TWO DEAD, SIX INJURED IN FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY SHOOTING 3A LSU GYMNASTICS FALLS SHORT OF FINALS 1C
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F r i d ay, a p r i l 18, 2025
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Cantrell moves to terminate trash contract
Wendy Baham stirs gumbo z’herbes at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant on Thursday.
Holy Thursday
TRADITION
IV Waste has one-year deal for French Quarter, Downtown Development District
BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
Mayor LaToya Cantrell is moving to terminate IV Waste’s one-year emergency sanitation contract in the French Quarter and the Downtown Development District, setting up a showdown with French Quarter interests and City Council members who want the contract to remain in place. The termination will be effective July 30, allowing for the 90-day termination notice the contract requires, according to an April 14 letter from Cantrell to IV Waste’s owner, Sidney Torres. Cantrell awarded the emergency contract in December, after the council refused to vote on the administration’s chosen contractor, Henry Consulting, which won an eight-year, $73 million contract through a competitive selection. Civil District Court Judge Paulette Irons ordered the council to approve the Henry Consulting contract after finding the council doesn’t have authority to green light professional service contracts. The ordinances giving the council that
ä See TRASH, page 6A
STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD
A server brings gumbo z’herbes and fried chicken to guests during Holy Thursday lunch at Dooky Chase’s Restaurant.
Holy Thursday at Dooky Chase’s is a beloved New Orleans tradition centered around serving gumbo z’herbes, a special, once-ayear version of gumbo made with a mix of greens and meats. The gumbo, rooted in Catholic and Creole customs, is eaten as a symbol of spiritual and physical renewal. The late Leah Chase, legendary chef and civil rights icon, made this meal a Holy Thursday staple at her family’s iconic restaurant, Dooky Chase’s, in the Treme.
Bill would raise most TOPS awards Some scholarships would get smaller at LSU
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Guests line up outside Dooky Chase’s Restaurant for the traditional Holy Thursday lunch.
Louisiana college students would get bigger state-funded TOPS scholarships under a new bill proposed this legislative session — with one major exception. House Bill 77, which advanced out of the Education Committee on Wednesday, would overhaul the scholarship amounts that students get from TOPS, Louisiana’s program for high-achieving students who attend any of the state’s public colleges and universities.
ä See TOPS, page 10A
Trump administration, Sen. Kennedy work to defund PBS, NPR Louisiana would face lack of funding
ministration and U.S. Sen. John N. Kennedy succeed in their plans to defund public broadcasting, local public media leaders say. Kennedy, R-Madisonville, filed a BY MARK BALLARD bill in February to abolish the CorStaff writer poration for Public Broadcasting, WASHINGTON — Daniel Tiger and which funds National Public Radio “NOVA” would be off the air in and Public Broadcasting Service, Louisiana should the Trump ad- famous for Julia Child, Fred Rog-
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ers and Ken Burns documentaries. He wants the measure included in the budget bill that Congress is about to consider. Some Republicans have complained for years about what they see as bias against conservatives in public broadcasting. The Federal Communications Commission, which regulates what
is seen on television and heard on the radio, recently launched an investigation into NPR and PBS underwriting. And the Department of Defense revoked NPR’s Pentagon press office access. The White House is including cuts to public broadcasting assistance in its request to strike $9.3 billion in foreign aid and other
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programs, multiple national news outlets reported, citing an administration official granted anonymity to speak freely. Congress returns to Washington on April 28, and lawmakers have asked for detailed requests to give Congress more say in the cuts Trump is considering
ä See CUTS, page 6A
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