medical-center-new-orleans/ our-services/norman-e-mcswain-jr-md-spiritof-charity-trauma-/seeds-of-nola-traumarecovery-center/ InformationonNewOrleansHealthDepartment canbefoundat:https://nola.gov/next/health/home/.
STAFF PHOTO By DAVIDGRUNFELD
Aline of showers passes throughthe French Quarter on March 31.
CONGRATULATIONS SENATOR CASSIDY,M.D.
We salute your unwaveringcommitment to puttinganend to Alzheimer’s.
Thankyou for your leadership in Congressand your significant contributions to vital policies thatsupport those living with dementia andtheir caregivers.
On behalf of the over 7millionAmericans living with this disease, and their nearly 12 millioncaregivers, we thankyou, Senator Cassidy,for paving the way. Congratulations on this well-deserved award.
million, the largest private donation in itshistory,and put much of it towardscholarships. TheBatonRouge Youth Coalition used its $2 million to serve more students and launch anew career institute. The First 72+, aNew Orleans-based nonprofit that works to stop the cycle of incarceration, used its $1 million to expand job training, among other things.
Since 2020, Scott has given 50 grants totaling $181.7 million to Louisiana charities. Over the first three years of giving, Scott focused on the south, and Louisiana received more funds per capita than average, according to a2023 Harvard Business School study
The scale of Scott’sgiving in recent years rivals the capacityofLouisiana’slocal foundations. According to reporting from the nonprofit Candid, the state’sfive largest foundations gave between $53.1 and $13.4 million in 2023. Agift from Scott is often the largest a nonprofit has ever received, in many cases equaling the previous year’stotal budget.
Many of the nonprofits, including the United Wayof Southeast Louisiana, which received $10 million from Scott in 2020, have used the money to help people strugglingtomakeendsmeet.
Those beneficiaries are often families that might land above the federal poverty level but that can’tafford basic expenses, such as health careand groceries. Half of Louisiana householdsfall below that threshold, according to areportfrom the United Way, the highestrate of any state. Several nonprofit leaders described the grants as “a lightning bolt”and view Scott, who eschews the spotlight,withatouch of mysticism. Essentially,the multimillion-dollar gifts just appear,nostrings attached,and it’snot clear why Louisiana has gotten so much. Those signature gifts cannotbeapplied foror counted on, but they can shift an organization’strajectory
Scottdoesn’t participate in media interviews “in order to cede focus to the organizations we’re supporting,” according to Yield Giving’swebsite, which offers no contact information. A spokesperson for Lever for Change, which works with Yield Giving, declined to comment.
the work.”
‘A blackbox’ KheriBilly sets many goals—somany that avision board shecrafted from magazine clippings, perched on abookcase in herthirdflooroffice at Reconcile New Orleans, is double-sided
WhenBilly applied to become thechief executive officer of thenonprofit that runs Café Reconcile,she presented the boardwith justtwo aims. First, as the current chief financial officer,she’d offer continuityof leadership. And second, she told them, “I’m going to get the MacKenzie Scottgrant.”
have asavings account,” said Billy,who grew up in New Orleans. “This has helped to stabilize us.”
The nonprofit is “aiming to serve the same 100-plus people ayear, but serve them more deeply,” Zollinger said. For example, it will follow theparticipants in its 14-week programfor 12 monthsbeyond its end, connecting them with resources theymight need, including transportation, housing or child care.
“Wewant to servemore people, don’tget me wrong,” Zollinger said. Butthe nonprofit doesn’t wanttostretch beyond itsmeans. “I’m very
aware that Idon’twant us to enduplike alottery winner who, three years from now, has no money.”
‘Works allthe wayaround’ Thousands of kids across centralLouisiana have felt theeffects of Yield Giving grants in ways largeand small.
In addition to its funds for earlychildhoodeducation, theRapides Foundation had New England Patriots wide receiver and Super Bowl champ MalcolmMitchell speak to more than20,000 kids at elementary schools across theregion aboutthe joys of reading. It provided
local funding to expand access to Dolly Parton’sImaginationLibrary.Morethan 5,300 children now get free books in the mail. With the Scott millions, the RapidesFoundationcould have “built atower,built a something,”saidJoe Rosier, presidentand CEO. Butthe organization,the only staffed foundation for 100 miles in anydirection,serves nine parishes, most of them small and rural, he said. “If we built something in one place, it really isn’tgoing to expand our mission.” So instead, the healthfocused foundation boosted its investments in the areas
it had already been funding, including early learning. Area parishes with small tax bases had been strugglingtomatch statemoney for early childhood education, Rosier said, so Rapides stepped in. Evenafter spending theScott money, the foundation is keeping up that focus.
In late 2024, itsboardapproved $8 million forthe program overthe next three years.
Enrolling akid in ahighqualityday care is good for the kid, Rosier said. It’s also good for the parent, allowing him or her to get or keep a job. “So it works all the way around.”
Flanagan makes $44,000 as the community engagement coordinator for the United WayofCentralLouisiana She loves the job, which she got after outgrowing a position at Lowe’s. But with twokids, she wasstraining to keepupwithher mortgage. Child care would have added another $180 aweek, at least. She applied for an early childhood assistance grant and heard back within days.
Still, shehesitated, struggling to fathom “strangers taking care of my baby.” She calledthe director of Heavenly Care Child Development Center, asking questions and voicing concerns. In those first weeks, they showed her—through photostaken at school and craftsbrought home —that Noah, then 10 months old, wasingood hands. The teachersmay notbe family,Flanagansaid, but she considers them cousins. For teacher appreciation week,Flanaganmadethem gift boxes with tumblers, candles,bracelets andpencils.
“Not only did they reach my baby in his most vulnerablemoment,” she said, “they held me in mine as well.”
“She triggered a new wayofthinking recognizingthat certain smaller, grassroots, Black-led organizationsare doingfantastic work, butthey haven’tbuilt up to be a100-yearold organization like United Way.”
MICHAEL WILLIAMSON, presidentand CEO of United WayofSoutheastLouisiana
But Scott has discussed her philosophy in some limitedwritingsand appearances By nixing grant applicationsand follow-upreports, she is trying to free organizations from administrative tasks.
“Because we believethat teams with experience on the front lines of challenges will know best how to put the moneytogooduse, we encouraged them to spend it however they choose,” Scott wroteina2021 essay.“Many reported that this trust significantly increased the impact of the gift.”
Her philosophy is remaking philanthropy more broadly
“She triggered anew way of thinking,” said Michael Williamson, president andCEO of United Wayof Southeast Louisiana. That organization, which makes grants to smaller groups, is now examining its own requirements for those grants,“recognizingthat certain smaller,grassroots, Black-led organizations are doing fantastic work, but theyhaven’tbuilt up to be a100-year-old organization like United Way.”
For its next granting cycle, United Wayisconsidering lightening or even ditching some reporting requirements, he said, allowing groups to “go out and do
Billygot thejob in 2023 and the followingyear got thecall: Scott was awarding theCentral City nonprofit$4 million. Billy cried Likemost rounds of funding, thegrant to Reconcile was mysterious, awarded afterdiscreteresearch, including an interviewon behalf ofan anonymous philanthropist. But in 2023, Yield Givingdid arare open call, offeringinsight into the foundation’s process and priorities. More than6,000 organizat ions applied,and the foundation awarded $1 million and $2 million grants to just 361 groups, or less than 6%. Reconcileapplied butdidn’twin; th el ar ge r grant arrived anyway ayear later
ColinFelsman served as one of Yield Giving’s two New Orleansbased grant evaluators for that open call. He said the open callwas important because otherwise, Scott’s award process is “kind of a blackbox.”
Butthe secrecy offers an advantage, saidFelsman, director of housing development for People’sHousing in New Orleans, which has not won aYieldGiving award. Some foundations, with their arduous application processes, can distort nonprofits’ work, he said. Butthe way Scott gives allows them tofocus on their missions
Since 2000,Reconcile New Orleans has used its lunch cafe on OrethaCastle Haley Boulevard to train, prepare and supportyoung adults who have experienced trauma, povertyand other hardships.Adecade ago, theorganization“had two wheels in the ditch,” said JohnZollinger,board chair.A “transformational” gift fromanother organization —Hancock Whitney Corp for $1.7 million —is the reason thenonprofitexists today,hesaid In 2023, Reconcile’sgrants and contributions totaled $4.2 million,accordingtoits tax filing, so theMackenzie Scott gift nearly doubled its income.Itwillsockaway half the Scott grant, buildinga reserve. “Before this,wedidn’t
Shop
On theday of theevent,
STAFFPHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
Noah Hallwaitsinhis car seat as his mother,Ananda Flanagan, prepares to head to Heavenly Care Child Development Center 3during the weekdaymorning routine in Alexandria.
of security cameras in the city.They also come as two Orleans Justice Center inmates, Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves, remain at largethree weeks after they escaped.
With about200 cameras geared forfacialrecognition in New Orleans, Project NOLA works with Louisiana State Police troopers,federal agents, and alsosheriffs in nearby parishes. But Kirkpatrick stopped the alerts to NOPD officers on April 7pending areview of the arrangement, and whether it complies with the city ordinance.
The move came as The Washington Post was reporting astory that found New Orleans police were among the first adopters of citywide“live” facial recognition, with suspects identified in real time. Civil liberties groups have raised the specterof asurveillance state from a technology that can put aname to aface from blocks away Th es am e day Kirkpatrick halted the Project NOLA alerts, consultants hired to assess security in the wake of the Jan. 1vehicle attack on Bourbon Street, which left 14 people dead, urged major upgrades to NOPD’scrimefighting technology.The report from Teneo found a department with “critical” intelligencegaps, while noting the city clamps on facial recognition.
on officers to siftthrough informationand identify relevant threats without the support of advanced intelligence tools including social mediamonitoringplatforms,” the report found, “creating asignificant gap in situational awareness.”
City camerasill equipped
When it comes to thegear, Project NOLA’s system is far more advanced than the city’scamera network, said founder BrianLagarde. The operation’sfacial recognition cameras areconcentratedin commercialareas, he said.
As of Friday,the blackout that Kirkpatrick placed on alerts from those cameras remained in effect.Lagarde said it’sonly the latest review of asystem that has so far passed legal muster, andhequestionedwhy the NOPD pause has lasted two months.
Asurveillance camera watches over
as
technologyinNew
should be able be d
“This tool could have been helpful in theexpeditious recognition of the escaped inmates Could have assisted with the terrorist attack.”
OLIVER THOMAS, NewOrleans City Council member
“This is where thepublic needs to decide whatthey want,” Lagarde said Critics ofthe technology have cited studies showing racial bias in facial recognition systems, particularly with Blacksubjects. Lastmonth, JeffersonParish Sheriff Joe Lopinto’soffice settledwith a Georgia man who sued over his arrest and jailing in 2022, alleging afalse facial recognition match. The amount of the settlement to Randal QuranReid, whois Black,was not immediately available.
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“This tool could have been helpful in the expeditious recognition of the escaped inmates. Could have assisted with the terrorist attack,” said Thomas in atext message. “Wehave oversight andrestrictions on this tool.”
NOPD-onlyrestrictions
When the council might consider achange is uncertain.
The latest push to loosen therules forNOPD, which remains under federal court oversight, drew publicsupport last week from the NOLA Coalition,a groupof more than 600 businesses andnonprofits thatformed in 2022.Itcalled Thursday on city officials to get behind “constitutional use of such advanced policing technology” and to give officers better access to it.
“Wewanttobeableto see the NOPD use thesame technologiesthatfederal and state law enforcement is using in the city,” saidRafaelGoyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, which is part of the coalition.
Thecurrentordinanceand NOPD policy allow officers, after exhausting other options, to ask Louisiana State Police to run facial recognition searchesover specified violent crimes,including shootings, carjackings and rapes. NOPD policy requires officers to request the analysis through the state’s surveillance hub, the Louisiana State Analytical and Fusion Exchange. Just howfar arevised ordinance might go to free NOPD’suse of facial recognition, along with other tools such as cell-sitesimulators, is unclear.Green said there were several amendments in play Goyeneche argued that it should let NOPD use facial recognition to identify wanted subjects on the street.
“What Teneo was talking about is, the immediacy needs to be there. It cannot pass through multiplefilters and daisy chains, because thisisactionable information,” Goyeneche said. “Particularly when you’re talking about apolice department that’s understaffed. They need to be more strategic.” Teneo found aslipshod intelligence system at NOPD. Long term,the consultants recommendedthat NOPD setupits ownintelligence
“fusion” center
“Current intelligence monitoring is predominantly reactive and manual, relying
The ACLU of Louisiana argues for another freeze in New Orleans, saying Project NOLA’ssystem is dangerous and allows surveillance by facial recognition, against thecurrent ordinance.
“It gives the government a truly unprecedented power to identifyand track us as we go aboutour daily lives,” thegroup’sexecutive director,Alanah Odoms, wrote in aMay 20 letterurgingthe council to imposeamoratorium on NOPD’suse of facial recognition.
Thecity’sown camera network, operated by the city’s Office of HomelandSecurity and Emergency Preparedness through the Real Time CrimeCenter,hasn’tbeen very useful for facialrecognition,officials have said.
Themost recent federal monitor’sreport foundfacial recognition “not being heavily used” by NOPD. Themonitors reported 19 requests by NOPD for all of 2023 to the state fusion center,and only one useful match.
Lagarde said thecity’s cameras have subpar resolution, mostly operating in 720p or 1080p,and can capture faces clearlyupto about25feet.
“We’re able to clearly see faces 700 feet away,regardless of lighting conditions,” Lagarde said of Project NOLA.“Thecity’scameras are not capable of facial recognition. They would have to replacea very largenumber of cameras,possibly allof the cameras they have.”
Tappingprivate network
In the meantime, Project NOLA has notched some notable successes of late. Its cameras helped retrace the planningofthe Jan. 1vehicle attacker,while excluding suspected accomplices, Lagarde said.
Afacial recognition alert from Project NOLA also helped State Police arrest Kendell Myles, thefirst of the10New Orleans jail escapees to berecaptured.By then, the alerts to NOPD officers wereoff. Green pointedtohow little NOPD, by contrast, has pursued facialrecognition searches.
“The testimony we haveis that it’sbeen so infrequently used. Idon’t know ifthatisa good thing in terms of public safety,” Green said.“If it hasbeenproven relative to capture of escaped inmates, then it should be anavailable tool in thetoolbox.We have so many safeguards in place.”
Green portrayed the “tenor” of theproposed ordinanceasameasure “to say that in emergency situations, that facial recognition
STAFF FILE PHOTOByBRETT DUKE
Bourbon Street. The City Council is considering implementing facialrecognition
Orleans
twoescapees from the Orleans JusticeCenter remainatlarge.
funding Meanwhile, in April, Tate celebrated the university’s ”jaw-dropping” growth in research the school spent a record $543 million on research last year, a jump of nearly 70% from the $324 million secured during Tate’s first year Yet even that win came with a caveat due to Trump’s threatened funding cuts.
“Quite frankly,” Tate told LSU’s board of supervisors, “all of it is at risk right now.”
Now, as the board prepares to launch a national search for a new president, and with some possible front-runners emerging, the next leader of LSU will be tasked with taking on those challenges while seizing the opportunities created during Tate’s tenure.
By most accounts, he left LSU on strong footing.
Partly due to a surge in outof-state applicants, enrollment is at an all-time high, with more than 40,000 students across the system’s eight campuses and online.
The main campus in Baton Rouge is ranked 97th nationally among public colleges and universities, its athletic programs are world-class, and thousands of its graduates are succeeding upon entering the workforce each year.
“The institution touches every part of our state,” said state Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed. “The tentacles are vast and wide and the opportunity is tremendous.”
Precisely because LSU’s fate and Louisiana’s are intertwined and with national political debates keeping higher education in the spotlight there is sure to be intense interest in the presidential search. Scott Ballard, the LSU board chair who will oversee the search, said he expects talented candidates from across the country to apply “In my biased opinion,”
FILE
William
IV, center,
was
he said, “it’s the best job out there.”
A high-profile search Tate was selected to lead LSU in 2021, becoming the first Black president in the university’s history When he arrived, LSU was still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, racial justice protests and accusations that school officials had mishandled sexual assault allegations.
LSU board member Lee Mallett warned Tate and other finalists for the job that they would need sharp elbows.
“It’s serious politics,” he said at the time. “They’ll knife you here.”
lege, time to settle in. Lee said he’s been meeting with the school’s many stakeholders and quickly getting up to speed on dozens of ongoing projects.
“We’ve been up to our eyeballs in briefings,” he said.
Ballard, whom Landry elevated to board chair in January, said he expects to form a search committee next month that will include LSU board members, faculty members, alumni and industry leaders. With the help of a consulting firm, the committee will start identifying candidates in August with the goal of selecting someone this fall, he said.
comment.
Lee, who also has been suggested as a candidate for the permanent position, declined to say whether he plans to apply, adding that he’s focused on leading LSU through the transition.
“This is a very, very significant responsibility,” Lee said. “Nobody in their right mind would take it lightly.”
Campus controversy
Higher education leaders have rarely faced a landscape as perilous as the current one.
Amid rising tuition and student debt, just 22% of U.S. adults say the cost of a four-year degree is worth it if someone must take out loans, according to a Pew Research Center survey Meanwhile, conservatives have targeted some elite universities, calling them hotbeds of liberal indoctrination and antisemitism.
The Trump administration has moved to slash research funding, ban diversity programs and eject some international students, including those who have expressed pro-Palestinian views.
“We are seeing an assault on universities,” said LSU political science professor Robert Hogan. “There’s no other way to put it.”
academic freedom, but that lawmakers must hold public universities accountable.
“In my district, people do not want to send money to any university to promote DEI issues,” he said.
When Landry started his term as governor in 2024, LSU removed some diversity messages from its website and renamed its “inclusion” office. Some LSU faculty say the scrutiny has had a chilling effect.
Psychology professor Paul Frick said untenured colleagues have showed him lesson plans and asked, “Will I get in trouble?” Frick said he hopes the next president will make the case that principles like diversity “are not ‘woke’ political ideologies, but are critical for our mission.”
Open questions
Some big questions about the search await answers.
One is whether the board will search for a president in the current mold — one leader who oversees the entire LSU system across the state as well as the flagship Baton Rouge campus — or go back to the model last used in 2012 of a system president and a Baton Rouge chancellor
he hopes for a return to two roles “so that the true coordinator and manager and leader of the system is independent of a given campus.” Another question is whether the selection process will play out publicly or behind closed doors.
The search that led to Tate’s hiring in 2021 was conducted mostly in the open, including public interviews with the finalists. But the previous search, before the board hired F. King Alexander in 2013, was kept secret, sparking a “no confidence” vote by the faculty Senate and a lawsuit by news organizations that said state law requires the public disclosure of candidates for public positions.
Ballard said the consulting firm will help ensure compliance with the law While he would like the search to be as open and transparent as possible, he added, he also wants to protect applicants who wouldn’t want their current employers to see their names in the news.
“The truth is, the best candidates are not going to take the chance of losing what they have if they have to be totally public about their interest,” he said.
Ta te avoided major missteps during his fouryear tenure, earning accolades for his “scholarship first” agenda and embrace of LSU athletics. Yet when Tate accepted the job at Rutgers in New Jersey last month, Landry said he had “evidently” been eyeing the exit “for some time.”
LSU hasn’t started formally searching for his successor, and in an interview Friday, Ballard said the board wants to give interim President Matt Lee, a longtime LSU administrator who most recently oversaw the school’s agriculture col-
Already some potential candidates are being discussed One is Wade Rousse, president of McNeese State University in Lake Charles.
While Rousse has led the regional school for only one year, Mallett, the board of supervisor’s vice chair and a major donor to Landry, told the Louisiana Illuminator that Rousse has “the ability to rise to the top” if he applies for the top LSU job. Mallett didn’t respond to a request for comment.
This week, Rousse met with Louisiana House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, REunice, who said in a Facebook post that Rousse is “exactly the kind of leader our state needs.”
“I think he would be a great candidate and a great fit for LSU,” DeVillier said in a brief interview Rousse did not respond to a request for
LSU has faced criticism locally At a hearing this year, Rep. Josh Carlson, RLafayette, questioned Tate on why some LSU departments still espouse diversity equity and inclusion, or DEI principles, pointing to a medical school statement that condemned racial bias and health care inequities.
In an interview Carlson said he isn’t looking to limit
Mallett is reportedly pushing for a return to two separate roles, while Ballard said he is undecided. Critics of the current system say the dual role divides the president’s attention and creates a conflict of interest when resources are allocated.
Claude Bouchard, a former executive director of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said
Physics professor A Ravi P. Rau, who has been at LSU for more than 50 years, said he hopes the board involves the faculty in a “real, national search” rather than “foisting” its favored candidate on the university “You have to have faculty and student buy-in,” he said. “Otherwise, it’s not going to work.”
Staff writer Christopher Cartwright contributed reporting.
FindingHis Rhythm: HowHearing Loss Didn’t SilenceaMarching100 Drum Major
In NewOrleans,where musicisthe heartbeatof thecity, rhythm is everywhere—fromneighborhood paradestothe echo of drumsinhighschool marchingbands.For AidanMoore,an18-year-old drummerwithprogressive hearingloss, rhythm isn’tjustbackgroundnoise—it’sa wayoflife.
Aidan’sjourney beganjustdaysafter birthwhen aroutine newbornhearing screeningrevealedearly signsofhearing impairment,His motherRenee turned to ManningFamilyChildren’swhere a compassionateteamofpediatric audiologists began what wouldbecome alifelongpartnership
“Fromthe start,theytreated us like family,” Reneesaid. “Theyhelpedusunderstandwhatwas happeningand gave us thetools we needed to help Aidanthrive.”
Agenetic diagnosisconfirmedthatAidan had ahereditaryformofhearing loss. As he grew,his hearingcontinuedtodecline.Bykindergarten, he wasfitted with hisfirstpairofhearing aids—devices that soon became critical to hisability to learn, connectand ultimately play music.
Aidan’snatural talent for percussion came as no surprise, Musicrunsdeepinhis family.His grandfather, AlvinFordSr.,was acelebrated percussionist. Hisfatherand uncles aremusicians too. From ayoung age, Aidanshowedsigns that he wasdestinedtofollowintheir footsteps. Buthearing loss broughtchallenges. As ayoung teen,Aidan sometimesfeltisolatedorfrustrated. “There were timeshewantedtoleave hishearing aids behind,” Reneerecalled. “But theManning Family Children’s team helped us push through thosemoments with encouragements,education andunwaveringsupport.”
LauraNeff, AuD, oneofAidan’s longtime audiologistsatManning Family Children’s,worked closelywiththe family to ensure hisdevices were fine-tunednot just forspeech—butfor music. “We’re here to meet each childwhere they are,”saidDr.
Neff.“With Aidan, that meantthinkingcreatively so he couldperform confidently in anysetting—on stage, in classoronthe football field.” Aturning pointcameduringa MardiGrasparade in 2017.Without hishearing aids,Aidan struggled to keep rhythm andrealizedjusthow much he relied on them to fuel hispassion.“Irememberfeeling completelydisconnected,”Aidan said.“That’s when Iknew—my hearingaidsweren’t holdingmeback. They were helping me move forward.” With updated, high-performance devices designed foractiveuse,Aidan begantoshine.He marchedwithlocal youthgroups, earned acoveted spot in theRoots of Musicand this past year served as drum majorfor theworld-famousSt. Augustine Marching100 Hissignature hearingmolds arebotha practical choice andboldstatement.“They’reeasytospot if they fall out-but they also remind me that this is part of whoI am,” Aidansaid. During hissenioryear, Aidanwas also president of hisclass,activeinstudentgovernmentand involved in multiple extracurriculars.His hearing loss,hesays, is just onepartofamuchbiggerstory “Don’t letchallengesdefine you,”hesaid. “See them as your superpower.” Hismotheragrees: “ManningFamilyChildren’sdidn’tjust care for Aidan’sears—they caredfor ourwhole family They’vehelpedhim live boldly fullyand with so much joy.
STAFF
PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU President
Tate
announced in May that he
leaving to become president of Rutgers University Now, LSU’s board is preparing to a launch a national search for his successor
This articleisbrought to youbyManning Family Children’s
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LA
EDUCATION
Official helps schools make strides in reading
Q&A WITH SHANNA BEBER
DIRECTOR OF LITERACy FOR THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO
Staff writer
As the top literacy official at the Louisiana Department of Education, Shanna Beber has seen big changes in the way students learn to read.
Since 2021, state education officials and lawmakers have enacted a series of laws and policies centered around the so-called science of reading, a research-based approach to reading instruction that emphasizes phonics.
State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has credited the approach with driving Louisiana students’ gains on a national reading test.
The department’s executive director of literacy, Beber manages a 17-person team that oversees literacy and tutoring work throughout the state. One of the team’s biggest roles is to help educators learn how to apply the science of reading in their lessons, and to help school leaders better support teachers in that work Building relationships with educators and school administrators is crucial, Beber said, so her team isn’t seen as state monitors sent to check for compliance.
“If we want our educators to collaborate with us and value our guidance,” she said, “they need to see us as partners in this work.”
Beber recently explained how Louisiana is trying to improve reading instruction
The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity
Can you explain what your team does?
We use literacy data to determine targeted areas. We also have school systems that will reach out to us to tell us they’re making strides in literacy, but maybe there’s one school that doesn’t seem to be improving.
They ask us to partner with them, look at our data and do walk-throughs in classrooms to look for patterns or trends and come up with an action plan of support.
Sometimes, there’s a misunderstanding around the science of reading that it’s just phonics or phonemic awareness.
Really it’s a vast body of research over decades that really explains how the brain learns to read and what instructional practices are most effective for teaching reading, especially for struggling readers.
Unlike speaking, reading is not natural.
You have to explicitly teach children how to read, and so you have to explicitly teach them how sounds map to letters and how the integration of word recognition and language comprehension is what’s needed to become a skilled reader
How can schools support teachers in making those changes?
By providing the time and space for teachers to come together in what we call teacher collaboration. So, sometime within the school day, bring teachers who teach ELA together to dig into their materials.
One beautiful thing about Louisiana is we’ve identified high-quality instructional materials, and our educators have access to those.
But it’s really about allowing them to have the time to explore those materials, to determine what those instructional moves are and what is expected for students to learn.
what’s in them, to get that training and also be able to dig into their own students’ work.
They need time to look at where their students are at, how they’re scoring on individual assessments, what additional interventions are needed, and how they can bring those skills they need into daily instruction.
We know that teachers teach from bell to bell, and it’s a very valued profession that needs time to ensure instruction is highquality Giving teachers the space to do that is always beneficial.
How do you measure the work that you do?
Our team collects data in various ways.
We collect anecdotal data as we’re out on site visits, and collect feedback from educators monitoring progress. We track our tutoring participation and those outcomes. But ultimately, the progress we pay closest attention to is our literacy outcomes, which have attracted national attention.
We’ve become a leader of literacy work, and so when we receive our beginning, middle and end-of-year literacy screener data, we jump right in. Fortunately we’ve constantly seen growth there, but addressing (spots that need work) often looks like a tiered approach.
For example, we’re currently looking at our K-3 literacy screener results from the end of the year to see which school systems made progress and which ones didn’t. Then we target our support to those schools that need it most. We’ll
It’s really about building capacity in our literacy coaches and school leaders so that they can continue to provide professional learning and support for our educators that’s centered around literacy best practices. It also gives us a great opportunity to have conversations and listen to their needs, which can also become the next steps for us.
What changes has the science of reading required for teachers in practice?
Science of reading has brought back the importance of explicit, direct instruction.
Basically, how will I, as a teacher, teach and model this skill for them? How will I provide them the opportunity to practice, and then what academic feedback am I giving them on their independent work so that they can progress more?
It’s allowing teachers to have time to prepare for their daily lessons while also considering the students in their classrooms and what additional supports those students may need.
What are some common themes — and challenges — that come up when working with educators?
They need the time and the training to be able to do it well. So, to take the high-quality instructional materials to understand
WE’RE ASKING EXPERTS ACROSS THE STATE HOW TO TACKLE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FACING LOUISIANA SCHOOLS. HAVE AN IDEA?
is to share with others. And sometimes, it’s coming in and saying, “You’re not progressing with your literacy rates, and so we’ll partner with you to determine some next steps and create an action plan for next school year.” Email Elyse Carmosino at ecarmosino@ theadvocate.com.
THE GULF COAST
Popular BR chef set to open restaurant in his hometown, Biloxi
BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer
Baton Rouge chef David Dicken-
sauge is on the move again. Except this time, he’s saying farewell to Louisiana to open a restaurant of his own on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Dickensauge has had a hand in numerous Baton Rouge restaurants — consulting on menus and running kitchens. The list includes Beausoleil Coastal Cuisine, Pizza Art Wine, Bin 77 Bistro & Bar, Proverbial Wine Bistro, Tsunami, Zeeland Street, Library Wine and Provisions in Gonzales and, most recently The Colonel’s Club.
Dickensauge says the move to Mississippi is a “farewell, but not a goodbye,” as he hopes to see familiar faces at his new venture Field’s Mediterranean by Chef David Dickensauge, in his hometown of Biloxi.
“Baton Rouge made me who I am. There are a handful of restaurateurs who took me to the next level,” Dickensauge said. “I’ve been in Baton Rouge more than any city I’ve cooked in my life.”
Dickensauge also emphasized his gratitude for the diners in Baton Rouge who have supported him in his career, allowing him to become not only a great chef but a creator in his field.
Formerly Field’s Steak and Oyster Bar, Field’s Mediterranean is part of the Nicaud Restaurant Group, which has opened new restaurants and hotels across the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The new restaurant operates out of the historic Magnolia building at 119 Rue Magnolia, Biloxi, near the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino and Mary Mahoney’s Old French House.
While the concept will focus on Mediterranean cuisine, Dickensauge says the menu will also in-
PROVIDED PHOTO
David Dickensauge, past executive chef at The Colonel’s Club is opening his own restaurant, Field’s Mediterranean, in his hometown of Biloxi.
clude dishes with Moroccan and African influences. He hopes to open the restaurant by the end of June.
Dickensauge added that his move to Biloxi was prompted by the opportunity to be closer to his family and have a stake in the restaurant.
“I’ve paid my dues being an executive chef for other people,” he said. “I wanted to do my own thing.”
In the next year, Dickensauge aims to bring Field’s Mediterranean to Baton Rouge.
“I love Baton Rouge, and I wasn’t looking to leave,” he said, “but it was a golden opportunity.”
Email Lauren Cheramie at lauren.cheramie@theadvocate. com.
As Buc-ee’s opens on Miss. coast, prepare for delays
Expect heavy traffic, I-10 construction
BY POET WOLFE Staff writer
The yearslong wait — consist-
ing of notable road construction projects, multimillion-dollar investments and heavy anticipation from die-hard fans — will come to an end Monday
In the early morning hours, the Texas-based convenience chain Buc-ee’s will debut its first Mississippi store in Harrison County, about a 75-minute drive from downtown New Orleans. At 74,000 square feet, the location will be one of the largest in the nation, offering Gulf Coast residents and travelers heaps of gas pumps, beaver-themed merchandise, fresh foods — and, most likely, an increase in traffic.
The Menge Avenue exit off Interstate 10, where the store is located, has a daily average traffic count of 53,000 vehicles, but Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson
Anna Ehrgott expects this number to quickly escalate once Bucee’s opens.
“We encourage drivers take an alternate route if possible, slow down and put away distractions as congestion is expected,” Ehrgott said.
She added that the Menge Avenue exit is within an active work zone, where crews are widening I-10 from four to six lanes between Diamondhead and Country Road Farm by Long Beach, thanks to MDOT receiving nearly $1.2 billion in funding for the project in 2023.
Ehrgott noted that the expansion, which is slated to be finished in 2027, has called for some
“We encourage drivers take an alternate route if possible, slow down and put away distractions as congestion is expected.”
ANNA EHRGOTT, Mississippi Department of Transportation spokesperson
lane shifts in the area, though road closures are not expected to happen once Buc-ee’s opens.
Because of its sprawling size, pristine bathroom stalls and fresh menu items made by employees in cowboy hats, Buc-ee’s has fans across the nation in a griphold.
The convenience store’s widespread appeal explains why some of its locations, particularly its first out-of-state location in Rob-
ertsdale, Alabama, have experienced an uptick in traffic
Aside from expanding its footprint across the Gulf Coast, the corporation built a store in Mississippi to help ease congestion at its Robertdale location. But drivers traveling from neighboring states like Alabama and Louisiana to visit the new Buc-ee’s suggests similar traffic snarls in Harrison County
To prepare for increased traffic, contractors hired by Bucee’s expanded a two-lane bridge at the Menge Avenue exit to five lanes while Harrison County provided $15 million in funds for its construction.
The bridge, which hadn’t been touched since 1973, was completed in December
Email Poet Wolfe at poet. wolfe@theadvocate.com.
LOUISIANAPOLITICS
Republicansleanontax breakbenefits
WASHINGTON— Faced with criticism of President Donald Trump’ssignature “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” Republican leadership have focused their defense on how the tax breaks will boost the economy
Mark Ballard
The 1,037-page bill is chock full of increased spending for border security and the military, but the biggest ticket itemsare sweeping tax cuts that the White House says “means an extra $5,000 in Americans’ pockets” through decreases in tax bills. All of whichwould be paid for,at least partially,bycuts to Medicaid and food stamp spending.
The Congressional Budget Office calculated that the bill’s$1.3 trillion reduction in spending doesn’tcover the $3.7 trillion cost of the tax breaks and other spending, meaning the bill would add $2.4 trillion over the next decade to the nation’s$36.2 trilliondebt.
Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and other Republican leaders criticize the CBO, anonpartisan arm of Congress, for figures they say lowballs the legislation’s economic benefits. (Tobefair: Lawmakers on both sides trash the CBO when its predictionsdon’t support their talking points.) Behind the fiery rhetoric is an argument that the biggest portion of debt comes from extending Trump’s2017 tax break, which for the time being is current policy and therefore shouldn’tbecounted as future debt.
“If we do not get this bill done, the tax cuts of 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, will expire at the end of December.Every American will receive the largesttax increase in US history all at once,” Johnson said. “We’ve made the tax cuts permanent, and we’ve infused it with apro-
State Legislature barrels toward‘sine die’
The State Capitol will see a flurry of activitythis week as legislators hurry to finish their work before “sine die,” the mandatory end of thesession at 6p.m. Thursday
CAPITOL BUZZ staff reports
Both the House and Senate will meet Sunday The biggest remainingtask is to finish the state budget for next fiscal year The House has already passed its version of the budget, but the Senate hasyet to approve the version on itsside. Once the Senate passesits version of the budget, the House must vote to concur before it can go to Landry for his signature. If the House does not agree
growth series of policies that will get the economy going again. It will be jetfuel to the economy.” Phenomenal economic growth will increase revenues and more thanoffset the cost of thetax cuts, he added. Not every Republican buys that theory Thefeud between Elon Musk and Trump, for instance, began with the billionaire’scontentions thatTrump’sbill would increase the deficit and should be rejected.Some SenateRepublicans,
with changes the Senatemade, it will send the bill to conference committee.
Several bigfiscal questions have yet to be answered.For example: Will the Senate continue to blockGov.Jeff Landry’sefforts to increase funding for LA GATOR, the state program that helps parentspay for private school, to $94 million?How much money,if any, will lawmakers draw from the state RevenueStabilization Fund to spendonone-timeprojects likeinfrastructure? Meanwhile, after 6p.m. Monday, all bills will requirea two-thirds vote to pass either chamber,not counting concurrences, resolutions or conference committees. That means lawmakers will bepushing to get their priorities throughonSunday or early Monday,before thehigher threshold takes effect.
Unemploymentbenefits legislationpasses
TheLouisiana Senate on Mon-
such as Sen. RandPaul, R-Ky., have voiced similar fears.
The cornerstoneofthe legislation —making the2017 Trump tax cuts permanent —would staveoff an increase in taxes that will occur next year if the bill is not enacted Marginal tax rates would lock in from 10% to 37% depending on income levels. Taxpayers won’tsee additional federal tax withholding from their paychecks. The bill alsomakes permanent
day gave final passagetoabill that would requireresidents collecting unemployment benefitsto do moretofind ajob.
Having already passedthe House, the bill now needs Gov Jeff Landry’ssignaturebefore becoming law Currently, theLouisiana Workforce Commission requires those collecting unemployment to performthree “work search actions” each week. HouseBill 153, by state Rep. Troy Hebert, R-Lafayette, increases that requirement to five and putsitinto state statute.
Awork search action could include filling out ajob application, interviewing for ajob, attending job fairs, attending networking events or doing mock interviews.
Proponents of the bill saidit would help get more Louisianans back intothe workforce.
Critics saidthe measurewould set overly burdensome requirements, especially for those in rural areas with limited job opportunities
thecurrent higher standard deductions —$14,600 for individuals and $29,200 for married couples —and temporarily increases the amounts by $1,000 for single filers and$2,000 in joint returns. New tax breaks include adeduction up to $10,000 on loans to buy personalpassenger vehicles. That amount phases out for joint filersearning more than $200,000 annually.The TaxFoundation, apolicy think tankfounded in 1937, estimates thatstate tax
Mike Johnson caught up in Trump-Muskfeud
The donnybrook between President Donald Trumpand his former ally,billionaire Elon Musk, has expanded to include House Speaker Mike Johnson.
Musk asked Thursday on X:
“Where is the Mike Johnson of 2023!?” referring to apost then in which the Benton Republican called aprevious national debt amount unsustainable Johnson firedback Thursday on Xusing uncharacteristically terse language.
“The Mike Johnson of 2023 is the SAME Mike Johnson who has always been alifelong fiscal hawk —who now serves as Speaker and is implementing amulti-stage plan to get our country back to fiscal responsibility and extraordinary economic growth,” Johnson wrote.
collections would fall by about $2.2billionnationwide from this deduction.
Deductions basically lower a filer’sadjustedgross income, which is the starting point on most state returns, meaning lowertaxes for the states.
The legislationalso exempts qualifiedtips andovertime pay from federal income taxation.
While good for individual workers, the overtime deduction could costthe Louisiana treasury about$101 million, according to the TaxFoundation.
Deductions for tips could cost Louisiana about$15 millionifthe Legislature doesn’tenact legislationthatwould offset the losses on astate level, estimates the TaxFoundation.
The bill also includes atemporary $4,000 bonus added to the $15,000 standard deduction for seniors.
The enhanced deduction is a substitute for Trump’scampaign promise to remove taxes on Social Security,which under longstanding federal law are funded by apayroll taxduring working yearsand is taxedagain as income when benefits are paid.
The huge measure also includesa myriad of tax breaks for businesses.
Changes in wording to Section 179 of the Internal Revenue Code would credit large purchasesof equipment andsoftware up to $2.5millionona business’stax returns, andSection 168(k) would accelerate depreciation that can be deducted from taxes.
“Yourlife will be dramatically betterbecause you’re going to have more moneyinyour pocket,” Scalise said. “Yoursmall business thatyou’re working for,orlarge business, is going to nowinvest more moneyinto the economy.”
The House-passedOne Big Beautiful Bill Act is beforethe Senate, where changes are likely Email Mark Ballardat mballard@theadvocate.com.
“The same CONSISTENT Mike Johnson who hasALWAYSsupported the America First Agenda.” Musk on Tuesday called the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Johnson has spent months negotiating and got passed by asingle vote, a “massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill.” He said the bill would add to the nation’s$36.2 trillion debt and should be defeated.
The 1,037-page bill includes muchofTrump’sdomestic agenda, such as increased spending on the border and sweeping tax cuts, as well as reduced spending on Medicaid and food stamps.
The House-passed legislation is being considered by the U.S. Senate.
By Thursday,the feud between Trump and Musk devolved into mutualnamecalling.
Musk ended his role as Trump’s point mantoshrink the federal government over the weekend. Abillionaire, Musk donated $250 million to Republicans during last year’scampaigns.
Musk
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOByJ.SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Speaker of the House MikeJohnson, R-Benton, talks Wednesday about his discussions with Elon Musk as he meetswithreporters to discuss work on PresidentDonald Trump’sbill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
BroadtmanSpahr anda brother,DanielJ.Spahr (Norma).Anita wasa life‐longresidentofGretna, LA She graduatedfromArch‐bishopBlenk High School and attended Southeastern Louisiana University.She alsoattended hairdressing / cosmetology school.She retired from theJefferson ParishSheriff’s Office and had thehonor of servingas Queen of theKrewe of Cleopatra in 1967. Shewill besadly missed. Private graveside services were heldatWestlawnMemorial ParkinGretna. MotheFu‐neral Homesare assisting the familyduringthisdiffi‐culttime. Youare invitedto share condolencesand memoriesbyvisiting: www.mothefunerals.com
Mary AnnMares Taf‐
faro, age76, passedaway inher home on June 5, 2025, with herhusband by her side.MaryAnn, ana‐tiveofNew Orleans, was bornMarch 2, 1949, and resided much of herlifein Metairie. Shewas agradu‐ate of FrancisT.Nicholls HighSchool andfurthered her educationbyattending additional classesatTu‐laneUniversity. Aftercom‐pleting hereducation, MaryAnn worked as acus‐tomer servicerepresenta‐tivefor SouthCentral Bell In 1971, shemarried her highschool sweetheartAn‐thony with whomshe be‐camethe devotedmother toher threechildren. Mary Ann reenteredthe work‐force as theschool secre‐taryatSt. LouisKingof FranceSchool whereshe workedfor twenty-six years.Duringher time at St. LouisKingofFrance, she touchedthe livesof manystudents, parents, and faculty members. Af‐fectionatelyknown to all as“Miss Mary Ann”,she was a fixtureofthe school whether it wasrunning the
continued from school office,helping to at‐tendtoa student’sinjury, givingone of herMickey Mouse stickers to achild, makingsurethateach child hada prayer card on his or herbirthday, or sim‐ply providinga kind and lovingwordtobothstu‐dents andteachersalike Tothisday,manyofSt. Louis’s former students, parents,and faculty still remember“Miss Mary Ann” fondly andremember the impact that shehad on them. WhileatSt. Louis, MaryAnn became very in‐volved in church and school life servingtwo terms as presidentofthe school’s Parents’ Club.She along with herhusband, spent many yearsvolun‐teeringatthe fairinevery capacityimaginablein‐cluding fairbooth captain and fair chairperson. She alsoservedSt. LouisKing ofFrancechurch parish, where shewas aparish‐ioner,asbotha lector and a EucharisticMinister. Also, Mary Annspent time volunteeringatbothJesuit High School andMount CarmelAcademy.Inaddi‐tiontoher duties andvol‐unteerism at school and church,MaryAnn further servedthe Archdioceseof New Orleansbygivingof her time to WLAE-TVwhere she wasoften found work‐ing theboards, thephones, orbehindthe scenes at its annualtuition auction. Due toher dedication to both her parish andArchdio‐cese, Mary Annwas hon‐oredwiththe OrderofSt. Louis IX Awardbythe Archdiocese of New Or‐leans.Uponretiring, Mary Ann beganher next career asa full-time Grammy and part-time carpool chauf‐feurtoher eightgrandchil‐drenwho sheloved and treasured.Toher,eachone was aspecial gift from God,and sheloved each one in herown special way.MaryAnn lovednoth‐ing more than to spend timewithher grandchil‐dren: laughing with them, telling them jokesand sto‐ries, playingcards,or being arolemodel to them showing each onewhatit means to live agood, Catholic life.She wasal‐waysthere foreachgrand‐child enjoying many birth‐day parties, graduations, balletand danceperfor‐mances, awardcere‐monies, androckconcerts. MaryAnn wasaffection‐ately known as the “Queen”byher grandchil‐drenand many family friends.She wasanavid readerand lovedDisney. She enjoyedtakingtrips with herfamilytoDisney
andOrangeBeach enjoying eachminutesharedwith her husband,children, and grandchildren.Her favorite movie wasBeautyand the Beast,and herfavorite songwas “BeOur Guest” which shewould oftensing withher grandchildren. She also loveda good meal and wasa regular fixture onFridaynightsatVin‐cent’sItalian Cuisine. To sum up Mary Ann’slife, she wasnot only awoman ofGod,but atruewoman for others.She made what could be an ordinary life extraordinary.MaryAnn was preceded in deathby her mother andfather Frank P. Mares, Sr andEs‐therSelhoferMares.She is survivedbyher devoted husband of fifty-three years AnthonyJ.Taffaro, Sr.,and herthree children Anthony J. Taffaro, Jr., Michael J. Taffaro(Jen‐nifer), andVirginiaTaffaro LaHatte (Joey).She is the lovinggrandmother to and issurvivedbyher eight adoring grandchildren, An‐thony,III, Evan,Nicholas, Kaylin, Caroline,Charlotte, Olivia, andDaniel. Shealso leavesbehindone brother Frank P. Mares, Jr.Relatives and friendsare invitedto attendthe FuneralMassat Greenwood FuneralHome Chapel, 5200 CanalBlvd. on Thursday,June 12, 2025, at 11:00 AM.Interment will followinGreenwood Cemetery. Visitation will begin at 8:30 AM.Inlieuof flowers, Massesordona‐tions to St.JudeChildren’s ResearchHospitalare pre‐ferred. We also invite you toshare your thoughts fondmemories, andcon‐dolencesonlineatwww greenwoodfh.com.Your sharedmemorieswillhelp uscelebrate Mary Ann’s lifeand keep hermemory alive
June 3, 2025. Shewas born inNew Orleans, LA on Oc‐tober 17, 1943. In 1961, Mar‐garet marriedher beloved ArnoldVan Haelen andto‐gethertheyhad four chil‐dren, Lisa “Doody” Crain (Al), Josh VanHaelen (Mary), Melissa Richardson (Tommy),and JasonVan Haelen(Shawn).She will bedearlymissedbyher twelvegrandchildren: Jonathan(Carrie), Katie (Matt),Benjamin(Sarah), Christopher (Katie), Matthew (Milky),Emily (Luke), Caroline (Brendan) Daniel(McKenna), Zachary (Natalie),Hunter (Brenna), Fletcher, andMarleyand seventeen greatgrandchil‐dren: Caleb, Aiden, Em‐mett, Hailey,Mason,Lucas Lucy, Maelynn, Brennan, Lillygrace, Blake, Jackson, Camille,Miles,Beauand Lily. Shewas preceded in death by herhusband ArnoldVan Haelen,her parents Gladys VonHoven Defourneaux andRobert Patrick Defourneaux. On October 17, 1943, Margaret and hertwinsisterEmilie wereborninNew Orleans, welcomedbytheir parents and oldersiblingsBobby, Caroleand Jeannette.She attendedSt. AgnesSchool and Holy Angels Academy. After graduation sheand Arnoldmarried andmoved toNorfolk,VAwhile Arnold was servinginthe US Navy After moving back to Louisiana,theywelcomed their four children.There was always ahot meal waiting everynight for familydinner. Margaret had acareer in thebanking and mortgage industry for manyyears.She enjoyed spendingtimewithfamily and friendsmostofall.The Van Haelensrelocated to Covington andmadeEl Perdido Ranchtheir home Mostfamilygatherings and holidays were cele‐bratedatthe ranch, always withanabundance of deli‐cious food andlotsof laughter. Many happy memoriesweremadefor all.Margaretloved beinga wife, momand MawMaw! She enjoyedmanytrips to DisneyWorld as well as Italy, NorthDakota, Idaho, Georgia,Florida,Ten‐nessee, Ohio,Texas,Vir‐ginia,and NorthCarolina withkidsand grandkids and sometimesgreat grands. Margaret wasan avidgameplayer, always ready fora challenge. Scrabble, Dominoes,the Dicegame, Nickelsand any kindofcardgameout there.She will be missed byall who knew andloved her.Inlieuof flowers, con‐tributionsinmemoryof Mrs. Margaret VanHaelen
maybemadetoSt. Jude Children’sHospital (stjude.org). Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservices atE.J.FieldingFuneral Home, 2260 W. 21st Avenue Covington,LA70433 on Thursday,June 12, 2025, at 2:00p.m.withvisitationbe‐ginning at 12:00 p.m. Inter‐mentwillfollowin Pinecrest Memorial Gar‐dens. Allfriends andfamily are invitedtoa Celebration ofMargaret’sLifeatthe Courtyard Marriott Coving‐ton starting at 3:30 pm.E.J FieldingFuneral Home has been entrustedwithfu‐neral arrangements.The Van Haelen familyinvites you to sharethoughts, fondest memories,and condolences online at E. J. FieldingFuneralHome Guest Book at www.ejfield ingfh.com
John J. Williams,Jr.,a proud sonofNew Orleans and devotedfamilyman, passedawaypeacefully on June 5, 2025, at theage of 86. Born on ChristmasDay in1938 to John J. Williams, Sr. andBessieBell Williams,John'slifewas markedbyunwavering faith,steadfastduty, and deep love forhis family. A memberofthe inaugural classesofSt. Augustine HighSchool,Johntook great prideinattending an institution that shaped young Blackmen into lead‐ers.His time thereinstilled inhim thevaluesofdisci‐pline,excellence, and brotherhood—principleshe carried throughevery sea‐son of hislife. Followinghis education,Johnanswered the call to servehis coun‐try in theUnitedStates Army, exemplifying com‐mitment andpatriotism. Uponreturning home to New Orleans, he builta ful‐fillingliferootedinhard work, community, andfam‐ily.Heservedwithdistinc‐tionfor 36 yearsatthe U.S. Postal Service, andinhis
free time,hefound great joy in bowlingand working inhis woodshop,pastimes heloved andsharedwith friends andfamily. John was thebeloved husband ofLucille Angelety Williams,his partnerinlife and love.Together,they raisedthree devotedchil‐dren: John III (Christine), Matthew (Tina),and Jonette (Lawrence).His legacycontinues through his five grandchildren— David,JohnIV(Darcell), Maria,Matison,and Gabriela—andhis greatgrandson, Johnathan, who brought himpride andde‐light in hislater years. He was preceded in deathby his parentsand hischer‐ished siblings:Lillian Gilyot (Melvin), Earl Williams (Do‐lores), Yvonne Watley OliverWilliams, Joseph Williams (Gearldine), Li‐onelWilliams, andStanley Williams.Healsomourned the loss of hisin-laws:An‐thony L. Angelety andLu‐cille GuillaumeAngelety. John’spresencewas a groundingforce—his calm demeanor, principled char‐acter,and loving heartleft anindelible mark on all who knew him. He is sur‐vived notonlybyhis family but also by atreasured friend, Cheryl Gray of Don‐aldsonville,whose com‐panionshipbrought joyin his lateryears.Johnwillbe rememberedfor hisquiet strength, hisunshakable values, andthe legacy of love, service, anddignity heleavesbehind. In lieu of flowers, thefamilykindly asksthatdonations be madetoSt. AugustineHigh School-The John J. Williams,Jr.,’57 Memorial Fund to supportthe next generationofPurple KnightScholars. Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattenda Fu‐neral Mass of Christian BurialatSt. Paul Catholic Church,6828 Chef Menteur Hwy., NewOrleans,LAon Monday, June 9, 2025 at 11:00 am.Visitationbegins at9:00am. Interment: Mount Olivet Cemetery ArrangementsbyD.W RhodesFuneral Home,3933 WashingtonAve., NewOr‐leans,La70125. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.
Taffaro, Mary AnnMares
Williams Jr., John J.
Gary WayneYoung passedawaypeacefully, surrounded by familyon Friday, May9,2025. Gary was born on March12, 1949, in St.Joseph, Mis‐souri.Hespent hisforma‐tiveyears in Elwood, Kansaswhere,throughout highschool,heworkedat the localgrocery store. After graduating,heat‐tendedHighlandCollege beforemovingtoRuston, Louisiana,where he con‐tinuedhis educationat Louisiana Tech University It wasinRustonthat he began workingfor A&P grocers,which eventually brought himtomanage one of theirchainsin Metairie, Louisiana. Gary madethe move to Coving‐ton,Louisiana,in1975 to operate grocerystoresfor the Acquistapace family. There,hewould go on to haveanincrediblecareer and retire after more than 40years of devotedser‐vice. Gary also hada deep lovefor sports that was matched only by hisdevo‐tiontohis family. Alifelong KansasCityChiefsfan,he cheered passionately for his team throughevery season. He also enthusias‐tically followed theNew Orleans Saints,Nebraska Cornhuskers,and LSU Tigers, riding thehighs and lowsofevery game with the fervor of acoach and the optimism of afan.Itis withheavy hearts that we share thepassing of a wonderfully kind andpa‐tient man. He wasa man who showed us that real strengthcomes from con‐sistency, that love is found inthe everyday,and that sometimes,the greatest impactcomes notfrom words,but from presence Garyissurvivedbyhis lov‐ing wife andpartner of 34 years,Barbara Eckert Young;his threestep‐daughters:Megan Cohen (Ari) andtheir twodaugh‐ters, Sarahand Abigail; Kim Cole (Matt) andtheir three children,Ella, James, and Katherine; andKatie Sumner(Mark)and their two children,Aiden and Olivia.Heisalsosurvived
by hissisters,LoraMiller ofElwood,Kansas, Jo Marie BallingerofChero‐kee Village,Arkansas, and Carol Winder of Troy, Kansas; hisbrother,Ronald Young of Elwood,Kansas; his sister-in-law, Linda Young of Budda,Texas;and a host of nieces and nephews.Hewas preceded indeath by hisgrandpar‐ents, Ross andSadie Young and Fred and Rose Ann Roll; hisparents,Conrad and MelissaYoung;his brother,Larry Young;his brother-in-lawAlvin (Sonny) Miller;and his nephews,JohnMillerand DonaldSeever.Garyisalso survived by acherished circleoffriends,eachof whomheloved deeply and fully.Hewillbemissedby all who knew andloved him.Inlieuof flowers, con‐tributionsinmemoryof Mr. Young maybemadeto St. Jude Children’s Re‐searchHospitalwww stjude.org. Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe memorial services atE.J.FieldingFuneral Home, 2260 W. 21st Avenue, Covington LA 70433,onFri‐day,June13, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.withvisitationonFri‐day beginningat1:00p.m E.J.FieldingFuneralHome has been entrustedwith funeralarrangements. The Young family invitesyou to share thoughts,fondest memories, andcondo‐lencesonlineatE.J.Field‐ing FuneralHome Guest Book at www.ejfieldingfh com
Young,Glenn Clydeand Marguerite Lala
GlennClyde Young,age 95, of Mandeville,LA, passedawayonTuesday, May 6, 2025. He wasborn onAugust13, 1929, in Lima, OH. He is survived by his daughter, LindaYoung Puyau (Steve); sixgrand‐children; andelevengreatgrandchildren;and many extendedfamilymembers and friends. He waspre‐ceded in deathbyhis lov‐ing wife of 50 years, Susan MossbargerYoung;his secondwife, Marguerite (Peggy)LalaYoung;two sons,JackClyde Young and
JamesRobertYoung;par‐ents, ClydeAgnew Young and Emma Jane Reynolds Young;and siblings,Orville Young andGailYoung.Dr. Young wasa 1952 graduate ofthe ChicagoSchool of Optometryand enjoyeda successfulcareer in Op‐tometry.Hefounded and ran Custom ContactLens LaboratoryinNew Orleans for over 30 years. Just eight daysafter hisgraduation, hemarried theformer Susan Mossbarger.They sharedover50years of marriageuntil herpassing in2004. He latermarried MargueriteLala, with whomheshared18years ofmarriage. Marguerite LalaYoung,age 81, of Man‐deville,LA, passedawayon Monday, April14, 2025. She was born on April8,1944 in New Orleans, LA.She is survivedbyher sister,Jean LalaBarousse (Irvin), one niece,six nephewsand manygreat nieces and nephews.She waspre‐ceded in deathbyher par‐ents, John AnthonyLala and MarieCharvet Lala her brother, Rene Anthony Lala, andone nephew Peggy wasa 1962 graduate ofUrsulineAcademy,New Orleans,and attended SLU, Lafayette andLSUNO prior toher career as asecre‐tary. Sheretired in 1999 with22years of serviceat LSU MedicalSchool in downtownNew Orleans. She lived35years in the Gentillyneighborhood be‐forerelocatingtothe Northshorein1986. She married GlennYoung in 2007. Both Glennand Peggy spent thelast5+years of their livesatSageLakeAs‐sistedLiving, where they enjoyed an active social lifewhile also benefiting fromthe specialcareand attention they received fromthe staff. In lieu of flowers, contributionsin memoryofDr. Young may bemadetoNorthshore Bible Church online at https://www.northshoreb ible.com/onlinegivingorby mailat19516 Sunshine Av‐enue,Covington,Louisiana 70433 and/or in memory of Peggy Young to theSamar‐itanCenter, 402 GirodSt., Mandeville, LA 70448. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend thefuneral servicesonSaturday, June 14, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. at Our Lady of theLake Roman Catholic Church, 312 Lafitte Street,Mandev‐ille, Louisiana, with visita‐tionbeginning at 11:00 a.m. E.J.FieldingFuneralHome ofCovington,Louisiana,is honored to be entrusted withMr. andMrs.Young's funeralarrangements. Theirfamilyinvites youto
sharethoughts, memories, and condolencesbysign‐ing an online guestbook at www.ejfieldingfh.com
Ziegler, DonSterling
Don Sterling Ziegler passed at theage of 91 on Wednesday June 4, 2025. Donwas preceded in death by hisformerwife and friend, Sylvia Wahlen Ziegler,and by hisbeloved parents, Edward Leroy Ziegler and Valerie Cherry Ziegler. Don is survived by hisdaughter, Donna Ziegler Schexnayder (Bryan); his four sons, Edward Louis Ziegler, CharlesJohn Ziegler (Risa), Richard Frederic Ziegler (Monique) and Terence Scott Ziegler (Michelle); and hiseight grandchildren,Charles Alexander Ziegler, Frederick Austin Ziegler, MatthewAaron Ziegler (Lanie), Tristan Edward Ziegler, Tessa Grace Ziegler, Ryan
Michael Ziegler, Stefan Eric Schexnayder andSophie GraceSchexnayder. Don wasborninNew Orleans on April 4, 1934 and wasa lifelongresident of the NewOrleans area. He graduatedfromAlcee Fortier Boys High School, class of 1952 and attended both Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge andthe Louisiana State University of NewOrleans Donbegan hiscareer working withBoh Brothers Construction for fiveyears andthenthe next 35 years with Sears andRoebuck He wasaformer member of theKrewe of Carrollton Donwas an avidLSU fan Theonlyacceptablemannerofkeeping hishead warmwas his sacredLSU baseballcap.Inspiredby music, he was an annual attendeeofJazz Fest for themajority of hislife. Most of all,hedearly loved hischildrenand grandchildren.The familywould like to extendtheir gratitude to thecaregiversatFidelis Home Carefor thelove and care given to himinthe last year of hislife. Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe funeral servicesinthe chapel of Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.inNew OrleansonTuesday June 10th at 1:00 pm. Thevisitation will be held at thefu-
neralhomebeginning at 11:00 am. Theinterment will follow thechapelservice at Lake LawnPark. In lieu of flowers, please consider adonation to St.Jude Children'sResearch Hospital www.stjude.org. To view theonline guest book, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com.
By Stevie Cavalier Licciardi|
stevie.licciardi@theadvocate.com This articleisbrought to youbySon of aSaint
“WithSon of aSaint,you neverreallygraduate from theprogram,instead youdevelop a newlevel of connection with thecommunity,” said MilesStewart,aSon of aSaint alumni whorecently graduatedfromthe U.S. Military Academy at West PointinMay 2025 Sonofa Saintisanon-profitorganization that serves fatherless boys in NewOrleans throughaholistic approach to mentorship that hasbeenenrichingchildren’slives sinceitwas establishedin2011. Everyyear, newmentees betweenthe ages of 10 and12-years-oldare inducted andinvited into year-round opportunities that offer mentorship,education,recreation, camaraderie,culturalenrichment, and emotionalsupport.Today theprogram services 500young menacrossthe NewOrleans area
“InSon of aSaint,the olderthatyou get, you’ll start to have differentconversations with your mentorsand thereare differentroles foryou to play in helping andguiding thenew mentees,” said Stewart, whowas apartofthe inaugural cohort of boys in 2011.“Youstart lookingtoset agoodexample forthem.
Taking up themantleofrolemodel canbe adauntingtaskattimes,but Stewartstrives to create balanceand purposeinhis life as he continuestochart hiscareerpath. Beingable to help youngermentees seealargerpicture hasbeenmeaningfultohim
“I always say, ‘See thelight outsideofyour currentsituation.’ If youkeepgoing outofyour comfort-zone,you’llfind somethingthatisfor you,”Stewart said Stewartgraduated with aBachelorofScience in Systems Engineering, andheiscurrently aLieutenantinthe US Army Engineer Regiment.Inthe fall,Stewart hasplans to return to NewYorktoworkfor 6monthsasanathletic intern coachingfootballatthe U.S. Military Academy PreparatorySchool, before heading to Fort LeonardWood, Missouri,toattendthe U.S. Army EngineeringSchool. Stewart also recently spokeatSon of Saint’s 2ndannualsignature event, “A NightinNew
York”, on May21, 2025.“OurStory is in Every City”was theevent tagline, andStewart along with Sonofa Saintalumni, QuintenCrump Trey Hand,and AceNice, shared theimpact theprogram hashad on theirlives,encouraging theevent attendeestorecognize howasdonors, supporters,and friends of theorganization, they area part of thestory this organizationis writing. TheinfluenceSon of Sainthas hadon livesinNew Orleansisnow reaching farbeyond geographical city limits
“It’sgoodtosee howmuchSon of aSaint has grown. It’s affecting so many boys’lives,” said Stewart. “It’sgoodtosee everyone with aplan, andI thinkit’sreallyhelping NewOrleans little by little.Hopefully,itinspiresother people to pick up similarinitiatives.”
Everyyoung manwho is inducted into Sonofa Sainthas mentorswho stay with them throughout theirprogram journey, and forStewart thosementors have been Chris Muscoand Bivian ‘Sonny’Lee III, theCEO and FounderofSon of aSaint.Stewart’s graduation from West Pointisa source of prideand accomplishment, notonlyfor Stewartand hisfamily, butfor Leeand Musco, whowereinattendance forthe graduation.AsStewart expressed, the bondsformedwithyourmentors throughout theyears arenot finalized once yougraduate, insteadtheytakeona newcharacter.Stewart knowshis mentorsare only ever aphone call away
“Graduationseasonisour victorylap foreach youngman whoexperiencesthismilestone.It’s proofthatour modeloflong-term mentorship andholisticservicesworks,” said Lee. “These youngmen aren’t just crossing astage,they’re stepping into theirpower as future leaders, changemakers,and maybeevenfuturementors ForSon of aSaint,it’safull-circle moment that reflectsthe heartofour mission, to invest in NewOrleans by investinginits sons.” To learnmoreabout Sonofa Saint, visit: www.sonofasaint.org
DIVING DAREDEVILS
Adrenaline junkies in the Helldivers take spearfishing to the extreme by chasing prey beneath oil rigs
BY AIDAN McCAHILL
Staff writer
Three fishermen cruise past the mouth of the Mississippi River Alice in Chains blares from an overhead speaker, blending with the slap of waves against the boat’s hull.
Offshore oil platforms grow nearer on the horizon. Behind the rigs, dark cumulonimbus clouds loom ominously as the 23-foot catamaran plows ahead
“(Forget) it, I got a wet suit on,” Paul Cozic says. “Let’s ram it.”
A red flag on the boat whips violently in the wind, the letters stitched across it reading “Helldivers.”
It is the last weekend of May, time for the annual Helldivers Rodeo in Venice, which means there are fish to be shot and bragging rights to acquire rain or shine. The group takes the Paleolithic pastime of spearfishing to an extreme by diving in the waters beneath oil rigs
Cozic, christened by fellow Helldivers as the club “a******” (a title he says he worked hard to achieve), is a 64-year-old retired general contractor from Kenner After divorcing in his 20s, he fell in love with sky diving and motorcycles before the waters off southern Louisiana ultimately stole his heart. In 2009, Cozic joined the group of 40 Helldivers.
Manning the helm of the boat is Mike Aucoin, a tattooed diesel engine me-
Paul
chanic and club president.
“It’s an addiction,” Aucoin said, describing the sport as a glorious combination of hunting, fishing and diving. But like any veteran junkie, “You have to weigh risk and reward.”
The annual spearfishing rodeo has been held nonstop for 63 years. The Helldivers compete against other die-hard groups of adrenaline fiends with names like Deepwater Mafia and Seatigers, who target a gamut of fish including stingrays, amberjack, crevalle jack, cobia and the elusive warsaw grouper. Attached to each wet suit is a pair
of cable cutters, a precaution in case a diver’s quarry takes them for an uncontrollable ride. No one in the group wants to be caught wrapped around barnacleencrusted steel, running low on oxygen. Aucoin is heading east through Octave Pass, farther into the Gulf of America, as he calls it. He is searching for an ideal platform to begin the hunt.
By the time they reach the site of the first dive, a thunderous squall pelts the boat, but the Helldivers are unfazed as they strap oxygen tanks to their backs. Within seconds they are gone, plunging beneath the murk, weapons in hand, scanning the depths for a worthy opponent.
At the group’s clubhouse in a Metairie garage, Helldiver Walter Stone opens a pair of musty brown scrapbooks, tracing the crew’s roots to a mailroom in the neighborhood. In the 1960s, a group of postal workers decided it would be fun to dive for sheepshead in Lake Pontchartrain. Later, they graduated to offshore oil rigs by hitching rides on commercial fishing boats. When goliath grouper were still legal to shoot, the story goes that early members wore football helmets as protection when wrestling the fish to the surface — exploits later portrayed in “Helldivers Rodeo,” a gonzo-style book written by Humberto Fontova.
Old Mandeville restaurant scene growing
Tourism agency promotes parish to foodies
BY BOB WARREN Staff writer
Cayman Sinclair only thought he was prepared to walk away. But when running a restaurant becomes your “identity,” as he said it became his, that can prove to be impossible. So when Sinclair looked at the empty building he owned along the lakefront in Old Mandeville, it was almost as if a new restaurant sought him out. Aperitif Spritz + Bites opened earlier this year, joining his bustling cater-
ing operation.
“It’s small — a boutique restaurant,” he said. “It’s going great
We’re sold out most weekend nights.”
Aperitif is part of a wave of new restaurants that have opened in Old Mandeville in recent months
Two new places, Iceburg Charlie’s Grill & Chill, a burger-beer-ice cream restaurant, and Noir Bistrot, a tapas restaurant, recently opened their doors several blocks from the lake at the Mandeville Trailhead on the Tammany Trace.
Another newish restaurant, Cafetomas, is coming up on a year in business on nearby Girod Street
“Mandeville needs this,” Sinclair said, noting that other areas of the parish notably downtown Covington — have added
new, higher-end restaurants that draw customers from St. Tammany and beyond. Indeed, the parish dining scene, while not as well-known as, say, New Orleans, has made huge strides in recent years.
“It’s growing all over the parish,” said Katie Guasco, the chief marketing officer for Visit The Northshore, St. Tammany’s tourism office. “Absolutely it’s a draw.”
Guasco said the most recent data collected for the tourism agency showed annual visitor spending in St. Tammany of around $1.3 billion, with more than $200 million of that total spent at sit-down restaurants. Guasco said the tourism agency has worked to promote St.
Tammany to area foodies. Each August the agency spearheads Tammany Taste of Summer a promotional program featuring special menus and prices at participating restaurants similar to the popular Coolinary program in New Orleans. The new restaurants join an already vibrant eating and drinking scene in Old Mandeville a swath of the city that includes the bustling Tammany Trace trailhead and the busy lakefront. Aperitif, for instance, is next door to Donz on the Lake, a longtime bar and just a couple doors down from another restaurant, Rips on the Lake. A block or so over is the Barley Oak and Pat’s Rest Awhile
Hotels coming to St. Charles Avenue
Two projects under construction
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
Two new hotel projects are now under construction on lower St. Charles Avenue after several years of planning, permitting and delays. On the site of the former Trolley Stop Café in the 1900 block of St. Charles, work crews began driving piles in late May to support the foundation of what will be a sixstory boutique hotel with 58 rooms and a ground-floor restaurant, according to developer Joe Mann. Down the avenue in the 1300 block, contractors have already driven piles and are getting ready to pour concrete for a five-story pencil building that entrepreneur Curtis Lawrence plans to operate as a hybrid hotel.
In addition to the hotel projects, the long-stalled renovation of the former Jerusalem Temple building in the 1100 block next to the Pontchartrain Expressway has resumed Mandeville-based Church of the King is converting the building into a worship center that is slated to open in 2026, a church spokesperson said.
Mann meanwhile, in addition to his hotel project, is working on a deal to acquire another nearby parcel on St. Charles that he hopes to redevelop in the not-too-distant future.
“We are very bullish on St. Charles,” said Mann, who recently completed his renovation of the former Harry’s Ace Hardware building on Magazine Street. “It is one of the last remaining areas that is screaming for redevelopment, and there is a need for it.”
BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer
Six years after Jefferson Parish officials admitted their Waggaman landfill was emitting noxious odors, thousands of residents on both sides of the Mississippi River will soon see payouts for health issues they say were caused by the fumes.
More than 5,000 residents from Harahan, River Ridge, South Kenner, Metairie, Waggaman, Avondale and Bridge City will see paychecks ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars by the end of the summer as part of a $4.5 million class-action settlement with Jefferson Parish over its landfill emissions between 2017 and 2019, according to plaintiffs’ attorneys. The Jefferson Parish Council voted in August to approve the settlement for the federal lawsuit, which was first filed in 2018.
STAFF PHOTOS By AIDAN McCAHILL
Mike Aucoin, club president hauls in his catch at the Helldivers Rodeo held on the last weekend of May.
Cozic has been a member of the Helldivers since 2009.
The yearslong legal battle is far from over, though, as roughly 1,500 residents filed a new lawsuit Tuesday in the 24th Judicial District Court against the parish’s former landfill contractors, Waste Connections and APTIM. A federal judge denied classaction status earlier this year in the case against the two companies, meaning residents seeking damages against them will have to individually sue them.
Doug Hammel, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys, said thousands more residents who filed class-action claims could join the mass tort lawsuit. Waste Connections did not respond to requests for comment, and APTIM declined to comment. In a recent court filing the defendants said Waste Connections did not cause any injuries and that “any alleged odors are not more than an inconvenience to plaintiffs.”
Since 2018, Jefferson Parish has invested more than $10.4 million into landfill upgrades, including to its collection systems and signed an agreement with River Birch to merge operations with its own landfill next
HOTELS
Continued from page 1B
‘Can’t go wrong’
Mann is still tight-lipped about some details of his project and isn’t ready yet to say whether the hotel will fly the flag of a well-known hotel chain or operate independently But he said it will be a traditional, boutique hotel with a full-time staff and a rooftop pool and bar that will appeal to well-heeled travelers.
“We have 34,000 hotel rooms in the French Quarter and CBD, and once you get out of those areas, there are very few options for luxury hotels,” he said. “There is definitely a market for the kind of project we are doing.”
He said he plans to divulge more details soon.
Lawrence’s project, on the other hand, will be a hybrid hotel, a collection of apartment-style suites under a single roof that functions like a short-term rental building but will have on-site staff around the clock, unless the city changes the law before he opens.
He said the $4 million project, wedged between the new Baptist Community Ministries building and the former Emeril’s Delmonico restaurant, should be completed and open this fall.
“I don’t think you can go wrong on St. Charles Ave-
DIVING
Continued from page 1B
“It was a crazier sport back then,” Stone said. “You’re talking about guys that dove strictly with the navy charts.”
Dan Calahan, a 79-year-old former Green Beret medic and the Helldivers’ oldest active member recalls the group meeting above Harry’s Dive Shop in New Orleans before it was eventually thrown out.
“The Helldivers were originally a bunch of poor boys who loved diving,” he said.
“Dues were $6 a month, all the beers you could drink.”
Dues are now $170, but beer is still free at their twice-a-month meetings. The quasi-fraternity is eclectic, with plenty of ex-military and police officers, but also salesmen, veterinarians and nurse anesthesiologists. The only prerequisites: excellent diving skills, the ability to act cool under pressure and thick skin to deflect flack from other members.
“You’ll get a young kid coming in and they’ll pull a lot of pressure on him, harass him and mess with him,” Stone said. “But they have him under his wing, teaching him the whole way.”
No guts, no glory
Ego is the biggest risk, the
door until 2037 River Birch is not a defendant in any of the lawsuits.
‘Pretty freaking miserable’
Robyn Crossman, 40, moved into her newly-built Waggaman home with her husband, daughter, two dogs and four cats in January 2018 But the excitement of being a first-time homeowner quickly wore off as she began to notice the smell of “burning tires” wafting over her property and burning her nostrils when the wind picked up, she said. Crossman began waking up in the night because of the smell, and wore a face mask indoors to combat it. She canceled large gatherings her family had planned, including a housewarming party And when the stench hit her, so too would her migraines, she said. Crossman had preexisting conditions that gave her headaches, but in her new home she was experiencing them up to three times more frequently, to the point that she often had to take off work.
“I felt worse,” Crossman said. “It was embarrassing. It was pretty freaking miserable is the nicest way to say it.”
In July 2018, former Parish President Mike Yenni
nue,” he said. “It is the city’s most prestigious street, and it is the Mardi Gras parade route.”
Fits and starts
The new construction and renovation projects on St. Charles, one of the city’s grandest and best-known historic thoroughfares, are a welcome sign of activity in a real estate market that has been hammered for several years by higher interest rates, skyrocketing insurance rates and rising costs for construction labor and materials, real estate market watchers say They also signal hope for the milelong stretch of St. Charles between Jackson Avenue and I-10, a wonky mix of hotels, bars, casual eateries and disinvested storefronts.
In recent years, there have been efforts to redevelop the area with mixed results.
BCM bought and renovated the old Whitney Bank building in the 1300 next to Lawrence’s hotel site for its new corporate headquarters.
Investors bought and renovated the former St. Charles Athletic Club building in the 1600 block, which is now home to a dentist’s office and a dermatology practice.
New restaurants, including Tito’s Ceviche and Pisco and Gaia Steakhouse opened in the neighborhood in 2022 and 2023 respectively
But there have been mis-
divers say but plenty of other dangers abound. In many respects, the Helldivers are boundary-pushers. The members have developed rig-specific gear for their terrain, and though they tend to keep quiet about it, some approach depths of 300 feet 170 feet past the recommended recreational limit.
“To do what we do, you have to be a little crazy,” Cozic said. “But you gotta have some skills, and we have to know we have each other’s back.”
“Martini’s law” describes the effects of nitrogen narcosis experienced when breathing air higher than atmospheric pressure. For every 30 feet descended, the effects on the diver are equivalent to having consumed one martini. Past 200 feet, as nitrogen becomes more saturated in the bloodstream, breathing feels like inhaling nitrous oxide
“We hear music down there,” Cozic said. Still, he added that the Helldivers have developed a tested theory that the depths are relatively harmless for short periods of time, though “the doctors don’t like to admit it.”
The ascent can be just as dangerous especially when hauling 100-pound-plus fish with dwindling oxygen reserves. Come up too fast and expanding nitrogen can get trapped in joints, lungs and the nervous system. While
and council member Paul Johnston admitted that the landfill’s collection systems were not operating properly causing a prevalence of odors. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality confirmed the landfill to be the primary source of the stench.
At the time, Waste Connections operated the landfill under a contract with the parish, while APTIM managed the gas and leachate collection systems.
Legal battle
A handful of lawsuits were filed against the parish and its contractors in the months following, which were later consolidated into two different lawsuits and transferred to the federal court. One of those lawsuits sought classaction status, the other did not.
Judge Susie Morgan of the Louisiana Eastern District ruled in the class-action lawsuit 2022 that the landfill’s emissions of hydrogen sulfide gas “were capable of causing headaches, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite sleep disruption, dizziness, fatigue, anxiety and worry, a decrease in quality of life, and loss of enjoyment or use of property in the general population.”
Jefferson Parish settled the other mass tort lawsuit,
fires, too. A vacant corner lot at 1500 St. Charles that was under contract two years ago hasn’t sold. Neither has the former Emeril’s Delmonico restaurant, which was originally listed for sale in 2022 for $3.9 million and now has an asking price of $2.4 million.
“It’s been fits and starts,” said commercial broker Shaun Talbot, whose familyowned Talbot Realty has several sales and lease listings in the area. “There are good things going on and challenges, too.”
Challenges remain
One of the biggest challenges is the slow pace of permitting, a familiar complaint among developers.
“We worked with a developer who completed a project here and told us they could have done seven projects in Dallas in the amount of time it took to get it done here,” Talbot said.
Indeed, permitting issues are among the reason that Church of the King’s planned $15 million renovation of the century-old Jerusalem Temple, originally begun in 2018, has been slowed, according to documents filed with the city.
As recently as March, architects for the church were appealing a denial by the Historic Districts Landmarks Commission to allow for certain renovations to the temple’s rooftop, city re-
getting severely “bent” is rare, it is not uncommon to see a Helldiver in the hyperbaric chamber at the West Jefferson Medical Center, sitting dejectedly with a buckshot-looking bulge on their shoulder
“(The doctor) knows too many of us,” Stone said. Sharks, low visibility and shifting undercurrents all pose risks. In the late ’90s, Helldiver George Ansardi, a former Kenner policeman, surfaced from a dive to find his boat nearly 100 yards away The currents were strong, the waves high, and by the time the Coast Guard sent a helicopter, he was miles from his original spot. Ansardi’s lips cracked, his skin burned, and cramps made moving difficult
“I had made peace with God that day,” Ansardi recalls.
After drifting for five hours, he finally caught the attention of an oil rig worker, who asked if he was all right
“Do you see a boat?” Ansardi replied. “No! I’m not all right!”
Over 20 years later, the Helldivers still call him the “West Delta Drifter.”
Despite the perils, and their reputations, the Helldivers haven’t lost a member diving since the 1980s. Still, most veterans know more than a few spearfishers who didn’t resurface. When the Coast Guard and other law
with over 500 plaintiffs, for another $4.5 million, according to attorney Eric Rowe. Waste Connections and APTIM settled that case just before trial, but Rowe declined to disclose the settlement agreement.
Jefferson Parish paid out an additional $700,000 to LDEQ to settle compliance orders and potential violation notices issued from 2018-21.
The class-action lawsuit sought damages for anyone living in a 46-mile area covering Waggaman, Avondale, River Ridge, Harahan and parts of Metairie and Kenner in 2017, 2018 or 2019.
In March, Judge Morgan denied class certification for over 5,000 residents in the case against Waste Connections and APTIM, saying that wind patterns caused varied exposure month-to-month and by neighborhood, “affecting Class Representatives’ degree of exposure widely and inconsistently.”
As a result, each of those residents will now have to prove their case individually in court to receive compensation, which could take years to resolve.
Those named in the newest lawsuit, including Crossman, are seeking damages of up to $74,999 per plaintiff.
cords show
The church’s pastor Randy Craighead, was not available for comment Friday, but a church spokesperson confirmed there had been permitting issues with the city Still, the project is moving forward, and the new worship center will hopefully open sometime next year, the spokesperson said.
Concerns about safety and quality of life issues like graffiti and encampments have also slowed redevelopment. Last fall, before finalizing permits for his hotel, Mann emailed City Council members, imploring them to do something about a group of people who had been camping on the site for several years.
“While our property is fenced, it continues to be littered with garbage, liquor bottles, hypodermic needles and other drug paraphernalia,” he wrote in the October 2024 email.
The property has since been cleaned up and construction is underway
Talbot said if city leaders want to get serious about attracting new investment to key corridors like St. Charles, they need to continue to focus on such issues.
“I cannot tell you how many people come down here and get excited about wanting to do projects here,” he said. “Then, they encounter the reality of how challenging it can be.”
enforcement refuse to recover bodies past certain depths, a roster of club members will often take up the search out of respect for the family
“If there is a chance of us finding you, we will go out there and go do it,” Stone said.
Towers of life
As the storm continues above water, exhaust spews from the drilling platform, lacing the air with a faint chemical taste. But as Cozic, Aucoin and Kieth Peschel follow the rig’s steel legs through their descent, the upper “chocolate milk” layer — fresh water from the Mississippi turns to a clearer cobalt, revealing a booming Cajun Caribbean.
Many see the oil platforms as eyesores, but to fishermen, they are towers of life. Over time, the increasingly rough, corroded surfaces help barnacles and corals attach, allowing sea life from different depths to gather and feed along the structure, creating a thriving, three-dimensional artificial reef.
According to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, a typical eightleg rig structure can support up to 14,000 fish and provide 3 acres of habitat for hundreds of marine species.
“You’re talking acres and acres of coral reef on each one of these rig legs,” Helldiver Joe Wegmann said.
RESTAURANT
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Nuvolari’s restaurant is up the block.
“I think Mandeville is just a very desirable place — to live or visit,” said Jason Zuckerman, a Mandeville City Council member and Old Mandeville resident.
“It’s not walled off from Lake Pontchartrain,” he added, noting the location along Lake Pontchartrain and the absence of a large floodwall that would block views.
‘It’s a destination’
Iceburg Charlie’s and Noir Bistrot, meanwhile, are next to each other right off the Mandeville Trailhead, which hosts concerts and a weekly farmers market. Another restaurant, Spoke & Barrel, is nearby The trailhead is also a popular takeoff spot for people biking or walking along the Tammany Trace.
“It’s a destination,” Brent Belsom, whose Abita Roasting Co. group owns and operates Iceburg Charlie’s. Abita Roasting has restaurants in Madisonville, Covington and Abita Springs, and Belsom said the company has wanted a location in Old Mandeville for a while.
The Old Mandeville spot, which most recently was Pyre BBQ, a popular BBQ restaurant, was too small for a full-sized Abita Roasting restaurant.
Iceburg Charlie’s is a new concept that the company hopes will spawn additional locations, he said.
Belsom said the restaurant opened in early March and “has exceeded our expectations.”
“We hope we found a niche that wasn’t covered yet,” Belsom said, adding that people climbing off their bicycles looking for a beer will be just as comfortable as a family looking for burgers on an afternoon out.
Cafetomas opened last August in the location that had formerly been Hambone. It joined Cafetomas locations in Kenner and Uptown New
“There’s Caribbean fish you would never know are out here.”
But the unlikely ecosystem may not last. In 2010, the Obama administration began forcing oil and gas companies to remove inactive platforms. Since then, as the push for renewable energy gains momentum, an emerging “rig-reaper” industry has removed about 200 decommissioned platforms a year
“It makes me tear up,” Wegmann said.
In Louisiana, if costs and risks allow, the “Rigs to Reefs” program allows some operators to choose to turn their platforms into artificial reefs, but the process usually entails toppling the structure horizontally, often involving explosives that can kill hundreds of fish.
While the long-term environmental and safety hazards of abandoned oil rigs are up for debate, many Helldivers fear that as the platforms vanish, so will the fishing. Others said the sport as a whole may be dying, citing dozens of other Louisiana spearfishing clubs having dissolved.
Stricter regulations in response to decades of overfishing, combined with the growing impact of dead zones, have reduced catches and, some say, diminished the sport’s appeal. “They call us the last gen-
Orleans.
“Mandeville residents, they welcome and support new restaurants,” owner Saul Alcazar said. “It’s been good.”
‘Honeymoon period’
Sinclair who owns a thriving catering company that commands much of his time (his jobs have ranged from feeding disaster relief workers to making sure clients such as Tom Cruise, Beyoncé and NFL executives are happy and full) operated The Lakehouse in a historic building on Mandeville’s lakefront for more than a decade.
When The Lakehouse closed following extensive damage during Hurricane Ida in 2021, Sinclair said he felt ready to get out of the restaurant business and just stick to catering, his real bread and butter
He owned another lakefront building nearby, and by 2023 he said the restaurant bug had bitten him again.
“When it’s what you’ve done for so long, it’s hard to put down,” he said. “It was kind of my identity.”
His new place suits him just fine. The restaurant is small — it seats 90 people and geared to a “high-end clientele,” he said. Sinclair thinks the recent Mandeville restaurant bloom is just part of the industry’s cycle. Restaurants open and close, he said. So far business has been terrific, he said. “I guess our honeymoon period’s in effect,” he said with a chuckle. “I think if we can get through the summer with no hurricanes we’ll be great.”
eration,” said 22-year-old Joe Estopinal, the youngest member of the crew After about 20 minutes under the water, Peschel breaks the surface, dragging up two 25-pound African pompanos. Later, Aucoin hauls in a barracuda, reluctantly posing with the modest catch. By the time the boat reaches the next rig, sunrays dance off the waves, and the rest of the day remains calm by Helldiver standards. Later in the weekend, members launch Heath Powell, the rodeo’s winner by points, off the docks of Venice Marina, leaving him drenched in the surrounding bayou.
Over half a century after their first dives in Pontchartrain, the renegade group still knows how to have a good time With no fishing to wake up to the next morning, debauchery remains the only order on the Helldiver agenda that night. And so it ensues.
STAFF PHOTO By BOB WARREN Cayman Sinclair stands in front of his new restaurant in Old Mandeville, Aperitif Spritz + Bites.
Adams, Virginia
Anderson Sr., Melvin DavisMortuary
Baham, Shirley Martin Sr., Henry BalsamoSr.,John Sorrells,Viola Batt,Merlin
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Breaux, Claudia
Kass, Barbara Camet, Gayle
Oldham, Garland Carney,Chalon Spahr,Anita Chee, Kam
Robinson FH Elks,Ann
Gonsoulin,Mary Anderson Sr., Melvin Gros,Alice Obituaries
Ives Sr., Peter Adams, Virginia Louise Lynn 'Bridget'
Jeffrey, Betty Kass, Barbara Lonon-Murphy, Elizabeth Martin Sr., Henry McBurney,Donald
Mindak, William
Mire,Alice
Oldham, Garland
Overstreet Jr., William
Palmisano, Linda
Prentiss, William Rizzuto,Betsy
Rohr Jr., Joseph
Schexnaydre, Carol
Simeon, Floyd
Sorrells,Viola
Spahr,Anita
Taffaro, Mary
VanHaelen,Margaret
Williams Jr., John Young, Gary
Young, Glennand
Marguerite
Virginia "Bridget
Louise Lynn Tucker Adams, March 8, 1946 -May 17, 2025
Virginia "Bridget"
Louise Lynn Tucker Adams, age79, passed away peacefully on May17, 2025, in Slidell, Louisiana.Born on March 8, 1946, in Hot Springs,Arkansas, Bridget liveda life marked by generosity, sharpwit,and an unwavering devotionto the people she loved. Bridget was theproud mother of three children and is survivedbyher beloved son, David Willsey, and daughter,Tiffanie Lee Shewas acherished grandmothertoErica Willsey,Riley Matlock, Alyssa Lee, Dylan Willsey, and Nicole Willsey,and a devoted great-grandmother to Drew Richard and Olivia Richard. Sheisprecededindeath by her daughter,Stephanie Adams,whosememory she carried close to her heart.
Ziegler, Don Anderson Sr., Melvin
EJefferson
BalsamoSr.,John
Gros,Alice
LA Muhleisen
Mire,Alice
Rohr Jr., Joseph Richardson FH
Lonon-Murphy, Elizabeth NewOrleans
Charbonnet
Overstreet Jr., William DW Rhodes
Williams Jr., John EstelleJWilson
Baham, Shirley Greenwood
Batt,Merlin
Camet, Gayle
Chee, Kam
Taffaro, Mary
Lake Lawn Metairie
Elks,Ann
Ives Sr., Peter Prentiss, William
Ziegler, Don St Tammany
EJ Fielding
McBurney,Donald VanHaelen,Margaret
Young, Gary
Young, Glennand Marguerite Honaker
Palmisano, Linda
Rizzuto,Betsy
Schexnaydre, Carol
vorite oldies station, singing alongtotimeless tunesthatbrought him peace andnostalgia Melvinislovinglyremem‐bered by hiswife, Rita Z. Anderson; daughtersPhyl‐lis J. Agee, Cheryl Ander‐son,Tracy Anderson,and MonicaSpears-Lombard (Martin); sons Melvin An‐dersonJr. andKenneth Spears(Tammy);brother IrvinAndersonSr. (Shirley);sisterMarilyn Anderson; godsons John Bickham Jr.and LouisSean Spears; grandchildren Louis,Ronica, Joshua,Jas‐mine, Olivia,Nigel,Nyla, Leana,Ahmad;In-laws Bar‐baraHills,Yolanda Mont‐gomeryand Alecia Williams (David), George Montgomery(Eleanor), Peter Thompson (Lillian) and many others who were touched by hiswarmthand humor.Hewas preceded in death by hisparents Hazel Lovey Payne-Anderson and Israel "JimE" Anderson; siblingsCharlie Anderson Sr. andAnna M. Anderson; and nephew DerrickAnder‐son.The familyextends heartfelt gratitudetothe compassionate caregivers who supportedMelvindur‐ing his finaldays: the Ochsner Westbank ER staff; nursesofthe third and fourth floors; ICU team; HeartofHospice; Compassus;Mrs.Dorothy Magee; andDr. Jake Rodi (PCP).MelvinAnderson Sr.’s legacy is oneofdedi‐cation—to family, faith, community,country—and anenduringlovefor life’s simplejoys. Mayhis mem‐ory bringcomfort to those who knew himand con‐tinue to inspireall to carry itforward.A Visitation will beheldonWednesday June 11, 2025, from 08:00 a.m.to08:45 a.m. at ThompsonTemple
C.O.G.I.C., 1515 Whitney Ave.A FuneralService will beheldonJune 11, 2025, from09:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.atThompsonTemple
C.O.G.I.C 1515 Whitney Ave.Hewillbeinterredat Southeast LouisianaVeter‐ans Cemetery in Slidell, LA RepasttofollowatThomp‐son Temple C.O.G.I.C.,1515 WhitneyAve., Gretna,LA 70053. Funeralplanningen‐trusted to Robinson Family FuneralHome, (504) 2082119. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com
andEliza Balsamo. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Johnwas theson of the lateDominickPaulBal‐samoand thelateNina Governale Balsamo. He grewupalongside hissib‐lings:Betty Balsamo Fleeger,Robert“Bobby” F. Balsamo,and thelateSal‐vador J. Balsamo. He was alsoa cherisheduncle to manyniecesand nephews who held himdear. John dedicated hiscareer to the Jefferson Parish School Board,working as aheat‐ing andair conditioning engineer until hisretire‐ment. He found joyinthe simplepleasures of life cooking, browsing sale ads,and cheeringonhis favoriteteams,the New Orleans Saints andthe LSU Tigers. He will be remem‐bered forhis quietwarmth, his devotion to family, and the love he gave so freely. Relatives andfriends are invited to attend theVisi‐tationatGardenofMemo‐riesFuneralHome, 4900 Airline DriveMetairie, LA 70001 on Monday,June 9, 2025 from 10:00 am until 2:00pm. He will be laid to restimmediatelyafter in GardenofMemoriesCeme‐tery. Thefamilyrequests donations to St.JudeChil‐dren’sResearchHospital atwww.stjude.org. Online condolences maybeof‐fered at www.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com
A. WininghamJr, and Tiffanie M. Winingham, as wellasa greatgrandson PorterDupeire.Heisalso survivedbysisters CarolB Moragas andBonnieB Anton (Duke),his nieces and nephewsTracy Mora‐gas,Shannon Moragas, Corey Moragas, Erin M. Abney,and Shiela Mora‐gas,who will greatlymiss their “Uncle Mern”. Merlin attended East Jefferson HighSchool andDelgado Community College. He pursued hispassion of car‐pentryasa member of the New OrleansCarpenters Local 1846 forover60 years.Hewas proudofthe manybuildings andhomes thatheworkedonthrough‐out theGreater NewOr‐leans area andNorthshore. Hewas atalentedcarpen‐ter who always ensured thatthe jobwas done right.Hewas always eager tohelpwithany project and couldtakeapart and fixalmostanything handedtohim.Hepos‐sesseda wealth of knowl‐edgeonjustabout any topic anda quickconver‐sationalwaysturnedintoa history lesson.Anyone who methim walked away learningsomething they didn’tknowbefore. He had a styleofstorytellingthat keptyourinterestand usu‐allyended with uncontrol‐lable laughter.Heloved fishingand crabbing and was an excellentcook. His wifeoften referred to him asher sous chef.Addition‐ally, he enjoyedtending to his vegetablegarden, spendingweekends at the casinos on theGulfCoast aswellasdrinkinghis af‐ternoon beer.Hewillbe greatly missedbyall who had thepleasureofknow‐ing him. Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tenda visitation at Green‐wood FuneralHomeon June 11, 2025, from 9:00 AM to11:00 AM followed im‐mediately by aburialin Greenwood Cemetery at 5200 CanalBlvdinNew Or‐leans
ClaudiaVeronicaBreaux departed this life for eternal rest on May27, 2025 at the age of 78. She was born in NewOrleans,LAand wasa graduate of Walter L. Cohen Senior High School. Claudiawas employed by Birdsall Law Firmfor 40 years. Claudiaisprecededin death by herparents,Ida SteibBreaux andEdmond Breaux; grandparents, Aline Robertson Jones and Joseph M. Jones, andOlivia WhiteBreauxand Celestain Breaux; brother, EdmondBreaux, Sr.and nephew,Jamiale Breaux. Claudialeaves to cherish hermemory,sonsVaughn A. Breaux and Kyron J. Breaux; granddaughters, MiaA.Breaux, LaurenA Breaux, Bracelyn J. Breaux; great-granddaughter CelineM.Marmolejas; sisters, Antoinette BreauxBourgeoisand Cynthia Breaux; sister-in-law,Anna Breaux Black; Goddaughter, Danielle Jourdain Griggs; lifelong friends, SandraPeyton and Joyce Lloyd; 2nieces, 4 nephews, as well as ahost of otherfamilyand friends. Relativesand friends of thefamily; Pastor,officers andmembersofFirst Emanuel Baptist Church; employeesofBirdsall Law Firm; and officers and members of Zulu Social Aidand Pleasure Club are invited to attendthe funeral. ACelebrationservice honoringthe life andlegacy of ClaudiaVeronica Breaux, will be held at First Emanuel Baptist Church 1829 CarondeletStreet, NewOrleans,LA70130 on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at 11:00 am, Reverend EricJ Knatt, Officiant. Interment: Providence Memorial Parkand Mausoleum, 8200 Airline Drive,Metairie, LA 70003. Visitation at 10:00 am in thechurch.The familyof ClaudiaVeronicaBreaux, wouldliketoextend aspecial thanks to theBirdsall Law Firm, especially Brian Birdsall and Steven Gonsoulin,Mary West Bank
Melvin Anderson Sr age 83,passedaway peacefullyonMonday, May 26, 2025, at hishomeinTer‐rytown, Louisiana. Born on January 2, 1942, in Algiers, Louisiana,Melvinlived a fulland vibrantliferooted deeply in thecommunity thatshapedhim.Hebegan his educationatSamuel LawtonElementaryand graduated from L.B. Landry HighSchool in 1958. After highschool,Melvinen‐tered theworkforce with positions at D.H. Holmes and K& BDrugstore before securinga long-termrole atAmericanCan Company. When thecompany closed its doorsin1974, he transi‐tionedtothe Jefferson ParishSewerage Depart‐ment, where he dedicated 28years of serviceuntil his retirementin2005. Melvin proudly served hiscountry asa U.S. Army veteran. His commitmenttoservice ex‐tendedbeyondthe military intohis spirituallifeand community involvement. He wasa 32nd-degree Mason with NewTuscan#5 and became adevoted memberofFaith Temple Church of GodinChriston May 27,2023. Just weeks later,onJune 18,hewas baptized—amomentof deep personal signifi‐cance.A lifelong resident ofAlgiers andanunmis‐takable presence around town, Melvin wasknown for dropping by to visitrel‐ativesand friendsfor con‐versation andcamaraderie oftenaccompanied by a beverageortwo.Hehad an infectiouslovefor music acrossall genres andespe‐cially cherishedtwo songs thatheldspecial meaning for himand hisbeloved wifeRita: “Can IHaveThis Dance”byAnne Murray and “Through theYears” byKenny Rogers.Melvin’s passion forthe NewOr‐leans Saints wasunwaver‐ing.Fromtheir earliest sea‐sonstorecentyears,here‐maineda loyalfan—win or lose—always cheeringon the Blackand Gold from his favorite recliner.Sun‐daysweresacredfootball days filled with spirited support forhis team.He alsofound joyinsimple pleasure-taking long drives while listeningtohis fa‐
ShirleyJ.Baham entered intoeternal rest on Friday May 30, 2025 at herresi‐dence at theage of 78 Daughterofthe late Gen‐eraland ShirleyJackson MotherofSharlette Williams.SisterofGeneral and WilliamJackson.Also survivedby(3) grandchil‐drenand ahostofgreat grandchildren.Homegoing ServicesonTuesday,June 10, 2025 for11:00 a.m. at Estelle J. Wilson Funeral Home, Inc.,2715 Danneel St.,New Orleans, La.70113 Visitationfrom10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Senior DeputyArchbishopKourt‐ney GlasgowofficiatingIn‐terment:Private.Arrange‐ments entrustedtoEstelle J.WilsonFuneralHome, Inc.,2715 Danneel St., NOLA. Information: (504) 895-4903. To sign online guest book,pleasevisit www.estellejwilsonfh.com.
CharlesBatt passedawayunexpectedly onTuesday,June 3, 2025 shortly after his82ndbirth‐day.Hewas born on May 25, 1943, in NewOrleans, LA, andwas aresidentof Jefferson Parish foralmost 70years.Hewas preceded indeath by hisfather, Got‐tlieb T. Batt III, andhis mother, ElsieB.Batt. He is survivedbyhis wife of 59 1/2 years, Carole Tierney Batt, adaughter, Melissa B. Winingham, agranddaugh‐ter MeganE.Winingham, step-grandchildren George
Breaux, Claudia Veronica
Batt, Merlin Charles
Merlin
Baham, ShirleyJ
4B
Sunday,June 8,2025 ✦ nola.com
Giardina, and St. Margaret's Rehabilitation Home. Professional Funeral Services, Directors (504) 948-7447.
Camet, GayleSeghers
Belovedwife, mother, grandmother,great-grand‐mother, andsister, Gayle Seghers Camet, 84,ofNew Orleans,Louisiana,passed awaypeacefully at home surrounded by herfamily. Livinga life rooted in faith, Gayle walked closelywith the Lord andlived outthe gospelinwordand deed She believed in thepower ofprayer, thestrengthof forgiveness,and thecallto loveone anotherdeeply and unconditionally. Those who knew Gaylewitnessed a life shaped by grace. She carried aquiet strength and gentle spirit,always willingtolisten, comfort, and lift others in theirtime ofneed. Gaylewas born August12, 1940, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana.A lifelong educator, shetaughtat various schools, spending 25years at Archbishop RummelHighSchool.At Rummel, shewas areligion teacher,Chair of theReli‐gionDepartment, andDi‐rectorofReligious Educa‐tionand Campus Ministry She received an Arch‐bishopRummelHonorary Diploma andbecame an honoraryChristian Brother, receiving theF.S.C.initials. Through herteachingand careful preparationoflitur‐giesand retreats,Gayle had alife-changing impact onhundredsofstudents. Gayle also served in St.Ed‐wardthe Confessorparish asEucharistic Minister and RCIAinstructor. Shewas a memberofthe Catholic Charismatic Renewalin New Orleans. In retirement she enjoyedspendingtime withher grandchildrenand becameanaccomplished artist. Sheissurvivedby her husbandof59years, Wayne JamesCamet,and her son, GregoryCamet (Lily); daughters, Colleen Pingel, CamilleGreenberg (Jeffrey),and Evelyn Mag‐gio (John).She is also sur‐vived by nine grandchil‐dren: Ellery andColson Camet;MadelineBallester (Nick), Nicholas,Emily and NathanPingel; Benjamin Greenberg (Avery)and Jamie Greenberg;Gabrielle Maggio, andthree great grandchildren,Leo,Elena, and Xavier Ballester; brothers, James(Michelle) and Myles(Linda) Seghers. She is predeceasedbyher parents,James andAudrey Seghers,and brother Arthur Seghers. Though our hearts areheavy,we find comfortinknowing thatGayle hasbeen wel‐comed into theeternal joy ofthe Lord.Her legacy of faith,compassion, andlove willcontinue to live on in all thoselives shetouched Guestsare encouraged to wearcolorfulattire in honor of Gayle’sluminous faith andthe eternallife she nowshareswith Christ. Relativesand friends areinvited to visit St. CatherineofSiena Catholic Church,located at 105 BonnabelBlvd., Metairie, LA 70005, on Mon‐day,June 9, 2025,at10:00 AM. TheRosarywillbere‐cited at 12:00p.m., fol‐lowed by WordsofRemem‐branceat12:15 p.m. A MemorialMasswillfollow at12:30 PM.The burial will beprivate.Wealsoinvite you to shareyour thoughts, fond memories, and condolencesonlineat www.greenwoodfh.com Your shared memories will helpuscelebrate Gayle’s lifeand keep hermemory alive.“Well done,mygood and faithful ser‐vant. Come,share your Master’sjoy.” Matthew 25:21
Bordes Carney passed away on May 28, 2025atthe age of 82. Chalon was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 25, 1943 to the late Edgar and Theo Bordes. She is preceded in death by her daughter, Kristin Ann, and her brother, Edgar. She is survived by
her daughterKelly Boudreaux (John), grandchildrenZachary(Emma), Alex (Catherine), Emily, great-grandson William, brother Gary Bordes (Gayle) and sisterinlaw Merlene Bordes. Chalon livedin Mandeville,Louisiana for over 40 yearswhere she was well loved by all.She enjoyed volunteering at LakeviewHospital, Special Olympics and the Our Lady of the Lake CYO.Her hobbiesincludedgardening, swimming and riding her bike on the Mandeville lakefront.
Friends and relatives are invited to attend avisitation at the BasilicaofSt. Stephen, 1025 Napoleon Avenue, New Orleans on Saturday June14th at 9am with afuneral mass to follow at 10am.
KamYue Chee (née Fong),age 76, passedaway peacefullysurrounded by her family andfriends on June 1, 2025, in Baton Rouge,Louisiana.Bornon September 22,1948, in Can‐ton,China,Kam beganher lifeina placerichwithtra‐ditionand culture. Her journey eventually brought her to theUnitedStates, where she builta life rooted in love,faith,and family. Kamwas adevoted wifetoWoon Tong Chee and alovingmothertoher daughterSelinaCheeand son Albert Chee.She shareda closebondwith her son-in-law Adam Wil‐son.She is also survived by two brothers,Tai Ming Fongand TaiNam Fong bothofHongKong. Her familywas thecenterof her world, and shepoured her heartintocreatinga warmand nurturing home A womanofdeepfaith Kam wasa longtime mem‐ber of theChinese Christ‐ian Church of BatonRouge Her commitment to her church community re‐flectedher generous spirit and unwavering belief in service to others.She was alwayswilling to lend a helping hand andoffer support whereveritwas needed.Kam hada passion for cookingand baking thatbrought joynot only to her family,but also to all who hadthe pleasure of sharing amealather table.Her culinary talents werematched by hergreen thumb. Shefound peace and fulfillment in garden‐ing,tending lovingly to eachplant as shedid with every aspect of herlife. Those who knew Kamwill rememberher as akindhearted womanwhose carefor others left an en‐duringimpact. Herlegacy lives on throughthe love she gave so freely,and the memoriescherished by those closesttoher.May her memory bringcomfort and peacetoall who knew and lovedher.Serviceswill beprivate.For condo‐lences, please visitwww greenwoodfh.com
Ann Gogreve Elks, 70, of NewOrleans, LA, passed awaypeacefully at home on June 3rd, 2025 with her daughters by her side. Born on March 28, 1955 in Baton Rouge,LA, Ann was abeloved daughter,sister, friend, wife, mother,and grandmother. Growing up she attendedMount CarmelAcademy and later Southeastern, andshe was competitive in volleyball, basketball, swimming, diving,and as aclassically trained ballerina.Ann was always the life of the party and made everyone around herfeelsafeand welcomed.She lovingly raised her two girls and outperformedher sales colleagues allwhilewearing 6-inch heels with red lipstick &glossy red nails. After looking forlove forso many years, she finally found hersoul-mate Bryantwho she lived life to the fullest within21wonderful years of marriage. Bryand Ann enjoyed being on the water in theirboat,
4, 2025 at theage of 81. She
feeling thewind on their faces on their motorcycle, traveling,and worshipping their Creator at Metairie RidgePresbyterian, and lateratLakeview Christian Center. Evenafter multiple healthsetbacksincluding adebilitating stroke, she would notbestopped from caring forothersand buildingcommunity wherevershe found herself. While living in Memphis & Houston, Omi's heart was litupbyher grandchildren, her dogRoux, and her love of Saints Football. She stayed activeuntil close to theend of life,continuing her love of swimming, engaging withneighborsat Brookdale ChampionSr. Living playing bingo, singing in thechoir, as well as competitivematches of AceyDeuceywith allwho wouldaccept her challenge. Ann was preceded in deathbyher husband, Charles Bryant Elks II;parents, Charles A. GogreveJr. and JewellSt. Amant Gogreve; and brother DonaldJ.Gogreve.She is survivedbyher daughters, Michelle(Jamey) and Lauren(David); step-son, Charlie Elks III(Letitia); her sisters and brothers, Barbara Mccurdy (Annette), Charles A. GogreveIII,Bart M. Gogreve(Joan), JayR Gogreve(Sharon), Jack E. Gogreve (Giovanna); Grandchildren, Casey, Julianne, and John Mark Lee, Amelia, Hannah, Katelyn, and Audrey Widener, Lizzyand Bryant Elks IV. She is also survivedby9 nieces and nephews, agreat nephew and 2great nieces. Memorial Service willbe held on Saturday, June 14thatLakeview Christian Center. Visitation willbeginat12:00 until theservice at 2:00 p.m.
Sister Mary Terez' Gonsoulin passed away unexpectedly in theearly afternoon of May 23, 2025, as aideswere ministering to her at TrinityTrace CommunityCare Center in Covington, LA.The second daughter of Doris(Guelfo) and Thomas Gonsoulin was bornonNovember 24, 1942, at Hotel Dieu Hospital in NewOrleans, Louisiana. She joined her oldersister, Antonia(Toni). Sister Terez' is survivedbyher twonieces, Colleen Walsh, Clinton, Arkansas and MarjorieGauthreaux, Thibodaux, LA and their families
She spent 10 years as an elementary teacher and then an administrator During thelast 27 years of activeministry she was theadministrator forthree daycarecenters with the belief that "the future of Catholiceducation is in daycare."She lovedlittle children, was an excellent listenerand mentor Serviceswilltakeplace at Most Holy Trinity CatholicChurch, Covington on June 11. Visitation begins at 10:00 followedbya prayer service/sharing of memories and Memorial Mass at 11:00. Arrangementsare entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington, La.
AliceR.Grospassed awaypeacefullyather home on Wednesday, June
was thedevoted wife of Nolan T. Doss andthe proud mother of Wade Gros(Suzanne), Wanda Gros(Victor), thelateJohn Gros, Donna RayPantier (Scott),MargieBagley (Chuck),Nolan Doss Jr and Howard Doss (Stephanie).Dotinggrand‐motherof9 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchil‐dren. Sister of Edward Robert(Joan), PatRobert (Jonell),VernonRobert (late,Pam), K.C. Trahan (late,Gary),Ben Robert (JoAnn),the late Ashley Robert, Maybelle Cheramie, andMyron Robert. Daughter of the lateEugeneRobertand the lateMarie Robert.Alsosur‐vived by numerous nieces and nephews. Aliceworked asa corporatesecretary for over 35 yearsand re‐tired as Vice Presidentof Deltide Fishingand Rental Tools. Shewas thePast President andWestbank RegionDirectorfor Desk and DerrickRegion3.She was also an active member ofthe Belle TerreGolden Ages. Relativesand friends are invitedtoattend the FuneralServicesatGarden ofMemoriesFuneralHome & Cemetery,4900 Airline Drive Metairie,LA70001 on Tuesday,June 10, 2025. Vis‐itation will beginat9:00 amwitha Servicestarting at1:00pmfollowedbyin‐terment.Onlinecondo‐lencesmay be offeredat www.gardenofmemorie smetarie.com
PeterButler Ives, Sr., belovedhusband and father,passed away peacefully in his sleep at his Pass Christian, Mississippi home at theage of 80. He is survivedbyhis loving wife of over 55 years, Lynn Reilly Ives; twosons: Peter Butler Ives, Jr. of New Orleans, LA,and Clay Mitchell Ives (Katie) of Baton Rouge,LA; sibling: Dorothy "Debi'IvesDupuy (Peter); and many loving nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his father, Charles Mitchell Ives, Sr., mother, Dorothy Butler Ives, brother, Charles Mitchell Ives, Jr., and sister-in-law, Mary VanDenburghIves. Born and raised in NewOrleans, Peterloved beingclose to thewater. Hisearlyyears were filled with thejoy of sailing on Lake Pontchartrain. Later, as a devoted husband and father,hecreated lasting memories during summers and weekends spent at the family's Gulf Coast retreat, motoring across thebay in their Boston Whaler with lovedones. Whennot on thecoast, Peterspent countless weekends at Tiger Stadium, supporting his belovedLSU Football team. He lovedtoentertain friends and family and was known forthrowing an annual Christmas partyfilled with avisit from Santa, good food,and holiday cheer. Peterfacedthe world with extraordinary resilience and apositive spirit, despite being born withlegal blindness, color blindness, and asensitivity to light.Withhis signature darkglasses, he never allowedthese challengesto define him, graduating fromDeLaSalle High School and attending Louisiana StateUniversity. Peterdedicated his professionallife to thefamily business, Ives Business Forms,Inc where his leadershipled himtothe role of President.Peter also actively participatedinthe rich traditions of New Orleans carnival organizations and was alongtime member of The Pickwick Club, The Louisiana Club,
Pass Christian Yacht Club, TheSociety of Colonial Wars, and PresidentofThe Sons of theRevolution Seeking thetranquility of theGulfCoast, Peterand hiswife moved to Pass Christian in July 2022. Their home became awelcominghaven for visitingfamily andfriends from New Orleans, maintainingtheir cherished connections.In hisfinal days, Peter found peace at home as hiswife shared loving memories of theirfirst meeting one Easter weekend in the Pass andtheir many years together. Hisdevoted dog, Ginger,offered himcomfort andloving companionship, agentlepresence by hisside. Peterwill be deeply missed by all who knew him. Amemorial service willoccur on Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Lake LawnMetairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd.New Orleans, La at 1:00pm. A visitation will begin at 11:30am. In lieu of flowers, adonation canbemade in Peter'sname to Guide Dogs for theBlind.
Betty Lou Wilson Jeffrey passedpeacefully from this worldonJune5,2025, after afull96yearsoflife. Shewas loveddeeply by herextensive family, reveredasa pioneering businesswoman and devoted philanthropist, and a cherished friendtoall who knew her. Betty was born in 1928 andraised in Louisville, Kentucky amongst ahardworking familythatran a successfulmulti-generational business, Anderson Wood Products.She attended Mary Baldwin University in Staunton, Virginia and graduated from University of Louisvillewith twoB.A. degrees- oneinHistoryand oneinEnglish Literature. Hergraduation present, a trip to Europe, was congruentwith hersense of adventureand ignited herlife -longlove of travel.
In Louisville, Betty got a jobasa secretaryand met herfirst husband George H. Wilson. They were married in 1951, and in 1954, theyoung couplemoved to NewOrleans to expand the Wilsonfamilybusiness, R.B. Tyler Company. Betty played asupportive role from home untilGeorge's untimely death in 1977. As awidowedmother of three, she went against advice to sell what hadbecome Barriere ConstructionCo. LLC and officiallygot to work.
Betty wasChairwoman of Barrierefor 15 years. Shewas motivated by the challenge of being afemale executive in theconstruction industry during the 1970s and 80s, and she infused the company with familyvalueswhileholding spacefor hersonstotake over,whichtheyeventually did.
Betty set the foundation for Barriere's Culture of Careasthe companybecame aleadingcontractor in theGulfSouth.Betty pri-
oritizedthe safety and wellbeingofemployeeshersignature achievement beingacomprehensive safety programthat, like herself, was aheadofits time Betty stepped away from day-to-daymanagement of Barrierein1994, officiallypassing thetorch to hersonswho established the company'sBetty A. WilsonEducation and Safety Scholarship in 1995. Sheremained Chairwoman Emeritus untilBarriere was acquiredin2021 after four generationsand seven decades of privateownership andoperation As abusinessexecutive, Betty channeledher influence into industry leadership. On behalf of AssociatedGeneral Contractors, she liaised with theEqual EmploymentOpportunity Commission to institute theRoadBuilders Association On-the-Job Training Program. Shewas also integral to creating thealliance that still exists between Louisiana AGC andthe Occupational Safety andHealth Administration.In2004, Betty waselected as an Honorary Lifetime Member of LAGC andinductedinto itsHallofHonor Throughouther life Betty shared herlove of people andknackfor buildingconsensus with numerouscharitableorganizations. Shewas particularly inspired as along-time Board memberofthe YMCA of Greater New Orleansand honored as YMCA Humanitarian of the Year in 1988. Shewas a Board memberofAustin Presbyterian Seminary wherethe Betty Wilson Jeffrey Fellowship Fund andafacultyendowment fund were establishedin herhonor For 40+ years, Betty was an active member and Elder of Lakeview Presbyterian Church where she met hersecondhusbandNeill P. Jeffrey Jr They were marriedin1989 and split their time betweenNew Orleansand Black Mountain,North Carolinawhere they built a beautiful home and life together untilNeill'sdeathin 1998. Betty continued to split hertimebetween New Orleansand hermountain home for thelast decades of herlife. She was surroundedbyfriends and familyand remained active in Bountyand Soul,a wellness and educational organization that connects communitythrough local food.
More recently, Betty became amember of St Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church where many of hersons, grandchildren, andgreat-grandchildrenare active members. Shelived outher final years at Christwood RetirementCommunity Betty waspredeceased by herparents, Sidneyand Mildred Anderson, brother, SidneyJr., andtwo husbands, George Wilson (1977) and NeillJeffrey (1998). Sheissurvived by herthree sons George H. WilsonJr(Nell), PeterA Wilson(Lisa) and Bertrand A. Wilson(Me'me'), nine grandchildrenAmelie Sanders (Wess), Nancy McKnight (Bill), George WilsonIII,Tristan Wilson, Matthew Wilson(Annie), AndrewWilson(Hannah), Peter WilsonJr. (Rosalind), MariannSengelmann (Robert), andCaroline Wolfe(Michael), and 18 great-grandchildren Thefamilywould like to give special thanks to Dr. Mark Berenson andcaregivers, especially Kinyada Carter,Betty Batiste,Lisa Manuel,Alina Ventura, and
Chee, KamYue Fong
Jeffrey, BettyLou Wilson
Ives Sr., PeterButler
GonsoulinSSND, Sister Mary Terez
Elks, Ann Gogreve
Carney, Chalon Bordes
Chalon
Viviana Garces, for providing her with acomfortable life over the last years.
Amemorial service has been planned for Monday, June 9atSt. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. Visitation willbe held at 1:00 p.m. and service will follow at 2:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. In lieu of flowers andin the spirit of Betty's life, please send donations to Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary or a charity of your choice.
Kass, BarbaraLee Louise Herzog
BarbaraLee Louise Her‐zog Kass of Gretna Louisiana,passedaway peacefullyonJune4,2025 inher home,surrounded byher loving family. Bar‐barawas preceded in death by herbeloved hus‐band, Lawrence John Kass Sr.;her father,William Oscar Herzog; hermother, FlorenceCooper Herzog; her brothers William D. Herzog, andRobertJ.Her‐zog; andher sister Flo‐rence H. Bourgeois. She was thedevoted mother of SharonLandeche(thelate Norman),LaurenMcGinnis (Thomas “Skip”), Nancy Kass, Marian Pieno(the lateLarry), Kerry Kass, GregoryKass(Mary), and Patrick Kass. Shewas also precededindeath by her son,LawrenceKassJr. (Vanessa). Barbarawas a proud andlovinggrand‐mothertoNormanand Kevin Landeche,Amy Lic‐ciardi, ElizabethMavroma‐tis,JenniferMcGinnis, Melissa Bustamante,Jason and EricaSurrency, Jamie and JasonKass, Mark and TroyPieno,Christine Weill, Kerry Kass Jr Janice Chaisson, DavidKass, Amber Pecoraro,Rachel, Gregory, andKristen Kass, Patrick andMax Kass and the late WilliamTaulliJr. She wasalsoblessed with 37great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grand‐children, each of whom brought herimmensejoy A lifelong resident of Gretna, Barbararetired fromthe JeffersonParish SchoolSystem. Shewas dedicated to herfamily and wasthe heartofevery gathering,alwaysgoing above andbeyondinher roleaswife, mother,and grandmother.Barbara had a deep love forgardening and creating artwork, which shenurtured throughouther life.Her creativityand greenthumb brought beauty to both her homeand heart. Herdeep Catholic faith wascentral toher life.She hosted weeklyrosariesinher homeand ledthe “Rosary for America” in honorOur LadyofFatimainthe pub‐lic square.She wasalsoa generoussupporter of sev‐eralcharities,alwayslend‐ing ahelping hand where it was needed.Barbara was cherished notonlybyher childrenand many grand‐childrenbut also by her niecesand nephews. In truematriarch form,she lefta legacy of love,ser‐viceand faith that will live oninall whoknewher.The familyextends theirdeep gratitude to herdevoted caregivers-Jessica LeCompte,Peggi Edwards, and Jennifer Varnado- for their exceptionalcare, compassion, andcompan‐ionship.A heartfeltthanks isalsoextendedtoCom‐passesHospice fortheir guidanceand support throughouther time at home. Aspecial thanks to St. AnthonyExtraordinary Eucharistic Ministers, who faithfullybrought Holy Communion to Barbara eachweek.Their devotion allowedher to remain spir‐itually connectedand sus‐tainedbyher Catholic faith through theend of herlife. Familyand Friendsare in‐vited to attend theVisita‐tionatMothe Funeral Home, 2100 Westbank Expwy,Harvey, LA on Tues‐day,June 10,2025 from 10:30am until 12:30pm.The Funeral Mass will be held at1pm at St.Anthony Catholic Church,924 Mon‐roe St Gretna,LA. Inter‐mentwillfollowatWest‐lawnMemorialParkCeme‐tery, 1225 WhitneyAve., Gretna, LA 70056, where Barbara will be laid to rest besideloved ones.Inlieu of flowers, donationsmay bemadeinher memory to: LANGFoundation— https://langfoundation. org/donate (Message note: Will Taulli Platoon of the Cycle Award) or American CancerSociety —https:// www.cancer.org/donate html,orCompassionate Burials forIndigentBabies (CBIB)— https://cbibinc. com/donate/.Familyand friendsmay view andsign
theonlineguest
Lonon-Murphy,Elizabeth 'Abby'
Elizabeth“Abby”LononMurphy, born on October5, 1924, peacefully departed thislifeand earned her heavenlywings on Mon‐day,June2,2025 at theage 100. Shewas aresidentof Jefferson Parish andlived morethan60years in River Ridge,Louisiana.Onher lastjourney home,she was surrounded by herdevoted daughter, Guardian Angel Hospice Serviceand close friends.She leaves behind one daughter,Althea Janet” Murphy,a host of relatives,neighbors and close friends. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe CelebrationHon‐oring theLifeofElizabeth Abby”Lonon-Murphyon Wednesday,June 11,2025 for 10:00amatThomas UnitedMethodist Church, 420 WebsterStreet,Kenner, Louisiana,70062.Visitation and finalviewing will be begin at 9:00 am andser‐vicebeginning promptlyat 10:00 am.MinisterElanora Cushenberry officiating. In‐terment will immediately followatProvidence MemorialPark, 8200 Airline Dr.,Metairie, LA 70003 RichardsonFuneralHome ofJefferson,Inc.isin chargeofarrangements. www.richardsonfuneralho meofjefferson.com. Funeral service will be available onlinevia https://zoom.us/ j/636411774 andcallin: 346-248-7799 MeetingID 636411774
Martin Sr., Henry
HenryMartin, Sr.en‐tered eternalrestonMon‐day,May 19, 2025, at the age of 83. He wasa native and resident of Marrero, LA. Henryservedhis coun‐try in theUnitedStates Armyfor 10 yearsasa PVTE2 (P), from which he receivedthe Army Occupa‐tionMedal (Berlin)Marks‐man (RifleM-14) commen‐dations.Hewas aformer employeewithGerberSci‐entific, as aSeniorTechni‐cianfor 15 yearsand a Mortician with HenryL Fuqua FuneralHome. Henry was amemberofthe Con‐necticutAmericanLegion Post142, and Hope well Baptist Church in Hartford, CT. Loving father of Glenda M.Martin, HenryMartin, Jr.,LucyA.Martin, Geral‐dineF.Martin, andBarbara B.Martin. Sonofthe late EarlMartin, Sr.and Lucy CarterMartin. Brotherof Larry Martin,Alvin Martin, EstherM.Lewis,IrmaM Cole, Ruth M. Paynes,Bar‐baraM.Blain,and thelate James Martin,EarlMartin, Jr.,and WillieMartin, Sr Father-in-law of Wanda Martin. Former husband of Joyce MaeRoseand Teresa Martin. Also cherishing his memoriesare 13 grandchil‐dren, 19 greatgrandchil‐dren, 1great greatgrand‐child,and ahostofnieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Rela‐tives and friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend a HomegoingCelebration atDavis Mortuary Service, 6820 Westbank Express‐way,Marrero,LAonMon‐day,June9,2025, at 10:30 a.m.Visitationwillbegin at 9:30a.m.until servicetime atthe parlor.Interment: Southeast LouisianaVeter‐ans Cemetery-Slidell, LA Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com. Face masksare recom‐mended.
McBurney,Dr. Donald Barrie'Don'
Dr.Donald“Don” Barrie McBurney, age81, died on Tuesday,May 27, 2025. Don was predeceasedbyhis onlysisterKaren (McBur‐ney)DeRosierand hispar‐entsJohnBarrieand Mar‐jorie May(Freyou)McBur‐ney.Don wasbornand raisedinJennings, La., and graduated from University ofSouthwesternLouisiana (nowthe University of Louisiana at Lafayette)in 1964 andfromLouisiana State University Medical School in 1968. He com‐pletedhis internship at Charity Hospital in NewOr‐leans andsubsequently volunteered to servetwo years in theU.S.Navy, functioningasa flight sur‐geonwiththe rank of lieu‐tenant. Hisprimary duty was caring forpilotssta‐tionedstateside during the Vietnam WaratSouth Wey‐mouth NavalAir Stationin Massachusetts.During thattime, Donalsolearned to flyand earned hispri‐vatepilot’slicense.To completehis residencyin radiology,hetrained and completed rotationsat Charity Hospital in NewOr‐leans,Upstate Medical CenterinSyracuse, New York, andSt. Christopher’s Hospitalfor Children in Philadelphia. He completed his residencyand began his practice at Ochsner ClinicinMetairie, Louisiana.In1977, he tran‐sitionedtoprivate practice atSt. Tammany Parish Hos‐pital andHighlandPark HospitalinCovington, Louisiana.Inthe late 1980s hewas recruitedbackto Ochsner to developnew radiology departments acrosssoutheast Louisiana includingBaton Rouge, Hammond,and Covington. After alongand successful career,heretired in 2011 Heand hiswifesplit their timebetween theirhome onthe NorthShore anda beloved mountain cottage inHighlands,North Car‐olina until 2021 whenthey chose to return to Louisiana.Known through‐out hislifeasa kind and intelligent man, he loved perfectinghis golfswing and strategy andwas proud to have been a scratch golferfor much of his life.Heand hisfamily enjoyed watching horse racing, baseball,and golf together.Hewas grateful tohavewatched the2025 KentuckyDerby with his wifeand twoofhis three daughters at hisside. Don issurvivedbyhis wife of nearly44years,Dawn Marie (Pumilia)McBurney; his threedaughters Leanne (David) Truehart,Susan (Timothy) McNicholl, and AshleyAdams;his three grandsons;and a menagerie of granddogs and grandcats. In lieu of flowers, contributionsin memoryofDr. McBurney may be made to St.Jude Children’sResearchHospi‐tal www.stjude.org. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend thememor‐ial services at St.Anselm Catholic Church,306 St MaryStreet,Madisonville, LA70447 on Friday,June 13, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. with visi‐tationatchurch on Friday beginning at 1:00 p.m. In‐terment of hiscremains willtakeplace in the columbarium at OurLady ofthe MountainsCatholic Church in Highlands, North Carolina. E.J. Fielding Fu‐neral Home hasbeen en‐trusted with funeral arrangements. Thefamily invites youtoshare thoughts, fondestmemo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatE.J.FieldingFuneral HomeGuest Book at www ejfieldingfh.com
WilliamA
Dr.WilliamA.Mindak, ProfessorEmeritusof Marketing at Tulane University'sA.B.Freeman School of Business, passed away in New Orleans in 2025 atthe age of 96. Arecognizedleader in executive education,Dr. Mindak earned hisPh.D. in Psychology from the UniversityofIllinoisin
1955. He went on to found Tulane'sInternational Executive MBAProgram andplayed apivotal rolein shaping theuniversity's globalbusiness education efforts. Over thecourse of his academic career, he taught at theUniversity of Illinois, theUniversity of Minnesota, theUniversity of Texas at Austin, and Northwestern University, as well as internationally at Aix-Marseille in France andTsinghua University in Beijing. He also served in theU.S.Army, where he taught psychological warfare.
Dr.Mindak'scontributions extended well beyond academia. He consulted with awiderangeof nonprofit organizations—from local health centers andarts institutions to nationalassociations such as the American Heart Association and Volunteers of America. He authored numerous academic articles and awidely used guide on nonprofit leadership, *How to Run a Street Smart Nonprofit*.
In thesecond halfofhis life, Dr.Mindak becamea quiet philanthropist. He supportedmany community organizations in New Orleans, including The Arc of Greater New Orleans, Smile Train, WRBH Radio forthe Blind(where he wasalso an occasional reader), Audubon Park, Shriners Hospital For Children,N.O.Musicians Clinic,New Orleans International Piano Competitionand many more. He wasalso a thoughtfuladvocate of therapeutic education, mentoringseveral practitioners in theConscious Connected Breathwork Community whosework focused on mind-body healing.
Dr.Mindak maintained meaningfulrelationships throughout hislife. He remained close with hisformerspouse, Monique Borgialli, continuing to mentor her academic and professional work in France over many decades. He wasknownto many not only as ateacher, but also as asteady presence, an advisor, and agenerous friend.Bill was alifelong lover of classical music andopera, and took great pleasure in attending summermusicfestivals He also found joyinteachingand mentoring, and rarelymissed aday without completingthe New York Timescrossword puzzle—adaily ritual he cherished Bill waspreceded in deathbyhis parents, Joseph Peter Mindak and Suzan Rhode, and two brothers. He wasthe second of four children.Heis survived by hissister, Susan Whelton, and leaves behind acircle of strong friendships, formerstudents, and colleagues around the world whocontinue to be influenced by hisinsight,mentorship, and enduring commitment to thoughtfulservice.
AliceMae Mire,a native ofNew Orleansand alife‐longresidentofMetairie, passedawaypeacefully at her home on Friday,May 30, 2025 at theage of 101 BornonMay 21, 1924; daughterofthe late Louis OctaveMireand Alice Berthelot Mire.Alice workedmanyyears for FordMotor Co in NewOr‐leans where sheretired early to care forher father. She waspassionateabout the arts includingoil paint‐ing,theatre andmusic.Ac‐tivewiththe Genealogy So‐ciety,proud of herIrish heritage, andloved to travel. Sheloved wearing red,white andblueand never skippedenjoyinga daily Coca-Cola. Aliceal‐wayshad asmile on her face, broughtjoy to others withher warm andloving spirit. Shesaw thebestin people, neverspoke un‐kindlyofothersand al‐waysgratefulfor those who were apartofher life Bearing no children,she is survivedbynumerous cousins anddistant rela‐tives.She will be missedby those who were closeto her,including family, neighbors,caretakers, and friends.Funeralservices willbeheldonTuesday June 10, 2025 at L.A. Muh‐leisen& SonFuneralHome located at 2607 Williams Blvd.,Kenner, LA with visi‐tationfrom9:00amto 12:00 pm,followedbya prayerservice at 12:00 p.m. and then intermentatSt. Patrick Cemetery No.1 lo‐catedat5000 CanalStreet,
NewOrleans,LA. To share memoriesorcondolences pleasevisit www muhleisen.com.
Oldham,Garland Ray
GarlandRay Oldham passedawayonSaturday, May 31, 2025 at theage of 78. Belovedhusband of PriscillaRichard Oldham for 30 years. Father of ShellyOldhamBilliot (Chris),Jamie Oldham (Jenee),and Brad Oldham (Brittney). Step father of Carla RichardStillinger (Mark). Sonofthe late Anna andOthoOldham. Alsosurvivedby9 grand‐childrenand 8great grand‐children. He wasknown as a LouisianaArtistand en‐joyed painting God’scre‐ation.Heretired as areal estateagent andloved to travel. During his25years ofbattlingcancerand other health issues,he grewinhis faith andlove ofGod andfamily. He was a native of Larose, Louisiana anda resident of the Westbank.Relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattendthe MemorialMassatInfant Jesus of Prague,700 Maple Street,Harvey, LA on Wednesday,June 11, 2025 at11am. AMemorialVisi‐tationwillbeheldatthe church from 9amuntil 11am. Interment, Westlawn MemorialParkCemetery. The familywishestoex‐press theirappreciation to SerenityHospice andBay‐sideHealthcareCenterfor their compassion andlov‐ing care.Inlieuof flowers, donations in hismemory may be made to Second Harvest,Children’sHospi‐tal,The American Cancer Society or thecharity of yourchoice. Relativesand friends of thefamilymay viewand sign theonline guest book at www.mot hefunerals.com.
Overstreet Jr., William Lindsay
WilliamLindsay Over‐street Jr., 52 yearsold of New Orleans, Louisiana, passedawayonWednes‐day,May 21, 2025, in De‐catur,Georgia.Lovingson ofReginaOverstreet Gor‐don andthe late William Lindsay Overstreet Sr.De‐voted husbandofLisa BoldenOverstreet.Proud fatherofWilnishaOver‐street,William Lindsay Overstreet III, andAlexis Overstreet.Dearest brother of Kimberly Over‐street Young andSanGria Overstreet.Graduateof McDonogh35SeniorHigh School.Proudly served in the United States Marine Corps.Familyand friends are invitedtothe Homego‐ing Celebrationcelebrating the life of WilliamL.Over‐street,Jr. at Charbonnet FuneralHome, 1615 St PhilipStreet,New Orleans, LAonMonday, June 9, 2025 at10:00 am.Visitationat 9:00am. Interment: South‐eastLouisiana Veterans Cemetery, 34888 Grantham College Road,Slidell, LA Pleasesignthe online guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors (504) 581-4411.
LindaJean
Slidell, LA,passedawayon May 17th, 2025, at Slidell MemorialHospitalatthe age of 72. Lindawas the beloved Wife of BillyD Palmisano Sr mother of Michelle Y. Alfred (Ken‐neth) andBilly D. Palmisano Jr.(Jennifer). She wasthe daughter of the late Carl andVioletCo‐zine. Sister of Larry Cozine (Margot),and thelate Allen Cozine andthe late SylviaErvin (Michael). She was also survived by 16 grandchildren and9 great grandchildren.A native of California, anda registered nurse.Linda will be missed byall.Pleasevisit www honakerforestlawn.comto signguestbook.Arrange‐ments by HonakerFuneral Home, Inc.,Slidell, LA
February
1933, and
years there.His family moved to Louisville, KY, wherehegraduated from high school. He attended YaleUniversity, graduating in 1954. He later graduated from theLondon School of Economics. After college, Billserved in theUnited States Navy. Following his Naval service,heworkedfor Chase Manhattan Bankin London.Upon hisreturnto theU.S., he was employed by AlliedChemicalinNew York In 1976, after moving to NewOrleans,Billopened andmanaged Hotel MaisondeVille. He later became General Manager of four small hotels includingGrenobleHouse,Prince Conti, Marie Antoinette andLamothe House. Bill retiredin2017 from Hotel de la Monnaie after servingasGeneral Manager for 24 years. Hisgrandchildren,who fondly knew himas "Beefy," providedhim with anew lease on life -drivingcarpools, attending soccer games, trips to the zoo, "TheWiggles"and endlessmoreoutings. Spendingtimewith the grandchildrenwas atreasuredpartofhis life. Billwas preceded in death by hisfather,Albert Prentiss, andhis mother, Marian Dickinson Prentiss; twodaughters, Busia Prentiss andEva Prentiss Quensell.Heissurvived by hisloving wife of 39 years, Susan Wadick Prentiss; brother, Dickinson Prentiss (Marlene); andson,Gage Prentiss (Morgan).Heis also survived by histhree stepsons whom along with Susan, he raised in New Orleans, Charles Claiborne LeBourgeois,Jr. (Helen), Michael Livaudais LeBourgeois (Marley) and William Cole LeBourgeois (Brooke)and seven grandchildren, Clay, Nina Morgan, Kingsland,James, Wills, and Lane LeBourgeois Thefamilywishestoextend special thanks to caregivers, Yvette Taylor andMonette Johnson, and thestaff of Compassus Hospice In lieu of flowers, donationscan be made to Trinity Episcopal Church or to acharity of yourchoice. Burial serviceswill be privatewith amemorial service to be held later To view andsignthe online guest book, please visit lakelawnmetairie.com
Prentiss, William Walter 'Bill'
William Walter"Bill Prentiss died at home on May26, 2025, at the age of 92. Billwas born in New Rochelle,NY, on
7,
spenthis early
Mire,AliceMae
Mindak,
Palmisano,
OPINION
OUR VIEWS
On fiscal matters, state Senate is
taking itsresponsibility
seriously
At the start of the legislative session thatis set to endlater this week,weurged Louisiana lawmakers to take their role as part ofa co-equal branch of government seriously,and to approach decisions on taxing and spending withcaution
We’ve been pleased to see the state Senate, under the mature lexadership of Senate President Cameron Henry,R-Metairie, do just that. Senators killedHouse-passed bills thatwould have cut the state sales tax rate from 5%to4.75% andits flatincome tax ratefrom 3% to 2.75%.
We continue to believe that Louisiana’s sales tax is too high and disproportionately burdens those least able to pay,and we’re always for putting more money in Louisianans’ pockets whenpossibleand prudent. But these proposals were neither. State Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro,argued that the lost revenue would be offset byeliminatinga state savings account. But an analysis by state economists found that the numbers didn’t add up,and predicted the tax cuts would create steepshortfalls in comingyears. We’regladthe Senate Revenue &Fiscal Affairs Committee took thiswarning seriously
We were also encouraged to see the Senate Finance Committee reduce the amount thestate wouldallot to the new LA GATOR programthat lawmakers created last year at Gov.JeffLandry’s urging, which puts taxpayer dollars toward private school tuition and other educationalexpenses.
Landry had included $93.5 million forthe program in his proposed budget, and the Houseapproved it. But the Finance Committeefollowed the lead of Henry,who has pointed out that states with similar programs have seen costs skyrocket, with much of the money going to familieswho already send their kids to private schools. Henry hasalsonoted that asmaller voucher program adopted under Gov.Bobby Jindal didnot produce better outcomes.
The committeecut $50 million from therequest and budgeted $43.5million, the cost ofthatold voucherprogram.
We don’tknow whether that figure willstand; advocates arepushing for the original totaltobe restored,citingthe nearly 40,000 familiesthat have applied to participate. The full Senate will consider the budget in thecoming days, andwhatever emerges will go to conference committee with Housemembers
We hope lawmakers who still have achanceto weighinwill keep in mindthe unsettling fiscal uncertainty from Washington, where Congress maycut Medicaidand other programsonwhich Louisiana’sbudget relies, as well as policyshifts affecting major sectors such as tradeand international tourism. There’s also uncertaintyinBaton Rouge, where lawmakers passed majorchanges to the tax system just last year and have yettosee how they’ll play out.
We actually wish we’d see more of thistype of thoughtful deliberation from our representatives in Congress,where Republicans majorities in both houses have mostly done President Donald Trump’sbidding ratherthanembracingtheir constitutionalrole providing checks and balances That’snot theway government is supposedto work —onany level.
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
RedAmerica making moneyoff greenenergy
Wyoming is the second windiest state, after Nebraska. It’s obvious why thewind power industry is investing $10 billion there. Andit’shard to see why any state politician would oppose this.But somehave. Wyoming is one of those fossil-fuel producing states in which so-called conservatives feel obligated or are paid —tostop competition from clean energy.Texas is another Wyoming State Sen. Larry Hicks proposed atemporary ban on renewable energy projects. “It does one thing: puts amoratoriumonwind and solar for the next five years,” he said. “It’s asimple little bill.”
power Texas was expected to double its storage capacitythis year —that is, until Donald Trumpslapped huge tariffs on China. More than two-thirds of imported batteries come from China.
In March, the Texas Senate passed amandate that half of all new power capacity come from sourcesother than battery storage. In other words, at least 50% of all newpower plant capacityhad to be produced from coal, natural gas and oil.
by endorsing an “all of the above energy strategy.” He wants to keep Wyoming as “the energy state” but also to address climate change by developing clean renewables. The far-right Freedom Caucus went after Gordon foracknowledging climate change. It introduced abill designed to stop the state from pursuing any carbon reduction targets and titled it “Make Carbon Dioxide Great Again.”
Apragmatic Republican, Gordon called such proposals as “a little bit stupid.”
A“simple,”five-year plan? Howdo you say,“Aw,shucks” in Russian? But let’spoint out that renewable energy is the only kind of energy that is, by definition, sustainable. Wyoming may have coal, oil and gas. Butithas wind forever This hostility towardwind power is even weirder in Texas. Texas harvests moreelectricity from wind than any other state, or nearly 28% of all windgenerated electricityinthe U.S. In one recent week, nearly half of Texas’s electricity came from solar and wind
Back in Wyoming, lawmakers wedded to fossil fuels are complaining that large wind and solar projects are fundamentally changing thelook of Wyoming’swide-open spaces. That’signoring the aesthetics of Wyoming’scoal pits, wide open craters that stretch for miles Wyoming is over 63 times the size of Rhode Island, with less than half the population of the Ocean State. There are dozens of wind turbines in Rhode Island, onshore and off. More are planned withminimal complaint.
There does exist public support for clean energy in Wyoming, which is whyHicks’ initiative failed. Gov.Mark Gordon tried to bridge the differences
The bottom line is that Wyoming continues to develop wind energy projects. The Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, now under construction near Rawlins, will be the nation’slargest wind farm
Much of what happens from here on in depends on Washington. The recently passed House bill strips away subsidies forrenewables. How it fares in the Senate remains to be seen. Suffice it to say,slowing America’smove to cleaner and also cheaper energy is morethan alittle bit stupid.
Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop.Emailher at fharrop@gmail.com.
Celebrationasimportant as critique
On theOpinion pages,wehave many chances to addour voice to a variety of topics, or lift up thevoices of others. We look for topics where we feel the newspaper can share views that makea difference in clarifying an issue, condemning awrongor even celebrating asuccess. It’s this lastpoint that Iwant to emphasizetoday As much as the newspaper’s roleistohighlightwhereour communities or political leadersfall short, that’snot our only role. We like to point out wherethings are going right,too. Some of my favorite editorials and columns are ones that tell the story of alife well lived or along-sought goal achieved by an individual or team. We have anumber of talented people in our state, some of whom work many yearsinobscuritybeforeachieving theirdreams. When we can, we like
to feature their stories. The same goes for themany institutions working hardinour community year after year that may notget attention If you are part of agroup that deservesour attention, pleasesend us anote. We receive many guest columns from groups working throughout our state. When they have thechance to explain where they see solutions, it often has apowerful impact. We hope it can become acatalyst for others to joininthe work. After all, we can’t investinsolutionsifwedon’tknow what they are. Going to our letters inbox, we can give you can an update of the letters we received at theend of May. From May 15-22, we received64letters. Breaking news dominated the topics of discussion. Therewere sixletters on the New Orleans jailbreak, where 10 inmates
escaped.Fourletters on immigration andthreeonthe Nottoway Plantation fire roundedout the list. From May 22-29, we received 66 letters, with the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” drawing alot of interest. Six letters mentionedvarious aspects of the bill. Next, writers were concernedabout efforts to lower auto insurance rates in Louisiana.Wereceived four letters on the topic as it was being debated in the Legislature. There were also letters on asmattering of other bills. Now thatthe sessioniscoming to a close, we will be interested to see your letters aboutwhatpassedinto law. As always, you’ll hear whatwe think, andfrompoliticians around the state on what was accomplished. But your voicematters too.
Arnessa Garrett is Deputy Editor | OpinionPage Editor.Emailher at arnessa.garrett@theadvocate.com.
Arnessa Garrett
Froma Harrop
COMMENTARY
Thestate’s ready. Arethe feds?
Every year Louisiana’sgovernor, no matter who that is, kicks off hurricane season by urging residents to have aplan —a place to go if an evacuation is necessary andway to get there; ago-bag with vital documents, medicine and other necessities; supplies for pets and so forth.
fecting informationavailable. State ClimatologistJay Grymes backed that up, declaring that “I feel confident that our tropical coverage this season will be more thanadequate for what we require.”
Stephanie Grace
“Preparation starts withthe individual,” Gov Jeff Landry said last week, before invoking the lesson learned from prior monster storms: “Preparation saves lives.”
That’strue. It’salso true that the needtoprepare doesn’tjust apply to individuals. It applies to government as well. And that’swhere things are worrisome as the tropics begin to heat up.
Landry offered reassurances about Louisiana’sreadiness, and indeed, state and local ranksare staffed up with people who’ve been through major storms before. Less convincing were his reassurances about the federalgovernment’sability to predict and respond to disaster
The governorsaid he hadn’t heard that President Donald Trump’sadministration’smassive cuts to the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration and National Weather Service were af-
Landry also said that despite considerable talk of dismantling the Federal Emergency Management Agency,he’sspoken with his allies at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security “and I do not believe the president or the White House has any intention of revamping FEMA while hurricane season is in play.” If there are issues, he added, he’sconfident that he can pick up the phone and call Washington. Well, let’sall hope it doesn’tcome to that, and that if it does, Landry’s assessment is correct. Because there are plenty of indications that it’snot.
It’s good that the National Weather Service is looking to fill key positions now, but that move follows huge losses in experienced staff. Theseare the people who supply data to local weather forecasters —and also to state officials like Grymes.
It’snot at allreassuring that a longtime Florida television meteorologistrecently issuedadire on-air warningthathe’snot sure he can provide accuratehurricane predictions this year due to the administration’s“sledgehammer attack” on science, which he said
has left NWS offices 20% to40% understaffed and mayground hurricane hunter aircraft.
“Whatwe’restarting to seeis thatthe qualityofthe forecastsis being degraded,” meteorologist John Morales said. This year “we may be flying blind.”
While it’sgood that Landry’sgottenpersonalassurances,arecent internal FEMA report warned that the agency is in fact not ready for the season —and made theobvious point that allthe talkofeliminating it undermines focus on the missionathand.
It’s alsogood that Landryhas contactsinthe administration, not
just witha president he strongly supports but with Homeland SecuritySecretary Kristi Noem,a closeally from their days serving together in Congress, whose department includes FEMA.
On the otherhand, other Republicans withclose administration tieshave already had trouble getting the help they needed following major weather events.
This happened in Arkansas, whereGov.Sarah Huckabee Sanders —yes, Trump’sfirst term press secretary —had to appeal FEMA’s initial rejection of her request for amajor disaster declaration following severe March
storms. It happened in Missouri, prompting Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley to practically beg Noem during ahearing to expedite disaster requests after deadly tornadoes hit the St. Louis area. So it’sgood that Landry and Grymes are confident they can handle whatcomes this summer but the truth is that the state just doesn’thave the tools the feds do. Or did.
It didn’thave to be like this.
After Trump wonlast year’selection, there was talk that former U.S. Rep. GarretGraves, of Baton Rouge, might take over FEMA. He would have been agreat choice, as aseasoned government insider who knows whatneeds fixing but also gets the agency’svital role. Instead, we have an acting FEMA administrator who recently said that he didn’teven know there’ssuch thing as ahurricane season. David Richardson insisted he wasjoking, but even under that best case scenario, is that really what we need at this tense timeof year?
As Landry said, there’snothing more important than taking the threat of severe hurricanes seriously That doesn’tjust apply at the individual level. It goes straight to the top.
Email StephanieGrace at sgrace@theadvocate.com.
Will Sutton
Iwalked along the sidewalk beyondthe librarytothe Lawless Chapel on the Dillard Universitycampus andpaused whenI saw asingle white hearse. One hearse for19 people. One hearsefor what’sleftofthose 19 people.Skulls. In some cases, parts of skulls. Beautifully-crafted boxes carrying their remains were inside asingle coffin. The gloved hands of the Rhodes Funeral Home staffwere careful as they moved them inside for aviewing There was no open casket. No closed casket. Each person’sbox had a place of honor
Ithought about Alice Brown, 15; Henry Allen, 17; Prescilla Hatchet, 19; Hiram Smith, 20; and Hiram Malone, 21, and the livesthey might have lived. But, like 10 others with names and two unidentified people, they went to Charity Hospital forhelp, to get better.Each died, foravariety of reasons They were decapitated. Their bodies were left somewhere in NewOrleans. Theirheads went to Germany for predetermined research —race science —tohelp provethat Black peopleare inferior to White people The Nineteen were among 1,200 ancestral remains at the University of Leipzig in Ger-
many.Aside from our 19, four other people have been identified, including someindigenous people, according to the university’sDr. Martin Gericke. He said the work to repatriate theseindividuals started in 2021 because “repatriations are avery important step in thehealing process of the wrong thathas been done to the respective communities.”
NewOrleans city archaeologist Michael Godzinskiwas contacted by email on May 2, 2023, his birthday.“That was 53,” he told me.“Yeah. Happy 53.”
He reached out to afriend who had worked at the attorney general’soffice and to friends at the University of New Orleans. They agreed that retired Dillard University professor Dr.Eva Baham and Dillard,the state’soldest HBCU, had to be involved.
This wasn’tthe first repatriation. In 2024, the remains of atribal ancestor were sent to aUnited States community that doesn’t want to be identified. No name. No cause of death.Returned with lots of questions, just like The Nineteen.
The Nineteen died in 1871 and 1872, just afew years after the Civil Warended in 1866. The Union beat the Confederates and their states-rights support for the institution of slavery.
The Civil Warwas real. In simple terms,
one side supported slavery and theother side supported emancipation, though slowly Ican’timagine learning our nation’s history without references to indigenous people who were disrespected and mistreated by people who weren’tinvited and the formationofcolonies thatbroke from theirmotherland to form anew nation. Ican’timagine learning our history without references to theCivil War, theCrash of 1920and how somewerebeaten and killed during the Civil RightsMovement.
What happened to The Nineteen was in the1800s, but disdain, disrespect and exploitation of Black people —specifically Black bodies —has continued.
In the1800s and the 1900s, someregularly stole Black bodies from graveyards and sold them —inwhole or in parts —to thehighest bidding medical schools.
The infamous Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in theNegro Male wasa study conducted for 40 years by the United States Public HealthService and theCentersfor Disease Control and Prevention Black menwere given the impression that treatment would make themhealthy.Itwas alie. About 400 were not treated at all. The study didn’tend until 1972.
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, aBlack woman, was diagnosed withcervical cancer at Johns
Hopkins University in Baltimore. Somebody thought taking someofher cellsampleswas agood idea. For science andthe public good, it was. Lacks’ cells helped thedevelopment of apolio vaccine,aidedcancer research and helpedwithgene mapping. Unfortunately, no oneasked Lacks or her family.Companies made millions.Lacks and herfamily did not —until Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. settled alawsuitwithLacks’ heirs— in 2023. JohnTolman,Moses Willis andWilliam Roberts, each 23; Samuel Prince, 40; William Pierson,43; JohnBrown, 48; MarieLouise, 55; Henry Williams,55; Adam Grant, 50; Isaak Bell, 70; andMahala, 70, weren’t part of avoluntary research program.They didn’tagree to have theirskulls tested.Don’t youthink it’s strange that none of these people were White, mostwere Black anda fewwere indigenous? History is important. We mustremember thegood andthe bad. At onepoint in our history,the American Public Health Associationcalledracism apublic health emergency. The year was2020. Perhaps these things won’t happenagain withproper public health attention. Or am Idreaming?
Email Will Sutton at wsutton@ theadvocate.com.
Quin Hillyer
The Louisiana Senate should not just rubber-stamp the appointment of RoyCarubba, the acting president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, to serve afull term in thatposition. While Carubba may wellmerit the job, some complicated questions firstshould be answered. The Senate has an obligation to ensure that key appointees are well vetted. Especially for an agency as important as one that provides flood and hurricane protection for 650,000 people, lawmakers should make sure the right person is running the show The Senate is scheduled to approve or disapprove of all pending board and commission appointments on June 11 and 12. Thelevee board undeniably has been riven by turmoil in the past year.Four membersof the nine-member boardresigned in March in protest against Carubba’sleadership and actions, andcontinuing board memberClay Cossé has published aletter to the same effect. As complaints and blame-casting fly against and from Carubba, the board canceled its May meeting forlack ofa quorumoccasioned by Carubba’sown absence. Result: The board was unable to approve the agency’s formal hurricane plan before storm season officiallybegan.
Carubba says the board vote would be amere formality and that all systems are ready for the storm season. The Senate should probe to see if he is right.
of
published. Letters are not to
Meanwhile, Carubba frequently throws around accusations against past and present board members, calling them “corrupt.”
Now,inanew accusation, Carubba told me on June 3that “The four board membersthat resigned did so pursuant to acivil service grievance.”
Carubba said the state’sattorneygeneral is “looking into” and “examining” the grievance —the details of which are not public. Attorney General Liz Murrill said, through her press aide, thatshe had “no comment” on the matter
Allegations of corruption or complicity in civil service violations from one board member about his peers naturally help createa toxic board atmosphere. They should not be aired unless really warranted.
At theApril17levee board meeting, Carubba did askthe board to approve the hiring of afirm “to handle HR grievances.” Still-serving board member Rick Duplantier toldme, though, that the aspersions cast on his former colleagues were unfair
The grievance, Duplantier said, not only was not why[his former colleagues] resigned,” but indeed was filed after they were in the process of resigning. He said the grievance had absolutely nothing to do with thoseboard members.
Whatever the nature of the probe, Carubba manifestly has upended the agency’soperations.Atleast the board, if not the whole agency,appears dysfunctional. Before Carubba is confirmed for afull, four-year term, the Senateshould examine whether the turmoil seems likely to produce desirable
resultsinthe long run. Will the agency be able to competently provide flood protection amidst such chaos? Or is the chaos, as Carubba says, instead necessary to fix what he describes as amess he inherited?
Among many other questions, theSenate also should ask if it’s appropriate that Carubba openly says he “reports” not to Gov Jeff Landry’soffice, but to businessman Shane Guidry,a Landry friendand financial supporter who holds no official government position.
Meanwhile, Carubba’sown residential eligibilityfor the board, or possible lack thereof, also deserves vetting. Is he even permitted to serve in his board position?
By law and by Landry’sofficial letter appointing him, Carubba fills aseat explicitly designated for,and only for,aresident of Jefferson Parish. YetCarubba takes ahomestead exemption on arather large house he calls it his “camp” —inPortVincent, in LivingstonParish. By law,asthe Jefferson Parish assessor also confirms, “Ahomestead exemption cannot be applied to aproperty that is not permanently occupiedbyits owner” Carubba’s“residency” is complicated. In his application for the board post, Carubba listed 324 Lake Avenue in Metairieashis official residence. His voter registration instead lists 3400 Hessmer Avenue— his business address (as an engineer),but where he says he also maintains an apartment.
The Senateshould ask if this means Carubba is technically ineligible either forthe homestead exemption —meaning he is get-
ting an undue taxbreak —orfor the levee board spot.
As he explained it on thephone to me, Carubba saidwhenhebought thePortVincentplace he very temporarily considered it his main abode— until he soon thereafter secured theapartmentonLakeAvenue for alonger-term rental.Except forthatshort interlude in Port Vincent, he said, “The truth of it is that Ihavebeen living in Jefferson Parish andvoting in Jefferson continuously forthe last 39 years.”
As forhis homestead exemption, he didn’t think to change it once it wasawardedin Port Vincent: “I nevergaveitany thought.I just do what Ineed to do to runmybusiness andlive my life.”
Gov. Landry’spress aide KateKelly said, “Roy hasahome in thearea that he represents. Everything is completelylegal and within the requirements.”
Well is it? Again, thiscouldall occurwithnoill intent, exactlyasCarubba explains it.Still, theSenate should examine the wholepicture— his eligibility, his conduct, hisaims and objectives. To hiscredit,theyalsoshould listen to his obvious enthusiasm forthe job of flood protection itself.
Eitherway,confirmation to any keycommission shouldbethe result of real deliberation,not justaforegone conclusion.The safety of residents of Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes depends on it. Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin hillyer@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Gov. Jeff Landryspeaks Tuesdayabout preparations forhurricane season at the Governor’sOffice of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness headquarters.
NewOrleans Forecast
after nearly 96 yearsofa welllived life.Those who sharedher life enjoyedher quick witand herdelight in the companyoffriends duringher numerous par‐tiesand game nights.She paidgreat attentiontode‐tailwithgood effect in all her endeavors, andwith her intrepid spirit she forgedahead through every challengeand ad‐venture life hadtooffer Proud former member of the Krewes of Juno, Shangri-Laand Amor.A na‐tiveofNew Orleans, then Chalmette,she retiredto Lumberton,MSand was the proudformerowner of the Very BerryFarm. She eventuallysoldthe farm and settledinSlidell, LA Faithful, loving wife of the lateHenry G. Rizzutofor 64 years.MotherofDeboraR Hadeen, DavidR.Rizzuto (Pamela Navo Rizzuto), Nancy R. Love (Kenton Adler), Darren P. Rizzuto (JamieThomasRizzuto) and thelateHenry Michael Rizzuto,Sr. Grandmother ofSabrina R. Matlin (Jim Molle), Lauren E. Rizzuto (Matthew Fairman),Henry Michael Rizzuto, Jr., Rachel E.Rizzuto (Danny Yoerges) Ethan G. Puzarne, andKris‐ten E. Rizzuto. Greatgrand‐motherofClementine Yoerges andLucille Yoerges.Sisterofthe late Henri L.R. Pretlove,Jr. (Bobby),William James Pretlove, Sr.(Jimmy),and Arthur CharlesHughPret‐love. Sister-in-lawofJames Rizzuto (Nancy), Germaine Duhe Pretlove,and Frances Gagliano Pretlove.Daugh‐ter of thelateAgnes (Nessie) Reid McClymont and HenriLionelRobert Pretlove, Sr.Aunttonu‐merousnieces and nephews throughout Louisiana,Texas,Califor‐nia,Florida andPennsylva‐nia.Faithfulfriendand partner of thelateFrank A. L.Ferroni.The familyex‐tends heartfeltthanksand gratitude to LaQuadra Legarde whosupported Betsy as aconfidante, companion andchampion for thepast6 yearsand to ComforCarefor theirassis‐tance andcare. ACere‐monyofLifecelebration including amemorialser‐vice, will take placebegin‐ningat11:30 am on June 21, 2025 at Sage Lake Se‐niorLiving, 1444 Andrew Dr.,Covington,LA. Please visit www.honakerforestla wn.comtosignguestbook Arrangements by Honaker
continued from FuneralHome, Inc.,Slidell, LA.
Rohr Jr., Joseph A.
Joseph A. Rohr,Jr. passedawaySunday, June 1st 2025 at theage of 84. A graduateofRedemptorist HighSchool,“59". Aretired officerofFidelityHome‐stead Association. He is survivedbyhis sons, JosephAdamIII, Thor Wolf‐gang; grandchildren, Rus‐sell, Samantha andKim‐berly;Siblings, Charlesand JohnRohr, Cyrene Lamkin, Cathy Pavone andMary Mallore.Preceded in death byhis wife of 47 years, Diane Chastant Rohr;his parents Joseph andCyrene Rohr; andson,Christian GunnerRohr. Arrange‐ments by L.A. Muhleisen& Son
CarolSue Graham'SuSu'
CarolSue “SuSu” Gra‐ham Schexnaydre, 77, of Slidell, Louisiana, passed awayonMonday, June 2, 2025, in Slidell. Sue, as she was known, wasborn, April 1, 1948, in Amite, Louisiana,toA.C.and Wanzie Graham.In1971 She marriedRonnieSchex‐naydreand residedinNew Orleans.In1976 thecouple moved to Slidell. Shewas preceded in deathbyher
parentsA.C.& WanzieGra‐ham;byone brother, Mike Graham; andtwo sisters, Shirley Dykes, andNell Rick. Sheissurvivedbyher husband,RonnieSchex‐naydre; twochildren, Melissa VanGeffen(Cory), Jason Schexnaydre; three grandchildren,Karis VanG‐effen, BradyVanGeffen, FarrahVanGeffen;broth‐ers,Ray Graham,C.A.Gra‐ham,Rocky Graham,Joe Graham, Dennis Graham; sisters,Georgette Fontenot, Debbie Smith, KayeGraham, TammyBen‐nett, CandiceCrowe;nu‐merousnieces, nephews, and otherrelatives.Inher younger days,Sue worked asa supervisor at Western Union in NewOrleans for 20years.Later,she man‐ageda hair salonfor 20 years while also working asthe secretaryfor the Slidell YouthSoccerClub and hadmanyother jobs throughouther life.Out‐sideofwork, Suelived for her children andgrandchil‐dren, shewas agreat cook loved gardening, collecting antiques, andspending timewithher family& friends.Her favorite song was “You AreMySun‐shine”which shesang many, many timestoboth her kids andgrandkids Sue neverhesitated to help and always putothers first. Herselflesslovewill never be forgottenand we are forevergratefulfor her. FuneralServiceswillbe heldatHonaker Funeral Home, 1751 GauseBlvd. West, Slidell, LA on Wednesday,June 11, 2025 Visitationwillbegin at 12:00 noon,followedbythe funeralservice at 2:00 pm BurialwillbeinForest LawnCemetery. Please visit www.honakerforestla wn.comtosignguestbook ArrangementsbyHonaker FuneralHome, Inc.,Slidell, LA.
Simeon,Floyd Joseph
Floyd SimeonJr.,age 77, entered intoeternal rest
on June 4, 2025, surrounded by hislovingfamily.A devoted Catholic, Floyd liveda life guidedbyfaith, love,and adeepsense of family.His passing marks theend of aliferichly lived and deeply loved. Bornon September 10, 1947, to Floyd SimeonSr. and Mary LouSimeon, Floyd was raised with strongvalues rootedinfaith,hard work, and loyalty. He carried those values intoevery seasonofhis life—from his roles as ason and brother to thoseofa husband, father,and grandfather. Floydwas preceded in death by his belovedwife, Karen Anna Simeon, who went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 10, 2018. Their love was unwavering, and Floyd'sheart ached forher every day until theLordcalledhim home. Floyd and Karen dated foreight years and were marriedatSt. Anthony of Padua Church enjoying 48 beautiful years together.Hewas also preceded in death by his parents, Floyd Sr.and Mary Lou. He is survivedbyhis threechildren, each of whom carries his legacy forward;his son, Floyd J. SimeonIII,and his wife Melissa RaeBennett Simeon, alongwith Floyd's grandson, Floyd SimeonIV; his son, Scott Devin Simeon, and his wife, Melissa Haney Simeon;his daughter, Stephanie Simeon Nealon, and her husband,TimothyNealon. He is also survived by his brother, Eddie Simeon, as well as ahost of extended family members and friendswho were blessed to knowhim. Floyd and his beloved Karen shared a spirit of adventure, traveling theworld togetherand cherishingevery destination they explored. Of all theplacestheyvisited, Hawaii held aspecial place in Floyd's heart—a paradise he always longed to return to.Afterearning his degree,Floyd began his career as abeloved Biology teacher at Archbishop RummelHighSchool.He later transitioned intoa successful careerinpharmaceuticalsales, first with Syntex and then with Hoffmann-LaRoche. His charmand integrity made hima friend to alland a trusted colleague. Aproud lifelong supporter of Tulane Athletics, Floyd rarely missed afootball game,whether from the standsorathome.Healso had adeeplovefor the l i d
NewOrleans Saintsand especially enjoyed attending gameswithhis familyand friends. In hislater years, Floyd enjoyed hishomein Beau Chêne, wherehe couldoften be foundon thegolf course or at the club with friends. He also foundgreat joyinhis secondhomeinDestin, Florida, wherehecreated countless cherished memories with hiswife,children,and grandchild. Relativesand friends are invited to attendthe Mass of Christian Burial at Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church,1501 W. Causeway Approach,Mandeville,LA on Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 12:00 PM with Visitation beginningat10:30 AM. IntermentfollowingatSt. Joseph Abbey Cemetery St.Benedict, LA. Arrangements entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home of Covington,LA.
Sorrells,Viola
ViolaSorrells,affection‐ately knownasSorrells or Vi, age70, transitioned peacefully into eternalrest surrounded by herloving familyonSunday, May18, 2025. Shewas anativeof Claiborne County, MS.and a resident of Terrytown, LA. Violawas a1972 gradu‐ate of Port Gibson High School,and shecontinued her educationatDelgado Community Collegeand Charity School of Nursing. Whereshe obtained her ASN,LPN,and RN.Sorrells was aretired Registered Nurse who wasformerly employedwithCharity Hospital, University Med‐icalCenterand OurLadyof Wisdom NursingHome. She wasa faithfulmember ofNew Bethel Baptist Church of Harvey,LA. De‐voted mother of Carnell Sorrells of Terrytown, LA Lovingdaughterofthe late James Wells andHattie Mae Sorrells.Sisterof Charles (Shelby) Ellis, Jr.of Marrero,LA, JamesSorrells ofHermanville,MS, andthe lateRobertEllis,WillieLus‐ter Hall,Coatney Oquin, Dorothy MaeOquin,Mary Wilson,and Gloria Sorrells
Devotedaunt of Crystal FryeRobair. Godmotherof Le’MarFryeofDallas, TX BestfriendofChristine An‐derson(sister)ofHer‐manville, MS,Larry Ottof Harvey, LA,MaryNoelof New Orleans, LA,and the lateJoycelynArnett, Cheryl Irving,JohnCamp, Em‐manuelRossand Theione Bertrand, also survived by a host of nieces,nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Thefamilyis deeply grateful forthe manyprayers,kindwords and gestures of support duringthistimeofbe‐reavement.Relatives and friends of thefamily, also pastors,officers andmem‐bersofThe Houseof Grace,New Bethel Baptist Church,all neighboring churches;employees of UniversityMedical Center and OurLadyofWisdom Nursing Home areinvited toattend TheCelebration ofLifeatThe Houseof Grace,3714 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Ste.11, Harvey, LAonMonday, June 9, 2025 at11:00 am.PastorJames Bridgewater,officiating. Visitationwillbegin at 9:30 amuntil servicetimeat the above-namedchurch Interment: Restlawn Park Cemetery, Avondale,LA. ArrangementsbyDavis MortuaryService,230 Mon‐roe St., Gretna,LA. To view and sign theguestbook pleasegotowww.davismo rtuaryservice.com.Face masks arerecommended
DEATHS
Spahr, AnitaLouise
AnitaLouiseSpahr passedawaypeacefully surrounded by herloving familyonMay 17, 2025. She was 76 years. Sheissur‐vived by twobrothers, Charles E. Spahr, III (Gail) and DavidT.Spahr (Tasse) along with many loving nieces, nephews, greatniecesand great-nephews. She is preceded in death byher parents, CharlesE Spahr, Jr.and Louise
Schexnaydre,
LSUtoput plansintoactionon paying playersafter House settlement approval Page 5C
BREAKING OUT
LSU left fielderDerek Curieldrivesthe ball for athree-runhomerun against West Virginia in thefourth inning of theBaton Rouge super regional opener SaturdayatAlex BoxStadium. LSU’sthree homeruns accountedfor 11 runs in thewin.
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
The big inning has eluded LSUasoflate.
Go back to May 10. That’sthe last time the Tigers scored more than three runsinaninning when they scored six in the fifth inning of a13-3 win over Arkansas.
Crooked numbers aren’tarequirement for agood day, but in Game 1ofthe Baton Rouge super regionalagainst West Virginia at AlexBox Stadium on Saturday,LSU finally broke through withtwo big ones.
The Tigers scoredseven runs in the fifth inning and six runs in the sixth. The offensive explosion was more than enough to secure a16-9 victory,inching the Tigersone win closer to reaching the College World Seriesfor thesecond time in three seasons.
“Great win for our team today,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It was against areally good team and areally good pitcher.”
The onslaught in the fifth inning began after aleadoff single andtwo walks allowed by right-handed reliever JJ Glasscock.Left-hander Cole Fehrman relieved him midwaythrough the secondfreepass, but sophomore Steven Milam was unbothered.
Milam blasted agrandslam over thewall in rightfield to hand LSU(47-15) a7-1 advantage. It was the first grand slam of his career Freshman Derek Curiel then shot arun-scoring single to center field, and junior Chris Stanfield hit atwo-run single into left-center to give theTigers a10-1 lead.
“Wehaveareally deep team this year,” LSUsenioroutfielder Josh Pearson said.“Ifeellikewehaveguyswho can play in thebig leagues who don’tstart every day.”
Fehrman andGlasscock combined to allow five earned runs withoutrecording an out. Theircameos Saturday came as asurprise, as the two pitchershad combinedto
ä See LSU, page 4C
The Saints will welcome back an old friend this season. The 3-4 defense returns to New Orleans for thefirst time in awhile. Youremember the 3-4, right? The last time we saw it here wasduring Rob Ryan’sotherwise forgettable tenure as defensive coordinator from 2014-16. Buteven then, Ryan only dabbled in thescheme. The Saints primarily have been a4-3 defense for mostofthe past three decades. They haven’trun the 3-4 full-time since the1990s, when thefamed Dome Patrol ruled the Superdomeunder head coach Jim Mora.
Josh Pearson is the kind of player coaches seek but sometimes never find. Ateam player.Willing to waithis turn. But when called upon to perform, he gives it his all. In today’sNIL/transfer portal/post-House settlement era, Pearson is aunicorn. A guy whohas, except forlast season when he started 52 of 60 games, been apart-time starter during his four years at LSU. But he has stuck it out for four years. That’srare. “That’smyonly guy,” fourth-year LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “(Our) four years together.That’sit.”
Most college players, if they’re great talents, are gone after three seasons. That includes Saturday’sstarting pitcher for LSU,Kade Anderson, atop-of-the-firstrounder even though he allowed acareerhigh six earned runs in seven innings to the Mountaineers. That’sone day going to be freshman Derek Curiel, LSU’s typical leadoffman. Youmust have future major-leaguers on the roster to go deep in the NCAA Tournamentand all the way in the College World Series. But you have to have Pearsons, too, guys whostay and are the glue of the program.The backbone. The example. There’saphrase Johnson used as he spoke to the media after LSU’smolten-hot 16-9 victory over West Virginia in Game 1 of the Baton Rouge super regional Saturday: “Team over me.” He didn’tuse it to describe Pearson directly,but you know he could have just the same.
“He’sreally dialed into the right things,” Johnson said of Pearson. “Every timeI come up here (in anews conference), Ifind ä See RABALAIS, page 4C
yet, but there is adirect connection between the two. Staley learned the scheme from legendary defensive coordinator VicFangio, whoserved as the linebackers coach forthe Dome Patrol teams under coordinator Steve Sidwell. Staley grew up in Cleveland, but he has ahealthy appreciation for the Dome Patrol. He’sstudied film of the unit and effortlessly can rattle off the names and playing styles of the starters throughout the lineup.
Butthe 3-4 is back in all of its glory this year,asBrandon Staley has installed the schemeinhis first season as defensive coordinator The new defense doesn’thave an iconic nameorcool poster like the Dome Patrol
“It’skind of cool being in this city and knowing the history of the team and the Dome Patrol,” Staley said. “There’sahistory of defending in this city and Ilove that.”
While Staley is still in the embryonic stage of implementing the scheme, local reporters have had achance to see
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Jeff Duncan
Scott Rabalais
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSUright fielder Josh Pearson smiles while rounding the bases after hitting agrand slam against West Virginiainthe sixth inning of theirgame on Saturday
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
FRENCH OPEN
GREAT GAUFF
American outlasts No. 1 Sabalenka for second Grand Slam championship
BY JEROME PUGMIRE AND SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP sports writers
PARIS Drawing on the painful memory of her defeat three years ago in the French Open final gave Coco Gauff just the motivation she needed to win the clay-court major for the first time.
The 21-year-old American defeated top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title, two years after winning the U.S. Open.
“I think (the U.S. Open victory) was more emotional but this one was harder,” said Gauff, who managed to handle the elements and the momentum swings better than Sabalenka “I knew it was going to be about willpower and mental (strength).”
The victory put to rest the bad memories of her 2022 French Open final loss to Iga Swiatek when, as an 18-year-old, Gauff felt overwhelmed even before stepping onto Court PhilippeChatrier.
“It was a tough time, I was doubting myself,” Gauff said.
“I was crying before the match, and so nervous, literally couldn’t breathe and stuff.”
Gauff said that the lopsided loss rocked her confidence to such an extent that she was left “in a dark place” and feared she was not cut out for winning major titles.
“I thought if I can’t handle this, how am I going to handle it again?” she said
She handled it just fine Saturday
The second-ranked Gauff made fewer mistakes and kept her emotions in check to get the better of Sabalenka again at a major final, having come from a set down to beat the Belarusian in the 2023 U.S. Open final.
Gauff raised the winners’ trophy aloft, then kissed it several times. She held her hand over her heart when the U.S. national anthem played
“This one is heavy,” Gauff said.
“It feels great to lift it.”
She is the first American woman to win at Roland-Garros since Serena Williams in 2015. It was the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 final in Paris since 2013, when Williams defeated Maria Sharapova,
and just the second in the last 30 years. After Sabalenka sent a backhand wide on Gauff’s second match point, the 21-year-old American fell onto her back, covering her face with both hands as she started to sob, then got up and held her hand over her mouth. She continued to sob as she patted the clay with her left hand.
Gauff greeted Sabalenka at the net with a warm hug and thanked the umpire. She then screamed out with joy and relief and got to her knees and crouched forward, continuing to cry as she savored the win.
She later hugged film director Spike Lee and celebrated with her entourage in her box before thanking the fans.
“You guys were cheering for me so hard,” she said. “I don’t know what I did to deserve so much love from the French crowd.”
Sabalenka praised Gauff for being a “fighter” and said she deserved the win, but added that the windy conditions made for an error-strewn contest.
“This will hurt so much,” Sabalenka said “Coco, congrats, in the tough conditions you were a better player than me.” Both players were sloppy in the
first set, conceding 21 break-point chances and making 48 unforced errors between them, with Sabalenka making 32 yet still winning the set. She made 70 in the match, compared to 30 for Gauff. Sabalenka was often frustrated, remonstrating and shouting at herself and frequently turning around to look at her team with an exasperated look on her face. She put her head on her hands a couple of times, and at one point raised her shoulders as if to say “What’s going on?”
Gauff said she paid no attention, knowing full well that Sabalenka could find her best game at any moment.
The first set looked to be heading Gauff’s way when she led 3-0 in the tiebreaker, but Sabalenka steadied herself and clinched it with a forehand volley at the net.
Gauff leveled the match with a smash at the net, but Sabalenka stuck to her high-risk approach in the deciding set.
One superb rally in the third game drew loud cheers.
After an intense exchange of drop shots, Gauff hit a lob that Sabalenka chased down before attempting a shot between her legs — only for Gauff to intercept it at the net.
Sovereignty beats Journalism to win Belmont
BY SPENCER RIPCHIK Associated Press
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y Sover-
eignty bested Journalism on Saturday in a Kentucky Derby rematch to win the 157th Belmont Stakes, the second hosted at Saratoga.
Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado traversed the field of eight on a fast Saratoga track after downpours throughout the morning and early afternoon dried up before
Wrist injury puts Phillies
1B Harper on injured list
PITTSBURGH — The scuffling Philadelphia Phillies suffered a blow when they placed first baseman Bryce Harper on the 10-day injured list because of right wrist inflammation before their game against the Pirates. Harper sat out Friday night’s 5-4 loss to the Pirates. There is no timetable for his return.
The two-time National League MVP and eight-time All-Star is hitting .258 with nine home runs and 34 RBIs in 57 games.
He missed five games with a bruised right elbow after being hit by a pitch from Atlanta’s Spencer Strider The Phillies are expected to play third baseman Alec Bohm at first while Harper is out, with utility player Edmundo Sosa taking over at third.
Gonsolin latest Dodgers pitcher to go on the IL
ST LOUIS — Tony Gonsolin has been placed on the 15-day injured list by the Dodgers because of right elbow discomfort, joining fellow rotation members Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki and Blake Snell among 14 Los Angeles pitchers on the IL.
NL West-leading Los Angeles activated relievers Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech from the 15-day IL before Saturday’s game against St. Louis and designated righthander Chris Stratton for assignment, one day after he rejoined the team.
Gonsolin, a 31-year-old righthander made his season debut on April 30 after recovering from Tommy John surgery on Aug. 18, 2023, and was 3-2 with a 5.00 ERA in seven starts.
Memphis center Edey to have ankle surgery
MEMPHIS — Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey sprained his left ankle again and the team says the All-Rookie team selection will need surgery The Grizzlies said Saturday that the 7-foot-3 Edey was working out this week when he injured the ankle again.
Imaging revealed excessive ligamentous laxity which will be addressed with surgery that also will restabilize his ankle.
The two-time national player of the year at Purdue missed 12 games early in the season because of a sprained left ankle. The Grizzlies said a preliminary timeline for recovery will be provided after surgery and that Edey is expected to make a full recovery
Braves designate reliever Kimbrel for reassignment
SAN FRANCISCO Craig Kimbrel’s stay with the Atlanta Braves lasted just one day as the team designated the franchise’s career saves leader for assignment and recalled left-handed pitcher Austin Cox.
The Braves had selected Kimbrel from Triple-A Gwinnett and recalled left-hander Dylan Dodd before opening a road series against the San Francisco Giants on Friday night.
Kimbrel pitched a scoreless seventh inning in the Braves’ 5-4 loss. Kimbrel spent his first five seasons in the big leagues with Atlanta, leading the league in saves each year from 2011-14.
The Braves traded Kimbrel to San Diego before the 2015 season opener, and he has pitched for several teams since.
Manassero, Fox share lead at Canadian Open
CALEDON, Ontario Matteo Manassero and Ryan Fox each shot 6-under 64 on Saturday to share the third-round lead in the RBC Canadian Open, the final event before the U.S. Open next week at Oakmont.
Manassero rebounded from a three-putt bogey on the par-4 17th with a birdie on the par-5 18th — hitting an 80-yard third shot to 2 feet to get to 14-under 196 on the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley Trying to win for the first time on the PGA Tour, the 32-year-old Italian player has eight international victories.
Fox also birdied the 18th. The 38-year-old player from New Zealand won the Myrtle Beach Classic last month in a playoff for his first PGA Tour title.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LINDSEy WASSON
Coco Gauff of the U.S kisses the trophy after winning the final match of the French Open against Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus at the Roland-Garros stadium on Saturday in Paris.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOOT ByBJESSICA HILL
Alvarado reacts aboard Sovereignty after crossing the
running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday
Springs, N.y.
Pacers expect Thunder to bring aggressiveness
BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer
OKLAHOMA CITY When the Oklahoma City Thunder get hit, they tend to hit back. Immediately too.
Everybody knows what probably is coming in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday night. The Thunder, down 1-0 in the series with the Indiana Pacers, will be raring to go. That’s been their way all season; the Thunder are 17-2, including the NBA Cup final loss, in the next game after a defeat — with those 17 wins coming by an average of 17.5 points.
The thing is, the Thunder say that’s the way they play after wins as well
“That’s the trick,” coach
Mark Daigneault said Saturday. “You don’t want to be reactive to the last game because then you can be too high after wins, you can be too low after losses We just get ourselves to neutral. Understand every game is different, every game is unwritten. You go out there, the ball goes up in the air, and the team that competes better on that night wins.”
As such, Oklahoma City will try to be better Sunday And so will Indiana. There was much for both teams to clean up after Game 1. For the Pacers, it was too many turnovers For the Thunder, it was not closing out a game that it led by 15 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
“Look, everybody’s pattern after a loss is to come more aggressively. Their whole team is going to be even more aggres-
SAINTS
Continued from page 1C
glimpses of what it will look like during offseason workouts. Fans will get their first chance to see it at the team’s open mini-camp this week. Some of the differences will be conspicuous, even to casual observers Former defensive ends Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Cam Jordan and Isaiah Foskey are now outside linebackers. They’ll be positioned on the edges and often aligned in a stand-up, two-point stance rather than a traditional three-point stance with their hands “in the dirt.” Essentially they’re the Rickey Jackson and Pat Swilling of this iteration of the 3-4 defense.
To accompany the position switch, Young and Granderson have changed their body compositions. Both will play around 265 pounds, which is closer to their natural playing weight. The idea is to enhance their speed and mobility so they can better pursue ball carriers sideline to sideline. The hope is it will also help the Saints improve their defense against mobile quarterbacks, whose scrambles and designed runs have been a major bugaboo in recent years. Defensive tackles Davon Godchaux, Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders are playing nose tackle and will often line up directly across from the center Defensive ends Bryan Bresee, Jonah Williams and Vernon Broughton will flank the nose tackle. Inside linebackers Demario Davis and Pete Werner, and cornerbacks Kool-Aid McKinstry Isaac Yiadom and Quincy Riley won’t experience much change to their alignment or responsibilities in the new defense. The player who could benefit the most from the scheme change is Alontae Taylor, who will man the nickel back or star position. Derwin James and Jalen Ramsey made the Pro Bowl as the star during Staley’s stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams, respectively
sive defensively,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said. “The challenge for us is to be able to match that.”
Thunder guard and NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who led all scorers with 38 points in Game 1, his finals debut said he doesn’t hang on to games for too long, even that one. He watches film, learns the lessons and moves on He doesn’t expect to deviate from that plan for Game 2.
“I take what I need to take from it, and we do it as a group,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “After that, I let it go because the lessons are learned There’s nothing else you can do.”
Chasing history
The Pacers have an opportunity at something very rare: going up 2-0 in the finals by taking the first two games on the road It’s happened only twice in finals history: Chicago did it in 1993 against Phoenix and Houston did it in 1995 against Seattle. Both the Bulls and the Rockets went on to win the NBA title in those seasons.
“I think winning on the road is hard,” said Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who had the game-winning shot in Game 1 with 0.3 seconds left. “Winning an NBA game is hard, and especially a playoff game, and let alone a finals game, right? It’s not easy You’re just trying to be as present as you can.”
The stakes
The Thunder know their
“We see that position (star) as a feature position in the defense,” Staley said. And I think what people will remember is the two edge players are the tone setters for the defense, and then those two inside linebackers were the commanders of the defense. And that versatility that those two position groups provide just really multiplies the looks that the offense has to prepare for.”
Staley’s 3-4 will differ from the Dome Patrol 3-4 largely because the NFL is different. The league today is ruled by wide-open, passfirst offenses. Defenses are in their base alignments with 4-3 or 3-4 fronts only about a quarter of the time these days. Instead, they regularly employ subpackages, with an extra defensive back on the field in place of a linebacker or lineman, to combat the multiple-receiver lineups offenses throw at them. So, the 3-4 or 4-3 quickly morphs into a 4-2, 3-3 or even 5-1 front with five defensive backs.
You’ll see Staley’s defense in varied alignments across the line of scrimmage. The defense is as likely to field four defensive linemen as it does three. Sometimes the edge players will be standing up. Other times, they’ll be in a traditional threepoint stance. Sometimes they’ll rush the passer Other times, they’ll drop into coverage.
“It’s driven by matchups, which is the NFL game,” Steelers quarterbacks coach and longtime Staley mentor Tom Arth told The Athletic for a 2020 story about Staley’s defense. “It can be what it needs to be, when it needs to be that He does a great job and makes it really difficult for opposing offenses.”
When everything is working properly, the Saints will stuff the run with their powerful interior linemen and funnel everything to the edge, where their linebackers can flow and make plays in pursuit. The ability to stop the run is key because it will allow the Saints to play Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu in a split-safety look in center
odds of winning this title take a serious dive if they lose Game 2 and head to Indianapolis trailing the series 2-0.
So, technically, Sunday isn’t a must-win game. There’s a Game 3 on Wednesday no matter what and a Game 4 on Friday no matter what.
But nobody needs to tell OKC the stakes right now “Game 1 was a must-win and we didn’t win. Now we flip to Game 2 and it’s a must-win again,” Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. “We’ve been in mustwin situations in this playoff run, and honestly in the playoffs, every game feels like a must-win You’re not saving anything in the tank for any games down the line.”
SGA, 3K
Assuming he scores in Game 2 obviously a reasonable assumption — Gilgeous-Alexander will join a new club.
The MVP is just two points shy of reaching the 3,000-point mark for the season, including playoffs (If the NBA Cup final game counted, which it doesn’t, he’d already be over 3,000 for the season.)
This will be the 25th time a player has scored 3,000 in a season; Gilgeous-Alexander will be the 12th person to do it. Michael Jordan did it 10 times, Wilt Chamberlain did it five times and nine other players — Bob McAdoo, Elgin Baylor, James Harden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Luka Doncic, Rick Barry and Shaquille O’Neal — did it once.
field. The shell coverage theoretically will limit big plays in the passing game by forcing quarterbacks to work routes underneath the safeties.
Another hallmark of the 3-4 is the ability to rush the passer from multiple positions, including the secondary Staley’s units regularly ranked among the league leaders in sacks and pressures.
“When I think of 3-4 defense, I think of balance,” Staley said. “I think of top run defense, top pass defense and eliminating explosive plays. And the way to eliminate explosive plays to be able to play split safety (coverage), or some version of it, because that keeps the ball in front of you in the secondary We want to put a roof on the defense.”
The Saints will need to change more than just their base alignment. The unit plummeted to 30th in total defense and 31st in run defense last season. It ranked close to the bottom of the league in nearly every important defensive metric.
The brain trust did little to improve the lineup in the offseason, other than signing Reid in free agency, trading for Godchaux, and selecting Broughton, Riley and linebacker Danny Stutsman in the draft. That said, there is reason for optimism. NFL history has shown that dramatic defensive turnarounds can be executed in a single offseason. The Eagles went from the 31st to first in total defense last year their first under Fangio. Staley helped the Rams vault from No. 17 to No. 1 in his first season as coordinator in 2020.
“All timelines are different,” Staley said. “What I’ve learned is that it’s not about where you (rank). What’s important is making sure you’re building the right way.”
The 3-4 defense is not a panacea. It’s a starting point, a base of operations. The scheme itself can do only so much to improve things on the defensive side of the ball. But in an offseason of change in New Orleans, it’s fun to see the defense with a new look, too. A familiar new look for old-school Saints fans.
UNO, baseball coach Norris part ways
BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer
UNO baseball coach Dax Norris is leaving the program after one season. Norris was elevated to interim head coach one month before the start of the 2025 season after Blake Dean resigned. Dean had been the UNO head coach since 2016, with Norris having served as the UNO pitching coach since the 2022 season.
UNO had a 28-26 record and finished runner-up in the Southland Conference Tournament in 2025. Norris was in the midst of negotiating a new contract to remain the UNO head coach but will leave effective June 30 once his current contract ends after talks about a new deal stalled.
“I felt like it was best to part ways,” Norris said. “We had talks in March of a four- or five-year deal, but it drug on too long. Guys got in the portal since they were unsure of what was going on. Yesterday (UNO athletic director) Vince (Granito) and I talked, and we mutually agreed to part ways. I wish (UNO) nothing but the best.”
The news of Norris stepping away was first reported by WDSU’s Sharief Ishaq on Saturday morning Norris’ college coaching career dates back to his alma mater Alabama, where he started as a hitting instructor in 2008. He
then joined Florida International’s staff as pitching coach before his time at UNO.
The 2025 season was Norris’ first head coaching opportunity at the Division I level. UNO entered the Southland Tournament as the lowest seed but made a run to the conference championship series after winning three straight tournament games, beginning with an upset of topseeded Southeastern Louisiana.
“Taking over (as head coach) was very tough,” Norris said. “The whole plan was to get into the (Southland Conference) tournament. We talked about playing well at the right time, and we did. The guys were all on board
This was one of the closest teams I’ve been around in a while.”
The UNO roster is set to undergo several changes heading into 2026 with first baseman/right-handed pitcher Bryce Calloway, right-handed pitcher Grant Edwards and catcher Matt Gonzalez among the players entering the transfer portal.
Norris plans to remain a Division I baseball coach and is open to either being a head coach or an assistant.
“I don’t necessarily have to be a head coach,” he said. “I could go back to the SEC and be an assistant and be fine. I’m not in a rush. I would like to stay in the South, but we’ll see what opens up.”
UNO baseball coach Dax Norris heads to the dugout before first pitch against LSU on March 18 at Alex Box Stadium.
Razorbacks topdefending champVols
ByTheAssociated Press
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle combined on atwo-hitter,Ryder Helfrick hit the go-ahead home run, and Arkansas defeateddefending national champion Tennessee 4-3 on Saturdayinthe opening game of the best-of-three Fayetteville super regional.
Helfrick’stwo-run home run in thebottom of thefifthinning gave Arkansasa3-2 lead and Charles Davalan drove in arun with asinglethat made it 4-2in the sixth.
Root (8-5) started andwent seven innings, allowing one hit and one earned run. Gaeckle threwtwo innings in relief, allowing the other hit and onerun for hissecond save.
Dean Curley’stwo-run home run in the fifth inning gave the Volunteers a2-1 lead. It was their only hit until Andrew Fischer’ssolo home run in the ninth.
The Razorbacks’ Cam Kozeal scoredonawildpitch fora1-0 lead in the second inning
Tennesseestarter Marcus Phillips (4-5) allowedfour runs on eight hitsin51/3 innings. Tennessee (46-18) is making its fifth straight super regional appearance.Arkansas (47-13) is making its third appearance since 2021.The Razorbackswill lock up their 11th College World Series berth if they win Game 2 on Sunday COASTAL CAROLINA 4, AUBURN 1: In Auburn,Alabama, Jacob Morrison and Hayden Johnson combined to scattereight hits andCoastal Carolinadefeated Auburn on Saturday to sweep theAuburn super regional and reach the College World Series
LSU
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for the second time.
The Chanticleerswill tryto duplicatethe national championship they won in 2016. Morrison allowed one run on six hits with six strikeoutsinsix innings. Johnson (5-0) came on in the seventh andpitched three scoreless innings with two hits andfive strikeouts.
Coastal Carolina’sthree-run seventh inning featured an RBI single by Walker Mitchell and a series of Auburn miscues led to theother two runs.
With the scored tied 1-1 after Mitchell’ssingle, he moved up a base on asingle by Blagen Pado and scoredfrom secondona throwingerror by the first basemanona ballhit by Ty Dooley Awalk by Ty Barrango loaded thebases and Coastal’sthird run scored when WellsSykes was hit by apitch. Mitchelldrove in thefinal run with asingle in the eighth inning.
CadenBodine’s 10th-inning home run earlySaturday morninggave the Chanticleersa7-6 victory in the first game.
The Tigers played in thesuperregional round for the fifth time. They advanced to the College World Series in two of their previousfour appearances.
ARIZONA 10, NORTH CAROLINA 8: In Chapel Hill, NorthCarolina, Maddox Mihalakisdrove in threeruns, includingtwo with ago-ahead single in theseventh inning, and Arizona defeated North Carolina, forcing aGame 3inthe Chapel Hill super regional on Sunday
The Wildcats trailed 8-6 in theseventh inning butrallied with four runs. With two on and oneout, BrendanSummerhill doubleddown the left-field line
throw 122/3 innings this season prior to the super regional.
“Wefelt like some of these pitchers have been really,reallygreat throughoutsome shorter outings, some sim games,” West Virginia coach Steve Sabinssaid.“It didn’t go their waythis week, butwhenyou trail in the game, there’salwayssome balance of making sure that you gotowin the game, butalso that youhave enougharms to compete andwin aseries.”
West Virginia (44-15) answered LSU’sbig fifth inning with four runsinthe tophalfof the sixth, but LSU countered immediately with six runs in the bottom of thesixth. With thebasesloaded, West Virginia walked in two runs with one out before Pearson hit another grand slam to give the Tigers a16-5 advantage.
“Super proud of Josh,” Curiel said. “Since Igot here, he kind of taughtmethe ropes to know,and Ilook up to him alot.”
West Virginia left-handed starter Griffin Kirn forced the Tigers into makingweak contact through threeshutout inningsto open the game.
Free passesbecame aproblem forKirn in the fourth inning. He hit the first two batters of the inning to put twoonwith one out forCuriel.
Curiel, LSU’stypicalleadoff hitter who moved down to seventh in the order Saturday,delivered. The California native blasted athree-run home run over the wall in left field, handing LSU a3-1 leadonthe Tigers’ first hit of the game.
“They just progressivelygot alittle bit better,” Johnson said. “And we were, even though we didn’t have anyhits, we were pressuring them with pitch countsand long counts and three balls and3-2 (counts),all of those types of things.”
Kirn didn’tlast long after that. He escaped thefourth inning but exitedthe fifth after allowing aleadoff single to Pearson. He
RABALAIS
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I’m talking about who they areaspeople as much as players. He’satthe forefront of that.
“He’sthe best. He’sjust thebest.” Friday night, Pearsonlearned hewould start in the super regional opener instead of Jake Brown in right field. Not just starting, he would lead off. Johnson,working the percentages to the ninthdecimal point as he does, perhaps figured Pearson would be best adept at handling West Virginia starter Griffin Kirn, who likes to makethe inside half of the plate his domain. As aresult,Johnson shiftedCuriel allthe wayto seventh in the lineup.
Johnson’smoves worked withalmost prescient efficiency.Curiel got LSUonthe board with athree-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning for a3-1 lead, an opposite-field shot down theleft-field line with the West Virginia infield shifted around to the right side in ablockade against his bat. Then after the Tigers took command of the game with aseven-run
to scoreone runwhile Easton
Breyfogle advanced to third. Breyfogle then scored on awild pitch by Walter McDuffie to tie thescore.
After acouple of walks loaded thebases, Mihalakis drove in twowith asingle to right field off of Folger Boaz. Tony Pluta pitched 21/3 scoreless innings for thewin.
DUKE 7, MURRAYSTATE 4: In Durham, North Carolina,Kyle Johnson drove in five runs to power Duke’svictory over Murray Stateinthe first game of the Durham super regional.
The Blue Devils areone win from reaching the College World Seriesfor the firsttime since 1961.
Johnson, a.228hitter in 57 atbatscoming in, had two doubles and ahomerun among his four hits
Duke managed only six hits four by Johnson —but theBlue Devils benefited from eight walks. Dom Decker hadfour of Murray State’snine hits and drove in two runs.
Duke is playing in thesuper regionals forthe fourth time.
The Racers are making their fourthNCAA Tournament appearance andfirst in the super regionals.
MIAMI 9, LOUISVILLE 6: In Louisville, Kentucky,Renzon Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run in theseventh inning, Daniel Cuvet addeda three-run home run in the eighth andMiami defeated Louisville to even the Louisville superregional at agame apiece.
In the seventh, Dorian Gonzalez doubled tolead off the inning andlater scoredthe goahead run on asingle by Renzo Gonzalez for a6-5 Miami lead Cuvet’sone-out homerun to left
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSU pitcher Kade Anderson leaps off the moundcelebrating the strikeout against West Virginia to end the second inning of their super regionalgameonSaturday
allowed two hits with three strikeoutsand three hitbatters.
“I don’tknowhow youguysfeltholding acamera in almost abillion degrees out there, butI’m sure standing on the middle of the pitcher’smound wasn’tall that comfortable,”Johnson said. “And Ithink maybe he ran outofgas alittle bit, so he lost his command.”
Free passes proved to be thedifference in thegame. The Mountaineerswalked eight batters and hit fiveothers, tyingits seasonhigh in free passes issued in asingle contest.
West Virginia outhit LSU 11-8 despite the lopsided score. Curiel and Pearsonwere the only Tigers with multiple hits. Curielreached base in all fiveofhis plateappearances.
“(Kirn) can be really,really tough on lefties, but (Curiel)executed it perfectly,” Johnsonsaid. “He kept his feet in there and got hitbyapitch on the first one, stayed on that slider and (hit)itout of here. Likethat’simpressive to be able to do that.”
fifthtogoup10-1, Pearson belted agrand slam in the sixthtoright, countering a four-run uprising by the Mountaineers in the top half of the inning. It was LSU’s second grand slam of the day after Steven “Monster” Milam hit one in that monster fifthinning. If Pearson felt an extra surge of adrenaline knowinghewould start Saturday,he didn’tmake abig deal about it.
“Really nothing changes,”hesaid. “Every day Ikind of show up to the field as I would beinthe lineup.
“Coach texted me last night and told me I’d beinit. Icame today and got ready to go.(When I) saw my name in the leadoff spot, Iknew Ihad ajob to do.”
Despite not getting theclassic Anderson starting effort —hewas clearly hotter aboutthe way he pitched while talking to reporters than he was in Saturday’s92-degreeheat —the Tigers all did their jobto capture the all-important series opener
While it’shardly aguarantee, the value of winningthe first gameofasuper regional can’tbeoverstated. Since thesupers came to bein1999, 79% of the teams that wonGame 1went on to the College World Series. That meansfour out of fivedentists
made it 9-5 in the eighth. Louisville scored arun in the ninth on asingle by Lucas Moore and the Cardinals had runners on first andsecondwith nobody outbefore BrianWalters retired the next three batters. Game 3isset forSunday with the winner advancing to the College World Series.
UCLA 5, UTSA 2: In Los Angeles, Michael Barnett gave up two runs in six innings, Roman Martinhad three RBIsfor UCLA andthe Bruinsrallied to beat UTSA on Saturday at the Los Angeles super regional in the first-ever matchup between the teams No. 15 nationalseedUCLA (46-16) can clinch aberth in the College World Series with awin Sunday in Game 2ofthe best-ofthree series.
Barnett(12-1) gave up six hits with no walks. Jack O’Connor and August Souzaeach pitched ano-hitinning of reliefbefore Easton Hawk hadtwo strikeouts in a1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save of the season Payton Brennan, Cashel Duggar and Phoenix Call each hit a single offstarter Zach Royse(95) to load the bases in the fourth inning before Brennanscored on Dean West’ssacrifice fly to give theBruins a3-2 lead. Mason Lytlehit ahome run to lead off the game andCaden Miller stolehome in the second inning to give UTSA a2-0 lead.
West andRochCholowsky hit back-to-back singles before Mulivai Velu drove in West with adouble down andCholowsky scored on agroundout by Martin to makeit2-2.
Martin hit atwo-out triple in the eighth that drove in two runs to makeit5-2.
LSU 16, West Virginia 9 WestVirginiaLSU (44-15)(47-15) abrhbiabrhbi
Umpires—Home Plate: SteveMattinglyFirst: Jason Bradley Second Base: Linus BakerThird Base:Mike Fichter Start —1:06 pm Time —3:46 Attendance—12,093
Sophomore left-handerKade Anderson started on the mound for LSU. He allowed just one earned run through the first fiveinnings, but long layoffs before the sixth and seventhdiminished his effectiveness.
West Virginia tagged Anderson for four runs in thesixth inning and two in the seventh. Twosingles andafielder’s choice drove in runs in the sixth beforeatwo-run home run from freshman Gavin Kelly cutthe Mountaineers’ deficit to nine in the seventh. Andersonstruckout sevenbut surrendereda season-high nine hits andsix earned runs in seven innings.
He didn’tbelieve the long layoffs before thetop of the sixth and seventh innings played afactor in his performance.
“As apitcher, yougothrough those allof thetime,” Anderson said. “It’sabout how you bounce back from those.”
recommend winning the opener —and flossing, of course. West Virginia coach Steve Sabins talked about it being athree-gameseries, and that his team can still win it. It is. And the Mountaineers can.
Butheknows as well as anyone that West Virginia is really in abind now.The Tigers will throw Anthony Eyanson at 5p.m. Sunday,apitcher who has as many types of breaking balls in his bag as Scottie Scheffler has wedges. They also havenearly all of their bullpen available, including Mr Clutch regional final reliever Casan Evans. Pearson may be in thelineup in support of Eyanson. He may be back on thebench. Either way,it’ssure to be abittersweet time, hoping theTigers get thevictory to clinch aspot in Omahathat also would makeitPearson’slast game in Alex Box Stadium
The epitome of team over me.
“He’sa good player,” Johnson said. “A good hitter.Character.Makeup. Toughness. Raised right.The best parents in the world. It will be odd not having him here (next season).” ButPearson will be there Sunday,ifand when the Tigers need him
Curiel’s hitting approach belies freshman status
BY REED DARCEY Staff writer
Ayear ago, Derek Curiel could have chosen adifferent path. An MLB team would have drafted theprodigious outfielder,then given him time to sharpen his eye and strengthen his swing in the minor leagues. That route, had Curieldecidedtotake it, also would have left LSU baseball without aplayer who has grown into one of its most important contributors. On Monday, coachJay Johnson called him the “engine” of the LSU lineup. On Saturday,the freshman proved that he fit that description, using his battopower LSU’s16-9superregionalwin over West Virginia. “He’sjust aspecial player,” junior slugger Jared Jones said of Curiel. “Really slows down the game, doesn’ttry to do too muchand stays within himself. He hadn’t really needed (help) much, to be honest with you. He’sbeen pretty steady Eddie, so just kindoflet him do his thing. Just cheer them on as best we can.”
LSUdidn’trecorda hit through three innings against the Mountaineers. Then Curiel stepped to the plate, read a77-mph slider and caughtitwiththe endofhis bat, swinging with enough power to slice it afew feet beyond the left-field wall. His three-run shot plated the first runs of the LSU victory —agameinwhich both Steven Milamand Josh Pearson cranked grand slams.
Curiel’sfirst NCAA Tournament is already adorned with strong performances at the plate. The latest —3for 3, five RBIs —helpedfuelthe explosionofoffense that powered the No.6overall seed Tigers to the doorstep of the College World Series. “He executed it perfectly,” Johnson said. “He kept his feet in there and got hit by apitchonthe first one, andstayedon that slider and hit abullet out of here.” Curiel is 9for 18 (.500) with seven RBIs across LSU’s five NCAA Tournament games. On Saturday, Johnsonslid Curieldown to seventh in the order,replacing him with Pearson in the leadoff spot. The change didn’tfaze the freshman. He hit well enough notonly to notchhis 50thRBI of the season (now second-most among LSU hitters) but also to elevate his overall batting average from .341 to .349.
Now,only EthanFrey (.350) —ajunior with almost 80 fewerat-bats —has ahigher batting average this year than Curiel.
“Nothing was different, to be honest,” Curiel said. “I just approached the game how we approach the gameall the time. Me, personally,whether I’m batting first, second, seventh, just trying to go up there and do my job.”
Curiel amassed a43-game on-base streak earlier this season. Before that, no LSUfreshmanhad fashionedone longer than 33 contests sinceatleast 1985. Not AlexBregmanin2013. Or even Dylan Crews in 2021. Curiel used his consistent, mature approachatthe platetotop both of those all-timegreats’ longest on-base streaks as freshmen.
In all five tournament games the Tigers have played this year,Curiel has reached base safely.OnSaturday,Curiel also singled to center field to drive in LSU’seighth run of the day Then in the eighth, he dropped aline drive into right field. Each time he stepped to the plate, West Virginia moved its infielders to the right side of the diamond and shifted its outfielders to the left, hoping to catch him hitting to his tendencies. Curielknocked his first hit over their heads and out of the park. Then, on his next two at-bats, he dropped hits over the shift and into holes in the outfield. That kind of hitting would have benefitted amajor-league team’sfarm system once the calendar flipped to June. But it’s contributing to LSU’spostseason run instead, swinging the Tigers within sniffing distance of their 20th trip to Omaha. “That’simpressive to be able to do that,” Johnson said. “So, he did what he needed
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON LSUleft fielder Derek Curiel celebrates his three-run home runagainst West Virginia in the fourthinning of the first game of the super regional on Saturday at Alex Box Stadium.
LSU to put plans into action on paying players
Judge approves House deal to open doors
BY WILSON ALEXANDER Staff writer
For the first time, schools will be allowed to pay their athletes directly after a multibillion-dollar legal settlement was approved late Friday, ushering in a new era of college sports
The House settlement, an agreement in three federal antitrust lawsuits against the NCAA and the four power conferences, was approved by Judge Claudia Wilken, allowing schools to pay players and creating an enforcement entity for the new system.
Beginning July 1, LSU and other major athletic programs nationwide will begin directly paying athletes as college sports turns into a more professional model than the one long defined by amateurism.
Players still can earn additional money through third-party name, image and likeness deals. But with a new clearinghouse managed by Deloitte taking effect, the settlement will aim to limit pay-for-play activity by booster collectives that have funded rosters for the past four years.
It is a monumental shift in college sports, one that LSU has prepared for for nearly a year Here’s what we know so far about the Tigers’ plans for this system.
How does the salary cap work?
Any school that opted into the settlement agreed to what is essentially a salary cap that is expected to begin at $20.5 million per school during the 2025-26 academic year
The cap will increase annually over the course of the 10-year settlement agreement.
Each school can allocate the money as it sees fit, creating decisions about how to spread money among multiple sports and players Similar to others in the SEC, LSU ath-
letic director Scott Woodward told The Advocate in a recent interview that the Tigers would “roughly” follow the formula the settlement used to pay back $2.8 billion in damages to former players who could not profit off their NIL from 2016 through the present day.
That means LSU plans to allocate 75% to football, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball and 5% to the rest of its sports, including baseball and gymnastics
Some of the money will count toward scholarships that are created because of new roster limits.
“I don’t see it changing drastically from there as far as revenue share goes,” Woodward said.
LSU football now has $13.5 million to spend in the upcoming academic year Some of the money already was earmarked for players on the 2025 roster Brian Kelly has said LSU reserved an unspecified amount for the 2026 team because payments operate on the academic calendar
After paying football and basketball players, it’s unclear how LSU will divide the remaining 5% among the rest of its sports. And athletes will be under contract, though they are not considered employees.
The power conferences created a new enforcement organization, the College Sports Commission, to monitor payments and roster limits instead of using the NCAA. It will be run by Bryan Seeley a former MLB executive.
What happens to NIL deals?
The other major result of the settlement was an attempt to regulate NIL payments by school-affiliated collectives, which became the way teams paid for their rosters in the NIL era. The success of the salary cap hinges on restricting pay-forplay activity
STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
LSU running back Josh Williams chats with athletic director Scott Woodward following LSU’s 49-39 win over Missouri on Oct. 7, 2023, in Columbia, Mo.
Every NIL deal of more than $600 will have to go through the clearinghouse and its online portal, NIL Go, which launches June 11. Deals are supposed to be judged on whether or not they meet fair market value and serve a “valid business purpose” instead of being a recruiting incentive.
If the deal is not cleared, players can either revise the contract, cancel it or appeal the decision through an arbitration process. The commission noted “if the student-athlete continues with the deal as submitted, they may face enforcement consequences, which
could include loss of eligibility.”
There are questions about how effective this system will be, and the restrictions could lead to more lawsuits. But the idea is that it will limit spending by collectives.
In this new system, the future of LSU’s collective, Bayou Traditions, is unclear
Exceeding the cap
The next recruiting battleground likely will take place over who can find legal ways to exceed the cap. With this in mind, LSU entered into a new agreement with its longtime multimedia-rights partner, Playfly
SCOREBOARD
burn,Ala.
y
Coastal Carolina 7, Auburn 6
day Game2: Coastal Carolina 4, Auburn 1
Carolina advances Los Angeles AtJackieRobinsonStadium;LosAngeles Saturday Game 1: UCLA 5, UTSA 2 Sunday Game2: UCLA vs. UTSA, 2 p.m.
Monday x-Game3: UTSA vs. UCLA, TBA Durham
AtDurhamBullsAthleticPark;Durham,N.C.
Saturday Game1: Duke 7, Murray St. 4
Sunday Game2: Duke vs. Murray St., 11 a.m.
Baton Rouge AtAlexBoxStadium
Saturday Game1: LSU 16, West Virginia 9
Sunday Game2: West Virginia vs. LSU, 5 p.m.
Monday x-Game3: West Virginia vs. LSU, TBA
Fayetteville
AtBaum-WalkerStadium;Fayetteville,Ark.
Saturday Game1: Arkansas 4, Tennessee 3
Sunday Game2: Arkansas vs. Tennessee, 2 p.m.
Monday x-Game3: Tennessee vs. Arkansas, TBA College softball
Women’s College World Series
AtOGEEnergyField;OklahomaCity Championship Finals
(Best-of-3)
Wednesday Game1: Texas 2, Texas Tech 1
Thursday Game 2: Texas Tech 4, Texas 3; series tied 1-1
Sports, to arrange NIL deals with its corporate partners. There is hope among LSU athletics officials that finding legitimate NIL deals will give the Tigers an advantage because of their brand. Through the first three years of collectives, LSU football’s spending fell behind many of its SEC counterparts until a fundraising push took place over the past year But constantly asking donors for money to pay players is not viewed as a sustainable approach.
“We really have to focus on what we can do to help our student-athletes get into the third-party NIL world,” Woodward said. “That’s where our focus is going to be with (the Tiger Athletic Foundation) and Bayou Traditions.”
Roster limits, new scholarships
Instead of supplying a certain number of scholarships per sport such as 11.7 in baseball teams now have roster limits. Football teams, for instance, have 105 spots on them. Baseball teams can carry 34 players.
It is up to every school to decide how many full scholarships to fund, so there is still space for walk-ons. And the SEC maintained an 85-scholarship limit for its football teams for the time being, preserving 20 walk-on spots.
Wilken, who approved the settlement, required the NCAA to grandfather current players into the new roster limits so they don’t lose their spots, addressing her last primary concern with the settlement terms. There will not be as many spots for future athletes under the roster limits.
But schools can choose to create new scholarships, which Woodward said LSU would do. He declined to say how many during an April interview
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
-2
1
1
6,197; Par: 71 SecondRound Ilhee Lee 63-68—131 11
Ayaka Furue 66-66—132 10
Jennifer Kupcho 68-64—132 -10
Mao Saigo 67-65—132 10
Elizabeth Szokol 63-69—132 -10
Robyn Choi 68-66—134 8
Wei-Ling Hsu 66-68—134 8
Chisato Iwai 68-66—134 -8
Jeong Eun Lee5 68-66—134 8
Lee-Anne Pace 67-67—134 -8
Miyu Yamashita 68-66—134 -8
Saki Baba 66-69—135 7
Jin Hee Im 69-66—135 -7
Aline Krauter 66-69—135 7
Caley McGinty 70-65—135 7
Azahara Munoz 67-68—135 -7
Rio Takeda 67-68—135 7
Dewi Weber 66-69—135 -7
Yuri Yoshida 68-67—135 7
Muni He 69-67—136 6
Sei Young Kim 68-68—136 -6
Kum Kang Park 70-66—136 6
Jeeno Thitikul 68-68—136 -6
Miranda Wang 68-68—136 6
Jaravee Boonchant 66-71—137 5
Karis Davidson 69-68—137 -5
Akie Iwai 65-72—137 5
Soo Bin Joo 68-69—137 -5
Nelly Korda 71-66—137 -5
Mary Liu 71-66—137 5
Emily Pedersen 67-70—137 -5
Asterisk Talley 69-68—137 5
Jing Yan 71-66—137 5
Madison Young 73-64—137 -5
Alexandra Forsterling 67-71—138 4
Mariel Galdiano 68-70—138 -4
Brooke Henderson 71-67—138 4
Haeji Kang 69-69—138 4
Auston Kim 68-70—138 -4
Frida Kinhult 70-68—138 4
Lucy Li 71-67—138 -4
Polly Mack 66-72—138 4
Brooke Matthews 70-68—138 4
Benedetta Moresco 72-66—138 -4
Celine Borge 69-70—139 3
Ashleigh Buhai 67-72—139 -3
Brianna Do 68-71—139 -3
Alexa Pano 73-66—139 3
Kaitlyn Papp 70-69—139 -3 Yue Ren 68-71—139 3
Patty Tavatanakit 72-67—139 3
LIV Virginia Saturday At Robert Trent Jones Golf Club Gainesville, Va. Purse: $20M (Individual); $5M (Team) Yardage: 7,418; Par: 71 SecondRound Anirban Lahiri 67-64—131 -11
Martin Kaymer 66-67—133 9
Graeme McDowell 67-66—133 -9
Bubba Watson 68-65—133 9
GC (L. Oosthuizen, D. Burmester, B. Grace, C. Schwartzel) -11 Cleeks GC (M. Kaymer, R. Bland, F. Kjettrup, A. Meronk) -9 RangeGoats GC (B. Watson, B. Campbell, P Uihlein, M. Wolff/O. Schiederjans) -8 Legion XIII (J. Rahm, T. Hatton, T. McKibbin, C. Surratt) -5 Iron Heads GC (K. Na, Y. Jang, D. Lee, J. Kozuma) E HyFlyers GC (P. Mickelson, A. Ogletree, B. Steele, C. Tringale) E Fireballs GC (S. Garcia, A. Ancer, J. Ballester, L. Masaveu,) +4 Ripper GC (C. Smith, L. Herbert, M. Jones, M Leishman) +8 Majesticks GC (I. Poulter, H. Stenson, L. Westwood, S. Horsfield) +12
ALL-METRO TENNIS
By MICHAEL ODENDAHL
My-Anh Holmes did more than simply playwinningtennis for WillowSchool
Selected as The Times-Picayune
All-Metro girls tennis playerofthe year,Holmes became afour-timeLHSAA state champion when she defeated her sister,My-Linh, in the DivisionIIstate final.
What My-Anh did away from the courtmost impressed her coach.
“When you’re getting up at 5inthe morning and you’re practicing tennis before school, and you’re balancing studies and making good grades and are an exceptional student, and you’re spending more hours practicing after school, then to showupfor tennis matches, be supportiveofyour team, not leave early,itgoes along waytoset a precedent for everyone elseonthe team,” coach Gian Balsamo said. Holmes, aUCSanta Barbara tennis signee, dominated the competition on the wayto winning four consecutivestate titles. She posted afour-year state tournament record of 232-9 in games playedover38sets in
19 matches.She neverlostmore than one game in asingle set until her younger sister asophomore, took the first twogames of the first set in the state final this year.Atthat point, Holmes flipped aswitch and won6-2,6-0
Holmes began playing tennis when her mothersigned her up for the sport, thinking that tennis wouldinvolve less travelthan when her twosons playedyears of travelbaseball.
But Holmes, whohelped Willowwin thegirls team state title the past twoseasons, proved good enough to playinseveral national tournaments.
“Tennis is ahugepartofmylife,”she said. “I’vebeen playingfor over12years now. Ijust couldn’t imaginemyselfdoing something not involved with tennis.
Holmes spends some of her free time as a volunteer tennis coach at the Atkinson-Stearn tennis center in NewOrleans.
“It’ssuper important to helpshape ayounger generation,”she said.“I want to keep the sport alive.”
Christopher Dabe
GIRLS COACHOFTHE YEAR LOGANBUECHE NEWMAN
The Greenies wonthe LHSAA Division III state team championship with adoubles state champion, adoubles pair whoreached the semifinals, andtwo singles players who reached the semifinals and quarterfinals.
Most important for Newman were the twodoubles matches that Gwendolyn Gray
Division Isingles runner-up
MY-ANH HOLMES
Sr.,Willow
MY-LINHHOLMES
ARIANA BAZAN
EMMELINE SINGER
CLAIRE
and Frances Casbarian wonagainst Sacred Heartopponents in both the semifinals and championships.
Those victories gave the Greenies the points theyneeded to win the title ahead of runner-up SacredHeart.
Mitchell Armbruster learned plenty fromwatchinghis older brothers play tennis.
Selected by The Times-Picayune as the All-Metro boys tennis playerofthe year,the Brother Martin senior became an LHSAA singlesstate champion forthe first time when he defeated Alton Swan of Jesuit in the DivisionI finallast month
The 6-3, 6-1 victory let Armbruster follow thepath setbyolderbrother Matthew, who wonsinglestitles in 2019 and 2021.
Armbruster previouslywon adoubles state title with another older brother,Mark,ashis playingpartner in 2023. Last season,Armbruster advanced to thesemifinals in the singles draw and helped Brother Martin win the team title.
“It’skind of an advantage,”Armbruster said about having twoolder brothers as accomplishedtennisplayers.“I could see what they do that doesworkand what doesn’t work,and Iuse that to helpmyself, especially after coming to allthe high school tournamentswhen Iwas younger.”
Brother Martin coach Lee MacAlester,who began working with Armbruster when he was about 10, said Armbruster is nowthe biggest and strongest of the three brothers.
“He’sgot that monster kick serve,” MacAlester said about the kind of serve that will cause the ball to bounce high and to the side.”
MacAlester said Armbruster,a Nicholls State signee, can improve hisforehand “a little bit more” in college,“making it even more of aweapon than it alreadyis— and it’s aweapon.
As ahighschool senior,Armbruster’sgame wasplenty good.Hewon the state title by defeating opponents from Jesuit in the semifinalsand final
“There’snothing really likeitinhighschool tennis,”hesaidabout those Brother MartinJesuit pairings.“When youwin abig point in abig game in amatch, youlook over and see allyour teammates cheering youon, screamingatyou, it’spretty nice.” Christopher Dabe
BOYS COACHOFTHE YEAR SCOTTSCHLESINGER JESUIT
Jesuit wona tennis team state championship for the first time since 2016 despite not having asingles or doubles state champion.
The Blue Jays had finalists in thesingles and doubles draws, plusanadditional semifinalist in thetwo brackets, showcasing thedepth the team possessed as it collected enough points
Louis Rodrigue, 6, of Port Allen, left, has his hands full with twoblackfin tuna, and his 7-year-old friend Jude Duplechain, of Grosse Tete, shows off the dolphin he caught aboard Kyle Rodrigue’s boat ‘Foamo-o’ during Friday’sCatholic High Alumni Fishing Rodeo held at Fourchon Marina .The twoyoungsters were among the first to bring in catchesto the scales with hopes of remaining on the leaderboard through the end of the two-day event.
Mention bowfishing in Louisiana’scoastal marshes and you’re bound to drawa crowd. That’swhat happen ed Tuesday for the Wildlife and Fisheries Commission’smonthly meeting in Baton Rouge. Commission member Andrew Blanchard pushed for this hot-button item to be put on the agenda, and folks were readytostandtheir ground. Nothing was accomplished, except to continue the raging debate about trespass, the ire over taking of fish at night by spotlight and the continued stance by bowfishing interests that they are doing nothing wrong.
Blanchard said he brought this issue up again at the urging of alandowner, a Terrebonne Parish man who publicly stated he didn’t want bowfishermen on his land and, in no uncertain terms, blamedthis activity for him finding adead cow on his land. Some anti-bowfishing folks said this activityisdestroying the marsh because bowfishing boats use surface drives to access shallowwater areas. Others said these nighttime excursions disturb fish and wildlife, the latter coming mostlyduring the duck season.
Bowfishing charters there are 47 with stateissued permits —testified their take of fish is small compared to the numbers of rod-and-reel anglers, and theylimit theircustomers to taking only legalfish.
In thefishing community,the issueisredfish, the state’sonly saltwater gamefish. Thoughthat issuewas not raised last week, state regulations prohibittaking freshwater gamefish by bow and arrow
As notedearly in the discussion,trespass isthe main issue, and, as wasnoted, landowners call Wildlife andFisheriesenforcement when it comes to these alleged violationsand are told it’sa matterfor local enforcement, and when local enforcementiscalled, the landowner is told it’s aWildlife and Fisheries matter
Until the state legislature takesupthe issue, whether it be trespass or takingredfish by bow and arrow or allowing bowfishing, nothing will comefrom anycommission discussion.
Otheractions
If anotice is passed acouple months down theroad, wildlife andfish violations will be more costly when it comes to civil restitution fineslevied upon conviction
The full notice is available on the agency’swebsite: wlf.louisiana.gov/resources/ category/commission-action-items, and public comment should go to Jack Isaacs, LDWF Economist,P.O.Box 98000, Baton Rouge, LA, 70898, or by email to: jisaacs@wlf.la.gov.The deadline is 4:30 p.m.Aug. 5. And, thecommission amended regulations covering rules for theSpecial Bait DealersPermittoallow the sale of live bait from fishing boats “if those fishermen also possess afresh-product license or wholesale/retail seafood dealerlicense.”
The move is designedto
give recreationalanglers moreaccess to live bait during closed shrimping seasons.
Public comment on this action will be accepted through Sept. 1, andshould be addressed to: Robert Bourgeois,LDWF Fisheries Permit Manager,P.O.Box 98000, BatonRouge, LA 70898, or email: rbourgeois@ wlf.la.gov
The meeting’smain agenda beganwithShikar-Safari Club International presenting Conservation Officers of theYear awards to sergeant Cole Cupit and agent Andrew Lemoine for their work in uncovering the illegal killing of a black bear Thecouncil
The Gulf Council, which renameditself last month after being theGulf of MexicoFishery Management Council for more than two decades,met last week and decided to modifySpanish mackerel catch limits to 9.63 millionpoundslanded weight, andhas theauthoritytoestablish aclosedseason if the commercialand recreational catch exceeds that number in theprevious year
The council took more drasticactionwhenitcomes to taking shallow-water grouper,which includes scamp alongwithyellowmouth, black and yellowfin groupers. The council reduced theannual catch limit by 54.7% to322,000 pounds guttedweight, anddecided to runaJuly1-Dec.31recreational season. For therecreational take of gag grouper, the council learned the 2024 take exceeded the catch limit by nearly 89,000 pounds. That
resulted in a2025 catch limit of 310,009 pounds without announcing aseason,though a20-day season was mentioned.
Goingoutdoors
Have to make acorrection andanaddition to last Sunday’sPartIIabout surviving Louisiana’ssummer outdoors.
Steve Gilletly,atREKS Sunglasses, responded to say hiscompany does notuse “crown” glass fortheir topendsummereyewear.REKS uses “trivex” lenses for both prescription andregular sunglass lenses.
CALENDAR
SUNDAY LOUISIANA FREE FISHINGDAY: No licenses needed to fishin state waters. FLYTYING 101: 2-4 p.m., Orvis Shop, BluebonnetBoulevard, Baton Rouge. Feefree. All ages, but 15-and-younger must be accompanied by an adult. Call Shop(225) 757-7286. Website: orvis.com/ batonrouge
MONDAY
RED STICK FLYFISHERS MEETING: 7p.m., Regional Branch Library,9200 BluebonnetBlvd., Baton Rouge. Open to the public. Email Brian Roberts: roberts.brian84@gmail.com Website: rsff.org
TUESDAY LA. OYSTER TASK FORCE
MEETING: 10 a.m., Lakefront Airport, 6001 Stars and Stripes Blvd., New Orleans. Research Committee meeting, 9a.m. & Health Committee meeting, 9:30 a.m., samevenue
WEDNESDAY
BUGS &BEERS: 6:30 p.m., Skeeta Hawk Brewing, 455 N. Dorgenois St., New Orleans. Fly tying. Open to the public. Email A.J. Rosenbohm: ajrosenbohm@gmail.com. Website: neworleansflyfishers.com
THURSDAY-SUNDAY
BASSMASTER ELITE SERIES: LakeTenkiller, Cookson, Oklahoma. Website: bassmaster. com
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
BROTHER DARDIS FISHING
RODEO: Beginssunrise Friday, weigh-in 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Jesuit HighSchool, Banks Street at Carrollton Avenue,New Orleans. Freshwater, Inshore &Offshorecategories in adult &student divisions.Website: jesuitnola.org. Call MikeMcMahon (504) 650-1700.
ONGOING
CCASTATEWIDE TOURNAMENT &ANGLERS’ RODEO/ S.T.A.R.: Summer-long fishing contest through Sept. 1. Multiple species categories CCAmembership required. Website: ccalouisiana.com
LOTTERY ALLIGATORHARVESTAPPLICATIONDEADLINE: June 15 for tags for taking alligators beginning Aug.27on22 wildlife management areas 28 public lakes &one Corps of Engineers property.Applicant minimum age 16 &$8.50 fee. Rules/application website: louisianaoutdoors.com/ lottery-applications.For more, email: LAalligatorprogram@ wlf.la.gov
AROUND THECORNER
JUNE 17—LAFAYETTE KAYAK FISHINGCLUBMEETING: 6p.m., Pack &Paddle, 601 E. Pinhook, Lafayette. Call(337) 232-5854. Website: lafayettekayakfishing.com
JUNE 18—FLIES &FLIGHTS: 7p.m., Rally Cap Brewing, 11212 Pennywood Ave., Baton Rouge. Fly tying. Open to public. Sparetools,materials for novices. Email Chris Williams: thefatfingeredflytyer@ gmail.com FISHING/SHRIMPING SHRIMP: Spring inshore season and outside waters open statewide. Closed in federal waters off the Texascoast. OPEN RECREATIONAL SEASONS: Redsnapper, flounder; lane, blackfin, queen and silk snappers &wenchmen among other snapper species; all groupers except closed for goliath &Nassau groupers in state/federal waters CLOSED SEASONS: Gray triggerfish,greater amberjack,
those benefits endwith retirement, paying dental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock, leading people to put offoreven go without care
Simply put—without dental insurance, theremay be an importantgap in your healthcare coverage.
Medicare doesn’tpay for dentalcare.1
That’sright. As good as Medicare is, it wasnever meanttocover everything That means if you wantprotection,you need to purchase individual insurance.
Earlydetection canprevent small problems from becomingexpensive ones. The best waytopreventlarge dental bills is preventivecare. The American Dental Association recommends checkups twice ayear.
STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE
When Canal streetcars returned, scofflawscut in line
How can you tell if an event is going to be of extraordinary historical importance? Well, there are many ways, butfor this discussion, it would be if it happens at 3:10 a.m. on aSunday morning on the Canal Street neutral ground, and there is a large gathering waiting to experience it. An extra touchisif two guys from Morning Call unexpectedly come by,set up atable and serve free beignets and coffee.
Historians will note that the date was April 18, 2004.The weather was cool but pleasant Ahead would be amoment of redemption. An urban planning mistake implemented 40 years earlier,onMay 31, 1964, when the Canal Street streetcar line had been shut down, was now mercifully,being reversed
Many cities had abandoned their trolley lines by the mid’60s as automobiles took over the streets. General Motors and others had donetheirpart by promoting gas-guzzling, road hogging buses in placeof streetcars —energy efficient, pollution free, “light rail” cars that stayed on their own tracks. New Orleans once had 28 streetcar lines run by six private companies. By 1964,there were only two lines left: St. Charles and Canal, consolidated under RTA, the public Regional Transit Authority.The Canal line was being closed,but only with the promise that the St. Charles line, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, would survive. Today,St. Charles and Canal lines carry passengers allday, every day.The on-and-off Rampart Street line, shutdownby the Hard Rock Hotel collapse, returned to full duty last Sunday Jack Stewart, an urban expert and streetcar buff,who had founded arail preservation group called “Streetcars Desired,” was on the last ride on the Canal line in 1964. He recalled to reporters that the somber experience was like “torture, as though your insides were beingtorn up.” Riders, he remembered, had “dourfaces ” But four decades later,he anxiously awaited the new
BY RICHARD CAMPANELLA
Contributingwriter
Ships anchoring. Cargo in transit. Sailors millingabout.Adiverse population, withmore than itsshare of taverns and cabarets.
Ah,New Orleans, right?
Not quite. This was the Balize —orLaBalise, meaning seamark or beacon in French
Located in the lowermost portions of Plaquemines Parish on theextremefringes of the North American continent, this windswept shoal was aplace of many names, various spellings and frequent reconstructions across at least three different sites. But it had only purpose: to guide ships in and out of the Mississippi River,thus enabling New Orleanstobecomeaworld port. Its need came as abit of ashock to French colonials who, from initial descriptions, had surmised that theFather of Waterswould offer smooth sailing. It did not.
Sandbars cloggeddelta complex
The first impediment was “the
bar,” aseries of sandbars clogging the deltacomplex at the river’s mouth.Next came the shallow draftswithin each of the passes leading to the main channel, where vessels met the full force of the contrary current, along with logs and masses of mudcaked debris.
This being acentury before steam propulsion, ships could proceed upriver only by sail. Contrary winds required difficult tackingmaneuvers, whereas favorable winds reversed at the
next meander,and no wind meant you weredead in the water It could take weeks or even months to sail the 95 miles up to NewOrleans, making the trip at times morearduous than the voyage across the Atlantic.
Thus the need forabeaconmarked relay station.
The idea for La Balise came from Adrien de Pauger,the same engineer who haddesigned the street grid of today’sFrench
BY ROBIN MILLER Staff writer
The OurLady of Assumption Catholic School in Carencro is just awood-frame building, nothing fancy.It’snot
PROVIDED PHOTO
The Balizein1853, from Harpers Weekly,courtesy of SouthernUniversity
PROVIDED IMAGE FROM THELIBRARy OF CONGRESS
Amap of Balize as of 1720, made by Thomas Jefferys in 1759
HOLLYWOOD SOUTH
Starsof‘Chicago’ tour eagertoexperienceNew Orleans
High-energydancers
gottheir
startat Disney themeparks
When the toe-tapping, awardwinning Broadway musical “Chicago” hitsthe Saenger Theatre stage June 10, the two stars played by actors Ellie Roddy and Taylor Lane will make their national touring debuts as leading ladies.
Leslie Cardé
Coming to New Orleans as part of the tour has an allure for both women, for different reasons. Ellie Roddy,who plays Roxie Hart (the role played by Renée Zellweger in the film) visited this cityonce upon atime, but under less-thanideal circumstances.
“It was 2021, but it was during the pandemic,” Roddy remembered. “My good friend was on a nationaltour of her own through New Orleans, so Ivisitedher, but many things were simply shut down because of COVID. However,this time will be very different, and now my friend will be visiting me as Itake the stage in New Orleans. I’m just excited to be able to fully experience the entire city this time around.”
For Taylor Lane,who plays the role of Velma Kelly(the Catherine Zeta-Jones role in the movie), New Orleans will be atotally new experience.
“I have never been to thecity, but Idohave good friends there,” Lane said. “I’m expectingthem to guide me around on my maiden voyage, when Ihave time off from the show.I’m planningon eating some great food andfinding some wonderful music. Since Ifrequent jazz bars in Chicago,
New York andaround the country,naturally Iamreally looking forward to surveying thescene in New Orleans.”
Learning theropes at Disney
The twoleads in the BobFosse danceextravaganza have an interesting overlapintheir professional training.Both women spent afair amountoftimelearning the ropesatDisney’stheme parks. Roddy,who is from Orlando,naturally gravitatedtowardDisney World once she madethe decision notto pursue theater in college. Lane, anative of Chicago, went to aperformingarts school in southernCalifornia, and as anatural progression,began performing at Disney’sMagicKingdom in Anaheim, Disneyland. Workinginatheme park is great training for eventually pursuing productions thatemanate in New
York but getting one of theleads in the national touring company of an iconic musical like “Chicago” is no easy feat.Roddy originally auditioned in New York for the show back in 2023.
“I sent in avideo first,and then got an in-personcallback,” Roddy recalled. “It was for Roxie Hart, as well as everyother role that could get me into the production. Igot the rejection notice on my birthday.But in 2024, Iauditioned again, figuring I’d already faced the rejection of this showonce.
Iauditioned for bothRoxie Hart and Velma Kelly.”
Singing‘AllThatJazz’
During thatsame 2024 auditioning process, Taylor Lane had made the decision to audition for the role of Velma Kelly and set about taping the dance sequences in her emptyapartment,the unfurnished
place she had just rented in New York.
She sang “All That Jazz,” did a monologue as well as afew scenes and hoped forthe best. That audition netted her an in-person callback that stretched over four days. “It’sthe same casting and creative team that produces the showonBroadway,sothe director choreographer and music director all workwith those talented actors,”she said.
“Just to be seen by them was terrific!Imet Ellie Roddy during those auditions, and Iwent home and called my momand told her this girl could do my job, as she was just so talented, and Isaid Ihoped that Ellie booked Roxie and Igot Velma so we could work together.When we both showed up on thefirst day of rehearsals, we weresoexcited that we hadboth made it.”
Touringisa whirlwind
For 25-year-old Roddy,who started doing theater when she wasjust 9years old, touring has been awhirlwind. She hasn’tseen her NewYork apartment since she left in September to begin the national tour of “Chicago.”
“If Ihappen to have aweek off here or there, my parents live in Jacksonville, so Ivisit them in Florida,” Roddy said. “My apartment is rented, so whenI eventually get off the road, I’ll go back. At the moment, I’ve signed on for another year of playing Roxie Hart on the road.”
After the pair leaves New Orleans, the last stop on the tour is Miami. At that point, Lane has opted to try something different. That could mean TV,itcould mean film, or it could mean Broadway.But there’ssomething about the spontaneity of theater that she loves.
“The show can be different every time,” she said. “I’ve never forgotten what it is Ilove about live theater.It’sathrill whenthe curtain comes up and you hear the applause.
“You know,asanaudience member,when I’m watching something that makes me feel something or changes my life in some way,and I’m laughing, or crying or clapping, Ifeel very muchlike I’m getting agift.
“So, Ilove to reciprocate and bring others happiness by performing. They always say the audience is the last cast member, because we cannot do what we do without their participation.”
Youcan catch “Chicago” at the Saenger Theatre, June 10 through June 15. For tickets, go to saengernola.com.
Today is Sunday,June 8, the 159th day of 2025. There are 206 days left in the year
Todayinhistory: On June 8, 2023, Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury in Miami on 37 felony counts related to the alleged mishandling of classified documents that had been moved to Mar-aLago, Trump’sFlorida home. (The case against Trump was abandoned following Trump’sNovember 2024 presidential election victory.) Also on this date: In 1789, in an addressto the U.S. House of Representatives, James Madison proposed amending the Constitution to include a Bill of Rights.
In 1949,GeorgeOrwell’s novel“1984”was published. In 1966, amerger was announced between theNational and American FootballLeagues, to takeeffect in 1970. In 1967, duringthe SixDay War, 34 American crew members were killed when Israel attacked the USSLiberty,aNavyintelligencegatheringship in theMediterranean Sea.(Israel later said the Liberty hadbeen mistakenfor an Egyptian vessel.)
In 1968, U.S.authorities announced thecapture in LondonofJames Earl Ray, thesuspected assassinof civil rights leader theRev Dr.Martin Luther King Jr
In 1978, ajury in Clark County,Nevada, ruled the so-called “Mormon Will,” purportedlywritten by the
late billionaire Howard Hughes, was aforgery
In 1995, U.S. Marines rescued Capt. Scott O’Grady whose F-16C fighter jet had been shot down by Bosnian Serbs on June 2. In 2009, North Korea’s highest court sentenced American journalistsLaura Lingand Euna Lee to 12 years’ hard labor for trespassing and “hostile acts.”
(Thewomen were pardoned in early August 2009 after atrip to Pyongyang by former President Bill Clinton.)
In 2017, former FBI Director James Comey, testifying before Congress, asserted that President Donald Trumpfired him to interfere with Comey’sinvestigation of Russia’sties to theTrumpcampaign.
In 2021, RatkoMladi, the militarychief known as
the“Butcher of Bosnia” for orchestrating genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Balkan nation’s1992-95 war, lost his final legal battle when U.N. judges rejected his appeal and affirmed his life sentence.
Today’sbirthdays:Singer Nancy Sinatrais85. Musician BozScaggs is 81. Pianist Emanuel Ax is 76. Actor Sonia Braga is 75. ActorKathy Bakeris75. Singer Bonnie Tyler is 73. Computer scientistTim Berners-Lee is 70. ActorGriffin Dunne is 70. “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams is 68. Actor-director Keenen IvoryWayans is 67. Singer Mick Hucknall (Simply Red) is 65. Musician Nick Rhodes(Duran Duran) is 63. ActorJulianna Margulies is 59. FormerU.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords,a
Democrat from Arizona, is 55. Tennis Hall of Famer Lindsay Davenport is 49. TV personality-host Maria Menounos is 47. Country
Good deeds
n AShepherd Salute
The annual gala and auction of Notre Dame Seminary honored the Rev JoeKrafft as the 2025 Good Shepherd Award recipient. Over several decades, he worked at the seminary for 16 years;directed mission trips;and used both his business acumen and theological training to build faith communities. Currently,heserves as pastor of St. Clement of Rome Parish. Congratulations to him were numerous. In 2024, the accolades befell Barbara andLarry Hedrick.
Always apopular event, thegala thanked, among others, both BlackTie andThompson auctions for the extensiveselectionoffor-bid items, either live or silent;the CulinaryCrusadersofBrother Martin High School;Drago’s Seafood Restaurant; Lagniappe Luncheonette Abby and Larry Brown; Pel Hughes Printing; Plantation Décor Flowers; and the seminary’sstaff and food services.
Aslew of thanks also tapped event chair couples Lisa and TimThriffiley and Rhonda and FrankTusa;auction chairs Jackie Madden and Deacon Robertand PamPendzimaz; patron party chair couples Erin and JosephCaruso and Beverly and TimNapier;and for food and beverages, Laurie and Owen Leftwich, Kathleen Sammons,and Cissy and RaymondYakelis. Further gratitude went to the gala committeeof40people, which includedDeacon Carlo and Debbie Maniglia, Apostles sponsors, along with the Carusos andthe Cedro Family Foundation.
Theleadsponsors, Mary,Queenof the Apostles, were the Gayle and TomBenson Charitable andOurso Family foundations,which were followed by the Chair of Peter,and, as families or individuals, the Cvitanovich Family,the Daigle andScottonFamily, Jacquelyn Daniels,Dr. Robertand Joanne Marier,Charlene Marsiglia, David and Mary Beth Mettz,and theJ.Edgar Monroe and theReiling Familyfoundations. Theseminaryadvisers were Rector/President theVery Rev Joshua J. Rodrigue,Caroline Thriffiley and Mary Shaffo.Headliners included Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Archbishop emeritus AlfredHughes,many of the aforementioned, and hundreds more. Thepremiseswerepacked, but the party flow moved easilyalong the hallway andinto the various reception roomsfor food and drink, andthe always-favorite dessert room. Willy Wonka would have been overwhelmed. Furtherfeatureswere cocktails, music,delicious dishes, and the raffle, as well as theopportunity to hobnob, supporteducation, andenjoy being present in the signature building on the impressive nine-acrecampus. The seminary,which was founded in 1923 and operates underthe auspices of theArchdiocese of New Orleans, has since been the sitefor several significantexhibitsand installations. For theSaturday evening of the gala, thevenue played hosttohundreds of supportive partygoers
n Luncheon and Laurels
Nell Nolan SOCIETY
nnolan@theadvocate.com
n Women of Substance
As it has been for threedecades,the AudubonTea Room was packed to hail acelebrated set. These were thehonorees at the Women of Substance Luncheon put on by (and to benefit)Bridge House/ Grace House. Roundly applauded werethe honored threesome: Claudia Powell, abanker (now withFirst Horizon, formerly Iberia Bank) who assisted in the purchases of boththe BH ThriftStore on Earhart Blvd. and the GH facility on the west bank; Gambit Weekly’s2016 New Orleanian of the Year Melissa Sawyer, who established YEP (Youth Empowerment Project) in 2004, to engage young people through education, mentoring and employment readiness; and social worker Michelle Gaiennie Hamrick,who was inspired by her late father,Buzzy Gaiennie, BH CEO, and is now astaffmember of LSUHSC’sDepartment of Psychiatry,where she is theprogram manager forthe Louisiana StateOpioid Response(Lasor) Project.
More names to know —and there were scores —were chaplain Phil Peavey;master of ceremonies Mark Romig; John Eastman,the Richard “Buzzy” Gaiennie awardee; Sharonda Williams,the Leigh Whitman Director Volunteer of the Year; and theAlumna of the Year, Candice Harper. Julie Adler, Julie Bowen, BarbaraGaiennie (widow of Buzzy and mother of honoree Michelle), Jane Goldring,board president Walton Goldring,BrittanyGreiffenstein,Michelle Hamrick, FeliciaKleinpeter,Diana Parham,Angele Romig, MaryKay Staten, MikiTomeny and Susan Tyler served on the Women of Substance Committee.
The managementteam for the two houses, Bridge and Grace (respectively formen and for women), starts with CEO Kevin Gardere andincludes adozen others. Along with Walton Goldring, the officers of the 19-person board are H. ElderGwin, MichaelPou and Susan Tyler.The event was presented by Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust and celebrated in memoryofLeigh Whitman Director.The Goldring Family and James P. Raymond Jr foundations were also top sponsors.
Bridge House/Grace House has as its mission“to provide substance use disordertreatment servicestothose who have lost everything… They (at BH or GH) areprovideda safe place to recover and provided with the toolstobuild anew life.” Hope andhealth were predominant themes when Alumna of the Year Candice Harperspoke of herGrace House experience, which she labeled “a wonderful program” and taught herhow to live andbea mother.She received astanding ovation.
Social features of the middaygathering included amenuofchicken andandouille gumbo, roasted chicken spring mix salad, and cheesecakethat was enjoyedbyhundreds, including sisters Nancy Caire Giacone and Wanda CaireMuhs at the Judy Hauth table; the exciting live auction; Aspirational ArtPostcards; the 50/50 Raffle; the Grace House Wish List; the silent auction; and the for-sale centerpieces composed of red roses, irises, daisiesand a glittered “30” in recognition of the luncheon’sanniversary
The YMCA of Greater New Orleans held its 2025 annual meeting at Ralph’sonthe Park the 173rdsuch meeting! —and delighted in the near presence of Mother Nature as guests took in the spectacular view of City Park through the large windows. Looking inward, the annual meeting is awelcoming celebration of new YMCA of GNO board members and officers,aswell as the acknowledgment of board members completing their designated years of service. Culinary enjoyment figured in the format as attendees relished Caesar salad, grilled chicken breast and strawberry doberge vanilla chiffon cake. For the program, president and CEO Gordon Wadge welcomed guests; new board member the Rev Dean Ross offered the invocation; and board chair Julie Nosser opened the award ceremonyby inviting Joey Roberts, executive director of the West St. Tammany YMCA, to come forward and presentthe Mildred Wild Volunteer of the Year award to CarolynPearce for her decades-long service to the West St.Tammany YMCA. The late Ms. Wild’sgenerousdonation to theY,through her will, seeded theendowment. Thenext presentation was done by Julie Nosser to the Rev Gregory T. Manning for his extensive service to thecommunity and the YMCA. It was theC.Allen Favrot Humanitarian of the Year award and named for the “legendary New Orleanian,” who was adedicated longtime YMCA board member, community activist and philanthropist
New board members Neel Fallis, Randi Hebert, MikeQuigley, Dr Chase
Schumacher, and LaverneSaulnyToombs chatted with board secretary Heather Olivier, vice chair MarlinGus-
man Jr., treasurer Jim Thomas, and past chair RachelRodi, as wellasDryades YMCA CEO ErikaMann, Nicole Provosty, and Alicia Wood All issued congratulations to Carolyn Pearce and Pastor Manning.
STAFF PHOTOSByDANIEL ERATH
The Rev. Joshua Rodrigue, theRev.Joe Krafft, Archbishop GregoryAymond
Tomand BeverlyNapier,Erin and JoeCaruso
Marc and Jill Caillouet, Seminarian Abel Caillouet
JimThomas, Julie Nosser Rachel Rodi, Marlin Gusman Jr
Nicole Provosty,Neel Fallis
DINING SCENE
Terranovagrocery closes,but onepartwillcarry
Ian McNulty WHAT’S COOKING
With ahousehold of one and a job covering the New Orleans dining scene,Irecognize Imay shop for groceries atad differently.But even by my own standards, my last visits to Terranova Supermarket were unusual. More than abrick of coffee or carton of milk, my trips to the store at 3308 Esplanade Ave. were about gathering last impressions of alocal institution that feels like an extension of its neighborhood and has long cultivated asense of community Iwas also checking on plans to continue one part of alegacy family business into the next generation Terranova Supermarket closed on May 31,after marking100 years in business.
story
Their son and daughter-in-law
Anthonyand Jennifer Terranova, make up theother half of the store’sfour-person staff. They will open anew businesswithin a portion of the store,reconfiguring the currentmeat counter area as aretail butcher shop to carry on the family’srecipes and specialties.
Benjamin Terranova was born into the business. His wife Karen married into it. Together, they committed to bringing the grocerytothis epic century milestone. They were ready to retire and acknowledged the time had come, and also that the grocerybusiness has grown much more challenging for small operators. Benjamin’soriginal idea was simply to turn thekey in thelock one last time, fold up his butcher’s apron and head out theback door as usual and walk home, a most quiet exit.
The Terranova family’s friends and supporters were havingnone of that. The last day was ajoyful send-off. People packed the store, the nearby Deutsches Haus German club sent abrass band. People held up handwritten signs expressing their love and gratitude. People ceremoniously bought last items. There weretears and laughter and hugs. There was a rousing cheer when Benjamin locked the door and applause and strains of “When the Saints Go Marching In” from the band as the family walked out of thestore that last day
But that is not the end of the
The new store will be called Terranova. They’re keeping the vintage sign that hangs outside. Inside, they’re planning arenovation to divide the existing store and addanew entrance. The other portion of thebuilding will be up for commercial lease. If all goes smoothly with the renovation, by latesummer,we couldbewalkinginto this new rendition of Terranova for links of their superb sausage, hogshead cheese andsausage-stuffed pork chops, some of thesignature items prized bythose in the know
Afamilybusiness
Thegrocery was first opened in 1925 bythe currentproprietor’s grandparents, Benjamin Terranova andhis Sicilian-bornwife, Lena. It has gone by afew names throughthe years, including Terranova Brothers Superette, from theera when it was run by two of the founders’ sons.
Initially,it was in the smaller building next door,which is now theSpanish restaurant Lola’s. It moved during the Great Depression to its current location, a wedge-shaped building with terrazzo floors, four aisles of grocery shelves and paneled walls.
Terranova’slongevityhas made its own butcher shop specialties part of the cooking traditions of its customers. But it was never just about thefood Terranovaendeared itself with its sense of neighborly hospitality,packed with genuine family personality
“I am deeply touched by the support, loyalty,humor and friendship that was shared with us over theyears,” Benjamin
wrote in afarewell message to customers. “You have truly made us feel like family,and Ithank you. Behindthe meat counter,the father and son butchers built relationships with customers akin to those that favoritebartenders or barbers have with their patrons, bantering and checking in between the business at hand. They continued aritual of displaying their Saints season prediction on awooden board over thecuttingcounter,acreation of thelate Anthony Terranova Sr
Benjamin’sfather,who installed it in 2002. It has been aperennial source of jocular debate forcustomerswho thought they knew better,but the Terranovas often nailed therecord and were reliably close.
They’d also pose their customers’ newborns on the meat scale for keepsake photos, atradition minted after one customer really was concerned that his baby wasn’t gaining weight by breastfeeding and so recruited his neighborhood butcher to help track progress.
For years, until recently,Terranova mademuffulettas on Saturday mornings on precisely 10 loaves, sliced in half and wrapped for20grab-and-go sandwiches. It wasaprized score that regulars would set alarms to snag and endeavored to keep asecret, lest they sell out too quickly.Inthe slicing of meatsand generous ratio of olive salad, it was amuffuletta forthe ages.
Up by the register,between a stack of newspapers and abox of Hubig’sPies, ringing up and bagging groceries with Karen and Jennifer could feel like aquick catch-up with afriend. People smiled as they turned to the door with their sacks of broccoli and breakfast cereal.
Generations of children have knownthe joyful greeting of walking into the grocery,and the familial eye watching over them as their parents shopped an aisle away.Some children grew up under the impression that Karen wasrelated to them, perhaps an aunt.
“It’snot just ajob, it’sthe people,” Karen said. “You feel like you wereputting something in their bag besides groceries.”
Karen’shand-written signs on the door practically sang the praises of “adorable asparagus,” “bodacious beets” and the like; Terranova was agrocery with its own recognizable font, much like Jazz Fest signs.
Memories, plansahead
The final days at Terranova essentially saw the family holding visiting hours as their friends and regulars stop in once moretotalk and thank them fortheir multigenerational service. There was just ahandful of pantry itemsleft as they sold through the inventory Still, Ikept returning, finding itemsI might need eventually (I’m doubled up on plastic wrap, and we’ll have to just see if cooking oil expiration dates are accurate).
Ialso found myself reminiscing in gratitude forwhat acommunity anchor the store had been.
Ibought tuna fish and canned beans and recalled stocking up forpast hurricane scares and the relative calm the store maintained, and how that seemed to mediate the anxiety just abit.
Ibought sliced turkey forthe last timeand recalled how,years back, I’dhabitually peel off the first piece as atreat forafloppyeared dog Ithen had in my life, sharing abit of joy through food. Ibought afew morestaples and thought about times Ibrought visiting relatives to the store before Thanksgiving to shop forthe feast, and also just to show them this beloved slice of local life.
And I’ve stockpiled Terranova sausage in my freezer,which I’m managing like wines in acellar, doling them out carefully this summer until the new Terranova butcher shop comes along to continue the story and atradition.
Email IanMcNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By IAN MCNULTy
Karen and BenjaminTerranova continued their family business Terranova Supermarket in New Orleans to the 100-year mark before their retirement
FILE PHOTO By TED JACKSON
AnthonyTerranova
off his prized photo of hisdad in the original grocerystore. Anthonyisthe small boyathis father’sside.
STAFF PHOTO By IAN MCNULTy
The vintagesign for Terranova Supermarket is afamiliar sight along Esplanade Avenue in NewOrleans.
STAFFPHOTO By IAN MCNULTy
AP FILEPHOTO
Sen.HueyP
Diving into theKingfish
BY DOUG GRAHAM Staff writer
“American
Huey Long ran roughshod through Louisiana politics for adecade, first as governor and then U.S. senator before he was gunned downinsidethe State Capitol in Baton Rouge in 1935.
Long connected with everyday Louisiana residents using arough-hewn folksy manner —heoncegave aspeechon the floor of the U.S. Senateextolling the delights of potlikker,his favorite dish. But he was aruthless politician who was not beyond usingunsavory methods and intimidationto get what he wanted.
Author Thomas E. Patterson,a Chicago lawyer by trade, gives adetailed study of both sides of theman known as the Kingfish in “American Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana.”The bookis more than an examinationofan extraordinary political force, however As he lays out Long’slife from childhoodto death, Pattersonalso examines the political history of the U.S.during those times, explaining theforces that shapedthe world Long stepped into along his path.
During Long’stime leading thestate —which he did even after leaving the governor’soffice —hereshaped Louisiana evenasthe Great Depression hit. Poor residents received help through public works and welfareprograms; students got free textbooks; the system of roads and bridges was upgraded; and the state’s universities were expanded, particularly LSU.
To finance all these efforts, Long raisedinheritance and income taxes, as well as the severance taxonoil. It’s easy to see why he was embraced by the poor and reviled by thewealthy. But taxes weren’tLong’s only weapon. Patterson describes several strict steps the Kingfish took to make sure his policies passed and held firm, including controlling appointments to local educational, police and fire departments throughout Louisiana. Healsopopulated the state government with men he knew he could manipulate from afar while he served in the Senate Long’spolitical career went through aseries of ups and downs.
Patterson discusses how Long’s personal and professional foibles helped push him into the valleys, andhow he rose each time to fightback to the
Long addresses students at LSU on Nov. 12, 1934.
Louisianalegend Huey Long’s life, career get thorough examination in newbook
summit through force of will and personality.Hewrites about how Long could hold acrowd’sattention through evensome of his longest speeches, and howhewas an imaginativeworkhorse when it came to campaigning.
Thebook also goes into detail about thefederal government’sefforts to rise from the Great Depression. It addressesLong’sefforts to promote many of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’sNew Deal programs at first before pivoting to create his own “Share Our Wealth” movement, which he was spearheading as he considered arun forpresidentagainst Roosevelt in 1936
All thatended when he was shot Sept.8,1935, by Dr.Carl Weiss in a hallway at the State Capitol, dying two
days later
Patterson references several earlier works on his subject,including the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Long written by LSUprofessor T. Harry Williams, but he has his own viewpointsonthe Kingfish. Hisappreciation of Long’saccomplishments comes through, even as he questions someof the methods used to achieve them. In the end, this is not abook for someonelooking for aquick read about the famous Kingfish. This is adetailed, comprehensive examination of Long, his triumphsand failures,his strengths and shortcomings, theworld he lived in and what he left behind.
Email DougGraham at doug graham@theadvocate.com.
N.O. helped
When Tove Jansson arrived in New Orleans in 1972 foranextended visit, fewpeople knew that acelebrity wasintheir midst. Her stay helped shape another surprise —namely,one of the best books about summer ever written. The tale of how all this came about is worth revisiting as another summer unfolds and Jansson’swork attracts renewed attention.
Jansson, an artist and writer from Finland, coined acomic strip and related books about the Moomins —mythical creatures, abit like hippos, whose compassion and sense of fun madethem ahit with children. By the timeshe visited Louisiana, Jansson’sMoomin stories had been widely translated and found audiences in manyparts of the world, including America. But in middle age, Jansson started to focus on writing foradults, and she yearned forfresh inspiration. Jansson traveled the world between 1971 and 1972 with her longtimecompanion and fellow artist, Tuulikki Pietilä. Their odyssey took them manyplaces, including Japan, England, Holland and Mexico.
It wasNew Orleans, though, that stole Jansson’sheart.
She and Pietilä found aplace in the French Quarter and lingered amonth.
“I think,” Jansson wrote to afriend, “this is the best thing of the whole journey, this happy, beautiful, peaceful town so full of music! We’re not tourists anymore; we’re living here, preparing food at home, in an ordinary room with our own back yard where vegetables grow.”
In NewOrleans, Jansson completed “The Summer Book,” asmallnovel she’d been working on forayear.Atfirst glance, this fictional story about a6-year-old spending her summer on asmallisland off the coast of Finland would seem to have nothing to do with New Orleans. But grounded in small joys that unfold across long afternoons, the book chimes nicely with Louisiana’ssense of summer as aseason suspended in time.
Little wonder that Jansson finished this charming tale in the French Quarter
The language and themes of “The Summer Book” are simple enough formiddle schoolers, though it’sbeen embraced as abook for adults. The strange appeal of the novel is that not much seemstohappen within its 170 pages. The maincharacter,Sophia, goes swimming, pokes around in the woods, entertains avisitor, plays with her cat, rides in aboat and listens to the rain.
But Jansson writes with such perceptive clarity about these humble wonders that she renewsareader’ssense of what summer —and life—can be.
That might explain whythe work of Jansson, whodied in 2001, is having arenaissance. “Notes from An Island,” Jansson’saccount of her own summer idylls, wasrecently reissued, along with new editions of “Sun City,” “The True Deceiver” and “The Woman Who Borrowed Stories,” her adult fiction.
The books are an embarrassment of riches forany summer reader.It’sheartening to think that Louisiana had arole in creating Jansson’s legacy
Email Danny Heitman at danny @dannyheitman.com.
Populist: Huey Long of Louisiana,”by
Thomas E. Patterson, Louisiana State University Press, 720 pages
Danny Heitman
Quarter.A man of many talents, Pauger understoodriver hydrology and concluded that good engineering could resolvethe shoaling problem. He argued forcefully that the capital ofLouisiana should not be at the coastal ports of Mobile or Biloxi, but ratheratNew Orleans, gateway to the Mississippi Valley La Balise wouldbethe keytothatgate.
In acommuniquedated Dec. 23, 1721, officialsinParis ordered theestablishmentofLaBalise, and in the very next passage, made New Orleans the capital of Louisiana —just as Pauger recommended.
Atransshipment stationbelow N.O.
Located on afork of Passe deL’Est (now Pass aLoutre),LaBalise would serve as an entrepôt —that is, atransshipment station, aminiatureversion of the same role New Orleansitself would play.Here, oceangoingbrigs, barques, and frigates could anchor, lighten their load to rise abovethe bar, and take soundingstodetermine asafe route through the pass, usually with the help of a“bar pilot.”
If conditions were right, large ships could proceed upriver.But all too often they would have to unload their cargo and passengers at La Balise and reload them onto longboats to be rowed upriver.
A1731 map shows La Balise as averitable town of ahundredorsoinhabitants. It had an 800-foot-longloading dock connecting to abrick fort,inside of which were achapel,lodges, garrisons, acommissary,bakery,water tanks, warehouses and sheds. Outside were powder magazines, abrickyard, aforge, and on aseparate islandconnected by aboardwalk,two dozen cabinsfor enslaved workers.
Survivors of the MiddlePassage, these Senegambian laborers handled freight, rowed longboatstoand from New Orleans, and oftenfoundthemselves assisting brethren as theytoo arrived on slave ships from West Africa. For the next 30 years, La Balise remained in constantoperation as a nexus between theglobal forelandand avast hinterland.Problem was, the fluvial delta on which itwas based had prograded—thatis, shifted outwardly —leaving it ill-positioned for shipping Anothergovernor, anothername
As France ceded the Louisiana colony to Spain, the new Spanish governor Don Antonio de Ulloa decided to build anew facility on an islandwhere Balise Bayou flowed off from what is now Southeast Pass. It gained the name San Carlos, alternately Fuerte Real Católica, though most people continued to use the old
French name, else the Spanish La Baliza. In 1766, apeculiar episode illustrated theoutsized importance of La Baliza. Aman of science who was unenthused about his administrative assignment, Gov.Ulloa abruptly departed New Orleans and took up residency at the windswept island, supposedly to oversee the building of itsnew fort.One gets the distinct impression that Ulloa really sought to return to his passion, peering throughhis telescopes and writing to fellow scientists in Europe.
But French Creoles in New Orleans, most of whom resented the incoming Spanish regime, read Ulloa’sabsence as asnub. They further fumed upon learning that Ulloa held his wedding —toa Peruvian noblewoman sailing in from Lima —atthat godforsaken isle, instead of the sacred confines of their St.Louis Church (now Cathedral).
Making matters worse, Ulloa in 1767 decided he would take official possession of Louisiana from French officials at La Baliza—until he reconsidered and saved some of the formalities for another time
Theambivalence madeitunclear exactly who controlled Louisiana, and from where. “Why didn’tthe ceremony take place in the capital, rather than on amud lump?,” asked historian Lawrence N. Powell, giving voice to indignant colonists. “And what was one supposed to make of the fact that the flags oftwo nations were now flying over Louisiana, one at La Baliza, and theother at (New Orleans)?”
The next year,emboldened French partisans ousted Ulloa from the colony, triggering an angry responsefrom Spain and resulting in thefirm establishment of Spanish dominion over Louisiana in 1769. Thus ended La Baliza’s briefmoment as thegeopolitical envy of New Orleans, though it remained the navigational necessityofits port Alas, BaliseBayou soon silted up, and Spanish officials had to relocatethe station again, this time closer to the entry of Southeast Pass. By 1770, Nueva Baliza (New Balize) had anew commanding officer,Juan Ronquillo, who oversaw a residence, agarrison of 20 soldiers,a
station for 24 pilots, and achaplain. Americansset up aprivate toll station AfterSpain retroceded Louisiana in 1800 and France sold thecolony to the U.S. in 1803, “the Balize”became busier thanever,even as it fell into exploitive hands. Ronquillo had sold his pilotage rights to two Americans,William Johnsonand George Bradish, who turned the Balize intoaprivatetollstation. They madeafortune overcharging for theservices of underqualified pilots, among them some unsavory characters. “As aresult,” wrote historian Joy J. Jackson, herself adescendant of river pilots, “the Balize became synonymous with murder,drunkenness, and debauchery.”
After theterritorial legislature broke theJohnson-Bradishmonopoly in 1806, “cutthroat competition developed among (pilots) to beat each other to the ships waiting outside the river’spasses,” wrote Jackson. “It was thetoughest and the fastest who got themost ships to pilot —not always the best qualified and most experienced.”
By the 1820s, steam power hadtransformed navigation, and anew fleet of towboatsand side-wheelers negotiated the passes. In 1837, the state passed legislation to professionalize thepiloting system, requiring that they be commissioned by the governor and adhere to various regulations. One rule required thatthey return immediately to theBalize after guiding ships upriver,thus preventing pilots from partaking of New Orleans’ notorious grog shops andcabarets From debauchedtofamily-friendly?
MerchantsatLaBalize eagerly opened their own dens of iniquity,making the faraway lair “a scene of barbarous strife and drunken debauch,” according to astate investigation, where “the savageness of man invested the desolation of nature withappalling attributes.” Aclause in alater pilot law decreed “no license shall be granted to any person to keep atavern, grog-shop, billiard house, or any other house of public entertainment at the Balize.”
What civilized the rambunctious outpost was the arrival of pilots’ families, whose numbers turned the Balize into the largest and busiest community in Plaquemines Parish. By 1860, Balize“was probablythe mostcosmopolitan town of itssizeonthe entire Mississippi,” wrote the historian Jackson;its residents originated from at least nine U.S. states and18foreign nations, including mostofEuropeand Scandinavia and as farawayasthe Philippines. According to sources interviewed in 1921, the Balizeinthis era had “prosperousstores(,) atown hall, many fine homes,some of two stories, achurch broad shellroads. Riverpilots madetheir headquarters in thevillage,(and) the laughter of children could be heard in the streets.” The Balizewas amicrocosm of NewOrleans— geo-physically,economically anddemographically Soon,everything changed. Ahurricane struck in 1860, andall thewhile,acrevasse hadbeen reconfiguring Southeast Pass. With theonset of theCivil War, the Union blockade suppressed allrivertraffic,and only atrifle returned after New Orleansfelltothe Unionin1862. It wastake years forshipping to recover,and in the meanwhile, heavy sedimentation at the mouth of the river stifled traffic nearly as badly as during the war.LaBalize wasintrouble, and so was NewOrleans.
In the late 1870s, Capt. James Eads built jetties at the mouth of South Pass, flushing out sediment and restoring traffic to the Port of NewOrleans. Problem was, La Balize was located on Southeast Pass, some 10 miles to the north. Ships shifted their routes, and pilots, workers, and fishermen resettled at Port Eads and later at Burrwood. Once again, the Balize found itself ill-positioned —only this time, NewOrleans no longer needed its downstream cousin. Pilots now had other base camps, namely Pilottown, and there were new tools to keep the passes clear, such as jetties and dredges.
By 1893, two dozen or so structures remained at the Balize, mostofwhich would be destroyed by the Great Storm of 1915. By 1921, “tombs only testify to (the) glory of Balize,” read aTimes-Picayune headline. “Death and desolation brood over site of wickedest town and farthest outpost of Louisiana, long smothered under slimeofMississippi Delta.” Today,even the tombs are gone. RichardCampanella, ageographer withthe Tulane School of Architecture and Built Environment,isthe author of “Draining New Orleans,” “Crossroads, Cutoffs, and Confluences,” “Bourbon Street:AHistory,”and other books from LSUPress. He maybereached at http://richcampanella.com,rcampane@ tulane.edu ,or@nolacampanella on X.
trolley.Hewas wearing his father’swhite suit, the same suit he had worn for that torturous night in 1964. The new streetcars, by contrast, were dressedin red. While the trolleys were the same shape as theolive-green St. Charles Avenue models, their innards were more modern, with airconditioning and awheelchair lift. Alan Drake, another streetcar fan, reasoned that some order would be needed for the evening Expecting arush by those wanting to be among the firstriders, he arrived at 1:30 a.m. andhad arrivals sign alist to determine aboarding order.OttoGoessl, a photographer with apassion for collecting streetcar photos, was
CURIOUS
Continued from page1D
in Carencro?” Clara Arceneaux asked.
Born into considerable fortune Drexel was born Catherine Marie Drexel on Nov.26, 1858, in Philadelphia, to afamily with aconsiderable banking fortune She lived on a90-acre estate in the city’sTorresdale neighborhood. Her family was devoutlyreligious. Drexel’smother died only five weeks after her birth, and her stepmother often opened up the family mansion to distribute food and clothing to the poor Drexel was awakened to the plight of indigenous Americans while on afamily trip to the western states, which inspiredher desire to help poor communities. She began extensively traveling bothdomestically and abroad, and in 1886 met Pope Leo XIII, who encouraged her to pursue herpassion for aministry to helpNative American and Black children.
Drexel entered the convent of theSisters of Mercy two years later,and two years after that, founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People in Ben Salem, Pennsylvania, of which she served as Superior General. After her father’sdeathin1885, Drexel inherited alarge fortune, which she used to fund the schools and churches.
Transportedbybuggy?
The search for the answer in Clara Arceneaux’s buggyques-
there, too. LikeStewart, he had been onboard for the last ride and was now eager to experience the revival. As announced, the historic moment would be 3:10 a.m., thatbeing when paying service began. The streetcarwouldappear from theCanal streetcarbarnatNorth Salcedo Streetand then stop at a designatedspot on thenearby neutral ground to take on its passengers for their journey intohistory Iwas there, plusapproximately 200 other would-beriders, all hoping to be among the first. Twoother trolleyswould follow to carry theoverflow,but what mattered to the true streetcar buffs was to be onthe first streetcar:2004, its number thesame as theyear of therevival.
Thanks to Drake, those who would be first formed an orderly line for boarding. They could see
tion begins with aphotoofDrexel snapped during her1924 visit to the southwest Louisiana community,but local historian and author KathyHigginbotham points out that Sosthene Arceneaux isn’tinit. SostheneArceneaux was aCarencro-areafarmer and carpenter whodonatedpart of hisland for construction of a one-room school house for which Drexel donated funds.
“Katharine Drexel established two schools in Carencro: one in the Prairie Basse community and another on Sosthene Arceneaux’s property,”Higginbotham said.
“The only photograph of St.KatharineDrexel visiting donated land is in Prairie Basse.”
However,that doesn’tnecessarily mean the buggy ride didn’t take place.
“While it is not to suggest thatshe never visited Arceneaux’sproperty,Ihave no evidence to confirm such avisit,” Higginbotham said.
The historian included acopy of thephotograph in her correspondence, in which Drexel holds an umbrella while conversing with two men in suits identified as Washington Gordon and Clearville Leblanc.
Bishop Jules Jemnard, in full cassock, stands afew yards away, andanother nun, Sister M. Mercedes,stands on the periphery.
The only other figures in the photoare awoman named Andrea Gordon and apriest identified only as Father Wrenn.
All stand alonga thin path cuttingthrough agrassy field where an old farmhouse stands. The photo’scaption indicates that this was thespotinthe Prairie Basse community where Drexel built St.
thecyclops-like headlight of the red streetcar approaching. Butthen something went wrong: The streetcar stopped, not where it was supposed to, but well short of that mark. Its doors opened. The cheering and good will from the crowd erupted into angry boos. Drake had tried to direct the driver to thedesignated stopping place, but that did not matter.The car was being filled by scofflaws who had wormed their way in. Drake, Stewart and Goessl were also able to elbow into that first streetcar,but others who had played by therules had to wait for thebackup trolleys.
It took nearly 20 minutes for No. 2004 to load and to leave on its designated route to theCanal Street cemeteries and back. At approximately 4:14 a.m., that streetcar,now returning, passed
thesecond trolley on its way to thetombs. Italked to an official forRTA He was disappointed at the turn of events but did not want that to overshadow the good news that the streetcar service had returned.
In its coverage of the first night, TheTimes-Picayune included aparagraph about the incident. Displaying incredible sleuthing, thenewspaper revealed the name of the driver.The newspaper further reported that the first person to board thestreetcar was arelativeofthe driver.Presumably,it was that person’s uncredentialed friends whofilled the trolley Aboard that first ride would be 65 passengers, five of whom had been on the last ride in 1964, plus theherd of gate-crashers and the driver Iamone of those geeky people
Elizabeth’sCatholic School.
St.Elizabeth’sCatholic School was later moved into the school next to OurLady of Assumption Catholic Church. Wood from the deconstruction of St.Elizabeth’s was used to build thechurch hall. No buggy, butameeting
AFacebook search turnedup a2018 post by Wynne ZacharieCluse, who wrotethat her husband, John Cluse, is Sosthene Arceneaux’sgreat-grandson. The post included aphoto of an undated local newspaper story of Sosthene Arceneaux’smemories of ameeting between him and Drexel, which was arranged by Bishop Jemnal. The post also included aphoto of Sosthene and his wife stand-
ing on either side of Drexel. Still, there’snodocumentation of a horse-drawn buggy ride.
Sosthene Arceneaux’sschool eventually was consolidated into Drexel’sOur Lady of Assumption Catholic School, which was merged with Carencro’sSt. Pierre Catholic School in 1971. The empty Assumption building has since been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
“Katharine Drexel also started St.Anne’sConvent School in Carencro, and the three schools
St.Pierre, Our Lady of Assumption and St. Anne’s—merged and now operate as oneasCarencro Catholic School,” said Sonya Louviere, theschool’sprincipal.
Carencro Catholic School stands
who, when driving alongside a trolley track, actually pay attention to the numbers on streetcars. Twice in the last couple of weeks, Ihave seen No. 2004.
To me, it wasexciting, sort of like being in the swamps and spotting awhooping crane. Like its Canal trolley siblings, its innovative bright red coat with yellow trim adds color to the urban landscape.
In my notes from that night, I had written: “During its first moments of operation, the revived Canal streetcar had provided its own bit of philosophy: Being first in line is good; knowing the right people is even better.”
Errol Labordeisa producer and panelist on WYES Channel 12’s “Informed Sources.” Contact himatelabordenola@gmail. com.
at 200 W. St. Peter St.
‘She is an importantpart’
As forDrexel, she was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2001 —the first person whowas born a United States citizen to be canonized.
Drexel’sname can be found on schools, churches and streets throughout the United States. She is highly revered in Louisiana for having founded Xavier University in New Orleans, the nation’s only historically Black and Catholic university
She also founded schools in Marksville and NewIberia.
Drexel died in 1955 at age 96 in Pennsylvania. She was entombed in the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Philadelphia, where ashrine to her has been established.
The saint’sfeast day is celebrated on March 3, which is prominent at Carencro’sOur Lady of Assumption Catholic Church because of her involvement and work in the community
“I wenttothe celebration at Our Lady of Assumption, and I met alady whosaid when she was ababy,St. Katharine held her,” Louviere said. “I read everything about her that Ican get my hands on, and Ihave ascrapbook on her St. Katharine’ssisters taught at our schools, and she is an important part of our school today.” Do you haveaquestionabout something in Louisiana that’s got you curious? Email your question to curiouslouisiana@ theadvocate.com. Include your name, phonenumber andthe city where you live.
PROVIDED PHOTO By KATHyHIGGINBOTHAM
Katharine Drexel holdsanumbrella while surveyingthe land for her school in the Prairie Basse community at Carencro in an undated photo.
TRAVEL
Trails,mountainattractions return to NorthCarolina
BY JESSICA FENDER
Contributing writer
HAYWOOD COUNTRY, N.C. Ourforaging party nibbles lemonymountain sorrel and delicateviolets
as we hike past forested valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on our right, ranchland sloping awayonour left
Our barefoot guide Lee “Natty” Trebotich points to asmattering of vibrant green shoots hidden among trailside ferns.They’re highly prized wild ramps, adelicious cross between garlic and leeks. Alas, they grow just outof bounds over the park’sborder.
Soon, our climb flattens into the grassypromontoryofHemphill Bald, where our real reward awaits: apostcard panorama of Haywood County’sblue-green peaks dotted by cloud shadow and stretching to the horizon.
Up here, it’seasy to forget the ravagesthat Hurricane Helene wrought across much of western North Carolina just eight months ago, when fast-moving water washed away roads and flooded buildings.
While scarsremain throughout the region, this rural county,a half-hour west of Asheville nonetheless offers all the trappings of an idyllic mountain getaway —from miles of trails through temperate rainforest to rushing creeks and swimming holes to a delightful collection of artistsand eateries. Residentslike Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers hope visitorscome back as quickly as the Haywood County communityhas.
“One of the greatest fears is that we’re going to be forgotten,” he says later,overbreakfast.
“Hopefully,someone takes a chance on us and leaves here with new memories.”
Aless-crowdedseason
Those who would venture to cooler climes this summer can fly nonstop from New Orleans to Charlotte and drive2.5 hoursor book aconnecting flight to nearby Asheville. While summer and fall are high seasoninHaywood,officials note adrop in room bookings will likely make cabins easier to snagand popular lookouts less crowded this year Indeed, people arefew as we later glide along the Blue Ridge Parkway listening to homegrown bluegrass band Balsam Range singing about Canton, oneofthe county’sfive mountain towns. There’saduo of picnickers lunching at one overlook. At another,a pair of cyclists breeze by,waving in spandex.
Typically,their motorized brethren are far more common.
Famouslybiker-friendlyMag-
TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER
By ChristopherElliott
gieValley is home to themindboggling Wheels Through Time Museum, acollection of 375 exceptionally rare, American-made motorcycles
The iconic parkway,frequently theNational Park Service’smost visited site, traces the spine of the Appalachians469 miles into Virginia. Elsewhere in North Carolina, heftyswaths remain closed post-storm. In Haywood, all butthree of its 46 miles are drivable. Eager cruisers can even continueanother 46 miles onto Gatlinburg, Tennessee, via scenic U.S.441 throughthe Great Smoky Mountains.
Butwedon’t wander nearly that far,opting instead fora jaunt up a forest trail perfumedwith balsam warminginthe sun.
Aquiet sliceofthe Smokies
Haywood County is aplace that manages to loom both large and small at the same time.
Rows of nostalgic, low-slung motorlodges rest on theaprons of toweringmountains. Apopulation just double that of the LSUBaton Rouge campusisspread over its 555 squaremiles. Within its boundariesare portions of four differentnational parks and for-
ests, including the quietest slice of the perpetually bustling Great Smoky Mountains.
Quirkydowntown Waynesville, thecounty seat, proves that small communities are home to big ideas, too.
In arepurposed elementary school, Sam Kearney brandishes asteel shaker filled withhousemaderose syrup, dragonfruit powder,lime and ablend of moodelevating herbal adaptogens.
“The world needs morefun, and Iamhappy to oblige,” the former bartender-turned-mocktail maven declares.
Likemany of Waynesville’s newest and most colorful businesses, her Roll Up HerbalBar was based in theup-and-coming Frog Level district next to the creek.
Helene swamped thehistoric stretch,scattering owners like dandelion seeds across less impacted partsofdowntown.
The displaced Funky Fern, with its hip and inclusive vintage clothing and wild artisanal accessories, joined thefine art galleries and home goods purveyors along theprimeshopping blocks of Main and Wall streets. Nearby thehippie-chic Soul Sisters —an-
other Frog Level exile —now sits next to akava lounge and across thestreet from adog bar and bakery
Neighborly ties here are strong, and the welcome hasbeen universally warm. At gift shop Maggie Mountaineer Crafts, astaple in the valley for ahalf century,the family turnedthe wreckage of their matriarch’shomeinto ashady creekside park, its foundationbecoming aflower-fringed platform wheretravelers can picnic.
Stories abound about free food and aid post-storm. In that context, thesurprisingly quick recovery begins to makesense.
Ourlast full day in Haywood is misty as we set out forthe Cataloochee Valley,the quiet side of theGreat Smoky Mountains, for elk spotting. In thepark, abridge closure cuts short our drive, and we hike theremaining half mile under an impossibly lush canopy
Downed trees line parts of the creek. Aonce level trail is now rutted and pocked. Most of this area has reopened, but it’sstill recovering. Visitors are wise to check conditions online before settingout.
At theclearing best knownfor theantlered behemoths, we spot nothing butasingle wild turkey In an ideal world, our timing would have been better.Elk are mostactive at dusk and dawn, and we got alate start.
Buteven under these less-thanperfect circumstances, twigs still snap satisfyingly under our boots. Mats of white-green tree mossspring back from our touch. Andthe breeze still sounds like ocean waves rushing through the
treetops overhead on apeaceful morning.
Topto-dos
From family-run farm visits to viewsofwildlifeand the Milky Way, Haywood’scharm lies in its outdoor opportunities and warm small towns. These top to-dos are morethan enough to fill up asummertimeitinerary
n Pick your own wildflowers, raspberries and other growing goodies at 10 Acre Gardens. Goat yoga, hayrides and live music optional. Prices vary.Thetenacregarden.com
n Toast over tiers of housemade scones and clotted cream at Crown&Thistle, Waynesville’s new family-run tea room and hub forintimate concerts and other special events. Crownandthistletearoom.com
n Cruise the Blue Ridge Parkway. For along drive, start at Beech Gap and head toward Great Smoky Mountains. For ashorter trip, head east from USFS Road 816 to view foliage at Graveyard Fields Overlook. Check conditions at Blueridgeparkway.org.
n Experiment with Appalachia’s maker culture during aclay class at Cold Mountain Art Collective. Two-hour wheel class $80; coldmountainartcollective.com
n Set out early forthe Cataloochee Valley forelk viewing at dawn. Summertimeisperfect for spotting new mamas with their calves. Parking $5. Check park conditions at Nps.gov/grsm
n Take aguided tour of the Wheels through Time Museum’s epic 38,000 square feet where the rarest motorcycles have the wildest backstories. Adult admission $15. Wheelsthroughtime.com.
n Shop the stylish boutiques of downtownWaynesville’sMain and Wall streets, where fine arts and craft makers abound.
n Enjoy fine fare, family recipes and craft cocktails at Singletree Heritage Kitchen in Waynesville. Singletreekitchen.com.Ortrek up to luxury resort Cataloochee Ranch on Wednesday nights for Appalachian music and barbecue raised right on property.Cataloocheeranch.com
n Forage your meal amid breathtaking viewsguided by one of Food forAdventures’ trained chefs and botanists. Dayclasses from $120. Foodforadventures. com.
n Play around of golf surrounded by Appalachian peaks at the nostalgic Springdale Resort, apublic 18-hole championshiplevel course with akiller on-site restaurant. From $65 per round. Springdalegolfnc.com
n On clear nights, stargaze at Richland Balsam Overlook, the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6,053 feet.
Jessica Fender writes about travel. Email her at Fender@ TravelerBroads.com.
refund for your canceled flight
Christopher Elliott Ibooked a flight from Tampa to San
Ishould getafull refund. Can you help me getmy$321 back?
Nathan Ciurzynski, Bradenton, Florida
Youshould have receivedafull
Whenanairline cancels your flight, it owesyou arefund, regardless of the reason forthe cancellation. Itdoesn’tmatter if your ticket was refundable or not. You shouldget arefund. Full stop. Interestingly, your flight cancellationhappenedjust before a newgovernment regulation went into effect. The rule mandates automatic cash refunds when an airlinecancels its flight.Ifthe hurricanehad waitedafew weeks, then you wouldn’t havehad this problem. But your case is importantbecausehurricane season is
just starting, and airlines are only getting used to this rule. Who knows? They might forget If an airline doesn’toffer you an immediate refund, you should request it in writing. And it looks like you did, which is great. Copies of emails and screenshots of any online chats or messagescan be helpful if you’re trying to get afair resolution. If you have to makeacall, note the date and time, and the names of any representatives you speak with. So what happened? Alook at your itinerary suggestsAmeri-
can only canceled one leg of your flight, from Tampa to Dallas. I guess thatdoesn’tcount as afull canceled flight. I’m kidding! It certainly does. Youfilled out forms and pleaded your case with American Airlines, to no avail. As alast resort, you could have appealed to amanager or executive. Ipublish the names, numbers, and email addresses of the American Airlines customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott. org. Abrief, polite email to one of themmight have resolved your problem. Icontacted American
on your behalf to see if the flight credit wasits best offer.Itwasn’t. “The ticket will be refunded,” an American Airlines spokeswoman told me.And it was. Let’shope that with this new federal rule, we’ll neverget another
PHOTOSByJESSICA FENDER
leads hikers along the Cataloochee DivideTrailto
Compact and quirky, downtown Waynesville, N.C., boasts some of the best shoppinginthe county,concentrated around Main Street.
No need to keep inviting thecouplethatdoesn’t show up
Dear Miss Manners: Our group of friends is about 15 people large. We have known each other for morethan three decades. At the opposite end of the group is acouple who we only see when the entire group gets together
Judith Martin MISS MANNERS
We like to entertain, and have invited this couple for years. They have never accepted our invitations, though they accept invitations from others in the group. In some cases, they RSVP “no,” but other times they do not reply at all. Finally,wehosted aparty and
decided not to invite them. The entire group got together afew days before our party,and several people were talking about how much they were looking forward to it —unbeknown to them that twopeople present didn’tget an invitation.
Suddenly Ifelt like we did the wrong thing by not inviting them. On one hand, Ithought: Perhaps there’snoharm in sending an invite if you know they won’tcome anyway.Onthe other hand, we have finite space, we’re buying food and supplies, andI’d rather invitepeople Iknow will come.
Part of me also feels that you don’tget the courtesy of an invitationifyou never show or if you repeatedly fail to RSVP.
Gentlereader: Listen to that latter part of you. Miss Manners assures you that therepeated offense of not answering an invitation justifies not gettinganother one. She further suggestsyou use caution with the excuse that they will not come anyway if you invite them.Too many wedding hostsrely on that logic and suffer theconsequences when they guess wrong. Had thecouple or someone else in that pre-party gathering pointed out the omission —orif thetension was palpable enough —you might have said, “Lacey and Doug, you never seem to be able to attend our parties, so I didn’twant to burden you with an
invitation.” It sounds as if it did not cometothat, but it is there for thetaking if it does.
Dear Miss Manners: What’sthe polite, kind thing to do when one must missafuneral forreasons such as illness or injury?
My aunt’smother just passed away,and the funeral is in afew days.
However,I’ve come downwith abad cold and, in the interest of not making others sick, Iplan not to attend unless Irecover far faster than expected.
Iwant my aunt to know that I care enough to attend, but Idon’t want to makethis about me. Is a textappropriate? Anote after the funeral?
Gentlereader: Assuming that you
have already written acondolence letter,aphone call would be morepersonal than atext —and morepolite than anote afterward, when everyone will have wondered where you were. “I am so sorry that Iwon’tbe able to attend, but I’mafraid I have adreadful cold and Idon’t want anyone to catch it,” you might say.Itgoes without saying, Miss Manners hopes, that you avoid using hyperbole (e.g., “I’m feeling deathly ill”) forobvious reasons.
Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www missmanners.com; or to her email, dearmissmanners @gmail.com.
Dear Heloise: Hereiswhat Idowith coffee groundsin my 10-by-20-foot allotment garden. Iuse grounds from home and also pick them up from my local coffee shop. Idig them into my soil and put them around the base of my roses. Ialso put them in my worm bin; the worms love them, and it discourages mice from sneakingin.
One year,when Ihad agopher invasion, Ifirst killed thegopher with atrap, then dug out tunnels to where they crossed my fence line Isealed off the points where the tunnels entered my garden with restaurant-sized coffee filters that were often included with the grounds. No more gophers! —Hedy W. in Laguna Woods, California
Tellingkidstoclean
Dear Heloise: Your solution to M.R. in Oklahoma’ssticky refrigerator shelves seemed wasteful and time-consuming. Have the kids be more careful, have them wipe up after themselves, and put a large tray on each shelf.
J.T.,inIowa
J.T., in aperfect world, all children would be only too happy to comply. Unfortunately,inreal life, most won’twipe down the sticky jar.(That’sthe voice of experience speaking.) Youcan keep after yourkidsuntil they drive you crazy or line the refrigerator shelves with plastic designed for this purpose. Youcan find them online or in grocery stores. The shelf linerscan be wiped, washed and dried. —Heloise
Sticky shelves
Dear Heloise: Ijust read the hint from aparent whose kids leave sticky items on refrigerator shelves If they are old enough to remove the items, they can put the item back after taking awet cloth and wiping the container first. Mom taught me and my sixsiblings when we were young. Iamgoing on 80. —The Blonde Flamingo, via email Weddingday blues
Dear Heloise: Ialways have aproblem when outfits (such as the wedding that was described in arecent column) charge one price for aperson, then only half of this price for an attending spouse/guest/plus-one. Does this mean that the second person can only eat half of what the singleperson eats since they onlypaid half price? Iunderstand that the hostess is trying to make it affordable for couples (who, by the way,probably make more money than asingle person). But it just never seems fair.I’m sure the hostess does not mean to offend and has never thought about it this way —Bobbie P.,in Santa Ana, California Bobbie, personally, Idon’t think the price they charge for aguest to attend their wedding is as important as the fact that they charge people to come. Acouple is supposed to have awedding within their budget. If they can’tafford abig, splashy wedding, then they
shouldtailor it to what they can afford
And charging halfprice forthe plus-one doesnot make the situation any better.Sorry,but charging a guest to attendaweddingis inappropriate.Ifyou do pay to attend awedding,besure to take adoggiebag andeat as much as you want! —Heloise
Oh,sheet!
Dear Heloise: I, too, have had aproblem with flat sheets notbeing wide enough to tuck in on bothsides of the mattress. This hasbeen very aggravating.
Isuggest that instead of going to thelengths that D.Z. has done, we should all write or call the companies that manufacture both the fitted and flat sheetsand ask them to increase the size of the flat sheets. This way,they’ll get tucked in properly. Thanks.— Judy G., in Richmond,Virginia
Send ahint to heloise@ heloise.com.
Hints from Heloise
Dogs,catscan also suffer from allergies
BY LAURA UNGAR AP science writer
About five years ago, Gail Friedman noticed her Parson Russell Terrier was constantlylicking his paws and seemed super uncomfortable.
“The poor dog. Iwouldput baby socks on his feet so that he wouldn’tlick them or bite at them,” said Friedman,of Oak Brook, Illinois.“Iwas constantly changing the socks, washing his feeta lot. Nothing worked.”
It turned out her canine companion, Mr.Friedman, had allergies.
It’sacommon and tricky problem in pets —causedby various things such as pollen, dust, mold, chemicals and food —but veterinarians say there are several ways to ease their suffering.
Allergies happen when the immune system overreacts to aforeign substance. Cats and dogs react to many of the same things people do, as well as pests like fleas.
There are no definitive recentstatistics on how many pets have allergies, but researchsuggests the problem is growing.
“I probably see allergic dogs and cats every single day,probably multiple times aday,” said Dr.Karen Woodard, medical director at Thrive Pet Healthcare-Elmhurst in Illinois.
About 90% of allergic pets react to environmental triggers, Woodard said, and the rest have food allergies only Dogbreeds that are especiallyvulnerable include various types of terriers, boxers and bulldogs; in cats, it’sPersians, Siamese and Himalayans.
Pets can even be allergic to other animals —cats to dogs, dogs to cats and either to another species.
“It’spossiblefor them to be allergic to us, just like we
are to them,” said Thrive’s Dr.Anthea Elliott Schick of Scottsdale,Arizona, immediate past presidentofthe American College of Veterinary Dermatology
Signsofallergies
Allergiccats and dogs aren’taslikely as humans to sneeze andcough.More often, they scratch and lick themselves, shake their heads and developear infections.
Woodardsaidher Yorkie mix, Teddy,had the classic signs— scratching around hisshoulders and getting rashes and ear infections startingasasix-month-old puppy.She livedinthe South at the time, and he tested positive for allergiestovarious treesand grassesthere
Acommonsignofallergies in her felinepatients is “overdoing their grooming,” said Woodard. “So if you start seeing baldpatches on your cat, even though the skin underneath it looks normal, that could be asign of allergies.”
Even food allergies, often to chicken, beef, lamb or other protein sources, frequently show up on the skin, although petscan have vomiting or diarrhea,too Rarely, pets can develop life-threatening anaphylac-
tic reactions, perhaps after being stung by an insect. But most allergies aresimply miserable for the animals “Itbreaksmyheart because it getstoapoint that notonlydoIhavesocks on poor Mr.Friedman —which is humiliating for him —he sometimesgets so bad he has to wear thecone of shame,” Gail Friedman said.
Howtohelp
The first step is to get a diagnosis from thevet. This could involve allergy testing, or in thecaseoffood allergies, an “elimination diet,” whichinvolves feedinglimited ingredientsthe pet hasn’tpreviously eaten. If theallergy culprit is environmental, there are medications like anti-inflammatory drugs andnewer oral and injectable medications for dogs to block chemical signals associated with itchiness.
Food allergiesmay be treated withspecial diets suchas“hydrolyzed” food, in whichproteins arechemically broken down into tiny pieces.
Butvets say there are also ways to help pets at home by cleaning theirbedding frequently,wiping their fur with awet washcloth and giving them baths.
Endofincentivesthreatens emerging greenindustry
BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer
Louisiana economic officials and politicians have cheered the billions of dollars in industrial projects recently cropping up across the state, driven in part by lucrative federal tax credits for clean energyinvestments
Now,many areworriedthatarollbackofthose credits could threaten jobs and investments, dampening Louisiana’s“allofthe above” strategy to grow its clean energy and carbon management industries along with oil and natural gas production. Nearly $40 billion worth of new Louisiana solar
farms,low-carbon ammonia andhydrogenplants, factories supplying electric vehicle battery materialsand other investments stand to lose incentives if clean energy tax credits from the2022 Inflation Reduction Act are cut, according to data from the Clean Investment Monitor, ajoint projectofthe Rhodium Group and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
President Donald Trump’sdomestic policy package, referred to as his “big, beautiful bill” of taxcuts and spending priorities, would quickly phaseout tax credits for wind andsolar,end electric vehiclesubsidies and curtailacredit for clean hydrogen production,amongother rollbacks. Preserved in thebillare
tax credits for carbon capture and sequestration, a technology favored by the oil and gas industry
The bill narrowly passed the House and is facing scrutiny in the Senate. Some Republicansare opposed to the bill for its vast expansion of the federal debt, while others are expressing reservations about ending subsidies that have led to major investments in their states.
“If somebody’salready invested $100 million, they’ve gotten their land, they’ve begun their permitting, they have abusiness plan,” U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, said in acall last month to
‘Wewanttobeatouchstonefor people’
BY RICH COLLINS Staffwriter
The Norwegian Seamen’sChurch at 1772 Prytania St. was builtin1968 to provide ahome away from home for sailors in New Orleans. Later,itbecame ahaven for jazz musicians. Now,the midcentury modern complexhas been transformed into agathering place for an entirelynew community
IDEAS INNOVATION &
The siblings and business partners were inspiredto build acommunity based on holistic health —anapproach to carethat considers the whole body —ina city known morefor living well than wellness itself.
“Weprovide an alternative to going somewhereand having bottomlessmimosas,” Peters said. Four years after its debut, Spyre has become aprofitable enterprise with
In 2021, sisters Diana Fisher,Deborah Peters and Kendall Winingderreopened theformer church’sdoors and welcomed customers to Spyre, aholistic health center providing mental healthservices,physical therapy,yoga,exercise classes and other wellness services on acampus that includes asaltwater pool, meditation garden and farm-to-table cafe.
multiple revenue streams that contribute to amuchbiggereconomic river: the$2trillion global wellness industry, which is growing by roughly 5% ayear in theU.S., according to consulting firm McKinsey Spyre hasmore than 250 members, whopay anywhere from $95-$289 a month for accesstoanarray of offerings. Guestscan sign up for asession on the “dry floatbed,” adevice imported from Europe that creates the sensation of floating on water to help shutdown thesenses for improved meditation.Or they can opt for time in the cold plunge tub, designedtoreduce inflammation,
Threesisters transformNew Orleanschurchintoaholisticwellnesscenter ä See WELLNESS, page 2E
STAFF
PHOTO By BRETT DUKE Sisters Diana Fisher and Deborah Peters, twoofthe three owners of Spyre, walkbetween the saltwater pool and the meditation garden at the holistichealth center in New Orleans. The former Norwegian Seamen’sChurchhas been transformed into agathering placefor wellness services.
discuss the bill. “I think we need to look at those differently.”
Lobbying of state delegation
Projects that are expected to take advantage of some form of IRA tax credits have cropped up across the state in recent years
Louisiana has seen some 905 megawatts of solar installations in 2024 alone, and currently has enough panels to power around 155,000 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, a trade group. Other projects seeking IRA tax credits include Clean Hydrogen Works’ proposed $7.5 billion ammonia facility in Ascension Parish that would sequester emissions underground and is expected to create 350 new jobs Also, Monarch Energy proposed a $426 million facility in Ascension that would employ a carbon-free process to make hydrogen for use in industry and create an estimated 44 new jobs.
In April, Illinois-based CF Industries, which operates the largest ammonia production facility in the world at a complex in Donaldsonville, announced plans to build a $4 billion low-carbon ammonia plant nine miles upriver from its existing facility The company said in its 2024 annual report that “changes to the IRA may impact our ability to receive anticipated tax credits for our low-carbon ammonia projects, which, in turn, could negatively affect the profitability of these projects.”
With so many investments on the line, Louisiana economic development officials are ramping up efforts to convince Cassidy and U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, that protecting the IRA’s clean energy tax credits are in the state’s best interests.
Greater New Orleans Inc is collecting signatures on a letter it plans to send to Louisiana’s senators that calls for preserving the clean hydrogen tax credits and the transferability of credits for carbon capture and other technologies.
Jerry Bologna, president and CEO of Jefferson Parish’s economic development agency, said repealing the IRA tax credits would make it harder to attract investments in wind, solar and electric vehicle battery manufacturing.
The parish landed the nation’s first manufacturing facility for EV battery components last year when the Japanese chemical company UBE broke ground on a $491 million facility in Waggaman The facility is expected to create nine permanent jobs when it begins operations in 2027. Though UBE isn’t taking advantage of IRA tax cred-
WELLNESS
boost metabolism and increase alertness.
After a yoga class, they can sit poolside at The Well Cafe and sip organic smoothies.
Nonmembers can buy day passes or drop-in classes that begin at $18. Spyre’s founders said they intentionally keep prices below market rate.
“The wellness industry is very elite, very expensive and very White,” Fisher said. “We’re trying to make this accessible to a wide variety of community members.” A holistic home
The inspiration for Spyre came during a crisis.
Eight years ago, at age 34, Fisher received a breast cancer diagnosis that completely upended her life. In response, she curated a treatment plan that combined traditional medicine with acupuncture, yoga, massage, lymphatic drainage and other holistic therapies.
“Everything you could do, I did,” Fisher said. During the process, she found it hard to coordinate care share information between providers and find a sense of community, so she decided to create her own. Fisher and her sisters — who share her interest in holistic medicine — dreamed up the idea of a wellness hub that would bring many services under one roof. It would serve people dealing with serious health challenges as well as those wanting to embrace healthier living in general.
Illinois-based
its directly, repealing the consumer tax credit for electric vehicles could reduce demand for UBE’s products, Bologna noted.
“We want to do everything we can to protect those industries in Jefferson Parish, so we’re highly supportive of retaining those credits,” Bologna said.
Jefferson Parish is also trying to position itself as a key node for the offshore wind industry Gulf Wind Technology a wind turbine technol-
ogy company, last year partnered with Shell on a $10 million initiative to create a wind power research hub at the Avondale Global Gateway The House bill would give most zero-carbon power plants, including wind and solar a 60-day deadline to start construction, in order to qualify for tax credits.
“Nothing can move that quickly,” said Camille Manning-Broome, president and CEO of the Baton-
The family’s background in real estate helped kick-start the process. The sisters’ father Tom Winingder, moved to New Orleans in the late 1970s and helped develop some of the best-known local real estate projects of the last half century including Canal Place, The Windsor Court and the Jazzland amusement park.
The sisters all have an entrepreneurial streak Peters created and sold a film equipment company in Los Angeles. Fisher co-owns the Tibetan House store and meditation room on Tchoupitoulas Street. And Winingder helped found Sugar Roots Farm, a nonprofit outdoor classroom in Lower Algiers.
Kendall Winingder is a designer at Felicity Property Co., a real estate firm that specializes in historic preservation and urban development chaired by her father Her husband, Patrick Schindler, is the president of the company, which is headquartered across Urania Street from Spyre. Leaning on this real estate acumen, the sisters purchased the former Norwegian Seamen’s Church property in 2019 for an undisclosed sum and began a multimilliondollar renovation that continued
through the pandemic. The project required a zoning change and benefited from historic tax credits due to the building’s age and status as a historic landmark.
“That designation meant we couldn’t change a lot of things, but that’s OK,” Fisher said. “We’ve maximized every inch of the space in a very creative way.”
No bathrobes or Botox
On a recent rainy weekday, the lobby of Spyre was buzzing with activity despite the calm created by the neutral-toned wood floors and ceilings, cream-colored brick walls, and well-placed greenery.
A couple of employees were working at the check-in desk in front of a wall of glass providing a view of the meditation garden and saltwater pool in the courtyard.
Outside, steady rain was falling, but three women were dry under a patio cover as they gathered around a laptop at a cafe table.
Separated by a partition from
Rouge-based Center for Planning Excellence.
‘Full trust’
Of course, tax credits are only one part of the equation when companies decide where to locate factories or energy projects. Many are built to operate for decades, which means that changes in tax credits from one presidential administration to the next aren’t necessarily going to end the investments. And free market advocates argue that the tax credits unfairly pick winners and losers in the economy, which isn’t as efficient as letting consumers and businesses decide.
Still, the credits have scrambled the political calculus around supporting industry
Gov Jeff Landry, an ally of Trump, has touted many of the projects that stand to gain from the IRA tax credits as wins for Louisiana and an example of the state’s “all of the above” approach to energy
In a written statement, Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said it was premature to comment on the budget bill given that it’s only passed the House.
“We are tracking the bill closely, and will continue our work with lo-
the lobby, the church’s former chapel was waiting to host its next exercise class A cart with colorful hand weights stood at the entrance. An ultramodern crystal chandelier hung over the church’s former altar, glowing like a portal to another dimension.
Anyone entering this scene would be forgiven for assuming they were in a luxurious spa straight out of the HBO show “The White Lotus.” But Peters said they would be mistaken.
“It looks so beautiful here, so sometimes people get a little confused and they want a bathrobe and some slippers,” Peters said.
“But you come here to do work.
We’re not doing Botox.”
Instead, she said, Spyre is for people who want to pursue well-being through connections between mental health, physical health and nutrition.
“We all firmly believe in medicine and science,” Peters said.
“But we know this living breathing organism of ourselves is all connected.”
Multiple revenue streams Besides selling memberships and charging a la carte fees to
cal, state and federal partners to bring added investment and jobs to Louisiana,” Bourgeois wrote.
“We have full trust that our federal delegation will represent the best interest of Louisiana’s economy today and in the future.”
Adam Knapp, CEO of Leaders for a Better Louisiana, a statewide economic development group said there’s “near universal agreement” among industry groups and economic development officials that the clean hydrogen tax credit needs to be preserved in some capacity
The tax credit — which provides companies up to $3 per kilogram of clean hydrogen produced — has been a major driver of investments in low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia projects in Louisiana, Knapp said.
But under the House proposal, the credit would only be available for projects that begin construction by the end of 2025. Knapp said it’s unrealistic to expect projects to break ground by the end of the year “You don’t build industrial grade projects in that short of time period,” Knapp said.
Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate.com.
drop-in customers, Spyre generates revenue by renting office space to health and wellness providers, whose private practices are located at the center Currently, about 18 mental health professionals, physical therapists and other practitioners are based on the campus, creating a synergy that benefits the center and the practitioners as well as the clients of each.
“We provide the lobby, but we don’t reschedule an appointment,” Peters said. “We don’t know patients’ personal information.”
Spyre has its own team of about 30 instructors — all independent contractors — who teach yoga, Pilates, high-intensity interval training and meditation.
The center also hosts special events including wellness retreats, weddings and book signings. A comedy show recently used the former church altar as a stage.
The facility partners with hotels in the neighborhood including the Henry Howard Hotel, Hotel Saint Vincent and The Blackbird Hotel — to provide services for guests, including pool passes, with one important caveat:
“We are not a ‘hang out and drink by the pool’ place,” Peters said.
“That’s not our vibe.”
‘Sweet spot’
The sisters said their four-yearold enterprise is in a sweet spot. They make enough money to cover expenses without paying for advertising. And, unlike many New Orleans businesses, Spyre won’t be brutally slow during the summer Some out-of-town guests have even encouraged them to expand or franchise the concept, but that’s not at the top of the to-do list.
“We’re not doing this to get rich off of people’s vulnerabilities in their health journey,” Fisher said. “We’re doing it as an act of love and a gift to our community We want to be a touchstone for people.”
Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
K. Winingder
STAFF FILE
PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
STAFF FILE PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
sisters transformed
modern complex on Prytania Street in New Orleans once housing the Norwegian Seamen’s Church into Spyre, a holistic health center
PROVIDED PHOTO
The former chapel has become a classroom for activities like yoga.
TALKING BUSINESS WITH BEN JOHNSON
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
Grand Rapids, Michigan, has made itself into a blossoming hot spot for the tech industry, with about 40,000 tech jobs in the midsized city Ben Johnson, founder and CEO of Techneaux Technology Services in Lafayette, said there’s no reason why what worked in Grand Rapids can’t be replicated in south Louisiana. Lafayette leaders met with Grand Rapids officials last fall as part of One Acadiana’s Leadership Exchange trip, where they learned how the tech industry blossomed there.
The genesis of Grand Rapids’ tech industry came about a dozen years ago when local leaders joined forces.
“They put together a team and went to Silicon Valley and got in front of a bunch of executives there,” Johnson said. “They said, ‘We have bad ass programmers here at half your cost. If you want to make some better business decisions, come see us.’
“All of a sudden they’re marketing that region as a tech hub. That’s what we can do here, and I think it’s easy for us.” Johnson is now heading up the 15-member Lafayette Regional Technology Council, made up of local tech executives and community leaders, to help develop and retain top talent and attract more companies.
It’s an opportune time do to that with the Meta project to be built in Richland Parish and other large business projects that will require industrial technology jobs, Johnson said. In this week’s edition of Talking Business, Johnson talks about his role with the committee, what the Acadiana region and south Louisiana as a whole can do to improve its tech presence and how his company has grown from his garage to a business with nearly 200 employees and a second office in Midland, Texas.
This interview has been edited for clarity
This group has some big names on it but you were the guy named to serve as the
chairman How did that happen and how do you see your role in this?
The tech council thing has really been fun for me because, for one thing, I’ve been so head down with Techneaux. This is our 16th year now and I was just so focused on getting the business off the ground.
It’s finally off the ground, and so I can start reaching out and doing things in the community That Leadership Exchange was really my first foray into getting out of my comfort zone.
We’re just hearing about what they had done with the tech council (in Grand Rapids), and I was like, this was such a great way to bring the community together It didn’t seem like a huge lift on their part in the beginning. It was really just getting people together to talk.
The tech sector has grown in Lafayette and south Louisiana and gets talked about a lot. What is at the top of your agenda for the industry? The mission statement we’ve
come up with is pretty simple.
It’s really to support and encourage the growth and collaboration of the tech ecosystem in the Lafayette region, and the way that we’re going to do that is through four pillars. It’s collections and knowledge sharing.
That’s going to be like meetups and specific programming around hot topics There will be advocacy That’s making sure policy and things of that nature that we’re all aware of and that we can advocate for this region. Another one is talent and workforce, which has been probably the most talked about portion of this, and that kind of goes hand in hand with the fourth pillar which is the marketing and community outreach.
Let’s talk about the talent and workforce. What the challenge now to retain that talent? Is that the biggest challenge?
Retention seems to be high on the list, but I think that’s anywhere as you go — not just Lafayette — with so many opportunities for people
to work remotely Everyone needs that midlevel to senior level talent. Whenever you’ve built up someone, if they don’t see the opportunity, it’s easy for them to go get work at a Google, Apple or Microsoft. You have to show some value as a company to keep these people around.
UL puts out great talent It’s top notch — the work ethic, the knowledge and they’re coming out prepared. Unfortunately, you still have to have middle-tier individuals and seniors to help those people come along, and that’s where I think we hear the biggest gap is right now is.
How do you address that? Is it a pay issue?
Or a kind of a mentoring deal?
That’s one of the things I’m interested to see. Here at Techneaux, I feel we’ve done a great job with that. There are other companies in the area that are good at retaining talent. Maybe it’s a matter of helping other companies understand what we’ve done in order to
be successful with that and help them implement some of those same practices. We may be competitors in the traditional sense, but there’s so much work these days. We’re really just interested in helping each other out because in the long run it’s going to help out all of us.
You look at what’s going on in Louisiana right now — you’re bringing in Meta, you’ve got a huge LNG plant in Lake Charles, you’ve got Hyundai coming in — there’s going to be work for a ton of people.
Why did you take this assignment on? Your company just moved into its new office in Lafayette in the former Fontana Fitness Center and is growing Why take on this role? I had to do some soul searching. I didn’t get into business to be a businessman. I’m a computer nerd. I like doing programming. So I had to really think about, why am I doing this?
It speaks back to the mission statement which was really personal for me here: We help customers succeed, we help each other succeed and we help Techneaux succeed.
Those two key words were “help” and “succeed,” and that’s always been something for me. I want to help people. I’d like to help people outside of Techneaux. If I can help other businesses put people over profit, that’s a huge win. If everyone in this industry start pulling together, what can the region and the state be in the next five to 10 years?
I loved the term Silicon Bayou that people were trying to push back in the day, because I think it really can be similar to a Silicon Valley
We’ve got the people, we’ve got the talent and we’ve got the innovation and creativity It’s kind of limitless on what we can do here. I think right now we’re kind of limited by the way we’ve chosen to run our businesses, but hopefully we can change that.
We’re going for opportunities with Meta, with these huge LNG plants and with Hyundai. It’s there for the taking.
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.
BeyondtheHeadlines
As oneofthe largest lawfirmsinLouisiana,Jones Walker LLPishonored to partnerwith TheTimes-Picayune |New Orleanstosupport theexpandedbusinesssection.
This in-depth reportingwillexplore what businesses aredoing to achievetheir goals, avertthreats, addressopportunities,and advancetheir business objectives.Welook forwardtothe thought leadership andconversationthissection will inspire. Since1937, our firmhas been committed to workingwithcommunityleaders to developbusiness opportunitiesacrossthe state. We aresteadfast in continuing our dedicationtogobeyondinadvising clientsand supportinginitiatives andorganizations that make Louisiana abetterplace to live andwork
William H. Hines,ManagingPartner bhines@joneswalker.com 504.582.8000 201St. CharlesAvenue NewOrleans,LA70170-5100
|TEXAS
5tipsfor afun summer withoutbag fees
financial expectations.
Fool’sTake: An oily investment
Michelle Singletary
THE COLOR OF MONEy
Picture this: Your tan lines have faded, the tchotchkes you purchased have already gathered dust, but one thing sticks around after vacation —acredit card balance that hurts like abad sunburn. That’s the reality when summer fun morphs into reckless spending on the road.
According to asurvey by Bankrate, 29% of Americans planning to travel this summer said they will take on debt. People will pay for that fun in the sun by accumulating debt on credit cards they can’tpay off right away.Others might use buy-now-pay-later plans, borrow from family or friends, or take out apersonal loan.
Perhaps you’re saying to yourself: “That’snot me because I’ve saved up to trot around the globe.”
While seemingly responsible, this approach can mask deeper financial vulnerabilities. I’m not going to applaud you for shelling out cash for acruise if you’re drowning in credit card debt, allowing the interest to balloon. Or you haven’t met such crucial long-term goals as retirement savings or your children’sfuture education.
But let’sassume you’re among the fortunate who can vacation without financial worries —your credit cards are paid in full each month, and your emergency fund offers agood safety net. Even then, the allureof the “treat yourself” mentality on holiday can lead to post-trip regrets. Here are some strategies to help you return home with memories, not financial remorse.
1. Plan astaycation
If you vacation in your backyard, you won’tbe
alone.Inthe Bankratesurvey, amajority of nontravelers said they can’t afford to go awaybecauseitcosts too muchorbecauseeveryday life expensesare toohigh. OK, so staying home it is. Astaycation doesn’thave to meansentencingyourself to aweekofhousehold chores Here’show to get into vacationmode:
n Resist the temptation to gettothatto-do list Treat your staycation like agenuine getaway.Imean it. Don’tguilt-trip yourself (pun intended) into doing mundane tasks. Relax and binge-watchsomething.
n Don’t tell people you’re staying home.Act as though you’re gone by refraining from obligations with friends and family —unless they’re part of your vacation-at-home plans.
n Plan your dayjust as youwould if you were on a trip. Create adaily itinerary of thingsyou wanttodo aroundtown.Check the local tourism bureau website for activity recommendations gearedtoward out-oftowners. Take alocal kayak trip or enjoy anearby lake or park
n Don’t get so zealous with your local plans thatyou overspendonyour staycation. Search for free events, concerts, movies or other things you can do on the cheap. If you live in abig city,various tourist attractions can still bustyour budget. Your missionfor your staycationifyou’reindebt or yoursavingsaccountis depletedistospend as little money aspossible.
2. Avoidthe debt trap Want to jetawaytoJamaica?Noproblem. Youcould buy that plane ticketnow and book your hotel room and pay later. BNPL credit dealsallow consumerstosplit the payments forthe purchases, typically into four interestfree installments. Fees may kick in only if payments are made late
The ease of these deals can createthe illusion of affordability. Fourinterestfree installmentssound harmless, right?
But those installments can turn into afinancial albatross if youcan’tmake those paymentsontime or aretempted to load up on moreBNPL loans.Becareful or thatdream vacation might just become adebt nightmare.
3. Leavethe leechesbehind Youmay love them, but freeloading family or friends can be frustrating.
Iaskedreaderstodish on their vacation-sharing regrets afew yearsback.
One reader had to fork over a$150 fee when guests didn’tproperly clean their side of atimeshare villa.
“Wedidn’task for any money towardthe timeshare,asitwould have cost the same with one family or twofamilies staying,” the reader wrote. “Weshared food costs just fine.Ijust never understood why they thought it was OK for us to clean up theirmesswhen we wereboth on vacation.”
Here’sa cautionarytale from the subreddit forum r/ EntitledPeople: “I covered the Airbnb,gas, groceries, and even two dinnersout all becauseeveryone said ‘we’ll pay you back when we get home.’ Not asingle one of themhas paid me back. When Ibrought it up, one friend said: ‘You seemed cool withitatthe time.’
Like, Iwas happy to spend $5,000 while everyone else lived rent-free? Now they’re acting weird, saying I’m ‘being dramatic’ about money.”
The mostimportant tip about sharing avacation withothers is to get your money up front.Like, for real. Otherwise, your budget-friendly trip could end up costing you morethan you plan.
Be very clear about all costs. Before making any travel arrangements, setup aformal meeting to discuss
By Amanda McElfresh
amcelfresh@theadvocate.com
Thisarticle is broughtto youbythe Louisiana CommercialFishing Coalition LLC
Along Louisiana’sworking coastlines asmall silver fish powers avastnetwork of food, health, and agriculture. Knownas menhaden,sometimes called pogies,this humble species forms the backbone of one of our state’s most valuable and least understood commercial fisheries.But the story doesn’t end at the water’sedge. Once caughtand refined, menhaden support industries acrossthe U.S. and aroundthe world—from aquacultureand petfood to livestock feed and dietary supplements Each year,Louisiana’s menhaden industry generatesmorethan $419 million in economic output and supports over 2,000 jobsacross32parishes.Its reach extends farbeyond the dock, anchoring avalue chain critical to national food systems and Louisiana’scoastal communities
Harvesting aRenewable Resource Louisiana is home to themenhaden fishery—one of themost productiveand sustainably managedfisheriesinthe world
Lessthan 2% of the Gulf’s menhaden biomass is harvested each year under sciencebased management, innovativetechnology, and strict adherence to state and federal regulations.The MarineStewardship Council(MSC) certifies the fishery forits responsible practices,and the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission confirms thatpopulations arehealthy and growing. Abundant, fast-growing, and naturally renewable,menhaden areanideal sustainable resource.
For those booking atimeshare:When you check in, have the people vacationing withyou alsoput up acredit card. If they’re in aseparate villa, even if it’s in your name, do the same thing.
As thevacation comes to an end, get thebill theday before checkout and divvy up any charges
4. Pack like apro
With Southwest Airlines joining other carriers in charging for checked bags, now is agood timetoconsiderthe benefits of packing lighter.Doyou really need a different outfit every day?
I’m very close to being able to travel withjusta carry-on. I’ve been practicing and getting pretty good at editing out all the stuffI think Idon’tneed.
Keep in mind: Traveling light makes navigating around flight cancellations a lot less stressful.
5. Don’tfallfor free stuff
Bargain hunters sometimes get sweet-talked into timesharepromotions because of the freebies offered. Be wary.
Iloved this storyfroma colleague: “My husband and Iunintentionally got roped into one of thosetimeshare presentations on our honeymoon, but we got out of it because he happened to lose his driver’slicense thatday So one inconvenient situationsaved us from an even worse one!”
My husband and Inow have apolicy of refusing goodies —whether agift card, free amusement park tickets or adiscounted restaurant meal —ifit means being trapped by a timesharesalesperson for severalhours.
Sure, you might save some money,but at the expense of something you can’tbuy —time.
Email Michelle Singletary at michelle.singletary@ washpost.com
Twocompanies—Westbank Fishing and Ocean Harvesters—operate fleetsout of Empire, LA and Abbeville, LA. Their vessels useadvanced netting technologytominimize bycatchand ensuresafe, efficient harvests
Once landed, the fish go to local processing plants to become twoprimary products: fishmeal and fish oil Processing for U.S. and Global Markets
During theproduction process,menhaden arecooked, pressed, dried, and ground into high-protein meal,whilethe extracted oils are filtered and refined. Nothingiswasted. The processisdesigned formaximum efficiency and minimal environmental impact,aligning withcircular economyprinciples that prioritizefull resource utilization. Theseproductsare rich in omega-3s protein, and essential nutrients,making them ideal ingredients foraquaculturefeed, pet food, and nutritional supplements. Most product stays in theU.S.tosupport domestic industries,with the balance exported to meet global demand forhigh-quality, sustainable feed ingredients
Fueling Aquacultureand Food Security
As global demandfor seafood continues to rise, aquaculturenow represents more than half of the world’ssupply. Remarkably efficient, fishcan gain one kilogram (about 2.2 pounds) of body masswith just one kilogram of feed—makingaquacultureone of themost effectivemethods of protein production.
Amajor useofmenhaden-derived fishmeal and oil is in aquaculture. These marine ingredients areessential to thediets of farmraised species such as salmon and seabass, supporting optimal growth andoverall health. Menhaden fishmeal andoil arealsousedin products likeartificial crawfish bait and feed
Oil prices have slumped this year,due to both demand concerns and increased supply.Some producers are better positioned to weather lower oil prices than others.
ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) is in that group, and it’sacompelling oil stock in this current market environment.
ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance discussed that market environment on the company’srecent first-quarter earnings conference call. He stated, “The ultimate depth and duration of this current price environment remains unclear.” However,he noted that “ConocoPhillips is built for this, with clear competitive advantages.”
ConocoPhillips has a disciplined capital allocation strategy that it says is “battle-tested through the cycles.” It recently showcased this discipline by reducing its guidance for capital spending by $500 millionand for operating costs by $200 millioninresponse to lower oil prices. Despite cutting spending, the company maintained its production guidance: It’sdelivering the same oil and gas volumes for less money
ConocoPhillips is also adividend payer,with a recent dividend yield of 3.7%. The company has solid growth prospects, and its combination of cyclical and noncyclical characteristics makes it apromising oil stock to buy and hold for the long term.
Fool’sSchool: Micro, macroeconomics
One of the first things economics students learn is the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics. It’sa valuable distinction for all of us
to understand —not just economists. By learning about these fields, you can better understand factors that affect countries and businesses, and those can also help inform your investment decisions. Here’s abrief look at the terms. Macroeconomics focuses on how the overall economy works, on aregional, national or global level. It looks at the relationships between factors such as inflation, employment rates, gross domestic product, price levels, monetary policy —often trying to determine whatwill boost economic growth. Other concerns within the field include business cycles, national debt, interest rates and international trade. Microeconomics takes anarrower view,studying how individuals and companies act and react. It considers factors such as supply and demand, labor markets, costs of production, price elasticity (how flexible consumers are about whatthey’re willing to pay) and competitive advantages. The field studies the behavior of buyers and sellers, observing or predicting the results of various actions, such as the lowering of prices or the raising of wages.
Competition is aparticularly important topic to understand, as the most successful companies often have sustainable competitive advantages. Examples include astrong brand (think Coca-Cola or Disney), economies of scale (Walmart or Amazon), barriers to entry (Boeing) and switching costs (think of Apple and how muchofa hassle it would be to switch to another technology ecosystem).
The microeconomic concepts of monopoly and oligopoly (when amarket is controlled by just afew companies) are also important: Abusiness that’s anear-monopoly has alot more freedom to raise prices, while companies in competitive industries don’t.
Connecting Louisiana to the World Louisiana’smenhaden fishery is amodel forhow local, sustainable industries can support national food systems whilefueling global supply chains.Fromfeeding fishand pets and supporting exports,thiscentury-old fishery continues to evolve—proving that when managed responsibly, asmall fishcan makeabig impact As regulators and lawmakersconsider futurepolicy,it’scriticaltorecognizethe broad benefitsofthisworking fishery.It’snot just about what happensoffshore, it’s about howLouisiana’sfishing heritagehelpsfeed the country and the world From Gulf to Global
forcatfishfingerlings raised on farms across the southern United States.
PetNutrition and Agriculture
Menhadenplays agrowing role in pet nutrition. Premium U.S. pet food brands rely on menhaden fishmealand oilfor its highlevelsofDHA andEPA—types of omega-3 fattyacids that arenutrients thatsupport jointhealth,coatcondition, and brain developmentindogsand cats In acompetitiveglobal market,Louisiana menhaden provides premium and sustainable ingredients to U.S. pet food manufacturers, therebyreducing theindustry’s reliance on imports In agriculture, menhadenfishmeal and oil serveasa protein-and nutrient-rich feed supplementfor U.S. livestock such as pigs, chickensand even horses.Louisiana Menhadenisahighly sustainable resource that plays acritical role in U.S. and global food security.
AGlobalImpact with Local Roots
While menhaden products reach customersindozens of countries,the biggest impact is felt hereathome. Their economicimpact starts in Louisiana.In 2023alone, Westbank Fishing and Daybrook Fisheries deliveredmorethan $36.5 million in employeecompensation—supporting hundreds of jobs in southern Plaquemines Parish, one of the state’s most economically vulnerable regions.In2023, OmegaProtein and itsfishing partner Ocean Harvesters provided an additional $23million in payroll and benefitsinrural Vermilion Parish, locatedinthe heart of Louisiana’s Cajun Country.Manyemployees come from multigenerational fishing families,and most arepeople of color—underscoring the industry’s role in providing inclusive,livingwage employment. By keeping processing local, companies ensurethatthe economicvalue stays in Louisiana
Motley Fool
One of La.’s fastest-growing energy firms expanding north
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
ENFRA, the Metairie-based energy services firm formerly known as Bernhard, announced Tuesday it has acquired River Mechanical Services, a Philadelphiabased provider of heating, cooling and plumbing services.
Founded in 1997, River Mechanical specializes in heating, ventilation and air conditioning; plumbing repair and installation; and maintenance of other systems
The company has a portfolio of customers in local commercial real estate, health care, higher education and hospitality markets
The deal marks the first entry into the Northeast for one of the fastest-growing energy companies in Louisiana. ENFRA, which has 25 offices nationwide and roughly 2,400 employees, provides engineering, construction, maintenance and asset management services in the health care, higher education and IT sectors
Philip Catanzaro, ENFRA’s chief operating officer, said the acquisition of River Mechanical expands the company’s national footprint and provides an entry to another major urban market.
New model
ENFRA traces its roots to 1919, when first-generation GermanAmerican William Bernhard founded Bernhard Plumbing
On June 2, Metairie-based ENFRA, which traces its roots to 1919 as a plumbing and sheet metal company, announced the acquisition of Philadelphia company River Mechanical Services.
and Sheet Metal Works in Baton Rouge. Over the years, Bernhard Plumbing grew steadily But its trajectory really took off when Bernhard Capital Partners — the private equity firm created in 2013 by Jim Bernhard, William Bern-
hard’s grandson — took over the company, merged it with several others and recreated it into an energy powerhouse known simply as Bernhard.
In 2019, the firm relocated from Baton Rouge to New Orleans In
PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
2021, it was acquired by a Dutch private equity firm, DIF Capital Partners. Earlier this spring, it rebranded as ENFRA.
Last year, Bernhard Capital Partners agreed to purchase the natural gas systems of Entergy Louisiana and Entergy New Orleans for $484 million.
In recent decades, the firm has embraced the “Energy as a Service” business model, which means customers pay a recurring fee to a third party rather than investing in energy infrastructure themselves. The owners of an office building might contract an Energy as a Service provider to install and maintain solar panels or heating and cooling systems, for instance.
The business model has become more popular over the last 15 years, powered by innovations like smart grids, which use digital technology to improve energy production and distribution.
Rob Guthrie became ENFRA’s CEO in 2024
The company’s new name, which took effect in May, is a portmanteau of “energy” and “infrastructure,” signifying the company’s focus on the national Energy as a Service market.
March interview “Today we’re a market leader in Energy as a Service with a coast-to-coast presence. It’s rare that a business as old as ours would undergo that significant of a transformation in such a relatively short period of time.”
Industry tracker Grandview Research estimates the Energy as a Service market in the U.S was worth about $25 billion in 2024. Growjo, which tracks fast-growing private equity-owned companies, estimates ENFRA’s revenue last year at just over $790 million. There are challenges and opportunities ahead: Tax credits for renewable energy battery storage and energy efficiency upgrades from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act have been a boon to business, but they are in doubt under the Trump administration Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, will bring more changes to the industry potentially improving energy efficiency for universities, municipalities, hospitals and other big entities.
ENFRA has long-term contracts with Tulane University, LSU, the Jefferson Parish government, the University of Arkansas, LCMC Health Ochsner and the University of New Orleans.
“Ten years ago, we were a very solid, traditional engineering and construction business that had an unproven idea,” Guthrie said in a
Email Rich Collins at rich. collins@theadvocate.com.
New Orleans
Four attorneys have joined Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn Trevor C. Davies and Michael Ballero are partners. Shannon O. Harrison is of counsel.
Gregory J Sauzer is an associate.
Baton Rouge
Four new providers have joined Ochsner Baton Rouge
Dr Emilio Fabian Corona, a pulmonology and critical care medicine specialist, has joined Ochsner Health Center- Prairieville.
He earned a medical degree from Universidad Iberoamericana and completed a residency in internal medicine at Trinitas Regional Medical Center, Rutgers-New Jersey School of Medicine. Corona completed a fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at Albany Medical Center
Adrienne Cesar is a family nurse practitioner now located at Ochsner Medical Complex-The Grove.
Cesar previously worked as a certified critical care registered nurse, specializing in trauma and neurologi-
cal critical care. She also has experience in intensive care units, including women’s health, burn, surgery and critical care units.
She earned a bachelor’s in nursing from Southern University and a master’s in nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University
Dr Gregory Tobin now practices radiology at Ochsner Medical Complex-The Grove with a special interest in musculoskeletal radiology
He earned a medical degree from LSU Shreveport, where he also completed
an internship in internal medicine and a residency in diagnostic radiology Tobin completed a fellowship in musculoskeletal radiology at University Medical Center through the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans.
Dr Jayendra “Jay” Patel, a psychiatrist, has joined Ochsner Medical Complex-The Grove.
He earned a medical degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda and completed a residency in psychiatry at Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Harvard Medical School.
Decadesof Dedication.
To protecting theemployees who’ve poweredour success since1939.
To an honest, respectful culture built on doingthe rightthing.
To careersthatlast —some spanning more than 30 years.
To competitivebenefits that support health,family, andyourfuture.
Corona Guthrie
Davies
Tobin
Harrison
Cesar Ballero
Patel Sauzer
PROVIDED PHOTO
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Step inside& fall in love w/ this 5Bd, 4Ba, 4,767Sfclassic home Lrgden w/ new carpet ¢erwallfrplc flankedbybuiltins; bright kitw/large island,granite counters,SSappls, lre pantry &beautiful Cyan lightfixtures. Thebackyardisa private sanctuaryw/lushlandscaping,cov’d patio&lrg crtydleading out to thelovelyfountain. So much moretosee &appreciate! GayleSisk504-236-6544 LATTER &BLUM|COMPASS •Mandeville 985-626-5695
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PUBLIC NOTICE TheOrleans Public De‐fenders(OPD) FY 2026 proposed budget will be availablefor public in‐spection on June 9- 10, 2025, at www.opdla.org or at OPDoffice,2601 Tu‐lane Ave, Suite700, New Orleans, LA 70119. 142473-may26-jun10 $104.20
ATTORNEY DISCIPLINE
Timothy A. Meche,ofNew Orleans, has been suspended 60 days, all deferred by Order of the Louisiana Supreme Court on April29, 2025. JUDGMENT FINALand EFFECTIVE on May 14, 2025. Gist: Respondent failed to cooperate with the ODC in two disciplinary investigations.
144231-504375-JUN 8-1T
$240
Notice
Notice is hereby given, pursuant to Article IV,Section 21(D)(1) of the Louisiana Constitution, that on May30, 2025, Entergy Louisiana, LLC (“ELL”), apublic utility providing retail electric and gas service throughout the State of Louisiana, filedwith the Louisiana Public Service Commission (“LPSC”) its Formula RatePlan (“FRP”)Rider Schedule FRPEvaluation Report and Workpapers for Test Year 2024. The filing reflects an earned returnoncommon equity (“EROE”) for the 2024 Evaluation Period/Test Year of 9.98%, which is within the approved FRP dead band. Other changes in FRP Revenue driven by increases in the amount of MISO and tax-related credits, additions to Transmission and Distribution plant in service reflected through the Transmission Recovery Mechanism (“TRM”) and Distribution Recovery Mechanism (“DRM”) as well as aone-time credit for Test Year 2024 earnings above the midpoint of the FRP bandwidthresult in adecrease to FRP revenues of approximately $189
Application (which
of
for
&Verification
andaproposed
in Year 1ofthe term of the ProposedDRPrograms, an estimated increase of $0.19 per month for aresidential customer thatreceives 1,000 kWh of electric service per month, with an annualized typical monthly bill for such acustomerincreasing from $143.21
LOUISIANA
after beinggiven afollow-updose of an experimentalgene editing treatment in AprilatChildren’sHospital
Philadelphia.
FIRSTSTEP
BY LAURAUNGAR AP sciencewriter
Ababy born with arare anddangerous genetic disease is growing and thriving after getting an experimental gene editing treatment made justfor him.
Researchers described the case in a new study,saying he’s among the first to be successfully treated with acustom therapy that seeksto fix atiny but critical error in his genetic code that kills half of affected infants. Though it may be awhile before similar personalized treatments are available for
others, doctors hope the technologycan someday help themillions left behind even as genetic medicine has advanced becausetheir conditions are so rare.
“This is the first step towardsthe use of gene editing therapies to treat awide variety of rare genetic disorders forwhich thereare currentlyno definitive medical treatments,” said Dr.Kiran Musunuru, aUniversityof Pennsylvania gene editing expert who co-authored the study published last month in the New England Journalof Medicine.
The baby,KJMuldoon, of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, is one of 350
Parasite
BY BILLSULLIVAN, INDIANA UNIVERSITY
TheConversation
Male fertility rates have been plummeting over the past halfcentury.Ananalysisfrom 1992 noted asteady decreasein sperm counts and quality since the1940s. Amore recent study found that male infertility rates increased nearly 80% from 1990 to 2019. The reasons driving this trend remain amystery,but frequently cited culprits include obesity,poor diet and environmental toxins
Infectious diseases such as gonorrhea or chlamydia are often overlooked factors that affect fertility in men.
Accumulating evidence suggests that acommon single-celled parasitecalled toxoplasma gondii may also be acontributor: An April study showed for thefirst time that “humanspermlose their heads upon direct contact” with theparasite. Iamamicrobiologist, and my lab studies toxoplasma. This new study bolsters emerging findings that underscore theimportance of
Scientists saygeneediting treatment that helped adesperately illbaby thrive couldsomeday treatmillions
million people worldwide withrare diseases, most of which are genetic. He was diagnosed shortly after birth with severe CPS1 deficiency,estimated by some experts to affect around one in amillion babies. Those infants lack an enzyme needed to helpremoveammonia from the body,soitcan build up in their blood and becometoxic. Aliver transplant is an option for some.
Knowing KJ’sodds, parents Kyle and NicoleMuldoon,both 34, worried they could lose him.
“Wewere, like, you know,weighing all the options, asking all the questions for either theliver transplant, which
is invasive,orsomething that’snever been done before,” Nicole said. “Weprayed, we talked to people, we gathered information, andweeventually decidedthatthiswas theway we were going to go,” her husband added. Within six months, the team at Children’sHospital of Philadelphia and PennMedicine,along withtheir partners, created atherapy designed to correct KJ’sfaulty gene. Theyused CRISPR, the gene editing tool that won its inventors the NobelPrize in 2020. Insteadofcutting theDNA strandlike the
ä See BABY, page 2X
preventing this parasitic infection
Infected cats defecate toxoplasma eggs intothe litter box, garden or other places in theenvironment where they can be picked up by humansorother animals.
Water,shellfish andunwashed fruits and vegetables can also harbor infectious parasiteeggs. In addition to eggs, tissue cysts present in the meat of warm-blooded animals can spread toxoplasmosisaswell if they are not destroyed by cooking toproper temperature. While most hosts of theparasite can control theinitialinfection
with few if any symptoms, toxoplasma remains in the body for life as dormant cysts in brain, heart and muscle tissue. These cysts can reactivate and cause additional episodes of severe illness that damage critical organ systems. Between 30% and 50% of the world’spopulation is permanently infected withtoxoplasmadue to the many ways the parasite can spread.
Upon infection, toxoplasma spreads to virtually every organ and skeletal muscle. Evidence that
toxoplasmacan also target human male reproductive organs first surfaced during the height of the AIDS pandemic in the 1980s, when some patients presented with the parasitic infection in their testes. While immunocompromised patients are mostatrisk fortesticular toxoplasmosis, it can also occur in otherwise healthy individuals. Imaging studies of infected mice confirm that toxoplasma parasites quickly travel to the testes in additiontothe brainand eyes within
ä See PARASITE, page 3X
Experienced Cancer Care
PROVIDED PHOTO By CHLOE DAWSON/CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA KJ Muldoon, of Clifton Heights, Pa., is held by adoctor
HEALTH MAKER
Shreveport dad learned to walk again after rare diagnosis
BY MARGARET DELANEY Staff writer
One day in November 2011, Shane Sumlin started to feel his legs go weak. The next morning, he was paralyzed from the neck down. Sumlin was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare neurological disease where the body mistakenly attacks the nervous system, not long after he lost feeling in his legs. He spent the next three years learning how to walk again at LSU Health Science Center’s physical therapy program in Shreveport 15 minutes from where Sumlin and his family live.
As of 2024, there are 60,000 cases in the United States of GuillainBarré or some variant of the condition every year, with a little over 85 new cases each year in Louisiana. Some cases of Guillain-Barré are recurring, some start in the eyes and some patients gain back their strength within months.
Symptoms of GBS come on quickly like in Sumlin’s case, with feelings of muscle weakness, blurry eyes, imbalance and clumsiness and more, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Sumlin continues his work as a financial adviser in Shreveport, as he has for 25 years even through his diagnosis. He worked as a liaison for the GBS Foundation International for ten years, answering questions and sharing his experience with countless GBS patients around the world.
In 2017, Sumlin was elected to the board of directors for the GBS Foundation International where he works with patients, politicians, advocacy groups and community members to raise awareness and support for people and families dealing with this rare disease.
Tell me about your journey with GBS
When I was 41, I woke up one morning and my legs just didn’t feel quite right. They felt weak I didn’t think much about it I worked in the yard. I went to work. But, as the day went on, it got worse and worse. By the end of the day, I had a hard time turning the lamps off in my office. We went back home, and I fell one time. It wasn’t a bad fall, but I just knew I was losing muscles in my legs.
We called my mom’s husband, who lives in Odessa, Texas. He’s a physician.
I told him, “I don’t feel bad My strength is being zapped.” And he said, “Shane, we just had a case out here in West Texas called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.”
When I woke up the next morning, I was completely paralyzed
BABY
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first CRISPR approaches, doctors employed a technique that flips the mutated DNA “letter” also known as a base — to the correct type. Known as “base editing,” it reduces the risk of unintended genetic changes.
It’s “very exciting” that the team created the therapy so quickly, said gene therapy researcher Senthil Bhoopalan at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, who wasn’t involved in the study “This really sets the pace and the benchmark for such approaches.”
In February KJ got his first IV infusion with the gene editing therapy, delivered through tiny fatty droplets called lipid nanoparticles that are taken up by liver cells.
While the room was abuzz with excitement that day, “he slept through the entire thing,” recalled study author Dr Rebecca AhrensNicklas, a gene therapy expert at CHOP
After follow-up doses in March and April, KJ has been able to eat more normally and has recovered well from illnesses like colds, which can strain the body and exacerbate symptoms of CPS1. The 9½-month old also takes less medication.
Considering his poor prognosis earlier, “any time we see even the smallest milestone that he’s meeting — like a little wave or rolling over that’s a big moment for us,” his mother said. Still, researchers caution that it’s only been a few months. They’ll need to watch him for years.
“We’re still very much in the early stages of understanding what this medication may have done for KJ,” Ahrens-Nicklas said. “But every day, he’s showing us signs that
from the neck down. I could not move at all.
I spent 77 days in the hospital, mostly in a rehab hospital. I really did not show any improvement.
The day before they discharged me, they wanted to send me to a nursing home because they said I’m just not going to get any better I still couldn’t touch my face after all these months
My wife said, “No, I want to take him home.”
In May of 2012, I got into LSU Health Science Center School of Allied Health in Shreveport.
I was very blessed to have a lady there who not only was a doctorate in physical therapy, but also had a background in neuro and had seen a few cases like mine.
She said, “I want to get my hands on him.”
We spent the next three years together
She taught me how to crawl on my hands and knees, just like a baby I crawled for about nine months. I couldn’t do hardly anything at first, but after nine months, I was able to make a lap around the track.
The first year after my diagnosis, I was still in a wheelchair, not even close to being able to come out. At months 15 or 16, my nerves started regenerating a little bit in my legs. At 18 months, I was taking some steps with people holding on to me. I worked my way into leg braces in the second year and then walking with a cane after about two and a half years. It took me three years to learn how to walk again on my own.
What do you tell patients with a similar diagnosis?
Most of the calls that I get are
he’s growing and thriving.” Researchers hope what they learn from KJ will help other rare disease patients. Gene therapies, which can be extremely expensive to develop, generally target more common disorders in part for simple financial reasons: more patients mean potentially more sales, which can help pay the development costs and generate more profit. The first CRISPR therapy approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration for example treats sickle cell disease, a painful blood disorder affecting millions worldwide.
Musunuru said his team’s work — funded in part by the National Institutes of Health showed that creating a custom treatment doesn’t have to be prohibitively expensive. The cost was “not far off” from the $800,000-plus for an average liver transplant and related care, he said.
people who want to talk to a non health care person who has lived the illness. I’ve laid there on my back for a year I completely understand them and what they are going through. I believe the number one need that people have is connection, and the second is hope. It’s most important for me to let them know they are not alone.
You may read things on the internet. You may hear good outcomes, bad outcomes. You may be told one thing by a physical therapist and another by a doctor But, if you want to talk to somebody that has actually lived it and had to miss work for six months and have a wife take complete care of you, I’m here for them.
That that has really given our family a lot of mission and purpose around the illness.
Tell me about the men’s mental health chats.
One thing I definitely missed during my journey with GBS, that I figured out about five years ago, is the mental struggle and the emotional trauma that came with my life being completely turned around. I was always so focused on learning how to walk. As a guy in Louisiana, the mental struggles are not something that you talk a lot about. I felt myself just carrying anxiety and stress.
In the past year, I’ve started hosting a Men’s Coffee Chat. Basically it’s a video call through the GBS Foundation where we get 20 to 25 men on together online and we just talk about the struggles all of us have. A lot of us need help with walking. About 75% of people with GBS have some type of pain or interferences with their daily life.
It’s frustrating in a lot of ways. I think as guys, we just need a group to lean on. I told my story in one of these chats, and then we all started talking. I made a connection with the guy in San Antonio. Although it’s rare, there are over 60,000 in the country who are diagnosed with this rare disease. That’s a lot of people. We’re just trying to raise awareness of it, especially all the way from New Orleans up here to Shreveport. One of the things I’m advocating for is to try to get better help to our community For those who are in the rural areas and in Louisiana, that’s difficult. We work on educating hospitals on how to recognize what Guillain-Barré is. Was there anything besides family, community that you turned to during your recovery?
In the first 24 months, I focused every bit of my energy on the actual physical therapy I would try to leave it all in the room, work as hard as I could, more than I was expected to, be willing to fail, not
set any goals. I felt like it was good to put things in my head that were positive and good. There’s not a lot of books out there on Guillain-Barré, so in my case, I leaned on my faith. I leaned heavily into my faith daily, and it helped me get through.
A lot a lot of good, neat things can come out of a diagnosis if you take care of the physical side and the emotional health, which was a mess for me in the beginning. I was blessed to have a medical center so close, and that they had a School of Allied Health in Shreveport with physical therapy students. They used me as a teaching tool to the physical therapy students for years. The cool thing about that is now my daughter is starting her third year in PT school, helping patients on the same track where I learned how to crawl.
Email Margaret DeLaney at margaret.delaney@theadvocate. com.
“As we get better and better at making these therapies and shorten the time frame even more, economies of scale will kick in and I would expect the costs to come down,” Musunuru said. Scientists also won’t have to redo all the initial work every time they create a customized therapy, Bhoo-
palan said, so this research “sets the stage” for treating other rare conditions.
Carlos Moraes a neurology professor at the University of Miami who wasn’t involved with the study, said research like this opens the door to more advances.
“Once someone comes with a
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU
The Louisiana Health section is focused on providing in-depth, personal accounts of health in the state.This section looks at medical innovations, health discoveries, state and national health statistics and re-examining tried and true methods on ways to live well.
breakthrough like this, it will take no time” for other teams to apply the lessons and move forward, he said. “There are barriers, but I predict that they are going to be crossed in the next five to 10 years. Then the whole field will move as a block because we’re pretty much ready.”
Health editions will also profile people who are advancing health for the state of Louisiana. Do you have a health story? We want to hear from you.
Email margaret.delaney@theadvocate.com to submit health questions, stories and more.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Shane Sumlin and his daughter crawl around the track at LSU Health Science Center for Allied Health in Shreveport.
Shane Sumlin stands with his family at the LSU Health Science Center School of Allied Health in Shreveport. Sumlin has been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
PROVIDED PHOTOS By CHLOE DAWSON/CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA
KJ Muldoon sits with his parents, Kyle and Nicole Muldoon, and his siblings after a follow-up dose of an experimental gene editing treatment in April at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Doctors Kiran Musunuru, left, and Rebecca Ahrens-Nicklas, right, stand with their patient, KJ Muldoon.
Eat Fit LiveFit
SScoop smarter: Using less sugartomakeice cream that’sjustassweet
liding open afreezer door in the ice cream aisle at the grocerystore, Iwas disappointed to realize that nearlyevery carton packsabout 20 grams of added sugarina modest half cup serving. That’s five teaspoons, and afull day’s worthofadded sugarfor many of us. Sweet news forflavor and texture, perhaps, butnot so good for our insulin and energy levels.
LOUISIANARANKS 26TH FORMENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERSINTHE U.S.
According to the NationalInstitutes of Mental Health, more than 1in5 Americans experienced a mental illness in 2022.
An analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only 26.8% of mental health care needs were met in 2024,and more than 122 million Americans were living in areas with a shortageofmental health care professionals.
The averagenumber of mental health providers in Louisiana is 332.4 per 100,000 people.That’sjust belowthe national average with 344.9mental health providers per 100,000people in the U.S.,according to America’sHealth Rankings based on 2024 data.
Louisiana ranks 26th in the nation for thenumber of mental health providers per 100,000 people. Massachusetts took the topspot with 791.5 mental health providers per 100,000 people, and Alabama had the least with 152.2 mental health providers per 100,000 people.
Mental health providers, in this 2025 parish datafrom U.S. County Health Rankings andRoadmaps, include psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, counselors, marriageand family therapists andadvanced practice nurses specializing in
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days of infection. In 2017,mycolleagues and Ifound that toxoplasma can also form cysts in mouse prostates.Researchers have also observedthese parasites in the ejaculate of manyanimals, including human semen, raising the possibility of sexual transmission.
Knowing that toxoplasma can reside in male reproductive organs has prompted analyses of fertilityin infected men. Asmall 2021 studyinPragueof163 men infected with toxoplasma found that over86% had semen anomalies.
A2002 study in China
mental healthcareasofSeptember 2024.
Theparishes with themostmentalhealth providers per 100,000 people include, in descending order:
n Madison Parish with876 per 100,000, n Caddo Parishwith785 per 100,000, n Orleans Parish with680 per 100,000, n Concordia Parish with622 per 100,000, n Richland Parish with619 per 100,000, n Rapides Parish with589 per 100,000, n Ouachita Parish with551 per 100,000, n East Carroll with527 per 100,000, n East Baton RougeParish with475 per 100,000, n Lincoln Parish with465 per 100,000.
Theparishes with theleast mental health providers per 100,000 people include, in ascending order: n Cameron Parish with21per 100,000, n Assumption Parish with35per 100,000, n Catahoula Parish with48per 100,000, n Vermillion Parish with58per 100,000, n West Carroll Parish with64per 100,000, n Winn Parish with68per 100,000, n Grant Parish with78per 100,000, n Evangeline and Beauregardparisheswith 79 per 100,000, n St. James Parish with83per 100,000.
found that infertile couples are more likely to have a toxoplasmainfection than fertile couples, 34.83% versus12.11%.A2005study in Chinaalso found that sterile men are morelikely to test positivefor toxoplasma than fertile men. Not all studies, however, produce alink between toxoplasmosisand sperm quality
Toxoplasmosis in animals mirrors infection in humans, which allows researchers to address questions that arenot easy to examinein people.
Testicular function and spermproductionare sharply diminishedintoxoplasmainfected mice, rats and rams. Infected mice have significantlylower spermcounts and ahigher proportionof
abnormally shapedsperm.
In that April 2025 study researchers from Germany, Uruguayand Chileobserved that toxoplasma can reach the testesand epididymis, the tube where sperm mature and are stored, two days after infection in mice. This finding prompted the team to test what happens when the parasitecomes into direct contact with human sperm in atest tube.
After only five minutes of exposure to the parasite, 22.4% of sperm cells were beheaded.The number of decapitated sperm increased the longerthey interacted with the parasites.
Sperm cells that maintained their head were often twisted andmisshapen. Somespermcells hadholes in their head, suggesting the
parasites were trying to invade them as it would any other type of cell in the organs it infiltrates. In addition to direct contact, toxoplasma may also damage spermbecause the infection promotes chronic inflammation. Inflammatory conditions in the malereproductive tract are harmful to sperm production andfunction
The researchers speculate that theharmful effects toxoplasma may have on sperm could be contributing to large global declines in male fertility over thepast decades.
The evidence that toxoplasma can infiltrate male reproductive organs in animalsiscompelling, but whether this produces health issues in people re-
mains unclear Testicular toxoplasmosis showsthat parasitescan invade humantestes,but symptomatic disease is very rare. Studies to date that showdefects in thesperm of infected menare too small to draw firmconclusions at this time.
Additionally,some reports suggest that rates of toxoplasmosis in high-income countrieshavenot been increasing over the past few decades while male infertility was rising, so it’s likely to only be onepartofthe puzzle.
Regardless of this parasite’spotential effect on fertility,itiswise to avoid toxoplasma.Aninfection can cause miscarriage or birth defectsifsomeone acquiresitfor thefirsttime
during pregnancy,and it can be life-threatening for immunocompromised people. Toxoplasmaisalsothe leading cause of death from food-borne illness in the United States. Taking propercareofyour cat, promptly cleaning the litterbox andthoroughly washingyourhands after can help reduceyour exposure to toxoplasma.
Youcan also protect yourself from this parasite by washing fruitsand vegetables, cooking meat to proper temperatures before consuming and avoiding raw shellfish, raw water and raw milk.
The Conversation is an independent, nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentaryfromacademic experts.
The mint taking over my backyard offered twooptions: pull it out or throw aparty
In keeping with the pledge I madeamonth ago to plan agathering each month, Iopted forthe latter
It started in May with aSaturday lunch —agathering of six friends, someofwhom didn’t know each other Guests came ready to share areason to celebrate. We went around the table, sharing large and small personal reasons to revel. It wassimple: we metat arestaurant. It wasjoyful: each person came ready to share what they were celebrating. Ispent weeks considering what kind of gathering would come next. Something to make? Something to do?
One idea sparked another.Initial ones included:
BY LARA NICHOLSON
Staff writer
As many as 1inevery 5Americans has dyslexia
Yetasof2023, only about 1% of the nearly 700,000 studentsinLouisiana public schools havebeen identifiedas having dyslexia.
Fordyslexic children whogountreated, gapsinreadingand writingabilities can begin as early as first grade, with potential consequences over time including lower highschool graduation rates or college enrollment numbers, and higher chances of unemployment or incarceration
That’swhy Louisiana Key Academy, anonprofit charter school, has sought to bridge the gapfor dyslexicstudents by providing testing and specialized education programs at no cost to parents.Since its launch in Baton Rouge in 2013, the school has assisted hundreds of studentsand expandedtoadditional locations across thestate
The Louisiana Key Academy plans to open its fifth and newest location in Jefferson Parish, the largest public school system in the state, for the 20272028 schoolyear. TheLouisianaState Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will vote to approve thenew location in August
“I think every parish in the state
needs aLouisiana Key Academy,” said formerstate Rep. Joe Marino, no party-Gretna.
Dyslexia is alearning disability that affectsa person’sphonological processing, or ability to speak,read and spell. Dyslexia has no visible symptoms,and affectspeople for their entire lives.
Those with dyslexia require specialized education to meet theirneeds, including at least 90 minutes per day of reading instruction. Clinical diagnoses require comprehensive evaluation, including both tests and interviews.
‘What’swrong with me?’
Dr.Laura Cassidy,wife to U.S.Sen. Bill Cassidy,R-Baton Rouge, co-founded theschool with that in mind12years agoafter watching herdaughter, who is dyslexic,struggle at herprivate school.
“We’re spending alot of money,but is this really going to getthe kids where they need to get?” Cassidy recalled.
Cassidy said dyslexic childrentoo oftengoundiagnosedoruntreated, as costs and time constraints associated with the diagnosis,treatment andtutoring for the disability —aswell as stigmas andlack of awareness —make it difficult for parents to accessproper care, especially for those who are economically disadvantaged.
Arecentstudy from SallyShaywitz, co-director of the Yale Center forCreativity andDyslexia,found that about half of children grades K-2 at two New Orleans public charter schools were at-risk of dyslexia, andthat adisproportionate numberofBlack students have dyslexia that goes undiagnosed or untreated.
Cassidy said dyslexic children who fall behind in schoolbecausetheyare undiagnosed can suffer fromconfidenceissues in the classroom, which over time can lead them to drop out as early as middle school.
“You can imagine, if you’re smart butyou’restrugglinginschool,and your classmates arepacing ahead of you, you’re wondering, ‘What’swrong with me?’ ”Cassidysaid. “If you’re not identified as dyslexic, then parents or teachers or administrators can sometimesthink (you)are lazy or not smart ”
Those beliefs oftentimes lead to stigmas associated with dyslexia, which causes many to conceal that they have it from others, Cassidy said.
Specializededucation
At LouisianaKey Academy,students are provided with90-minutereading instruction in smallgroupsevery day, with sixstudentsfor every oneteacher.Children are tested for free before enrollment,and several teachers undergo two-year training in language therapy to help students.
Theschool operates under guidance fromShaywitzand her husband, Dr BennettShaywitz, theother co-director for The Yale Center
The Baton Rouge campus serves 440 students in grades first through ninth, and won approval in 2022 to add a10th grade.The campus relocatedto5015 Auto Plex Drive last year to accommodatethe change.
In recent years, Key Academy has opened additional locations in Shreveport andCovington,witha learning pod in Ruston opening in the2025-2026 school year
Few other schools in the region cater to dyslexic students, and even fewer provide that education tuition-free. Cassidy said parents commutefrom all over thestate to enrolltheir children at
ä See TOOLS, page 2Y
n Atiny talent show:Each person comes prepared to perform a 30-second “tiny talent” —something odd or delightful. They could deliver aone-line joke. They could makeweird sound effects. They could do amagic trick or balance aspoon on their nose. They could demonstrate speedy origami. The possibilities are endless and applause is mandatory n ASpaghetti Western Film Fest: People wearcowboy hats and we eat Italian food —makeyour-ownpasta bowls. Then guests workasindividuals or in pairs to use their phones to “film” short Western scenes using props, tiny plastic cowboys and other small toys. We would then screen the results with popcorn, handing out mock “Oscars.”
n ADIY publishing gathering: Iwould provide paper,pens, scissors, glue and old magazines. Guests makemini-zines out of single pieces of paper,using simple folding techniques. They decorate each page with art, words or collage. At the end of the party,guests will swap zines when everyone is done.
n Make-a-muse gathering: Each guest becomes someone’smuse. Upon arrival, all names go in a hat. Thirty minutes in, we draw names and then each person creates something inspired by the person whose namethey chose —asketch, apoem, acollage or short story.Each person presents their creation at the end of the party
n Throwback to third grade shadow box gathering: Guests come with afavorite book they read/enjoyed and ashoebox. I’ll have somesupplies on hand, and we will each create ashadow box about our book. In true thirdgrade fashion, we will each present our shadow box and tell about our book.
Ultimately,I bypassed these ideas. Iama fanofcelebrating what’sinfront of me. And, in June, mint was calling my name.
(That
STAFF PHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS
Second grade teacher Nicole Havard answers aquestion during aStructured LanguageArtslesson recentlyatLouisiana KeyAcademy in BatonRouge.
STAFF PHOTO By MAX BECHERER Amintplant is seen in the garden.
Student Zara Williams putsher finger under the words of her book while reading aloud.
YouTuber teaches lesser-known Louisiana history
Lafourche Parish influencer focuses on horror anthology
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
Kyle Crosby knows Louisiana, especially its bayous, and he wants to share his knowledge with the world. While he works as a distiller at Sazerac House in New Orleans, he writes, travels and films videos about Louisiana history all over the state.
A Larose native and Nicholls alum, Crosby grew up in Grand Isle and Lafourche Parish. He wants to turn his love for Louisiana history into a 10-episode Louisiana Dread horror anthology series. His YouTube channel Louisiana Dread provides the historical background of towns and events for his eventual series.
How did your Louisiana Dread YouTube channel begin?
In 2017, my dad got sick. He had dementia, so I moved back from Los Angeles to take care of him. Sitting by his bedside, I would read him Louisiana stories, and it would just fascinate the both of us, because we had never heard a lot of them.
From there, I realized that not many people know about these stories globally I worked in tourism for about five years, and people — from Madagascar all the way to Arizona — love the Louisiana culture, the food, the music, everything.
So I decided to create this online presence of accurate Louisiana history as kind of an appetizer before you watch the main horror series, so you have knowledge of the actual history
Now I’m at the point where I’m looking for funding for the hor-
ror series. Then we can finally start making it.
What do you think are some common misconceptions about Louisiana history that you hope to dispel?
People tend to look at the negatives of Louisiana history While there are a lot of important things that need to be studied, they need to be highlighted in a way that’s not romanticizing a time period where people were oppressed. People need to know what went down, what happened.
It’s hard when you have people from a certain age group that come into a place like Louisiana and want to step back in time It’s like, no, it’s not what you should be doing. You should be learning from it.
Progress is based off of the horrors that happened. I want to change the perception of Louisiana as this backwards, hillbillyesque place. It’s definitely not like that at all. Some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting are from here.
What kind of responses have you gotten to your Louisiana Dread channel and your videos?
Overwhelmingly positive I’ve gotten children in school watching — their teachers will play some videos, and they’re grateful. I do it in a video format, and very bluntly, I don’t try to use large words and try to sound smart. I don’t know what that says about me. I think it’s really cool that it’s getting kids into history, which has always, no pun intended, historically been a problem. But there are views from children
like that to people my age, who enjoy seeing the gumbo reviews and the history
What really tugs at my heartstrings is when people from the bayou and the island, maybe in their 80s, they’ll write handwritten letters to me, thanking me for bringing our history accurately into the mainstream audience.
Why do you think it’s important for people to preserve south Louisiana’s history?
The elephant in the room is that our culture is disappearing. The land itself is physically disappearing.
I’ve heard it my whole life:
“You lose your land, you lose your life.” That’s what’s happening to us. The language happened about 100 years ago, and it’s starting to make a comeback, thankfully But the land loss is still happening.
It’s a point where, if you are a climate refugee, your greatgrandchild won’t speak the same language as you.
The more we keep people on our land longer, we can preserve our culture. We immortalize it through video, because you don’t know what’s in the future.
What sources do you use to find accurate history? If I’m looking up a story that involves anything from Bayou Lafourche I would go to Nicholls State Archives at Nicholls’ Ellender Memorial Library
When it comes to virtually anywhere around Orleans or Jefferson Parishes, the Williams Research Center in the French Quarter is very helpful. I’ve also gone to the LSU archives and done a little bit of research. I’ll
On your own, discuss ‘James’
Book is the summer choice for Louisiana Inspired
BY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
Summer is the perfect time for reading and chatting about books. For this summer’s book club selection, “James,” Louisiana Inspired is turning off the camera and microphone and giving the discussion over to the readers.
Instead of a virtual discussion, we’ve compiled discussion questions that can function for small coffee shop talks, official book clubs and casual conversations among friends. Ask a friend to read “James” and then schedule a time to chat, using these questions as a guide. Pick and choose the questions, and let us know your thoughts.
Some of these questions were collected from the Penguin Random House and Booker Prize reading guides.
Questions and Topics for Discussion
n James is a retelling of Mark Twain’s 1885 novel “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” which is widely regarded as a classic work of American literature. Have you read “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” before? How does Everett alter Twain’s original text? Did this reimagination change your perspective on the original novel?
n Twain is well-known for his satirical writing. Where does Everett use humor and satire in “James?” What social and cultural conditions does the novel’s satire mock or critique?
n Reflect on Jim’s narration. Why does he switch between vernacular and standardized English? How did this codeswitching affect your reading experience?
n Describe Huck’s role in the story How does Jim’s fugitive status, as well as race, color, class, age and education, influence the relationship between the two characters?
n “James” depicts the brutalities of slavery, particularly the violence inflicted upon enslaved women and girls, through the stories of Sadie, Lizzie, Sammy and Katie. What are the unique threats that these characters must navigate? How does Jim react to the gendered violence that he encounters?
n Return to Jim’s travels with the minstrel group. What does the novel say about the performance of race? How do blackface minstrelsy and racial pass-
ing complicate or undermine racial classification? Can all the characters be seen as performers of race?
n Jim’s quest for freedom parallels his quest for literacy Discuss the key moments on his journey to writing his story. What are the texts that he studies? Who are the characters who give him the tools and encouragement to write?
n Discuss the use of religion and superstition in the story
n “James” features an ensemble of fugitive and enslaved characters How does Everett affirm the humanity of these characters in his writing? Was there one who was particularly memorable to you?
n The Mississippi River is central to the landscape of the novel. What is the role of the river? How did it shape the political landscape of the region and the events of the novel?
n What’s the significance of Jim renaming himself? Why do you think Everett chose to title the novel in this way?
n After reading “James,” can you think of another character from a classic text that you would like to read as the narrator of their own story?
n A central theme in “James” is identity: the identity given to us, versus the one we claim as our own, and the extent to which we reveal our true identity to others. How does “James” explore the tension between these identities, and how does this theme shape James’ journey throughout the novel?
that focuses on preserving Louisiana history with engaging videos and stories.
go to libraries, and I’ll find different books specific to the different town. I do use some online resources through Google searches, and I’ll read through that, but the most accurate is going to be a local library
It’s so important we keep those.
Like the American Italian Research Center at the East Bank Regional Library I wouldn’t have known it, but I went visit to Sal Serio, and I found so many different books about different things that we had never seen online.
How does your channel bring awareness to our state?
People in this state see me as what I am I’m one of them. I’m not an outside influencer coming in.
I’ve gotten recognized almost every day through either the history or for my gumbo reviews.
“Hey, you’re the gumbo man,”
RISHER
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invited a few friends over and suggested they bring something “mint-adjacent.” Meanwhile, one of my daughters suggested that I dry mint leaves and order empty teabags that we could fill on our own.
We’ll also make several other mint-inspired dishes, but the mint tea has been a hit at my house. I was surprised how easy it was and had never known it was possible to buy empty teabags! We will have a mojito bar and a few other mint-inspired dishes to try If I can figure out the logistics
or “I love the history videos,” that kind of stuff. And we speak for a while. And I’m interested in them too, because they’re my people — Black, White, whoever in Louisiana. And I want to talk to them about their shared experience.
It’s really just like sitting on the porch. South Louisiana is your porch, and you can talk to everybody — great stories and a lot of common stories, too. No matter how different you think you may be from your neighbor, you have so much in common, genetically Maybe you’re afraid to meet them, but you should, because they’re family To learn more, visit youtube. com/@LouisianaDread or LouisianaDread.com.
Email Joy Holden at joy.holden@ theadvocate.com.
and gather the necessary items, we will make minty bath salt. Truth be told, that detail may or may not come together — and either way is perfectly fine. No one I’ve invited will mind that things aren’t elaborate or perfect — that is not why they are coming. Mint grows wild and generous, appearing in unexpected corners much like laughter, much like good conversation. Reason enough to gather
Do you have a fun idea for a gathering of friends or soon-tobe friends? Send details to Jan Risher at jan.risher@theadvocate. com.
Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.
n NPR described “James” as “a startling homage and a new classic in its own right.” In your opinion, does the book have the potential to stand the test of time and be considered a classic? Why or why not?
n Does the novel feel more like a correction, a continuation or a confrontation of Twain’s story?
n What parallels did you notice between the characters’ world and our own?
n What do you think Percival Everett wanted readers to take away from this retelling? Email discussion anecdotes or responses about the novel to joy holden@theadvocate.com or jan. risher@theadvocate.com
Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.
TOOLS
Continued from page 1y
Louisiana Key Academy, and some parents have even moved from out of state for the education.
“You’re just wondering, ‘Why can’t my child read? Why is my child so unhappy?’” Cassidy said.
“It’s this enigma you’re not getting answers for, and then there is an answer That’s why most parents end up bringing their kids to our school and, in the interview process, cry.”
Statewide change
In addition to her work at the charter school, Cassidy has lobbied for changes to state education policy regarding the identification and reporting of dyslexia in public schools.
In 2022, Marino authored legislation to require that all teacher education programs include at least three credit hours pertaining to the education of dyslexic students.
A year later, Cassidy worked with Marino to pass legislation requiring all kindergarten teachers to screen their students for dyslexia at the start of the second semester a law that was expanded last year
to include additional testing.
“Under the current school system, as long as they are able to continue to progress without failing, they don’t identify dyslexia,” Marino said.
“You might have a students struggling to get a ‘C’ or ‘D,’ but they aren’t catching them as dyslexic because they haven’t failed a grade Most of these kids aren’t being identified until they’ve already missed out on the most formative years of their education.”
Cassidy’s husband, chair of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, has also made dyslexia a key issue on his platform and has sponsored multiple bills seeking to improve accessibility to screening and treatment nationwide.
Marino commended Dr Laura Cassidy for her work in helping students with dyslexia across the state, and with educating him and other policymakers on the subject and its importance.
“She’s a force of nature when it comes to doing good,” Marino said. “I never doubt or underestimate that Dr Cassidy is going to get something done because I’ve seen it over and over again.”
Email Lara Nicholson at lnicholson@theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO
Kyle Crosby is the founder and host of youTube channel Louisiana Dread
STAFF
PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Fourth grade teacher Olivia LeDuff helps student Aaliyah Williams read a short story on a tablet during a Structured Language Arts lesson recently at Louisiana Key Academy in Baton Rouge.
PROVIDED PHOTO ‘James’ by Percival Everett
PHOTO VIA GETTy IMAGES
Percival Everett has won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel ‘James.’
LSUengineering students rebuildkids’ crane
KnockKnock Museum’s engineering-inspired attraction up andrunning afterdisrepair
BY JOYHOLDEN Staff writer
Creative problem solving is abedrock element of theKnockKnock Children’sMuseum in Baton Rouge, so when it came time to replace the mechanical crane in the “ByYou Building!” learning zone, the Knock Knock team had to brainstorm ways to get the crane functioningagain After seven years of service and many children’shands later,the beloved giant mechanical crane was in disrepair and kept breaking
“We’re anonprofit organization,” said Christina Melton, the executive director of Knock Knock Children’s Museum, “and it’sexpensive for us to try to fix something like this.We got abid that was out of our price range, and so we had to be creative in the way we are encouraging children to solve problems.”
Melton was familiar with the LSU School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering’sSenior CapstoneProgram, which tasks seniorengineering students with real-world design challenges, because her son graduated from there in 2024. Shewent to LSU for help.
Meltonand herteamattended the Capstone Design Fair in August 2024, and she pitched the “Redesign and Rebuild Our Crane” project to the LSU School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
The project garnered huge interest from the LSU engineering students and, out of 40 pitches, was one of the more sought-after projects in the pitch meeting, competing with the likes of Exxon, Dow Chemical and NASA.
Ateam of engineering seniors
—including Caleb Hagen, Patrick Herke, Michael Hotcaveg, Angelina Jorgenson, Emanuel Ochoa and John Leblanc —grabbedthe chance to work on acommunity-driven assignment.
“I was interested becauseI wanted to do this for my little nephew,” said Hagen, the team leader.“He’s just the joy of everybody’slife, so Ireally wanted to make sure that I could have somethingfor,not only him, but others to enjoy foryears to come. It’sall about community
goodwill andseeing the smile on the kids’ faces.”
Theengineering students spent the 2024-2025 school year meeting with the Knock Knock Children’s Museum staff, consulting with exhibitdesigners from aroundthe country, working with BatonRouge engineering firm Hargrove andAssociates, Inc. and Port Allen fabrication companyFab-Worxtocomplete theproject “The community came togetherto makeithappen,”Melton said.
Theproject was funded in part by an anonymous donation.Hargrove andAssociates, Inc. provided professional engineering certification forthe design and construction, and Fab-Worxdonated the welding and fabrication of the new crane.
Dimitris E. Nikitopoulos, LSU’s Mechanical andIndustrialEngineering DepartmentChair,sponsored the engineeringstudents’project.
Hagen noted that theengineering team’s primary concern wasmaking sure thecrane designwas safe for children and easytooperate. The team worked with acertified playground safety inspector to ensure they were following everything to theletter of thelaw
With an opening on May22, the newkid-powered crane is an interactive, engineering-inspiredattraction that givesyoung buildersthe power to move, lift andload large foamblocks,teaching them to become mini problem solvers andfuture craneoperators.
The crane helpschildren build gross and fine motor skills andintroduces early engineeringconcepts like forceand motion to the children who operate it.With the newtransparent design, children operating thecranecan see itsinner workings as they activate simple machines likegears,pulleys and levers.
“Wealsowanted to make sure we couldshowoff everything,” Hagen said. “Kidsreally just want to see howthingsmove.Theymight not quite understand howall the gear reductions work,but they can see them.”
The newcrane, largerand sturdier than its predecessor,isalso designed to be durable enough to
withstand the thousands of little hands that will play withitfor years to come.
Melton said all of the young engineers —homegrown Louisiana talent —are atestament to the stellar studentsLSU is putting out. Not only are they skilled, butthe students want to make adifference in the community
“I’ve seen the amount of work on asmall scale that the team has put in,” said Levar Greenhouse, the chair of the Knock Knock Children’s MuseumBoard of Directors andthe ExecutiveCommittee,who visited thelab at LSUduringthe process
“I’ve seen the stress. Iknow it had to be hard being asenior trying to graduate, puttingthis project together with sixdifferent team members who have theirown goals and objectives. We really appreciate it.”
Hagen credits the capstone projectwithsupplying hima priceless experience. He had to learn welding standards, how to conduct aproper analysisand learn how to do the machining.
“I wouldn’tbethe same person if Idid not havethis,” he said. “I have learned so muchasa resultofthis. They don’tteach you everything you need to know in engineering, but you’re taught how to be aproblem solver.Wedid areally good job of
powering through, makingsure we couldfind thepeople whoknewthe right answers so we couldget this done.” Hagen’s4-year-oldnephew was thefirst childtotry outthe new crane. He loved it
STAFF PHOTO By MOLLyBAHLINGER
Caleb Hagen demonstrates kid-safe operation of the KnockKnockMuseum’snew and improvedmechanical crane, for which he led the team of LSU engineering students in itsre-envisioning.Itwas unveiled in aribboncutting ceremonyonMay 22.
PROVIDED PHOTO LSU SchoolofMechanicaland Industrial Engineering students who designed and built the KnockKnockChildren’sMuseum newcrane are, from left,Angelina Jorgenson, Patrick Herke, Caleb Hagen, Michael Hotcaveg, Emanuel Ochoa and John Leblanc
FAITH & VALUES
Churches hope to tap the power of pickleball
BY BOB SMIETANA Contributing writer
The gym at the Adventure Commons was filled with sounds of pickleball squeaking sneakers, the thwack of a paddle hitting a ball and cheers from players after a good shot.
A dozen players filled three courts at the athletic center run by the Adventure Christian Church, located just off exit 315 from Interstate 57 in south suburban Chicago
Among those playing pickleball on Wednesday morning (May 14) was Kathy Henricks, a retired real estate agent and member of Adventure Church She’s been playing the game with friends for about four years — and is largely responsible for the church having pickleball.
“I said, ‘How come we don’t have pickleball?’” she told RNS, during a break between games. “And a little while later we had nets and were ready to roll.”
That same question is being asked at churches all over the country from downtown megachurches to smalltown congregations that are hoping to tap into the power of pickleball to build community and bring a little joy to their neighbors About 20 million Americans played pickleball in 2024, according to data from the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and that number continues to grow More than a few play at churches.
Todd Katter, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church’s Huntley campus in the Chicago suburbs, said as many as 150 people have taken part in pickleball events sponsored by the church campus in local venues and in the church parking lot.
“Which was a bad idea,” said Katter, as it turned out the parking lot sloped downward. He called pickleball a “playground” for adults and a new third space where people hang out and make friends — and it appeals to folks from 17 to 70.
“There was an era where people went to Starbucks to hang out, he said. “Now, people drive through and grab a Starbucks and go play pickleball.”
Katter, who picked up the game a few years ago, said pickleball is a great outreach for churches It’s easy to play and is widely popular And it doesn’t take long for people to
get hooked, because the skill levelto-enjoyment curve isn’t very steep.
“Even if you don’t have a lot of skill, you can still have a lot of fun,” said Katter.
Jason Young, the care and ministry pastor at Hope Community Church in Glenview, Illinois, said sports like pickleball can have both social and spiritual benefits. Young said he started going to church in his 20s, after his brother invited him to join a church volleyball team. At the time, he’d had no interest in religion, but he loved to play volleyball, so he said yes. Over time, he said, being around folks on the team rubbed off on him and he eventually started going to church.
Sports and friendship, he said, opened the door for him to think about faith. “What I appreciated about it was nobody was kind of putting me in the hot seat,” he said.
Hope started offering pickleball a few years ago, when the church, which started during the COVID-19 pandemic, was meeting in a park district building that had a gym. One day, Young said, a church member approached the pastors with the idea of offering a free pickleball clinic. About 40 folks showed up to that first clinic, so when Hope moved to a new building, leaders decided to offer pickleball a few days a week.
Kay Seamayer, 85, said she was thrilled when First Baptist Church in Dallas decided to start offering pickleball. Seamayer, a lifelong athlete, had been playing for more than a decade and was a longtime advocate for the game.
Anyone can play it, she said. And
it’s a great way to make friends.
But playing at church did come with a challenge The game draws people of all skill levels, she said, and that meant toning her competitive side down a bit. Which took some prayer, she said, and a message from God.
“You just don’t have to be competitive in everything you do,” said Seamayer, who still plays competitive three-on-three basketball. “So, settle down and help those people who want to play and just play for fun.”
First Baptist runs pickleball as part of the church’s overall sports ministry, with leagues in the fall and winter, said Brent McFadden, minister of sports and outreach. They also offer pickleball during open gym times the church has a pair of courts marked out for pickleball. The sessions start with a short prayer and then a devotional.
Many of the folks who take part in pickleball or other sports aren’t members. But that’s OK, said McFadden. The idea is to offer an easy entry point to the church for folks who might be skeptical of coming to a service.
The Rev Michael Graham, of Gilford Community Church, a progressive congregation in New Hampshire, hopes to give pickleball a try at
some point. Graham got a pickleball racket for his birthday, but knee surgery delayed his debut on the court. Graham sits on the board of the Gilford Youth Center, a nonprofit that operates out of the gym the church built that offers sport programs to the community He was skeptical at first when folks from the community asked about playing pickleball at the center Now the center offers pickleball three days a week.
“Over probably the last four or five years, pickleball has become so important that now we have three courts,” he said.
The Armenian Church of Our Saviour, an Orthodox church in Worcester, Massachusetts, has offered pickleball in the church’s auditorium over the past two winters, said Bryan Davis, a longtime church member Davis, a 72-year-old retired teacher, said a friend from the church had introduced him to pickleball a few years ago — and he played mostly outside. Then his friend came up with the idea of playing in the auditorium, which doubles as a gym and event space.
“He kept on saying, you know, I think we could fit some pickleball courts in the auditorium,” said Davis. “We went up and measured,
and sure enough, we could fit two in there.”
Because the space is used for all kinds of events, the courts could not be permanent Instead, Davis said, church members lay out the courts using a special tape, which takes about a half an hour to lay down — and just a few minutes to clean up afterwards.
About a dozen folks play at the church, paying $5 each — with the funds going to pay for equipment.
“We gave a little money back to the church, too,” he said. “The priest came and played. He loved it. It was just really a lot of fun.”
Terrie Golwitzer started playing pickleball at Adventure two years ago after Henricks invited her to give it a try She watched a few videos online to get some tips, then showed up to play on a Monday After about 10 minutes, she was hooked.
Now she plays three days a week and is in a group chat with friends she’s made there. They often hang out together when they are not playing. And she said pickleball is one place where folks don’t argue about politics, which is a relief, and the game has both social and health benefits.
“Pickleball is about people,” she said.
At-home hospital care for children program first of its kind
BY MICHELLE CROUCH
Contributing writer
Editor’s note: This story, created by Michelle Crouch for the Charlotte Ledger, is part of the AP Storyshare. Louisiana Inspired features solutions journalism stories that provide tangible evidence that positive change is happening in other places and in our own communities — solutions that can be adopted around the world
When 6-year-old Mackenzie Conlon was hospitalized with the flu at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital in February, all she wanted was to go home, her mother, Stephanie Conlon, said. Mackenzie, who has complex medical needs due to cerebral palsy, had been fighting high fevers, dehydration and pain so intense her constant crying left her nearly voiceless. Conlon, 46, said she would watch helplessly when her daughter pointed at the hospital door in a plea to leave.
But after five days of around-theclock hospital treatment, Atrium’s providers offered the family an unexpected alternative: continue Mackenzie’s hospital care at her Charlotte home.
Thanks to Atrium’s new pediatric hospital-at-home program Mackenzie could recover in her own bed, with access to her favorite TV shows, foods and toys, while still receiving hospital-level care. The family jumped at the chance
“As a parent, watching your kid be in a hospital is just the most heartbreaking thing,” Conlon said
“So finding out that we were able to go home just completely switched the mood This is where all of her favorite things are. For me as a parent, knowing I could sleep in my own bed, knowing I could take a shower, those little comforts made all the difference.”
More comfort for patients
Atrium’s is the first hospital-athome initiative in the nation designed specifically for children, the hospital system said. Modeled after similar programs for adults, it combines home visits from para-
medics, remote monitoring and virtual check-ins from doctors and nurses to deliver hospital-like care while patients heal at home. Today, 142 health systems in 39 states have federal approval to provide home hospital care, including seven in North Carolina: Novant Health, Duke Health, UNC Health, WakeMed, Cone Health and Scotland Memorial Hospital, in addition to Atrium.
For hospitals that are struggling with capacity it gives them a way to open up more beds for the sickest patients
Early research on the adult programs has been promising. A 2024 report to Congress found that most patients were happy with the care they received and that their health outcomes were better than those of similar patients treated in the hospital.
The researchers cautioned that the data was limited and may be skewed by statistical bias. They found that the patients in these programs tended to live in urban areas, tended not to be low-income or on Medicaid, and were more likely to be White. More than a third of hospital-at-home patients nationally had respiratory problems, like Mackenzie
They also noted that the patients who were able to be sent home tended to be “less clinically com-
plex overall.”
In a separate study last year, Harvard Medical School researchers analyzed the cases of more than 5,000 Medicare patients who received hospital home care in 2022 and 2023 and found low rates of mortality and hospital readmissions within 30 days.
Concerns about safety and cost
Critics say that shifting hospital care into the home, especially for kids, is a risky move.
They argue that family members aren’t equipped to handle emergencies, technology can fail or miss subtle signs of a patient’s decline, and that if something goes wrong, help might not arrive fast enough.
(The federal government requires patients to be close enough that the hospital can respond to a change in their condition within 30 minutes.)
“In the hospital, we’re right there with the tools to save a child’s life,”
said Michelle Mahon, director of nursing practice at National Nurses United, a California-based nurses group that opposes the programs.
“At home, it could take 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive and that’s too late. It’s alarming that vulnerable infants and children would be placed in this type of precarious program.” Mahon added that hospitals have a financial incentive to create the
programs because they can charge the same rates as if the care was happening inside a hospital — including facility fees
A spokesperson for the North Carolina Nurses Association said it isn’t affiliated with National Nurses United and that its board of directors hadn’t discussed the hospitalat-home model specifically or taken a position on it.
More research is needed
Eileen Appelbaum, an economist and co-director of The Center for Economic and Policy Research, agrees there are risks — but she said it comes down to how the programs are designed and run.
“If the decisions are made carefully, if patients are selected carefully, if the parent is able to provide the support the patient needs, and if the family is computer-savvy so they can deal with telehealth connections, then I do think it can be positive,” said Appelbaum, who coauthored a 2023 report analyzing the model.
Appelbaum said more peer-reviewed research is needed to assess the quality and costs of the programs compared to hospital-based care and to set standards for which patients should receive treatment at home and how that care should be billed and administered.
Atrium’s adult hospital-at-home program, one of the largest in the country, serves about 90 adults a day As of mid-April, about 40 children and adolescents had been admitted to the program, said pediatrician Stefanie Reed, the program’s medical director The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive Eventually, she said, Atrium hopes to expand the program to its other hospitals, with a goal of treating 10% of its pediatric patients at home.
To ensure safety, the hospital has specific criteria about which types of patients are eligible, Reed explained. Some are admitted directly from the emergency room. Others, like Mackenzie, transition after having had some inpatient care. Families always have the choice to stay in the hospital, Reed said.
A new kind of house call
After Mackenzie’s family made the decision to shift to home care, paramedics set up the necessary equipment and visited twice a day, connecting to Mackenzie’s doctors by video while performing a physical exam.
Billy Long 32, the community paramedic who usually visited Mackenzie, used a digital device that allowed the doctor to listen to Mackenzie’s heart and lung sounds and to look into her ear canal and throat
A longtime ambulance paramedic, Long worked part time in an Atrium Health pediatric emergency room before switching to home hospital care. He said his new role is less stressful, and he especially likes working with kids.
As home hospital programs expand, the demand for paramedics like Long — particularly ones with lots of experience — is increasing, creating more competition for a limited pool of workers.
Conlon said being at home, where she and McKenzie could eat their normal foods, go for walks outside and sleep in their own beds, made them both more comfortable.
“I could just curl up in bed with her or do a breathing treatment for her with just the night light and sound machine on — things that are very cozy to her,” she said. It was also reassuring, she said, that her daughter’s health care team was just a click away
“There were so many times where I was texting the nurse at 4 in the morning,” she said. “I always got responses immediately.” Mackenzie was enrolled in the program for three days before she was discharged.
Conlon said knowing home-based care is available will make it easier the next time she has to take Mackenzie to the hospital.
“It really changes your perception because if you do need to go to the ER, you know you have the potential to be home sooner,” she said. “I would do this again in a heartbeat.”
Players join together on one of the pickleball courts set up at Adventure Commons.
PROVIDED PHOTOS
Kathy Henricks, one of the founders of the pickleball group at Adventure Commons
PROVIDED PHOTO A paramedic visits Mackenzie Conlon, 6, connecting her doctor via a video call. Mackenzie was one of the first patients in Atrium Health’s new hospital-at-home program for children.
SUNDAY, JUNe 8, 2025
CURTIS / by Ray Billingsley
SLYLOCK FOX / by Bob Weber Jr
GET FUZZY / by Darby Conley
HAGAR THE HORRIBLE / by Chris Browne
MOTHER GOOSE AND GRIMM / by Mike Peters
ZIGGY / by Tom Wilson
ZITS / by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman
SALLY FORTH / by Francesco Marciuliano & Jim Keefe
PEARLS BEFORE SWINE /byStephan Pastis
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.
word game
instructions: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.
todAY's Word — concAtenAte: konKAT-ih-nit: Linked together
Average mark 39 words
Time limit 60 minutes
Can you find 66 or more words in CONCATENATE?
ken ken
instructions: 1 -Each rowand each column must contain thenumbers 1through4 (easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven operation (inany order)toproduce the target numbersinthe top-left corners. 3 -Freebies: Fillinthe single-boxcages withthe numberinthe top-left corner
instructions: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 gridwith several given numbers. The object is to placethe numbers 1to 9in theempty squares so that each row,each column and each 3x3 boxcontains the same number only once. The difficultylevel of the Conceptis Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday
directions: Complete thegridso that numbers 1–132 connect horizontally, vertically or diagonally
Sudoku
The road home
Today’s deal is from a match between a team from China and a team from Trinidad and Tobago.
Attheothertable,thedeclarerfor Trinidad and Tobago made four hearts after the lead of the ace of spades.
The Chinese declarer at this table got the ace of diamonds lead followed by the queen of diamonds. He won with dummy’s king and ran the queen of clubs to West’s king. South ruffed the diamond continuation in hand, and cashed the ace of clubs, seeing the 10 fall from West. This was the position: NORTH
♠ K Q J 8 4 2
♥ Q 9 ♦ Void ♣ Void WEST EAST
♠ A 10 9 5 ♠ 7 6
♥ 8 ♥ K 7 4 2
♦ 9 8 2 ♦ Void ♣ Void ♣ 8 6 SOUTH
♠ Void
♥ A J 10 6 5
♦ Void
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
trump losers. Should South overtakethenineofheartswiththe10 andcashtheace,Eastwouldhave two natural trump winners. The winning play in the given position is to lead a low heart to the queen.Eastwillwinbutcandono damage.
wuzzLes
super Quiz
♣ J 9 7 South led the nine of clubs, ruffed by West and over-ruffed withdummy’squeen.Thedefense had to prevail from this point. If South ran the nine of hearts, he would have to ruff a spade to get to his hand. East would lead another spade when he got the lead and South would have two
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Talking is beneficial, but following through will have a massive impact on your reputation and prospects. Choose peace and intelligence over discord and chaos.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Participate in something that brings you joy Reconnecting with old friends or signing up for a course or adventure that is spiritually awakening will have a positive impact on your life and the choices.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Protect your health, position and reputation Refuse to let anyone speak on your behalf. Transparency will save
you from undesirable feedback. Discipline and innovative ideas will lead to positive results.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Be observant, show interest, and listen attentively Bond with people who share your concerns, and offer unifying alternatives.
LIBRA (Sept 23-Oct. 23) Get moving, participate and make your voice heard. Travel, educational pursuits and communication will help you gain momentum and a leadership position.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Emotions will fluctuate, and passion will surface. Channel your energy
into love and romance. Patience is necessary to maintain the status quo.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Go through the proper channels, get approvals and apply for rebates before starting home improvements. Make your space homey and inviting, and enjoy the comfort.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Establish yourself and your beliefs before you commit to donating to or volunteering for an organization to guarantee your objective is a good fit. Don’t make unnecessary compromises.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Do what makes you most comfortable Shift your attention to saving money and selling what you no longer need or use. Make efficiency a priority and find affordable ways to lower your overhead.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Focus on the changes you want to make. The less you share, the easier it will be to achieve your goal. Allowing others to intervene will lead to discord and expenses you should avoid.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Let situations play out before making a move. Acting in haste will backfire, leaving you to clean up the mess. Concentrate on physical and emotional strength.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Stand up and be heard, but first, be sure your thoughts are valid and accurate. Passing along false information will leave you in a precarious position. Change only what’s necessary
SCORING: 24 to 30 points —congratulations, doctor; 18 to 23 points—honorsgraduate; 13 to 17 points —you’replenty smart, but no grind; 5to12points —you really shouldhit the booksharder;1point to 4points —enroll in remedial courses immediately; 0points who reads thequestions to you?
zCourageous people donot fear forgiving,for the sake of peace. —Nelson Mandela
jeFF mACnelly’sshoe/ by Gary Brookins &Susie MacNelly
