Nicolas Floc’h: Fleuves-Océan, Mississippi Watershed NOW ON VIEW at
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GOING A NEW ROUTE
Topgolf project back on table Convention Center receives 2-year permit extension
BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
Caroline Rogers and her husband, Mike Bertel, clean Monday inside an old gas station and auto-repair shop on Bayou St. John in New Orleans. The two plan to open a farm stand that sells local and regional produce.
Shuttered auto-repair shop is turning into a local farmers market BY STEP HANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
A former auto-repair shop in Mid City across from the Lafitte Greenway will be the site of a new market where farmers from around south Louisiana will be able to sell fresh produce, meat, seafood and dairy products on a consignment basis, seven days a week. The market, known as Farmer’s and located in the former R&S Auto Service on a triangular lot between North Hagan Avenue and Moss Street, will be a “farm stop.” It’s a new concept gaining popularity around the country that aims to give small farmers greater access
is open year round. The farm stop owner keeps a portion of the sales to cover overhead — 30% in the case of the local store — and the rest goes to the farmers. “It’s an everyday brick-andmortar grocery store that is 100% local,” said Caroline Rogers, who, with her husband Mike Bertel, is behind the Mid City iteration of the concept. “Everybody knows exactly where their food is Caroline Rogers and her husband, Mike Bertel, plan to open a coming from and where the farmers market at this old gas station and auto-repair shop on money is going.” The local farm stop will be Bayou St. John in New Orleans. located across the street from to people interested in buying deliver a week’s worth of the site of the Crescent City locally grown produce, there- produce or so at a time, set Farmers Market’s Thursday by strengthening regional their own price for the goods market, which is held from food systems. and turn over the marketing ä See MARKET, page 4A At a farm stop, farmers and sales to the store, which
Texas Democrats prevent state map vote Gov. Abbott orders troopers to arrest lawmakers
BY BILL BARROW and NADIA LATHAN Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Democrats on Monday prevented their state’s House of Representatives from moving forward, at least for now, with a redrawn congressional map sought by
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President Donald Trump to shore up Republicans’ 2026 midterm prospects as his political standing falters. After dozens of Democrats left the state, the Republican-dominated House was unable to establish the quorum of lawmakers re- Abbott quired to do business. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats about removing members who are absent from
their seats. Democrats counter that Abbott is using “smoke and mirrors” to assert legal authority he does not have. The Republican-dominated House quickly issued civil arrest warrants for absent Democrats and Abbott ordered state troopers to help find and arrest them, but lawmakers physically outside Texas are beyond the jurisdiction of state authorities. “If you continue to go down this road, there will be consequences,” House Speaker Rep. Dustin Burrows said from the chamber
ä Is nation’s long history of partisan gerrymandering legal?
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Monday was granted a two-year extension on city permits it would need to revive the Topgolf project long planned for the River District neighborhood, extending the saga of the $50 million golfentertainment complex less than two months after developers said the project had been scuttled. The zoning variances, which were originally passed in 2023, allowed Topgolf to move a part of Melpomene Street and to build 165-feet poles and netting to enclose its driving ranges. They were due to expire later this month but will now run until August 2027, following the Board of Zoning Adjustments’ 4-1 vote in favor of the extension. At Monday’s zoning board meeting, the Convention Center’s representative, Zack Smith, said the
ä See TOPGOLF, page 4A
Planned Parenthood to close in Louisiana Nonprofit faces lack of access to federal money
BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer
floor, later telling reporters that includes fines. The Democratic revolt and Abbott’s threats ratcheted up a fight over congressional maps that began in Texas but now includes Democratic governors who have floated the possibility of redrawing their own state
Planned Parenthood is ceasing operations in Louisiana and shutting down its reproductive health clinics in Baton Rouge and New Orleans, part of a wave of closures of the organization’s clinics across the U.S. due to funding issues and moves by the Trump administration to cut off access to federal money. The nonprofit, which has operated in Louisiana for more than 40 years, said in a statement that it informed its staff on Friday of the
ä See TEXAS, page 4A
ä See CLOSE, page 4A
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Business ......................6A Commentary ................5B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Opinion ........................4B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
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