NINTH INNING RALLY LIFTS TIGERS OVER ARKANSAS, INTO CWS FINALS 1C
N O L A.C O M
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T h u r s d ay, J u n e 19, 2025
$2.00X
S&WB says it can’t meet drain goal
Money for catch basins dwindling BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
When the Sewerage & Water Board agreed this year to take responsibility for New Orleans’ longneglected storm drains, it warned that City Hall’s $19 million funding commitment wasn’t enough to properly clean out the thousands of catch basins that are broken or filled with debris. Now, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration stalling on payments and revenue from other sources coming up short, the agency is predicting it will have even less money to do the job: just $13 million, according to a public presentation on Wednesday.
That’s about half the minimum amount the S&WB says it needs to do the work, with more needed for capital repairs. And the $13 million includes one-time funding sources, raising concerns that even less cash will be available in future years. “The Sewerage & Water Board is already starting off behind, and you’re not giving them resources to try and catch up. You’re not setting them up for success,” said City Council member Joe Giarrusso. It is undisputed that the city’s 72,000 catch basins and 1,600 miles of attached pipes are in miserable shape, since the city hasn’t regularly maintained them for decades
and stormwater regularly backs up on streets. The dwindling of funds comes as the S&WB is beginning to learn just how much deferred maintenance is needed. A contractor is now conducting a systemwide assessment, and early results show that half of the pipes attached to catch basins are severely clogged, according to S&WB General Superintendent Steve Nelson. “They’re blocked to a level where they’re not effective,” Nelson said. “We’re trying to be selective about what we clean, because we’ve got limited dollars.” The agency says it needs $25 million to $40 million to clean every catch basin and the attached pipes once every five years — or 20% of
STAFF FILE PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD
New Orleans has thousands of catch basins that are broken or filled with debris and the Sewerage & Water Board says it doesn’t have enough ä See S&WB, page 4A money for repairs.
SAINTS HALL OF FAME
Maxie, Porter get the call
State officials fear proposed Medicaid cuts Senate leader says special session may be called
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
man Harper (2021) as members of the 2009 secondary to earn black jackets. Porter’s fourth-quarter interceptions against Brett Favre and Peyton Manning in the 2009 NFC championship game and Super Bowl, respectively, are widely regarded as two of the most memorable plays in Saints history. His 74-yard interception return for a touchdown sealed the Saints’ 31-17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. He intercepted Favre to thwart a last-second scoring threat by the Minnesota Vikings
WASHINGTON — State Senate President Cameron Henry said he’s worried Louisiana won’t be able to cover the losses should Congress ratchet back Medicaid spending the way the U.S. Senate Finance Committee has proposed for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. “If this bill takes effect immediately, we’ll absolutely come back into special session, no doubt about it,” Henry said during a video conference hosted Tuesday by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. “What we do there would not be pleasant, but we’d have to do it,” the Metairie Republican continued, adding that Louisiana couldn’t afford the estimated $4 billion the bill, if passed as writ- Henry ten, would remove from the state’s treasury. Henry said he phoned U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, RBaton Rouge and a member of the Senate Finance Committee, Monday night after the panel released its recommendations for Medicaid and other provisions in the massive bill that includes much of President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda. They discussed the problems Louisiana could have covering the costs and discussed strategies about “how to move forward with the changes they want to make without devastating local hospitals, rural hospitals and so forth,” Henry said. The Senate’s language has “a bunch things in it that would have significant effects on Louisiana, not in a positive way,” Henry said. About 1.8 million people in Louisiana are covered by various Medicaid programs, which is roughly 40% of the state’s population, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Henry also contacted the U.S. House’s top two leaders, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton,
ä See HALL, page 4A
ä See MEDICAID, page 4A
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Former Saints defensive backs Tracy Porter, left, and Brett Maxie, are all smiles during a news conference Wednesday announcing the 2025 Saints Hall of Fame class and award winners.
Gleason wins inaugural Courage Award Two of the best defensive backs in club history, Brett Maxie and Tracy Porter, are the newest inductees to the Saints Hall of Fame, officials announced Wednesday. Saints’ facility on Wednesday. The Officials also announced that forinduction ceremony will be held during the Dec. 13-14 weekend, mer Saints special-teams standout Steve Gleason will receive the inau- when the Saints play host to the Carolina Panthers at the Caesars gural Courage Award, and former Superdome. WGNO sports director Ed Daniels Porter is the 13th member of the is the 2025 recipient of the Joe GeSaints 2009 Super Bowl championmelli “Fleur de Lis” Award. The new inductees were introship team to earn induction. He joins Jabari Greer (2023) and Roduced at a news conference at the
Jeff Duncan
Supreme Court upholds ban on gender-affirming care for minors BY MARK SHERMAN
protects from legal challenges many efforts by President Donald Trump’s Republican administraWASHINGTON — The Supreme Court tion and state governments to roll on Wednesday upheld Tennessee’s back protections for transgender ban on gender-affirming care for people. Another 26 states have transgender minors, a jolting set- laws similar to Tennessee’s. Louisiana passed a law in 2023 back to transgender rights. The justices’ 6-3 decision in a banning doctors from prescribcase from Tennessee effectively ing hormone therapy and puberty
Associated Press
WEATHER HIGH 92 LOW 78 PAGE 8B
blockers to minors, and from administering gender-transition surgical procedures. Five Louisiana transgender youths asked a judge to block the state’s ban after it went into effect in 2024. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a conservative majority that the law banning puberty blockers and hormone treatments for trans
minors doesn’t violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. “This case carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field. The
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voices in these debates raise sincere concerns; the implications for all are profound,” Roberts wrote. “The Equal Protection Clause does not resolve these disagreements. Nor does it afford us license to decide them as we see best.” In a dissent for the court’s
ä See COURT, page 5A
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