The Times-Picayune 01-12-2026

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N O L A.C O M

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M o n d ay, J a n u a ry 12, 2026

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Director of U.S. Mint has always had love of coins Mandeville’s Paul Hollis lands his dream job

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — At every major life event, Paul Hollis carries a coin his grandmother wore around her neck while she was alive. It’s not worth much, said the 53-year-old coin expert, who has handled million-dollar sales of rare coins, but it’s his favorite. The 1925 U.S. Indian Head Quarter Eagle, minted in Denver with a face value of $2.50, is worth about $350 today. The coin was in Hollis’ pocket when he graduated LSU in 1994; when he got married in 1996; when his two children were born in 2003 and 2013; when he was elected to the Legislature in 2011; and then in 2023 when he won a position on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Then he held the coin on Hollis Dec. 18, when the U.S. Senate confirmed him as the 41st director of the U.S. Mint, the first from Louisiana. Hollis, of Mandeville, also will be the first mint director who makes his living buying and selling coins. He wrote a book, published in 2012. “American Numismatist” recounts the history of coins in context with what was happening in the United States at the time of their production. Hollis says this is his dream job. When other young boys saw themselves playing center field in MLB, Hollis focused on becoming director of the Mint. “I’ve known what I wanted to do since I was just a little kid,” Hollis said. His interest in coins began at the age of 7 when his grandmother, Betty Beasley, of Monroe, gave him a Peace Dollar, engraved with Lady Liberty to remember World War I. “I thought it was the coolest thing,” Hollis recalled. “It started my coin collecting

ä See COINS, page 3A

Multistate invasive species network launched LSU AgCenter gets $1M to fight pink snails, feral hogs and more

BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer

Clusters of hot pink apple snail eggs cling to reeds and cypress trunks, a backdrop fitting for either an alien invasion movie or a Floam commercial. As the snails advance in Louisiana’s waterways, they destroy aquatic ecosystems, eating their way through native flora and fauna and infecting other animals with parasites. Their presence can spell ruin for a rice crop or a crawfish pond. Hot and humid climates of the Mississippi River Valley are teeming with invaders like the apple snail that wreak havoc on ecosystems and agriculture. There’s the milky larva of the Mexican rice borer, which tunnels through rice stems and sugar cane stalks. There are packs of the notorious feral hog, infamous for its destruction of crop fields by rooting around the soil in search of plants and grubs. And there are “air potatoes,” a kind of yam that grows above ground on

ä See INVASIVE, page 3A

WEATHER HIGH 55 LOW 42 PAGE 6B

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

The incoming archbishop of New Orleans, the Most Rev. James Checchio, blesses the incoming mayor of New Orleans, Helena Moreno, just before they walk into St. Louis Cathedral for the start of Moreno’s inauguration Mass on Sunday.

THE BIG DAY

An inaugural Mass for Helena Moreno was held Sunday at the St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square. The service featured music from the St. Louis Cathedral Choir, along with other guest musicians, and had interfaith blessings. Moreno and other newly elected City Council members will be sworn in to office at the Saenger Theatre starting at 9 a.m. Monday.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Mayor-elect Helena Moreno and her husband Chris Meeks exit the St. Louis Cathedral after the inauguration Mass in New Orleans on Sunday.

MAYOR-ELECT MORENO TO BE SWORN IN TODAY. FOR FULL COVERAGE, NOLA.COM

Flood agency aims to expand police force But budget increases raising questions about its mission BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Orleans Levee District Police Department vehicles park on top of the levee at Franklin Avenue in New Orleans on Thursday.

Officer Rylee Daniels unholstered her Taser and yelled, “You’re going to get tased!” She took aim not at a human being but at the green and yellow outline of a figure, a target in the conference room at the Orleans Levee District Police Department. She fired, striking the target, and returned her weapon to

Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C

its holster. The Taser she used was purchased last year as part of an effort to expand and professionalize the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority’s 50-officer police departments under Daniels’ boss, Police Superintendent Joshua Rondeno. That weapon is connected to her body-worn camera, also recently purchased. As soon as she draws her Taser, the camera automatically turns on. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection AuthorityEast’s police force added a number of new expenses this year — 16 new police

ä See AGENCY, page 4A

13TH yEAR, NO. 153


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