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W e d n e s d ay, au g u s t 13, 2025
Jefferson cuts teacher vacancies in half Officials tout online apprenticeship degree program
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Gulf Coast sees surge of flesh-eating bacteria Pathogen found in warm salt water, raw shellfish
BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer
The Gulf Coast has seen a rise in infections caused by Vibrio vulnificus, a deadly pathogen found in warm salt water and raw shellfish known for its ability to rapidly infect and destroy skin and tissue. So far this year, the bacteria has been linked to over 70 infections and nine deaths across Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas. Louisiana accounts for a disproportionate share of the cases, with 20 infections and four deaths. In comparison, the state averaged just seven cases and one death per year over the past decade.
ä See BACTERIA, page 4A
PROVIDED PHOTO
Amy Geronimo, a Reach University candidate, works with third graders at Bissonet Elementary on the first day of school in Jefferson Parish on Monday. BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
On the first day of school for Bissonet Elementary in Jefferson Parish, Amy Geronimo stood in front of a gaggle of new third graders as she wrapped up a series of first-day icebreakers on Monday. “Are you guys ready to learn this year?” she asked as her students erupted into cheers. “This is what an amazing teacher looks like,” she joked. Geronimo is one of three teaching apprentices at Bissonet working toward certification through a new online program called Reach University that officials say has helped put a dent in the teacher shortage at the state’s largest school district.
“An apprenticeship is a way to (hire new) educators who have experienced the climate and culture of this profession.” LAURA ROUSSEL, Jefferson Parish chief academic officer
Teacher vacancies have dropped to 70 in Jefferson, less than half of the open positions at the same time last year. Officials have attributed the feat to several of the district’s ongoing recruitment efforts, including its in-house certification program. But some, like Jefferson’s Chief Academic Officer Laura Roussel, said a unique degree program from Reach
University has been a standout because of its accessibility and how well it prepares candidates to take on new teaching roles. “An apprenticeship is a way to (hire new) educators who have experienced the climate and culture of this profession,” she said. In Jefferson Parish, where policy advisers for the U.S. Senate Committee on Education visited to observe the program in action Monday, school leaders say the program has made it easier to hire and retain qualified educators, particularly as districts across the country see teacher vacancies spike following the pandemic. The district has felt the shortage
ä See TEACHER, page 5A
Venture capital fund targets Tulane alums
Startups, growing companies sought to bring work to La. BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
A new venture capital fund hopes to tap into Tulane University’s nationwide brand and active alumni network across the country to find both investors and startup companies worthy of a cash infusion. New Orleans-based 1834 Ventures on Monday announced the launch of its inaugural $20 million startup fund and its first two investments. Co-managing partners Patrick Hernandez and Evan Nicoll said they plan to leverage the alumni network of Nicoll’s alma mater, Tulane, to invest in and grow scalable ventures while encouraging them to bring their business to Louisiana.
ä See VENTURE, page 4A
National Guard begins arriving in D.C. The city’s police and federal stress is already falling noticeably. Troops part of Trump’s ing. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged to officials, projecting cooperation, took the first steps in an uneasy work alongside the federal officials takeover of law partnership to reduce crime in Trump has tasked with overseeing enforcement in city what President Donald Trump the city’s law enforcement, while
called — without substantiation — a lawless city. The influx came the morning after the Republican president Associated Press announced he would be activatWASHINGTON — The new picture of ing the guard members and taking law enforcement in the nation’s over the District’s police departcapital began taking shape Tues- ment, something the law allows day as some of the 800 National him to do temporarily. He cited a Guard members deployed by the crime emergency — but referred Trump administration began arriv- to the same crime that city officials
BY ASHRAF KHALIL and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
WEATHER HIGH 89 LOW 77 PAGE 8B
insisting the police chief remained in charge of the department and its officers. “How we got here or what we think about the circumstances — right now we have more police, and we want to make sure we use them,” she told reporters. The tone was a shift from the day
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE
Troops load boxes of rifle ammunition at the District of Columbia ä See GUARD, page 6A National Guard Headquarters on Tuesday.
Business ...................10A Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................8D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-7D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 1