The Times-Picayune 05-22-2026 by The Advocate

Housepanel OKsmap

Thursday.

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Republican lawmakers on aLouisiana House committeeapproved an updated congressional map Thursday,after a hearing lasting 10 hours andmore public testimony strongly opposing aGOP plan to getrid of oneofthe state’smajority-Black districts.

ä Senatecommittee makes cuts to budget. Page 10A

ä Louisiana teachers maylose $2,000 stipends. Page 10A

chamber

“I’m not messing withwhat they do in theHouse,” he said. “If it comesback like we don’tlike it, then we’ll ﬁx it. That’swhat theSenate does.”

Rondeno’scontractdrew scrutiny,outcry

BY JOSIEABUGOVand ALEXLUBBEN Staff writers

The New Orleans ﬂood protection authority voted Thursday to slightly reduce its police chief’s salary and strip him of an additionaljob title after itsboardpresident faced pointed questionsoverthe contract from lawmakers in Baton Rouge.

The SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority-East’sboard voted unanimously to lower Police Superintendent Joshua Rondeno’ssalary to $197,000, a ﬁgure just shy of the maximum allowable amount under state law,but still farabove his $160,000 annual pay whenhestarted the role in 2024. Rondeno’ssecond job wasakin to an internal auditor role that did not previously exist. He received araise last July that boosted his pay to $208,000 after taking it on.

Thevotetocut Rondeno’s paycame after weeksofmounting pressure from state lawmakers, whonoted that the ﬂood

ä See LEVEE,

“I don’tlike the map,” said Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter,aPort Allen Republican who chairs the Senate committee that handles redistricting. “I don’tunderstandwhy theychanged the map that drastically over on the House side.”

Kleinpeter said he doesn’tplanto work with House memberswhilethe legislation moves through thelower

The map approvedlast week by the Senate remainslargelyintact,but the latest version fromthe Housemakes signiﬁcant changes that affect anumber of parishes in theBaton Rouge and Lafayette areasand other partsofthe state. But aﬁght could be brewing between the two Republican-controlled chambers over how exactly todraw thenew lines.

The changes stemmed from speciﬁc asks by House lawmakers, moving voters between districtsand arequirement to maintain equalpopulation in each district,said state Rep.Beau Beaullieu, R-New Iberia,who chairs the House and Governmental AffairsCommittee.

“The amended mapisa representation of our House members’ requests,” he said. “It’s all adomino effect.”

Meanwhile, dozens of speakers again showed up to speak out against the

Counciloversight of S&WB clears Senate

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

The New Orleans City Council is close to gaining control of theSewerage& Water Board after the Louisiana Senate on Thursday passed abill authorizing council oversight of the utility’sbudgets, personnel and internalpolicies. The House already approved its own version of the bill by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R-New Orleans, anditwill now consider the Senate’samendments,

which areminor.Ifthe Houseapproves, Gov.JeffLandryisexpected to sign the bill into law

“What thebill would do is give our City Council and Mayor’sOfﬁce more control andauthority over theagency, which is much needed,” saidstate Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-NewOrleans, before the36-0 vote. If thebill becomes law,itwill pave theway for amassive shift in governance of the city’ssewer,water and drainagesystems, one that comes as policymakers in Baton Rouge andNew Orleanshavetried in recent yearsto sort through convoluted stateand local

NOAA researchers saystrongElNiño conditions likelytohelp

BY KASEYBUBNASH Staff writer

Federal hurricane researchers are predicting below-average activity during the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season for theﬁrsttimeinovera decade,thanksto incoming strong El Niño conditions that are expected to help limit storm formation.

The NationalOceanic and Atmospheric Association is forecasting eight to 14 named stormsthis season, which runs fromJune 1toNov.30. Of those,threeto sixare expected to become hurricanes, and one to three of those are expected to become major hurricanes of Category 3 strength or more. An averageseason ends with 14 named storms, sevenhurricanes andthreemajor hurricanes.

NOAA ofﬁcials presented their 2026 outlook Thursday from theNOAA Aircraft

Rondeno

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS Sen. JayMorris, R-West Monroe, holds up aproposed congressional

Committee meeting about congressional redistricting on

Two separate attacks kill at least 16 in Honduras

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras Gunmen opened ﬁre in two separate attacks Thursday on the Honduran coast, killing at least 16 people, including six police ofﬁcers, police said.

The ﬁrst incident took place at a plantation in the municipality of Trujillo in northern Honduras, where at least 10 workers were shot and killed, National Police spokesman Edgardo Barahona said.

The resource-rich region has been the site of a decades-long agrarian conﬂict.

In the second attack, assailants opened fire on police in the municipality of Omoa in the Cortes department near the Guatemalan border, killing six ofﬁcers, including a senior ofﬁcer, police said.

The ofﬁcers were assigned to an anti-gang mission and were attacked while traveling to Omoa from the capital, Tegucigalpa, police said.

Although Barahona said at least 10 workers were killed in Trujillo, he said the overall toll still remains unclear, partly because relatives of the victims have removed bodies of their loved ones. Investigators have been sent to the scene, he said

Charges dismissed against ex-administrator

A Virginia judge on Thursday dismissed all charges against a former school administrator accused of ignoring repeated warnings that a 6-year-old had a gun hours before a teacher was shot.

Acting on a defense motion, Circuit Judge Rebecca Robinson issued the ruling on the fourth day of the trial of Ebony Parker, who was charged with eight felony counts of child neglect.

“The court is of the legal opinion that this is not a crime,” Robinson said.

The former assistant principal was charged in the January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News that left teacher Abby Zwerner wounded. Prosecutors had said the charges issued in a grand jury indictment were for each of the bullets in the gun brought into Zwerner’s classroom. Each count could have carried a maximum penalty of five years in prison upon conviction.

Parker was not called to testify during the trial. On Wednesday a video interview of Parker conducted three days after the shooting by a school district human resources officer was played in the courtroom for the jury Parker said she was told about reports that the student had a gun in his backpack, but said she could not leave her office due to ongoing testing. A reading specialist who ﬁrst reported the concerns then searched the backpack, but no gun was found, Parker said.

Parker then said the student’s mother would arrive to pick him up and go through the rest of his belongings.

The student’s mother was sentenced to nearly four years in prison for felony child neglect and federal weapons charges.

Two charged with creating ‘deepfake’ porn

NEWYORK Federal prosecutors have charged two men with using artiﬁcial intelligence to create nude videos and photos of female celebrities under a newly enacted law meant to halt the spread of deepfake pornography Cornelius Shannon, 51, and Arturo Hernandez, 20, were both arrested Tuesday for generating sexually explicit AI content that drew millions of views online, according to criminal complaints

The men — who do not appear to be connected — are among the earliest defendants to face charges under the Take It Down Act, a law signed last year by President Donald Trump that adds stricter penalties for publishing AI-created deepfakes and “revenge porn.” The bill drew bipartisan support, as well as the public backing of first lady Melania Trump. Under the new law the men now face up to two years in prison.

Attorneys for Shannon and Hernandez did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Backlash to $1.8B fund delays bill

Republicans recess without voting on immigration meaures

BY KEVIN FREKING, MARY CLARE JALONICK and LISA MASCARO Associated Press

WASHINGTON Senate Republicans abruptly left Washington on Thursday without voting on a roughly $70 billion bill to fund immigration enforcement agencies, frustrated with the White House and at an impasse over whether to try to block a new $1.776 billion settlement fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been politically prosecuted. Republicans had already abandoned part of the bill that provided $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom amid backlash from members of their own party But the settlement announced by the Justice Department this week prompted even more questions, spurring a push to limit the taxpayer dollars that

some feared could go to Trump supporters who harmed law enforcement ofﬁcers in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

A tense meeting with acting AttorneyGeneralToddBlancheonThursday morning only heightened the frustration among senators. Soon after it ended, Republican leaders announced that they would not vote on the immigration enforcement measure until they returned from a Memorial Day recess the week of June 1, which was Trump’s self-imposed deadline for them to pass it.

Blanche “had an appreciation for the depth of feeling” among GOP senators, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said afterward.

The last-minute scramble on the bill came as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump’s ballroom when voters are concerned about affordability issues — and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increas-

ingly frustrated with Trump.

Several GOP senators have spoken out against the Justice Department settlement announced this week, and many were upset by the president’s Tuesday endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in next week’s primary runoff against Sen. John Cornyn. Growing tensions derail bill

Both sides have acknowledged the tensions. Thune said Thursday that the White House should have consulted Congress before it announced the settlement, which he said made “everything way harder than it should be.” Trump’s endorsement of Cornyn’s opponent also complicated matters, he said.

“I think it’s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what’s happening in the political atmosphere around us,” Thune told reporters. “There is a political component to everything we

Residents burn an Ebola treatment center in Congo

Health crisis authorities, aid agencies struggling to contain outbreak

BY JUSTIN KABUMBA, MONIKA PRONCZUK and GERALD IMRAY Associated Press

BUNIA, Congo People set ﬁre to an Ebola treatment center in a town at the heart of the outbreak in eastern Congo on Thursday after being stopped from retrieving the body of a local man, a witness and a senior police ofﬁcer said, as fear and anger grow over a health crisis that doctors are struggling to contain.

The arson attack in Rwampara reﬂects the challenges of health workers trying to curb a rare Ebola virus by using stringent measures that might clash with local customs, such as burial rites. The disease has been spreading for weeks in a region lacking in adequate health facilities and where many people are on the move to escape armed conﬂicts.

The bodies of those who die from Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare bodies for burial and gather for funerals. The dangerous work of burying suspected victims is being managed wherever possible by authorities, which can be met by protests from victims’ families and friends.

The center in Rwampara was burned by local youths who became angry while trying to retrieve the body of a friend who had apparently died of Ebola, ac-

cording to a witness who spoke to The Associated Press by telephone.

“The police intervened to try to calm the situation, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful,” said Alexis Burata, a local student who said he was in the area. “The young people ended up setting ﬁre to the center That’s the situation.”

An AP journalist saw people break into the center and set ﬁre to objects inside and also to what appeared to be the body of at least one suspected Ebola victim that was being stored there. Aid workers ﬂed the treatment center in vehicles.

Deputy Senior Commissioner Jean Claude Mukendi, head of the public security department in Ituri Province, said the youths had not understood the protocols for burying a suspected Ebola victim.

“His family, friends, and other young people wanted to take his body home for a funeral even though the instructions from the authorities during this Ebola virus outbreak are clear,” Mukendi said. “All bodies must be buried according to the regulations.”

Hama Amadou, ﬁeld coordinator for the humanitarian organization ALIMA, which had teams working at the center, said later that calm had been restored and that aid teams were continuing their work at the center

There were 160 suspected deaths and 671 suspected cases in Congo’s two provinces, Congolese authorities said on Thursday Earlier in the week, the U.N. said there were two cases including one death in neighboring Uganda.

Contentious segment of Dakota Access oil pipeline gets OK

Approval comes decade after Standing Rock

BY JACK DURA Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D Federal ofﬁcials on Thursday gave ﬁnal approval for the Dakota Access oil pipeline to continue operating its contentious Missouri River crossing, an outcome that comes nearly a decade after boisterous protests against the project on the North Dakota prairie. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to

grant the key easement means the pipeline will keep operating but with added conditions for detecting leaks and monitoring groundwater, among others. The announcement brings an end to a drawnout legal and regulatory saga stemming from the protests in 2016 and 2017, though further litigation over the pipeline is likely

The $3.8 billion, multistate pipeline has been transporting oil since June 2017 from North Dakota’s Bakken oil ﬁeld to a terminal in Illinois. The line carries about 4% of U.S. daily oil production, or roughly 540,000 barrels per day,

The Corps is “decisively putting years of delays to rest and moving out to safely execute this crossing beneath Lake Oahe,” Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle said in a statement.

The pipeline crosses the river upstream from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation, which straddles the Dakotas. The tribe has long opposed the pipeline, fearing a spill and contamination of its water supply In 2016 and 2017, thousands of people camped and protested for months near the river crossing.

do around here.”

Trump unloaded on senators in a social media post Wednesday, urging Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal did not qualify for the ICE and Border Patrol bill. Trump also renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster Republicans need to “get smart and tough,” Trump said, or “you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!” While they have been loyal to Trump on most issues, Senate Republicans have resisted his repeated calls over the years to kill the filibuster, which creates a 60-vote threshold for most bills in the Senate. Asked Thursday at the White House if he was losing control of the Senate, Trump replied: “I really don’t know I can tell you — I only do what’s right.”

Germany urges the EU to offer Ukraine ‘associate membership’

BY LORNE COOK and GEIR MOULSON Associated Press

BRUSSELS German Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants the European Union to consider offering “associate membership” to Ukraine and breathe new life into talks aimed at ending more than four years of war with Russia, according to a letter seen Thursday by The Associated Press. His letter, to the EU’s top officials, comes as the 27-nation bloc weighs whether to try to launch its own negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, with U.S. mediated talks bogged down while America’s attention focuses on the Iran war Under Merz’s proposals, Ukraine would take part in EU meetings, but without voting rights, and would also have non-voting “associate members” of the bloc’s powerful executive branch, the European Commission, and the European Parliament.

He insisted that this “would not be a membership light,” and “go far beyond” the Association Agreement that currently governs EU-Ukraine relations Merz suggested a “snap-back mechanism” in case Ukraine backslides on democratic standards. European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed last month that official membership talks with Ukraine should be opened “without delay,” and Merz too called for that process to start. On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed signs of possible progress in the accession negotiations, saying in an address that it is “very important for us. Ukraine has fulfilled everything necessary for this progress.” Candidate countries must bring their laws into line in 35 policy areas, or “chapters,” ranging from justice standards to farm and fishing rules.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DIROLE LOTSIMA DIEUDONNE

Flames and smoke rise from an Ebola treatment center in Rwampara, Congo, on Thursday following an arson attack by residents.

Lawmakerswarndatasafety rulesdon’t protectkey sites

Cellphones at WhiteHouse,CIA unprotected

BY RONTAU Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Bidenadministration spent almost a year craftingregulations to block U.S. adversaries from buying commercial data gathered from cellphones at the federal government’s most sensitive locations.

The resulting rules,however,have afew gaps. Left off thelist of 736 sensitive locations were the White House, Congress and the CIA’sheadquarters,among others, according to awarningissuedThursday by three congressional Democrats.

“The sale of Americans’ location data by data brokers poses aserious threat to U.S. nationalsecurity,particularly when data about U.S. government employeesissold to foreign governments,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Trump administration ofﬁcials. “Such data can reveal sensitive information that canbeexploited for espionage purposes.”

The letter, which was signed by Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon andMartinHeinrich of New Mexico, and Rep. Sara Jacobs of California,urged theTrump administration to addressthe oversights and create a“protection zone” that encompasses theentireWashington, D.C. region rather than choosing individual buildings. They also urged the Department to expand thelist of countriesofconcern that were barred from acquiring data on Americans.

Aspokesman for the Justice Department declined to comment. The ofﬁce of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to a request for comment.

Data brokers havelong sold such informationto help companies better target advertising, analyze consumer habits and assess investment opportunities. Governments have increasinglyturnedtothese datasets to enforce laws and gather intelligence. Foreign spy agencies, for example, canuse such data to map thepatterns and activities of U.S. government personnel. Such commercially available data hasbeenusedto identify sensitive U.S. fa-

cilities. In otherinstances, fitness apps have caused problems during military operations or at sensitive facilities, most recentlywhen aFrenchaircraft carrierdeployed in theMediterranean reportedly gave away itslocation when acrew member logged arunning routeon theship’sdeck.

The rules, which went into effect in April 2025, seek to curb the sale of such data to China, Russia,Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. They broadly ban selling the location data on morethan 1,000 American devices to those countries. But concerned that foreign governments might circumvent those restrictions by buying up smalldata sets, therules singled out certain designated sites linked tothe U.S. government where even the sale of information abouta single device was forbidden.

The rule only identified those locationsbyGPS coordinates. Wyden’sstaff, assisted by theCongressional Research Service, analyzed theGPS coordinates toidentifywhich U.S. government facilities or places were includedand which ones had been left out, according to a spokesman for the senator

Russia holdsnuclear drillson land,sea andin airwithBelarus

By The Associated Press

MOSCOW— Trucks carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles rumbled over forest roads, atomic-powered submarines set sail from Arctic and Paciﬁc ports, and crews scrambled into warplanes as Russia and neighboring Belarus held the ﬁnal stage of their joint nuclear drills Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the maneuvers in avideo call with his Belarusian counterpart Alexander Lukashenko.

“The use of nuclear weapons is an extreme,exceptional measure for ensuring the national security of our states,” Putin said. Lukashenko earlier inspectedRussian shortrange nuclear-capableIskander ballistic missiles at amilitary unitinvolved in the drills and declared:“I dreamed about this machine along time ago.”

The three-day drillsthat began Tuesday come amid asurge in Ukrainiandrone strikes. including on Moscow’ssuburbs that killed three peopleand damaged several buildings and industrial facilities. The strikes made it harder for officials in the Kremlin to cast the conflict in Ukraine —now in its fifth year —assomething so distant that it doesn’taffect the daily routines of Russian civilians. Wide arrayofweapons

Russia’sDefense Ministry said the exercise involved 64,000 troops, over 200 missile launchers, more than 140 aircraft, 73 surface warships and 13 submarines, including eight armed with

nuclear-tipped ICBMs. The drills focused on the “preparation and use of nuclear forces under thethreat of aggression ”itsaid Themaneuvers also practice cooperationwith Belarus, anallythathostsRussian nuclear weapons. Russian arsenals in Belarus include its latest intermediate range nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system. Alongwithnuclear-tipped ground- and submarinelaunched ICBMs, the maneuvers featured abroad assortment of short- and medium-range weapons Unlikethe intercontinentalmissilesthat can destroy entire cities,tactical nuclear weapons intended for use against troopsonthe battleﬁeld are less powerful. They include aerial bombs and warheadsfor short- and medium-range missiles and artillery munitions.

The Defense Ministry said theRussian armed forces test-firedYars and Sineva ICBMs, as well as mediumrangesea-launchedZircon and air-launched Kinzhal missiles, noting that all missileshit their designated practice targets. Belarusian troopstest-fired ashortrange Iskander ballistic missile insideRussia Kremlin messaging Putinhas repeatedly reminded the worldabout Moscow’snucleararsenals after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to trytodeter theWestfrom ramping up support for Kyiv

In 2024,the Kremlin adopted arevised nuclear doctrine, noting thatany nation’sconventional at-

ASSOCIATEDPRESS

Israel deportshundreds of Gaza flotilla activists

International backlash leadsto release

BY MELANIE LIDMAN Associated Press

TELAVIV, Israel The Israeli government on Thursday released and deported hundreds of flotilla activists whoattempted to breach Israel’s navalblockadeof Gaza. Outrage abroad over the activists’ treatment prompted severalcountries to summon Israeli envoys to hear their concerns.

About 420 activistsdeparted Israel on planesbound for Turkey,wherethey landed Thursdayevening in Istanbul. Wearing gray sweatsuits andArab keffiyehs, they descended stairs to the runway flashing two-fingered salutes andchanting “FreePalestine.” Some appeared to be limping.

Allofthe activistswere expected to be taken fora medical checkup, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

TheIsraeli Foreign Ministry said in astatement that “all foreignactivists” from theflotilla had been deported.

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, or Adalah, said oneparticipant who holds Israeli citizenship, Zohar Regev, was released following acourt hearing on charges of illegalentry into Israel and unlawful stay.Regev has taken part in previous ﬂotillas to Gaza.

of Hamas terrorist supporters,” theway National Security Minister Itamar BenGvir dealtwith the activists was “not in line withIsrael’s valuesand norms.”

Ben-Gvir released videos Wednesdayshowing him walking among someofthe detainees. In one, activists with their hands tied behind theirbacksare kneeling, their headstouching the floor inside whatappears to be amakeshift detention area on the deck of aship.

Several countries, including Britain, France and Portugal, summoned Israeli envoys on Thursdayoverconcerns about the treatment of flotilla activistsand in protestof Ben-Gvir’sactions.

“The actionsofMr. BenGvir toward the passengers of the Global Sumud ﬂotilla, condemned even by his own colleaguesinthe Israeli government,are unacceptable,” Frenchforeign affairs minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. Turkey, Greece, Italy and Indonesia also condemned Israel for Ben-Gvir’scommentsand thetreatmentof ﬂotilla activists.

Detaineesdescribeabuse

southern Greek island of Crete andforcedmostofits activists to disembark Israel took two high profile activists —SpanishSwedishcitizenSaifAbukeshek and Brazilian citizen Thiago Ávila —back to Israel where they were interrogatedand detained for around aweek before being deported.

The activists accused Israel of torture, claims Israel denies.Braziland Spain condemned Israel for “kidnapping” their citizens. Participants then regrouped and more than 50 boats departed fromthe Turkish port of Marmaris on May 14. Israeli forces beganstopping theboats about 167 miles from the Gaza coastline, according to the ﬂotilla’swebsite.

tack on Russia that is supportedbya nuclear power will be considered ajoint attack on his country.That threat was clearly aimed at discouragingthe West from allowing Ukraine to strike Russiawithlongerrange weaponsand appears to significantlylower the threshold for the possible use of Moscow’snuclear arsenal.

Therevised doctrinealso placed Belarus under the Russiannuclear umbrella. Putinhas said that Moscow will retaincontrol of its nuclear weaponsdeployed in Belarus, which borders Ukraine andNATOmembersLatvia, Lithuania and Poland, but would allow its ally to selectthe targets in case of conﬂict.

Ukrainiandronesspotted

The maneuvers are held amid an increase in drone activity in theBalticnations. On Tuesday,aNATO jet shot down aUkrainian drone over southern Estonia. Ukraine apologized for that “unintended incident,” without specifying what had happened.

On Wednesday,anemergency announcement about adrone ﬂying over Belarus prompted residents of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius, including top ofﬁcials and lawmakers, to takeshelter and led to abrief closure of its airport.

Ukrainian drones targeting Russia’sBaltic ports and energy facilities have recently crossed or come down in NATO territory on several occasions.Western officials blame apparent Russian electronic jamming of the drones.

Callsfor quickdeportation

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he instructed that the activists be deported “assoonaspossible,” after sharply rebuking Israel’snational security ministerfor provocative videos showingthe minister taunting detained ﬂotilla activists whowere handcuffed and kneeling.

Netanyahu said that although Israel has every right to stop “provocative ﬂotillas

TwoItalian citizens who hadbeen detained by Israel returned homeThursday,saying they hadbeen beaten and mistreated —allegations thatweredenied by Israeli prison ofﬁcials Dario Carotenuto,anItalian lawmaker,saidheexperienced the “longest seconds” of his life when Israeli forces pointed riﬂesatactivistsinside adetention facility.

“They kicked me in the legs andpunched me in theface,” saidAlessandro Mantovani, an Italiannewspaper journalist.

Theallegations were “false and entirely without factual basis,” said Zivan Freidin, aspokesperson for the Israeli Prison Service.

Dozens of theactivists’ boats began setting sail from Spain to Gaza in April. Israel stopped 20 vessels from the group on April 30 near the

Similarattemptsblocked Israel’sForeign Ministry hascalled the flotilla“a PR stunt at the service of Hamas.” The boats carry a tiny,symbolic amount of aid. This week,the U.S.Treasury imposed sanctions against several European activists aboard the flotilla, which U.S. Treasury Secretary ScottBessent called “pro-terror.” Last year,Israeli authorities blocked asimilar attempt involving some 500 activists. Israel arrested, detained andlater deported the participants, who claimed Israeli authorities abused them. Israeli authorities denied the accusations. Blockade of Gaza Israel hasmaintained a seablockade of Gaza since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007. Israeli authoritiesintensifieditafter the Hamas-led militant attacks on southern Israel that killed around1,200 people andsaw more than 250 taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Critics say the blockade amounts to collective punishment. Israel says it’s intended to prevent Hamas from arming itself

PHOTO PROVIDED By RUSSIANDEFENSE MINISTRy PRESS SERVICE Ayars intercontinental ballistic missile is seen duringdrills of Russia’s nuclear forces in Belarus on Thursday.

Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida, marking the 50th anniversary of the agency’svital Hurricane Hunter aircraft.

The main contributortothis year’s quietoutlook, forecasters said, is the expected returnof El Niño before the Atlantic reaches its busiest time of year.ElNiño is generally associated with fewer storms in the Atlantic.

Thelasttime theagencyissueda below-average May outlookwas in 2015, ofﬁcials said.

Still, NOAA administratorNeil Jacobs said powerful hurricanes have formed and hit land during past El Niño seasons

“Eventhough we’re expecting abelow-average season in the Atlantic, it’svery important to understand thatitonlytakes one,”Jacobs said at the news conference.

Good news forLouisiana

El Niño and La Niña are two opposingclimate patterns that disruptnormalwindand current conditions in thePaciﬁc Ocean,impacting weather acrossthe globe.

El Niño tends to increasevertical wind shear acrossthe Atlantic, Jacobs said, which helps to break up storms and prevent hurricane formation and intensiﬁcation

Though El Niño is not yet in full swing, scientists at the Climate Prediction Centersaid on May 14

LEVEE

Continued from page1A

agency’s police chief cannot legally earn more than the head of the LouisianaState Police,who makes about $198,000. Rondeno has also come under fire for aremarkably generous employmentcontract that provides himwith protections afforded to no other employeeat the agency

The disclosure that Rondeno himself drafted an earlier version of the contract— which included alucrative severance clause potentially worth up to $910,000 —led to further criticism. That version was later amended, with severance payfor public employees having been labeled unconstitutional. Had the board not acted Thursday,abillmoving throughthe stateLegislaturemight have forced its hand. Senate Bill 56, introduced by Sen. Patrick Connick, R-Marrero, wasrecently amended to include language that preventsthe authority’schief of police from holding any other roles at the agency

The police chief’s contract has been part of turmoil at the levee board over the past couple of years. Gov.Jeff Landry’sadministration has sought sweeping changes, including boosting the agency’spolice force, and that has raised deep concerns over whether reforms putin place after the catastrophic levee failures during Hurricane Katrina were being abandoned.

The police force’sbudget has increased by nearly 50% since the changes began. Supporters say the force mustbeprofessionalized and its equipment should be

thatthere’san 82%chance such conditions will emerge sometime betweenMay and July.Jacobssaid it’salsolikely that this year’s El Niñoconditionswill be moderate to strong.

That’sgoodnews for Louisiana, but bad for those neighboring thePaciﬁc Ocean, where Jacobs saidforecasters are expecting to see heightened activity this season.ElNiñohas the opposite effect in the Paciﬁc, he said, re-

ducing wind shear andmaking it easier for strong storms to form.

Since El Niño’simpacts aremost prominent deep in thetropical Atlantic, Matthew Rosencrans, NOAA’s lead seasonal hurricane forecaster,saidwe’ll likely see fewer long-track storms in 2026. But a few so-called homegrownstorms could still spin up in theGulf.

“You could get thosestorms in the Gulf that have the short awareness times,” Rosencrans said.

KenGraham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, urged thoseinall hurricane-prone states to prepare for the upcoming season as usual, regardless of the forecast

“Don’tlet words like ‘below average’ change the wayyou prepare,” Graham said.

Abetteroutlook

This year’soutlookisinstark contrast to prioryears, when warm ocean waters and other factors fueled unusually proliﬁc hurricane seasons.

In 2024, researchers issued alarming preseason forecasts that warned of an extremely active season, apredictionthatcame to fruition. Last year saw moretropical activity than usualaswell, with fewer storms than in 2024 but a high ratio of powerful hurricanes that were difﬁcult to forecast.

Still, the National Hurricane Centermade strides last season in forecastingaccuracy,improvements that ofﬁcials said would not have been possiblewithout NOAA’s 50-year-old Lockheed WP-3D Orion Hurricane Hunter aircraft, known as “Miss Piggy” and “Kermit.”

OutfittedwithDoppler radars andable to ﬂy into the eye of a hurricane, the P-3 aircraft collect critical data that forecasters use to more accuratelypredicthow strongastorm will get andwhere it might go, according to Rear Admiral Chad Carey,director of NOAA’s Commissioned Officer Corps

“These flying, meteorological data collection machines are one of the most importanttoolswehave to better understand hurricanes,” Carey said. “The data collected using NOAA aircraftimprove hurricane track forecasts and intensity forecasts by as muchas20%.”

Newer technology showed promise last season, too, when the National Hurricane Center incorporated artiﬁcialintelligence-basedweather model guidanceinits hurricanepredictionsfor the ﬁrst time in 70 years of existence.

AI will play an even bigger role in this year’sforecasts, according to center Senior Hurricane Specialist JohnCangialosi, who said the agency is hoping to use AI models more efﬁciently after experimentation last year.They’ll be incorporated in both forecast discussions and the center’sother blended tools.

“So we’re going to use it sort of smarter in 2026,” he told The Times-Picayune |The Advocate on Tuesday Cangialosi also took the opportunity to remind those in stormprone areas that while El Niño could make it harderfor storms to form in the Atlantic thisyear, there’snoguaranteeing where those that do form will go.

“There’salower risk, but it doesn’tmean there’snorisk,” Cangialosi said. “Itdoesn’tmean anyone is off the hook.”

Email KaseyBubnashatkasey bubnash@theadvocate.com.

brought up to date.

The agency’smainrole is maintaining much of the NewOrleans area’s$14.5 billionhurricane protection system.

Flood authority board President Peter Vicari told lawmakers earlier this monththathewouldremove Rondeno from the roleofcomplianceofficer andbring hissalary back down to its starting point He declinedtocomment after Thursday’s vote and the board released astatement on thedecision.

“Theboarddoes not characterizethe action as araise, but rather as part of theoverallrestructuring and realignment of responsibilities approved by the authority,” it said. “Chief Rondeno continues leading the authority’sPoliceDepartment andremainsresponsiblefor public safety operations, infrastructure security,inspectionsand emergency preparedness functions across the regional ﬂood protection system.”

Following thevote, Sen. Kirk Talbot,R-RiverRidge, said it wasn’t his place to opineonthe chief’s salary, but that “you can’tviolate astate statute ”Talbothad sharply questioned Vicari on thechief’s contract at a recent hearing

“When you’re acompliance ofﬁcer for amultimillion-dollarentity,that to me is ajob in and of itself,” Talbotsaid.

Blair duQuesnay,who chairsthe Citizens for1 Greater New Orleans organization, which pushed for flood policyreformsafter Katrina, said “it’sunfortunate that theLegislature now has toget involvedand pass laws to correct mistakes made by this board.”

“While we areglad the Legislaturehas taken these steps, we believe areturn to proper governance and protocol would avoid this situation altogether,” duQuesnay said.

Rondeno’ssupporters have praised his performance. Vicari haspreviously pointedtoaccomplishments he says include implementingworkforce development training and saving the agency $500,000 through his compliancerole.

Theagencyalso voted Thursday to increasetaxes on property owners within its jurisdiction in Jefferson Parish, amove it called necessary due to reserve shortfalls for future levee improvements.

The movewill raise an additional $612,000 annually, increasing the agency’s millage to its maximum allowable amount foranannual totalof$12.9 million from Jefferson Parish taxpayers.

State agencies have leewaytoadjust their taxrate, “rolling back” when property values increase to keep taxesflat, or “rolling forward,” as the levee authority did on Thursday,toraise additional funds.

The result will be amodest bump in mosthomeowners’ 2026 tax bills. Underthe previous rate,a residentwith property valuedat$300,000 paid $859.50 in taxes to the flood protection authority, assuming that they claim a homestead exemption. That will increaseby$42.75 to $902.25 under the new millage rate.

“Nobody likes paying taxes. Icertainly don’t. But it’sthe responsible thing to do to maintain our ﬁnancial abilitytopartner with our partners,”saidboard Treasurer David Martin. He said the East Jeffer-

son district currently has $50 millioninreservesand expects future levee elevations —necessary to addresssubsiding land —to cost $80 million.

Scrutiny of the agency’s police spending has also spilled over into questions aboutthe tax increase. During aconﬁrmation hearing in Baton Rouge on Wednesday for boardmember Kerwyn King, Talbot expressed concern aboutthe rising millage.

“Some of theconcern I have andsome of theconcern otherpeople have is that we’respending more andmore money on …police,” Talbot said. He stressed that the agen-

cy’s ﬁrst priority should be “levees, levees, levees.”

Separately,the board voted at aspecial meeting last week to request that AttorneyGeneral LizMurrill releaseinvestigative reports about the agency to the public.

Shane Guidry,Landry’s adviser in NewOrleans who has been overseeing reformsatthe agency though he holds no ofﬁcial title in government, has been teasing the ﬁndings of those reports forover ayear,saying they reveal waste, fraudand abuse under prior leadership.

Using those unspecified allegations as ajustiﬁcation, Landry has overhauled the

board’smembership. Every board member whowas serving before Landry’s governorship has been replaced. Murrill said last week on WWL radio that if the board wants the report released, “I will release the report.” She said it did not ﬁnd any criminal conduct but that it details “some pretty severe dysfunction.” She also addressed Rondeno’scontract.

“Certainly,I don’tthink that he should be able to draft acontract for himself andthenget it approved,” she said. “The boardhas to do an independent job of evaluating whatthe compensation is and what’slegal to pay him.”

proposed map.

“As Black Americans, we have endured so much,” said Angel-Mariah Thompson, “from slavery to segregation to lynchings to discrimination to Jim Crow to mass incarceration to economic exploitation.” Redistrictingisa matter of morality,she said.

The New Orleans-anchored, Black-majority District 2, currentlyrepresented by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, D-New Orleans, is moreor less unchanged in the version approvedThursday Also unchanged is District 1, thesoutheastLouisiana district that includes St. Tammany in the north and Lafourche toward the southand is currently represented by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson.

Republicans hold asupermajority in the Legislature. That leaves Democrats with virtually no chance to stop anew map that slashes one Democratic district and adds aRepublicanone. The House committee advanced the map on a10-7 vote along party lines.

What changed?

Some of the biggest adjustments the House made to the Senate map affect the Acadiana and Baton Rouge regions.

In Acadiana:Lafayette, St. Martin and Acadia parishes would all be split into at least two congressional districts. Lafayette Parish would mostly be in the 3rd District, which runsalong the southwestern part of thestate and is currently representedby U.S. Rep. ClayHiggins, RLafayette. But anorthern section of the parish would be in the6th District, the new,solidly Republicandistrict centered in suburban Baton Rouge.

Acadia Parish would also be mostly in the 3rd District.

Continued from page1A

regulations.

to tellhow many bubbles were in abar of soap or how many gallons of water were in theMississippiRiver in ordertovote.”

rather than splitting them up in different congressional districts. McMakin said he also worked not to change District1 in southeast Louisiana. And he noted that Jackson, Lincoln and Morehouse parishes in the northern part of the state were moved.

Committeedebate

What becomes of the S&WB once the law goes into effect won’tbe clear for some time. Hilferty said in aSenate committee this month that the billisthe ﬁrst step toward folding the stand-alone utility into a City Hall department. Mayor Helena Moreno, who supportsthe bill, hasn’ttaken aposition on that idea.

“The best way to thinkofthis is we are normalizing theSewerage &Water Board.Manyofour other parishes across the state have sewer,water and drainage functions under aDepartment of Public Works,” Hilferty said at the committee meeting.

Council President JP Morrell at the same meeting agreed the S&WB should be subsumed by Public Works, but added that transferring the S&WB’sbond debt totaling about halfabillion dollars —could be difﬁcultfor legaland practical reasons. In arecent interview,Morrell said the council should createpolicies —oncontracting, for example

Like he did in previous meetings and debates, Morris also noted that Louisiana’scurrent map was deemed unconstitutional, and the state hasbeen barredbya federal court from usingitinthisyear’s midterm elections.

Amajor politicalbattle

But one small section would be in aShreveport-anchored district, while another would be in aMonroe-rooted district.

St.Martin Parish would no longer be entirely in the3rd District.Instead, mostofit would be6th District

St.Landry Parish is now almost entirely in the5th District.That Monroeanchored district covers northeast Louisianaand is currently represented by Rep. JuliaLetlow,R-Baton Rouge, who is vacating her seat to run for theU.S.Senate. Previously,the parish was split between three congressional districts.

Calcasieu Parish is now entirely part of District 3, rather than being split up. In the BatonRougeregion, thenew map now splits Pointe Coupee Parish in half, with the southern part in the 6th District and the northern part in the 5th. Livingston Parish is also split up now; most of itspopulationisstill in the6th District, but anortheastern part

While Republicans maneuvered toward the map they wanted, Democrats continued to ﬁercely protest theelimination of aBlack seat

of theparishwas moved to the5th

Kleinpeter —whose Senatedistrict includespart of theBatonRouge metro area and part of the Acadiana region —questioned the decision to split offthe northern portion of Pointe Coupee into District 5and to group St. Martin into aBaton Rouge-based district

Pointe Coupee Parish is more apart of the Baton Rouge area than is St.Martin,hesaid.

Beaullieu,the House committee chair,said lawmakers didn’trequest changes specifically to Livingston, Pointe Coupeeand St. Martin parishes.

“These were aresult of trying to push population or move population around basedonother member requests,”hesaid. “It’sall kind of achain reaction Noneofthemare isolated in asilo.”

—that guide how theagency operates. Butitshouldn’tbeallowed to select who gets the contracts, he said.

“If the council was involved in that level of minutia,I think that wouldvalidate concerns people have,” Morrell said, alluding to concerns by S&WB board members andothers that council control willpoliticize thecity’swater utility. “You’re talking aboutmassivemultiyearcontracts. Idon’t think politicsshould ever be involved inany of that.”

Ordinances needed

The councilwill need to adopt ordinances to exercise its new powers, and it’snot clear when that will happen or what theordinances will entail. Moreno plans to convene a workinggroup to recommendpolicies on accountability,governance and ratepayer protections, among other things.

Moreno,who took ofﬁce in January,serves as president of the 11-member board, themajority of whom aremayoral appointees

Despite that, Moreno has said boardmembers don’t serve at the mayor’spleasure andtherefore lack accountability.Major agency

Theupdated mapalso eliminates aspur of the New Orleans-anchored 2nd District, whichhad pushed out

into suburban BatonRouge That meansthe Baton Rouge homeofRepublican state Sen. BlakeMiguezisnow back in the 6thDistrict;the Senate map hadshuntedhim into the2nd.

Otherchanges

In north Louisiana, the parishesofJackson, Lincolnand Morehouse were moved into District 4, the Shreveport-anchored district in northwestLouisiana currently represented by U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton Johnson now has adistrict that nearly entirely follows parish lines.

Grant Parish, in central Louisiana,was moved entirely intoDistrict 5.

State Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, introducedthe updatedmap on behalf of GOP members of theLouisiana House.

He said that, after talking to House members, he focused on trying to make Grant,Calcasieu and St. Landry parishes whole,

changes currently must be signed off on by the Legislature, as most of the agency’sfunctions are enshrined in state law

Moreno andcouncil members have alsosharply criticized the S&WB in recent months amida series of water breaks that flooded homes and businessesand amid other significant problems. S&WB officials, meanwhile, haveexpressed concernsabout thebill while trying to figure what it meansfor thefuture. Board memberCourtneyScrubbs told lawmakersinanApril letter that changes could politicize theboard and jeopardize its bond rating. Without referring specificallyto thebill, Executive Director Randy Hayman publicly criticized the fact thatthe S&WB sharesalobbyist withCity Hall.

Theadministration says it will announcethe members of the working group after aﬁnal voteon thebill. Merging theS&WBinto city government won’tbeacharge of theworkinggroup, according to city ofﬁcials.

Hayman saidthe S&WB “hopes to have aseatatthe table” oncethe group convenes. “They may very well intend for

Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, launched the public testimony portion of themeeting. He said that, whenheﬁrst visited the State Capitol in 1968 as a10-year-old boy, every Black person working there was holding amop or broom,carrying atray of water,shining shoes or cutting hair

That year,his late father, Ernest “Dutch”Morial, was the first Black person elected to the Legislature, where he brought legislation to undo aLouisiana law that required blood for transfusions to be labeled either White or Black.

Marc Morial called the GOP redistricting plan “a reversal of progress.”

Democratic lawmakers on the committee spent over four hours pressing Sen. Jay Morris, the West Monroe Republican whoissponsoring the bill, to change the map Morris said the proposed mapwas driven by politics and not race and was colorblind. Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans,calledthe idea of colorblindness “very offensive.”

“Itmeansthatthe person who is claiming colorblindness is willfully ignoring the oppressions thathave been placed on Black people in this country,” Newell said. “Itminimizes thelived experiences of my grandparents whowere forced

us to have aseat. I’m just asking to be sure that it’sechoed that we would like to be part of the discussion,”hesaid at aMay 13 committee meeting. Hayman added that S&WB employees areworried about their positions and pensions, and that agency ofﬁcials hope “employee retention is kept in mind” as the working group convenes.

Currentboard

Under the current law,the mayor is president of the 11-member governing board, amajority of whom are New Orleans residents appointed by the mayor with council approval. The board would elect itspresident underthe newlaw, which also allows the councilto makerules on how board members are appointed and their termsof service. Changing the11-member structure would require avoterapproved city charter amendment. Morrell, aformerstate senator,authored the 2013 bill setting up thecurrent board structure, which was meant to insulate the board from political interference. He said it has instead resulted in a boardthat lacks accountability and transparency

TheLegislature’sredistricting effort comes after the U.S. SupremeCourt last month ruledLouisiana’s congressional mapunconstitutional over lawmakers’ addition of amajority-Black district in 2024, amove they made in response to aVoting Rights Act lawsuit brought by Black voters. The high court’sruling substantially weakened the Voting Rights Act, saying it’s almostalways illegal to use race as afactorwhen drawing voting maps.

President Donald Trump has called for GOP-led statesacrossthe country to draw new congressional maps to secure more Republican seats in the U.S. House ahead of midterm elections this fall.

Louisiana Republicans could have drawn amap that eliminated both Democratic-leaning districts. ButGOP leadershavesaid creatingsix Republican districts wouldfiltertoo many Democratic voters into those districts and run the risk of voters electing more thanone Democrat to Congress.

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Black Democrat from Baton Rouge who represents the district lawmakers have been orderedtodismantle, also saidhewon’tcompete against Carter,aNew OrleansDemocrat, forreelection. Those factors havecleared the way for Louisiana lawmakers to craft aso-called 5-1map rather than onewith six Republican districts.

“Ithas failed spectacularly,” Morrell told the Senate committee, noting the S&WB’s14% approval rating in aNew Orleans CrimeCoalition survey last year

The nonproﬁt Bureau of Governmental Research,apublic policy watchdog, said in a2023 report the S&WB governing structure creates a“misalignment” of accountability,since the board oversees operationsand thecouncil approves water and sewer rates. The result has been strife between thecouncil andutility,and lack of needed investment in infrastructure, according to BGR.

The group calledfor folding the S&WB entirely within city government or morecleanly separating it,soone body is accountable for funding and operations.

BGR Executive Director Rebecca Mowbray said the newlaw will “usherina newera of local control,” while also noting it “does not articulate aspeciﬁc vision” for changing howthe S&WB is governed.

“It will be up to the mayor and the City Council to carefully plan amoreeffective, accountableand well-funded utility than exists today,” she said.

Senate panelmakes bigcutstobudget

School vouchers, raises,education fundstrimmed

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Raises for judges andmembers

of Gov.Jeff Landry’sCabinet next year appear to be off the table after aSenate panel cut them from the state budget, along with funding to expand LA GATOR and money that would have increasedthe per-student rate schoolsare paid for operating costs.

Facing budget constraints, the Senate FinanceCommittee made thosechangesThursday through alengthy set of amendments, just days after astatement from Landry cast doubt on who should receive pay raises and threw a wrench into budget deliberations.

Other cuts are unsurprising after state economists predicted Louisiana would bring in about $100 million less in tax revenue forthe next ﬁscal year,which begins July 1, than previously expected. On its own, the increase for GATOR, aprogram that gives taxpayer money to families to pay for private school, would have cost $43.5 million.

Senatorsalsolowered by $30 million the state funds schoolsreceive as determined by aformula known as the Minimum Foundation Program. That allocation was already set to decreasebecause of declining publicschool enrollment, but lawmakers had agreed to increase the per-pupil payments schools get for operating costs to soften the blow

Still, not all the amendments pared back the budget: the Senatepanel,for example, gave state lawmakers the right to daily allowances for days they work outside of the legislative session, andit allocated about $18.5 million for raises for corrections ofﬁcers.

Whether those budget items last remains to be seen; thefates of other pendingproposals, such as raises for registrars and prosecutors, also are murky

On Monday,Landryissued a statement on Xsaying that no stateworkersshouldreceive pay

raises this year if teachers don’t getthem Since then,legislative leaders have beenseeking clarityonwhat exactly Landry meant. The governorspent theﬁrst part of the week in Greenland. President Donald Trump, who has said he wants to acquire the island, named Landry its special envoy earlier this year The governor returned Wednesday night, according to his social media State Rep. Jack McFarland, RJonesboro, who chairs the House AppropriationsCommittee and sponsors multiple budget bills, said he expected to meet withthe governor Friday Landry’sstatement aboutpay raises came after aconstitutional amendment that affected teacher pay failed at thepolls Saturday Amendment 3would have liquidated three stateeducationtrust funds and used themoney to turn $2,000 and$1,000stipendsthat teachers andschool supportstaff receive, respectively,intoperma-

nent raises. The raisesalso would have grown to $2,250 and $1,125.

Teachershave received stipends for three years in arow,sothey effectively face apay cut. Lawmakers would have to allocate $200 million to avoid thatoutcome—a feat top budget ofﬁcials in the Legislaturehave described as unrealistic.

Senate PresidentCameron Henry,R-Metairie, initially said the Senate would cut outall raises in thebudget and park bills authorizing newpay increases, to prevent Landry from vetoing legislation.

But McFarland balkedatthe idea of abandoning pay raises for low- and middle-incomeworkers.

“I’ve expressed this to (Landry’s) chief of staff, Julie Emerson.Thoseare to me acritical industry.Firefighters— we’ve gottohavethemtofight wildfires,” he said, referring to apay increase forfirefighters that he hassupported. “It’s not awant; it’s anecessity.Ifeel the same way with corrections.”

La.teacherslikelyto lose $2,000 stipends

Budget advances withouttheir funding

BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer

Louisiana’spublic school teachers, who are among the lowest-paid in the country,are likely to take home $2,000 less next schoolyear after state lawmakersadvanced abudgetThursday that leaves out educator stipends.

The state Legislature has given one-time pay boosts to teachers in the pastfew years instead of permanent raises. After voters rejected aballotmeasure Saturday that would have financed teacher raises, educators urged lawmakers this week to add stipends to the state budget.

On Thursday, those hopes were dashed as the Senate Finance Committee approved abudget plan that does not include the annual pay bumps —$2,000 for teachers and $1,000 for school support staff —that educators have received since 2023. Legislative leadershad warned that they were unlikely to find the roughly $200 million needed for the stipends after recent economic forecasts predicted adrop in state revenues next year

D’Shay Oaks, aschool librarian and president of the Louisiana Association of Educators, astatewide teachers union, noted that thestate is poised to give teachers less money evenas student test scores continue to rise.

“We’reworkingour butts off in the classrooms,” she said, “but yet you’re gon-

“We’re workingour butts off in the classrooms, but yet you’regonnatake away money that you’ve given to us for thepast few years?”

D’SHAyOAKS,Louisiana Association of Educators president

na take away money that you’vegiven to us for the past few years?” Louisiana ranks 49th for average teacher pay, which was $56,785 in 2025, according to arecentanalysis by theNationalEducation Association, anational teachers union.In2024, Louisiana teachers earned about $6,000 less on average than their peers in nearby states, according to data from the Southern RegionalEducation Board In the May 16 election, Louisiana voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have liquidated three education trust funds to pay off teacher retirementdebt, thenput the savings towardteacher raises.

Gov.Jeff Landry had championed theamendment,whichwas similar to onethat failed to pass last year. Butsomeeducatorsop-

posedpaying for theraises at the expenseoftrust funds that supporteducation programsthat beneﬁt students.

On Monday, Landry posted on social media that no state employees should get pay increases this year if teachers do notreceive permanent raises. In response,lawmakers planned to nix raises for prosecutors, judges, legislators and other state workers.

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers, thelargest statewide teachers union, had called on the Legislature to draw from astate savings account called the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to pay for another year of educator stipends.

“Louisiana teachers and schoolemployees should not face areductioninpay while the state has resources available to prevent it,” theunion said in aFacebook post Tuesday

While thebudgetbill advanced by the Senate committee did not boost teacher pay,itdid include raises for somestate workers, such as corrections officers. A spokesperson for Landry did not immediately respond to arequest for comment.

Thebill, which could still be amended, nowheadsto thefull Senatefor approval. Then it will go back to the House.

Payraises

The budget the House passed included $10,000 pay raises forstate ﬁreﬁghters, whoreceive $28,000 annually,McFarland said. It was not immediately clear whether the Senate amendments impacted that raise.

As for the pay increase lawmakersnow want to give prison employees, state ofﬁcials hope it will help address staffing shortages andsavemoney on overtime costs

Corrections cadets have one of the highest turnover rates of all state workers: Between 2024 and 2025, that rate was164%, according to Louisiana’sannual turnover report.

The state Civil Service Commissionrecently approved a$3hourly raisefor cadets, meaning they could make $20.50 an hour,said Gary Westcott, thestate’s topcorrections official. Theycurrently make $17.50, he told legislators earlier this year

An amendmenttoHouse Bill 983, whichcontrols the state’sjudiciary budget,takes out$6.7million that would have made the payboost judges received last year permanent.

Twoother proposalsare also hanging in thebalance as budget deliberations continue.

An amendment to HB1 sets aside $500,000 to update thepay schedulefor registrars of voters, but the appropriationisdependent on the passage of abill that would enact that change.

Themeasure, Senate Bill 25 by state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter,R-Port Allen, is headed to theHouse Appropriations Committee, with a hearing scheduled forTuesday Kleinpeter said Tuesday that he wants to keep ﬁghting for the raises. Registrars haven’t had their pay schedules adjusted since 2007, he said. Meanwhile, state Rep.Peter Egan, R-Covington, hasbeen pushing twobills to give prosecutors moreresources. House Bill 660 would raise the base salary for assistant district attorneys from $50,000to$60,000,and HouseBill 719 would let districtattorneys hire moreprosecutors.

Hillar Moore, the district attorney for the 19th Judicial District in East Baton Rouge Parish, has said his ofﬁce is in dire need of more staff, and that he has struggled to retain prosecutors because he cannot offer competitive salaries.

While the status of negotiations on HB660 and HB719 is unclear, theirodds did not appear promising Thursday

The House did not include raises forprosecutors in the budget it originally passed.There didnot immediately appear to be any new money allocated for those measuresinthe amendments the Senate passed.

Both HB660 and HB719 are pending approval by the Senate Finance Committee.

The budget bills now head to the full Senate forapproval; after that, the House will need to agree to the amendments. If it doesn’t,the bill will go before asmall committee of legislators whowill hash out the ﬁnal version in private.

The increase for corrections ofﬁcers came through an amendment to House Bill 1, which lays out the state’soperating budget forthe coming ﬁscal year

STAFFFILE PHOTO

Rep. JackMcFarland, R-Jonesboro, has balked at the idea of abandoning payraises forlow-and middleincome workers.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Stocks edge higher after U-turn for oil prices

NEWYORK Hour-to-hour swings for oil prices keep jerking ﬁnancial markets around, and U.S. stocks wavered Thursday following the latest reversal.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2% and inched closer to its all-time high set last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 276 points, or 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.1% All three indexes erased early drops and gained strength following the latest U-turn for oil prices. Brent crude oil briefly got above $109 per barrel in the morning, threatening to worsen the world’s already high inflation, before quickly erasing all its gains in midday trading and falling 2.3% to settle at $102.58. Oil prices are yo-yoing because of uncertainty about how long the war with Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz shut The closure has prevented oil tankers from exiting the Persian Gulf to deliver crude to customers worldwide, driving up oil’s price.

As oil prices eased Thursday so did pressure on Wall Street that’s been building from the bond market.

Yields had climbed so high that they threatened to slow economies worldwide and undercut prices for stocks, bitcoin and all kinds of other investments.

They’ve already forced the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its most expensive level since last summer, and they could curtail companies’ borrowing to build the AI data centers that have supported the U.S economy’s growth recently.

Average mortgage rate climbs to 6.51%

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate climbed this week to its highest level in nearly nine months, driving up borrowing costs for homebuyers during what’s traditionally the housing market’s busiest time of the year.

The benchmark 30-year ﬁxed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.51% from 6.36% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday Despite the sharp increase, the average rate remains below 6.86%, where it was a year ago.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the war with Iran began The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has roiled energy markets, sending crude oil prices sharply higher — a key driver of inﬂation.

Mortgage rates are inﬂuenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inﬂation.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year ﬁxed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose this week That average rate climbed to 5.85% from 5.71% last week. A year ago, it was at 6.01%, Freddie Mac said U.N. court: Right to strike protected by treaty

THE HAGUE, Netherlands The United Nations’ top court issued a landmark advisory opinion on the right to strike on Thursday, ﬁnding that a cornerstone labor treaty protects the ability of workers to walk off the job.

The International Court of Justice was asked in 2023 by the International Labor Organization, a U.N. agency to settle an internal dispute over whether one of the ILO’s conventions gives workers the right to strike. Advisory opinions aren’t legally binding, but carry signiﬁcant weight. The decision could have a worldwide impact on labor regulations, enshrining the right to strike in labor standards and international trade agreements. Labor unions welcomed the decision.

“As any trade unionist will tell you, there is no right to organize without the right to strike!” Christy Hoffman, general-secretary of UNI Global Union, said in a statement after the opinion was announced. “The two are inseparable foundations of any functional and fair industrial relations system. Congratulations to the many advocates who argued the point so brilliantly before the ICJ.”

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Trump eases federal refrigerant rule

Move comes in a bid to address surging grocery costs

BY MATTHEW DALY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday loosened federal rules that require grocery stores and air-conditioning companies to reduce greenhouse gases used in cooling equipment, a step that President Donald Trump said would help lower grocery costs.

Trump said at a White House ceremony that the action by the Environmental Protection Agency would “substantially lower costs for consumers” by delaying costly restrictions that limit the type of refrigerants U.S businesses and families can use.

The move to relax the Biden-era rules on harmful pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs,

emitted by refrigerators and other appliances was the latest attempt by the Republican administration before pivotal elections in November to try to address rising voter concerns over the cost of living. It is not clear how much or how quickly grocery prices could be impacted. Industry groups said it could even raise prices because manufacturers have already redesigned products, retooled factories and trained workers to build and service next-generation refrigerant equipment

Inﬂation in the United States increased to 3.8% annually in April, amid price spikes caused by the Iran war and Trump’s sweeping tariffs. Inﬂation is now outpacing wage gains as the war has kept oil and gasoline prices high.

The regulation from the Democratic Biden administration was “unnecessary and costly and actually makes the machinery worse,” Trump said at a ceremony joined by top executives from Kroger, Piggly

Close to home

Higher fuel prices have some scaling back Memorial Day travel plans

BY RIO YAMAT AP airlines and travel writer

As someone who is “not the best person with bugs and stuff,” Stephanie Bernaba never imagined herself becoming an outdoorsy mom.

But the mother of three is getting more daring as gas prices and other travel costs make vacations more expensive. Her family has traded pricier trips, such as long summer stays in Florida and an annual Disney World visit around her birthday, for local beaches, bike rides and hiking trails near their home in coastal Rhode Island.

“I’ve been trying to do more of that because one, it’s quality time. Two, it’s fresh air And three, we’re not spending an arm and a leg,” Bernaba, 47, said.

That kind of calibration is shaping the summer travel season, which gets its traditional start in the U.S. with the long Memorial Day holiday weekend. Higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inﬂationary pressures are making most forms of travel costlier as people in many parts of the world form their plans.

The U.S. Travel Association expects annual travel spending to grow by a modest 1% this year powered largely by domestic leisure travel despite the FIFA World Cup giving soccer fans from other countries a reason to visit the U.S. Airfares have climbed around the world along with the price of jet fuel as the war constrains global oil supplies.

Sticking closer to home may not cushion the sticker shock. The nonproﬁt Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated Americans would collectively spend an extra $3.5 billion on gasoline over the holiday weekend.

The average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. was $4.56 on Thursday compared to $3.18 a year ago, according to motor club AAA

Other travel expenses have gone up too. The latest consumer price index showed airfares were 20.7% higher in April from a year ear-

Trump says he’s concerned it could dull U.S. tech edge

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and MATT O’BRIEN Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald

Trump called off plans to sign a new executive order on artiﬁcial intelligence hours before an expected White House ceremony Thursday because he said he was worried the measure could dull America’s edge on AI technology

Trump said he was postponing the Oval Ofﬁce event with tech industry executives because he did not like what he saw in the order’s text.

“We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters.

Wiggly and other grocery chains.

He said the EPA action would protect hundreds of thousands of jobs and save Americans more than $2 billion a year

The Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, which represents more than 330 HVAC manufacturers and commercial refrigeration companies, said the change in approach would “inject uncertainty across the market” and could even raise prices.

“This rule works against basic supply and demand,” said Stephen Yurek, the group’s president and CEO. “By extending the compliance deadline” for phasing out HFCs, the administration “is maintaining and even increasing demand in the market for existing refrigerants while supply continues to fall.”

The greenhouse gases are thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide and are considered a major driver of global warming.

It is a reversal after Trump signed a law in his ﬁrst term that aimed to

reduce harmful, planet-warming pollutants emitted by refrigerators and air conditioners. That bipartisan measure brought environmentalists and major business groups into rare alignment on the contentious issue of climate change and won praise across the political spectrum.

The 2020 law reﬂected a broad bipartisan consensus on the need to quickly phase out domestic use of HFCs.

The EPA action highlights the second Trump administration’s drive to roll back regulations perceived as climate friendly The plan is among a series of sweeping environmental changes that the agency’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, has said will put a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

Environmentalists criticized the administration’s actions, saying the new rule would exacerbate climate pollution while disrupting a yearslong industry transition to new coolants as an alternative to HFCs.

lier, the cost of intracity transit such as buses and subways rose 5.6%, lodging cost 4.3% more, and eating out got 3.6% pricier.

Despite elevated prices, industry forecasts suggest Americans still want to get away, even if it means replacing long trips with long weekends, choosing destinations closer to home and ﬁnding ways to cut costs by cooking meals or using buses and trains instead of driving.

AAA predicted that 45 million U.S. residents would travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday for the holiday The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen 18.3 million passengers from Thursday to next Wednesday.

Many households are planning summer vacations but making tradeoffs such as shorter trips or cheaper lodging, according to Bank of America analysts. Mastercard said in a recent report that consumers appeared increasingly focused on value and were adjusting their destinations and timing instead of not going away at all.

“Generally, it’s certainly more of a demand reshufﬂing than a demand softening,” David Tinsley a senior economist at Bank of America Institute, said.

For the Bernaba family, that has meant trading a big vacation for a shorter trip nearby this summer Their scaled-back itinerary still is pricey: more than $400 for a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard for their car and passengers, and about $800 a night for each of the two hotel rooms the family of ﬁve needs.

Another family that had planned to join them backed out after seeing the price tag.

“The pinch is being felt all the way around,”

The order would have established a framework for the government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems before their public release, according to a person familiar with the White House’s deliberations with the tech industry but not authorized to speak about them publicly The directive was being characterized as a voluntary collaboration with participating U.S.-based tech companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google, the person said. The push for some kind of government action to review leading AI systems follows growing concern within the banking industry and other institutions about the leaps in AI’s abilities to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities in the world’s software.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Federal Reserve

Chair Jerome Powell convened an urgent meeting with Wall Street CEOs in April, warning them about

Bernaba said.

Analysts have increasingly described travel spending as “K-shaped,” with higher-income households continuing to spend while lowerincome families pull back or opt out entirely Bank of America said lower-income households were signiﬁcantly more likely to report having no summer travel plans this year.

New polling of registered U.S. voters by Quinnipiac University found that 48% have cut back on vacation spending, 54% have reduced what they spend on dining out, and 36% have curbed their driving.

Travelers are confronting other stressors besides cost.

Airlines around the world have canceled flights and trimmed routes to save on fuel and operating costs, leaving passengers with fewer options. The conflict in the Middle East has complicated getting there and rerouted flights to and from Asia, adding another layer of concern on top of broader geopolitical tensions and the declining value of the dollar for people considering trips abroad.

Recent U.S. government shutdowns, which caused major ﬂight disruptions and long security lines, also are likely still fresh in travelers’ minds.

The various factors impacting travel right now has made planning trips more mentally taxing and may be pushing people toward simpler and more accessible vacations that feel easier to manage, said Marta Soligo, a tourism sociologist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

“The key word here is unpredictability,” Soligo said “Tourists don’t like unpredictability.”

the cybersecurity risks posed by Anthropic’s AI model, Claude Mythos. The meeting, urgently assembled at the Treasury Department’s headquarters, was intended to ensure that banks were aware of the risks associated with the models, Bessent said at CNBC’s “Invest in America Forum” in Washington in April. “This new Anthropic model is very powerful,” he said. “Some banks are doing a better job in cybersecurity than others, and we want to have the ability to convene them and talk about what is best practices and where they should be heading.” That led some allies of the Republican president to propose better methods for getting those AI tools in the hands of trusted cybersecurity experts.

Trump had pledged to undo the AI safety regulations set by his predecessor Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump’s administration has

viewed the AI sector as an engine to help deliver on his pledges to expand the economy and he has promoted its major players at events at the White House and around the world. Last week, Trump had tech CEOs in tow for a summit with China’s Xi Jinping. Trump’s ambitions for the sector have collided with the fears of voters over the impact of the technology on American life, jobs and electricity bills. Republicans themselves are divided over whether to embrace the AI industry or side with voters who express skepticism about the technology Also complicating the government’s interest in working with Anthropic on cybersecurity is the government’s ongoing legal ﬁght with the company Trump in February ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s chatbot Claude after an unusually public clash between the Pentagon and CEO Dario Amodei.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JAE C. HONG

Travelers wait to board an Amtrak train on Wednesday at Union Station in Los Angeles. Some Americans are planning to scale back their summer travel as higher fuel prices resulting from the Iran war and other inflationary pressures take a toll on people’s pocketbooks.

BY STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.

“We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game,” said Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill. Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that advanced to a ﬁnal vote earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.

The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump’s handling of the war Rank-and-ﬁle Republicans are increasingly willing to defy the president over the conﬂict

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, told reporters that the vote was delayed to give lawmakers who were absent a chance to vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, did not answer questions from reporters as he exited the House chamber

Frustration with Iran war grows

On Capitol Hill, patience with the warhaswornthinasthestalematein the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global shipping and elevates gas prices in

the U.S. Another House war powers resolution nearly passed last week, falling on a tie vote as three Republicans voted in favor

Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he had the votes “locked in” this time around

“People are beginning to ﬁnally listen to the American people who don’t support the war in Iran, and I think there’s a growing number of Republicans who see how devastating the war has been for our country,” said Democratic Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state.

The lone Democrat who voted against the war powers resolution last week, Rep. Jared Golden of Maine, has said he will vote in favor of the legislation next time.

In a joint statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and other caucus leaders said Republicans were “cowardly” to pull the vote.

“Even as we prepare to recognize our nation’s fallen heroes on Memorial Day, House Republicans refuse to show up and be accountable to the brave service members that have been recklessly put in harm’s way,” they added.

Republicans have been broadly supportive of Trump’s efforts to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities, but some are now saying the president’s legal timeline to wage a war without congressional approval has expired. Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, presidents have 60 days to

Speaker of the House

Mike Johnson, R-Benton, and House GOP leaders depart a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.

ASSOCIATED

PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE

engage in a military conﬂict before

Congress must either declare war or authorize the use of military force.

“We’re past 60 days so it’s got to be brought to us to vote on. We’re following the law,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick R-Pa., adding that he plans to vote for the war powers resolution.

The dispute over war powers

The White House argues that the requirements of the War Powers Resolution no longer apply because of the ceaseﬁre with Iran. At the same time, Trump has said he was just an hour away from ordering another strike on Iran earlier this week, but held off because Gulf allies said they were engaged in negotiations to end the war

Still, Trump said on social media that military leaders should “be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.” Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a Republican who has so far voted against the war powers resolutions, expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s stance, especially from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

“The current status quo, Pete Hegseth demonstrates how incompetent he is,” Tillis told reporters, adding that he would be willing to vote for an authorization for use of military force.

Investigators trying to identify substance that may have killed 3

First responders

briefly quarantined

BY SAVANNAH PETERS

and SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press

MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. — Investigators in New Mexico are trying to identify a mysterious substance that may have contributed to the deaths of three people and led to more than a dozen ﬁrst responders being brieﬂy quarantined Two people remained in a hospital Thursday, including a person who was found unresponsive in a home where the three died east of Albuquerque, in the rural town of Mountainair Authorities went to the home Wednesday after being called about a suspected

drug overdose. Some first responders began coughing, vomiting and experiencing dizziness, authorities said. As a result, medical workers checked nearly two dozen people who may have come into contact with the mysterious substance, the University of New Mexico Hospital said. It was not clear what the substance was, how the people in the home died, what caused some first responders to become sick or exactly how many experienced symptoms. Autopsies will be conducted and authorities said they were testing to determine what substances were in the home. Antonette Alguire, a volunteer firefighter in Mountainair, said Wednesday that she saw some EMTs and

firefighters coughing and vomiting after they were outside the house.

Medical workers decontaminated nearly two dozen people, most of them ﬁrst responders, the University of New Mexico Hospital said. Most had no symptoms, hospital ofﬁcials said.

Three people were admitted to the hospital Wednesday One — an emergency medical services ofﬁcial has since been released, the mayor of Mountainair said Thursday

Mountainair

Mayor Peter Nieto said he spotted drugs at the home, but did not say what type of drugs. He dismissed carbon monoxide or natural gas exposure as possible causes for the health issues that the ﬁrst responders experienced.

Key agency approves the design plan for arch

Trump wants to build at entrance to capital

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

WASHINGTON The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts on Thursday approved the design for the triumphal arch that President Donald Trump wants built at an entrance to the nation’s capital, a key step in the project’s process but one that has no immediate bearing on the timeline for construction.

Commissioners, all appointed by Trump, acted despite overwhelming public opposition to the 250-foot arch, one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his imprint on Washington.

At the White House, Trump told reporters he thought the vote was “fantastic” adding that “we’re the only important and major city that doesn’t have one.”

The commission only oversees designs and has no role in the actual construction or funding of the arch or any other project it considers. Preliminary surveys and testing of the arch site began last week. The National Capital Planning Commission, a separate federal agency that approves construction on federal land, has the arch on the agenda at its June meeting. Trump had said last year that the arch could be paid for with private donations left over from the ballroom project. A cost estimate for the arch is still being calculated, but a mix of taxpayer and private money is expected to be used to pay for it, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the president has not publicly discussed the project’s cost.

“The building is beautiful,” said the commission’s chairman, Rodney Mims Cook Jr., shortly before the vote on the slightly revised design. Commissioners had suggested several changes when they ﬁrst reviewed the design in April. Some were made by the Harrison Design archi-

tecture firm and approved on

Thursday

The arch would stand 250 feet tall from its base to a torch held aloft by a Lady Liberty-like figure on top of the structure, ﬂanked by two gilded eagles. But four lions envisioned as guarding the base were removed. The phrases “One Nation Under God” and “Liberty and Justice for All” would be inscribed in gold lettering atop either side of the monument.

A public observation deck on top would provide 360-degree views of the region. The arch would have an exterior made of granite.

The commission’s vice chairperson, architect James McCrery II, said in April that he preferred the arch without the ﬁgures on top, which would have reduced the height by about 80 feet. Critics argue that the arch would dominate the skyline and disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery

It would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet tall, and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, at about 555 feet tall. McCrery had also recommended nixing the ground-level lion statues along with an underground tunnel for pedestrians to get to the arch, which would be built on a busy trafﬁc circle The design approved Thursday has no lions and incorporates pedestrian crosswalks. A platform the arch would have been built on also has been removed.

Ten people who testiﬁed Thursday, including on behalf of organizations such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the DC Preservation League, opposed the arch on grounds that it is too big. They said the project needed to be approved by Congress because it would be built on federal land and that it would disrupt the sightline between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery that was created to symbolize reuniﬁcation after the Civil War.

BY BEN FINLEY and MATTHEW LEE Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday said the U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about reducing — not increasing — the American military footprint in Europe.

The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S officials conﬁrmed about 4,000 service members were no longer deploying to Poland.

Trump’s social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and failing to do more to support the Iran war

“Based on the successful Election of the now President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki, who I was proud to Endorse, and our relationship with him, I am pleased to announce that the United States will be sending an additional 5,000 Troops to Poland,” Trump said on Truth Social.

Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops

in Germany after Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the U.S. was being “humiliated” by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a lack of strategy in the war Trump then told reporters at the beginning of the month that the U.S. would be “cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

As of last week, some 4,000 troops from the Army’s 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division were no longer en route to Poland. The Associated Press reported that the canceled deployment was part of an effort to comply with Trump’s order to reduce the number of troops in Europe. A deployment to Germany of personnel trained to fire long-range missiles also was halted.

HANO will payGuste Homes’ waterbill

Authorityagreesamid mounting federalpressure

BY VIOLET BUCARO Staff writer

The Housing Authority of New Orleans on Tuesday agreed to pay a$777,000 water billfor theGuste Homescomplex amid mounting pressure from federal ofﬁcials and the threat of water shut-offs atthe

Central City property

The board of the public housing authority unanimouslyvoted to paydownwhat the Guste Homes Management Corp. owedthe Sewerage &Water Board.Guste Homes works with HANOtomanage thehigh-rise. The vote came after the De-

partment of Housing andUrban Development toured thecomplex and warned the utilitythat the unpaid bill was unacceptable,ofﬁcials said. HUD has also rapped thecomplex over its vacancy rate, which was 23% in March.

The S&WB has alsowarned that it would shut water off at the com-

Trafficsignalplan gets greenlight

plex if Guste didn’tpay up.

HANO board members said now that the bill is paid, they expect to wieldfirmer controloverGuste Homes’budget and to revampthe complex’s80vacant units.

“It’s gonnabeanall of the above approach, but just paying this and forgetting aboutitisnot gonna work, because we’re slowly dwindling away the savings accountfor all the affordable housing in New Orleans,” said HANO board CommissionerJoshuaCox,referencing the reserves HANOhad to draw from to settle the Guste bill. Cynthia Wiggins, president of the Guste Homes Resident Management Corp., declined to comment andreferredquestions to herattorney, who did notreturn a request forcommentWednesday

Apedestrian walks across Poydras Street on Thursdayastrafficlights shine out of sync. MayorHelenaMoreno launched anew initiativeonThursdaytorepair and upgrade NewOrleans’ traffi

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

Mayor Helena Moreno launched anew initiative on Thursday to repair and upgrade New Orleans’ trafﬁc signals, with thegoal of improving traffic flowand making intersections safer for both pedes-

trians and drivers.

The city manages more than 400 trafﬁc signals, though much of the infrastructureisbeyond its usable life. Many of the lights include wiring that isn’tsealed properly,causingthe signals to trip and revert to “ﬂash” mode after rainfall.

“This is asituation that has been accepted forfar too long. It’scaused so much frustration, and we’re not gonna put up withit, and it’stime to work with urgency to get this situation ﬁxed,”Moreno said at anews conference Thursday Phase1 of Moreno’s plan will begin

See PLAN, page 3B

Mayorraceresults stay same afterrecount

Glaser reelected as Kenner leader ELECTION 2026

BYLARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

mayoral candidate earned one additional vote Thursday in arecount of mail-in ballots from Saturday’selection but ultimately still lost the race, Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco said. Mayor Michael Glaser,aRepublican, narrowly wonthe mayor’s race without arunoff with just over 50% of the vote,according to unofﬁcial election results. His opponent, Diane Schnell, aDemocrat,gainedone new voteagainst himinthe recount,putting herat 3,714 votes to his 5,586. Athird candidate, Walt Bennetti, earned 16% of thevotes. Glaser barely avoided arunoff by only 20 votestotal, according to therecount’sﬁndings. Sc hne l l, ho wever,s aid Thursday’srecount was not

RTACEO resigns, repays nearly $21K

Hankinsreceived excess carallowance

BY BLAKEPATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans Regional TransitAuthority’s CEO has submitted aresignation letter and signaledplans to sue theagencyafter negotiations over the terms of her departure broke down, according to herattorney,Bill Aaron.

CEO Lona Edwards Hankins submitted the letter to the boardSunday, andsentthe RTA anearly$21,000 check to compensate for the excess carallowance payments she received duringher tenure, Aaron said Wednesday In her letter,Hankins said she would prefer to resign immediatelybut offered to stay on for 60 days as required by her contract. RTAboard Chair Ann Duplessis had not responded to the letter as of Wednesday.Inatext message, Duplessissaidthe board would accept Hankins’ letter and announce an interim CEO at its meeting Tuesday An RTAspokesperson said that, as of Thursday afternoon, Hankins wasstill CEO. It is unclear howlongHankins hadbeenreceiving the excessive car allowance payments or how it wasdiscovered.Her contract states she’sentitled to $600 per month forthe expense. The board, newly installed by Mayor Helena Moreno, voted earlier this month to enter into negotiations with Hankins with the goal of arriving at mutually agreeable terms forher departure.

According to Aaron, the RTAboard provided Hankins with an offer but indicated that if she didn’ttakeit, theywould move to ﬁre herfor

Teen accusedofleading armedcarjacking spree

BYMISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Ateen whose ankle monitor violations went unchecked formonthsallegedly ledanarmed Uber carjacking crew before aDesire-area SWAT standoffended in his arrest Wednesday afternoon, authorities said. Ja’Maarion Banks, 19,and three juveniles, ages 16,14and 14, were booked on multiple counts of armed robbery,the NewOrleans Police Department conﬁrmed Thursday Banks was allegedly the ringleader in acarjacking spree that spanned aroughly 1-squaremile area in St. Roch and the Desire DevelopmentonMay 8. Police say he hailed Uber drivers, then stole their vehicles. Early that morning, Banks and ajuvenile codefendant allegedly called an Uber to the intersection of Abundance Street and Edith Weston Place, aimed agun at the driver who helped the twoload bags intothe back of aChevy Trailblazer,and ﬂed in the vehicle.

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Hankins

STAFF PHOTO By BRETTDUKE Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis DiMarco speaks Thursdaybefore arecount of the Kenner mayoral race at the Joseph S. yenni Building in Elmwood

ä See RTA, page 2B

ä See HANO, page 2B

Shia LaBeouf formally charged in Mardi Gras fight

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

Actor Shia LaBeouf was formally charged Thursday with three counts of simple battery over his allegedly criminal antics at a bar in New Orleans on the morning of Fat Tuesday Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams’ office charged LaBeouf, 39, with the misdemeanor counts in a bill of information All three charges list the date of offense as Feb 17, Mardi Gras.

That’s when police booked LaBeouf on two counts of battery after New Orleans Police Department ofﬁcers were called to R Bar in Faubourg Marigny around

12:45 a.m. after receiving a report of two men being assaulted. All three charges ﬁled Thursday relate to the bar incident. LaBeouf was “reportedly causing a disturbance and becoming increasingly aggressive,” police said in a report. The “Transformers” and “Holes” star is accused of hitting an R Bar staff member trying to eject him due to his behavior Video showed LaBeouf taking his shirt off before approaching men outside of the Royal Street hangout, shoving one and punching others.

“Let’s fight, let’s fight,” LaBeouf can be heard saying in the video. Later, a crowd held him on the ground be-

fore police arrived. Police said LaBeouf hurled a homophobic slur repeatedly during the ﬁght, arrest and investigation, at one point saying, “These f****** put me in jail. I’m a Catholic.”

Police later added a third battery count later against LaBeouf over the same incident.

Prosecutors filed the charges against LaBeouf on the eve of a speedy trial hearing scheduled for Thursday before Magistrate Commissioner Jay Daniels.

Authorities list LaBeouf as a New Orleans resident living on Laurel Street in Uptown New Orleans, where he is often seen.

Staff writer Matt Bruce contributed to this report.

Fifth person arrested after discovery of remains

Man first in group to be accused of kidnapping

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

ﬁfth suspect has been arrested in the disappearance and death of a father of four whose remains were found buried in the backyard of a Marrero home last month

Terrence Johnson, 45, of Harvey, was booked Wednesday with second-degree murder, second-degree kidnapping, unlawful disposal of remains and obstruction of justice, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

The counts seem to indi-

RECOUNT

Continued from page 1B

constitutional because it only counted paper mail-in ballots and no machine ballots from early voting or election day She plans to ﬁle legal action in response.

“The recount is not a real recount,” Schnell said.

The Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters’ Ofﬁce spent just over three hours on Thursday recounting 994 mail-in ballots from Kenner at Schnell’s request. Paper ballots were recounted three times by 12 counters in total. In Louisiana, recounts are not automatically triggered by close elections, and instead must be requested by a candidate or voter in an election. Even then, Louisiana law only stipulates the recount of absentee by mail ballots rather than all votes in an election.

The law also places the cost of a recount on the requestor in this case, Schnell, unless the recount changes

HANO

Continued from page 1B

Wiggins said she had no idea that board members had voted on the water bill.

Guste Homes and HANO work together to manage the 12-story complex in a unique arrangement. The Guste Homes Resident Management Corp. is the only resident-led management company in New Orleans. But HANO has authority over all of its budget agreements.

Guste officials had long refused to pay the water bill, saying the S&WB was

RTA

Continued from page 1B

cause. He declined to disclose the terms of that offer or provide a copy of her resignation letter Hankins’ resignation wasn’t voluntary Aaron said, but was instead the result of constructive discharge — when an employee leaves because of a hostile work environment signaling that she plans to ﬁle

cate that detectives suspect Johnson took part in the killing of Eddie Tillman Jr., a 37-year-old man who was last seen in 2023.

The Sheriff’s Ofﬁce has not yet released any information about Johnson’s suspected role in the conspiracy to kill Tillman and conceal his body Johnson is the ﬁrst suspect in the case to be booked on a kidnapping count.

Tillman was reported missing in August 2023 after relatives said he was lured from his mother’s Bridge City home by a friend who called to ask for his help with something. After a week had passed with no word on his whereabouts, Tillman’s family members reported him missing to law enforcement on

Aug. 24, 2023, passing along rumors that he’d been beaten to death.

Relatives had no clue what had become of Tillman until April 21, when his severed head and hands were dug up in the backyard of a home in the 1200 block of Gaudet Drive in Marrero, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Detectives began searching the residence based on a CrimeStoppers tip that revealed Tillman’s body could be found there, according to authorities.

The tipster identified Dustin Billot, 32, and John Lopez, 45, as Tillman’s killers, investigators said. Both were arrested in late April and booked with second-degree murder, unlawful disposal of a body and obstruc-

the results, in which case the cost can be reimbursed by the clerk of court Schnell claimed that her campaign had credible reports of issues with voting machines in Kenner on Saturday that were conﬁrmed by election workers, voters and Glaser’s spokesperson, Valerie Brolin To back the claim, Schnell cited a comment from Brolin on a Facebook post saying the Mayor’s Ofﬁce had received

overcharging the complex.

HANO had also had a habit of covering past due water bills at Guste and other properties on occasion, officials said. When the S&WB signaled it would shut off water, the issue drew the attention of federal officials such as Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, and of HUD, who had also urged HANO to come up with a plan for filling the complex’s vacancies. Cox and other board members tabled a settlement in March that would have repaid a portion of Guste’s balance, arguing that tapping HANO’s reserves to pay the

a lawsuit against the agency

The RTA board hired Hankins as the agency’s permanent CEO in 2023 on a contract that was initially set to expire in 2028. Without public notice and unbeknownst to some board members, however, former board Chair Fred Neal Jr in October extended Hankins’ contract to 2031 and amended it to create a new path to collect bonuses. The board, at its meeting earlier this month, voted to invalidate the contract

voting complaints and would “work on getting to the bottom of this.”

Glaser said in a prepared statement he had “full conﬁdence” in the parish Clerk of Court and Louisiana Secretary of State ofﬁces’ procedures and safeguards for elections.

Voters and election commissioners across the state reported confusion and delays during early voting and on election day, mostly

bill was not in the housing authority’s best interest The S&WB also delayed water shut-offs while HANO and Guste worked out how best to proceed.

Since then, a team of over 20 HUD officials visited New Orleans to assess Guste High Rise’s compliance with HUD rules. HANO has had three to four calls a week with HUD officials as it worked to develop a payment plan, HANO’s Executive Director Marjorianna Willman said on Tuesday “They made it very clear to us that this is unacceptable,” she said. “I asked if they could put it in writing

amendment, arguing that its approval violated agency bylaws.

But Aaron said he reads the bylaws differently He said its approval followed past practices of the board, adding that, as far as he’s concerned, the contract amendment is in effect.

The RTA, a state agency that oversees a fleet of buses, streetcars, paratransit shuttles and ferries, has notched several wins under Hankins’ leadership, including increased ridership and

tion of justice.

Billot used to live at the Gaudet Drive home where Tillman’s remains were recovered. It’s not clear how Lopez is linked to Tillman.

Sheriff’s Office detectives say Billot and Lopez admitted to killing Tillman and hiding his body during various conversations with witnesses over the years. Each man blamed the other for Tillman’s death during questioning with detectives, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce.

Billot’s sister Christina Beasley, 45, and Kelly Barrios, 40, were later arrested and booked as accessories after the fact to second-degree murder and failure to report the commission of a felony Both women also lived at the

Gaudet Drive home, according to authorities.

As the investigation continues, several questions remain unanswered.

Authorities can’t yet say how Tillman died, though the lower jaw of his skull was shattered in several places, according to the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce. His remains are being analyzed by the LSU Forensic Anthropology and Computer Enhancement Services Lab to determine a cause of death.

The Sheriff’s Office also hasn’t released any information about why they believe Tillman was targeted or what happened to the rest of his remains.

All ﬁve suspects in the case were being held Thursday at the Jefferson Parish Cor-

rectional Center in Gretna. Bail for Johnson was set at $625,000. Lopez was being held on a $770,000 bail while Billot’s bail was set at $575,000. Beasley, who was additionally booked with obstruction of justice, was being held on a $325,000 bail. Barrios’ bail was set at $150,000. Anyone with information about the disappearance of Tillman or the suspects in the case is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office investigations bureau at (504) 3645300. The public can also call CrimeStoppers at (504) 822-1111 or toll-free at (877) 903-7867.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

because of Louisiana’s new closed primary system and canceled U.S House elections. It’s unclear if the alleged complaints in Kenner are related.

that we needed to make the payment within 10 days, that I could share with our board.”

A HUD official told her:

“If your board needed a letter to tell them to pay their bills, there’s a bigger issue,” Willman said.

Though the S&WB once told Guste it owed $1.5 million for water, the agency later revised that amount to $777,000, saying that water leaks around the property may have skewed its estimate.

HANO officials said the agency has not created a new revenue source to pay off those debts, but that

federal funding and the development of a ﬂeet management and capital improvement plan.

But the RTA has also faced a string of controversies.

Half of the agency’s board resigned and Jefferson Parish pulled out of the partnership in 2024 amid questions over whether Hankins had been truthful about a construction contract that ballooned in value. The FBI later launched an investigation into the matter the status of which is unclear

The Kenner mayor’s race had 11,131 votes total, according to unofficial results plus the one new ballot counted Thursday DiMarco said the results of the election will be certified Friday, and that candidates wishing to challenge election results in court have until 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to file a lawsuit.

HUD ofﬁcials have said that HANO should cover the water bill with its reserve funds.

There are 142 vacant Guste units across four properties in New Orleans, and 120 of those units are located in the 12-story complex, Guste High Rise building. Money for the water utility is sourced resident’s rents, a scenario some board members said poses problems if there are vacancies at the utility

“We might say mismanagement, but at the end of the day, you do have a vacancy and if the water is coming from the rent,” said board

The RTA has also faced criticism for failing to make meaningful improvements to its paratransit service. And in April, a dozen current and former employees filed a lawsuit against the agency alleging rampant workplace discrimination and wage theft. The RTA board is scheduled to meet at 2817 Canal St. at 10 a.m. Tuesday Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.

Commissioner Shantrice Norman-Dial, “then that’s a big part of the problem.”

But HANO board President Percy Manson said Guste Homes should be held accountable for failing to properly manage its own cash ﬂow

“At the end of the day, some accountability needs to happen to the modeling of the management company, because we’ve given you funds to do something and you clearly did not do,” he said. “So, where’s the money?”

Email Violet Bucaro at violet.bucaro@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Actor Shia LaBeouf enters New Orleans Criminal Court on Feb 26. LaBeouf was formally charged Thursday with three counts of simple battery over his allegedly criminal antics at a bar in New Orleans on the morning of Fat Tuesday

Diane Schnell arrives Thursday for a recount of ballots cast in the Kenner mayoral race at the Joseph S. yenni Building in Elmwood.

STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE

Boxes containing ballots are brought in for a recount of the Kenner mayoral election on Thursday at the Joseph S. yenni Building in Elmwood.

Car crashes into Algiers restaurant

No serious injuries reported

BY MARCO CARTOLANO Staff writer

It felt like an explosion had hit Olive Branch Cafe when a car crashed through the front Wednesday, sending steel and dislodged wood through the restaurant and narrowly missing staff and customers.

“At some point, I almost felt like crying. It was so crazy This is our livelihood, we all work here,” Shaun Wattigney, the restaurant’s general manager, said Thursday, standing amid the debris

The car plowed into the front of the Algiers location of the local Italian restaurant at 5145 General de Gaulle Drive in the Tall Timbers neighborhood at around 2:50 p.m., according to New Orleans police. Restaurant owners said the pizzeria will be closed until further notice after the crash.

The impact demolished the storefront and a large portion of the wall, photos posted to the restaurant’s Facebook page showed.

Security camera footage showed the car rapidly crashing into the restaurant as customers and staff sat inside, near the scene of the collision. The car’s front was signiﬁcantly damaged.

The driver and some customers were taken to a hospital for minor injuries, po-

PLAN

Continued from page 1B

immediately and start with a ﬁve- to seven-week assessment aimed at identifying signals that are susceptible to water intrusion and in the most need of repair. Moreno said she believes there are around 40 intersections with faulty wiring. After that assessment is complete, the city will develop a repair and replacement plan within two to four weeks, with cost estimates and recommended scopes of work.

“We’ll be able to make, we believe, many of these repairs in-house,” said Steve Nelson deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure and director of the Department of Public Works.

The city will start making repairs and synchronizing lights later this year It will also make sure the lights have the proper signals Moreno pointe d to Crowder Boulevard and the Interstate 10 service road in New Orleans East, where the left turn signal ﬂashes from red to yellow but never green, “which causes confusion.”

The city will also develop plans during this initial phase to deploy new trafﬁc signals, ﬂashing beacons and

SCRUTINY

Continued from page 1B

Carjackings also occurred in the 4000 block of Johnny Jackson Boulevard and the 2700 block of Abundance Street, according to NOPD.

NOPD found two of the juveniles in a stolen car in Little Woods the same day On Wednesday, police executed an arrest warrant for Banks in the Desire Development. He and one of the juveniles holed up in an attic with a gun, prompting an hourslong SWAT roll. Both were arrested in connection with the carjackings, NOPD ofﬁcials said, and both wore courtordered ankle monitors.

‘Running the streets’ When he allegedly committed the carjackings, Banks was awaiting trial on a charge of illegal possession of stolen things in connection with a string of 2025 vehicle burglaries.

After Banks posted a $10,000 bond on Feb. 23, Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier ordered him placed on 24/7 electronic monitoring, according to court records.

PHOTO

PROVIDED

Repairs are underway after a car crashed into the front door of Olive Branch Cafe’s Algiers location.

lice said. Staff were back in the restaurant Thursday morning, working to clear the wreckage. Boards had been installed near a portion of the wall that was once the entrance, while carpets and seating had been removed The handrail by the entrance was slightly dislodged and wobbly

“It could have been a lot worse; it was definitely a close call for a couple of folks,” owner Russell Autry said in a video posted to social media Wednesday. At the restaurant, Wattigney showed a picture

of a piece of wood that he said flew just inches away from the cashier He was in the back of the restaurant when he heard the crash and rushed to the front to see the car all the way up to the counter

As Autry used a ﬁre extinguisher on the smoking car, Wattigney said he checked to see if anyone was under it

“It was loud. The whole building shook. We didn’t know what it was,” Wattigney said.

Restaurant management hoped to reopen Olive Branch Cafe as soon as possible, but Wattigney said it

could take until Saturday for dine-in service to resume.

The crew may begin to take online orders and carryout sooner

The restaurant also has a location in Marrero at 1995 Barataria Blvd.

The driver was cited for reckless operation and the cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

Wattigney urged other drivers to slow down on General de Gaulle, saying at least three cars had veered onto the restaurant’s property during his time working at Olive Branch Cafe.

pedestrian signals in corridors identiﬁed by the city’s Safety Action Plan as hot spots for trafﬁc fatalities.

The action plan, which was unveiled in April, aims to eliminate trafﬁc-related deaths and injuries entirely by 2041 and calls for $171 million worth of improvements across 66 miles of roadway The plan has yet to be funded

On Friday, Moreno signed an executive order creating a Transportation Safety Partnership Task Force to implement its recommendations, with a goal of cutting traffic-related deaths and injuries in half by 2031.

But Banks violated the conditions of his release from jail within a month, according to ASAP Release’s Orleans Parish Violation Report.

Beginning March 23, Banks logged 49 violations. During the two weeks leading up to his apprehension by NOPD’s SWAT team, he logged daily violations.

Matt Dennis, CEO of ASAP, the electronic monitoring company assigned to supervise him, alleged Flemings-Davillier failed to act on Banks’ violations. Flemings-Davillier did not return a request for comment.

On Thursday, Banks was booked into Orleans Justice Center on three counts of carjacking involving the recruitment of a juvenile, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile two counts of armed robbery and one count each of principal to armed robbery, obstruction of justice, resisting an ofﬁcer and violation of electronic monitoring conditions, according to NOPD “This kid is running the streets. We’ve been reporting (the violations),” said Dennis. “She could have cor-

Phase 2 of Moreno’s trafﬁc signal initiative will kick off in 2027 and focus on upgrading technology to allow the city to control signals remotely Moreno said she plans to seek federal earmarks to fund the effort.

In June, the city will onboard a new chief trafﬁc engineer — the ﬁrst in nearly three years — to help answer questions about signal timing and review whether some intersections would be better served by stop signs instead of signals.

Council members Matt Willard, Lesli Harris and Eugene Green joined Moreno at Thursday’s news confer-

rected him.”

An ongoing issue Banks’ alleged crime spree represents the latest breakdown in an electronic monitoring landscape marked by spotty oversight, glitchy technology and occasional violent failures

Earlier this year, a juvenile shot a man four times in the back in Village de l’Est. Both victim and shooter wore electronic monitors, and the latter’s battery had died.

That followed the 2024 slaying of Jacob Carter, shot in the chest by Malik Cornelius, a juvenile offender who had logged hundreds of monitoring violations, and the 2023 killing of French Quarter tour guide Kristie Thibodeaux by Kevin Nunez, who had deactivated his ankle monitor Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill cited those cases in February when she asked the Louisiana Judiciary Commission to investigate all four Orleans Parish Juvenile Court judges over their handling of electronic monitoring violations. The Louisiana Supreme Court in March ordered an investigation into two of those judges.

ence and praised the new initiative.

“This is one of those basic but essential issues,” Willard said.

Moreno on Thursday also said she hopes to renovate a warehouse, currently being used by the Clerk of Court’s Ofﬁce to store records, for a new Public Works building.

Of the more than 400 trafﬁc signals the city manages, around half are on state roads. Nelson said the state pays the city for maintenance of those signals.

Email Blake Paterson at bpaterson@theadvocate. com.

On Tuesday, the Louisiana House of Representatives’ Criminal Justice Committee favorably reported House Resolution 278, which asks the Louisiana Department of Justice to review the “framework and efﬁciency of electronic monitoring laws and statutes” and make recommendations for the next legislative session, the resolution states.

“It’s overdue,” state Rep. Tim Kerner R-Laﬁtte, who co-authored the resolution, said at the committee meeting. “It makes no sense to put ankle monitors on people with no supervision, nobody being accountable. Not notifying the district attorney, not notifying the local sheriff department. It’s almost like its unbelievable.”

The next day in the Desire area, at least 15 New Orleans police units, a Housing Authority of New Orleans police vehicle, an armored truck and an ambulance were posted in an otherwise quiet, mixed-income neighborhood called The Estates.

One resident, Kathleen Matthews, stopped briefly to decry the situation before driving away “We need help,” she said.

Former police chief pleads guilty to visa fraud conspiracy

More plea changes scheduled OAKDALE

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

A former Oakdale police chief has changed his plea to guilty for his involvement in a visa fraud conspiracy uncovered last year

A federal indictment issued in July alleged that Chad Doyle and three other law enforcement ofﬁcials generated false police reports for U-visa applications They’re named in a 21-page, 62-count indictment that alleges the scheme operated in central Louisiana for almost 10 years.

U-visas are a specific type of visa for individuals who were the victims of certain criminal activity in the United States.

The indictment alleges that Doyle worked with Oakdale-based business owner Chandrakant Patel, who operated the scheme. The alleged victims listed in the reports all shared the last name Patel, though court records do not indicate whether they were related.

Patel, who was granted a U-visa in 2023, charged prospective applicants $20,000 for falsely generated police reports in connection with various law enforcement ofﬁcials across central Louisiana, according to a plea agreement for the former Oakdale marshal for Ward 5, Michael Slaney

The indictment claims that Patel paid officers $5,000 for the generation of these reports.

The violent crimes listed in the false reports tended to be armed robberies, which led prosecutors to notice the unusually high rates of these crimes occurring in the relatively

small communities. Slaney also pleaded guilty in the conspiracy last week, in which he admitted responsibility for certifying at least 78 false reports over the course of the conspiracy As a result of the plea agreements, both Doyle and Slaney agree to forfeit multiple bank accounts associated with the conspiracy, as well as property in DeRidder owned by Slaney Other law enforcement officials indicted include former Forest Hill Chief of Police Glynn Dixon and Glenmora Chief of Police Tebo Onishea. Court records show that the remainder of Doyle’s co-defendants in the case have plea changes scheduled within the next couple of weeks: n Patel, the Oakdale businessman, was indicted on one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of bribery, 24 counts of mail fraud and eight counts of money laundering. His change of plea hearing is set for Thursday n Dixon, Forest Hill chief of police, was indicted on a count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, six counts of visa fraud, six counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Dixon was an elected chief, but records at the Secretary of State’s Ofﬁce indicate he’s no longer chief in Forest Hill. His change of plea hearing is set for June 4. n Onishea, for mer elected Glenmora chief of police, was indicted on a count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, six counts of visa fraud and six counts of mail fraud. His change of plea hearing is set for Thursday If convicted, the remaining defendants could also be ordered to forfeit additional bank accounts, properties and vehicles allegedly tied to the scheme.

St. Landry cancels trail rides for the year

‘Public safety must come first’

BY JOEL THOMPSON Staff writer

St. Landry Parish government on Tuesday announced the cancellation of all trail rides for the remainder of 2026 and identiﬁed several suspects accused of violent activity at a trail ride over the weekend.

Trail rides are a timehonored tradition for St. Landry Parish’s African American community, but two shooting incidents at the Yambilee Building over the weekend during the annual Ride R Die Trail Ride and Rodeo have reignited conversations about whether enough is being done to ensure participant safety

Two people suffered nonfatal injuries as a result of the ﬁrst shooting. A second shooting also occurred Sunday evening that resulted in an individual being detained.

Brandon Zeno, 27, from Lafayette; Jordan Bernard, 32, from Lafayette; Hakeem Gloston, 24, from Iowa; and Shakeal Grifﬁn, 30, from Lafayette, have each been charged with the illegal use of a weapon and aggravated criminal damage to property with Zeno and Gloston facing additional charges for the possession of a firearm with certain felony convictions.

The trail rides are considered a celebration of the parish’s unique Creole cowboy identity often featuring processions, dancing, music, food and lots of horses. St. Landry Parish has been a hub for the trail ride tradition. Until 2016, it was the home of Step-N-Strut, an event dubbed by some enthusiasts as the “Creole Woodstock.” The threeday event would attract as many as 30,000 people to a parish with 83,000 residents. Due to issues surrounding the massive size of the event, it is now hosted in Texas.

The Yambilee Building is operated by the St. Landry Parish government and is rented out for trail rides as one of the few buildings in the parish with the capacity to hold the often large events.

The issue of public safety at trail rides had emerged previously, with Bellard attempting to negotiate policy changes with local trail ride associations following a shooting in October At the time, Bellard expressed an unwillingness to cancel trail rides in the parish, saying, “The event itself isn’t the problem; it’s everything that happens around it. We’ve seen a lot of activity happening outside the buildings If people are not going inside to take part in the event, they’ll need to leave the grounds.” According to Bellard’s ofﬁce, discussions to implement an age limit for trail participation and increased enforcement against solicitation at the events fell through in January

“Public safety must come first,” St. Landry Parish President Jessie Bellard said “Unfortunately, the violence we witnessed this weekend has forced us to make a difficult decision regarding trail rides moving forward this year.”

STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Traffic lights shine out of sync on Poydras Street on Thursday.

TheTimes-Picayune

nola.com

Casserleigh, Douglas

NewOrleans Area Deaths Jackson Avenue, New Orleans,LA70113at11:00 a.m. Visitation from10:00 a.m. until 11:00a.m. Interment Providence Memorial Park,8200Airline Drive, Metairie, LA 70003. Youmay signthe guest book on www.gertrudeged deswillis.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, Inc., in charge (504) 522-2525.

Criss, Bobbie Bernard,Patricia'Trisha'

Goffner, Wilson

Jacquot Sr., Gerald Joseph Jr.,Andrew

Lazard,Rita

Martin Jr., Walter

Penns-White,Janet

PuckettJr.,Willie

Reine, Beatrice

Rillieux, Edwina

Robinson, Leslie

Strain Jr., Emmit

Thomas,Garnet

Washington Jr., Terrell Williams Jr.,Alex Young, Joyce

EJefferson

Richardson FH Criss, Bobbie

NewOrleans

Boyd Family

Penns-White,Janet

PuckettJr.,Willie Young, Joyce Charbonnet

Martin Jr., Walter

DW Rhodes

Bromon, Emma

Thomas,Garnet

Gertrude Geddes

Armstead Jr., Jessie

Rillieux, Edwina

Littlejohn FH

Joseph Jr.,Andrew

Majestic Mortuary

Jacquot Sr., Gerald

Williams Jr.,Alex

River Parish

Hobson BrownFH

Robinson, Leslie

Patricia "Trisha" Cantrelle Bernard passed awayunexpectedly on May 19, 2026.Toknow Trisha was to love her.She had a special way of making everyone feel welcomed, loved, and important. Trisha was trulythe lifeof the party. Nothing brought her more joythanher familyand making memories with the people she loved most. Relativesand friends areinvited to attend memorialservices on Friday,June 5, 2026 at GardenofMemories FuneralHome in Metairie. Visitationwillbegin at 10:00a.m., with Mass at 12:00p.m. She will be deeply missedand forever loved.

Bromon,Emma Baptist

Mrs. Emma Baptist Bromon was born on January 27, 1934,and was the youngest of seven children born to the Rev. Joseph Nathan Baptiste, Sr., and Cecelia Baptiste Griffin. Herearly childhood was spent in the rural communityofModeste, an unincorporated areaof Louisiana seventy-three mileswest of NewOrleans Mrs. Bromon passed awayat2:30 p.m. on Wednesday,April 22, 2026. Shewas ninety-two years old, lucid, andstill displaying her well known good sense of humor. Sheremained independentbefore convalescing in the hospice department at Ochsner Hospital'smain campusinJefferson, Louisiana during herfinal days. Mrs. Bromanwas a "humble servantwho was steadfast in her faith," according to arepresentative of the Tulane Memorial BaptistChurchwhereshe was abeloved member since June 7, 2015 Mrs. Bromonwas the last survivor among her six siblings including, in order of birth: TenerB.Hallof NewOrleans, Louisiana; Aldonia B. Mixon of Newark,New Jersey; Celestine B. Packwood of Washington, D.C.; Naomi B. Allen of East Orange, New Jersey; Joseph N. Baptiste, Jr., of New Orleans, Louisiana;and Genteral W. Baptiste, Sr.,ofWest Orange, New Jersey

Mrs. Bromon's many friends, acquaintances, associates, colleagues, church members, neighbors, and individuals who knew her, supported her, and generouslycontributed to her and happiness and many noteworthy accomplishments. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedtoattend theFuneral Service at Tulane Memorial Baptist Church, 3601 ParisAvenue in NewOrleans on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 10 a.m. Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. Interment: Mt. Olivet Cemetery and Mausoleum in New Orleans. Arrangementsby D. W. RhodesFuneral Home,3933 Washington Avenue.Pleasevisit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.

Casserleigh,Douglas Washburn

DouglasWashburn Casserleigh, age79, died on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. Doug was adedicated husband of 34 years to Deirdre McCarthy Casserleigh. Loving father of Douglas W. Casserleigh Jr (Amy), MathildeC.Fusco (Christopher), and Bess Casserleigh(Dixon McMakin); grandfather to Charlie and James Fusco;brother to Randy L. Casserleigh (Suzi), and Hank G. Casserleigh(Boo). He was preceded in deathbyhis parents, Henryand Shirley Dunlap Casserleigh. Doug was born in NewOrleans, Louisiana on October17, 1946. He graduated from Fortier High School and Tulane University where he received his JD in Law. His profession as acorporate attorney forJ.Ray McDermott took him and his familytoliveall over theworld including London, Singapore and Dubai.A private celebration of life with family willtake place at a laterdate.

Criss, Bobbie Jean Williams

mings, Keianha Goffner, Keiasia Goffner,Kenndie Goffner,Kayla Manuel, MakataMyles,Ariel Sher‐rbia, Caki Edwards, Met‐trick Dubar, KaiBlack, Keith Flemming,D’michael WoodsGoffner,Michael Jefferson andthe late Keith Williams.Great grandfa‐therofDallasMyles,Je‐laine Myles, Leah Gaddis, Ihonesty Donald,Royal Gaddis, JaylaGreen,Raura Green,DeaverlySherrbia, and Zontrell. Sonofthe lateWillie“Manchild” Goffner andLouise “Easter”Jones Goffner Brother of Gloria (the late Clemmie), BarbaraAnn Goffner (the late Archie), Flora (Curtis) Barbara, Marilyn (Darrell) Birdon Debra Harris,Gayle Goffner,Willie(Pauline) Goffner III, Curtis Goffner, and thelateRubyScott, Rosetta Goffner,and ErnestGoffner.Uncle of the late Curtis Barbra.Sonin-lawofPastorJames Houston andthe late First ladyGeorgia MaeDavis Houston.Wilsonisalso survivedby5 sisters-inlaw,2 brothers-in-lawand a host of nieces,nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamily, also pastors,ofﬁcers andmem‐bersofHousehold of Faith and allneighboring churches areinvited to at‐tendthe CelebrationofLife atHousehold of Faith, 2074 PaxtonDr.,Harvey, LA on Saturday, May23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pastor Antoine BarriereHostPastorApostle Terry Gullageofﬁ‐ciating.Visitationwill begin at 8:30 a.m. until ser‐vicetimeatthe church.In‐terment:WestlawnCeme‐tery-Gretna,LA. Arrange‐ments by DavisMortuary Service,230 Monroe St Gretna, LA.Toviewand signthe guestbook,please gotowww.davismortua ryservice.com

Bromon, Emma Joseph Jr., Andrew

at uptown recycling. Jessie was the devoted wife of Terri Lynn Schaffer of 33 years. Loving father of Keoka, Randall, Dominique and Jovanta Schaffer. Beloved brother of Arthur. God brother of Raymond Egana. He was also survived by a host of family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents JessieR Armstead, Sr. and Lillian Welsh Armstead. Relatives andfriends of the family are invited to attend the Celebration of Life Service on Friday, May22, 2026at Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home, 2120

Mrs. Bromonmarried Hilton H. Bromon who lovingly called her Angel. Mr. Bromon, well known by his nickname,Chief, passed at age85onJuly 30, 2012.She was the lovingmotherof three childrenfromher previousmarriage to Emile I. Armstrong, II. They are Evangeline Armstrong, deceased; Emile I. Armstrong, III,deceased, who was married to Debbie M. Armstrong; and Alton A. Armstrong, deceased, who was married to Tanda Ball Armstrong. Mrs. Bromon cherishedher three grandchildren:Emile I. Armstrong, IV, and Alicia Armstrong Fosselman (Husband Zachery), from the union of Emile and Debbie, and DerrickG Martin.She is alsosurvived by two great grandchildren, Aria J. Fosselman (Alicia's daughter) and Jhalani Nguyen, (Emile IV's son). Mrs. Bromon's nephews and nieces include James (J.D.) Packwood (Wife Annette), Henry Packwood CynthiaCheeks (Husband Jimmy), Joseph Packwood, Dianah Walker, Edward Packwood, Ivey Packwood, Donovon Mixon (Wife Diana Anton), BalaJames Baptiste (Wife Renee), Jennifer Griffin, Genteral W. BaptisteJr.,and Rosie J. Baptiste. Her grandnieces include Patricia Gaskins, Mykia Smith, Lena Buffington, and Lisa Burnam; as well as grandnephews: JosephStewart, Sr (WifeBeyunka),Kimoni Gaskins (Wife Trina), James Williams (Wife Marcia), Stacey Brooks; andher greatgrandnephews,Joseph Stewart, Jr., and Jace Stewart; and great grandniece NyJai Williamson. Sheadored her cousins Jane Wilson, April Wilson, and Isreal Johnson. Besides her family beingdeeply saddened by hertransition, so are

BobbieJeanWilliams Criss, age 76, entered into eternal rest on Thursday, April30, 2026. She was the proud ownerand operator of Fat Albert's Daycare. Family and friends are invitedtoattenda funeral serviceonSaturday, May 23, 2026, at Second New GuideMissionary Baptist Church, 1424 S. DiltonSt., Metairie,LA70003. Visitation willbegin at 9:00 a.m.,followedbythe service at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Dale Sanders willofficiate. Interment willtake place at Clear CreekAME Cemetery in Clinton, LA Arrangementsare entrusted to Richardson Funeral Home of Jefferson, located in RiverRidge,LA. www.richardsonfuneralho meofjefferson.com

Wilson Goffner entered eternal rest on Sunday, May 10, 2026, at theage of 75. He wasa native of Ferri‐day,LAand aresidentof Harvey, LA.Wilsonwas a graduateofServier High School classof1968. He was employed with Avon‐daleShipyardfor 35 years and Bollingerfor over 25 years.Devoted husband of 52years to Willie Jean Goffner.Lovingfatherof Keith Goffner,Wilson Goffner,TravisGoffner,Eric (Kristy) Goffner,Kriscie Sherrbia, Ashley (Leroy) Gaddis, andthe late Michael RashaudGoffner Grandfather of Keichell Goffner,Brianna Jackson, LakeithaFlemmings,Keira (Olie) Gipson,Keira Flem‐

Gerald Joseph Jacquot, Sr.departedthislifeon May10, 2026. He wasthe sonofthe late Lucille Jacquotand Conrad Jacquot; belovedhusband of DorothyJacquot;father of Kevin, Craig, andElise Jacquot, andthe late Ger‐ald, Jr., Marva, andMarlon Jacquot. He wasthe brotherofConradJacquot, Jr.and MarvaJ.Gunter.He is also survived by 16 grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins,and friends. Relativesand friendsofthe family,also Priest andParishionersof St.Katharine Drexel Catholic Church,and em‐ployees of U.S. Postal Ser‐vice areall invitedtoat‐tend theMassofChristian Burial on Saturday,May 23, 2026, at St.Katharine Drexel Catholic Church 2015 LouisianaAve., New Orleans, La.70115. Visita‐tion at 10:00 a.m. Serviceat 11:00 a.m. Interment: Provi‐denceMemorialPark, 8200 AirlineHighway,Metairie, La.70003. Professional arrangements entrustedto

Andrew Joseph,Jr.,a na‐tiveofNew Orleans, LA,en‐tered eternalrestunex‐pectedlyinRiverview,FL onMay 16, 2026. Beloved husband of Deanna Hardy Joseph. Father of thelate AndrewJosephIII (“Pee‐Wee”)and Deja Marie Joseph(“Twinky”). Sonof the late ElderDeaconAn‐drewJoseph, Sr.and Mis‐sionary GeraldineJoseph. Brother of Deidra J. Ram‐sey (Rev.James)and AdrianW.Joseph(Sirella). Precededindeath by sis‐tersProphetessDes Marie Petersand Co-PastorDiane Shields.Andrewwas a graduateofGrambling State University,where he earnedBachelor’sand Master’sDegrees and playedfootballunder leg‐endaryCoach EddieRobin‐son.Hedevoted hislifeto mentorship, education, ad‐vocacy, andcommunity service as acoach,educa‐tor,AssistantPrincipal, and Care Coordinatorserv‐ing theunhousedthrough Tampa Family Health Cen‐ters. Upon hispassing he workedfor BLMGrassroots asthe foundingRapid Re‐sponseCoordinator. Rela‐tives andfriends of the family; also pastor,ofﬁ‐cers, andmembers of True VineMissionaryBaptist Church areinvited to at‐tendthe funeralservice on Saturday, May23, 2026, at TrueVineMissionaryBap‐tistChurch,2008 Marigny St.,New Orleans, LA 70117 Rev.DonaldC.Jeanjacques Sr.,pastorofﬁciating. Viewing 8:00 AM –10:00 AM FuneralService begins at 10:00 AM.Interment:Mt. OlivetCemetery, 2050 Can‐ton St., NewOrleans,LA 70122. Professional Ser‐vices Entrustedto: Little‐johnFuneralHome, CalK Johnson,Manager/Funeral Director.Info: 504-940-0045.

Rita Farrar BlackLazard, age 96, transitioned peace‐fully into eternalrestat WestJefferson Medical CenteronMonday, May11, 2026. Shewas anativeof Chicago, IL anda resident ofMarrero,LA. Rita was educatedinthe Orleans ParishSchool System and was formerly self-em‐ployedinJanitorialSer‐vices.Asthe ﬁrstof10chil‐dren, shebecamethe ma‐triarch of herfamily. She spent most of herlifein the Carrollton sectionof New Orleans, andshe later relocated to theWestbank ofJefferson Parish,where her presence wasa beacon ofloveand leadership.As a dedicatedservant of the Lord, shetouched count‐lesslives throughher kind‐ness, devotion,and unwa‐veringcommitmenttoher community andfamily. Beloved wife of thelate William“TeeDee” Lazard Devoted mother of William RodneyLazard, Hortense Lockett Dixon, Consuelo Lazard, andthe late Bobby and Samuel Black, Bryan Keith Lazard,Sr. andBar‐baraBlack Mason. Step‐motherofthe late Shirley LazardEvans.Loving grandmother of Dwayne MoncriefofDetroit,MI, Da‐monde (April)Moncriefof Frisco, TX,Bryan Ketih Lazrd,Jr. of Kileen,TX, Ronald(Charlene)Mason, SamuelBlack,Jr.,Tanya (Tyrone)Martin, Shawntele (Gary)Green,Kaydraand Nikki Lazard,SimoneWat‐son,Roxanne Jimenezof Montgomery, TX,Chantel (Albert)KingofCrowley, TX, JoyBlack-Smith of Ma‐rietta,GA, andRaven Brooks, of BatonRouge,LA. Daughterofthe late Solomon andVeraFarrar. Sisterofthe late Janice Banks Moody,Geraldine Banks Askins,Shirley Collins,Earl“BoBo”Farrar, Solomon Farrar,Louis Far‐rar,and JamesBanks.God‐motherofTroyBanks and Nylas Payne. Also cherish‐ing hermemoriesare 41 great grandchildren, 42 great greatgrandchildren 1 greatgreat greatgrand‐child,her devotedfriends JewelineBee, Tomellar McPherson,and Sylvia George, anda host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends. Relatives andfriends of the family, also pastors, ofﬁ‐cers, andmembers of Little ZionBaptist Church #3 priestand parishioners of St. Joseph TheWorker Catholic Church andall neighboring churches are invited to attend the Homegoing Celebrationat Little Zion BaptistChurch

Armstead Jr., Jessie

Bernard, Patricia

JacquotSr.,Gerald Joseph

Goffner,Wilson

#3,441 Wilson Street,Mar‐rero, LA on Saturday,May 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Pas‐tor Norman D. Smith, III,of‐ﬁciating. Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m. until ser‐vicetimeatthe church.In‐terment:Our Lady of PromptSuccorCemetery, Westwego, LA.Arrange‐ments by DavisMortuary Service,230 Monroe St., Gretna, LA To view and signthe guestbook,please goto www.davismortua ryservice.com

Martin Jr., Walter

Walter Martin,Jr.,en‐teredintoeternal rest on Wednesday, May6,2026, leavingbehindcherished memories anda legacy of love with hisfamilyand friends. Belovedson of Joan Martin andthe late Walter Martin,Sr. Proudfa‐ther of NyshicaMartinand Ya’SeanKelly.Loving grandfatherofAmari and Amir Newton.Alsosur‐vivedbyhis sisters, Walt‐rina Hill andYashica Mar‐tin, along with ahostof otherfamilymembers and friendswho will forever hold himclose in their hearts.Walterwas em‐ployed as aforkliftdriver with Community Coffee, wherehewas knownfor hishardworkand dedica‐tion.A Homegoing Celebra‐tion honoring thelifeof Walter Martin,Jr.,willbe held in theChapelofChar‐bonnet LabatGlapion Fu‐neralHome, 1615 St.Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday,May 23, 2026 at 10 am.Visitation9 am in thechapel. Please sign online guestbook at charbonnetfuneral‐home.com.Walter’slife, love andmemorieswill continue to live on through allwho knew andloved him. Charbonnet Labat Glapion, Directors(504)581 4411.

Penns-White, Janet Ann

Janet Ann Penns-White, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great grandmother and faithful servantof God, was called home to be with the Lord on Monday, May 11, 2026,at the age of 86. Janet was born in New Orleans, Louisiana,tothe late Rev. James Anderson Penns Sr. and Luella Collins Penns. Janet was one of thirteen children and the elder twin of the late James Anderson Penns Jr. Janet was the beloved wife of the late JamesL White Sr., and loving mother of four children; Gwendolyn WhiteNorwood (Kelvin), James Louis White Jr. (Jennifer), Paquita White-Williams (James), and Michael Theodore White. She wasa proud grandmother of 14, great-grandmother of 20, and great-great-grandmother of 4. Adedicated educator, Janet graduated from Booker T. Washington High School, Delgado Community College, and Southern University at New Orleans. She retired from the Orleans Parish School Board after teaching for more than 30 years. Janetwas afaithful servantofGod who dedicated her life to the Lord. She was apowerful dynamic, spiritual speaker, atrue prayer warriorwho wore many Hats in the spiritual realm. Throughout her life she was the organist for numerous churches and organizations. At the time of her passing, she was a member and the organist of First African Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Leonard St. Cyr. Janet was known for her joyful spirit, unwavering faith, and signature phrase, "I'm Super Good and Getting Better." She often reminded everyone, "Don't let anyone or any-

thing steal your joy."Her love, kindness, andlegacy will continuetoliveon through allwho knew and loved her Sheispreceded in death by herhusband, father, mother,six sisters, and two brothers. Funeral services willbe held at St. Stephens MissionaryBaptist Church, 1737 LB Landry Ave, New Orleans,LA70114on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 10:00a.m. Visitationwill begin at 9:00 a.m. Final restingplace Providence Memorial Park and Mausoleum, located at 8200 AirlineDrive,Metairie, LA 70003. Arrangements by D.W. RhodesFuneral Home, 3933Washington Ave. New Orleans, La 70125. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.com to signthe online guestbook.

PuckettJr.,Willie

Willie Puckett, Jr.en‐tered eternalrestonSun‐day,May 3, 2026, sur‐rounded by theloveand memoriesofthose who cherished himmost. Born tothe loving union of the lateWilliePuckett Sr., and Jonetta MariePuckett.A proud graduate of Alcee Fortier High School,Class of1994, Willie wasdeeply connected to hiscommu‐nityand especially loved byhis Take Fo and 10th Wardfamily. Willieleaves tocherish hislovingmem‐ory hisdevoted wife,Stacy P.Puckett, sevenbeloved sons: Tyrone,WillieB Cedrick,WillieIII, William, Cordell, andKash; hisfour beautiful daughters, Kourt‐ney,Bridgell, Alexus,and Kennedy.Healsoleaves behindhis cherished stepchildren,Jonte and JordanMcGee.Hewillbe lovinglyrememberedby his sister andlifelongPNC, StaceyD.Braud;sister-inlaw Alicia “Skinny”, brother-in-law Kenneth Braud;and hisparents-inlaw,Sherman andJean Pittman.Williealsoleaves behindhis nephewsRufus, Daron (Andrea),Ger’rell; niece Chrishine; sixgreatnieces; nine grandchildren, along with ahostofaunts, uncles, cousins, relatives, and dear friends. Preceded indeath by hisparents Willie PuckettSr, and Jonetta MariePuckett; brother,Cedrick; grand‐mothers,BirdieSanford and MaeTillHolmes; and his grandfathers,Joseph Anderson andRoosevelt Puckett II. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe CelebrationofLife Service on Saturday May 23, 2026, for11:00 a.m. at The Boyd Family Funeral Home, 5001 Chef Menteur Hwy., New Orleans, LA 70126. Public Viewingand Visitationwillbegin at 9:00 a.m ONLY.PastorGregory K.Jacques,ofﬁciating. The familykindlyand respect‐fully requests NO PICTURES AND/ORVIDEOSduringthis time. Intermentwillfollow atProvidenceMemorial Park, 8200 AirlineDr., Metairie, LA 70003.Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com (504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

Reine, Beatrice Peppo

Beatrice Mildred Peppo Reine, affectionately known as MawMaw Bea, a beloved mother, grandmother,and great-grandmother, departed this life on May17, 2026, at her home in Ponchatoula, Louisiana.Beatrice'sjourney was onemarkedbyresilientfaith,unyielding love, and selflessdevotion to those around her. Beatrice is survived by her four beloved children, Catherine, Jacqueline, Pamela, and Alfred (Leanne); her eight grandchildren, Brandy (Raymond), Angelle

(Jonathan), Lacey (Justin), Amanda (Jared), Russell Preston(Alyssa), Ryan, and Payton; and her fourteen greatgrandchildren, Victoria, Bailey, Evan, Jayden, Francoise,Olivia, Reid,Addison, Westin, Parker, Augustine, Giuseppe, Roman, and Luca.

Avisitationwillbeheld on Saturday, May 23, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at St.Joseph Catholic Church, 255 North8th Street,Ponchatoula, LA. A Mass of ChristianBurial willfollow at 1:30 PM Burial at Saint Joseph AbbeyCemetery,St Benedict,LA. May she rest in peaceful light,embraced by the very graceshe so richly embodied.

Arrangements entrusted to LN Hughes Funeral Services.

Edwina Boudreaux

Rillieux, age 78 was born on October 8, 1947 in New Orleans, LA,departed this earthlyhome on Monday, May 11, 2026. She wasa graduateofJoseph S. Clark SeniorHighSchool. She was employedatDillard University, Orleans Parish School Boardand Lacombe Head Start. Edwina was thelovingwife of SidneyJ Rillieux, Jr. Belovedmother of TheodoreDunn and Shawn Rillieux (Tina). Stepmother of Frederick Savage (Tina), Sidney Rillieux III(Michelle),Angel Rillieux Fields (Lathan) and Tiffini Rillieux. Beloved brothers and sisters-inlaw, Chris John Boudreaux, Sr.(Susan) and Lettie Rillieux-Owens (Steven). Sister-in-law of Lolita Ordogne (Joe), JoySmith (George),Alvin Turner, Sr. and Veronica Rillieux. She was also survived by a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. Edwina was preceded in death by her parentsAlfredF.Boudreaux, Sr.and Marie Huff Boudreaux; her siblings Alfred F. Boudreaux, Jr Beverly Cephas and Allen A. Boudreaux; her sisters and brothers -in-law Grace Boudreaux, Marilyn Boudreaux, John Cephas, Delores Turner, Bruce Rillieux, Blanch Laurent, and Larry Laurent. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedtoattend theMass of Christian BurialonFriday, May 22, 2026 at Corpus ChristiEpiphany CatholicChurch, 2022 St.Bernard Avenue NewOrleans, LA 70116 at 10:00 a.m. Visitation from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery, 4000 Norman Mayer Avenue,New Orleans, LA 70122. Youmay sign theguest book on www.gertrudegeddeswilli s.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis FuneralHome, Inc. in charge (504) 522-2525.

Robinson, Leslie

Leslie Robinson Age62, departed thislife on Wednesday May 13, 2026. DaughterofIda Mae Dennis Robinson and the lateEricDaleRobinson, Mother of TaylorRobinson, Sister of DanielleLucas, Tammy Mayes, Dale, Christopher, and Melissa Robinson, also thelateEric Charles Robinson. Leslieis survivedbya host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Family andFriends are

invited to attend thefuneral service on SaturdayMay 23, 2026, 11a.m.at TchoupitoulasChapel 1022 Hwy 44 Reserve, LA,Rev. LionelMurphy, officiating. Visitation at 10a.m. until servicetime.Interment in Rising Star Pilgrim Rest Cemetery, 1103 Cardinal St. Laplace,LA. cemetery, Laplace, LA Services entrusted to HobsonBrown Funeral Home 134 Daisy St Garyville,La70051 (985) 535-2516.

Strain,Emmit Valentine

Emmit Valentine Strain Jr.diedpeacefullyon Saturday, May 16, 2026, surrounded by lovedones. He was born on December 11, 1943. He graduated fromJohn McDonoghHigh School and Delgado Community College.Heretired after working as a machinist at Prager Inc. for 41 years. He was aproud member of the International Association of Machinists& Aerospace Workers. Emmit was preceded in death by his parents, EmmitV Strain, Sr. and Rose Bagur Strain and hissisters: Rita "Lynn" Gallet (J.D.) and Sherrill "Butsie" Foret(Charles) He is survivedbyhis loving wife of 60 years, Ellen Poche Strainand his childrenTimothyStrain (Charlene)and Karen Strain Binder (Michael). He was theproud and loving Papoooffour grandsons: PatrickStrain, Robert Strain, Michael Binder, Jr and Dylan Binder. He is also survivedbynumerous nieces and nephews and his brother-in-law, Richard Poche (Rosemary).

Emmit lovedhis family, fishing, visits to acasino, sitting on his frontporch driving his grandchildren to activitiesand places fromthe LeBeau House to theToca PetCemetery. He also lovedplaying cards with friends, piddling in his garage, and fixing just aboutanything.Hewould help anyone, anywhere, anytime of theday or night.Above all, Emmit was adevoted husband, father, Papoo, uncle, and friend.His legacy willlive on in the heartsofall who knew him.

Relatives and friends are invitedtoattenda visitation to be held at St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home,701 W. Virtue St., Chalmette,LAonSaturday, May 23, 2026, from 11:00 AM-1:00PM. Amass will beginat1:00 PM.Burial will follow in St.Bernard Memorial Gardens. To view and sign theFamily Guestbook, please visit www.stbernardmemorial.c om

Thomas, Garnet L. Garnet L. Thomas departed this life on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at theage of 73. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a Visitation at D. W. Rhodes FuneralHome, 3933 Washington Ave.New Orleans, La 70125 on Friday, May 22, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. and a Visitation at Greater Mt. CarmelBaptist Church 1414 Sora St. Baton Rouge, La 70807 on Saturday, May 23, 2026 at 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. Arrangements by D. W. Rhodes Funeral Home.Please visit www.rhodefuneral.comto signthe online guestbook.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Marilyn James May 09, 2026

Marilyn passed on May 9 was buried on May 16, was 13 days shy of her 28th wedding anniversary anniversary and is missed beyond words by her husband.

Washington Jr., Terrell Glenn

TerrellGlenn Washing‐ton,Jr.,affectionately known as “Lil Terrell” and “TJ”, departed this life on Thursday,May 14, 2026, at the ageof41. He wasa na‐tiveofMarrero,LA, afor‐mer resident of Dallas,TX, and most recently resided inAtlanta,GA. Terrellwas a 2003 graduate of John Ehret High School andcon‐tinuedhis studiesatXavier UniversityofLouisiana where he earned abache‐lor’s degree in Accounting. Helater received amas‐ter’s degree in Accounting fromTulaneUniversity. Ter‐rellwas adedicated em‐ployeefor over 16 years withthe United States De‐partmentofDefense as an Auditor.Hewas knownfor his disciplineand unforget‐table communication style, boldlysharing hisvoice through hispodcast,“Say It With Your Chest” Beloved husbandofCecilie Washington. Loving father ofZoe EvaWashingtonand BaileyRay Washington (Sharon Gardner).Cher‐ished sonofTerrell Glenn and DeborahColer Wash‐ington, Sr.Grandsonofthe lateHenry Jamesand Au‐dreyLee Williams Wash‐ingtonand Wilbertand Eva CavensColer,Sr. Adored big brotherofRaynell Washington. Nephew of Kim “Nanny”Washington; Darren(Tricia)Washing‐ton;Henry Eric (Narda) Washington; Brenda Coler Meridith; GayColer (An‐thony)Hartley;Burnett Harris; andthe late Mary Coler White, Jeanetta Coler Wilson,Ethel ColerHarris, WilbertColer,Jr.,Ronald Coler,Larry Coler, andDar‐ren Coler, Sr.GreatnephewofYvonne and Herbert Washington;Idella Washington; Ruby Williams;Carolyn Black; Joseph(Robin) Williams; LucyWilliams; CarleneFul‐ton;and RosalieWilliams. Alsocherishinghis mem‐ory arehis parents-in-law Jeffrey andAntoinette MorrowByrd, alongwitha hostoffamily, dear friends,in-laws,col‐leagues,and allwhose lives were touchedbyhis presenceand love.Rela‐tives andfriends of the family, also priestsand parishionersofSt. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church andneighboring churches,are invitedtoat‐tendthe Mass of Christian BurialatSt. Joseph the WorkerCatholicChurch 455 Ames Blvd., Marrero, LA, on Saturday,May 23 2026, at 10:00 a.m. Father SidneyO.Speaks, Cele‐brant.Visitationwillbe heldfrom8:00a.m-9:45 a.m.; Recitation of the Rosary8:30a.m.; followed byTribute.Interment: WestlawnCemetery, Gretna, LA.Arrangements byDavis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St Gretna,LA. Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com.

Williams Jr., Alex L. Alex L. Williams,Jr. en‐tered into rest on May6, 2026. AFuneral Servicewill beheldonFriday, May22, 2026 at 11:00 am at Calvary TabernacleC.M.E.Church 3629 DryadesSt.,New Or‐leans,LA70115. Visitation willbegin at 10:00 am.Bur‐ial will be

JoyceMae DavisYoung passedawayonMay 10, 2026, at theage of 90. Born inNew Orleans, Louisiana, she wasa faithfulmember ofFirst ShilohMissionary Baptist Church andfor‐merly alongtimemember ofPilgrim Progress Mis‐sionary BaptistChurch Joyce wasa devoted mother, grandmother, life‐longNew OrleansSaints fan,and gifted cook who loved familygatherings and herbeloved 12thWard neighborhood. Joycewas a 1954 graduate of Walter L. Cohen High School.She is lovinglysurvivedbyher daughters,Michelle YoungFrazier (Jerome) andVa‐lerie Young-Vaughn(Regi‐nald);sons, RoynellYoung, Sr. (Kathleen)and Brian Young;sister, Shaeron Turner(Earl); grandchil‐dren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher daughter, Wylene Young; son,Wallace Young,Jr.; mother, Bertha LawsonCoatney;grandmother, BerthaDow-Lawson; step‐father, OatisDavis;and sisters,JacquelineMartin and JoAnnRowan.A Cele‐bration of Life Servicewill beheldSaturday, May23, 2026, for10:00 a.m. at First ShilohMissionaryBaptist Church,2507 Perdido Street,New Orleans, LA Rev.Antoine Jacobs.ofﬁci‐ating.Interment will follow atProvidenceMemorial ParkCemeteryMetairie, LA. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

October31, 1982 -May 22, 2021

It’s hard to believe youhavebeengone 5years.Weknowyourspiritiswithusall thetime. We miss youevery singleday! We love you, Mom, Dad, Eric andMichael

Young,Joyce MaeDavis

Rillieux, Edwina Boudreaux

OPINION

Data centerswillmakepower grid stronger

Concerns about rising electricity bills and overtaxed grids have dominated the national datacenter conversation, but Louisiana is showing that they can actually strengthen grid reliability and help keep electricity prices down for all customers. So much so that the Trump administration recently highlighted Entergy as a model for how utilities can work with tech companies to improve reliability and affordability

andbillionsintax revenue.

Earlier this month, Entergy Louisiana announced another $2 billion in new customer savings from our power agreement for Meta’sLouisiana campusagreement, bringing total projected savings from data centers (including Meta’sand Hut 8’s), to $2.8 billion over 20 years, which includes a10% reduction in storm recovery and grid resilience costs. The projects are also expected to create thousands of jobs

Onereason Entergy is able to make datacenters work for customers in Louisiana is a keyadvantage we have over other states where residents are experiencingbill spikes and reliability issues from data centers: regulatory oversight of utilities. In deregulated states, developers can build their own power generation for data centers but still connect to the gridwithout any public oversight. In regulated states like Louisiana, however,utilities must receive Public Service Commission approval for every majorinvestment or new project to ensure it beneﬁtscustomers.

Deregulated electricity markets have also consistently seen signiﬁcantly higherresidential rates even before data centers came on thescene— an important fact often omitted byderegulation advocates. In contrast, our state’s

regulatorymodel has helped Entergy Louisianakeep residential rates morethan 30% below national average while ensuring that adding new large customers strengthens our grid rather than strains it Iamgratefulthat Gov.Jeff Landry and the PSC have advanced aframeworkthat prioritizes customer protection, stability and long-term affordability while ensuring we can still move fast enough to compete for these once-in-a-generation economic development opportunities. Entergy is doing its part to protect customers, too. OurFair Share Pluspledge outlines how we’re ensuring tech companies pay their fair share of the cost to power their facilities, plus provide added beneﬁtsfor our communities. For example, Meta has agreed todonatehundreds of millions of dollars to homeenergy efﬁciency and bill support programsfor vulnerable customers, workforce development and

Stateneeds to getmore BlackstudentsintoSTEM

Ididn’t realize how rare Iwas until a studentstated, “I’ve never had amath teacherwho looked like you.”

Ihad been teaching foryears, but thatmoment made Louisiana’s6%real. Black men make up only about 6% to 7% of the state’sentire teacher workforce—and in STEM classrooms, the number is even smaller.To that student, my presence wasn’t ordinary.Itwas exceptional. That exception has consequences far beyond the classroom. Louisiana’s 6% isn’tjust an education statistic. It is apreview of the STEM workforce the state will have —and the talent it will continue to lose.

demand STEM careers.

Thesepathways cannot thrive without strong STEM foundations. Currently, Louisiana has lost 60,000 studentsin the public school system. If Black boys continue tobeunderrepresented in advanced math and science courses and if Black men continuetobenearly absent from STEM teaching, then thestate will struggle to build awellversed, future-ready aviation workforce.

renewable energyinvestments. We also require prepayments, multiyear contracts and ﬁnancial safeguards so other customers don’tshoulder their project risks. While data centers we serve are paying their fair share of the cost to serve them, electricity costs were already rising long before datacenters arrived and are projected to continue rising nationwide because of factors like inﬂation,fuel price volatility,supply chain disruptions, stormsand the need to replace infrastructure.

In Louisiana, however,our customers’ bills will be lower than they otherwise would have been thanks to our data center service agreements. Oneofthe fewways we can ease these inﬂationary bill impactsisbyadding new large customerswho can pick up the tab on alarger share of the cost of grid maintenance and upgrades that residential andsmall-business customers would otherwise have had to pay foralone.

Because of the data centers joining our grid, we can now makecritical upgrades to our infrastructure at afraction of the cost to existing customers —upgrades that strengthen reliability forour current customers and help attract even moreindustrial investment, like Hyundai’s Ascension Parish steel plant. This boosts Louisiana’seconomic development proﬁle, brings new jobs and resources and keeps electricity moreaffordable.

The U.S. is competing in aglobal race for AI dominance, and supporting domestic data centers will help us win it while providing our communitieswith lower long-term energy costs, stronger infrastructure and new economic opportunities. Our state is showing how high-tech and households can thrive on the same power grid, improving the lives of Louisianans today and for generations to come. Phillip Mayispresident and CEO of Entergy Louisiana.

Programcan help Louisianaaddress its physicianshortage

Algebra and calculus are gateways to high-demand careers in artiﬁcial intelligence, aviation, engineering, energy and computer science. But gateways only open when studentscan see themselves in the people guiding them.

For many Black boys, aBlack male STEM teacher is often theﬁrst signal that advanced mathematics, robotics, coding or engineering belongs tothem, too.

Research consistently shows thathaving even one same-race teacher can increase conﬁdence, academic persistence andlong-term achievement Over time, this shapes who enrolls in advanced STEM courses, who pursues STEM majors and ultimately who enters STEM professions. The 6% becomes a pipeline problem long before students reachcollege. This challenge is not unique to Louisiana.

Nationally,Black men remain severely underrepresented in STEMgraduate programs —making up only about 2% of students. This number signals afragile pipeline. If we are to bridge thisgap, Louisiana must become more intentional about recruiting talent from nontraditional paths: veterans, industry professionals and career changers who, like me, didn’tinitially see theclassroomas an option.

Louisiana is working toexpand its presenceinaviation, engineering, drone technology,advanced manufacturing and artiﬁcial intelligence. Recently,the stateannounced its ﬁrst “Aviation Day,” bringing together educators, industry leaders and policymakers to strengthen aviation and aeronautics pathways for students.

The need is urgent. In reporting for The Hechinger Report, Javeria Salman noted that aviation is rapidly becoming amodern version of shopclass, offering students hands-on pathways intohigh-

The Federal Aviation Administration has warned of asevere national shortage of air trafﬁc controllers, one of the most mathematically rigorous and high-paying positions in theaviation sector. Without stronger K-12 STEM preparation and role models, Louisiana risks leaving large segments of its population out of these opportunities.

Federal policymakers recognizethese shortages.

In 2024, Sen. Raphael Warnock championed legislation allocating new funding to diversify aviation workforce development. The message from Washingtonisclear: The countrycannot meet its aviationand STEM workforce needs without broadening who has access to these ﬁelds.

Louisiana has an opportunity to align with this national momentum. But that begins with strengthening the front end of the pipeline —the teachers who introduce STEM concepts long before students choose amajor or career.Ata time when national conversations about DEI are heated, it is essential to clarify thataddressing the 6% is not apolitical stance; it is solely economic.

Ensuring that Black boys see Black men teaching STEM courses is not about ideology;itisabout preparing the engineers, pilots, air trafﬁc controllers, aviationmechanics, coders and innovators thatLouisiana —and thecountry —will need. Black men have contributed to America’s progress in STEM and aviationthroughout history of theUnited States. Supportingthe next generation continues that legacy

Targeting districts where thegap is greatest will ensure the6%begins to rise where it is most needed. If Louisianawantsastronger STEM workforce tomorrow,then it muststart with who stands in front of the classroom today

M. PaulSmith IV is ascience and mathematics education doctorate candidate at Southern UniversityA&M

We know that Louisiana is truly one of akind. From our world-renowned music to our celebrated cuisine, our state’sheritage plays an important role in our nation’sstory Yet, compared to otherstates, our health and wellness lag. To preserve our cultural richness and supportthosewho shape it, we must improve the health of all our communities. For too many years, Louisiana has placed near thebottomin healthrankings. Healthcare leaders and partners, working with the Louisiana Department of Health andother agencies, are responding by focusing on quality metrics and better health outcomes.

By concentrating efforts to decrease chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, and creating innovative solutions to improve maternalcare, we are working diligently to elevate our state’shealth and increase life expectancy Prioritizing these health initiatives supports ourfriends, familiesand neighbors, allowing themtolive fuller and happier lives.

However,totruly move the needle, we must also address our U.S. physician shortage and its effect on receiving timely, preventive care.Inthe pastseveral months, projections of theshortagehave shifted, pointing to aworsening long-term crisis: By 2038, we will be short up to 141,000 physicians nationwide.

We feel this already in Louisiana, where 60 of our 64 parishesare designated Health ProfessionalShortage Areas. Meeting this challenge nowrequires innovative solutions.

This effortstarts with training more primarycare physicians who serve as thefrontline of disease prevention. Better access to primary care means earlier interventions, improved maternal andinfant health outcomes and relief for our overburdened emergency departments.

Mostimportantly,ithelps our loved ones prevent and manage chronic conditions before they become lifethreatening. Evidence clearly shows that training

andretaining doctors within our state is crucialfor solving these challenges. Communities where medical students andresidents train areoften where theychoosetopractice longterm, with 62% of family physiciansstaying in the state where theycompletedtheir residency It’salso imperative that we train physicians who reﬂect andunderstand the communitiesweserve.Patients receiving carefromdoctorswho understand their cultures experiencebettercommunication, greater trust andimproved health outcomes. The creationofthe XavierOchsner College of Medicine is part of the solution. As acollege within Xavier University of Louisiana —atop HBCU recognizedasa leader in placing graduates into medical school —XOCOM builds on aproud legacy.Asweundergo the accreditationprocess, we are committedtothis mission by training exceptional, empathetic doctors in-state to serve communities across Louisiana. Yet, with national medical student debt exceeding $215,000 and proposed federal student loan caps on the horizoninJuly,wemust also overcomethe ﬁnancialbarriers that keep talented students from pursuing medical school to begin with.

One solutionisthe $3 millionHumana Health Workforce Scholarship Fund, which will advance our efforts to make medical school accessible by covering full tuition at XOCOM forstudents with financial need who commit to practicing primary care, internal medicine or maternal care in Louisiana aftergraduation. We need more programs like these thatreducefinancial burdens and help improve health outcomes for everyone. To build ahealthier future, we must find more innovative solutions to invest in ourphysicianworkforce now, ensuring thatthose who train here have everyreason to stay.

Dr.Leonardo Seoane is the president andfounding dean at XavierOchsner College of Medicine and executive vice president and chiefacademicofﬁcer at OchsnerHealth.

COMMENTARY

ISSUE OF THE WEEK THEMIDTERMS

Voters across the countryhavestarted to register theirchoices in the midtermelections. In Louisiana, party primariesonSaturday forU.S.Senate led to theousterofincumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, whofaced achallengerbacked by President Donald Trump.The president has been usingthe midtermstoexact retributiononofficials he has deemed insufficiently loyal. Cassidymade the list forvoting to convict Trump in hissecond impeachmenttrial.But while the president hasdemonstrated his grip on the Republican Party, it’sunclear if he will have the same sway in the November general election.With high gasprices and the warinIran, the president’spopularity is at an all-time low.Whatwill voters be lookingtoastheymaketheir decision? Here are twoperspectives:

Midtermelections present gloomy picturefor GOP

For the ﬁrst time this term, President Donald Trump’sjob approval rating has dippedbelow 40%inthe RealClearPoliticsaverage of polls. The newest rating is 39.9% approval and57% disapproval.

The president’sapproval has beenticking downward for months —itstarted at 50.5% approval in January2025 —and was brought to its current point by anumber of polls showing his job approval in themid-to-high 30s. The latest is aNew York Times poll sows Trump at 37% approval and59% disapproval, allamong registered voters. TheTimes poll found asigniﬁcant gender gap in Trump approval. Fortyfour percent of men approve of the job thepresident is doing,while 29% of women approve.The race/ethnicitygap is larger —Trump’sapproval among White respondents is 45% while hisapproval among non-White respondents is 20%. Among respondents who voted for Trump in 2024, his approval rating is 79%. Among those who voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris, it is 3%, and among those who did not vote, it is 21%. The new survey,like many others, foundsolid disapprovalofthe war in Iran. The Times asked, “Do you think Donald Trump’sdecision to go to war with Iran was the right decision or the wrongdecision?” Sixty-four percent said the wrong decision, while 30% said theright decision.Among Trump2024 voters, 76% said going to war was the right decision. Among Harris voters, 95% said it was the wrong decision The pollsters, of course, asked respondents’ opinion on Trump’shandling of the economy —itwas 33%approveand 64% percent disapprove. Morespeciﬁcally,they also asked about Trump’shandlingofthe cost of living —itwas 28% approve and 70% disapprove.

concern. It’sespecially concerning in light of the president’slow job approval rating, which is another good predictor of midtermresults.

What partywilltakeover there-redistricted House?

Byron

York

In Trump’sﬁrst midterms,in 2018, the president’sparty, like today, controlled boththe House and Senate. The ﬁnal generic ballot average before the midterms favored Democrats by 7.3 points, nearlythe sameasitistoday Trump’s job approval rating immediately before the2018 electionswas 43.6%, abit better than it is today. In that election, Democrats picked up 41seatstowin control of the House. The GOP kept control of theSenate.

TheRepublican Party’sobvious weakness going into the 2026 midterms is, of course, the main reason behind themassive battle over redistricting. It appears theGOP will win that battle, at least this year,which could reduce itspossible midterm losses in the House. Butthe currentRepublican advantage in the House is so small that Democrats can win control by picking up atiny number of seats.

The current party balance in the House is 217 Republicans to 212 Democrats, with oneindependent and ﬁve vacancies.However those are sorted out, thefact is, if theelection were held today,Democrats could win control of theHouse bypicking up three or four seats. That is an incredibly low bar for the party to achieve.

Meanwhile, President Trumpisadding to hisalready dominant power in the Republican Party.Over the weekend, one of his last GOP antagonists in the Senate,Sen.Bill Cassidy,lost aprimary in Louisiana after Trumpendorsed his Republican opponent. That meansTrump hasgotten rid of all but two of the seven Republicans who voted toconvict him in the2021 post-presidential impeachment trial.

As President Donald Trump’sjob approval sinks to or below 40% (depending on which poll you’re looking at), betting marketsand political conventional wisdom are that his Republican Party is not necessarily doomed tolose its narrow House majority,nor is it at serious risk of losing its Senate majority This is partly because of court decisions affecting redistricting in major states,but it also owes something to fundamentals thata few observers have noted even before. One example is Henry Olsen, writing twomonths ago in The WashingtonPost,noting that the president’sjob approval has been cratering more among nonvoters than amonglikely voters. In today’sRealClearPolitics polls, the same relationisapparent:Trump’sslippage is less among those morelikely to vote.

As far as the coming midterm elections are concerned, on the so-called generic ballot question —“If the 2026 general election for Congress were held today, which party’scandidate would you be more likely to votefor in your district?” —50% said the Democratic candidate, while39% said the Republican candidate and 11% said they didnot know That 11-point advantagefor Democrats is bigger than the party’s advantage in the RealClearPolitics average of the generic ballot, which standsat 7.2 points.Still, even the averageisbig enough to cause Republicansserious

TheCassidy defeat is on top of others, like the successful Trump-encouraged primarychallenges of several Indiana Republican state lawmakers who crossed Trumponredistricting. Trump’s obviouspower in such matters has made many lawmakersscared of clashing with him, whatever they mightfeel aboutredistricting.

So now, Trump’sauthorityover the Republican Party has never been higher But now,with 51/2 monthsuntil midterms, he’snot doing nearly as well with the electorate as awhole.

Email Byron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

Similarly,Republican pollster Patrick Rufﬁni in March noted that, in a60,000-person biennial YouGov survey,the Democratic advantage in party identiﬁcation has been steadily narrowed toward the vanishing point since 2006. And this year’sspecial elections, in which theopposition party typically fares better than the president’s, have been showing less anti-Republican movementthan in 2025.

Nonetheless, thefact that the president’s partyalmost always loses House seats (exceptions: 1934, 1998, 2002) plus the fact that Republicans won only 220 seats to Democrats’ 215 in 2024, has madeitseem close to certain that Democrats would win control.

To forestall that, Trumplast summer urged Texas’ Republican governor andlegislature to redistrict its 38 House districts. They passed aplan portrayedasgaining ﬁve Republican seats, although it may not if the 2024 MAGA surge among Hispanics evaporates, as polls suggest. Similarly, Republicans in NorthCarolina (where the Democratic governor has no veto over redistricting) and Ohio passed plans advertised as gaining one and two seats, respectively Democrats retaliated spectacularly last November in California, where aplan is estimated to increase Democrats’ edge in the state’sdelegation from 44-8 to 48-4.

In themeantime, the U.S. Supreme Court’sdecision in Louisiana v. Callais ruled that theVoting RightsAct doesn’trequire maximizing the number of “minorityinﬂuenced”districts, which opened the way for some Republican legislators to redistrict and add adistrict for their party.And in Florida, Republican legislators quickly passed Gov.Ron DeSantis’ redrawing of its 28 districts, which was predicted to add four Republican districts.

As elections analyst NateSilver explained, the uneven distribution of the parties’ voting bases tends to give Republicans an advantage in single-member,equal-population districting. Increasingly since the mid-1990s, and even moresoafter Trump’semergence, Democratic voters tend to be concentrated in central cities, sympathetic suburbs and university towns, while Republican voters tend to be spread moreevenly around the rest of the country This meansthat Republican districting plans tend to have morecompact-shaped districts, while Democrats tend to link distant nodes with tenuous corridors. Illinois Democrats’ 14-3 plan, forexample, consists of bacon strips leading outward from Chicago wards and heavily Democratic suburbs out across miles of treeless prairie to Democratic towns. Virginia Democrats’ 10-1 plan had ﬁve districts fanout from heavily Democratic Arlington and Fairfax Counties, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

In contrast, Texas and Florida Republicans’ plans would probably pass even a stringent numeric test forcompactness and contiguity

The result forthe momentisnearly alevel playing ﬁeld in the House races. The authoritative Cook Political Report rates 188 seats as solidly Republican and 184 seats as solidly Democratic. It rates 22 seats as leaning or likely Republican and 23 seats as leaning or likely Democratic. That’s210 seats at least leaning Republican, 207 as leaning or likely Democratic, leaving 18 seats, four currently held by Democrats and 14 by Republicans, as tossups.

So if Democrats winall the tossups, they would control the House 225-210, anet gain of 10 seats —awin, but not the blue wave they’ve been hoping for. If Republicans win half of the tossups, they would control the House 219-216, anet loss of just one seat.

Those numbers are beginning to look familiar.The House was 222-213 Democratic in 2020, 222-213 Republican in 2022, 220215 Republican in 2024.

Americans have had such periods of partisan parity,characterized by especially bitter partisanship before, in the ﬁghts between Jacksonians and Whigs between 1832 and 1852, and between the pro-Civil WarRepublicans and dubious Democrats between 1864 and 1894. Eventually,other issues arose, new political platforms emerged and something like aconsensus emerged.

Could that happen this year? Maybe. But it sure doesn’tlook like it.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Michael Barone

STAFFPHOTO By JILL PICKETT

Residentsvote SaturdayatC.E. ByrdHigh School in Shreveport.

Driver washospitalizedearly Thursday with ‘severeillness’

BY STEVE REED AP sportswriter

CONCORD,N.C. Kyle Busch, atwo-time Cup Series champion who wonmoreracesthan anyone across NASCAR’s threenational series, has died. He was 41.

The Busch Family,Richard ChildressRacing and NASCAR issued ajointstatement Thursday saying Busch died after being hospitalized. No cause of deathwas given Busch’sfamily said earlier Thursdaythat he was hospitalized with a“severe illness,” three days before he was to compete in the

Busch

2-time NASCAR champBusch dies

Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Motor Speedway

Buschwas the younger brother of Kurt Busch,a NASCARHall of Famer

“Our entire NASCAR family is heartbrokenbythe lossofKyle Busch,” the statement said.

“A futureHall of Famer,Kyle was arare talent, onewho comes along once in ageneration. He was ﬁerce, he waspassionate, he was immenselyskilledand he cared deeplyabout thesport and fans.

The statement went on to say

ä See BUSCH, page 4C

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Not long after coach LaneKiffin first landedin Baton Rouge, he picked up his phone andcalled his longtime friend andcolleague Ed Orgeron. Kiffin was passing by TigerStadiumwhen the two coaches talked. According to the recollection of the call he shared at his introductory newsconference, Kiffin cracked to Orgeron that the drive onto campus gave him an urge to start talking in his voice —the gravel-toned Cajun accentthatpowered the Tigers to oneofthe best seasons in college football history in 2019. “I don’tknow, man,” Kiffin said over the phone, “I’m feeling you right now.” “Coach,” Orgeron replied, “you’re at the best place in America.” Nowthey both are. LSU announced Wednesdaynight that Orgeronwas returning to Baton Rouge to fill aroleonKiffin’sstaff. The former

‘Sisterhood’ bigpartofLSU’s successheading into superregional

BYJIM KLEINPETER Contributingwriter

all them the “Sisterhoodofthe Circle.”

CIt’s agood enough moniker for LSUpitcher Paytn Monticelli, who likens the LSU staff to asisterhood that played abig part in launching the Tigersinto this weekend’sNCAA Super Regional at No. 1national seed Alabama.

Theteams play Friday at 6p.m.onESPN2 and Saturday at 2p.m.onESPN. If they split those games, thedecidinggamefor aberth in theWomen’s College World Series in Oklahoma City will be played Sunday at atime to be determined

LSU is trying to end aneightyear WCWS drought after getting to Oklahoma Cityfour times in Beth Torina’sﬁrst six seasons at the helm. The seven-memberpitching staff is headed by Monticelli, Jayden Heavenerand Cece Cellura, who each pitched acomplete-game victory in the Baton Rouge Regional last weekend. It will go head-to-

head with one of thebest pitching staffs in the nation, led by junior right-hander Jocelyn Briski,the SECPitcher of the Year

Monticelli, theonly Tigers pitcher with previous super regional experience, said the group’s closeness is the foundation of the conﬁdence that hasbeen building throughout the season.Theytook someearly hits but ﬁnishedstrong

with 17 wins in thepast 22 games.

“Weget alongsowell,” saidMonticelli, who spent two seasons with Oklahoma, which made the WCWS bothyears, and won it all in 2024. “Wewent to apitcherdinnerlast night. We do alot of stuffoutside of the ﬁeld. The sevenofusare likesisters, that’sthe best part of our team

ä See LSU, page 5C

with Will Wade coming back to coach men’s basketball and bringing back Johnny Jones to be on his staff. Now comes an encore to bring the house down: Coach Oisback. Wednesday night, in the midst of what is

pitcher Jayden Heavener takes the

STAFF FILE

PHOTOByHILARy SCHEINUK

Former LSUcoachEdOrgeron watches his players before kickoff against Texas A&M on Nov. 27, 2021, at TigerStadium. Orgeron returns to LSUasaspecialassistant to recruiting and defense.

Koepka leads the Byron Nelson

BY SCHUYLER DIXON AP sportswriter

McKINNEY Texas Scottie Schefﬂer

won’t be the wire-to-wire winner of his hometown CJ Cup Byron Nelson again this year

For now, the world’s top-ranked player is chasing Brooks Koepka, the five-time major champion looking for his ﬁrst victory since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf.

Koepka shot 8-under 63 for a one-shot lead over five other early finishers at the revamped TPC Craig Ranch on Thursday, with Scheffler three back while playing with Koepka and Si Woo Kim, one of those at 64.

“I felt like I was getting lapped out there for a little bit,” said Schefﬂer, who led from the start of last year’s Nelson and won by eight shots at 31 under while tying the tour’s 72-hole scoring record at 253. “So I was fortunate to make a couple birdies late in the round and keep myself in the tournament.”

Kim — the highest-ranked player in the ﬁeld behind Schefﬂer at No. 24 had the only bogey in the threesome, on his 16th hole at the par-3 seventh. One of several countrymen in the event sponsored by South Korean conglomerate CJ Group, Kim got back within a shot of the lead with a birdie while Koepka saved par 5 at the ninth.

Emiliano Grillo, Keith Mitchell, Stephan Jaeger and Michael Thorbjornsen were tied with Kim, one shot ahead of Doug Ghim and Mackenzie Hughes.

Koepka, who contended at last week’s PGA Championship before fading on Sunday, eagled the par-5 12th and was 4 under through ﬁve holes. He had four

more birdies in a span of five holes in his back nine, capped by a 3-foot birdie putt on the short par-4 sixth. Kim had four birdies on the front and four more on the back while Scheffler was lagging at 2 under before getting birdies on three of his final five holes

“It was just a comfortable group,” Koepka said. “Everyone is just kind of feeding off each other, easy Everyone’s having fun. Makes it enjoyable. I feel comfortable on the golf course as well.”

Even though he hardly recognizes parts of it.

Koepka last played at TPC

Craig Ranch in 2021, the year before he bolted for LIV The sixth Nelson at the par-71 layout about

30 miles north of Dallas was the debut of a Lanny Wadkins-led redesign that cost nearly $25 million and added bunkers everywhere and overhauled the greens with mounds and ridges.

“The greens are totally different than when we played,” Koepka said. “That’s obviously the biggest thing. Off the tee it looks pretty good. Place hasn’t changed too much. It’s familiar I like it.”

Koepka was a regular at the Nelson a decade ago, including a runner-up ﬁnish in 2016 when he lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff.

The 36-year-old also has a little CJ Cup history He rose to No. 1 in the world with a victory when the event was in South Korea in 2018.

The title sponsorship moved to the U.S. after the COVID-19 pan-

demic and has been associated with the Nelson since 2024.

The move to LIV forced Koepka to put aside things such as world rankings, and now he’s dealing with stipulations he had to agree to in order to rejoin the PGA Tour Among them is not being exempt for the $20 million signature events, even though he won a major — the 2023 PGA — while with LIV

“I think there’s such a huge difference right now of trying to get into signature events, on my way back, coming back to the tour,” Koepka said. “(Winning) would be a big conﬁdence boost for sure because I feel like I’ve been playing well. I feel like I’m knocking on the door, and I’m very, very close.”

WNBA home teams win 29% of games

BY DOUG FEINBERG AP

NEW YORK Playing at home

hasn’t provided much comfort for WNBA teams this season Through nearly the first two weeks, home teams have only won about 29% of games. Out of the 15 teams, only New York has a winning record at home.

This is the worst percentage to start a season by home teams in the league’s 30-year history, according to Elias Sports Bureau stats provided to The Associated Press by the WNBA. Through an equivalent number of games, the previous worst was 41% in 2021 — when fans weren’t

allowed to attend games early on because of the COVID pandemic. Home teams won 43% of their games to start the 2016 season. Both those years the number reached over 50% by the end of the season. There was nearly a 54% home advantage in 2021 and 55% in 2016. There are a lot of factors that go into the poor start at home so far, including scheduling. The expected top teams Las Vegas and New York have been on the road for most of the start of the season. That said, Chicago, which was near the bottom of the standings last year went 3-1 on the road to begin this season “It’s bizarre and interesting,

but I don’t think it signals a trend that will continue,” ESPN analyst Rebecca Lobo said. “We just need to have the better teams to have more home games.” Golden State coach Natalie Nakase agreed she didn’t think the early trend would continue.

“I don’t put much stock in it,” said Nakase, who’s team visits New York on Thursday night. “I think it gives players that out to say that we have more advantage at home or we have more advantage away. I just say there’s two hoops, there’s a court, there’s a couple refs, and we got to play At the end of the day when you step on the court, you got to be ready to ﬁght.”

One thing it’s not caused by is a lack of fans in the buildings. Attendance is up 6% so far this season compared to last year, according to the website Across The Timeline.

The second-year Valkyries have established quite a homecourt advantage They led the league in attendance last year and so far have drawn well in their ﬁrst two games at home.

“You also don’t want to take it for granted, you know, and take advantage of it,” she said. “But we do have the love of support that is, you know, amazing. But at the same time, you have to be able to handle the noise So we try to prepare as best as we can.”

LSU women set for NCAA championships

Tigers making sixth straight appearance

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

If it’s time for the NCAA women’s golf championships, it means the LSU Tigers are still playing.

LSU has appeared in the past six championships, one of just eight programs to do so. The Tigers will tee it up Friday morning at La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

“It’s hard to do in a sport where there’s no defense,” coach Garrett Runion said of LSU’s streak.

“I don’t want a good team, I want a good program. To have a good program, you’ve got consistently be at national. I’m very proud of what we’ve done.”

The Tigers got to Carlsbad by ﬁnishing fourth last week in the NCAA Waco (Texas) regional.

“All the credit goes to the players that have bought in, worked hard, and showed up when they needed to in the most stressful tournament of the year (NCAA regionals),” Runion said. “I think that just helps them understand what we’ve done back home to prepare them, and handle that pressure.”

The Tigers will use the same lineup from the regional with sophomore Francesca Fiorellini, seniors Elsa Svensson and Taylor Riley, sophomore Joseﬁn Widal and freshman Ryleigh Knaub. Sophomore Rocio Tejedo will be the alternate.

Knaub leads the team with a 71.96

stroke average, just ahead of Fiorellini’s 71.97. Riley, who grew up in nearby San

Diego, is the daughter of former PGA touring pro Chris Riley and former LSU golfer Michelle Louviere. She becomes the 13th LSU player to compete in at least three NCAA Championships.

“She’s a little sentimental, knowing it’s her final college tournament in her hometown,” Runion said. The NCAA Championships are a marathon, not a sprint. The field of 30 teams will be cut to 15 Sunday followed by a final round of stroke play Monday when the NCAA individual champion is crowned The top eight teams begin match play Tuesday to determine the team champion Wednesday Live scoring is available at www Scoreboard.clippd.com, with streaming pay coverage on BabyGrande. com. Television coverage switches Monday to The Golf Channel.

Clark out for game against Fire because of back injury

INDIANAPOLIS Caitlin Clark has a back injury and was ruled out by the Indiana Fever for Wednesday night’s game against the Portland Fire.

The Fever disclosed Clark’s injury less than two hours before tipoff. She had not been listed on Indiana’s injury report a day earlier

The star guard has not missed a game this season after her 2025 campaign was cut short by a series of injuries. Clark is averaging 24.3 points, nine assists, ﬁve rebounds and one assist in four games.

Clark has spoken this season about lingering back issues. After the Fever’s season-opening loss, she said her back “gets out of line pretty quickly.”

Eagles’ Smith arrested for driving 65 mph over limit

Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher

Nolan Smith Jr was arrested last week in Georgia for driving 135 mph in a 70 mph zone, authorities said.

Smith who played at Georgia was cited for speeding and reckless driving, the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said on Thursday He posted bond and was released shortly after his arrest on May 15. Smith, from Savannah, Georgia, was selected by the Eagles with the 30th pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He has 25 quarterback hits, 10.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries over three seasons. He played a crucial role in the Eagles’ Super Bowl LIX run, recording ﬁve quarterback hits, four sacks and four tackles for loss during the playoffs.

French Open prize money won’t change despite protest PARIS The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday

Top players have criticized the Open organizers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day Roland Garros organizers increased the prize money by about 10%, after the U.S. Open last year raised their’s by 20%.

Iowa State great Ryan promoted to assistant coach

AMES, Iowa Emily Ryan, one of the most productive point guards in women’s college basketball history when she played for Iowa State, has been hired as a full-time assistant at her alma mater coach Bill Fennelly announced Thursday Ryan played for the Cyclones from 2020-25 and was a graduate assistant last season She finished her career with 993 assists, a school record and seventh all-time in Division I. She was just the third NCAA women’s player to record at least 1,500 points, 900 assists and 600 rebounds in a career. She also ranks in the top five in program history in steals and blocks. Ryan was voted to the All-Big 12 first team in 2022 and second team in 2023 and was on the league’s alldefensive team in 2021.

Florida center Chinyelu returning for senior season

GAINESVILLE, Fla. Florida center Rueben Chinyelu decided Thursday he will return for his senior season to run it back with a stacked frontcourt that helped the Gators win a national championship in 2025.

Chinyelu formally removed his name from the NBA draft to

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By LM OTERO

Brooks Koepka hits to the 14th green during the first round of the Byron Nelson on Thursday in McKinney, Texas

PROVIDED PHOTO

LSU senior Taylor Riley will compete for the third time in the NCAA Championships.

NFLMVP Stafford agrees to one-year extension

BY GREG BEACHAM AP sportswriter

LOSANGELES Reigning

NFLMostValuablePlay-

er Matthew Stafford has agreed to aone-year contract extension through the 2027 season with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams announced the deal Thursday without immediatelyrevealing its value. ESPN reported the 2027 dealisworth $55 million with apotential to increase to $60million, araise from his salary for the upcoming season.

The deal indicates that the38-year-oldStafford is at least strongly thinking about staying with the Rams past 2026. That’s notable because Stafford has professed ayear-to-year mentality about his future ever since he led the Rams to aSuper Bowl championship in February 2022,and he only conﬁrmedhewould

RABALAIS

Continued from page1C

sure to be LSU baseball’s season-ending lossto Auburn in the SEC tournament, news broke that Ed Orgeron was returning to be apart of Lane Kiffin’s staff. Not as aposition coach,but as aspecial assistant fordefense and recruiting. His salary: $100,000, abit removed from the high-rent district of his $9 million salary in his final seasonasLSU’s head coach in 2021 (the school finished paying Orgeron his $17 million buyout in December,sonoclawback is available).

When Kifﬁn took the LSU job in late November, he mentioned calling Orgeron on his way past Tiger Stadium.

“I said, ‘Hey man, this placejust makesmewant to talk like you right now,’ ”Kifﬁn said. “I rolled down the window and Iwas like, ‘Geaux Tigahs!’ to the fans.” Orgeron replied, “You’re in the best place in America right now.”

The two have been friends and coaching colleagues for along time. Kiffin and Orgeron wereon Pete Carroll’sstafftogether at Southern California. Later,after being fired as head coach at Ole Miss, Orgeron went to work for Kiffin when he became head coach at Tennessee in 2009 and then USC in 2010. When USC fired Kiffin in 2013,the school made Orgeron interim head coach, the same

ORGERON

Continued from page1C

Tigers’ head coach will work as aspecial assistant to recruitingand defense, and he signed aone-year deal worth $100,000, according to acopy of his term sheet obtained Thursday by The Advocate. Orgeron, 64, can coach on the sideline during games and hit the road to recruit. The NCAA passed arule change in 2024 thatremoved restrictions on the number of FBS staff members who can “provide technical and tactical instruction” during games and practices while maintaining the limit on coaches who can leave campus to recruit prospective players Teams must still designate no more than 11 staffers, including the head coach, as off-campus recruiters. Orgeron is expected to ﬁllone of those spots, accordingto areport from On3.

It’s an idealrolefor the Larose native, who spent the 2025 season talking publicly about his desire to coach again but only if he found “the right situation.” He’s spent the last four years in an unofﬁcial retirement, collecting his $17 million buyout in monthly installments until this past December

returnfor theupcoming season while accepting his MVP trophy in February

The Rams then surprised the league by drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson withthe 13th overall picklast month, throwing Stafford’slong-term future into momentary doubt until head coach SeanMcVaymade it quite clear that Stafford is the Rams’ starting quarterback for as long as he decides to play

“Whenever thattime comes for (Simpson) toget an opportunity to be Matthew’ssuccessor will be on Matthew’sterms,”McVay said at thetime. “I didn’t wantthat to ever be misunderstood. It is Matthew’s football team.”

Stafford is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in which he won hisﬁrst MVP award,edging New England’sDrake Maye in the voting. Stafford passedfor an NFL-best

role he filled in 2016 when LSUcanned Les Miles. Orgeron got thejob fulltime later that season,then, of course, led LSUtothat incomparable 2019 national championship season.Even if Kiffin wins acouple of national titles at LSU, he won’t be abletofield ateam that surpasses that Joe Burrowled squad. Still, Orgeron was out by2021, unable to sustain theprogram at such ahigh level.

Coach Obounced around the sport, lived for awhile in Miami Beach, Florida, gotremarried, watchedhis sons begin their football coachingcareers and talked of gettingback in thegame —anitch that untilnow he wasunabletoscratch with apermanentposition. Consideringtheirrelationship, it seemed naturalthat Kiffinwould hire Orgeron as defensiveline coach on hisnew staff at LSU. When he didn’t, it seemed Kiffin might have deemedthat too awkward,which was fair enough Eventually,though, Kiffin decidedheneeded some Coach Oenergy andenthusiasm on his staff. Say what you want about Orgeron’squality as ahead coach and how thingsended for him at LSU. Butthe man is apreeminent defensive line coach and an unparalleled recruiter.Hemay not be onpoint to do eitherfor the Tigers —LSU hastwo D-line coaches in Sterling Lucas andKevin Peoples but he cancertainly offer invaluable input andmake for some indelible in-home visits.

“Now, do Iexpect to be anational championship coach?” Orgeron told The Advocate in January.“I’m notexpectingthat. I’m notexpecting to be ahead coach. Iwas happy beinga defensiveline coach.Iloved it. Ilovecoaching football. Ilove being retired. Either one would beﬁne.”

Theon-ﬁeldcoaching role Orgeronwillﬁll in hissecond stintatLSU, though, is less clear than hisrecruiting responsibilities.

TheTigershavethreeassistantcoaches assigned to different partsofthe defensive line —the position groupthat Orgeron has overseen throughout his career.Sterling Lucas is the program’sofﬁcial defensive line coach, Kevin Peoples is nowincharge of itsinterior linemen, and Lou Spanos is apass-rush specialist.Kifﬁn retained Peoples from coach Brian Kelly’s staff, but hired Lucas away from SouthCarolina and brought Spanos with him from Ole Miss. Even if Orgeron’snew role doesn’trequirehim to be as hands-on as he was in his last job as an assistant coach, he can still leaveaconsiderable mark on the program

Orgeron was known nationally as one of thenation’s best recruiters when hewas LSU’sheadcoach.Heand hisstaff landed allofthe

4,707 yards and acareerhigh 46 touchdowns against just eight interceptions before he led the Ramstotwo road playoff victories and a spot in the NFC championship game.

The upcoming season will be Stafford’s18th in the NFL and his sixth with the Rams, who acquired him in atrade with Detroitin2021. Stafford is thesixth-leading passer in NFLhistory with 64,516 yards, and he is seventh with 423touchdown passes, two behind Philip Rivers.

Los Angeles is among the preseasonSuper Bowlfavoritesagain this year despiteusing itsfirst-round pick on aquarterback who now seems unlikely to play for at least two years. Simpson has said he is eager to learn behind Stafford, calling it “a perfectsituation” for aquarterback who was astarter for only one season with the Crimson Tide.

There was understandable concern among Tiger fans when former recruiting coordinator and fellow Louisianacoaching icon FrankWilson wasn’tretained by Kiffin, instead trekking north to OleMiss to be part of PeteGolding’s new staff in Oxford, Mississippi. Butbybringing back Orgeron, Kiffincan say,“I’ll see your Frank Wilson and raise you aCoach O.” The personal touch isn’t as important as it was before NIL and revenue sharing —every recruit now is like Rod Tidwell in “Jerry Maguire,” bellowing “Show me themoney!” —but Orgeron will be able to go on theroad and help recruit. There isn’tahigh school coach he won’tmake an impression on, and Iimagine he has lost little or anything off his in-home fastball he displayed in “The Blind Side. Getting back into football in an official capacity is certainly awin for Orgeron. Unless he started contradicting what Lucas and Peoples are teachingthe Tigers’ D-linemen, Ican’t imagine this isn’tawin for LSU. Andit’sa win for Kiffin, at least temporarily,though somewill and have dredged up someof Orgeron’spast off-the-field transgressions.

However you look at it, it’sanengrossing final act of acareer filled with remarkable chapters. One moreenticing ingredient to a2026-27 LSU athletic year already stocked with compelling characters like Kiffin, Wade and Kim Mulkey

major stars who led the Tigerstotheir 2019 national title, including Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Derek Stingleyand others.Manyofthemwere from Louisiana,which was oneofthe reasons Kiffin has said attracted him to the LSUjob.

So,having Orgeron on boardshould enhancethe Tigers’ recruiting operation ahead of an important 2027 high school signing cycle. Louisiana has fiveplayers in thetop 100 of 247Sports’ composite rankings, andtwo of them are already committed to LSU: Ruston tight end Ahmad Hudson and Shreveport quarterback Peyton Houston.

The other threecould soon hear from Orgeron, who telegraphedhis move back to LSU in an interview with Jacksonville,Florida,radio station WJXL 92.5 FM last December.Itwas afew days after Kifﬁncalled him on his way to the Tigers’ football operations building.

“I’dconsider it, yes,”Orgeron said. “I’d deﬁnitely consider it. No question. Lane andIhaveworked together at threeschools. Ilove him. He andI aregood friends; I believe in him.Sodeﬁnitely, if he does ask me, I’d consider it.Noquestion.”

It just took Kiffin more than one phone call to do it.

NewGiantscoach Harbaugh admits WR Nabers may notbeready foropener

PATLEONARD

Newyork Daily News (TNS)

NEW YORK

The NewYork Giants’ goal with Malik Nabers is to get him back on the practice ﬁeld during trainingcampand readyfor their Week 1regular season opener against the Dallas Cowboys.

But they might not hitthat goal rightonthe mark Head coach John Harbaugh acknowledged Thursday after theteam’sthird OTApractice that Nabers’ availability for the start of the regularseason is uncertain, although Nabers is currently in thebuilding rehabbing and striving toward that goal.

“If he’sout there, great,” Harbaugh said of Week 1. “If he’s not, great.

The coach saidNabers’ surgery and recovery are “not asimple” kneerehab, giventhatdoctors hadtorepairbothhis right ACL and meniscus. Then Nabershad asecond surgery recently to clean up scar tissue, as The Athletic reported It seems clear that theGiants understand it would be wise to develop an offensive identity that does not lean too hard on Nabers, 22, who might notbeonthe ﬁeld at the start of the season. That way when he does return, hopefully hisexplosiveness takes them from good to great.

“An ACL is atough injury,” left tackle Andrew Thomas said. “But we’re gonnabeready for him when he comesback.Malik’sagame changer.

With bothNabersand Darius Slayton (sports herniasurgery) notpracticing, aton of receivers had opportunitiestocatchpasses from Jaxson Dart during Thursday’sindoor practice, from veteran Darnell

Mooney to Ryan Miller. Dart connectedmostconsistently with therunning backs, though, particularly Tyrone Tracy Jr.and Devin Singletary in theﬂats.The QB also found wideout Calvin AustinIII twice, including down the right sideline to getinﬁeldgoal range during an end of half situation.

RookieMalachiFields and speedsterXavier Gipson both hadbig gainersdown the ﬁeld thrown by backup quarterback Brandon Allen, while Mooney and Miller each dropped apass from Dart.

Mooney said his role on this team is “to make plays anddominate,”regardless of what he’sasked to do or what the depth chart looks like.

D-Line worthmonitoring

Veterandefensive tackle Roy Robertson-Harris limped off the field on Thursday,and trainers seemed to be lookingathis lower rightleg or ankle. Thatwas concerning because Robertson-Harris was the ranking member of the interior defensive line on the practice ﬁeld.

New signings DJ Reader and Shelby Harris were not at practice, which is voluntary at this juncture.And new signing Sam Roberts had offseason surgery Dexter Lawrence’sforced trade out of town to Cincinnati depleted aunit that had anchored theworstrun defense in pro football last season. Harbaugh loaded up on linebackers withTremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese, but those players won’t reach their potential this season if they aren’t protected by aphysical, violent and formidable front. So it will be interesting to continuetomonitor atten-

dance and performance at the positionasthis builds toward mandatoryminicamp in June andtraining camp in late July

Thomas managing ailments Harbaugh said that theGiants are managing Thomas, their franchise left tackle, because he is being careful with shoulder andfootissues. Thomas said neither injury required surgery this offseason. These are just precautions for ashoulder ailment thathebattled lastseason andfor the Lisfranc injury in his foot that shut him down in 2024. Still, it was noteworthy to see second-year tackle Marcus Mbow receiving opportunities while Thomas stayed out of team reps. Harbaugh said Thomas practiced two of out three days this week as part of asteady ramp-up towardthe season …Wide receiver Jalin Hyatt rode the bike during the team period of practice after appearing to tweak something earlier …SafetyJevon Holland was asked if thepace of Harbaugh’sOTA practices arefaster than what he’sused to. “Faster than last year?Yeah, forsure, Hollandsaid …Harbaugh continuedrunning theGiants’ ﬁrst and second units through full speed end of half and end of game situations, adramatic difference from Brian Daboll’sfour yearsascoach …Safety Beau Brade intercepted Allen and almost had asecond later in practice …Rookie corner Colton Hood did notparticipate but walked outtothe sideline midway through practice. Corner Dru Phillips, quarterback Jameis Winstonand fullback Patrick Ricard were notthere,either …The Giants return to practice next Wednesday

Spurs, Thunder deal with multiple injury concerns

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

Oklahoma City’s Shai GilgeousAlexander seems to have shaken off his now-traditional Game 1 blahs. San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama is putting up numbers the likes of which haven’t been seen in a conference finals for about a half-century

The stars in these Western Conference ﬁnals, they’re being stars. It’s the supporting casts that are of major concern — for both teams.

Game 3 of the West title series is on Friday night, things having shifted to San Antonio tied at a game apiece. The Spurs took Game 1 behind 41 points and 24 rebounds from Wembanyama, and the defending champion Thunder got 30 points from Gilgeous-Alexander on the way to getting a victory in Game 2.

“We’re probably most comfortable playing in front of our fans,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said after the Game 2 loss in Oklahoma City “I don’t think we’ll have any problem doing that. Mentally I think we’re all in a good head space. We came here, won a game on the road and they’re a good team and they responded. So, now we have a chance to play in front of our fans.”

It’s not the mental side that either the Spurs or the Thunder should be worried about. It’s the physical.

There’s a bad ankle. A pair of aching hamstrings. A shot to the

ä Thunder at Spurs, 7:30 P.M.FRIDAy,NBC

thigh And those are only the injuries that the world seems to know about, not even taking into account the aches and pains that have accumulated over the last seven or eight months.

As expected, the West ﬁnals are shaping up to be quite the battle.

Two battles, really There’s the obvious one, Thunder vs Spurs, the two best teams in the league this season vying for a spot in the NBA Finals. The other is those teams vs. attrition, and right now, attrition might be winning.

“It feels like that’s always at this time of the season in every sport, right? You have to get to the end to give yourself a chance,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “And I think that’s why we have to continue to trust our depth and guys have to step up when their name’s called — answer the bell and be able to give us some quality minutes.”

Spurs All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox has an ankle issue that’s not going away until after the season ends. His replacement, Dylan Harper, seemed to tweak a hamstring in Game 2 and departed early Thunder guard Jalen Williams aggravated his problematic left hamstring in Game 2 and his replacement, Ajay Mitchell, was shaken up by a thigh issue in the ﬁnal moments.

The Spurs won Game 1 largely because Harper stepped up. The

Guardiola gaining support for becoming American coach after World Cup

BY RONALD BLUM

AP sportswriter

NEWYORK Former players Alexi Lalas and Stu Holden along with fellow Fox broadcasters Rebecca Lowe and Rob Stone all said they think the U.S. Soccer Federation should c o n t a c t P e p Guardiola about taking over as the American national team’s coach after the World Cup.

“Pep would be a wonderful hire. He’s a visionary He’s one of the best coaches that’s ever coached in this game,” Holden said Thursday at an event to promote Fox’s World Cup coverage.

Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City after Sunday’s ﬁnale of his 10th season as manager Mauricio Pochettino, the former Tottenham manager who took over the U.S. team from Gregg Berhalter in late 2024, has a contract through the World Cup and has said he isn’t sure whether he would be interested in a new U.S. deal.

Guardiola is likely to be highly sought.

“I don’t know if he takes the call, but he might even be calling you,” said Lalas, a star U.S. defender at the 1994 World Cup.

“He’s never coached internationally. He’s also never coached a team that’s not an elite team. He might not be the right guy,

but you deﬁnitely have that conversation.”

Lowe, a British-born, naturalized American who grew up in London and lives in California, has hosted NBC’s Premier League coverage since 2013 and will be working for Fox for the ﬁrst time next month.

“Having somebody like Pep would double or triple the fan base in my opinion in this country because they’re out there but they need to fall in love with the U.S. men’s national team,” she said. “And then on the ﬁeld, he will improve the players. I know he won’t get them very often, but when he gets them, he’ll improve them. Imagine if you’re Weston McKennie and Pep Guardiola is your manager? You are running through a brick wall for that man.”

Guardiola, a 55-year-old Spaniard, won two Champions League titles with Barcelona and one with Manchester City along six Premier League championships and three in La Liga and also in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.

After coaching Barcelona from 2008-12, he moved to New York for a one-year sabbatical, then led Bayern Munich from 2013-16 before switching to Manchester

“He’s the kind of guy who would like that new challenge: taking over a national team, coming to a country that probably feels like his second or third home,” Stone said. “So this is that next logical challenge.”

Sinner chases a career Grand Slam

Italian star draws French opponent in first round of French Open

BY SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP sportswriter

PARIS Jannik Sinner won’t have the crowd on his side when he starts his quest for a career Grand Slam at the French Open.

On Thursday, Sinner drew a French opponent in the ﬁrst round — Clement Tabur, ranked a careerhigh 165th. Tabur received the wild card vacated by former champion Stan Wawrinka, who gained a late automatic entry With two-time reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz out injured, Sinner is the overwhelming men’s favorite on the red clay of Roland Garros, where play starts on Sunday

Thunder won Game 2 largely because Isaiah Hartenstein was a huge factor, both in terms of physicality and production. For as out-of-this-world great as Gilgeous-Alexander and Wembanyama are, there will be X-factors that decide games and perhaps the series.

“I think it’s a privilege,” said Hartenstein, who had 10 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2.

“You dream of playing in games like this and playing a game against another great team is always something really special. Again, I heard somewhere that pressure is a privilege and so I think just being in this series where the pressure is so high, just trying to go out there and enjoy competing is always something really important.”

Gilgeous-Alexander struggled big-time in Game 1, shooting only 7 for 23 — the sixth time in his last seven Game 1s in which he’s failed to make half his shots. But his rhythm was clearly back in Game 2, which is what he expected.

“I just have sucked when I get too long of a break,” GilgeousAlexander said. “I don’t think it’s anything other than that.”

Wembanyama has 62 points and 41 rebounds so far in the series

Others have had more points in the ﬁrst two games of a conference ﬁnals, but nobody since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1974 have had at least 60 points and 40 rebounds through two games in this round.

BUSCH

Continued from page 1C

that “throughout a career that spanned more than two decades, Kyle set records in national series wins, won championships at NASCAR’s highest level and fostered the next generation of drivers as an owner in the Truck Series. His sharp wit and competitive spirit sparked a deep emotional connection with race fans of every age, creating the proud and loyal ‘Rowdy Nation.’”

The news comes 11 days after Busch radioed into his crew near the end of a Cup Series race at Watkins Glen asking a doctor to give him a “shot” after he ﬁnished the race. According to the TV broadcast, Busch had been struggling with a sinus cold that was exacerbated by the intense G-forces and elevation changes at the New York road course.

Busch ﬁnished the race in eighth place. Busch competed at Dover last weekend and won the Trucks Series race for Richard Childress Racing. He ﬁnished 17th at the NASCAR AllStar race. “Absolute shock. Very hard to process,” veteran NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski posted on social media. NASCAR driver and former teammate Denny Hamlin posted on social media: “Absolutely cannot comprehend this news. We just need to think of his family during this time. We love you KB.”

A polarizing figure known as “Rowdy” and “Wild Thing” for his post-race ﬁghts, regular feuds with other drivers and sometimes outlandish behavior, the multi-talented Busch stormed on the Cup Series scene in 2005 by winning Rookie of the Year

He went on to win championships in 2015 and 2019 for Joe Gibbs Racing.

From Las Vegas, Busch experi-

The Italian is unbeaten in three months. He’s won 29 straight matches and dropped just three sets. The French Open is the only major Sinner hasn’t won Sinner had three match points in last year’s ﬁnal but Alcaraz prevailed in an epic match.

In the women’s draw, Coco Gauff is trying to become just the third woman to successfully defend the Roland Garros title this century after Justine Henin and Iga Swiatek Gauff will start her campaign against fellow American Taylor Townsend, a doubles specialist. Gauff said at the draw she was “as ready as you can be.”

“I feel I had a good tournament in Rome, similar to the preparation I had last year, so I feel really ready.”

In the absence of Alcaraz, who will also miss Wimbledon, Sinner has claimed all three clay Masters trophies in Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. Sinner has the fifth longest winning run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic has the record of 43 straight wins in 2010-11. With his historic Rome title — first homegrown men’s champion in 50 years Sinner became the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters, the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams. Djokovic continues to chase an unprecedented 25th major title. But the Roland Garros champion from 2016, 2021, and 2023 is in Paris with only one match on clay this season and only three tournaments all year because of a shoulder injury The 38-year-old will take on Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round. Djokovic couldn’t meet Sinner until the final.

enced unrivaled success across NASCAR’sthreenationalserieswinning a combined 234 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Trucks Series races.

He had 63 Cup victories along with 102 O’Reilly Auto Parts wins and 69 Trucks victories — both records.

Kyle Busch was a racing prodigy

He was said to be ready to race at NASCAR’s top level at 16, but a cigarette settlement banned his debut and he had to wait until he was a 18. At the time Kurt Busch said “if you think I’m good, wait until you see my brother.”

Busch was ﬁred early in his career by Hendrick Motorsports to make room on the team for Dale Earnhardt Jr “Kyle and I had a really challenging existence for many years,” Earnhardt said in a statement. “But we luckily took the time to ﬁgure out our differences and that was something he instigated with a conversation in his bus around how we each managed our racing teams. I was super eager for us to get on better terms. But it was he who made the effort for that to be possible.”

Busch moved on to Joe Gibbs Racing where he experienced the vast majority of career success. But Busch was let go when there was no sponsor after the 2022 season and joined RCR, where had struggled to win races.

His lack of success led to a recent spat with former JGR teammate Denny Hamlin, who appeared to criticize Busch on the Actions Detrimental podcast Hamlin said, “If you’re expecting Kyle Busch to just go back to Victory Lane on a regular basis, you are kidding yourselves.”

While Hamlin later said he meant no harm by the comments and was just making an observation, Busch took exception and said he could make Hamlin’s life “hell” on the racetrack.

While several laps down at last month’s race at Kansas, Busch

No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, still looking for his first major crown after making it to the 2024 final in Paris, will be up against another local player, Benjamin Bonzi. Home favorite Arthur Fils, the highest-ranked French player at No. 19, opens against Wawrinka in a mouthwatering contest. Gauff aiming for back to back Gauff’s first Roland Garros title came with a victory over topranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final a year ago. Just like last year Gauff was the runner-up at the Italian Open, losing in the final to Elina Svitolina. She is No 4 and seeded to meet No. 1 Sabalenka in the semifinals. While Sabalenka remains unbeatable at times on hard courts, she is still perfecting her game on clay. She was upset by American Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid Open quarterfinals and lost in the third round at the Italian Open to 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea. Sabalenka appeared visibly bothered by lower back pain in Rome. Her first-round opponent is Jessica Bouzas Maneiro, a Spaniard ranked 51st Elena Rybakina, ranked No. 2 and this year’s Australian Open champion, is in the same half of the draw as No. 3 Swiatek. Rybakina has mixed results on clay She has reached the French quarterfinals twice. She starts against Veronika Erjavec of Slovenia.

Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, lost to Svitolina in the Rome semiﬁnals and is still reshaping her game under new coach Francisco Roig who used to work with Rafael Nadal. Swi tek’s 26-match winning streak at Roland Garros ended in the semiﬁnals last year with a loss to Sabalenka. She opens against Emerson Jones of Australia, a wild card.

made good on the threat and raced Hamlin hard instead of allowing the race leader to pass. That decision held up Hamlin during a crucial stage of the race and Tyler Reddick wound up winning the race after Hamlin faded late.

After winning the Trucks race at Dover last week and showing an uptick in speed, Busch seemed to make a veiled jab at Hamlin, saying “I guess I just remembered how to drive.”

After earning his win at Dover, Busch was asked how many races he wants to win in his career before he stops racing.

“You take whatever you can get, man,” Busch said. “You never know when the last one is going to be, so cherish them all — trust me.”

The unexpected death is just the latest tragedy to hit NASCAR. Last December, former driver Greg Bifﬂe, his wife and two children and three others died in a plane crash in Statesville, North Carolina.

The announcement of Busch’s death came after Indy Car teams had already left Gasoline Alley on media day at the Indianapolis 500. As word spread on Main Street in Speedway, Indiana, just a short walk from Indianapolis Motor Speedway race fans IndyCar and NASCAR — were saddened.

“Shocking, you know, wonder what got him. He had a serious illness,” said Mike Bowers, an IndyCar fan who came to town from Kansas City for the big weekend. “A sad deal. It’s going to be on everybody’s mind all weekend.” NASCAR officials confirmed to The Associated Press the Coca-Cola 600 will go on as planned Sunday Drivers are expected to begin making their way to Charlotte Motorsports Speedway in Concord on Friday with practice and qualifying beginning on Saturday Earlier in the day,

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates winning a point against Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the final match at the Italian Open in Rome on Sunday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By TONy GUTIERREZ

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates after making a 3-pointer during the second half of Game 2 in the Western Conference finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday in Oklahoma City

LATE WEDNESDAY

LSU’sseasonendswithlosstoAuburn

Reigning national champs staying home forthe postseason

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

HOOVER, Ala. Derek Curiel called it aﬂuke.

Betweeninjuries, defensive struggles, poor pitching,aninconsistent offense, and everything else in between, Curiel knew that almostnothing had goneright for LSU this season. For the sophomore, this was “a crazy,ﬂuky year.”

But to call it all bad luck wouldn’t fully explainwhy LSU will miss the NCAA Tournament in 2026, areality that became ofﬁcial on Wednesday night at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium when No. 14 seeded LSU was eliminated by No. 6Auburn in the second round of the SEC Tournament by aﬁnal scoreof3-1

After winning its eighth national championship ayear ago, LSUﬁnished with a30-28 recordand will not appear in an NCAA regional for the ﬁrst time since 2011.

“We’ve had alot of good fortune,” coach Jay Johnson said. “It’s almost like baseball sometimesis going to baseball you, and sometimes life doesn’tgothe way that you want it.

“There’salittle bit of astretch here whereitwas like, ‘OK, I’m paying for some sins thathelped us get the two championships.’ It felt like that sometimes (this season).”

On Wednesday, LSU had the game-tying run at ﬁrst base with two outinthe ninth inning after Brayden Simpson accurately challenged astrike-three call in afullcount that turnedintoa two-out walk. But John Pearson grounded outtoshortstop to end the game.

“They gaveiteverything they had for two days,” Johnsonsaid. In some respects, Curielis right.

Junior right-handed starter Cooper Moore —who underwent successful surgery to repair a stress fracture at the tip of his elbow on Wednesday —only pitched in three Southeastern Conference games. Sophomore

LSU

Continued from page1C

right-handedstarters Casan Evansand William Schmidt missed time, as did freshman OmarSerna,senior Chris Stanﬁeld and junior Jake Brown. Brown,despite hitting 16 home runs,missed most of thesecond half of the year with abrokenhamate bone

That’sbad luck, but even those setbacks don’tfully account for a22-28 record afteran8-0 start to theseason. It doesn’tjustify a .967 team ﬁelding percentage, or the 10.46 ERA the Tigers posted in five of their final sixseries againstSEC competition

“I think we were alittle short in alot of areas,” Johnsonsaid. “I mean, alot of areas. I’m not (just) talking about players. Yeah,alittle bit in howwerecruit, alittle bit in howwedeveloped (them), both the individualplayer andthe team.

“Wejust lost alot of close

“It’sasisterhood within asisterhood.Sometimes we can feel like we’reonour own island and wouldn’thave it any other way.We’ve got each other’sback no matter what.”

Monticelli (9-3, 2.39 ERA) andCellura (9-5, 3.12) tamed VirginiaTech’spowerful offensiveattack, holding the Hokiestoseven hits and two runs in 13 innings. Heavener(13-8, 2.75) threwathree-hit shutout, the10thof her career,inthe opener against Akron.

“Toget three complete games from three different pitchers in aregionalisprettyunheard of,” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “It’s special what they did last weekend.”

LSU(40-17) will need more of that toget past Alabama (52-7), which lost onlyone SEC series this season. The heart ofthe Crimson Tide’steam is its own pitching staff. Briski is 23-4 with a1.38 earned run average and 182 strikeouts in 1462/3 innings, while VicMoten is rightbehind with 20-4, 1.66 ERA, 1351/3 innings, 163 strikeouts and 52 walks.

Alabama had the second-lowest team ERA at 1.52 with 430strikeouts and only 103walks.

“They do aton of things well,” Torina said. “They’ve been led by their pitching staff and are solid on all fronts.”

TheTideisled offensivelybyBrooke Wells and designated player Alexis Pupillo. Wells has hit 23 homers with 65 runs batted in while batting .398.Pupillo also brings power with 17 homers and a.396 average. Torina likes her team’sresilience after a slow start and knows trying tobeat the nation’sNo. 1seed will come down to grinding

NO.1ALABAMA

games,and that’sbeen ahallmarkofwhy we have twochampionships in the four years, is we’vebeenabletobeonthe right side of those games, like agame liketonight. And against the best teams, we just couldn’tdoit.”

LSU’sregular-seasonstruggles meantthatthe Tigers hadtowin the SECTournament to make the NCAA Tournament. They needed to win ﬁve games in six days to accomplish that, atask theybegansuccessfully on Tuesday when they beat No. 11 Oklahoma 6-2.

“This is our postseason baseball,” right-handerGavin Guidry said after Tuesday’swin. “Postseason baseball has started earlier than it has thelastcouple of years If we don’twin these games, we’re going home and the season is over.”

LSU then put itself on theright

RECORD: 52-7, 19-5 in SEC, 31-2 at home, 14-4 away,7-1 neutral

COACH: Patrick Murphy, 28th season

(1,369-405 overall, all at Alabama)

CWCS TITLES: 1(2012)

CWCS APPEARANCES: 15 (2000, 2003, 2005-06,2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2016, 2019, 2021, 2023-24)

SUPER REGIONALS: 19

NCAATOURNAMENTS: 27

2026REGIONALS: Defeated South Carolina

Upstate(8-0), Belmont (2-0), South Carolina

Upstate(9-0)

NO.16LSU

RECORD: 40-17, 13-11 in SEC, 31-5 at home, 8-7away, 1-5 neutral

COACH: Beth Torina, 15th season (618-270 at LSU, 747-381 overall)

CWCS TITLES: 0

CWCS APPEARANCES: 6(2001, 2004, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017)

SUPER REGIONALS: 11

NCAA TOURNAMENTS:27

track to earning asecond win on Wednesday,taking thefirst lead of thenight in thefourthinning. ButAuburn, after tying the game 1-1inthe bottom of the fourth, took theleadinthe fifth thanks to an errant throw to third base from freshmansecondbaseman Jack Ruckert with two outs. With runners on first and second, Ruckert cleanly fielded aweak ground ball and had a chance to throw out shortstop BrandonMcCraineatthird base after the Auburnrunnerhad lingered too far offthe bag. But Ruckert’sthrowwas well wide, and it allowedMcCraine to easily score Themistake was the 66th error LSU hascommittedthis season. “They’re better on amound. They’rejust alittle betteron defense andpopped acouple of homers outofhere,”Johnson

said. “And we made one mistake, and that was the ball game.”

After Ruckert’serror,Auburn extendedits lead in thesixth on asolohome run fromthird baseman Eric Guevara. Auburn led3-1 entering the seventh and then inserted its top reliever,lefthander Jackson Sanders, to close out the ﬁnal three innings. LSU mustered just three hits off Auburn left-handed starter JakeMarciano. Asacrificefly fromsophomoreJohnPearson that drove in Curiel was the only run it could muster offthe Auburn ace. LSU ﬁnished the game with just four hits; Curiel had two of them.

“Those guys really pitched,” Johnson said. “They really didn’t give us muchtohit. Imean, they were in the zone, but tough to hit within the zone.”

LSU sophomore right-hander Casan Evans made just his secondstart sincereturning from arm soreness on Wednesday,and through four innings, he pitched as well as he had allseason. Evans had six strikeouts, and the only run he allowed was asolo home run in the fourth.

He didn’trun into any trouble until the fifth, when Auburn put two on with nobody out in an inning that eventually resulted in it scoring the go-ahead run. Evans allowedjustone earnedrun in 42/3 innings, striking out eight batters in his final start of the year Sophomore left-hander Ethan Plog then replaced Evans and escaped the fifth inning jam, and seniorright-hander Zac Cowan allowed just one earned run in threeinnings in reliefafter Plog. But the strong effort on the mound wasn’t enough to staveoff what has now become inevitable. LSU baseball will not be playing in June this year

“I feel bad because we didn’t get to where we needed to be or wanted to be, or where Ithink this team could have been,” Johnsonsaid. “And Idon’t know that I’ve ever said that in my entire career.And that stings.”

Email Koki Rileyatkoki.riley@ theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates,signupfor our newsletter at theadvocate.com/

11 35

SS Salen Hawkins.283 429

CF KristenWhite .357 06 Team .326 95 364

2026REGIONALS: Defeated Akron (8-0), Virginia Tech (8-0 and 7-2) ALL-TIMERECORD VS.ALABAMA: 49-44 PROBABLE

through imperfect performances

“This team is tough. The things they went through made them tougher,” Torina said.

“Theyunderstand they can take apunch, anditdoesn’thave to be perfect. It won’t be perfect this time of year.We’re going to get punched; it’show you respond. They’ve learned this response and proven they have one. They’ll keep ﬁghting all the way.”

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU pitcher Casan Evans delivers against Kentucky on March 27 at Alex Box Stadium.OnWednesday,Evans pitched 42/3 innings against Auburn,striking out eight while allowingfour hits and one earned run.

To be or not to be?

From Taylor Swift to theOscars, 400-year-old ‘Hamlet’ ﬂourishes in ageofTikTok

BY MARK KENNEDY Associated Press

NEW YORK He’sonscreen, onstage, on tour,online and in song.“Hamlet”— William Shakespeare’smasterpiece about amoody Danish prince seems to be having amoment ANational Theatre production has landed at the Brooklyn Academy of MusicstarringHiranAbeysekera. There’sa movie version set in London’sSouth Asiancommunity starring Riz Ahmed. Anthony Hopkins, at 88, is delightingfans on TikTok with some of Prince Hamlet’s “Tobe, or not to be” soliloquy.The movie “Hamnet” —the ﬁctionalized story of loss that inspired the creationof“Hamlet” —earned Jessie Buckley an Oscar.Taylor Swift’s“The Fate of Ophelia” that’sHamlet’sex—went to No. 1onthe Billboard singles chart. Eddie Izzard is taking her oneperson production of the play on aworldwide tour

Four hundred years on, “Hamlet”—whose seeminglyquite modernantihero is endlessly mulling over what to do after his uncle murdered his father andmarried hismother— is still giving.

PHOTO By SAMTAyLOR/POLK &CO. Hiran Abeysekera stars in the role of Hamlet at the National Theatre in London.

Want even more? There’s even a“Hamnet” play,adapted from MaggieO’Farrell’soriginal novel, and the Royal ShakespeareCompany is taking it on aU.K. tour.Shakespeare & Company will stage a“Hamlet” this August in the Berkshires. There’saCanadian production of “Hamlet, Sweet Prince,” using aqueer,contemporary lens. TheActing Company in New York will have amodern-verse version led by awoman, and the Peruvian theater company Teatro La Plaza recently presented aversion off-Broadway starring eightSpanish-speaking actors withDown syndrome.

Harvard’sJeffrey R. Wilson, aShakespearescholar, says “Hamlet” is perfect for ourera, when the crush of bad news has triggered constant, existential check-ins,like: “Hey,how’severyone hanging in there?”

From ‘StarWars’ to ‘The Dog Stars,’hereare 29 movies hittingU.S.theatersthissummer

TBY JOHN WIRT | Contributingwriter

he summer movie season opens big on Friday with “Star Wars:The Mandalorian and Grogu.”

Thecoming weeks and months will bring new films from A-list directors Steven Spielberg (“Disclosure Day”) and Christopher Nolan (“The Odyssey”); a“Scary Movie” sequel; ahandful of genuinely scary movies; thefifth “Toy Story”; and alive-action remake of Disney’sanimated hit “Moana.” Many films opening from Friday through late summer follow.Opening dates may change.

FRIDAY

“PASSENGER”: Ademon hitches aride with a young couple who witnessed adeadly highway accident. Starring Jacob Scipio, LouLlobelland Melissa Leo.

“STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU”: PedroPascal starsasDin Djarin, theMandalorian bountyhunter who, withhis apprentice, Grogu, battles Imperial warlords hellbenton destroying theNew Republic. SigourneyWeaver and JeremyAllenWhiteco-star

MAY29

“BACKROOMS”: Astrange doorway appears in the basementofafurniturestore.WithChiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years aSlave”),New Orleans nativeMark Duplass, RenateReinsve,Finn Bennett and LukitaMaxwell.

“PRESSURE”: Set in the72hours before D-Day, “Pressure”focuses on Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser)and Capt. James Stagg (Andrew Scott) as they decide if thetime is right to launch thelargest invasion-by-sea in history —orriskdefeat in EuropebyNazi Germanyand its fascist allies.

“THE BREADWINNER”: In his ﬁrstfeature ﬁlm, comedian NateBargatze playsasalesman and father whosesupremely organized spouse (Mandy Moore) takes an extended business trip,leaving theirhome in chaos.

JUNE 5

“MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE”: After Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine)obtains theSword of Power, he returns to his nativeplanet, Eternia, to save his family and world

“People are exhaustedfrom the onslaught of awfulness in theworld,” he says, “and ‘Hamlet’ gives audiences both permission to ‘go there’ to explore thoseemotionsand atoolkit of ideas to help us processangst.”

Aneurodiverse‘Hamlet’

The plethora of works are markedly vibrant and fresh, from the Hamlet in Brooklyn who wears abeanie to the one whoenjoys Bollywood-style dancesinLondon.

“Great plays survive not because they remain untouched, butbecause they can continue

ä See ‘HAMLET’, page 2D

the year during the 61st annual

Awards elude multi-nominated Lainey Wilson

‘INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER’

‘THE DOGSTARS’

Scalingbackdoesnot equate guilt

Dear Annie: For years, I’vemade it apoint to remember every birthday in my extended family —mynieces, nephews and now their children —by sending cards with alittle money tucked inside. It’s been my way of staying connected since Idon’tsee them often. Now I’m retired and living on aﬁxed income, and the cost has quietly added up. The truth is, everyone in my family is ﬁnancially comfortable, and I’m beginningto feel the strain of keeping upthis tradition.

By The Associated Press

Todayinhistory:

Annie Lane DEAR ANNIE

I’d like to scale back and send monetarygifts only to those 19 andunder,while still sending cards to the adults. Do I explain to them, or just send the cards with no money to the older adults with no explanation? —Wondering Dear Wondering: You’ve beenkindand consistent for years, but generosity doesn’trequire outliving your means Youdon’t owe anyone an announcement. Just make the change, andifanyonenotices, a simple “I’ve scaled back since re-

TODAYINHISTORY

Today is Friday,May 22, the 142nd day of 2026. There are 223 days left in the year

On May 22, 1960, the strongest earthquake recorded struck southern Chile.The magnitude 9.5 quake claimed 1,655 lives, left2 millionhomelessand triggered atsunami responsible for over 230 additional deathsinHawaii, Japan and the Philippines. Also on this date:

In 1939, the foreign ministers of Germany and Italy,Joachim vonRibbentrop and Galeazzo Ciano, signed a“Pact of Steel” committing their two countries to amilitary and political alliance.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, speaking at the University of Michigan, outlined the goals of his “GreatSociety,” saying that it “rests on abundance and liberty for all”and “demands an end to povertyand racial injustice.”

In 1969, the lunar module of Apollo 10, with Thomas P. Stafford andEugene Cernan aboard, ﬂew within nine miles of the moon’s surface in a“dress rehearsal” for the ﬁrst lunar landing.

In 1985, U.S. sailor Michael L Walker was arrested aboard the aircraft carrier Nimitz, two days after his father,John A. Walker

AWARDS

Continued from page1D

Although fellowLouisiana artist Lainey Wilson went into the 61st ACMAwardsceremony with six nominations, including Entertainer of the Year,she left empty-handed, bested forthe top honor by singer and formerpro bull rider Cody Johnson (“I’m Gonna Love You,” “TheFall,” “’Til YouCan’t”). The big winner of the night, Ella Langley,beat out Wilson in four other categories.

Newlywed Wilson turned 34 on Tuesday,did take the stage for ahigh-energy,ﬂashyperformance of current hit “I Can’tSit

MOVIES

Continued from page1D

“POWER BALLAD”: Rick (Paul Rudd), aprofessional wedding singer, and Danny(Nick Jonas), afaded boy-band star,become friendsafter they meet at ajam session.Jealousy ensues when Dannygetsahit with asong written by Rick.

“SCARYMOVIE”: Original “Scary Movie” stars Marlon Wayans,Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris and ReginaHall aremock-terrorized by masked murderer Ghostface.

JUNE 12

“DISCLOSURE DAY”: StevenSpiel-

bergdirects an alien-invasion thriller starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth andEve Hewson.

JUNE 19

“THE DEATH OF ROBIN HOOD”: Suffering from physicaland mental wounds, Robin Hood gets achance for salvation thanks to amysterious woman. Hugh Jackman, Jodie Comer and Bill Skarsgårdlead thecast

“TOY STORY5”: Woody the cowboy, Buzz Lightyear and the other toys confront anew nemesis. Lilypad, afrog-shaped smart tablet, is determined to sever thetoys from their child, Bonnie. Featuring the voices of TomHanks, Tim Allen,Joan Cusack and Greta Leeand musicof Randy Newman.

“GIRLS LIKE US”: Acoming-of-age drama basedonwriter-director Hayley Kiyoko’s hitsong andbestselling novel.

JUNE 26

“JACKASS BEST AND LAST”: Johnny Knoxville leadshis gang of fools in moresillystunts. It’spromised to be

tiring” is plentyexplanation. Gifts come from the heart, not a contract. Dear Annie: Ihave aproblem. My boyfriend’smom and Iused to get along great.Early on, he warned me not to get too close to her,saying she“ruins everything.” Fastforward ayear,and my boyfriend and Igot into aﬁght His mom told me to come over,so Idid. Istayed with her for afew days, then went back home. Not even 24 hours later,she accused me of stealing from her and dragged my boyfriend, her son, in to themiddle of it.

‘HAMLET’

Continuedfrom page1D

Jr was apprehended by theFBI; bothwere later convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. (Michael Walker served 15 years in prisonand was released in 2000; JohnWalker Jr.died in prison in 2014.)

In 1992, after areign lasting nearly30years, Johnny Carson hosted hisﬁnalepisode of NBC’s “Tonight Show.” (Jay Leno took over as host three dayslater.)

In 2011, amassiveEF5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri, with windsupto250 mph, killing at least 159 peopleand destroying about8,000 homes and businesses.

In 2017, asuicidebomber set off an improvised explosive device that killed 22 people and injured over 1,000 following an Ariana Grandeconcert in Manchester,England. Today’sbirthdays: Actor-ﬁlmmaker Richard Benjamin is 88. Songwriter Bernie Taupinis76. Republican Sen. LisaMurkowski of Alaskais69. Singer Morrissey is 67. Singer JohnnyGill (New Edition)is60. Actor Brooke Smith is 59. Model Naomi Campbell is 56. Actor Sean Gunn is 52. Actor Ginnifer Goodwin is 48. Actor MaggieQis47. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Apolo Anton Ohnois44. Tennis player Novak Djokovic is 39. Actor Judah Lewis is 25. Actor Peyton Elizabeth Lee is 22.

Still.” Her black,body-hugging ensemble, bedecked with silver buckles and fringe, popped against her backup dancers’ allwhite attire. News brokelast week that Wilson and longtime boyfriend Devlin“Duck” Hodges, aformerNFL quarterback,had tied theknot on Mother’s Day at the foot of awaterfall in The Ruskin Cave,Dickson,Tennessee. Wilson, anativeofBaskin, wore acustom Oscar de la Renta gown with Japanese cherry blossom appliques.Both wore cowboybootscustom-made forthe occasion. New Orleans’ Rebirth Jazz Band provided music. Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate.com.

to be transformed,” says director andplaywrightChela De Ferrari, from Teatro La Plaza, whose neurodiverse “Hamlet” is avisceral and urgent call from thoseoften excludedfromculturalnarratives.

“Working withactors with Down syndrome andcognitive disabilities brought me back to something essential in ‘Hamlet’: that beneath itsphilosophical brilliance thereis an exposed human being asking, in one way or another,how to exist in aworld that keepsmisreading him,” she said.

In one of theshow’smost potent moments, an actor attempts to imitate Laurence Olivier’sdelivery of Hamlet’s “Tobe, or not to be” soliloquy with an image of the famous actor projected on ascreen.It takes on anew urgency when spokenbysomeonewhose very right to be in public or artistic spaces is often questioned. “I like to imagine akind of continuity between our actors and all the great actors whohavecarried the play before. Ibelieve Shakespeare lives in all of them,”says De Ferrari.

ShakespeareinaBMW

On school tripstosee Shakespeareplays, filmmaker Aneil Karia always felt like they were an arm’slength away “I feltlike Iwas primarily watching an intellectual experience unfold and Ihad to usemy brain to keep up with theplotand the language andeverything like that,” he says.

He teamed up with Ahmed and screenwriterMichael Lesslie for a stripped-down,modern-dayretelling of “Hamlet”that leans intothe title character’suneaseatbeingcomplicit in acorrupt business system.

“That feelssopertinent to the moment we’re in politically and everything. It feels like the question alot of people areasking,” says Karia. “Itfeels like these stories are actually aconversation through time itself.”

Hamlet hereparties at aneondrenched nightclub and delivers his soliloquy while hurtling down rain-slicked London streetsina BMW, taking his hands off the wheel as atruck approaches headon. To be, or not to be, indeed.

theﬁnal “Jackass” movie.

“SUPERGIRL: WOMAN OF TOMORROW”: Milly Alcock is the new Supergirl, areluctantheroine who, responding to amerciless threat, embarks on an interstellar quest for justice.

JULY1

“MINIONS &MONSTERS”: The diminutiveco-stars of four “DespicableMe” moviesconquer Hollywood and become movie stars before losing everythingand unleashing monsters. Voices by Allison Janney Christoph Waltz, Jeff Bridges, Jesse Eisenberg, Zoey Deutch,Bobby Moynihan, Phil LaMarr,TreyParker and PierreCofﬁn

Now she plays it off like nothing ever happened. I’mover the drama andjust want to be leftalone. She incited all this dramaand then walked away,leaving me to defend myself against something Ididn’tdo. Anyadvice? —Falsely Accused Dear Falsely Accused: Your boyfriend warned you, and now you’ve seen what he meant. His mother created aproblem stepped away andleftyou to deal with the fallout. What matters now is how you two moveforward. He should be clear with her that the accusation was unacceptable and that

he stands by you. You’re not obligated to have aclose relationship with someone whotreats you this way, and you don’tneed to defend yourself or chase an apology you’re unlikely to get. Step back. Be civil, but don’tlet your guard down. This isn’tjust about his mother’sbehavior.It’sabout whether you and your boyfriend can set and maintain boundaries with her —for yourselves and foryour relationship.

Send yourquestions forAnnie Lane to dearannie@creators com.

“The best best-casescenario hereisthat it’sopening up Shakespeare to audiences who didn’t thinkitwas forthem, or who struggled with it previously,” says Karia, whose ﬁlm starts streaming Tuesday.“This is abig call, but I feel like Shakespeare would approve.Ifeel his whole thing was like, ‘Take this stuff and do your thing.’”

Amoreclownishprince

The “Hamlet” in Brooklyn leans into the humorofthe playfor one good reason:The guy playing Hamlet is naturally funny

Abeysekera is manic and mischievous as he pulls out the play’s physical humor,addressing the audiencedirectly in his soliloquies, sometimes sitting at the edge of the stage and making eye contact.

“It’sa very self-aware play.It sort of really knows that it’sa play,ifthatmakes anykind of sense,”saysdirectorRobertHastie. “Hamlet knows he’s in aplay called ‘Hamlet,’ like Deadpool knows he is in aﬁlm called ‘Deadpool.’” Abeysekera tackleshis “Tobe, or nottobe” speech as an errant thought,a wisp of an idea, instead of thetraditional foot-planted,actor-y,big-thing-coming approach.

“Rather thanthinking, ‘Oh, here’sthe big speech coming up and that’sfreaking me out,’ Istarted thinking, ‘It’ssuch athought that mostofuskind of have,’”he says. “Sometimes, in front of the mirror, we just see ourselves and go, ‘Oof. Today’satough day.’” Hastie believes “Hamlet” is one of those works that revealssomething newall the time. Grounded in the human condition, it speaks fresh things to each audienceand we discover new things that have

comfort withher in-laws at an isolated family retreat.

JULY17

“MOANA”: Disney adapts another of its animated hitstolive-action. Starring Catherine Laga’aiaasPolynesian heroine Moanaand Dwayne Johnson as theshape-shifting Maui. Directed by Thomas Kail of “Hamilton” fame. Songs by “Hamilton” creator Lin-ManuelMiranda.

“THE ODYSSEY”: Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer,” “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar”) depicts Odysseus’ voyage home from theTrojan Warin the IMAX format. Theblockbuster cast features Matt Damon,Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway,Robert Pattinson,LupitaNyong’o, Zendaya and CharlizeTheron.

JULY31

“SPIDER-MAN: BRANDNEW DAY”: After erasing himselffromthe memories of everyone he loves, Peter Parker, akaSpider-Man, is alone in New York City. Fighting crime fulltime in acitythat has forgotten him, he faces avexing newcrime wave TomHolland, Zendaya,Sadie Sink and Mark Ruffalo star

always been there.

Peruvian actor OctavioBernaza appears during aperformance of ‘Teatro La Plaza’sHamlet’ at the Theatre for aNew Audience at Polonsky Shakespeare Center in New york.

“One of the reasons Ithinkwhy we’re still talking aboutShakespeare, and this play in particular is that whenever those words fuse with anew actor or anew group of actors, it becomes adifferent play,” he says. “Maybe that’sa good working deﬁnition of aclassic.”

An extremelyonlinebard Caitlin Cardile is doing her best to keep the 400-year-old playwright alive in the TikTok era. She and her three-person troupe Mad Spirits TheatreCompanyare on virtually every social media platform spreading the word.

“Wewanted to bring Shakespeare to amodern audience and make it understandable,” Cardile says.“We want people to feel more comfortable with Shakespeareand notthink thatit’sold English and such ahard thing to understand.” Theypost live readings andcommentary of the playsonYouTube but it’sonInstagram and TikTok where the true coolness starts. Theyﬁnd trending audio snippets —ofeverything from dialogue on “The Ofﬁce” to aLadyGagasong —and assign aShakespeare character to say them So Kitty Forman’spopular line “I may have been alittle irrational today” from“That’70s Show” is lipsynced by an actor playing Ophelia. Asection of dialogue between Scar andSimba from “The Lion King” is put in themouths of actors playing Claudius and Hamlet.

“We’re like, ‘Hey,wouldn’titbe funny if we took these silly trending sounds that everybody’sdoing and what if we put them to Shakespeare characters?’”says Cardile. “This has ended up being so much fun.”

enemyMayor Humdingerbegins mining theisland, sparking avolcanic eruption.

“THE END OF OAKSTREET”: Acosmic event transportsafamily’s 1980s neighborhood on Earthtoanunknown place. Starring Anne Hathaway,EwanMcGregor andP.J. Byrne.

AUG. 21

“INSIDIOUS: OUT OF THE FURTHER”: Gemma, ayoung motherraising a daughter in thehouseshe grew up in, learns that shecan travel intoa purgatory for lostsouls and open a portal for demons

“MUTINY”: Jason Statham’s character in theaction-thriller “Mutiny,”a good guy who’sbeen framedfor a crime,uncovers human trafﬁcking on acargo ship

AUG. 28

JULY3

“THE INVITE”: OlivaWilde directs and co-stars in acomedy-drama about adinner party that takes unexpected turns. Penélope Cruz and Seth Rogen co-star. Limited opening “YOUNG WASHINGTON”: William Franklyn-Miller portraysGeorge Washington at the beginning of his militarycareer. Mary-LouiseParker, Kelsey Grammer and Ben Kingsley co-star.

JULY10

“EVIL DEAD BURN”: The ﬁfth “Evil Dead”movie stickstothe 1981 original’s horror blueprint. After a woman’s husband dies, she seeks

AUG. 7

“ONE NIGHT ONLY”: In this highconcept romantic comedy,Monica Barbaro (“AComplete Unknown, “Top Gun: Maverick”) and Callum Turner (“Masters of theAir,”“Fantastic Beasts”)portraytwo people looking forlove in NewYork City on theleastlikelynight to ﬁnd it With Maya Hawke, Julia Fox, Molly Ringwald and LevarBurton.

AUG. 14

“PAW PATROL: THE DINO MOVIE”: The PAWPatrol pups getshipwrecked on an island of dinosaurs. Making mattersworse, PAWPatrol

“COYOTE VS.ACME”: An animated/ live-action hybrid movie,“Coyote vs Acme”pitsLooneyTunescharacter Wile E. Coyote in asuit against the Acme Corp whoseproducts always malfunction whenhepursuesRoad Runner. Will Forteand John Cena co-star. “FINDING EMILY”: Alovestruck musician gets the wrong number forhis dream girl. He enlists apsychology student to ﬁnd her and, together, they inspireacampus-wide frenzy that tries their ownhearts andambitions. Starring Angourie Rice, Spike Fearnand Minnie Driver. “THEDOG STARS”: After apandemic wipes out mostofthe humans on Earth, survivors mustevade murderous scavengers known as Reapers. Ridley Scott (“Gladiator,” “Blade Runner”) directs astellar cast featuring Jacob Elordi,Margaret Qualley, Josh Brolin and Guy Pearce. Email John Wirt at j_wirt@msn. com.

PHOTO By JULIETA CERVANTES

PROVIDED PHOTO By MELINDASUE GORDON/UNIVERSAL PICTURES

MattDamon is Odysseus in ‘The Odyssey,’written, producedand directed by Christopher Nolan.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Structure your time and schedule around what matters most to you. Consider hosting an event or opening your doors to people you like to hang out with or haven't seen for some time.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Consider every angle and, most of all, be honest with yourself regarding what's possible and whatisn't.Fact-check,talktoexpertsand avoid taking on too much debt or responsibilities.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Pay attention to detail. Choose a creative or helpful path. Approach specialists to discover resources that you can draw from to ensure that whatever you do is done with good intentions

VIRGO (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Pace yourself; spontaneity will get you in trouble. Put your energy into research, looking for flaws and paying attention to what's happening around you.

LIBRA (sept. 23-Oct. 23) An unexpected change will breathe new life into your plans. Conversations will lead to something concrete, so pick up the phone and make things happen

scORPIO (Oct. 24-nov. 22) Put more effort into nurturing meaningful relationships Conversations and kind gestures will help you gain access to helpful information.Don'tbuyintosomethingyoucannot afford.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Step into the spotlight and share your thoughts. A chance to make improvements to yourself, your home and the relationships

that matter most to you will pay off. Rearranging your space will spark your imagination.

cAPRIcORn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Stick close to home to take care of family matters. Get your place ready for any upcoming events you want to host or to make your life more comfortable and convenient. Refuse to let someone's insinuations get to you.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Don't push yourself physically or take on a no-win situation. Happiness will come from spending time with loved ones and taking care of financial matters that add to a stable and stress-free environment.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Stay out of questionable conversations with people who are manipulative or trying to redirect your beliefs. Pay more attention to your needs and what makes you happy.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Listen, nurture meaningful relationships and take care of domestic issues promptly. A change to how you earn your living or how you handle your investments will help you overcome debt.

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Useyourenergy wisely. Take care of unfinished business instead of stressing over what you've left undone. Completion is the key to being able to move forward. Use your voice to attract interest

FAMILY CIrCUS

CeLebrItY CIpher

bAILeY

GooSe And GrIMM

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several givennumbers. Theobjectistoplace thenumbers 1to9inthe empty squaressothat each row, each column andeach 3x3box contains thesamenumber only once.The difficulty levelofthe sudoku increasesfrom monday to sunday.

Yesterday’sPuzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS CurTiS

Bridge

By PHILLIPALDER

This week, we have been studying strong jump shifts. To check that you have theidea, look at today’sSouth hand North opensone heart and East passes. Whatshould South bid?

While youdecide, Ihavesaid that a strongjump shiftshould promise 13-16 high-card points. In the days of yore, responderneeded17-19high-cardpoints. As Iexplainedthree daysago,thiswas notbest. But if responder has atwo-suiter, by the time he adds shortagepoints, hishand will probably be worth 17-19 support points: high-card plus shortage points. In thisdeal, though, Southmust respond one spade, not two spades. Don’t make astrong jump shift with a two-suiter unless partner opened in one of your suits.

Asensible sequence is one heart –one spade–three spades –four no-trump –five diamonds –five no-trump –six hearts–six spades. It is difficult to bid seven no-trump(the best contract)or sevenspadeswith confidence when a king is missing.

However, let’s assume that West leads the club jack against seven spades. How should South planthe play?

Declarer has13top tricks: five spades, five hearts, one diamond and twoclubs. So,hedoes notneed to risk the diamond

wuzzles

finesse. He shouldwin trickone in his hand with the club ace, draw trumps (leaving the ace or king in the dummy as an entry),unblock the heart ace and king, cross to dummy with atrump, and cash those lovely winners (the heart Q-J10andclubking),discardinghisfourdiamond losers. ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

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

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIOns: 1. Words mustbeoffour or moreletters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. additional wordsmade by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.

TODAy’s WORD IMITATED: IM-ih-tay-ted:Followed as apattern, model or example.

Averagemark 26 words

Timelimit 40 minutes

Can you find 35 or more words in IMITATED?

yEsTERDAy’s WORD —sEAGOInG

sage sane sang sign signage sine sing singe snag soigne sone song easing egis aegis ageing aging agog agonies anise gage gain gang genoa goes going gone gong noes noise nose

today’s thought

“And he said to them,Why are youfearful, Oyou of little faith? Thenhearose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was agreat calm.But the menmarveled, saying, What manner of manisthis, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” Matthew 8:26-27

loCKhorNs

LetJesus calm thestorms in your life. G.E. Dean

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles hidato

mallard

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letterword fromthe letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letterwords get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words arein the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition. For more informationontournaments and clubs,email naspa –north

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit

ken ken

WiShinG Well

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each column must containthe numbers 1thorugh4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating 2 -The numbers within the heavily outlinedboxes, calledcages, 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. HErE is aplEasanTliTTlE

Scrabble GramS

Get fuzzy

roSe iS roSe

funds; $13mmofFederal LIHTC Equity;$1.3mmof bond reinvestment earn‐ings;and $8.3mmof othersubordinate soft funding. Please reachout to Jeanette Delery Capocaccia at JDCapoc‐accia@voasela.orgifyou wish to providecom‐mentsonthe proposed development. 188072-may20-21-22-3t $393.73

CafeteriaKitchensdur‐ingthe 2026-2027 school year Sealed Proposalswillbe received by School Food &Nutrition Services Pur‐chasingOffice,Attention: SandyLogrande,65Foun‐tainebleau Dr Suite207, NewOrleans,Louisiana 70125, until 10:00 am Fri‐day, June 12, 2026, when they will be opened and publicly read.The public is invitedtoattend.Late bids,for anyreason, will notbeaccepted. Bids shallbeaddressed“Bid forFireSuppression”. Bidspecificationsmay be obtained from the Purchasing Office of School Food &Nutrition Services,65 FontainebleauDr.,Suite 207, NewOrleans,LA 70125, Monday through Friday between thehours of 7:00am and2:00pm. 504-596-3443. In accordance with Fed‐eral lawand U.S. Depart‐ment of Agriculture (USDA) civilrightsregu‐lationsand policies,this institutionisprohibited from discriminatingon thebasis of race,color national origin,sex (in‐cludinggenderidentity andsexualorientation), age, disability, and reprisal or retaliationfor priorcivil rights activity Program information maybemadeavailable in languagesother than English. Personswith disabilitieswho require alternativemeans of communication forpro‐gram information(e.g. Braille, largeprint,audio‐tape,and American Sign Language), should con‐tact theresponsible

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:861-067

GMFS LLC VS DAWN BEALER

MALCOLM A/K/ADAWNB MALCOLM A/K/ADAWN MALCOLM

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, being situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, West Bank of theMis‐sissippi River, in the Harvey Canal Subdivision, all as more fully shownona map of said subdivi‐sion made by Elbert G. San‐dos, C. E.,dated September19, 1927, revisedby J. H. Payne, Parish Engineer, on April24, 1993, on ﬁle in the clerk’sof‐ﬁce, andin Square No.2 bounded by Pailet Avenue, Fourth Street Highway, Gold Street and BrownAvenue, designated as thenos.32and 33 which adjoin andmeasure each 25 feet fronton Pailet Avenue, by adepth of 110 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. Lotno. 32 lies nearer andat a distance of 150 feet from Gold Street,all as more fully shownon survey by J. Perry Hotard,C E.,dated August 14, 1975.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges. TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:862-382

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS RAYCHELL MARIEHARRIS A/K/A RAYCHELLE M. HARRIS

measures Four (4') feet fronton Avenue "D", the same width in therear, by a depth between equal andparallel linesofOne hundred Twenty-Fiveand 81/100 (125.81') feet,saidpiece orportion of ground mea‐suresOne Hun‐dred (100')feet fronton Avenue "D", by adepth be‐tween equal andparallel linesofOne Hundred Twenty-Fiveand 81/100 (125.81') feet;subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe property

Theimprove‐mentsbearthe municipalad‐dress645 Av‐enue D, West‐wego, LA 70094.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

thereunto be longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in thePARISH OF JEFFERSON, Stateof Louisiana, in that portion thereofknown as Lincolnshire, andaccording to aplanofresubdivisionpre‐paredbyJ.J Krebs, Inc. dated September3 1970, approved by Ordinance No.9889 of Jef‐ferson Parish Council, datedNovem‐ber19, 1970 reg‐isteredinCOB 726, folio 57, as amendedby OrdinanceNo. 10022, dated February 25, 1971, registered in COB730, folio 287, said lots are designated as LOT38of SQUARE M, and is more particu‐larlydescribed as follows: SQUARE Mis bounded by Lin‐colnshireDrive, Carver Drive, Benedict Driveand Mather Drive. LOT38mea‐sures60feet frontonCarver Drive, same width in therear, with adepth of 90 feet between equaland paral‐lellines

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

said subdivision, on file andof record in theof‐fice of theClerk andRecorder forthe Parish of Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, as LOTNUMBER ONETHOUSAND THREE HUNDRED NINETY FIVE-A (1395-A) of SQUARE LL, said subdivision, said lot having such measurements anddimensions andbeing sub‐ject to such re‐strictions andservitudes as shownonthe official subdivi‐sion mapand/or of record

Furtherinac‐cordance with a survey,pre‐paredbyJ.J Krebs& Sons Inc.,dated April 24, 1978, resur‐veyedJuly22, 1978, acopy of which is at‐tached to and made apart of that certain actrecordedat COB939 Page 545, of theofﬁ‐cial recordsof Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, ex‐cept said lotis showntohave a depth of 98.60 feet between equaland paral‐lellines

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

bered and enti tled cause, datedApril 14, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday,July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ad‐vantages andappurte‐nances there‐untobelonging or in anywise appertaining situated,lying andbeing in the ParishofJeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part known as the WHITEHOUSE SUBDIVISION, formingpartof theTownof Westwego, and designated as theWHOLE OF LOTS NUMBERS THIRTEEN (13) FOURTEEN (14), FIFTEEN (15) ANDFOUR(4') FEET OF LOT NUMBER SIX‐TEEN (16),ad‐joiningLot No 15 of SQUARE NUM‐BERFORTYEIGHT(48)of said subdivi‐sion,ona plan of survey made by AlvinE.Hotard, Parish Surveyor, datedGretna, Louisiana,June 1 1936,a blue printofwhich is attached to and made part of an actofsaleby Marrero Lane andIm‐provementAs‐sociation, Lim‐ited,toLeonRi‐choux, passed before Ernest M. Conzelmann, Notary Public, dated June 17, 1936; andac‐cordingtosaid plan, said Square is bounded by Av‐enue "E and"D, Fifthand Sixth Streets; said Lots NumbersThir‐teen (13),Four‐teen (14),and Fifteen (15),ad‐join each other, and measureeach THIRTY-TWO (32')feet front on Avenue "D", thesamewidth in the rear,bya depth between equal andparallel linesofOne Hundred Twenty-Fiveand 81/100 (125.81) feet,saidpor‐tion of LotNum‐berSixteen (16) adjoinsLot No 15, and measures Four

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-724

WILMINGTON SAVINGSFUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOTINITS INDI‐VIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER

TRUSTEEFOR VERUSSECURI‐TIZATION TRUST2023-77 VERSUS NEIGHBORS LOUISIANALLC TIMOTHY JEHRRODHAS‐SONA/K/A TIM‐OTHY J. HASSONA/K/A TIMOTHYHAS‐SONAND TAJH A. HASSON A/K/ATAJH HASSON

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedOctober 9, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May27, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances and advantages thereuntobe‐

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE: Allfunds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ELIZABETH CROWELLPRICE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026

apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-827

PLAINS COM‐MERCEBANK VERSUS JAREDWILFRED HYDELL

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYA MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:866-588 EF MORTGAGE LLC VERSUS ALVININTERNA‐TIONAL LLCAND ALVINWOOTEN

ated in the STATEOF LOUISIANA, PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISIONin SectionNo. 3 beingpartof OakdaleSubdi‐vision SectionB,First Ward, allinac‐cordance with plan by Adloe Off, Jr.&Associ‐ated,C E. datedOcto‐ber9,1959, re‐visedJuly15, 1960, approved by theJefferson Parish Council, under OrdinanceNo. 4787, datedAu‐gust 24, regis‐teredCOB 342, folio 345, plan No.40, folio 37, Ofﬁce of the Court, Parish of Jefferson, and said ground is more fully de‐scribedand designated as followsto-wit: LOTNO. 12, SQUARE 60 which said square is bounded by Farmington Place, DanielsRoad, East Forest Lawn Drive, FriedricaStreet LotNo. 12 mea‐sures60feet frontonFarm‐ington Place, thesamewidth in therearby a depthbetween equaland parallel line of 110 feet.Lot No 12 lies nearer to andcommences at adistanceof 460 feet from thecornerof Farmington Placeand DanielsRoad, all amorefully shownonre‐cent survey of Sterling Mandle datedAugust 14, 1980; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affectingthe property

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear themunici‐pal: 518 Farm‐ington Place, Terrytown, LA 70056

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ZACHARYGAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of theservi‐tudes, rights andappurte‐nances there‐unto applying situ‐ated in the

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026

apr17-may222t

That portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages there‐unto belongingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theCityof Kenner,Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as University City Subdivision, and which portionof ground,accord‐ingtothe plan thereofbyRene A. Harris,Inc., Con‐sultingEngi‐neer,dated Au‐gust 15, 1962, recorded in COB 561, folio 381 as revised by theplanof Rene A. Harris Inc.,Consulting Engineer,dated December 20, 1962, recorded in COB, folio,of therecords of theParishof Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, is designated and measures as follows: Lot13 of Square 96, bounded by Loyola,George‐town, OleMiss andFurmanDri‐ves. Said Lot13 measures 65 feet fronton Georgetown Drive, same widthinthe rear,bya depth of 110 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. According to survey made by Rene A. Harris,C.E datedMarch 9, 1964, copy of which is an‐nexedtothe vendor’s actof purchase,said lothas the same designa‐tion,location anddimensions as mentioned aboveand set Lot13com‐mences at adis‐tanceof97.52 feet from the corner of Ole Miss and Georgetown Dri‐ves. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

DENNIS F. WIGGINS, JR. Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

WILMINGTON TRUST, NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATIONAS TRUSTEEFOR TRYON STREET ACQUI‐SITION TRUSTI VERSUS DAVIDL.GOMEZ A/K/ADAVID LEDEZMA GOMEZA/K/A DAVIDEDUARDO LEDEZMA GOMEZAND GOMEZ& SONS PROPERTIES LLC

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedOctober 13, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May27, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION, NO.1,being part of OakdaleSub‐division,Section "B", FirstWard, all in accordance with thesurvey of AdloeOrr, Jr &Associates, C.E.,dated April 30, 1959, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nanceNo. 4117, adopted July 2, 1959, reg‐isteredinCOB 482, folio53, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Louisiana, on July 15, 1959, andin Plan Book 36, folio 28, Ofﬁce of theClerk of Courtof the Parish of Jefferson, Louisiana, which said property is more fully de‐scribedasfol‐lows,to-wit:

LOTNO. 6in SQUARE NO.20, bounded by Stumpf Boule‐vard,South But‐terfly Circle,Blossom Street,Terry Parkway, Rue DeBeau and West Butterfly Circle,said lotbeginsat a distance of 319 feet from thein‐tersection of RueDeBeauand West ButterflyCircle, andmeasures thence 62 feet frontonWest ButterflyCircle, 59.19 feet in widthin therear, by a depthof110 feet between equaland paral‐lellines.All as shownon survey of Adloe Orr, Jr.& Associ‐ates,C.E., dated August 24, 1960, a copy of which is annexedtoan actbeforeEd‐ward V. Frayle, Notary Public dated August 30, 1960, recorded in COB 514, folio122. Also beingmore particularly describedon a plan of survey made by Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,Sur‐veying and Engineering, d d b

Engineering, dated October 19, 1981,a copy of which is an‐nexedtoanact before Hugh E. Humphrey,No‐tary Public, datedNovem‐ber11, 1981, recorded in COB 1014, folio 999. Andaccording to asurveyby Landmark Sur‐veying,Inc J. F. Ruello, Land Surveyor datedFebruary 17, 1995,a copy of which is an‐nexedhereto, said Lot 6issituatedin thesame Parish,Subdivi‐sion and Square,and has thesameloca‐tion andmeasure‐mentsashere‐inaboveset forth, except that RueDe‐Beau is now known as RueDeBois; subject to re‐strictions,servi‐tudes, rights-ofwayand out‐standing mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe prop‐erty

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear theMunici‐palNo. 440 West ButterﬂyCircle, Terrytown, LA 70056.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

LOANS, AMIS‐SOURILIMITED LIABILITYCOM‐PANY VERSUS MICHAELA CHAPMAN

THAT PORTION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereon, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisianain that part thereof knownasHigh‐wayParkSubdi‐vision,inSquare 479 thereof, bounded by Maryland andMassachu‐setts Avenues andThird and Fourth Streets. Said portionof ground is designated as LotG on plan of resubdivision made by Adloe Orr, Jr.& Associ‐ates, Inc.,dated May 10, 1954 andon acertiﬁcate of survey by Adloe Orr, Jr.& Associates,Inc datedDecem‐ber1,1954,ac‐cordingto which said lot measures as follows: LotG commences at a distance of 180 feet from the corner of Mary‐land Avenue and Fourth Street andmeasures thence 60 feet frontonMary‐land Avenue, same width in therear, by a depthof122 feet 6inchesbe‐tween equal andparallel lines; subjectto restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe prop‐erty

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear municipal dd 1901

bear municipal address1901 Maryland Av‐enue,Kenner, Louisiana70062

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or PersonalCheck with Bank Letter ofCredit.

CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May 22, 2026

apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-834

GITSIT SOLU‐TIONS, LLC, NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UALCAPACITY BUTSOLELYIN ITSCAPACITY AS SEPARATE TRUSTEE OF GV TRUST2025-1 VERSUS WILSON JOSEPH HOSTETTLER

IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLTHE RIGHTS WAYS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISEAP‐PERTAINING, SITUATED IN THE CITY OF WEST‐WEGO,PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA, IN A PORTIONOF ORIGINAL AR‐PENT LOTS 2 AND3 HARANG PLANTATION NOW DESIGNATED AS WEST PARK HEIGHTSSUBDI‐VISION,INAC‐CORDANCE WITH ASURVEYBY ADLOEORR, JR &ASSOCIATES, C.E.,DATED JULY 25, 1968, WHICHSAIDLOT IS DESIGNATED ANDMEASURES AS FOLLOWS, TO-WIT:LOT 50 OF SQUARE 105, WHICH SQUARE IS BOUNDEDBY KENNEY DRIVE, THIRTEENTH STREET, LECOMPTE DRIVE, ANDORY STREET.SAID LOT50 COMMENCES AT ADISTANCEOF 285 FEET FROM THECORNEROF KENNEY DRIVEAND THIRTEENTH STREET,AND MEASURES THENCE 71 FEET FRONT ON KENNEY DRIVE, THE SAME WIDTHIN THEREAR, BY A DEPTHOF70.75 FEET BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES ACCORDINGTO SURVEY BY RICHARDDAD‐ING, L.S.,DATED 9/22/79

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, CertiﬁedCheck, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate:

Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:871-261

JPMORGAN CHASEBANK, NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION VERSUS DEREKM.HOW‐ELLAND CINDY MCCAIROHOW‐ELL

STREET, SAME WIDTHINTHE REAR,BYA DEPTHOF83.50 FEET BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES ALLASPER SUR‐VEYOFDON GARLAND, C.E., DATEDDECEM‐BER5,1977 RESURVEYED JULY 28, 1978 A COPY OFWHICH IS ANNEXEDTO AN ACTOFSALE REGISTERED COB947, FOLIO 270; sub‐ject to restric‐tions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofwayand out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting the property

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:821-168

GIRODTITLING TRUST VS REGINALD D. WAYNEAND REGGIE WAYNE ENTERPRISES, LLC

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedDecem‐ber15, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May27, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILDINGSAND IMPROVEMENTS THEREONAND ALLTHE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES, PRESCRIPTIONS, SERVITUDES ADVANTAGES AND APPURTE‐NANCES THERE‐UNTO BELONG‐INGORINANY‐WISE APPER‐TAINING, SITUATED IN THEPARISHOF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA, IN KINGS GRANTEAST SUBDIVISION, PHASE 2, DESIG‐NATEDASLOT 2, OF SQUARE P WHICHSQUARE IS BOUNDEDBY CURTIS STREET (FORMERLYDO‐LORES DRIVE),CAM‐PHOR STREET, FARRINGTON DRIVE(SIDE) ANDPATRIOT STREET (FOR‐MERLY16TH STREET SIDE), LOT2 MEA‐SURES66FEET FRONT ON CURTIS STREET,SAME

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:772-838 CAPTIALONE, N.A. VERSUS PATRICIA WILLIAMS COLE‐MAN

Westbank Ex pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday May27, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that subdivision knownasAN‐DERSONPLACE And, accordingto plan of resubdi‐vision by DufreneSurvey‐ing& Engineer‐ing, Inc.,dated February 25, 2005, and adoptedbythe JeffersonParish Councilunder Docket No WS-80-05, recorded in the ofﬁce of the ClerkofCourt forthe Parish of Jeffersonat COB3150, folio 69, andaccord‐ingthereto said lotisdesig‐natedasLOT 11; subject to restrictions, servitudes rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affectingthe property Improvements thereonbear theMunicipal No.5854 Ander‐sonPlace,Mar‐rero,LA 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritofFIERI FACIAS from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJanuary 29, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, May27, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereonand all of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, advan‐tagesand appurtenances thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParish of Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, in STONEBRIDGE SUBDIVISION (formerly apart of ParcelsFF-9and FF-10, Lake Tim‐berlaneEs‐tates),in SQUARE 7 thereofdesig‐nated as LOTNO. 169, which lotmea‐sure 100.48 feet frontonLake AspenEast Drive, 100 feet in widthin therear, by a depthof126.74 feet on the Northsideline anda depth of 136.46 feet on theopposite sideline.All in accordance with aplanby J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc., dated August 31, 1981, ﬁledinPlan Book 108, Folio 31-Bapproved by OrdinanceNo. 15014 adopted by theJefferson Parish Council 6

Parish Council on January6, 1982, registered in COB1019, Folio 674, EntryNo. 1001764, Parish of Jeffersonon February 5, 1982, registered in COB1031, folio 53. Allas more fully shownonsur‐vey by J.F. Ruello Land Surveyor, datedJuly20, 1983. Said measure‐mentsare more fullyshown on Plat of Survey by Wilton J. Dufrene, Land Surveyor, dated May25, 1990, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoact of Cash Sale datedJune 13, 1990, recorded at COB2332, Folio234, Entry No.9024382, of‐ﬁcial recordsofJef‐ferson Parish Louisiana, and according theretosaid square is bounded by Lake Aspen East Drive, Lake AspenNorth Drive, Lake Tim‐berlaneDrive, Lake AspenSouth Drive, Lake Kristin Drive, Parcel Band Lake Louise Drive. Improvements thereonbear municipal ad‐dress3621 Lake AspenDrive East,Gretna, Louisiana700568302.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit SCOTTR CHEATHAM Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

in Print?

NO:738-319

DEUTSCHE

BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEEFOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC.

ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2003-W2 VERSUS JAMIKA BASS

A/K/AJAMIKA BASS HARRIS

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof

SEIZUREAND

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedJune 9, 2014, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CRIS R. JACKSON Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026 June 26,2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:851-267

therear, by adepth of 80 feet between equaland paral‐lellines.All as more fully shownona survey by Don A. Garland, Land Surveyor,dated February 11, 1978, resur‐veyed September5, 1978. Allas more fully shownona plat of survey by Mandle Survey‐ing, Inc.,LandSur‐veyor, datedDe‐cember 28, 1989

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

Forest Lawn Driveand mea‐suresthence61 feet fronton Cooper Road,by awidth in therearof58.66 feet,bya depth alongthe side line nearer East Forest Lawn Drive of 110 feet,by a depth alongthe opposite side line of 110 feet; allinaccor‐dancewith survey of Adloe Orr, Jr.and As‐sociates,C.E., datedJuly17, 1961, resur‐veyedMarch 29, 1972, copy annexedhereto

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, Greenlawn Ter‐race Subdivi‐sion,saidpor‐tion beingdesig‐natedasLot A of Sq.99. ac‐cordingtoplan of AdloeOrr, Jr &Associated, C.E.,dated Janu‐ary29, 1968, Square 99 is bounded by 39thStreet,Col‐orado Avenue,38th, Street andCali‐fornia Avenue, LotA formsthe corner of 39th Street of 120 feet,and a depth on the property site sideline closer to 38thStreet of 120 feet

q bounded by Kepler,LeBoeuf, Milton Streets andthe West boundaryofthe subdivision, and accordingtothe plan of survey by G.W.T. Stephens dated August 25, 1917, attached to an actbefore NormaKeenan Notary Public forthe Parish of Orleansdated January5,1933, said lotisdesig‐natedasLOT 5 andhas mea‐surementsand boundariesasis more fully set forthonthe aforesaid plan

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

suresthence50 feet frontonN Howard Avenue thesame width in therear, by a depthof110 feet between equal andparallel lines. Allinac‐cordance to a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc datedJune 5, 1999, acopyof which is at‐tached to act no.9941997.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, advan‐tages, situated in the Stateof Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, in Town‐ship 14 South, Ranges 23 and24East, SoutheastLand District of Louisiana, West of theMissis‐sippi River, knownasHar‐veyCanal Prop‐erty,formerly designated as Parcel Q-2-B, which said portionof ground has been resubdi‐videdinto WOODMERE SOUTHSUBDIV‐SION, SECTION3,all as perplanof resubdivision made by J.J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E.& S.,dated Octo‐ber10, 1983,ap‐proved by·the JeffersonParish CouncilbyOrdi‐nance no.15784, recorded in COB 1064, folio 925, andasper Act of Dedication before Odom B. Heebe, Notary Public, datedFebruary 2, 1984, recorded in COB 1067, folio 270, same being designated as follows: LOT875, SQUARE S, which said square is bounded by Sweet Gum Drive, DestrehanAv‐enue,Primwood Driveand Cim‐wood Drive, and said LOT875 commences at a distance of 180.56 feet front thepoint of cur‐vature of Sweet Gum DriveintoDe‐strehanAvenue, andmeasures thence 60 feet frontonSweet Gum Drive, same in width in the rear,bya depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines; allasper survey made by J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc L.S. datedNovem‐ber6 1986, resur‐veyedJanuary 12, 1987, to show improve‐ments. Improvements thereonbear theMunicipal No.3168 Sweet GumDrive,Har‐vey, Louisiana70058.

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS EDYA.NUNEZ A/K/AEDY NUNEZ

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May 22, 2026, June 26,2026 may 22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-378

NEWREZ LLC VERSUS HARRYLOUIS STANLEYJR

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t y Street),the SalavilleLine (Laroussinin Street side)and 10thStreet which said lots of ground area re‐subdivisionof Lots 1and 2of Square 10, Whitehouse Subdivision, as shownonthe sketch attached to Ordinance No.564, City of Westwego, and approved by the City of West‐wego on Octo‐ber4,1960, recorded in COB 526, folio 307, EntryNo. 200888, andac‐cordingtosaid sketch,saidlots aredesignated as Lots "B"and "C"; said Lot"B" and"C" adjoin each otherand measureeach 32’ feet frontonAvenue "A", same width in therear, by a depth between equaland paral‐lel linesof90’ feet

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-439

Said Lot"B" formsthe cor‐nerofTenth and Avenue "A". All as more fully shownon plan of survey by Gilbert, Kelly &Couturie, Sur‐veying and Engineering, datedMarch 9, 1968, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoact registered in COB700, folio 993.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter ofCredit.

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

CANDACEA COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYA MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-239

actrecordedas

CIN8316911.

Thissaleissub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

FOERSTNERG MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

That portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, and allofthe rights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, on theright bank of theMissis‐sippi Riverand forminga part of the original Ames Plantation,and duly resubdi‐videdand ap‐proved by the Jefferson Parish Police Jury,dated May 23, 1956, under OrdinanceNo. 3208 into Cy‐press GroveSubdivi‐sion,all in ac‐cordance with lotlayout, square layout, anddedication of streetsas showninaccor‐dancewiththe plan of J. J. Krebs& Sons, C.E.,dated April 19, 1956,revised May21, 1956; said Lotisdes‐ignatedasLot No.1 in Square J, bounded by Cardinal Drive, Dede Street Crestwood Sub‐division,and Lot G-314 of Ames Farms andEvieStreet andforms the northeastcor‐nerofCardinal Driveand Dede Street.Lot 1measures60 feet fronton Cardinal Drive, same width in

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in TerrytownSub‐division,Section 3, being part of Oakdale Subdivision, SectionB,First Ward,all in ac‐cordance with theSurvey registered in COB510 folio 492, andinPlan Book 39,folio 66, which said property is more fully de‐scribedasLot No.23inSquare No.59, bounded by Cooper Road East Forest Lawn Drive, Fordham Place, andHer‐itageAvenue, whichsaidLot commencesat a distance of 297 feet from the corner of Cooper Road andEast

UNITED WHOLE‐SALE MORT‐GAGE,LLC VERSUS TREY M. CA‐MARDELLE,IN HISCAPACITY AS INDEPEN‐DENT ADMINIS‐TRATOR OF THESUCCES‐SION OF ALLEN JOHN CA‐MARDELLE A/K/AALLEN JOHN CAMARDELLE A/K/AALLENJ CAMARDELLE A/K/AALLEN CAMARDELLE

That certain portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorany‐wise appertain‐ing, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part known as WhiteHouse Subdivision, in the City of West‐wego, in Square 10, boundedby Avenue "A", Otto Street (for‐merly 11th )

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL

ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-473

GITSIT SOLU‐TIONS, LLC, NOT IN ITSINDIVID‐UALCAPACITY BUTSOLELYIN ITSCAPACITY AS SEPARATE TRUSTEEOFGV TRUST2025-1 VERSUS NAPOLEON R.C. GOSSIAUX

TheNew Orleans Advocate: April17, 2026, May22, 2026 apr17-may222t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:867-658 MORTGAGE SOLUTIONSOF COLORADO,LLC VERSUS GILMACHUCA By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedAugust 15, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday,July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall the rights,ways, privileges servitudes, advantages and appurtenances thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as OAKDALESUB‐DIVISION,in SQUARE 36 thereof, which square is b d d b

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:869-597 NEWREZ LLC D/B/ASHELL‐POINTMORT‐GAGE SERVIC‐ING VERSUS JULIEN CADIS, III

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedOctober 28, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday,July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: Acertain piece or portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theState of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, M. A. Green Addition Subdi‐vision,bounded by N. Howard Avenue (a/k/a Howard Avenue), We‐ston Street, Northwestern Line of M. A. Addition and Dalton Street designated as lotno. 20 and measures as follows, to-wit: Lotno. 20, in Plot C, of M. A. Green Addition Subdivision, commences50 feet from thecornerofN Howard Avenue andWeston Street andmea‐

STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS MELYSSA LUANNE DARBY ANDBRITTNEY LEANNE DARBY By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber18, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Ofﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereof knownasValley Realty Company Extension,des‐ignatedasLot 6 in Square 35, which said square is bounded by 15thStreet,Far‐ringtonDrive Cottonwood Street, andGaudet Drive, andLot 6 commences at a distance of 260.56 feet from the intersection of Farrington Drive and15thStreet andmeasures thence 51 feet fronton 15thStreet, same widthin therear, by a depthof100 feet between equaland parallel lines. All accordingto survey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc dated May5,1983, a copy of which is annexedtoan

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-495 WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION AS TRUSTEEFOR TRYON STREET ACQUISITION TRUSTI VERSUS GOMEZ& SONS PROPERTIES, LLCAND DAVID LEDEZMA GOMEZA/K/A DAVID EDUARDO LEDEZMA GOMEZ

THAT CERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereon, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION, part of Oakdale Subdivision, SECTION“B” FIRSTWARD, all in accordance with theplanof AdloeOrr, Jr.& Associates,Civil Engineers, datedApril 30, 1959, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder OrdinanceNo. 4117, adoptedJuly2, 1959, registered in COB482, folio 53, which said lotismorefully describedas follows:

LOT28, SQUARE 29, bounded by Cranberry Drive, Stumpf Boule‐vard,Terry Parkwayand Browning Lane said Lot28com‐mences at adis‐tanceof418.54 feet from theinter‐sectionofCran‐berry Driveand Stumpf Boule‐vard andmea‐suresthence 58 feet fronton Cranberry Drive

by 61.51 feet in width in the rear,bya depth of 110 feet between equaland paral‐lellines.Further in accordance with asurveyby Adloe Orr, Jr.&Associ‐ates,Civil Engi‐neers, dated July 14,1960, a copy of which is annexedtoact registered in COB516, folio 607; subjectto restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe property

Theimprove‐mentsthereon bear theMunici‐palNo. 421 Cranberry Drive, Gretna Louisiana70056.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

ZACHARYGAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-595

FEDERALHOME

LOAN MORT‐GAGE CORP VERSUS RICKEY J. KIRKLAND A/K/ARICKEY

KIRKLAND AND LORI CRESSIONNIE

A/K/A LORI CRESSIONNIE

son, Stateof Louisiana, in BissonnetPlaza Subdivision, SectionNo. 9-E, beingpart of Elmwood Lafreniere Plan‐tation,insquare no.14, bounded by Blanke Street, CraigAvenue Gillan Street, CanalNo. 2and PowerBoule‐vard designated as LotNo. 14. Allin accordance with thesurvey of AdloeOrr,Jr. & Associates,C.B datedMay 30, 1962, which said lotcommences at adistanceof 79.71 feet from thecornerof Blanks Street andCraig Av‐enue,and mea‐suresthence 68 feet fronton Blanke Street, thesamein width in the rear,bya depth of 100feet between equal andparallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS -The full purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26,2026 may22-jun26-2t

SUBDIVISION, in Square Number

OneHundred Sixty-Four(164) thereof, which square is bounded by Ar‐gonne Street Rose Avenue, CamphorStreet andCarnatation Avenue,said certainlot of ground is desig‐natedbythe Lot Number Eight(8) which measures in ac‐cordance with a plan of Neale& Wirth, Land‐scape Architects as follows, to-wit: LotNumber Eight(8) mea‐sures ﬁfty(50') feet fronton Rose Avenue same width in therear, by a depth of One HundredTwenty (120')feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter ofCredit.

FOERSTNERG MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May 22, 2026 June 26,2026 may 22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

g Park Subdivi‐sion into Lots C1, C-2and C-3" as per plan of resubdi‐vision by Dad‐ing, Marques& Associates,Inc datedSeptem‐ber20, 2000, approved December 14, 2000, by Ordi‐nanceNo. 8380, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, and by theCouncil forthe City of Kenner,which Ordinanceis recorded under Instrument No 10065758, COB 3044, folio 583, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Said LotC-2 measures 100 feet fronton Delaware Av‐enue,same width in the rear, by adepth of 60 feet between equaland paral‐lellines.All as perresubdivi‐sion of Dading,Mar‐ques &Associ‐ates,Inc.dated September20, 2000.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

EMILYA MUELLER

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

q bounded by Kent Avenue (FormerlyRose Avenue)

CamphorStreet CarnationAv‐enue andTeal Street,desig‐natedasLot No 13, said lotcommences 550 feet from thecornerof Kent Avenue andCamphor Street and measures thence 50 feet frontonKent Avenue,same width in the rear,bya depth of 120 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines; allinac‐cordance with survey by Man‐dle Surveying, Inc., datedMay 31, 1993.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

WILLIAMS TEBBE

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

Jefferson, on July 21, 1901, beinga sale to John McCabe andaccording to which sketch said lotmea‐sures60 feet fronton AnsonStreet,by adepthof150 feet between equaland paral‐lellines andinaccor‐dancewith a survey of Clif‐ford G. Webb, Surveyor,dated March12, 1952, thesame abovede‐scribedprop‐erty is situated in thesaid parish andcity, is designated by theno. 9n Square 83, which square is bounded by Anson, Madi‐son, Monroe and Burmaster Streets, said Lot 9commencing at adistanceof 128.13 feet from thecorner of Madisonand AnsonStreets, andmeasures thence 64.06 feet on AnsonStreet in thedirection of Monroe Street, with thesame width in the rear,bya depth between equaland paral‐lellines of 160 feet

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

untobelonging or in anywise appertaining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON,STATE OF LOUISIANA, situated In the City of Kenner, in thatpart thereofknown as University City Subdivi‐sion,asper plan of AdloeOrr, Jr., andAssociates C.E.,dated De‐cember 9, 1969, approved by Or‐dinanceNo. 1195, registered in COB713, Folio 190, designated as follows: Lot35-Aof Square 39, said square being bounded by Loyola Drive West,West Oglethorpe Place, West LouisianaState Driveand West Purdue Place. Said lot measures 50 feet fronton LoyolaDrive West same widthinthe rear,bya depth of 115 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. Sald lot commences 400 feet from Loyola DriveWestand West Purdue Place.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or PersonalCheck with Bank Letter of Credit

NER, STATEOF LOUISIANA, in that part thereof knownas VET‐ERANSHEIGHTS (formerlyKen‐nerProject,Sec‐tion 5),in SQUARE NO.109, which square is bounded by JASPER,27th (LATEFRANK‐FORT), TUPELO,AND 25th(LATE SAL‐ISBURY) STREETS. and accordingto a sketch of survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc., Surveyors, datedMay 30, 1977, aprint of which is an‐nexedtoand made part an Actbefore MichaelM Dorsey,Notary Public, datedJuly14, 1977, recorded at COB900, page 162, said lotisdesig‐natedasLOT NO.44-A, com‐mences Two HundredFifty feet (250')from theintersection of 27th andJasper Streets, Fifty feet (50')front on Jasper Street,the same widthinthe rear, by adepth be‐tween equal andparallel linesofOne HundredTwenty feet (120').

This sale is sub‐jecttoall supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges. TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

70058, on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

ALLTHATCER‐TAIN LOTOR PARCEL OF GROUND,to‐gether with all of the buildingsand improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,means, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances, advantages and component partsthereunto belongingor in anywiseap‐pertaining thereto, lying andbeing situ‐ated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATEOF LOUISIANA, in that part there of knownas LIVE OAK MANORSUBDI‐VISION,and ac‐cordingto a plan of subdivi‐sion by Subdivi‐sion Planning Engi‐neers, Inc., datedMarch 16, 1959, approved by theJefferson Parish Councilunder OrdinanceNum‐ber4152, regis‐teredinCOB 486, folio469, said portionof ground is desig‐natedasLOT 56, SQUARE 24.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

Allthatparcel of land in Jeffer‐sonParish, Louisiana, as more fullyde‐scribedindeed book 3160, page 882, ID#102392, beingknown anddesignated as Lot14, block square 14, Sec‐tion 9E,Bisson‐netPlaza, recorded 05/30/1962.

That certainlot of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon and allofthe servitudes, rights andap‐purtenances thereuntoap‐plying,situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:871-074 BELTWAY CAPITAL, LLC VERSUS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSIONOF JOSIESEEGER COON,DE‐CEASED AND THEUNOPENED SUCCESSIONOF EDWARD A. COON,JR., DECEASED By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritofFIERI FACIAS from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedApril 8, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceedto sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058,on Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall of the rights,ways, privileges servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as BRIDGEDALE

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:871-662

WILMINGTON SAVINGSFUND SOCIETY, FSB, D/B/ACHRIS‐TIANATRUST AS TRUSTEE FOR PNPMSTRUST II VERSUS OLMANE ESTRADA(A/K/A OLMAN ESTRADA) AND MARIA JARAMILLO ESTRADA

TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:874-569

ROCKET MORT‐GAGE,LLC VERSUS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSION OF JANETMARIE KALEHER

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-597

REGIONSBANK DBAREGIONS MORTGAGE VERSUS BAILEY LANDRY

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

KATE SOTO‐LONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-555

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedFebruary 3, 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOfﬁce Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday,July 1, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: Acertain lotof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, and allofthe rights ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances,and ad‐vantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated andlying in the Town of McDonoghville, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisianain Square 83 of said town, which is bounded by Madison, Mon‐roe, Perrlander andAnson Streets, desig‐natedas Lot9,asper sketch annexed to an actpassed before William Landridge, late clerkof courtand ex-of‐ﬁcionotary public in andfor theParishof

U.S. BANK TRUSTNA‐TIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OFTHE LB-DWELLING SERIES VTRUST VERSUS JRALLCJOINT VENTURE, LLC

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:873-701 NEWREZ LLC VERSUS MIKE A. BACALLAO

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit WILLIAMS TEBBE Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:874-258

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certiﬁed Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit WILLIAMS TEBBE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: May22, 2026, June 26, 2026 may22-jun26-2t

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all buildingsand Improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ad‐vantages andappurte‐nances there‐

ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereonand all therights, ways privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in thePARISH OF JEFFERSON CITY OF KEN‐

DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEEFOR MORGAN STANLEYHOME EQUITY LOAN TRUST2005-2 MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005-2 VERSUS CARLAFRANK SIMMONS (A/K/A CARLA FRANKBROWN CARLASIM‐MONS CARLABROWN, CARLAF BROWN) AND AUERELINOG BROWN(A/K/A AUERELINO BROWN) By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedMarch 6 2026, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at