The Times-Picayune 04-16-2026

2026 LEGISLATURE

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

Councilastepcloser to controllingS&WB

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

Abill that grants the New Orleans City Council broad authority over the Sewerage &Water Board breezed through astate Housecommittee on Wednesday,clearingits first major hurdle in alengthy legislative process. House Bill 573, sponsored by state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty,R-New Orleans, gives the council thepower to exercise authority over all aspects of the utility’sfunding and opera-

$7Minstate funding pledgedtotournament

BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL and MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

The future of the LIV Golf Tournament planned for New Orleans this summer is up in theair,following questionsthat surfaced Wednesday about the financial viability of the Saudi Arabian-backed tournament Multiple financial publications reported Wednesdaythat Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, under pressure from the Iran war, is considering pulling its support

ä See GOLF, page 7A

tions, including thehiring of the executivedirector and all other S&WB employees.

The bill is supportedbyMayor Helena Moreno and all sevenmembers of the City Council. Moreno, whohas complained she has littlesay over theboard’smakeup or management, showed up to the House MunicipalAffairs Committee to praise themeasure before the committee’s unanimous voteinfavor of it.

“Thisagency hasbeen brokenfor waytoo long. We keep doingthings thesame and expecting adifferent

outcome,” Moreno said.

The bill alsogives CityHall leeway to takeover thedrainage system,although it doesn’tset up aprocess for doing so, alittle more than ayear after alldrainage operationswere consolidated within the S&WB as part of a2024 state law

TheMorenoadministration didn’t answer directly when asked if there areany plans to shiftcontrol of the drainage system

“The mayor has long believed that

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

After years of frustration about child deaths from abuse and neglect in Louisiana, astate lawmaker wants to dismantle theDepartment of Children and Family Services, moving some of its functions into the health departmentand others into law enforcement agencies.

Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, unveiled the plan in Senate Bill 462 during aWednesday meeting of the Senate health committee, which he chairs.

Louisiana faces problems with “child welfare and, in particular,child deaths,” McMath said, and the state’s child welfare apparatus needs “significant, foundational” change.

“There is aunique opportunity here and atrue desire to fix what is abrokensystem,” he said. “Ifwedon’t, children will continue to die at an unacceptable pace in Louisiana.”

Buthours after McMath unveiled the plan, Gov.Jeff Landry gave it afrosty reception.

“It’shard formetoknow if Isupport it or not. Nobody talked to me about it,” Landry said in abrief interview.“I’m extremelyfrustrated with the Senate andwith Sen. McMath.”

“There is aunique opportunity here and a true desire to fixwhat is abroken system.Ifwe don’t, children will continue to die at an unacceptable pace in Louisiana.” SEN. PATRICK McMATH, R-Covington

Louisiana senators have long complained that the child welfare agency isn’tadequately protecting abused and neglected children. They’ve saidthattoo manykidsare dying at thehands of caregivers, even afterpotential dangerswerepreviously flagged to the state.

McMath’s proposed overhaul broadlyincludes three major changes.

Meta seekspower

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Plansfor ahuge expansion of Meta’s Louisiana data center took their first steps before Louisiana electricity regulators on Wednesday,withEntergy granted an initial green lightfor an expedited approval process to build seven more gas-fired power plants for theproject. The expansion adds to what was alreadyexpected to be Meta’s largest AI data center worldwide, being built in northeastern Louisiana at acostofsome $27 billion. The seven newpower plantswould be in addition to threealreadyap-

proved forthe project. Approval from the state’sPublic Service Commission would enable Entergy to generate 7,400 megawatts in total for the tech company with its10gas-firedplants, the equivalent of over half of all power it currently produces statewide. It is also requesting 2,500 megawatts of solarand windenergy, as well as an upgrade to existing nuclear sites.

Four out of the five elected regulators voted in favor of Entergy’s proposal for an advanced timeline, agreeing to cast afinalvote on the new power planinDecember, roughly eight months after the utility filed the application. The commissioners also sidedwith Entergy to forego aformal recommendation from an administrative judge, atypical procedure, but one

ä See META, page 4A

SOPHIA GERMER

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

NewOrleans MayorHelena Moreno speaksduringaHouse Committee on Municipal, Parochial and Cultural Affairs meetingatthe StateCapitol on Wednesday.

ä See COUNCIL, page 7A

BRIEFS

SantaCon fundraiser

organizer arrested NEW YORK A popular SantaCon charity fundraiser that floods New York City with thousands of inebriated young people in red and white Santa costumes every holiday season was true to its name: a con, federal authorities said after they arrested its organizer Stefan Pildes, 50, of Hewitt, New Jersey, was arrested on Wednesday He did not comment after an initial court appearance on a wire fraud charge and was freed on $300,000 bail

Federal authorities said Pildes donated only a small fraction of the $2.7 million he raised through SantaCon charity events from 2019 to 2024. The tradition features a ticketed bar crawl through city streets each December that has attracted over 25,000 people.

The participants paid $10 to $20 for tickets after Pildes told them their money would be divided among neighborhood charities and that they could “brag that (they) actually gave to charity this year” according to the indictment.

Authorities said Pildes siphoned more than half of the proceeds raised each year to an entity he controlled, using those funds to finance various personal ventures.

According to the indictment, he solicited dozens of bars and restaurants to participate and donate 10% to 25% of their food and beverage sales to his charity organization.

Nigerian security forces on high alert for attack

ABUJA, Nigeria Nigeria’s security forces are on high alert over a planned attack by Islamist militants on public infrastructure in Abuja and Niger states, an internal memo dated April 13 obtained from the Nigeria Customs Service by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed The planned targets include the international airport and a prison facility in the capital city of Abuja, as well as a military detention center in neighboring Niger state.

“Their intention is to release detained terrorists and inflict significant damage on critical aviation infrastructure,” the memo reads.

Last week, the U.S. authorized its non-emergency government employees and their families to leave the Abuja embassy owing to a spike in terrorist attacks, kidnapping, and violent crimes in the country, especially in the north. The embassy has been closed. Nigeria’s information minister, Mohammed Idris, described the U.S. decision as a “routine precaution guided by internal protocols,” insisting that it does not reflect the overall security situation of the country

At least 250 people missing after sinking

DHAKA, Bangladesh — At least 250 people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals, were either feared dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Andaman Sea recently on the way to Malaysia, according to the U.N. refugee and migration agencies. While details remained sketchy, Bangladesh Coast Guard spokesperson Lt Cmdr Sabbir Alam Suzan told The Associated Press on Wednesday that nine people, including three Rohingya and six Bangladeshis, were rescued on April 9. Suzan said that the Bangladesh flag carrier M.T Meghna Pride rescued the nine people when the crew found them floating at sea after the capsizing.

The status of any search on Wednesday or when the boat sank weren’t immediately clear UNHCR, the U.N. refugee agency, and the International Organization for Migration said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the trawler departed from Teknaf in the southern Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar carrying a large number of passengers to Malaysia.

Palestinian school path blocked by settlers

Impromptu barbed-wire fence erected overnight

BY SAM METZ and JALAL BWAITEL

Associated Press

RAMALLAH, West Bank Hajar and Rashid Hathaleen have always walked to school from their neighborhood on the outskirts of Umm al-Khair But when classes resumed this week for the first time since the Iran war began, coiled barbed wire blocked the Palestinian siblings’ path to the village center

Israeli settlers had installed it overnight, according to video that Palestinian residents provided to The Associated Press. Palestinians say the improvised fence is just the latest attempt by settlers to expand control in part of the occupied West Bank where statebacked demolitions, arson and vandalism regularly occur and settler violence, at times lethal, is rarely prosecuted

The villagers’ plight was covered in the 2024 Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land,” but the publicity has done little to stem the bloodshed or curb land grabs. They say Israel has used the cover of the Iran war to tighten its grip over the territory, as settler attacks surge and the military imposes additional wartime restric-

tions on movement, citing security

Khalil Hathaleen, head of the village council and a member of the extended family that makes up much of Umm al-Khair’s population, said settlers were exploiting the war to seize land, cut down olive groves and raid nearby villages at night. “It was a good chance for settlers to do what they want, with no rules,” he said.

Like in Israel, Palestinian kids stayed home before last week’s ceasefire, with the threat of falling missile debris leading schools to close. Hajar, her brother Rashid and their classmates sat waiting Monday and Tuesday near Israeli flags, the barbed wire and newly felled trees as their parents and village leaders demanded they be allowed to pass. On Monday, the children were met by plumes of tear gas and sound grenades hurled by armed men in an unmarked white truck, including some uniformed soldiers, according to the video.

Israel’s military said troops used “riot dispersal means” outside Carmel, the settlement next to Umm al-Khair It acknowledged that children were present but said the measures which it didn’t de-

tail — were directed at adults in the area, not the children. The Har Hevron Regional Council, the settlements’ local government in the area, did not respond to questions about the fence.

Bedouins and other villagers have been using the 1.8-mile path from the neighborhood of Khirbet Umm al-Khair to the village center for decades. “We are determined to keep it,” Khalil Hathaleen said.

The fence is just another way that Palestinian movement is being restricted as Israeli settlements multiply in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinians say it follows a wellworn pattern in which settlers erect fences or claim farmland that Palestinians say is theirs, and then move to enforce this new reality with the backing of Israel’s military

Hathaleen said Israeli forces sometimes restrain the settlers, but more often than not they defer to them.

“We are refused a solution,” he said.

The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Israel, meanwhile, views the territory as disputed and says its final status is subject to negotiations.

U.S. faces demand to restore funding to power Puerto Rico

Organizations are urging Trump administration, governor to release $350M

BY DÁNICA COTO Associated Press

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico Nearly 200 organizations are urging the Trump administration and Puerto Rico’s governor to restore $350 million in federal funding that was meant to finance the installation of rooftop solar and battery systems for 12,000 lowincome families across the U.S. territory

Many of the families have disabilities or medical conditions that require electricity Concern is growing that the U.S. will abandon them as chronic power outages persist and the Atlantic hurricane season officially nears it runs from June 1-Nov 30.

“For them in particular, whether they get a (solar) system or not is something that is really life or death,” Charlotte Gossett Navarro, Puerto Rico chief director for the Hispanic Federation, said in a phone interview

The nonprofit group is among the organizations that signed a letter released Wednesday to Puerto Rico Gov Jenniffer González and U.S Energy Secretary Chris Wright.

The Hispanic Federation is one of seven organizations that were going to help install the solar systems and educate families about their use. Some of those groups are now formally objecting to the cancellation of the funds or negotiating with the U.S. Department of Energy González has said that her administration “had no choice,” because the federal government decided it wouldn’t give Puerto Rico those funds. The money is expected to now be invested in the is-

land’s crumbling power grid, which was razed by Hurricane Maria in 2017 but was already deteriorated given a lack of investment and maintenance.

Installations of rooftop solar panels have grown in the past three years across Puerto Rico, with an average of 3,850 systems installed per month in 2025, for an overall total of nearly 192,000 by year’s end, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Meanwhile, more than 171,000 households and businesses have distributed battery storage systems.

But not everyone can afford such systems on the Caribbean island of around 3.2 million people with a more than 40% poverty rate.

Gossett Navarro said that they haven’t received any answers to pending questions about the funding as a May 9 deadline approaches, marking the end of the program that for some hasn’t even started.

Crews had already installed solar systems in more than 6,000 households as part of the program, but another 12,000 families now remain in limbo.

Yvette Rodríguez 61, is among them. She needs a sleep apnea machine, and her husband, Luis Soler, a 67-year-old veteran and double amputee, relies on an electric adjustable bed.

“There’s a big need for those solar panels,” said Rodríguez, who resides on the small Puerto Rican island of Culebra with her husband.

María Pérez, 80, and her 88-year-old husband, have also been hit by the cut in federal funding. She has high blood pressure and heart problems that have led to several hospitalizations. She also has eyedrops for her cataracts that required refrigeration.

“I put them on ice, but it’s not the same,” she said. “They have us suffering with that money that they took away from us. It’s not fair.”

First lady pushes for foster care update

Melania Trump urges Congress to pass a series of bills

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON Melania Trump made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to push Congress to pass bills broadening access to services for young people in foster care, calling it a “moral imperative.”

The first lady began working on foster care issues after President Donald Trump’s first term ended in 2021. Her trip followed a similar and successful lobbying effort last year to get Congress to send legislation to the president to protect women and children from online sexual exploitation On Capitol Hill, she said youngsters in foster care face barriers to housing, transportation and education and other challenges outside the classroom that affect their academic performance.

“We can close this gap,” Melania Trump said. “New legislation for the foster care community is a moral imperative.”

She met Wednesday afternoon with members of the House Ways and Means Committee who introduced the new legislation, and she also heard from people who were in foster care.

Republican and Democratic committee members have introduced several bills to update the Chafee foster care program to improve outcomes for young people aging out of the foster care system. The measures would increase their access to housing, education and workforce training programs, among other things, to help them succeed in the transition to adulthood and independence. The bills have a long way to go toward passage in Congress since they’ve only just been introduced.

The program provides support to foster youth and former foster youth, ages 14 to 21, as they leave the system. The committee said the bipartisan proposals would be the most significant update since the Chafee program was created in 1999.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MAHMOUD ILLEAN

Palestinian students walk to school on Tuesday using an alternative route that is nearly twice as long because a fence separates their village from the nearby Israeli settlement of Carmel,

Measure to remove elected officials draws controversy

Critics said it could become partisan weapon

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

State lawmakers could soon use the courts to oust elected officials they believe are guilty of wrongdoing after a bill to give them that power cleared its first hurdle in the Louisiana Legislature on Wednesday Senate Bill 425 by state Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, would allow the Legislature, through a two-thirds vote of either the House or the Senate, to pursue a civil suit to unseat an official for “malfeasance or gross misconduct.”

In a state government dominated by Republicans, the proposal caught heat from Democrats, who worried it was overly vague and could be used to unfairly target members of their party

SB425 is one of two controversial measures being considered this session that would expand the lawmakers’ authority to force officials out of office: Senate Bill 123, also by Morris, would let voters decide whether the Legislature should be able to take incompetent judges off the bench.

SB425, however would not apply to judges, or to the governor or lieutenant governor, as the Louisiana Constitution protects those officials from removal by suit.

When presenting the measure to the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Morris said there was no specific case of misconduct that prompted him to file the bill, but that “there are mayors who have been involved in very serious scandals and nothing is done for a long time.”

“Anything we can do to limit

2026

LEGISLATURE

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

malfeasance or gross misconduct is a good thing,” he said.

The bill passed the Senate panel in a 4-3 vote that fell along party lines, with Democrats opposed. It now requires the approval of the full Senate.

Under the proposal, if the Legislature voted to remove an official by civil suit, a judge appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court would oversee a proceeding to determine whether that official was guilty of malfeasance or gross misconduct.

Senate debate

Current Louisiana law lays out a process for officials to be removed “by suit” after they are convicted of felonies. The mechanism does not involve the Legislature; instead, state statute directs the district attorney for the region where the official lives to file the removal suit.

If SB425 passes, officials could be removed by civil lawsuits Ωwithout having committed crimes Democrats on the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, who worried the concept of “gross misconduct” would be applied too broadly, raised concerns about that change.

“I have my concerns about these terms that we’re using,” said state Sen. Sam Jenkins, D-Shreveport.

“Especially if we’re not specifically laying out in the bill as to what we’re actually looking for.”

Another Democrat, state Sen. Gary Carter Jr of New Orleans, questioned how judges would instruct juries to determine whether someone was guilty of gross misconduct without a specific definition.

“Gross misconduct is conduct that’s very bad,” Morris said, later adding, “I don’t know that it needs a definition It’s self-explanatory.”

Still, Morris said he would add a specific definition to the bill to address his colleagues’ concerns.

Democrats also worried that, with the Legislature’s Republican super-majority, lawmakers could abuse SB425’s removal mechanism just to get Democrats out of office.

“What safeguards do we have in here that would prevent political abuse or temptation of a political party?” Carter asked.

Morris argued those concerns were unfounded, noting the Legislature can already impeach officials and has not used impeachment to go after Democrats.

Removing an official through impeachment requires the approval of both the House and the Senate, as well as a trial in the Senate, according to the Louisiana Constitution. Grounds for impeachment include malfeasance, gross misconduct and commission of a felony while in office.

Other bill targets judiciary

Also on Wednesday, the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee approved Senate Bill 479 It acts as a companion bill to SB123, Morris’ proposal to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that, if passed, would empower the Legislature to remove judges for “malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence committed while in office.”

SB479 defines those terms, describing incompetence as “a lack of ability or knowledge sufficient to perform the duties of an office that leads to neglect of duty, dereliction of duty, a miscarriage of justice, or misfeasance.”

The Senate panel voted 4-3 to send SB479 to the full Senate Democrats opposed the measure.

Because the Louisiana Constitution gives the Louisiana Supreme Court exclusive jurisdiction to discipline members of the bar there is debate over whether the Legislature can impeach judges under existing law It is also unclear whether SB123 would resolve that dispute.

SB123 passed the Senate on March 30 and is awaiting approval from the House and Governmental Affairs Committee.

EThisstory is brought to you by ExxonMobil

xxonMobil is proud to be a long-standing partofthe Louisianacommunities we call home. For more than 115years, we’veworkedand lived here alongside our neighbors, helping supportthe state’s economyand thepeoplewho make thesecommunities vibrant and strong.

We stayconnected with our communitiesbylistening, learning, and working together,which helps guideour local investments.Through open conversations and collaboration, we’vebeenable to support community-identified priorities with millions of dollarsinlocal funding—andwe’re committedtocontinuing thatpartnership for yearstocome.

Investing in rural communities

As we grow our Louisiana presence through our LowCarbon Solutionsbusiness, ExxonMobil alsocontinues to grow our investmentinLouisiana communities In 2025alone, we invested $3.4 million in local communities with afocus on Allen, Ascension, Iberville, St.James,St. Landry andother rural parishes

We seek to tailor our contributions to meet parishneeds by working with local leadersand thoseliving or working near our projects.Our communityprograms focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, workforce development, emergencyresponsepreparedness and training, economicdevelopmentand communitydevelopmentprograms

Partnering with educators

From investments in labs and learning materials to professional development, ExxonMobil collaborateswith educatorsto broaden STEM education accessthroughout Louisiana Since 2017, we’vebeenproud to partner with the Rice UniversityTapia Center Thatpartnership has allowedustobring Tapia Carbon STEM Camps and programs toevenmorestudents acrossthe Gulf Coast overthe years. We’veexpanded our work in Louisiana through partnerships

President urges extending foreign surveillance program

BY DAVID KLEPPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON Congress is set to take up the reauthorization of a divisive program that lets U.S. spy agencies pore over foreigners’ calls, texts and emails, with supporters like President Donald Trump saying it has saved lives while critics point to long-standing concerns about warrantless surveillance of Americans.

A key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act permits the CIA, National Security Agency, FBI and other agencies to collect and analyze vast amounts of overseas communications without a warrant. It incidentally sweeps up the conversations of any Americans who interact with those foreigners targeted for surveillance.

The program expires Monday, and critics want changes, including a requirement for warrants before authorities can access the emails, phone calls or text messages of Americans. They also want limits on the government’s use of internet data brokers, who sell large volumes of personal information gleaned online, offering the government what critics say amounts to an end-run around the Constitution.

House Republican leaders hoped to advance the legislation on Wednesday, but an initial procedural step was delayed Rankand-file members have pushed back despite a pressure campaign that included a trip to the White House and direct involvement from CIA Director John Ratcliffe.

The chances of significant changes, however seem have dropped since Trump announced his support for the program’s renewal, saying it had proved its worth in supplying information vital to recent U.S. actions in Venezuela and Iran.

“The fact is, whether you like FISA or not, it is extremely im-

ExxonMobillives local through partnershipand collaboration

with Southern UniversityinBaton Rouge andby offeringprofessional development opportunitiesfor localeducators—helping support today’sclassrooms and tomorrow’sinnovators

In 2025, ExxonMobil partneredwith the Allen Parish School Boardand SOWELA Technical CommunityCollegetopresent a week-longresidential STEM professional developmentcamp for40middle and high school teachersinSouthwest Louisiana

“Providing instructional opportunities to train futureeducators in the STEM fields is critical to the continued success of providing educational training opportunities to our students,” said SOWELA Chancellor Neil Aspinwall, EdD.“This is another great example of education and industry partnering to helpprovide the skills and tools needed to prepareour students forfuture work opportunitiesinthe always changing andexpanding STEM fields.Wereally appreciate ExxonMobil fortheir willingness toinvest in talent developmentfor our educators and AllenParish School Boardfor theirsupportwith the training.

Educators took on the studentroleand completed an energy-focused project which theypresented in an educatorshowcase at the endofthe program. Teachers alsoattended workshops on customized lessonplanning, strengthened their teaching and leadership skills,and were ableto expandtheirprofessional network.

Supporting emergency responders

ExxonMobil’soperations areguided by a simpleprinciple: safety comes first.That’s whywework closely with local emergency responders, helping provide up-to-date training focused on pipeline safety

In 2025 alone,weinvested $3.4 million in local communities with afocus on Allen, Ascension, Iberville, St.James,St. Landry, and otherrural parishes

In 2025, ExxonMobil invested $50,000 and donatedmorethan $500,000 worth of training and curriculum materials to found the Louisiana Pipeline Emergency Training Program in BatonRougeincollaboration with the Louisiana State Fire and Emergency TrainingAcademy(FETA)and River Parishes CommunityCollege. Participants in this first-of-its kind program in Louisiana receivefreeeducation in pipeline terminology, equipment, operations and hazards,followedbyhands-on field exercises In the past 12 months,ExxonMobil has sponsored industry-leading, specialized

portant to our military,” Trump said on social media Tuesday

U.S. authorities say the program, known as Section 702 of the law, is essential to national security and has saved lives by uncovering terrorist plots. Critics question what they say is a dangerous infringement on civil liberties and privacy

In a Truth Social post, Trump said a different FISA provision was used to spy on his 2016 campaign but that he supported Section 702’s renewal despite misgivings that political adversaries could use parts of the law against him in the future. He urged lawmakers to extend the foreign surveillance program for 18 more months.

The Republican president is a longtime critic of the nation’s intelligence services and was once opposed to Section 702 before he reversed himself. His director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, sponsored legislation to repeal Section 702 as a Hawaii congresswoman but now supports it. She says new protections added since her time in Congress helped change her mind.

Some Republican House members who have opposed the extension without changes traveled went to the White House late Tuesday to discuss the matter Ratcliffe also met with lawmakers early Wednesday In addition to a requirement for a warrant to access Americans’ data, critics also want greater protections on how the FBI or other agencies can search communications and how that is reported to the public.

“Journalists, foreign aid workers, people with family overseas, all could have their communications swept up in this surveillance merely because they talked to someone outside of this country,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. He is pushing for changes that he said will ensure the government is not violating civil rights in secret.

CO2 responsetraining forover1,000 first respondersacrossits pipeline system, including significantparticipation from Ascension, Assumption, Beauregard, Calcasieu, East BatonRouge, Franklin, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lafourche, Livingston, St.James, St.Landry,St. Mary,and Vermilion parishes

Investing in life-saving infrastructure

Ourcommitmenttosafetyextendsbeyond the fenceline. We have invested in critical, life-saving infrastructuretoprovideemergency responderswith the knowledgeand skills to best servetheir communities,and to giveresidents the information theyneed about the robust safety systems in place.

Most recently,ExxonMobil contributed $373,500 to fund aGeographic Information SysteminSt. Landry Parish. The GIS will serveasareal-time mapping system available to parish departments and first responders, improving communication and information-sharing acrossdepartments

“Whatthis will do forour parish is make thingshappen in the presentfor agencies likefire,police, the tax assessor,emergency dispatchersand public works,”said St Landry Parish presidentJessieBellard. “It used to be thatyou would getinatruck, take amap out,put on the lightand try to identify alocation. Nowwewill bettersee where thatplace is and whatishappening at aparticular time.

ExxonMobil alsocontributed $60,000 toward CO2 monitorsfor St.James Parish first respondersinsupport of the new CO2 pipeline service in the parish.

Continuing to deliver on our commitment

As we nowenter anew chapter of investmentinLouisiana —including carbon captureand storageprojects (CCS) and new connections to our existing CO2 pipeline network —weremain committedtobeing a trusted and engaged communitypartner

We believe strong relationships start early,which is whywefocus on connecting with communities from the very beginning of our projects and staying engaged forthe long term. As our investments in Louisiana continue, so does our commitmenttolivelocal, from large-scale economic impact to partnerships thataddress real communityneeds

that is not binding on the commission.

“Only in government is eight months rushed to make adecision,” said Commissioner JeanPaul Coussan, who voted in favor of Entergy’srequests.

The utility said it metrequirements for the commission’s“lightning initiative,” afast-tracked approval process for large projectslike data centers designed to reduce red tape.Approvedin December,the measure exempts utilities seeking to build new infrastructure from goingtothe market to prove that the new generation is the cheapest and mostreliable option available.

Entergy says in its filings that “the ability to deliver speed-to-power and execute on theeconomic-driven power needs” is akey consideration for companies deciding where to locate their massive projects.

Requirements for the lightning process include aletterfromthe state’seconomicdevelopment agency confirming “the customer’s interest and the importance of poweravailability” and confirmation that acompanywillpay for more than half of its infrastructurecosts for a15-year contract

Entergy says its 20-year agreement with Meta willcover “far more” than the one-halfrevenue requirement. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May said in the announcement for the proposed expansion that the deal with Meta would “strengthen reliability support economic development and deliver meaningful benefits to customers.”

The Wednesday meeting, however,pertained mostlytosetting the timeline for the power plan.

“I’m not going to arguethe merits of the case,” said Entergy vice president LarryHand. “That’swhy we have the proceeding. Iwill acknowledge that this is asignificant undertaking of the parties.It’salot of work.”

DCFS

Continued from page1A

DCFS would no longer bea standalone cabinet agency.It would become adivision in the state’shealth department, which would be rechristened the Louisiana Department of Health andHuman Services

Louisiana State Police would run thecallcenterthathandles reports of child abuse. And the Attorney General’sOffice would handle childsupport enforcement.

In an interview Wednesday morning, McMath said he had discussedchanges at DCFS with Landryand his chief of staff, who he said “have indicated tomethey have an open mind.”

But Landry said the proposal had been created “with no input from us” and that McMathhad yet to show him aproven plan for the childwelfare agency

The governor did say he’s talked to Senate PresidentCameron Henry,R-Metairie,about the agency, and that “we do believe that there are certainbuckets, certain things that DCFS can relinquish which may help some of the problems.” He also acknowledged longstanding problems in the department.

“I do share the frustration that this building has had with that de-

Size of Manhattan?

Last summer,Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announcedplans to expandthe footprint of the facility in Richland Parish, called “Hyperion,”toasize rivaling Manhattan, though some analysts havequestioned whether it could truly reach those dimensions.

Localand stateofficials have heralded the project as ahuge win for economicdevelopment in a poor,rural part ofLouisiana. The siting of the facility aligns with findings that the majority of new data centers across the country are beingbuilt in rural areas, with Southernand Midwestern states leading the buildout, according to thePew Research Center

ThePew report said3,000 data centers are now operational nationwide and morethan 1,500 new data centers areinvariousstages of development.

As with large data centers elsewhere, Meta’splans in Louisiana

partment,” Landry said, referring to lawmakers at the State Capitol.

“Thatfrustration, though, did not startunderthis administration. Thatplace has been atrainwreck.”

He added thatthe personhe appointed tolead the agency, Secretary Rebecca Harris, “has been doing everything she can to putthe wheels back on thatparticular bus” andthat he hopesto finda pathforward forthe agency by the end of the legislative session.

Later in the afternoon, Landry McMath, Henryand Harris had a meetingthat both Landry and McMathdescribed as “productive.”

“The governor is clearly passionate aboutchild welfare and I certainly appreciate and share his passion for child safety,” McMath said.

Detailsabout thechange

Under SB462, all of the functions of DCFS would be distributed to differentagencies, and Louisiana would nolonger have astandalone child welfare department.

Arenamed Louisiana DepartmentofHealth and Human Services would gainanew office of child welfare that would handle the vast majority of Louisiana’s child welfare services: child protective services, foster care, adoption, child abuse andneglect prevention, and humantrafficking, among others.

have generated controversy over whether they will lead to higher electricity billsfor residents as well as theirheavyrelianceon fossilfuel-generated power.The project’s intensive water usage has also raised concerns.

“Itisanoverwhelmingproposal,”said LoganBurke,who leads theNew Orleans-based Alliance forAffordableEnergy.“Remember when we weretalking about how unprecedented three gas plantswas? Andthen they turn around and triple down.”

As of 2024, Louisiana ranked last among states for the share of electricity it gets from renewable resources, according to an analysis by theUnion of Concerned Scientists advocacy group citing government data.

If all 10 of Entergy’sproposed plants come online, the annual NOxemissions thatcontribute to smog would be equivalent to driving adiesel bus roughly 450 million miles, according to Paul

McMath said the “massive umbrella”ofthe health department will allow Louisiana to put more resources andpersonneltoward child welfare.

StatePolice would run a24-hour hotline that would take calls and reports of suspected child abuse Investigationsinto severe child abuse or abuse of children in state custody would be handled by State Police, but other investigations could be handled by thehealth department.

McMathsaid the “best-trained” responders should be thefirst to quickly andprofessionallyhandle initial reports of abuse and neglect, which can later be handed off to a welfare worker at the health departmentifappropriate.

“That system is upside down,” McMath said. “Child abuse and neglect is acrime.”

The AttorneyGeneral’sOffice would ensurethat parentsare makingcourt-ordered child support payments.

“I’ve met with SenatorMcMath anddiscussedthis proposal, andI will support these efforts,” Murrill said in astatement. “Itwould certainly take some transition time butmanyAGoffices around the country perform this function. It’s alegal process, so it would fit within our overall responsibilities.”

McMathsaid apublic hearing will be held on the proposal next week.

Arbaje, asenioranalyst with the group. Entergy has repeatedly stressed the project’seconomicbenefits andmaintains that sufficientprotectionsare in place to protect residents from shouldering itscosts. Entergy Louisiana CEO Phillip May hassaidthe deal with Meta would “strengthen reliability,support economic development and delivermeaningful benefits to customers.”

Watershedmoment?

The requested timeline forthe approvalprocesscoincideswith the final monthsinoffice fortwo commissioners whohave been supportive of Meta’splans so far.

CommissionerFosterCampbell, whosedistrict includes thedata center location,has said: “I am for this project 1000%.”

Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, theother regulator whose term ends in November,said that Entergy’srequest will be given“a

DCFS facing scrutiny

The Department of Children and FamilyServiceshas undergone a series of significant controversies and changes in recent years.

Last month at apublic meeting, senators on the health committee threatened to abolish the child welfare agency, saying it wasa warning intended to prompt actionand reforms.

They grilled its leaders on how the departmentwould put astop to child deaths owed to abuse and neglect

In July,Landry announced Harris, aformer deputy secretary and undersecretary at the department, would leadthe agency,replacing David Matlock, aformer Caddo Parish juvenile court judge who had served as secretary for a year and ahalf.

Lastsummer,state lawmakers took away from DCFS the job of handlingworkforce training and safetynet programslike SNAP andTANF,the federally funded programs run by statesthatprovide food and cash assistance to low-income families. Those programs are now handledbyLouisiana’shealth andworkforce development departments.

Officials saidmovingthe programsaway from DCFS would give theagencya chance to focus itsefforts squarely on child welfare.

tightly controlled analysis.”

“This is awatershed momentfor the state,” Skrmetta said. “Tobe perfectly frank, Ithink we’re just getting started.” He said the future makeup of the regulatory body,which includes five total commissioners, “is probably going to be even more supportive” of data center growth.

Commissioner Davante Lewis, theonlyPSC member whovoted against Entergy at the meeting, cautionedagainst completing the review fora “seismically different” request in the same timeframe as the previous one.

“It takes alonger time to bake a wedding cakethan acupcake,” he said.

Lewis said the lack of acompetitive bid process “incentivizes the utility to build” more infrastructure insteadoflooking forthe least costly option.

Email Josie Abugov at josie abugov@theadvocate.com.

DCFS in recentyears has struggled with childwelfare staffing shortages and turnover due to low payand the difficult nature of the jobs.

In March, agency officials said the number of vacancies at the department hasdecreased,but turnover due to low wages and burnout is still aproblem.

A2022 investigation by The Advocate| The Times-Picayune found that, adjusted for inflation, DCFSlostnearly half of itsfunding between 2007 and2021. The investigation also found that, at the time,DCFS caseloadswere threetimesthe national standard. Also in 2022, the agency and public were roiledbyaspate of shocking deaths from child abuse andneglect in whichDCFS hadreceivedprevious warnings.

The deathsled to theresignation of then-Secretary Marketa Garner Walters, who was in that jobfor six years. Terri Ricks took over,serving until Landry took officein2024.

In 2025, 31 child deaths in Louisiana were attributedtoabuse and neglect;in2020, thatnumber was 23 andin2015, it was41. It’s not clear in how many of those cases DCFShas been previously alerted to problems.

As of March, DCFS data showed 4child deaths resulted from abuse and neglect, and7deaths were still pending investigation.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Roblox, Nevada reach

$12 million settlement

LAS VEGAS — Roblox, a gaming platform popular with kids, will implement increased protections for young users and pay more than $12 million to the state of Nevada in what state Attorney General Aaron Ford on Wednesday called a first-ofits-kind agreement.

Roblox, which is used by nearly half of U.S. children under 16, will give $10 million over three years to support programs like the Boys & Girls Club and other nondigital activities, Ford said. It will also fund a law enforcement liaison position to respond to safety concerns about the platform and fund an online safety awareness campaign, Ford said The settlement, which was agreed upon in lieu of litigation, includes enhanced protections for minors who use the app, such as requiring age verification for all users and restricting nighttime notifications for minors. The gaming platform faces litigation in other states, including Texas and Kentucky, which allege it fails to protect children.

Great Value packaging to see redesign

NEW YORK — Walmart is redesigning the packaging of its Great Value products to help customers instantly spot whether a bag of spicy chips is gluten-free or how much protein is packed into a serving of chicken nuggets.

Encompassing 10,000 different products, Great Value is Walmart’s biggest store brand and one of the largest food and consumer packaged goods labels in the U.S. The revamp announced Wednesday comes as shoppers have increasingly treated private-label foods not as a step down from national brands, but more as an equivalent The new cartons, boxes, bags and other containers will start to appear on Walmart store shelves next month, said Scott Morris, senior vice president of Walmart’s U.S. private brands division The overhaul does not involve any changes to the products themselves, he said. The updates include images that are intended to make the product inside more tempting to shoppers.

Walmart also is moving nutritional information to the upper right hand corner of Great Value food packages, Dave Hartman, Walmart’s vice president of creative design, said. The information previously had no standard location, he said U.S. consumers have become more picky about the ingredients in their food, looking for protein-packed meals or items without gluten, for example. Walmart said its customers, as well as the workers who have to pick items off shelves quickly to assembly online orders, need to be able to spot ingredient lists quickly to speed up their shopping or production.

BBC to cut nearly 2,000 jobs

LONDON — The BBC said Wednesday that it plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs to save 10% of its annual budget — $677 million — over the next two years.

The layoffs announced during a call with staff are the biggest in more than a decade at the U.K. national broadcaster Interim Director-General Rhodri Talfan Davies said in a staff email that the reductions were driven by inflation, pressures to license fee and commercial income and a turbulent global economy

The BBC said earlier this year that it faced “substantial financial pressures” and wanted to cut about a tenth of its budget by 2029. The bulk of the cuts are to be made in the next fiscal year beginning April 1. The BBC is both a beloved and oft-criticized cultural institution funded by an annual

or

S&P 500 hits record, builds on rally

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK — The U.S stock mar-

ket hit a record Wednesday after adding to its two-week rally built on hopes the war with Iran won’t create a worst-case scenario for the global economy Whether Wall Street is correct to have so much hope for peace and whether stocks should be the highest they’ve ever been remains to be seen.

The S&P 500 rose 0.8% and eclipsed its prior all-time high set in January After falling nearly 10% below its record in late March, a drop steep enough that

Wall Street calls it a “correction,” the index at the heart of many 401(k) accounts has since roared more than 10% higher

Much of the rally has been due to expectations for calming tensions in the war and a resumption of the full flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

Bank of America rose 1.8% after saying it made $8.6 billion in profit during the first three months of the year, more than analysts expected CEO Brian Moynihan also said the bank saw signs of a “resilient American economy,” including solid spending by U.S. consumers.

Morgan Stanley jumped 4.5%

after the investment bank likewise delivered a better-than-expected quarter of results.

Companies hurt earlier in the year by worries about artificialintelligence technology also rose to recover more of their losses for 2026. Some of the concerns were about companies potentially spending too much to build out AI capabilities, while others focused on businesses that may go obsolete because of AI-powered competition.

ServiceNow climbed 7.3%, Oracle rose 4.2% and Ares Management gained 5.9% for some of Wednesday’s bigger gains in the S&P 500. All are still down between

12% and 39% for the year so far

The stock price of Allbirds surged 582% to nearly $17 after the company said it’s shifting gears and moving into the AI compute infrastructure industry, while changing its name to NewBird AI. The Allbirds name will stay with the shoe brand that the company has already agreed to sell to American Exchange Group.

Nike rose 2.8% after CEO Elliott Hill and Tim Cook — a Nike director and the CEO of Apple — disclosed that they purchased a combined 48,000 shares of the athletic shoe maker at a cost of about $1 million each.

Prosecutors continue investigation, seek access to Fed’s headquarters

Trump again threatens to fire Fed’s chairman

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors made an unannounced visit this week to a construction site at Federal Reserve headquarters that is the focus of an investigation into a $2.5 billion renovation project, according to two people familiar with the visit.

Two prosecutors and an investigator from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office were turned away on Tuesday by a building contractor and referred to Fed attorneys, one of the people said. The two people familiar with the visit spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation.

The visit underscores that the Trump administration is not backing down from its investigation of the Fed and its chair, Jerome Powell, even though the probe has delayed the confirmation of a new chair nominated by President Donald Trump The investigation is focused on cost overruns and brief testimony about the project last summer by Powell. Trump confirmed in an interview that aired Wednesday on Fox Business that he wants to continue the probe.

Last month, during a closed-door hearing before a federal judge, a top deputy from Pirro’s office conceded that they hadn’t found any evidence of a crime in their investigation of the headquarters project

Robert Hur, an attorney for the Federal Reserve board of governors, sent an email to Pirro’s prosecutors about their visit and their request for a “tour” to “check on progress” at the construction site. Hur’s email, which The Associated Press has viewed, noted that U.S. District Judge James Boasberg concluded that their interest in the Federal Reserve’s renovation project was “pretextual.

Republican Tillis is key vote

Sen Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who is a key member of the Senate Banking Committee, has vowed to vote against Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to replace Powell as Fed chair, until the investigation is dropped. With the committee closely divided on partisan lines, Tillis’ opposition is enough to block Warsh from receiving the committee’s approval.

Tillis on Wednesday criticized the investigation as “bogus, ill-timed, ill-informed” and repeated that seven Republican members of the banking panel have said they do not believe Powell committed a crime when he testified last June.

Tillis also said there aren’t enough votes on the committee or in the broader Senate to do an end-run around the committee and get

Warsh confirmed some other way

“There really is no path,” he told reporters, adding that Pirro and her aides were “asleep at the switch” because the investigation has essentially delayed Powell’s departure from the Fed, despite Trump’s obsessive criticism of the Fed chair Powell has now said he won’t leave until the investigation is resolved.

Tillis suggested Pirro blindsided the White House with her investigation. “They should have consulted with the White House, because I’m sure if they would have, (the White House) would have said, ‘no, we can wait,’” until Powell steps down.

But Kevin Hassett, the Trump administration’s top economist, said Wednesday that the Justice Department got involved because “the president wanted to investigate the cost overrun,” Axios reported.

The Banking panel said Tuesday that it will hold a hearing on Warsh’s nomination April 21. Powell’s term as Fed chair ends May 15, but Powell said last month he would remain as chair until a replacement is named. Powell is serving a separate term as a member of the Fed’s governing board that lasts until January 2028. Chairs typically leave the board when their terms as chair end, but they can remain on the board if they choose. Powell has said he won’t leave until the investigation is resolved. If he remains it would deny Trump the opportunity to appoint someone else to the seven-member board.

Late Tuesday Tillis posted a link on social media to The Wall Street Journal’s article on the visit below an image of the Three Stooges and wrote, “The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. at the crime scene.”

Investigation centers on renovations

The investigation centers on an appearance by Powell before the Banking Committee last June, when he was asked about cost overruns on the renovations. The most recent estimates from the Fed suggest the current estimated cost of $2.5 billion is about $600 million higher than a 2022 estimate of $1.9 billion.

“It is probably corrupt, but what it really is, is incompetent,” Trump said. “Don’t you think we have to find out what happened there?”

The president’s support for the investigation threatens a time frame set out by Sen. Tim Scott, a South Carolina Republican who chairs the Banking Committee. Scott said Tuesday on Fox Business that he believed the investigation would be “wrapped up in the next few weeks,” allowing Warsh to be confirmed soon after

Threat to fire Powell

News of the unannounced visit by prosecutors comes as Trump has again threatened to fire Powell, if the Federal Reserve Chair decides to stay on the central bank’s governing board after his term as chair expires next month. “Well then I’ll have to fire him, OK?” Trump said.

Trump has for months wanted to remove Powell, saying he has been too slow in orchestrating interest rate cuts that would give the U.S. economy a quick boost. Powell has said the investigation is a pretext to undermine the Fed’s independence to set rates.

Sen.JoshHawley,R-Mo.,saidTrumpcanonly fire Powell “for cause,” meaning some kind of misconduct, “so that’s a pretty tall order.”

Jury finds Ticketmaster, Live Nation had monopoly

BY LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ Associated Press

NEW YORK — A jury has found that concert giant Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary had a harmful monopoly over big concert venues, dealing the company a loss in a lawsuit over claims brought by dozens of U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

A Manhattan federal jury deliberated for four days before reaching its decision Wednesday in the closely watched case, which gave fans the equivalent of a backstage pass to a business that dominates live entertainment in the U.S. and beyond.

Earlier, the judge told lawyers on both sides to meet with one an-

other “and the United States” to provide a joint letter proposing a schedule for motions and how the remedies phase of the case would occur He told them to deliver it by late next week. The trial brought Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino to the witness stand, where he was questioned about matters including the company’s Taylor Swift ticket debacle in 2022. Rapino blamed a cyberattack. The proceedings also aired a Live Nation employee’s internal messages to another employee declaring some prices “outrageous,” calling customers “so stupid” and

boasting that the company was “robbing them blind, baby.” The employee, Benjamin Baker who has since been promoted to a position as a ticketing executive, apologetically testified that the messages were “very immature and unacceptable.”

Live Nation Entertainment owns, operates, controls booking for or has an equity interest in hundreds of venues. Its subsidiary Ticketmaster is widely considered to be the world’s largest ticket-seller for live events. The verdict could cost Live Nation and Ticketmaster hundreds of millions of dollars, just for the $1.72 per ticket that the jury found Ticketmaster had overcharged consumers in 22 states. The companies could also be assessed pen-

alties. In addition, sanctions could result in court orders that they divest themselves of some entities, including venues such as amphitheaters that they own.

The civil case, initially led by the U.S. federal government, accused Live Nation of using its reach to smother competition — by blocking venues from using multiple ticket sellers, for example.

“It is time to hold them accountable,” Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, said in a closing argument calling Live Nation a “monopolistic bully” that drove up prices for ticket buyers.

Live Nation insisted it’s not a monopoly, saying that artists, sports teams and venues decide prices and ticketing practices.

Rapino

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, right, and President Donald Trump look over a document of cost figures July 24 during a visit to the Federal Reserve in Washington.

from LIV, which would likely force the cancellation of its tournaments.

State and city leaders were scrambling Wednesday amid the reports, referring questions to Gov Jeff Landry’s office. Officials with City Park, whose Bayou Oaks Golf Course is scheduled to host the tournament in June, and tourism officials with New Orleans & Co. declined to comment.

Landry, through a spokesperson, said only that, “so far, we have not been notified of anything as far as LIV folding or pulling out.”

Landry announced amid fanfare last August that New Orleans would host the tournament, a deal that involved $7 million in state funding for a hosting fee and greens resurfacing and drainage improvements at Bayou Oaks.

Landry faced backlash about dipping into the state’s major event fund to lure LIV to the state. He has framed the event as an economic development win.

LIV launched in 2022 as a controversial alternative to the PGA Tour, funded in large part by the Saudi Arabia’s primary sovereign wealth fund. Landry has said the tour could generate about $60 million in economic impact Reports that the Saudis would pull their funding had circulated among golf reporters in recent days, with many projecting the move could spell failure for the international tour

The Financial Times re-

COUNCIL

Continued from page 1A

there needs to be much closer coordination between the Sewerage and Water Board and the city,” Moreno’s spokesperson, Isis Casanova, said in a statement. “The administration looks forward to working with the City Council, the public and stakeholders to reform the board’s operations, oversight, and management.”

It’s not clear what, if any, new authority the council will ultimately give itself. Hilferty said the bill is intended as a “toolbox.”

“The council looks forward to working with the legislature and other stakeholders in making SWB finally work for our residents with true local accountability,” Council President JP Morrell said in a text. The full council later this month will approve a resolution in support of the bill that is backed by all seven members.

The concept of turning control over to the City Council didn’t sit well with some S&WB board members. The chair of the board’s governing committee, Courtney Scrubbs, warned lawmakers in an 11page letter that the bill could lead to political uncertainty that would weaken its standing with ratings agencies

ported that the personal investment fund overseen by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had narrowed its focus in a new five-year investment strategy that includes cutting LIV spending. The strategy was reportedly written before the start of the U.S.-Israel war with Iran that led to an effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz — a critical passageway for Persian Gulf states’ oil — and structural damage to Gulf countries’ infrastructure. However, fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan said the war added additional pressure for the fund, the Times reported.

“This structure has not served the city of New Orleans. It has not served its residents. What it leads to is finger-pointing and a position where the buck stops nowhere.”

REP STEPHANIE HILFERTy R-New Orleans

and bond investors.

“We believe governance reform should be judged not by whether it creates more political flexibility in the abstract, but by whether it materially improves the utility’s ability to prevent, absorb or respond to system stress,” Scrubbs wrote.

The bill next moves to the House floor If it clears both House and Senate and receives the governor’s signature, it will become law

The S&WB was created in state law more than a century ago, and is regulated by more than 80 state laws and a handful of local ordinances.

The council approves water rates, while the mayor presides over the 11-member board, with members serving staggered four-year terms

The Bureau of Governmental Research and others have blamed the convoluted thicket of laws and funding mechanism for a void of ac-

Questions about the future of the tournament, scheduled to be held June 25-28, come just days ahead of City Park’s reopening of its popular driving range on Filmore Avenue.

Bayou Oaks’ range has been closed since January while crews regraded surfaces, improved drainage and added a new layer of sand, turf and greens.

City Park said late last month that crews had finished trimming trees, repairing bridges, clearing debris and removing dead or invasive plants on the South Course, where the tournament will take place.

countability and historic underfunding.

“This structure has not served the city of New Orleans. It has not served its residents. What it leads to is finger-pointing and a position where the buck stops nowhere,” Hilferty said before the vote.

New Orleans-based lawmakers have repeatedly tinkered with the S&WB and taken steps to give the council more regulatory authority over the years. Hilferty sponsored laws in 2022 that gave the council oversight over the S&WB’s billing system, which at the time was notorious for its inaccuracy

The council set up new appeal procedures while the S&WB installed automatic water meters, and complaints have since plummeted, according to S&WB data.

Members of the Municipal Affairs Committee voiced enthusiastic support for the bill before voting unanimously to advance to the full House, with some suggesting it’s past time for New Orleans to take control of its water systems.

“It’s so vital, so crucial, that we break the wheel and we start over with something that’s much more responsive and responsible,” said Rep. Paul Sawyer, RBaton Rouge.

Email Ben Myers at bmyers@theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

The Bayou Oaks Golf Course in New Orleans is scheduled to host a LIV Golf tournament this summer

BY MIKE SMITH Staff writer

The state’s $1.5 billion annual plan for coastal restoration and protection cleared a key legislative committee on Wednesday after having been previously held up over advocates’ concerns linked to the controversial cancellation of two expansive river diversion projects.

Approval from the Senate committee likely smooths the way to final passage, though advocates’ criticisms remain and the weeklong delay marked a rare legislative setback for the coastal plan.

The cancellation of the two projects has been part of a major shift in coastal strategy by Gov Jeff Landry’s administration

Wednesday’s approval came after a meeting two days earlier between the leadership of the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and Women of the Storm, a prominent advocacy group that has long pushed for the diversions as a nature-based method of addressing Louisiana’s land loss crisis. The group, formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, has been at the forefront in bringing attention and funding to coastal issues, both in Baton Rouge and Washington, D.C.

The result of Monday’s meeting was that advocates and state officials essentially agreed to disagree on the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions.

CPRA officials also responded in writing to a list of questions posed by the advocates on the state’s new strategy Landry’s administration opposes the diversions over ballooning costs and the devastating effects they would have on commercial fishing in those areas among other issues.

Coastal advocates argued the unprecedented projects, which would have been largely paid for with funds related to the 2010 BP oil spill, matched the scale of the land loss crisis and would nourish other marsh rebuilding plans with

the sediment they would deliver ‘Critical restoration’

State Sen. Patrick Connick, RMarrero, the chair of the Senate Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee, summarized Monday’s discussion at the start of the committee hearing and thanked CPRA leadership for meeting with coastal advocates. When he delayed the plan last week Connick had said he was doing so at the behest of Senate President Cameron Henry, though that he also agreed there were serious questions raised that deserved answers.

CPRA Chair Gordon Dove and Executive Director Michael Hare said at the hearing that they understood the advocates’ position but were ready to move ahead with the plan for fiscal year 2027, which begins in July The plan includes 143 active projects, ranging from levee building to marsh construction and ecosystem restoration across the coast.

“I think we’re excited to move this program forward, this plan for this year, and again, certainly we respect people’s differences,” said Hare. “We’re going to have that. But again, with 143 projects across 20 parishes, this certainly is something that I think fulfills the mission and the vision of CPRA to deliver critical restoration and protection for all of our coastal communities.”

Women of the Storm founder Anne Milling said she appreciated the opportunity to discuss their concerns, but her group’s stance was unchanged.

“We appreciate the fact that they took the time to meet with us, but we are disappointed that they are totally committed to projects other than the diversions,” she said.

The plan has gained other necessary committee approvals and will eventually head to a vote by the full House and Senate. Lawmakers can only give an up-ordown vote to the plan, without the ability to make line-item changes.

$700 million disbursed

Mid-Barataria had broken broke ground in 2023, while construction had not yet begun on MidBreton. The idea behind the diversions, which had been studied and planned for years, was to mimic the way south Louisiana was built in the first place by funneling river sediment to restore lost wetlands.

But oyster growers and shrimpers in those areas would have had to move or find another line of work due to the influx of fresh water the diversions would bring. That generated strong opposition from those industries and their parish leaderships.

With the cost of Mid-Barataria climbing to around $3 billion, Landry also argued that it was too much to spend on one project and that the state would have been on the hook for portions of it.

Around $700 million in BP-related funds had already been disbursed for the projects. Dove says that, after insurance payments,

interest on remaining funds and other methods, the losses will ultimately amount to between $250 million and $275 million.

The state is now focusing on building large-scale “land bridges” and restoring barrier islands in place of the diversions. CPRA officials hope to build a land bridge stretching 94 miles using dredged sediment across parts of Plaquemines, Jefferson, Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, though planning remains in the early stages.

Those favoring the diversions argue that those projects, while important, eventually erode like the rest of the coast. River diversions would serve to nourish them and slow their decline, they say, providing a longer-term solution.

Email Mike Smith at msmith@ theadvocate.com or follow him on Twitter, @MikeJSmith504. His work is supported with a grant from the Walton Family Foundation, administered by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation.

The New Orleans skyline, seen here from Chalmette, is perilously close to the eroding

Schools fight city’s tax collection fee

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

New Orleans charter school leaders, boxed out of courtroom negotiations over the city’s practice of taking a fee for collecting taxes on behalf of schools, have taken matters into their own hands. In recent months, school leaders

have escalated a campaign urging the city to charge the Orleans Parish School Board less money for collecting schools’ taxes. They have tried to join the litigation between the board and the city over the collection fees. This month they funded a report showcasing the detrimental financial impact — more than $7 million annually that a high collection fee could have on schools.

there’s a cost to doing business, so fair is either the cost of collections, or the 1.5% allowable by law.” Their coordinated opposition comes as state legislators consider a bill that would cap the fee the city can charge at 5%.

bill, she said. Isis Casanova, Moreno’s communications director, said in a statement that negotiations with the School Board and others are ongoing.

“We just want to make sure whatever’s agreed upon is a fair deal,” said Sabrina Pence, CEO of FirstLine Schools. “We know

State Rep. Mandie Landry, DNew Orleans, who filed House Bill 795 as part of the city’s legislative package, said Tuesday that the bill was delayed after it had been scheduled for committee this week in part because it seems to have “forced conversation” between the parties. She doesn’t plan to pull the

“Our goal has always been to settle this amicably to put OPSB on firm financial footing while properly accounting for the cost of tax collection,” Casanova said. “However, the goal posts keep moving and we have yet to receive OPSB’s unified position. The City continues to negotiate in good faith to reach resolution as soon as pos-

sible.” Taslin Alfonzo, a spokesperson for NOLA Public Schools, said the board’s attorney submitted a settlement offer to the city in late February She noted that the board unanimously passed a resolution last month opposing HB795.

“Strong public schools are the cornerstone of our city’s health, safety, and economic growth,” Alfonzo said in a statement. “We remain firmly committed to protecting every dollar designated for our

Charter operators unite in opposition to proposal ä See SCHOOLS, page 2B

held for

‘They were souls, precious and real’ St. Tammany coroner holds service for unclaimed remains

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

William Johnson had a great sense of humor loved fishing and hunting and wore socks so colorful that they “gave you a headache after a few minutes of looking at them,” his sister Belinda Johnson recalled But after Johnson, 56, died in February 2025, he became one of many people whose remains every year go unclaimed at the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office.

Belinda Johnson said they had a small ceremony for Johnson at

home with a few friends, but it was nothing like the ceremony that took place on Wednesday at the Coroner’s Office.

“This is really nice This will help a lot,” she said.

On Wednesday, the Coroner’s Office staff held a memorial for 18 people on a patch of grass outside the office, gathering to remember the people whose remains are not officially claimed by their families.

“Their records may have been called indigent or even unclaimed, but they were souls, precious and real,” pastor Donald Bryan of First

Pentecostal Church in Slidell told the small crowd of mourners and staff with the Coroner’s Office. The remains have been placed at Eternal Rest Cemetery in Covington, which has a crypt that in 2018 the community organization Leadership Northshore helped then-St. Tammany Parish Coroner Charles Preston create specifically for unclaimed remains. All of the 18 people died in 2025. Not since 2018 has the Coroner’s Office had a memorial service for

See CEREMONY, page 2B

N.O. romance scammer

on run after conviction

Woman failed to report to federal prison, police say

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

never arrived in Minnesota, U.S. Attorney David Courcelle of the Eastern District of Louisiana said in a news release Wednesday In court filings Tuesday, an FBI agent wrote that phone records suggest Hall traveled to Washington, D.C., on March 24 rather than Minnesota. Federal border agents found no record of her crossing the U.S. border, so authorities believe Hall either remains in the U.S. or fled the country with fake documents, the agent wrote. Hall’s flight marks the latest twist in a case in which more than two dozen women testified, saying they were duped into sending money to Hall’s co-defendant, Kenneth Akpieyi. Prosecutors indicted Hall and Akpieyi after he posed on

State report looks at parish’s deficit

BY WILLIE SWETT Staff writer

pared

on a specific purpose. The undedicated taxes that it does collect, which go to general funds and are spent at the discretion of elected leaders, tend to go toward the parish’s cities, according to the report. The lack of general parish taxes has contributed to

and

Belinda Johnson, whose brother William died just over a year ago, wipes a tear during the memorial service at the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office in Lacombe on Wednesday.

STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER

Pastor Donald Bryan, far center, with First Pentecostal Church in Slidell, leads a prayer service outside the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office on Wednesday. The service was

people whose bodies were never collected from the morgue. They’ve been cremated and their ashes will be placed in a special part of a cemetery in the parish.

Officials havesaid more cuts are expected in 2027.

Astrange situation

The auditor’sreport said the parish could try to cut expendituresto the general fund by reducing how much they pay for the courthouse and jail, something the parishhas been exploring throughlitigation, according to the report.

Alternatively,the parishcould increase revenue to itsgeneralfund by increasing general taxes or it could propose dedicated taxes for the criminal justice system Anew dedicated tax for the criminal justice systemhas faced issues in thepast: justlast year,voters rejected aproposal on the ballotto dedicate tax money toward theDistrictAttorney’sOffice,courthouse and jail. Numerous similar ballot measures have also failed in the last decade.

The auditor’sreportisthe first to offer acomprehensive look into St. Tammany Parish’sfinances since the defeat of that ballot measure last year,which prompted some parish officials to begin calling for an overhaul of St. Tammany’stax structure.

It also underscoresthe strange situation that St. Tammany finds itself in: Despite being one of the wealthiest parishesinthe state, it is struggling to pay some of its bills.

“These findings further validate what we have been saying:St. Tammany has an antiquated tax structure that may not be efficiently serving the needs of our citizens,” said Parish President Mike Cooper in aprepared statement.

The five parishes that the Auditor’sOffice found werecomparable to St. Tammany,based on economic factors, were Jefferson, Bossier Livingston, Ascension and Assumption.

Although St. Tammanylevies a similar amount in sales and property taxesper person compared withthose other parishes, the way the money gets divvied up is very different, according to thereport.

Afocus on firefighting

St. Tammany Parish Government receives $28 per person in undedicated taxes, versus an average of $111 among the other fiveparishes.

St. Tammany also collects $304 per person in sales and property taxes for fire protection,versusan average of $120 for the other parishes, according to the report

Thepossibility of increasing efficiencies in the parish’sfirefighting, such as by consolidating some of the parish’s13different fire departments, has long been atopic of discussion —and apoliticallightning rod.

Chris Kaufman, the fire chief of St. Tammany Fire District No. 1, which covers Slidell, said he appreciated the data in the report and said he and the other fire chiefs are committed to increasing efficiencies. But he said, “I’m questioning whether these five parishes should be compared to St. Tammany.” He said he wanted more information about the other parishes’fire departments, such as whether they are volunteers or paid,aswellas the geographic footprint of theparishes.

When decidingwhich parishes to compare St. Tammany to,the Auditor’sOffice looked at economic factors like poverty rate, GDP and per capita income.

‘Looking at thesameinformation’

The state Auditor’sOffice put togetherthe report after arequest by northshore legislators,who had been meeting with parishofficials to discuss its struggles with funding the criminal justice system.

State Sen. Beth Mizell, RFranklinton, said she and some other members of the northshore legislativedelegation contactedthe state Auditor’sOffice to ask them to look at the parish’sfinances. The Auditor’sOffice can offer aneutral perspective, she said.

“Hopefully this will get everybody looking at the sameinformation and coming up with acreative way to find ashort-term anda longterm fix,” Mizell said. In terms of along-termsolution, state Rep. Stephanie Berault, R-Slidell, pointed to thereport’s finding that in 2024,only 41.2% of the parish’stax base comes from business property tax, thelowest of any parish in the state. Business property tax made up 68.9% in the average parish statewidethatyear, the report found.

“If we want to reduce the taxburden on individuals,then we have to have more businesses that are willing to share in the taxes that we all pay,” Berault said. But, she added, businesses are “not going to come unless they think we can pay our bills.”

Email Willie Swett at willie. swett@theadvocate.com

Bywatercamelback catchesonfire

SCHOOLS

Continued from page1B

schools and strongly oppose any legislation that diminishes fundingfor our students and educators.

School leaderswantasay

The dispute stems from the board’s2019 lawsuit against the city over its practice of taking fees for theproperty taxes it collects onbehalfofschools. The city takes a1.6% fee for collectingsalestaxes, anda 2% fee for collectingproperty taxes,about $11 million annually,though the city temporarily paused taking thefee last year Board members say the fees are far more than thecost of collections and are larger than fees charged to school boardsinmost parishesinthe state.

Aproposed 2024 settlement, publicly backed by NewOrleans City Council and OrleansParish SchoolBoard members, would have done away with thefees entirely.But the agreementwas nixed by former Mayor LaToya Cantrell’sadministration.

Thoughformer council at large member Helena Moreno is now mayor,settlement negotiations

CEREMONY

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the unclaimed or indigent people whose bodiesare left withthe Coroner’sOffice.

Sometimes the people are estrangedfrom their family,while other timesfamily members can’t afford to inter or cremate their loved ones’ bodies

“I am so thankful that the Coroner’sOffice did thisceremony. I hope they do it every year,” said Belinda Johnson.

That’swhat the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’sOffice aims to do,officials said.

St. Tammany Coroner Christopher Tape wasnot available to attend the event on Wednesday, officialssaid,but ChrisKnoblauch, aforensicdeathinvestigator with the Coroner’sOffice, said in 2027 they would hold aservice for the peoplewhose remains werenot claimed in 2026.

When abody comes to the Coroner’sOffice, the office makes efforts to reach the next of kin, but if someonedoesnot claim the body within 30 days, thebody usually getsturnedover to William Bagnell,the director of Bagnell &Son Funeral Home.

For around twodecades,Bagnellsaidhehas worked with theCoroner’sOffice to dispose of unclaimed bodies. He said he alsomakes efforts to contact the family,and if there’suncertainty aroundwho the next of kin is, they bury the body rather than cremateit. If they find outthe

SCAMMER

Continued from page 1B

Facebook as amilitary general and oil engineer to con older women into paying him millions, sayingheneeded the cash to helprebuild schools or to settle tax bills. Akpieyi wouldthen launder the moneythrough abusiness Hallowns. Hall pleaded guilty and wassentencedtoeight years. Ajury convicted Akpieyioforchestrating the scheme, and he received 25 years. Akpieyi

have stalled. Moreno’sadministrationearlier this year offered to nix the property tax collection fee but bump the sales tax fee to 7.5%, which would have offered little savings for schools. Theboard rejected the offer, andMoreno worked with Landry to file the placeholderbill in the Legislature while negotiations continue.

Formonths, charterschools, which are funneled their share of property andsales taxes by the local board, have attempted to get a seat at the table.

Some have expressed concern that the board could settle for ahigher fee in exchange for a higherlump sum payment from thecity.Inthe 2024 settlement, thecitywas set to pay $20 million cash, plus $7 million annually over thenextdecadetoward district programs, including ThriveKids, amental health program, the Travis Hill School for incarcerated studentsand workforce development programs.

The Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, acharter membership organization, and charter operators KIPP New Orleans, FirstLine Schools and ReNew Schools filed amotion in January to intervene in the board’slawsuit. Andearlier this

Dwelling housed 4residents

Staff report

The New Orleans Fire Department extinguished afire Wednesday afternoon at amultiunit camelback residence in the Bywater,authorities said. No injuries were reported. Firefighters were dispatched at 3:04 p.m. to 2802 St.Claude Ave. andarrivedfive minutes later to find heavy fire in the rear upper portion of the building,according to the department. Crews conducted primary searches in all three units and worked to contain the fire.

Asecond alarm wascalled at 3:31 p.m.because of the size of the structure and its proximity to occupied neighboring buildings. The fire was brought under control at 3:43 p.m

Thethree-unit dwelling housedfour residents, who hadsafely gotten out. Most of the damage was contained to the rear unit. It was not immediately clear whether all four residents would be displaced. No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

year,schoolleaders attendedOrleans Parish School Board meetings en masse to urge theboardto reject the city’slatest settlement offer

Applying pressure

UntilOrleans CivilDistrict

CourtJudge D. Nicole Sheppard rules on the schools’ intervention request—likely later this month —school leadershaveapplied pressure in other ways.

In late March, agroup of school leaders representing aswath of New Orleans schools requested a meetingwith the mayor to “share our perspective, ask questions, and better understand the City’s approachasthis moves toward resolution.”

“Our schools serve thousands of New Orleans students and families,and collectively contribute to the city’sacademic progress,” Pencewrote in the email, cosignedbyleaders for Crescent City Schools, InspireNOLA, KIPP NewOrleans,ReNEW Schools andCollegiate Academies.

Pence saidinthe emailschools hope have asolution by the end of May as they finalize their budgets fornext school year

Gabriele Forsyth, Moreno’s director of scheduling,declined the meeting and told school lead-

ers that the mayor couldn’tmeet with school leaders “while the legal process is underway.”

The schoolsalsolaunched an email-writing campaign to urge state legislators to oppose Landry’sbill. Critics of the bill had sent morethan 400 emails by Tuesday afternoon to Landry, legislative leadership and other lawmakers, said Charlotte Stone, aPRrepresentative working with the schools.

The report the schools commissioned detailed thefinancialcost to each school if thecitywere to charge 5% —$165 per student and$7.4 million annually across the district. The report urged city leaders instead to cap the fee at 1.5%, which would cost about $50 per student and morethan $2 million across the district annually Jamar McKneely,CEO of charter school network InspireNOLA, said his network alone would standtolose $1.3 milliona year if the city charges 5%.McKneelysaidthatwould mean cut programs, possibly staffing and services that played arole in the charter network’srecent academic gains.

“Weunderstandthere’s astalemate,” McKneelysaid. “We’re hoping this can broker anew conversation.”

Staff of the St.Tammany Parish Coroner’sOffice and guests gather for amemorial service outside the office in Lacombe on Wednesday. Amemorial was heldfor peoplewhose bodies were nevercollected fromthe morgue. They’vebeen cremated and their ashes will be placed in aspecialpartofacemeteryinthe parish. LOTTERY

person is aveteran, then Bagnell said they try to bury them in a veteran’scemetery

Per state law,disposal of the person’sremains is paid for by theparishorcitythatthe person was aresident of. St.Tammany Parish pays $300 for acremation and $1,600 for aburial, according to St. Tammany Parish spokesperson Michael Vinsanau. He said they paid $12,000 in total in 2025.

was jailed afterhis sentencingand remains in federal custody Hall’s daughter was charged,too, but prosecutors dropped thecharges aftershe agreedtoenter adiversion program In afilingbeforeher sentencing, Hall’sattorney, Sean Toomey,wrote that shemade “serious errorsinjudgment” but ultimately pocketed just $45,000 from thescheme, compared to the millions Akpieyi raked in. Toomey didnot immediately respondtoan email Wednesday about Hall’sflight from the au-

“Imagine them not as somestatistic,” said Bryan, but instead as “real people,” whether aveteran or amotherorsomeone whospent their time feeding strayanimals, he said, before later leadingthe group in prayer The 18 names were thenread aloud.

Email Willie Swett at willie swett@theadvocate.com.

thorities. Hall sought at onepoint to revoke her guiltyplea, but the request was rejected by afederal judge. Hall and Akpieyi lived in Georgia at thetime they carried outthe scheme, officialssaid, but were charged in New Orleans because alarge numberoftheir victims lived in theNew Orleansbased Eastern District of Louisiana federal courts district

Email James Finn at jfinn@theadvocate. com or contact himon Signal at jamesfinn.82.

STAFF PHOTO By ENAN CHEDIAK

NewOrleans firefighters extinguish ablaze on St.Claude Avenue on Wednesday afternoon.

Suspected Molotov cocktail

thrown at N.O. Tesla center

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

A fire started at the New Orleans Tesla service and leasing center in the Irish Channel after the building was apparently hit by a Molotov cocktail early Tuesday morning according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ New Orleans office The front door of the office on 2801

Tchoupitoulas St. was singed in the incident. Debris surrounded the entrance Wednesday morning and a sign at the center instructed customers to use a separate door ATF New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department responded to the fire at around 7:52 a.m. Tuesday after the center’s owner called about a fire, an NOPD spokesperson said. No arrests had been made as of Wednesday

Tesla staffers were advised not to comment on the investigation. Several Tesla shops and cars were targets of vandalism last year as CEO Elon Musk’s leadership at the Trump Administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, and his wider involvement in right-wing politics, provoked backlash.

A group of Tesla Cybertruck drivers was pummeled with beads during the Krewe of Orpheus’ parade in 2025.

Toddler suspected of drug overdose, JPSO says

Metairie couple arrested, held without bail

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A Metairie couple was arrested Tuesday after a 2-year-old boy suffered a suspected fentanyl overdose, according to the Jef-

ferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Kayla Bonilla, 27, and her boyfriend, Tyler Brady, 29, were booked with seconddegree cruelty to a juvenile, said JPSO spokesperson Sgt. Brandon Veal. The victim, Bonilla’s son, remained hospitalized Wednesday His condition was not available. Brady is not the child’s father, according to authorities.

Sheriff’s Office detectives were summoned to a hospital at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday morning to investigate a report of a child’s possible drug overdose, Veal said. Authorities learned that Bonilla and Brady had taken the boy to East Jefferson General Hospital in Metairie earlier that morning for medical treatment. Doctors said the child was unresponsive and had shallow breath-

ing when he arrived, according to authorities.

Medical staffers stabilized the toddler with Narcan, a drug used to reverse opioid overdoses, according to authorities He was then taken to Manning Family Children’s Hospital in New Orleans for further treatment.

The 2-year-old tested positive for fentanyl and cocaine, Veal said.

Investigators spoke with

the couple and determined that although the toddler had shown obvious signs of suffering a fentanyl overdose, Bonilla and Brady waited several hours before seeking any medical help, according to Veal.

“There were signs the child was in distress,” he said.

The couple delayed to avoid any kind of investigation by law enforcement,

authorities allege. The Sheriff’s Office has not yet determined how and when the toddler ingested the drugs, authorities said. Bonilla and Brady were being held without bail Wednesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

La. wants people just out of prison able to get Medicaid

Officials say health care prevents recidivism

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Louisiana will work with the Trump administration on a new program to get people who are leaving prison connected with Medicaid, in hopes of getting them help that will prevent them from reoffending, state officials an-

nounced Wednesday Gov Jeff Landry held a news conference to say that the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services is on track to approve “Section 1115 Waiver” that will give the state flexibility to start offering the services up to 90 days before someone is released from prison or jail. Those services could include medication-assisted treatment for addiction, mental health treatment, a 30-day supply of prescription drugs and other services

The idea is that, by putting peo-

ple on a solid health care footing before releasing them, the state will remove an obstacle to successfully reintegrating into society, officials said.

“We don’t like putting people in jail, and we don’t want to keep people in jail,” Landry said. “We don’t like the recidivism out there.”

In a 2024 application for the waiver state officials noted that people who repeatedly end up in prison disproportionately suffer from substance abuse and mental health disorders. By treating those disorders,

state officials hope to keep people out of prison.

“We know that we can get (substance use disorder) treatment, chronic disease treatment and bring a prisoner’s health under control, so that when they’re released, the emergency department is not the only source of care. There’s continuity between the care that they’re getting from the prison,”

Man held on $2M bail in 2022 killing

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

A New Orleans man who evaded U.S. marshals for roughly four years after allegedly killing a woman in Central City was ordered held on a $2 million bail Tuesday, four months after his apprehension in a seaside California town. New Orleans police say William Powell III, 43, shot Ciara Bullock, 35, in the head outside his residence in the early morning hours of March 19, 2022, leaving

her to die on the sidewalk He went into his house, changed clothes, jumped the back fence and kicked open a neighbor’s gate to flee, according to court documents. That week was an especially violent stretch in a year when New Orleans became the nation’s murder capital. Twelve other people were killed in Orleans Parish during the week of Bullock’s slaying, according to the Metropolitan Crime Commission. After surfacing briefly in Jackson, Mississippi, Powell evaded authorities for years,

according to U.S marshals. The agency upgraded Powell to a major case, and last fall, NOPD named him one of their most-wanted murder suspects. In December U.S. marshals from the New Orleans Task Force and the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked the fugitive to Morro Bay California. After a brief standoff outside the residence in the 300 block of Mindoro Street, Morrow was arrested on a second-degree murder warrant and booked into San

Luis Obispo County Jail.

Powell was extradited to New Orleans and booked into the Orleans Justice Center early Tuesday At his first appearance in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court before Magistrate Commissioner Joyce Sallah, prosecutors said his criminal history includes armed robbery possession of a firearm by a felon and possession of a firearm with a controlled dangerous substance. If convicted of second-degree murder, Powell faces life in prison.

Death of Angola inmate under investigation

Staff report

An inmate died Tuesday at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, according to the state Department of Public Safety and Corrections. The prisoner, Reginald Basile, 46, had been serving

a life sentence since 2002 for first-degree murder, according to the Department of Corrections. Basile’s death is being investigated by the West Feliciana Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the cause is undetermined, pending results of

an autopsy according to the department.

Basile is one of three men convicted in the killing of Acadiana oil executive Ronald Shaw at his home in Youngsville. Basile pleaded guilty to the murder in exchange for the prosecutors

not seeking the death penalty

The three men ambushed Shaw and his wife when they returned home from grocery shopping.

The grisly murder was the subject of a “Forensic Files” TV episode that aired in 2002 and made national news.

Secretary of Health Bruce Greenstein said “We also know that when prisoners get the care that they need and have a smooth transition, they’re much less likely to go back to jail.”

Dan Brillman, the federal Medicaid director, was in Baton Rouge on Wednesday for the announcement.

“There’s gonna be a ton of innovation happening in prisons and jails and youth facilities,” he said. Brillman said he hopes the program will be up and running later in the summer

Man pleads guilty in claiming to be

BY QUINN COFFMAN Staff writer

A Baton Rouge man pleaded guilty Wednesday to a charge of impersonating an officer after telling a Walmart employee he was an undercover cop while attempting to shoplift soap.

Byron Owens, 40, allegedly tried to walk out of the Walmart on Old Hammond Highway on Jan. 18 with a $10 bottle of Old Spice body wash.

Owens was stopped by an employee while trying to leave with the soap through the department store’s entry, and was told to go around and provide a receipt for his purchase.

When confronted, Owens tried to leave the soap and exit the store.

Owens then told the employee that he was an undercover officer, before lifting his sweater to flash what the employee believed

was a gun in his waistband.

“You see this s*** here?

That tell you that I’m a police officer,” Owens told the employee, according to an affidavit for his arrest. Owens was later located at a business on Gwenadele Avenue and arrested. He had a rifle stock stuck in his waistband at the time of his arrest, police say During police questioning, Owens again said he was an undercover police officer working “for all departments,” according to his affidavit. Owens was originally arrested on additional charges, including theft and aggravated assault, but these were later dropped. For his guilty plea to impersonating a peace officer, Owens was sentenced to six months in prison.

Email Quinn Coffman at quinn.coffman@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By By JULIA GUILBEAU

A suspected Molotov cocktail was used to set fire to the Tesla building on Tchoupitoulas Street early Wednesday morning, according to officials.

Greenstein

Barriere, Sula

Barthé,JoAnn

Birden,Mildred Blondiau,Gregory

BourgeoisSr.,Larry

Butler, Dave

Cosse’,Aline

DelArcaSabat,Olan

Ducote,Ida Freyholtz,Joseph Graham,Clemon Green,Doris

Greer,Alice Harvey,Triquila

Jackson, DeSoto

Johnson, Carla

Johnson Sr., Isaac Joseph, Elsie

Lewis, Will

Melanson, Josephine

Richardson Jr., John Sanford, Ella

EJefferson

Garden of Memories

DelArcaSabat,Olan Ducote,Ida Freyholtz,Joseph Richardson FH

Sanford, Ella

NewOrleans

Boyd Family

DW

Green,Doris

Gertrude Geddes

Jackson, DeSoto

Johnson, Carla

Littlejohn FH

Richardson Jr., John River Parish

Millet-Guidry

BourgeoisSr.,Larry West Bank

DavisMortuary

Barriere, Sula Lewis, Will Mothe

Blondiau,Gregory Greer,Alice

Melanson, Josephine

Robinson FH

Birden,Mildred Butler, Dave Cosse’,Aline Graham,Clemon Harvey,Triquila

Obituaries

Barriere, Sula Mae'Mamme'

friends. Sheenjoyed gar‐dening, fishing, thrift shop‐ping, andtraveling.Above all,she wasa womanof deep faith who openly sharedher love forJesus and liveda life that re‐flectedhis love.Beloved wifeofthe late Paul Bar‐riere,Jr. Devotedmotherof PamelaBarriere, Gregory Barriere, Gretchen Franklin, Paula (Brian) Matthews, Sharon(Kirk)David,and the late Paul Barriere III, and Jenell “Pippi”Ander‐son.Daughterofthe late Harrisonand OdealMc‐Dowell. Loving sister of Rev.Patrick McDowell Joyce Recasner,James Mc‐Dowell, Savannah McDow‐ell,Deborah McDowell, and the late LeonellMcDowell, CliffordMcDowell, andHar‐rison (Jr. Boy) McDowell Alsocherishingher memo‐riesare ahostofgrand‐children, greatgrandchil‐dren, greatgreat grand‐children, nieces,nephews cousins,other relatives and friends. Even in her passing,her messageof faith continues. Follow this linktoheara message fromSula: https://youtube com/shorts/sUfi9PUOd68. Relativesand friendsofthe family, also pastors, offi‐cers, andmembers of Household of Faithand all neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at House‐holdofFaith,9300 I-10 Ser‐viceRoad, New Orleans, LA onFriday, April17, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Antoine Barriere, officiating. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. until servicetimeatthe church Interment: Resthaven Memorial Park Cemetery, NewOrleans LA. Arrangements by Davis MortuaryService,230 Mon‐roe St., Gretna,LA. To view and sign theguestbook pleasegotowww.davismo rtuaryservice.com

Barthé,JoAnn Elizabeth In LovingMemory of JoAnn Elizabeth Barthé March 11, 1950 -April3, 2026 With hearts fulloflove and gratitude fora life beautifully lived, we celebrate the life of JoAnn Elizabeth Barthé, who entered eternal rest on April 3, 2026. JoAnn was born on March 11, 1950,tothe loving unionof Joseph and SedoniaGray. From the very beginning, she embodied grace, strength and aquiet kindness that wouldtouch countless lives

She was thedevoted and cherished wifeof RolandJoseph Barthé, with whom she shared an extraordinary love story spanning 58 years. Their marriage stood as ashining example of unwavering commitment, deepfriendship,and unconditional love

JoAnn was aproud graduate of JosephS.Clark High School and dedicated many yearsoffaithfulservice to her work at BellSouth and later the Department of Health and Hospitals, where she servedfor 20 yearswith diligence and care

She was precededin deathbythose who now welcome herwith open arms.

JoAnn leaves to cherish her beautiful memory her loving husband, Roland Joseph Barthé;her children, Dianne Barthé,Karen Barthé, and David (Kristy) Barthé;her grandchildren, Shannon (Camelia "Millie") Barthé, Marcus Brown, Joshua Boyd, and Seth Barthé; and hergreatgrandchildren,Mariyah O'Quin, Jaedon Barthé, Rhyan Barthé,Jeremiah Barthé, and Emerald Brown. Sheisalsolovingly rememberedbyher inlaws, JoyceJohnson, Leontine Barthé,and Barbara(Roland) James, alongwith ahost of nieces, nephews, relatives, and dear friends.

Sula MaeBarriere, affec‐tionately knownas “Mamme”, enteredinto eternal rest on Saturday April 4, 2026,atthe ageof 84. Shewas anativeand longtimeresidentofNew Orleans,LA. Shewas are‐tired employee of the UnitedStatesPostalSer‐vice, andeveninretire‐ment, sheremainedde‐voted to helpingothers, feedingthe homeless, car‐ing forthose in need,and volunteeringher time.Sula was knownfor herloveof baking, especially her brownies, whichshe shared with familyand Birden,Mildred P. MildredP.Birden de‐partedthislifepeacefully onSunday, April5,2026 at her home in Avondale LA surrounded by herloving family. Shewas 92 years old anda native of Con‐vent, LA.Daughterof the lateAndrewPowelland Helen Powell Collins. De‐voted wife of thelate JosephBirdenSr. Beloved motherofJosephBirden Jr.,Helen Birden Lavance, Richard Boetticher Birden (Lottie),Donna Rose,Terry, Nathan, Deidra,and Car‐olyn Williams, andthe late

LeeAndrewBirden(Debra), Sadie Rousselle,Gwen, Al‐bertSr.,and HenrySim‐mons. Sister of Issac Collins III, andthe late Irma Brown, Joseph,An‐drewJr.,and Geraldine Powell, Lorraine Singleton and Nelson Ellis. Mrs. Bir‐den is also survived by 40 grandchildren,40great grandchildren,10great great grandchildren, as wellasseveral nieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Mrs Birdenwas alongtime memberofthe Second St JohnBaptist Church of Avondalewhere sheserved faithfullyaspresident of the DeaconessBoard.She retired from LW Higgins HighSchool after many dedicated yearsofworking asa Food ServiceTechni‐cian, where shewas affec‐tionately referred to as Ms.Millie".Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend thefuneral service on Saturday,April 18, 2026 at Second St.John Baptist Church 242 Avon‐daleGardenRd, Avondale LA. 70094. Thevisitation willbegin at 8AMfollowed bya 10AMservice.Pastor DamienBrown will offici‐ate andentombmentwill followinMt. Zion Baptist Church Cemetery in Ama LA. Funeralplanningen‐trusted to Robinson Family FuneralHome. Online con‐dolencescan be shared at Robinsonfamilyfuneral‐home.com

GregoryGeorge Blondiau, age52, passed fromthisearth on April10, 2026. Greg is survived by the Love of hislifeDana HockBlondiau. Father of AshleeBlondiau, Hannah Blondiau(Cody Cross) AshtonGalt(Josh), Taylor Kline (Carlee),and thelate Britnee Lynn Blondiau Grandfather “Poppi”of TuckerGalt, BanksCross, and CamilleKline. Sonof Rebecca George Blondiau and thelateLeonBlondiau. Son-in-lawofCarol A. Hock and thelateDennisE Hock Sr. BrotherofWendy Guidry(Chris),Kevin Blondiau(Sally), Dennis Hock(MeMe), andDebra Chatelain (Glen).Heisalso survivedbybeloved nieces and nephews, amazing friends andfamily. Greg was aCaptain on theriver since the1990’s. He en‐joyed beingwithhis friends andfamilydoing thingsheloved such as traveling abroad,mud rid‐ing,concerts, huntingand fishing. Most of allheloved weekly familydinners,and morning coffee andnightly 5 o’clocksomewhere cock‐tails with Dana,the love of his life.For Greg no adven‐turewas ever toosmall,he was always readyto “boogedy boogedy”and go whereverlifetook him. He was thegreatestPoppi to Tucker, Banks(littleone), and Camille(littlelady) Mostofall he wasa de‐voted father who made sureweall hadeverything weneeded,nomatterhow manyplaceshehad to go tomakeithappen. Steadily offering guidance,wisead‐vice, anda love that made eachofus, despiteour dif‐ferences, feel trulyunder‐stood.Nothing waseverto far outofreach to do for his kids at anytimebe‐cause as he wouldalways say “it’smyjob”. Hisphi‐losophy was“live today likeit’syourlastday,be‐cause youcan’t buytime” and time is thegreatest giftofall.Cheers! In lieu of flowersdonations maybe madetoChildren’sHospi‐tal (New Orleans) or The AmericanHeart Associa‐tion. Relativesand friends are invite to attend theFu‐neral ServiceonFriday, April 17, 2026 at OurLady ofPerpetual Help in Belle Chasse,La.,12p.m.Visita‐tionwillbeheldatchurch from10a.m.until service time. Aprivate burial with familywillfollowatWest‐lawnMemorialParkCeme‐tery, Gretna,LA. MotheFu‐neral Homeshandled arrangements. Please also jointhe familySunday, April 19, 2026 forhis cele‐bration of life at Croatian HallinBelle Chasse,LAat2 p.m

Larry JBourgeois, Sr passed away on Monday April13, 2026 at theage of 92. He was anativeof Garyville and alongtime resident of Reserve.

Belovedhusband of the late Yvonne Cambre Bourgeois. Devoted father of Larry J. Bourgeois, Jr, his constant companion and caregiver forthe last twelveyears. Sonofthe late Paul and Martha T. Bourgeois. Brother of Albert Bourgeois (Marietta), thelateRita Madere (the late Antoine), DorisCambre (the late Warren Madere and the late Douglas Cambre), Warren Bourgeois(the late Clemence), Hubert Bourgeois(the late Mary Anne), Roland Bourgeois (the late Eunice),Noland Bourgeois(the lateBetty), and Lynn Bourgeois (Delores). Survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins,and friends.

Larry proudly served in theUSNavy, during the Korean War from 19521956, during these four years he never returned home. Once he returned home, he worked at AvondaleShipyard, and ADM and Bayside Grain Elevator as amachinist and mechanic.

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend the Visitationand Funeral Mass on Friday, April 17, 2026 at St.Peter Catholic Church. Visitation willbe held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., followedbya Funeral Mass at 12:00 p.m. Burial willfollow theservices at St. Peter Catholic Cemetery.

The family wouldliketo thank allthe doctors and staff at East Jefferson Hospitalfor thecare they haveprovided forthe past 45 years.

Dave Butler wasbornin Columbia, Mississippi,on September 14, 1942 to Lu‐cille andCiceroButler. He had 3sisters and4 broth‐ers.Ofthisgroup,hewas the youngestborn. It was herethathebegan alife thatwould come to be de‐finedbylove, generosity, and quietstrength. Dave acceptedChristata young age andwas baptizedat Antioch MissionaryBaptist Church.Hewould grow up tobea very active church memberand deacon.He passedawayonMarch 26 2026, leavingbehinda legacyofcompassion, in‐tegrity,and devotion to familythatwillnever be forgotten. Dave wasa de‐voted husband to Cather‐ine BrooksButlerfor 44 years anda loving father toKrystal Butler andEric Butler, -roles that he cher‐ished aboveall else.Dave was also thegodfather to Anthony Black, Jacqueline (Perique),Jenniferand Gabrielle Jones, Brion Brooks, andAaron Jones. Hewas theheart of his family—asteadypresence, a source of guidance,and a man whose love couldal‐waysbefelt, even in the simplestmoments.Known for hiskindand mild spirit, Davewas someonewho would help anyone in need Henever hesitatedtooffer a hand,a word of encour‐agement,orhis time.In 1980, Dave joined Greater Morning Star Baptist Church under theleader‐shipofDr. D.J. Sullenand continued to serveunder the currentpastorDr. JosephBrooks. Friends, neighbors,and even strangers couldcount on his generosity.Hehad a way of making people feel seen,valued, andsup‐ported, andthatgiftlefta lasting impression on all who crossedhis path Dave'slifewas grounded in the values of hard work,re‐spect,and compassion.For years,hewas adevoted associatetoNew Orleans Tours andAirport Shuttle. Hewas also associated withKostmayer Design Hunter-CharbonnetCRPC, Victory ChristianCenter Int'l, Street CustomsAuto, Jet Life Apparel, Paul Con‐nick, andUntouchable BodyShop. He ledbyex‐ample, teaching those around himthe importance of treating others with

kindness anddignity.His quiet strength andsteady character made himsome‐one people trustedand looked up to.Athome, Davecreated aspace filled withwarmth, laughter,and love. He took prideinhis familyand found hisgreat‐est joyinbeing presentfor them-whether through everydaymoments or life's important milestones.His nurturing nature andgen‐tle guidance shaped the lives of thoseclosest to him in ways that will con‐tinue to be felt forgenera‐tions.Daveissurvivedby his wife-Catherine,two children-Krystal andEric, sisters andbrothersinlaw; ONeal Butler,Juanita Brooks, Clifford,Clinton and Dr.JosephBrooks, along with ahostofnieces and nephews, relatives, and friends. Though his passing leaves adeep void his memory will live on in the love he gave,the lives hetouched,and the lessons he shared.His legacyisone of selfless‐ness, compassion,and un‐waveringdevotiontofam‐ily.DaveButlerwillbe deeply missed, lovingly re‐membered, andforever heldinthe hearts of those who knew andloved him. Relatives andfriends of the familyand allneighboring churches areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservice on Saturday, April18, 2026 at Greater MorningStarMis‐sionary BaptistChurch 14747 LA-23, BelleChasse, LA70037. Thevisitationwill begin at 9a.m.followedby an11a.m.service offici‐atedbyDr. Joseph A. Brooks. Intermentwillbe heldonWednesday,April 22, 2026 at theSoutheast Louisiana Veterans Ceme‐tery, 34888 Grantham Col‐legeDr.,Slidell, Louisiana 70460 at 9a.m.Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Aline

December 6, 1947 –April 8,2026. With hearts full of loveand gratitude, we an‐nouncethe passingofour beloved mother,Aline Maria Thompson Cosse’, who left this worldpeace‐fully on April8,2026, sur‐rounded by herbeloved family. Shewas abeacon ofkindness, awellspringof wisdom, andthe heartof our home.BorninHappy Jack, LA., Alinelived alife definedbycompassion, re‐silience, andgrace.She de‐voted herselftoher family, nurturing notonlyher chil‐dren, grandchildren, and great grandchildrenbut everyonefortunate enough tobetouched by her warmth. Herlaughter could brighten thedarkest day,and hergentlecoun‐sel guided us throughlife’s storms. Alinehad agiftfor findingbeautyinthe sim‐plest moments— abloom‐ing garden,a shared meal, a quietconversation. She believedinthe powerof lovetoheal, andshe lived thattruth everyday.Her legacyisone of generosity unwavering faith,and the countless livesshe en‐riched. Sheleavesbehind tocherish hermemories… her husband, Jimmy Cosse’. Herchildren, WandaAlexis-Barthelemy

(Mike),the late Douglas Alexis, Jr.(Keena),Barry Alexis(Akera),and Holly Alexis-Espadron (Radley) Her grandchildren: Stephanie,Lil Mike,Alexis, Lil Mac, Dominique, Dallas Lil Barry, andHanna.Her great-grandchildren: Tyson, Serenity,Violet, Blayke, Haylee, Baby Lilly, and Baby Jessie. Hersib‐lings,MadelineRoberts and Garland“Gil” Phillips Her Aunt,MaryJaneRodi, and herloving, devoted, dear“Pal”,AlmaAlexis. Her godchildren, Kimberly Sylve,Matthew Alexis, HillarieAncar,JodyAncar Shawn Reeg,and Kelly Thompsonand ahostof familyand friends. Aline was preceded in deathby her parents, WilliamJ Thompson, Jr andElizabeth “Jolena”Barthelemy Thompson, herbrothers, Malcolm Thompson,Clyde Phillips, hersister, Monica Thompson, herson Dou‐glasAlexis, Jr., andher godchild, Joseph Alexis,Jr. Our familywillcarry for‐wardher spirit in theway welove, care,and give Thoughwemissher dearly wetakecomfort in know‐ing herlight will neverfade fromour hearts.Restgen‐tly,our dearestMother. Yourloveisour forever home. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend thefuneral service on Saturday,April 18, 2026 at RiverOfLife Ministries25640 LA-23, Port Sulphur LA.70083. Thevisi‐tationwillbegin at 10:30AM followed by a12 noon serviceofficiated by PastorRoy Mareno Jr Funeralplanningentrusted toRobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Foronlinecondo‐lencesgotoRobinsonfami‐lyfuneralhome.com

DelArcaSabat, Olan David

Olan

DavidDel Arca Sabat, 47, passedawayon April8,2026. Olan wasborn on August 23, 1978 to his loving late mother,Blanca Iris SabatBonilla andfa‐ther,Marco TulioDel Arca SaraviainSan PedroSula, Honduras.In1995, Olan metGrace in NewOrleans Louisiana, beginninga love storythatwould span threedecades.Over30 yearsofmarriage, they builta life rooted in com‐mitmentand devotion, raisingfourbeloved chil‐dren together:Jochelyn, Linda,OlanJr.,and Taina. Olan wasprecededin deathbyhis mother Blanca Iris SabatBonilla Olan is survived by his wife,Grace F. Piloto Del Arca;his children:Jochelyn A. DelArcaDiaz(Rey‐naldo),Linda M. DelArca Lau(Miguel), Olan D. Del Arca Jr., andTaina I. Del Arca;grandchild, Sarah Diaz;and siblings:Marco T. DelArca, LauraE.Del Arca Medina, AntonioN.Del Arca andRolin E. DelArca. Olan lovedtospent his time fishing, traveling, spending time with his family anddogs,Thorand Rome,and riding hisfour wheeler.Olandedicated many yearstothe con‐struction field, working with determinationand pride. Hispassion andper‐severanceled himtobuild hisown companyalong‐side hiswife, GraceDel Arca.Together, they cre‐ated more than abusiness. They fostered aclose-knit,

When youneed thenews. Wherever youreadthe news

Bourgeois, Larry J.

Blondiau,GregoryGeorge

Cosse’,

MariaThompson

Joseph, Elsie

Rhodes

Butler,Dave

family-likecommunity amongtheir clients, em‐ployees,and colleagues Olan wasanunparalleled son, husband, father grandfather, andsibling Whileour hearts mourn theloss, we take comfort in knowingheisnolonger suffering. Olan liveda life fulloffaith,joy,and gen‐erosity. Olan’s strength to keep family together will live on throughusforever He will alwaysberemem‐beredfor hiskindheart Relativesand friendsare invitedtoattend theFu‐neralServicesatDivine MercyCatholicChurch 4337 SalLentini Pkwy., Ken‐ner, LA 70065 on Friday April17, 2026.Visitation will beginat10:00 am with Mass starting at 12:00 noon.Toorder flowersor offercondolences,please visitwww.gardenofmem oriesmetairie.com.

IdaGremillionDucote passedawaypeacefully surrounded by herfamily, onMarch 27, 2026, at the age of 92. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher beloved husband of 72 years,Robert“RJ” Ducote; her son, TerrellDucote; her five brothers,Hubert Gremillion, Milbon “Bean” Gremillion, FloydGremil‐lion, Perry “Myron”Gremil‐lion, andRalph “RJ” Gremil‐lion; hersister, Romaine Riche;and herparents, Ralph andLillian Gremil‐lion. Ida’sthree children wereher prideand joy: Perry Ducote (Tammy), Pam LeBlanc(Michael), and Troy Ducote (Danielle). She wasa loving grand‐mothertoBrooke Schnadelbach(Richy), BrandiSmith (Jerrod) Jason West (Lara),Victoria Ducote, DevinDucote, Lau‐ren Adams(Keith),Stephen Ducote(Lauren), Catherine Ducote, Nicole Keating, and Elizabeth Boudreaux. She was also blessedwith manygreat-grandchildren: Madison Smith, Laurel Smith,Silas Ducote,Alice Adams,AugustAdams Arlen Adams, LillianJones, Maxilliam Hale,Ethan Jr Barnett, EanBarnett,and KaiaLedet;and onegreatgreat-grandson, Dominic Smith.She also leaves be‐hindher sister,JeanSalta‐lamachia; hertwo sistersin-law, Voncille Gremillion and Kathleen Gremillion; aswellasmanynieces, nephews,lifelongfriends, and allwho lovedher.Ida truly nevermet astranger. Idawas adevoted parish‐ioner of St.Edward’s Catholic Church for61 years.She lovedher family and friends, enjoyedread‐ing thenewspaper,travel‐ing,and especially cook‐ing.Her love of cooking lived on throughher chil‐drenand grandchildren, withtwo of them becom‐ing chefsbecause of their beloved Nonnie’s influ‐ence. Sheisnow at peace inHeavenwiththe love of her life sincethe ageof 16, her RJ, or as shelovingly calledhim,“Baby,” whom she dearly missed.Mom go find Daddy on his mountainand live in eter‐nal peacetogether.One day,wewillall meet both ofyou there. Relativesand friends areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservices onSaturday, April18, 2026, atGardenofMemoriesFu‐neral Home,4900 Airline Drive,Metairie, Louisiana 70001. Visitation will be heldfrom10:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m.,followedbya Catholic prayer service. Burialwilltakeplace im‐mediately afterservicesin GardenofMemoriesCeme‐tery. To offeronlinecondo‐lences, send flowerstothe family, or planta tree in memoryofIda Gremillion Ducote, please visitwww gardenofmemoriesmetairi e.com

ber6,1967, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.Helater made Louisiana hishome, where hemet theloveofhis life, Kalin RaeFreyholtz.A proud Army veteran, Josephservedhis country acrossthe globe. He spent muchofhis career as a wheel vehiclemechanic, later bringing hisskillsto the New OrleansVA, in HVAC. He ultimately landed his dreamjob as the Emer‐gency Management Spe‐cialist at theNew Orleans VA, continuing hisdedica‐tiontoserving others.Joe had an unconditionallove for thoseclosest to him. He loved deeply,fully,and qui‐etly, in away noteveryone got to see. To allwho knew him though,hewas kind and generous.Hewas will‐ing to teachanyoneand everyonea newskill,a the‐ory,ora life lesson.Hehad a steady strength andsup‐port. He wasalwaysa shouldertoleanon, a phone call away,ora much needed listeningear.He was stubborn in thebest ways, hada goofyspirit, and he wasalwaysopento learningsomething new. Joe enjoyedmakingmemo‐rieswith hisfamily, riding 4-wheelers, taking thelong way,and fixing everything Heissurvivedbyhis won‐derfulwife, Kalin; amazing childrenDaniel(Sam),Jor‐dan (Ashley),Jason (Tèa), Casey,and Shania;7 beau‐tiful grandchildrenEli,Kyla, Joey, Owen,Vivian, Maria, and Dahlia;brothersMar‐lin,John(Emily),David (Leodith),Mike(Michelle), Peter (Lisa),and Riley (Leah); sistersMary(Tom) Ann-Marie(Erik), and Therese;mother, Mary Dougher;and many nieces, nephews,and cousins. He was preceded in deathby his father Marlin Freyholtz (Traci).Joe wasalsosur‐rounded by many dear friends,eachofwhomhe cherished as chosen fam‐ily.Family, friends, andoth‐ers whose livesJoe touched arewelcome to attend acelebration of life atGardenofMemoriesFu‐neral Home,4900 Airline Dr.,Metairie, LA.70001,on Saturday, April18, at 11:00 am. Therewillbean“afterparty”atSwamp Room in Metairie. Joeasked that everyonewearbrightcol‐ors andjoinustoremi‐nisce,grieve, supportone another,and celebratethe lifeofJoe.Inhonor of Sex‐ual Assault Awareness Month,and in lieu of flow‐ers,pleaseconsidermak‐ing adonationin Joe’s nametoSexualTrauma Awareness &Responseat www.star.ngo.

Loving,kind, sponta‐neous,compassionate, courageous, confident protective, provider,lover ofmusic,historian,phe‐nomenal cook/chef, hus‐band, father,grandfather great grandfather, Uncle, brother,son,and great man of valor. Clemon Gra‐ham,bornJanuary 3, 1939, inAthens, Louisiana, is the son of Bessie“Deleon” Wrightand Rev. Wesley Graham; grandson of Cor‐nelia WashingtonGraham and Rev. JamesHenry Gra‐ham;great-grandsonof JaneJohnson andThomas Washington. Clemon en‐tered into theheavenly realm of ancestorsApril 7, 2026 andwillbememorial‐izedApril 17, 2026. Raised ona farm, baptized at Pine Grove BaptistChurch, Clemonexcelledacademi‐cally,graduatingasclass valedictorian.His favorite cousin, EffieLee Milner, servedashis personal se‐curityduringhis school years.Upongraduation, Clemonenlistedinthe UnitedStatesNavy, under‐going training in SanDiego California, under Company 221 at USSMTMcKinley (AGC7). As anaval recruit, heacquiredvaluableexpe‐riencethatpreparedhim for hisfuturecareer. After nineweeks of training,he was commissionedasa MailPetty Officer, laterbe‐cominga 193Radio Opera‐tor anda Naval Disc Jockey, spreadingjoy to the world throughhis knowledge andpassion for music across theairways Clemonservedinthe Viet‐nam War, with his final duty assignment in Comeight, NewOrleans His military servicere‐sultedinnumerousaccom‐modations,including:a Clemonreceivedthe Na‐tionalDefense Medal, Viet‐nam ServiceMedal,Repub‐lic of VietnamCampaign Medal,and Meritorious UnitCommendationMedal He washonorably dis‐

chargedonJanuary 31, 1972, duetoa physical dis‐ability.Clemonserveda total of 14 years, 6months, and 14 days in active ser‐vice, plus 3years,4 months, and11daysinfor‐eign/SeaService.His final rankwas E-6inthe U.S. Navy. Hissuperiorperfor‐mance andleadershipex‐periencemadehim essen‐tialtothe US Navy.For his service,wesay,“JobWell Done!”After hishonorable discharge,Clemonworked for McDermottIndustries, built walkingtrailsasa ParkRangeratJeanLafitte NationalPark, andspent over17years dedicatedin service to theLoyolaMain PostOffice under Pay-Lo‐cation213, processing and sorting ourlocal mail.He never misseda dayof work. Clemon wasthe youngestofRev.Wesley and BessieGraham. He was preceded in deathby his four brothers:Willie Graham, FrankGraham, Joe NealGraham, andWilbert Graham, andthree sisters: Leona Graham Gilbert, Vera BeatriceGrahamKelly,and VonnieGrahamDouglas RuthieShine,his sister of Shreveport, LA (98years old)ishis only surviving sibling.Clemonentered intoholymatrimony to Elouise AlexanderJune 27, 1981. From this Unionthree surviving children were born; Clemon Joseph Gra‐ham (Valerie), Ramona CherieGraham, andTracey Elizabeth Graham Taylor One granddaughterby ClemonthAnastasia Williams (Cody) Great GrandsonCodyJr. and Great Grand-daughter Caleigh ThreeGrandchil‐drenbyRamona, Eugene EricRidgley Jr Sydneé ReneRidgley,and Ashley JadaWhitney-Graham. One Great Granddaughterby Eugene, EyanaAzari Ridg‐ley.Clemonwillbemissed and foreverloved by his familyand friends. Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Fri‐day,April 17, 2026 at Greater St.Peter Mission‐ary BaptistChurch 182 W. St. PeterSt.,Belle Chasse LA. 70037. Thevisitation willbegin at 8AMfollowed bya 10AMservice.Dr. Dar‐nellSmith Sr.willofficiate and entombment will fol‐low in Westlawn Cemetery inGretna. Funeralplanning entrusted to Robinson FamilyFuneralHome. For onlinecondolences please visit www.robinsonfamilyf uneralhome.com

DorisM.Alexander Green entered intoeternal rest on April 9, 2026, at the ageof81. She was theloving wife of thelate DaleH Green. Relatives and friends of thefamily,Pastor, Officers, and members are invited to attend theFuneral Service at Second Free Mission Baptist Church, 1228 Burdette St., New Orleans, La 70118 on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 11:00 am. Visitation willbeginat10:00 am. Interment: Monday, April 20, 2026 at Southeast Louisiana Veterans Cemetery Slidell, La. Arrangements entrusted to D.W.RhodesFuneral Home,New Orleans, La. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.

AliceMcGee Greer,age 76, of Harvey,Louisiana passedawaypeacefully on April 12, 2026. Born on Oc‐tober 6, 1949, in NewOr‐leans to John Herbert McGee andAliceRivas McGee, Alicelived alife

filled with love,passion and kindness. Aftergradu‐ating from Northwestern Universitywitha bache‐lor’s degree in MusicEdu‐cation,she continuedto

shareher love of musicby instillingitinher children grandchildren,and greatgrandchildren.Alicewas deeply devotedtoher fam‐ily anddedicated much of her life to caring forher children. Sheembracedthe vibrant cultureofNew Or‐leans,cherishingMardi Gras, Jazz Fest,Saintsfoot‐ball, andtimespent porch sitting with lovedones. She had apassion fortraveling, especiallytothe beach, where sheloved collecting seashells.Alicewillbere‐memberedasa strong and spiritedwoman fiercely devoted,ever-present, and alwaysinvolvedinthe lives and milestones of those she loved. Aliceissurvived byher husband,Hiram Patrick Greer;her children, KristinaGreer Teranand Katherine Greer Krail; her sons-in-law,FedericoJose Teran andAndrewDavid Krail;her grandchildren, Brandon MichaelJoseph Greer,Elizabeth Katherine Teran,Matthew Hiram Krail,and MadisonAlice Krail;her granddaughterin-law, Ashley Nicole Greer; and hergreat-grandchil‐dren, DominicSawyer Greer,PeytonRosemary Greer,and Jameson Michael DavidGreer.Alice isreunitedinheavenwith her belovedson,Hiram JohnJosephGreer.Likethe music of NewOrleans she loved so dearly,her spirit willcarry on—strong, vi‐brant,and unforgettable. Visitationwillbeheldon April 20, 2026, from 10:00 a.m.until 11:00 a.m.,fol‐lowed by aFuneralMassat 11:00 a.m. at OurLadyof Good CounselCatholic Church in NewOrleans She will be laid to rest at WestlawnMemorialParkin Terrytown. ACelebration of LifewillfollowatStone‐bridgeCountry Club in Gretna.

Triquila TrinellHarvey entered eternalreston March 31, 2026, at theage of43. Shewas thebeloved daughterofCharlotte Bartholomew andLloyd Thomas, andthe cherished stepdaughterofthe late WilliamV.Bartholomew,Sr. A lifelong resident of Pointeà la Hache, Louisiana,onthe east bank ofPlaquemines Parish, Triquilawas aproud grad‐uateofPhoenix High School.She will be remem‐bered forher love of fam‐ily,her strength,and the lasting impact shehad on all who knew her. Triquila leavestocherish hermem‐ories hersiblings: Lashara (Orbon) Tinson,Lloyd Tenasha,Shaquanna,Stan (Kailyn)Harvey, Tyrell Gary(Kimberly), Danyell (Sheri) William Bartholomew,Jennifer (Jared) Barthelemy,Eric (Nicole)Carter, andAqudia Harvey. Sheisalsosur‐vived by ahostofaunts, uncles, nieces,nephews, and otherrelatives.She was preceded in deathby her stepfather,William V. Bartholomew Sr.; her grandparents, JuliaHarvey, EarlJ.Harvey, Dymond Thomas, andBuelah Thomas; heruncles, Regi‐nald, Ferlin,and Jarrett Harvey, Lawrence,Floyd and MorrisThomas; and her aunts, RachaelHarvey, Yvonne Bienemy, Annabelle Taylor,Annamae Thomas, andRolana Ragas.Relatives and friends of thefamilyare in‐vited to attend thefuneral service on Saturday,April 18, 2026 at St.Thomas Catholic Church,17605 Hwy.15, Pointe àlaHache, LA70082. Thevisitationwill begin at 9a.m.followedby an11a.m.service offici‐atedbyFatherSampson Abduli.Entombmentwill followinSt. Thomas Church Cemetery.Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home. Online condolence atRobinsonfamilyfuneral‐home.com.

On themorningofApril 1, 2026, at his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, our belovedDeSotoJackson wasbornonFebruary 17, 1934, wascalledfromlabor to eternalrest at theage of 92. Husband of the late Joyce L. Jackson andthe lateValaidaTaylor Jackson.Father of Donna Jackson Carter (Paul Sr.), Gwyn Jackson Basey (the lateJoey), Darin Jackson, thelateLisa Jackson,and thelateDeSotoJackson Jr Sonofthe lateDeSoto and thelateDorothyCraft Jackson.Brother of Dorothy Jackson Placide, thelateGeraldineJ.Moore (the lateCurtis), thelate Octavia J. Johnson, and the lateAlfred Jackson (Ella). Brotherin-law of PeggyLewis (Darrell), thelateJonquil LeeTurner(the late Jimmie Sr.) and thelate CordellLee.Grandfatherof RashidaCarter Francois (Raymond), Ayesha Carter, andPaulCarter Jr (Lauren).Great-grandfather of Logan A. Carter, Clark L. Carter,Rex P. Francois, Kylie Cuneo, and Regan T. Francois. Uncle of KevinA.Moore,Jeanine Jackson, JulieJackson Brown (John Jr.), Jimmie R. Turner,Brian Crutchfield (Anita), DamonCrutchfield Sr andthe lateJohnny CrutchfieldJr. Beloved cousin of June L. Green and Bettye Jean Snowden. Additionallysurvived by a host of great-nieces,greatnephews, otherrelatives, and dear friends. Relatives andfriends of thefamily, also Pastors, Officersand Members of IrishChannel Christian Fellowship, St Luke AssemblyofGod, and Pilgrims Rest Baptist Church #2, andmembers of theInternational and Local UnionofBricklayers &AlliedCraftworkersare invited to attend funeral servicesatIrish Channel Christian Fellowship, 819 First Street,New Orleans, LA 70130 on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until11:00 a.m.. IntermentatMount Olivet Mausoleum, 4000 Norman MayerAve,New Orleans, LA. 70122. In lieu of flowers, the familyasks that donations be made to Irish Channel Christian Fellowship. Youmay sign theguest book on www.ge rtrudegeddeswillis.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, Inc. in charge (504) 522-2525.

enteredintoeternal rest April 8, 2026. Shewas born onNovember7,1962, to the lateRoseMarie Pearson and Curry PearsoninNew Orleans,Louisiana.Carla was raised in NewOrleans where sheacceptedChrist atanearly ageatHistoric SecondBaptist Church under theleadershipofthe lateRev.ThomasN.Wash‐ington. Shelater attended LivingWitness Baptist Church underthe leader‐shipofthe late Rev. Har‐rell, andjoinedIsraelite Baptist Church underthe leadershipofRev.Em‐manuelSmith Jr where she served faithfullyin manycapacities. Sheat‐tendedJohnMcDonogh HighSchool andfurthered her educationatDelgado Community College, where she earned adegreein Business. Sheleavesto cherish herlovingmemo‐ries: daughter,Brene John‐son (Gilbert Caine);her lovingsisters,Cindy Pear‐son (Richard Morris),Car‐men Pearson, andDonna Johnson (Ivory)along with a host of cousins, nieces, nephews,great-niecesand nephews.Relatives and Friends of theFamily, also Pastor, Officers andMem‐bersofIsraelite Baptist Church areall invitedtoat‐tendthe FuneralService on Friday, April17, 2026 at 11:00am at IsraeliteBaptist Church 2100 Martin Luther King, Jr.Blvd. NOLA 70113 Visitationwillbegin at 9:00am. Burial will be pri‐vate. Professional Arrange‐ments

Isaac "Big Ike"Louis JohnsonSr.,a belovedhusband, father,grandfather, great-grandfather, and friend, wasbornonJuly 9, 1936 and peacefully passedaway on April 5, 2026, at the age of 89. Belovedhusbandof Joyce DeJean Johnson, father of Belinda Johnson, Arlette Brown,Isaac L. Johnson,Jr., LoriA Johnsonand Dawn J. Frick He wasprecededin death by hisfather,Isaac Johnson; hismother, Delsina J. Dupre(Cora D,); hisstepfather, Antoine DupreSr.;his brother, Bartholmess Robichaux; hissister,GloriaJ.Jackson; andhis brother, Antoine Joseph Jr He is also survived by nine grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren and host of niecesand nephews.

Relativesand friends of thefamilyare invited to a viewingat9am to 10am anda Mass of Christian Burial at Corpus Christi/ EpiphanyCatholic Church, 2022 St.BernardAve.N.O. LA on Friday, April 17, 2026 at 10am. To view andsignthe guestbook, please go to https://www.professionalf uneralservices.com/

Jackson, DeSoto

Ducote,Ida Gremillion

Johnson,Isaac 'Big Ike'

Harvey,TriquilaTrinell

Green,Doris Mae Alexander

Graham, Clemon

Johnson,Carla L. 'Trisha'

CarlaL.Johnson affec‐tionatelyknown as Trisha See more DEATHS page

Greer,Alice McGee

Freyholtz, Joseph Dougher

Joseph DougherFrey‐holtzwas born on Septem‐

Sleeping on thestreet shouldn’t be acrime

If aHouse bill becomes law,people who sleep on the streetinLouisianawould be classified as criminals.

The so-called “Streets to Success Act” would make camping in unauthorized public spaces a crime punishable by up to six months in prison for afirst offense and at least one year inprison forasubsequent offense,plusfines. It aims to steer people experiencing homelessnesstoward services.

We agree that’sa worthy andimportantgoal Homelessness can affectpublic safety andquality of life, two issues thatmany residents of our cities consistently say are highpriorities

Still, we have concerns that labeling people who have fallen on tough times or are battling mental health challenges orsubstance abuseas lawbreakers does more harm than good.

House Bill 211 is apartof Gov.JeffLandry’s spring legislative agenda. Authored by state Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner,itwould create thenew crimebut also enable thosecharged to avoid prison by serving probation for at least ayear while completing atreatment program. Those who successfully complete theprobation andthe program would have theirconvictions removed

During arecent HouseJudiciary Committee meeting where it was approved 12-4 before being sent on to the full House, Villiosaidthe bill “calls for acoordinated strategythat integrates criminal justice, housing,health care andhomelessness response systems into acontinuum of care.”

The measure also proposes creating “homelessness courts.”

We’re all for the continuum of careapproach.

In the runup to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, we saw efforts by Landry to move the unhoused from underneath the interstateand intoawellrun facility where services were available as a promising step. We hoped thatwould be amodel forthe state goingforward

But now we are considering criminally charging people for choosing what often is alast resort. That strikes us as unnecessarily cruel. Andwe worry that it could exacerbatechallengespeople face, as criminal charges may make it evenmore difficult to find housing andemployment.

We arealso concernedthatthe bill couldimpose conditions that the people targetedwould have difficulty meeting, allow judgestoforce those arrested to choose between taking medicine against their will or risking acriminal record andcrowd local jails that are not well-equipped to deal with this population.

Landry and the Legislatureare following the lead of PresidentDonaldTrump. He signed a 2025 executive order to move the nationaway from housing-first effortstomandatory health and other treatment programs, shifting federal resources to effortslike theone being considered in Baton Rouge.

We understand that large camps of homeless people pose immense challenges, and wewelcome those federal resources to tacklewhat often feels like an intractable problem.

But we urge lawmakers to address the sources of homelessness and offer appropriate options without forcing thosewho already struggle to bear an additional stigma.

Letters are

identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com. TO SEND US A LETTER SCANHERE

Livestreamingfamily court wouldaid abusers

StateRep.Kathy Edmonston’sHouse Bill 278, which calls for livestreaming East Baton Rouge Family Court proceedings, is one of three equally bad bills she filed this session, which victims’ advocates have entitled “The Domestic Abusers’ Assistance Act.” Astudy by theLouisiana Supreme Court at therequestoflegislatorsfound zero corruptioninEastBaton Rouge Family Court, so this bill, which singles out the courtand exempts“Divorce Court TV” in family court proceedings in other state courts, is nonsensical. Does Edmonston really believe that litigants want to have their reasons for fault-based divorce actions watched by thepublic? Or nastychild custody battles available for use by school bullies against humiliated children? Doesn’t everyone want the intricacies of their employment positions and financial situations broadcast for all tosee in child support and spousal support hearings?

Andwho doesn’twant their assets and liabilities in acommunity property partition madeknown to extended family and friends “on thespot?”

Keep in mind that Louisiana does not even allow jury trialsinfamily court mattersand that this family court, like domestic divisions of other courts, hears petitions for protection from abuse —for family violence, physical violence, sexual abuse, etc. Should victimsofabuse and sexual assault have their testimony livestreamed? How manyvictims are going to want to come to acourt to talk about experiencing battery and rape? The chilling effect could not be more obvious unless you co-sponsored HB278. The newspaper needs to investigate and report thetrue motives behind this bill.

KIMSPORT

formerchair,Louisiana Commission to Prevent Domestic Violence

Candidatedoesn’t representviews of partyonrace

Iamwriting as aRepublican voter who recently attended the DeSoto Parish Republican Executive Committee candidate forum, where congressional candidate Chris Johnson spoke. What I witnessed was not leadership; it was an embarrassment.

Johnson’sremarks were not only provocative but they were also outright offensive and unacceptable. He used crude language, multiple curse words and made adeeply inappropriate and racially charged statement suggesting that Black Americans are only capable of degrading activities. Iwill not repeat his exact words in full out of respect for your readers, but thesentimentwas clear,and it was disgraceful. That is not conservatism. That is not Republican leadership. Andthat is

certainly not how we winelections or represent our values.

The Republican Party should be the partyofopportunity, personal responsibilityand respect forall individuals, not aplatform for crude rhetoric and divisive, demeaning comments. As Republicans, we should be expanding our coalition, not shrinking it through ignorance and offense.

Ireject Chris Johnson as acandidate for Congress. His conduct does not reflect thevalues of the Republican voters Iknow here in northwest Louisiana, nor does it represent the dignity that public office demands. We can —and must —dobetter

PARKER WARD

Republican State Central Committee, District 38 D

Unborn should be included in constitutional rights

The Declaration of Independence statesthat all people have theunalienable right to life. So why are viable human beings in thewomb being excluded? Thereiscertainly no doubt, at least from the seventhmonth of pregnancy, thatthey are living human beings. Ultrasound images showvoluntarymovements, facial expressions and reaction to sounds, all indicative of afunctioning

brain. They are no longera fetus. They arechildren and should be protected according to theirconstitutionalright to life. How then can any laws be made that allow anyone to murder these infants in the womb? If permitted, it is gross hypocrisy

LINDAR.SOLIS Mandeville

Congressmust acttohelp Alzheimer’s patients

Alzheimer’sdisease has taken too manypeople I’ve loved. My mother.Both of my grandmothers. My godmother.I was my mother’sprimary caregiver,and Iwalked with her —and our family —through every stage of this disease. That experience changed the course of my life. Today,I serve as an advocate and board chair of the Alzheimer’sAssociation Louisiana Chapter,and aWalk to End Alzheimer’scaptain. Ishare my story because Iknow this disease —and Iknow what is at stake. My mother was diagnosed in the later stages of Alzheimer’s. Like so manyfamilies, we did not fully understand what we were seeing early on. By the timewehad answers, we had already lost valuable time —timethat could have meantmore informed decisions, earlier access to support and a greater chance at dignity forher and relief forour family

That is whyI am asking U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise to advance the bipartisan Alzheimer’sScreening and Prevention (ASAP) Act. Science has madeextraordinary progress. Researchers have now developed blood tests that can detect Alzheimer’sbiomarkers before symptomsappear.But under current law,Medicare cannot cover any dementia screening test forpeople without symptoms. The ASAP Act clears that roadblock. It doesn’tmandate coverage; it simply allows Medicare’s existing evidence-based process to evaluate and cover these tests. It followsthe sameproven model Congress just used forcancer screening. It is bipartisan. It is commonsense. And it is urgent. Alzheimer’sisnot just ahealth care issue. It is afamily crisis —happening quickly,inhomes across the country.I urge Scalise to advance the bipartisan ASAP Act so that morefamilies have the chance to know sooner,plan better, and face this disease with the support they deserve.

JIM PITTMAN

NewOrleans

Saints couldlearn from the Bible… andJames Madison

Quin Hillyer

Come on, Mickey Loomis: Trade down!That’swhat American founder James Madison would advise theNew Orleans Saints for the April 23 NFL draft. Yes, Saints fans, here’sariddle you may never have imagined: Why is someone’sapproach to the NFL draft an indicator of whether he has Madison’stype of conservative temperament? Let me hasten to say I’m not horning in on the province of this newspaper’ssuperb sports writers, all of whom are providing expert analysis of the players available in the draftthat begins aweek from now.Thisisabout how to improve the odds of securing useful players, not about which players in particular will prove useful. And while the Madisonian outlook is instructive, it’sworth giving anod, too, to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes 11:2 and11:6 —with which, by the way, Madison surely was familiar,as he studied the Bible extensively even though he kept his religious beliefs mostly private.

Here’sthe nub of why Madisonians (and readers of Ecclesiastes, often attributed to wise King Solomon) surely would look to “trade down,” an approach that Loomis has not taken since 2007, even while negotiating 28 draft trades in the years since then. The most famous of Madison’spolitical convictions —the reason he helped create so manyintricate “checks and balances” in the Constitution —was his very practical observation that humans aren’tangels, which means systems should guard against man’s fallibility by taking into account “the necessity of auxiliary precautions.” In other words, hedge your bets. Or,asEcclesiastes putsit, “Invest in seven ventures, yes, [or even] in eight, [because] you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.” And “you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.”

Likewise, no matter how much con-

good careersassolid starters. Why not grab prospect number 12 or even 16, rather than prospect 8, if the differences aren’tthat large, while additional picks later in the draft provide more chances to find diamonds in the rough?

What are these politicians thinking?

fidence Loomis and his scouts have in their playerevaluations, they do not know whichones will succeed, or for thatmatter,which ones will subject Saints-land to the disaster of careerwrecking injuries. (See, for example, defensive linemen Johnathan Sullivan, Marcus Davenport and Payton Turner, among many other Saints draft busts.)

Granted, Loomis and his staff often are very good talent evaluators, but perhaps auxiliary precautions would have helped mitigate the prominent, intermittent failures.

Auxiliary precautions such as a trade down for more picks In this year’sdraft, theSaints have the eighth pick in thefirst round. There seemstobeaconsensus that five specific players will be among those chosen in thefirst seven picks. Afterthat, there are between eight and 11 players who are almost “sure things”tohelp theSaintsimprove, perhaps not all by thesame degree but each as likely as any other to have

Seven-time NFL champion Tom Brady(drafted way down at choice 199), five-time champ Bart Starr (200th pick) and New Orleans’ own onetime league-leading receiver,420th (!) choice Danny Abramowicz, all give testamenttothe realitythat scouts, coaches, and general managers are, in Madisonian terms, eminently fallible. For just one example of how this could work, most draft gurus envision Ohio Statesafety Caleb Downs being chosen around choice 8. Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman, with more blazing speed (4.35 40-yard-dash) than Downs and somewhat better on-field statistics, is projected to go around choice 16. Both are thought to be good fits as anickelback to replace theSaints’ departed Alontae Taylor.Are theSaints really so much surer of Downs than Thieneman that “settling” for Thieneman wouldn’tbeworth also getting far better or more choices later in the draft? The listofsuperbplayerslikely available at choice 12 or 14, or even 16, is fulsome and impressive. And two teams especially,the Dolphins and Jets, have an abundance of picks and thus might be willing to “tradeup” for another big swing at apotential superstar Using awidely referenced “trade value chart,” for example, the Saints could trade choice 8tothe Jetsfor choice 16. In return,the Saintscould move from their third-round choice (slot 73) all theway up to theJets’ secondrounder (slot 33), plus aJets fourth rounder (slot 140) andprobably a2027 sixth-rounder too. In other words: Auxiliary precautions, invested in moreventures. That’swisdom, from aconservative state of mind.

Email QuinHillyer at quin.hillyer@ theadvocate.com

An unpardonable abuseofpower

Yetanother reasonthatDonald Trump’sand Joe Biden’spresidencies cannot be examined without wincing concerns aconstitutional provision that is obscure untilitisabused, which it now often is.The presidential“power to grantreprieves and pardons” has become yet another source of political brutishness fueling voters’ cynicism. George Washington, conscious that he was constantlysetting powerful precedents, meticulously wielded the awesome and unreviewable pardon power by consulting pertinent officials and listing reasons relating to the public interest. His amnesty —amass pardon —for participants in the Whiskey Rebellion in western Pennsylvania promoted reconciliation. The second and third presidents were less scrupulous. John Adams’s pardons of some Pennsylvania tax evaders might have been related to that state’selectoral votes in 1800. Thomas Jefferson pardoned several supporterswho had been imprisoned under the Sedition Act, which he consideredunconstitutional. Critics, however,saw him aiding rabid allies. These instances of awkward political appearanceswere models of decorousness compared withwhat transpires today.Presidents, writes Saikrishna Bangalore Prakash, are embracing the“astounding potential of the pardon pen.” In his new book “The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with aLong, Troubled History,” Prakash, aUniversity of Virginia law professor,says we have entered “pardon dystopia.”

Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were both accusedofsexual misconduct involving staffers. Californian Swalwell said he’d resign from his House seat aftergiving up on his run forgovernor.Texan Gonzales said he waswithdrawing fromthe 2026 reelection race.

Back in the day, male politicianscavortedwith their female staffers andgot away with it. But thatwas way back andmany days ago.

An officialcheating on his wife with awoman pickedupata rally doesn’tseem to bother voters the way it once did. Donald Trump hasnumbed the electorate to thatlevel of moral outrage. Idon’tapprove of adultery,but it’sgenerally not adeal killerinmyvoting forsomeone. Many men regarded as great nationalleadershad sexual relationships outside their marriages. Some were Founding Fathers.

Bill Clinton greased the downward slide. He pardoned his half-brother (Secret Service code name: “Headache”), who then made afortune lobbying his sibling, the president to pardon, among others, aGambino mob associate. As Hillary Clinton

began seeking aU.S. Senate seat, her husband commuted the sentences of 16 members of aPuerto Rican group that had detonated more thanahundred bombs in the United States. He pardoned Marc Rich, afugitive who owed $48 million in taxes. Rich’sexwife made a$450,000 contributiontoClinton’spresidential library,gave $100,000 to Hillary’s Senate campaign, and $1 million to the Democratic Party This was unseemly enough, but Prakash says, “Something has qualitatively changed over thepast two presidencies.” Leaving office, Biden gave preemptive pardons to aslew of family members. Prakash:“For many years, JosephBiden had been involved in asordid business, where he was the product.” Family members charged for access to him. He gave preemptive pardons to two brothers, his sister and her husband, and asister-in-law Before the 2024 election,hesaid, regarding his egregiously corrupt son Hunter,“Iwill not pardon him.” After the election, he did. In Trump’sfirst term, he pardoned his daughter’sfather-in-law,who, for vengeance against his brother-in-law who had testified against him, hired a prostitute, filmed her encounter with the brother-in-law,and mailed the tape to his sister Having, consecutively,the two seediest families in presidential history has besmirched thepractice of pardoning. Lobbying for pardons is now amorethan-cottage industry in Washington. OneTrump pardon, Prakash says, might have saved the recipient, a fraudster,nearly half abillion dollars. Campaigning in 1976, Jimmy Carterindicated that he might pardon Vietnam-era draft evaders. He did. In 2020, Prakash says, candidate Biden was “the first to promise apardon

explicitly,” courting young voters by vowing to “expunge” marijuana convictions.Hedid, on theeve of the 2022 midterm elections. Prakash believes this was thefirst pardon based on a president’s disapproval of afederal law.Another was Biden’s2024 commutation of 37 deathsentences. In 2024, Trump pandered to his base by saying his first acts if reelected would include pardoning theJan. 6 defendantshecalled “hostages.” This, like Biden’sactions regarding marijuanaand capital punishment,was discordant with the presidential duty to “takecare that thelaws be faithfully executed.” Welcome to what Prakash calls the “brave(and frightening) new world of policy pardons.” Prakash believes that such pardonsamount to suspensions of laws —announcementsofthe chief executive’srefusal to honor,by enforcing, some statutes. What can be done about thegrotesque useofthe pardon power that, in Prakash’sunderstatement, “seems inconsistentwiththe general structure of checksand balances”? Not much. Submit potential pardon grants to thepresident’s Cabinet?You probably have seen —speaking of grotesque things —the toadyismofthe current one. Presidents hoard power,soany president probably would opposeconstitutional reforms, such as establishing an independent Clemency Commission, or empowering the Senate or Houseto disapprove of presidential clemencies. So, theremedy for tawdry pardoning is not this or that institutional gambit.The only feasible solution is theelection of presidentswho arenot louts. This,however,becomes less likely as votersare madeever more cynical by loutish pardons.

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

An affair with astaffer who may fear losing ajob or achanceatpromotion if they refuse is anothermatter. Although I’ve generally referred to the offenders as men, womencan engage in similarmisconduct, and some have Theyfamously include former California Rep. Katie Hill. She wasinvolved in at least one improperrelationship, with acongressional staffer.Hill resignedin2019 under considerable pressure The undeniable shift in the rules of conduct makes it incomprehensible that an ambitious congressmanwould ignore them. That goes doubly so forSwalwell, aDemocratic star who briefly ranfor president in 2019. Until recently aserious contender to become governor of California, he’s nowout of the race. He’s been chargedwith grave offenses thatinclude drugging andraping awomaninahotel in 2018. I’mreluctant to accept as fact anyaccusationthrown at apowerful male figure. The #MeToo business may have emergedout of reasonable outrage,but it hasoften spiraled into aracket peddling halftruths —pushedbywomen with otheragendasorafew screws loose. Swalwell says the stories abouthim are“false.” He deniesthe rape charge and insists thatthe allegations were politically motivated. He might have apoint or two.Giventhe heated gubernatorialrace in California,the timing maybequestioned. Swalwell’slawyerhas publicly threatened legalactionagainst at least one accuser. But his admission of having made “mistakes” alongside the copy-and-paste announcement, “My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife andchildren” leads one to believe he wassexually involved with an underling. Thatalone is serious. Power radiating over good looks and smart TV appearances made Swalwell aglamorous figure.Hehad fans in Hollywood. One caneasily believe an unnamed accuser’sdescription of his aura.“When he talkedtoyou,itwas like the sun was shining on you,” she said. “You felt like the coolestperson in the room.”

As for Gonzales, the staffer with whom he admitted having an affair later took her life. The congressmaninsists thatthe suicide was nottiedtotheir relationship.

Gonzales strayedfromhis marriage vows while representing aculturally conservative districtalong the South Texas border Swalwell’sconstituents in the East Bay, right acrossthe waterfrom San Francisco, are affluent andsocially liberal.

The two couldn’tbeculturally more different, but both seemedtothink they were entitledtodisregard the mores of the day. Being sexually involvedwith an employeeisbarred by House rules. And forgood reasons. Again, if theywere caught having afling with awoman outside their professional orbit, theymight be criticized but could wrangle their wayout of it. Their fatal flaw was treating their female workforce as aharem. What could theyhavepossibly been thinking?

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

George Will

Froma Harrop

Swalwell

Gonzales

STAFF FILEPHOTO By BRETTDUKE

MickeyLoomis, executivevice president and general manager of the New Orleans Saints, speaks at the Saints headquartersinMetairie.

Well, we’rewaking to somepatchydensefog in partsofSoutheast Louisiana this morning.The visibilitymay dropquickly, especially around sunrise,soyou maywant to getanearly start. Otherwise, expect amostly sunny, warm, humid and breezy day. Temperatures this afternoon will remain aboveaverageand rise to the mid-80s. your winds are southerly at about 10 mph and rainchancestoday are right at 20%,expect afew showers.The UV index is apoint below“extreme,”sobesure to wear sunscreen and protect your skin.

Joseph,Elsie R.

ElsieR.Josephwas born February23, 1941, in Don‐aldsonville,LA, to John Rondeno,Sr. andLouisa Rondeno.She graduated fromWalterL.Cohen High Schoolin1958.Elsie earned a degree in Accounting fromXavierUniversityand retired as an Accounting Manager at theNew Or‐leans Sewerage andWater Board.She enjoyedtalking withfriends &family, at‐tending church,watching gameshows &cheeringon the Saints.She is preceded indeath by herparents; daughter, TonyaJoseph Fultz;sister, Eloise Ron‐deno; brothers,ButlerRon‐deno, Sr.and John Ron‐deno, Jr.; nieceSonya Dibartolo;and goddaugh‐ter PhyllisCandace King She leaves to cherishher memory: herson,David Joseph(Takila); grandchil‐drenAyanna Fultz, Justice JosephJamison Joseph, BrooklynJoseph, andLon‐don Joseph;sisters Margo Rondeno,Crystal Rondeno, and Joan RondenoPerry; son-in-lawKinnieFultz; godsonButlerRondeno; special friend Vandra FieldsVanderson;and a hostofrelatives and friends.Visitationwillbe heldat9:00a.m., Saturday, April 18, 2026, at St.Ray‐mond& St.Leo theGreat Catholic Church,2916 Paris AvenueinNew Orleans, LA, followedbyreflectionsand eulogy at 9:30 andCatholic Massat10:00 a.m. Father Stanley Ihouma SSF,offici‐ating.Interment will follow atMount Olivet Cemetery New Orleans, LA.Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear Brooks Boyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/Funeral Directors.

Will Joseph Lewis, age 46, enteredintoeternal restonTuesday,March 31, 2026. He wasa native of New Orleans, LA anda resi‐dentofHarvey, LA.Willre‐ceivedhis Culinary Degree fromthe LouisianaCuli‐naryInstitute in Baton Rouge.Hewas employed asa CanvassDirectorwith StepUpLouisiana.Hewas a faithful member of Fis‐cherCommunity Church and an active member of 4th Street Family Social Club. Belovedhusband of RaquelWalker-Lewis. Lov‐ing father of Wilkita A. Martin. Sonofthe late Bev‐erlyLewis andDavid Lee Patterson.Adopted sonof the late CynthiaLewis.De‐voted brotherofHouston Lewis,David Lewis, David Jenkins,DawannLewis Demetrius Patterson, and the late SchwandaLewis Nephewofthe late Joyce Lewis.Uncle of thelateEd‐wardBarton, BennyLewis, and RavenKitts.Brother-in -lawofthe late Chae Davis. Will is also survived by 4 grandchildren,and ahost of aunts, uncles,nieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Rela‐tives and friendsofthe family, also pastors, offi‐cersand membersofFis‐cherCommunity Church and allneighboring churches;employees of StepUpLouisiana and members of 4thStreet FamilySocialClubare in‐vited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at Fischer Community Church,1737 L. B.LandryAvenue, New Or‐leans,LAonFriday, April 17, 2026, at 10:00a.m. Pas‐tor JamesNelsonBrown officiating. Visitation will begin at 9:00a.m. until ser‐vicetimeatthe church.In‐terment:WillbePrivate ArrangementsbyDavis MortuaryService,230 Mon‐roe St.Gretna, LA.Toview and sign theguestbook, pleasegotowww.davismo rtuaryservice.com

Melanson,Josephine Barcelona

JosephineBarcelona Melansonentered eternal restonFriday, April10, 2026, at theage of 86 Beloved wife of thelate ClaudeMelanson, Sr.for 26 years.Daughterofthe late Giovanni Barcelonaand Concetta Chimento Barcelona.Lovingand de‐voted mother of Darleen Perez (Ralph), Claude Melanson, Jr.(Debbie)and DarrenMelanson(Donna). Beloved grandmotherof Mandy,Shane,Andrew, Kristin,Rebecca andDal‐ton.Great Grandmotherof Claudia,Micah,Madison Gaige,Nina, Rowenand Aleister. GreatGreat Grandmother of Ava, Lydia and Sutton.Beloved sister ofthe late RosalieDixon TudyBridges andMaria Dominick. Josephineisalso survivedbymanynieces and nephews. Shewas borninAlia Sicily,Italy and lived in Marrero, Louisiana for 75 years. Shewas the HeadChefatthe Four Columns in Harvey, Louisiana forover30years She lovedtosew,readand cook;but most of allshe loved spending time with her family. Josephinewas anactiveparishioner of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church.Family andfriends areinvited to

attend theVisitationat MOTHE FUNERALHOME, 7040 LapalcoBlvd, Marrero, Louisiana on Saturday, April 18, 2026, beginningat 9AM until 1PM. AFuneral MasswillbeheldatSt. Cle‐tus Catholic Church,3600 ClaireAvenue,Gretna, Louisiana on Saturday at 1:30PM. Intermentwillbe inWestlawnMemorialPark Cemetery, Gretna, Louisiana.The familyin‐vites youtoshare thoughts, fond memories and condolencesonlineat mothefunerals.com

John I. Richardson Jr.en‐tered into eternalreston April 3, 2026. John wasa lifelongresidentofNew Orleans,La. John is theson ofthe late John Richardson Sr. andLaura Nelson.He was aformermemberof the InternationalLong‐shoremen’sAssociationfor New OrleansEmployers Johnleaveshis legacy to becarried on to hisbeauti‐ful children Roderick Ciera,and ByronWilliams, 9 grandchildrenSa’Myra and Ashton Wilson,Easton Bradley,Bryson, Jadon, Kamilah, Deshon,Aaliyah,

andSorayaWilliams, 5sis‐tersBernice Richardson, Betty Jean Elson, Betty JeanRichardson, Joan Richardson, Bernadine Richardson, 1brother Larry Richardson, adevoted life‐timefriendJanet Williams 1 Godchild IndiaRankins, two dedicatednieces Synethiaand Monique Rankins,and ahostof close relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends are invited to attend thefu‐neral serviceonFriday, April 17, 2026 at Littlejohn FuneralHome, 2163 Aubry Street,beginning 10 am Parlorvisitation9 am until service time.Professional servicesentrusted to Lit‐tlejohn FuneralHome, Cal K.Johnson,Manager/Fu‐neral Director.Info: 504940-0045.

Sanford, Ella Youngblood 'Ruth'

Ella"Ruth"Youngblood Sanford, age 82, beloved wife of herdevoted husband, Willard Sanford,Jr., passedawaypeacefullyat herhomeonFriday, April 3, 2026.

Ellaleaves to cherish hermemories, herloving husband, Willard Sanford, Jr.; two goddaughters, Jocelyn (Monique) and LaShonda (Alfred); one godson,Percell;two sisters, Betty Maeand Marilyn;two brothers, Darryl (Brandy) and Howard (Lynell); along with ahost of nieces, nephews, otherrelatives, and friends Familyand friends are invited to join the Celebration of Ella'sLife on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church,433 Avondale Garden Road Avondale,LA70094. Visitation willbeginat9:00 a.m., followed by the service that beginsat 10:00am. Intermentwill take place at Belle Grove Cemetery in Kenner Louisiana. Arrangements have been entrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Jefferson, RiverRidge, Louisiana. www.richardson funeralhomeofjefferson.co m. Ellawill be trulymissed by all whoknewand loved her.

an Obituary Notice

DEATHS continued from Lewis, Will Joseph

Richardson Jr., John I.

Saints solidonO-line, butdepth picksanoption

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

It truly has been awhile since the New Orleans Saints did not feel the need toplug a massive hole on their offensive line withone of their top picks in the NFL draft In each of the pasttwo years (andthree of the past four drafts), the Saintshave used atop-20 pick on an offensivetackle.Two of those picks, Kelvin Banks(No. 9last season) and Taliese Fuaga (No. 14 in 2024) appear to have hit, giving the Saints young bookend tackles to build around.

This year,New Orleansaddressedits major weakspot on the offensive line in free agency when it handed a$61 millioncontracttoDavid Edwards to play left guard.

His signing means the Saintswill go into trainingcamp knowing who their projected starting five linemen are for next season.

This is not to say theSaintsshouldn’tcontinue to investinthe position, starting with the draft.

Pro Bowl center Erik McCoy has played at an extremely high level when he’sbeen on the field, but he’smissed 20 games the last twoseasons withvarious injuries. Right guard CesarRuiz has missedatleastone game ineachofthe last four seasons, and

ä See SAINTS, page 3C

LSUgymnasticsteamaimsto keep focusahead of NCAA semifinals

LSU gymnast Lexi Zeiss performs her routine on the

Pete Maravich Assembly Center STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL

JOHNSON

BYSCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

FORT WORTH,Texas— As the LSU Tigers wentthrough their pre-NCAA championships practice session here Wednesday at DickiesArena, staff members andsome gymnasts wore lavender-colored T-shirts with the words“Let it Reign”onthe back.

Asubhead tothat slogan couldhave been “Do ournormal.”

There are fewifany sporting eventsasraucousand distraction-filled as afour-team NCAA gymnastics meet.Someone else’smusic is always playing, cheers alwaysringing out for another team or gymnast. Allthe whileyou’re trying toconcentrate on the most important routines of the year

Both elite skill and concentration arerequired.

“Wedon’tworryabout the other teamsonthe floor,” said LSUsophomore Lexi Zeiss, expectedto compete in three events in Thursday’s first national semifinal at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN2. “Stay in our bubbleand do our normal. Our normal’senough.”

When the Tigers have been their best this season, their normal would be good enough to win LSU’ssecond NCAA title in three years. TheNo. 2 national seed, LSU posted aseasonbest 197.375 in the NCAA regional semifinals at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center,the Tigers’ best-ever

Matthew

and Emmanuel Pregnon,

during the school’s proday on March 17 in Eugene, Ore.

regional score.

LSUfollowed that up witha197.825 in the regional final, good enough to winand advance to nationals for the 16th time,but just lowenoughthat if the Tigers repeat it here it could leave them out of the NCAAfinal forthe second straight year.Add to

that some questions about the health of two key gymnasts andyou could understandthe fretful look on LSU coach Jay Clark’sface Wednesday as he spoke to reporters.

“You really can’thold back in terms of putting your best foot forward once you gettothe semifinals like this,” Clark said, “because there’s just very little room for error.”

The Tigers will compete against No.3-seededFlorida,winnerofthe Southeastern Conference championship meet, No. 6Georgia and No 7Stanford,which also advanced

BY WILL GRAVES AP national writer

WhenCecile Landimadethe somewhat surprising move two years ago to step away from coaching elite gymnastics —the list of athletesshe andhusband Laurent guidedat World Champions Centre includestwo-time Olympic championSimone Bilesand threetime Olympic medalist JordanChiles—to the open position at Georgia, she wasn’tsure what to expect. Neitherdid theyoung womenshe was hired to lead. There was ajoltofexcitement. There was also adash of anxiousness. One of the mostdecorated programsinthe history of NCAA gymnastics had fallen off considerably since winning the last of its record 10 national titles in 2009.

Theworry that Landi might lean heavily into the transfer portal in search of aquick fix was real. It also turned out to be fleeting. Minutesintothe first meeting thatLandi and co-head coach Ryan Roberts had with the team,she made it clear she had no interest in blowing everything up and starting over “Gymnastics is not rocket science,” Landi said. “It’sabout consistency and being fair and working hard and working smart.” Alifetimeinthe sport —fromcompeting forher native France at the 1996 Olympics to two-plus decades in coaching —had taught her the value of dreams and the empty feeling that comes when they are taken away.Several college-bound athletes Landi mentoredatWCC saw their opportunities altered or pulled outright whena newcoach took over.Landi wanted no part of that.

The talent to getthe programback to being afactor on the national stage wasinthe room,she told them.Wecan do this, and we can do this together

“I wanted to give everyoneachance and embrace the change and follow the culture we were building,” she said. “I wasnot going to bring in 10 kids. The kids whocommitted twoyears prior,they had that goal. I’ve had athletes at the club level whohad that taken away.Itwas really,really hard.”

Less thantwo years after that initial sitdown, the Bulldogs will walk onto the floor at Dickie’sArena in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday for the NCAA semifinals for the first timesince 2019 with legitimate hopes of reaching Saturday’sfinals.

Theywill do it with aroster thatlargely hasremainedintact since Landi’sarrival, ledbyseniorfloor specialistErynWilliams

ä See POWER, page 6C

Georgia gymnast

Oregon offensive linemen

Bedford, left,

right, runadrill

On TV

COLLEGE BASEBALL

6p.m. Clemson at Virginia ACC

6p.m.Auburn at Florida SEC

7p.m. Georgia at ArkansasESPNU

WOMEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS

3:30 p.m. Semifinal 1ESPN2

8p.m. Semifinal 2ESPN2

WOMEN’S COLLEGELACROSSE

4p.m. North Carolina atDukeACC

4:30 p.m. Syracuse at BostonCollegeESPNU

5p.m. Johns Hopkins at Penn St BTN

7p.m. Maryland at Michigan BTN

Sixprospects whocould be steals in draft

BY ANTWAN STALEY Newyork Daily News (TNS)

The NFL draftclass hasbeen criticized for alack of elitetop-endtalent.

This is particularly true at thequarterback and runningback positions, where only one player from each position could be selectedinthe first round (quarterback Fernando Mendoza and running backJeremiyah Love).

Butthatdoesn’tmean therearen’tunderrated prospects who could make animmediate impact. Each positionhas itssleeper players. Here areafew of theDay 2orDay 3prospects who could becomeproductive players in the league.

Taylen Green, QB,Arkansas

This is not agreatquarterbackdraft in terms of depth at the position, butGreen couldbeworth taking aswing at on Day3 Green is araw,dual-threatquarterback with ahigh ceiling thanks to hisrocket arm and overall athleticism. He wouldworkwell in today’s NFL offenses withthe usageof RPOs and play-action passing. At 6-foot-6 and 227 pounds,Green hasexcellentsize, which will be intriguing to someteamslooking for adevelopmental quarterback.

Duringhis fiveseasons at bothBoise State and Arkansas, Green threwfor 9,662yards, 59 touchdowns and 35 interceptions.He will needtolimithis turnovers at thenext level ButGreen throws the ball downfield well enough while beingable to be abackfield creator, which is the archetype teamsare searching for at quarterback.

JonahColeman,RB, Washington

Coleman is an experienced running back who can play all three downs.Despite his 5-8,220-pound frame, he is adownhillball carrier who has only fumbled once in four seasons at Washington and Arizona. Colemanisdifficult to take downwhile alsoshowing patience and vision to evade defenders. ButColeman lacksthe top-end speedteams want to see from aplayer of his size. He didn’tdoany testingat thecombine becausehewas rehabbing an ankle injury. ChrisBell, WR,Louisville Bellisonly on this list becausehesuffered an ACL injuryinNovember, which dropped his draft stock from the first round. At 6-2, 222 pounds, Bell has everythingteamslook forinareceiver.Heisa big targetwho can turn short routes into long gains In 11 games before his ACL injury, Bell registered 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns for the Cardinals. The most impressive part about Bell’sgameisthat he welcomes contact and is difficult tobring down.

John MichaelGyllenborg, TE,Wyoming Gyllenborg is one of the mostunderrated players in thisyear’sdraft. During his four seasonswith the Cowboys, he finished with 80 catches for 1,023 yards and sevenTDs Gyllenborg wasn’tsuper productive, but his talent is evident whenwatching any Wyoming game. He attacksdefensesinthe middle of the field with his athleticism and size. At 6-6, 249 pounds, Gyllenborg ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash at theNFL combine. Markel Bell,OT, Miami

At 6-9, 346 pounds, Bell is amountainous player, which helps himkeeppassrushers at bay while also moving well for aplayer his size. He started all 15 games at left tackle forthe Hurricanes last season, earning All-ACC third-team honors. Bellplayed 1,034 offensivesnaps, fifthmost in theFBS. He also allowedzero sacks across 558pass-blocking snapsinhis senior season. Bellallowed just nine pressures and one quarterback hit in 2025,withanelite 83.8 pass-blocking grade,according to Pro Football Focus.

Jadon Canady,DB, Oregon

At 5-10, 181 pounds, Canadyisanundersized defensive back, which will scare some teams away. But he’saversatileplayerwho brings experience at safety,nickel and cornerback. Canady was the Ducks’ nickel corner last season and helped them rank fourth in yards passingallowed. In 15games, he finished with 39 tackles, twointerceptions and six pass breakups.

Canady projects as either aslotcornerback or afree safety at thenextlevel and is worth alate Day2or3 pick

GOLF

9a.m. Champions:Senior PGAGolf

1p.m. PGATour:RBC HeritageGolf

5p.m. LIV Golf: Mexico City FS1

5p.m. LPGA: LA ChampionshipGolf

HORSE RACING

Noon America’s Dayatthe Races FS2

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS

6p.m. PFL: Main Card, Belfast,Ireland ESPN2

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL

12:30 p.m.Toronto at MilwaukeeMLB

3:30 p.m. TexasatAthletics *MLB 7:30 p.m. Seattle at San DiegoMLB NHL

6:30 p.m.St. Louis at Utah ESPN

9p.m.Seattle at Colorado ESPN MEN’S SOCCER

11:40 a.m. Freiburg at Celta de Vigo CBSSN 1:55 p.m.Bologna at Aston Villa CBSSN TENNIS

5a.m.Barcelona-ATP, Munich-ATP Tennis UFL

7p.m.Louisville at Houston NFLN WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

7p.m.SaltLakevs.Austin USA

*Joined in progress

Saturday’s special

NFL’sbestteams useDay 3ofdraft to buildwinning rosters

BY ROBMAADDI AP pro football writer

Winning Day 3ofthe NFL

draft is abuilding block for success in the league.

While most of the draft buzz centers on top prospects who can makeanimmediate impact, evaluating players for thelater rounds is acrucial part of the process

Early-round picks generate excitement, getbiggercontracts and bring higher expectations. Star power sells tickets and merchandise. Butrosters are built and sustained withplayers drafted on Saturday when the fourth throughseventh roundstake place. Teams that consistently contend find players who can contribute in those rounds.

These are theguys who play key roles on special teams, can develop into starters and provide needed depth.

“I’dsay the lateround to (undrafted) free agents, honestly,the fifththrough undrafted players, it’s probably asimilar pool of players,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “That’s where youtip your hattoyour scoutingstaff becausethey know the players as much as anybody,and we spend as much time talkingabout that group of players as we do the other players that are graded higher.

“You take alot of pridein those players because those players have an opportunity to enhance your overall program, enhanceyouroverall team.Again, just getthemin thebuilding.Ifthey’re on the roster,great. If they’re offthe roster in the practice squad, no problem.We’ve talked about this. You’re going to need those players at some point to go in and play really important snaps.”

Trusting thescouts

Thebestscoutingdepartments shine in the later rounds after spending months identifying traits that stand out and upside that may have been overlooked by other teams.

Thereigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks had five starters who were selected on Day 3ofthe draft or were signed as undrafted free agents. Tight end A.J. Barner guard Anthony Bradford and

DRAFT DAYS

Day1(Round 1): Thursday,April23

Day2(Rounds 2-3): Friday,April24

Day3(Rounds 4-7): Saturday,April25

On TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

cornerback CobyBryant each were fourth-roundpicks.Center Jalen Sundell and linebacker Drake Thomas were signed after going undrafted.

The 2024 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles found one of their best offensive linemen in the seventh round, taking achance on Australian rugby player JordanMailatain2018. Edge rusher JoshSweat,who sacked Patrick Mahomes21/2 times in adominantdefensive performance against the Chiefs in theSuper Bowl, was afourth-round pick. Starting safetyReed Blankenship was an undrafted free agent.

One of Philadelphia’salltime greats—Jason Kelce was asixth-round pick who anchored the offensive line for more than adecadeand helped the teamwin its first SuperBowl titlein2018 and reach another title game in 2023. HowieRoseman was in hissecondseasonasgeneral manager when he selected Kelce in 2011.

“I thinkwhenyou’retalking about the first-round picks, you’re hoping you’re getting atwo-contract player thathas Pro Bowl potential,” Roseman said.“So you’re lookingatit over hopefully eight- ,nine- , 10-year period. Then Ithink as you go through the draft, those expectations change just basedonreally the research on those picks.

“When you’re in the fifth round, can youexpect that you’re going to getaneight,nine- ,10-year player based on theresource? Maybe not. Obviously,that’swhat we’re looking to do and that’swhat we’re looking to hit on.”

Capfriendly

From asalary-cap standpoint,Day 3picks and undrafted free agents are especially valuable because theymake less money,have

Hurtwristcauses Alcaraz to withdraw in Barcelona

Carlos Alcaraz withdrew from the BarcelonaOpenafter undergoing atest on his right wrist, the tournament announced Wednesday

The withdrawal means the second-ranked Alcaraz cannot overtake top-ranked Jannik Sinner and moveback atop the rankings next week.

The move came aday after Alcaraz called for atrainer and had his wrist treated during his opening match, a6-4,6-2 victory over Otto Virtanen. Alcaraz was slated to play Tomas Machac in the round of 16 on Thursday. Machac advances to the quarterfinals to meet either Andrey Rublev or Lorenzo Sonego. Alcaraz, 22, lost the No.1ranking after getting beat by Sinner in the Monte CarloMasters final Sunday

Tigersrookie McGonigle gets$150 million contract

DetroitTigersrookieKevin McGonigle becamethe latest young player to get abig-money deal, agreeing Wednesday to a$150 million, eight-year contract that starts in 2027.

A21-year-old infielder,McGoniglehad four hits in hismajorleague debut on March 26 and entered Wednesday hitting .311 with one homer,eight RBIs and a.417 on-base percentage in 17 games. McGonigle becamethe fourth top prospect to get abig-money deal since late March following a $140 million, nine-year contract for 19-year-old Pittsburgh shortstop Konnor Griffin; a$95 million, eight-year agreement for20-yearoldSeattleshortstop Colt Emerson; and a$50.75 million, eightyear pact for 21-year-old Milwaukee shortstop Cooper Pratt.

Lehigh sets NCAAbaseball record for first-inning runs

cost-controlled contracts and are low risk. These players also help build culture. They often enter the league with something to prove, feeling overlooked or doubted. They push establishedplayers and create morecompetition.

“Great players comefrom everywhere in the draft, whether they’re afirst-round pick, seventh-round pick, undraftedfreeagent,”Colts GM ChrisBallard said.“Our scoutsdoagreat job of digging andtrying to dig out those typesofplayers that we think can come in and produce right away.They come from everywhere.”

Hittingthe jackpot

TomBrady is the ultimate late-round find in the NFL draft. The Patriots selected him in the sixth round in 2000 withthe 199th overallpick. He went on to lead NewEngland to six SuperBowl titles and became the greatest quarterbackinleaguehistory

The SanFrancisco49ers turnedMr. Irrelevant —the last pick in the2022draft intoafranchise quarterback whenthey chose Brock Purdy with the 262nd pick. They traded up to select quarterback Trey Lance third overall in 2021 but Purdy outplayed him, ledSan Franciscotothe NFCtitlegameasa rookie and the Super Bowlinhis second season.

“I will tell youthata lotof the things we track in terms of successful draft choices over theyears, there’sobviously arequisite amount of ability,” Niners GM John Lynch said.

“A lot of it goes to the person, the intangibles that they possess or don’tpossess in terms of them makingitor not making it. And Ithink that’sbecause, having done it myself for 15 years, the NFL is very hard.It’stough. It’s not easy

“You’regoing to be tested over and over andover. And so, do youhavethatmental fortitudethat when things get tough,because they will and they do and that never goes away,doyou have thatmentaltoughness, that physical toughness to endure and get the most out of whatever your abilities are? Ithink that’sreally critical, but the tape is very critical.”

BALTIMORE Lehigh set an NCAA Division Irecord by scoring 20 runs in thefirst inning of a38-6 victory over Coppin State on Tuesday night. The Mountain Hawks broke the first-inning record of 18 runsset by Princeton and matched by Air Force, both in 1974. Lehigh’s38 total runs werea Patriot League record and the mostinagame between Division Iteams since New Mexico State beat Texas Southern 38-6 in 2019. Of Lehigh’s20first-inning runs, 13 were scored consecutively on bases-loaded walks, hit by pitches or wild pitches. Owen Walewander’sgrand slamaccountedfor the final runs in the inning. Aidan Quinn was walked seven times for Lehigh, also aDivision Irecord.

Aces re-sign 4-time MVP Wilsontothree-year deal Thereigning WNBA champion LasVegas Aces completed theprocess Wednesday of bringing back their coregroup by re-signing four-timeMVP A’ja Wilson. Terms were notreleased,per club policy, but ESPNreported it was athree-year, $5 million supermaxcontract thatisthe most lucrative in WNBA history

“A’ja is truly one of one, whohas led this franchise to where it is today,”Aces president and general manager Nikki Fargas said In addition to Wilson —last season named WNBAMVP and The Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year —the Aces have resigned stars Jackie Young, Chelsea Grayand Jewell Loyd, among other key contributors to their third title in four seasons.

NBA says regular-season viewership roseby86%

The numbers are in, and the NBA said the first year of its new TV deals were ahit. The league released numbers for theregularseasononWednesday, showing that170 million people in the U.S. watched NBAgames across theleague’sfour primary broadcast platforms this year —those being ABC/ESPN,Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV Thosenumbers arethe league’s best in 24 years, the NBAsaid, and representedan86% rise over last season. Prime Video was part of the league’sTVrights package forthe first time this season, and NBC/ Peacockreturned forthe firsttime in ageneration. The league signed anew 11-year,$76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOByMARK J. TERRILL

Seattle Seahawkstight end AJ Barner makes atouchdowncatch during the second halfof Super Bowl 60 against the NewEngland Patriots on Feb.8 in Santa Clara, Calif. Barner was a fourth-round pick inthe 2024 NFLDraft.

Strong pairing

Team of Clark, Moore commit to play in Zurich Classic

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Former U.S. Open champion

Wyndham Clark has committed to team with Taylor Moore in the 2026 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, tournament officials announced Wednesday Clark, ranked No. 71 in the World Golf Ranking, tied for 21st at the Masters last weekend. He won the 2023 U.S. Open.

“Wyndham has won at the highest levels with victories in a major championship and two other signature events,” said Steve Worthy, CEO of the Fore!Kids Foundation, which operates the tournament for the PGA Tour “Both he and Taylor have had success in the Zurich Classic playing with different partners, so this pairing should be a strong one.”

Clark and Moore join a field that includes Brooks Koepka, Shane Lowry Matt Fitzgerald, Billy Horschel, and reigning champions Ben Griffin and Andrew Novak

The tournament will tee off April 23-26 at the TPC of Louisiana. The

full field will be announced Friday

Clark has enjoyed success at the Zurich Classic. He finished third in 2023, tied for 10th in 2022 and tied for 17th in 2021.

Clark, 32, earned a spot on the 2023 American Ryder Cup team and posted a 1-1-1 record at Marco Simone Club in Rome. In 2024, he posted a record of 1-2-1 in the successful defense of the Presidents Cup played at the Royal Montreal Golf Club

He posted nine top-25 finishes in 2025 the best a tie for fourth in the British Open. He also enjoyed a very successful year in 2024, when he rose to be ranked third in the world. He won the rain-shortened 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am after posting a 60 in the third round, the first score that low at Pebble Beach Golf Links. The next month, he took second alone in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Later in March, his 17-foot putt to force a

playoff in The Players Championship spun around and started a descent into the cup before defying gravity and resting on the putting surface, leaving Clark tied for second.

In addition to his U.S. Open victory in 2023, he also won the Wells Fargo Championship that year and posted five top-10 finishes, including a third in the season-ending Tour Championship. Moore finished tied for fourth at the Zurich Classic in both 2022 and 2023, playing with Matthew NeSmith.

This season, his best finish was a tie for second in the Cognizant Classic. In 2025, he posted two top10 finishes, a tie for seventh in The American Express and a tie for ninth in the Phoenix Open. He won the 2023 Valspar Championship for his lone victory on the PGA Tour In 2024, he tied for second in the Texas Children’s Houston Open, the first runner-up finish in his PGA Tour career He also tied for 12th in the PGA Championship, one of eight top-25 finishes he recorded last year

Mount Carmel, Riverside hold top seeds in playoff

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Mount Carmel and Riverside are the only two New Orleans area softball teams with No. 1 playoff seeds after the LHSAA released brackets on Wednesday Mount Carmel, a semifinalist last season, has a bye into the second round in the Division I select bracket. No. 3 Chapelle, No. 4

AREA LHSAA FIRST-ROUND PAIRINGS HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL

John Curtis and No. 5 Ponchatou-

Hilton Head a time to exhale, move on from Masters

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. Two golf tournaments separated by one week and 150 miles could not be any more different.

The Masters is the first major of the year, a highstress test at Augusta National that requires full attention on just about every shot because of the razorthin difference in the outcome.

The RBC Heritage provides a tight, tree-lined Harbour Town course that oozes a sense of peace.

The winner gets a green jacket one week, a plaid one the next And there was one other element that made Cameron Young look forward to the week after being in contention at Augusta National.

“It is easier, physically, like the walk,” Young said after finishing nine holes of a pro-am round. “And staying closer Everything seems simpler.”

Otherwise, it’s time to move on amid a reminder there is no time to stop to rest.

Masters champion Rory McIlroy chose not to play this $20 million signature event, not a surprise because he didn’t play last year

SAINTS

Continued from page 1C

with

either Tiny, tight Harbour Town is one that doesn’t quite fit him.

Justin Rose also pulled out, fresh off his third time with a lead on the back nine at Augusta National without a green jacket to show for it.

The PGA Tour is in the early stages of a six-week stretch that includes two majors and three $20 million signature events. The Masters is over. They’re on to Hilton Head.

backups

“It’s over with. Can’t really go back,” said Scottie Scheffler, who had reason to replay the final round in his mind in the three days between tournaments.

He was 12 shots behind going into the weekend at the Masters and finished one behind McIlroy despite making only one birdie on the par 5s on the back nine all week. “So if I would be frustrated, it would be with the start,” Schef-

fler said. “But I’m proud of how I played on the weekend. That’s part of the beauty and frustrating part of golf I get to try again this week. And if I had won last week, it would be the same thing.”

He speaks from experience. The last time Scheffler won the Masters in 2024, he came to the RBC Heritage and won by three shots.

He is known to put winning — and losing behind him quickly The difference this week was the time he invested getting ready

“The preparation looks a little different in terms of not doing nearly as much as a normal week,” he said. “That’s mainly because this golf course doesn’t change too much. Rest is a huge part of that.”

The field is the largest for the signature events, 82 players because of 10 additional players who won in 2025 and did not get to play The Sentry at Kapalua because it was canceled by a dispute over water Young had just as good of a chance to win as Scheffler, and that was on his mind when he drove three hours through the Low Country of South Carolina to the next destination. He had eight straight chances at birdie on the back nine at the Masters and finished with nine straight pars.

“I had a really good chance to win, and I played the golf to win,” Young said. “I just didn’t, which

happens a lot in golf. But I think about all the times Rosey has played the golf to win and hasn’t, or even Rory It does happen.” What he enjoyed about the week in retrospect was being in the final group, leading by two shots on the front nine.

Young was thinking about having a chance a month before the Masters.

“I enjoyed the battle on Sunday I enjoyed the week,” he said. “I started in a bad spot (a 40 on the front nine Thursday) and enjoyed the grind of getting back to somewhere worthwhile. And by Sunday, I gave myself every chance.” There is a relaxing vibe about Hilton Head, and a lot of wedges in the hands of the best players, both of which can be deceptive. The Harbour Town course can be challenging with trees that get in the way and plenty of water to punish mistakes.

“When you’re out of position here, you’re not often able to get it to the front of the green,” Young said. “At Augusta, you can hit it miles off line and a lot of times you can get something to the front of the green. Here, you hit one off line and you’re hitting out sideways, or you have water in front.

“It’s not an easy golf course,” he said. “There’s no foot off the gas at all on the golf front.”

ä Zurich Classic of New Orleans. APRIL

STAFF FILE PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Wyndham Clark, left, and Doc Redman stand near the 18th green during the third round of the Zurich Classic on April 22, 2023, at TPC Louisiana in Avondale. Clark will team with Taylor Moore in this year’s Zurich Classic

GRUNFELD

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GERALD HERBERT

Healthy again, Celtics contend in ‘gap year’

BY KYLE HIGHTOWER AP sportswriter

BOSTON — The Boston Celtics heard loud and clear what everyone was saying about them before this season.

They heard all the predictions about how they would take a step back from the NBA’s top tier with Jayson Tatum rehabbing from the ruptured Achilles tendon he suffered in the playoffs last May.

They heard the narrative that this would be a throwaway year likely ending with Boston in the draft lottery, after an offseason shakeup that included the departures of key 2024 championship contributors Jrue Holiday Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford.

So, when the Celtics last month notched their 50th win for the fifth consecutive season, All-Star Jaylen Brown didn’t hold back in ripping that narrative into confetti “50 wins in a gap year,” Brown posted on X, along with a shamrock emoji.

Enough said.

Now, as the Celtics prepare for their fourth straight playoff appearance under coach Joe Mazzulla as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed, they are whole again after Tatum’s return last month. And the rest of the NBA is acknowledging

what the Celtics have believed for some time: The sky remains the limit for this team.

Though Brown, who seized the leadership reins during an MVPcaliber season, acknowledged that he was surprised “a little” at least about just how well the cards have fallen for this group.

“Obviously, my mentality was come in and compete. But the way the group merged together as quickly as it did it didn’t take us long I thought it would take us a littler longer,” Brown said “We were trending upward postAll-Star break But we kind of figured it out maybe the first 10 or 15 games. We started clicking and gelling. That just doesn’t happen.”

With Tatum sidelined the first 65 games, Brown flourished as the No. 1 option and leader, taking his game to new levels on both the offensive and defensive ends He posted career-high averages in points (28.7), rebounds (6.9) and assists (5.1).

He also got lots of support.

Derrick White struggled offensively at times but remained a stalwart on defense, leading all NBA guards in contested shots

(550) while ranking second among guards in blocks per game (1.3).

Payton Pritchard adjusted his game, first as a starter and then by returning to the bench role that earned him Sixth Man of the Year honors last season. Sam Hauser remained a reliable threat from the 3-point line, and Neemias Queta grew his game in leaps in his first year as a starter

There were some questions about how Tatum’s return on March 6 would affect the flow of a group that had learned to adjust and thrive without the six-time All-Star Instead, Tatum has reacclimated himself in short order, averaging 21.8 points, 10 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 16 games.

“Quite honestly, I think it’s impressive that he’s gotten back to the level that he’s at as fast as he’s done it, while also keeping the main thing the main thing, which is remaining healthy and giving us the best chance to win every night,” Mazzulla said “It’s a credit to him.”

For Brown, it also put into perspective just how unlikely his nine seasons playing alongside Tatum have been.

Famed Celtics duo Bill Russell and Bob Cousy played together for seven seasons. Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant played together for eight.

Hornets still alive after Ball’s eventful night

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball

was so excited after delivering a knockout blow to the Miami Heat in Tuesday night’s electric 127126 play-in tournament win that he carried it over to his victory celebration delivering two righthanded jabs to the oversized head of Hugo, the Charlotte Hornets’ mascot. In a wild sequence, Ball avenged two critical mistakes just seconds earlier by scoring on a driving right-handed layup with 4.7 seconds left, and Charlotte prevailed after Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s layup attempt on the other end of the court as time expired. That set off a wild celebration on the court involving players, coaches and fans as the team earned its first home postseason win in a decade. Ball celebrated at midcourt, flexing after the winning layup. Local TV station WBTV caught video of the hyped point guard delivering two seemingly playful blows at Hugo before embracing teammate Coby White in a bear hug. Hugo simply walked away Ball was the center of attention all night, and it remained uncertain whether he could face disciplinary action from the league ahead of Charlotte’s next playin game on Friday night after it appeared he took a swipe at the leg of Bam Adebayo early in the second quarter, causing the Heat center to fall on his back. Ball was not called for a foul and play continued. Adebayo did not return because of a lower back injury, playing just 11 minutes. Afterward, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said Ball should have been ejected.

Ball apologized after the game and said he was disoriented on the play after getting hit in the head seconds before on a drive to the basket.

The ninth-seeded Hornets play on the road against the loser of Wednesday night’s game between Orlando and Philadelphia as they look to snap a 10-year playoff drought.

“We drew up a good play, I feel like. Just orchestrated it and it worked,” Ball said of the winning shot.

Ball was not asked about punching the mascot after the game; the video of it had not surfaced at that point.

“The crowd was amazing,” Ball said of the sold-out crowd “Everyone who came out today was real loud, so it was a good crowd.” Charlotte was able to get to overtime after White hit an offbalanced 3-pointer from the corner with 10.8 seconds left to tie the game, and Miami’s Tyler Herro missed a jumper at the end of regulation.

The Hornets surrendered a five-point lead in OT behind two Ball blunders.

After Herro drained a turnaround 3 in the corner, Ball turned the ball over at midcourt and then fouled Herro on a 3-point attempt Herro made all three free throws to briefly give Miami a 126-125 lead, setting up Ball’s theatrics on an inbounds play

Star Avdija adds play-in masterpiece for Blazers

BY DAVID BRANDT AP sportswriter

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

ATLANTA Trae Young rose from the bench, shook the hands of his teammates and bid farewell to the 15,993 fans in State Farm Arena midway through the fourth quarter of the Hawks’ Jan. 7 win over the Pelicans.

After weeks of anticipation, Atlanta had finalized a deal that sent the four-time NBA All-Star to the Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert Young, the centerpiece the franchise built around for the past seven seasons, had become synonymous with the Hawks. And his departure was only the first domino to fall.

But when the dust settled after all the transactions, what remained was something different: a group of seven players who had started the season together and eight eager new additions who learned to lean on one another, carrying Atlanta out of play-in purgatory and into an outright playoff berth for the first time since the 2020-21 season.

A selfless, unified group is what coach Quin Snyder knew was the only path forward for a team that had lost its identity amid a revolving door of player acquisitions and exits.

“I think we’ve had literally about five different iterations of a team,” Snyder said, fresh off the trade deadline. “The key thing for us is going to be to continue to grow together.” Snyder was off with his estimation. Twenty-five different starting lineups have taken the court this season for the Hawks, but heading into a first-round series against the Knicks, the April version is the

presence the team needed. Jonathan Kuminga, when healthy, has established himself as the sixth man

most cohesive to date.

A 13-2 surge in March, which brought the Hawks from the familiar cusp of the play-in tournament into the mix for the No. 5 or No. 6 seeds, proved that to be true. Four of the Hawks’ starting five embarked on the season together: center Onyeka Okongwu, firsttime All-Star Jalen Johnson, reigning Most Improved Player Dyson Daniels and new addition Nickeil Alexander-Walker All of them are having career years.

McCollum, acquired in the Young trade, replaced former No. 1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher in the lineup and brought the veteran

“The fact that our group has connected the way they have in a short period of time really speaks to those guys in the locker room,” Snyder said after the Hawks’ April 3 win against the Nets. “They’ve embraced one another as much as everything. We’ve talked about it a lot, the roles are going to evolve and you’re going to have different things that are available to you at different times. As long as we stay connected and play with the pass, good things can happen.”

That connection will be tested against a

PHOENIX Deni Avdija showed he’s got a little bit of the clutch gene in his initial foray into postseason basketball. The first-time All-Star followed a breakout regular season with a fantastic all-around performance in Tuesday’s NBA play-in tournament, scoring 41 points to lead the Portland Trail Blazers over the Phoenix Suns for a 114-110 win to clinch the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. The Blazers are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021 after clawing back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter They’ll face the No. 2 seed San Antonio Spurs in the first round.

“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my career so far,” Avdija said. The 25-year-old Avdija never had played in the NBA postseason until Tuesday — toiling for more than five years on mediocre teams in Washington and Portland — but looked comfortable on the bigger stage. He had the winning three-point play with 16.1 seconds left, scoring on a physical take to the rim while being fouled and then converting the free throw Blazers guard Jrue Holiday a two-time NBA champion with Milwaukee and Boston — was impressed with Avdija’s composure. He shot 15 of 22 from the field while adding 12 assists and seven rebounds.

Holiday said the best part of Avdija’s performance was it was “kind of an off night.”

“I feel like he’s unique. Nobody does what he does,” Holiday said.

“Deni coming out here, carrying us, especially down the stretch, getting that winning bucket and being able to go home knowing we’re playing San Antonio is something you love to see in Deni because this is what we expect from him now.”

Avdija and the rest of the young Blazers kept their cool during a physical game that featured plenty of hard fouls. Holiday finished with 21 points and Jerami Grant returned from a calf injury to score 16.

“I think back to the beginning of the season, we weren’t very disciplined at staying together and finishing games,” Avdija said. “I feel like we showed character today We showed growth, we showed character, we showed we were capable of keeping our composure and making winning plays.” Blazers coach Tiago Splitter agreed that Avdija didn’t have his best night despite the big numbers. He said the 6-foot-8 forward’s next test will be facing a Spurs team that will throw different looks at him on defense in a playoff series. If Tuesday night was any indication, he’ll be just fine.

“He just kept going, kept believing in himself,” Splitter said.

clear advantage

core

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ANGELINA KATSANIS Atlanta Hawks players celebrate after their win over the Brooklyn Nets on April 3 in New york.

ASSOCAITED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown drives to the basket against Pelicans guard Micah Peavy during the second half of a game on Friday in Boston.

AP PHOTO By NELL REDMOND Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball celebrates after scoring against the Miami Heat during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game Tuesday in Charlotte, N.C.

AP PHOTO By ROSS D FRANKLIN Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija drives against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks during an NBA play-in tournament game on Tuesday in Phoenix.

FIVE TO WATCH

Topgymnaststokeepaneye on at NCAA championships

FORT WORTH, Texas The top teams and gymnasts come together here this weekend for the NCAA championships.

No. 2-seeded LSU will be in Session Iat3:30 p.m. Thursdayon

ESPN2, taking on No. 3Florida, No. 6Georgia and No. 7Stanford, with nine unattached individual gymnasts also competing.InSessionII(8p.m., ESPN2), No. 1Oklahoma, No. 4UCLA, No. 9Arkansas and No. 13 Minnesota plus 10 individual gymnasts also will compete.

The top twoteams advanceto Saturday’sNCAA final (3 p.m., ABC). The NCAA individualaward winners will be decided Thursday. In ameet that brings together the best of the best, we’vepicked five to watch:

KAILIN CHIO

Sophomore •LSU

No. 1inthe all-around, on vault and beam, and with 12 perfect 10s including three in the NCAA regional. WonNCAA vault title in 2025

JORDAN CHILES

Senior •UCLA Named after Michael Jordan, Chiles

is rankednationally in allfour events. The2024 U.S. Olympian has seven perfect 10s, trailingonlyChio.

ADDISON FATTA

Sophomore •Oklahoma

Ranked second on vault and fourth in the all-around.An all-arounder in all 15 meetsthis season. Recorded a10on vault on Feb.13atFlorida.

SELENA HARRIS-MIRANDA

Senior •Florida

TheSEC bars champion with aperfect 10.0, the former UCLA gymnastis second behind Chio on beam, fifth on bars andsixth in the all-around.

AVERYNEFF

Sophomore •Utah

Utah failed to reach NCAAsfor the first time in 49 years, but Neff didn’t. She’s third in all-around, eighthonvault and has three perfect 10s. —ScottRabalais

Continuedfrom page1C

here from the NCAA Baton Rouge regional. The other semifinal at 8p.m. features No. 1Oklahoma, No. 4UCLA, No. 9Arkansas and No. 13 Minnesota.

The top twoteams from each semifinalmoveontoSaturday’s championshipmeet at 3p.m. on ABC. NCAA individual champions will be determined Thursday

The most scrutiny during the LSUpracticeWednesdaylanded on juniorKonnorMcClain. The All-American fell while trying to grip thetop bar on uneven bars in the regional final, leaving the floor holding her wrist.

After an idle weekfollowing the regional, McClain looked solid doing full routines Wednesday on bars andbalance beam, though she didnot practice on vault.

“She’sbeen able to do things,”

Clark said, “then we have to monitor through thenight andsee how shefeels in the morning. So there’s still no concrete decisions made on that. Butshe did agood job today

“The plan would be if she were to wake up feeling good (Thursday), we could do the four-minute touch andshe couldvault. Butwejust won’tknow.Wehave to see how her body responds.”

Sophomore Kaliya Lincoln suffered ulnar nerve pain in her elbow lastmonth at the SEC championships, which caused alack of feeling in onehand. Allshe did was thengoout and share theSEC individual floor title, followed by aperfect 10 on floor in the regional final.

“Kaliya is in agood place,” Clark

Continuedfrom page1C

andsenior Ja’FreeScott. And they will do it with asense of confidence theylacked ayear ago, when aresurgent season ended early after a jittery performance in regionals.

Those days appear over.Georgia advanced to nationalsbyhaving perhapsits best meet of theseason at regionals, finishing second to a powerhouse Florida team loaded with former elites that will look to spoil Oklahoma’sbid forits fourth NCAA championship in fiveyears.

While the Soonershavebeen dominant,the playing field in women’s

said. “Relatively good. She’sprobably alittlemorecemented in what she’sgoing to be doing than Konnor.”

Cemented at the top of the LSU lineup is KailinChio. TheSEC gymnast of the year, the sophomorehas the nation’sbest average in theall-around, on vault,onbeam and has an NCAA-best 12 perfect 10s. That includes two on vault and one on floor in the regional. Olympian Jordan Chiles of UCLA is second with seven 10.0 scores.

“She’sjust unique,” Clark said of Chio.

Chio also won theNCAAvault title here last year,the bright spot forLSU as the Tigers finished third in their semifinal and failedtoadvance to the championship meet. Now given the remarkable season she’shad,Clark is hoping to help her guard against thepressure to perform at an unrealistic level.

“We’ve talked to herabout notallowingoutsidenoisetocreepintoher process,” he said, “trying to keep her focus turnedtowardher team rather thanwhat she’sdoing individually.Thathelps hercope withall the things that get pushed on her

“When you do really great things as consistentlyasshe does it,it’s ablessing and acurse. The blessing is, is that you’re helping to lead your team to great things. The curse is that’sall anybody wants to talk about. Eventually, that creeps in if you’re notcareful Youjusthopethatshe handlesit the waythat she always has. She’s an amazing kid both mentally and physically.She’s done agreat job compartmentalizing things.”

The epitome of her normal being enough, and an exceptional templatefor her LSUteammates to try to followintothe NCAA final

college gymnasticsmay be starting to levelout.The eight-team field at nationals includesthe Bulldogs, ninth-seeded Arkansas and 13thseeded Minnesota, aclose runnerup to star-laden UCLAatregionals

The programs that didn’tmake it to Fort Worth include longtime NCAA fixturesUtah,runner-up a year ago, as well as Alabamaand California.

“It’snot going to be the same eight every year like it used to be,” Landi said. “I like that it gives an opportunity to other teams. But it makes it harder because we always have to be better.Italso makes it moreexciting because youknow you can have that chance, you can be there.”

AP FILE PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

UCLA gymnast Jordan Chiles blowsakiss during her floor routine at theNCAA women’s gymnastics championshipson April17inFortWorth, Texas.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU gymnast Kailin Chio soars over the balance beam during her routine in the third rotation of theregional finals on April 4atthe PMAC.

Go nuts with quicksea scallops, fettuccine

BY LINDAGASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Ilove making sea scallops. They’re sweet, juicy and take only acouple of minutes to cook. For this dish, Itopped the scallops with crunchy,chopped peanuts and finished themwith abrown butter sauce that addsa nutty depth of flavor

The secret to tender,juicy scallops is aquick sear,just 1minute per side. They should still be slightly translucent in thecenter and will finish cooking off the heat.

Another important tip is to pat them dry with apaper towel before cooking, which helps them develop abeautiful golden crust

Chopped baby kale tossedwith fettuccine rounds out this fast meal.

Helpful hints:

n Peanuts and kale can be chopped in afood processor.Chop peanuts first and then kale. No needtowash processor in between.

n Any typeoflong cut pasta such as spaghettiorlinguine can be used.

Peanut Crusted Sea Scallops withFettuccine

Yields 2servings. Recipe is by Linda Gassenheimer

4cups coarsely chopped babykale

1/4 cup dryroasted, unsalted peanuts

2tablespoons pankobreadcrumbs

4ounces fettuccine

2teaspoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive oil spray

3/4 pound sea scallops

1tablespoon butter

3garlic cloves

1. Fill alarge pot three-quarters full of water and place over heat to boil.

2. Chop peanuts in afood processor and remove them to abowl and toss with breadcrumbs.Set aside.

3. Add kale to the food processor, chop and remove 4. Add fettuccini to boiling water.Cook 6minutes. Add chopped kale and continue to cook 2more minutes. Remove 2tablespoons of pasta water to abowland add olive oil.

5. Drain fettuccini and kale and add to the bowl. Toss well andadd salt and pepper to taste.

6. Divide in half and serve on two dinner plates.

7. Heat alargeskilletovermedium-high heat and spray witholive oilspray. Add scallops andsear 1 minute. Turn them over and sear 1minute.

8. Remove to aplate and addbutter and garlic to the skillet. Cook until butter starts to turn slightly brown. Return scallops andcook 1 minute. Sprinkle peanut mixture on top of the scallops. Serve the scallops and saucewith the fettuccine and kale Nutrition info per serving: 681calories (35 percent from fat), 26.5 gfat (6.3 gsaturated, 10.4 gmonounsaturated), 70 mg cholesterol, 46.2 gprotein, 70.9 gcarbohydrates, 6.5 gfiber,448 mg sodium.

NOLA.COM | Thursday, april 16, 2026 1dN

ONE-PAN WONDER

Pastachecksall theboxes

BY APRIL HAMILTON Contributing writer

The destruction anddrywall dust are in the rearview mirror.Every day when Iget home from work is athrill, seeing the transformation from the food truck kitchen to the wide open space with light filling in from new windowsand afour-panel sliding glass door

Iamnever certain what went on in my absence and am always amazed at the progress this small crew makes

April

Hamilton shreds cheese while cooking in her backyard kitchen alongside her dog, Gus.

Editor’snote: During April Hamilton’s kitchen remodel, she’smovedher cooking into thebackyard. This is the third in aseries spotlighting some of the outdoor meals she prepares for her family

in awork day.Atthe halfway point, no unpleasant surprises have been unveiled, which is atremendous relief after hearing of friends’ remodeling nightmares andvanishing contractors.

ä See WONDER, page 2D

Addsoy,garlicglaze to ampup flavor

BYGRETCHEN MCKAY Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)

There’snothinglike afried chicken sandwich to put agiant smile on asandwich lover’sface. Whether it’stucked between two pieces ofwhite bread or stuffed into atoasted and buttered bun, the combination of crispy, craggy coating and juicy, tender breast orthigh meat is a pinnacleofhandheld eating —at once both incredibly comforting andimmenselysatisfying. Calo-

ries be damned! Iused to think no one did a chicken sandwich better than Chick-fil-A. Then Idiscovered this recipe from Donaldo Estevam, aka “Donaldo Cooks,” a digital food creator and air fryer expert known for his easy,bigflavored recipes geared to the homecook. Likealot of food writers, Iown just about every kitchen gadget.Most days, my air fryer is gathering dust in my pantry; as a Mediterranean diet acolyte, Ifry and sauté alot of foods in olive oil completely guilt-free. Donaldo’srecipe made me thinkIshould give thecounter-

Lemon-pepper Cacio epepe with Spring Vegetables

Serves 4to6.Recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark’s“Dinner in One: Exceptionaland Easy OnePan Meals.”

2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2garliccloves, finely chopped

5cups water

11/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1pound spaghetti or yourfavorite pasta shape (farfalle works well)

1pound freshasparagus, trimmed and diagonally sliced 1-inch thick

1cup thawedfrozen peas

1cup gratedParmesan cheese, plus more forserving 1tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper,plus morefor serving Zest of onelemon 1. In alarge deep skillet or sautepan,heat theoil over medium heat. Add the garlic andcook 30 seconds.

2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat and add 5cups water and the 11/4 teaspoons salt and bring to aboil. Add pasta. Cook uncovered for8 minutes, tossing pastaoccasionally Additionalwatercan be added as needed.

3. Add asparagus pieces andpeas. Cook 2-4minutes, until pasta is al dente.

4. Turn offburner.Stir in Parmesan, pepper and lemon zest, tossing well

5. Serve immediately *This recipe is adaptable to other vegetables or by adding cooked shrimp, chicken or sausage.

top appliance another chance to impress, not to save calories, but because the Asian-inspired, soy sauce-based glaze sounded (and looked) so good. The thick, glossy coating is a perfect mix of sweet (honey), spicy (red pepper and fresh ginger),tang (vinegar) and umami (fish sauce). One taste on your fingertip andyou’ll develop a craving for the stuff,which I’m guessing would also add afantastic flavor to just about any protein or roasted vegetable and could be used as adipping sauce for dumplings.

ä See CHICKEN, page 2D

STAFFPHOTOSByJAVIER GALLEGOS

April Hamilton cooks Lemon-pepper Cacio epepe with Spring Vegetables, adapted from‘Dinner in One: Exceptional &Easy One-Pan Meals’ by Melissa Clark.

TNS PHOTO By LINDAGASSSENHEIMER

Peanut Crusted Sea Scallops with Fettuccine

PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE/TNS PHOTO By GRETCHEN MCKAy Air-Fried Chicken Sandwiches with SoyGlaze

Friend stuckinthe middle

Dear Miss Manners: Iam casual friends with Dand F. We all became friends when our boys were in elementary school, but now the boys are grown and we see each other infrequently, only getting together every couple of years.

Judith Martin MISS MANNERS

Afew years ago, Dsent Fa Christmas card, butsent it to our address accidentally (I don’texchange Christmas cards with either of them, which is fine.) I texted both of them, we had agood laugh and Idropped off the card at F’shouse while running errands. Six months later,wegot agraduation announcement from D, meant for F. Imailed it directly to Fina larger envelope, and texted

WONDER

Continued from page1D

Minimalist walls have gone up and our original front hallwayisnow concealed into awalk-in pantry.The former unused square footage that tees into our living room is mapped in as abaking zone with an uninterrupted counter and bookended with an appliancegarage and French door wall oven All praise to my contractor who envisioned this new floor plan! The two types of mismatched tile from the front to back of the house, with odd thresholds between each room, have been replacedwith continuous 24-inch-by-48-inchporcelain tile that looks like soft beachsand. Igrew up on the coast of Florida and am drawn to those calming coastal colors. Next we select the paint colors. Every decision feels like the weight of the world. My dear neighbor is an interior designer and helped select the flooring we love so much, so Iam leaning on her to continue assisting withthese tough choices. “It’sonly paint,” she says. From the birdsong-filled backyard bistro, Ican see the whole space and daydream about the possibilities the new kitchen will bring. While we wait, we keep the Coleman camp stove humming with my

By TheAssociatedPress

Today is Thursday,April 16, the 106th day of 2026. There are 259 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On April 16, 2007, Seunghui Cho, a23-year-old Virginia Tech student, killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus before taking his own life. It remains the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history Also on this date: In 1866, acrate of nitroglycerine that had been shipped from New York to California by way of Panama exploded in the Wells Fargo building in San Francisco, killing 14 people and shattering windows up to a half mile away.(The blast prompted passage of afederal law banning shipments of explosives on passenger vessels.) In 1917, VladimirLenin, after being exiled to Europe, returned to Russia by train to take command of the Russian Revolution that would overthrowa provisional government, install communism and bring about the rise of the Soviet Union. In 1945, aSoviet submarine in the Baltic Sea torpedoedthe shipMVGoya, which Germany was using to transport civilianrefugees and wounded soldiers. As many as 7,000 people died as the ship broke apart

Ftoask that she contactD directly to make sureshe hadtheir address. She said shewould The following Christmas, we againgot D’scard meant for F. Ididn’ttext anyone; Ijust mailedittoF inside alarger Christmas card fromour family,trying to embrace the spirit of the season. This pastChristmas, we received F’s card from D once again. Itexted Dand wasmorefirm this time about changing her records. She responded with ashort but sincere apology text.

Whatshould Idoif I receivemorecardsmeant for F? Ithink Disjust disorganized (asopposedtolazyor entitled)and Idon’twant to cause drama. Icould continuetojust forwardit (which is irritatingtome), or Icould putitback in the mailboxstamped “not at this address”(whichseems

favorite trifecta of dishes: simple,delicious, nutritious.

Iturn to theperfect book for this situation,Melissa Clark’s“Dinner in One: Exceptional &Easy One-Pan Meals.” Fora person who relies on the dishwasher for after-meal cleanup, Clark’s book is alifesaver She wroteittokeep that chore to aminimum. Imet Clark at adinner and book-signingevent at theSouthern Food and Beverage MuseuminNew Orleans, and treasure my signed copy of this essential book. In the great outdoors, onething we have missed cookingispasta, which usually requires apot for boilingthe spaghetti and another forthe sauce. Clark’sgeniusissharing recipes for pasta in ameasured amount of liquid in one pot. Her version of cacio epepe, enhanced with a serving of vegetables, is all cooked magically in onepan.Please be sure to grateyour own cheeses for this one. It is companyworthyand we invited theneighbors to savor the feast. Delightfuldinner conversation focused on —you guessed it —paint colors and continued anticipation of the joy our new kitchen will bring.

Successfulgrating

This maynot be areal recipe, but real cheese is an important ingredient. Gratingityourself is quickerthan you think and

TODAYIN HISTORY

and sank minutes after being struck

In 1947, the French cargo ship Grandcamp, carrying over 2,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, blew up in theharbor of Texas City, Texas. Anearby ship, the High Flyer,which was carrying ammonium nitrate and sulfur,caught fire and exploded the following day The combined blasts and fires killed nearly 600 people and injured 5,000 in the worst industrial accident in U.S. history In 1963, the Rev.Martin Luther King Jr.wrote his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in which the civil rights activist responded to agroup of local clergymen who had criticized him for leadingstreet protests. King defended his tactics, writing, “Injusticeanywhere is athreat to justice everywhere.”

In 1972, Apollo 16 blasted off for the moon with astronauts John Young, Charles Duke and Ken Mattingly aboard.

In 2010, the U.S. government accused Wall Street’s most powerful firm of fraud, saying Goldman Sachs &Co. had sold mortgage investments without tellingbuyers the securities were crafted with input from aclient whowas betting on them to fail. (InJuly 2010, Goldman agreed to pay $550 million in asettlement with the Securities

cold, but would force her to change her records).I could alsotext DinNovember when she is actually addressing the cards and remind her to update her records (which seems like overreaching)

What do you suggest?

Gentle reader: Unlessyou plan to be theEinthis drama forever,you have twochoices. Youcan hand future pieces back to the mail carrierand let the post office deal withit, or you can startapile of items to forward when you get around to it

Miss Manners allows for the possibilitythat you may not get around toitprior to retiring or dying. She is merely suggesting younot throwthe items out, as then you would have to explain yourself if Ddiscovers the items have not arrived.

Email dearmissmanners@ gmail.com.

makes abig difference in thefinal dish.

In my new kitchen, I have already designated a drawer for all mygraters. Though having acollection of graters isn’tnecessary, Ibreak them out when hosting friends for pizza night or other cooking activities that involve cheese (fondue, anyone?!).Many hands makethe work light

Here is thehow and what, featuring some of my favorite grating devices:

n The OXO multi-grate and slice setwhich has four blades for slicing, grating and julienning, all which nestle inside a handy container

n Large box grater which stands tall and has four sides for grating tasks

n Microplane grater for finely grated Parmesan and pecorino, also perfect for grating garlic and citrus zest

Here is the why:

Pre-grated/shredded cheese has been treated with anti-clumping and anti-mold agents (preservatives) that will interfere with the results of your finished dish. Also, when you grateyour own cheese, you get about twice as many shreds by volumecompared to factory-shredded, so it is far more cost effective.

Funfact: Almosteverythingtastes better when you’ve lovingly labored over it yourself.

This little kitchen task also builds hand strength, so go ahead and grate!

and Exchange Commission but did not admit wrongdoing.)

In 2012, trialbegan in Oslo, Norway,for Anders Breivik, charged with killing 77 people in abomb and gun rampage in July 2011. (Breivik was found guilty of terrorism and premeditated murderand sentenced to 21 years in prison.)

In 2016, amagnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Ecuador’scoastal provinces, killing hundreds of people and displacing thousands.

In 2023, the New York production of “The Phantomofthe Opera” ended its 35-year Broadway run withstanding ovations and Champagne toasts. The final curtain camedown on performance No. 13,981 at the Majestic Theatre, ending the longest-running show on “The Great WhiteWay.” Today’sbirthdays: Singer Bobby Vinton is 91. Basketball Hall of FamerKareem Abdul-Jabbar is 79. Football coach BillBelichick is 74. ActorEllen Barkinis72. Singer Jimmy Osmond is 63. ActorJon Cryer is 61. Actorcomedian Martin Lawrence is 61. ActorPeter Billingsley is 55. ActorLukas Haas is 50. Actor-singer Kelli O’Hara is 50. ActorClaire Foy(TV:“The Crown”) is 42. RapperChance the Rapper is 33. ActorAnya TaylorJoy is 30. ActorSadie Sink is 24. BoxerEmiliano Vargas is 22.

Team playerfeels invisibleatoffice

Dear Annie: I’m struggling with something at work that’sstarting to affect not just my motivation but also my self-worth. My boss has taken credit for my work on several occasions

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

These aren’t minor tasks; I’m talking about fullscale projects I’ve managed from start to finish, ideas I’ve brainstormed and developed, and presentations I’ve poured hours into. In team meetings or when speaking to seniorleadership, he presentsmywork as his own, with no mention of my involvement. And I’m left sitting there, trying to keep aprofessional face while feeling completely invisible.

I’ve always prided myself on being ateam player.I don’tneed astanding ovation; Ijust want fair recogni-

tion. But lately,Ifind myself dreading meetings, pulling back from sharing ideas and questioning if any of it is worth it. I’ve worked so hard to build acareer I’m proud of, and now Ifeel like I’m shrinking into the background while someone else stands in the spotlight. Should Ispeak up? And if so, how do Idoitwithout burning bridges or risking my job? —Feeling Overlooked and Undermined

DearUndermined: It’s no small thing to have your hard work taken for granted —or worse,claimed by someone else. You’re not being petty.You’re being honest about something that would frustrate and demoralize anyone. While it’sadmirable that you’ve kept ateam-player mindset, that doesn’tmean you should allow yourself to be walked on. Recognition matters —not for your ego, but for your career.Ifyour boss is building his reputation on your effort, that’s

not leadership. That’stheft, plain and simple. Youhave every right to advocate for yourself. Start by documenting your contributions —emails, drafts, project plans, anything that clearly shows your role. Then, request aprivate meeting with your boss. Stay calm and professional. Say something like, “I’ve noticed that in meetings, some of the work I’ve done isn’t being credited. I’d really appreciate being acknowledged for my contributions moving forward.” Give them achance to correct the behavior.Ifthey don’t—orifitcontinues you mayneed to escalate the issue to HR or start looking elsewhere. Agood workplace values the people who make it run, notjust the ones who take the credit. Stand tall. You’ve earned your place at the table.

Send yourquestions for Annie Lane to dearannie@ creators.com.

CHICKEN

Continuedfrom page1D

For thebest-tasting sandwich, be sure to line bothsides of the bun with mayonnaise, and don’tforget acrunchy,cool layer of thick-cutpickles. Abuttery brioche bun is thebest way to hold it all together,but if you can’tfind thesoft and fluffy buns at your local grocery store, ahoagie roll works just fine, too.

Air-Fried Chicken Sandwicheswith SoyGlaze

Makes 4sandwiches. Recipe is from donaldocooks. com.

Forchicken:

4boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

1cup all-purpose flour

2largeeggs, beaten in bowl

2cups crushed cornflakes

Avocado oil spray

Forseasoning:

1tablespoon paprika

1tablespoon garlic powder

1tablespoon onion powder

2teaspoons black pepper

2teaspoons salt

Forglaze:

1/2 cup dark soysauce

1 3 cup honey

11/2 tablespoons sesame oil

1tablespoon fish sauce

4clovesgarlic, minced

1tablespoon fresh ginger,grated

1/2-1 teaspooncrushed redpepper, or to taste

1/4-1/2 cup water,tocontrol consistency

Forsandwich: 4brioche or ciabatta buns, toasted Garlic mayo or Greekyogurt, for garnish Sweet pickles, optional

Forcucumbersalad: 2English cucumbers, julienned

2medium carrots, julienned

3green onions, thinly sliced Zest of 1lemon

Fordressing: 2tablespoonsfreshly squeezed lemon juice

2tablespoonsrice vinegar

11/2 tablespoons avocado oil

1tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Prepare the chicken: Pat chicken dry and lightly season withsalt. Coat each pieceinflour,then dipin beaten eggs. Press firmly into crushedcornflakesand shake to removeexcess. Spray both sides generously with avocadooil.

2. Preheat airfryer to 390 F. When hot, add chicken to tray andair fryuntilinternal temperature reaches 165 F, 14-15 minutes.

3. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165 F, then allow to rest for 5minutes before glazing.

4. While chicken is cooking, make glaze andstirtogether vegetablesalad

5. Add dark soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, fishsauce, garlic, ginger,crushed red pepperand watertoasaucepan. Bring to amedium simmer andcook, uncovered,for

10-14 minutes, stirring often.

(The glaze will naturally reduceand thickenfrom the honey.)

6. Once thesauce is glossy andcoats theback of aspoon, remove fromheat. Add cucumber,julienne carrots, green onions and lemon zest to abowl

7. Whisk lemon juice, rice vinegar, avocadooil, honey, salt and pepper in ameasuringcup,thenpourdressing over vegetables and toss well. Chill 10-15 minutes before serving for best texture and flavor.

8. When chicken is done cooking, build the sandwich: Toss thechicken in theglaze. Toast buns until lightly golden andspread mayonnaise or Greek yogurt on both sides.

9. Add alayer of shredded lettuce, glazed chicken, picklesand vegetable salad. Top with bun and serve immediately. Notes: Iused boneless, skinless chicken thighs for these crispy air-friedsandwiches because they tendtobejuicierand moreforgivingifyou cook them aminute or two too long. Theoriginal recipe calls for serving the cucumber salad on theside, but Itucked it under the bun for one big, flavorful bite. Spicybreadand-butter pickle chips add just theright amount of kick. If you don’thaveanair fryer, the chicken can be panfriedin1 or 2tablespoonsof oil until golden brown and crispy,about 6-8 minutesper side

Air-Fried Chicken Sandwiches with SoyGlaze

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Rely on your strengths and forge ahead until you get what you want. Say no to unrealistic offers. Use your ingenuity to devise a plan that offers positive results.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Your desperation for change, advancement or ways to discover your potential is growing. Before you end up against the wall or at a dead end, take a moment to consider what dissatisfies you.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Don't let anyone scam you or talk you into doing their dirty work for them. A pick-me-up will set the stage for socializing, making new friends and generating a buzz that helps you promote what you want to do next.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Keep your thoughts and plans to yourself. Someone will try to push you aside if you offer too much information. Pay attention to what things cost and what's important to you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Pick up the slack, do your thing and dazzle everyone watching from the sidelines. Don't jeopardize your health or reputation. Seize the moment and display what you can do

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept 22) Put yourself in a position where you get to learn from the best. If you're the smartest person in the room, you are at the wrong event. Let your passion lead the way.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Overspending, overanalyzing, exaggerating or taking

on more than you can handle will end in disappointment. Look for partners who offer equality, share your dreams and are willing to work side-by-side with you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Look for opportunities but not at the expense of your reputation. The best way to get ahead is to invest in yourself and your skills and to keep up with technology.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Home is where the heart is. Turn your surroundings into a place you want to spend time in. Open your doors to people you cherish and want to be with. Set the stage to accommodate your dreams.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Refuse to fall prey to hype. Verify information, handle matters personally and don't commit to anything that can turn into a costly venture.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Take better care of yourself and your relationships. Focus on how you earn and handle your money. Set up a budget and a financial plan that encourages growth.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) A change of pace or space will help you put your life in perspective. Distance yourself from confusion or those who use emotional manipulation to push you in a direction that suits their needs

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist By andrews mcmeel syndication

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with severalgiven numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

BY PHILLIPALDER

PeterDeVries,anovelistandaneditor whodied in 1993,said, “The universe is like asafe to which there is acombination. But the combination is locked up in the safe.”

Iwonder if we willever find that safe combination?

Thisweek,wehavebeenlookingatvarious suit combinations. Here is another deceptive one. How shouldSouth playin six spades after West leadsthe diamond queen?

North’sinitial two-no-trump response was the Jacoby Forcing Raise. South’s jump to game showed aminimum opening withnosingleton or void. Norththen launched RomanKey Card Blackwood, whichwasgoodforthisdeal.AfterSouth bid five diamonds, indicating zero or three keycards(the four aces and the trump king count as key cards), North relayed withfive hearts to ask about the spade queen. When Southdenied holding that card, Northknewnottobidagrandslam.(And, yes, North might have signed off in six no-trump.)

Sincethesidesuitsaresolid,declarer’s only problem is to avoid two trump losers. South should start with alow trump from the board (notthe ace),planning to rise withhis king or to finesse his jack. WhenEast shows out, declarer can still do either. If he wins withhis king, he then leads low toward the board,covering West’s card as cheaply as possible. If Southplays his jack, West wins withhis queen and probably leads another diamond. But declarer wins on the board, plays aspade to his king, returns aspade to dummy’snine, cashes the ace, and claims.

©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is awordriddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

INsTRucTIoNs:

ToDAY’sWoRD sALuTE: suh-LOOT: To give asignofrespect, courtesy or goodwill to.

Average mark 19 words

Can youfind 24 or more words in SALUTE?

YEsTERDAY’s WoRD —cRoNYIsM

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from theletters in each row.add points of each word usingscoring directionsat right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus “Blanks”used as any letter havenopoint value. allthe wordsare in theOfficial sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition

Puzzle Answer ken ken

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

Well

Scrabble GramS

Getfuzzy

roSe

participateinsubcon‐tractingopportunities pursuanttothissolicita‐tion. Formoreinformation about this sourcing event,goto www.nola. govand clickon“BRASS SupplierPortal” under BIDS &CONTRACTS”.

to this solicitation,orto

FRENCH QUARTER QUAR FEST

Alarge muralcrossing

ElysianFieldsAvenue page 11

‘Shrek theMusical’set for Slidellstage page 4

don’tmiss don’tmiss don’t miss

tomato festival

Our Lady of Prompt SuccorParish in Chalmette celebrates the red, ripe and lively fruit in typicalsouth Louisiana style at 2320 Parish Road. Dishes like Tomato alaChalmette are paired with chargrilled oysters, Cuban sandwiches and crawfish fried rice. Also enjoy carnival rides, localbands and student performances from5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday,11a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.Entry is $5. olpstomatofest.com.

ABOUTLAGNIAPPE

The Lagniappe section is published each ThursdaybyThe Times-Picayune |The New Orleans Advocate. All inquiries about Lagniappeshouldbe directed to theeditor LAGNIAPPE EDITOR: Lauren Walck, lauren.walck@theadvocate.com

COVER DESIGN: Andrea Daniel

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Victor Andrews, Doug MacCash,Keith Spera, Poet Wolfe

david sedarisbooksales

The humorist and social satirist takes to the stageat7:30 p.m. Monday at the OrpheumTheater,129 Roosevelt Way, following the publication of hismost recent book of short stories, “HappyGoLucky,” and will do pre- and post-show signings. Tickets start at $40. orpheumnola.com.

louisiana crawfish cook-off

More than 50 teams will be boiling40,000 pounds of heads andtails startingat 11 a.m. Saturday at Fritchie Park, 905 W. Howze Beach Road, Slidell, in supportof Hospice House. The 21-yearold eventwill also feature gamesand liveentertainment from Soul Revival and VooDoo Gumbo. Tickets start at $40. crawfishtickets.com.

GETLISTEDINLAGNIAPPE

Submit eventstoLagniappe at least twoweeks in advance by sending an emailtoevents@theadvocate.com.

ON THECOVER

The Original Black Seminole BabyDolls dance down Bourbon Street during the 2025 French Quarter Festival openingdayparade. Photo by Sophia Germer This year’s four-dayevent kicks off Thursday. Story by Doug MacCashon Page 6.

arun/walk through history

Run a1Kor5Kroute through the elaborate, decorative and revered final restingplaces of Metairie Cemetery to benefit Save Our Cemeteries, a division of thePreservation Resource Center.Races start at 7:30 a.m. Sunday at the former racetrack at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., followed by acelebration with music, food and cold beer. Registration starts at $30. prcno.org.

Atrio of sales around the metro area feature the printed word (and pictures). Friends of the UniversityofNew Orleans Earl K. Long Library’s USEDBOOK SALE will be 10 a.m. to 6p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Saturday on the fourth floor at 2000 Lakeshore Drive. facebook.com. Friends of Jefferson Public Library’s BIG BOOK SALE hits the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner on Williams Boulevardfrom 10 a.m. to 7p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 5p.m. Sunday with more than65,000 books, CDs, puzzles and more. friendsofjeffersonlibrary. org.

Saturday only,the Friends of the New Orleans Public Library will hold the Uptown Editionofthe REALLYBIG USEDBOOK SALE at Latter Library,5120 St. Charles Ave., from 10 a.m. to 3p.m. The porch sale features books, records (yes, records) and more.

food food food

Longtime pho spot closing amid changing Mid-City dining scene

BY POET WOLFE Staff writer

Pho House will serve its last bowls of pho this week at its longtime home in Mid-City, closing after nearly three decades as a quiet anchor in New Orleans’ Asian dining scene.

As its owners prepare to retire, the restaurant announced its closure on Facebook, and thanked customers for 30 years of service. The restaurant opened serving primarily Chinese cuisine and gradually transformed into a Vietnamese noodle house.

Chef Doson Ha immigrated from South Vietnam to San Francisco, where he savored the city’s many renowned Chinese restaurants. When he moved to New Orleans, Ha decided to start one of his own, opening Chinese’s Chinese on Oak Street in 1997, offering a

Pho House, 135 N. Carrollton Ave., is closing after nearly 30 years of operation.

three-page Chinese menu and tiki-style mixed drinks favored by college students.

Four years into the business, Ha

began introducing Vietnamese dishes: hot and sour shrimp soup, vermicelli bowls and spring rolls. As a journalist at Gambit once wrote in 2003, the restaurant “rescued Uptown from its pho deficiency.”

With its shift in identity came a new name — Doson Noodle House — and eventually, a new home. The restaurant began its relocation process to its current home on North Carrollton Avenue in 2005, though it didn’t open until shortly after Hurricane Katrina It was one of the first restaurants to debut on the once-bustling thoroughfare, whose recovery was slow but eventually filled again with eateries like Angelo Brocato and Taqueria Guerrero.

In 2025, the restaurant’s name was changed again to reflect its focus on pho.

The closure comes amid another

evolution in Mid-City’s dining scene, where, in the past year, longtime restaurants have shuttered and new ones have arrived. In 2025, Frey Meats Co. closed after serving barbecue, burgers and milkshakes for nearly a decade. A month later, the neighborhood lost Mopho, which had gained a loyal following through its Vietnamese fare peppered with Creole influence but struggled to recover after the pandemic.

Four months into 2026, several corners of Mid-City have welcomed an eclectic blend of new restaurants. Charmant, a European-inspired bistro, took over the building that housed Mopho. Chada transformed a shotgun house into an elegant space for Thai cuisine and 2 Potnas debuted a breezy lineup of smash burgers, french fries and onion rings paired with a playful interior.

MAY 8–10 | MAY 15–17

The story behind the woman who became The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat. PRESENTS

FACEBOOK PHOTO

Starring Cristina Perez Edmunds with Script by Denise Altobello

SCAN FOR TICKETS

stages stages stages

TRAGIC TALE

St.Tammany production focusesonthe shocking murder of auniversitystudent

Twosides of St. Tammany Parish theaters open shows this weekend, ranging from fact-based drama in Mandeville to afantasy-based musicalinSlidell, showing the broad spectrum of experiences andstories available to thelocal audience.

‘The LaramieProject’

The brutal death of aUniversity of Wyoming student and thesubsequent attention on the tragedyare weighty matter that forms the heart of aunique bit of theater opening Saturday at 30 by Ninety Theatre in Mandeville.

“The Laramie Project” grewout of the real experiences after Matthew Shepard was beaten and left fordead on afence in the middle of aprairie outside of the Wyoming town that’s home to the state’s university. While the 21-year-old survived the nearfreezing night, he would later succumb to his injuries.

Twoyoung men were arrested, charged and tried in acase thatattracted national attention formany reasons, including thefact Shepard was gay and targeted because of it.

Moisés Kaufman andmembersof the Tectonic Theater Project visited the town of Laramie for more than 200 interviews ahalf-dozen timesoverthe course of 18 months andpenned the work that features arelatively small castplaying dozens of roles in thistheatrical experience.

The strong subject matter hitshome for director Christopher Manguno, noting theplay“has been apassion piece for me since Iwas in highschool.”

“As ayoung, gay kid in acitynot so different from Laramie, Iloved seeing how all walks of life reacted to atragedy,” he said. “This show has had so much love and care poured intoit, and while the subject matter is heavy,the show itself is not.”

Kaufman and company spoke to peopleinvolved in thetrial, along with Laramie residents. They crafted a show that tells the story but also offers alook at the emotions and spirit behind theevents.

“There is so much love, passion and humanity that went into making this show,” said the director.“Ihope that everyonewho comes can escape the world of today,and be transported to a not-so-distant past, in Laramie.”

Thecast includes TomBubrig, AndreaElu, Beth Harris, Stephen Latimer,Casey Lipscomb, Jacob Meyers, LaurenPrice, Evette Randolph, Amy

Riddell and Isabelle Wolke.

The subject matter of the show merits an advisory for themes, language and the sometimes graphic descriptionsofthe violence perpetrated on Shephard.

The show opens Saturday and is at 8p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 3at 880 Lafayette St. Tickets startat$17. Visit 30byninety.com.

‘Shrek theMusical’

ADreamWorks Oscar-winning animated film that spawned aTonywinning Broadway show comes to

Rachael Knaps is Fiona in Slidell LittleTheatre’sproduction of ‘Shrek the

PROVIDED PHOTOS

Evette Randolph, Jacob Meyers and Beth Harris work on ascene from ‘The Laramie Project’ to open at 30 by NinetyTheatre in Mandeville.

Ezra Gamer,left, as Donkey and Lucas Bissett as Shrek in the Slidell Little Theatre production of ‘Shrek the Musical’ opening thisweek.

Musical.’

Victor Andrews

stages stages stages

Slidell Little Theatre on Friday,filled with fairytale characters, hummable tunes and atwisted feel-good message about ogres,donkeys and little tyrants with big egos.

In the story,anogre named Shrek is none-too-happy about his swamp being invaded by fairytale misfits andreally dislikes acertainsmartmouthed donkey.The exodus of characters from the Kingdom of Duloc has been prompted by Lord Farquaad, who finds out he needs tomarry a princess to become aking. Andthen there’sFiona, aformidable crownwearing captive in adragon-guarded castle with her own secrets.

The show also includes new music written just for thestage.Itis directed by Skylar Broussard. The cast includes Lucas Bissett as Shrek, Rachael Knaps as Fiona, Ezra Garner as Donkey,Casey Sharp-Jones as Lord Farquaad, Dee CarterasDragon, and Maria Chin, Ke’Shone White, Carlye

Stark, Lise Harbom, Joshua Evans, Annaliese Giardina, Amelia Chin, Pluto Topper,Sonni-Anne Talamo, Max Roth, Danny Jepson,Cohen Parker, Adaline Shehadeh,ClaireBarbry,Millie Tiblier,Kimberly Nichols,Elise Litchliter,Cailey Williams,Julianna Giardina, London Hauck, Lola Penton, Molly Stark,Natalie Bywater,Logan Puglisi, Shelby Crosswhite, Gianna Hakin, GenevieveDelaney and Whitney Schultz.

The showwill runat7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May 2, except April18. Tickets start at $25. Thetheater is at 2024 Nellie Drive. slidelllittletheatre.org.

Onstage

“JAGGED LITTLE PILL”: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdaysand 2p.m. Sundays through April 26; Jefferson Performing Arts Center,6400 Airline Drive, Metairie. Tony-winning jukebox

musical basedonAlanis Morissette’s 1995 album touches on some weighty subjectmatter thatmight seem pervasive in contemporaryhome life today—pain, recovery andempowerment. Producers note the musical is recommendedfor mature audiences ages 16 andup. Tickets start at $39. jpas.org.

“LAST NIGHT AT THE RUEBAYOU:” 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 3p.m. and 8p.m. Saturdays, and 2p.m. and 7p.m. Sundays through May 3; Storyville Music Hall, 1104 Decatur St.Local musicians and performers highlightsafinal evening at the club beforeacorrupt parish commissioner attempts to seize MissElean Durand’slegendary “juke joint at the crossroads between the living world and the spiritsofthe bayou.” Tickets start at $64 and include two drinks and a“locally sourced taste of New Orleans.” ruebayoumusical.com.

“LITTLE WOMEN:” 7:30 p.m. Thursdayto

MondayexceptSaturday,and 2p.m. Sunday; Lupin Theatre, 69 Newcomb Circle,Tulane University.The March sisters of Concord, Massachusetts, have been celebratedinavariety of motion picturesand plays sinceLouisa MayAlcottbrought the Civil Warerafamily to life just after the war in novelform. Ticketsstart at $10. Visit purplepass.com/tulanetd.

”SIX:” 7:30 p.m. ThursdaytoSaturday, 2p.m.Saturday and 1p.m.and 6:30 p.m. Sunday; Saenger Theatre, 1111 CanalSt. The ex-wives of England’sKing Henry VIII getachance to tell their story,with some crazy beatsand staging in a“history remix” that’sstill running on Broadway.This marks the Tony-winning show’ssecondcruise to the Crescent City.Suitable forages10and up. Tickets start at $39. saengernola.com

EmailVictor Andrews at vandrews@ theadvocate.com.

J music music music

am PACKED

2026 French Quarter Fest boasts bigger lineup, expanded footprint

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

If you’re a fan of New Orleans music festivals, this is your season.

ä Music lineup. PAGE 8

Starting Thursday, the 2026 French Quarter Festival extraordinary of wall-to-wall New Orleans. days of the French followed immediweekends of the ritage Festival. French Quarter come to resemble headliners. FQF focused on traditional jazz. But more recently, it has expanded its scope to showcase just about form of indigLouisiana muDJs, among the will perform on downtown riverFrench Quarter. favorable, total will number hundreds of thou-

RIGHT: The Soul Rebels perform Thursday.

PROVIDED PHOTO By LOUIS BROWNE

Irma Thomas is set to perform Sunday during French Quarter Fest.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

LEFT: PJ Morton is set to close the Abita Beer Stage on Friday. BELOW: Festivalgoers dance to Steve Pistorius and the Southern Syncopators at the French Market Traditional Jazz Stage during the 2025 French Quarter Festival in New Orleans.

One reason for the big crowds: General admission to the French Quarter Festival is free (the two nighttime FQF After Dark concerts are ticketed). Fest Family VIP passes, which grant access to reserved viewing, hospitality areas and other perks, are available for purchase. Food and beverage booths will sell 275 different menu items.

You won’t be able to spend cash — as it was last year, the FQF is entirely cashless.

upriver near the Audubon Aquarium.

The Jack Daniel’s Stage is migrating downriver from Spanish Plaza to Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park at the Gov. Nicholls Street wharf. Festival favorites Irma Thomas, Big Freedia and Cupid & the Dance Party Express will perform there.

ABOVE: Irma Thomas performs at the 2025 French Quarter Festival.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By

SOPHIA GERMER

LEFT: Flow Tribe performs Saturday.

The festival is produced by the eightperson staff of the nonprofit French Quarter Festivals Inc., led by President and CEO Emily Madero. It is supported by sponsorships and food and merchandise sales.

The 43rd edition of FQF has expanded its footprint to Goldring Woldenberg Riverfront Park, a newly christened green space at the Gov. Nicholls Street wharf, which can be accessed along the riverfront or at the foot of Esplanade Avenue.

The Pan-American Life Insurance Group Stage will also be at the Gov Nicholls Street park, with four full days of programming The House of Blues Voodoo Garden Stage has stepped up its programming.

Loyola University is, for the third year, sponsoring the Esplanade In the Shade Stage. A number of Loyola students will perform and work there throughout the weekend.

First-time French Quarter Fest performers in 2026 include Bobby Rush, the 92-year-old blues singer and harmonica player from Homer; Dawn Richard, whose music draws on both her family’s Mardi Gras Indian heritage and contemporary R&B and pop; and keyboardist Kyle Roussel and his “Church of New Orleans” project.

PROVIDED PHOTO By LOUIS

BROWNE

Several familiar stages will move and/ or expand their programming. The Louisiana Fish Fry Stage, with its roster of brass bands and DJs, has moved away from the Old U.S. Mint because of construction. It is temporarily relocating

They’ll be joined by a whole lot of local favorites.

Go to fqfi.org for details.

STAFF FILE PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

music music music

Usher performs at the 2024 Essence Festival of Culture.

Chris Brown, Usher tour set for Dome

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

The biggest contemporary R&B tour of 2026, featuring co-headliners Chris Brown and Usher, is bound for the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.

The “R&B Tour,” a play on the first name of Raymond Usher and the last name of Chris Brown, is slated to stop at the Superdome on Nov. 20, which is the thirdto-last show on the 33-date tour

A presale for Citi cardholders starts April 21. A presale for fans who register with the tour starts on April 23. Remaining tickets go on sale to the general public at noon April 27 at raymondandbrowntour.com

The show should have no problem selling tickets.

On Oct. 16, 2025, Brown filled the Superdome with 45,000 fans for the final date of his “Breezy Bowl XX Tour.”

Barely a year later, he’ll return to the Dome with a co-headliner with similar appeal. Usher has also played the Superdome, most recently for the 2024 Essence Festival of Culture.

THURSDAY

Traditionally, Thursday is a soft opening, with only a halfdozen stages active. This year’s opening Thursday is a bit busier, with eight stages in play

The opening-day parade, populated by sponsors and a few bands, sets out at 10 a.m. from the 200 block of Bourbon Street. It turns on St. Ann Street, heading to Jackson Square, where Preservation Brass will once again kick off the music at the NewOrleans. com Stage at 11:15 a.m.

The Abita Beer Stage lineup is solid from top to bottom, with The Soul Rebels, Erica Falls & Vintage Soul and Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers.

Elsewhere on Thursday, you can hear Bobby Rush, Susan Cowsill, blues-based guitarists Mem Shannon and John Mooney, trumpeter Leroy Jones & New Orleans’ Finest, pianist and songwriter Lilli Lewis, the New Orleans Klezmer Allstars, the Rebirth Brass Band, Cajun/country/ pop fiddler player and singer Amanda Shaw, and Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-chas.

Thursday’s FQF After Dark show at the House of Blues features Revivalists singer David Shaw. Showtime is 9 p.m.; tickets are $42.

FRIDAY

The stage count bumps up to 13 on Friday.

PJ Morton, the homegrown contemporary R&B and gospel singer who is also the keyboardist in pop-rock band Maroon 5, closes the Abita Beer Stage at 6:40 p.m. Friday. He’ll release a combination R&B/ gospel double album, “Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,” in June He may give a sneak peek of a song or two at the festival.

He’s preceded immediately on the same stage by keyboardist Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen and the

FRENCH QUARTER FEST SCHEDULE

Crowds of 2025 French Quarter Fest attendees watch The Brass-A-Holics, top, at the Jack Daniel’s Stage and the Storyville Stompers, bottom, on the Louisiana Fish Fry Stage.

trombone-powered rock/brass band Bonerama.

Other Friday highlights include John Boutte, Kyle Roussel’s Church of New Orleans, Sally Baby’s Silver Dollars, Cole Williams, the contemporary pop ensemble People Museum and avant-garde Cajun band Lost Bayou Ramblers. The New Orleans Legacy Coalition features the sons of well-established New Orleans musicians, including Loyola graduate Michael Mullins, whose father is Bonerama trombonist Mark Mullins; 16-year-old piano prodigy River Eckert, son of New Orleans Suspects guitarist Jake Eckert; and percussionist Omari Neville, son of the legendary Cyril Neville. The sons and fathers are slated to perform together at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the

Loyola Esplanade in the Shade Stage.

Big Sam’s Funky Nation throws down for the FQF After Dark concert at Good Measure, 600 Carondelet St. Showtime is 9 p.m.; tickets are $22.

SATURDAY

After Saturday kicks off with a 5K race, all 19 stages will be up and running. New Orleans funk/party band Flow Tribe tops off the Abita Beer Stage after legendary Meters bassist George Porter Jr and his Runnin’ Pardners.

Other Saturday highlights include Big Freedia, New Orleans funk and more keyboardist John “Papa” Gros, singer-songwriters Joy Clark and Paul Sanchez, trumpeters James “Satchmo of the Ghetto” Andrews and Wendell Brun-

ious, clarinetist Tim Laughlin, the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band and Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, “American Routes” host Nick Spitzer will lead a discussion about New Orleans recording engineer Cosimo Matassa at the Historic New Orleans Collection Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St. Matassa’s J&M Studios was where Fats Domino and many other rhythm and blues and early rock ’n’ roll icons recorded.

After the talk at 2 p.m., the HNOC’s Helis Hall, 520 Royal St., hosts a Matassa-themed birthday party with the Mahogany Blue Baby Dolls and DJ Buy It Now spinning recordings made at J&M. Admission to the lecture and party is free.

SUNDAY

It’s the last chance to dance (at least until April 23, when Jazz Fest opens).

Two of New Orleans’ living legends are on the Sunday schedule. Irma Thomas, the age-defying Soul Queen of New Orleans, sings the hits at the relocated Jack Daniel’s Stage at 5 p.m. And Cyril Neville, the percussionist/singer from the Neville Brothers and the Meters, closes the Abita Beer Stage at 6:50 p.m.

The two acts before Neville at the Abita Beer Stage are rapper HaSizzle with the TBC Brass Band preceded by featured Galactic vocalist Jelly Joseph leading her own band.

Other Sunday highlights include trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, Leyla McCalla, modern jazz ensemble Astral Project, Judith Owen & Her Gentlemen Callers, trumpeter Jeremy Davenport, Americana singer-songwriter Kristin Diable, The Rumble featuring Big Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr., Tuba Skinny and avantgarde cellist Helen Gillet.

STAFF FILE PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

GETTy IMAGES PHOTO

music music music

FRIDAY

tickets are $17.50.

Keith Spera SOUND CHECK

If youdon’t getyour fill of live musicduring the French QuarterFestival this weekend, themusic venues of NewOrleans haveplentyofafter-dark options.

In 1990s New Orleans, Tribe Nunzio filled nightclub dance floors with arhythmic brand of high-energy tribal funk. Original members Holden Miller,JeffTreffinger,Vernon Rome and Joe Cabral,joined by Rene Coman on keyboards, Kyle Melancon on drums, Ovi Giron on percussion, Alex McMurray on guitar and Alice Redmann on backing vocals, will reuniteatthe Broadside’sindoor Pavilion on Friday at 8p.m.Tickets are $20.

Justin Hayward,the guitarist and frontman of Britishclassic rock band the Moody Blues, brings his “TheStory in Your Eyes Tour” to the Orpheum Theater.He’ll tell stories, answer questions and perform with afullband. Tickets start at $69.

Globetrotting Cajun band BeauSoleil swings into Chickie WahWah for a 9p.m. show; tickets start at $20. Later on Friday, Omari Neville &the Fuel fire up at Chickie WahWah at 11:30 p.m.;

DJ Soul Sister presents“Off theWall: The All Michael Party,” during which she’ll spin only Michael Jackson and Jackson family songs, at Tipitina’s. Showtimeis9 p.m. Tickets are $15 plus fees.

THURSDAY

Dr.Michael White,one of the most accomplishedtraditional jazz clarinetistsand composers in New Orleans, leads his Original LibertyJazzBand at Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro at 7:30p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $45. Harmonica player and accordionist Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes fronts his Sunspots at Rock ’N’ Bowl; ticketsare $15.

Atlanta rock band Drivin NCryin made aname for itself with 1989’s“Mystery Road” album —itcontained the fan favorites “Honeysuckle Blue” and “Straight To Hell” —and the 1991 follow-up, “Fly Me Courageous.” Aftermany twists and turns, bassist TimNielsen, guitarist/vocalist Kevn Kinney and drummer Dave V. Johnson have just released anew album, “Crushing Flowers,” their first in sevenyears; R.E.M.’s Peter Buck andthe late Todd Snider make guest appearancesonthe album. The band rocks Chickie WahWah on Thursday Showtime is 8p.m. Tickets are $25 plusfees.

Clarinetist, saxophonist and singer AuroraNealand’s artistic output spans manygenres and multiple languages, from traditional jazztosongs sung in French to experimental music. Her InquiryQuintet tends toward themore experimental end of her spectrum,with its blend of intricate structures and extensive improvisation. At 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday at Snug Harbor,Nealand and theInquiry Quintet celebrate the release of “Songs My Others Taught Me.” In addition to Nealandonsax, accordion and vocals, theband features Steve Lands on trumpet, Oscar Rossignoli on piano, John Maestas on guitar, Matt Booth on bass and Tanner Gus on drums. Tickets are $40. ä See SOUND CHECK, page 10

Drivin NCryin

AuroraNealand

music music music

SOUND CHECK

Continued from page 9

THURSDAY (continued)

The Bends are at Tipitina’s, with Common People opening. Tickets are $20.

TheRevivalists singer David Shaw he hastwo very good solo albums to hiscredit —performs at the House of Blues. Tickets are $42.

SATURDAY

Pianist Kyle Roussel and bassist Grayson Brockamp team up for afree happy hour show at 4:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor.Then at 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.,Snug Harbor presentsthe Chuck Redd Vibes Quartet with special guest Jason Marsalis;tickets are $40.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band is at Chickie WahWah in honor of fondly rememberedNorth RampartStreet “brass band headquarters” Donna’sBar & Grill. Tickets are $30 plus fees.

Homegrown hard rock bands Crowbar, Eyehategod and Suplecs hitTipitina’sfor a sold-out show

SUNDAY

Pianist TomMcDermott and clarinetist TimLaughlin join forces for afree happy hour showat4:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor. Later,at7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Snug Harbor, drummer MikeClark of Herbie Hancock’s Headhunters andpianist Michael Wolff presenttheir Expedition project; tickets are $40.

Drummer Wayne Maureau’s résumé in New Orleans music Wolf

Orpheum Theater.Tickets start at $40. 1980s synth-pop hitmaker Howard Jones, whose singles included “NoOne Is to Blame,” “Things Can Only GetBetter” and “What Is Love,” visits the House of Blues. Tickets start at $37.50.

TUESDAY

Sally Baby’sSilver Dollars,the throwback NewOrleans jazz and soul ensemble recently featured on NPR’s“Tiny Desk” concert series, swings out at Snug Harbor.Tickets are $30 forthe 7:30 p.m.show,$15 forthe 9:30 show

WEDNESDAY

WednesdayisJazzFest Eve, the night before the opening of the 2026 New OrleansJazz&Heritage Festival. So it will be abit busier,musicwise, thana typical Wednesday Lukas Nelson holds court at the Joy Theater,with Sabine McCalla opening. Ticketsare $46.

The North Mississippi Allstars areatTipitina’s with Cedric Burnside.Tickets are $35 plus fees

Chickie WahWah kicks off its Jazz Fest “Fest-o-Matic”series with the DesertNudes.Guitarist J.P. Carmody and Johnny Sketch&the Dirty Notes bassist/vocalist Dave Pomerleau anddrummer/pianist AndreBohren first started singing cowboy songs together during the pandemic. Heavy on harmonies, theyrollout classic country androots rock songs on “Keep A-Movin’, Dan: Songs of Hydration, Vigor, Horses, andWide OpenSpaces.” The Desert Nudes’ showatChickie WahWah starts at 8p.m.Wednesday.Tickets are$20 plus fees.

Following the Desert Nudes, Chickie WahWah presents The Band of Heathens at 10:30 p.m. The Austin, Texas-based band, nowinits 21styear,isonthe road in support of its “Country Sides” album. The Last Jimenez opensthe show. Ticketsare $25 plus fees.

Trumpet Mafia firesuponthe lobby stage at the New Orleans Jazz &Blues Marketat8p.m.Tickets are$24.

Contemporary jazz and blues pianist andcomposer Jill Butler brings her Joyride project to Snug Harbor for afree showat4:30 p.m. Thenat7:30 p.m. and9:30p.m., drummer Jarrel Allen leadsthe Uptown Jazz Orchestra at Snug Harbor; tickets are$45.

Email KeithSpera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

David Shaw

Michael Wolff and MikeClark

art art art

Giantfish arefloatingalong ElysianFieldsAvenue

Artist Jeremy Novy’s koi

carp stencils haveswum

NewOrleans sidewalks

formorethanadecade

Heaven knows, it’snot the first time the streets of New Orleans have been filled with water.But this time is different

Doug MacCash

Over the past weekend, artistJeremy Novy painted the entire intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and North Rampart Street to resemble aplacid pond, afloat with blooming waterlilies. Swimming beneaththe pond’ssurfaceare enormous koicarp.

As street art fans can attest, Novy hasbeen stenciling life-sized koi carp here and there on the pavement of New Orleans and other cities for more than adecade. The Wisconsin-born artist said his interest in the colorfulfish, which have been cultivated in Asiafor centuries, stems from an opportunity to study abroad in China in 2006,when he was auniversity student.

Novy said he hopes his placidly gliding fish provide “momentsofZen tranquility in the urban landscape.”

The 10-foot-long Elysian Fields Avenue carp make mostofhis previous fish look like minnows. Novy used rollers to create the enormous aquatic scene with the durable paint employed to mark parking lots. He said he’sproduced two similar intersection murals in San Francisco where he lives.

The project was organized by The Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association and paid for withprivate funds, with permission from the New Orleans Police Department,according to project spokesperson Chris Costello.

The enormous horizontal painting flows between Mags 940 bar and The Phoenix Bar,popular spots in the LGBTQcommunities.

Novy pointedout that there are seven giant carp in his composition. In Chinesetradition, he said, the number symbolizes“relationships and community.” Whichisthe point of the asphaltmural. Therainbow color of the fish is meant to reflect “the diversity of the neighborhood,” Novy said.

Novy said he’s devoted to public art, like the roadway mural, because “it reaches100 percentofthe demographic.” Costello said the Marigny Improvement Association hopesto freshenupand addtothe muralannually in theweeksleading up to Pride Month in June

The publicisinvited to help the Faubourg Marigny Improvement Associationproduce another mural on April 18-19, from noon to 6p.m. on the Marigny flood wall at 2300 N. Peters St. Artists Dr.Bob,Rowan Lambert and Jacob Wiese will paint individualpanelsofthe concrete wall. Twomore panels will be collaborative creations with volunteers. Forinformation, visit the Asphalt Art Project website.

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@ theadvocate.com.

PROVIDED PHOTO

LEFT: Acar passes the finished mural of swimmingkoi

STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

ABOVE: Artist Jeremy Novy works on amural in the intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and North Rampart Street.

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