The Times-Picayune 01-13-2026 by The Advocate

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T u e s d ay, J a n u a ry 13, 2026

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‘IT’S TIME FOR AAs she’s NEW DIRECTION’ sworn into office, Helena Moreno pledges to fix city’s biggest issues

Helena Moreno addresses the crowd during her inauguration as mayor of New Orleans at the Saenger Theatre on Monday. BY BLAKE PATERSON

her first speech as mayor. “It won’t happen overnight, but I’ll stop at nothing to get it Staff writer done.” Moreno, a Democrat, is the second womHelena Moreno was inaugurated as New Orleans’ 63rd mayor on Monday, vowing to an and the first person of Hispanic descent turn the tide on dysfunction at City Hall and to serve in the office. She takes over as New to build a city with safe streets, a prosper- Orleans grapples with a budget crisis that ous economy and “where there is no limit to has forced her incoming administration to enact sharp spending cuts and once-perrealizing a dream.” A former journalist, state legislator and pay-period furloughs for roughly 14% of two-term at-large City Council member, the city’s workforce. Despite the city’s financial constraints, Moreno, 48, took the oath of office on stage at the Saenger Theatre on Canal Street. For- Moreno has said that leadership — not mer Vice President Kamala Harris swore money — is what’s needed to fix the city’s problems. She succeeds Mayor LaToya her in. “This is our time to build that functional Cantrell, who won plaudits for guiding New city that we deserve,” Moreno said after, in Orleans through the coronavirus pandemic

but leaves ofﬁce as a political pariah under federal indictment. The ceremony Monday, marked by numerous guest appearances and musical performances, also saw the swearing in of a new City Council. After a turbulent past four years between Cantrell and the City Council that Moreno led, the incoming executive and legislative branches are expected to have a much closer working relationship. Moreno said she looks forward to “working hand-in-hand” with the council. “We can’t keep doing things the same and expect different results,” Moreno said in her speech. “It is time for a new direction

ä See MORENO, page 4A

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER y,

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2026

A NEW ER A

IN NEW OR LEANS Helena Moreno sworn in as mayo r

INSIDE TODAY: Inauguration section, page 13A

Supreme Court hears Louisiana coastal case

Probe of Fed chair sparking backlash

Staff writers

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and JOSH BOAK

BY ALEX LUBBEN and MARK BALLARD

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Monday in Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Plaquemines Parish, a case that could determine the fate of dozens of lawsuits seeking billions in damages from oil companies for allegedly pollut-

WEATHER HIGH 59 LOW 48 PAGE 6B

ing Louisiana’s eroding coastline. The downriver parish has alleged that oil companies polluted a section of its coastal wetlands and contributed to Louisiana’s land loss crisis. At issue before the justices is not whether the oil companies are liable for damage to the coast, but

ä See COASTAL, page 6A

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

the U.S. central bank, who pushed back against PresiAssociated Press dent Donald Trump’s efforts to exert more control over WASHINGTON — The Trump the Fed. The backlash reﬂected the administration’s criminal investigation of Federal Re- overarching stakes in deterserve Chair Jerome Powell mining the balance of power appeared on Monday to be ä See PROBE, page 6A emboldening defenders of

Business ......................8A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................13C Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .. 9C-12C Living............................7C Sports ..........................1C

13TH YEAR, NO. 154

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Government sued over immigration enforcement surge

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Mississippi man pleads not guilty to killing 6

WEST POINT, Miss. — A Mississippi man pleaded not guilty Monday to killing six people — including a 7-year-old girl — during a rampage through a rural area in the northeastern part of the state. At a court hearing in Clay County, Daricka M. Moore entered not guilty pleas to 11 charges including capital murder, first-degree murder, attempted murder of a child, burglary and theft of a motor vehicle, WTVA-TV reported. Because Moore was charged with capital murder with the possible penalty of death, he is ineligible for bail under state law. The judge also ordered a mental evaluation for Moore. No lawyer who could be reached for comment on Moore’s behalf was listed in court records late Monday. District Attorney Scott Colom didn’t immediately respond to a text message Monday seeking details on a defense lawyer. Moore, 24, is accused of killing his father, brother, uncle, 7-yearold cousin, a church pastor and the pastor’s brother at three locations late Friday, authorities said. He was arrested at a police roadblock in Cedarbluff just before midnight after dozens of local, state and federal ofﬁcers ﬂooded the area.

Court orders pretrial detention in Swiss fire

GENEVA — A Swiss court on Monday ordered three months of pretrial detention for a manager of a bar that burst into flames during a New Year’s Eve celebration, killing 40 people — mostly young revelers — and injuring 116 others, many seriously. The court of compulsory measures in the southwestern Valais canton, or region, ordered that Jacques Moretti, a manager of Le Constellation bar in CransMontana, be held because of a possible “flight risk” highlighted by prosecutors. However, the court said in a statement it was inclined to lift the three months of pretrial detention if sufficient “security measures” — potentially including bail — are arranged. It said the manager should remain in custody until the measures are worked out. The office of Patrick Michod, a lawyer for Moretti, did not respond to emailed requests for comment, and his secretary said the attorney was not immediately available. A Swiss business register lists French couple Jacques and Jessica Moretti as the bar’s owners. Lawyers for Jessica Moretti, in a statement, said the court decision would allow her husband “to regain freedom” once conditions are arranged. Swiss authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the owners, who are suspected of involuntary homicide, involuntary bodily harm and involuntarily causing a fire.

Judge nixes marriage as defense in abuse case

NEW YORK — Getting married and allegedly embracing a monogamous lifestyle cannot prove the innocence of a man charged in a conspiracy with his two brothers — both luxury real estate brokers — to sexually assault dozens of women, a federal judge said Monday. Judge Valerie E. Caproni rejected Alon Alexander’s request to dismiss one count of the indictment he faces and use his 2019 engagement and subsequent marriage as a defense at a trial scheduled to start next week in Manhattan with jury selection. The three brothers — Alon, Oren and Tal Alexander — are jailed without bail after pleading not guilty to conspiracy and other charges alleging that they drugged and raped women. Oren Alexander and Tal Alexander sold high-end properties in New York City, Miami and Los Angeles before the charges were filed alleging that they used their wealth and inﬂuence to attack women from 2002 to 2021. Alon Alexander’s lawyers argued that getting engaged and married signaled his exit from the single life and amounted to a withdrawal from any alleged conspiracy.

Minnesota, the Twin Cities join for lawsuit IMAGE FROM PROVIDED VIDEO VIA AP

A frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran shows protesters taking to the streets Friday in Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world.

Trump says Iran wants to negotiate Death toll in protests rises to at least 646

BY JON GAMBRELL, JULIA NIKHINSON and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown on protestersthat activists said had killed at least 646 people. Iran had no direct reaction to Trump’s comments, which came after the foreign minister of Oman — long an interlocutor between Washington and Tehran — traveled to Iran this weekend. It also remains unclear just what Iran could promise, particularly as Trump has set strict demands over its nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal, which Tehran insists is crucial for its national defense. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to foreign diplomats in Tehran, insisted “the situation has come under total control” in remarks that blamed Israel and the U.S. for the violence, without offering evidence. “That’s why the demonstrations turned violent and bloody to give an excuse to the American president to intervene,” Araghchi said, in comments carried by Al Jazeera. The Qatar-funded network has been allowed to report live from inside Iran, despite the internet being shut off. However, Araghchi said Iran was “open to diplomacy.” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said that a channel to the U.S. remained open, but talks needed to be “based on the acceptance of mutual interests and concerns, not a negotiation that is one-sided, unilateral and based on dictation.” Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!” Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the

administration has received from Tehran in recent days. “I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.” Trump and his national security team have been weighing a range of potential responses against Iran, including cyberattacks and direct strikes by the U.S. or Israel, according to two people familiar with internal White House discussions who weren’t authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. “The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday night. Asked about Iran’s threats of retaliation, he said, “If they do that, we will hit them at levels that they’ve never been hit before.” Meanwhile, Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.” It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will. Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran. The White House declined to offer further comment about the president’s tariff announcement. Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act ﬁrst as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters. “I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.” Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators. More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.

Sen. Kelly sues the Pentagon over attempts to punish him BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly sued the Pentagon on Monday over attempts to punish him for his warnings about illegal orders, claiming the Trump administration trampled on his constitutional rights to free speech. Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot who represents Arizona, is seeking to block his censure last week from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said he censured Kelly Kelly over his participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders. Hegseth said the Jan. 5 censure — by itself simply a formal letter with little practical consequence — was “a necessary process step” to proceedings that could result in a demotion from Kelly’s retired rank of captain and subsequent reduction in retirement pay. Kelly asked the federal court in Washington, D.C., to rule that the censure letter, the proceedings about his rank and

any other punishments against him are “unlawful and unconstitutional.” “The First Amendment forbids the government and its ofﬁcials from punishing disfavored expression or retaliating against protected speech,” his lawsuit says. “That prohibition applies with particular force to legislators speaking on matters of public policy.” The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush. The legal action of a sitting U.S. senator suing the defense secretary is rare, if not jarring, and the latest effort from members of Congress to push back against what they see as an out-ofcontrol executive branch. The censure stemmed from Kelly’s participation in a video in November with ﬁve other Democratic lawmakers — all veterans of the armed services and intelligence community — in which they called on troops to uphold the Constitution and not to follow the Trump administration’s military directives if they were unlawful.

BY REBECCA SANTANA, MARK VANCLEAVE and STEVE KARNOWSKI Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota and its two largest cities sued the Trump administration Monday to try to stop an immigration enforcement surge that led to the fatal shooting of a Minneapolis woman by a federal officer and evoked outrage and protests across the country. The state, joined by Minneapolis and St. Paul, said the Department of Homeland Security is violating the First Amendment and other constitutional protections. The lawsuit seeks a temporary restraining order to halt the enforcement action or limit the operation. “This is, in essence, a federal invasion of the Twin Cities in Minnesota, and it must stop,” state Attorney General Keith Ellison said at a news conference. “These poorly trained, aggressive and armed agents of the federal state have terrorized Minnesota with widespread unlawful conduct.” Homeland Security is pledging to put more than 2,000 immigration officers into Minnesota and says it has made more than 2,000 arrests since December. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has called the surge its largest enforcement operation ever. The lawsuit accuses the Republican Trump administration of violating free speech rights by targeting a progressive state that favors Democrats and welcomes immigrants. “They’re targeting us based on what we look and sound like. Our residents are scared. And as local officials, we have a responsibility to act,” said St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who was born in Laos. In response, Homeland

Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin accused Minnesota officials of ignoring public safety. “President Trump’s job is to protect the American people and enforce the law — no matter who your mayor, governor, or state attorney general is,” McLaughlin said. “That’s what the Trump administration is doing; we have the Constitution on our side on this, and we look forward to proving that in court.” The government also faces a new lawsuit over a similar crackdown in Illinois. More than 4,300 people were arrested last year in “Operation Midway Blitz” as patrols of masked agents swept the Chicago area. The lawsuit by the city and state says the campaign had a chilling effect, making residents afraid to leave home or use public services. Since the deployment in the Twin Cities, whistleburst warnings by grassroots activists are commonly heard when agents flood streets. Witnesses have regularly posted video of federal officers using tear gas to discourage the public from following them. Earlier Monday, agents fired tear gas to break up a crowd of people who showed up to see the aftermath of a car crash in Minneapolis, just a few blocks from where Renee Good was fatally shot. A crowd emerged to witness a man being questioned by agents who had rear-ended his car. Agents used tear gas to try to discourage the group, then drove off as people screamed, “cowards!” “I’m glad they didn’t shoot me or something,” Christian Molina told reporters. Standing near his mangled fender, he wondered aloud: “Who’s going to pay for my car?” It was another tense scene following the death of Good on Jan. 7. There were dozens of protests or vigils across the U.S. to honor the 37-yearold mother of three and passionately criticize the Trump administration’s tactics.

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Cuba’s president says no current talks with U.S.

BY ANDREA RODRÍGUEZ, DÁNICA COTO and MILEXSY DURÁN Associated Press

HAVANA — Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Monday that his administration is not in talks with the U.S. government, a day after President Donald Trump threatened the Caribbean island in the wake of the U.S. attack on Venezuela. Díaz-Canel posted a ﬂurry of brief statements on X after Trump suggested that Cuba “make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.” He did not say what kind of deal. Díaz-Canel wrote that for “relations between the U.S. and Cuba to progress, they must be based on international law rather than hostility, threats, and economic coercion.” He added: “We have always been willing to hold a serious and responsible dialogue with the various U.S. governments, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of International Law, and mutual beneﬁt without interference in internal affairs and with full respect for our independence.” His statements were reposted by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez

on X. On Sunday, Trump wrote that Cuba would no longer live off oil and money from Venezuela, which the U.S. attacked on Jan. 3 in a stunning operation that killed 32 Cuban ofﬁcers and led to the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro. Cuba was receiving an estimated 35,000 barrels a day from Venezuela before the U.S. attacked, along with some 5,500 barrels daily from Mexico and roughly 7,500 from Russia, according to Jorge Piñón of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, who tracks the shipments. On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum once again declined to provide data on current oil shipments or say whether such shipments would increase when Venezuelan supplies end. She insisted that the aid “has been ongoing for a long time; it’s not new.” Sheinbaum said Mexico’s fuel supply to Cuba is not a concern for her country because “there is enough oil” — even though production of state-owned oil company Petróleos Mexicanos is steadily declining. She reiterated that her government is willing to facilitate dialogue between the U.S.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY RAMON ESPINOSA

The Cuban flag flies at half-mast on Jan. 5 at the Anti-Imperialist Tribune near the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba, in memory of Cubans who died two days before in Caracas, Venezuela, during the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces. and Cuba if both agree. Even with oil shipments from Venezuela, widespread blackouts have persisted across Cuba given fuel shortages and a crumbling electric grid. Experts worry a lack of petroleum would only deepen the island’s multiple crises that stem from an economic paralysis during the COVID-19 pandemic and a radical increase in U.S. sanctions following the ﬁrst Trump administration, which aim to force a change in Cu-

ba’s political model. The communist government has said U.S. sanctions cost the country more than $7.5 billion between March 2024 and February 2025, a staggering sum for an island whose tourism revenue reached some $3 billion annually at its peak in the previous decade. The crisis also has triggered a large wave of migration primarily to the United States, where Cubans enjoyed immigration privileges

as exiles. Those privileges were curtailed before Trump closed U.S. borders. The situation between the U.S. and Cuba is “very sad and concerning,” said Andy S. Gómez, retired dean of the School of International Studies and senior fellow in Cuban Studies at the University of Miami. He said he sees Díaz-Canel’s latest comments “as a way to try and buy a little bit of time for the inner circle to decide what steps it’s going

to take.” Gómez said he doesn’t visualize Cuba reaching out to U.S. ofﬁcials right now. “They had every opportunity when President (Barack) Obama opened up U.S. diplomatic relations, and yet they didn’t even bring Cuban coffee to the table,” Gómez said. “Of course, these are desperate times for Cuba.” Michael Galant, senior research and outreach associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, D.C., said he believes Cuba might be willing to negotiate. “Cuba has been interested in ﬁnding ways to ease sanctions,” he said. “It’s not that Cuba is uncooperative.” Galant said topics for discussion could include migration and security, adding that he believes Trump is not in a hurry. “Trump is hoping to deepen the economic crisis on the island, and there are few costs to Trump to try and wait that out,” he said. “I don’t think it’s likely that there will be any dramatic action in the coming days because there is no rush to come to the table.” Cuba’s president stressed on X that “there are no talks with the U.S. government, except for technical contacts in the area of migration.”

U.S. lawmakers set FBI: Suspect targeted to visit Denmark synagogue because it’s MISSISSIPPI

Trump continues to threaten Greenland

BY SEUNG MIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation is headed to Copenhagen later this week in an attempt to show unity between the United States and Denmark as President Donald Trump continues to threaten to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of the NATO ally. Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., is leading the trip of at least nine members of Congress, including Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, of North Carolina. The group will be in Copenhagen on Friday and Saturday and will meet with high-level Danish and Greenlandic government ofﬁcials and business leaders. In an interview with The Associated Press on Monday, Coons said the delegation wants to send a message that “we understand the value of the partnership we have long had with them, and in no way seek to interfere in their internal discussions about the status of Greenland.” Coons stressed that the United States and Denmark have long been allies, noting that the northern European nation came to the U.S.’s defense in the immediate aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and have for years worked in tandem on other priorities. The delegation considered traveling to Greenland on the trip, but ultimately could not due to logistical issues, according to a person familiar with the trip planning who was granted anonymity to discuss earlier private discussions. Tensions have grown between Washington, Denmark and Greenland this month as Trump and his administration

push the issue and the White House considers a range of options, including military force, to acquire the vast Arctic island. Trump reiterated his argument that the U.S. needs to “take Greenland,” otherwise Russia or China would, in comments aboard Air Force One on Sunday. He said he’d rather “make a deal” for the territory, “but one way or the other, we’re going to have Greenland.” Danish and Greenlandic envoys are expected in Washington this week for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. China responded in kind on Monday, saying the United States should not use other countries as a “pretext” to pursue its interests in Greenland and said that China’s activities in the Arctic comply with international law. Asked in Beijing Monday about U.S. statements that it is necessary for Washington to take over Greenland to prevent China and Russia from taking control, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning replied that “China’s activities in the Arctic are aimed at promoting peace, stability, and sustainable development in the region and are in accordance with international law.” She didn’t elaborate on those activities. “The rights and freedoms of all countries to conduct activities in the Arctic in accordance with the law should be fully respected,” Mao said, without mentioning Greenland directly. “The U.S. should not pursue its own interests by using other countries as a pretext.” She said that “the Arctic concerns the overall interests of the international community.” Coons said in addition to reinforcing the U.S.’s relationship with Denmark, he wants the trip to emphasize that “there is no imminent threat to Greenland from the Chinese and the Russians.”

Jewish house of worship BY SOPHIE BATES, JEFF MARTIN and MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

JACKSON, Miss. — A suspect in an arson fire at a synagogue that was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan decades ago admitted to targeting the historic institution because it’s a Jewish house of worship and confessed what he had done to his father, who turned him in to authorities after observing burn marks on his son’s ankles, hands and face, the FBI said Monday. Stephen Pittman was charged with maliciously damaging or destroying a building by means of fire or an explosive. The 19-year-old suspect confessed to lighting a fire inside the building, which he referred to as “the synagogue of Satan,” according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Mississippi on Monday. At a first appearance hearing Monday in federal court, a public defender was appointed for Pittman, who attended via video conference call from a hospital bed. Both of his hands were visibly bandaged. He told the judge that he was a high school graduate and had three semesters of college. Prosecutors said he could face five to 20 years in prison if convicted. When the judge read him his rights, Pittman said, “Jesus Christ is Lord.” The fire ripped through the Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson shortly after 3 a.m. on Saturday. No congregants or firefighters were injured. Security camera video released Monday by the synagogue showed a masked and hooded man using a gas

can to pour liquid on the floor and a couch in the building’s lobby. The weekend fire badly damaged the 165-year-old synagogue’s library and administrative offices. Five Torahs — the sacred scrolls with the text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible — located inside the sanctuary were being assessed for smoke damage. Two Torahs inside the library, where the most severe damage was done, were destroyed. One Torah that survived the Holocaust was behind glass and was not damaged in the fire, according to the congregation. The suspect’s father contacted the FBI and said his son had confessed to setting

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY SOPHIE BATES

Caution tape and flowers cover the entrance to the Beth Israel Congregation on Monday in Jackson, Miss. The synagogue was set on fire early Saturday morning. the building on fire. Pittman had texted his father a photo of the rear of the synagogue before the fire, with the message, “There’s a furnace in the back.” His father had pleaded with his son to return home, but “Pittman replied back by saying he was due for a home run and ‘I did my research,’” the affidavit said. During an interview with investigators, Pittman said he had stopped at a gas sta-

tion on his way to the synagogue to purchase the gas used in the fire. He also took the license plate off his vehicle at the gas station. He used an ax to break out a window of the synagogue, poured gas inside and used a torch lighter to start the fire, the FBI affidavit said. The FBI later recovered a burned cellphone believed to be Pittman’s and took possession of a hand torch that a congregant had found.

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Mayor Helena Moreno gestures to the crowd during inauguration ceremonies at the Saenger Theatre on Monday.

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

MORENO

Continued from page 1A for New Orleans.” Returning to the council are atlarge council member JP Morrell; District B council member Lesli Harris; District C council member Freddie King III; and District D council member Eugene Green. Matthew Willard, a former state representative, replaces Moreno as the second at-large council member. He’s joined by District E council member Jason Hughes, also a former state representative, and District A council member Aimee McCarron, a former council staffer. Moreno arrived at City Hall shortly after the conclusion of Monday’s ceremony to attend the City Council’s inaugural meeting and to sign more than a dozen executive orders laying out the structure of her government. The mayor also set up working groups tasked with stabilizing the city’s budget and improving departmental coordination on city infrastructure. She also revoked several of Cantrell’s executive orders. Moreno has said the first 100 days of her administration will focus on improving infrastructure, solving the city’s financial woes and revamping its permitting office. “We know things are not where we want them to be today. And we know it won’t be easy to fix them. But just because things are hard does not mean they are impossible,” Moreno said in her speech. “And we must be clear: Failure is not an option.” Monday’s ceremony featured performances by a string of iconic New Orleans musicians, including The Soul Rebels, Dawn Richard, Tonya Boyd-Cannon, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Big Freedia. Trombone Shorty performed a rendition of “On the Sunny Side of the Street” with 16-year-old piano phenom River Eckert. And singer Lenny Kravitz, who once owned property in New Orleans’ French Quarter, sent a video message in support. The event also featured remarks from Republicans and Democrats, including Harris, who was in town for a book tour and who gave Moreno high praise before she introduced her to the crowd. “Helena and I first crossed paths many years ago, and from the very beginning what stood out was not only that she’s talented, but she’s tough,” Harris said. “It is clear that

Mayor Helena Moreno, center, is joined onstage by City Council members after taking the oath of office on Monday. Helena Moreno will never stop ﬁghting for the people of New Orleans.” Senate President Cameron Henry, a Metairie Republican, also spoke alongside New Orleans Democratic Sen. Jimmy Harris. And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Republican, took the stage with Democratic Congressman Troy Carter. Cantrell also attended Monday’s ceremony, while Gov. Jeff Landry was invited Monday but did not attend. In a statement, Landry said, “New Orleans is a special city that deserves strong leadership” and said he looks forward to working with Moreno. “Today you’ve seen local, state and federal leaders on all sides of politics come together to support the future of our exceptional city,” Moreno said in her speech. “We have more in common, than what divides us when it comes to ensuring one of America’s greatest cities thrives.”

Among the first actions Moreno took Monday was to create a working group to identify cost-savings across City Hall. The group will be chaired by Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso and include an “efficiency lead” from each department. It will evaluate the city’s fleet of vehicles — which Moreno has described as excessive — and review spending on overtime, vendor contracts and facilities, among other items. Within 30 days, each department must submit to the CAO an “efficiency plan” with a list of proposed savings. A final report is due to Moreno within 90 days. Moreno also signed an executive order creating an infrastructure coordinating council, part of her campaign pledge to speed up public works and capital improvement projects. Chaired by Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Steven Nelson, the council includes representatives from various city agencies and utilities. It will convene at

STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER

Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, left, and state Sen. Jimmy Harris speak during Monday’s inauguration ceremony for Mayor Helena Moreno.

least once a month, and its meetings will be open to the public. It’s required to produce a workplan within 90 days, followed by quarterly reports to Moreno. Moreno was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, and lived there until her family moved to Houston when she was 8 years old. She graduated from Episcopal High School and studied broadcast journalism at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Moreno in 2001 moved to New Orleans to work for WDSU, where she grew into a household name. But, determined that she could do more to help New Orleans as an elected ofﬁcial, Moreno left journalism and in 2008 entered politics with a run for Congress, coming second in the Democratic Party primary. Two years later, Moreno won a seat in the state House of Representatives. She joined the City Council in 2018, where she led ef-

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

forts to regulate Entergy New Orleans, secure higher wages for city workers and relocate residents from Gordon Plaza. In December 2024, she entered the race for mayor, promising to take New Orleans in a “new direction” and improve basic city services. Moreno remained the frontrunner throughout the campaign and won outright in the Oct. 11 primary, securing 55% of the vote. Moreno said the overarching goal of her ﬁrst four-year term is to reverse New Orleans’ population loss. The New Orleans area, for the past two years, has topped the list of the fastest-shrinking large metros in the nation. “The biggest outcome that matters to me is ensuring that you can always call New Orleans home,” Moreno said to the crowd assembled at the Saenger. “And for those who have moved away, to see that now is the opportunity to come on back.”

STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER

Former New Orleans mayors, from left, Sidney Barthelemy, Marc Morial, Mitch Landrieu and LaToya Cantrell watch as new Mayor Helena Moreno takes the oath of office on Monday.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ 5A

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New video shows minutes before Minn. ICE shooting Woman killed by federal officer last week

BY JESSE BEDAYN Associated Press

A new video shows more of what happened before a federal immigration officer shot and killed a woman during an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, adding context to a shooting that has sparked national debate on whether the officer acted in self-defense or recklessly. The video, which is 31/2 minutes long and was filmed by a bystander, was posted Sunday by the U.S. Depart-

ment of Homeland Security on X. It shows federal ofﬁcers and vehicles on a snowy street as a car horn blares on and off, with the sounds of whistles adding to the cacophony. The camera swings to the left, showing a red SUV sitting perpendicular and blocking part of the road, the woman inside, Renee Good, pressing the horn repeatedly. After over a minute, Good pulled the SUV back slightly, unblocking part of the road and appears to wave at cars to pass. Two vehicles drive past her down the street. Good’s wife is seen outside the red SUV, but the video doesn’t clearly show where

she was in the proceeding minutes. Then, after a blare from sirens, a dark truck with a small flashing light pulls to a stop a few feet from Good’s SUV. Two officers exit the truck and walk toward Good’s car just before the video goes dark. Bystander videos released last week, shot from multiple angles, show what happened next. A video filmed by the officer who fired at Good shows one officer ask Good to get out of the car and another ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY ADAM GRAY tries to open her door. The officer who is filming circles Protesters try to avoid tear gas dispersed by federal agents around to the front of the ve- on Monday in Minneapolis. hicle. Good reverses briefly, who is filming in front of the Good then turns the steering which places the officer driver’s side of the vehicle. wheel toward the passenger

side as an officer says again, “get out of the car.” Almost simultaneously, her wife, standing on the passenger side and trying to open the door, shouts, “drive, baby, drive!” The SUV pulls forward, the video veers up toward the sky and gunshots are heard. Other footage of the shooting shows the officer who fired holstering his gun, then a few seconds of silence before Good’s SUV crashes into a parked car. A woman who appears to be Good’s wife runs toward the crash, as the officer who fired walks in the same direction. Bystanders begin screaming.

Teacher who survived Uvalde shooting testifies at trial of officer Man said he saw ‘black shadow’ with a gun BY JIM VERTUNO Associated Press

A teacher who survived the 2022 shooting inside a Robb Elementary school classroom in Uvalde, Texas, told a jury Monday the attack began with a “black shadow” with a gun walking inside and that he prayed for the attack to be over after being shot along with his students. Arnulfo Reyes’ testimony came on the fifth day of the trial for Adrian Gonzales, a former Uvalde schools police officer who was among the first law enforcement responders to the scene. Gonzales has pleaded not guilty to 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment as prosecutors allege he did nothing to stop the gunman in the first moments of the attack. The gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO BY JAE C. HONG

Flowers and candles are placed in May 2022 around crosses to honor the victims killed in a school shooting outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. A former Uvalde schools police officer is on trial for 29 counts of child abandonment or endangerment. Reyes was shot in the arm and back and said he was taunted by 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos. “I looked at my door and that’s when I saw him ... a black shadow. The black shadow was holding a gun. I just saw the ﬁre come out of the gun,” Reyes testiﬁed. “He shot at me and hit me in my arm. That’s when I fell to

the ground.” “When I fell, he came around and he shot the kids,” he said. Reyes said Ramos turned back around and shot him in the back. He prayed “and I gave myself to the Lord ... and waited for everything to be over.” Reyes said the gunman at one point walked into the ad-

joining classroom, where he said he heard a student say, “Ofﬁcer, we’re in here,” before he heard more shooting. Reyes said Ramos also taunted him while he tried to pretend he was dead. Reyes was a teacher in Room 111. None of the children in his classroom survived. Just before Reyes testi-

fied, the court watched the surveillance video of Ramos entering the school and start shooting. The judge had warned the courtroom the images and sounds would be graphic. Gonzales showed no emotion on his face as emergency calls to police and a woman can be heard screaming “get in your room!” He appeared to flinch when the first loud shots rang out in the hallway. He also covered his mouth with his left hand. Gonzales was among the first of more than 370 federal, state and local officers to arrive at the school. It would take more than an hour for a tactical team to go into a classroom and kill the gunman. The trial in Corpus Christi, Texas, is tightly focused on Gonzales’ actions. Prosecutors allege he abandoned his active shooter training and did not try to engage or distract the gunman while he was still outside the school. They said Gonzales failed again minutes later when a group of officers went inside the school only to re-

treat when they came under heavy gunﬁre. While much of the trial has been focused on events outside the school when the attack started, prosecutors are using the carnage inside the classroom as the ultimate result of what they said was Gonzales’ failure to stop the gunman when he had a chance. At one point, prosecutors showed the school portraits of each of the schoolchildren and asked Reyes to read their names and say whether they died or survived. Reyes was not asked about Gonzales during questioning by prosecutors, and mentioned only encountering a Border Patrol ofﬁcer when the shooting stopped. At the start of their crossexamination, defense attorneys noted the doors to the outside of the school, as well as Reyes’ classroom, were unlocked in violation of school policy. Reyes said he’d believed his classroom door was locked. Reyes’ testimony will continue Tuesday.

6A ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

COASTAL

Continued from page 1A whether the lawsuit, and dozens of similar cases, belong in federal or state court. Chevron argues that the cases should be heard in federal court because, during World War II, its subsidiary Texaco produced high-octane aviation fuel for the war effort. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the oil companies, a federal judge could vacate the landmark $745 million jury verdict rendered after a three-week trial last year in Plaquemines Parish. The ruling could have ripple effects nationwide, too, potentially setting a precedent that large-scale environmental litigation belongs in federal court and shielding such lawsuits from local juries. In a last-minute development before Monday’s arguments, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito recused himself from the case due to his ﬁnancial interest in ConocoPhillips. He was not present at Monday’s arguments. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals previously ruled that the lawsuits belong in state court and 25th Judicial District Court Judge Michael Clement allowed the case to proceed to a jury trial. About two months after the trial concluded, the Supreme Court decided to take up the case. The justices on Monday centered their questions on a 2011 amendment to a law that governs when a case can be moved to federal court — known as the federal

PROBE

Continued from page 1A within the federal government and the path of the U.S. economy at a time of uncertainty about inflation and a slowing job market. This has created a sense among some Republican lawmakers and leading economists that the Trump administration had overstepped the Fed’s independence by sending subpoenas. The criminal investigation — a first for a sitting Fed chair — sparked an unusually robust response from Powell and a full-throated defense from three former Fed chairs, a group of top economic officials and even Republican senators tasked with voting on Trump’s eventual pick to replace Powell as Fed chair when his term expires in May. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump did not direct his Justice Department to investigate Powell, who has proved to be a foil for Trump by insisting on setting the Fed’s benchmark interest rates based on the data instead of the president’s wishes. “One thing for sure, the president’s made it quite clear, is Jerome Powell is bad at his job,” Leavitt said. “As for whether or not Jerome Powell is a criminal, that’s an answer the Department of Justice is going to have to find out.” The investigation demonstrates the lengths the Trump administration is willing to go to try to assert control over the Fed, an independent agency that the president believes should

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officer removal law — and how far its application could extend. “It’s hard to see where you stop,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. “Is it a butterfly effect? You know, a butterfly flaps its wings and it has an end result halfway around the world?” Former U.S. Solicitor General Paul D. Clement, who is representing Chevron, argued that if the oil companies had been prevented from producing, “that would have directly affected the government’s ability to get refined (aviation fuel) to fight the war effort.” He argued that the crude oil pumped from Louisiana was of a type used to refine aviation fuel, meaning the work was done in service of the federal contract even if the contract did not explicitly call for drilling in the marshes. J. Benjamin Aguiñaga, Louisiana’s solicitor general, said the trial in Pointe à la Hache showed that industry had “dumped billions of gallons of produced water from oil wells directly into our marsh.” At issue, he said, is whether the company did so under the direction of the federal government. He argued that the industry would have polluted the marsh regardless of whether it was working for the federal government, because much of the crude oil it was producing at the time was for civilian use. “Industry would have been engaging in the exact same conduct … whether or not an avgas refining contract existed,” he said, using a term for aviation fuel. A ruling is expected by the summer in the case, which is being

follow his claims that inflationary pressures have faded enough for drastic rate cuts to occur. Trump has repeatedly used investigations — which might or might not lead to an actual indictment — to attack his political rivals. The risks go far beyond Washington infighting to whether people can find work or afford their groceries. If the Fed errs in setting rates, inﬂation could surge or job losses could mount. Trump maintains that an economic boom is occurring and rates should be cut to pump more money into the economy, while Powell has taken a more cautious approach in the wake of Trump’s tariffs. Several Republican senators have condemned the Department of Justice’s subpoenas of the Fed, which Powell revealed Sunday and characterized as “pretexts” to pressure him to sharply cut interest rates. Powell also said the Justice Department has threatened criminal indictments over his June testimony to Congress about the cost and design elements of a $2.5 billion building renovation that includes the Fed’s headquarters. “After speaking with Chair Powell this morning, it’s clear the administration’s investigation is nothing more than an attempt at coercion,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, on Monday. A bipartisan group of former Fed chairs and top economists on Monday called the Trump administration’s investigation “an unprecedented attempt to use prosecutorial attacks” to undermine the Fed’s independence, stressing that

closely watched both in Louisiana and across the country. Beyond the legal implications, it has also pitted Louisiana Republicans against the Trump administration, which has sided with the oil companies. Louisiana officials say the question is a simple one: The companies should be forced to pay for the damage they caused, and the cases should play out in state courts. “We’re here to defend the coastal cases that the state and Attorney General’s Office joined some years ago to make sure that oil companies who’ve performed illegal operations on our coast and damaged our coast … come in and fix what they broke and join us in the effort to save our coast,” Attorney General Liz Murrill said outside the high court Monday morning. After the hearing, she emphasized that the verdict itself was not being questioned. Even if the court ruled in Chevron’s favor, the facts remain the same, she argued. “State law will still apply,” she said. “The same facts, the same arguments.” She stressed the state has proven at trial that the companies broke the law both before 1980 and after that, when new coastal regulations went into effect. The oil firms and their supporters argue the suits are frivolous, saying the state and the nation benefited tremendously from the production in question. They also say the lawsuits risk jobs and investment along Louisiana’s coast, and that some of the operations occurred before a law they are accused of violating took effect in 1980. Bill Turenne, a spokesperson for

central banks controlled by political leaders tend to produce higher inﬂation and lower growth. “I think this is ham-handed, counterproductive, and going to set back the president’s cause,” said Jason Furman, an economist at Harvard and former top adviser to President Barack Obama. The investigation could also unify the Fed’s interest-rate setting committee in support of Powell, and means “the next Fed chair will be under more pressure to prove their independence.” The subpoenas apply to Powell’s statements before a congressional committee about the renovation of Fed buildings, including its marble-clad headquarters in Washington, D.C. They come at an unusual moment when Trump was teasing the likelihood of announcing his nominee this month to succeed Powell as the Fed chair and could possibly be selfdefeating for the nomination process. While Powell’s term as chair ends in four months, he has a separate term as a Fed governor until January 2028, meaning that he could remain on the board. If Powell stays on the board, Trump could be blocked from appointing an outside candidate of his choice to be the chair. Powell quickly found a growing number of defenders among Republicans in the Senate, who will have the choice of whether to conﬁrm Trump’s planned pick for Fed chair. Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican and member of the Senate Banking panel, said late Sunday that he would op-

pose any of the Trump administration’s Fed nominees until the investigation is “resolved.” “If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none,” Tillis said. Sen. Dave McCormick, RPenn, said the Fed may have wasted public dollars with its renovation, but he said, “I do not think Chairman Powell is guilty of criminal activity.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune offered a brief

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ministration a majority on the seven-member board. That majority could then enact signiﬁcant reforms at the Fed and even block the appointment of presidents at the Fed’s 12 regional banks. “They could do a lot of reorganizing and reforms” without having to pass new legislation, said Mark Spindel, chief investment ofﬁcer at Potomac River Capital and author of a book on Fed independence. “That seat is very valuable.” Powell has declined at several news conferences to answer questions about his plans to stay or leave the board.

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“That would mean another delay for us,” he said. This case and the more than 40 other coastal lawsuits Carmouche has filed on behalf of Louisiana parishes have already dragged on for years. The first case was filed in 2013, and the oil companies have sought to remove them to federal court several times. Each of the cases alleges that oil and gas companies polluted the Louisiana coast and contributed to the state’s land loss crisis. Since the 1930s, the state has lost more than 2,000 square miles of land. There is evidence that oil and gas activity has contributed to the state’s land loss, but so have other issues. Among them are the levees along the Mississippi River, which enable navigation and prevent the river from flooding but also starve coastal wetlands of the sediment that replenishes them. Mark Davis, the director of the Tulane Center for Environmental Law, who is not directly involved with the case, noted that the question before the Supreme Court — what exactly is a “federal officer” — appears narrow, but could have far-reaching effects. If the Supreme Court rules that the cases belong in federal court, he said, he expects other companies to make the argument that they are also protected from being sued if they’re aligned with federal interests. “I would expect all sorts of industry suppliers and partners of the federal government … to not only assert, ‘We don’t want to be in court in the states,’ but ‘We shouldn’t be in court at all,’ ” Davis said.

but stern response Monday about the tariffs as he arrived at the U.S. Capitol, suggesting that the administration needed “serious” evidence of wrongdoing to take such a signiﬁcant step. “I haven’t seen the case or whatever the allegations or charges are, but I would say they better, they better be real and they better be serious,” said Thune, a Republican representing South Dakota. If Powell stays on the board after his term as chair ends, the Trump administration would be deprived of the chance to ﬁll another seat that would give the ad-

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Chevron, said after the hearing that the company remains confident that “federal court is the proper forum for these cases.” Louisiana pro-industry groups have lined up behind Chevron, unusually positioning themselves against the Republican administration of Gov. Jeff Landry while arguing that investment and jobs are at stake. “I think it’s important that the Supreme Court recognized the value in reviewing this case,” said Tommy Faucheux, the president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association. “The Supreme Court has the opportunity here to uphold fair and consistent application of the law and help preserve legal stability for the energy industry that has fueled America’s economy and has continued to breathe life into Louisiana communities.” Other pro-industry groups, including the Pelican Institute, the Grow Louisiana Coalition and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, issued statements echoing that sentiment. John Carmouche, the lead attorney representing Plaquemines Parish in last year’s trial, said he did not have a clear sense for which way the justices were leaning. But the questioning indicated to him that the Supreme Court might issue a narrow ruling on how the federal officer removal statute should be interpreted. That could then send the case back to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to rule on how the law applies to the facts of his particular lawsuits.

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The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ 7A

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Officials: Israeli drone strike kills 3 people in Gaza BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — An Israeli drone strike Monday killed three Palestinians who had crossed the ceaseﬁre line near central Gaza’s Morag corridor, hospital officials said. Israel’s military said the three approached troops and posed an immediate threat. They said they later found weapons and intelligencegathering equipment on them. The strike came as Gaza awaits an expected announcement this week of a “Board of Peace” to oversee its governance. Hamas has said it will dissolve its existing government once the new committee takes over the territory, as mandated under the U.S.brokered peace plan. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that more than 440 people have been killed since Israel and Hamas agreed last October to suspend their twoyear war. Since then, each side has accused the other of violating the ceaseﬁre, which remains in its initial stage as

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Medical staff take part in a protest on Monday outside the Red Cross headquarters in Gaza City that was organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee calling for the release of prisoners held in Israeli prisons efforts continue to recover the remains of the final Israeli hostage in Gaza. Israel’s military controls a buffer zone that covers more than half of Gaza, while the Hamas-run government retains authority over the rest. Throughout the war, Israel has supported anti-Hamas groups, including an armed group in southern Gaza that

claimed responsibility on Monday for the killing of a senior Hamas police ofﬁcer in Khan Younis. Lt. Col. Mahmoud al-Astal was gunned down in the Muwasi area, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said in a statement. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem, in a post on Telegram on Sunday, called

for a speeding up of the establishment of the Palestinian technocratic committee set to govern Gaza. Hamas and the rival Palestinian Authority have not announced the names of who will sit on the committee and it remains unclear if they will be cleared by Israel and the U.S. Officials say that Trump

will announce his appointments to the Board of Peace in the coming days. Under Trump’s plan, the board would supervise the new Palestinian government, the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international security force, additional pullbacks of Israeli troops and reconstruction. The U.S. has reported little progress on any of these fronts so far. According to Turkish officials, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan participated on Monday in a video conference with the U.S. and others meeting to discuss “preparations for the second stage” of the ceaseﬁre agreement. The talks, held as a continuation of a meeting in Miami at the end of December, also included ofﬁcials from Egypt and Qatar. Dozens of Palestinians, including medical workers, held a protest in Gaza City

on Monday to demand the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners still being held in Israeli prisons. The protest was organized by the Palestinian Prisoners Committee outside the building of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza City. Meanwhile, groups that advocate for Palestinian prisoners said that Israeli authorities have confirmed the death of a detainee from Gaza. In a statement Sunday, the Prisoners’ Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said that Hamza Abdullah Abdelhadi Adwan died in prison on Sept. 9, based on information the family received from the Israeli military. Israeli military officials said Monday that its police force will investigate and send their findings to the military prosecutor’s office for review.

Court hears arguments in Jimmy Lai sentencing BY KANIS LEUNG Associated Press

HONG KONG — A Hong Kong court heard arguments Monday about the sentencing of democracy advocate and onetime-media magnate Jimmy Lai, whose conviction under a national security law could land him in prison for the rest of his life. Lai founded the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and was an outspoken critic of China’s ruling Communist Party. He was arrested in 2020 under the law imposed by Beijing following massive anti-government protests that rocked Hong Kong the year before. In December, he was found guilty of conspiring with others to collude with foreign forces and conspiracy to publish seditious articles. His conviction raised concerns about the curtailing of press freedom in the former British colony, which

HONG KONG

returned to Chinese rule in 1997. His case could also test Beijing’s diplomatic ties. The verdict drew criticism from foreign governments, including the U.S. and Britain. After the verdict, U.S. President Donald Trump, who had raised Lai’s case with China, said he felt “so badly.” Lai, alongside other co-defendants, appeared in court for the four-day mitigation hearings. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment. Sentencing will come later. Lai’s lawyer Robert Pang said his client’s health, age and solitary confinement would make his sentence “more burdensome” compared to that of the general prison population. Lai is 78, so the impact of a lengthy prison sentence will be greater, Pang argued. “Every day he spends in

prison,” Pang said, “brings him closer to the end of his life.” When Lai entered the courtroom, he pressed his palms together, an apparent gesture to express gratitude, and smiled at those sitting in the gallery. The media tycoon appeared to be in good spirits and greeted a convicted Apple Daily editor who was also in the dock. In August, his lawyers told the court that he suffered from heart palpitations. Hong Kong’s government said no abnormalities were found in a subsequent medical exam. Prosecutor Anthony Chau said Lai’s health was stable. Chau said Lai had lost about 1.8 pounds over ﬁve years of detention, weighing about 175 pounds when it was last measured this month. Lai is still considered obese as an Asian adult, Chau said. The obesity comment drew chuckles from some people

sitting in the public gallery, and Lai also smiled. But Pang argued that his client no longer lived up to his nickname of “Fatty Lai,” in contrast to images in videos ﬁlmed before detention and previously shown to the court. Esther Toh, one of the three government-vetted judges, rejected estimating weight by relying on human eyes, saying people may look fatter on camera. Pang also said Lai’s weight once dropped 24 pounds within a year, though the court heard he later regained some of the weight. The lawyer said Lai suffers health issues like hypertension, diabetes and a blocked vein in one eye.

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Doctor accused in double murder waives right to extradition hearing By The Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — The exhusband of an Ohio woman charged this weekend with the murders of her and her husband waived his right to an extradition hearing Monday in Illinois. Michael David McKee, 39, a doctor from Chicago, has been charged with premeditated aggravated murder in the shooting deaths of 39-year-old Monique Tepe, whom he divorced in 2017, and dentist Dr. Spencer Tepe, 37, in their Columbus home on Dec. 30.

McKee appeared in court in Winnebago County, Illinois, where he has been jailed since his arrest on Saturday. He appeared expressionless while he walked into the courtroom wearing a yellow jumpsuit with shackles around his wrists. Judge Donald Shriver did not say when McKee will be returned to Ohio, but he scheduled a hearing for Jan. 19 to conﬁrm the status of the transfer. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office will coordinate McKee’s return to Franklin County, where the

trial will take place, according to Tom Jakeway, trial court administrator for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois. His arrest caps off nearly two weeks of speculation surrounding the mysterious killings that attracted national attention. No obvious signs of forced entry were found at the Tepes’ home. Police also said no weapon was found there, and murder-suicide was not suspected. Further, nothing was stolen, and the couple’s two young children and their dog were left unharmed in the home.

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8A ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune

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FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street shakes off Trump’s feud with Fed

NEW YORK — Wall Street ticked to more records Monday after bouncing back from losses taken because of worries about the worsening feud between the White House and the Federal Reserve, one that experts warn could lead to higher inflation in the future. The S&P 500 tacked 0.2% onto its prior all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average recovered an early loss of nearly 500 points and added 86, or 0.2%, to its own record, while the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%. Some nervousness was still evident in the market, though, amid concern that the Fed may be on the path to less independence in setting interest rates to keep inflation under control. Prices for gold and other investments that tend to do well when investors are nervous rose, while the value of the U.S. dollar dipped against other currencies. Walmart helped drive the U.S. stock market higher despite the worries. It climbed 3% after learning that its stock will join the widely followed Nasdaq 100 index. Google also said Sunday that it’s expanding the shopping features in its AI chatbot by teaming up with Walmart and several other big retailers. Google’s parent company, Alphabet, rose 1% to bring its total market value above $4 trillion following a torrid run aided by its artificial-intelligence offerings.

S&P 500 6,977.27 10.99 0.16%

EURO 1.1666 0.0002 0.02%

CRUDE OIL 59.50 0.38 0.64%

GOLD 4,604.30 114.00 2.54%

6-MO T-BILLS 3.61 0.01 0.28%

30-YR T-BONDS 4.84 0.02 0.5%

Google to help Apple smarten up Siri Will also bring other AI features to iPhone

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AP technology writer

Apple will rely on Google to help ﬁnish its efforts to smarten up its virtual assistant Siri and bring other artiﬁcial intelligence features to the iPhone as the trendsetting company plays catch up in technology’s latest craze. The deal allowing Apple to tap into Google’s AI technology was disclosed Monday in a joint statement from the Silicon Valley powerhouses. The partnership will draw upon Google’s Gemini technology to customize a suite of

AI features dubbed “Apple Intelligence” on the iPhone and other products. After Google and others took the early lead in the AI race, Apple promised to plant its ﬁrst big stake in the ﬁeld with an array of new features that were supposed to be coming to the iPhone in 2024 as part of a ballyhooed software upgrade. But many of Apple’s AI features remain in the development phase, while Google and Samsung have been rolling out more of the technology on their own devices. One of the most glaring AI omissions on the iPhone has been a promised overhaul of Siri that was supposed to transform the often-confused assistant into a more conversa-

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives hailed the Apple deal as a “major validation moment for Google,” in a Monday research note. Google’s AI inroads have helped its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., become slightly more valuable than Apple in the assessment of investors. Alphabet marked a milestone Monday when it surpassed a market value of $4 trillion for the ﬁrst time during early morning trading before slipping back below that threshold later in the session. Even so, Alphabet’s market value remained about $150 billion above Apple, which for years ranked as the world’s most valuable company before the rise of AI changed the stakes.

tional and versatile multitasker. Google even subtly mocked the iPhone’s AI shortcomings in ads promoting the release of its latest Pixel phone last summer. Apple’s AI missteps prompted the Cupertino, California, company to acknowledge last year that its Siri upgrade wouldn’t happen until some point during 2026. Getting Apple to endorse its AI implicitly represents a coup for Google, which has been steadily releasing more features built on its Gemini technology in its search engine and Gmail. The progress has intensiﬁed Google’s competition with OpenAI and its ChatGPT chatbot, which already has a deal with Apple that makes it an option on the iPhone.

Malaysia, Indonesia block Musk’s Grok KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artiﬁcial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk’s company xAI, as concerns grow among global authorities that it is being misused to generate sexually explicit and nonconsensual images. There is growing scrutiny of generative AI tools that can produce realistic images, sound and text, and concern that existing safeguards are failing to prevent their abuse. The Grok chatbot, accessed through Musk’s social media platform X, has been criticized for generating manipulated images, including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, as well as images involving children. “The government sees nonconsensual sexual deepfakes as a serious violation of human rights, dignity and the safety of citizens in the digital space,” Indonesian Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in a statement.

Nurses go on strike at New York City hospitals NEW YORK — Thousands of nurses in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend yielded no breakthroughs in disputes with three major hospital systems over staffing, benefits and other issues. “Nurses on strike! ... Fair contract now!” nurses shouted on a picket line outside NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s campus in Upper Manhattan. Others picketed at hospitals in the Mount Sinai and Montefiore systems, where a 2023 nursing strike fed off pandemic-era frustrations and led to a deal to boost staffing and pay. “And now, it’s how they’re treating us: They don’t want to give us a fair contract, and they don’t want to give us safe staffing, and now they’re trying to roll back on our benefits,” emergency department nurse Tristan Castillo said Monday. About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to their union, the New York State Nurses Association. The hospitals remained open, hiring droves of temporary nurses to try to fill the labor gap. The strike involves private, nonprofit hospitals, not city-run ones.

STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON

Margaretta Blades looks to order in the cold cuts section of the newest Rouses location on Monday in Central.

MARKET ROLLOUT

Former Winn-Dixies are rebranded as Rouses and begin to open BY TIMOTHY BOONE Staff writer

The former Winn-Dixie supermarket in Central reopened Monday as a Rouses Market, the ﬁrst of 10 rebranded locations the Schriever-based chain will open over the next ﬁve weeks. CEO Donny Rouse said the store at 10974 Joor Road has all the same offerings as a

store Rouses builds from the ground up — including a deli, a meat department, a fresh seafood counter and a line of prepared dishes. “It is different from the stores we build from the ground up, because we have a year to build those locations like we want it. This store, we had seven days,” he said. Because of the expanded departments and the fact that Rouses doesn’t have selfservice checkout lanes, the employment at the Central store has doubled, from 60 to 120 workers, Rouse said. Rouses announced in November it had purchased 10 Winn-Dixie locations in Central, metro New Orleans and Hattiesburg, Missis-

sippi, for an undisclosed sum. Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie, said in October it was selling its remaining Louisiana stores in order to focus on the Florida and southern Georgia markets. Two Baton Rouge stores have been rebranded as Super 1 Foods markets. Rouses also reopened a Destrehan WinnDixie on Monday. The plan is to reopen the stores in New Orleans, Marrero, Kenner, Covington, Mandeville, Franklinton, Gramercy and Hattiesburg over the next month, with two openings each week. Once the rebrandings are complete, Rouses will have 76 stores stretching from Lake Charles to Orange Beach, Alabama.

Offshore wind developer prevails in court Trump says U.S. ‘will not approve any windmills’

BY JENNIFER McDERMOTT Associated Press

A federal judge ruled Monday that work on a major offshore wind farm for Rhode Island and Connecticut can resume, handing the industry at least a temporary victory as President Donald Trump seeks to shut it down. At the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Senior Judge Royce Lamberth said the government did not explain why it could not take action short of a complete stop to construction on Revolution Wind while it considers ways to mitigate its national security concerns. He said it also did not provide sufﬁcient reasoning for its change in position. Revolution Wind has received all of its federal permits and is nearly 90% complete to provide power

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO BY STEVE HELBER

Wind turbine bases, generators and blades sit at Portsmouth Marine Terminal, the staging area for Dominion Energy Virginia, which is developing Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, in Portsmouth, Va. for Rhode Island and Connecticut. Trump says his goal is to not let any “windmills” be built. Three energy developers are challenging the administration’s freeze of their offshore wind projects. Danish energy company Orsted, Norwegian company Equinor, and Dominion Energy Virginia each sued to ask the courts to vacate

and set aside the administration’s Dec. 22 order to freeze five big projects on the East Coast over national security concerns. Orsted’s hearing was ﬁrst on its Revolution Wind project. The administration did not reveal specifics about its national security concerns, but Trump said Friday while meeting with oil in-

dustry executives about investing in Venezuela that wind farms are “losers.” He said they lose money, destroy the landscape and kill birds. “I’ve told my people we will not approve windmills,” Trump said. “Maybe we get forced to do something because some stupid person in the Biden administration agreed to do something years ago. We will not approve any windmills in this country.” The Biden administration sought to ramp up offshore wind as a climate change solution. Trump began reversing the country’s energy policies his ﬁrst day in ofﬁce with a spate of executive orders aimed at boosting oil, gas and coal. The Trump administration paused leases for the Vineyard Wind project under construction in Massachusetts, Revolution Wind, Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind, and two projects in New York: Sunrise Wind and Empire Wind. New York’s attorney general sued the Trump administration on Friday over Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind.

The Times-Picayune ✦ nola.com ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ 9A

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CLASSIFIEDS continued from Legal Notices

Legal Notices

OFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS REGULAR SESSION CITY HALL: OCTOBER 9, 2025 The Council of the City of New Orleans met this day in Regular Session, at 10:00 A.M., in the Council Chamber, City Hall, Council President, JP Morrell, presiding. On calling the roll, the following members answered to their names: PRESENT: MORENO (VICE PRESIDENT) MORRELL (PRESIDENT) GIARRUSSO GREEN THOMAS ABSENT: HARRIS (Arrived later in the meeting). KING (Arrived later in the meeting). FIVE MEMBERS PRESENT, CONSTITUTING A QUORUM. ROLL CALL LORA W. JOHNSON CLERK OF COUNCIL INVOCATION BISHOP BRANDON BOUTIN UNITED FELLOWSHIP FULL GOSPEL BAPTIST CHURCH PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE JP MORRELL COUNCILMEMBER-AT-LARGE APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES September 11, 2025 and September 25, 2025. APPROVED. HDLC APPEAL HDLC APPEAL - OF MICHAEL FABRE AND CHRIS ROBERTS Requesting to appeal the Historic District Landmarks Commission’s decision to levy a fine of $16,000 for property located at 500 State Street. WITHDRAWN. IZD APPEAL IZD APPEAL - OF EURICKA ALUGAS, CERTIFIED OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY SPECIALIST, LICENSED ARBORIST - Requesting to appeal the Commercial Short-Term Rental Interim Zoning District, pursuant to CZO 19.4.A.20.D for the property located at 8504 Oak Street. WITHDRAWN. ORDINANCES ON FINAL PASSAGE CAL. NO. 35,229 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER THOMAS - An Ordinance to ordain and establish Section 90-44 of the Code of the City of New Orleans; to regulate and prohibit the disclosure of crime-scene and accident-scene photographs and video footage; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, Morrell, Thomas - 4 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Moreno - 2 RECUSED: Giarrusso - 1 AND THE ORDINANCE, AS AMENDED, WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,231 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS - An Ordinance to establish a conditional use to permit a bar in a CBD-6 Urban Core Neighborhood Intensity Mixed-Use District, on Lot 35 or 48, Square 51, in the First Municipal District, bounded by Andrew Higgins Drive, South Diamond Street, South Peters Street, and Tchoupitoulas Street (Municipal Address: 325 Andrew Higgins Drive); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. (ZONING DOCKET NO. 33/25) ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,232 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS - An Ordinance to grant an Affordable Housing Planned Development in an MU-2 High Intensity Mixed Use District, on Lots 2, 3 and 4, and a portion of original Lot 9, on Square 254, in the First Municipal District, bounded by Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, Calliope Street, Baronne Street, and Clio Street (Municipal Address: 1122 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. (ZONING DOCKET NO. 36/25) ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,233 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER GREEN - An Ordinance to effect a zoning change from an S-RD Suburban Two-Family Residential District to BIP Business-Industrial Park District for the properties not presently zoned as such, identified in Exhibit A attached hereto and to Motion No. M-25-289, and generally bounded by Almonaster Avenue, Carver Rams Way (formerly Higgins Boulevard), Press Street, Montegut Street, Benefit Street, Feliciana Street, Abundance Street, Clouet Street, and Florida Avenue (bearing multiple municipal addresses); and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. (ZONING DOCKET NO. 37/25) ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 7 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: 0 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,238 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER GREEN (BY REQUEST) An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”) and New Orleans Workforce Development Board, with a term greater than one year, for the public purpose of developing a quality workforce, serving as focal point for all local and regional workforce development initiative, and facilitate the development of a “seamless one stop workforce delivery system,” consistent with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, as more fully detailed in the Intergovernmental Agreement Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Moreno - 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,239 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER HARRIS (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance to amend and reordain Sections 26-150, 26-160 and 66-312 of the Code of the City of New Orleans, relative to the definition of cover crops, to provide for an exemption for cover crops relative to minimum property maintenance requirements and environmental nuisances; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas - 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Moreno - 1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,241 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER GIARRUSSO (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”) and the State of Louisiana - Louisiana Workforce Commission with a term greater than one year, for the public purpose of the State of Louisiana - Louisiana Workforce Commission providing funding to the City of New Orleans for the provision of employment and training services to the citizens of New Orleans in accordance with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Local and Regional Workforce Development Area Plan, as more fully detailed in the Intergovernmental Agreement Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, King, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Harris, Moreno - 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,247 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend and reordain Section 26-622 of the City Code to permit precompliance review for certain short-term rental platform reporting requirements, and otherwise to provide thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, King, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Harris, Moreno - 2 RECUSED: 0

Legal Notices

AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,249 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into Amendment No. 3 to a previously executed Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (“Wharves CEA”) between the City of New Orleans (the “City”) and the Audubon Commission, relative to the redevelopment of Governor Nicholls and Esplanade Avenue Wharves, to modify the provisions thereof, as more fully set forth in the Amendment No. 3 Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Moreno - 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,250 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL AND GIARRUSSO - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30,139 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance providing an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025” to appropriate funds to the City Council to cover general litigation costs incurred by Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C.; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Thomas - 1 RECUSED: Giarrusso - 1 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,251 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL AND GIARRUSSO - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30,140 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance providing an Operating Budget of Expenditures for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025” to appropriate funds to the City Council to cover general litigation costs incurred by Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C.; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Thomas - 1 RECUSED: Giarrusso - 1 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,252 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER KING (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance to authorize the Mayor of the City of New Orleans to enter into Amendment No. I to an existing Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (the “City”) and the Audubon Commission (the “Audubon”) for the design and construction of improvements to the Audubon Riverview, Audubon Park and Waldenberg Park. Amendment No. I to the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement will now include the Governor Nicholls St. Wharf Substructure Repairs as a project, extends the CEA through January 1, 2028, and adds an additional $3,551,412.00 of City Bond funds; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Moreno – 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,260 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30139 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate grant funds received from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to the Health Department for the Medical Reserve Corps Program; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Green – 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,261 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30140 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Expenditures for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate grant funds received from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) to the Health Department for the Medical Reserve Corps Program; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Green – 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,262 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30139 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate grant funds to Hazard Mitigation for personnel expenses; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Green – 2 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,263 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30140 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Expenditures for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate and move grant funds to Hazard Mitigation for personnel expenses; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso – 1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,264 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30139 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Revenues for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate grant funds to the New Orleans Police Department for the FY24 STOP program; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso – 1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,265 - BY: COUNCILMEMBERS GIARRUSSO, MORENO, GREEN, THOMAS (BY REQUEST) AND MORRELL - An Ordinance to amend Ordinance No. 30140 M.C.S., as amended, entitled “An Ordinance Providing an Operating Budget of Expenditures for the City of New Orleans for the Year 2025”, to appropriate grant funds to the New Orleans Police Department for the FY24 STOP program; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso – 1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. CAL. NO. 35,266 - BY: COUNCILMEMBER THOMAS (BY REQUEST) - An Ordinance authorizing the Mayor of the City of New Orleans, to enter into a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement between the City of New Orleans (“City”) and, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Orleans Levee District Police Department for a term greater than one year, for the public purpose of providing mutual law enforcement assistance across jurisdictional boundaries in certain circumstances which will be mutually beneficial for promoting the welfare, safety, and enjoyment of the Orleans Levee District Police Department, as more fully detailed in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement form attached hereto as Exhibit “A”; and otherwise to provide with respect thereto. ROLL CALL: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell, Thomas - 6 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso – 1 RECUSED: 0 AND THE ORDINANCE WAS ADOPTED. MOTIONS/RESOLUTIONS

Legal Notices

NO. M-25-522 BY: COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL AND GIARRUSSO WHEREAS, the City Council of New Orleans and Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C. are parties to two separate professional services agreements: one for legal services related to the Wisner Trust (K-22-715) (as amended, the “Wisner Agreement’’) and one for general legal services (K-24-602) (the “General Services Agreement”); and WHEREAS, the Wisner Agreement, which has an effective date of April 7, 2022 and an initial term of one year, authorizes up to four one-year extensions and is currently extended through April 6, 2026; and WHEREAS, the General Services Agreement, which has an effective date of October 16, 2024 and an initial term of one year, established a maximum total compensation of $15,000; and WHEREAS, Council Motion M-25-56 extended the term and increased the compensation Wisner Agreement by $250,000 and extended the term and increased the compensation the General Services Agreement by $250,000; and WHEREAS, the Council is currently a named party in several complex litigation matters, requiring an extension and increase in the compensation payable under the Wisner Agreement and an increase in the compensation payable under the General Services Agreement; and WHEREAS, the Council desires to increase the maximum compensation payable under both the Wisner Agreement by $350,000 and the General Services Agreement by $250,000 to ensure continuity of services; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the President of the Council is hereby requested and authorized (a) to execute a fifth amendment to the professional services agreement between the City Council of New Orleans and Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C. (K-22-715), increasing the maximum compensation payable under the agreement by $350,000 and (b) to execute a second amendment to the professional services agreement between the City Council of New Orleans and Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C. (K-24-602), extending the term and increasing the maximum compensation payable under the agreement by $250,000. In addition to the foregoing, any amendment authorized herein may contain such other provisions as may be necessary or desirable to accomplish the purposes of this Motion and to ensure the continuity of services. BE IT FURTHER MOVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That contracts shall be circulated in accordance with normal process and the City Council Rules. THE FOREGOING MOTION WAS READ IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF, AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Green, Harris, King, Moreno, Morrell - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Giarrusso, Thomas - 2 AND THE MOTION WAS ADOPTED. NO. R-25-523 (AS AMENDED) BY: COUNCILMEMBERS MORRELL, MORENO, GIARRUSSO, HARRIS, KING, GREEN AND THOMAS WHEREAS, on March 16, 2006, the Council of the City of New Orleans, adopted Ordinance No. 22,163, M.C.S., authorizing the fourth amendment to the lease agreement between Rivergate Development Corporation, the City of New Orleans, and Jazz Casino Company, L.L.C., (successor to Harrah’s Jazz Company); and WHEREAS, the said amendment included the commitment from Jazz Casino Company, L.L.C. to provide $225,000 annually to fund the Harrah’s Community Support Grants Program; and WHEREAS, in the past, the agreement allowed the total to be funded semiannually in two payments of $112,500 to awarded recipients in June and November each year; and WHEREAS, on May 21, 2020, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council adopted Resolution R-20-127 combining the two award cycles and accepting the grant applications electronically; and WHEREAS, in May 2020, it was announced that Harrah’s New Orleans would be rebranded as Caesars New Orleans, with the name officially changed in May 2024; and WHEREAS, the Council believes it is in the public interest to continue to accept grant applications electronically for the Community Support Grants Program; and WHEREAS, the purpose of the Caesars Community Support Grants Program is to provide support to local organizations and projects that contribute to the well-being, development, and growth of the New Orleans community; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, That the following list represents the organizations selected to receive grant funds and the amount awarded to each: At-Large A – Jean-Paul “J.P.” Morrell Approved Algiers Economic Development Foundation $1,000 Ballerinas of the Bayou $1,500 Capoeira and Brazilian Cultural Arts Center $750 Christian Light Mission Baptist Church $800 Corporate Internship and Leadership Institute $2,000 Court Watch NOLA $2,500 Dillard University Community and Church Relations $500 Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund $1,000 Eden House (aka Eden Centers for Hope and Healing) $1,000 Emergency Legal Responders $1,250 Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association $1,250 Girls on the Run of New Orleans $2,000 Goat in the Road Productions $1,000 Hollygrove Neighbors Association $1,000 Innocence Project New Orleans $1,000 lowernine.org $1,000 Make Your Move $2,000 Mess Arts $500 New Orleans Advocates for GLBT Elders $2,000 New Orleans Museum of Art $300 NOLA Artist Incubator $1,292 NOLA Tree Project formerly Hike for KaTREEna $1,000 Point Productions, LLC dba Algiers Mardi Gras Festival $2,500 The Urban Conservancy $1,000 Toolbank USA, Inc. $2,000 Total Grant Funds $32,142 At-Large B – Helena Moreno Approved College Beyond $3,000 Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund $1,142 Glam U, Inc. $6,000 Louis Armstrong Family Services $2,500 New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity, Inc. $2,500 New Orleans Council on Aging $3,500 Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana $6,000 Split Second Foundation, Inc. $5,000 Toolbank USA, Inc. $2,500 Total Grant Funds $32,142 District A – Joseph I. Giarrusso III Approved Ascension DePaul $2,500 City Park Conservancy $2,500 Deutsch’s Haus $1,000 Faubourg St. John Neighborhood Association $5,500 Fielkow Chase Family Youth Initiative $3,142 Friends of Lakeview $6,000 Friends of Lubavitch, Inc. $2,500 The Inner Pup $2,500 NAACP $4,500 Johnny Jackson Jr. Foundation $1,000 Le Sanctuary $1,000 Total Grant Funds $32,142 District B – Lesli D. Harris Approved Central City Housing Development Corp. $3,000 Cross It Up, Inc. $3,142 Delachaise Neighborhood Association $3,000 Hope Community Health Center $5,000 Le Sanctuary Inc. $1,000 Louis Armstrong Family Services $2,500 NOLA Tree Project formerly Hike for KaTREEna $1,000 New Orleans Pride Center $1,500 Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana $5,000 The Urban Conservancy $2,000 Trans Income Project $5,000 Total Grant Funds $32,142 District C - Freddie King III Approved Algiers Charter School Association $500 Algiers Economic Development Foundation $1,000 Algiers Music and Artist Studio Foundation $1,000 Art Camp 504 $500 Association for Better Communities $1,000 Ballerinas of the Bayou $1,000 Christian Light Mission Baptist Church $500 Dancing Grounds $250 Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund $500 DROP ‘N’ 6000 $1,000 Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association $250 Faubourg St. Roch Improvement Association $1,000 French Quarter Festivals, Inc. $500 Friends of A Studio in the Woods $1,000 Generation Hope $500 Heroes of New Orleans $500 Louis Armstrong Family Services $500 New Hope Community Development Organization $5,000

10A ✦ Tuesday, January 13, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune Legal Notices

Legal Notices

New Orleans Ballet Association $1,000 New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy $1,000 Old Algiers Main Street Corp. $1,500 Point Productions, LLC dba Algiers Mardi Gras Festival $1,000 Roots of Music Inc. $500 Sisterhood of Service Foundation, Inc. $1,000 St. Anna’s Episcopal Church $500 The Bourg Society $500 The First 72+ $1,000 The Louisiana Music and Heritage Experience, Inc. $500 Toolbank USA, Inc. $500 Ubuntu Village NOLA $500 Unchained Realities Inc. $500 unCommon Construction $500 Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) $500 Wake $500 Westbank Ques Foundation Inc. $2,350 Zulu Community Services Foundation $1,792 Total Grant Funds $32,142 District D – Eugene J. Green, Jr. Approved Association of St. Augustine Alumni of New Orleans $5,000 Ballerinas on the Bayou $897 Elz Elite School of Performing Arts $4,100 Free ALAS $2,500 Kaleidoscope Theatre Company $1,000 Mess Arts $1,000 Pontchartrain Conservancy $1,145 Roots of Music, Inc. $2,000 Silence is Violence $5,000 Solid Rock Ministries International $2,500 University of New Orleans Research & Technology Foundation, Inc. $5,000 WilReachOne Foundation $2,000 Total Grant Funds $32,142 District E - Oliver M. Thomas, Jr. Approved Ascension DePaul Services $503.64 Association of St. Augustine Alumni of New Orleans $503.64 Bastion Community of Resilience $503.64 Bon Temps Studios of Louisiana $1,000.00 Central City Housing Development Corp. $1,500.00 Chosen Vessels Dance and Performing Arts, Inc. $503.64 Common Ground Relief, Inc. $503.64 Corporate Internship and Leadership Institute $503.64 Crown Community Garden $503.64 Cultivating Youth $1,000.00 Dancing Grounds $503.64 Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund $503.64 Disability Rights Louisiana $503.64 Donna Villa Property Tax Assessment Area $503.64 Don’t Stop Dreaming $503.64 Eat Like Eden $503.64 Ellis Marsalis Center for Music $503.64 Elz Elite School of Performing Arts $1,000.00 Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association $503.64 Foundation of Sholes Multicultural $1,000.00 Gentilly Festival Inc. $1,000.00 Greater St. Stephen BC $1,000.00 Heroes of New Orleans $503.64 House Of Faith Non-denomination $303.68 Innocence Project New Orleans $503.64 Jane Place Neighborhood Sustainability Initiative $503.64 Johnny Jackson Jr. Foundation $1,000.00 Kemper and Leila Williams Foundation dba The Historic New Orleans Collection $503.64 Leona Tate Foundation for Change, Inc. $1,000.00 Louis Armstrong Family Services $1,000.00 Louisiana Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Animals $503.64 Love Your Neighbor NOLA $503.64 lowernine.org $503.64 Mondo Bizarro Productions $503.64 Music Alive Ensemble $503.64 New Orleans Council on Aging $503.64 New Orleans Family Justice Center $503.64 New Orleans Neighborhood Development Foundation $503.64 North American Song Competition Foundation $503.64 People Program Inc. $503.64 Silence Is Violence $503.64 Split Second Foundation Inc. $503.64 St. Anna’s Episcopal Church $503.64 The BAI $503.64 The United Negro College Fund, Inc. (UNCF, Inc.) $503.64 The Water Collaborative of Greater New Orleans $503.64 Ubuntu Village NOLA $503.64 University of New Orleans Research and Technology Foundation, Inc. $503.64 Young Aspirations Young Artists, Inc. (YAYA, Inc.) $503.64 Youth Empowerment Project $1,000.00 Zulu Community Services Foundation $1,200.00 Total Grant Funds $32,142.00 THE FOREGOING RESOLUTION WAS READ IN FULL, THE ROLL WAS CALLED ON THE ADOPTION THEREOF, AND RESULTED AS FOLLOWS: YEAS: Giarrusso, Green, Harris, Moreno, Morrell - 5 NAYS: 0 ABSENT: King, Thomas - 2 AND THE RESOLUTION, AS AMENDED, WAS ADOPTED. NO. R-25-524 BY: COUNCILMEMBER GREEN SECONDED BY: COUNCILMEMBER MORRELL WHEREAS, on August 7, 2025, the New Orleans City Council adopted Resolution No. R-25-427 authorized, subject to the approval of the State Bond Commission and the Board of Liquidation, City Debt, a ballot proposition for the November 15, 2025 election permitting the incurrence of debt and issuance of up to $415 million in general obligation bonds for the purpose of making capital improvements in the City approved by the New Orleans City Council and permitted by the City’s Home Rule Charter, including (i) constructing, renovating, acquiring, equipping, and/ or improving roads and streets, bridges, buildings, lands, public safety facilities, parks and recreational facilities, and other infrastructure in the City; (ii) acquiring long-lived software and technology improvements; and (iii) acquiring heavy equipment, furnishings, and essential service vehicles for public purposes (“Infrastructure Bonds”); and WHEREAS, Resolution No. R-25-427 includes, as Exhibit A, a City Infrastructure Project List, consisting of a list of approved projects that may be funded using the proceeds of the sale of Infrastructure Bonds; and WHEREAS, Resolution No. R-25-427 further provides that the City Council may remove from the City Infrastructure Project List any project it determines to be impossible, impractical, or no longer feasible or desirable; and WHEREAS, Resolution No. R-25-427 authorizes the City Council Public Works Committee to conduct a hearing for the purpose of recommending to the City Council a change or changes to the City Infrastructure Project List, after which the City Council may amend the list to remove or substitute projects for which Infrastructure Bond proceeds may be used; and WHEREAS, the Council, in accordance with Resolution No. R-25-427, believes it desirable to remove the following seven projects from the City Infrastructure Project List and to disapprove the use of Infrastructure Bond proceeds in connection therewith: Agency

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