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Quieterhurricane season forecast

Return of ‘robust’ El Niño likely

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

Hurricane researchersatColoradoState University are predicting slightly belowaverage activityduring the upcomingAtlantic hurricane season thanks to the likely

return of “robust” El Niño conditions. Scientistsatthe National Tropical Weather Conference on Thursday saidtheyexpect thecomingseasontoproduce 13 named storms, including six hurricanes. Twoofthose areexpectedtodevelop into major hurricanes of Category 3strength or above.

Atypical season brings 14 namedstorms, sevenhurricanesand threemajor hurricanes, according to CSU. This year’soutlook is in stark contrast to those of the pastcouple of years, when warm ocean watersand other factors fueled abnormally proliﬁc hurricaneseasons. CSUissuedits most severe hurricane

ä See HURRICANE, page 14A

‘We’re down to thewirenow’

Alleyeson ArtemisIIascrewdescribes journeyand prepares forreturntoEarth

By The Associated Press and Tribune News Service

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

“Wehave to get back. There’ssomuch datathatyou’ve seen already,but all the good stuff is coming back withus. There are so manymore pictures, so many morestories,” said pilot Victor Glover,adding that “riding aﬁreball through the atmosphere is profound as well.”

Being cut off from all of humanityfor nearlyanhour while behind themoon

HOUSTON Drawing evercloser to Earth, the Artemis II astronauts tidied up their lunar cruiser for itsupcoming “fireball” return and reflected on their historic journey around the moon, describing it as surreal andprofound As the next-to-last dayoftheir flight dawned Thursday,humanity’sfirstlunar explorersinmore than half acentury were less than 150,000 miles from home withthe odometer clicking down.

was especially “surreal,” according to commander Reid Wiseman.

“There’salot that ourbrains have to process…and it is atrue gift,”Wiseman saidlate Wednesdayduring the crew’sﬁrstnewsconferencesince before liftoff.

While out of contact behind the moon Monday,Wiseman, Glover,Christina Koch and Canada’sJeremy Hansen

ä See ARTEMIS, page 10A

New OrleansMayor Helena Moreno’s administration is close to resolving a feud with the statewide police pension system after two bills advanced through the state House Retirement Committee on Thursday If the bills become law,the city will be relievedofmorethan $40 million in penalties stemming primarily from attrition in the New Orleans Police Department. The bills’ sponsor, Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, said he served as amoderator between the pension system and city ofﬁcials fromNew Orleansand others with penalized police departments.

“It hasbeen all-out warfor acouple years,” Bacalatold committeemembers on Thursday.“Today is reset day.” House Bill 49 eliminates penalties for “partial dissolution” of local police departments, which have throttledNew Orleans and smaller cities alike in recent years as departments have struggledto

BY JONI HESS Staff writer

Mayor Helena Moreno’sadministration wants IV Waste to handle sanitation in the FrenchQuarter and the Downtown Development District through 2027 under aproposed contract extensionfor hauler Sidney Torres IV that follows more than ayear of controversy

The city granted IV Waste the

work inDecember in an unusual bid that ensured services continuedfor six months while litigation between thearea’s previouscontractor,Henry Consulting, and the city played out in court. The current contract is set to end in May.Late lastmonth, the Morenoadministrationsubmitted arequesttoextend the deal. If approved by the City Council, IV Waste wouldworkthrough December2027 and itscontract would risefrom$6millionto$13 million The council’sPublic Works, Sanitation and Environmental Committee will considerthe administration’sproposed extensionon

Tuesday.The full council will take it up later Troy Henry,owner of Henry Consulting, said on Thursday that the extension could again pit two active contracts against each other if his company succeeds in court.

“Wehave

The

he said. The

“Ifthe courts rule in ourfavor, then it just makesthe transition more complicated, because essentially you would have twovalid contracts in place,” he said. In aphone call Thursday,Torres said the 18-month extension is a good movefor thecityinthat the pricing is locked in forlonger and French Quarter residents will continue

PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

TheArtemis II crew, from left,commander ReidWiseman, mission specialist ChristinaKoch, pilotVictorGloverand Canadian astronaut andmission specialist JeremyHansen answermedia questions during avideo conference on Wednesday.

Scientists: Octopus

fossil isn’t an octopus

LONDON A 300-million-yearold tentacled sea creature has lost its crown as the world’s oldest octopus, after scientists found evidence that it’s not an octopus at all.

Newly published research concludes that fossilized remains listed by Guinness World Records as the earliest known octopus belong instead to a relative of a nautilus, a cephalopod with both tentacles and a shell.

University of Reading zoologist Thomas Clements, the lead researcher behind the new ﬁndings, said the fossil, Pohlsepia mazonensis, has long been the subject of scientiﬁc debate.

“It’s a very difﬁcult fossil to interpret,” he said. “To look at it, it kind of just looks like a white mush. If you look at it and you are a cephalopod researcher and you’re interested in everything octopus, it does superficially look a lot like a deep-water octopus.”

The creature, a blob about the size of a human hand, was found in the Mazon Creek area of Illinois, about 50 miles southwest of Chicago, that is rich in fossils from a period before dinosaurs walked the Earth.

Its identiﬁcation by paleontologists as an octopus in 2000 upended ideas about the evolution of the eight-tentacled cephalopods, suggesting they emerged much earlier than previously thought. The next oldest-known octopus fossil is only about 90 million years old.

Nigerian army general, soldiers killed in attack

ABUJA, Nigeria An army general and several soldiers were killed during an attempt to raid a military base in northeastern Nigeria early Thursday ofﬁcials said.

The attack occurred in Benisheikh in Borno State, army spokesman Michael Onoja said in a statement, but it was repelled. Onoja described the assailants as “terrorists,” which is the term the military uses to describe members of Islamic militant groups in the northeast of the country President Bola Tinubu conﬁrmed that a general was killed in the attack.

“The insurgents’ counterattack is a sign of desperation,” he said in a statement. “I extend my condolences to the families of our gallant soldiers, led by Brigadier General Oseni Omoh Braimah, who made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country today in Borno State. The government will never forget their sacriﬁces.”

“Their sacriﬁces will not be in vain,” Tinubu said. “Because of the courage and dedication of our troops on the front line, our resolve to defeat terrorism and all forms of violence across Nigeria is stronger than ever.”

Onoja didn’t specify how many soldiers were killed in the latest attack on military bases

Judge rejects agreement in Navajo elder case

PHOENIX A federal judge in Phoenix has rejected a plea agreement that would have allowed a man who admitted to beating a Navajo elder and leaving her for dead to avoid more prison time

Preston Henry Tolth, 26, now will face trial on charges of carjacking and assault in relation to the 2021 disappearance of Ella Mae Begay A trial date hasn’t been set. Under the agreement, Tolth would have been sentenced to three years of time served in exchange for acknowledging his role in the crime and pleading guilty to a single count of robbery Begay’s case received national media attention and helped highlight the broader crisis of Indigenous people who go missing or are killed. Nearly ﬁve years after she disappeared, Begay has not been found.

The rare decision to reject a plea agreement followed anguished testimony from Begay’s son and niece who told the court Tolth should not walk free without revealing Begay’s location Begay’s daughter reported her mother missing in June 2021 from her home in Sweetwater, Arizona, a small community on the northern part of the Navajo Nation.

Protesters rally against facility

Opposition grows against Maryland detention center

BY REBECCA SANTANA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH Associated Press

HAGERSTOWN, Md. Horns blared and protesters screamed “Stop ICE!” outside a meeting on the western edge of Maryland where county ofﬁcials were discussing mundane issues like the solid waste budget.

It’s been like this ever since the Department of Homeland Security bought an 825,000-square-foot building in Washington County as part of a plan to transform warehouses across the U.S. into detention facilities for tens of thousands of immigrants.

“This is a facility built for packages, not people,” Patrick Dattilio, the founder of an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement group called Hagerstown Rapid Re-

sponse, said as he stood outside the county commission meeting.

The federal government has faced fierce opposition in communities where it spent a total of $1.074 billion for 11 warehouses under a plan that Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is reviewing. Washington County is the most welcoming community a place where ofﬁcials said they supported ICE, albeit amid whistles and jeers. The processing center there was supposed to be one of the ﬁrst to open in a facilities project hatched under Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem.

But now DHS’ plan for the Washington County building is paused — mired in a court battle like some of the other warehouse-to-detention projects across the U.S. Questions swirl about whether Mullin will move ahead with the facilities project or chart another course as he pursues President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

The sprawling blue-and-white warehouse in Washington County

has been the subject of intense debate in part because of the way commissioners voiced their support for ICE.

While repeatedly insisting that their hands were tied because the federal government already bought the building, the commissioners also approved a proclamation during their Feb. 10 meeting declaring their “unwavering support” for DHS and ICE.

The proclamation, which didn’t speciﬁcally mention the warehouse purchase, was met with so much booing and yelling that the commission president cleared the room.

The county wanted something, too. It forwarded the proclamation to Noem the next day in an email identifying hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sewer, airport and highway upgrades that it said were needed, according to a public records request received by local resident Ethan Wechtaluk, who’s running for Congress in the district that includes the warehouse.

ICE, ﬂush with cash from a mas-

EPA proposes gutting rules targeting coal ash

Rollback would affect groundwater protections

BY MICHAEL PHILLIS and ALEXA ST JOHN Associated Press

The Trump administration on Thursday proposed weakening rules for the disposal of ash produced by burning coal that can contain hazardous heavy metals and contaminate groundwater Those regulations were strengthened under the Biden administration as part of a wider crackdown on pollution from coal-ﬁred power plants.

The Trump administration proposed easing standards for monitoring and protecting groundwater near some coal ash sites, and rolling back rules that require the cleanup of entire coal properties rather than just the sites where ash was dumped. The revisions would also make it easier to reuse coal ash for other purposes.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the proposal reﬂects the agency’s “commitment to restoring American energy dominance, strengthening cooperative federalism, and accommodating unique circumstances at certain (coal) facilities.”

Burning coal produces tremendous amounts of ash, a waste product that contains heavy metals such as mercury, lead and cobalt If not stored properly coal ash can contaminate groundwater Coal

plants are often situated on the banks of rivers or other waterways, with waste ash sitting nearby

Opponents say the proposal, which grants states and other regulators the ability to grant exemptions from national standards, may open the door for companies to leave coal ash sitting in groundwater

The Biden-era EPA in 2022, for example, rebuffed the Gen. James Gavin Power Plant in southern Ohio for trying to close a coal ash disposal site that the agency said was in contact with groundwater In January 2025, with Trump back in the White House, coal industry entities asked Zeldin to revise the agency’s stance on the issue.

“Opening the door to leaving ash in groundwater undermines one of the central protections of this rule, and that’s essentially what this does,” said Nick Torrey, an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, a nonproﬁt

The proposed rule also seeks to lift restrictions on the use of coal ash called “beneﬁcial use” by the EPA — in secondary materials such as cement and as structural ﬁll.

The agency also said that industry and others have said the health risks from coal ash were overstated in previous EPA assessments. Federal ofﬁcials said the estimated cost savings were more than enough to justify the proposed changes

USPS to suspend pension contributions

BY SUSAN HAIGH Associated Press

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it has informed federal budget ofﬁcials it will temporarily suspend its employer contributions to Federal Employees Retirement System annuities, allowing it to keep making payroll, paying suppliers and delivering the mail. The Postal Service also wants to increase postage rates, including raising the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents. USPS filed notice Friday with regulators, who still need to approve the changes. The step taken by the Postal Board of Governors to forgo the pension

payments is meant to preserve cash and liquidity due to the Postal Service’s “ongoing, severe financial crisis,” Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Luke Grossmann said in an internal message to USPS employees Ofﬁcials have warned the USPS is on course to run out of cash by around February 2027. Despite the suspension of employer contributions, effective Friday, current and future retirees will not be immediately impacted, Grossman said.

“The risk to the Postal Service and the American public from insufficient liquidity for postal operations dramatically outweighs any longer-term risk to the pension funds from not making the cur-

rently due payments,” he said in the statement. USPS deferred payments in 2011 during another ﬁnancial crisis.

The Postal Service said it will continue transmitting employees’ retirement contributions to the federal Ofﬁce of Personnel Management, along with Thrift Savings Plan contributions, including employer automatic and matching funds, and will also maintain its employer contributions to Social Security Brian Renfroe, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers, said the temporary suspension of annuity payments is “not ideal” but it doesn’t immediately impact his members.

sive congressional appropriation, has since signed a contract worth $113 million to renovate the building for 500 to 1,500 detainees, but a judge temporarily halted work after Maryland’s attorney general sued. A hearing is scheduled for April 15. County commissioners did not respond to email or telephone requests for comment. County administrator Michelle Gordon in a statement said the commissioners were declining all interview requests.

Many residents of the county — a place Civil War buffs come to visit the Antietam battleﬁeld before making their way to nearby Gettysburg — are outraged both because they have moral objections to the facility and because they didn’t ﬁnd out about the purchase beforehand.

“We have had no voice in this,” Carroll Sager said over the din of protesters and honking cars. Behind her, the sheriff’s department had cordoned off part of the county building with crime scene tape to deter protesters.

Putin declares a ceaseﬁre in Ukraine for Orthodox Easter

By The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire in Ukraine over the Orthodox Easter weekend, following an earlier call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a pause in some of the hostilities to observe the holiday Putin’s decree, released by the Kremlin, orders Russian forces to observe a ceasefire starting on 4 p.m. Saturday and lasting until the end of Sunday Zelenskyy proposed earlier in the week that each side stop targeting each other’s energy infrastructure over the holiday, saying he made the offer through the United States, which has been mediating talks between delegations from Moscow and Kyiv as Russia’s invasion stretches into a ﬁfth year There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to Putin’s announcement.

Previous attempts to secure ceasefires have had

little or no impact. Putin unilaterally declared a 30hour ceaseﬁre last Easter, but each side accused the other of breaking it. The Kremlin statement announcing the ceasefire said that “orders have been issued for this period to cease hostilities in all directions,” adding that “troops are to be prepared to counter any possible provocations by the enemy, as well as any aggressive actions.”

“We assume that the Ukrainian side will follow the example of the Russian Federation,” it said. Russia has effectively rejected a 30-day unconditional truce proposed last year by the U.S. and Ukraine as a step toward peace, insisting instead on a comprehensive settlement, but Moscow has announced several short, unilateral ceaseﬁres. The U.S.-led talks have made no progress on key issues, and Washington’s attention has switched to the Middle East conﬂict.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CAROLyN KASTER

A barge on the Ohio River moves past the Mountaineer Power Plant, a coal-fired power plant near New Haven, W.Va., on March 13. The Trump administration has proposed rolling back a Biden-era crackdown on pollution from coal-fired power plants

Republicansreckon with losses

Democrats’ wins in Wisconsin, Georgia raisealarms

BY SCOTT BAUER,JEFF AMY and JONATHAN J. COOPER Associated Press

MADISON,Wis. The bluntest assessment of Republicans’ failures during this week’s elections in Wisconsincame from one of their own.

“Wegot our butts kicked,” said U.S. Rep. TomTiffany, who is running for governor. He was referring to Democratic victories in campaigns for the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the mayor’sofﬁce in Waukesha,aconservative suburb outside Milwaukee. But some Republicans were also rattledbyaspecial election in Georgia, where their candidate to replaceMarjorie Taylor Greene in Congress won by amuch slimmer margin than the party enjoyed in the past.

Taken together,the swings added more data pointstoan increasingly clearpicture of Democratic momentum heading into the November midterms, when controlof Congress and state governments is up for grabs.

“In rural, urban, red, blue, Democrats have overperformed everywhere,” said Jared Leopold, aDemocratic consultant whose clients includeKeisha Lance Bottoms, acandidate for Georgia governor.“That is a signiﬁcant canary in the coal mine about what November of ’26 is going to look like.”

Some Republicans insisted there was no need to panic, and their fundraising remains stronger than Democrats’. StephenLawson,a Georgia strategist, said “the sky is not falling.”

But he also said his party is running behind where it has been in the past, and Republicans need to be “lookingat these results carefully.”

‘A redalarm’ Special elections are no

centage-point blowoutvictoryonTuesday

Democratssaw gains in red, blue andpurple counties when compared with another judicial race last year,which was also won by theliberal candidate.

“This to me was avery clear sign of momentum and enthusiasm for Democrats in the fall,” said Wisconsin DemocraticParty Chairman Devin Remiker

Wis.

guarantee about the future, butDemocratsare showing surprising strength. They ﬂipped aTexas state Senate district. Theywon astate House seatinaFloridadistrict that includes President Donald Trump’sMar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach.

Then theygained ground Tuesday in theelectiontoreplace Greene, who resigned from Congress in January after afallingout with Trump.

Republican ClayFuller, who won by 12 percentage points,“CRUSHED” his opponent in arace that “wasn’t close,”according to asocial mediapostbyJoshMcKoon, chairman of theGeorgia Republican Party

But two years ago, Greene wonby29percentage points and Trump carried thedistrict by almost 37 percentage points.

“That’sared alarm forRepublicans,”said Democratic strategistMeredith Brasher Democrat Shawn Harris plans to challenge Fuller again in November Jackie Harling, thedistrict’sRepublicanchairwoman, said shebelieved that Greene’s resignation energized Democrats while her partyissufferingfrom “election fatigue.”

“Marjorie Taylor Greene was like afreighttrainthat youcouldn’tstop, and when she pulled out, it gave Democratshopeand it gave them

ashot at winning something they believedwas unwinnable,” Harling said. ‘Bluer side of purple’

Georgia haskey races this year,including an open contest for the governor’s ofﬁce. U.S. Sen. JonOssoff, aDemocrat,istrying to defend his seat as well.

There’sreason to think that simmering discontent could boomerang on Republicansjust two years after Trump harnessed voters’ angerwith his comeback presidential campaign.

In November,Democrats defeated twoRepublican incumbentsinstatewide races for seatsonthe Public Service Commission, which regulatesutilities. Rising electricity rates have been afault line in recent campaigns, especially as enormousdata centersare built to power artiﬁcial intelligence.

But Georgia Democratic Party Chair Charlie Bailey is trying to maintain modest expectations.

“Wecould cement ourselves,put ourselves, on the slightly bluerside of purple,” he said. ”We’re not goingtoovernight turn into Colorado.”

‘A clearsignofmomentum’

Wisconsin holds statewide elections for Supreme Court seats, and liberals expanded their majority with a20-per-

The state hasits own open race for governor this year, and Democrats arehoping to take control of thestate Legislature and oust Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick VanOrden.

“It’s time for ustoput this thing in overdrive,” saidMandela Barnes,a Democratic former lieutenant governor who is running for governor Milwaukee CountyExecutiveDavid Crowley,another Democratic candidatefor governor,said it’sclear that “people are really upset with the Republican Partyand their brand right now.”

“Butthat doesn’t mean that they’re automatically going to come overtothe Democrats,” Crowley said. “Andthat’s why we have to continue to focusonthe issues and speak to thevalues of all the voters here in the stateofWisconsin.”

‘A lotofanxiety’

Tiffany,the Republican candidate forgovernor in Wisconsin, cautioned against reading too much into Tuesday’sresults.

He said“every election is unique,” and he wasn’t making any changes to his campaign. He saidthe key to winning will be to “paint that clear contrast of how we are going to help everyday Wisconsinites.

But Democrats seemed to be making inroads, including in Waukesha, in acounty that’sa Republican.

Democrat Alicia Halvensleben, president of the city’s Common Council,defeated Republican ScottAllen, one of the most conservative members of the state Assembly

BY GARYFIELDS Associated Press

WASHINGTON Plaintiffs challenging the Trump administration’scost-cutting measures againstanagency that funds andpromotes librariesacross the U.S. said Thursdaythey settled the case withthe Justice Department in adeal that would reverse some of the steps taken.

The American Library Associationand the American Federation of State, County and MunicipalEmployeessaidthattheyhad reached an agreement with the Justice Department thatwill allowthe Institute of Museum andLibrary Sciences to continue awarding grants andoperating programs that support libraries and museums.

The White House referred questions to the Justice Department. The Civil Division of the Justice Department, which agreed to thesettlement, did not immediately comment.

The two organizations filed alawsuit last May, spearheaded by the group DemocracyForward,to stop the administration from gutting the IMLS after President Donald Trump signed aMarch 14 executive orderthatreferredto it and several other federal agencies as “unnecessary.”

The measures that set in motionwere part of a broader attempt by the administration to save money by slashingstaff, grants and programs in the federal government. Staff was subsequently placed on administrative

leave with manyreceiving termination notices. The agency’sthen acting director also began canceling grants and contracts and fired the members of the National Museum andLibrary Services Board.

“When the administration began shuttering IMLS last year,itset offachain reaction.Librariesacross the country started cutting hours, staff and services people relyon— afterschool programs, support for job seekers and connection forolder adults,” said American Library Association president Sam Helmick in apress statement.

The settlementsaidall reductions in forcetothe staffin2025 have been rescinded and all employees whoreceivedthem are authorizedtoreturn to work. IMLS will not issue any more RIFs in order “to effectuate” the purpose of theexecutive order, the settlement said.

Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County andMunicipal Employees,calledthe settlementavictory forevery communitythatdepends on libraries andmuseums

The plaintiffs will file ajoint stipulation of dismissal of the casewithout prejudice in seven days if the government adheres to termsofthe agreement. The settlement announcementcomes three days after afederal judge in Rhode Islandapproved an administration request to withdraw its appeal of afederal districtcourt opinionina separate lawsuit ﬁled by 21 attorneys general. IMLS is theonlyfederal agency tasked with providing funding forthe nation’s libraries. It wasestablished in 1996 by aRepublican-led Congress.

ASSOCIATE PRESS PHOTO By SCOTT BAUER

Rep. TomTiffany, R-Wis., acandidate for Wisconsin governor, speaksduring anewsconference on Wednesday about what theGOP needstodoinNovember after big defeats in the spring election, outside of the state Capitol in Madison,

Netanyahu authorizes direct talks with Lebanon

Negotiations could boost ceasefire efforts

BY JON GAMBRELL, ELENA BECATOROS and MIKE CORDER Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — In a potential boost to Middle East ceaseﬁre efforts, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that he authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible” aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants and establishing relations between the neighbors.

The two countries have technically been at war since Israel was established in 1948, and Netanyahu later stressed that there was no ceaseﬁre between them. In a video statement, he said Israel will keep striking Hezbollah until security is restored in northern Israel.

There was no immediate response from Lebanon. But IsraelLebanon negotiations were expected to begin next week at the State Department in Washington, according to a U.S. ofﬁcial and a person familiar with the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter.

The prospect of talks appeared to bolster the tentative ceaseﬁre in the Iran war that has staggered under the weight of Israel’s bombardment of Beirut, Tehran’s continued chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz and uncertainty over whether talks can ﬁnd common ground.

However later Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to cast doubt on the effectiveness of the ceaseﬁre, writing on his social media platform: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz.”

“That is not the agreement we have!” Trump wrote.

Netanyahu’s authorization of negotiations with Lebanon came amid disagreement over whether the ceaseﬁre deal included a pause in fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, and a day after Israel pounded Beirut with airstrikes, the deadliest day in Lebanon since the war began Feb. 28.

Israel has fought multiple wars and launched several major invasions of Lebanon over the years, most recently sending in troops

last month in response to Hezbollah ﬁre on Israel’s northern border communities.

The launch of direct peace talks is a signiﬁcant achievement, though reaching an agreement will be difﬁcult after decades of hostilities, Hezbollah’s continued presence and longstanding disagreements over the countries’ shared land border

The talks in Washington are expected to be handled on the American side by the U.S ambassador to Lebanon, Michel Issa, and on the Israeli side by the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter according to the person familiar with the planning It was not immediately clear who would represent Lebanon. The timing and location of the talks was ﬁrst reported by Axios.

After declaring victory with the ceaseﬁre announcement, both Iran and the U.S. have appeared to apply pressure on each other Semiofﬁcial news agencies in Iran suggested forces have mined the Strait of Hormuz a crucial waterway for oil that Tehran has closed.

Trump warned that U.S. forces would hit Iran harder than before if it did not fulﬁll the agreement.

Trump expressed concern again Thursday over reports that Iran’s military was charging tolls on tankers seeking to pass through

the strait. “They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!” he wrote on social media.

Questions also remained over what will happen to Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium at the heart of tensions, how and when normal trafﬁc will resume through the strait, and what happens to Iran’s ability to launch future missile attacks and support armed proxies in the region.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a message on Telegram that Iran’s decision to accept a ceasefire “is not a sign of weakness but a way to solidify Iran’s proud victories.”

Despite disputes over the ceasefire, it appears to have halted weeks of missile and drone attacks by Iran on its Gulf Arab neighbors and Israel, with no new launches reported Thursday There were no reports of strikes by the U.S. or Israel targeting Iran.

Israel vows continued strikes Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, warned in a social media post Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would bring “explicit costs and STRONG responses.”

Qalibaf has been discussed as a possible negotiator who could meet U.S. Vice President JD Vance

this weekend in Islamabad. The White House has said Vance would lead the delegation for talks starting Saturday Iran had said Israel’s ongoing attacks on Hezbollah were violating the ceasefire agreement. Netanyahu and Trump have said they were not.

Trump said Thursday that he has asked Netanyahu to dial back the strikes in Lebanon.

Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 300 people were killed and more than 1,100 wounded Wednesday by Israeli strikes on central Beirut and other areas of Lebanon that Israel said targeted Hezbollah, which joined the war in support of Tehran.

Early Friday morning, Israel’s military said it struck approximately 10 launchers in Lebanon that had fired rockets toward northern Israel on Thursday Israel also said Thursday it killed Ali Yusuf Harshi, an aide to Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem. Hezbollah did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Threat of mines looms over strait

Semiofﬁcial news agencies in Iran published a chart Thursday suggesting the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard put sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz during

the war a message that may be intended to pressure the U.S.

The chart, released by the ISNA news agency and Tasnim, showed a large circle marked “danger zone” in Farsi over the route ships take through the strait, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas once passed.

Only a trickle of ships have transited since the war began after several were attacked, and Iran threatened to hit any that it deemed connected to the U.S. or Israel. Ships appeared to continue to avoid the strait even after the ceaseﬁre.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Saeed Khatibzadeh, told the BBC that his country will allow ships to pass through the strait in accordance with “international norms and international law” once the U.S. ends its “aggression” in the Middle East and Israel stops attacking Lebanon.

The head of the United Arab Emirates’ major oil company, Sultan al-Jaber, said some 230 ships loaded with oil were waiting to get through the strait and must be allowed “to navigate this corridor without condition.”

The strait’s de facto closure has caused oil prices to skyrocket — affecting the cost of gasoline, food and other basics far beyond the Middle East. The spot price of Brent crude, the international standard, was around $98 Thursday, up about 35% since the war began. Fate of Iran’s enriched uranium

The fate of Iran’s missile and nuclear programs which the U.S. and Israel sought to eliminate in going to war — was unclear The U.S. insists Iran must never be able to build nuclear weapons and wants to remove Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which could be used to build them. Iran insists its program is peaceful.

Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would work with Iran to remove the uranium, buried in last year’s U.S. and Israeli strikes, though Iran did not conﬁrm that. In one version of the ceaseﬁre deal that Iran published, it said it would be allowed to continue enrichment.

The chief of Iran’s nuclear agency Mohammad Eslami said Thursday that protecting Tehran’s right to enrich uranium is “necessary” for any ceaseﬁre talks.

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON First lady

Melania Trump is denying ties to Jeffrey Epstein and knowledge of his sex crimes, saying Thursday that the “stories are completely false” and calling accusations that she was somehow involved “smears about me.” Reading an extraordinary statement at the White House, Melania Trump said she and her attorneys were fighting back against “unfound and baseless lies” in regards to her connections to the late ﬁnancier, a convicted sex offender who leveraged connections to the rich, powerful and famous to recruit his victims and cover up his crimes.

“The lies linking me with

the disgraceful Jeffrey Epstein need to end today,” she said. “The individuals lying about me are devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect. I do not object to their ignorance, but rather I reject their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation.”

The seemingly out-of-theblue message came as her husband, President Donald Trump, and his administration had finally seemed to move past more than a year of controversy surrounding Epstein, especially as the Iran war had become all-consuming in Washington The ﬁrst lady’s comments almost assuredly served to push the story back into the political spotlight even as the president urged the public and media to move on from the case.

The White House used its X account to reshare a video

posted by the first lady’s office of Melania Trump reading her statement White House officials did not respond to requests for comment on whether the president had prior knowledge of the first lady’s comments.

The first lady spoke for about ﬁve minutes, reading her statement in the Grand Foyer, then walked away without taking questions.

Melania Trump also called on Congress to hold a public hearing centered on survivors of Epstein’s crimes, with a chance to testify before lawmakers and have their stories entered into the congressional record.

“Each and every woman should have her day to tell her story in public if she wishes,” she said. “Then, and only then, we will have the truth.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By HASSAN AMMAR

Lebanese civil defense workers search for victims on Thursday in the rubble of a building destroyed in an Israeli airstrike a day earlier in central Beirut, Lebanon.

President Donald Trump, left, speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Monday in Washington.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Judge ﬁnds Pentagon is violating court order

Reporters still denied access

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and DAVID BAUDER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday ruled that the Defense Department is violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters, a setback in the administration’s efforts to impede the work of journalists.

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman sided with The New York Times for the second time in a month. He had earlier said the Pentagon’s new credential policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. On Thursday, he said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team had tried to evade his March 20 ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts.

“The department simply cannot reinstate an unlawful policy under the guise of taking ‘new’ action and expect the court to look the other way,” Friedman wrote. Friedman had ordered Pentagon officials to reinstate the press credentials of seven Times reporters and stressed that his decision applies to “all regulated parties.” The Pentagon building serves as the headquarters for U.S. military operations.

Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said it disagrees with the ruling and intends to appeal. Parnell said in a social media post that the department has “at all times” complied with judge’s orders, reinstating journalists’ credentials and issuing “a materially revised policy that addressed every concern” identiﬁed by the judge.

“The Department remains committed to press access at the Pentagon while fulﬁlling its statutory obligation to ensure the safe and secure

operation of the Pentagon Reservation,” he wrote.

Times attorney Theodore Boutrous said Thursday’s ruling “powerfully vindicates both the Court’s authority and the First Amendment’s protections of independent journalism.

A brewing dispute

In October, reporters from mainstream news outlets walked out of the building rather than agree to the new rules. The Times sued the Pentagon and Hegseth in December to challenge the policy

President Donald Trump has fought against the press on several levels since returning to his second term, suing The Times and Wall Street Journal, and cutting funding for public radio and television because he did not like their coverage. At the same time, he frequently talks to the media and responds to reporters who call him on his cell phone.

In a series of briefings on the Iran War, Hegseth has frequently ignored or insulted legacy media reporters let in to cover the events, while concentrating on questions from friendly conservative media.

Times attorneys accused the Pentagon of violating the judge’s March 20 order, “both in letter and spirit” with its revised policy The newspaper said that Pentagon was also trying to impose unprecedented rules dictating when reporters can offer anonymity to sources.

Friedman said that the access the Pentagon made available to permit holders “is not even close to as meaningful as the broad access” they previously had.

Government lawyers said the Pentagon’s revised policy fully complies with the judge’s directives.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell has said the administration would appeal Friedman’s March 20 decision The Pentagon Press As-

sociation, which includes Associated Press reporters, said the Pentagon’s interim policy preserves provisions that Friedman deemed to be unconstitutional while also adding new restrictions on credential holders.

“In effect,” Justice Department attorneys wrote, “Plaintiffs ask this Court to expand the Order to prohibit the Department from ever addressing the security of the Pentagon through a press credentialing policy with conditions that may address similar topics or concerns as the enjoined conditions. The Order does not say that, and this Court should not read it to say that.”

Current press corps agreed

The current Pentagon press corps is comprised mostly of conservative outlets that agreed to the policy Journalists from outlets that refused to consent to the new rules, including from the AP, have continued reporting on the military from outside the Pentagon.

Friedman, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Bill Clinton, said recent U.S. military operations in Venezuela and Iran underscore the need for public access to information about government activities

“Those who drafted the First Amendment believed that the nation’s security requires a free press and an informed people and that such security is endangered by governmental suppression of political speech. That principle has preserved the nation’s security for almost 250 years. It must not be abandoned now,” the judge wrote last month.

Friedman said the challenged policy is clearly designed to weed out “disfavored journalists” and replace them with those who are “on board and willing to serve” the administration.

“That,” he wrote, “is viewpoint discrimination, full stop.”

Cuban president tells NBC News he will not step down

By The Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto

Rico

Cuban

President Miguel Díaz-Canel told NBC News’ Meet the Press that he would not step down in his ﬁrst interview with a U.S. network, a portion of which was broadcast

Thursday

In a nearly ﬁve-minute clip that is part of a longer interview scheduled to air on Sunday,journalistKristenWelker asked Díaz-Canel if he would be “willing to step down if it meant saving Cuba.” Before answering DíazCanel asked if she had ever posed that question to any other president in the world: “Is that a question from you, or is that coming from the State Department of the U.S. government?”

Díaz-Canel added: “In Cuba, the people who are in leadership position are not elected by the U.S. government, and they don’t have a mandate from the U.S. government. We have a free sovereign state.”

He said he became president not out of a “personal ambition or corporate ambition or even a party ambi-

tion,” but because of a mandate by the people. “If the Cuban people understand that I am not ﬁt for ofﬁce, that I have no reason to be here, then I should not be holding this position of president, I will respond to them,” he said

The interview comes as tensions between Cuba and the U.S. remain high despite both sides acknowledging talks, although no details have been shared.

Díaz-Canel accused the U.S. government of implementing a “hostile policy” against Cuba and said it has “no moral to demand anything from Cuba.”

He said the U.S. should recognize how much the policies have cost the Cuban people “and how much they have deprived the American people from a normal relationship with the Cuban people.”

Díaz-Canel noted that Cuba is interested in engaging in dialogue and discussing any topic without conditions, “not demanding changes from our political system as we are not demanding change from the American system, about which we have a num-

ber of doubts.”

Cuba blames a U.S. energy blockade for its deepening woes, with a lack of petroleum affecting the island’s health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services

In late March, a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil arrived in Cuba, marking the island’s first oil shipment in three months Russia has promised to send a second tanker Despite threatening tariffs in early January on countries that sell or provide oil to Cuba, the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump allowed the tanker to proceed.

“Cuba’s ﬁnished,” Trump said at the time. “They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes, and it stopped receiving key oil shipments from Venezuela after the U.S attacked the South American country in early January and arrested its then leader

became the most distanthumans ever,clocking in at arecord 252,756 miles from Earth before heading back. As they emerged from behind the moon, they experienced awondrous total solar eclipse as theorb blocked thesun from their perspective.

Launching from Florida on April 1diminished the amount of illumination on the lunar far side, Glover noted, but the eclipse was the consolation prize “and it wasone of the greatest gifts.”

Nearly 90%ofthe rocket, including the orange core providing much of the firepower,was constructed at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East.

During the only otherOrion test ﬂight to the moon—in2022 without acrew —the heat shieldsuffered considerably more damage than expected from the5,000 degrees Fahrenheit of reentry.That raised the crewsafetyalarmforArtemisIIand ultimately was among the reasons it was delayed until 2026. Mission Control will be paying close attention to how the capsule’s heat shield holds up. Decisions about the heat shield made since then, though, will be put to thetest as NASA astronauts are headed for asplashdown return at 7:07 p.m Friday off the coast of San Diego in the Paciﬁc Ocean. The recovery ship, USS John P. Murtha, wasalready at sea, with asquadron of military planes and helicopters poised to join the operation.

It’sthe ﬁrst time that NASA and the Defense Department have teamedupfor alunar crew’sreentry since Apollo 17 in 1972. Their Orion capsule will come screaming back, hitting the atmosphere at apredicted 34,965feet persecond —or 23,840 mph —not arecord

DISPUTE

Continued from page1A

recruit and retain ofﬁcers. The city and pensionsystem have been in litigation after the NOPD force shrankby about 200 officers in 2021 and 2022, resulting inpenalties totaling $38.5 million House Bill 45 stipulates that retention bonuses don’t count toward pension calculations, an issue that ﬂared up after the Moreno administration paid $9.5 million in bonuses and then didn’t remit $3.5 million in associated retirement payments to the pension system.

“These changes correct deeply punitive policies that placed an undue burden on our city and othersacross Louisiana. By eliminating unnecessary penalties and clarifying pension obligations, we are protecting taxpayer dollars while ensuring our public safety agencies remain supported and sustainable,” Moreno said ina news release on Thursday The pensionsystem’sexecutive director,Ben Huxen, offered amore muted comment in an email, stating only that “we really appreciate everyone working together on the legislation.” The bills must still pass the full House andSenate and receiveGov.Jeff Landry’ssignature before they become law.They are a

but still mind-bogglingly fast. Thetripback will be quick, taking only about 13 minutes. That will happen after the crew module separates from theservice module, which has been its primary source of propulsion this past week. It also has been the covering and protection of the heat shield for the entire mission.

Instead of replacing Artemis II’sheat shield,whichwould have forced another lengthy delay, NASA tweaked thecapsule’sdescent through theatmosphereto reduce the blisteringly hot exposure. Next year’sArtemis III and beyond will fly withredesigned heat shields.

Artemis III will seeastronauts

practicedocking their capsule with alunar lander or two in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV in 2028 will attempttoland two astronauts near themoon’ssouth pole, setting thestagefor what NASA hopes will be asustainable lunar base. NASA ofﬁcials have been loath to provide their risk assessment numbers forthe nearly 10-day

mission, acknowledginglaunch and entry as the biggest threats.

“We’re down to the wire now,” said NASA’s Lakiesha Hawkins.

“We’re downtothe end of the mission, and obviously getting the crew back homeand getting them landed safely, is asigniﬁcantpart of the risk that’sstill in front of us.”

“These changes correct deeplypunitive policies that placed anundue burden on ourcity and others across Louisiana.Byeliminating unnecessary penalties and clarifying

MAyORHELENA MORENO

linchpin of Moreno’slegislative agenda, which includes at least one other bill aimed easing the city’sfinancial stress. House Bill 463, which wouldincrease911 service fees on monthly phone bills from $1.25 to $2.00, is now awaitinga full House vote. Otherkey partsofMoreno’s legislative agenda are still awaiting committee hearings. They include more local control of the Sewerage&Water Board and regulations on fees the city charges to externalagencies fortax collections. Moreno and Huxen publicly exchangedpointedaccusations in March after the city withheld $800,000 from retention bonusesbut didn’t remit those funds —along with $2.7 million in required employercontributions —to thepension system

Moreno,who said she personally halted thepayments to the pension system, accusedHuxen of trying to bully thecity into making payments it didn’t owe. Huxeninturn accused Moreno of floutingstate lawand improperly holding funds from police paychecks intended as pension payments, although the city later returned the $800,000 in bonus pay to officers. While thedisagreement over bonus paysparked the public feud, the partialdissolution law poses far greater consequences for New Orleans and other cities. The current law penalizes police departments that lose either 50 officers or 30% of their force in thecourse of ayear Bacala’sbill repeals “partial dissolution” as adefinitionin statelaw

Bacala said he will adopt another amendment to ensure thatdepartments that fullydissolvestill owe pen-

alty payments to the pension system

“Weare going to not penalizesomebodyfor notbeing able to hire enough people. But we are going to say if Baton Rouge goes under tomorrow …that doesn’tabsolve the Baton Rouge PoliceDepartmentofpaying their portion of the debt,” Bacala said. Moreno, whoattended the committeemeeting on Thursday,said the city has paid $25 millioninrecruitment andretention bonuses to beef up the NOPD, an initiative of former Mayor LaToya Cantrell that hasn’t led to an increaseinofficers. Thedepartment continuestohover around 900 officersafter precipitous declinesstarting in 2021, according to aCityCouncil dashboard.

“We’re making these significant investments to retain our ofﬁcers, yet at the sametimebeing penalized when we’re losing them,” Moreno told the committee.

PHOTO PROVIDED By NASA

Astronaut andArtemis II commander Reid Wiseman takes amoment Mondayduring the seven-hour lunar observation period,when the crew reported to theground team their observations, including color nuances, which will helpenhancescientificunderstandings of the moon.

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

U.S. stocks rise but oil prices trim their gains

NEW YORK U.S. stocks rose Thursday, even though oil prices did too, as ﬁnancial markets moved more modestly a day after surging on optimism about a ceasefire in the war with Iran.

The morning began with moderate losses for Wall Street following drops for Asian and European stocks. But the S&P 500 erased its dip and ﬁnished with a 0.6% gain after Israel’s prime minister authorized direct negotiations with Lebanon. That eased worries that the two-week ceasefire announced late Tuesday may already be in trouble because of Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 275 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.8% after both indexes likewise recovered from early losses.

Crude oil prices pared some of their gains, but they nevertheless remained higher for the day on uncertainty about when oil tankers can start fully ﬂowing through the Strait of Hormuz. The narrow waterway has been at the center of President Donald Trump’s demands of Iran, and blockages there have kept oil and natural gas stuck in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide.

Long-term mortgage rate eases to 6.37%

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate eased this week, a modest relief for prospective homebuyers who have been facing higher borrowing costs as mortgage rates climbed to the highest level in nearly seven months

The benchmark 30-year ﬁxed rate mortgage rate dropped to 6.37% from 6.46% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday One year ago, the rate averaged 6.62%.

This week’s decline in rates follows ﬁve straight increases. When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for home shoppers, limiting what they can afford to buy

The average rate is now back to roughly where it was two weeks ago. Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also eased this week. That average rate dropped to 5.74% from 5.77% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.82%, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. U.S. economy grows at sluggish 0.5% pace

WASHINGTON The American economy, slowed by last fall’s 43-day government shutdown, grew at a sluggish 0.5% annual pace from October through December the Commerce Department reported Thursday in downgrade of its previous estimate.

U.S. gross domestic product the nation’s output of goods and services — decelerated in the fourth quarter after registering impressive growth of 4.4% from July through September and 3.8% from April through June. The latest number was marked down from the Commerce Department’s previous estimate of 0.7% fourthquarter growth. Federal government spending and investment fell at a 16.6% annual pace because of the shutdown, lopping 1.16 percentage points off fourth-quarter GDP growth. Consumer spending expanded 1.9%, down a notch from the previous estimate and from 3.5% in the second quarter Spending on goods such as cars and clothing grew just 0.3%, down from 3% in the July-September period For all of 2025, the economy grew 2.1% last year, slower than 2.8% in 2024 and 2.9% in 2023

Inflation gauge rose

slightly from the previous month. Compared with a year ago, prices rose 2.8%, the same as January Thursday’s data was delayed by a backlog of economic reports created by the six-week government shutdown last fall.

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON — A key measure of inﬂation stayed high in February, before the war in Iran spiked gas prices, a sign that everyday costs were elevated even before the conﬂict began.

An inflation gauge monitored by the Federal Reserve rose 0.4% in February from January, up

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core inﬂation also rose 0.4% in February from January, and it was 3% higher than a year earlier The annual ﬁgure is slightly below January’s reading of 3.1%.

Still, the monthly increases are at a pace that if continued for a whole year, would easily top the Fed’s 2% inﬂation target.

“Consumer inflation was firming even prior to the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and it is primed to jump sharply higher in March,” Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide, wrote in a client note. “Even if a long-lasting deal to end the war is reached and the Strait of Hormuz is fully reopened, it would take months for oil, gasoline, diesel and other commodity supplies to snap back to prewar levels and thus for prices to settle back to preconflict levels.”

Thursday’s report is largely a warm-up for the more important inﬂation data to be released Friday,

when the government will publish the higher-profile consumer price index for March. The Friday report will be the first to reflect the impact of the gas price spike from the Iran war Economists forecast it will show a big increase of 0.9% just in March from February, and a 3.4% gain from a year earlier The annual figure would be a big increase from 2.4% in February The large jump in inflation in March will heighten concerns at the Fed that prices are moving further away from their inflation target and make it much less likely the central bank will cut rates anytime soon.

Travelers face higher costs, fewer options as jet fuel prices swing

BY RIO YAMAT AP airlines and

travel

writer

A new reality is setting in for travelers worldwide: rising fees, fewer ﬂight options and difﬁcult decisions about whether a trip is worth the cost.

The culprit is volatile oil and jet fuel prices, which have spiked sharply since the war in the Middle East began and ﬁghting near the narrow Strait of Hormuz created a chokepoint for global oil supplies.

“Volatility is the real story here,” said Shye Gilad, a former airline captain who now teaches at Georgetown University’s business school “Right now, the airlines are trying to make bets on what they think will happen in the future.”

Airlines are responding cautiously, trimming schedules and adjusting prices in ways that experts say will ripple unevenly across the market but ultimately affect nearly every type of traveler

Budget airlines and the price-conscious customers who rely on them are likely to feel the pinch ﬁrst and most acutely, experts say, but even travelers in premium cabins won’t escape the higher prices and less convenient

schedules.

Oil prices have swung wildly in recent weeks, brieﬂy topping $119 a barrel at one point, plunging Wednesday below $95 on news of a two-week ceaseﬁre that temporarily reopened the Strait of Hormuz, and then climbing back toward $100 on Thursday as uncertainty over the fragile deal grew Iran again closed the key artery for global oil shipments in response to Israeli strikes Wednesday in Lebanon.

“When prices move quickly in both directions, it’s very hard for airlines to make predictions,” Gilad said. “That’s why there’s a lag between oil market moves and what passengers see in ticket prices.”

In other words, even when oil prices drop, travelers may not see relief right away. Gilad said airlines can take months, sometimes even up to a year, to adjust prices as they wait for energy markets to stabilize.

“At this level of fuel, it’s hard to call anything temporary,” Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian told reporters this week after the Atlanta-based carrier raised its checked baggage fees.

Bastian said Wednesday as Delta kicked off the earnings season for U.S. airlines that the

higher fuel prices are expected to add $2 billion in operating expenses in the second quarter alone. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said in a recent memo to staff that if jet fuel prices stay elevated, it would mean an additional $11 billion in annual costs. That’s more than double what United earned in its most proﬁtable year

“For perspective,” Kirby wrote, “in United’s best year ever, we made less than $5B.”

According to the International Air Transport Association, the average global jet fuel price rose to $209 per barrel last week, up from roughly $99 at the end of February when the war started Travelers from the U.S. to Hong Kong and New Delhi are paying the price.

U.S. carriers are embedding the higher operating costs into ticket prices and add-on fees. Delta, United, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue have all increased their checked baggage fees. United has moved beyond add-ons to adjust pricing in its front cabins. The carrier said last week it is bringing the “pay for what you want” approach already standard in economy to its premium cabins, turning perks like advanced seat selection and fully refundable tickets into optional extras.

Polymarket bets tied to Iran war draw calls for investigations

BY KEN SWEET Associated Press

NEW YORK Calls are increasing inside Congress for investigations into the prediction market platform Polymarket after the latest instance where groups of anonymous traders made strategic, well-timed bets on a major geopolitical event hours before it occurred. On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that at least 50 brand new accounts on Polymarket placed substantial bets on a U.S.-Iran ceaseﬁre in the hours, even minutes, before President

Donald Trump announced the ceasefire late Tuesday on social media. These were the sole bets made on Polymarket through these accounts. In January, an anonymous Polymarket user made a $400,000 profit by betting that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro would be out of office, hours before Maduro was captured. In the hours before the start of the Iran war another account made roughly $550,000 in a series of trades effectively betting that the U.S. would strike Iran and that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would be removed from office. Such prescient wagers have raised eyebrows — and accusations that prediction markets are ripe for insider trading. And the issue goes beyond these three geopolitical events, according to at least one report. Researchers at Harvard University released a paper last month where, using public blockchain data, they estimated that $143 million in profits have been made on Polymarket by individuals who potentially had insider information about events ranging from Taylor Swift’s engagement to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize last year Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y who sits on the House Financial Ser-

vices Committee as well as the subcommittee on digital assets and financial technology, sent a letter Thursday to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission demanding the regulator review and investigate these well-timed trades. The CFTC regulates the derivatives markets, which includes prediction markets.

“This pattern raises serious concerns that certain market participants may have had access to material nonpublic information regarding a market-moving geopolitical event,” Torres wrote The letter was shared exclusively with The AP

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHOTO By SETH WENIG Travelers

March 30 at LaGuardia Airport in New york

Bill to license pregnancy centers stalls

Anti-abortion groups push back

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

A bill that would require pregnancy centers that provide health care services to be licensed with the Louisiana Department of Health stalled in the House after facing pushback from Louisiana Right to Life, an inﬂuential antiabortion lobbying group. House Bill 611, by state Rep Aimee Adatto Freeman, D-New Orleans, is based on a recommendation in a September report by the Legislative Auditor’s Ofﬁce. That agency found gaps in how the state oversees pregnancy centers, some of which receive public funds. Currently pregnancy centers in Louisiana are not licensed as medi-

cal providers, even though some perform ultrasounds, offer STI testing and prescribe medication, according to the legislative auditor’s report. The centers are also not subject to patient privacy laws like HIPAA.

fessionals — and because pregnancy centers are not regulated, clients cannot file complaints against the provider or facility

There are 38 pregnancy centers in Louisiana, the report says.

tered by health care providers who are already subject to the licensing requirements of their profession, Inzina said.

didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Henry is seeking to uphold a $73 million contract his firm won in 2024 under former Mayor LaToya Cantrell. The previous council, acting under an ordinance that gives it signing authority on professional service contracts above $1 million,

HURRICANE

Continued from page 1A

prediction in its 40 years of seasonal forecasting in 2024, warning that the Atlantic could give rise to 11 hurricanes — a number that turned out to be right on the money Last year saw more tropical activity than usual as well, with fewer storm formations than in 2024 but a high ratio of powerful hurricanes that underwent rapid intensiﬁcation.

But El Niño, which generally creates conditions that hamper hurricane activity in the Atlantic and could be in full effect by this season’s peak, may help prevent another busy season this year and that’s good news for Louisiana.

“So the odds of El Niño look very, very high,” CSU hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said at Thursday’s conference. “But the question obviously is: How strong is the El Niño? A weak, marginal El Niño typically has a lot less of an impact than a really strong El Niño.” CSU researchers noted the April forecast is their earliest and most uncertain. The research team will issue forecast updates on June 10, July 8 and Aug. 5, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration usually releases its ﬁrst ofﬁcial hurricane season forecast in May Back so soon?

El Niño and La Niña are two opposing climate patterns that disrupt normal

Auditors reviewed 12 pregnancy centers that receive state funding through Louisiana’s Pregnancy and Baby Care Initiative, which is administered through the Department of Children and Family Services. All facilities performed ultrasounds, but only nine reported having a physician with an active license on staff, according to the report.

According to the audit, there is no state requirement that ultrasounds at pregnancy centers be conducted or interpreted by pro-

refused to sign off on that deal in part because they said that contract costs and the scope of work expanded after Henry won the bid.

IV Waste ﬁlled the gap on a oneyear emergency basis. In response to losing the job, Henry lodged two separate lawsuits that aim to test the council’s legislative powers to override the mayor’s decisions on some contracts.

In the ﬁrst lawsuit, a Civil District Court judge ordered the City Council to approve the contract, but the

wind and current conditions in the Paciﬁc Ocean, impacting weather patterns across the globe.

El Niño tends to increase vertical wind shear across the Atlantic, according to CSU which helps break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensiﬁcation.

“In El Niño years, you tend to have fewer storms than you do in La Niña,” Klotzbach said.

Though La Niña conditions were still present early this year, scientists at the Climate Prediction Center said Thursday that transitional neutral conditions had emerged and will likely be followed by El Niño. There’s a 61% chance that El Niño will return between May and July just before the Atlantic reaches its busiest time of year, according to the Climate Prediction Center.

The timing is important, Klotzbach said. El Niño conditions tend to grow stronger as time goes on, and if conditions emerge too late in the year, Klotzbach said its greatest impacts could be felt outside hurricane season.

El Niño and La Niña conditions can last for months or several years, according to NOAA, though they don’t occur on a regular schedule. They generally occur every two to seven years, with transitional neutral periods in between.

The last strong El Niño stretched from 2023 into 2024, and CSU researchers said this year’s conditions exhibit characteristics simi-

During Wednesday’s meeting of the House Health and Welfare Committee, when legislators considered HB611, Freeman argued all clinics should have doctors on site to interpret ultrasounds in case they indicate medical emergencies.

Supporters of the bill contended it would bring pregnancy centers in line with other health care facilities, protecting women and babies. The bill would not apply to centers that do not offer health care services.

Erica Inzina, policy director of Louisiana Right to Life, which holds immense sway in the Capitol, pushed back against the notion that pregnancy centers are not properly regulated. Medical care at pregnancy centers is adminis-

4th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in August, marking a win for the council.

Henry ﬁled a new lawsuit that month asking the courts to nullify the council’s 2023 ordinance. The case is still pending.

The sanitation dispute made national news, spurred television ads and spawned pro-IV Waste signs all over the French Quarter

At one point last summer, the board of the French Quarter Management District voted to

lar to that year, 2015, 2009 and 2006.

Warm waters vs. El Niño

While El Niño conditions typically make it harder for storms to form, other factors at play can have just as much impact on what happens in the tropics. The potential for even a powerful El Niño is not an all clear, Klotzbach said.

Despite a strong El Niño in 2023 — when CSU issued a near identical April forecast to this year’s — that hurricane season ended as one of the most active in 70 years, with 20 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes.

Record warm ocean temperatures that year helped fuel the formation and strengthening of storms, combating El Niño’s usual calming effects.

CSU forecasters said temperatures in the Atlantic this year present mixed signals for the upcoming hurricane season, with warmer than normal waters in the western tropical Atlantic and slightly cooler than usual temperatures in the east.

Landfall probability

CSU’s forecast even gets down to the nitty-gritty details of where a hurricane might land and how likely storms are to impact U.S. residents.

Researchers said there’s about a 32% chance a major hurricane will hit somewhere along the U.S. coastline this coming season, well below the historical average from 1880 to 2020. There’s a

Dorothy Wallis, CEO of Caring to Love Ministries, which operates the Care Pregnancy Clinic in Baton Rouge, argued the bill was unnecessary

“We self-regulate,” she said, adding that her facility has a boardlicensed medical director

Such comments garnered sharp replies from some Democrats on the committee, including state Rep Mandie Landry, D-New Orleans, who is widely considered one of the most progressive voices in the Legislature.

“Self-regulation of a health care facility is, I think, the opposite of what the Health and Welfare Committee wants,” Landry said.

She contended that the bill would not affect Wallis if her clinic was already operating appropriately

fund an emergency contract for IV Waste while Henry’s subcontractor, Richard’s Disposal, was about to begin the same work in the French Quarter under an emergency contract inked with the Cantrell administration. Both companies said their contracts negated the other

At the last minute, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled Henry’s contract invalid, citing a group of residents’ arguments that Cantrell’s emergency contract was legally

20% chance of a major hurricane making landfall on the Gulf Coast, a 15% chance on the East Coast and a 35% chance for a Caribbean landfall, according to CSU. Klotzbach said Thursday that there’s roughly a 28% chance that one hurricane will hit somewhere within 50 miles of Louisiana. A major hurricane has a 10% chance of hitting within the same distance.

“It takes only one storm near you to make this an ac-

After a lengthy discussion, Freeman offered to voluntarily defer HB611 — but not before coming down on critics, who she said insinuated the proposal was not in line with pro-life values.

Freeman found it “personally insulting,” she said, “that someone would say this is against our babies and mamas.”

A ﬁscal note for HB611 found it would cost the state over $600,000 annually, mostly to pay for five new Health Department staffers to draw up and implement the regulations.

Freeman expressed skepticism about that estimate.

“I have very big questions about the ﬁscal note because if LDH’s job is to regulate health care facilities, it’s already baked into their numbers. They already have a lot of money to do oversight,” Freeman said in an interview that took place after she deferred the bill.

questionable. Torres said committing to another 18 months is also a risk for him as fuel prices continue to climb and the cost of specialized equipment is expensive.

“This is not an easy lift where you rent some trucks and pick up trash. This is custom built mechanical street-sweepers, pressure washers,” he said.

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

tive season for you,” CSU professor and researcher Michael Bell said in a news release announcing the forecast.

CSU’s methodology

CSU has been issuing seasonal hurricane forecasts for more than four decades in an effort to provide the best estimate of activity in the Atlantic during the upcoming season. But it is not an exact measure. The team bases its fore-

casts on a statistical model and three models that use a combination of information and predictions of largescale conditions based on medium-range weather forecasts. The models use 25 to 40 years of historical hurricane season data and evaluate various hurricane-related conditions, including Atlantic sea surface temperatures, sea level pressures, vertical wind shear levels and El Niño.

Freeman

RTA board sworn in, vows changes

Group’s head plans deep dive into issues

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno’s appointees to the Regional Transit Authority’s board vowed Thursday

to bring a fresh set of eyes to an agency that has faced a string of controversies in recent years.

The board of commissioners was sworn in at a special meeting Thursday and will be headed by Ann Duplessis, a vice president at Liberty Bank and a former state senator Duplessis said the board plans to take a deep dive into the agency’s performance

under RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins, who has led the agency since 2023.

“The ﬁrst thing we’re going to do is really look at all the issues that we understand are out there,” Duplessis said in an interview after the meeting. “We will be evaluating all executive leadership.”

In remarks during the meeting, Duplessis said she

READy FOR A RODEO

was “very impressed” with RTA leadership during her board orientation.

Other new members are Erika Mann, the Dryades YMCA CEO; Barbara Major, a community organizer and former RTA board chair; Nelita Manego-Ramey, a nurse and disability rights advocate; and Tyrone Casby Sr., Big Chief of the Mohawk Hunters and a former prin-

cipal at L.B. Landry High School.

Returning to the board are Mitch Guidry Jr., who worked for the RTA for 40 years before becoming a commissioner, and Louis Colin, a former New Orleans Police Department officer and McDonald’s franchisee.

The seven-member board takes control of the RTA and its ﬂeet of buses, paratransit

vehicles, streetcars and ferries after a tumultuous few years. Moreno, who took ofﬁce in January, has said she wants to see “major changes” at the agency Half of the board resigned and Jefferson Parish pulled out of the RTA in 2024 after a board-commissioned report faulted Hankins and

See RTA, page 2B

is set for Friday through Sunday,

Woman shot by JPSO deputies pleads guilty

Authorities say she repeatedly pointed weapon at officers

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A West Bank woman who was shot and wounded by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies after authorities said she repeatedly pointed a weapon at them in the parking lot of a Marrero store has pleaded guilty, according to court records. Paige Robin, 63, pleaded guilty Wednesday to four counts of aggravated assault of a police ofﬁcer Judge Danyelle Taylor of the 24th Judicial District Court, sentenced Robin to ﬁve years in prison, but sus-

Michael Fawer,

Trial attorney known for outspoken advocacy of clients

BY JOHN POPE

Contributing writer

Michael Fawer, a lawyer known for his outspoken advocacy on behalf of such high-proﬁle clients as former Gov Edwin W. Edwards, former lawmaker Renee Gill Pratt and the New Orleans businessman Aaron Mintz, has died

pended four years of the sentence, according to court records.

Sheriff’s Ofﬁce deputies shot Robin on the afternoon of May 28, 2025, in the parking lot of a Dollar General store in the 7300 block of the West Bank Expressway in Marrero.

Deputies had been searching for her and her blue Isuzu SUV for a few hours after receiving reports that a woman in the vehicle had pointed a gun at an unoccupied, marked JPSO patrol car that was parked outside of a Walmart in the 4800 block of Lapalco Boulevard. Investigators identiﬁed Robin as the vehicle’s owner based on information provided by witnesses, according to JPSO. Deputies spotted Robin and the

See SHOOTING, page 2B

90, lawyer who defended Edwin Edwards, dies

Contractor rebooked on 14 charges

Police say N.O. man used fake documents in fraud scheme

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

His death Wednesday was due to complications from kidney disease, according to Randall Smith, his longtime law partner He was 90. In addition to being renowned as a keen legal strategist, Fawer was known for his passionate courtroom demeanor, when he didn’t hesitate to take on not only opposing lawyers but also judges. “He was fierce,” Smith said.

“He was a very driven guy He was a ﬁerce defender and a ﬁerce combatant, whether in the courtroom or on the tennis court.”

“I think he was born that way,” his son, Jonathan Fawer, said. “He grew up in New York in the Bronx It was just innate, part of his character He was always passionate, even when we were talking. It was how he expressed himself. His friends loved him for that aspect.” Fawer earned an undergraduate degree at Cornell University and a law degree at Columbia

University Although he was best known as a defense attorney, Fawer started his career as a prosecutor working in Washington, D.C., for the U.S. Justice Department’s Organized Crime and Racketeering Section, according to a death notice. He served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, and he was named chief of special prosecutions in 1965. In the late 1960s, he was sent

See FAWER, page 2B

A New Orleans contractor accused of faking inspection documents across multiple parishes was rebooked on a slew of charges about a week after New Orleans police issued a “be on the lookout” alert. Jon Andersen, 38, surrendered to authorities and was booked into Orleans Justice Center late Wednesday according to jail records. He appeared in magistrate court Thursday afternoon for his bail setting on 14 counts, including four of forgery, seven of filing false public records and three of online impersonation. Magistrate commissioner Jay Daniels set bail at $49,000. An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General and the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors spurred the additional charges. Those offices turned their findings over to the NOPD, who made the arrest.

“Such fraudulent activity by contractors poses serious risks to public safety, including the potential

STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Scott Miller arranges livestock gates during a media preview event for the Hondo Rodeo Fest at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Thursday. The Hondo Rodeo Fest

bringing

three-day mix of rodeo competition, country music and Western-themed family entertainment to the city The event also includes a street fest in Champions Square, with food vendors, shopping and live music scheduled throughout the weekend.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Law enforcement investigates the scene of a shooting by a deputy in Marrero on May 28

Fawer

Boudin Fest ambassador brings message of inclusion

Born with a rare genetic disorder, she embodies ‘limitless,’ parents say

BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer

At just 5 years old, Olivia Miller has already captured hearts as the ﬁrst Limitless Little Ambassador for the Scott Boudin Festival.

The Limitless Little Ambassador role was created to demonstrate the power of inclusion. Born with CHARGE syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects her eyes, ears, heart and airway, Olivia’s life has been ﬁlled with surgeries and therapies.

Yet despite those challenges, her parents say her happiness and resilience inspire everyone around her “She’s always happy,” said father Phillip Miller “No matter what she’s gone through, she always radiates with a joy and it inspires us.”

Her mother Alexis Miller, became emotional reﬂecting on her daughter’s journey “When Olivia was born, they never expected her to make it this far, but she has

proved them wrong time and time again,” she said. “She truly is the most resilient and strongest person I know. She embodies the word ‘limitless.’” Festival ofﬁcials couldn’t agree more, saying Olivia was chosen because she embodies the festival’s spirit of community, inclusion and celebration.

Lauren Segura, board member and pageant director, said the inspiration behind the role was rooted in both awareness and education.

“We wanted to bring awareness to families and children with special needs and give our queens and ambassadors a chance to learn from them,” Segura said. “Just because a child interacts with the world differently doesn’t diminish their value or ability to impact others.”

For Olivia’s parents, this opportunity is a chance to share her story and reshape how others view children with disabilities.

“When I first found out Olivia was a girl, my heart ﬂuttered at the idea of being a girl mom and putting her in pageants and dance classes,” Alexis Miller said. “When I learned about her diagnosis, those dreams felt unattainable. But I always say God is the ultimate physician, and at the end of

the day, he has the ﬁnal say.” That dream has now come full circle. Alexis Miller, who once held pageant titles herself, says watch-

$3 million bail set for men accused

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

A New Orleans judge this week set bail at $3 million for each of two men accused of killing an Uber driver as they conspired to steal his SUV in the French Quarter last year

Brandon “Bee” Joseph and Angel Martinez have remained jailed since they were arrested days after the Oct. 9 carjacking on Bienville Street that left 60-year-old Miguel “Nation” Stemley dead

In assigning the bail amounts, Orleans Parish Criminal District Judge Simone Levine said Tuesday she could not hold the defendants without bail permanently Joseph, 21 was indicted on a second-degree murder charge and Martinez, 19, has been charged as a principal to second-degree murder and accessory after the fact. Both face mandatory life prison terms if convicted of the murder

FAWER

Continued from page 1B

to New Orleans because the Justice Department was prosecuting associates of the reputed maﬁa boss Carlos Marcello. While in New Orleans, Fawer met Myrna Dahmer whom he married.

The couple lived in New York City until 1971, when they moved to New Orleans so he could join the ﬁrm of Kullman, Lang, Inman and Bee. Fawer started his own practice in 1974, launching a career lasting nearly a half-century in which he tried more than 100 cases.

“I think he wanted to be a big ﬁsh in a little pond,” Jonathan Fawer said Fawer’s most notable client was Edwards, whom he successfully defended in 1986 against fraud charges related to the awarding of hospital licenses. The ﬁrst trial ended in a hung jury; the jury in the second trial acquitted him.

But after Edwards was charged with rigging the state licensing of riverboat casinos, he hired Daniel Small, a Boston lawyer who had specialized in white-collar criminal-defense work, less than three months before the trial began.

Edwards was convicted on 17 counts, sentenced to 10 years in prison and served eight.

Two years earlier, in probably his most sensational case, Fawer defended furniture-store executive Aaron Mintz. His wife, Palma Mintz, was found dead in her bed with a gunshot wound. Aaron Mintz was charged

Continued from page 1B

other top leaders for failing to rein in an employee who improperly authorized roughly $1 million worth of construction work. The FBI later opened an investigation into the contract at the center of the controversy The status of that probe is unclear Internal memos also raised concerns over lax oversight of change orders on a construction contract for the Canal Street ferry terminal.

Auditors who produced the reports in 2022 and 2023 wrote that the lack of internal controls may have caused the agency to overpay as much as $5.8 million for that project.

counts.

Orleans Parish prosecutors played footage of the crime from the city’s Real-Time Crime Center The video showed a man in a black hooded sweatshirt walking through the crosswalk in front of a white SUV in the 1000 block of Bienville Street when he jumped into the driver’s seat through the open door New Orleans police said Stemley was out of the running vehicle helping his passengers unload when the car thief, identified as Joseph sprung into action.

Stemley clutched the side of the SUV and tried wrestling the carjacker out of the driver’s seat as Joseph turned right and sped down Burgundy Street, according to police. He crashed into a series of parked cars and the SUV ﬂipped onto its driver’s side, pinning Stemley The video showed the suspect crawl out of the overturned SUV

through a passenger-side window

He ﬂed down the street as concerned bystanders rushed in to help free Stemley from the tipped vehicle. The St. Charles Parish man later died at University Medical Center

New Orleans Police Department

homicide detective Rayell Johnson testiﬁed that a corrections ofﬁcer vacationing in the French Quarter chased Joseph down the street and gave investigators a ski mask and screwdriver he’d dropped. Police also found a Nike Air Max sneaker inside the crashed vehicle. DNA traces from the ski mask tie Joseph to the carjacking, Johnson said.

Police said the surveillance footage also showed Martinez and Rashad Riley a 19-year-old New Orleans East teen, walking behind Joseph when he stole Stemley’s vehicle.

Riley and Martinez face charges in another motor vehicle theft on Bourbon Street two days before

with second-degree murder. Prosecutors said he made the death appear to be a suicide.

Smith said the 1984 trial was “the O.J. Simpson case of New Orleans.”

After hearing seven days of testimony, a jury deliberated nearly ﬁve hours before acquitting Mintz. Throughout the trial, Fawer had argued that Palma Mintz had taken her own life, pointing out that she had suffered from depression and planned her death.

Moreover, he said, the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Ofﬁce hadn’t investigated her death properly

Fawer was not so successful when he represented Gill Pratt, who had served in the Legislature and on the New Orleans City Council. She had been charged with participating in a conspiracy that looted more than $1 million from sham charities that she had helped create.

Fawer conceded that his client had routed the money to the groups, but he said she had no knowledge that others were skimming the money, regardless of what the prosecution’s heaps of documents claimed.

“Throwing thousands of pieces of paper at you does not a crime make,” he said.

The jurors in the ﬁrst trial were unable to reach a verdict. But in a second trial, in July 2011, Gill Pratt was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.

Fawer also took on the case of Curtis Kyles, who had been booked with ﬁrst-degree murder in the 1984 slaying of Delores “Dee” Dye, who was shot while loading groceries into her car

The first trial ended with a hung jury; the jury in the second trial con-

The RTA’s paratransit service has also been criticized by elderly and disabled riders and the federal government. The previous board in January approved a new software contract that RTA ofﬁcials say will improve missed pickups and long trips, though it will take six months to implement.

Guidry, the lone vote against that contract urged his new colleagues Thursday to consider instead upgrading the existing software.

“We need to do something to ﬁx the system now,” he said.

In an interview after the meeting, Manego-Ramey, who is disabled and uses a wheelchair, said improving paratransit is one of her top priorities.

“I’m very passionate about our riders who use paratransit,” she

ing her daughter step into this role is something she will never take for granted.

“If people can see what she’s capable of, maybe it changes how they see other kids like her,” Phillip Miller said. “That’s what this is really about.”

Olivia’s personality shines in the simplest, most joyful ways. She loves being around people and is especially drawn to lights and movement, often reacting instantly to the world around her.

At home, she enjoys playing outside, swinging, watching “Curious George,” cuddling with her family and eating ice cream.

But what truly sets her apart is her connection to others.

“She can feel the vibe of a room,” Phillip Miller said. “Whether it’s a wedding or a quiet space, she reacts immediately. You can tell she understands more than people might think.”

Since being named ambassador Olivia’s story has already touched thousands.

“We’ve been completely blown away by the response and kindness from people across the state and even the country,” Alexis Miller said. “She’s received over 10,000 reactions, and every time we go out, people recognize her.”

The family recently volunteered at the Acadia Parish Special Olympics, where strangers approached them with excitement.

“People were asking, ‘Is that the little famous queen from Facebook?’” Alexis Miller said. “Seeing everyone interact with her story and share such kind words is exactly what this is all about.”

She said the support and prayers they’ve received over the years have carried them through some of their most difﬁcult moments, and now this role is giving them a platform to reach even more people.

“I always knew my girl was special and that she would move mountains,” Phillip Miller said.

“Now we get to share her with the world and show what it truly means to be ‘limitless.’”

During the festival, Olivia will parade with the queens, meet attendees and represent a message of acceptance and inclusion.

“Everyone should love everyone,” Alexis Miller said. “No matter color, race, gender, disability, everyone should feel included and this role is doing just that.”

The 2026 Scott Boudin Festival will take place Friday through Sunday For more information on lineup, tickets, and parking, visit scottboudinfestival.com.

in Uber driver’s death

Stemley’s death, according to court records.

An interrogation video played in court Tuesday showed Johnson questioning Martinez about a week after the fatal carjacking. Martinez claimed he had no idea who stole Stemley’s vehicle.

But a text message Martinez sent his girlfriend said: “We tried to take they s***. B ﬂipped the car The man dead.”

Riley identified Joseph as the man on video jumping into Stemley’s SUV

“The person that did this, is that your partner?” the detective asked. “Is that your brother that you hang with all the time?”

“I don’t know who that is. I’ve never seen the dude,” Martinez replied.

Martinez’s attorney, Devin Jones, maintained there’s no indication the teen was involved and argued he was only charged because he wouldn’t identify Joseph.

victed Kyles of ﬁrst-degree murder and sentenced him to death. But the U.S. Supreme Court threw out the conviction and sentence, citing prosecutorial misconduct By that time, Kyles had finished serving a separate sentence for armed robbery but remained in custody on the murder charge.

Like the juries in Kyles’ previous trials, this panel was deadlocked, too, and Orleans Parish District Attorney Harry Connick announced he was dropping the case.

For his work on this case Fawer received the Sam Dalton Capital Advocacy Award from the Louisiana Association of Criminal Trial Lawyers.

Fawer retired in 2018 and wrote a memoir, “From the Bronx to the Bayou.” He also took courses at Tulane and Loyola universities and studied Yiddish online.

A founding member of the Northshore Jewish Congregation, Fawer was its president and a longtime trustee.

He was married three times, to Myrna Dahmer Fawer, Vicki Bouvier Fawer and Cindy Fawer

His ﬁrst two wives survive him, as do Merry McSwain, his companion; Jonathan Fawer and Melanie Fawer, his children by his first marriage; Alexandra Livaudais and Jessica Amacker, his children by his second marriage; and seven grandchildren.

A funeral will be held Friday at noon at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home, 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be private.

Contact John Pope at pinckelopes@ gmail.com.

said. “I want to make sure we have reliable, consistent, accessible transportation.”

The RTA has had its share of successes under Hankins’ leadership. It has secured millions of dollars in federal grants, developed a ﬂeet management and capital improvement plan and upgraded its ﬁnancial management software.

Bus ridership has also rebounded since the pandemic, with the number of passenger trips in 2025 at about 113% of what they were in 2019. Hankins highlighted the metric at a City Council hearing last week, noting that nationwide, average ridership is at just 85% of what it was before the pandemic.

The agency will focus now on “improving service, strengthening our infrastructure and delivering

CHARGES

Continued from page 1B

“What you see in the video, my client is paces behind the person, looking at his phone when this car was taken,” Jones said.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Derbes told Levine that Stemley was a ride-share driver “in the heart of this city” who had died trying to keep “the mechanism to provide for his family from being taken from him.”

Joseph’s defense attorney, Drew Lafontant, argued that Joseph wasn’t armed and there was no struggle before he jumped into the SUV She described it as a “crime of passion” as the carjacker spotted a running SUV with the door open and key in the ignition.

“There’s no indication that Mr Joseph had any intent to kill or cause severe bodily harm to the victim,” Lafontant said, describing it as a “horrible accident.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt. bruce@theadvocate.com.

for dangerous building collapses and other structural failures,” Inspector General Ed Michel said in a Thursday statement. “The OIG remains ﬁrmly committed to holding accountable any contractor who misuses their position for personal gain.” Andersen, who also goes by the spelling Anderson, is accused of creating an email that looked like a legitimate contractor’s and used it to send fake building inspection documents to officials. Authorities say he also uploaded

SHOOTING

Continued from page 1B

parked SUV in the Dollar General parking lot around 2:15 p.m. When they tried to speak with her, she reached for an object that looked like a gun, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. A motorist passing by recorded cellphone video of the standoff. Robin can be seen in the video pointing the weapon through the cracked driver’s side window of her SUV and later stepping out and pointing it toward a deputy stand-

a system that meets the needs of our community every day,” Hankins said in a statement. “That takes strong partnership between the Board and the agency, and I am conﬁdent in where we are headed.”

Moreno can appoint five board members, though only three of her nominees — Duplessis, Mann and Major — required City Council conﬁrmation. Moreno selected the other two board members, Manego-Ramey and Casby, from a list of names supplied by the Orleans Parish legislative delegation. (Moreno initially announced Adler’s Jewelry owner Coleman Adler as one of her nominees, though his name was later withdrawn Adler declined to comment Thursday.) Duplessis, in the interview said the board still needs to wrap its

a fake construction permit into the city’s permit system. The alleged acts were tied to a Mid-City property and occurred between June 11, 2024, and June 9, 2025. Andersen, who owns Andersen Design + Build LLC, also has an open matter in Jefferson Parish, where he is accused of trying to reapply for a contractor’s license using fake documents after having his revoked in July 2025. He was arrested in February on three counts of forgery, three counts of intent to injure or defraud involving insurance and four counts of ﬁling a false report. He was out on bail when the latest NOPD arrest warrant was issued.

ing behind a nearby Sheriff’s Office pickup. Two deputies opened fire, striking her several times, authorities said. Investigators later determined the weapon Robin was holding was a realistic-looking air pistol, authorities said Court documents state Robin has an extensive history of mental illness. She faced a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted. Robin will be given credit for any time served since her arrest. Taylor also sentenced her to five years of active probation upon release from prison, according to court records.

arms around the issues facing the RTA, but that she’d like to see the board articulate its own goals for the agency “sooner rather than later.” “We have to figure out how to hear all the concerns that just are out there and still maintain a board governance role,” Duplessis said.

LOTTERY

WEDNESDAY,APRIL 8, 2026 PICK

PHOTO PROVIDED

Olivia Miller is the Scott Boudin Festival’s first Limitless Little Ambassador

Barriere, Irene

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EJefferson

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Boullt, Florence

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Heritage Funeral

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Barriere, Irene

Williams, Kendall River Parish

PatrickH Sanders

Barriere, IreneMays

IreneMaysBarriere, July 30, 1955 –March 22, 2026

IreneMaysBarrierewas calledhometoeternal rest onSunday, March22, 2026 ather home in Houston, Texas aftera lengthyill‐ness. Shewas surrounded and comfortedbyher daughterQuianaand grandchildren.Irene,affec‐tionately called “Rene” was born on July 30, 1955, inNew Orleans, Louisiana toDorothy and Charles Mays. The second of three children, Irenewas bap‐tized at an earlyage and throughouther life be‐lievedinour Lord andSav‐ior JesusChrist. Shewas educatedinthe NewOr‐leans Public School System and wasa proudgraduate ofGeorgeWashington CarverSeniorHighSchool Irenemet andmarried Ker‐mit Hayesand remained in New Orleansuntil her dreamstookher to LosAn‐geles,Californiawhere she resided fora while.Follow‐ing herresidence in Los Angeles shemoved to Port Arthur,Texas.Infurther pursuit of school aspira‐tions,she enrolled in the nursing program at Lamar University, in Port Arthur, Texas.Thisis also when she mether second hus‐bandtobeand wasjoined inholymatrimony to Clif‐fordBarriere. Shesuccess‐fully completedher stud‐ies,earning aBachelorof Science Degree in Nursing (BSN).After graduating she becamea distinguished memberofthe Nursing Staff at theUniversityof Texas MedicalBranchHos‐pital (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas andremainedthere for most of hernursing ca‐reer.Later shemoved to Houston,Texas where she resided until herdeath She leaves to cherishher memory, herparents Dorothy andCharles Mays, Sr.,daughterand son-inlaw Quiana andBrian Spears, twograndchildren Andrew, andAlaire. Her brothers(andspouses) Charles Mays,II, (Etta) and Keith Mays,Sr. Hernieces and nephews(and spouses)Charles Mays III, Charles Mays IV (Harleigh) Charles Mays V, KaiMays, HarleyMays, Dana Mays Kimble(thelateAaron), Domonique Harris,Deverell Mays, Daicha Kimble,Cas‐sandra, Michael, Malik Brionne,and Montrell Carr; Shynice Mays,JeremyBut‐ler,Shyla Jones, Layla Smith;Keith Mays Jr (Lakeisha)Stephanie Mays, Kaiden Mays,and ShanteMays, as well as a hostofother family and friends.Irene is preceded indeath by herpaternal and maternal grandpar‐ents, Henryand Sarah Maysand Joeand Albertha Lewis,former-husband KermitHayes,and nephew BlaineIrvin.The Homego‐ing Celebrationwillbeheld onSaturday, April11, 2026 atPilgrimsRestBaptist Church #2 at 2200 Louisiana Avenue,New Or‐leans,LA, 70115,Pastor Michael C. Barlow Sr.ofﬁci‐ating.Visitationwillstart at9:00amfollowedbythe service at 10:00am. Burial willbeprivate.Profes‐sionalarrangementsen‐trusted to Majestic Mortu‐ary Service, Inc. (504) 5235872.

HenrySr.,Kerry Barthelemy,JeanEva

NursingHomeonSaturday, March 7. Shewas 84 years old.She wasborninMag‐nolia,La. andwas alife‐longresidentofDiamond La. Shewas born on June 8, 1941, to thelateGeorge and Cecile Barthelemy Jeanleavesbehindher beloved daughter Berna‐dine(Ernest); andgrand‐daughterMandy (Oliver) Her devotednieces: Laura (Jimmy),Sheila(late Stan‐ley), &Hollie(Wayne).Her devoted nephewsBenny (Ingrid)& Jamie(Sherry); a hostofnieces, nephews, cousins,and otherdevoted friends.She waspreceded indeath by herparents, the late George &Cecile Barthelemy, andher sib‐lings,the late Denise Bor‐den,the late France and VictoriaBarthelemyand her brother-in-law,Benny Borden. Shewas along-life Parishioner of St.Jude Catholic Church.A private memorialservice will be heldonSaturday, April11, 2026. Interment: BarthelemyCemetery, Dia‐mond, LA.Arrangements byRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 Highway23, Belle Chasse,LA. The Barthelemyfamilywould liketothank thestaff of Riverbend NursingHome and HeartofHospice for the excellentcareand compassionshown to our aunt andfamily.

Marion MayfieldBlack peacefullytransitionedto her heavenly home on Tuesday,March 31, 2026 She born to theunion of Charles MayfieldSr. and Burtina GarrrisonMayfield inOakville, Louisiana. She leavestomourn herchil‐dren, Andrey Pauline JosephBurrle, Arthur Phillip BlackJr.,Haskel Black (Debra), Cathy (Louis) Davidand Pamela Marie Black; grandchil‐dren, MichaelJoseph, Trek‐ina (Angel)Chavez, Court‐ney Greay, Hashana (Dwight)Harris, Tysheena B.Merrick,HaskelJr., Lashanona andEmmitt BurrleIII, andTerez David, 34great grandchildren, 10 great great-grandchildren; 2 sisters, Dora AnnWallace and Elaine Mayfield; 1 brother-in-law, Sidney Black;2 sisters-in-law MaryBlack andGloria Mayfield, anda host of nieces, nephews, family and friends. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐bandArthur P. BlackSr. her parents, Charlesand Burtina Garrison Mayfield, parents-in-lawZachariah and Irma SandersBlack, siblingsLawrence(Anne), Charles,Delton, Glenn, Perry,Ada Belle,Thais Lydia,Paulette,and Valerie Mayfield, IdaTaplett and Jeanette (Hayward) Williams,grandchildren JeaneeneWilliams, Louis David III, greatgrandchild JazariahHarris, sister-inlaw Rebecca Wilson and brother-in-lawNolan Wil‐son.Relatives andfriends ofthe familyare invitedto attend thefuneral service onSaturday, April11, 2026 atOLPHCatholicChurch, 8968 LA-23, Belle Chasse LA70037. Thevisitationwill begin at 9a.m.followedby an11a.m.massofficiated byFatherKyleDave. En‐tombmentwillfollowin Bayhi Cemetery.Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Online condolences atwww.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com.

Boullt, Florence McGuffey

Kenneth, and Cornell Wallace and The late Roy and Wayne Boullt.Sisterof Jessie Lewis, and thelate GregoryLewis and Judy Solomon. She is also survivedby20+ grandchildren,20+ greatgrandchildren and ahost of nieces, nephews, otherrelatives and friends. Relatives and friends of thefamily,also pastors, officers and members of all neighboring Churches are invitedtoattend aFuneral Service at D.W.Rhodes Funeral Home,3933 Washington Ave.New Orleans, La 70125 on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 11:30 am. Visitation willbeginat10:30 am. Interment: Providence Memorial Park Cemetery, 8200 Airline Dr. Metairie,La70003. ArrangementsbyD.W RhodesFuneralHome, 3933 WashingtonAve.Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook. Funeral can be live streamed at www. face book.com / D.W.RhodesFuneralHome/ live

TheresaBrant wasborn onMarch 25, 1974. Shewas strong, beautiful, andwon‐derfully stubborn—a woman whose presence could neverbeignored She wasthe beloved daughterofLynda Brant and thelateWardell Thompson. Theresaloved the Lord deeply andwas a devoted mother to her seven children-tiveboys and twogirls-who were the centerofher world. She was also thelovingwifeof the late RoyWarnerJr. Bornand raised in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana,Theresa workedinthe medical field asa caregiver. Caring for otherswas notjusther job it washer calling. She gaveselflessly, oftenopen‐ing herhometothose in need.Theresa lovedstyle fitness, anddecorating, witha naturalgiftfor cre‐ating beautifulspaces. After losing herhusband in 2007, sheremainedstrong for herchildrenand later moved to Georgiafor a fresh start. In 2022, she bravely overcame VKH. In 2024, shetackled stage4 colon cancer with courage and faith.She leaves be‐hindher mother,Lynda Brant;her sevenchildren: Marvin, Bryan, Pershana James,Roynisha, Tyreese Brant,and RoyWarnerIII; three brothers,Joseph, Lawrence, andMaurice Brant;one sister,Angela Brant;and many grandchil‐dren. In theend,her Cre‐atorcalledher home.Fam‐ily andfriends areinvited toattend theCelebration ofLifeService on Friday April 10, 2026, for10:00 a.m. atApostolic Outreach Church,8358 Lake Forest Blvd.,New Orleans, LA 70126. Visitation will begin at9:00a.m.Pastor, officiat‐ing.Interment will follow atMount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman MayerAve New Orleans, LA.Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

Sr., TheRev.Dr. Reginald Howard

berofKappa AlphaPsi Fra‐ternity,Inc.Rev.Burlre‐tired from Schlumberger after 33 yearsofservice Hewas adevoted husband and father, firstmarried to the late Michelle Brue,with whomhesharedthree chil‐dren. He latermarried Wanda Perrilloux in 2025. A faithfulservant,hean‐sweredhis call to ministry in2003 andwas ordained in2008, servingasPastor ofFirst Mt.ZionBaptist Church in Empire, Louisiana.Healsoserved invarious teaching and leadershiproles and earnedadvancedtheologi‐cal degrees,including a DoctorofTheology. He was precededindeath by his father, firstwife, daughter KrischelBurl, andother loved ones.Heleavesto cherish hismemoryhis wife, WandaBurl; children, ReginaldH.Burl, Jr.(Time‐dra)and ChelseyM.Burl; granddaughter,Khloe K. Burl; hismother, siblings, and ahostofrelatives friends,and church family. His legacy of faith,love, and servicewillforever be remembered. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also officers andmembers of First Mount Zion Baptist Church,LittleZionB.C.of Gonzales, LA,Mt. Zion B.C. ofJefferson,LA, NewZion B.C of Marrero, Christian Ministers MissionaryBap‐tistAssociation, Corner‐stone MissionaryBaptist Associationand allother neighboring churches and associations areinvited to attendthe Celebrationof Lifeservice which will be heldonSaturday, April11, 2026, at Fellowship Mis‐sionary BaptistChurch,lo‐cated at 2805 GeneralTay‐lor St NewOrleans,LA 70115. Visitation will begin at9 a.m.,and theservice willbegin at 11 a.m. Pastor Moses S. Gordon III offici‐ating andentombmentwill followatLakelawnCeme‐teryinMetaire,LA. Pastor Burlwilllie in stateonFri‐day,April 10, 2026, at First Mount Zion BaptistChurch, 32471 LA-23, Empire,LA 70050, from 3p.m.until 8 p.m.Funeralplanningen‐trusted to Robinson Family FuneralHome, 9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse,LA70037, (504) 208-2119. Foronline condolences,pleasevisit www.robinsonfamilyfuner alhome.com

Butler, Virginia AnnJohnson Virginia Ann Johnson Butler passedawayon Friday, March 27, 2026 at the age of 79. Relativesand friends of the familyare invited to attendher Funeral Service at D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Avenueon Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 9:00 am. The funeral canbe livestreamed by visiting www. fac eb ook.com / D.W.RhodesFuneralHome/ live. Visitation will begin at 8:00 am. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook and share condolences with thefamily.

CarmoucheJr.,Bernard Joseph

Award. He appeared on na‐tionaltelevisionprograms including Good Morning America,EmerilLive, Beat Bobby Flay,and Chopped, and wasfeaturedinpubli‐cations such as TheTimesPicayune,New Orleans Magazine, andOrlando Sentinel, amongothers. Devoted husband of An‐dreaR.Carmouche.Loving fatherofJoshuaB.and Candace C. Carmouche. Godfather of JeremieM and CharlesT.Carmouche and ZhanéR.Nelson. Son ofthe late BernardJoseph Carmouche Sr.and Theresa Becknell Car‐mouche. Grandson of the lateBernard J. Carmouche, Lucille andRueben O’BryantSr.,JosephSr. and ThelmaBecknell. Godson ofand thelateJimmy Saul Brother of Charlene,Gwen‐dolyn,Edith (Robert),Cas‐sandra(Michael),Kevin (Laura),Joseph, Paula(Nel‐son), andKeisha. Nephew ofReuben(Chilwana), Joseph(Dianne), andEd‐mondO’Bryant, William Curry,ClarenceBecknell, Sr.,Thelmaand Linda Becknell, Sandra Odom and thelateCedrick O’Bryantand Joseph Beck‐nell. Son-in-law of thelate MaryJ.Russ. Brother-inlaw of Clarence,Louis Charles,Wayne,Ovelia, and Denise,and thelate GaryTuckerSr.,Sylvester Russ, RaymondJohnson and Martha Venson,also survivedbya host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives, proteges and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamilyalso priestand parishioners of St. KatharineDrexel Catholic Church,and neighboring churches are invited to attend AMassof Christian Burial at St Katharine Drexel Catholic Church,2015 Louisiana Ave NewOrleans,LAon Saturday, April11, 2026, at 9:30a.m.Interment:Mt. OlivetCemetery-NewOr‐leans,LA. Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St., Gretna,LA. Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com.

Chantz,GloriaKennedy

Gloria Kennedy Chantz departedthislifeSaturday, March 28, 2026 at theage of83. Wife of Sylvester Chantz. Daughter of the lateAmbrose andDoretha PackJohnson.Beloved motherofKathy (Dennis) Henry,SharonKennedy Sheila(Jeffery) Nedand StaceyKennedy.Grand‐motherofeight andgreat grandmother of thirteen Employees of Hotel Dieu/UMC areinvited to at‐tendthe funeral. Ahome‐going celebrationhonoring the life andlegacyofthe lateGloriaKennedy Chantz willbeheldatMt. Ararat MissionaryBaptist Church, 2525 FirstStreet,New Or‐leans,LAonSaturday, April 11, 2026 at 10 am,Pastor Jerry Darby, Sr., Ofﬁciating. IntermentProvidence MemorialPark. Visitation 9 aminthe church.Please signonlineguestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581-4411

Cloud, Paula

GraceFuneral

Lyle,Hunter West Bank

DavisMortuary

Carmouche Jr., Bernard Gaines,Georgiana

Jean EvaBarthelemy passedway at Riverbend St Tammany

Florence McGuffey Boullt departedthis life on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at theage of 88. Loving wife of thelate IvoryB.Boullt.Daughter of thelate MaryWallace and GeorgeMcGuffey. Beloved MotherofSheliaSheets, RuthWallace,Dawn Tombar, Damon Boullt, the late Clarence, Clarette,

ACelebration of Life

The Rev. Dr.Reginald HowardBurl, Sr., 67, de‐partedthislifeonFriday, March 20, 2026, in River Ridge,Louisiana.BornDe‐cember29, 1958, to thelate HowardBurl, Sr.and MargieMoore, he accepted Christatanearly ageand was baptizedatSaint John MissionaryBaptist Church Hegraduated from Leon GodchauxHighSchool and earneda Bachelor of Sci‐enceinElectricalEngineer‐ing from Southern Univer‐sity,where he wasa mem‐

BernardJosephCar‐moucheJr. transitioned on Monday, March23, 2026, at the ageof59. He wasa proud native andresident ofUptownNew Orleans, LA. Bernardwas agradu‐ate of Walter L. CohenHigh School,Class of 1985. “Chef B”, as he wasaffection‐ately knownbyfamilyand friends,carried thesoulof his city into everykitchen heled.Hebegan hisculi‐naryjourney at Comman‐der’s Palace under Chef EmerilLagasse androse through theranks to hold key leadership roleswithin the Emeril Lagasse organi‐zation, helpingshape ac‐claimed restaurantsacross the country. He further honed hisskillsinParis France, at Le Moulin de Mougins underChefRoger Vergé andlater fulﬁlledhis entrepreneurial dreamas co-founder of TwoChefs Seafood &OysterBar and Muddy Waters,sharing the bold ﬂavorsand spirit of New Orleans. Chef B’stal‐ent earned himnumerous honors, includinginduction intothe OrlandoDining AwardsHallofFame, the James LewisAward from the BlackCulinarianAl‐liance,and theEdnaLewis

Paula Cloud, alifelong residentofNew Orleans, Louisiana, enteredeternal rest on April 7, 2026, at the age of 65, just 20 days after thepassing of herbeloved mother. Born February 4, 1961, to the lateAbel Stepter Jr.and Mary C. Victorian Agraduate of Joseph S. Clark Senior High School, Paula continued heracademic career by attending Southern University of New Orleans, whereshe earned aBachelor'sand Master's degree both in social work. Later

Brant, Theresa

Black, Marion Mayﬁeld

4B ✦ Friday,April 10,2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ TheTimes-Picayune by serving as aminister and amember of Greater LibertyBaptist Church.

She leaves to cherish her memory her son, Tori Stepter; her sisters, Venessa Humphrey (Gerald), Brenda Bowens, Chinito Giddings (Bryan), Jada Smith, and Sheila Harris; her brothers, Shedrick and Frederick Victorán; her godchildren; and ahost of nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.

Ajoint celebration of life for Paula Cloud and her mother, Mary Victorán, will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at First Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1228 Arts Street, New Orleans, LA, with visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m.

Dickerson, Fannie Mae

Fannie Mae Dickerson was born on August1,1937 to Eddie and Everlina Bell and passed away on Wednesday April 1, 2026. Fannie was adevoted and hardworking woman who dedicated 35 years of service to Methodist Children's Hospital before retiring. She leaves to cherish her memory her children: Michael R. Dickerson of New Orleans LA; Marshall A. Dickerson (Kathleen) of St. Rose, LA; Charles R. Dickersonof Baton Rouge, LA; Calvin Dickerson of New Orleans, LA; Deloris Dickerson of New Orleans, LA; Sandria Faye Dickerson of Baton Rouge, LA; Jacqueline D. Dickerson Turner (Nathan) of New Orleans, LA; Debra A. Dickerson of New Orleans, LA; and Lillian Tobia Dickerson of Kenner, LA. She also leaves behind two godchildren, Bruce Washington of New Orleans, LA and Teen Maten of Batchelor, LA, along with 63 grandchildren, ahost of greatgrandchildren, nieces, nephews,cousins, relatives, and dear friends. Fannie was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred Dickerson Jr.; her parents, Eddie and Everlina Bell; her brothers, Wilbert Bell (Rosalin), Robert Bell (Doris), and Alfred Bell (Arthur Bell); her sons, Eddie E. Dickerson and Wiffart Dickerson; and her grandchildren, Terrell Kendrick, Dewon Young, and Crystal Hymes Relativesand friends of the family are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Wake Service on Friday, April 10, 2026 at First House of Prayer Baptist Church, 2826 LaSalle Street, New Orleans, LA 70113 at 6:30 p.m. Visitation from 5:30 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. Followed by Funeral Services on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Mount Mariah Baptist Church, 14905 LA Highway 417, Batchelor,LA 70715 at 12:30 p.m.

Interment Mount Mariah Baptist Church Cemetery You may sign the guest book on www.gertrudegeddeswi

llis.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, Inc., in charge (504) 522-2525

Domino Sr., Floyd Resel'Flee'

Floyd"Flee"Resel Domino, Sr.was born in New Orleans, LA on No‐vember16, 1943, anden‐tered eternallifeonTues‐day,March 24, 2026. Sonof the late BerniceManuel Dominoand Aristile Domino, Sr.Heleavesto cherish hismemorieswith his loving wife,Diana Domino, of 62 years; their seven children,Floyd Domino, Jr.(Patricia), Travella D. Newsome (Gary), Adrian R. Domino (Bridgette),Barry Domino (Jacquline),Karen Domino TroyDominoand Jermaine Domino(LaTasha);nine grandchildren,Floyd Carter, FloydR.Domino, III (Patrice),Lance Domino, Sr.,AsiaD.Armour(Ennis) Adrione Domino,MervinP Dolliole, Jr., Princess Ray‐ford(James),Jayla and ShilohDomino; bonus grandchildren:William Jouna andJerome. He is alsosurvivedbyhis broth‐ers,Stanley Domino,Sr. (Evelyn), KennyDomino anda sister,Donna

Domino,along with ahost ofsisters-and brothers-inlaw,nephews,nieces, cousins andfriends.Inad‐ditiontohis parents, he was preceded in deathby his grandparents:Lulaand Floyd Manuel;Antoine Cal‐isteand Marie-Donatille Domino; siblings:Aristile, Jr, John, Aline, Davidand Reginald Domino;grand‐son:Barry Jeanmarie; nephew: GalenDominoand his father-and mother-inlaw:Gilbert andAmelia Francis.Visitationwillbe heldSaturday, April11, 2026, for10:30 a.m. at Greater St.Stephen FGBC inNew Orleans, 5600 Read Blvd.,witha Celebrationof LifeService,ofﬁciated by BishopT.Delbert Robinson tofollowat11:00 a.m. In‐terment at Mt.Olivet Cemeteryand Mausoleum. Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

Gaines,Georgiana

GeorgianaGainesen‐tered into eternalreston Monday, March23, 2026, at the ageof85. Shewas a nativeofSt. Martinville, LA and aresidentofNew Or‐leans,LA. Georgianawas a proud graduate of Carver HighSchool Classof1957 She wasemployedasa dedicated Nursing Assis‐tant, servingher commu‐nitywithcompassionfor over30years before retir‐ing.Throughouther life she touchedcountless lives with hercare, love and guidance.Loving motherofCliffordLewis Charles Gaines,Floyd Gaines, Rochelle Gaines and thelateWillisGaines III, Alicia M. Brooks, and Claudia MaeGaines-Harris Beloved daughter of the lateSamuelBazile and Enola CharlesBazile.Sister ofJosephBazile,Samuel Bazile, MichaelBazile,Eula Bazile, andthe late Wilfred Bazile, CharlesBazile, El‐doraBazile, DeloresBazile Josephine Bazile,and Agnes Bazile Littleton. Mother-in-law of Janice Lewis,PatriciaGainesand CydaliseGaines, andthe lateMarkFavorite, Sr.Sis‐ter-in-lawofthe late Virgie Bazile. Also cherishing her memoriesare 14 grandchil‐dren, 25 greatgrandchil‐dren, 1great greatgrand‐child,and ahostofnieces, nephews,extendedfamily and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also pastors,ofﬁcers andmem‐bersofSecondNazarene Baptist Church andall neighboring churches are invited to attend aMemor‐ial ServiceatSecond NazareneBaptist Church 3062 Boyd Street,New Or‐leans,LAonSaturday, April 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pas‐tor PeterL.Crawford, ofﬁ‐ciating.Arrangementsby Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St.Gretna, LA Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com.

CarolPlaisance Gainey age 88,peacefully joined her lovedonesinHeaven onApril 6, 2026. Shewas bornonJanuary 6, 1938, to Bessieand Joseph Plai‐sance.Carol wasa lifelong resident of Louisiana. She was born in Algiersand later made herhomein Belle Chasse,where she spent theremainder of her life. Carolwas preceded in death by herdevoted hus‐bandand love of herlife, Calvin “Jug”Gainey; her daughters,Karen,Donna, and Linda; and hergrand‐children, Chrisand Ross. A woman of deep faith, Carol was adedicated parish‐ioner of OurLadyofPer‐petualHelpChurch.She faithfullyserved her church community for manyyears as amember ofthe pastoral counciland asa EucharisticMinister. She also cherishedthe friendshipsshe formed

andthe many special memoriesshe createdasa memberofOchsner’s GoldenOpportunity Pro‐gram. Sheleavesbehinda lovingfamilywho will cherish hermemory, in‐cluding hergrandchildren: LisaBourgeois (Jerome) ChadBraud (Erin),Justin Braud,StevenCallais,Jr. RyanBraud,and Jenna Smith (Evan),along with manybeloved great-grand‐children. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe Visitation at Our LadyofPerpetual Help Catholic Church,8968 Belle Chasse Highway(Highway 23),Belle Chasse, Louisiana on Friday,April 10, 2026, beginningat11:30 a.m.until 1:30 p.m. AFu‐neral Mass will be held in her honoronFriday, April 10, 2026, at 1:30 p.m. at Our LadyofPerpetual Help Church.Interment will take place in OurLadyofPer‐petualHelpCemetery. Mothe FuneralHomeisas‐sisting thefamilyduring thisdifﬁcult time.The fam‐ily invitesyou to share thoughts, fond memories and condolencesonlineat mothefunerals.com

Kerry HenrySr.,age 78, ofAlgiers,Louisiana passedawaypeacefully on March 30, 2026. Kerry wasa devoted husband,loving father, proudgrandfather and greatgrandfather,and cherished familymember whose life wasmarkedby love, strength,and dedica‐tiontohis family. Hispres‐encebrought comfort, and his memory will remain in the hearts of allwho knew and lovedhim.Heissur‐vived by hisbeloved wife Earline Cooper Henry; his lovingchildren, Doris (Spencer) Dawson,Kerry (Mieka) HenryJr.,Torento Henry,Kevin (Lencquince) Henry,and Sharell(Gre‐gory) Boyd;his cherished grandchildren,Kerrion Khaliq, Spennita,Coleah, Spenquan, Sy’Rae,Kaci, Shakira,Khalia,McKenzie, and Kace;his beloved great grandchildren, Shamarand Jrue;his sis‐ter,Jeanne Henry; his brother,Gilbert (Marlene) Henry;his sistersinlaw MargaretWright, Beatrice (Wilbert) Wiggins,and TamikoCooper;alsosur‐vived by ahostofnieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Kerry was preceded in deathby his parents, Odile Pierre Henry andVictorHenry Sr.; his parentsinlaw,Pearl Jackson Cooper and Torento Cooper;his sisters, Verlin(Lloyd) Ancar, Alice (Alvin) Porter,Iona(Albert) Brown, andEssie(Dave) Charles;his brothers,War‐ren Henry, Victor (Sarah) Henry Jr Theodore Henry, and CharlesHenry;his sis‐ter in law, Eloise (Roscoe) Holmes; andthe sonhe raised, Bobby(Patrice) Jef‐ferson. Relativesand friends of thefamilyalso Pastors,Ofﬁcers andMem‐bersofSt. StephenMis‐sionary BaptistChurch, ProvidenceMissionary Baptist Church andall neighboring churches,Em‐ployeeofOchsner Medical Center, OchsnerTransplant Institute, PassageHospice InspirationHouse,Faculty and Staff of Edna Karr High School,FormerFaculty and Staff of L. B. Landry High School,and O. Perry WalkerHighSchoolsare in‐vited to attend ACelebra‐tionofLifeat10:00am on SaturdayApril 11, 2026, at St. StephenMissionary Baptist Church,1738 L.B. LandryAvenue,Algiers,LA. Rev.Dr. Lawrence St.Cyre, Sr.,ofﬁciating. Visitation willbegin at 8:00am until the time of service. Inter‐mentinMcDonoghville Cemetery, Gretna,LA. Final Arrangementsentrusted to Patrick H. SandersFuneral Home& FuneralDirectors, LLC.605 Main Street Laplace,LA70068. 985-3591919.

CarolJohnson, 81, of SantaFe, NewMexico, passed away peacefully on April2,2026.

In NewOrleans, Carol was an activeopera singer and performer. She loved decorating, cooking, baking,the outdoors, birding, travel,and her family. Carol never forgot to send athoughtful card or gift, and always saw thebestin people.She livedher remaining years with her husband Gary in Santa Fe.

Carol willbemissed dearly. Forthe time shared with her, we remain forever grateful and blessed.

Carolissurvivedbyher husband Gary; her sons Matthew (Luciane), and Eirik (Ashley); sister Jean; four grandchildrenand five nephews and nieces. She was preceded in deathby her parents, Francis and Dorothy.

“Welldonethougood and faithfulservant!Enter thouintothe joyofthy lord."OnSaturday, March 28, 2026, Pastor ClaytonG Johnson transitioned from thisearthly domain to God’s prepared place. He servedoverthirty-sixyears atPentecost Baptist Church,teachingSunday School,serving as adea‐con,mission team,li‐censedand ordained min‐ister andpastor. Survivors include hiswife, Sheryl GrayJohnson;children, Brandon,Jamal andBrandi Davis;sisters,EllaHolland Deborah Davenport, Alice Bourgeois andCharlene Jackson;grandchildren, grandchildand ahost other relative andfriends PastorJohnson is pre‐ceded in deathbyhis par‐ents, Charlesand Marion C.Johnson;son,Clayton and siblings,William and LoftonJohnson,Sr. and FerralWalker. TheJohnson and PentecostBaptist Church familywillcele‐brate andhonor thelife and legacy of thelatePas‐tor ClaytonG.Johnson at Pentecost BaptistChurch 1510 Harrison Ave.,New Orleans,LA70122 on Satur‐day,April 11, 2026 at 10 am IntermentRestlawnPark Cemeteryand Mausoleum, Avondale, LA.Visitation 8:30aminthe church Pleasesignonlineguest‐book at www.charbonnetf uneralhome.com. Charbon‐net LabatGlapion,Direc‐tors(504) 581-4411

GlennMichael Johnson, Jr.,a native NewOrleanian, was born on March8,1979 toGlenn MichaelJohnson, Sr. andJoann Juluke.He departedthislifeon Wednesday,March 25 2026, in Dallas,TX. In addi‐tiontohis belovedparents Glenn also leaves to cher‐ish precious memories,his stepmother, Dawn Bentley Johnson;devoted sister, JacquekeiaM.J.McGee (David);children, Glenn, Tye andLasandMansion; cherished grandchildren, Tylan andSanai Mansion; lovingnieces, Jaylah Page, Darianna andDaniaya Mansion.Preceding himin death arehis grandpar‐ents, Stella andWarrenJu‐luke, Sr., Evaand Fred Johnson,Sr.;aunts,Gwen‐dolyn Johnson, Cleo McKin‐ney andThelmaHeberd. A Celebration servicehonor‐ing thelifeand legacy of the late GlennM.Johnson, Jr.,willbeheldatRockof AgesBaptist Church,2515 FranklinAve., NewOrleans, LA70117 on Saturday,April 11, 2026 at 10 am.Inter‐mentPrivate.Visitation9 aminthe church.Please signonlineguestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581-4411

Mr.FerdinandR.Juluke, Sr.September 25, 1926March27, 2026

Mr.FerdinandR.Juluke Sr.passed away peacefully on Friday, March 27, 2026 at the age of 99. Alifelong residentofNew Orleans, Louisiana he wasa man of strength,dignity, and unwaveringdevotion to his family. Born on September 25, 1926 in NewOrleans, Ferdinandwas raisedwith strongvaluesofdiscipline, self-confidence,and loyalty. From an early age, he wastaughtthe importance of putting familyfirst—a principlethatguidedhim throughout hislife. With thepositive influence of hisstepfather, he developed thecharacterand work ethicthatcontributed to hislong andmeaningfullife. He is preceded in death by his parents, Joseph Juluke andHazel Juluke Murphy;daughters, Marva Davis andEdna Marie Juluke;sisters: Leona St.Pierre, IdaMae Roy, Barbara Mutin, and BernadineGeorge;brothers: WarrenJuluke, George Murphy, Albert Murphy Jr., andCharlesMurphy;two grandchildren; onegreatgrandchild;and threeformer wives. Mr.Juluke leaves to cherish hismemoryhis loving family: wife; Mrs. HellenePiper Juluke;

children, FerdinandR Juluke, Jr.and Gloria Mae Juluke Scott; onestep-son, ArthurPiper,Jr.; eight grandchildren; eighteen great-grandchildren;eight great-great grandchildren andahostofotherrelatives and dear friends. Funeral serviceswill be held on Friday, April 10, 2026 at HistoricSecond Baptist Church,2505 MarengoSt.,New Orleans, LA 70115. Visitation willbegin 9:00 am -10:00 am, followedbythe service at 10:00 am. Intermentwill take place on Monday, April 13, 2026 at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery .34888 Grantham CollegeDr. Slidell,LA 70460. Servicesentrusted to Heritage Funeral Home.

Kenard Jr., Monroe 'Bubby''Money'

Monroe “Bubby/Money” KenardJr.,entered eternal restonThursday,March 26, 2026, at theage of 78. A nativeand lifelong resident ofNew Orleans, LA.Hewas a devotedhusband,father, mastercarpenter by trade, and aman whose hands built,shaped, and strengthenedthe lives around him. Monroe is sur‐vived by hislovingwife, Willie AnnKenard; hischil‐dren, AdrieneKenardof New Orleans, LA,Monroe (Melissa)Kenard, III of El‐lenwood, GA,CourtneyKe‐nardofAtlanta,GA, Dr.Pa‐tricia(Rick)CruzofChar‐lotte,NC, andKathryn Ke‐nardofColumbia, SC;six grandchildren;seven great-grandchildren;two great-great-grandchildren; anda host of relativesand lifelongfriends.Monroe was preceded in deathby his brothers,Elliott and MelvinKenard; sisters, Geraldine Kenard andHat‐tie MaeStrawderJones; and grandson,Christopher RossKenard. Family and friends areinvited to gatherinremembrance, celebration,and gratitude for alifewelllived at St JosephCatholicChurch 1802 Tulane Ave, NewOr‐leans,LA70112, on Satur‐day,April 11, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.Visitationat9:00a.m IntermentatProvidence MemorialCemetery, 8200 Airline Dr., Metairie,LA. Pleasesignthe online guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet-Labat-Glapion Directors(504) 581-4411.

Johnson,Carol

Johnson Jr., Glenn Michael

HenrySr.,Kerry

Johnson,PastorClayton G.

Juluke, Ferdinand

Laderer, CamilleTastet

CamilleTastetLaderer entered into eternalrest with herLordand Savior

Gainey,Carol Plaisance

on Monday,April 6, 2026 at the ageof94. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher lov‐ing anddevoted husband of64years,William E. Laderer,Jr.;her parents, Minel Tastet,Sr. and Inez GrafTastet; hersister, Judy Stiebing(Donald); andher grandson, William E. Laderer,IV. Sheissurvived byher children:William E. Laderer,III (Rhonda), Melissa LadererO’Malley (John), andJanelle Laderer;her grandchildren: Noelle Laderer, Jolie Laderer Foucheaux, Sarah O’Malley, MatthewO’Mal‐ley,Quinton O’Malley,Jor‐dan Wursteisen,and ParkerWursteisen; hersib‐lings,Minel Tastet,Jr. (Cindy) andJeanne Mosely (Kenny);aswellas7 greatgrandchildren who brought her greatjoy.A longtime residentofHarahan Louisiana,Camillewas a faithfulparishioner of St Ritaand livedher life groundedindeep faithand service to others.She earnedher Bachelor of Sci‐enceinNursing from the Charity School of Nursing and devotedher career to caringfor others as Super‐visor of Employee Health atEastJefferson General Hospital. Sheretired at the age of 70 after many years ofdedicated service. In recognition of hercompas‐sionand commitmentto nursing,she washonored asa Great100 Nurse. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend theFuneral ServicesatSt. Rita Catholic Church,7100 Jefferson Hwy Harahan, LA 70123 on Thursday,April 9, 2026. Vis‐itation will beginat9:30 amwitha Mass starting at 11:00 am.Interment will followatGardenofMemo‐riesCemetery, 4900 Airline Dr.,Metairie, LA 70001. On‐linecondolences maybe offeredatwww.gardeno fmemoriesmetairie.com

Elnora “Nora”RossLee, bornonFebruary28, 1947 inNew Orleans, Louisiana, entered into eternalrest onFriday, March27, 2026, inSchertz,Texas.She was a faithfulmemberofSec‐ond BaptistChurchofNew Orleans,Louisiana,where she worshipeddevotedly until herhealthdeclined. She wasthe belovedwife ofthe late AltusLee Jr.and the cherishedmotherof her devoteddaughters: GiseleM.(David) Lawrence, MicheleS.(Ger‐ald)Roberson, and Trichelle M. Lee. Shetook immensepride in herrole asgrandmother to An‐thony J. andGilisaM Lawrence. Elnora is sur‐vived by herlovingsisters: Shirley Johnson, Elvina Jenny” Johnson, and Elaine(Darryl)Thomas; and by hersister-in-law MarcellaA.Ross. Shealso leavestocherish hermem‐ory ahostofnieces, nephews,cousins,ex‐tendedrelatives,and dear friends.She wasa trea‐sured mother,grand‐mother, sister,aunt,cousin and friend whosegentle spiritand unwavering love touched allwho knew her. She wasprecededindeath byher parents, Gladys Johnson andElieRoss, and byher brothers Preston Johnson Sr., Ronald John‐son,and Cleophus Martin Jr. Elnora will be remem‐bered forher kind heart, her steadfastdevotionto her family, andthe warmth and compassion she sharedsofreely. Her legacyoflovewillcontinue toliveoninthe hearts of all whowereblessedto knowher.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend thefuneral service at Second Baptist Church,2836 SullenPlace New Orleans, LA 70131,on Saturday, April11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m.,withMinister David RichardSr. ofﬁciat‐ing.Visitationwillbeheld from8:00a.m.to9:50a.m Intermentwillfollowat WestlawnCemetery, 1225 WhitneyAvenue,Terry‐town, LA 70056. Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Leila MaeLogan, age75 was bornonMay 14, 1951 in New Orleans,LA, was calledhome to be with her heavenly father on Sunday, March 29, 2026.Leila was educatedinthe New Orleans PublicSchool System and worked over 50 years in the clothes cleaningindustry, until her death. She loved to sew, shop, read her novels and plant flowers, but mostly she enjoyed her own company. Leila leaves to cherish her memoryher brother John Logan, Sr; Uncle, Claude Williams; three nephews, John Logan, Jr., Daryl McGrainey(Ida) and Darrin Christopher McCrainey; one niece ShantelJohnson anda host of greatnieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. Shewas preceded in death by herlong timedevoted partner Paul Smith; parents Leroy Logan, Sr. and Ernestine Logan; grandparents, Albert Williams, Sr. and Rosa Myles Williams; brother,Leroy Logan, Jr; sister-in-law, Denise McCrainey Logan, niece Tremeka McCrainey; nephew, Kendall McCrainey; aunts, Rosa Mary Williams, Leila Bell Carter, and Anne Mae Williams;uncles Richard Williams, and Albert Williams, Jr;great-aunt, Mary Williams;great-uncles, BuddyHollis (Dora), and Richard Williams (Gloria). Relatives and friends of the familyare invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home,2120 Jackson Avenue, New Orleans,LA70113at10:00 a.m. Visitation from9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.Rev KeithCowart, Officiating. Interment Carrollton Cemetery,1701 Hillary Street,New Orleans, LA 70118. You maysignthe guest book on www.gertru degeddeswillis.com. Gertrude GeddesWillis Funeral Home, incin charge (504) 522-2525

Lyle,Hunter Reed

friends. Visitation willbeheld forHunteronSaturday, April11, 2026 at St Timothy on theNorthshore beginning at 11:00AMuntil theFuneral Service at 12:00PM.The family asks that youdress casually and comfortablyfor services, as Hunter would have wanted

MasseyJr.,Warren

Warren MasseyJr.,de‐partedthislifeonSunday, March 15, 2026 in Madison Florida,hewas 66 years old anda native of NewOr‐leans LA.Beloved sonof the late Warren MasseySr. and thelateAudreyJohn‐son.FatherofSecora MasseyofJacksonville Florida.Brother of Dionne and DashawnBrown, Yolanda Adamsand the lateRommelTonyMassey. Warrenisalsosurvivedby his devotedcousins Richard "Ricky" Farlow and SheliaStevenson,his aunt Matilda,and several nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Sat‐urday,April 11, 2026 at Zion Travelers 2ndMissionary Baptist Church locatedat 3719 Laurel St., NewOr‐leans LA.70115. Thevisita‐tionwillbegin at 9AMfol‐lowed by a10AMservice Rev.RaineyDaniels will of‐ﬁciateand intermentwill followinProvidence MemorialPark. Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Foronlinecondo‐lencespleasevisit www robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Gwendolyn McAllen (Gwen), daughterofA James Jr.and May Nelson, passed away on April 3rd, 2026, in Dallas, TX.

Episcopal Church, 848 HarterRoad, Dallas TX 75218. Receptiontofollow in theParish Hall In lieu of flowers or gifts, please donatetoSt. John's (s tj oh nsepiscopal.org / give), North Texas Food Bank (give.ntfb.org),orSt. JudeChildren's Research Hospital(stjude.org).

11:00 am. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am. Arrangements by D.W. Rhodes Funeral Home, 3933 Washington Avenue. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook and share condolences with thefamily.

Hunter Reed Lyle, age 31, of Mandeville Louisiana passed awayon Sunday,April5,in Mandeville.Hunter grew up in Mandeville and was a graduateofFontainebleu High School. He was working as achef in one of Mandeville's favorite hotspots, doingone of the thingsheloved most which was creating great food for others. In addition to his love of cooking, Hunter loved allthings creative. From artwork to gardening and building things around the house,hewas averygivingperson who woulddoanything foranybody at any time.Athome, Hunter enjoyed spending quiettime with hiswife Maddie and dog Mimi.He also enjoyedspending some not-so-quiettime with his largeboisterous family. All of whom will miss him terribly. Hunter loved eatingcrawfish, cooking with family,playing with his nieces and nephews and making otherslaugh. He cherished his role as the "fun uncle bean" and aloving husband and we will remember him as such. Hunter is survived by his wife, MadelineGuidry Lyle.Hewas the son of Troy and Tracy Lyle of Mandeville.Brother,Justin Troy Lyle,wifeMary Catherine,and nephews: Theodore, Jackson and Beckham Lyle of Mandeville.SisterSydney Lyle Wahlen, husband Jason, and nieces Eleanor and Addison of Mandeville. Sister,Bayley Lyle Hernandez, husband Brock,and nephews Lyle and Baker of Shreveport He was thegrandson of Bill and EileenPettingillof Covington, Jack and Maura Donahue of Covington, Terryand Sandy Brookshaw of Westlake Village, CA,and the late Jimand DustyLyleofThe Villages,FL. He will also be missed by many aunts,uncles, cousinsand longtime

Alifelong and voracious learner, Gwen earneda B.S. in Science and Engineering fromTulane University, followedby both aMaster of Arts and a Ph.D. in Physicsand Mathematics from Vanderbilt University. She latercompleteda master's degree in Computer Science at theUniversity of Texas at Dallas.

Atrue tech pioneer, Gwen worked for software start-up DCA in the early '70s, while alsoworking in thecomputerlab at the Georgia Institute of Technology. After moving to Dallas and starting a family,she worked for Standard OilCompany. Once her daughters were in grade school, she embarked on acareerasa systems engineer at ESystems, later acquired by Raytheon Corporation, retiring after more than 25 years of service

Gwen was an accomplishedflautist,performing with theGarland Symphony Orchestra, local churches, and at her own belovedSt. John's Episcopal Church where she also sang in thechoir She inspired her grandchildren to become accomplished pianists, leaving them with her lifelong love of music.

Aboveall,Gwen devoted her life to her Lord and Savior.She gave to innumerable charities, funded scholarships, and drove around Dallas passing out refreshmentstothe homeless—always looking for ways to helpothers. In all she did, she sought to glorify Himand was abeacon of God's light and love to those who knew her.

She is survivedbyher twodaughters,Allison (Andrew), and Laura (Billy), her five grandchildren,her brother Richard (Barbara), seven nieces and nephews and their children. She willbeinterred in thecolumbarium at St. John's EpiscopalChurch.

Amemorial service will take place on Friday, April 10that11am at St.John's

Warren Thomas Migaud, Sr.,“Pawpaw Warren & Poppy”was ahusband,fa‐ther, brother, uncle,grand‐father, andfriend. Warren entered eternalreston Monday, April6,2026, at the ageof87. He wasborn tothe late BlancheSavoie Migaudand Thomas Milner Migaud. He is preceded in death by hisparents,two brothers, TedMigaudand GregoryMigaud, andhis one stepson, ZacharyPer‐schall. Survived by hiswife of23years,BrendaShultz Migaud, hischildren, Kim Tummenelloand Warren Migaud, Jr hisstepson Shane (Angelle)Mus‐carello,his brothers,Terry and Glen Migaud,his grandchildren,Andrew, Marcus, Christian, andSid‐ney Migaud,Kristin (David) Grizzard, andAshlee (Kevin) Gaines,his step grandchildren,Harperand Anthony Muscarello,and his greatgrandchildren Porter, Hayes, CollinsGriz‐zard, Harper,Ella, Finn Gaines, MaddoxMigaud, and Beau Migaud.Warren grewupinthe IrishChan‐nel.HewenttoAndrew Jackson gradeschool and graduated from Warren Eastonin1957. They called him “BullMigaud”,he playedhalfbackonthe football team.After high school,hejoinedthe New Orleans Fire Department for 30 years, where he gainedhis nickname Cap‐tainChaos.Whenhere‐tired from N.O.F.D.,hethen workedfor Jefferson ParishFireDepartmentin maintenance forfour years.Warrenwas on the Board of Directorsfor N.O.F.F.C.U.for 25 yearsand was amemberofAmeri‐can Legion Post 307 for20 years.Hewas in theAir NationalGuard for25 years.Warrenusedto march in theIrish Channel ParadeonSt. Patrick’sDay Hejoinedthe Elks Lodge30 in2007, locatedat2215 ClearyAve.Hewillbe greatly missedbyall that knowhim.Relatives and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe visitation at 9:00 AMonMonday, April13, 2026, at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 CanalBlvd. New Orleans, LA 70124, fol‐lowed by aCatholicMass at11:00 AM.Interment will beatLakeLawnCemetery. Wealsoinviteyou to share yourthoughts, fond memo‐ries, andcondolences on‐lineatwww.greenwoodfh com

Newman, WayneLeo Wayne Leo Newman passed away on Friday, January 9, 2026 at theage of 78. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedto attend hisMemorialMass at St. MartindePorres CatholicChurch, 5621 Elysian Fields Avenue on Saturday, April11, 2026 at

George Atkinson Pankey, MD,affectionately known as "Kin," passed away at St.Anna's at Lambeth House in New Orleans, LA, on Tuesday, March31, 2026, at theage of 92. Alovingand devoted husband, father, grandfather,mentor,and friend, Kinleaves behind aprofoundlegacyofmedical excellence andfamilial devotion.A native of Ruston, LA, anda longtime residentofNew Orleans, he waspreceded in death by hisparents, Annabel AtkinsonPankeyand George Edward Pankey; his first wife, Anne Schillin Pankey; andhis second wife, Patricia Carreras Pankey. He is survivedby hisdaughters, Susan PankeyIves(Charles)of NewOrleans andLaura PankeyNel (Charles) of London,UK; hissons, Stephen Charles Pankeyof Frankfort, KY,and Dr Edward AtkinsonPankey (Aisha) of Massillon,OH; andhis belovedgrandchildren,Conrad SquireNel Jennifer AnneNel,and Naina Rahman. After graduatingfromRustonHigh School, Kinattended Louisiana TechUniversity before transferringto TulaneUniversity, where he earned aBachelorof Sciencein1954 and his Doctor of Medicine in 1957. He completed hisinternship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Minnesota Hospitals in 1960, followed by aMaster of Sciencein Internal Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology in 1961. Kin began hiscareerinNew Orleansin1961 as afulltime instructor in Internal Medicine andInfectious Disease at Tulane University School of Medicine.In1963, he began hiscareeratOchsner Clinicasa consultant in infectiousdisease, wherehe wouldremainfor the duration of hismedical career andlife. Kinwas known as an expertdiagnostician, reveredfor hisrelentless dedication to solving difficult medical dilemmas and treating his patientswith unwaveringcompassion. A true pioneer, he wasone of thefirst physiciansinthe countrytobecome boardcertifiedinInfectious Diseasesin1972. At Ochsner, he founded the SectionofInfectious Diseasesand later established the official departmentand itsFellowship Training Program, serving as Department Chair and ProgramDirector from 1972 to 1994. Kin'scontributionsextended well beyondthe OchsnerClinic andHospital.Hewas cofounder of the New OrleansCitywide

Infectious Disease Conference,a well-attended eventwhichservesto foster collaboration and education among theinfectiousdisease departments of hospitalsinthe greater NewOrleans area. Throughouthis career,Kin contributed to various local, national, andinternational committees and boards, actively shaping policy to advancethe development andimplementation of strategiesfor the prevention, diagnosis, and treatmentofinfectious diseases. He wasfrequently invited to serve as a speaker, presenter, exhibitor,and panelist at local, national, andinternational conferences. He was actively involvedinnumerousclinicaltrials that producedmany of thetherapeutic treatments used today. Kinalso maintained an active commitment to benchlaboratory research. He established andselffundedThe Infectious Disease Research LaboratoryatOchsnerin 1999 to support hisresearch, whichremains active to this day pursuing thegoal of developingand validating an in vitro method for therapid determination of synergybetweentwo or moreantimicrobial agents against multi-drug-resistantbacteriaand fungi. This research helpstocombatanti-microbial resistance and evaluate rapid diagnosis of infectiousdisease. Throughout hiscareerKin held appointments at TulaneUniversity School of Medicine andLouisiana State University School of Dentistry. He wasSenior Visiting Physician at CharityHospital in New Orleans, served as Consultant Physician with theDepartment of Medicine,Veterans Administration Medical Center in Biloxi, MS,and numerousother institutions. The designation of Master of theAmerican CollegeofPhysiciansin 2002, Ochsner'sLifetime AchievementAward in 2022, the American Medical Association Physician Recognition Award 19781981, the Clinician Award from the Infectious Disease SocietyofAmerica 1996, Tulane Medical AlumniAssociation's OutstandingAlumnus Award in 2015 are some of the most prestigiousaccolades he received.Kin was aproud memberofthe Kappa AlphaFraternity, theEmpireClub, The Huguenot Society, Sons of theAmerican Revolution anda 32nd degree Master MasoninLouisiana Lodge #102, Free and Accepted di l

See more DEATHS page

EULAG. JEANPIERRE

We miss your presence everyday.Yourmemoryis akeepsakewithwhich we’ll never part.Wesendour love to younow andforever We know youare with Rayand Arleeta. Yourchildren, WilsonJr.,Brenda,Patricia andGwen.Grandchildren, greatgrandchildren andfamily

Logan, Leila Mae

Migaud Sr., Warren Thomas

Pankey, George Atkinson

Lee, Elnora Ross 'Nora'

McAllen,Gwen

OPINION

Building cageswon’t keep kids from beingkilled

On the title track of his 2016 album “4 Your Eyez Only” —and in the documentary he ﬁlmed partly in Baton Rouge —J.Cole raps as adead father writing aletter to the daughter he will never raise. The song indicts a system that chose prison when what was needed was education. It is an eight-minute elegy —and apolicy argument. And it is the song Ihave not been able to stop hearing since March 8, when 8-year-old Davian Nicholas was shot and killed on San Juan Drive while agroup of young menturned an argument into ashootout in the same space where children play East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Sid Gautreaux called it a“heartbreaking and senseless tragedy.” He was right.But heartbreak without analysis is just grief on repeat. If we want to understand why Davian is gone, we have to examine what we are building —and what we are re-

fusing to build —inthe neighborhoods where our children live.

Hagan

Here is what we are building: Gov.Jeff Landry’sproposed budget includes an $82 million increase for corrections and inmate housing, an 11% hike that pushes state spending in thatcategory to nearly $800 million. That money would help fund expansion at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, higher per diem payments to sheriffs and new juvenile detention capacity. Morebeds. More cages. More capacityto warehouse human beings only after the damage is done.

Here is what we are refusing to build: the community infrastructurethat actually keeps children alive.

Criminologist Robert Sampson’sresearch on collective efﬁcacy —one of the mostrigorously tested theoriesinneighborhood violence prevention —has demonstrated for nearly three

decades that what protects children is not the lengthofa sentence handed down after a shooting.

It is thedepth of social cohesion in the neighborhood before acrime ever happens. When residentsknow each other,trust each other and are willing to interveneonbehalf of each other’s children, violence goes down.

A2022 study published in PNAS Nexus showed that collective efﬁcacy literally buffers children’sbraindevelopment against the neurological impact of gun violence exposure. Other research,including workinNew Orleans, shows that neighborhood trust andcohesion shape how violent crime touches children’sdevelopment and daily lives.This is not abstract theory This is Louisiana-connected data telling us what works

Butcollective efﬁcacy requires adults —present, stable, connected adults— in thecommunity. Andthat is precisely what mass incarceration destroys.

It’s time forCongress to supportthe fight againstParkinson’s

From the time Icould push alawn mower at age 12, Iworked. Sometimes two or three jobs at once. Work meant freedom to me. If Iwanted something, Iearned it.

After three semesters of college, Ijoined the U.S. Navy.Serving aboard afastattack submarine in my early 20s, Iwas responsible for chemical analysis of reactor systems, maintaining radiation exposure records for the entire crewand managing the disposal of contaminated waste during deployments. It was agreat deal of responsibility for someone so young, and Itook pride in the work.

cated myself to Parkinson’sadvocacy

Louisiana incarceratespeople at one of the highest rates in the world. When we remove that many parents, mentors, neighborsand wage earners from a neighborhood,wedonot make it safer.Wetear apart the social fabric that produces safety Research publishedinJAMA Surgeryin2024 found thathigher incarcerationrates in Black communitieswereassociated with higher ﬁrearm homicide rates —and thatsingle-parent households created by incarceration mediated nearly aquarter of thateffect. The very fracture mass incarceration causesisthe mechanismthrough whichthe next shooting becomes possible. This is why state Rep. BarbaraFreiberg’sHouse Bill 168 matters. Her bill would create atransitional reentry program for women on parole —manyof whom are mothers responsible for minor children. Gender-responsive reentry programs have been shown to be roughly

40% more effective at reducing recidivism thanone-size-ﬁts-all approaches.Community supervisioncosts on the order of a few thousand dollars ayear per person. Aprisonbed can cost10 timesthat. Fora fraction of what Louisiana is pouring into cages, HB168 offers ablueprint for stabilizing the families and neighborhoodsthatprotect children like Davian.

J. Cole wrote adead man’s lettertoafatherless daughter because the systemchose punishment over possibility.Davian Nicholas should be ﬁnishing third grade

The questionLouisiana must answerisnot whether we are tough enough on crime. It is whether we arewise enough andhonestenough —tofund what the evidencealready tells us actually works.

Andrea Haganisa criminology instructor at Loyola University NewOrleans and founder of Pattern Hunters, LLC.

‘Lookback’ legislationcreates fairness forabuse victims

Mostsurvivorsofchildhood sexual abuse do not come forward right away Many wait decades;some neverspeak up at all.

presume liability or impose automatic punishment; it simply restores the opportunity forclaims to be judged on their merits.

Ihaveserved on anational board for the Parkinson’sFoundation, been presidentof the Gulf Coast chapter andreceived recognition for the most volunteerhours in ayear among more than 5,000 volunteers. Randy LeBlanc and Ico-founded and run anonproﬁt in Baton Rouge called The Mission for Movement, where we apply everything that we’ve learned nationally to help people locally living with Parkinson’s.

After the Navy,Iworked as aradiation safety officerand later built an 18-year career as an operator at BASF Chemical Corporation. Iexpectedthat job to carry me through to retirement. Instead, unexplained symptomsbegan to appear It started afterareaction to blood pressure medication that sent me home from work. Fatigue, short-term memory problems,apathy andsevere leg cramps followed. Over the next 10 months, Isaw 13 specialistsand had more than 100 doctor andlab visitstrying to find answers. Eventually,the investigation turned neurological. Ascan indicated Parkinson’s disease. When medication confirmed the response, my diagnosis was made.

Iwas 44 years old.

Ihad never not worked in my life Suddenly,Icouldn’twork at all. Ihad time to think, but very few answers. I feared my future.

Five months after my diagnosis, Iattended theParkinson’sPublic PolicyForum for the ﬁrst time. Idrove16hours, wondering how Iwouldhandle walking into aconvention hall ﬁlled withpeople living with Parkinson’s. It turned out to be one of thebestdecisions of my life.

Isaw peoplefurther along in thedisease still advocating, still working, still helping others. They were doing things Iassumed Parkinson’swould make impossible. That experience showed me my life was not over —itsimply hada new direction.

Over the past 12 years, Ihave dedi-

Ibelieve my years of chemical exposure during my Navyservice andchemical industry career may have contributed to my diagnosis. While deﬁnitive links to thespeciﬁc chemicals Ihandled are still being studied, they are similar in nature to substances like Paraquat and TCE chemicals already associated with Parkinson’srisk. Long-termexposure to even small amounts may have consequences.

Parkinson’sdisease is progressive and there is still no cure. Ihave been fortunate that my symptoms have progressedslowly,but eventually my abilities will decline. When that happens, I will rely on the advocacy of others.But until that day,Iwill not stop. That’swhy I’m headed to Washington, D.C.,toask Congress to take three concrete steps to address thegrowing Parkinson’scrisis in the United States. First, increasefederal funding for Parkinson’sresearch, treatment development, medications and prevention strategies. Second, fully implement the National PlantoEnd Parkinson’sAct This bipartisan law has already been signed, but key steps —including convening theadvisory board —have yet to occur. Third, ban chemicals known to contribute to Parkinson’sdisease that have alreadybeen banned in other countries.

Parkinson’sisoften called a“silent disease”because one of itssymptomsis asoft or breathy voice. Butthe millions of Americansliving with Parkinson’s —and the millionsmore who will be diagnosed in the coming years —cannot afford to besilent.Weneed Congress to hearus.

Benjamin Bement is aformer president of the GulfCoast Chapter of the Parkinson’sFoundation.

Historically,the law has forced survivorstoact on atimeline that ignores what modern-day trauma research shows about survivorsofabuse.

The National Children’sAlliance reports that approximately one in four girls and one in 13 boys in the United States experience childhood sexual abuse.

The average age of disclosure often falls well into adulthood, frequently in someone’s30s, 40s, or even 50s. Yetstatutes of limitations assume survivorsreport immediately,orsoon thereafter,whichcreates barriers that prevent survivors from accessing thejustice system when they are ready.

Criticsargue thatevidence in decadesoldcases is toostale to support fair litigation. Yetcourts routinely handle casesinvolving events thatoccurredmanyyears earlier, andassessing witness credibility is acorejudicialfunction. Others claimrevivalstatutes areunconstitutional. However, revivalstatuteshave been repeatedly upheld, andlegislatures clearly have authority to modify limitationperiods in the interest of justice.

Louisiana’slookback windowcorrects that injustice. By reopening previously time-barred civil claims, the state has aligned its laws with modern trauma research and restored apathtoaccountability.States that have yet to do so should follow suit

Abuseoften involves grooming, coercion, secrecy and authority ﬁgures, and survivorsfrequently suppress or compartmentalizetheir trauma.Shame, fear of retaliation and institutional pressure further delay disclosure. Legal deadlines turned these realities intostructural barriers, denying survivorsaccess to the courts before they could meaningfully participate.

When thelaw says it’s too late to ﬁle a claim, the messagetosurvivors is devastating. Survivors who have carriedthe weight of abuse in silence fordecades are only to be toldtheir legal rights have expired before they can be heard.

Denying aforum compounds the original harm, which reinforces shame and isolation rather than accountability

Civil claims do more than provide individual redress; they expose patterns of abuse, promote transparencyand strengthen institutional safeguards. Litigation uncoverssystemicfailures, deters future misconduct and drives meaningful reform.

In 2021, theLouisiana Legislature enacted arevival window allowing survivorstobring previously time-barred civil claims, which Louisiana’sSupreme Court upheld in 2024. The windowisopenuntil June 14, 2027.

Temporary by design, it reopens claims while maintainingfairness: Courts still evaluate evidence, assess credibility and consider defenses. The law does not

Some contend thatthe law is unfair to institutions. But revival windows do not assign guilt; they require proof.These windows ensure claims areevaluated in court ratherthandismissed by the calendarona technicality

Louisiana demonstrates that legislative reform basedontrauma research is both legally sound andmorally necessary

Many statesstill impose rigid deadlines thatfailtoreﬂect modern understandings of trauma.Aligning law with science and fairness ensuressurvivors are notdenied justicesimply because they cameforward laterinlife

Sincethe revivalwindowwent into effect, survivors have ﬁled claimsagainst powerful institutions, including multiple lawsuits against the Diocese of Lafayette for decades-old abuse thatwould have hadnocivil remedy but forthis reform. In 2025 alone, at least adozen separate lawsuits were ﬁled in Louisiana’s15thJudicialDistrict, bringing the total pending civil claims to about50since June 2024. These cases showexactly whatthe law was designedtodo: Give survivors their dayincourt, even when their voices were silenced for decades

Justicerequiresbothcourage and ﬂexibility fromlawmakers, courts and society. Survivors arenot asking for special treatment. Theyare asking to be heard. Louisiana’s lookback window restores access to justicewithout undermining fairness, proving thatdelayed disclosure should never mean deniedjustice. Other states should follow this example so thatsurvivors are no longerbarredfromhaving their day in court.

Whenthe lawﬁnally listens, justice is no longerout of reach. It is ﬁnally within grasp.

ReaganCharleston Thomasisan attorney basedinNew Orleans

COMMENTARY

ISSUE OF THE WEEK DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER

As police departments across the countrylook forwaystocut response time and address staffing shortages, anew tool hasjoined the force —aerialdrones. Lawenforcementinmanycities are turning to these flying objects to keep an eye on suspects during chases,surveythe sceneofcrimes in progress, alertofficers to danger and evendetermine whether they need to deployresources.InLouisiana, Jefferson Parish is an earlyadopterofthis Drone as First Responder,or DFR, technology, and theresults have been impressive— withdrones assisting in 170 arrests in their first four months of operation. But not everyone isa fan. Privacy advocates raise concerns about dronesoverstepping constitutional protections.They wonder whethervideo captured by dronescouldbeused againstthose whohaven’t committed acrime, andtheysay that the programsare bound to expand without guardrails in place.Are drones the future of policing or the harbinger of anascent surveillance state? Here are twoperspectives:

Welcomedrones, ‘a new paradigm in policing’

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office recently launched its Drone as First Responder,orDFR, program, reducing emergency response times to critical incidents. Current research indicates that a response time of one minute or less significantly increases the probabilityofon-scene arrests. While aquick response is essential, the probabilityof arrestdrops dramatically if the response time exceeds five minutes. JPSO is proud of its average response time of four to six minutes, but every second we cut off that time makes us more effective.

themtomake decisions based on information they might not otherwise have.

Don’tsurrender privacy to dronesurveillance

DFR operatorsmonitor the 911 system to quickly determine when a response is needed and take immediate action. Obviously,drones will never replacethe need for adeputyto respond to acall, but the ability to provide real-time intelligence to responding ofﬁcers is truly agame-changer

Unlike traditional drone flights that require an on-scene operator tolaunch adrone, aDFR drone can be launched fromone of 23 fixed locations within Jefferson Parish in under 15 seconds and can travel 1.5 miles in under two minutes. Without the constraints of traffic and other factors, JPSOdrones can respond to acritical incident in 90 secondsorless.

Asingle operator canpilotuptofour drones at atime to either augment our response or makesure we always have adrone monitoring an incident scene.

JPSO drones provide ahigh-deﬁnition video feed to responding ofﬁcers, enabling them to see what is happening before they arrive on scene. Drone operatorsare able to locatesubjects andidentify potential hazards that responding ground personnel might otherwise be unable to see.

JPSO drone operators are experienced ﬁrst responderswith the ability to relay the right information to all responding patrol unitsonthe ground, providing vital intelligence to allow

Iamaware this technology does not come without privacy concerns. The idea that this technology could be misused is not foreign to me. Recent advances in camera technology and developments in artiﬁcial intelligence have put alot of information intoour hands

We are not using that information to pryunnecessarily into your backyardcrawﬁsh boils. We are, however,using it to arrest the person whoistrying to steal your crawﬁsh pot Thatiswhat theDFR program does. It supports investigations and prosecutions.

By capturing crimes in progress, drone video footage can be used as evidence tosupportthe prosecution of suspects once cases reach thecourtroom. Our best method to prevent crime is tostop offendersthe ﬁrst time,before they have thechance to commit their next crime.

We prevent crime tomorrow by stopping crimes that are happening today DFR is not about an ofﬁcer quickly getting adrone to an incident,but rather adrone getting an ofﬁcer to an incident quickly

Since the inception of theDFR program in early November 2025, JPSO has conducted well over 6,000 flights (over48flightsaday on average) and the technology has contributed to over 220 arrests and the recovery of 35 stolenvehicles and 18 firearms. Theresults speak volumes. DFR is truly anew paradigm in policing. JPSO is intentional when it comes tobeing one of the premier programs in the country in enhancing both officer and community safety when responding to calls for service. While it has always been hardtocommit acrime in Jefferson Parish and get away with it, it just got harder Joe Lopinto has been theJefferson Parish sheriff since 2017.

Police departments acrossLouisiana are reporting historic staffing shortages. The fear is so severe that Gov.Jeff Landry declared an official state of emergency.For the thin blue line, technology looks like alife raft in desperate times. Everyone has seen the videos of American justice delivered from drones raining hellfire. Air dominance is an American way of life. It’spowerful, and it seems easy.The militaryhas trained us to believe that drones are alot better than getting dirty with boots on theground.

This delusion has seduced us countless times.Istarted my career as acontractor for theNational Geospatial Intelligence Agency.Iwent on to work forthe NSA. I believed that, with the right surveillance, we could ﬁnd and kill theterrorists intent on hurting Americans. While the technology worked, our Middle East warswere disasters

Police departments aredetermined to repeat the samemistakes by refurbishing thesame military technology.Drones as ﬁrst responders, or DFR,advertise themselves as an easy solution to police stafﬁng woes. They’re marketed as force multipliers and promise quick, low-effort deployments to calls for service. Response times will go from insane to afew short minutes.

Butwhat does adrone response mean?

Adrone isn’tapolice officer.Itisn’tafirefighter or amedic. Adrone can’t stop arobbery or save alife.

Adrone is an AI-powered aerial surveillance system. It’sa camera, and cameras don’tstop crime or provide first aid. Instead of apolice officer responding to your call, he’ssitting at headquarters watching ascreen. The response time metric looks fantastic. Buthelp isn’tany closer.The drone isn’tfor you. Instead of help, you get acamera flying high above you. If theoperator eventually sees something,police will dispatch an officer several minutes after assistance should have already been on theway.That short response time is meaningless when thetime to the scene is just aflying camera. Afirst responder can only be boots on the ground.

“Drones as ﬁrst responders” is mass surveillance with sympathetic branding. These are aerial camera platforms that will hover over our homes and backyards, recording continuously They will livestream your crawﬁsh boil and your kids swimming in the pool. The video and location will be streamed back to the police and forever stored in databases. Big Brother can loiter above your front door,observe when you leave and chase you wherever you go. This is Orwellian overreach. It is aviolation of our property,our privacy and our constitutional rights.

Proponents will argue that surveillance concerns are overblown and hyperbolic. DFRwon’ttarget you. The drones will only target criminals. They’ll be in someone else’sneighborhood. They won’tpatrol the skies or linger over your home. Drones won’t“chase you smarter.”

There has never been agovernment program that didn’tgrow and overreach. Once the system is built, the government will find new uses. DFRwill start with responding to calls forservice. It will expand to include peripheral crimes observed on scene. Next, the vendor will release a feature to scan forcrimes en route. Since mostcrimes are committed by known criminals, adding the facial recognition option just makes sense. After aerial imagery of your property exists, whywouldn’tauthorities look for zoning violations? The fines could fund new drones. Afew new drones dedicated to finding citations could fix the parish budget and, obviously,keep us all safe. The police and Landry do not mention that crime is at historic lows. There’sno emergency.There is no crisis. Don’tbefooled by empty promises of security from AI-powered surveillance. There is no need to surrender your privacy or to give the government flyover rights to your property.The door to surveillance only swings one way.

Matthew Wollenweber is aNew Orleansbased security engineer,privacy advocate andprogressive organizer.

STAFFPHOTO By MICHELLE HUNTER

The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’sOffice has deployed first responder dronesaround the parish to respond to scenes and assist deputies.

The Small Craft Advisorywillcontinue this morning for partsofthe Gulf. It will remain in effect duetoeasterlywinds of 25 to 30 mph and seas of 5to8 feet. Otherwise, expect amostly sunnytopartly cloudy, warmand breezy day. Temperatures todaywill be slightly above average, rising to the upper 70s to low80s.Rain chances are right at 20%,soafew isolated showers are possible.Windswill remain out of the east at 10 to 15 mph.Ifyou’re heading out to watch Tulane baseball,the weatherwillbenice

DEATHS continued from JeffersonHighSchool,and hewas aretired forklift driverwithAvondaleShip‐yard. Belovedhusband of VictoriaRoyal.Lovingfa‐therofRonald, Jr Jeffery, and Darwin Royal, Suzanne,Joesia, III, and Joshua Wilson, Sr., andthe lateAnnisaRoyal.Son of the late Joseph J. Royaland Dorothy Videau Royal. Brother of ProsperRoyal, Russell Royal, Sheron Moore, Shelia Joseph,and the late Donald,Sr.,Rod‐ney,Sr.,and Robert Royal, Sr. Ronald is also survived by18grandchildren,7 great grandchildren, anda hostofaunts, uncles nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the CelebrationofLifeat Davis Mortuary Service, 6820 Westbank Express‐way,Marrero,LAonSatur‐day,April 11, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.Apostle Darwin Royal ofEmbassy International Ministries/Minister Sean Duckett of Israel Baptist Church ofﬁciating. Inter‐ment: Will be private. ArrangementsbyDavis MortuaryService,230 Mon‐roe St., Gretna,LA. To view and sign theguestbook, pleasegotowww.davismo rtuaryservice.com

Masons. Attending almost every homegame, Kin was adedicated Saints fan and held season tickets from the franchise's very beginning. He loved agood book, aglass of wine, and alively game of bridge. His home was always filled with music, from 50s and 60s classics to the tropical soundsofJimmy Buffett. Most of all,heloved being with his family, especially when traveling. He andhis beloved wife, Pat, shared the adventures of their lifetimes together on two world cruises. We who mourn the passing of Kin are forever grateful forhis friendship, compassion, love, and support. Our familywould like to thank the Passionate Care team and Saint Anna's staff for the remarkable care given to Kin. Their compassion and dedication made adifference we will never forget. Visitation willbeheld at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd. on Friday, April 10th from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Funeral servicesand interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Pankey Family Caregiver Support Fund at Ochsner by visiting https:/ /www.ochsner.org/pankey

The family invites you to share your thoughts, fond memories, andcondolences online at www.lakel awnmetairie.com

Jean Marie Joseph Smith, 67, of New Orleans, Louisiana,passed awayon March 18, 2026. Born on June 20, 1958,inNew Orleans,she was raised in Raceland.

Jean was adevoted mother and grandmother, known forher caringspirit, warm smile,and deep faith. She enjoyed reading herBible,doing puzzles, and spending time with family. Shewas precededin death by her husband Joseph ("Joe Fox") Smith Jr and hermother, Leanna Charles Cooper. Sheissurvived by her

daughters, Sabrina Joseph (Carey Pierce) and Jasmine Calice (ShermiciaCalice); her grandchildren, Kayla and Kera Pierce; and a host of relativesand friends.

Verline "Verl-the-Pearl Smith transitioned to eternal rest and was united with her Savioron Saturday, March 28, 2026. She leavesbehinda legacy of love and cherished memories with her four sons: Reginald Smith William (Courtney)Upton, Keith Upton,and Lamont (Rashunda) Upton; her honorary daughter, Kena Upton; and her son, Willie UptonJr. She is also survivedbyfourteen grandchildrenand six greatgrandchildren.

Funeral serviceswillbe held on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at St.James Ministries Church of God in Christ,3404 Andover St Jefferson, LA 70121. Visitation willbegin at 9:00 a.m.,followedbythe service at 10:00 a.m. Interment willtake place at Cary Community Cemetery in Sharkey County, MS.Servicesentrusted to Dennis Funeral Home (504) 899-8252.

Mary C. Victoran,lovingly known as "MomMe, was bornJuly 6,

her children and grandchildren,Mary left this world thesame way she entered it,embraced by love

She is survivedbyher daughter, Paula Cloud, who passedaway shortly after Mary's demise and as afinalact of love,willlie in rest,alongsideher.

Mary leaves to cherish her precious memories her loving children: Venessa Humphrey(Gerald), BrendaBowens, Jada Smith, SheilaHarris, Chinito Giddings (Bryan), Shedrick Victoran III, and Frederick Victoran (Bayanna), along with a host of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins relatives, and dear friends.

Family members, friends, and employees of theArchdioceseofNew Orleans, OchsnerHospital, Southern UniversityatNew Orleans, Greater Liberty Baptist Church, and Joseph S. Clark HighSchool,class of 1979, are invited to attend acelebration of life service forMary Victoran, and her beloveddaughter, PaulaCloud at First Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1228 Arts Street,New Orleans, La. 70117 on Saturday, April 11, 2026 at 10:00a.m.,visitation begins at 9am. Reverend Dr.CalvinWoods Jr Pastor of Greater Liberty Baptist Church will serve as officiant.

KendallLovellWilliams, affectionately knownas Da Jazzman,”ofNew Or‐leans,Louisiana,passed awayunexpectedlyon March 23, 2026. He wasa powerfulcreativeforce dri‐ven,brilliant,and deeply connected to therhythm and cultureofthe city he loved.Kendall’s presence carried both intensityand warmth, leavinga lasting imprint on allwho encoun‐tered hismusic,his mind, and hisspirit. Hispassing leaves an immeasurable

void andanenduring legacy. Born on November 5,1974, to Sylvia Isidore Williams andLovell Williams in NewOrleans Kendall devotedhis life to music andartisticexpres‐sion. AgraduateofSt. Au‐gustine High School,he continued hisstudies at SouthernUniversityatNew Orleans andDillard Univer‐sity, earninga degree in FineArts. He wasanac‐complishedmusician, pro‐ducer,engineer, andedu‐cator who worked with WBOK 1230AMasanEngi‐neer andCo-Host,taught productionatWalker LandryHighSchool,and contributed histalents to major venues,including the NewOrleans Jazz & HeritageFestival, Tip‐itina’s,the Superdome, and the Ernest N. Morial Con‐vention Center.His work crossedgenresand bor‐ders, collaboratingwith artists locallyand interna‐tionally.Kendall is survived byhis companion, Rhaina Foxx; hisbrothers, Derek Young (Lourdes)and Troy Young (Hiromi);his nieces and nephews, DerekYoung Jr. (Christine), Justin Young,JadeYoung,Jas‐mineYoung (Mori),Kye Young,and Jayden Young; his great-nieces and nephews,Talia Ambrose, MariahSingleton,MoriSin‐gletonJr.,MarleyLewis, Craig Young,and Jackson Young;along with ahostof cousins,friends,and ex‐tendedfamily. Kendall’s lovefor NewOrleans lived inevery note he created and everystory he told.A MassofChristian Burial willbeheldonSaturday, April 11, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. atSt. Raymond/St.Leo the Great Catholic Church,2916 Paris Ave.,New Orleans, LA 70119. Viewingwillbegin at 9:00a.m.Interment will fol‐low at Mt.OlivetCemetery. All arewelcome to attend Professionalarrangements entrusted to Majestic Mor‐tuary Service, Inc.,(504) 523-5872.

Greer Santinac Wilson, age 64, passedawayon Monday, April6,2026. She was born on November 28 1962 in NewOrleans,LAto Marionand thelateWarren Santinac, Sr.Inaddition to her mother,survivors in‐clude herchildren, Brittany L.and Alyssa M. Wilson,as wellasher brother, Warren Santinac, Jr., anda host of other relativesand friends. A CelebrationService hon‐oring thelifeand legacy of the late Greer Santinac Wilson will be held in the ChapelofCharbonnet Labat GlapionFuneral Home, 1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Sunday,April 12, 2026 at 12 noon.A repast willfollowfrom1 pm to 4 pm. Thefamilywelcomes ﬂowers. Please sign the onlineguestbook at www charbonnetfuneralhome com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504)581-4411

Wilson,Greer Santinac

Smith,Verline

Smith, Jean Marie Joseph

Williams,Kendall Lovell 'DaJazzman'

Landry talksHondo rodeo, LIVGolfinN.O. SPORTS

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Editor’snote: This is partof1 of 2of Gov Jeff Landry’sinterview.The second part will be in Saturday’sedition.

Sports have been amajor focus of Jeff

BY RODWALKER Staff writer

The New Orleans Pelicans will play out the string on what has been adismalseason this weekend.

Just two games remain. Friday’sroadgame against the Boston Celtics, followed by Sunday’sseason finale at the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team’sbiggeststars —Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray,SaddiqBey, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy —aren’texpected to play

That means more minutesfor Micah Peavy. The rookie, fresh off thebest game ofhis young career,isn’ttaking theseﬁnal two games for granted.

“It’sjust the experience,” Peavysaid. “... Because during the summer,we’re only going to beabletoplaypick-upgames.It’snotthesame. Take it seriously and get everything out of it

Peavy got just his secondstart of the season in Tuesday’srecord-setting victory over the Utah Jazz at the Smoothie King Center In his ﬁrst start since late November,Peavy scored aseason-best 20 points to go along with four rebounds, two assistsand two steals. Even more impressiveisthat he shot 9-of-13 from the ﬂoor,including 2-of-3on 3-pointers. Notbad for asecond-rounddraft pick whom the Pelicans selected mainly because of his defensive prowess.

“It felt great,” Peavy said. “I justfelt

Landry’stwo-year tenure as Louisiana governor.During thattime, he’shelped lure major sportingevents to thestate,signedalongterm lease agreement with the New Orleans Saintsand orchestrated an overhaul of theLSU athletic department.

He conducted an exclusive 25-minute phone interview Thursday with columnist JeffDuncan in which Landrytouched on a variety of sports-related topics, including LSU’srecent hire of men’sbasketball coach

Will Wade,New Orleans’ bid to host the2031 Super Bowl, thePelicans’ planstorenovate the Smoothie King Center and the upcoming Hondo RodeoFestand LIV Golf tournament in New Orleans.

Here’stheir conversation:

Let’sstartwith the big event in town this weekend. JayCicero (CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation) credits you for luring the Hondo Rodeo Fest to New Orleans.Whywas it so important to you?

It’sextremely important. Cause when you look at the number of NFR (National Finals Rodeo) championsthat come out of

Louisiana, we have as manyNFR champions as, say,Wyoming, which mostpeople would think of as abig rodeo state. Those cowboys and cowgirls, in, say,Wyoming or Texas or Colorado, often get an opportunity to compete on their own hometurf Plenty of times, Wyoming has Frontier Day (Rodeo) in Cheyenne. Colorado has their rodeo, Houston at the (Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo) and Fort Worth, Texas (Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo). There’stons of them. In Louisiana, our ä See LANDRY, page 3C

MAJOROUTING

AUGUSTA, Ga. Fiveminutes into talking with Sam Burns and you would be imbued withthe feeling that he’s thekind of person you’d want landing your airliner in a40mph crosswind, or being thelead surgeon on your hernia operation. Stoic, unﬂappable, and agreat pair of hands.

The golf-mad, Masters garden gnome-buying public surely stampeded right over the fact that the former LSU All-American workedoverAugusta National Golf Club’spar-5sThursdaylike Katie Ledecky swimming the 1,500 against eighth graders, playing those four holes in acollective 5-under par.That’sbecausewhile Burns carved himself outa share of theﬁrst-round lead at theMasters, he does the sharing withreigning green jacket owner Rory McIlroy,both ﬁring 5under 67s. Rory’sstory—his quest to becomejust the fourth

man to winback-to-back Masters titles —iscertainly big news. But save somebandwidth forBurns, who found away to post his best-ever round here on aday when Augusta National played with the rumpled texture of asun-dried tomato.

The ﬁeld’scombined scoring average was 74.648, the highest foraMasters ﬁrst round since 2017.

“I drove it really nice,” Burns said. “I think historically people whohave success here play the par-5s really well, and we were able to do that today.It’sagood recipe around this golf course.”

There is acommon thread running through Burns’ and McIlroy’sscorecards other than the identical numbers they shot (McIlroy birdied all the par-5s). Rory,of

N.O. couldopt to bolsterdefensive front

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

free agent deals elsewhere this offseason Currently,the only interiordefensive linemenunder contract beyond this upcoming

season are John Ridgeway and little-used youngsters Vernon Broughton,Khristian Boydand Coziah Izzard. New Orleans liked what it sawout of Broughton in limitedaction,but the2025 third-rounder is also coming off an injury that cost him all but one gameofhis rookie season. So this could be apositionthe Saints address, bothfor this season andbeyond. FLORIDADLCALEB BANKS, 6-FOOT-6, 330 POUNDS: There is achance Banks is the ﬁrst interior defensive lineman togointhe draft, which would put him out of the Saints’ range, but

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

Scott Rabalais

Landry

SamBurns reacts after missinga putt on the 17thhole during the first round of the Masters at the Augusta National Golf ClubonThursday in Augusta, Ga

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD Pelicans guard Micah Peavydunks as Dallas Mavericks guard AJ Johnson defends on March 16 at theSmoothie King Center

MCA’s Reuther goes the distance

BY SPENCER URQUHART

Staff writer

Mount Carmel softball standout Paige Reuther is making the most of her junior year after her sophomore season was cut short due to a knee injury

Reuther’s returned to full health this season and has made a two-way impact as Mount Carmel’s top pitcher and cleanup hitter Her presence was felt both at the plate and in the circle for the Cubs in Thursday’s nondistrict matchup against Hahnville

Mount Carmel was trailing 2-0 when Reuther led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run, which went deep over the left ﬁeld fence and led to a four-run inning. The Cubs led Hahnville the rest of the way in a 5-2 win at Muss Bertolino Park.

“We had about 10 days of no games, but I think we bounced back real well after that Easter break,” Mount Carmel coach Curtis Matthews said. “(Reuther) is getting better and better each week. Her bat is coming around even more right now, and she’s pitching lights out.

Reuther added to Mount Carmel’s lead with another leadoff solo homer in the bottom of the ﬁfth, this one to center She also pitched a complete game and allowed no runs after the fourth inning

“When I got hurt last year, it made me realize how much of a leader I have to be for the next year,” Reuther said. “I was nervous at ﬁrst (against Hahnville) because we got down, but I believe in my team. When we came back and started getting more runs, I was pumped.”

Reuther pitched seven innings and struck out five, including Hahnville’s ﬁnal two batters. She allowed ﬁve hits, two walks and one earned run in the circle, and

she was 2 for 3 at the plate

Mount Carmel took the lead in the bottom of the fourth after sophomore catcher Pasley Bell delivered with runners at ﬁrst and second. Bell crushed a double to left, plating both Nat Johnson and Marlie Belsome to put the Cubs up 3-2.

“The past couple games, my bat hasn’t been the best, but I’ve been working every day just to try and get better,” Bell said.

“(The double) was a really exciting moment.”

Mount Carmel scored a fourth run in the bottom of the fourth after junior Emri Roussel reached on an inﬁeld error,

which allowed courtesy runner Kallie Baroni to score from third.

Hahnville freshman pitcher London Lambert got the start against Mount Carmel, allowing four earned runs, seven hits and one walk in four innings She led off the top of the fourth with a single, and RBI groundout by Rylee Villasanor drove in courtesy runner Jordan Lirette.

“We put the ball in play today but didn’t really square any ball up and hit any balls hard, and we made a couple of errors defensively,” Hahnville coach Jeremy Duplantis said. “We didn’t play our best game.”

Shelby Theriot scored Hahnville’s second run after Sophie Baudoin reached on an infield error

Mount Carmel (18-5) entered Thursday ranked No 1 in the Division I select power ratings. The Cubs will play in a tournament this weekend before their ﬁnal regular season game Tuesday against Pope John Paul II. Hahnville (17-11) is set to play in a weekend tournament in Alexandria before concluding its regular season against Mandeville on Tuesday Email Spencer Urquhart at surquhart@theadvocate.com.

Brother Martin becomes 9-time bowling champion

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE

Staff writer

Brother Martin and Patrick Taylor won bowling state championships by wide margins Thursday at Premier Lanes in Gonzales.

Brother Martin topped Rummel 19-8 in the Division I boys/co-ed state ﬁnal after sweeping all six matches in the ﬁrst set as the Crusaders won their ninth LHSAA bowling state title over the past 11 seasons. Jeremiah Cordero received the LHSAA outstanding bowler award

after he rolled a team-best 632 series out of the No. 3 spot in the sixbowler lineup anchored by senior Blake Hebert.

Brother Martin avenged a regular season loss to Rummel as the Crusaders swept the ﬁrst set for an 8-0 lead in the state ﬁnals.

“It’s hard to beat any team twice in one season, and these guys made it tough on us,” Brother Martin coach Bruce Himbert said. “They did the best they could,” the coach said, adding that Rummel missed some spares throughout the match.

Brother Martin reached the finals by defeating East Ascension 16-11 in a semifinal earlier in the day In the semifinals, Rummel’s Anthony Linker bowled a perfect game in the opening set of the Raiders’ 24-3 victory over Dutchtown.

Patrick Taylor defeated twotime reigning Division II state champion Shaw 22-5 for the school’s ﬁrst bowling state title.

LHSAA outstanding bowler selection Beckham Lieu had a strong day through the semiﬁnals and ﬁnals. Eighth-grader Zander

Tran bowled a team-best 703 series in the finals. Patrick Taylor reached the state finals for the first time in the seven-year history of the bowling program.

“It was incredible to watch the kids, the hard work that they put in, they really worked for it,” coach Brittany Walls said. “The last three years, they’ve been right there. It was so rewarding to see that work pay off.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

SGA favored to win in the NBA MVP race

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

For the first time in about 20 years, the NBA’s MVP race might actually be, well, a race. At least, it feels like there’s at least some intrigue regarding who’ll wind up winning the Michael Jordan Trophy later this spring. Oklahoma City’s Shai GilgeousAlexander is the clear favorite to win the MVP award again, which makes a lot of sense. He’s the best player on the league’s best team, and he has similar numbers to when he was the runaway winner a year ago. But there are more legitimate candidates than there have seemed to be in past years. Denver’s Nikola Jokic remains a perennial candidate and is putting together a season the likes of which have never been seen in NBA history San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama has made clear that he wants the award. Boston’s Jaylen Brown has been hearing MVP chants from adoring fans for months, a thank-you of sorts

for how he kept the injury-riddled Celtics near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

And nobody even knows yet if the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, who will win the scoring title, will even be eligible and listed on the awards ballot He’s going to ﬁnish the regular season just shy of the league’s 65-game minimum, and his representation has said an appeal seeking a hardship exemption on his behalf will be ﬁled.

The voting history

Voting will be done next week by a panel of reporters and broadcasters who cover the league. And in every season starting with 200607, the eventual MVP has gotten at least 64% of the ﬁrst-place votes. Oddsmakers, including BetMGM Sportsbook, seem to think this could be another runaway.

Gilgeous-Alexander is listed with odds of -10000 — meaning a $100 wager on him to be the MVP would return $101, or a proﬁt of $1. That seems fairly overwhelming.

The last time a winner didn’t get half of the ﬁrst-place votes was in 2005-06, when Steve Nash won the second of his back-to-back MVPs.

The MVP cases

A look at the numbers of each of the top candidates, entering Thursday: Gilgeous-Alexander: 31.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists per game. Thunder are 56-12 when he plays, and he’s scored at least 20 points in every game this season — extending his NBA record streak.

Jokic: 27.8 points, 12.9 rebounds, 10.9 assists per game. He’s a full rebound and assist per game better than everyone else, and he’s shooting 57% despite being every opponent’s center of defensive attention.

Wembanyama: 24.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks per game A 7-foot-4 guy with a shooter’s touch, guard skills, a willing passer and an absolute defensive menace who seems to still be getting better Brown: 28.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists per game. It’s well-doc-

76ers’ Embiid out due to appendicitis, to have surgery

HOUSTON Joel Embiid was diagnosed with appendicitis and will undergo surgery on Thursday in Houston, the Philadelphia 76ers announced.

The 76ers played the Rockets on Thursday night.

The team said further updates will be provided as appropriate. The 76ers are currently eighth in the Eastern Conference and on track for a spot in the play-in tournament, though they are only one game behind sixth-place Toronto. Embiid has been limited to 38 games this season, sidelined primarily by injury management in his knees.

He was held out against the Detroit Pistons on Saturday with “right oblique; injury management; (and) illness.” He has not played in both games of a back-to-back all season.

Falcons agree to 1-year deal with former Chiefs RT Taylor

ATLANTA The Atlanta Falcons have reached an agreement on a one-year, $5 million deal with former Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor

The agreement, which includes an extra $1 million in incentives, was first reported by ESPN and announced on social media by Taylor’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Taylor will have an opportunity to move into the starting right tackle position left vacant Wednesday when Kaleb McGary announced his retirement after missing the 2025 season with a lower left leg injury The right tackle position will be especially important to provide blindside protection for the Falcons’ two left-handed quarterbacks, Michael Penix and Tua Tagovailoa.

Angels reliever Stephenson out for season with injury

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Los Angeles Angels right-hander Robert Stephenson will miss the 2026 season after having ligament and ﬂexor tendon repair surgery on his right elbow It is the continuation of injury woes for Stephenson, who was expected to be one of the team’s top relievers after signing a three-year, $33 million deal in January 2024. He missed the 2024 season after undergoing an ulnar collateral ligament repair with an internal brace in May 2024.

Stephenson was limited to 12 games in 2025 after he was diagnosed with a stretched biceps nerve. Stephenson, 33, had a setback in spring training after attempting to pitch through thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms he experienced in the offseason

Stanford freshman Okorie declares for the NBA draft

STANFORD,Calif.— Stanford star guard Ebuka Okorie will enter the NBA draft after leading the ACC in scoring as a freshman.

Okorie developed from an underthe-radar recruit out of New Hampshire into one of the top freshmen in the country in his one season with the Cardinal under coach Kyle Smith. Okorie thanked Smith and the coaching staff on Thursday in his announcement on social media to enter the draft.

Okorie’s 719 points scored in his lone season at Stanford are the third most ever for a Cardinal player in a season, trailing only Adam Keefe’s 734 in 1991-92 and Chasson Randle’s 724 in 2014-15.

umented that Boston rather enjoyed proving those who thought the Celtics would plummet this year without Jayson Tatum wrong. Brown is why the Celtics stayed in the race.

Doncic: 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists per game. He’s not eligible and would need an NBA ruling to help. But maybe his MVP candidacy is best described thusly: The Lakers look like title contenders with him, and look wildly different without him.

International dominance

Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, Jokic or Doncic would extend the run of international players winning MVP to eight years and counting.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, of Greek and Nigerian descent, won in 2019 and 2020. Jokic, a Serbian, won in 2021, 2022 and 2024 Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but has since become a U.S. citizen, won the award in 2023. And Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada, won last year

Okorie was a first-team all-ACC pick and was an honorable AP AllAmerican.

Tigers’ Meadows leaves game on cart after collision

MINNEAPOLIS Detroit Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was taken away on a cart after a headto-head collision as teammate Riley Greene caught a fly ball on Thursday Meadows landed on his back in a daze, barely moving with his hands pointed up and blood appearing on his face. After a few minutes, Meadows was able to sit up. Then medical personnel slowly helped him stand and move toward the cart to be taken for further examination. Josh Bell led off the eighth inning for Minnesota with a shallow fly that the left fielder Greene called for with Meadows converging, before the 26-year-old tried slowing up and backing off at the last second. But his face appeared to slam against Greene’s head.

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Mount Carmel’s Paige Reuther throws a pitch to Archbishop Chapelle during the game at Butch Duhe Park in Kenner on March 17.

NFLhit with DOJinvestigation

BY JOE REEDY AND ERIC TUCKER Associated Press

The Justice Department is investigating theNFL for potential anticompetitive practices,according to a government ofﬁcial.

The official, who was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation by name and spoke on conditionof anonymity Thursday,said the investigation is “about affordability for consumers and creating an even playing ﬁeld for providers.”

The investigation was ﬁrst reported by The Wall Street Journal

The NFL has not received anotiﬁcationthat the league is being investigated, according to two other people with knowledge ofthe situation. Those people spoke on condition of anonymity because they arenot authorized to speakon

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there’salsoachance he slides because of his medical history —Banks played in just three games last season because of afoot injury, and he broke hisfootatthe combine. If, for whatever reason, he is available later in the draft than his talent would suggest, Bankswould be a high-upside bet.Hemoves well for someone so big, which showed up at the combine and on hishighlight reel.And there’sa competitive factor that teams will probably like: He suffered his foot injury in fall camp, tried to play through it, then returned for the final two games of the season.

FLORIDASTATEDLDARRELLJACKSON,6-5,315:He’saphysically imposing presence, bringing both height and length (7-foot-2 wingspan) to the forefront. Though he played at three programs in his collegecareer,healso earned team captain honors in his ﬁnal season at Florida State, something the Saintshave traditionally valued in their prospects.Whichever team takes him will be betting on traits, as Jackson was never super productive,topping out at 31/2 sacks and 4tackles for loss in 2024.

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athletes don’tget an opportunity to compete at a national level in their own hometown on your own home turf. And so Ithought it was extremely important. Look, Igrew up around horses and rodeoing and cattle. It’sjust agreat tradition, and those athletes, Ibelieve, deserved an opportunity to compete for big money right here in Louisiana.

And this event has more things going on than just the rodeo competition, right?

I’m hoping that people take an opportunity to come see what’sout there. It’safamily event, familyfocused. We’ve got some outdoor events. They’ve got mutton busting outside. We’ve got free entertainment in Champions Square. We’ve got some big-name entertainers thatare coming in (Jason Aldean and Lynyrd Skynyrd). And we get to see abunch of great cowboys and cowgirls compete for alot of money

And as Iunderstand it, this is an opportunity to tie in the state’sagriculture industrywith the event?

We lookedlong and hard to see where we could actually put this (event). There’sreally only one city in the whole country that can entertain people better than anyone else, and that’sNew Orleans. Some people say,why didn’t you do this in Shreveport? Why didn’tyou do it in Monroe or Alexandria or Lake Charles?And Iwas like, we wanted to put a world-class event on, and there’sonly one city that

possible legal matters.

The investigation comes amid increasing federal scrutiny of the amount of money fans arepaying to watch sports on television. TheFederal Communications Commission, for example, is seeking public comments on the ongoing shift of live sports from broadcast channels to streaming services.

The NFL saidinastatementThursday that over 87% of its games areavailable on broadcast television, including all that are played in ateam’slocal market.

“The NFL’s media distribution model is the most fan and broadcaster-friendly in the entiresports and entertainment industry.The 2025 season was our most viewed since 1989 and reﬂects the strength of the NFL distribution model and its wide availability to all fans,” the league saidinits statement.

Utah Sen. Mike Lee, chair of the Senatejudiciary subcommitteeonantitrust, competition policy,and consumer rights, wrote alettertothe Justice Department andthe Federal Trade Commission on March 3 urging them to review whether the NFL’sdistribution methods are in line with theSports Broadcasting Act, which grants limited antitrust immunity to allow teams to collectively license gamebroadcaststonationalnetworks.

“The moderndistribution environment differs substantially from the conditionsthatprecipitated this exemption. Instead of asmall number of free broadcast networks, the NFL now licenses games simultaneously to subscription streaming platforms, premium cable networks and technology companiesoperating under different business models.”

CLEMSON DL DEMONTE CAPEHART,6-5,313:Capehart played sixseasons at Clemson, eventually working his way through atalented rotation to crack the starting lineup. Oncehegot in,heplayed well, earning all-ACC honors in 2024.Heproﬁles as arotational run-stopper who wins with lengthand strength. It is worthnoting thatCapehart was also arrested before the 2024seasonfor unlawful possessionofa ﬁrearm on Clemson’s campus SOUTHEASTERN DL KALEB PROCTOR, 6-2, 291:Proctor is abit of atoughevaluation forthe

has the number of hotels in relationshiptothe (Superdome), and that’sNew Orleans. And so yes, we get an opportunity to tie in all of our agriculture. We’ve got the LSU veterinarian school,the LSU and Southern (AgricultureCenters). We’re trying to time all in and on top of that.The ﬁrst lady (wifeSharon Landry) joined with(Love OneLouisiana Foundation) to donate 35,000 pounds of ground beef tothe food banks throughout thestate, so this is justone of these great opportunities to showcase world-class athletes, have some fun and do it in afamily-styleatmosphere in New Orleans.

Could this be something that goes beyond just one year? Oh, this is justthe beginning. We want to make Louisiana apermanent stop on theprofessional rodeo circuit. Andthis is just the beginning. This is not the end. This is not a one-off. …This (event) has an opportunity to showcase rural Louisiana and the great things that go on are around rural Louisiana. Whether it’srodeoing. Whetherit’scattle.Whether it’shorse racing, either at thethoroughbred level or thequarter horse level. Whether it’sequestrian sportssuch as hunters and jumpers, which seem to be startingtopick up, especially onthe North Shore (of LakePontchartrain) Again, when you wrap those things around our agriculture and mechanicalschoolslike Southern and LSU, and then you tie in the LSU vet school

Let me ask youabout another event coming up, that you were

LSUDBPickett has ‘gottena lotbetter’

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Saints speciﬁcally,because his relatively small frame for the positionlong would have been anon-starter for New Orleans. That may still be true, but the prototypes are shifting in Year 2under defensive coordinator BrandonStaley.While Proctor is notastallorheavyassome of his counterparts,hehas good enough lengthwith 33inch arms,and he dominated the lowerlevel of college football at Southeastern, racking up nine sacks last yearonhis waytoSouthland ConferencePlayerof the Year honors.

involved in landinghere in New Orleans: the LIV Golf NewOrleans tournament(June 25-28) at City Park. Whywere you so committed to bringingthat tournament here?

The thing thatreally attracted me to thatevent was sitting down with Greg Norman after he had an opportunity to look at CityPark, and he said thathebelieves thatCity Park is the only place in the entire country where you can play golf and walk to ahotel and (nightlife) entertainment. Again, it goes to show you the structure thatNew Orleans has. And, of course, you know LIVisa hot-ticket item They do things alittle different.They’re alittle bit unconventional in the way thatthey run agolf tournament, and I’m alittle bit of an unconventional fella. So Isaid, OK,this might be ﬁne.

Andhow wouldyou answer critics whowonder whyyou and state ofﬁcials dipped into the state’s major event fund to lure an event likethat to NewOrleans?

It’s kind of like this: Entertainment is to business what fertilizeristo agriculture. They both increase the yield. And, so,ifyou want to increase salestax and tourism dollars and ﬁllour hotels up …Look to (get) LIVGolf tournament just to come to New Orleans at atime when the city’sbegging to do something, which is in the slowsummer months, and you if you really want to blowthe tourism horn, thenyou want to getbig eventslike that. And the commonthread between the (Hondo)rodeo and the LIVGolf tournament is they’re both family-type events.

When he was afreshman, LSU cornerback DJ Pickett had theluxury of easing into his collegiate career He wasn’tplaying every down. But he was seeing theﬁeld —justenoughto flashhis potential,build confidenceand crucially make the kind of mistakes that would show him how he could improveahead of that pivotal sophomore season.

“People think that Ihad a pretty good year,” Pickett said, “but Ifeel like Icould have done alot better.”

So Pickett is using LSU’s spring practices to make those strides. He said Thursday after the Tigers wrappeduptheir eighth session that he hopes not only to keep adding muscle ontohis long, lanky frame, but also to slow the game down alittlemore. To understand howtobetterread an opposing offense —or an opposing receiver

The goal, of course, is for Picketttomarry the mentalpartofplaying cornerback to thephysical.Few defensive backshavehis height and length, but he just needs to learn how to use them.

Only then can Pickett live up to thelofty expectationsthat camewith his high national recruiting profile. When therising sophomorefromFlorida signedwithLSU in 2025, he was one of the country’s

top12prospects, according to 247Sports composite rankings. The Tigers hadn’t signed acornerback of his pedigree in ﬁve high school signing cycles, and their grip on the “DBU” moniker had begun to loosen as aresult.

Pickett has ashot to help LSU strengthen that claim, and it’snot hard to see why.

“I haven’treally seen many corners at his size moving like that,” saidsenior receiver Jayce Brown, aKansas State transfer

“He’sphysically gifted, as youcan see, but he also has good footwork. Ifeel likehe’shoned in on just his footwork part of thegame and his technique, and Ifeel likehe’sgotten alot better in the spring.”

Last season, Pickett playedthe third-most snapsofany LSU cornerback. Mansoor Delane— a projected ﬁrst-round NFL draftpick—and PJ Woodland, arising junior,were ahead of him on the depth chart.

But not because he wasn’t playing tight enough coverage.

Pickett was targeted 38 times as afreshman, according to Pro Football Focus, and he gave up 20 catches for 250 yards and threetouchdowns. He also caught threeinterceptions, which was tied for thesecond-mostamong FBSfreshman cornerbacks.

Alarge chunk of those catches and yards are from LSU’sTexas Bowl loss to

Houston.The Cougars targeted Pickett seven times in that game, according to PFF,completing five passes for62yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers, as awhole, struggled on defense throughout that game. Houston possessed the ball for 38 minutes, using long, methodical drivestopile up 38 points and 437 total yards. For Pickett andthe other returning LSUdefenders, thatshowing putadamper on an otherwise solid 2025 season, and it showed them how they need to improve if theywanttoenjoy abetter season in 2026. “He’satechnician,” Dottery said. “I seehim here all the time, as someone else working.” Now Pickett’sisone of LSU’sunquestioned starters. He and Woodland will man the outside cornerback spots next season for the Tigers, who entered theirfirst transfer portal cycle under coach Lane Kiffin in Decemberwith confidence in their incumbent corners.

LSUsigned43transfers, and only one of them is a cornerback. The rest of the position group has six returners andthree freshmen None of them, though, have Pickett’spotential. “I just feel like Ineed to probably just get alittle stronger,alittlebigger,” Pickett said. “Just knowing the gamemore.”

AP PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy Clemson defensivelineman DeMonte Capehartruns adrill at the NFL scouting combine on Feb.26inIndianapolis.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU cornerback DJ Pickett makes acatchduring adrill at spring practiceonMarch26at the LSU football practice facility

Tigers drop to No.75 in RPIafter latest loss

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

OXFORD,Miss. Tuesday was asetback —abig one LSU baseball dropped itssixth nonconference game to amidmajor opponent, losing 10-7 to Bethune-Cookmantofall to 22-12 on the season. The Tigers hold arespectable 6-6 record in Southeastern Conference play,but they’re 75th in the country in RPIwithﬁve losses against teams in the fourth quadrant of the rating’srankings.

LSU still has plentyoftimeto make up for its subpar RPIand record with six weekends remaining in its SEC slate. Starting on Friday, the Tigers travel to Ole Miss —the No. 13 team in the RPI —for a three-game seriesinOxford, Mississippi (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

Whether LSU can make up the difference in RPI and contend fora regional host spot will come down to amultitude of factors, but arguably chief among themis whether these five players can play well over the second halfofSEC play Here’swhy these players are critical to LSU’ssuccess moving forward.

GAVIN GUIDRY: No Tiger reliever got off to abetter start thanGuidry, who had a0.00 ERA through his ﬁrst nine innings of the year

However, ﬁve of his nextsix appearances were not pretty.Guidry gave up at least one earnedrun in ﬁve of them and no fewer than two earned runs in four of thoseoutings

The ﬁnal appearance of the six was the ugliest, an afternooninwhich he surrendered six earnedruns in 11/3 innings against Kentucky

As he struggled against the Wildcats —Guidry also walkedfour batters —LSU coachJay Johnson could be heard from the dugout shouting at the veteran,pushing him for better results.

But Guidry may have found his groove again. Against Tennesseeon Sunday,heallowed justone earned run on two hits in 51/3 innings of relief, giving LSU’soffensea chance to score 10 runs in the 12th inning that essentially clinched the series victory for the Tigers.

The key to his successinthe outing, Guidry said, was his ability to locate his fastball early in counts and utilize his cutter asaway to force weak contact. In the past, he relied on hiscurveball and slider to get outs. Turning to the fastball and cutter on Sunday helpedhim get Tennessee’shitters offofhis breaking balls. Alongwith histwo fastballs, he was also ableto mix in afew changeups.

Guidry’s revamped pitchmix —combined with afour-seam fastball that’suptothe mid-90s, four to ﬁve mph fasterthan what it was before his injury last year —makes him one of LSU’smost potent weapons in relief. If he can getback to commandingthe ball consistently,that would change theoutlook of LSU’sseason.

EDDIEYAMIN: Despite redshirting last season, Yamin has quickly become an important role player for LSU. He went 2for 5with adouble on Sunday after replacing Omar Serna at catcher in the third inning following acollisionnear home plate that forced the freshmanout ofthe game. Yaminalso went 1for 2with awalk and two hits by pitches in his third start of the year on Tuesdayasthe designated hitter Even before LSU’slasttwo

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comfortable outthere.The guys were giving me conﬁdence. During our shootaround (Tuesday morning), the guys were telling me to shoot the ball. Don’tworryabout anything.”

One of his biggest encouragers was afellowrookie. Jeremaiah Fears, who set the franchiserecord for points by arookie in Tuesday’s game with 40 points, was just as proudofPeavy’s20.Fearshasplayed in every game this season.Heknows how tough it was at timesfor Peavy, who has played in 59 games.

“I’m super proud of him and the way he played tonight,” Fearssaid “Youcouldseethroughouttheseason that his conﬁdence was alittle shaky with the minutes situation. Itold him to take advantageofit. Go outthere and play your game. Don’tthink too much. You’re here for areason and you did alot to get to this point.” Peavylistened. The 13 ﬁeld goal

ä LSU at OleMiss. 6:30 P.M.FRIDAy,SECN+

games, the veteran has consistently taken good at-bats. He has a.520 on-base percentage,and half of his sixhits have gone forextra bases. Andlikelast season, he’sbeen an integral part of LSU’slocker room as oneofthe most well-likedplayers on theteam.

Yamin hasmoved to the forefront, in part, because others have struggled.

Yorke’sissues at the plate and in the field havemade first base aquestion mark forLSU. Yamin, Serna, freshman Mason Braun and sophomore John Pearson areall alternativestoYorke if Johnson wants to make achange at first. Yamin hasn’tstarted a game at first this season, but he’s played the positioninshort spurts throughout his collegiate career

Given his popularity in the locker room and recent surge as arighthanded bat, Yamin hassuddenly becomeanimportant piece to the puzzle for LSU’slineup.

GRANTFONTENOT: Fontenot has stepped up into amuch larger role this season,despite being off the Tigers’ active roster in Omahalast

summer

He holds a1.50 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 12 innings and hasn’t allowed an earnedrun since his second appearance of the season against Kent State. Before giving up three unearned runs against Tennessee on Sunday, he hadn’t even surrendered arun since LSU’swin over Indiana.

What’saided Fontenot’sascension has been an uptick in his fastball velocity,which nowconsistently sits in theupper 90s.

The key to unlocking that for himhas beena mechanical tweak in his delivery.Fontenot has stayed more closed offtohome plateas he moves down themound, which hashelped him throw the ball with better intentand command.

He also changed his pitch mix this year,throwing afour-seam fastball, asweeperand ahard slider (velocity-wise) after relying on asinker and aslower sliderlast season.

Astrongfinishfor Fontenot would do wonders for an LSU bullpen that has been inconsistent throughout the ﬁrst half of the sea-

attemptswere themosthe’staken in agame.

Now he’ll get to take moreshots as the Pelicans (26-54) playtwo games against teams still jockeying for playoff positions. Pelicans’ interim coachJames Borrego embraces thechallenge that the younger guys on the roster will get.

“It’sbeen great for thisgroup that we’ve been able to see team’s best,” Borrego said. “We’ll getBoston’s best.Iwas telling the guys this morningthat it’sfun to play in Boston.You only get so manyopportunitiestoplay in frontofthat fan base, that energy.That’ll be really important to our guys to rise to theoccasion and watch them step in that environment against ateam that’sgoing to competefor the title. And then Minnesotaobviously is doing the same thing, preparing for theplayoffs. These will be two important gamesfor us.”

It’ll be particularly important forPeavy as he ﬁnisheshis ﬁrst season playinginthe shadows of Fears and DerikQueen.There

Tulane RF Wachs lookingtoextend hison-base streak

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

Sophomore right ﬁelder Jason Wachs does not remember the specificsofhis 0-for-4performance in Tulane’s7-4 win against Rice last season, but then why would he?

That historically significant outing—the lasttime he failed to reach base in agame —occurred 371 days before he will take his first at-bat against East Carolina on Friday night(6:30 p.m.,ESPN+). His on-base streak has reached an astounding 60, spanning the Green Wave’sfinal26games of 205 and its first 34 this year “I don’treally think about it too much,” he said. “I just go out there and play my game every day,just trusting my prep work and staying the course I’ve been on. It’s about everything that goes into it from lifting before the game, B.P (battingpractice), trying to make myself feel as good as Ican before every game and go out there and getwhat Iwant.”

ä East Carolina at Tulane. 6:30 P.M.FRIDAy,ESPN+

ahit on each occasion,endingthe season with at least one hit in 20 consecutive games. That runended in theopener againstLoyola Marymount this year,whenhewas hitbya pitch as the sixth batterinthe topofthe ninthinning to extend hison-base streak. He has done it morecomfortably in the 33 games since then.

“I saw his ﬁrst B.P.inthe fall (of2024) andwas like, yeah, this kidcan swing it,” saidshortstop Kaikea Harrison, who has one more hit this year thanWachs. “Whatmakes him the most special is he takes his walks (31 to Harrison’s12). That’swhy his average is so high.”

Much has been made of threetime reigning MajorLeague MVP Shohei Ohtani’s43-game onbase streak, but Wachs’sismore than 25% longer. Ohtanihad no hits in 17 of his 43, while Wachs has hit in 50 of his 60.

son.IfGuidry and Fontenot can become reliable reliefoptions, alongside right-handerDeven Sheerin and right-hander ZacCowan, it would give Johnson plentyofarms to survive theSEC Tournament or aregional.

ZACH YORKE: Yorke’sarrival in Baton Rouge has not gone as smoothly as manyexpected.

The GrandCanyontransfer has struck outmore times (30) than any other playeronthe team and hadtwo errors that cost LSUmultipleruns last weekend. He was also benched in Tuesday’s game and is tied forthe team lead in errors with ﬁve

When asked about what Yorke needstoimproveon, Johnson mostly focused on the mental side of his game. “I think (he needs to) remain positive,” Johnson said.“It’s boring, but how you review things is everything.”

LSUbrought Yorke to Baton Rouge so he could fill Jared Jones’ shoes at first base as acapable defender and power bat.But if he continues to struggle, Johnson will likely have no choice but to turn to adifferent option at first.

SETH DARDAR: Dardar’simprovement as of latehas been amajor factor in LSU’sbetterplay in recent weeks. After his batting average dropped to .220 beforethe Kentucky series, Dardar hasgone12 for hislast 29 at theplate with threehome runs and eight RBIs. Hisdefense has continuedtolag, but the strideshe’smade with his bat have helped lengthen out a lineup that desperately needed it LSU was searching for areliable option at second basebefore Dardar’srecent surge. The Tigers had tried junior Trent Caraway as astarterand used freshman Jack Ruckert as adefensive replacement. ButCaraway struggled at theplate, and Ruckert’sdefensive mistakes eventually costLSU aseries win over Oklahoma.

TannerReaves replaced Dardar after he suffered an ankleinjury sliding into second base on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Johnsonwas unsure about his availability.

AhealthyDardar is critical for the offense. It’snot acoincidence that LSU’s improvementatthe platein recent weeksoccurred at thesame time as Dardar’sascension.

have been plentyoflessons for him as he navigated the ups and downs of his rookie season.

“I learnedthat Ican play defense at thehighest level,” Peavy said. “I think I’ve shown that all year.Hopefully,these games Ishow that Ican do it at the offensive end as well.”

The key to it all, he says, is conﬁdence. He’shad to alterhis game, going fromGeorgetown,where he was apointguardwiththeballinhishand allthetime,tocomingtothePelicans andhaving to playoff the ball.

“I’ve neverdonethat, so thattakes an adjustment,” Peavysaid. “These next couple games I’m going to continue getting better at that.”

While Peavy’sconﬁdence grows, so hasBorrego’sconﬁdence in the rookie.

“Wesaw what he can do,” Borrego said. “He can have areal impact as atwo-way playerthatcan guard the best playerany givennight. His growth is going to be the shooting piece, theoffensive end. But there is no doubt in my mind he’sgoing to get there.”

If Tulane (17-17, 4-5American Conference) is poised fora second-half surge, you can bet Wachs will be abig part of it. He enters the opener against perennial league favorite East Carolina (21-12-1, 6-3) with eight hits in his last 12 at-bats, having raised his batting average to ateam-best .342. He also leads the Green Wave with 33 RBIs, 65 total bases, a.484 on-base percentage, a .542 slugging percentageand 13 doubles andissecond in hits (42) and runs (30).

Coach Jay Uhlman knewhewas getting agood one when Wachs, from PembrokePines, Florida, just northofMiami,arrived two summers ago. He saw the conﬁdence, thesmoothswing, astrong arm, athleticism anda solid frame Therest, more thananything else, wasabout mindset.

“It comes with the ability to handle failure and how to challenge himself, whether it’s good or not, going theway he wants it,” Uhlman said. “He’s got ashort memory.Hecan have four batat-bats and it’s always about the ﬁfth one. It’sone of the main reasonshe’sas successful as he is.”

There have not even been many close calls during Wachs’s streak.Hecame off the bench as apinch hitterthreetimesearly in the run andeitherwalkedorgot

The next step is adding power.His only two home runs as afreshman, when he hit .332, came in theAmerican tournament.Heistiedfor the team lead with three homers this season, but Uhlman sees the potential for more every time he watches his rocket aball back to theinfield fromright field. Opponents have learned not to run on Wachs, limiting him to oneassist Wachsbelieves Tulane’s win total will followthe same path despite the Wave’s scuffling for alarge part of the year “I chose Tulane forobviously the great academics and the history of the programand also the coaching staff,”hesaid. “All that they do to makeusthe best team we possibly can be is visually appealing to anyone that would want to comehere. Theyare great to me and my family.”

Lagniappe

Uhlman said Trey Cehajic (1-3, 8.73 ERA) would remain in his Friday starting slot,opposing East Carolina left-handerEthan Norby (3-1, 4.12). Jake Toporek (1-2, 2.67)willstart Saturday, with Sunday’sstarter to be determined. …Normal Saturday starter Jack Frankel will miss histhirdconsecutive week due to injury

LSUpoint guard

BYREED DARCEY Staff writer

LSU women’sbasketball guard

Jada Richard plans to enter the transfer portal,asourceconfirmed Thursday Richard, an Opelousas native, started34ofthe 35 gamesthe Tigers played this past season as part of abreakout campaign. She finished second on the team in minutes played, and she averaged 9.5 points per contest while shooting 45% from the field and 40% from 3-point range.

Only Flau’jae Johnson, MikaylahWilliamsand MiLaysia Fulwileyscored in doublefigures more timesin2025-26 than Richard, who posted1910-point games and two20-point showings. Coach Kim Mulkey told WAFB-TV on April 4thatshe expected to lose onlyone potential returner to the portal this cycle: freshman point guard Divine Bourrage. Since then, though, LSU has seen two players whowere expected to play signiﬁcant roles next seasondecide to test the market. Freshman guard Bella Hines announcedTuesdaythatshe planned to transfer.Then Richard chose to enter the portal on Thursday Bourrage, Hines and Richard each signed with LSUashigh school recruits.

ESPN saidthatRichard —a former Lafayette Christian Academy star and Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year was the 90th-best prospect in herclass, whichmeansthatshe’s one of thenine top-100 players who have signed with the Tigers across the last three recruiting

cycles.

Sixofthoseplayers have now decided to entertheir names into the transfer portal. Richard is one of them,though she’sthe ﬁrst starterofthe bunch to look elsewhere. The other ﬁve either came off the bench or struggled to crackMulkey’sregular rotation.

Richardhardlysaw theﬂoor during herfreshmanseason

That year,she averaged fewer than ﬁve minutesper game from the start of SEC play through the end of the NCAA Tournament. Aheadofher sophomore season, Richard improvedher game to the point at which she couldoperate as LSU’slead ballhandler —ajob that other, more experienced players have struggled to manage in previous years.

Richard,though, looked like anatural ﬁt forthe role.She’s asharp outside shooter,adisruptive defender and awilling passer—one who provedthat she could both feed the post and set up Johnson, Williams and Fulwiley on the wings. She ﬁnishedher sophomore year with morethan twice as manyassists as turnovers, and she could’ve played the position fortwo more seasons.

But now it appears that Richard wants to play elsewhere, which leaves LSU with aneed to ﬁndanew point guard

The Tigers arealso losing seniorguard Kailyn Gilbert to the portal. She played akey role off thebench during the2024-25 season and decided to return for the 2025-26 campaign, but playedin only the first five games of the year before stepping away for personal reasons.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Gavin Guidry delivers apitch against Oklahoma in the seventhinning on March 21 at Alex Box Stadium.

THE MASTERS

McIloryshareslead earlylead

Reigning champ tied with Burns at 5-underpar

BY DOUGFERGUSON AP golf writer

AUGUSTA, Ga. Rory McIlroy has been celebrating all week at Augusta National as the defending champion, and on Thursday he found something else to savor a5-under 67, his lowest start at the Masters in 15 years to share thelead with Sam Burns McIlroy hit only five fairways but still managed to settleinto his round when he blistered a 3-wood out of the first cut over the hill and onto the green at the par-5 eighth. That set up the first of five birdies in an eight-hole stretch on aday he got nearly everything he could out of his round

Only one other player in the last 10 years —Hideki Matsuyamain 2021 —shot 67 while hitting only ﬁve fairways. McIlroy wasn’tthe least bit bothered. There was a freedom in his swing, and nothing is more freeing thanﬁnally having aMasters green jacket

“I think winning aMasters makes it easier to win your second one. Ido,” McIlroy said.

“It’shard to say because there’s still shots out there that you feel alittle bit tight with, and you just have to stand up and commit to making agoodswing and not worry about reallywhere it goes.

“But Ithink it’seasierfor me to make those swings and not worryabout where it goes when Iknow that Ican go tothe Champions Locker Room and putmygreen jacket on at the end of the day.”

Burns was among the early starters. He played the par 5s with threebirdies andaneagle and wound up with his lowest score in his fifth Masters appearance.

“Historically,people who have success here play the par 5s really well,and we were able to do that today.Soit’sagood

recipe around thisgolfcourse,” Burns said.

ScottieScheffler,the No. 1 player in theworld going for athirdgreen jacket in the last ﬁve years, was3under through three holes in the tougherafternoon, when the light gusts began playingtricks andthe greens got crispy.Hehad one bogeyand 14 pars the rest of the way for a70.

Thewhole daywas tough, and the forecast —this could be the ﬁrst Masters in 25 years without anyrain —has everyoneonedge thinking what the next three days could hold. Yes, the weather was gorgeous. But dry andﬁrm conditions are scary,eveninthis marvelous garden.

“It was veryﬁrm for aThursdayout there,” Schefﬂer said “We’ll see howmuchtheywant to pushit.”

Patrick Reed,the 2018 Masterschampion and atwo-time winner on the European tour this year, was at 69 alongwith Jason Dayand KurtKitayama. Reed was atop the leaderboard for so muchof the day due to

twoeaglesonthe frontnine thatsenthim outin31.

Buthedropped ashot on the 10th, andthen wasflummoxed by what he thought wasanideal shotfor his second into the par-5 15th. Such arethe ﬁrmness of the greens that his shot hit hardoff the back of thegreen, bounded down the slope and didn’tstop rolling untilitwas in the pond on No. 16.

“Water?” Reed asked his caddie as he looked toward the green.“It landed on the green.”

He laterdescribed it as a “head-scratcher.”

“I knew if it went over the green, we would be ﬁne,” Reed said. “Didn’treally thinkI was goingtogo30yardsoverthe green.”

JustinRose, twicea playoff loser in the Masters, was in range of the lead until he dropped three shots over the last ﬁve holes andhad to settle for a70, tied with Scheffler, XanderSchauffeleand Shane Lowry The greensare alreadyare so firm that Rose quipped, “You

might geta yellowjacket if you win.” That was areference to theshade of thegreens —ayellow sheen means ﬁrm and fast, andthatcolor on Thursday can makeplayers nervous.

“I think it’sintheir control really,how they want it to be,” Rose said. “I think overall every player would say they would like it ﬁrm and fast,but Ithink there’saboundary to that.”

While the lack of abig wind made it manageable,Augusta National can still take abite out of anyone with enough swirling gusts to bring indecision,orbad shots that wind up in thewrong spot.

Bryson DeChambeau found thatout on the11th holewhen he put his approach in theright bunkerand it took himthree to getout on hisway to a76. Jon Rahm turned potential birdie or better into adoublebogey with ashotintothe azalea bushes on thepar-5 13th. He didn’tmake a birdie in his78.

Onlyfive players broke 70, and only 16 players broke par, the lowest in ﬁve years at the Masters for theopening round.

Reed shootsgoodround butfeels he gotbad break

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

AUGUSTA, Ga.— On atough day when 10 of the 91 playersinthe Masters tournament failedto break80, Patrick Reed hadmuchto be pleasedabout with Thursday’s 3-under par 69 that had him in atie for third, two back of co-leaders Sam Burns and RoryMcIlroy Reed eagled both par-5s on the ﬁrst nine —Nos. 2and 8— to turn in 5-under par with the lead. But he made bogey on the par-4 10th hole, then another stroke slipped away as Reed’ssecond shot on the par-5 15th went into the pond on No. 16. “I felt Iplayed alot betterthan the score today,” said Reed, the 2018 Masters champion. “All in all, there were alot of qualityshots.”

Mendoza of Indiana,who said he was attending the Masters tournament for the ﬁrst time.

Alsointhe crowd: New Orleans native and formerNFL quarterback Eli Manning in his green jacket (he became an AugustaNational member in 2024), thePhiladelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley and comedian KevinHart,who caddiedfor Bryson DeChambeau during Wednesday’sPar3Contest.

Champkickedout

The Masters’ no tolerance policy for cellphonesisnojoke, even for aformer major champion like Mark Calcavecchia

Player on Tiger

Three-timeMasters champion

GaryPlayer said his heart goes out to TigerWoods because of thepain he suffers from over 20 surgeries during his career

ButPlayer, 90,also admonished the ﬁve-time Masterswinnerfor being behind the wheel, which led to his DUI arrest March 27 after Woodscaused acar crash near his home in Jupiter,Florida. Woods is not attending the Masters this year as he seeks treatment.

SCORES

Hall, England37-40—77 +5 MasonHowell, UnitedStates39-38—77 +5 C. Jarvis, South Africa38-39—77 +5 M. McNealy,UnitedStates40-37—77 +5 R. Neergaard-Petersen,Den.38-39—77 +5 AlexNoren,Sweden37-40—77 +5 Fred Couples, UnitedStates34-44—78 +6 RasmusHojgaard, Denmark 37-41—78 +6 Min WooLee, Australia 39-39—78 +6 Jon Rahm, Spain

Stargazing at Augusta

The former UniversityHigh golfer thought he’d made another one as he went for the green in two on the 550-yard 15th from 263 yards out. But his shot hitthe back of the green and bounded into the water on 16,setting up abogey “With how high it was coming in,Idon’t seethatballlanding on the green and going that far,” Reed said. “I’m just going to go ahead and write thatdown as abad break. Idon’t knowany other way to put it.”

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

course, had his breakthroughmoment in last year’sMasters, ﬁnally collecting the last major title he needed to become Europe’s ﬁrst career grand slam winner

Burns is still looking for his major breakthrough. Like a Kailin Chio perfect 10 performance, he’sgot all the required elements to be amajor champion: hits it amile, sharp iron player, superb putter,and we mentioned that never too high/too low personality of his. His talents were on display on the par-5 second hole. At 585 yards,it’sAugusta’slongest, though it plays shorter as it runs steeply downhill. Burns piped a 392-yard drive(!!) down the middle, then hit a6-iron from 213(!!!)

Among the celebrity sports sightings during Thursday’s ﬁrst round at AugustaNational were Heisman Trophywinner Fernando

that trundled down to four feet to set up an eagle putt.

“I would say my second shot into 2was pretty nice,”Burns said in his deadpan,don’t-worryI’ll-have-your-safe-cracked-inside-10-minutes manner.Hehad another powerful, pivotal stretch on thesecondnine, withbirdies at 12, 13 and 15, thelatter two again par-5s Burnspummeled Somehow,despiteobvious exceptional golﬁngskills, the big titles have eluded him.

In the 2024 British Open at Troon, Burns was one off Billy Horschel’s lead goingtothe ﬁnal round. But Burns’ gamesank to the bottom of Loch Ness onSunday as he shot80 to fadetoatie for 31st.

In last June’sU.S. Open at rugged, rainy Oakmont, it was Burnswho led going into theﬁnal round. But atoughrules decision,forcinghim to play from a splashy lie on the 15th hole, was

The 1989 British Openwinner reportedly was removed from the club by security Tuesday for being caught using his phone on the grounds. Calcavecchia, 65, was an honorary inviteetothe tournamentbecause of being apast major champion. Calcavecchia playedinthe Masters 18 times,ﬁnishingasrunnerup in 1988 to Sandy Lyle

his undoing. Burns shot 78 and ended up in atie for seventh. The silver lining to those Sunday clouds is that it was his best finish in amajor to date, an indication that Burns is getting closer to The Big One. There are other indications that, for Burns, gettingclose isn’tenough. Sam is good friends with world No. 1and two-time Masters champ Scottie Scheffler,their young families often share houses during tournament weeks. According to Golf.com, Burns asked Sheffler the morning of the final round at Oakmonthow to close thedeal in something like aU.S. Open. Sheffler described it as “a good chat,” but theBurns trophy case still remains light on amajor championship trophy His Masters resumeisa variation on that theme. Burns’ best finish here is atie for 29th in 2023, though he said his home

“He’s in pain,”Playersaidafter serving as an honorary starter alongside fellow Masters champions Jack Nicklaus and TomWatson.“Do Iblame himfor taking medicine? Hell, no.But Idon’tthink he should drive acar.Whenyou’re taking that medicine, it’sdangerous.

“Allhe’sgot to do is just not drive acar and get achauffeur My reﬂexes, Ithink, are as good as when Iwas 20, but Idon’tdrive anymore. Iget achauffeur.But my heart goes out to him. There’s nothing worse than living in pain everyday of your life.”

course, highly regarded Squire Creek in Choudrant near Ruston, is agood prep forAugusta with its big, sloping greens. “Atthe endofthe day,” he said, “it comes down to execution.” As much as Burns clearly burns to win abig one, he is just as clearly not consumed by his profession. He is openly,deeply religious andisraising a2-yearold boy named Bear with his wife, Caroline.

“WhenIget back home, you kind of forget about golf alittle bit,” Burns said. “You get to have the joyofbeing adad and just hanging out with him. It’sareally good distraction. I’m looking forwardtodoing that this afternoon.”

A2-year-old neither knowsnor cares if you’re leading the Mastersornot.

Maybe, major title or no, Burns hasthis golfthing already ﬁgured out

No.2: Pink Dogwood

Par5,585 yards

Round 1average: 4.648

Rank: 18

Eagles: 3

Birdies: 36

Pars: 45

Bogeys: 5

Double bogeys or worse: 2

Howitplayed: Wherewould the Masters’ fieldhavebeen Thursday without No.2 to kick around? On a brutal dayfor scoring,Pink Dogwood wasanearly boost to what turnedout to be alot of bad rounds. Conversely, it wasa catalyst forSam Burns, Patrick Reed and Scottie Scheffler, whoall made eagles there and wound up tiedfor first, third and sixth, respectively.

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO

Patrick Reed hits his tee shot on the 14th hole duringthe first roundofthe Masters on Thursday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID J. PHILLIP

Rory McIlroy, of NorthernIreland,celebrates after abirdie on the 15thhole during the first round of the Masters on ThursdayinAugusta, Ga.Masters golf tournament at the AugustaNational GolfClubonThursday in Augusta,Ga.

Scott Rabalais

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

Is the Hondo Rodeo Fest a rodeo or a concert?

Yes and yes.

In short, it’s a new, hybrid entertainment experience that was launched at a stadium in Phoenix in November 2024 and is now expanding to other markets.

The concept is simple: People who like rodeos also tend to like country music. And there is considerable crossover between country fans and classic rock fans, especially now that many country acts crank up the guitars and drums as loud as any rock band

So combining all three is potentially a force multiplier.

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM THE HONDO RODEO FEST Jason Aldean performs during the Hondo Rodeo in Phoenix in 2025.

PROVIDED PHOTO By PATRICK TEWEy/ HONDO RODEO FEST

The twin rodeo rink and concert stage arrangement of the 2025 Hondo Rodeo Fest in Phoenix is similar to that planned for the Superdome.

The rock band Creed features, from left, drummer Scott Phillips, singer Scott Stapp, guitarist Mark Tremonti and bassist Brian Marshall.

events inside. The back half of the Dome ﬂoor hasbeen converted to adirt rodeo arena.The bulls and broncos will move out of thebuilding by 8:30 p.m.whenthe concert cranks up on astage at the front of theDome ﬂoor

The current incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd is up first at 8:30 p.m. Friday,followedbycountry rocker JasonAldean at 10 p.m. Saturday night’sdouble shot of country openswith Old Dominion and concludes withCody Johnson Country-rock singer-songwriter Bailey Zimmerman opens Sunday’sconcert. Revived 1990s rock band Creed then closesout the whole event. Single-night tickets startat$63 (but have been offered forless through various promotions). A three-night ticket package starts at $190. Floor-pass upgrades are also available.

Rock meetscountry

The musical lineup this weekend is very much representative of the hybrid nature of the event Aldean,a veteran of previous Hondo Rodeos in other markets, is the personiﬁcation of the country/ rock aesthetic. Take away the cowboy hat and boots and he’sa rock star; his show typically packs as much pyrotechnics as Def Leppard

Pairing Aldean with Lynyrd Skynyrd on opening night sets the tone for the weekend.

No one in the current incarnation of Lynyrd Skynyrd had ahand in creating the band’s classic run of albums in the 1970s. Thatrun ended on Oct. 20, 1977,when the band’splane crashed in the Mississippi woodsenroute to aconcert in Baton Rouge, killing lead singer andprimary songwriter Ronnie VanZant, guitarist SteveGaines and his sister,backing vocalist Cassie Gaines. Agranite memorial now stands on aruralroad near the crash site off Interstate 55. Lynyrd Skynyrd eventually regrouped with Ronnie’syounger brother Johnny VanZant on lead vocals. At this point, Johnny has been the band’ssinger much longer than Ronnie

The only other link to the band’s early yearsisguitarist Rickey Medlocke, who contributed to some Skynyrd recordings in the early 1970s as adrummer andvocalist before

CREED

Continued from page1D

Jason Aldean headlines Friday,preceded by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Cody Johnson tops Saturday’sbill after Old Dominion. Bailey Zimmerman opens for Creed on Sunday Single-night tickets and three-day passes are still available.

Tremonti got his ﬁrst upclose-and-personal look at a rodeo last month in Houston. He could “only imagine how much adrenaline”surges through riders as they sit atop abronco or bull in the chute just before the gate opens. Is it comparable, perhaps, to the adrenaline rush of rocking afull stadium with Creed?

“Wedon’tthink that we’re going to break bones,” Tremonti noted. But “there are certain moments when it’s just me and my guitar that’s deﬁnitely arush.”

‘Higher’and lower

Now that he is “ofﬁcially in his 50s,” Tremonti has no interest in taking up bullriding or any other rodeo activities. Not that he would have time, given his myriad musical endeavors.

Creed’ssecond album, 1999’s“Human Clay,” catapulted the band to arena headlining status on the strength of the muscular anthem “Higher” and the more restrained “With Arms Wide Open.” Thecombinationof Tremonti’sriffsand singer ScottStapp’s spiritualitytinged intonations yielded another multimillion-selling album in 2001’s“Weathered.”

But the bandcouldn’t weathersuccess,breaking up for the ﬁrst time in 2004. Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips subsequently formed Alter Bridge with singer Myles Kennedy Since then, Alter Bridge has releasedtwice as many studioalbumsasCreed; the band’sself-titled eighth album came out in January

album is the appropriately titled “Different Night SameRodeo.”

AndSunday night closer Creed has, over thepastyear,founda fresh audienceamong country fans. Ayear ago, Creed rocked the country-specific Stagecoach festival in Southern California. In March, Creed wasaheadliner of theHouston Livestock Show &Rodeo at NRG Stadium, hometothe Houston Texans.

Countryinthe Dome?

Will the Hondo Rodeo work in New Orleans?

dome in 2018 to the tune of 53,000 tickets. Thatshowwas staged underthe BayouCountry Superfest brand name. The now-defunct festivalhad temporarily moved to the Superdome in 2017 and 2018 while BatonRouge’sTiger Stadium, the event’s traditional home, underwent renovations.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday,April 10, the 100th day of 2026. There are 265 days leftinthe year

Todayinhistory: On April 10, 1998, the Northern Ireland peace talks concluded as negotiators signed the GoodFriday Agreement, alandmark settlement to end 30 years of bitter rivalries and bloody attacks.

Also on this date: In 1815, Indonesia’s Mount Tambora explodedinthe biggest known volcanic eruptionin1,000 years, onethatalteredglobal weather. About 92,000 people are thought to have died, including 82,000 who perishedofstarvationand diseaseand 10,000 killedbyits direct impact

In 1912, the British liner RMS Titanic set sail from Southampton, England, bound forNew York on its ill-fated maiden voyage.

In 1963, the nuclear submarine USSThresher (SSN-593) sank during deep-diving tests east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, killing all 129 aboard. In 1971, the U.S. table tennis team arrived in China at the invitation of the communist government foragoodwill visit that came to be knownas“pingpong diplomacy.”

switchingto guitar with theband Blackfoot.Medlocke returned to Skynyrd as aguitarist in 1996 and has been there ever since. He, Johnny VanZantand their bandmates will turn it up Friday in the Dome on aset of Skynyrd’sgreatest hits. Saturday,bycontrast, will be more of apure country night with CodyJohnson and Old Dominion. Sunday will once again be ahybrid. Raspy-voicedcountry singer Bailey Zimmerman’s most recent

Tremontialso fronts a hard rock band called Tremonti. His most personal, and unexpected, side project is the2022 album “Tremonti Sings Sinatra.” Backed by alumniofFrank Sinatra’s band and other A-list musicians, he croons 14 Sinatra classics.

TheSinatra album was an initiative of Tremonti’sTake AChance For Charity organization,which encourages musicians, athletesand others to seek new creativeoutlets to raisemoneyfor philanthropic causes. “Tremonti Sings Sinatra” beneﬁts the National Down Syndrome Society; Tremonti’sdaughter,Stella, has Down syndrome Following adecade-long break, Creed reformed in 2023. For comeback tours in 2023 and 2024, Creed was accompanied bythe band 3Doors Down,of“Kryptonite” fame.

3Doors Down singer Brad Arnold died of kidney cancer in February at age 47.

“It still hurts every time you seeapostabout him,” Tremontisaid. “Wegrew up in the businesswith Brad. He was so full of life, aspiritual, positive guy,never in a badmood. Itwas justdevastating.”

TikTok’s ‘One Last Breath’ Whether the current Creed reunion sticks remainstobe seen.But the bandhas more momentum than it has in many years.

Muchlike theSan Francisco Giants adopted Journey’s“Don’t’ Stop Believin” as their themesong during theteam’s 2010 World Series run, the Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series to the tune of Creed’s“Higher.”

The NFL’s MinnesotaVikings also jumped on the “Higher”bandwagon that year.

“It put aspotlight on the band at the perfect time,” Tremonti said.“All thestars started aligning.” Creed featured prominently in SiriusXM’scoverage and sponsorshipofthe 2025 Indianapolis 500. The No. 60 SiriusXM Hondawas branded with theCreed logo

State officialsare certainly putting on ahard sell. Gov.Jeff Landryisscheduled to attenda press conference at theDome on Friday,along with Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation president/CEO Jay Cicero, New Orleans &Company president/CEO Walt Leger III andHondo RodeoFest CEO James Trawick. Reigning country musicking GeorgeStrait soldout theSuper-

The popularity of “One LastBreath” on TikTok may have played thebiggest role in Creed’scontemporary ascendance, Tremonti theorizes.

“One Last Breath” gets the biggest response of the night during concerts, he said, even more ecstatic than “Higher” or “With Arms Wide Open.”

Creed’sthird annual ”Summer of ’99 andBeyond” cruise, which sets sail April17fromMiami with Collective Soul, Daughtry, Filter, Living Colourand other ’90s bands, is sold out. In addition to performing on the boat with Creed, Tremonti will host akaraokecompetition andstage his Sinatra tribute.

Where the current Creed revival windsupisstill up in the air.Thissummer, the band headlines adozen shows across North America. There’stalk of more tour dates in 2027.

Tremonti, who is often in recording studios woodshedding ideas for various projects, hopes anew Creed album materializes at some point

Meanwhile,audiences are more than happy to shout along to the ’90s hits. And Tremonti is more thanhappy to play them.

Creed hasheadlinedthe Smoothie King Center,but Sunday will be theband’s ﬁrst time in theSuperdome. TheechoinaDome-sized room is achallenge for musicians, who depend on their inner-ear monitors to stay on course while performing.

“A lotofitfalls on our crew,” Tremonti said. “As far as we go,wedothe sound check and then get excited to do the show. The biggestchallenge is to keep cool and don’tget toonervous.”

Having just played the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo lastmonth,heanticipatesfeelingright at home in the Dome for the Hondo Rodeo Fest.

“Wecan ofﬁcially say that this is not our ﬁrst rodeo.”

Email KeithSpera at kspera@theadvocate.com.

Butthe Sugar BowlCountry Kickoff hadatoughertime in the Dome. Organizers had hoped to sell 75,000 tickets when Garth Brooks headlined the ﬁrst Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff in September 2023. Total attendance was closer to 50,000.

Asecond Sugar Bowl Country Kickoff, featuring headlinerEric Church, wasannounced for 2024 Butitwas ultimatelycanceled, apparently because of slow ticket sales.

Maybe what it needed was arodeo. AndCreed.

Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

In 2010, aplane crashed on approach in dense fogtothe Smolensk airport in Russia, killing Polish President Lech Kaczynski, the first lady and 94 other government and armed forces figures as well as many prominent Poles. In 2019, scientists released the first image ever made of ablack hole, revealing afiery,doughnut-shape object in agalaxy 55 millionlight-years from earth. Today’sbirthdays: Labor leader-activist Dolores Huerta is 96. Football Hall of Famer Mel Blount is 78. Author Anne Lamott is 72. Singer-producer Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds is 67. Musician Brian Setzer is 67. Singer Kenny Lattimore is 56. Rapperproducer Q-Tip (A Tribe Called Quest) is 56. Singer Shemekia Copeland is 47. Actor Charlie Hunnam is 46. Actor-singer Mandy Moore is 42. Actor Haley Joel Osment is 38. Country singer Maren Morris is 36.

Arider hangs on for dear life during the Hondo RodeoinPhoenix in 2025.

PROVIDED PHOTO By DOLTyNSNEDDEN

Southernrockband Lynyrd Skynyrd is set to performatthe 2026 Hondo Rodeo Fest.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refuse to let anyone talk you into something you don't need. Scams are prevalent, and overpaying for a hyped-up product or inflated quote will set you back.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Take care of unfinished business. An opportunity will surface if you apply for a position or go for an interview. Be sure to ask questions and get what you want in writing.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Be part of the solution, not the problem. Consider the positive changes you can make if you fact-check and research the best way to proceed. Talk is cheap if you don't follow through.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Take more time to appreciate what is going your way, and spend less time worrying and criticizing what isn't. Attitude is everything when you want to get things done.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Buckle up and get busy. Don't share too much personal information; listen, absorb and determine what and who are in sync with you. Equality is essential.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Love is on the rise, and healthy discussions that share expectations will help solidify a meaningful relationship. What you do to encourage, support and help others or a cause will make a difference.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Slow down, and think before you spend. Only offer what's feasible and make promises

you can fulfill. Discipline and ingenuity, along with completion, will lead to victory.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Put on your thinking cap, and you'll come up with an idea that will encourage a new adventure. Social events and sensitive topics of conversation will require finesse and delicate monitoring.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Put some time, money and thought into your living arrangements It's time to upgrade your surroundings to suit your needs. A proper workspace will help you be more productive.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Ease into whatever you want to do, and spare yourself taking on too much or upsetting a situation that is already festering. Don't dig yourself into a hole when it's time to climb out.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Keep a low profile, and you'll accomplish the most. A lifestyle change is on your agenda, and putting the pieces in place will put your mind at rest.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Keep life simple and affordable. Initiate positive change and healthy choices. Someone you encounter will offer insight into how you can use your skills more effectively.

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placingpuzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers The object is to place thenumbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row,eachcolumn andeach3x3 boxcontainsthe same number only once. The difficultylevel of thesudoku increases frommonday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THewiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Bill Watterson said, “Weekends don’t countunlessyouspendthemdoingsomethingcompletelypointless.”Bearthatin mind as the weekend is about to start.

However,another of those words is relevanttotoday’s North hand: pointless. And sometimes you have to bid with atrue Yarborough. South opens two clubs, strong, artificial and forcing. North responds two diamonds, weak, artificial and forcing. Southrebids two spades,naturalandforcing.Whatshould North do now?

Usually,withaverybadhand,responder gives asecond negative: either two no-trump (traditional) or three clubs (modern),according to partnership preference.Here,though,withfour-card support for opener’s major, responder should jump to four of that major. This indicatesatleast four trumps butno first- or second-round control:noace, void, king or singleton. Against four spades, West leads the heartqueen. How should South plan the play?

Declarer has twoheart losers, so can affordonly one trump loser, nottwo. There is just one layout that will save South: either opponent must have asingleton queen. Declarer should takethe first trick and lead his spade king. And because this deal is seeing thelight of

day,youjustknowthatwillwork.Finally, South might have rebid three no-trump, whichNorthwouldhavepassedbecause he could not be sure of an eight-card major-suitfit.(Thisisabadsequencefor Standard.) Then,ifWesthad led aclub, South would have had to make the same spade play.

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

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

toDAy’s WoRD REFusAL: rih-FYU-zul:The act of denying.

Average mark 29 words

Time limit 45 minutes

Canyou find 35 or more words in REFUSAL?

yEstERDAy’s WoRD —EPIsoDIc

wuzzles

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from the letters in each row.add points of each word using scoring directionsat right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks”used as any letter havenopoint value. allthe wordsare in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition

ken ken

WiShinG Well

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

InstructIons: 1 -Eachrow and each column must contain the numbers 1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes calledcages must combine using the given operation(in any order) to producethe target numbers in the top-left corners 3 -Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages withthe numberinthe top-left corner. HErEisa plEasanT liTTlEgamEthat

the numberofletters

left

Scrabble GramS

jump Start

roSe

DuStin

Drabble

Wallacethe

HATZ‐GIONIDIS By virtue of and inobedience to a Writ of FIERI FACIASfromthe 24thJudicial DistrictCourt, ParishofJeffer‐son,State of Louisiana,inthe above num‐bered andenti‐tledcause, dated February 18, 2026, Ihave seizedand will proceed to sell tothe highest bidderatpublic auction,atthe Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex,1233 Westbank Ex‐

pressway,Har‐vey,Louisiana 70058, on Wednesday May20, 2026 at 10o'clock a.m. the following described prop‐ertytowit: ACERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TIONOF GROUND, to‐getherwithall the buildings and improvements thereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining,situated inthe State of Louisiana, ParishofJeffer‐son,inthatpart thereof known asTERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION, SECTIONNO. 8, and which por‐tionofground according to the l

g plan thereof by Adloe Orr, Jr.&Associ‐ates, C.E.&S., dated April22, 1964, approved by theJefferson ParishCouncil under Ord. No 6610, adopted onMay 7, 1964, recorded as EntryNo. 289611 of Jeffer‐son Parish,is designatedas follows:

LOT12A SQUARE141, which said squareis bounded by MysticAvenue, Guardian Avenue and Morningside Drive, andsaid lot commences ata distance of 429 feet from thecorner ofMysticAv‐enue andMorn‐ingside Drive and measures thence60 feet fronton

Mystic Avenue, the same width inthe rear,by a depth of 115 feet between equal and parallel lines.All as morefully shown on sur‐vey by Gilbert, Kelly &Couturie, Inc., dated February 20, 1997.

Theimprove‐ments thereon bearthe Munici‐pal No.844 Mys‐tic Avenue Gretna, LA 70056.

Beingthe same propertyac‐quiredby NicholasR Hatzgionidis andMelidaEs‐pinoza Hatzgionidis by Act datedFeb‐ruary 28, 1997, beforeJosephJ Rouse,Notary Public, andrecordedin

MOB3787, folio 237, in the records of Jef‐fersonParish, LAonMarch 6, 1997.

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐riorsecurityin‐terests,mort‐gages,liens and privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchaseprice isdue at the timeofthe sale

NOTE:All funds mustbe Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, Money Order, or PersonalCheck withBankLetter ofCredit.

GPATRICK HAND,III Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber21, 2025,I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat publicauction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

ALLTHATCER‐TAIN PIECEOR

PARCEL OF GROUND,to‐gether with all buildings andimprove‐mentsthereon allrights, ways, means, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, prescriptions andappurte‐nances there‐untobelonging or in anywise appertaining thereto, situ‐ated in Section 43, T12S,R10E, Southeastern District of Louisiana,East of theMissis‐sippi River, beinga portion of theElmwoodLafreniere Tract, said property being situated in the 8th Ward of the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, andinaccor‐dancewithSur‐veymadeby W.L.CaseSur‐veyor, 7/1/1953, copy of which is at‐tached to Actof Dedication of Streetsexe‐cutedbefore Claude W. Duke, N.P.,dated 8/12/53, regis‐teredinCOB 344, folio 131 for theParishof Jefferson, is situated in GREEN ACRES SUBDIVISION UNIT NO.3,in SQUARE NO.5, thereof, which square is bounded by Green Acres Road,Wabash Street,Haring Road and York Street,said lotbeing desig‐natedbythe NO.5 andmea‐suring as fol‐lows:

LotNo. 5mea‐sures60feet frontonGreen AcresRoad, same width in rear,bya depth between equaland paral‐lellines of 114 feet,all in ac‐cordance with Survey of Williams L. Case,Surveyor, d t d 6/6/55

Case, Surveyor, dated6/6/55. Lot5 com‐mences at adis‐tanceof240' feet from corner of Green Acres Road andYork Street

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages,liens and privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYA MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:852-900 PROPERTY RECOVERY GROUP, INC VERSUS NOLANDYER

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritofFIERI FACIAS from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber 24, 2025,I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes, t

servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the ParishofJeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in KENNEDY HEIGHTS

SUBDIVISION, SECTIONNO. 2, said lotbeing designated as LotNo. 14 in Square I. Accordingto plan by J. J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E., dated December 18, 1967, Square Ils bounded by But‐lerDrive,Gam‐bino Road,The East Boundary of the Subdivisionand Southern Court. Lot 14 com‐mences 175.15 feet from the corner of Butler Driveand GambinoRoad andmeasures thence 55 feet frontonButler Drive, same width in therear,by a depth of 105 feet between equaland paral‐lellines

Allinaccor‐dancewithsur‐veybyJ.J Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E dated November 29, 1968,copyat‐tached Improvements thereonbear MunicipalNo. 452 Butler Drive, Westwego, Louisiana.

Beingpartof thesameprop‐erty acquired by vendor [Trip-Tex Company] herein as peract before CharlesH.Ryan, N.P.,onSeptem‐ber12, 1968, reg. COB685 fo.84.

This actismade and accepted subjecttothe restrictions con‐tained in actbe‐fore Jacqueline McPherson, NP, datedJune 9, 1967,reg.COB 658 folio507 and servitudes as shownon recorded plan of Kennedy HeightsSub Sec.No. 2.

Beingthe same property ac‐quired by ShirleyBrooks, wife of/and NolanDyerfrom Trip-Tex Com‐pany by an act before Charles H. Ryan,Notary Public,dated on January21, 1969 recorded at In‐strument No 449014, CB 619 Page 672 in the conveyance recordsofthe Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYE DUNBAR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:862-959

BAYVIEWLOAN SERVICING VERSUS KM HOMES REAL ESTATE, LLCAND FIORELAL VASQUEZAKA FIORELA VASQUEZ TRIGUEROS

ONECERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall of the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐l i i

thereunto be longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON,STATE OF LOUISIANA, andismore fully describedas follows, to-wit: LOT14, SQUARE F, WESTSIDE TERRACE SUBDIVISION; subjecttore‐strictions,servi‐tudes, rights-ofwayand out‐standing mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe prop‐erty

Improvements thereonbear theMunicipal No.1152 Tallow Tree Lane,Har‐vey, Louisiana70058.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ZACHARYGAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-315 B1 BANK VS CARONNA DE‐VELOPMENT LLC, SEQUOIA BUILDING SUP‐PLYLLC,PAULG CARONNA AND NATHALIE YVONNE STEGE‐MAN

proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: Thelandre‐ferred to herein belowissitu‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, and is describedas follows: Acertain parcel or portionof land,together with allthe im‐provements thereon, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, des‐ignatedasLot 4-Aofthe re-subdivision of Lots1,2,3,4, 5, 6& 7of Square No.23, Bridgedale Sub‐division SectionA,all as shownonthe plat of survey title“Resubdivi‐sion of Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6& 7intoLot 4A &Dedicationof a15’ Drainage Servitude” by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc., datedJuly19, 2009, acopyof which is of record in theof‐ﬁcial records of theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, recorded on September15, 2009 at COB3252, Folio 918, Instrument Number 10939582.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

JOSEPH P. BRIGGETT Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:868-354

NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION VERSUS WILLIAMW PORTER AND EVELYN CHAM‐BERS PORTER AKAEVELYN CHAMBERS ZENO PORTER

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear theMunici‐palNo.,2778 RidgeﬁeldRoad, Gretna, Louisiana70056.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:868-568

THEBANKOF NEWYORKMEL‐LON, FORMERLY KNOWNASTHE BANK OF NEWYORK, NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UALCAPACITY BUTSOLELYAS TRUSTEEON BEHALF OF THE HOLDERSOF THECIT MORT‐GAGE LOAN TRUST, 2007-1 ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-1 VERSUS TOMMY L. THOMAS,JR.

10 o clock a m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedSeptem‐ber11, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereonand all therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as BAYWOOD SUBDIVISIONall as perplan thereofmadeby J. J. Krebs& Sons,dated 10/22/1974, andapproved by theJefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nanceNo. 12178 on 10/23/1974, recorded in COB 849, folio365, andaccording to aforesaid plan,said property is more particu‐larlydescribed as follows: LOT 34 in SQUARE C; subjectto restrictions, servitudes rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affectingthe property

.nola.com

TWOCERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theCITY of KENNER, PARISH of JEF‐FERSON,STATE of LOUISIANA, in that part thereof knownasHIGH‐WAYPARKSUB‐DIVISION,in SQUARE NO.214, bounded by Kentucky Av‐enue,33rd Street (formerly 15" Street), LouisianaAv‐enue and32nd Street (formerly 14thStreet), which lots are designated as LOTS 3and 4on asurvey by R.L. Schu‐mann, Surveyor, datedNovem‐ber30, 1972, and an additional 7 1/2feet alongthe rear andadjoining Lots 3and 4 composed of a portionofthe original 15 foot alley ad‐joiningthe rear of theoriginal Lots 3and 4, the dedication of which was revokedbyOrdi‐nanceNo. 1579 of theBoard of Aldermen of the City of Kenner, datedNovem‐ber12, 1973, which is regis‐teredinCOB 804, folio196. LOTNOS.3 and 4adjoineach otherand mea‐sure each 25 feet fronton Kentucky Avenue,the same widthin therear, by a depthof127 1/2 feet between equaland parallel lines, LotNo. 3lying nearer to and commencingat adistanceof50 feet from thecornerof Kentucky Av‐enue and33rd Street

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

This sale is sub ject to allsupe‐rior securityin‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

This sale is sub ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or PersonalCheck with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May 15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

sures thence ﬁftyfeet front on Farrington Drive, by a depth between equaland paral‐lellines of one hundred and tenfeet.The im‐provements thereonbear theMunicipal No.1236 Farrington Drive.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYA MUELLER

Attorney for Plaintiff

Kelly, Surveyor, datedJanuary 23, 1963, acopy of which is an‐nexedtoanact registered in COB567, folio 231, dated February 27, 1963, andac‐cordingtosaid survey,said Lots 24, 25 and26adjoin each otherand measureeach 20 feet front on Sibley Street, thesame width in the rear andfront on Hustedt Road,by a depth of 100 feet between equal andparallel lines; said Lot No.24com‐mences at adis‐tanceof473.92 feet from the corner of Sibley andMilan Streets.

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber3,2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat publicauction at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233Westbank Expressway Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: That portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, and allthe rights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages there‐unto belongingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theEighth Ward of the Parishof Jefferson, State ofLouisiana,in that part thereof known as AirlinePark, accordingto aplanbyH.E

Landry,C.E datedOctober 26, 1950,revised September13, 1951, andrevised plan by H. E. Landry,C.E., datedJanuary 9, 1951, revised September 13, 1951,bothon ﬁle andof record in plan book 16, Parish of Jefferson, Louisiana, accordingto which,saidpor‐tion of ground is described as follows: Lot17, Square "G", bounded by Montgomery andMitchell Av‐enue,Airline Park Boulevardand HodgsonAv‐enue,measures 50 feet fronton Montgomery Avenue, same width in therearby a depth of 109 feet between equaland paral‐lellines;all as more fully shown on sketch by H.E. Landry, C.E. datedOctober 26, 1951,revised May15, 1952, annexedtoan actrecordedat COB320 folio 666 in Jefferson Parish

This sale is sub‐

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:856-296 BRAVORESIDEN‐TIAL FUNDING TRUST2022RPL1 VS SHICOLAD MARTIN A/K/A SHICOLAMAR‐TIN

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in Square 5ofHar‐borEstates Subdivision, which said square is bounded by HeatherStreet WayneAvenue, Emile Avenue and DollyStreet designated as LotNo. 116 on a plan of survey made by AdloeOrr,Jr. & Associates,Sur‐veyors,dated July 17,1972, a copy of which is annexedtoan actofsalebe‐fore JamesJ Donelon, Notary Public,dated September 5, 1972 andac‐cordingto which survey said Lot116 measures ﬁftyone(51’)feet fronton HeatherStreet, same width in therear, by a depthofone hundred (100’) feet between equal andparallel lines. Said Lot 116 commences at adistanceof 204.49’ from thecorner of Heather Street and WayneAvenue

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:856-553

U.S. BANK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-ININTEREST TO U.S. BANK NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, AS TRUSTEE, FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSETSECURI‐TIES CORPORA‐TION,HOME EQUITY MORT‐GAGE ASSETBACKED PASSTHROUGHCER‐TIFICATES, SE‐RIES 2005-EMX2 VS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSION OF FRANCISJONES BUTTON,III

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:862-033

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

DENNISWIG‐GINS,JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, ParishofJeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, dated August 7, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceedtosell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058,on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes and advantages thereunto belongingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in Square No.24of Valley Realty CompanySubdi‐vision,bounded by Farrington Drive, Thir‐teenth Street, Manson Drive andTwelfth Street,desig‐natedby theNumberTwo Hundredand Eighty on asur‐veymadeby Alvin H. Hotard, Civil Engineer,dated January11, 1957, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoven‐dor'sset of purchase,and accordingto which,saidlot commencesat a distance of one hundred feet from the corner of Thir‐teenth Street andFarrington Drive,and mea‐suresthence

WELLSFARGO BANK,NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, AS TRUSTEEFOR SECURITIZED ASSETBACKED RECEIVABLES LLCTRUST 2006HE2 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-HE2 VERSUS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSION OF ANDUNKNOWN HEIRSOF FRENCHIE CARTER A/K/A FRENCHIE CARTER ANDAL‐FRIEDA JONES MILLER A/K/A ALFRIEDA J. MILLER A/K/A ALFRIEDA MILLER

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedDecem‐ber1,2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-763

This sale is sub‐

515 on May 4, 1964, Jefferson Parish, Louisianaand as perplan made by J. J. Krebs& Sons, C.E. &S dated July 20, 1971, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder ordinanceno. 10338 andas perplanofre‐subdivision made by J. J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,dated May 18, 1972, ap‐proved by the Jefferson Parish Council under ordinance no.10725, recorded as is more particu‐larly describedas follows, to-wit: Lot25, in Square 129, which said square is bounded by Morningside Drive, North Marlin Court, West Marlin Court, East Mar‐linCourt and Mink Street,and said Lot25 commences at a distance of 255 feet from the corner of Morn‐ingsideDrive andMink Street andmea‐suresthence60 feet fronton Morningside Drive, same widthinthe rear,bya depth of 115 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. Allas more fully shown on survey by Wilton J. Dufrene, Land Surveyor,dated September21, 1991. Allin accordance with asurveyby Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc., datedMay 27, 1997.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges. TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

GROUND to gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, allof therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated In theCity of Kenner Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louislana, in that part thereofknown as KENNER HEIGHTSSUBDI‐VISION,inBlock 3-Athereof, bounded by Compromise, Eleventh,Clay andTenth Street,which said lots are designated as LOTS 21, 22 and 23. said lots ad‐join each other andmeasure each 20 feet frontonCom‐promise Street thesame in widthInthe rear,bya depth of 123 feet 9 inches between equal andparallel lines. LOT21 formingthe cor‐nerofCompro‐mise and Eleventh Streets. All as more fully shownonsur‐veybyAdloe On,Jr.,C.E., datedMarch 27, 1951; subjecttore‐strictions,servi‐tudes, rights-ofwayand out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting theproperty. Improvements thereonbear MunicipalNo. 1020 Compro‐mise Kenner, Louisiana This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

Threecertain lots of ground together with allofthe build‐ings andim‐provements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in Square No.12, OwnYourOwn Subdivision, bounded by Sib‐ley, Milanand SheldonStreets andanalley called Hustedt Road designated as Lots 24, 25 and 26 on thesurvey made by ErrolE Kelly,Surveyor, d t d J

FREEDOM MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS COREYD HELTON By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedMarch 13, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOffice Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ONE(1) CERTAIN LOTORPARCEL OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon situated in the Parish of JEF‐FERSON,State of Louisiana, in that subdivision knownasWEST‐WOOD CROSS‐ING, andbeing designated on theofficial plan of said subdivi‐sion,on file and of record in the office of theClerk and Recorder of said Parish and State, as LOT NUMBER TWENTY-TWO, SQUARE C(22C),saidsubdivi‐sion,saidlot having such size,shape and dimensions and beingsubject to such servitudes as areshown on said map

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-540 THEBANKOF NEWYORKMEL‐LONTRUST COMPANY, NA‐TIONAL ASSOCIATION FKATHE BANK OF NEWYORK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,N.A.AS SUCCESSORTO JPMORGAN CHASEBANK, N.A.,AS TRUSTEEFOR RESIDENTIAL ASSETMORT‐GAGE PROD‐UCTS,INC MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-RP3 VERSUS FRANKJ.FAL‐GOUT,JR. A/K/A FRANKFAL‐GOUT,JR. By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedMay 15, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in TerrytownSub‐division,Subdi‐vision No.8 beingpartof SectionD of Elmwood Subdi‐vision,located in Section17, Township 13 South, Range24 East andinSec‐tion 30, Town‐ship 14 South, Range24East, allin accordance with thesurvey of AdloeOrr, Jr., andAssociates, C.E.,dated April 22, 1964, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under ordinance no.6610, regis‐tered in COB590, folio 515 on May 4, ff

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:865-496

NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC VERSUS HUEK.LEWIS

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-486

NEWREZ LLC D/B/ASHELL‐POINTMORT‐GAGE SERVIC‐ING VERSUS TOMMIE SHACK‐ELFORD AND JIMMIE B. SHACKELFORD A/K/AJIMMIEB DUNSEITH SHACKELFORD

THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as SOUTHAVON‐DALE SUBDIVI‐SION,SECTION II, accordingto aplanof William Maier, C.E., datedMarch 10, 1964, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under OrdinanceNo. 6565, and ﬁled forrecordas EntryNo. 287491, registered in COB 589, folio 77, and in Plan Book 49, Plan 42, of the recordsofthe ClerkofCourt for theParishof Jefferson, ac‐cordingto which said lotis designated by theNo. 11, in Square No.12 thereof, bounded by Mil‐lie, Ursula and Ruth Drives and Jamie Boulevard, and said Lot11mea‐sures52feet frontonMillie Drive, thesame in width in therear, by a depthof100 feet between equaland paral‐lellines;subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affectingthe property

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear theMunici‐palAddress: 141 MillieDrive Westwego, Louisiana70094 AKA141 Millie Drive, Avondale, Louisiana70094

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

BRIGHAMJ LUNDBERG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:871-852

M&TBANK VERSUS ALEX D. WILLIAMS A/K/A ALEX WILLIAMS By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court,

Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJanuary 13, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Woodmere SouthSubdivi‐sion,Section No.3,inSquare "T", bounded by Touchwood Drive, Cimwood Drive, Sweet GumDrive and DestrehanAv‐enue.Saidpor‐tion of ground is desig‐natedasLot No 913, measures a ﬁrstfront of 56.62 feet on Touchwood Drive, asecond frontof12.11 feet on the pointofcurva‐ture of Touchwood DriveintoDe‐strehanAvenue awidth of 133.37 feet across therear, by a depth andfront of 115.67 feet on DestrehanAv‐enue and a depth of 100 feet on the opposite side‐line.All as more fully shownon survey of J.J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E &S., last dated April21, 1987. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026

Apr10-may152t

abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedMarch 5, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday May20, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

THAT PORTION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereonand all rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐tainingsituated in theParishof Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as Timberlane Village, Phase #1 as per plan of resubdi‐vision made by J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc.dated March24, 1981, approved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder OrdinanceNo. 15041 dated February 3, 1982, registered in COB1021, folio 157, more fullydescribed as follows: Lot43inSquare C, more fully shownonsur‐veymadebyJ.J Krebs& Sons, Inc. datedApril 19, 1983, resur‐veyedAugust 10, 1983.

This sale is sub‐ject toall supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

L. GRAHAM ARCENEAUX Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April10, 2026, May15, 2026 Apr10-may152t

Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ALLTHATCER‐TAIN LOTOR PARCEL OF GROUND,to‐gether with all of the buildingsand improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,means, privileges servitudes,ap‐purtenances, advantages and component partsthereunto belongingor in anywiseap‐pertaining thereto, lying andbeing situ‐ated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA, in that part thereofknown as TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION, SUBDIVISION4A, andaccord‐ingtoa plan of resubdivisionby Adloe Orr, Jr.&Associ‐ates,C.E., dated April30, 1962, approved by the Parish of Jeffer‐son on May24, 1962 under Ordi‐nanceNumber 5553, registered as EntryNum‐ber 232,635, and a plat of survey by J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc Civil Engineers& Surveyors, datedJune 21, 1973, acopyof which is an‐nexedto an act registered in COB806, folio 175, said portion of ground is designated as LOT26, SQUARE 48, which square is bounded by EmersonStreet DeerﬁeldRoad, CarolSue Av‐enue and Oakwood Drive, andwhich lot formsthe inter‐sectionofPak‐wood Driveand Emerson Street andmea‐suresthence65 feet fronton EmersonStreet same width in therear, by a depth of 110 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

A/K/APAULA TRUMBACH

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJanuary 23, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

Acertain piece or portionof ground,to‐gether with all of thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances, thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, Louisiana, in that part thereof known as East St.MarySubdi‐vision (formerly St.MarySubdi‐vision), in square bounded by St.Mary Street as posted andoriginal plan (EastSt. Mary Street per title) Irving Street,St. Martin Street andKane Streets, desig‐natedbythe no 92 on aplot planeofsaid subdivision made by Adloe Orr, Jr., C.E., datedJuly8 1953, Lot92ad‐joins Lot93 andcommences at adistanceof 200 feet from thecornerofSt. Mary andKane Streetsand measures thence 50 feet frontonSt. Mary Street by a depth of 113.45 feet between equaland paral‐lellines,with a width in the rear of 50 feet Allasmore fully shownon a survey by Man‐dleSurveying, Inc.,dated April 23, 1990.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

JULIE

FAGANALLEN A/K/AJULIE F. ALLENA/K/A

JULIE ALLEN

Onecertain lot of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon andall of the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theCityof Kenner,Parish of Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, in ChateauEstates LakefrontSub‐division,being a resubdivisionof aportion of Sec‐tion A, Chateau Estates, Section 37, T-11-12S, R-9-E, allasper plan by J.J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,dated Feb‐ruary26, 1976, approved by theCityof Kenner Planning &ZoningCom‐mission, on April4,1976, under ordinanceno. 1839 andsaid lotismorepar‐ticularlyde‐scribedasfol‐lows,to-wit:

Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

Street,by a depthof95feet on theopposite side line.All in accordance with survey of J. J. Krebsand Sons,Inc., datedNovem‐ber3,1983, and resurveyed May 22, 1984, June 11, 1984, and July 9, 1984, to show improvements

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit L. GRAHAM ARCENEAUX Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-317 FAIRPORT ASSET MANAGEMENT II REO, LLC VERSUS 5801 PLAUCHE CT LLC

westerly direc‐tion and commencing at thelinedividing Lot5 from Lot17 measures a ﬁrst frontonPlauche Street of 80 feet, thence along a curvetothe left having aradius of 20 feet afur‐ther frontof31.42 feet,with a widthinthe rear of 100 feet anda depth alongPlauche Street and140 feet anda depth of 160 feet on theopposite sideline,all in accordance with thesurvey made by J.J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,dated Janu‐ary5,1978 andannexed hereto and made apart hereto

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear theMunici‐palNo. 5801 PLAUCHE STREET, ELMWOOD, LOUISIANA 70123.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- 10% down balancein 30 days

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

WAYNEA MAIORANA,JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

DESIGNATED AS LOT149, BLOCK 13, WILLOW‐DALE PARK

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:871-186 STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS NOEMIMAR‐TINEZPEREZ DI‐VORCED WIFE BY FIRSTMAR‐RIAGEOFTONY MULLER, DI‐VORCED WIFE BY SECOND MARRIAGE OF/AND RIGOB‐ERTO H. PEREZ By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedDecem‐ber11, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

FOERSTNERG

MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr 10-2t

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is due at the time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

Lot35, in Square No.3, which said square is bounded by Cabernet Drive, Petit Berdot Drive, Traminer Drive andSylvaner Drive. Lot35 commences at a distance of 420 feet from thecornerof Traminer Drive andSylvaner Driveand mea‐suresthence 60 feet fronton Traminer Drive, same width in therear, by a depth of 110 feet between equal andparallel lines. Allinac‐cordance with a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc., datedJuly17, 1986. Furtherin accordance with survey by Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,dated March17, 2005, acopyofwhich is annexedto act before Dnaiel M. Douglass, No‐tary Public datedMarch 31, 2005.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-298 STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS STANFORD DEON YOUNG By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJanuary 27, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOffice Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as LIVEOAK MANORSUBDI‐VISION,all as perplanofsub‐division by Sub‐division Planning Engi‐neers, Inc., datedMarch 16, 1959, revised June 9, 1959, ap‐proved under Ordi‐nanceNo. 4152, adoptedbythe JeffersonParish Council, filedof record under EntryNo. 159352 in COB 486, folio 469, andasper act of dedication before Harold J. Zeringer,Jr.,No‐tary Public, datedSeptem‐ber16, 1959, filed of record under EntryNo. 160982 in COB 488, folio 343 andasper the resubdivision plan of portions of squares22and 24 of Live Oak ManorSubdivi‐sion made by J. J. Krebs andSons, Inc., C.E. &S dated April18, 1983, approved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder OrdinanceNum‐ber15639, recorded in the Parish of Jeffer‐sonunder EntryNumber 83-34522, in COB 1055, folio 414, said lotbeing more particu‐larly describedas follows, to-wit: LOT25-A, SQUARE 22, which square is bounded by Jef‐ferDrive,Liska Street, WillardPlace, Helis Driveand ImogeneStreet andsaidlot formsthe cor‐nerofLiska Street andImo‐gene Street and measures 55 feet fronton ImogeneStreet same width in the rear,bya depth andfront of 95 feet on Liska

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJanuary 27, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT PORTION OF GROUND,to‐gether with al1 thebuildings improvements thereon, andall rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theSTATE of LOUISIANA, PARISH of JEF‐FERSON,inthat part thereof knownas PLAUCHE INDUSTRIALP ARK, in accord with aplanof subdivisionby J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc., datedMay 15, 1975, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nanceNo. 12055, regis‐teredinthe Conveyance Recordsofthe Parish of Jeffer‐soninCOB 838, folio 536 and Plan Book 88, folio 28. Accord‐ingtosaidplan of subdivision, said lotis desig11atedas LOT17of SQUARE 2, which Square 2 is bounded by PlaucheStreet JeffersonHigh‐way, Hord Street and BevenStreet andthe north‐

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-472

WILMINGTON SAVINGSFUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOTINITS INDI‐VIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY IN ITS CAPACITY AS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR CASCADE FUNDINGMORT‐GAGE TRUST AB2 VERSUS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSIONOF JOHN ALTON CULLUM AND THE UNOPENED SUC‐CESSION OF MINNIE BIGNER CULLUM By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedFebruary 3, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ALLTHATPAR‐CELOFLANDIN JEFFERSON PARISH,STATE OF LOUISIANA, AS MORE FULLYDE‐SCRIBEDIN DEED BOOK 667, BUNDLE 626, ID# 47165, BEING KNOWNAND

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,WITH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREONAND ALLOFTHE SERVITUDES, RIGHTS AND APPURTE‐NANCES THERE‐UNTO APPLYING, SITUATED IN THESTATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THEPARISHOF JEFFERSON,IN WILLOWDALE PARK SUBDIVISION, SECTIONNO. 1, SAID PORTION BEINGDESIG‐NATEDASLOT NO.149 OF SQUARE 13. AC‐CORDINGTOA PLAN BY ADLOE ORR, JR. & ASSOCIATES, C.E.,DATED OC‐TOBER3,1967, SQUARE NO.13 IS BOUNDED BY GRINELL DRIVE, ROCHESTER DRIVE, THE WESTERNLINE OF SECTION1 OF WILLOW‐DALE PARK,AND THENORTHERN LINE OF SEC‐TION 1, WILLOWDALE PARK,AS SHOWNONSAID PLAN.LOT NO 149 COM‐MENCES AT ADISTANCEOF 210.02 FEET FROM THECOR‐NEROFGRINELL DRIVEAND ROCHESTER DRIVE, AND MEASURES THENCE 60 FEET FRONTON GRINELL DRIVE, WITH A SAME WIDTHIN THEREAR, BY A DEPTHOF90 FEET, BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges. TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of the sale

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit EMILYA MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t