The Times-Picayune 03-06-2026

TRUMP SAYS HE WANTSROLEINPICKINGIRAN’S SUPREME LEADER 4A

Noem outasheadofDHS

BY MICHELLE L. PRICE, REBECCA SANTANA and SEUNGMIN KIM Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his embattled HomelandSecurity Secretary Kristi Noem, after mounting criticism over her leadership of the department, includingthe handling of the administration’s immigrationcrackdown anddisaster response. Trump, who said he would nominateOklahomaRepublican Sen. Markwayne Mullin in her place, made the announcement on social mediaafter Noem faced atwo-day grilling on Capitol Hill this week from GOP members as well as Democrats.

“It’sdifferent

BY JONAHMEADOWS Staff writer

The Caesars Superdomewill play host this summer tothe inaugural championship of the XGames League, athree-day extreme sports competition expected to bringthousands of sports fans to the cityduring the typicallyslow summer season.

The event will be held July 24-26 and feature more than 100 athletes in 18 different competitions on thefloor of the Dome, which will be transformed intoa skate park, BMX bike course and motorcycle track

“Everywhere youlook,you’ll see the field of play,” said XGames CEO Jeremy Bloom on Thursday at abriefing on theevent withthe Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. “We’ll take up pretty much thewhole floor space.”

Organizers also plan to hold two nightsofconcerts at the Smoothie King Center,with headliners to be announced when tickets go on salelater this month.

Seating at the Superdome will bereduced for the event,with18,000 in the lower level and 2,000 on the floor itself.

Tourism boosters hope it will bring tens of thousands of visitors to town during the summerdoldrumswhen tourism dollars are badly needed. Butthey stoppedshort of predicting how many of downtown’s26,000hotel rooms they will fill for theinaugural edition of the event.

“Wedon’treally have how many people traveled last year to it,” said New Orleans SportsFoundation President Jay Cicero. “But our instinct is that there’sgoing to be close to20,000 people aday,maybe more, coming to New Orleans to attend theevent.”

In addition to the crowdsexpected at the Dome,there will be 13 hoursof television programming on ABC and ESPN showcasing thecity. And, with its core demographic aged

Noem’sdeparture marks astunning turnaround for aclose ally to thepresident who was tasked with steering his centerpiece policy of mass deportations. But she appeared to increasingly becomea liability for Trump, withquestions arising over her spending at her department and over her conduct in the aftermathofthe shooting deaths of two protesters in Minneapolis earlier this year Trump said Noem “has served us well,and hashad numerous and spectacular results (especially on the Border!).” He said he

ä See NOEM, page 8A

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTO Homeland Security SecretaryKristi Noem appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.

Oilfirmmay settle coastal lawsuits

Landry says ConocoPhillips nearsdeal, clearing way forfederal money

BY ALEXLUBBEN Staff writer

XGames

14 to 30, the XGames audience skews significantly younger than most other professional sports.

“It’sdifferentthan the15,000 orthopedic surgeons who are in town right

now,” said Walt Leger,CEO of New Orleans& Co. In contrast with eventslikethe Sugar

Gov.Jeff Landry announced Thursday that the state is nearing asettlement agreement with ConocoPhillips in lawsuits that seek to hold oil and gas companies accountable for polluting Louisiana’scoastal marshes and contributing to wetlands loss. ConocoPhillips is named in 13 of the 42 lawsuits. The suits are part of astatewide effort led by Baton Rouge attorney John Carmouche to hold oil companies financially responsible fordamage to coastal areas —litigation that has advanced to the U.S. Supreme Court in one case. The ConocoPhillips settlement followsothers that have already been made with Freeport-McMoRan, BP,Shell and Hilcorp. Landry’sannouncement on Thursday marks his strongest endorsement of the

ä See COASTAL, page 14A

City says programwould bringcosts it can’tafford

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

New Orleans officials are surrendering a $4 million federal grant to expand curbside recycling services to all households, saying they anticipate additional costs in connection with the program that the city simply cannot afford.

The program wasinitially seen as an effective waytoaddress meager recycling rates in New Orleans, where only 2% of household

See RECYCLING, page 14A

Spears suspected of driving under influence

LOS ANGELES Britney Spears was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs near her Southern California home and released, authorities said. A statement from Spears’ representative calls the arrest “inexcusable.”

The California Highway Patrol said officers received a report shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday that someone in a black BMW 430i was driving fast and erratically on U.S. 101 in Newbury Park.

The 44-year-old pop star the only person in the car, exited the freeway and pulled over, a CHP statement said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and was taken to a Ventura County jail, the CHP said. Chemical test results are pending and the case remains under investigation

“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” a statement from a Spears representative said “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether charges will be filed. Spears has a May 4 court date scheduled. Born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Spears was a teen pop phenomenon who became a defining superstar of the 1990s and 2000s.

Mom charged after girl shot with unsecured gun

DETROIT A Detroit mother was charged with a felony after her 6-year-old daughter died when she was left with her siblings in a vehicle outside a restaurant with an unsecured handgun, according to prosecutors

Tonya Johnson, 41, allegedly left her five children, ages 2 to 11 years old, unattended in her car Monday while she was inside a restaurant in Detroit, according to Wayne County prosecutors.

Her 11-year-old son found an unsecured gun in the vehicle and fired it, striking his 6-yearold sister in the head and killing her according to prosecutors.

“The alleged facts of this case are among the worst child safe storage cases that we have seen. This will affect these children forever The loss of the life of one of their siblings in a closed compartment of the defendant’s car cannot be unseen,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.

One of the children went into the store to alert the mother, but it was too late said Charles Fitzgerald, the first assistant Detroit police chief.

Johnson has been charged with a safe gun storage violation, three counts of second-degree child abuse and four counts of felony firearm.

Mass. trooper in $1,000 golf ball heist resigns

BOSTON A trooper, who had taken a plea deal after being accused of stealing more than a $1,000 worth of merchandise — including golf balls — from Target, no longer works for Massachusetts State Police.

Zachariah Kent resigned during an ongoing disciplinary process and received a dishonorable discharge, a State Police spokesperson confirmed to the Boston Herald on Thursday The State Police suspended Kent without pay in 2024 after the shoplifting accusations came to light.

Kent took an Alford plea deal last year which acknowledged that prosecutors had sufficient evidence but allowed him to avoid admitting guilt. As a part of the agreement, Kent paid Target $1,000 and is barred from entering their stores.

The Worcester Telegram and Gazette initially reported the shoplifting allegations from court records, which said that Kent had stolen the items using a method called skip-scanning — when a customer avoids ringing in some merchandise during self-checkout

Representative urged to end campaign

Gonzales admitted to having affair with a former staff member

BY LISA MASCARO and KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership are calling for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas to withdraw from his reelection race after he admitted having an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.

The Republican leadership announced its decision Thursday a day after Gonzales acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington, and after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his conduct.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents

and his colleagues,” said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”

Johnson, R-Benton, has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales.

The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House,

a rare step that requires a twothirds vote from the chamber GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats.

Their move came after Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.

Santos-Aviles, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.

“I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.

The congressman, now in his third term, has said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out.

Gonzales, a father of six first

Crews in Cuba rush to repair power plant

BY MILEXSY DURÁN Associated Press

HAVANA Swaths of Cuba remained without power on Thursday nearly a day after a huge blackout hit the western part of the island in the latest outage blamed on a fragile electric grid and a lack of fuel.

Crews worked overnight to repair a broken boiler at one of Cuba’s largest thermoelectric plants, but officials have warned that it could take three to four days for power to be fully restored.

State media reported that nearly

660,000 customers in Havana, or 77%, had power, as well as 43 hospitals and 10 water supply stations. However, officials warned of low power generation and said some circuits that crews had reconnected were kicked offline again.

Millions still remained without power, including Miguel Leyva, 65, who lives with his mother and brother, both of whom are ill.

“I have no words to describe what I’m going through: the heat, the mosquitoes and no electricity The food could spoil,” he said. “I’m aware of all the problems that exist, but listen, it’s been more than 24 hours now.”

Cuba’s Ministry of Energy and Mines wrote on X that the electrical system is operating “in a limited capacity pri-

oritizing basic services, primarily health and water supply.”

State media reported that two power plants are offline because of a lack of petroleum.

Government officials said Wednesday afternoon that crews have located the crack in the boiler drum that led to the outage. They said it will take 12 hours to cool that area so crews can enter the furnace and start repairing it. Work already is underway to fix a pipe that also is damaged, officials added.

Sonia Vázquez, 61, said the blackout didn’t stop her from selling coffee to passersby daily saying she prepared it with gas at 5 a.m. under a rechargeable lamp. “I didn’t sleep last night. Too many mosquitoes,” said Vázquez, who lives with her grandson.

Meanwhile, 57-year-old cafe owner José Ignacio Dorta said that some of his frozen food has spoiled.

“We’ve looked for ways to prevent further spoilage. We’re working on it. We hope nothing else will spoil,” he said.

In January, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that he would impose tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba.

Last month, Cuba’s government implemented austere fuel-saving measures and warned that jet fuel wouldn’t be available at nine airports until mid-March.

says Cuba ‘is going to fall’

BY NORA GÁMEZ TORRES Miami Herald (TNS)

President Donald Trump sounded confident Thursday that regime change might soon come to Cuba and said the country’s leadership is trying to cut a deal with the United States.

“Cuba’s going to fall, too,” he told the news outlet Politico in a phone interview “We cut off all oil, all money, or we cut off everything coming in from Venezuela, which was the sole source. And they want to make a deal.

“How long have you been hearing about Cuba, Cuba, Cuba for 50 years?” Trump added.

“And that’s one of the small ones for me.”

This is the first time

Trump has mentioned that Cuba has expressed an interest in reaching an agreement with the U.S.

For weeks, Trump has said his administration is in talks with leaders on the island, but Cuba has been particularly silent about the ongoing discussions.

Cuban diplomats first denied the talks, then called them “speculation.”

Shortly after the capture of Venezuela’s strongman Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, Trump said he wanted the communistruled island to reach a deal with the United States “BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he said on social media in January

After cutting oil supplies to Cuba from Venezuela, he threatened Mexico and other suppliers with tar-

iffs. The country’s handpicked president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, announced harsh austerity measures on the population in an attempt to “resist” U.S. pressure.

But the Trump administration has sidelined Díaz-Canel, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has engaged in backchannel conversations with a grandson of Raúl Castro, the island’s ultimate ruler, and other people.

On Friday, Trump hinted that the conversations with Cuban leaders were progressing.

“They’re in a big deal of trouble, as you know, they have no money,” he said. “But they’re talking with us, and maybe we’ll have a friendly takeover of Cuba.”

won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, he was forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 primary In his interview broadcast Wednesday, Gonzales said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024 and she died in September 2025.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said. Gonzales went on to say he reconciled with his wife, Angel, and has asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation. Johnson and GOP leadership urged that committee to “act expeditiously.”

Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

U.S., Venezuela agree to reestablish diplomatic relations

By The Associated Press

CARACAS The United States and Venezuela agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a major shift in a historically adversarial relationship, the State Department said on Thursday

The move comes after rounds of Trump administration officials have visited the South American nation following a U.S. military operation that deposed former President Nicolás Maduro in January Since then, the Trump administration has been stepping up pressure on Maduro loyalists now in power to accept its vision for the oil rich nation.

Relations between the two countries were cut off following another geopolitical debacle in 2019, during the first Trump administration. The U.S. Embassy was closed and diplomatic staff moved to neighboring Colombia.

The State Department said in a statement that

talks between the countries were “focused on helping the Venezuelan people move forward through a phased process that creates the conditions for a peaceful transition to a democratically elected government.”

Since the unprecedented U.S offensive in Venezuela, the Trump administration has pushed the government to open its oil sector to foreign companies. The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, formerly Maduro’s vice president, approved an amnesty law that would enable to release of politicians, activists, lawyers and many others, effectively acknowledging that the government has held hundreds of people in prison for political motivations.

On Sunday, Venezuela’s top opposition leader and winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize María Corina Machado said that she will return to Venezuela in the coming weeks and that elections will be held.

CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Trumpwants role in pickingIran’sleader

BY JON GAMBRELL, DAVID RISING, ELENA BECATOROS and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates U.S.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he should be involved in choosing Iran’s next supreme leaderasthe U.S. and Israel hammered the country for asixth day. Iran kept up retaliatory attacks on Israel,Americanbasesand countries around the region.

Trump ruled out Mojtaba Khamenei, afront-runnertoreplace hisfather,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killedinthe opening strikes of the war. Trump’s comments to the American news website Axios were likely to renew questions about whether the U.S. and Israel seek the overthrow of the Islamic Republic or just a change in its policies,asthe conflicthas appeared increasingly open-ended.

The war has escalated each day, affecting an additional14countries across the Middle East and beyond. On Thursday,Azerbaijan accused Iran of drone attacks, which Tehran denied. Iran said the U.S. would “bitterlyregret” torpedoing an Iranian warship.

Israel issued amass evacuation warning for Beirut’ssouthern suburbs as the fighting escalated with Iran-allied Hezbollah militants.

All the while, the U.S. andIsrael have batteredIran with nationwide strikes, targeting their military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program.

Iran’sattacks have targeted their Arab neighbors, disrupted oil supplies and snarled global air travel.The warhas killed at least 1,230 peopleinIran, more than120 in Lebanon and around adozen in Israel, according to officialsin those countries. Six U.S. troops have been killed.

ComparisontoVenezuela

In the Axios interview,Trump derided the 56-year-oldMojtaba Khamenei, who has never been

elected or appointed to agovernment position, as “a lightweight.”

“Wewant someone that will bring harmonyand peace to Iran,”

Trumpsaid

“I have to be involved in the appointment,like withDelcy in Venezuela,”said Trump, referring to theactingpresident in the South American country.Delcy Rodríguez took power in Januaryafter aU.S. military operation captured Nicolás Maduro andwhisked him to the U.S. to facefederal drug conspiracy charges.

Israel’sdefense minister,Israel Katz, said this week that Iran’s next supreme leader—ifhecontinuestothreatenIsrael,the U.S. and others —“will be atarget for elimination.”

Iran remains defiant Iranian Foreign MinisterAbbas Araghchi onThursday denied

reports that Tehran has been in contact with the U.S. to push for a ceasefire.

“Wedon’t see anyreasonwhy we should negotiate withthe U.S.,” Araghchi toldNBC News. “When we negotiatedwiththemtwice, and every time they attacked us in themiddle of negotiations.”

Araghchi also accused the U.S. Navy of committing “anatrocity at sea” forsinkingthe Iranianfrigate IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean, killing at least 87 people.

“The U.S. will come tobitterly regret(the)precedent it has set,” he said on social media.

TheIranian ship was returningfrom an exercise hostedby theIndian navy that theU.S. also joined. Sri Lankan authorities said 32 crew memberswererescued. Araghchi said it had been carrying “almost 130” crew An Iranian cleric later called on

U.S. Housenarrowlyrejects Iran warpowersresolution

BY LISA MASCARO, STEPHEN GROVES and MARYCLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON TheHouse narrowlyrejected awar powers resolutionThursday to halt President Donald Trump’sattacks onIran, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflictthat is reordering U.S. priorities at home andabroad. It’s the second vote in as manydays, after the Senate defeated asimilar measure along party lines. Lawmakersare confrontingthe sudden reality of representing wary Americans in wartime and all that entails —with lives lost, dollars spent andalliances tested by apresident’sunilateral decision to go to war with Iran.

While the tally in the House,212-219, was expected to be tight, theoutcome provided aclarifying snapshot of politicalsupportfor, and opposition to, the U.S.-Israel military operation and Trump’srationale for bypassing Congress, which alonehas the power to declarewar

“Donald Trump is not aking, and if he believes the warwith Iran is in ournational interest, then he mustcometoCongress and makethe case,”said Rep. GregoryMeeks, the top Democratonthe House Foreign Affairs Committee. House Speaker MikeJohnson warned that it would be “dangerous” to limit the president’sauthoritywhilethe U.S. military is already in conflict.

“Weare not at war,” said Johnson, R-Benton, aclose ally of Trump. He said the operation is limited in scope and duration,and the “mission is nearly accomplished.”

Sticking with Trump

Trump’sRepublicanParty, which narrowly controls the House and Senate, largely sees the conflictwith Iran notas the startof anew war,but the end of agovernmentthat has long menaced the West. The operation has killed Iran’sSupremeLeader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, which someview as an opportunity for regime change, though others warn of achaotic power vacuum.

RepublicanRep. Brian Mast of Florida, chairman of theHouseForeign Affairs Committee, publicly thanked Trump for taking action againstIran, saying the president is using hisown constitutional authority to defend the U.S. against the “imminent threat” the country posed Mast, an Army veteranwho worked as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan, said the war powers resolution was effectively asking “that the presidentdonothing.” For Democrats, Trump’sattack on Iran, influenced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin

Netanyahu, is awar of choice that is testing the balance of powers in theConstitution.

“Theframersweren’tfooling around,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.,arguing that the Constitution is clear that only Congress can decidematters of war.“It’suptous.

While views in Congress are largely falling along party lines, there are crossover coalitions.The war powers resolution, if signedinto law, would have immediately halted Trump’sability to conduct the war unless Congress approved the military action. Thepresident would likely veto it.

Shifting rationale forwar

After launching asurpriseattack against Iran on Saturday,Trumphas scrambled to win support for aconflict that Americansof all political persuasions were already wary of entering. Trump administration officials spenthours behind closed doorsonCapitol Hill this week trying to reassure lawmakers that they have thesituation under control.

SixU.S.militarymembers were killed over theweekendina drone strike in Kuwait, and Trump has said more Americans coulddie.Thousands of Americans abroad have scrambled for flights, manylighting up phone lines at congressional offices as they sought help trying to flee theMiddle East.

Trump said Thursdayhemustbeinvolved in choosing Iran’snew leader.Yet Johnson said this week that America has enough problems at home and is not about to be in the“nation-building business.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethsaid that thewar could extendtoeight weeks, twice as long as thepresident first estimated. Trump hasleft open thepossibility of sendingU.S. troops into what has largely been a bombing campaign by air. More than 1,230 people in Iran have died.

The administration said the goal is to destroy Iran’sballistic missiles thatitbelieves are shielding its nuclear program.Ithas also saidIsrael was ready to act, andAmerican bases would face retaliation if the U.S. did not strike Iran first

“This administration can’t even give us a straight answer of as to why we launched this preemptive war,” said Rep. Thomas Massie,R-Ky an outlier in his party

Massieand Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., pushed the war powers resolution to the floor, pastobjectionsfromJohnson’sGOP leadership.

Johnson has warned that it would be “dangerous” to limit the president’s authority while the U.S. military is already in conflict.

“Congress must stand with the president to finally close, once and forall, this dark chapterofhistory,” said Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas.

state television for the shedding of both Israeli and “Trump’sblood.”

The statementfrom Ayatollah Abdollah JavadiAmolirepresented ararecallfor violence by an ayatollah, one of ShiiteIslam’s highest clericalranks. There are dozens in Iran.

Sri Lanka said another Iranian warship wasanchored near its coastonThursday and morethan 200 sailors werebeing escorted to anaval base on the outskirts of the capital, Colombo. The ship will be taken to aSri Lankan port, said Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Thewar keepsexpanding

The Israeli military carried out awave of strikes on Iran’sballisticmissilelaunchsites,and its topgeneral said that80% of Iran’s air defenses and60% of itsmissile launchers had been destroyed.

Featherweight Scooter

Still, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said: “The threat has not yet been removed.”

Israel said holy sites in Jerusalem’sOld City would be closed Fridayafter airsirens warned of missile attacks Thursday in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Closures include Christianity’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre and Judaism’s Western Wall. They will also affect tensofthousands of Muslimswho pray at the compound on Fridays during Ramadan.

The U.S. State Department announced it wasclosing the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait, which activated air defense systems after missiles were shot toward it.

Iran has fired waves of missiles and drones at the American-allied Gulf country since the start of the war.AnIranian dronestrike Sunday killedsix American soldiers in Kuwait.

In theUnited Arab Emirates, a drone wasshot down near the Al Dhafra Air Base, which hosts U.S. forces. Shrapnel fell to the ground, authoritiessaid, andsix people were wounded.

Qatarevacuated residents near the U.S. Embassy in Doha as a temporary precautionand later reported amissile attack. Saudi Arabia said it destroyed adrone in aprovince bordering Jordan. Bahrain said an Iranian missile hit astate-run oilrefinery Thursday,sparking afire that was extinguished. The refinery wasstill working, it said, and there wereno reports of casualties.

Azerbaijan’sPresident Ilham Aliyev accusedIranofcarrying out “a groundless act of terror and aggression” after adrone crashed Thursday near the airport in Nakhchivan, aregion bordering Iran. Another drone fell near aschool. Aliyev said the military had been instructed “to prepare andimplementretaliatory measures.”

Iran denied it launched drones toward Azerbaijan. Iran has also repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructureand othercivilian targets,evenasits missiles and drones have hit such sites.

Senate panel backs Anna St. John for N.O. federal bench

Party-line vote sends nominee to full vote

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON On a party-line vote Thursday, the Republican majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee recommended the full Senate confirm Anna St. John as a judge in the federal district court in New Orleans.

Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, praised all the candidates the committee approved as highly qualified. “I’m confident that all four of our nominees will make excellent judges,” he said All 10 Democratic members voted against forwarding St. John’s nomination to the full Senate. All 12 Republicans on the panel, including Sen John Kennedy, RMadisonville, voted in favor — a crucial step toward her confirmation to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, which covers 13 parishes in the southeast part of the state.

Should the full Senate confirm

her appointment, only one vacancy will remain on the 12-judge Eastern District bench. The vacancies for the 10 judgeships in the other two Louisiana districts have been filled.

A 46-year-old Gulfport, Mississippi, native who graduated from LSU and Columbia University School of Law, St. John is counsel in a small, boutique New Orleans law firm and general counsel with the Hamilton Lincoln Law Institute, a Washington-based conservative advocacy group.

St. John’s nomination attracted much more opposition than other candidates forwarded by the panel Thursday and also when compared with other judicial nominees from Louisiana.

Sen Dick Durbin, of Illinois, the highest ranked Democratic member, spoke out against St. John and another of the judicial nominees.

“Ms. St. John’s record reflects a partisan ideology and raises serious questions about her ability to impartially administer justice,”

Durbin said

He faulted her work in challenging class action settlements, speaking against “wokeism,” and filing

“friend of the court” briefs in politically charged cases St John also has criticized court precedents that protect journalists from being sued by public officials, he said.

St. John said on the institute’s website that she has objected to unfair class-action settlements in multiple district courts, “and argued against excessive attorneys’ fee requests, leading to the return of over $100 million in settlement funds to class members.”

Class action lawsuits combine into one case all the plaintiffs raising similar claims against the same defendant.

Durbin also recalled that St John had opposed bipartisan legislation that exempted sexual harassment victims in the workplace from having their complaints considered behind closed doors in a process known as forced arbitration. Many employers require in employment contracts that their workers agree to that method to resolve disputes.

Former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson opposed St. John’s confirmation in February.

Carlson was a leading advocate for “Ending Forced Arbitration of

Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act,” which became law in February 2022. In one of the first cases of the 2016 #MeToo movement, Carlson accused Fox News Chair Roger Ailes of sexually harassing her Fox settled the lawsuit for undisclosed terms and publicly apologized. Carlson said St John “used her power and influence to gaslight” women who had come forward with complaints of workplace sexual harassment “She downplayed their stories and minimized their pain,” Durbin said, reading from a Carlson quote.

During her nomination hearing in February St. John pushed back on Carlson’s criticism saying, “I certainly did not minimize their stories.” St. John said her testimony against the legislation was to inform lawmakers that arbitration often can result in higher financial recoveries.

Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond School of Law professor who closely watches federal judicial nominations, noted that St John received more criticism than most Louisiana judicial candidates. The

only other nominee universally opposed by Democrats on ideological grounds was former state Supreme Court Judge Will Crain, who was confirmed for the federal bench in December

For the most part, Kennedy has recommended to President Donald Trump Louisiana nominees with extensive litigation experience, he said.

“They trust Kennedy,” Tobias said. “By and large, I think he gets pretty decent people who know their way around a courtroom.”

That St. John cleared the committee with only Republican votes despite unusually strong concerns indicates to Tobias that she still will get the votes necessary to join the federal bench. The full Senate has 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.

“I’d be really shocked if she didn’t get confirmed. But I’d also be shocked if she got any Democratic votes It’s just kind of trench warfare that’s the state of judicial selection these days,” he added.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.

House squashes effort to force release of Ethics Committee files

BY NINA HELLER CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON Lawmakers on Wednesday sidestepped an effort by Rep. Nancy Mace aimed at publicly releasing documents related to sexual harassment allegations investigated by the House Ethics Committee.

The South Carolina Republican had moved to force a vote on the floor, but instead the House opted to refer her resolution to the Ethics Committee, where it has little chance of advancing.

Earlier in the day, Reps. Michael Guest and Mark DeSaulnier, chair and ranking member of the committee, argued Mace’s proposal “could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations.”

“Victims may be retraumatized by public disclosures of interim

only speak to the Committee confidentially or on condition of future anonymity, could fear retaliation if their cooperation is made public,” Guest, R-Miss., and DeSaulnier, DCalif., wrote in a statement.

Most House members appeared to accept that reasoning, with 182 Democrats joining 175 Republicans in favor of the motion to refer

The final tally was 357-65.

The push from Mace to release the internal files is part of a larger movement for accountability backed by several rank-and-file Republicans like Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., including a law last year that dislodged documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It’s an effort that’s put them at odds with the rest of their party, years after the #MeToo movement roiled Capitol Hill. Their calls have louder

staffer who later died by suicide.

On Wednesday morning, the Ethics Committee announced it had launched a sexual misconduct probe of the Texas Republican, who has previously denied wrongdoing.

Mace said the public should be allowed to see exactly how lawmakers are investigating sexual misconduct within their own ranks, adding that her proposal includes directions to redact personally identifiable information of victims, alleged victims and witnesses.

“It’s not just the investigations that have concluded. It’s ones that are ongoing right now, and quite frankly, I don’t give a damn. So this has been a hidden secret for a long time,” Mace said. Her push comes as she is also running in a crowded GOP primary for governor of South Carolina and she herself has attracted

related to her Washington, D.C., lodgings

While Mace and others have called on Gonzales to step down, the Texas Republican told CNN he would not resign, saying, “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”

House rules prohibit members from engaging in a “sexual relationship” with a staffer

Speaker Mike Johnson, who is working with a slim Republican majority, said Gonzales should address the matter with his constituents back home and no one should jump the gun.

“None of this is proven yet. I mean, we’ve been consistent about this, whether it involves Republicans or Democrats. We have to let the due processes play out, and the investigations play out. That’s been my position all along,” he said Wednesday afternoon. efforts fo

ment Reform Committee hearing Wednesday over fraud allegations in Minnesota, she offered a motion to subpoena the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights for certain settlement records.

The motion, which the panel agreed to by voice vote, would subpoena the OCWR for information regarding all awards or settlements paid from a fund established by the Congressional Accountability Act to provide compensation for violations of workplace rights in the legislative branch made prior to December 2018.

The subpoena would only apply to settlements made in relation to allegations against members of Congress, however An amendment offered by Oversight ranking member Robert Garcia, D-Calif., excluded staff-related settlements from disclosure, though it would require the total

Homeland Security fundingbillfalters againinSenate

Republicanswarn of Iran risk

BY KEVIN FREKING Associated Press

WASHINGTON Republicans invokedthe war in Iranand the prospect of retaliatory terrorist attacks as they made another unsuccessful effort Thursdaytopass abill funding the Department of Homeland Security Democrats are insisting on changes to immigrationenforcement operations as part of the measure andblockeditfrom advancing. The procedural vote was 51-45,falling well short of the60 that Republicans needed to proceed with the measure. The House also took upthe bill on Thursday,passing it 221-209, but in the end, abipartisancompromise will have to be reached to end aDHS shutdown that began Feb. 14.

Thefunding bill first passedthe House backinJanuary,but it has gone nowhere in the Senateas Democrats seek new restraintson immigration enforcement tactics following the killing of ICU nurse AlexPretti by Border Patrol officers in Minneapolis.

Republicans have called on Democratstoreconsider their vote in thewakeofthe conflict in Iran.

Sen. John Barrasso,the No.2Republican in the Senate, said Democratswould bear responsibility for the next cyberattack that is missed or the next “lone wolfterrorist” whoattacksinthe U.S.

“Blood will be ontheir hands,” Barrasso said on the Senatefloor

It did not appear theGOP’s strategy had changed theposition of Democratic lawmakers, though. They said they are prepared to fund most of the agencies in the department, justnot Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection.

“It’s thesame lousy,rotten bill that does notput anyguardrails or constraints on ICE or CBP after federal agents shot American citizens in thestreet,” said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. Momentsbefore thevote, senators were gettingwordthatPresident Donald Trumphad just fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. The news did not change Democrats’ resolve to force operational changes within the department through thespending bill.

“Good riddance,” saidSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “But the problems at ICE transcend any one individual.”

Following the longest federal shutdown in the country’shistory last year,Congress has completed workon11ofthis year’s12appropriations bills. Only thebill for Homeland Security remains outstanding.

Republicans said thetiming couldn’t be worse for aHomeland Securityshutdown. While alarge

majority of the department’semployees areconsidered essential andcontinue to work, many will notreceive afull paycheck this week.

“Like Democrats’ first shutdown afew months ago, this shutdown is causing alot of financialstress, uncertainty,and pain for hardworking Americans,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said. “It’salso making it harderfor those working to keep America safe.”

Republicans saidthe prospect of an increase in unscheduled absences by theTransportation Security Administration’s agents could lead to longer wait times at the nation’sairports. Meanwhile theCybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has canceled various assessments to determine vulnerabilities to criticalinfrastructure. And training for first responders conducted through the Federal Emergency Management Agency was canceled.

Democrats are seeking several

changesatthe departmentthat include prohibiting ICE enforcement operations at sensitive locations like schoolsand churches, allowing independent investigations into allegedwrongdoing, requiring warrants to be signed by judges before federalagents can forcibly enter private homes or other nonpublic spaces without consent, and requiring agents to wear identification andremove their masks.

Republicansnote that thebill does include abipartisan provision directing moreresources fordeescalation training and $20 million to outfit immigration enforcement agents with body-worn cameras.

The White House andcongressional Democrats don’tappear to have made significantprogress in recentweeksinresolving their differences after trading offers.

“Look, we’re still far apart, but we’re negotiating and exchanging paperback andforth,” Schumer said.

was making her a“SpecialEnvoy for The Shieldofthe Americas,” anew securityinitiative that he saidwould focus on the Western Hemisphere.

Noem, who appeared at alaw enforcement event in Nashville,Tennessee, momentsafter Trump’s announcement, did notaddress herouster there. She read from preparedremarksand wasnot asked by attendees about the development.

Later,inasocial mediapost,she thanked Trump for thenew appointment and touted her accomplishments as secretary

“Wehave made historic accomplishments at the Department of Homeland SecuritytomakeAmerica safe again,” she wrote.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said theadministration will work with the GOP-led Senate to get Mullin, whom she called“extraordinarily qualified,” confirmed to lead DHS “as soon as possible.”

Noemisthe first Cabinetsecretary to leave during Trump’ssecond term. Her tenure looked increasingly short-lived after hearings in Congress this week where she faced rare but blisteringcriticism from Republican lawmakers. One particularpoint of scrutiny was a$220 million ad campaign

makershad been anticipating the secretary’seventualouster,particularly after her handling of the immigration enforcement crackdown in Minneapolis.

As theytried to end the ongoing Homeland Security shutdown, SenateRepublicans had noted privately to Democratic senators that Noem was likely on her way out and that that shouldprompt Democrats to move forward with agreeing to fund thedepartment again, according to twopeople familiar with the discussions.

Democrats did not see that as an actual concession by Republicans, considering Noem was becoming a political liability forthe GOP, said thepeople, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations.

areshuffling of the enablers of the agenda of President Trump,” said Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’sVoice, an advocacy group. She said Noem’s tenure was “marked by cruelty.” Gregory Bovino,a Border Patrol official who was elevated under Noem’swatch to lead immigration crackdowns in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, wasone of the fewwho applauded Noem’stenure.

Bowl or theFinal Four,which appeal to fans of aspecific school or team, extreme sport athletes have their own brands as individuals.

“The content, the social media presence, the streaming capabilities that each of theseathletes brings with them,and the opportunity for our community to show up in their algorithms, intheir social channels andintheir places,” Leger said. “That can influence the way that awhole generation of people see our community.”

ESPN launchedthe XGamesin 1995, ashowcase of races and acrobatic tricks on ramps and rails involving BMX bikes, skateboards and motocross bikes. Thenetwork added awinter edition in 1997 and

featuring Noem that encouraged peopleinthe country illegally to leave voluntarily

Noem told lawmakers that Trumpwas aware of the campaign in advance, but Trumpdisputed thatinaninterview Thursday with Reuters, saying hedid not sign off on theadcampaign. Noem hasfaced waves of criticism as she’soverseen Trump’s immigration crackdown, especiallysincethe shooting deaths of thetwo protesters in Minneapolis at thehandsofimmigration enforcement officers. In the immediateaftermathofthe deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, Noemportrayedbothofthemas aggressors, contradicting widely

owned ituntil 2022, when it sold the competition to private equity firm MSPSportsCapital.

Instead of holding asingleannual summer and winter edition, the new owners are expanding the XGames to aleague format with adraft, teams and three weekends of events in different cities.

“It’s amassive, massive brand, and for 30 years, it’sbeen one event per year,” Bloom said. “One event per year is not agreat way to build fandom.”

With more events comes more opportunities for rivalries or storylines, for fantasy leagues and for sports betting —all appealing opportunities for thenew ownership to growrevenue.

“I think they saw the opportunities, and we’ve never seen abrand this big that hasn’tbeen modernized. That’sreally the goal, to modernize thesports,” said Bloom, a

viewed videos and descriptions of their deaths from bystanders. She declined to apologizefor her descriptionovertwo days of Congressional testimony.

Theformer South Dakota governor was also criticized over the way her department has spent billions of dollars allocated to it by Congress.

Herdepartment, DHS, has been at the center of afunding battle in Congress over immigration enforcementtactics and hasbeen shut down for 20 days, although many of the employees are continuing to work, often without pay Even before Noem’sappearance before key congressional committees this week, Republican law-

two-time Olympian andformer professional football player who took over as CEO in 2024.

Thenew leaguewill debut with four 10-person teams based in New York,Los Angeles, SaoPaulo and Tokyo.

Sacramento will host thefirst X Games under thenew league format in the last weekend of June. The second is scheduled forthe first weekend of July in Japan before itsfirst championship event in New Orleans at the end of the month—coming the weekend afterTales of the Cocktail andweeks before thefirst Saintspreseason game.

Organizers have determined thecities for the 2027 summer series, though thefirst winter hosts have yet been finalized. Currently, XGames staffare reviewing 30 bids from cities looking tohost the events for 2028-2030, Bloom said.

Asidefrom immigration, Noem also faced criticism —including from Republicans —over the pace of emergency funding approved through theFederal Emergency Management Agencyand forthe Trump administration’sresponse to disasters.

Critics welcomed Noem’sdeparture.Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote “good riddance” on social media, asentiment echoed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer

Some immigration activists questioned whether her departure would change the execution of an immigration agenda that they fundamentallydisagree with.

“This is notaccountability, just

Local tourism boosters hope New Orleans can be under consideration for futureeditionsofthe summer XGames to help buttress business during the slowest time of year

“Something that we trytodo, annually,isbeaggressive in the opportunity space, as we callit— thatisthe months of July,August and September —tobring events that have impact,” Cicero said.

The XGames League championship booking, finalizedwithin the past six months, cametogether with “unprecedented” speed comparedtoSuperBowlsorNCAA Final Fours that are awarded to host cities severalyears out, Leger said.

Nonetheless, the Louisiana Legislature hasalreadyincludeditas an eligible use of the state’sMajor Events Incentive Fund, which last year granted $7 million to the LIV

“She is the best secretary Iever workedfor,period. The others weren’teven close. Noem is the ultimate patriot,” Bovino told The Associated Press. Mullinwould need to be confirmed by the Senate, but under afederal lawgoverning executive branch vacancies, he would be allowedtoserve as an acting HomelandSecurity secretary as long as his nomination is formally pending.

Voting in theSenate just after Trump’sannouncement, Mullin said he has “no idea” how quickly his nomination will move.

“The president and Iare good friends. So we lookforward to working closer withthe White House, andobviouslyI’m gonna be over there alot more,” he said. Mullin wouldtakeoverthe thirdlargestdepartmentingovernment that has responsibility for carrying out Trump’shardline immigration agenda. And he would assume theroleatapivotaltime forthat agenda.

Golf League event coming in June, $2 million to theHondo Rodeo set for April and $1.5 milliontothe Ultimate Fighting Championship’s UFC318 held last July Leger and Cicero won’tsay how much they will seek from the Legislature or whether NewOrleans would bid to host another X GamesLeaguechampionshipin the future.

“Ultimately,wewant the event to be so good that they want to be back with us, and certainlyhope thesameistruefor therodeo and all these otherevents that you see coming together—particularly important as we getthrough the spring and into the summer months,” Leger said.

“When you think about June and July andAugust events, we want those to succeed on their own, but we also hope to be laying afoundation forfuture events as well.”

Man charged with aggravated murder in 3 deaths in Utah

BY COLLEEN SLEVIN, HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, SARAH BRUMFIELD and GEORGE FREY Associated Press

TORREY, Utah An Iowa man faces three counts of aggravated murder in southern Utah where authorities said Thursday that he killed a woman, stole her vehicle and drove it to a nearby trailhead where he killed two more women before fleeing in one of their vehicles.

The series of events happened late Wednesday afternoon in small ranching and farming communities that bustle with tourists in the summer because of the proximity to national parks.

Ivan Miller, 22, confessed to killing the three women after he was arrested in Colorado, saying he did it to steal their cars and credit cards because he needed money to get back to Iowa, charging documents show He had hit an elk a few days earlier in Utah and was without a vehicle after selling his truck to the tow company.

After staying in hotels for a few days, he said he eventually spent the night in a shed on the property of the first woman he’s accused of killing and stole her Buick af-

ter shooting her inside her home, Wayne County prosecutors said in court documents.

Miller told authorities that he quickly realized he did not like the Buick and wanted a different vehicle, according to the documents. He parked it at a nearby trailhead, saw two women get out of a Subaru and killed them before taking the car, the documents state.

He attempted to conceal their bodies in a dry creek bed, prosecutors allege.

Officials have not released the names of the victims.

Authorities were alerted to the killings by the husbands of the hikers who went to the trail near Capitol Reef National Park looking

for them, said Lt. Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol. The husbands told authorities a vehicle was missing from the trailhead.

Investigators were combing the site Thursday that is partially shielded from a paved road by piñon and juniper trees, and other vegetation.

Roden said authorities discovered the first woman who was killed after identifying the owner of the Buick. Police cordoned off the brick home in Lyman and an outbuilding with yellow tape while investigators gathered evidence Thursday Down the road nearby, the authorities were combing through a tree-covered area.

The body of the first woman, who officials said was in her 80s, was found in a cellar under a shed on her property, according to court documents

Authorities used license plate readers and vehicle tracking services to follow Miller’s path, from Utah through northern Arizona and into the mountain town of Pagosa Springs in southwestern Colorado, where he abandoned the stolen vehicle, Roden said. He was found after a short search.

According to online jail records,

Miller was being held on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, a misdemeanor He was arrested in Colorado with a knife and a .45-caliber pistol, according to court documents, and was scheduled to make his first court appearance in the state Friday afternoon.

Miller is being represented by the Colorado Public Defender’s office, said Justin Bogan, who heads the office in the judicial district that covers Pagosa Springs. Bogan declined to comment further

The Associated Press left a message for the public defender’s office in Utah late Thursday afternoon. Investigators have not yet found a motive for the killings and do not believe the suspect targeted the women for any other reason other than just “convenience,” Roden said. He said there is no indication that Miller had any connection to the victims. Investigators were still looking into when Miller arrived in Utah and what he was doing prior to the killings.

Officials said the hikers were friends in their 30s and 60s and had no connection to the other woman who lived in a home in Wayne County about 10 miles from the trail.

Wis. man who killed parents to fund Trump assassination attempt gets life

BY TODD RICHMOND Associated Press

WAUKESHA,Wis.— A Wisconsin teenager who killed his parents and stole their money to fund his plan to kill President Donald Trump with a bomb dropped from a drone was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday

Nikita Casap 18 pleaded guilty in January to two counts of firstdegree intentional homicide in Waukesha County Circuit Court in connection with the shooting deaths of his mother, Tatiana Casap, and stepfather, Donald Mayer, in 2025. Prosecutors dropped seven other charges in a plea deal, including two counts of hiding a corpse and theft

First-degree intentional homicide carries a mandatory life sentence. The only question as Judge Ralph Ramirez began the sentencing hearing Thursday afternoon was whether he would make Casap

eligible for parole at some point. Calling Casap’s offenses “horrific” and “inexplicable,” Ramirez ultimately handed down two life sentences with no chance at extended supervision, the term the Wisconsin criminal justice system uses for parole. The judge said he didn’t have a “crystal ball” that would tell him when Casap would change, if ever

“I choose to find he’s not eligible for extended release because I do not know when and if and whether a profound and significant change can occur,” Ramirez said.

According to a criminal complaint, investigators believe Casap shot his stepfather and mother at their home in the village of Waukesha on or around Feb. 11, 2025.

He lived with the decomposing bodies for two weeks before fleeing across the country in his stepfather’s SUV with $14,000 in cash, jewelry, passports, his stepfather’s gun and the family dog, according

to the complaint. He was eventually arrested during a traffic stop in Kansas on Feb. 28 after four days on the run.

Federal authorities have accused Casap of planning his parents’ murders, buying a drone and explosives and sharing his plans with others, including a Russian speaker They said in a federal search warrant that he wrote a manifesto calling for Trump’s assassination and was in touch with others about his plot to overthrow the U.S. government

“The killing of his parents appeared to be an effort to obtain the financial means and autonomy necessary to carrying out his plan,” that warrant said.

Detectives found several messages on Casap’s cellphone from January 2025 in which Casap asks how long he will have to hide before he is relocated to Ukraine. An unknown individual responded in Russian, the complaint said, but the document doesn’t say what

that person told Casap In another message Casap asks: “So while in Ukraine, I’ll be able to live a normal life? Even if it’s found out I did it?”

District Attorney Lesli Boese told the judge Thursday that Casap was too dangerous to ever be released from prison.

Pulling from an interview Casap gave to the FBI, Boese said that Casap and his mother moved to the United States from the Republic of Moldova when Casap was a gradeschooler but he became increasingly addicted to what she called “disturbing websites” as he grew older She didn’t elaborate, but at one point said he had been researching serial killers and school shootings.

Boese said Casap developed a plan in late 2024 to target Trump with an AK-47 rifle attached to a drone. The teen later decided he wanted to drop explosives on Trump from a drone and then flee by ship to Ukraine, where he planned to hide for a decade, ac-

cording to the district attorney. Casap told agents he wouldn’t have cared how many people around Trump got hurt during the assassination attempt. He started talking with two people online who offered to sell him the drone and the explosives. He sent one of them $8,700 in bitcoin from his stepfather Mayer’s account without realizing they were scamming him and there was never a drone or any explosives, Boese said.

Casap gave a tearful speech, saying that he loved his mother and he was worried about her all the time, even when she was reaching for something on a high shelf. He said he wasn’t as close with Mayer, but Mayer still treated him like a son. But he became obsessed with hateful thoughts.

“I thought I was part of a revolution,” he said “I thought I was part of a war I told myself bad things had to happen.”

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

MrBeast editor accused of insider trading, fired NEW YORK Beast Industries

fired a MrBeast video editor this week following accusations of insider trading by the prediction market operator Kalshi Kalshi announced last month that a user who traded about $4,000 on streaming markets related to MrBeast videos with “near-perfect” success turned out to be an employee of Beast Industries who “likely had access to material nonpublic information.” Kalshi suspended the editor from its platform for two years, fined him $20,000 and alerted federal regulators.

A spokesperson for Beast Industries, founded by Jimmy Donaldson, said the roughly 500-person company has “no tolerance for this behavior” and has initiated an independent investigation. Jeff Housenbold, the company’s president and CEO, told CNBC that he’d taken action several months ago to bar trading by MrBeast employees and contestants for Beast Games, Donaldson’s popular Amazon Prime reality-competition show.

Kalshi is one of several popular platforms that allow participants to wager on the probable outcome of events. Bets can be placed on everything from the Super Bowl halftime show to the downfall of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Morgan Stanley to lay off about 3% of workers

NEW YORK Morgan Stanley is laying off roughly 2,500 employees as job cuts continue this year in the financial sector

The layoffs at Morgan Stanley which account for roughly 3% of its workforce, are taking place across the entirety of investment bank, a person with knowledge familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity as the firm is not making a public statement about the layoffs.

Like other firms, Morgan Stanley aggressively hired during the pandemic, going from 60,000 employees in 2019 to 82,000 employees by year end 2022. The company had 83,000 employees at the end of 2025.

Capital One laying off more employees

Capital One is laying off another 1,139 employees at the former Discover headquarters in Riverwoods, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, a second wave of downsizing following the credit card giants’ megamerger last year.

The employees, whose roles span a variety of job titles at Discover Financial Services, were given notice Feb. 23 that their positions were being eliminated. The last day for most of the employees being laid off is May 4, the company said.

In February 2024, Virginiabased Capital One announced it was buying Discover for $35 billion, merging two of the largest credit card companies. Capital One completed the acquisition in May At the time the deal was announced, there were about 4,000 Discover employees connected to the Riverwoods headquarters.

Average U.S. mortgage rate ticks up to 6%

The average long-term U.S mortgage rate came off its lowest level in 3½ years this week, as bond yields marched higher following a spike in oil prices due to the war with Iran. The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate ticked up to 6% from 5.98% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday One year ago, the rate averaged 6.63%.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, fell this week. That average rate slipped to 5.43% from 5.44% last week A year ago, it was at 5.79%, Freddie Mac said.

“For rates to continue their descent in 2026, we will need clear signals in the months to come that this conflict is not driving up prices for consumers at home,” said Joel Berner senior economist at Realtor.com.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Stocks drop after oil prices spike

BY STAN CHOE Associated Press

NEW YORK Stocks sank on Wall Street Thursday after the price of oil spiked to its highest level since the summer of 2024 because of the war with Iran. The losses came as financial markets around the world keep following the cue of oil prices. Sharp increases there are raising worries that a long-term surge could grind down the global economy exhaust households’ ability to spend and push interest rates higher

The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude shot up 8.5% Thursday to settle at $81.01 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, climbed 4.9% to $85.41 per barrel and is likewise near its highest price since 2024.

Oil prices gave back some of those gains later in the day, which helped stocks in the U.S. moderate their losses at the end of trading. But worries nevertheless remain high about how long disruptions will last for oil production because of the escalating war with Iran. Prices at U.S. gasoline pumps have already leaped because of them. The average price for a gallon is $3.25, up 9% from $2.98 a week ago, according to auto club AAA.

If oil prices spike further, like to $100 per barrel, and stay there, some analysts and investors say it could be too much for the global economy to withstand. Uncertainty about what will happen has caused frenetic swings across financial markets this week, sometimes hour by hour

Much will depend on what happens with the Strait of Hormuz Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil typically sails through the narrow waterway off Iran’s coast.

“While further escalation remains a risk, we think the more likely outcome is an increase in market risk aversion that likely lasts only a short time until investors can see a winding down of hostilities,” according to Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Stocks of airlines fell to some of the U.S. market’s worst losses again on Thursday Higher oil prices are increasing their already big fuel bills, while the war has left hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across the Middle East. American Airlines lost 5.4%, United Airlines fell 5% and Delta Air Lines sank 3.9%. Stocks of smaller companies, meanwhile, took heavy hits. That’s typical when worries are growing about the strength of the economy and

States sue over new global tariffs

Trump imposed levies after Supreme

Court loss

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and PAUL WISEMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Some two dozen states challenged President Donald Trump’s new global tariffs on Thursday filing a lawsuit over import taxes he imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court.

The Democratic attorneys general and governors in the lawsuit argue that Trump is overstepping his power with planned 15% tariffs on much of the world.

Trump has said the tariffs are essential to reduce America’s longstanding trade deficits. He imposed duties under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 after the Supreme Court struck down tariffs he imposed last year under an emergency powers law

Section 122, which has never been invoked, allows the president to impose tariffs of up to 15% They are limited to five months unless extended by Congress.

The lawsuit is led by attorneys general from Oregon, Arizona, California and New York.

“The focus right now should be on paying people back, not doubling down on illegal tariffs,” said Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield. The suit comes a day after a judge ruled that companies who paid tariffs under Trump’s old framework should get refunds.

The White House said Trump is acting within his power “The President is using his authority granted by Congress to address fundamental international payments problems and to deal with our country’s large and serious balance-of-payments deficits,” said spokesman Kush Desai. “The Administration will vigorously defend the President’s action in court.”

The new suit argues that Trump can’t pivot to Section 122 because it was intended to be used only in specific, limited circumstances — not for sweeping import taxes.

It also contends the tariffs will drive up costs for states, businesses and consumers.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes pointed to a New York Federal Reserve Bank study that found Americans largely bear the cost of the tariffs, which has been estimated at $1,200 a year per household. “That is money out of the pockets of American families trying to buy groceries, pay rent and keep their small businesses afloat,” Mayes said. Many of the plaintiff states also successfully sued over Trump’s tariffs imposed under a different law: the International Emergency Economic Powers Act

Four days after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping IEEPA tariffs Feb 20, Trump invoked Section 122 to slap 10% tariffs on foreign goods. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC on Wednesday that the administration would raise the levies to the 15% limit this week.

The Democratic states and other critics say the president can’t use Section 122 as a replacement for the defunct tariffs to combat the trade deficit

The Section 122 provision is

aimed at what it calls “fundamental international payments problems.” At issue is whether that wording covers trade deficits, the gap between what the U.S. sells other countries and what it buys from them.

Section 122 arose from the financial crises that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s when the U.S. dollar was tied to gold. Other countries were dumping dollars in exchange for gold at a set rate, risking a collapse of the U.S. currency and chaos in financial markets. But the dollar is no longer linked to gold, so critics say Section 122 is obsolete.

Awkwardly for Trump, his own Justice Department argued in a court filing last year that the president needed to invoke the emergency powers act because Section 122 did “not have any obvious application” in fighting trade deficits, which it called “conceptually distinct” from balance-of-payment issues.

Still, some legal analysts say the Trump administration has a stronger case this time.

“The legal reality is that courts will likely provide President Trump substantially more defer-

ence regarding Section 122 than they did to his previous tariffs under IEEPA,” Peter Harrell, visiting scholar at Georgetown University’s Institute of International Economic Law wrote in a commentary Wednesday

The specialized Court of International Trade in New York, which will hear the states’ lawsuit, wrote last year in its own decision striking down the emergency-powers tariffs that Trump didn’t need them because Section 122 was available to combat trade deficits.

Trump does have other legal authorities he can use to impose tariffs, and some have already survived court tests. Duties that Trump imposed on Chinese imports during his first term under Section 301 of the same 1974 trade act are still in place.

Also joining the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia Washington, Wisconsin, and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania.

Berkshire Hathaway resumes stock buybacks

CEO supports Kraft’s decision to pause its split

BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press

curities and Exchange Commission that it had begun repurchasing its shares Wednesday for the first time since May 2024. When Kraft first announced its plan to split the company in two last fall Abel and Buffett expressed concerns about that because of the costs involved and the current struggles for some of the brands. So Abel said he agreed with new Kraft CEO Steve Cahillane’s decision to pause the split “For Steve to come in and say we’re pausing it there’s opportunities within Kraft Heinz to fix things and get the business back on track and then he’ll evaluate things. We thought that was absolutely the right approach,” Abel said. Berkshire has long been Kraft’s

biggest shareholder with 325 million shares ever since Buffett and the Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital orchestrated the merger of Kraft and Heinz in 2015 because they already owned Heinz and believed in the power of their brands. Over the years since Buffett had made comments about how Kraft’s competitive moat around its brands wasn’t as strong as he thought and Berkshire likely overpaid

coastal lawsuits to date —litigation that Landry had previously tried to take over and scale back. He has spokenofwanting to reducethe number of such lawsuits through negotiated settlements. As with some of the other settlements in thelawsuits, thedetails are sealed, and it is not clear how much the company paid to resolve the case. The parishes involved in the litigation will alsoneed to sign offonthe settlement before it is finalized, Landry andCarmouche said.

Landry said at ameeting of an advisory commission on coastal issues in Lafourche Parish that the deal was nearly finalized. “Today, I’m proud to report thatthe state of Louisiana and ConocoPhillips, the largest private wetlands owner in our state, are words away from resolving the longstanding coastal litigation claims against them,” he said.

The site of his announcement was significant: Lafourche Parish has not joined anyofthe coastal lawsuits, which have beenfiled in Plaquemines, Jefferson, Cameron and other coastal parishes. Terrebonne Parish also hasnot sued oil companies.

Landry said that the settlement would involve the companygiving the state access to 150,000 acres of land it owns and “unlock hundreds of millions of dollars in coastal investment.”

“What does this mean for Louisiana? It meansaccess to these lands, it clears the way for major restoration efforts, and helpssecure nearly $480 million in federal funding,” Landry said. It wasnot immediately clear where that federal funding would come from.

Dennis Nuss, adirector of me-

RECYCLING

Continued from page1A

waste is recycled —an extraordinarilylow number.But the city’sbudget crisis has made accepting the grant unwise, said City Council President JP Morrell.

Former employees in the city’sOffice of Resilience and Sustainability who were working to set up the program before beinglaid off in January argue that relinquishing the money is a mistake, calling it amissed opportunity to finally make adent in New Orleans’ recycling problem.

Morrell said following through with thegrantmay have left the city on the hook for expenses related to new bins. He also said he was concerned that the program would actually resultin more trash, with residents using the new bins as an additional garbage can, complicating haulers’ work.

“WhenIlook at anything that is brought before me, personally as acouncil person, andthere is anypossibility that there could be an unforeseen price tag at the end, Ihave to pause,” he said. “There’snosuchthing as free money or free lunch, period.”

Morrell’slegislative director,Julia Zuckerman, told city officials in aFeb. 10 email to employees in the resilience office and sanitation department that “we cannot afford to move forwardon the EPAgrant.”

One small portion of the grant that could end up being used involves spending $350,000 on a10-year solid-waste master plan. In aletter sent to the project’s Environmental Protection Agency grant officer Feb. 27, Meagan Williams, the city’schief sustainability officer,asked the EPAfor an extension to carry out only the solid waste plan.

“At this time, the city does not intend to pursue theremaining scope of work due to the city’sbudget deficit and uncertainty on whether thecitywillbeableto sustain its currentcurbside recycling program,” Williams said. Chris Lang, among those fired from the city’sclimate office as part of budget cuts in January, said thegrant essentially provided free money to expand recycling to all households. The $3.9 million from the EPAplus an additional $1.4 million from anonprofit group to educate residents about recycling

dia relations at ConocoPhillips, said that thecompanyis“pleased to have reached alignment with thestate ofLouisiana on aresolution thatsupportsthe protection and restoration of the Louisiana coastal zone.”

The settlement will allow the state to break ground on a94-mile coastal land bridge project across Plaquemines and Terrebonne parishes, abarrier that the governor said would protect Houma, Thibodauxand other communities.

Landry added the settlement will facilitate the expansion of Port Fourchon, amajor oil and gas hub in Lafourche Parish.

“Another major(oiland gas company) has come to the table,”

Carmouche said Thursday. “The governor andthe attorney general took the lead. Iwant to thank them fortheir hard workand dedication,

would not require additional funding from the city,he stressed.

“It didn’thave to be this complicated,”Langsaid

TheEPA grant must be spent by the end of March, andacouncil hearingonthe project has been deferred formonths, effectivelyrelinquishingthe money. Even though the federal government awardedthe city the funds, the climate office still needs council approval of acontractwith the cart company.

Morrell said another council member could hold the hearing “if they wanttoroll the dice on this,” but that no one else wasliningupto takeonthe challenge. Mayor Helena Moreno’soffice did not respond to arequestfor comment

New Orleans’ 2% rate is a fraction ofthe national averageof30% forrecycled and composted materials. In Houston, aroundathird is recycled. Toprecycling cities in southern California boast rates over 70%.

Less than half of New Orleanshouseholds, or 42%, participate in the city’s opt-inprogram as of 2025 Residents must call 311to request afree recycling cart delivered to their home

The grantwould have allowedthe city to deliver cartstoall homes without the need for arequest, along with public outreach and information

All residents pay for both trash and recycling pickups as partofthe monthly sanitationfee even if they don’t use the service. Theexisting sanitationfee isnot enough to coverthe fullcostofthe overall service, puttingthe city at adeficit. Moreno, in arecent interview withWWL Louisiana, mentioned thepossibility of raising garbage fees and possiblynixing curbside recycling altogether,which she said would savethe city $12 million per year Morrell said the grant left budgetary questions unanswered,such as obligations for replacing the blue carts if they fall apart and whether the city would be required tocontinually replace the carts tostayin compliance. He also thought the recycling program could inadvertently create more trash.

“If Ilook at my own neighborhood, my own community,actual proper recycling is the exception, notthe rule,” Morrell said. “A lotofthose cans arejustadditional trash cans.”

Sidney Torres, whose hauling company IV Waste ser-

which will help protect Louisiana and its future citizens.”

Carmouche saidthat he and his firm, Talbot, Carmouche &Marcello, had been negotiating with ConocoPhillips for years, trying to resolve the litigation through a settlement. He felt thatthe talks hadstalled, and he was prepared to takea case against the company to trial.Atthat point,Carmouche said, representatives from the company approached members of Landry’sadministration.

Carmouche said that Attorney General LizMurrill and Landry “did an excellent job getting this to thefinish line.”

The CoalitiontoRestore Coastal Louisiana,acoastal advocacy group, praised theanticipated settlement and said it would benefit thestate and its coastal programs.

“It shows theimportance of part-

vices the largest number of NewOrleanshouseholds, raised similar concerns that theproject wouldcreate moretrash at the landfill. Torres noted that between 20% and30% of thematerial thrown in recycling bins is not actually recyclable.

Anotherissue is alack of processing capacity at the primary recycling facilityin Harahan, which Torres said often forces haulerstodrive to Baton Rouge for drop-offs Encouraging more people to sign up for recycling carts through the currentsystem ultimately works better than the proposedalternative, which would end up costing the citymoremoney in the end, he said.

“The last thingthat people are going to want to do is be forced to recycle,” Torres said. “They’re just going to use it for garbage andit’sgoing to fall on the contractors to have to deal withthat.”

Alvin Richard, who owns the garbagehauling company Richard’sDisposal, said thecost to thecity would actually decreasedue to less material going to thelandfill. Buthesaid the program would bring “a tremendous cost to theoperators.”

“The cost would change from the city to us,”Richard said.

Cityofficials last fall, before Moreno took office, disputedsome of theworries over the grant.

Greg Nichols,who ledthe climate office until theJanuarylayoffs,said in Septemberthatthe programcould divert up to 30,000 tonsof wastefrom the landfill by 2030.

DepartmentofSanitation Director Matt Torricalled the grant a“rare and unprecedented opportunity” for thecityduring theSeptember committee meeting. He also said the program wouldsavethe citymoney becauseeveryton diverted from the landfill amounts to $35 saved in tipping fees, or the charge for dropping off thewaste.

Langadded that educating thepublicabout recycling was akey componentof the grant, anditincludeda FAQaccompanying the new carts, community outreach events,social mediainformation and an in-person program for new recyclers.

The issueisgarnering attention online, with over 800 signaturesasofTuesday on apetition,started by Lang, to use thegrant

Lang said he understood whythe waste haulers have concernsabout the program. They pay processing fees at the recycling facil-

executive director of the Grow Louisiana Coalition, whichadvocates for Louisiana’senergy industry Thursday’sannouncement comesafter years of legaland political wrangling over the cases. The coastalcases have been apolitical flashpoint sincethe first of the 40-plus lawsuits were filed in 2013. Landry,asattorney general, sought to take over the cases from Carmouche’sfirm in 2016. After Landrywas elected governor in 2023, the state instead joined the cases alongside the parishes. Murrill has since been outspoken in her support of the cases, in spite of the Trumpadministration’s oppositiontothem— oneoffew areaswhere Louisiana leadershave openly clashed with the president. Last year,the first of the coastal lawsuits went to trialin Plaquemines Parish, where ajury ordered Chevron to pay$745 million in damages.

nerships and resolving differences and underscores the idea that safeguarding our future in south Louisiana is best accomplished by workingtogether,”saidCRCL spokesperson James Karst.

Tommy Faucheux, the president of the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil andGas Association, whichhas long opposed thelawsuits, said that the state’s“energy industry is already the largest private investorinrestoring ourstate’s coastline.”

“These lawsuits areashortsighted strategy that create longtermconflictbetween our state and Louisiana’senergycommunities,”Faucheux said.

“It’sa sad day when the state of Louisiana celebrates another ‘sue andsettle’ dealagainst oneofthe largest energy producers in the world,”saidMarcEhrhardt, the

ity,hesaid,adding thatunder their contracts with the city, they’re paid the same to provide the servicenomatterhow many residentsactually recycle.

“They’re basically getting paid 100% of the value to do 42% of the work,” Langsaid “Because of this, they have no incentive to increaserecyclingparticipation in any meaningful way.”

But that verdict is now in limbo, as the oil companies involved in that case have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to move the case out of state court and into federal court. The companies argue that the cases involve oil and gasproduction during WorldWar II, and so should be heard in federal court.

If the SupremeCourt orders the casesremoved to federalcourt,a federal judge could toss the $745 million jury verdictand orderthe case retried.The justices heard oral arguments in the case in January and aruling is expected by the summer Chevron and Exxon Mobil Corp. are the two oil and gas majors that have not yet settled in the coastal lawsuits, Carmouche said. Any resolutionwith either company could rank amongthe largest in the decadelong litigation.

Email AlexLubbenatalex. lubben@theadvocate.com.

In aletter sent to council members last fall, alawyer representing Torres said IV Waste“fully supports recycling” but that amass distributionofupto80,000 more carts “would overwhelm contractors.” Richardnotedthatthe wastehaulers’contracts withthe city have been in place over the past few years, andthatthe agreements wereestablished under the current 311 system

“Everybody bid their recycling at alow cost because there wasn’tthatmuchto do,” Richard said.

Email Josie Abugov at Josie.Abugov@ theadvocate.com.

Simple ChoicSimple es

Crawfish farmerssee worker shortage

Changestotemporary visa programleadtomigrant labordecline

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Louisiana crawfish farmersare facing ashortage of workersdue to changes to atemporary guestworker visa program for migrants, Louisiana Agriculture andForestry Commissioner Mike Strain said this week.

Strain said he has reached outto

federalofficials about the problem but hasgotten little indication that thingswill change.

“They simplycannot get their workers. And so some of theplants that normally get 100, 135 workers havegotten zero,” Strain told a panel of state legislators who were meeting this week forbudgetdiscussions.

Thestaffing problems comein

the middle of crawfish harvesting season, which typically runs from December to June.

“Without thoseworkers,the crawfishdon’tget peeled,” Strain said. “The plants will shut down, and either,one, those crawfish are not consumed, or two, as has happened in thepast, they will fill up tractor-trailer loads of these crawfish, send ’em down to Mexico, get

’em peeled andbring ’em back.” Strain said the federal government’squota hasalreadybeen reached for H-2B visas, temporary work visas which allow businesses to hire migrants forseasonal, nonagricultural jobs.

Temporary visa programsare overseen by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, whichisa part of the Department of Home-

land Security “I’ve sent aletter andfollow-up phone calls directly to the director of Homeland Security,Ms. Kristi Noem, also to theDepartmentof Labor,also to the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) and to the Office of IntergovernmentalAffairs at the White House,” Strain said. President Donald Trump removed Noem from that role on Thursday

Students recently

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

Though the two candidates for the state Senate District 3seat this spring are first-time office seekers, the city’spolitical establishment has swung its weight behind onecontender Sidney Barthelemy Jr.has rackedupendorsements from

decide District 3state Senate seat

Mayor Helena Moreno, U.S. Rep. Troy Carter and several other local elected officials. Barthelemy, a construction company owner and the son of aformer New Orleans mayor, hasalso outraised his opponent, lawyer Kenn Barnes. Barnes hasreceived endorsements from several community organizers. The two willface off March 14 for aseat that covers Gentilly, New Orleans East, downriver neighborhoods and St.Bernard Parish.The seat opened up last year when Joseph Bouie became chancellorofSouthern University New Orleans.

Thewinnerwill take his seat midsession, and there will be a short window to meet the March 31 deadline to file any bills. The Secretary of State’sOffice will certify the election resultson March23, andswearingin—a prerequisite forfiling bills —will occur after that.

Barthelemy garnered 44% of the vote against three opponents in the Feb. 7primary fora districtthatcoversGentilly, New

ELYSE CARMOSINO

Deanie’s Seafood worker faces 109 computer fraud counts

Woman accused of stealing tens of thousands of

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A longtime employee of Deanie’s Seafood was arrested Tuesday, accused of stealing tens of thousands

of dollars from the popular Bucktown restaurant and market. Cynthia Esquerre, 51, of Metairie, was booked with theft valued over $25,000 and 109 counts of comput-

dollars

er fraud, according to Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. Esquerre worked for years at the restaurant’s Lake Avenue location in Me-

tairie, according to authorities. She was an employee in the seafood market and would sometimes serve as an on-duty manager Between December and February, investigators allege Esquerre was altering cash register transactions and pocketing the cash, ac-

cording to Veal. The Sheriff’s Office said she took more than $25,000, but authorities did not disclose the exact amount. The restaurant recently discovered the thefts after conducting an audit, according to Veal. Esquerre was arrested at her home in

Metairie. She was being held Thursday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna in lieu of a $268,000 bail.

Email Michelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate. com.

Northwest La. earthquake rattles residents on Thursday

Quake 80 times bigger than the average temblor

BY ADAM DUVERNAY Staff writer

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake that shook northwest Louisiana on Thursday morning was the largest on record in state history

In Coushatta and the surrounding region, including Shreveport, residents woke shaking. The ground beneath their feet trembled

RAISES

Continued from page 1B

“I think it’s time that as a board, we start having some public conversations about this,” Guitterrez said, “and let the teachers know we’re looking at it and want to fight for them.”

The board pushe d Wednesday’s scheduled vote on the proposal to April’s meeting. If passed next month, the district will present its revised pay scale to the board in May Guitterrez said his pro-

CRAWFISH

Continued from page 1B

Strain added: “I’m a bit frustrated with the answers I’m getting from Washington because they’re basically saying, ‘Well, they’ve met the cap and you know what, there’s nothing else we can do.’” Strain also said Louisiana’s congressional delegation is “very aware” of the problem and that he’s been “in consistent conversation” with the office of Gov Jeff Landry on the issue.

Asked about Strain’s concerns during a news conference Tuesday, Landry acknowledged that changes related to the timing of guest worker visa applications have “caused some wrinkles especially (with) crawfish processors.”

Landry said the decision of Homeland Security not to issue as many visas as they have in the past is within that agency’s purview He added that Congress decides immigration policy

“That is their lane to drive. And so we’re just trying to make sure that we meet the needs of our businesses while they decide what our immigration policy looks like,” Landry said.

more strongly than ever before in Louisiana’s recorded history. Though region residents have gotten used to some shaking in recent years, this quake was about 80 times bigger than the average.

Louisianans know hurricanes, flood and wind, but rumbling earth is the kind of event better known in California and the Pacific Northwest. But up in the state’s northwest, Louisianans are learning to live with the fact that little quakes now are a regular, if relatively infrequent, part of their life But

posal is intended to be a jumping-off point for a discussion about raising employee pay, adding that he wants all teachers to see their salaries rise the same amount.

He also asked that the superintendent’s recommendations include “various other options for the board to consider for salary increases.”

Guitterrez argued that increasing teacher salaries is in the best interest of the district, pointing out that Jefferson Parish often loses educators seeking higher pay to neighboring dis-

their strength isn’t static. They’re getting stronger “I can categorically say there has been a very sharp increase in the number and magnitude of earthquakes,” Tulane University geologist Cynthia Ebinger said in February

The state’s relatively stable modern geological history hasn’t put a premium on setting up seismometers to record the infrequent, small quakes that can and do occasionally rumble beneath the Bayou State. But there still is a decent history of Louisiana shaking.

tricts, particularly St. Tammany and St. Charles, or to nearby private schools.

Because local school systems start holding job fairs in the spring, Guitterrez said now is the time for the board to send a clear message.

“I don’t want to lose teachers to other districts because they think that we’re not looking to do things for them, too,” he said.

His ask comes a month after the board postponed a vote until May on whether to award performancebased bonuses to nearly 1,000 teachers who were

Since 1911, the U.S. Geological Survey has records of around 30 earthquakes within the state’s borders. That doesn’t include earthquakes right over state lines in Texas and Arkansas, which would add another 30 or so quakes to the count. It also excludes another seven recorded off the state’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

One of those quakes in the Gulf was stronger than the earthquake Thursday morning: a magnitude 5.3 in 2006, with an epicenter about 5 miles south of Grand Isle. None of the others come

left out of the first round of stipends, saying it won’t know until the end of the school year whether the district will be able to afford the payments. Guitterrez and Ricky Johnson were the only board members to vote against delaying the decision.

Only about 160 teachers who were rated “exemplary” on last year’s performance evaluations received the $1,000 to $2,000 bonuses in December, while the district declined to give the extra pay to another 958 educators rated “highly effective.”

close but one: the magnitude 4.8 that struck Timpson Texas, in 2012, considered a benchmark in the region’s recent history of quakes. Of the more than 30 earthquakes USGS has recorded in Louisiana since 1911, 26 of them were in northwest Louisiana. The earliest of those was in 2021.

That 2021 earthquake was a magnitude 3, which occurred near Blanchard. The strongest before Thursday’s was a magnitude 3.6, just north of Coushatta in 2024.

Most of the region’s earthquakes were weaker than

magnitude 3, with 14 of them above that strength. The average magnitude of the earthquakes recorded in northwest Louisiana before Thursday was about 2.9. This brings the average closer to magnitude 3. Magnitude is a representation geologists use to represent the size of an earthquake. Each whole number on the Richter scale represents a significant step up in size. That means a magnitude 4.9 earthquake is nearly 80 times bigger than a magnitude 3 and releases about 708 times more energy

IBERVILLE PARISH

Sheriff: Elayn Hunt major had children with inmate

Staff report

A former major at Elayn Hunt Correctional Center who was arrested Wednesday had children with an inmate while she worked there, Iberville Parish Sheriff Brett Stassi said. Francis Smith, 38, voluntarily turned herself in to the Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning because she had a warrant for her arrest. She was accompanied by her attorney, Stassi said. She was booked with malfeasance in office and sexual contact with a person in the institution, which is a felony Smith resigned from the prison on Sept. 12.

U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, R-Madisonville, in response to a request for comment on Strain’s concerns, said, “I’ve been working hard in the Senate to make sure Louisiana’s crawfish producers are treated fairly.”

“That includes fighting the import of unsafe food

products from overseas, backing bills like the Save Our Seafood Act to help our industry deal with worker shortages that have plagued them for years, and leading the CRAWDAD Act to get crawfish farmers emergency support after droughts and severe weather,” Ken-

nedy said in a statement.

A big industry

In large-scale crawfish operations, rice farmers typically raise crawfish, and they also operate peeling plants, Strain said. The farmers sell what they can to the retail market for crawfish boils and

the rest of the crawfish goes to peeling plants, where they are peeled, frozen and sold to buyers, including in other parts of the country, he said.

“It is a significant economic driver,” Strain said of the industry. He added that crawfish operations are also vital for cash flow for rice farming.

affect people,” Barnes said. Barnes has raised about $42,000 and has a little more than $4,500 on hand.

Louisiana’s combined annual crawfish yield ranges from 120 million to 150 million pounds, according to the Louisiana Crawfish Promotion and Research Board website, and it contributes over $300 million to the state’s economy every year

Orleans East, downriver neighborhoods and St. Bernard Parish. That doubled the total of Barnes, who finished second.

The other two candidates who didn’t make the runoff, Chad Lauga and Jon Johnson, have endorsed Barthelemy

Barnes

Barnes, for his part, is endorsed by the Rev Gregory Manning and Kelsey Foster, community advocates who launched unsuccessful campaigns for City Council last year He is also backed by Bruce Reilly, with the nonprofit criminal justice advocacy organization Voters Organized to Educate. Barnes also received endorsements from former

KENN BARNES

37, born in Baton Rouge, lives in New Orleans

EDUCATION: Central High School; bachelor’s degree in political science from LSU; juris doctorate from LSU Law

EMPLOYMENT: Founding attorney, Kenn Barnes Law Firm; special counsel, Louisiana Supreme Court PARTY, RELEVANT POLITICAL EXPERIENCE OR CAMPAIGN WORK: Elected member, Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee WEBSITE: votekennbarnes.com

Council member Oliver Thomas and Orleans Parish School Board member Ga-

Barnes called himself “the people’s candidate.” “I don’t have any of the trappings or backing of the political class. My duties

SIDNEY BARTHELEMY JR.

50, born and lives in New Orleans

EDUCATION: Brother Martin High School; bachelor’s degree in business marketing from Morehouse College

EMPLOYMENT: President of B-Squared Construction PARTY, RELEVANT POLITICAL EXPERIENCE OR CAMPAIGN WORK: Democrat; Leadership Fellow — Justice Revius Ortique Leadership Institute

WEBSITE: sidneybarthelemy.com

and my allegiance goes only to those who elected me,” Barnes said. Barnes, a former public defender who now runs his own firm, touted his work with lawmakers and other state officials to oversee implementation of sweep-

ing 2017 laws affecting the criminal justice system, as part of a special council appointed by former Gov John Bel Edwards.

“I know how laws are crafted. I know how laws are made. I know the implications of how the laws

Barthelemy

Barthelemy said he has focused on meeting with individuals and community groups in every corner of the district “to coalesce ideas around a shared vision.”

“We are as grassroots as anyone else. We just happen to have support beyond that,” Barthelemy said.

Barthelemy has raised nearly $190,000 throughout the campaign and has about $48,000 on hand.

“We have significant and real infrastructure projects that need to take place. I’m someone that has been involved in these projects, someone that has a bootson-the-ground approach, a hands-on approach,” Barthelemy said.

Barthelemy also wants state funding to support the Six Flags and Lincoln Beach redevelopment projects, as well as the expansion of New Orleans East Hospital. Both candidates say they will focus on home insurance and affordability issues. Barthelemy said he will also prioritize neighborhood economic development, while Barnes will work on criminal justice reforms.

They also both want to steer state capital funds to infrastructure and drainage projects.

Barthelemy’s construction firm, B-Squared Construction, has built or renovated a Head Start center in New Orleans, a fire station in Metairie and an apartment complex in New Orleans East, among other projects. He said this work has given him firsthand knowledge of the region’s infrastructure needs.

Livingston library director resigns aftertwo months

Changemarks thirdshake-up in threeyears

BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer

The recently hired Livingston Parish library director resigned Wednesday after less than two months on the job —she was the third person in that position in less than threeyears amid budget problemsand turmoil over sexual content in books.

Library Board of Control

President Jonathan Davis said Na’Chel Shannon officially submitted her resignation this week.

“Weare grateful for Na’Chel’scontributions, and we wish her nothing but the best in her future endeavors,” he said.

Shannon started her position at the librarysystem the second weekofJanuary after moving from Mississippi. The board approved hiring her in November She was previously the librarydirector of the South Mississippi Regional Library in Columbia, Mississippi.

The director’sresignation follows three years of director shake-ups. The board, with support from Parish President Randy Delatte, voted in July not to renew former library directorMichelle Parrish’s contract. Parrish took the helm in 2023, when her predecessor,Giovanni Tairov, unexpectedly resigned after months of controversy overcontent restrictions for minors. He had served as directorfor over 10 years Davisdid notrespond to additionalrequests for comment Thursday at the

STRUCK

Continued from page1B

the 3700 block of JeanLafitte Boulevard around 10:45 p.m. Sunday and found Williams lying on the ground in the westbound lanes of the roadway,suffering from apparent crash-related injuries, Sheriff’sOffice spokesperson Sgt. Brandon Veal said. He was listed in critical condition before he succumbed to his injuries.

The driver of the Toyota pickup truck that hit Williams remained on scene after the crash and cooperated with investigators, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Crash investigators determined the driver was headed east on JeanLafitte Boulevard and was rounding acurve when he encountered Williams walking in the roadway,accordingto Veal. The vehicle was found facing east in the westbound lane, officials said.

“There were indications that the driver performed evasiveaction before strikingthe pedestrian,” Veal said. There were no signs of impairment on the part of the driver, according to Veal He submitted to toxicology testing, but the results were not available as of Thursday afternoon, Veal said.

The incident remains under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office.

Loving man Williams’ relatives said they are eagerly waiting for the results of the Sheriff’s Office’sinvestigation as they mourn his unexpected passing.

“He was aloving man. He was agood father and he was agood son,” said Williams’ mother,Pam Williams,66. Chad Williams grew up in Marrero, the youngest of two boys.

“He was ahandful,” Pam Williams said with alaugh.

“He was always on the go, very active. He liked to hunt and fish.” Cousin Kerry Kenney,38, described Chad Williams

NewOrleans Area Deaths West Bank

DavisMortuary

time of publication.

Thesearch forthe most recent library director was at times contentious due to discussions about removing the parish library system’s requirementthat candidates for the position have aMaster of Library and Information Science degree.

The LivingstonParish Library Alliance, acommunity group that supports thelibraries, wroteThursdaythatitwas “deeply concerned” about therecent resignation and said theterminationofParrish in Julyworsened the situation

“Weurge the parish councilto addressthese challenges andensure the library’sfuturesuccess by engaging aprofessional consulting firm to conduct adirector searchthat actively recruits aqualified andexperienced candidate suited for asystemofour size withaMasterofLibrary Science,” the alliance said in astatement. The latest director shakeup is aculminationofyears of commotion between Livingston Parish andits librarysystem, whichhas been rooted in residents’ concern over possible sexually explicit books beinginchildren’ssections of parish libraries.

Dustin Cotton and Julia Falcon, both current assistant directors, will serve as acting co-directors until theboard of control appoints an interimdirector, according to library leadership. Both assistant directors wereactingdirectors during themost recent hiring process.

Thenext LibraryBoard of Control meeting will be on March 17,where the board will discuss the search for anew director

as agenerous, funnyand outgoing personality with asoft butinfectious laugh that usually spread quickly to others.

“He was the type of person, if you called to invite him, he was coming,” Kenneysaid.

Chad Williamsleaves behind ason whom he loved, relatives said Complicatedfeelings

News of Chad Williams’ death brought about complicated feelings for the family of Samantha Randle. He pleadedguilty to areduced chargeofnegligent homicideinRandle’s Nov.19, 2017, death.

Authorities said Chad Williams was intoxicated when aboat hewas driving crashed into abarge on Bayou Segnette, killing Randle and seriously injuring two others. He was sentenced to oneyear of activeprobation

“I don’twish death on anyone,”Kathy Randle, 62, said.“Chad never took responsibility for the accident that killedmydaughter.Hewalked out of the hospital. There’salot of mixed feelings going on in my headand my heart.”

The boat crash didaffect Chad Williams in the years that followed, according to his mother.He feltterrible about what happened,she said Chad Williams hadonce loved fishing and going to hiscamp,but he no longer wanted to beonthe water

“Hewas hauntedbythat accident,” Pamela Williams said.

LOTTERY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4,2026

PICK 3: 7-1-2

PICK 4: 3-8-9-6 PICK 5: 3-3-2-8-7

Arango, E. Augustus, Jasmin Augustus, Jasmin BurnsJr.,Melvin BurnsJr.,MelvinHenry

Mothe

Blount,Louise BurnsJr.,Melvin Grace, Robert Ceaser,Reginald Cherry,Brenda Clark-Fountain, Carolyn Clark-Fountain, Carolyn Every, Selena Colgan,Clark Marque,Debra Duplessis, Gail Dupre,Alvin Every, Selena Freeman,Lou

Grace, Robert Hanchett, June Hardy, William Irons,Octavia Kagler,Vernell Kennedy,Gregory LeBlanc, D’Artagnan

Leslie,Victoria

Logwood, Jerome

Marque,Debra

Orticke,Doris

Oubre, Bruce

Price, Octavia Serpas,Helen

Tassin, Elston

Tyler, Jerome Virgil, Harlym

Walton, Shirley

Robinson FH

Obituaries

Arango, E. Ramon E. Ramon Arango,Ph.D., died February 23, 2026. For many years, Dr. Arango was on thefaculty of the Department of PoliticalScience, LSU, BatonRouge. He was preceded in death by hisparents, Ergasto Arango and Caroline Fernandez Arango,and by his partner, Jimmy Taylor Rooks.

Augustus,JasminArthur

until time of Mass. Father Stanley K. Ihuoma,SSJ,Cel‐ebrant. Professional ser‐vices entrustedtoLittle‐johnFuneralHome, 2163 Aubry Street,Cal K. John‐son,Manager-Funeral Di‐rector.Info: 504-940-0045.

EJefferson Leitz-Eagan

Colgan,Clark

Richardson FH

Virgil, Harlym

NewOrleans

Duplessis, Gail

LeBlanc, D’Artagnan Price, Octavia Tyler, Jerome Walton, Shirley

Boyd Family Charbonnet

Cherry,Brenda Hanchett, June Irons,Octavia Leslie,Victoria

DW Rhodes

Dupre,Alvin Freeman,Lou Logwood, Jerome

Gertrude Geddes

Orticke,Doris

Littlejohn FH

Blount,Louise Washington, Lucille

Hardy, William Kagler,Vernell Kennedy,Gregory Oubre, Bruce Williams,Ryelle

Majestic Mortuary River Parish

Hobson BrownFH

Jasmin Arthur Augustus entered eternalreston Thursday,February19, 2026, at theage of 50. He was anativeand resident ofNew Orleans, LA.Jasmin was educated in theOr‐leans Parish School Sys‐tem,and he attended Moler Barber College. “Jazzman” “Deedyboe”, as hewas affectionately known to familyand friends wasa packer with Performance FoodsWare‐house.Devoted father of Jasmin, Jr., Jada,Joshua, and thelateJarmon. Bonus fatherofByronesha, Beloved sonofJulianAu‐gustus, Jr.and Doretha Roman Augustus.Grand‐son of Albert,Sr. and Doretha Roman, Julian,Sr. and Easter Augustus.Great grandsonofthe late MathildaLandryHawkins RosaRoman Poree, and Viola Williams.Brother of Julian(JoAnne)Augustus, III. Greatnephewof Richard Hawkins, Jr.God‐brother of Edthilda “Tilly” Lewis,Fiancée of Marjara James,alsosurvivedby4 grandchildren,and ahost ofnieces, nephews, cousins,other relatives and friends. Relativesand friends of thefamilyalso pastors,officers,and members of Holy Anointed House of Prayer,and neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at Holy AnointedHouse of Prayer, 1447 Senate St., NewOr‐leans,LAonSaturday, March 7, 2026, at 10:00 am PastorLionelA.Roberts of‐ficiating. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. until ser‐vicetimeatthe abovenamed church.Interment: RestlawnParkCemeteryAvondale, LA.Arrange‐ments by DavisMortuary Service,230 Monroe St., Gretna, LA.Toviewand signthe guestbook,please gotowww.davismortua ryservice.com

Mrs. Louise Winford Blount (bornJuly9,1929),a beloved mother,sister, grandmother,aunt,friend and pillar of hercommu‐nity, passedawayonFeb‐ruary 17, 2026 surrounded bythe love shesofreely gavethroughouther life BorninYazoo County, Mis‐sissippi,she latermade New Orleans, Louisianaher home, where shebuilt a liferootedinfaith,service and unwavering devotion toher family. Louise is pre‐ceded in deathbyher hus‐bandof62years,WIlliam Blount Sr., herparents,Bill and Eula Winford, 3sisters AlmedaO’Neil, Odessa Lee Haralson, Iranetta Mason, 2 brothers R.D. Winford, and JoeLynnWinford,her daughterMaryBlount and 2 grandsons, Darnel Thomas, Sr.and LaMar Byrant. With deep bonds she shared with herloved onesand served as acare‐taker,confidant,and sourceofstrengthfor themall.She leaves to cherish in hermemory8 children: Almeda,Bernice, WilliamJr.,Henry,Sr.,Deb‐orah(Isiah),Martha(Dar‐ryl Sr.),Maxine, andArdell (Terasa). Theirhomewas filled with warmth,guid‐ance, andthe abundant loveshe poured into every day.She leaves behind a hostofgrandchildren (17) and greatgrandchildren (27),(2) great-greatgrand‐childrenwho will continue tocarry herspiritforward Louisededicated herlifeto caringfor others.She of‐fered endoflifenursing caretocountless individu‐als,providing comfort, dig‐nity, andcompassionwhen itmatteredmost. Hernur‐turingnatureextendedbe‐yondher work to herfam‐ily andcommunity,where she wasa constant source ofprotection, wisdom,and kindness. Formorethan30 years,she wasa faithful parishioner of St.Leo Catholic Church.Her strongand meaningful faith guided herlife, shapedher values,and was evidentinthe wayshe treated everyone shemet She also served hercom‐munity as apassionate and dedicatedvoter andas a voting commissioner in the NewOrleans 7thWard votingdistrict—an exam‐ple of herbeliefincivic dutyand thepower of every voice. Louise will be rememberedfor herloveof food, family, andlaughter joys shesharedgener‐ously with allwho visited her home.She wasa sym‐bol of strength,compas‐sion, andunwavering love Her legacy livesonthrough the many livesshe touched and thefamilywho will continuetocarry herlight She leaves thesewords to her familyand friends: “Don’tforgetabout the Lord, take theLordwith you whereveryou go,and loveyourfamily. And never,everforgetGod.” Her memory will forever remaina blessing,and her spiritwillcontinuetoshine through allthose who were fortunate enough to know and love her. Relativesand friends,alsopriestand parishionersofSt. Ray‐mond& St.Leo theGreat Catholic Church areinvited toattendthe Mass of Christian Burial on Satur‐day,March 7, 2026, at St Raymond &St. Leothe Great Catholic Church,2916 Paris Avenue,beginning 10 am.Church visitation 9am

Melvin HenryBurns,Jr., entered eternalreston Monday, February 23, 2026, atthe ageof66. He wasa nativeofVicksburg,MS and aresidentofMarrero, LA. Melvin wasa graduate ofWestJefferson High School.Hewas aretired transporter,and aformer Jefferson Parish Police Of‐ficer. Belovedfatherof Nakia Mason, Juan Burns, and TorinBurns.Son of the lateMelvinBurns,Sr. and MaryG.Burns.Brother of WilliamBurns,Sr.,Ricky Burns,Gwendolyn Burns, Melanie Burns, andHelen Heard.Melvinisalsosur‐vived by 4grandchildren, and ahostofnieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.Rela‐tives andfriendofthe fam‐ily also pastors, officers, and membersofRockof AgesBaptist Church and neighboring churches are invited to attend theCele‐bration of Life at Rock of AgesBaptist Church,6533 AcreRd.,Marrero,LAon Saturday, March7,2026, at 10:00 am.PastorTerrence A.Ranson, Sr.HostPastor–Rev.HiltonRousselloffici‐ating.Visitationwillbegin at8:30a.m.until service timeatthe above-named church.Interment:Rest‐lawnParkCemetery-Avon‐dale, LA.Arrangementsby Davis Mortuary Service, 230 Monroe St., Gretna,LA. Toviewand sign theguest‐book,pleasegotowww davismortuaryservice.com.

Washington, Lucille Wilderson, Ralph Williams,Ryelle Ceaser,Reginald'Rassie'

Reginald "Rassie" Ceaserwas born on April 16, 1956 in NewOrleans,LA toVeronica"Clothile"Bi‐enemy-Major andGeorge Georgee" Ceaser.Revered stepfatherofWillie Bumpy" Major, Jr.Also survivedbydaughter, Regi‐nee' Ceaser;siblings, Catherine Williams, Paulette B. Morgan (the lateHurist, Sr.),Carol M. Johnson,RegnieM.Butler (thelateRoland, Sr.),Lolita Major-Green (Curtis, Sr.) Loretta Colemanand Randy Major, Sr.; stepsis‐tersand brothers,Anna Waller, TerenthiaMajor-St. Prieux(Marvin)and Her‐bertMajor;aunt andun‐cles, MerelynM.and Feast Bienemy andJames Ceaser; Goddaughter, Conta Seal-Russell, as well asa host of othernieces, nephews,other familyand friends.Pastor, officers and membersofGreater Mount Olive, FirstAsia, SecondBaptist,Corinne MissionaryBaptist andall otherneighboring

PatrickH Sanders

Tassin, Elston Wilderson, Ralph

St Bernard

CharbonnetLabat

Ceaser,Reginald

St Bernard

Serpas,Helen

4B ✦ Friday, March 6, 2026 ✦ nola.com ✦ The Times-Picayune churches in St.Bernard and OrleansParishes; em‐ployees of Walmart#909, The U.S. Mint,St. Bernard ParishSchool System and WiserSecurityare invited toattendthe funeral. A Celebration servicehonor‐ing thelifeand legacy of the late Mr.Reginald "Rassie" Ceaser will be heldatGreater Mount Olive BaptistChurch,1904 Goodwill Drive, Violet,LA onSaturday, March7,2026 at11am, Pastor Merlin Flo‐res,Sr.,Officiating. Inter‐mentMerrick Cemetery Visitation9 am in the church. Please sign online guestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion, Directors (504)581-4411

Cherry,BrendaGoudeau

Brenda GoudeauCherry, aged83, lovingly knownas “Nana”, passedaway peacefullyonTuesday February24, 2026. Shewas surrounded by familyafter a courageous battlewith cancer. Brenda wasborn onAugust28, 1942 to the lateThomasand Lorraine Goudeau.She attended XavierUniversityPrepara‐toryHighSchool andgrad‐uated from Joseph S. Clark HighSchool. Brenda went ontograduatefrom StraightBusinessSchool (nowDillard University). She became aCertified Paralegal—anachievement thatset thefoundationfor her long anddedicated ca‐reer in legaland adminis‐trative service. Brenda’s professionalcareer began byserving as aLegal Ad‐ministrativeAssistantfor A.P.Tureaud andErnest “Dutch” Morial,where her talent, reliability, andpro‐fessionalism flourished.In 2005, Brenda relocatedto Snellville, GA,asa result of Hurricane Katrina. Brenda returnedtothe NewOr‐leans area in December 2024 to be closer to family asher health begantode‐cline.Brendaispreceded indeath by herparents, Thomasand Lorraine Goudeau;brothersThomas Jr. andAlbert; sister Linda; and former husband, Eu‐geneCherry.She is sur‐vived by hersons, Ryan Goudeau (Fern) andBran‐don Cherry (Ketura); grandchildren Jordan Goudeau Arnold (Deron), Kayla Goudeau, and Solomon GoudeauCherry; aswellasgreat grand‐daughter, Seraphim Arnold and GodDaughterLeahSu‐lony. Shealsoleavesbe‐hindher sisters, Cathy Goudeau andJoniRivarde (Louis).Additionally Brendaissurvivedbyher devoted life partnerof thirtyone years, Alvin Washington, alongwitha hostofnieces, nephews, and lovedones. Relatives, familyand friendsare in‐vited to aMassofChristian Burialhonoringthe life of BrendaCherry at St.Martin dePorresCatholicChurch, 5621 ElysianFieldsAve., New Orleans, LA 70122on Saturday, March7,2026 at 11:00 am.Visitationat9:00 aminthe church.Inter‐ment: Private. In lieu of flowers, please send dona‐tions to theAmericanCan‐cer Foundation.Pleasesign the online guestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion Directors, (504) 581-4411.

Clark-Fountain, Carolyn Ann

CarolynAnn Clark-Foun‐tainofMarrero LA was bornFebruary18, 1961to LawrenceClark,Sr. and Rosie Mathis Dillon. Her Christian journeybeganat anearly age. Sheenjoyed going to Sunday school and singinginthe youth choir.Her educationwas completed at AliceFoucher SeniorHighSchool.Asshe began to pursue herca‐reer,her passionlanded her in CharityHospital School of Nursingand Holy

CrossCollege fornursing Carolyn prided herselfin working in variousmedical fields,atOchsner Founda‐tion, ChateauNotre Dame and theActsHomeHealth Facility. Sheworkeddays and nights to providefor her children.She eventu‐allyhad to make some un‐expectedchanges when her daughter Brittany landedher anotherjob as a crossing guardfor 7 years at John Dibert Ele‐mentary School.Justlike someofuswould say, not mychild.Brittnaywasn't allowedtoparticipate in any activities offthe premisesunlessher motherwas thechaper‐one.Carolyn enjoyeddanc‐ing,cooking, decorating dressingand beinga care giver forany age. With that infectiousnesslaugh,she enjoyed having agood time. Shewas adevoted mother, grandmother, sis‐ter andaunt.OnTuesday February17, 2026 Carolyn Ann Clark-Fountain re‐ceivedher wingstoenter the PearlieGates.She was precededindeath by her parents,LawrenceClark Sr. andRosie Mathis Dillon, sisterKim Rose Dillon Mar‐tin andFelecia Clark, 2 nieces, KenyadaHarrisand Kiffany Butler,brothers LawrenceClark IT,Gregory Clark,and KevinClark,sis‐ter ,and nephewsLarry Lewis,Jr. andTyrellWash‐ington. Carolyn'sloveand legacywillbecarried on through herdevoted chil‐drenBrandon andBrittany Fountain, grandchild Za RyahPrettyFountain, along with herGod-fearing family. Lawrence Clark, Jr., Steven(Rosalyn) Clark, RoseMarySmith of Texas, Dr. Jacqueline Clark, Mar‐quita,Johnatan, Justin Clark,Myron Clark, Deme‐triel Clark-Walker,Tanjia Clark-Berry,Sabrina ClarkByesand Kirk Clark, anda hostofnieces, nephews cousins,and herdevoted friend, Melvin Johnson. Rel‐ativesand friendsofthe familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Sat‐urday,March 7, 2026 at RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home, 9611 LA-23, Belle Chasse LA.70037. Thevisi‐tationwillbegin at 9AM followedbya 10AMser‐vice. Pastor Marc A. Napoleonwillofficiateand entombmentwillfollowin Mt. Olivet Cemetery 4000 NormanMayer Ave.,New Orleans.For online condo‐lencesplease visitwww robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Colgan, Clark Joseph

ClarkJoseph Colgan, born on May8,1942,in NewOrleans, Louisiana, passedawaypeacefullyat home on March3,2026,in Destrehan, Louisiana. He was83years old Inhis earlytwenties, Clarkwas amember of the Army National Guard. At the ageof29, he opened his business, Colgan Inc., which wouldlater become Colgan Cabinets and Colgan Distributors. His businesses supplied the Greater New Orleans regionfor 35 years. He was viewedasa generous boss until the sellingofhis company in 2006 In Mayof1976,Clark started the firstannual Colgan Open, agolftournament forhis friends and businessassociates. It was 2.5 days of golfing in Mississippi alongwith great foodand drink. The Colgan Opencontinues today and is heldannually during the firstweekendof May. While he livedinSt. Charles Borromeo'sparish, Clark believedinspreading charity to allparishes. He frequentlyattendedMass at OurLady of Perpetual Helpand Immaculate Conception to name afew Heissurvived by his daughters, Kimberley Colgan Basile(Leo) and Courtney Colgan Messerly (Robert) and his siblings, Edward Charles (Patsy), Larry,Kenny (Marianne), Judyth Lathamand Kathleen Veale (Dewey). His legacy continues through his cherished grandchildren: Jay Trusheim, Jr. and his wife Christin, Joshua Trusheim, Dylan Torrance and his wifeHeather Tran, MadisonTorrance, Isaac Galaforo, Rebekah Galaforo, and Caroline Basile. Clark alsodelighted in the presence of hisgreat -grandchildren:Grace, Jacob, Catherine,Thomas,

and LukeTrusheim. He was preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Irene (Terre) Lee Colgan, hisparents, Mary TheresaNunez Colgan and Edward Charles Colgan,Sr. and hissister, Marlene Joan Colgan. May hismemory bring comfort to thosewho knew and lovedhim. Relatives and friends are invitedtoattend theservices on Monday, March 9, 2026, at St.Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 13396 RiverRd. in Destrehan, LA.Visitation willbegin at 10:00 AM followedbya Funeral Mass at 12:00 PM.Interment will follow in St. Charles Borromeo Cemetery. Followingthe interment, acelebration of life will be held at Cypress Lakes Country Club Fond memories or condolences may be shared at www.leitzeaganfuneralho me.com.

Gail Bell Duplessistran‐sitionedpeacefully into eternal rest on Sunday February22, 2026, at the age of 71. Shewas anative ofthe NinthWardofNew Orleans,Louisiana.She was amemberofGreater EbenezerBaptist Church Gailwas educated in the New OrleansPublicSchool SystemattendingGeorge WashingtonCarverSr. High School.She retiredafter buildinga legacy across manytitlesand accom‐plishments. As abar owner her love forpeopleshined the brightest. Gail wasthe beloved mother of Nicole (Kevin) JacksonSr.,Natalie (Stephen) Warren Sr Jerry (Dea) Duplessis; stepmom toSheilaFranklin; grand‐mothertoBrandyWatson, Preston Carmon IV,Shan‐dria, StephenJr, &Shondra Warren, ChrisJackson; great-grandmother to MarkAnthony,Jrand Mar‐QuanRobinson; sister of Christine (Carless) WheelerSr.,Michael (Adra) Bell Sr.,Lawrence(Linda) Clark, Annie(Kenneth) Walter and Patricia (Donald) Tay‐lor;and godchildMiquel WarrenJr. Herfamilywill cherish herlovingmemo‐ries. Shewas preceded in death by herparents Gilbert andShirley Bell Sr.; brothersLeroy andGilbert Bell, Jr.and grandson Kevin Jackson,Jr. Family and friends areinvited to at‐tendthe CelebrationofLife Service on Saturday,March 7,2026, for10:00 a.m. at Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church,2100 St.RochAv‐enue,NOLA70117. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. Rev.Corey Cooper,officiat‐ing.Interment will follow atProvidenceMemorial Park. Guestbook Online: www.anewtraditionbegins com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

Dupre, AlvinJ.'Diego' With sadnessweshare thepassing of AlvinJ “Diego” DupreonFebruary 13, 2026. Please visitwww rhodesfuneral.comtoview serviceinformation,sign online guestbook,send flowersand sharecondo‐lences

Every, Selena Harris

Selena Harris Everyen‐tered into eternalreston Sunday, February 22, 2026 atWestJefferson Medical Center, at theyoung ageof 99. Shewas alifelongresi‐dentofMarrero,LA. Daughterofthe late Eddie HarrisSr. andthe late Ce‐celia NobleHarris. Beloved motherofLeonEvery Sr AdamEvery III (Lana), Thelma Hunter andMaxine

Every. Sister of Delores Every (Lloyd Sr.),and the lateEddieHarrisJr., SamuelHarris, Rev. Daniel HarrisSr.,Jacob Harris,El‐noraClark,ElmaColer,and Celestine Campbell. God‐motherofCamilla Cole‐mon.Mrs.Every is also sur‐vived by ahostofgrand‐children, greatgrandchil‐dren, nieces,nephews cousins,other relatives and devotedfriends.Rela‐tives andfriends of the familyare invitedtoattend the funeralservice on Sat‐urday,March 7, 2026 at Mt ZionBaptist Church 701 HueyP.LongAve., Gretna LA. 70053. Thevisitation willbegin at 9AMfollowed bya 10AMservice.Pastor T.LynnRobinsonSr. will of‐ficiateand intermentwill followinRestlawnCeme‐teryinAvondale. Funeral planningentrusted to RobinsonFamilyFuneral Home(504) 208-2119. On‐linecondolences at www Robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Freeman, Lou AudryDuckett With sadnessweshare the passingofLou Audry Duckett FreemanonFebru‐ary 18, 2026. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.comto viewservice information, signonlineguestbook send flowersand share condolences

Robert “Bob”Walter Grace passedawaypeace‐fully on March3,2026 at the ageof78. Bobissur‐vived by hisbeloved wife of36years,AidaJocson Grace.Bob wasbornon March 7, 1947 in CliftonNJ, the only sonofthe late LawrenceGrace andAna Stabinsky Grace. He is sur‐vived by Estrella Abella (thelateDennise), Flora Batucan (Rochelle), ManuelJocsonSr. (the late Lordes).His nephews: Den‐sterAbella(Weng), Deinz Abella (Heather), Scott, Schultz Jocson,Dwayne Abella,NathanAbella, RustinBatucan,Lynch MarkCutara, Anastacio Cutara, Jerson Jocson, ManuelJocsonJr.,Manuel JocsonIII, AntonioAgra‐vante,TroyAgravante,and BienAgravante.Nieces: ShellaMae Jocson,Jean Agravante,YumiAbella, Malou Jocson,Lyrie,Lyca Cutara, IvyJocson, Donna Abella (Galen). Preceded in death by Florence Stabin‐sky andEileen Fengya; RudyJocson(thelateLig‐aya), andLarry Jocson (Nida). Bobgraduated from St. Benedict’s Academyin Newark, NewJersey, and earneda Bachelor of Arts degreeinMathematics fromMontclair StateUni‐versity in NewJersey. He later obtained hisMaster ofBusinessAdministration fromthe University of New Orleans.Hewas alife memberofAlpha Phi Omega Fraternity.Bob began hisprofessionalca‐reer as acomputeranalyst withM&M/MarsChocolate and Prudential Insurance inNew Jersey.Helater servedasa SystemsInfor‐mationAnalyst forthe UnitedNations in New York. Hiscareer subse‐quently broughthim to Houston,Texas,where he workedfor Superior Oil Company,which later mergedwithMobil OilEx‐ploration andProduction USA.In1985, Bobrelocated toNew OrleanstojoinFi‐delityInformation Ser‐vices,Inc.atthe Hibernia DataCenter, nowknown as Capital OneBank. Follow‐ing hisretirementfroma longand successful career ininformation systems analysis, Bobearnedhis PublicNotarylicense and continued workingasa no‐taryfor UPS. Bobwas deeply committedtocivic engagementand commu‐nityservice.For thepast ten years, he served as President of theWoodland OaksCivic Associationand was highly respectedby the boardofthe Westbank Civic CoalitionOrganiza‐tion(WCCO). He also par‐ticipated in theJefferson ParishPresident’s Advisory Committee forPermitting and Planning Projects.In addition,Bob served as a formerboard member of WRBH 88.9FM, Radiofor the Blind; former Secre‐tary/TreasurerofLions Club District 8-S; andfor‐

merBoard Director of the Asian American LionsClub. Hewas also formerly ac‐tiveinthe AsianPacific AmericanSociety.Inhis leisure time,Bob enjoyed reading,studyinghistory, appreciating thearts, watchingmovies, andtak‐ing relaxing drives.Hewill berememberedfor his generosityand serviceto the people in hiscommu‐nity, andabove allelseto God.Hewas adevoted Catholic andparishioner of St. Martha Catholic Church inHarvey, LA.Inlieuof flowers, please make do‐nations to theAmerican Heart Association, WRBH –88.9FM, Radiofor the Blind,Reading Radio, and the LionsClubInterna‐tionalFoundation(LCIF). Friends andfamilyare in‐vited to attend theFuneral MassonSaturday, March7 2026 at 1:30PM in the ChapelofMothe Funeral Home, 7040 LAPALCO BLVD.,inMarrero,LA. Visi‐tationwillbegin at 10AM. Pleasevisit MOTHEFUNER‐ALS.COM to view andsign the online guestbook

June Cleggett Hanchett age 77, enteredeternal rest onWednesday,February 25, 2026, to be with her HeavenlyFather. Shewas precededindeath by her beloved parents, Robert J. Cleggett, Sr.and Dorothy HarrisCleggett; andher brothers, Mark A. Cleggett Byron M. Cleggett (Va‐lerie), andRobertJ Cleggett, Jr.She leaves to cherish herlovingmemory her children,Ben J. Hanchett, Jr.and Benita Hanchett(Dominick); her devoted sister,Marva C. Tutt(Mance);her brother, Brent E. Cleggett (Felicia); and herthree beloved grandchildren.She also leavesa host of extended familymembers and friends who will forever holdher in theirhearts. A Celebration of Life honor‐ing June C. Hanchett will beheldatRhodesFuneral Home, 1020 Virgil Street, Gretna, Louisiana70053 on Saturday, March7,2026, at 11:30 a.m. Visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Inter‐mentwillfollowatMc‐DonoghvilleCemetery, 520 Hancock Street,Gretna, Louisiana 70053. Arrange‐ments by D. W. Rhodes Fu‐neral Home,3933 Washing‐ton Ave. Please visitwww rhodesfuneral.comtosign the online guestbook

WilliamHardy entered into rest on February 15, 2026. AFuneralService will be held on Friday,March 6, 2026 at 10:00 am at Calvary Tabernacle C.M.E.,3629 DryadesSt.,New Orleans, Louisiana70115. Visitation will beginat9:00am. Burial will be in Holt Cemetery Professional arrangements

entrustedtoMajesticMor‐tuary, (504) 523-5872.

Irons, OctaviaAlma

OctaviaAlmaIrons,lov‐ingly knowntoher family as“Ockie” and“Aunt Ockie”, andtogenerations ofstudentsas“Ms.Irons”, passedawayonWednes‐day,February25, 2026. She was born December 27, 1940 in NewOrleans,LAto the late John JamesIrons and EssieFolse Irons. She was reared in theHolly‐grove communityand edu‐cated in theOrleans Parish School System,attending PaulLaurenceDunbarEle‐mentary School,AlfredC PriestlyJunior High School and Booker T. Washington HighSchool.Octavia con‐tinuedher educationat GramblingCollege and SouthernUniversityin Baton Rouge. Shedevoted manyyears to teaching touchingthe livesofcount‐lessstudentsbeforeretir‐ing.She wasa faithful memberofGideonChrist‐ian Fellowship Church and was knownbyfamilyand friends forher warm spirit and love forothers. Sur‐vivorsinclude four sib‐lings,Helen Rodgers, Charles Irons(Vivian), Li‐onelIrons,JoelIrons,along witha host of nieces nephews,other relatives, friends andformerstu‐dents,who will miss her dearly. In addition to her parents,Octavia is also precededindeath by seven siblings,JohnJames Irons, Jr., Mary EthelDaly, Willie Joseph Aulston Irons, EmmanuelJames Irons, AlvinLutherIrons Julia IronsWashingtonand Lydia IronsLindsey.A fu‐neral servicehonoringthe lifeand legacy of thelate Octavia Alma Ironswillbe heldatNazarethBaptist Church,9108 Pritchard Place,New Orleans, LA on Saturday, March7,2026 at 11am. IntermentGreen Street (CarrolltonNo. 1) Cemetery. Visitation 10 am inthe church.Pleasesign the online guestbook at www.charbonnetfuneralho me.com. Charbonnet Labat Glapion,Directors (504) 581-4411

Kagler,Vernell Magee'GG'

VernellMagee Kagler, (GG),was born on August 8,1945 in Franklinton, LA to the unionofthe late Rod‐ney andVonitaMagee.She departedthislifeonFriday, February20, 2026 at the age of 80. Shewas bap‐tized at NewJerusalem Baptist Church in Franklin‐ton,LA. Sheleavestocher‐ish hermemories, her beloved husbandof62 years Jimmie Kagler;three childrenVickieLajoice Thomas, Victoria Denise Kaglerand JimnellToniKa‐gler. Five grandchildren Vontrelle LillianKagler, Jer‐icaLaura Baker, Raynard

Thomas,Jr.,Jimmy RayKa‐glerand JacobSamuel Carter. Sixgrandchildren Richard Baker, Jamariyah ShantellBaker,Nevaeh Vernell Watkins, Ronald WilliamCarter, Victor Ali Carter, andKyleJoseph Carter. Four Godchildren Barbara Kagler,BrendaKa‐gler, Jerome Learson, Jr and DanishaCheatham. Alsosurvivedbya host of nieces, nephews, otherrel‐ativesand friends. Shewas precededindeath by her parents,all of hersisters and greatgrandson Richard Baker. Vernell Magee Kagler will forever berememberedfor her warmth, herculinarycre‐ativity,and hersteadfast lovefor familyand friends. A Viewingwillbeheld on Friday, March6,2026 from 6:00pm- 8:00 pm at Mt Kingdom Missionary, 3756 LouisaSt.,New Orleans, Louisiana 70126. ACelebra‐tionofVernell’s life will be heldonSaturday, March7, 2026 at 1:00 pm at TheNew Jerusalem BaptistChurch, 44030 MaxBrumfieldRd. Franklinton,LA70438 Friends andfamilyare in‐vited to come together to share memories andhonor the beautifulimpactshe had on theirlives.Profes‐sionalarrangementsen‐trusted to Majestic Mortu‐ary (504) 523-5872.

Kennedy,Gregory

GregoryKennedy en‐tered into rest on February 22, 2026. He is survived by his threedaughters Latasha MarieAlexanderJackson,Monisha Shanelle Jackson-James andGregri‐ana D. Kennedy-Anderson and ahostofother rela‐tives andfriends.A Funeral Service will be held on Sat‐urday March7,2026 at 11:00am at IsraeliteBaptist Church2100MartinLuther King, Jr.Blvd. NOLA 70113 Visitationwillbegin at 10:00am.Burialwillbepri‐vate. Professional Arrange‐ments EntrustedtoMajes‐tic Mortuary (504) 523-5872.

LeBlanc, D’Artagnan

D’Artagnan LeBlancen‐tered eternalrestonFri‐day,January 30, 2026, in New Orleans, LA.Heispre‐ceded in deathbyhis mother, DebraLeBlanc D’Artagnanleavestocher‐ish hismemory, compan‐ion,Sonya;son,Triston; brother,Demetrius;father, Walter; uncle,Robert(Dot‐tie); aunt,Ritaand ahost ofother nieces,nephews and cousins. Relativesand friends of thefamilyare all invited to attend the MemorialService on Satur‐day,March 7, 2026, for1:00 p.m.atThe Boyd Family Fu‐neral Home,5001Chef Menteur Hwy.,New Or‐leans,LA70126. Visitation willbegin at 12:30 p.m. ReverendRonnieBlake of Baton Rougeofficiating. In‐terment is private. Guest‐book Online:www.anewtra ditionbegins.com(504)2820600. Linear BrooksBoyd and DonavinD.BoydOwn‐ers/FuneralDirectors

late Benjamin,Sr. andVic‐toria TorreganoStewart Beloved wife of thelate Felix Rainey, Sr.and the lateAustinLeslie. Beloved motherofFelix,Jr. (Ella), Shannon andTanya Rainey StepmotherofTracey Quinn. Sister of thelate Ethel Johnson, DorisTun‐ney,BenjaminStewart,Jr. and Rose Allen. Grand‐motherofFelix Rainey, III, Elodiaand Martin Blanco, Jr.,Arianaand Daizhan Raineyand the late Darielle Rainey.Alsosur‐vived by ahostofgreat grandchildren,one greatgreat grandchild,nieces, nephews,cousins,other relatives andfriends.A MassofChristian burial honoringthe life and legacyofthe late Victoria “Wiggie” StewartRainey Leslie will be held at St Peter Claver Catholic Church,1923 St Philip Street,New Orleans, LA 70116 on Saturday,March 7,2026 at 10 am.Interment Mount Olivet Cemetery 4000 NormanMayer Av‐enue,New Orleans, LA 70122. Visitation 9amin the church.Pleasesignon‐lineguestbook at www.cha rbonnetfuneralhome.com. Charbonnet LabatGlapion Directors (504)581 4411.

Logwood,Jerome With sadnessweshare thepassing of Jerome Log‐wood,onMarch 2, 2026. Please visitwww.rhodesf uneral.comtoviewservice information,signonline guestbook,sendflowers andshare condolences.

DebraAnn Marque,born November8,1965, passed awaypeacefully on Febru‐ary 24,2026, leavingbehind a legacy of love,strength, and devotion to herfamily. She wasa cherished mother, grandmother, sis‐ter,aunt, andfriendwho touched thelives of all who knew her. Debrawas the loving mother of her devoted son, Joshua Charles Marque.She wasa proud andadoring grand‐mothertoZachary and Christopher,who brought immensejoy to herlife. She wasprecededindeath byher belovedparents, MaryMarqueand Charles Marque. Debraissurvived byher dear brothers: Charles Marque Jr.(Jeri), RobertMarque(Shelley), and TimothyMarque (April).She also leaves be‐hind hercherished nephews,Richard,Caleb, Alexander,Kyle, andJaxon and herlovingniece, Nicole. Debrawillbere‐membered forher kind heart,her unwavering love for herfamily, andthe warmthshe shared so freely. Hermemorywilllive oninthe hearts of those who knew andloved her. Nopublicserviceswillbe held. Foronlinecondo‐lences, please visitwww Robinsonfamilyfuneralho me.com

Doris

band, Melvin Orticke, her siblings; EuniceRobertson, Olga Dorothy,Betty and Cleo Morris, Norwood,Sr. Donald, Sr, Alvin, and Gerald Morris. Family and friends are invitedtoattend theCelebrationofLife and Mass of Christian Burial at St.Martin de Porres Catholic Church, 5621 Elysian Fields Avenue, NewOrleans, La 70122 at 11:00 a.m on Friday, March 6, 2026. Visitation willbeginat10:00 a.m. Interment willbeatLake Lawn Metairie FuneralHome& Cemeteries. Youmay sign theguest book on www.ge rtrudegeddeswillis.com Gertrude GeddesWillis Funeral Home,Inc.in charge(504) 522-2525.

BrucePaulOubre en‐

tered into eternalreston Saturday, February 21, 2026 atthe ageof70. Beloved husband of Emerrier Oubre.Brother of Herbert Oubre,Jr. (Geraldine). Fa‐therofSolomon Herbert and John-Paul Henry (Ivana).Grandfather of Ginsen, Lyrik, HarleyQuinn, Anabelle,Bruce, David andAutumn-Rose; bonus grandfatherofJour‐ney andBrody.Hewillbe sadly missedbyhis entire familyand ahostofother relatives andfriends.Bruce attended OurLadyofLour‐des Elementary School Alcee FortierHighSchool and graduatedfromDillard UniversityofNew Orleans. Hewas aretired office manager at Aerotyme of Kenner, LA,and an em‐ployeeofOffice Depotin Metairie, LA.All relatives and friendsofthe family are invitedtoattend the MassofChristian Burial at the BasilicaofSt. Stephen, 1025 Napoleon Avenue NOLA70115 on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Visitation 10:00 am;Massfollowing 11:00 am;Monsignor Christopher Naltyofficiat‐ing.Interment will be pri‐vate. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequeststhatdona‐tions be made to St.Jude oryourlocal Food Bank Professionalarrangements entrusted to Majestic Mor‐tuary (504) 523-5872.

CelebrationofLife Service for OctaviaPrice on Satur‐day,March 7, 2026, for 10:00 a.m. at TheBoyd FamilyFuneralHome, 5001 ChefMenteur Hwy.,New Orleans,LA70126. Visita‐tionwillbegin at 9:00 a.m. Rev.Dr. Robert Myers, Sr officiating. Intermentwill followatLakelawnCeme‐tery, NewOrleans,LA. Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

On Sunday, March 1, 2026, Helen Claire Glynn Serpas left this worldtobe with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. She passed at her home with family by her side.Beloved wife of 59 years to thelatePaulF Serpas, and loving mother to ChristianPaulSerpas and hiswife Melissa Donovan Serpas. Preceded in death by her son Paul Serpas Jr. and daughter Mary Frances Serpas along with her parents, Paul Anthony Glynn and Frances McLaughlin, and brothers and sisters Leonard, Mackie, Jake, Shirley. She was affectionatelyknown as "Lady" to her honorary grandchildren,Logan, Scarlett, and Taillon. She was bornApril 21, 1931, in NewOrleans, Louisiana, and was alongtime resident of St. Bernard Parish who relocated to Mandeville, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. She was an accomplishedbowler and wrotea bowling column for theSt. Bernard News for many years. She loved Mardi Gras and was afloat captain forthe Krewes of Juno,Shangri-La,and Aphrodite.The family wouldliketoextend their sincere gratitude to Egan Hospice and Helen's nurse LaurenBroussard. Relatives and friends are invited to attend avisitation to be held at St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home,701 W. Virtue St., Chalmette,LAonMonday, March 9, 2026, from11:00 AM- 1:00 PM.A mass will beginat1:00 PM.She will be laid to eternal rest in St. Bernard Memorial Gardens. To view and sign theFamily Guestbook, please visit www.stbernar dmemorial.com

Tyler, Jerome Anthony 'AppleJack'

Jerome Anthony“Apple Jack” Tylerdepartedthis lifeonthe morningof Wednesday,February18, 2026 –justtwo days after celebrating his64thbirth‐day.BornFebruary16, 1962, in NewOrleans, Louisiana,Jeromewas the son of J.T. Tylerand Geneva Johnson Tylerand waslov‐ingly raised by hisadoptive mother, Mrs. LeeEsther Potter. Jerome accepted Christatanearly ageand was baptized at NewTes‐tamentBaptist Church.He was ordained as adeacon byPastorJoelTyler of Sec‐ond Rose of Sharon Baptist Church,where he also servedwiththe Outreach Ministry. He wasa member ofthe Rising SunMission‐ary BaptistAssociation Choir.Evenwithlimited mobility, Jerome found a way to be therefor others Thatwas just who he was. Heloved hismusic andhad a real gift in thekitchen But if we’rebeing honest, Jeromeloved to eat– espe‐cially anything sweet.De‐pending on who youasked, her wasJerome, Jack,or AppleJack. No matter whatyou call him, you couldn’thelpbut love him. Jeromeleavesbehindto treasurehis memory:his daughter, Shawan TylerEd‐wards of NewOrleans,LA; one granddaughter, ShawanEdwards;one great-grandson, Richard Edwards;his brother, Ty‐rone(Gisele)Tyler of Hous‐ton,TX; hissister, JJ. John‐son of LosAngeles,CA; one niece,Ronique Tyler; one nephew, Justin Tylerof Houston,TX; onegreat nephew, JaydienTyler of Houston,TX; four aunts, Ola M. Tyler, SueD.John‐son,JoAnn Johnson, and HattieHohnson,ofNew Or‐leans,LA; oneuncle,Joe Johnson of NewOrleans LA; onegodchildand a hostofcousins and friends.Precededindeath byhis parents, J.T. and GenevaTyler;brother; Patrick Johnson, grandpar‐ents; Jonasand Lily Tyler, and hisadoptivemother Mrs.Lee Esther Potter Familyand friendsare in‐vited to attend theHome‐going ServiceonSaturday, March 7, 2026, for10:00 a.m.atNew Testament Baptist Church,1817 Gor‐don Street,New Orleans, LA70117. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. Pastor JackO.Battiste, officiating. Intermentwillfollowat ProvidenceMemorialPark Cemetery. GuestbookOn‐line: www.anewtraditionbe gins.com(504)282-0600 LinearBrooksBoydand Donavin D. Boyd Own‐ers/FuneralDirectors

OctaviaEdmondPrice peacefullydepartedthis lifeonFebruary16, 2026, at the ageofninety-four.She was born on March28, 1931, in NewRoads Louisiana,tothe late Josephand Virginia Ed‐mond. Shewas oneofnine childrenborntotheir union.Octavia received her early educationinthe New Roads school system and later attended andgradu‐atedfromBeautySchool After completing heredu‐cation, shemet andmar‐riedthe love of herlife, Willie A. Price. To this union, five children were born: Carolyn, Barbara, Veronica, Joseph,and Irvin. Atanearly age, Octavia dedicated herlifetoour Lordand Savior,Jesus Christ, andremaineda de‐voted Catholic until her finalbreath. Shewas pre‐ceded in deathbyher beloved husband,WillieA Price;her children,Veron‐ica Barnes,Irvin Price, and JosephPrice;her parents, Josephand Virginia Ed‐mond; granddaughter, Keionna Price; sisters, Rosenia Neasly,Dorothea Spice,EdnaMae Harris, Dorothy Wright,Harriet Joseph, SadieThomas, brothers; AnthonyEdmond and Joseph Edmond.Oc‐tavia leaves to cherishher preciousmemoryher two devoted daughters, Car‐olynP.Jones andBarbara R.Barber; nine grandchil‐dren: Channon, Micheal, Henry,Chrishanda, Deidra, Dameion,Kendra, Duan, and Harrold; alongwitha hostofgreat-grandchil‐dren, great-great-grand‐children, nieces,nephews extendedfamilymembers, and dear friends. Shewill bedeeply andsadly missedbyall whose lives weretouched by herlove, kindness, andbeautiful spirit. Family andfriends areinvited to attend The

Elston "Peetot"Tassin of Reserve, La entered eternal rest on Thursday, February 18, 2026. Born September 6, 1961, he was known forhis personality and hispassion forcoaching recreational sports.He was employedbySt. John theBaptist parish public works. He is survived by his wife Adrian Tassin, children Donnell Sanders Eltrinesha LeBray (Tyra), Elchron Diggs Airline (Mohammed), Kendall Diggs, and Traveyon Williams. One sister Cabrini Tassin. Two aunts, MargieWilkens, and Louis Tuircuit. Godmother Addie Tezeno.And ahost of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, otherrelatives, and friends. He is preceded in death by his parents Shirlene and Ernest Tassin. Siblings:Shannon Tassin and Kathy Jones. Funeral Service will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 10:00a.m. at St. Mark Baptist Church 132 Marquez St. Mt. Airy,La. Rev. Oscar Nelson Officiating.Visitation on Saturdayatthe church from 8:30am until service time. Interment:St. John Memorial GardensLaplace, LA Professional Service entrusted to HobsonBrown Funeral Home 134 Daisy St. Garyville, LA 70051

HarlymSean Virgil,age 17, enteredeternalpeace on Wednesday, February 25, 2026. He was born December 3, 2008, in Jefferson, Louisiana, to Dennis Edward Virgil Jr andAyanna HiltonVirgil. Harlym began hiseducation at Lake Forest Charter School andattended N.O. Scienceand Mathematics High School (Sci High), wherehecontinued to excel academically as an honor roll student, participating in variousleadership rolesand earning variouscollege credits. He wasknown for hiscompassion, kindness, and willingness to help others He wasprecededin death by hisgrandmother, Darlene Hall Anthony; great-grandfather, John Hall; and great-grandmothers, Mandy Hiltonand JessieVirgil He leaves to cherish his memory his parents; his sister,AilynnVirgil;grandparents Gwendolyn Barrow and Dennis Virgil Sr (Angela); aunts, uncles, andahostofrelativesand friends.

Relativesand friends of thefamilyare invited to attend thefuneral service on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at SecondNew

Guide Missionary Baptist Church,1424 S. Dilton St., Metairie, LA 70003. Viewing will be held from10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church. Intermentwill follow at MountOlivet Cemetery, NewOrleans,LA. Arrangements are entrusted to RichardsonFuneral Home of Jefferson, River Ridge,LA. www.richardson funeralhomeofjefferson.co m. Walton,Shirley Burrows

ShirleyBurrows Walton passedawayonMonday, February23, 2026. Shirley was born on October14, 1929, in NewOrleans Louisiana,tothe late RobertBurrows,Sr. and EvelynBurrows.Shirley was born andraisedinthe vibrant city of NewOr‐leans,where sheattended Booker T. Washington High School.She begana career withthe NewOrleans Pub‐lic School System,where she served as an adminis‐trative assistant. Shewas often the firstwelcoming facepeopleencountered whenenteringthe office Shirley became knownasa fierce advocate forem‐ployees seekinghelpwith administrativematters She retiredin1988. In 2005 Hurricane Katrinadramati‐cally changedher path leading hertorelocateto Memphis,Tennessee. In 2009, shemoved once more this time to Columbia Maryland—where shelived withher beloveddaughter and son-in-law until the timeofher passing. Shirley was preceded in deathby her parents, Robert Bur‐rows, Sr.and Evelyn Bur‐rows; herfourbrothers, RobertBurrows,Jr.,Ray‐mondBurrows,Joe Bur‐rows, andLeroy Burrows; and hertwo sisters, Marion Chineworthand Elaine Cole. Sheleavestocherish her precious memory her six loving children:Jory Walton, MichaelWalton, Donna Christopher, Kerry Walton, Avanel Handy (David),and WendyBlack‐ston(Garmond).She is alsosurvivedbysixteen grandchildren,twenty-four great-grandchildren,and ninegreat-great-grandchil‐dren, alongwitha host of devoted relativesand dear friends who will forever treasureher presence in their lives. Relatives, family and friendsare invitedtoa MassofChristian Burial honoringthe life of Shirley B.WaltonatOur Lady of Guadalupe Church,411 N. Rampart St., on Saturday, March 7, 2026. Visitation for 8:30 am.Massfor 10:00 am. Interment: St.Louis II Cemetery. Please sign the Guestbook Online:www anewtraditionbegins.com (504)282-0600. Linear BrooksBoydand Donavin D.BoydOwners/FuneralDi‐rectors

LucilleMitchellWash‐ington(Ms.Lou)was alov‐ing wife,mother, grand‐mother, greatgrand‐mother, adaughter, asis‐ter,a friend,a neighbor; determinedtomakea dif‐ference in thelives of her familyand hercommunity She talked to everyone she met andnever meta stranger. Lou, as herfamily and friendsaffectionately calledher,was born Octo‐ber 5, 1957, in NewOrleans Louisiana to Mammie Mitchelland TommieLee Hawk. Shehad threesib‐lings,Paulette Young, Lewis Mitchell andLeonard Mitchell. SheattendedSt. RoseBaptist Church,asa child where sheservedas a proudJuniorUsher.Later inlife, shejoinedGreater Galilee BaptistChurch where shewas adevoted memberofthe choir. Lu‐cille waseducatedinthe NewOrleans Parish Public

Doris Mary Morris Orticke,ofNew Orleans, La, entered hereternal home on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at the age of 91. Doris was the daughter of the late Daniel and Maude Morris.She is survived by her children, Giselleand Shelby (Cheryl) Orticke; grandchildren, Juwan (Darice) and Brandon Orticke; Danielle and Norwood Morris III, one great-granddaughter, Jade, one sister, Edith Reimonenq, and close cousin/sister,Gwen Bouligny. Doris willalsobe foundly missedbya host of nieces, nephews, and many extended family members.Doriswas preceded in death by her husLeslie,VictoriaStewart Rainey 'Wiggie' Victoria “Wiggie” Stew‐art Rainey Leslie,age 90 transitionedonWednes‐day,February18, 2026 at herhome. Daughter of the See more

OPINION

Risksof intimate partnerviolencegrow

Louisiana has seen some encouraging signs of decliningviolence in recent years Crime data and 2026 statewide survey data on violence from our team show reductions in physical violence among men and in sexual violence among both men and women. These are trends worth recognizing.

Louisiana —58% —have experienced IPV,and about 1in4women —24% —has experienced potentially lethal forms of IPV,defined in LaVEX as chokingorsuffocation, burning or theuse of a knife or gunbyapartner

Raj

But acloser look at the data reveals acritical exception —intimate partner violence against women. New data from the Louisiana Violence Experiences Survey 2025, or LaVEX, astatewide, population-based study of adults conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago and led by Newcomb Institute at Tulane University,show that IPV —inclusive of emotional, physical andsexual violence from acurrentorformal partner —remains widespread among Louisiana women More than half of women in

Most of this potentially lethal IPV takes the form of chokingorsuffocation.Thisbehavior is still widely underrecognized as aseriousdanger,yet research is clear: strangulation is oneofthe strongest predictors ofIPV homicide. Choking is notjust aminor assault —itisa warningsign.

More troubling is thedatain ourreport that show reductions in physical violence against men and sexual harassment against womenand men, behaviors morelikely to be perpetrated by strangers than partners, are not paralleled by reductions in past year IPV in Louisiana.

Among women who experienced physical violence in the past year, nearly60% expe-

rienced this violence from a partner.This indicates that the violence declines are benefiting men andnot women, because the declines are not being seen for IPV

Potential lethality is also amajor concern for women. LaVEX 2025 data do showanotable numerical increase in potentially lethal IPV among women, rising from 1.8% in 2023 to 3.5% in 2025. When behaviors linked to homicide risk begin to rise, even modestly,they warrant close attention

The broader context helps explain why this moment matters. Louisianaisexperiencing substantial economic shocks, such as food insecurity,eviction and housing instability —welldocumented risk factors for IPV, particularly severe formsof abuse that disproportionately affect women.

In LaVEX, women facing unmet basic needs had dramatically higher risk of IPV, and those experiencing eviction or homelessness faced someofthe highest

Good food doesn’t come from nowhere

As the chef and owner of Mister Mao in New Orleans, Icook loud food with bold flavors, big ideas and no apologies. But behind every dish is somethingquieter and more important: relationships with the farmers, fishersand growers who make our food possible. Isource locally because local food is better, the supply chain is more honest andthe money stays whereitbelongs, here at home.

That’swhy Icare deeply about federal and state programs that prioritize purchasing food from local producers for schools, child care centers and food banks. When public dollars support locally grown food, everybody wins. The money is more likely to stay in the community Farmers gain stability.Kids eat better.Communities get healthier.And we stop pretending the cheapest possible food, grown far away by someone we’ll never meet,doesn’t come withhidden environmentaland economic costs.

risks observed. While economic shocks may not directly cause violence, they may intensify control, dependency and danger in relationships that are already unsafe.

What can we do?

First,weneed to recognize that there may be an increase in potential lethal formsofviolence, in particularly in the form of choking and suffocation, such as strangulation. These are medical emergencies and critical warning signs.

Second, we must strengthen support for womenatthe highest risk, including housing stability, economic assistance and survivor-centered intervention.

Third, we must invest in prevention early,especially for girls and young women, givenhow often IPV beginsbefore adulthood.

OurLaVEX 2025 data indicate that almost 1in10experience IPV before the ageof18, and more than 1in5 womenhave witnessed IPV against their mothers, normalizing the behavior.

Andfinally,prevention requires

Rights of

engaging men and boys, because reducing IPVultimately means addressing behaviors that cause harm and with recognition that men and boys are morelikely to be the ones implementing these harms, again, potentially due to norms. The findings in LaVEX 2025 underscore the need forpolicymakers, practitioners and advocates to use population-based data to prioritize intimate partner violence —particularly its mostdangerous forms—inprevention and response efforts.

If you or someone you know needs help, confidential support is available through the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence at (888) 411-1333, which connects callers to local programsacross the state. Online resources —and options to connect by chat —are available at www lcadv.org.

AnitaRaj is executive director of theNewcomb Institute at Tulane Universityand a professorofpublic health

theinnocent

don’tend when they become inconvenient

This is abrutal time for the food and farm economy.Groceryprices are up. Restaurant margins are thinner than ever.Farmers are being crushed by rising costs for seed, fertilizer,fuel, equipment and labor.In2025 alone, farm bankruptcies jumped by more than 46%. Those aren’tabstract numbers. Those are families. Those are people Ipurchase from. When afarm folds, it doesn’tjust disappear.It takesjobs skills and food security withit.

At Mister Mao, we buy from producers like Paradigm Gardens, Liuzza Farms,Fekete Farms,Cassell Family Farms, WestdomeNursery,Resurrection Gardens and Cajun Growers. Some are urban. Some are rural. All of them work their tails off. Thequality of what they grow isn’teven inthe same universeaswhat comes off atruck from anational distributor.I trust these producers because Iknow them. Ican callthem. Ican adaptwith them when the weather goes sidewaysoraseason comes in weird, which these days is all the time. But restaurants alone are not enough to keep farms afloat. We’reimportant customers, but we don’tprovidestable demand at the scale needed to keep them running. That’swhere government purchasing matters. When theU.S. Department of Agriculture, states and citiesuse theirbuying power to source

locally for schools and food programs, they helpfarmers move from scrapingbytoplanning for thefuture. Local purchasing allows farms to plant more, diversify crops, hire workers and invest in infrastructure. It strengthens supply chainsacross agriculture, processing, hospitality andtransportation. This is howyou build aresilient food system. Not with buzzwords, but with purchase orders. Right now,the USDA spends billions of dollars every year on food for schools and nutrition programs. Toomuch of that moneygoes to massive processors and corporations, some of them not even American-owned. Meanwhile, states and school districts that want to serve fresh, local food are boxed out by rules andfunding structures that make it harder to do theright thing.

We alreadyknow what works. When schools serve fresh, locally grown food, kids eatmore of it. Participation goes up. Food waste goes down. Andchildren, especially those who rely on school meals themost,get better nutrition that supports learning and long-term health.

Funding states to purchase local food isn’tcharity; it’s smart policy.It strengthensrural and urban economies at thesame time. It supports small and mid-sized farms instead of concentrating power even further into the hands of afew corporations. It keeps taxpayer dollars circulating locally,where they do moregood.

I’ve spentyears raising money and cookingfor hospitality workers and small businesses hit by hurricanes, floods and other disastersbecause I believe food is apublic good and feedingpeopleisserious work. If we’re willingtoshow up after acatastrophe, we should also be willing to invest upstream in the farmers and producers whofeed usevery day

This is abipartisan issue. Everyone eats. Everyone benefits from astrong local food system. Supporting local purchasing forschools and food banks is oneofthe most practical, fiscally responsible ways to invest in our communities, our farmers and our kids. Good food doesn’tjust appear.It comes from hardworking people. And it’stime our policies reflected that.

Sophina Uong is thechef and owner of MisterMao in New Orleans

It is afact that innocent people are wrongfully convicted and imprisoned. Louisianarecognizes this and provides wrongfully convicted individuals the right to appear in court and petition for justice and freedom.This right must be upheld and protected even as political winds shift and politicians shift with them.

In thecase of Raymond Flanks —aninnocent man whospent 38 years, 10 months and 26 days in prison for acrimehedid not commit —who was the subject of commentaryfrom powerful officials, none of whom acknowledged the facts of thecase nor the injustice done to Flanks.

of wrongful conviction. Prosecutors agreed in acourt filing that, with the grand jury testimony,Flanks could have presented to the jury a“compelling case” that he was innocent. On Nov. 17, 2022, at age 59, Flanks wasrightfully exonerated and freed.

The district attorney’soffice changed its position on the facts only when Flanks sued the office for its misconduct against him 40 years earlier,seeking monetary damages forthe violation of his civil rights that led to decades wrongly in prison.

Flanks was arrested for first-degree murder in 1983 when he was 20 years old. He was convicted based solely on the testimonyofthe victim’s wife, who claimed at trial that Flanks was the man she saw shoot her husband. She also testified that the new car that Flanks was arrested in six days after the crime looked “exactly like” thecar the shooter used.

The lead detective testified that this witness had said theshooter’sonly distinctive facial characteristic was amustache and had described seeing him in anew car

In 2021, Innocence &Justice Louisiana obtained atranscript of the wife’s grand jury testimonythat had been hidden from Flanks and his lawyers.

The transcript revealed that the victim’s wife had told thedetective theshooter had adistinctive white blotch on his face and was driving an old car,not anew car like theone Flanks was arrested in.

Flanks has never had awhite markonhis face. The victim’swife tried to point this out when looking at apicture of Flanks a week after the shooting, but was assured by thelead detective, “that’shim.” Prosecutorsare supposed to be truthseekers and act according to principles of justice.

It is unconstitutional for prosecutors to hide evidence that would be helpful to the defense. When thedistrict attorney’soffice was presented with the hidden grand jury testimonyfrom itsown files, the office correctly agreed not to contest Flanks’ claim

Faced with having his pocketbook threatened, the district attorney claimed that Flanks wasguilty and had not had his rights violated. There was never any new information that supported this new position, and earlier this year,inthe middle of the civil rights trial, the office settled with Flanks for$2.5 million. Since then, Gov. Jeff Landry has, also without new information, amplified the message that Flanks wasexonerated in error,criticizing New Orleans forwasteful spending on asettlement.

The facts of the case have not changed; they have just becomeinconvenient to those in power

Trumpeting false narratives and insisting on the narrowing of rights are the classic responses of political actors whoare threatened by the truth. It is craven and harmfultobaselessly smear aman who has already endured the torture of nearly 40 years in prison foracrimehedidn’t commit to try to protect abottom line or score apolitical point.

In 2022, the district attorney’soffice did the right thing by agreeing to vacate Flanks’ conviction and dismiss his charge. If it had not agreed to do so, however, Flanks would have fought in the courts for his exoneration, and he would have prevailed.

The majority of Louisiana’s88recorded exonerations wereachieved over the objections of prosecutors.

This is whyitisimportant that Louisiana law allows wrongfully convicted people to vindicate their rights, even when it is inconvenient to powerful politicians.

Jee Park is theexecutive director of Innocence &JusticeLouisiana.

COMMENTARY

ISSUE OF THE WEEK WARINIRAN

President Donald Trump’sdecision to join Israel in striking Iran, killing its Supreme Leader AyatollahAli Khamenei, hasled to awaveofreactionaround the globe —somejubilant,others wary.Asthe war continues, debate over theproperuse of U.S. militarypower has come to the forefront. Here are twoperspectives.

PresidentTrump,forever wars andIraqSyndrome

For many years in the 1970s, 1980s and into the 1990s,discussions of the use of U.S. military force suffered from an effect known as Vietnam Syndrome

Many Americans simply could not consider anyproposedU.S. military action without seeing visionsofa Vietnam-style quagmireinwhich American troops would bestuck for decades in acostly war without victory Vietnam Syndrome finally went away afterAmerican success in the first Gulf War. But not too many years later,Vietnam Syndrome wasreplaced by Iraq Syndrome, which is afear that usingU.S. military power will lead to an Iraq-style quagmire in which Americantroopswould be stuck for decades in acostly war withoutvictory At this moment, PresidentDonald Trump is putting Iraq Syndrome tothe test with the joint U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran. Trump’spresidency,American prestige abroad and Republican electoralhopes in thisyear’s midterms and beyond —theyall depend on the success of the American mission If,after initial military success, decapitating the Iranian leadership andtaking out many of its weapons,the U.S. goes on to set Iran on astable pathinwhich it lives in peace and does not threaten its neighbors —ifTrump succeedsindoing that, Iraq Syndrome will bebanished forever

CredibilityofUnitedStates’ deterrence is beingrestored

The Hamas paragliders, who were tentacles of Iran, began today’swar on Oct. 7, 2023, igniting one of history’smost spectacular backfires.

theidea of staying out of “endless” wars into apledge to stay out of all wars altogether.“I’m not going to start awar,I’m goingtostop wars,” Trumppromised on thenight of his great comeback victory in 2024. Trump’srhetoric has led to astrange new creature: the MAGA peacenik. It’s one thing to pledge to stay out of forever wars —the U.S.should never repeat the disasters in Vietnam andIraq. Butstay out of all military conflict?That’s an unrealistic pledge for apresident andnation living in adangerous world. Deciphering Trump’sstatements,it’s probably accurate to say he believes in staying out of endless wars but was exaggerating for effect when he talked about avoiding all wars ever In any event,byattackingIran, and alsowith military action in Venezuela, Trumphas angered and disappointed those in his MAGA base who took his antiwar pledges both seriously and literally

He has also shaken someofhis supporters wholived through the George W. Bush years. They have seen awar with arighteous cause —Afghanistan —descendinto meaninglessness. They have seen awar started by mistake—Iraq —tear apart the country.It’snosurprise that they are madenervous by another U.S.president starting another war in that part of theworld.

Iran’sregime and its terrorism multipliers, Hamas andHezbollah, have unintentionally magnified Israel’s security. AndIran’sregime, whose mantrasince its inception in 1979 has been “DeathtoAmerica,” is near deathbythe clasped handsof Israel and America.

If, on the other hand, after initial U.S military success, Iran descends into Iraq-style chaos with aweak andunstable government and rogue militias around the country —ifthat happens, Iraq Syndrome will be alive and well. The keyphrases of Iraq Syndrome are “forever wars,” “endless wars” and their variants —references not only to Iraq but to the decade-plusU.S.war in Afghanistan, which lapsed intonation building and ended with adisastrous withdrawal under President JoeBiden. Throughout his firstterm in office, and also in the 2024 campaign,Trumppromised to put an end to endless wars and not to repeat the mistakes of previous presidents.

Describing his Iraq drawdown in 2019, Trump said, “We’re down to avery few soldiers. Isaid we’re getting outofthese endless wars —these ridiculous, endless wars. We shouldhave never been there in the first place.” At times, Trump seemed to expand

The way to calm those nerves is to succeed quickly.Inboth his terms,Trump hasfavored limited, sharp, decisive military action. Think of the U.S. drone strike that took out Qasem Soleimani, headofIran’sIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Think of the destruction of ISIS.Think of the lightning assault on Maduro’s Venezuela. For Trump, theopposite of an endless war is not no war.It is aquick warwith aclear purpose and a decisiveending Now,Trump and the nation will find outwhether that can be accomplished in Iran. There are plenty of doomsayers out there, includingthe Democratic politicianswho want to run for president in 2028. If Trump fails,they win. Butif Trumpsucceeds, they will look like a bunchofpartisan nitpickers. AndIraq Syndromewill be athing of the past.

EmailByron York at byork@washingtonexaminer.com.

The wielders of Iran’sregime, which is founded on fear,surely experienced asudden, terrifying epiphany when the aerial attacks, unlike previous ones, began in daylight: The attackers knew when and where the regime’s senior officials would be meeting in Tehran that day.Precision munitions, directed by spectacular intelligence, enabled adecapitation strategy.

The at least 30,000 protesters whoperished in Iran’sstreets in early January did not die in vain.

The 1956 Hungarian Revolution failed to topple atyranny,but refuted the thencommon pessimism that tyrants can assure their permanence by controlling the consciousness of their publics. (George Orwell in “1984:” “If you want apicture of thefuture, imagine aboot stamping on a human face —for ever.”) Iran’sprotesters dramatically underscored the regime’s barbarism, so those who today regret the regime’sdemise reveal their barbarism

Somesay that U.S. involvementinIran constitutes a“war of choice.” That too casually bandied phrase rarely fits untidy reality. America’sCivil Warwas achoice: Lincoln chosenot to heed those —they were not few —who agreed with the prominent publisher Horace Greeley.He said of the seceding Southern states, “Let theerring sisters go in peace.” Lincoln chose against suchnational suicide. Donald Trump’sadministration has chosen not to wager U.S. safety on Iran’sabandoning its multi-decade pursuit of nuclear weapons, or on Iran’sacquiring them but not really meaning “Death to America.”

For Israel, the deathofIran’s self-proclaimed genocidal regime was achoice only in the sense that Israel chose to believe the regime when it called Israel a “one-bombcountry.” Tyrantslie promiscuously,but occasionally are candid. In 1939, AdolfHitler said aworld war would mean “the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe.” Israel exists because Hitler meantthat.Israel’ssurvival depends on forever thinking that nothing

is unthinkable. The U.S. action forregime change in Iran is not sufficient to produce regional tranquility.Itis, however,anecessity for beginning to reestablish aprecondition for amore peaceable world: the credibility of U.S. deterrence. Anadir of post-1945 U.S. power —and its precondition, confidence —was the 1975 departure of the last helicopter from the U.S. Embassy roof in Saigon. Asecond low point wasreached when Barack Obama drew,in2012, and then ignored a red line (concerning Syrian chemical weapons). Athird wasin2021 when Joe Biden produced achaotic exit from Afghanistan. Today,Vladimir Putin is watching Venezuela, Iran (a source of someofPutin’s drones) and soon, perhaps, Cuba, join Syria as vanished clients. The swiftness of their downfall illustrates the hollowness of Russia’sclaim to be aformidable global actor Today’sworld, where the velocity of information and the capability of weaponry annihilate distances and compress time, resembles an Alexander Calder mobile: adisturbance here translates into disturbance over there.

In one of history’sstranger caroms, Oct. 7led to regimechange at Harvard and other universities, and forced aU.S. reckoning with antisemitism’sinfection of both extremities of the political spectrum Unlike in Venezuela, meredecapitation —regime modification —isinsufficient forIran. The ayatollahs’ regimeloathed not just modernity,which America exemplifies, but humanity,whose dignity is in imagining betterment through reason banishing superstition. Let there be no moreincomprehension akin to Obama’sfirst inaugural, in which he said, with Iran likely in mind, “Wewill extend ahand if you are willing to unclench your fist.” Or George H.W.Bush’sinaugural, in which he said to belligerent nations, “Good will begets good will.” Nationalism,sooften derided, wasnever captured by Iran’sregime. Instead, nationalism simmered against the state, which warred unceasingly against the nation. As America prepares to help, from adistance, Iran’spolitical rebirth, we should heed an American poet’sadvice of bold thoroughness. Robert Frost: “The best wayout is always through.”

Email George Will at georgewill@ washpost.com.

School system.She mar‐riedKevin Washington in 1975 andcreated three beautiful children.Lynette Mitchell, Latoya Mitchell and AnitaWashington Jones.Her bonus daughter, SheilaMarshallsoon came intoher life.Her work life includedthe Sandpit Lounge, St.MargaretNurs‐ing Facility andTLC Linen Factory in NewOrleans, Louisiana.She waswell known in the9th,7th &5th wards.Often an outspoken person, shealwaystoldit likeitwas.Itwas normal for hertocussyou out witha smile andfeedyou all in thesameday.She al‐wayswas willingtohelp others. If shepromisedto dosomething foryou,she would move mountainsto get it done,ifshe couldn't doitherself,she would find someonewho could. She trulyenjoyed her neighbors andher neigh‐borhood.Sitting on her porch andshootingthe breezeasshe wouldsay, was oneofher favorite pastimes. Many would passbywalking,riding bikes or drivingand yell out "Hey Ms.Lou"and she would respond"Hey baby!"OnWednesday,Feb‐ruary 18, 2026, Lucille MitchellWashington(Ms Lou)entered into eternal rest. Louleavestocherish her memories,her loving daughters,Anita Washing‐ton Jones(RaymondJones) ofCabot Arkansas and SheilaMarshall(Willie Franklin).Her sister, PauletteYoung.Beloved grandchildren:Terrence Bertrand(CassandraMor‐gan)ofFortSmith Arkansas, TrellisBertrand (ShabastinCaradine) of Jacksonville, Arkansas;Ta‐raunBertrand(EricaBoyd) ofCabot,Arkansas, Sincyr MitchellofBaumholder, Germany andDominique Correll of NewOrleans, Louisiana.Cherished great grandchildren:Rayleigh Bertrandand Tinsley Bertrand. Treasuredsis‐ters-in-law:Karen Wash‐ington, Brigitte Washington and DinahWashington. Prizedbrothers-in-law: Wayne Washington and WalterWashington. Adored godchildren:KelvinWash‐ington, TawannaWashing‐ton,Jovanna Williams, AlexisDersone,Johnathan Williams andChanel Stokes. Valued cousins: Dorothy Williams,Sabrina Mitchell, Rita Robert and Rebecca Brown. Also,a hostofnieces, nephews, cousins andmany, many friends both near andfar Lucille wasprecededin

deathbyher mother Mamie Mitchell andfather, Tommie LeeHawk. Hus‐bandKevin Washington ChildrenLatoyaMitchell and LynetteMitchell. Rela‐tives andfriends arein‐vited to attend herHome‐going CelebrationonSat‐urday.March 14,2026, at Reaping TheHarvest Full GospelChurch,5123 DauphineStreet, beginning 10am. Pastor Troy Lawrence, officiating. Church visitation 8:30 am –10am. Entombment ResthavenMemorialPark.

RalphMiltonWilderson passedawayinhis home onFebruary26, 2026, in De‐strehan,Louisiana sur‐rounded by family, friends and hisbeloved wife,Joyce Wilderson. Born Septem‐ber 14,1933, in NewOr‐leans,Louisiana andraised inLutcher,Louisiana.Son ofthe late FrankB.Wilder‐son,Sr. andValentean HarperWilderson.Ralph was 92 yearsold.Ralph’s early educationstarted in Lutcher where he attended Cypress Grovefor both ele‐mentary andhighschool Whileattending Cypress Grove,Ralph played Center for theCypress GroveBob‐cats, theschool’s football team. Ralphattended SouthernUniversityin Baton Rougeand spentone yeartowardhis higher ed‐ucation before joiningthe UnitedStatesAirforce. He was aLiaison Officerinthe UnitedStatesAirforcefrom 1956-60 and returned to SouthernUniversitywhere he ultimately earned a BachelorofScience degree inSocialStudies.Ralph wentontoobtaina Master ofEducation in 1975 from his belovedSouthernUni‐versity.Hebegan hiselab‐orate teaching career in Vacherie, Louisianaat MagnoliaHighSchool with the St.James Parish School Board in 1963. Aftermarry‐ing hisbeloved wife,Joyce Wright, Ralphjoinedthe St Charles Parish School Dis‐trict where he matricu‐lated from teaching at MaryMcCloud Bethune High School to teaching

Social StudiesatDestrehan HighSchool where he started theBlack Culture Clubwithhis colleague. Ralph eventually became AssistantPrincipal and thenCo-PrincipalofDe‐strehan High School.He alsoservedasthe Princi‐pal of Harry M. HurstJunior HighSchool.In1990 Ralph retired from theSt. Charles ParishSchool District and the became an educational consultantwithArchery and ArcherySchool Educa‐tionAssociates until 1994 Ralph also served on the St. Chrles Parish CivilSer‐viceBoard.Hewas also a memberofthe NewSarpy Civic Association, aBlack Organization. Ralphand his wife Joycebuilt their homeinOrmondEstates in 1987 andsuccessfully helpedinintegrating their subdivision’s gulf club Mostimportant to Ralph was hismembershipat Lutcher Chapel United Methodist Church.Among his otheraccomplish‐ments,Ralph received the SouthernAlumniAssocia‐tionAward,the L.S.U. Writ‐ing ProjectAward,Princi‐pal of theYearAward for outstanding leadership in the St.Charles Principal Association, theMiddle School MGAP Principal Bellsouth Foundation Award from St.Charles Civil ServiceBoard.Heor‐ganized theSt. Charles Mentoring Program with Phi DeltaKappa andwas awarded theMonte M. Leman Awardfromthe Louisiana CivilService League. Ralphmaintained his membership with the AmericanLegionoverthe years.Ralph wasa dutiful worker. Whileinhigh school he rose earlyevery morning to transportwork‐ers to thesugarcane field. Hewould return in time to attend classes, practice football andultimatelyre‐turnedtopickupthose he had transportedearly that morning.Ralph maintained thisworkethic throughout his high school experience In lightofall of Ralph’s honorable lifetime accom‐plishments, he will be best rememberedfor beinga humblememberofthe community who wasal‐waysready to serveinany capacityifhewas helping others. Ralphwas im‐mensely respectedbe‐cause he ledwithanopen heart andtreated everyone withthe same dignityand respect that he received fromeveryoneheencoun‐tered.Ralph wasthe hum‐ble voiceofreasonfor all thathad theopportunityto interact with him. He hada

beautifulspiritofguidance and agenuine wayofsup‐porting everyone,making him arolemodel to his family, friends, community and church.Hemadea special impact on thelives ofJoyce’s younger cousins while living in NewSarpy where he lovedtotake themcrabbing andmen‐tored them into adulthood A faithfulservant of God, Ralph traveled thirty miles every Sunday to Lutcher UnitedMethodist Church never missinga Sunday.As a dedicatedMethodist Ralph wastaskedwith opening thedoorsofthe church andturning on the lightsand heat while awaitingSundaywor‐shipers.Ralph practiced and read theselected scripture forthe congrega‐tion. He once sang in the choir andassistedwithVa‐cationBible School.He never took credit forhis dedicationtohelping newly assigned pastors transitiontotheir assign‐mentbut graciously wel‐comed them as if they werealwaysfamily. Ralph enjoyed travelingwithhis wife. He wasmosthappy whenheand Joyceopened their home to familyand friends forholidays, or just towhompassedthrough for good conversation, laughterand Ralph’sfa‐vorite, ahomemademeal byJoyce.Ralph wasan avidSouthernUniversity Jaguarfan andattended the BayouClassic before it heldsucha popularname. Ralph wasa Jaguar season ticketholderwho loved traveling to allthe football games,especiallytothe awaygames on thebus withspecial friendswho werelikefamilytohim Ralph left this life as he lived it,withpoise anddig‐nity. In hislastdaysthe voicesofJoyce andhis caregiverssinging “yes Jesus love me...” brought him greatcomfort.Heis survivedbyhis beloved wifeof61years,Joyce WrightWilderson.Heis alsosurvivedbyhis sib‐lings Althea Armstrong (Merrell),NormanWilder‐son (Ella)and Lorraine Clement anda host of nieces, nephews, cousins, other relativesand friends. Ralph wasprecededin death by hisparents,Frank B.Wilderson,Sr. andValen‐teanHarperWilderson,his brothers, FrankB.Wilder‐son,Jr. (Ida-Lorraine, de‐ceased),and Thaddeus W. Wilderson(Beverly);his fa‐therand mother in law, WalterWright, Sr.and NeothaWrightNorris; his sister andbrother in-law

Walter Wright,III (“Tar”) and Emelda Cammon Wrightand DeloresWright Price andJohnnyPrice and his greatnephew, Hunter LaGrange. Relativesand friends of thefamily, Pas‐tors, officers andmember ofLutcher Chapel United Methodist Church andall surroundingChurches, alsoemployees of St Charles Parish School Board andPost#509 Fur‐lough Robinson American LegionofAma,Louisiana are invitedtoattend the FuneralServicesat 11:00am on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at St Charles United Methodist Church,1905 Ormond Boulevard,Destrehan Louisiana 70047. Rev. Willie Laws-Officiating. Visitation willbegin at 9:00am until the time of serviceatthe above-named Church.In‐terment St.Charles Borre‐meo Cemetery andMau‐soleum, 13396 RiverRd., Destrehan,Louisiana 70047. FinalArrangements entrusted to PatrickH Sanders FuneralHome& FuneralDirectors,LLC.605 MainStreet,Laplace,LA 70068. 985-359-1919. “Pro‐vidingCare& Comfortis Our HighestMission.”

Ryelle Williams entered into rest on February 22, 2026. Sheissurvivedbyher loving parents, grandpar‐ents,familyand friends. A FuneralService will be held on Saturday,March 7, 2026 at 10:00 am at GentillyBap‐tist Church,5141 Franklin Ave.,NOLA70122. Visita‐tion will beginat9:00am. IntermentwillbeinHolt Cemetery.Professional arrangements entrustedto Majestic Mortuary (504) 523-5872.

LSUassociate head coachStarkey plannedtoberetired by now—thenhefound arolehejustcan’t seem to quit

OF THE GAME FOR THE LOVE

Five years ago, Bob Starkey had it all mapped out. By 2026, he’d have histoes buried in the white sands on Perdido Key,Florida. When he’d close his eyes, he’d listen to the wavesand the seagulls harmonize withthe Kenny Chesney songs he’d floatthrough aspeaker Starkey’s fifth-floor condo would perch behind him. That’swhere he’d retire once he called it quits on along career as an assistant college basketball coach.Someday soon, he’d have no more film to grind. No more practices to run. No more instructions to shoutfrom the bench. Just cigars to puff on a beach chair in the sunshine.

Earlier in his career,Starkeywas the kind of coachwho’d sleepinhis office and work onChristmas.Eight years would comeand go, and he’d realize he hadn’ttaken asingle vacation. How could he? Time runs quickly on the coaching grind, and Starkey had been trying to keepupfor almost fourdecades. It was about time tohit the beach and slow things down.

So whyisStarkey still at it?

“I just absolutely love working forKim,” he said from his office one Friday morning in late January, hiseyes heavy from anight without much sleep.

The LSU women’sbasketball team had just beaten Arkansas. Once that game wrapped around 9p.m., Starkeymadehis way out

Saints DE Jordanto enterfree agency

Negotiations with all-time sack leader have hitasnag

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Negotiations between theNew Orleans Saints andCam Jordan appear to have hit asnag. The two sides have reportedly not been able to reach an agreementona newcontract, and as aresult, Jordan will test free agency when the league’snegotiating window opens Monday.According to ESPN,the longtimeSaints defensive end is now “open to leaving NewOrleans” ahead of his 16th NFLseason.

This marksthe first timeinJordan’scareer that he’sset to test free agency TheSaintsand Jordan havehistorically been able to reach new deals to keep him in NewOrleans, even last year when the team asked him to take apay cut. But much has changed forJordan and the Saintssince last year.For one, the36-yearold defensive end had aresurgent season, leading the Saints with 101/2 sacks —his best output since 2021. In the process, Jordan earned him $2 million in contract incentives, money that the pass rusher considered “servicesrendered” forwhathewas originally owed.

of the Pete Maravich Assembly Centerand across thestreetto his office, where he workeduntil 2a.m.Hethendrove home, caught some shuteye, wokeup, climbed intohis car,droveback to campus and plopped down in his desk chair again. Theclock on his desktop

LSU associate coachBob Starkeywalkstocenter courttoberecognized for 25 years of coaching at LSU on Dec. 21 at thePMAC. STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

ReelingGreen Wave fallshardtoTemple

Tulane collapsesin second half,drops thirdina row

BY GUERRYSMITH

Contributing writer

The Tulane men’sbasketballteam said bye-bye to any chance at abye in the American Conference tournament with itsthird consecutive dismal performance. Coming off its most lopsided back-to-back losses in 25 years, the Green Wave collapsed again at the start of the secondhalf, falling behind Temple by 29 points in the first 10 minutes on the way to an embarrassing8960 defeat on Thursdaynight in Philadelphia. Unlike league-leading South Florida and second-place Tulsa, which administeredthe previous beatdowns, Temple (16-14, 8-9) entered on asix-game skid that started with an 11-point loss to the Wave in New Orleans. Now it is Tulane (17-13, 8-9) in the free-fall. The Wave, whichhas dropped threeina row by acomposite91points, sank to atie for eighth in the American Conference. Althoughitalready has assured aspot in the

ä See TULANE, page 3C

guard Curtis Williams goes for alayup in agame against Templeon Thursdayat Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Tulane lost 89-60.

Johnson confident he hasanswers to LSU’sstruggles

Tigers look to bounce back from back-to-back losses

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Jay Johnson walked up to the horde of media members standing by the right field foul line with asurprising sense of clarity LSU’s play over the past six games has been amystery.There’snoeasy explanation for the3-3 recorditposted after a dominant 8-0 start. But Johnson,after a7-2 defeat on WednesdaytoUL, was confident that he could find the answers to the Tigers’ problems.

ä Sacramento State at LSU 6:30 P.M. FRIDAy, SECNETWORK+

“The pitching,the offense, the defense, Icare about it all,” LSU’s coach said. “And Ithink that’swhat the head coach does, is they lean in.”

Almost every aspect of the gamehas becomeanissue for LSU.The offense has failedtostring together qualityat-bats or consistently generate hard contact. The defense has committed errors and mademental mistakes. The weekendstarting pitching has excelled, but the bullpen and the pitching depth overall have faltered, particularly in midweek games. Alot has gone wrong. And yet, Johnson

See LSU, page 5C

On TV

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NOON Mexico vs. Great Britain FS1

5p.m .Puerto Rico vs. Colombia FS1

6p.m. Nicaragua vs. Dominican Rep. FS2

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9p.m. China vs. Czech RepublicFS2 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL

5p.m. N. Illinois at Akron CBSSN

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5p.m. Ole Miss vs.Vanderbilt SECN

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6p.m. TBD vs. Richmond CNBC

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8p.m. TBD vs. Michigan BTN

WOMEN’S COLLEGE LACROSSE

4p.m. Virginia Tech at Syracuse ACCN GOLF

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2p.m.America’s Dayatthe RacesFS2 MLB SPRING TRAINING

NOON St. Louisvs. Baltimore MLBN

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6:10 p.m.DallasatBoston ESPN

8p.m.New Orleans at Phoenix GCSEN

8:35 p.m.L.A.Clippers at SanAntonio ESPN NHL

6p.m.Florida at Detroit NHLN SWIMMING

6p.m.TyR: Pro Swim SeriesNBCSN TENNIS

1p.m.Indian Wells TENNIS

Return of spring football games?

Disappearanceof thespring transfer portal window offers an opportunity

BY STEVE MEGAREE AP sportswriter

The disappearance of thespring transfer portal window creates theopportunityfor areappearance of spring football games in campuses acrossthe country

Playing agame in front of fans to end spring practice hadbecome afadingtraditioninthe ageofconference networks and the transfer portal. Coaches feared the possibility that rival staffs could watch televisedspring gamesand turn them into scouting opportunities.

“Itjust didn’tincentivize us to be out there playing when people couldwatch that tape on national TV and call akid,” said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who did away with the spring game last year

That’snot as much of aconcern nowthat college football no longer has asecond transfer portalwindow in April. Nebraska responded to the change by bringing back its spring game.

“Wemissed it,” Rhule said. “We wanted to do it. …It’sagreat thing forthe fans. It’sagreat thing for people who want to come watch us play. Once they kind of changed thecalendar,wewent back to a more traditional setting.”

Nebraska is holdingspringpractice earlierthan mostschools,as it held its first workoutFeb. 21 andwill conduct its spring game March 28. Most schools won’tfinish spring practice until April.

At least ahandful of Football Bowl Subdivision programs that responded to asurvey from The Associated Press havedecided to hold traditional spring games this year after not having them in 2025. That list also includes Auburn, UConn, North Texasand San DiegoState,among others.

Auburn, UConn and North Texas made their decisions following coaching changes. Newstaffsdecided to go with new approaches that included going backtocollege

Nebraskahead coach Matt Rhule disputes areferee’scall after Nebraska made asafety against Iowa during agame on Nov. 28 in Lincoln, Neb

football’spast. Spring footballgames once were an offseason staple. Teams would closespring practices by playing agameinfront of thousands of their fans, either by matching theoffense against the defense or conducting apregame draft that divided the team into two separate rosters.

But less than half the Bowl Subdivision schools that responded to the AP’s survey indicated they had atraditional spring game last year

The change happened in part becauseofthe arrivalofamidApril transferportal window that opened as most teams were closing springpractice.Teams nowadays stillhold some sortofevent to mark the end of spring practice, butitusuallydoesn’thave atypical game format.

For instance, Nebraska had a skills competition last year that included a7-on-7 game. Other schools staged open practices with some scrimmaging.

San Diego State also had askills event similartothe Pro Bowl Games format that the NFL has adopted. This year,San Diego

State instead plans to have an Offense vs. Defense spring game on May2

“Wewill block and we will tackle,” San Diego State coach Sean Lewissaid. “It’snot going to be fan fest.It’snot going to be dodgeball, right? Hearing some feedback from the fans year to year,obviously things are alittle bitdifferent, but with no spring portal,wecan do things alittlebit differently.”

The NCAA removed the second window last fall and made Jan. 2-11the loneopportunity forplayers to enter the portal. Coaching staffs don’thavetoworry anymore about players transferring after spring practice.

Butthisshift in thecollegefootball calendar also could cause teamstobecautiousabout how they handlespring workouts.

Forinstance, Wisconsinlostprojected starting left tackle Kevin Heywood to atornanterior cruciateligament at spring practice lastyear.The Badgers responded by signing offensivelineman Davis Heinzen, who had entered the portal after starting 36 consecutive gamesatCentral Michigan

Teams won’thave nearly as many options this year to find replacements if akey player suffers aseason-ending injuryinpractice.

“For the most part, there’snot going to be awhole lot of people available afterspring football,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “Weall know what canhappenin spring ball. There’sstill abunch of peoplewho won’thave homes, so Istill think if people around the country need something in April, there will be some opportunities with guys out there, but Idon’t think that’ssomething you can bank on.”

Fickell acknowledged the balancing act coaches face as they try to get their teamsasprepared as possible while avoiding injuries.

“We’re trying to find what that balance looks like and how do we practice physical, how do we do thedemanding things that you have to do to get betteratthe game of footballwhile also beingsmart and making sureour highest-end guys, we’reinaposition to make sure they’regetting better but that we’re going to get them through the summer and get them intothe start of the fall,” Fickell said.

Billstoget receiver Mooreintrade with Bears

BY JOHN WAWROW AP sportswriter

The Buffalo BillsagreedThursdaytoacquire widereceiver D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears, two people with knowledge of the trade told The AssociatedPress. Buffalo is sending Chicago asecond-round pick in this year’sdraft

SAINTS

Continued from page1C

At the end of the season, Jordan strongly indicated he wouldn’t take as much of adiscounttoplay for the Saints as he did in 2025.

“The Saints have donenothing but show that they want me to be here,” Jordan said. “Now,atwhat price?Some would say half off, this last year.Can’tdo that again.”

The Saints would like Jordan back, but also want to addanother pass rusher to thefoldthisoffseason. Doing so wouldpotentially reduce Jordan’srole even further Despite starting all17games,Jordan was effectively the team’sthird pass rusher this season. He played 53.6% of the defense’ssnaps, though that was with Chase Young missingthe first fivegames of the

in return for Moore andafifthround pick, thepeoplesaid. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal cannot become official until the start of the new league year Wednesday Moore is comingoff making 50 catches for 682yards and six touchdowns last seasonasthe Bearsmadethe playoffs in Ben

year. AfterYoung’s return, Jordan’s playing time dipped to 45.7%.

There are also questions about whether Jordan canmaintain his rediscovered pass-rush productivity.According to ESPN’sBill Barnwell, five of Jordan’s101/2 sacks were the result of either coverage sacksorbringingthe quarterback down based on anotherpressure. Histimetopressure of 3.47 seconds, according to NextGen Stats, was the longest of the 15 players whofinishedwith double-digit sacks. Only three of his 30 quarterbackscameunder three seconds. But2025 was areminder to count outthe Saints’ all-time sack leader at your ownrisk.

After recording twosacks in 2023 and four sacksin2024, Jordan looked better than he hadin years in part because he was no longer asked to occasionally play

Johnson’sfirst year as coach. He had been with them since a2023 trade fromCarolinathatgavethe Panthers theNo. 1pick and the chance to take Bryce Young —and set the stage for Chicago to get its franchise quarterback, Caleb Williams. Moore, who turns 29 in April, has 608receptions for8,213 yards and

inside at defensive tackle. The 36-year-old was often frustrated by former defensive line coach Todd Grantham. Under defensive coordinator Brandon Staley,Jordan stuck to the edge and chased thequarterback. Alongthe way, Jordan continued to climbupthe league’sall-time sack leaderboard andnow ranks 17th with 132. He is two sacks frompassing John Abraham at No. 14. “Didweexpect 101/2 sacks from him?” generalmanager Mickey Loomis said after the season. “No, Iwouldn’tsay that we expected that, but I’mexcited for him.” If Jordanleaves, it would likely be hard for many to envision theformer first-rounder playing elsewhere. Jordan has played a franchise-high 243 games across 15 seasons since taken 24thoverallin2011. He has also becomea

Astros’ Pena to miss WBC with finger injury

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.— Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña will miss the World Baseball Classic with abroken right ring finger, the team announced on Thursday Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters at the team’sspring training complex that Peña was being sent to ahand specialist for assessment of some damage to the nail area on the finger after fielding ahard groundball for the DominicanRepublic national team during an exhibition game on Wednesday The Astrossaidlater that Peña was diagnosedwitha fracture in the tip of the finger and will be re-evaluatedintwo weeks. The Dominican Republic plays its first gameofthe WBC on Friday in Miami against Nicaragua.

McCutchen, Rangersagree to minor league contract

The Texas Rangers and veteran outfielder AndrewMcCutchen agreed to aminor league contract on Thursday,aperson withknowledge of thedeal told The Associated Press.

Thepersonconfirmedthe agreement to theAPoncondition of anonymitybecause thecontract had not been finalized and aphysical exam stillneeded to be completed. The 39-year-old McCutchen would make $1.5 million this season while playing in the major leagues if he’s added to the 40-man roster,the person said.

McCutchen has three weeksof spring training to show the Rangers he’sworth aspot.They’re wellpositioned in the outfield with rising standouts WyattLangfordinleft field and Evan Carter in center field.

U.S. adds Billings, Burrell for FIBA WorldCup Qualifier Monique Billings and Rae Burrell were addedThursdayto the U.S. women’sbasketball roster for the FIBA WorldCup qualifier next week in Puerto Rico.

Thepair willreplace Aliyah Bostonand Sonia Citron, who are no longer able to competeinthe tournament that will take place in San Juan. Boston missed the Unrivaled playoffs with what was described as aright lower extremityinjury. Citron missed the end of the regular season of Unrivaled with the same injurydesignation as Boston.

Billings was partofthe 2017 USAunder-23 national team that was undefeated at the Four Nations Tournament. Burrell will be making her U.S. competitive debut.

Celtics’ Tatum poised to returnafter Achillesinjury

BOSTON Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum is on the vergeofmaking areturn to NBA action nine months after rupturing his right Achilles tendon injury during last season’splayoffs.

41 TDs in eight NFL seasons since getting taken with the 24th pickin the 2018 draft. He joins the Bills undernew coach Joe Bradyafter quarterback Josh Allen has thrown to a rotating castofcharactersatreceiver.Lastseason alone, Allen completed apass to 16 different teammates.

pillar in thecommunity,founding his charityand visiting schools around New Orleans on his off day each week.

Jordan testing free agency,however,doesn’tautomatically spell the end of his tenure in New Orleans. The two sides, in theory,could still reach an agreement after Jordan sees what elseisout there.

Butfor now,Jordan hitting the market meansthat theSaints would absorbnearly $18.8 milliontoward their salary cap basedonthe dead money remaining on Jordan’s contract, which is set to void next Wednesday barring anew deal

“The moment Igot drafted black and gold, I’dfigure I’ddie in gold and black,” Jordan said after theseason. “Howeveryou put it, Cam Jordan and black and gold have been synonymous. AndI’ve always worked forittostaythat way.”

Tatum was listedasquestionable on the Celtics’ injury report on Thursdayahead of the team’shome matchup with the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. It is thefirst time this season he hasn’t been listedassidelinedand undergoing rehabilitationfor the injuryhesuffered during Game 4ofBoston’sEastern Conference semifinal loss to the NewYork Knicks last May Celtics presidentofbasketball operations Brad Stevens hassaid thatTatum wouldn’tbecleared to return until he wasreadytoplay

Zhang chips in twiceto sharethe lead in China

HAINAN ISLAND,China Zhang Weiwei chippedinonher last twoholes, one foreagleand theother forbirdie, giving her a6-under 66 and athreeway tie for the lead in theBlue Bay LPGA on Thursday Zhang, one of 20 players in the field from the ChinaGolf Association, wastiedwithMary Liuof China and Youmin HwangofSouth Korea. All threeofthem were solid on aday of strong wind at Jian Lake BlueBay Auston Kim,the American who tiedfor third last week in the HSBC Women’sWorld Championship in Singapore, shot a67. Zhang took advantage of ashorter tee boxonthe par-5 17th that allowed her to get close enough to the green in twotochipinfor eagle. She finished with achip just off the18th green about 30 feet from thecup.

Curtis gets redemption

Patriots oust Huntington,return to titlegame

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

As Bailey Timmons raised her arms and Ke’SonjaNelson forcefully clapped her hands, thetwo John Curtis seniors could finally celebrate their state semifinal win.

They also enjoyedthe feeling of redemption.

One year after losing to Huntington in the state semifinals,the pair combined for 25 points in a44-42 victory that advanced the Patriots to Saturday’sDivision I select state championship against No. 3St. Joseph’s Academy Nelson’stwo free throws with 16.7 seconds remaining put top-seeded Curtis (24-1) ahead by four points. After Huntington junior guard Kyndal Graham knocked down a3-pointer to cut the lead to one, Timmons drewa foul with 2seconds remainingand wenttothe freethrow line.

Timmonsmade one of two from the line, and No 4Huntington (19-8)had only enough time for Graham to get off ashot before reaching midcourt. The ball bounced well short of the goal.

“That was definitelymotivation for us,” Nelsonsaid “As soon as we lost, we got back to work.” Nelson scored 13 points and had two steals. Timmons, aULsignee, added 12 points with eight rebounds and made a3-pointer For Huntington, Graham scored agame-high22 points as she made 10 of 23 from the field and two of five from beyond the arc. Curtis opened to a10-1

lead before Huntington drew withinone in the second quarter. The leadgrew to seven pointsinthe third quarter before Huntington gotwithin oneagain in the fourth.

Huntington had the ball with achanceatthe lead when Timmons camedown with arebound andfireda longoutlet pass to sophomore Janiyah Williamsfor an uncontested layup. On the next possession, sophomoreJaylaAlbert intercepted apass in the backcourt and converted alayup that pushed the leadtofive. ATimmons jumper put the lead at seven. Twolate3-pointers let Huntington get within one for the final time —but with

two seconds remaining

“Just timely baskets, timely turnovers, missed boxouts, offensive rebounds, thosekinds of things hurt whenyou’re tryingtomake arun,” Huntington coach Brian Shynesaid.

The win put Curtis back in the state finalafter it had an eight-year run of final appearances snapped withlast season’s 61-59 losstoHuntington.

“Wehad been gettingto thefinal game consecutively every year,sothat was the first time thatwelost in thesemis in awhile,” Curtis coach Alendra Brown said. “The idea of realizing thatwecould possibly lose was an opportunity for us to make sure we paid atten-

tion to allthe details. Even though we’re theNo. 1seed, that don’tmean we’re going to win. We still have to play thegame.”

Nelson and Timmonswere theonly seniors to touch the floor for Curtis. Theother three scorersweresophomores.Williams scored nine points with one3-pointer, Albertadded sixpoints, also with a3-pointer.Raven Boldshad four pointsand 10 rebounds, plus oneblocked shot The state final is 4p.m. Saturday. St.Joseph’sadvanced by defeating No. 7Teurlings Catholic 51-46.

ContactChristopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate. com

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

ORLANDO,Fla.— Daniel Berger hasenough history at Bay Hill to know what kind of test to expect.He made ninebirdies, allbut oneoftheminside 10 feet, for a9-under 63 and a round no one was expecting Thursday in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Berger posted his bogey-free round in the morning and by the end of the day,hehad athreeshot lead anda score that was nearly nine shots betterthanthe average of the 72-man field.

shotinthe third round at Shinnecock Hills in 2018 when he playedearlyand wentfrom 11 shots back to atie forthe lead.

“Ithas the that U.S. Open kind of feel to it,” Berger said. “I think the course is just going to get tougher as theweek goes on.The greens are going to get firmer So yeah, just hit it in the fairwayand try to makeasmany putts as you can.”

Cameron Young had seven birdiesinhis round of 67. He also played in the morning. Anothershot behindwas agroup that included Adam Scottand Xander Schauffele.

TULANE

10-team league tournament, it will play its first game in the opening round next Wednesday in Birmingham, Alabama, as one of the bottom four seeds, regardless of whether or not it wins its regular-season finale against Memphis on Sunday Tulane had won fiveofsix before its meltdown.

“I’ve been doing this a long time,” coachRon Hunter said. “Wewereinsuch a great place, and we’ve lost our confidence. We’ve lost everything.”

Tulane trailed 40-32 at halftime but fell out of contentionquickly from there. TheOwlswentonan 8-0 run coming out of the break, forcing Hunter to call atimeout at the 18:20 mark after hitting apairof 3-pointers around arun-out lay-up while the lethargic Wave hit the rim on only one of its first three shots. Nothing changed when the game resumed. When

No. 1Sterlington at No. 4Woosman,6:15 p.m. DivisionIInonselect: No. 2LaGrange at No. 3North Vermilion, 8p.m DivisionIInonselect: No. 4Wossman 54, No. 1Sterlington 48 Thursday’s semifinals Division II select: No. 1Madison Prep 44, No. 5Buckeye38 Division Iselect: No. 1JohnCurtis 44, No. 4Huntington42 Division Iselect: No. 3St. Joseph’s Academy 51,No. 7Teurlings Catholic 46

the Owlswent up 72-43 with 10:49 left, they were shooting 79% fromthe floor in the second half.

“Westarted offsopoorly,” Hunter said. “It’sthe same old thing.Wemissedour first four shots andthey made their first four shots, and the kids felt likeitwas over.”

Typifyingthe struggles, point guard Rowan Brumbaugh simply lost the ball in the open floor,handing it right to Temple’sGavin Griffiths.The miscue led to an alley oop forAiden Tobiason at the other end. That was oneofseveral uncontested basketsfor the Owls, who took target practice on 3s from thecorner whennoone rotatedoverto cover shooters. They were 13 of 23 from long range at thefinalmedia timeout, withfive players hitting at least two.

“The last three games have been astruggle for ourbackcourt,” Hunter said. “When you struggle, youget to thepoint where you just try to do too much.”

Brumbaugh, who also

Division Inonselect: No. 1Zachary vs.No. 4Neville, 6:15 p.m. Division Inonselect: No. 2Slidell vs No. 3Prairieville, 8p.m. Friday’s championships Division IV nonselect: No. 1Midland vs.No. 2Merryville,noon Class C: No. 1Simpson vs.No. 3 Pleasant Hill, 2p.m. Division III select:No. 2Rosepine vs No. 4Holy Savior Menard, 4p.m. Class B: No. 1Bell City vs.No. 2 Pitkin, 6p.m. Division III nonselect: No. 1French Settlement vs.No. 3Westlake, 8p.m. Saturday’s championships Division IV select: No. 1Southern Lab vs.No. 2J.S.Clark, noon Division II select: No. 2University vs No. 1MadisonPrep, 2p.m. Division Iselect: No. 1John Curtis vs.St. Joseph’s-Teurlings winner 4p.m. Division II nonselect: No. 2LaGrange vs.No. 4Wossman,6p.m.

committed three unforced turnovers in the first half, ledthe Wave with 14 points, but he shot 5-of-13 from the floor.Scotty Middleton joined himindouble figures with 12, but scored only one pointinthe secondhalf. Middleton was hot early but his teammateswere not. Whilehehit all fourofhis shots in the first half, including three treys, the rest of the Wave wenteight of 24. CurtisWilliams,coming off back-to-back games with16 and 27 points, missed his first four shots and finished 3-of-14.

The Wave also came out lax defensively,giving up three easydriving lay-ups in the first four minutes and adunk later in thehalf when no one guarded Jamai Felt under thebasket.

Tulane’slast lead was 1614 on aBrumbaugh transition lay-up off aturnover Ahead27-26 at amedia timeout with6:04left, Temple went on a10-0 run that goggle-clad Griffiths capped off with a3-pointer Tobiason followed with the Owls’fifth3ofthe half to give them their largestlead,

Division Iselect: John Curtis vs.No. 3St. Joseph’s, 8p.m. Boys basketball Quarterfinal pairings DivisionIselect No. 9Huntington at No. 1John Curtis No. 14 CaptainShreveatNo. 11 Edna Karr DivisionIIselect No. 6Kennedy at No. 3WashingtonMarion No. 8Hannan at No. 1MadisonPrep DivisionIII select No. 5Lafayette Renaissance at No. 4 De La Salle No. 6St. Louis Catholic at No. 3 CountryDay,6 p.m. Friday DivisionIVselect No. 7Delhi Charter at No. 2St. Martin’s Division Inonselect No. 9NorthshoreatNo. 1Zachary

40-28.

Tulane scored thefinal four pointstopull within single digits, gettinga 3-point playfromAsher Woods on ahesitation move with 22 seconds. They lost anymomentum immediatelyafter the break,trailing by as much as 34.

Collin Morikawahad a finish he could have used last year when he was runner-up. He wasmiddle of thepackuntilclosing eagle-birdie-birdie for a66. He was tied with Ludvig Aberg,whose round should be considered as impressive as what Berger did. Aberg playedinthe afternoon when the greens looked more yellow,the wind begantogustand swirl and storm clouds gathered without really threatening. He hit 5-iron to 25 feet foreagle on the par-5 12th and shot 66, three shots better than anyone whoplayed late. Scottie Scheffler played in the mid-morning and shot 70, his first opening round under par since his first tournamentofthe year (whichhewon). Rory McIlroy played late and was slowed by ashot off the rocks and into the water on the13th fordouble bogey, anda bogey on the 18th fora72. Bay Hill often gets referred to as amini-U.S. Open because thegreens arefirm —McIlroyhit a shot into the par-3 14th that bounced like it hit atrampoline —and therough is thick. RussellHenleyhad onelie in whichhehad to stand directly over the ball to see about eight dimples. Berger’sU.S.Openreference was different. He compared it to the 66 he

“It’salittle bit like amini U.S. Open playing Bay Hill,” Scott said. “You can shoot your wayout of it on the first round because the score can get away from you. So if you’re 5over today,it’salongway back especially when there was a9underout there, which is hard to see.

“Nicetonot shoot my way out of it.”

Aberg was going along nicelywith four birdies on the front, whenhebegan thebackninewithbackto-back bogeys. “Not ideal, but also knowing thatbogeys mighthappen at Bay Hill when it’stricky,” he said.

That’swhat madethe eagle on thenextholeso important.

He also was along for thewildride of Cognizant Classicwinner Nico Echavarria, whowent out in 30 and looked like he might catch Berger.But the Colombianshot 42 on the back, including atriple bogeyonthe 12th hole when from 44 yardsittook him three shots to get to the green, and from6 feet it took three putts to get in the hole. At the end of the day, only 32 players broke par.That included Daniel Bennett of South Africa,who playsat Texas and received the Arnold Palmer Cup exemption.

SEC WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT

ROUNDUP

Strack leads Kentucky over Georgia

By The Associated Pres

GREENVILLE,

S.C. — Clara Strack made a career-high five 3-pointers in matching her career best of 33 points and No. 17 Kentucky defeated No. 22 Georgia 76-61 in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday Strack, a 6-foot-5 center, was 5 of 7 from the arc, 12 of 22 overall and grabbed eight rebounds for the ninth-seeded Wildcats (23-9), who will play top seed and thirdranked South Carolina in a Friday quarterfinal.

Teonni Key added 14 points and 12 rebounds and Tonie Morgan also scored 14 points and had seven assists for the Wildcats, who shot 50% and were 14 of 20 at the line to 6 of 8 for the Bulldogs.

Dani Carnegie scored 18 points, Trinity Turner 14 and Mia Woolfolk 11 for Georgia

STARKEY

Continued from page 1C

computer said it was 6:45 a.m.

That’s how Starkey sometimes has to manage his time now, four years into his second stint at LSU. During the season, it’s his job to break down the film — on both the Tigers and their opponents — and present his findings to coach Kim Mulkey, helping her craft gameplans and pinpoint the areas they need to emphasize to their players.

Mulkey hired Starkey to her staff in 2022 a move she thinks has extended her career. Preparing for games, such as the one LSU will play against Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina (ESPN), is much easier with him on board.

Starkey,66,isoneofthemostexperienced coaches in the country Five years ago, he thought he’d spend threeorfourseasonsatAuburn,then retire. But now he’s in his 25th year at LSU, and his contract is set to expire in June.

In January, Starkey was asked if he had thought about how much longer he wants to coach, and he said he hadn’t. Given his age, he knows he’s in the twilight of his career Something just keeps holding the sunset at bay

“When you’re learning,” Starkey said, “it keeps you fresh. Keeps you wanting to come back. I just feel like we’re in the middle of something really special here that’s going to be remembered for a long time, if not forever.”

‘Never wanted the headlines’

One day in 1989, Craig Carse told Dale Brown he should talk to this young coach who might have some potential.

Brown was trying to fill an opening on his LSU staff. Carse his lead assistant, told him he had dipped into the high school ranks to find a pretty good one five years earlier, when he was the head coach at West Virginia State. The coach’s name was Bob Starkey, and when Brown sat down with him, he thought he was humble knowledgeable and passionate.

So Brown hired Starkey, and the two coaches wound up working together for seven seasons — the stretch in which players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf and Stanley Roberts starred for the Tigers.

“He did a really good job for us,” Brown said, “and he never wanted the headlines, never wanted to be in the spotlight. The kids liked him, and he was very good at bringing the kids in privately and working with them.”

One of those kids was Randy Livingston. Before he was an NBA player and a successful coach himself, he was a freshman who once missed a rehab session during the 1994-95 season. Starkey told him that his irresponsibility could cost the LSU coaches their jobs, which started a “war of words” that has stuck with him ever since.

“I really wasn’t fond of the comment,” Livingston said. “It didn’t really resonate with me. In fact, it pissed me off because I didn’t realize that I controlled that much of a program, where that was the responsibility of a 19-year-old “But then, becoming a coach, you understand what that means now, right? He was really trying to push me and trying to make me responsible.”

(22-9), which was just 5 of 26 on 3-pointers.

Strack and Amelia Hassett scored all the points in 13-2 run that left Kentucky ahead by 15 with under three minutes to go.

A Strack 3-pointer early in the third quarter gave Kentucky the lead for good. The Wildcats hit six straight shots in the period and Strack scored nine points for a 5449 lead.

After Georgia scored the opening basket, Kentucky took and held the lead the remainder of the first quarter with Strack hitting a pair of 3-pointers and scoring 13 points. Carnegie hit a pair of 3s and scored the Bulldogs’ first eight points of the second quarter to tie the game with Georgia leading 36-35 at the break.

NO.7 OKLAHOMA 82, FLORIDA 64: Raegan Beers had 18 points and seven rebounds, Aaliyah Chavez added 17 points and No. 7 Oklahoma used

a dominant third quarter to rout Florida 82-64 on Thursday and advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

Zya Vann scored 14 points and Brooklyn Stewart chipped in with 12 for the Sooners (24-6), who have won seven straight.

Liv McGill had 28 points on 13of-17 shooting from the foul line to lead Florida (18-15), which defeated Mississippi State 86-68 in the first round.

Oklahoma will face No. 6 LSU in the quarterfinals on Friday at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Despite their top-10 ranking, the Sooners need to win four games in four days to capture their first SEC title after finishing fifth in the conference and failing to claim a double bye in a loaded conference that features five teams ranked in the top seven in the country But the Sooners, who forced 24

turnovers and held Florida to 36% shooting from the field, are off to a good start.

Oklahoma was clinging to a 40-38 lead at halftime after Beers sat out the entire second quarter with foul trouble.

She returned in the third quarter and the Sooners immediately began to pull away, opening the half with a 14-2 run. Oklahoma outscored Florida 27-7 in the pivotal third with Vann providing a spark with eight points.

Oklahoma pushed the lead to 25 in the fourth with Beers drawing wide smiles and cheers from her teammates when the center, who typically does her damage in the paint, stepped out and drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key Beers surpassed 2,000 points for her career in the win. NO 24 OLE MISS 73 AUBURN 57: Christeen Iwuala scored 18 points for No. 7 seed Mississippi in a 73-

the

coach

following the NCAA title game on April 2, 2023, at the

claim the national title.

with associate head coach

head coach Kim

during a break in the fourth quarter of a game against South Carolina on Feb 14 at the PMAC.

Starkey can push, but he’s always done so with care, whether he was coaching the LSU men under Brown or the women under Sue Gunter, Pokey Chatman or Van Chancellor

Livingston still remembers the film he watched and the conversations he had with Starkey in his office. Katrina Hibbert one of LSU women’s 10 all-time leading scorers — can still hear him teaching her the fundamentals of post play in the PMAC and playfully trying to mimic her Australian accent. In 2007, Starkey took over LSU’s women’s program for Chatman after she was fired that March amid allegations she had an inappropriate relationship with a player Two weeks later, the Tigers had earned their fourth trip to the Final Four. The five NCAA Tournament games LSU played that year still represent Starkey’s only run as a head coach. He’s always preferred to work behind the scenes and assist his boss, whether it’s Brown, Gunter Mulkey or Gary Blair — the Naismith Hallof-Famer who added Starkey to his Texas A&M staff in 2012.

no golf. He doesn’t have hobbies besides taking care of his wife and going to the beach and lightin’ one up.”

‘He talks my language’

When he was working under Brown and Gunter, Starkey used to hand-type stats and watch film on VHS tapes Staff across the sport were much smaller then, so he had to handle most of the grunt work himself. Sometimes he stayed in the office until 5 or 6 a.m. Then 2007 rolled around, and Starkey’s wife, Sherie, was diagnosed with breast cancer

I just feel like we’re in the middle of something really special here that’s going to be remembered for a long time, if not forever.”

BOB STARKEy, LSU associate head coach

“He has no hobbies except smoking cigars,” Blair said. “He doesn’t play no pickleball. He doesn’t play

“It was a slap in the face,” Starkey said. “It was God telling me, ‘Your priorities are screwed up.’”

Starkey had straightened them out by 2021, when Blair retired and he accepted a job on coach Johnnie Harris’ Auburn staff, committing to her and the Tigers for three or four years.

After Starkey fulfilled the first season of that pledge, longtime LSU staffer Reneé Braud called to tell him that Mulkey wanted to hire him. He thanked her for the offer but politely declined. He had already given his word to Harris.

Then Starkey started to feel uneasy He and Sherie are each from

57 win over No. 15 seed Auburn in the second round of the SEC Tournament on Thursday Ole Miss (22-10) led the entire game, jumping out with a 12-1 run to open the game and had a doubledigit lead heading into halftime, 48-20.

Iwuala shot a perfect 5 of 5 from the field in the first half for 10 points, and finished the day 8 of 8. She added nine rebounds, including the 250th of her career Latasha Lattimore and Cotie McMahon both scored 13 for the Lady Rebels.

Auburn (15-17) was led by Khady Leye, with 17 points. Kaitlyn Duhon scored 14 for the Tigers. Auburn had a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter that lasted over three minutes, but it wasn’t enough to swing the momentum in its favor Ole Miss will move on to face No. 2-seeded Vanderbilt.

in the second. Mulkey used both chances to stump for Starkey’s induction into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame — something she’s done repeatedly since she brought him back to LSU.

“He can do all that,” Blair said, “but he doesn’t need it. His satisfaction is the kids, the relationships with them for years after they’ve played ball, not just while they’re playing ball.”

‘Not neglecting priorities’

Starkey grabbed his mouse and paused the Kenny Chesney song that was playing. It was that one morning in late January, and he was still kicking around LSU’s win over Arkansas He sifted through the film of it in the wee hours of the morning.

“Which was pretty damn painful to do,” Starkey said.

West Virginia, but they consider Baton Rouge home. Even when the couple was living in College Station, Texas, Sherie flew down to Louisiana three or four times a year so she could see friends she made when her husband was coaching at LSU and she was battling cancer Was this their last chance to move back home?

Starkey was in a Kay Yow Cancer Fund board meeting at the 2022 Final Four in Minneapolis, Minnesota, when one of his friends, board member Felicia Allen, noticed something was bothering him. Starkey told her he had turned down Mulkey’s overture.

“Are you stupid?” she asked him.

“You gotta do this.”

“I can’t do that to (Harris),” Starkey said.

“What about Sherie?” Allen said. “Are you being loyal to her?” Starkey paused.

“That was a load of bricks on my shoulder right there,” he said.

So Starkey called Braud back and asked her if Mulkey had moved on to other candidates. She laughed and said she hadn’t. She was already putting a call in to Harris.

Now Mulkey and Starkey form a bit of an odd couple Mulkey’s loud and flashy Starkey’s more buttoned up. The two may not have the same sense of style, but they do share a basketball ethos Starkey considers Blair one of his mentors, and he forged his hoops philosophy in the same place Mulkey shaped hers — at Louisiana Tech under the tutelage of legendary coaches Leon Barmore and Sonja Hogg.

“He talks my language,” Mulkey said. “We teach the same way.” Starkey frequently fills in for Mulkey in her news conferences and weekly radio shows. In December, he addressed reporters after LSU announced it had parted ways with athletic director Scott Woodward during one of the Tigers’ exhibition games. Mulkey was “heartbroken,” he said. In the past two seasons, Starkey has also run two different weeks of practice after personal family matters pulled Mulkey away from her team. One was for LSU’s 2025 SEC Tournament opener against Florida, and the other was for its road game against Texas A&M this past January

The Tigers didn’t miss a beat either time. They scored 101 points in the first matchup and won by 44

The Tigers won 92-70, but they had a sloppy first half. Starkey couldn’t dwell on it, though. He had to pick out a few extra clips from Alabama’s game against Georgia and shoot them over to Kaylin Rice the assistant coach who helps him scout other teams. That process is much smoother than it was 20 or 30 years ago, which Starkey is grateful for He’s working smarter in his second stint at LSU than he did in his first. His days of pulling allnighters are done, replaced with a healthier mix of life and basketball. He’ll take his laptop home now, and he’ll pull it out only after he eats dinner with Sherie, turns on a movie or a TV show and watches her fall asleep.

Starkey also takes not one, but two vacations every year He doesn’t work on Christmas anymore either

“I still feel like I’m getting my job done,” Starkey said. “I’m just not neglecting priorities the way I used to.”

The balance allows Starkey to coach with a nice blend of old and new-school techniques.

Before the Tigers took on Miami in the Elite Eight in 2023, he pulled out a Sharpie and drew rings on all their fingers. It was an idea he borrowed from Blair, and it helped LSU players and coaches remember that they were chasing something.

It was also Starkey’s idea to order a rebounding bubble in January when the Tigers needed to straighten out some midseason issues on the glass. They haven’t lost a battle on the boards since.

Starkey said he plans to keep coaching as long as he has the energy for it, as long as he feels like he’s contributing something and as long as Mulkey is happy with the work he’s providing. He still works hard, but because he’s found more balance and a like-minded coach to work for, he still enjoys it even though he’s a couple of seasons past the retirement date he initially set five years ago.

And about that condo on Perdido Key: the Starkeys decided to put it up for sale in November They’ll still vacation on those beaches once Starkey retires. They just won’t make it their permanent residence.

Baton Rouge is home — both now and for the foreseeable future.

“I just love being here,” Starkey said, smiling. “I’m not sure my wife’s ready for me to be at home all day.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com.

‘My dad had a dream’

Delgado baseball program celebrating 50th anniversary

BY SPENCER URQUHART Staff writer

The Delgado baseball team is celebrating its 50th anniversary as Louisiana’s first junior college athletics program.

Founded by Louis “Rags” Scheuermann, Delgado joined the national junior college baseball ranks in 1976 and has had plenty of success since. Scheuermann’s son, Joe, became the Dolphins’ coach in 1990 following his father’s retirement and still serves in that role after more than 1,200 wins.

Delgado has reached the NJCAA World Series six times with teams primarily made up of players from the New Orleans area. A 50th anniversary celebration will take place Saturday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium, where the Dolphins play home baseball games.

“I was a 13-year-old kid when my dad started this program,” Joe Scheuermann said “Now here we are, 50 years later The old phrase time moves fast when you’re hav-

LSU

Continued from page 1C

believed he’d be able to start implementing solutions on Thursday, when the Tigers returned to practice before their three-game series against Sacramento State beginning on Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

“I got it all laid out, ready to go,” Johnson said. “I wanted to win tonight. (But) Whether we won or lost tonight, we need to get back together to my traditional practice format.”

One practice likely won’t solve all of LSU’s problems, but a more normal schedule may help

The Tigers were forced to take a day off on Tuesday because of their five-game slate this week. The NCAA mandates that teams have at least one day off per week, which means Johnson had to decide whether that would be Tuesday or Thursday Johnson chose the latter in preparation for this weekend, the start of a more stable schedule for his team.

LSU will only play four games a week for the rest of the season, allowing for more practice time and less wear and tear on the players. Additionally the Tigers only have one Thursday-Saturday series until the final week of the regular season. That should help the team find a more consistent routine as their schedule becomes increasingly difficult.

A lack of routine isn’t primarily why LSU has struggled but Johnson still takes the blame for how frontloaded the schedule has been during non-conference play, which included two five-game weeks and a pair of four-game series.

“I don’t think I set the team up

Tulane must be sharper in weekend series at No. 17 TCU

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

Before Tulane baseball coach Jay Uhlman could look forward to a big weekend series at 17thranked TCU, he could not help but reflect on a bad 6-5 loss at Nicholls on Tuesday night. The way it went down was stupefying, and the competition is about to get much steeper

“I’m very mindful about the impact of words to people, so I try to make sure I’m not speaking in an angry, petty, condescending kind of way,” he said.

“When we don’t play well, those thoughts run rampant through my head, but as I’ve gotten older, that’s the thing I’ve been able to do better with.”

It was not easy Tulane shortstop Kaikea Harrison dropped a pop-up in the infield with some last-second interference from third baseman Matthias Haas leading to two tying runs in the third inning. Harrison, a good defensive player, then let a ball skip past him on a short hop at the front end of a first-and third double steal.

11 while lasting a career-best 102 pitches.

He looked every bit the guy who was a first-team preseason all-conference pick by Perfect Game.

“We always talk about we’re only as good as our next start,” he said. “If I can go out there and set the tone, once we get going on offense, we will just continue to pass the baton from the pitching side and we’ll be good.”

They will need to be better than they have been through the first 13 games 11 of which came against teams that have losing records. The composite mark of the Wave’s three weekend opponents is 8-26.

Battle-tested TCU beat Vanderbilt and No. 6 Arkansas to begin the year before getting swept by top-ranked UCLA. Sophomore left-hander Mason Brasffield (1-1, 8.38), the Horned Frogs’ Friday starter, is off to a slow start but was an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last season.

ing fun is really what happened here. My dad had a dream, and I’m trying to fulfill what he started.”

Saturday’s anniversary event will include Delgado baseball alumni, some of which played on the program’s first team.

“(This Saturday) is a celebration of what our program is about,” Scheuermann said.

“At the end of the first year, (Rags Scheuremann) presented a plaque to the team that said, ‘the start of an image.’ We’re pretty proud of the image that we’re carrying on.”

It’ll be a busy weekend for Delgado, which plays a doubleheader on Friday in Summit, Mississippi, before returning home for Saturday’s celebration followed by a home game on Sunday against Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

This year’s Delgado team has 27 freshmen, making it one of the youngest groups Scheuermann has coached in his 36 years leading the program.

“(27 freshmen) is a very unique situation here,” Scheuermann said.

“It’s a year of us trying to mature quicker than we’re normally used to doing. It’s a work in progress, but we’re getting better every day.”

Lakeshore alum Dominick Letort and Rummel alum Gavin Kennedy are off to strong starts at the plate for Delgado. The two freshmen

have batting averages of better than .400.

Freshmen Sebastian Rhoades and Riley Rowell have also been key pieces this season. Rhodes has shined as Delgado’s shortstop, and Rowell has made a two-way impact as a hitter and a pitcher

Rummel alum Giancarlo Arencibia is a returning sophomore who was a go-to starting pitcher as a freshman. He and sophomore Aidan Grab a Mandeville graduate, have been Delgado’s top starting pitchers this season.

“I’ve been working on my changeup a lot more (this season),” Arencibia said. “We have confidence in our rotation, and I like the group of guys that I’m with. It’s going to be a good weekend celebrating 50 years.”

Arencibia is committed to UNO for next season.

Delgado (6-7) has 27 regular-season games left on its schedule. The Dolphins last reached the NJCAA World Series in 2023.

Scheuermann hopes Saturday’s event will become an annual occurrence. The celebration begins at 4 p.m. with a live band and local food vendors.

“When my father started this program, we were the only junior college (in Louisiana) to play athletics for a long time after that,” Scheuermann said. “He was a trailblazer for what was to come. We’re proud of that.”

for success with this schedule,

how I had it laid out,” Johnson said.

“I do believe we have enough to be successful in it. But, I’m going to own that part of it, learn from it (and) adjust it in future years.”

What can Johnson accomplish with more time on the practice field? For one, he can try to straighten out a lineup that has suddenly gone ice-cold.

Offense was Johnson’s calling card when he arrived in Baton Rouge, and carried the Tigers as they accumulated more depth and talent on the mound. But after scoring six or fewer runs in five of their past six contests, Johnson anticipated that he’d spend more time in a hands-on capacity with LSU’s hitters on Thursday

“I’m going to get them in small groups tomorrow,” Johnson said.

“I’m really going to go hands-on on the hitting thing more than I have probably in my time at LSU, even though it’s my baby But

(it’ll be) next level to help some of these guys out, because I believe we have good players that can play better offensive baseball than they are.”

Johnson hopes an improved offense that hits the ball harder, takes more free bases and can string together quality at-bats will put less pressure on a struggling pitching staff.

“Offensively, we just need to help make some of those pitching decisions (in tight games) a little easier by helping them out,” Johnson said.

LSU’s starting pitching could handle the lack of help it was getting from the offense last weekend, low-scoring contests against Northeastern and Dartmouth that the Tigers won. But once Monday’s rematch with the Huskies came around and LSU couldn’t turn to sophomore right-handers Casan Evans and William Schmidt or right-handed Kansas transfer Coo-

Tulane’s first five batters reached base before 11 consecutive unproductive at-bats The next four reached base before the Wave made 12 outs in a row Gifted with a hit batter and a walk to start the ninth, the Wave followed with three fruitless plate appearances.

Ballgame.

“We haven’t handled pitching changes all that well,” Uhlman said. “I’d like to see that get better, but some of the giveaway at-bats for me are just mind-boggling, and the confusion about how we’re being pitched, sometimes I scratch my head. If your mind is clouded and confused, then 89 (miles per hour) can look like 97.”

That is his No. 1 concern. If Tulane (8-5) struggled with UNO and Nicholls pitchers who entered with mostly poor numbers in midweek games, what will happen against TCU (7-5), which will trot out pro prospects on the mound?

“The stakes go up and the level of talent of the opponent goes way up,” Uhlman said. “I don’t think a normal, rational person can compare Nicholls’ pitching staff with TCU’s. That’s how it is. They have some pretty good arms over there.”

Tulane will counter Friday with the current American Conference pitcher of the week. Trey Cehajic (1-0, 3.38 ERA) rebounded from two mediocre starts to onehit Eastern Kentucky over seven innings, striking out a career-high

ON DECK

WHO: LSU (11-3) vs. Sacramento State (3-9)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE/TV: SEC Network+ RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans)

RANKINGS: LSU is No. 2 by D1Baseball; Sacramento St is not ranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — TBA; Sacramento State — TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @KokiRiley WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Nothing is official, but LSU will almost certainly start sophomore right-hander Casan Evans on Friday.After a rocky outing on opening day, Evans has bounced back by allowing just four earned runs over his last two starts. Sacramento State is on a five-game losing streak. Its most recent defeat came on Tuesday at the hands of Fresno State.

— Koki Riley

per Moore, the pitching cracked under pressure.

Not all of the group’s issues can be pinned on the offense’s lack of production. Sophomore left-hander Cooper Williams and senior right-hander Zac Cowan’s struggles on Monday put LSU in the sort of hole that no attack could reasonably climb out of. The three runs junior right-hander Gavin Guidry allowed in the first inning on Wednesday had the Tigers behind early again.

“We have to stay out of the big inning,” Johnson said as he discussed the improvement his pitching staff needs to make. “That is

“I don’t think we necessarily need to up our game,” said Harrison, who already has matched his 2025 total of two home runs and is hitting .321. “We’ve just got to play our game. We’re a really talented group defense, offense and pitching. We have to play with our hair on fire. That’s the biggest thing.”

Tulane spent all of Thursday practicing fielding after some uncharacteristic mistakes in the first few weeks, but the execution issues have extended to every facet of the game. On Tuesday, five pitchers held down Nicholls with the exception of massive mistakes from relievers J.D. Rodriguez (changeup) and Sam Larson (breaking ball) that Colonels slugger Caston Thompson crushed for home runs. The hitters were hot and cold and came up empty when it mattered most. Hugh Pinkney failed to lay down a bunt with runners on first and second and no outs in the ninth, striking out looking. Freshman Bryson Ayala watched strike three, too, after a double steal put the tying run and third and the go-ahead run in scoring position. Harrison flew out to center on the next pitch for the final out.

“We have to trust that we’re going to win and do what it takes to win,” Harrison said. “We just have to keep going and not let the highs get too high and the lows get too low.”

going to be the biggest predictor of winning and losing.”

Once Southeastern Conference play rolls around, Johnson knows which seven or eight pitchers he can trust. Evans, Schmidt and Moore are firmly in that group. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Deven Sheerin hasn’t allowed a hit in five appearances and will be a top option out of the bullpen along with Guidry, who was basically untouchable before Wednesday A left-hander, likely junior college transfer Ethan Plog, will join that group. Rizy will also likely be a part of the mix He’s struggled with his command, but hitters have hardly put the ball in play against him, let alone hit anything hard. Whoever else joins that mix is a bit of a mystery, but Johnson feels good about his top group nevertheless.

“A little bit of an old Skip (Bertman style of managing) where you have eight (guys),” Johnson said. “It doesn’t mean we only have seven or eight, but I know where we’re headed, and I feel really good about that piece of it.”

But even if Johnson is positive about his weekend pitching, he still has an offense that needs a restart and a defense that has to play cleaner baseball. The Tigers have a .961 fielding percentage on the season and have committed 12 errors over their past six games.

Johnson knows he has multiple fires to put out before the start of SEC play The competition only grows stiffer after this weekend, and he’s running out of time to fix it all. But he isn’t panicking. Instead, Johnson is clear-minded and confi dent that his team will get through it.

“It’s a little bit of a speed bump,” Johnson said, “and I’ll use that to make this team better.”

The stage is set

‘Harry

Potter and the Cursed Child’ and more big Broadway shows coming to the Saenger

BY VICTOR ANDREWS Staff writer

A powerhouse season of shows, many making their Crescent City debuts, will be featured on the stage at the Saenger Theatre for the 2026-27 Broadway in New Orleans series that also brings some favorites back to the boards on Canal Street.

Joining “The Lion King” will be fan favorite “Jersey Boys” opening the run in September and including everyone’s favorite wizards and a singing nun, plus some “muy caliente” moves and more.

“We’re preparing for one of our most exciting Broadway in New Orleans seasons yet,” said David Skinner, Saenger general manager “This year’s lineup brings together beloved classics, powerful new stories and incredible first-time tours the whole family can enjoy.”

Ten shows are on the slate, with seven as part of the subscription price of $287, adding “The Lion King” for eight at $322 and two season options for additional prices. Costs depend on day of the week, time of the show and seat location.

The subscription shows include: “JERSEY BOYS”: Sept 22-27. The jukebox musical and backstory for Frankie Vali and the Four Seasons celebrates 20 years. The show is a catalog of the group’s hits, including “Sherry,” “Oh What A Night,” Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and “Who Loves You,” providing the backdrop for the moving tale about how four guys from Jersey changed the music industry

SPRING ETERNAL

NOLA Holi Festival brings parade, color, music and Indian food to Washington Square Park

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

The NOLA Holi Festival parade romps through the Marigny and French Quarter on Sunday, as the centerpiece of a Hindu springtime festival that celebrates rejuvenation, love, good’s triumph over evil and color

As the participants pass through the streets, they will dust one another with brilliantly hued powdered pigment. That’s the big difference between the Holi (pronounced holy) parade and other New Orleans parades, said founder Arun Lakhotia. “We don’t throw beads; we have colors.”

Lakhotia, who was born in the state of Rajasthan in western India, said Holi paraders don’t usually throw the colored powder at one another; they apply it directly to each other’s heads and faces.

First, he said, participants ask permission. “They say, ‘Hey, do you want to be smeared?’” If the answer is yes, then the pigment is applied, followed by wishing the

A Holi parade participant is marked with patches of colorful powder Customs usually dictate that participants ask first for permission to mark others with color

recipient “happy Holi.” Members of the parade audience can agree to be dusted with color if they choose or decline if they’d rather. In the process, Lakhotia said, “the inner child comes out.” Lakhotia, 66, came to the United States as a student. After studying at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, he landed a position teaching computer science

at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Lakhotia said he and his students experimented with selfdriving cars years before such technology seemed possible. He is currently the university’s director of the Center for Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Lakhotia, who splits his time between Lafayette and New Orleans, said he and his late wife, Michelle Lakhotia, established a Holi parade in Lafayette in 2010. It was Michelle’s dream to found a Holi parade in New Orleans that would blend Indian customs with secondline parades. Though Michelle died before bringing about the new parade, Arum founded NOLA Holi in 2024 in her honor Sunday’s parade will be led by the energetic Krewe da Bhan Gras south Asian dance troupe, which appears in various Carnival parades. Lakhotia said they will be joined by an Indo-Caribbean group, dancing to “chutney soca” music, and chanting Hare Krishna

MARK KENNEDY

PROVIDED PHOTO By MANUEL HARLAN

Joshua Sullivan, left, is HarryPotter’sson Albus and KaiSpackman isDraco Malfoy’sson Scorpius in ‘Harry Potter and the Cursed Child’coming to the Saenger Theatre.

Continued from page1D

“THE NOTEBOOK”: Jan. 26-31, 2027. The bestselling novel becomes amusical in this stageproduction with music by Ingrid Michaelson about apair of lovers from different worlds who struggle against forces threatening their unity

“THE SOUND OF MUSIC”: March 2-7, 2027. Based on thereallife story of Maria Rainer vonTrapp, the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is 65 years old and remains one of the most belovedcornerstonesofthe American theater.Filled with nuns, Nazis andsinging children, the show is packed with classics like “Climb Every Mountain,” “Do-Re-Mi” and “Edelweiss.”

“THE OUTSIDERS”: March20 to April 4, 2027. The story of afamily of “outsiders”in 1960s Oklahoma and their dreams for afuture that will be difficult to find won four Tony Awards and continues to run on Broadway today.

“HARRYPOTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD”: May 11-16, 2027. The story of the “boy who lived” continues into the next generation as Harry and Draco Malfoy’ssons become friends and set the

ROM-COMS

Continued from page1D

become ahuge Netflix hit.

There’salso “My Oxford Year,” the upcoming “Reminders of Him” and the dependable “Bridgerton,” now in Season 4. “Two Strangers (Carry aCake Across New York)” lands on Broadway beside the Tony-winning androidrom-com “Maybe Happy Ending.”

“They’re all the same story,really,” says Kit Buchan, who with Jim Barne wrote the “Two Strangers” musical. “How do two people inextricably drawn together butseparatedby an overwhelming obstacle melt into one another?”

‘There arewaves’ Paul Eastwick, apsychology professor at the University of California, Davis, and author of “Bonded by Evolution,” studies romantic attraction and says the burst in rom-coms is welcome.

“I definitely get the sense that there are waves and this is the time of year when we get usuallyone or two surprise, probably streaming, hits in this genre,” says Eastwick, who also co-hosts “Love Factually,” apodcast that uses sciencetoexplore the biggest rom-coms He says the genreno longer gets the respect it should, recalling that romcoms used to be big movie events that garnered awards —like “Ghost,” thehighestgrossingfilm of 1990, which earned five Oscar nominations and won two.

“It feels alittle marginalized these days in the critic spaces and in the box-office spaces,”hesays. “I hope that people don’tstop making these because people clearly want them.” Some in the bumper crop of rom-coms this winter take the formula and twist it slightly.“Heated Rivalry,” which had an average of 10.6 million viewers per episode in the U.S., makes the lovers same-sex. “Nobody Wants

wizarding world spinning with spells, time traveland abit of theatrical magicall wrapped together

“JUST IN TIME”: June 22-27, 2027. Bobby Darin, the singer who made a“splash” with “Beyondthe Sea” and “Mack the Knife” is the subject of this newshow on Broadway.Darin’sshort yet sensationallifecomes alive in this show

The season optionsinclude aholiday classic and aclassic table game justafteran early MardiGras: “DR. SEUSS’ HOWTHE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL:” Dec. 15-20. Marking20years on stage, theshow brings Theodor Seuss Geisel’scharacters to life, from Max the Dog (who acts as thenarrator) and all theWhosand the biggreen meanie himself as

This,” whose second season garnered 8.6 million viewsin its first four days of streaming, explores religious conversion.“People We Meet on Vacation,” which drew 17 2million viewsoverits January launch weekend, flips the genderofthe partnerwho is usually the wisecrackingagentofchaos.

“I thinkthat’s oftenwhat makes some of these very compellingiswhere you’re able to winkand nodalittle bit at the genreand have fun with it whileconforming to people’s expectations at least somewhat,”Eastwick says.

As sweetascake

“Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” has opposites attract in the very rom-com-friendly setting of NewYork, but makes thewould-belovers quiteordinary.She’sacoffee store server and he’samovie theater sweeper

“Rom-coms tend to be rich white people with timeon their hands. And that’sOK. We love it. We love watching them,” says Buchan. “‘But what if you’reshut out of that?’ was partofthe question that we wereasking when we set out to writeit.”

Themusical also winks aboutits adorationofromcoms. “If this was amovie,” says thesmittenBritish character,“we’d go iceskating.” In another scene, he decidesthereshould be amontage of hercoming in and out of adressing room in aparade of fabulousoutfits. Later, shedoes.

The creatorsare admitted huge fans of rom-coms —their gold standard is “When Harry Met Sally” even as they gently skewer the genre, out of love.

“I think our greatest ambition of all was to writesomethingthatnot only parodies and questionsthe mores of that genre and the stereotypes,but also slotsintothat genre in its own way,” says Buchan

An elevated rom-com

Director Brett Haley had

Thefashion police have thoughts on funeralattire

Dear Miss Manners: Ibelieved

This is not asporting

James Schultz is the Grinch and Xavier McKnight is young Max in the touring companyof‘Dr Seuss’ HowThe Grinch Stole Christmas’ coming to the Saenger Theatre.

PROVIDED PHOTO By JEREMy DANIEL

the discover the true meaning of the holidays withsuch favorite songs like “You’re A Mean One,Mr. Grinch” and “WelcomeChristmas.”

“CLUE:”Feb. 19-21, 2027. The boardgamethatfeatured such charactersasColonel Mustard, Mrs. White,Miss Scarlet and othersbecame a motion picture in the 1980s and then madethe leap to thestagewith aquirky cast trappedina mansionwitha butler whokeeps theaction going and the laughs coming… whilethe characters are dying. Who’s the killer? Who’ll be left?Find out

For information aboutthe season, visit saengernola. com.

Email Victor Andrews at vandrews@theadvocate. com.

never madearom-com before adapting “People We Meet on Vacation” from Emily Henry’snovel.Tocraft the film, he reached back to ones he adored,like“Jerry Maguire,” “My Best Friend’s Wedding” and “When Harry Met Sally.”

“They’re incredibly elevated. Youcare about the characters, the writing is impeccable, theperformances are impeccable, the filmmaking is incredible,” he says. “Tome, we just sort of lost some of thatelevation. AndIdon’tthink there’s anything wrong, by theway, with your Hallmarkmovies or other rom-comsthat are a littlefluffier,alittlelighter They’rejust sort of meant to be put on and enjoyed and not taken really art.”

He took his two starcrossed lovers —Emily Baderand TomBlyth, playing will-they-or-won’t-they friends —and earned the viewer’strust: “It was all aboutgrounding the comedy,the romance, the yearning, in reality.”

Haley,too, argues that rom-coms aren’trespected by critics thesedays.The genre that kickedoff with now-classics like “It HappenedOne Night” and “Bringing Up Baby” is too easily dismissed in 2026.

“If an action movie is elevated and checks all the boxes, you’ll find that critics go,‘Hey, yeah,this did it. This was great,’”hesays. “But when aromance does it and checks theboxes and does everything right, they go,‘Oh, we’veseen this before.’”

Haley says despite the critical reaction to romcoms,hebelieves the averageviewer yearns to siton thecouch or go to the theater andshare the experience of falling head over heels.

“It’s especially dark right now.And Ithink that people want to believeinlove,” he says. “I think there’s real valueina filmthatcan genuinely make you feel good, even just for an escapefor two hours. Thereistrue worth in that.”

thatwearing all black was proper dress for anyone at afuneral, or any such service. In recent years, though, this seems to have changed. “Churchdress,”or subduedoutfitsin muted colors, seem to be acceptable. Afriend toldme thatitispretentious to dress in all black when the deceased is not aclose friend or family member It seeks to claim astatusas amourner that thewearer does not deserve. Then ahigh-profile lady was criticized for wearing agorgeous, very dignified coat-dress in ablack-andwhitetweed —which seemed perfectly appropriatetome—because it was not all black. The deceased was not aclose friend or family memberofthe lady in question. What is correct?

event. There is no winning team forwhich to show your loyalty

Furthermore, if you cannot wear black to afuneral without appearing pretentious, where are you properly to wear it? Never mind. Miss Manners can guess. To awedding, where any bit of color could probably be criticized fordisplaying too much joy and support for the couple.

Gentle reader: Mourning is hard enough without having to think about what degree of intimacy to the deceased your clothing color relays.

By The Associated Press

Today is Friday, March 6, the 65thday of 2026. There are 300 days left in the year

Todayinhistory: On March 6, 1857, the U.S. SupremeCourt, in the Dred Scottv.Sandford decision, ruled 7-2 thatScott, an enslaved person, was not a U.S. citizen and therefore could not sue for his freedom in federal court; it also ruled that slavery could not be banned from any federal territory.The decision deepened the national divide over slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War.

Also on this date:

In 1836, theAlamo in San Antonio, Texas, fell as Mexican forces led by General Antonio Lopez de SantaAnna stormed thefortress after a13-day

HOLIFEST

Continuedfrom page1D

marchers. Like asecondline, bystanders are welcometojoin in theprocession.

The NOLA Holi parade begins at noon at the corner of Royal andTouro streets. It follows Royal Street into the French Quarter,turning left on St. Philip Street,and left on Chartres Street,returningtothe Marigny and ending at the corner of Kerlerec Street. Meanwhile, from 10 a.m. to 5p.m., the Holi festival takesplace at Washington Square Park,which is near the start and end of the parade. Expect Indian-style food offered at six booths,

Dear Miss Manners: Many of my friends have small children, and Iamalways invited to their birthday parties. Igenuinely enjoying going and seeing them and their children. The problem is that my spouse and Iare on one income, and sometimes we just don’thave any extra money to spare, even on minimal gifts. However, we usually do have the ingredients on hand to make cookies or cupcakes and frosting from scratch.

TODAYINHISTORY

siege; the battle claimed the lives of all the Texian defenders, including William Travis, James Bowie and DavyCrockett.

In 1869, chemist Dmitri Mendeleev introduced his concept of aperiodic table of elements at ameeting of the Russian Chemical Society in St. Petersburg.

In 1951, the trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg on federal espionage charges began in NewYork. (Both were subsequently found guilty,sentenced to death and then executed in 1953).

In 1964, heavyweight boxing champion Cassius Clay took anew name given to him by Nation of Islam leader Elijah Muhammed:Muhammad Ali.

In 2009, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope was rocketed into space from Cape

Would inquiring about the child’sdietary restrictions and bringing sweets instead of atoy be rude? If it wereanadult, I’dgive a handwritten note and card, but Idoubt children would find those very fun. Gentle reader: No,they would not —atleast, not without cash or giftcards to shake out of them, in this day and age. Ahomemade present is lovely and fine. But unsolicited baked goods may cause too manyproblems at achildren’sparty.Most parents will have already put thought into what birthday treat they serve. Providing an alternative will cause confusion —as well as too much sugar stimulation forthe young guests. Miss Manners suggests instead alow-budget craft or aregifted item that can be framed as “something special you thought they might enjoy.”

Sendquestions to Miss Manners at herwebsite, www.missmanners.com.

Canaveral, Florida, to hunt forEarth-sized planets orbiting distant stars. The spacecraftdiscovered 2,681 exoplanets outside the solar system before it ran low on fuel and wasretired in 2018 after 91/2 years of scouring space foralien worlds. Today’sbirthdays: Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan is 100. Former Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova is 89. Opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa is 82. Rock musician David Gilmour (Pink Floyd) is 80. Actor-comedian TomArnold is 67. Actorcomedian D.L. Hughley is 63. Actor Connie Britton is 59. Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal is 54. Rapper-producer Tyler the Creator is 35. Actor Millicent Simmonds is 23.

cultural performances on asmallstage, aDJ, Bollywood dancing andmore dusting with color during the event. For moreinformation and

amap, visit the

Festival website.

Email Doug MacCashat dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Take the blinders off and look at life through amagnifying glass. Leave nothing to chance or up to someone else's discretion. Avoid excessive actions or emotional outbursts.

ARIES (March 21-April19) Lend ahelping hand, volunteer or donate to acause, and the returns will be greater than you expect.Listenwithanopenmind, but make choices with facts, figures and your reputation in mind

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Look at every possibility beforeyou make amove. Refuse to let your emotions lead the way when common sense is vital.Keep your eye on the possibilities and your overhead under budget, and success will follow.

GEMINI (May 21-June20) Say no to pressure tactics and emotional manipulation. Put your time and effort into learning, doing yourparttohelp those less fortunate andusing your skills to make the world abetterplace.

CANCER (June 21-July22) Share your thoughts. Let your words impact those you encounter, and it will help you gain insight into what otherswant. Don't go out of your way to impress.

LEO (July23-Aug. 22) Change your routine; makeroomfor whatever brings meaningful results. It's up to you to take responsibilityfor your happiness. Refuse to letotherstakechargeordictate how you use yourtimeormoney

VIRGO(Aug.23-Sept. 22) Partnerships will requireyourattention,discretion

and hard choices. When in doubt, go directly to the source, ask questions and make decisions for the right reasons.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Let your creative imagination lead the way. Dazzle those you encounter with your insight and unique alternatives. Keep life and your plans affordable andstraightforward.

SCORPIO(Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Take the plunge and try something new. Social events will lead to interesting talks, friendships and pastimes that bring you satisfaction, confidenceand drive

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Concentrate on getting positive results by doing what's right and best for you. A changeinhow you apply your skills and expertise to your work responsibilities will payoff.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Go over your expenses andput aplaninplace to pay down debt. Don't believe what others tellyou; verify facts before you make amove. Focus on making money, not on spending it.

AQUARIUS(Jan. 20-Feb.19) Engage in events that lead to information, connections and people who can help you transform your life. Leave nothing to chance and protect your interests. Engage in fitness and stick to ahealthy diet.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. ©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrewsmcmeel syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudokuis anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the sudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

BY PHILLIPALDER

MaeWestsaid,“Itisbettertobelooked over than overlooked.”

She wasnodoubt talking about the female of the species, but she couldalso have had in mind cards played at the bridge table. Experienced defenders transmit information with almost all of thecards they play, especially early in the deal. In this deal,South is in three no-trump. Westleadshisfourth-highestspade.How should the playproceed?

Declarer tookEast’s spade queen with his ace, cashed the diamond king, and continued withthe diamond queen. He was hoping the jack wouldappear, allowing him to run for home. However, when West discardedthe heart fourat trick three, South had to regroup.

Declarer needed adummy entry, so had to find West with the heart king. At trick four, South ledalow heart.

West won with hisking and cashed the spadeking: club, spadethree, nine Westcontinuedwiththespadejack:club, spade five, 10. Suitably deceived, West led another spade. South wonwith his eight, playeda heart to dummy’s queen, andran the diamonds to collect an overtrick.

“How could Ihaveknown?” asked West. East pointed out that on thesecond round of spades, he gave “remaining count.”Here,becausehehadthreecards left,hedroppedthelowestone.Ifinstead he hadstill held 8-6-5-3, he would have played the sixunder West’s king and the three under the jack. West, after cashing the spade jack, should, in desperation,haveshifted to his club two, which wouldhave resulted in down two.

©2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

wuzzles

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. Forexample:nOOngOOD =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 tHEoREM: THEE-uh-rem: Aproposition or accepted idea.

Average mark24words

Timelimit 40 minutes

Can you find 34 or more words in THEOREM?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD —EncoREs

encore erne erose noes nose noser cense censer censor cero cone core corn crone once rose scene scone score scorn scree screen secern seen seer sere sneer snore sone sore

today’s thought “What shall Irender to the Lordfor all his benefits toward me?” Psalms 116:12

dIrectIons: make a2-to 7-letter word from theletters in each row. add pointsof each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Formore information on tournaments and clubs, email naspa –north americansCraBBlE playersassociation: info@scrabbleplayers.org.Visit ourwebsite:www.scrabbleplayers.org. For puzzle inquiriescontact scrgrams@gmail.com. Hasbro andits logo sCraBBlE associated

ken ken

InstructIons: 1 -Each row and each columnmust contain the numbers1thorugh 4(easy) or 1through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 -The numberswithin theheavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using thegiven 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

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38thSt.,Kenner, LA 70065. to allowprospec‐tivebidders to review the job scopeand site condi‐tions.Sealedproposals shall be marked on the envelopecover,plainly and prominentlywiththe following:a)bidder’s name, addressand tele‐phone numberb)State License Number of Con‐tractor if thebid is in ex‐cessof$50,000.00 andc) the statement“Proposal for (projectnameand number)”. Bidders have theoption tosubmitbidselectroni‐cally in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statute 38:2212 E(1) Please find bidrelated materials andplace elec‐tronicbidsatwww.cen tralbidding.com Participationbyminority andfemale-ownedbusi‐

j following:

NO:872-495

COMPUTER‐

RONALD R. BUL‐LIE A/K/A

RONALD BULLIE

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, datedJanuary 30, 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 April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

Five foot servi‐tude across the rear of said property in favorofSouth CentralBellas setforth on a survey made by J.J. Krebsand Sons,Inc dated August 4, 1988. Tenfoot servi‐tude in favorof LouisianaPower andLight Com‐pany across the frontof said property as shownonthe survey made by J.J. Krebsand Sons,Inc dated August 4, 1988.

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

g servitudes and easementsof every type and description, nowand/orin thefuturerelat‐ingtothe Prop‐erty,and any andall items and fixtures at‐tached to and/or forming integral or com‐ponent partsof thePropertyin accordance with the LouisianaCivil Code

ThePropertyor itsaddress is commonly knownas817 ATHERTON DRIVE, METAIRIE, LA 70001

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

KREIGA BREAUX

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

g hasbeen resub‐dividedinto Woodmere South SubdivisionSec‐tion 3, allasper plan of resubdi‐vision made by J. J. Krebsand Sons, Inc.,C.E.& S., datedOctober 10, 1983, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish Council by Ordinance No.15784, recorded in COB 1064, folio 925, andasper Act of Dedication be‐fore Odon B. Heebe, N. P. datedFebruary 2, 1984, recorded in COB 1067, folio 270, same beingdes‐ignatedasfol‐lows:

tled cause, datedDecem‐ber4,2025, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

ACERTAIN TRACTOFLAND, together with allthe buildings andimprove‐ments thereonand all therights, ways, privileges,pre‐scriptions, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, des‐ignatedasLOT 18 of THREE OAKS SUBDIVISION ADDITION,ES‐

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Stateof Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, in Town‐ship 14South, Ranges 23 and24East, SoutheastLand District,westof theMississippi River, knownas Harvey Canal Property,Jeffer‐sonParish, Louisiana, for‐merlydesig‐natedasParcel Q-2-B, which said portionof ground has been resubdi‐videdinto Woodmere South SubdivisionSec‐tion 3, allasper plan of resubdi‐vision made by J.J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E.& S. datedOctober 10, 1983, ap‐provedbythe JeffersonParish Councilby OrdinanceNo. 15784, recorded in COB1064, folio 925, andas perAct of Dedi‐cation before Odom B. Heebe, Notary Public,dated February 2, 1984, recorded in COB 1067, folio 270, same beingdes‐ignatedasfol‐lows:Lot 974, Square “V”, which square is bounded by Barbwood Drive, Cimwood Drive, Havenwood Driveand DestrehanAv‐enue,and said Lot974 com‐mences at adis‐tanceof254.53 feet from thepoint of cur‐vature of Barb‐wood Driveinto DestrehanAv‐enue andmea‐sures thence 60 feet frontonBarb‐wood Drive, same in width across therear, by adepth of 100 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines; allasper survey made by J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc., LS., datedJune 8, 1987, resur‐veyedAugust4, 1988.

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:849-008 FIRSTHORIZON BANK VERSUS JAREDJ FOUSCH

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January 30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:854-960

Lot906, Square T, which said square is bounded by Sweet Gum Drive, Cimwood Drive, Touch‐wood Driveand DestrehanAv‐enue,and said Lot906 com‐mences ata distance of 398.07 feet from thepoint of cur‐vature of Sweet GumDrive into DestrehanAv‐enue,and mea‐suresthence60 feet fronton Sweet Gum Drive, same in width across therear, by a depth of 100 feet between equaland paral‐lellines;all as persurvey made by J. J. Krebsand Sons Inc.,L.S., dated December 12, 1986, resurveyed Feb‐ruary9,1987 to show improve‐ments.

TERMS- Thefull purchaseprice is dueatthe time of thesale.

TELLE PLANTA‐TION SUBDIVI‐SION,inaccor‐dance with theplanby DufreneSurvey‐ing& Engineer‐ing, Inc.,dated August 8, 2003, and reviewed by the JeffersonParish Planning De‐partment on De‐cember 12, 2003, Summary No 21086, Docket No.WS-227-03, andapproved by theCouncil on December 3, 2003, Ordinance 22063.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

p p erty to wit: Acertain lotof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, and allofthe rights, ways,servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages there‐unto belongingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as Woodmere Subdivision, SectionNo. 1, and accordingtothe plan of resubdi‐vision by J. J. Krebs& Sons Inc.,dated Au‐gust 20, 1974, said por‐tion of ground is designated as Lot299A,Square K, which square is bounded by OakmereDrive, aforty foot (40’) LouisianaGas Servitude(side) west boundaryofthe subdivisionof Deerpark Drive, said lotmea‐suressixtythreefeet (63’) frontonOak‐mere Drive, same width in therear, by a depth of 100 feet between equaland paral‐lellines,and commencesat a distance of 1319.16 feet from the intersection of OakmereDrive andDeerpark Drive.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as Terrytown Subdivision, No 8, in Square No.140, bounded by MatadorDrive, Guardian Av‐enue,and Mys‐ticAvenue designated as Lot10-Aonsur‐veybyGilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,Sur‐veying & Engineering, datedMarch 5, 1974, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoanact of sale before ManuelI Fisher,N.P., datedMarch 20, 1974, andac‐cordingtosaid survey said Lot10-A commences at a distance of 545.17 feet from thecornerof Matador Driveand Guardian Drive, andmeasures thence 60 feet frontonMata‐dorDrive, same widthin therear, by a depthof115 feet,between equaland paral‐lellines

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUSTCOM‐PANY,AS TRUSTEE FOR ARGENT SECURITIES INC., ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2004-W11 VS KARENRENE GALLAGHER A/K/AKAREN R. GALLAGHER A/K/AKAREN GALLAGHER

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

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

COREYJ.GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

This actismade andaccepted subjecttothe

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 25, 2024, 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,onMarch 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisianaand more fully described belowasfol‐lows:LOT “A SQUARE 7, BEV‐ERLY KNOLL SUBURB SUBDIVISION, As perthe resubdi‐vision of Lots 1 and2,Square7, BeverlyKnoll Suburb Subdivision into LotA perthe re‐subdivisionmap approved on June 9, 2010 under OrdinanceNo. 23825 and recorded July 2, 2010 at COB 3265, folio 196.

Together with anyand allpre‐sent andfuture buildings, con‐structions,com‐ponent parts, improvements, attachments, appurtenances, fixtures,rights, ways,privi‐leges, advantages, batture,and batture rights,

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, datedFebruary 11, 2025,I have seized andwill proceedtosell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOffice Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058,onMarch 11, 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, advan‐tagesand appurtenances thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theState of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, in Town‐ship 14 South, Ranges23and 24 East, SoutheastLand District of Louisiana, west of theMissis‐sippi River, knownasHar‐vey CanalProperty, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, for‐merlydesig‐natedasParcel Q-2-B, which said por‐tion of ground h b b

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL

DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-810 STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS MICHAEL NICHOLAS ROOF

By virtue of and in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND

LGRAHAM ARCENEAUX Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-521

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or PersonalCheck with Bank Letter of Credit

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:857-170

That certainlot of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall of the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,and advantages thereunto belongingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theParishof Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as OakCove Subdivision, Section Two, accordingto a plan of resubdi‐vision made by Harris & Varisco, C. E. datedMay 30, 1977, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under ordinance no.12939, adopted on June 30, 1977, registered in COB898, folio 945 accordingto asurveyofHar‐ris& Varisco, C. E., datedMarch 9, 1979, resur‐veyedonMay 14, 1979 said lot is designated and measures as follows: Lot14, Square 19A, which said square is bounded by TulipCourt PritchardRoad, southboundary of subdivision (side),and Nature Drive (side),which said LotNo. 14 commences 750 feet from thein‐tersection of TulipCourt andPritchard Road.Saidlot from thecorner of TulipCourt andNature Drive(side), and measures thence 60 feet frontonTulip Court, same widthinthe rear,and by a depthand front on Nature Drive (side) of 95 feet and by adepth on theopposite sideline.All as more fully shownonsur‐veybyR.P Fontcuberta, Jr., Land Surveyor datedFebruary 6, 1987.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

MORTGAGE RE‐SEARCH CEN‐TER, LLCD/B/A VETERANS UNITED HOME LOANS, AMIS‐SOURILIMITED LIABILITYCOM‐PANY VERSUS STACEY MARIE BRIGNACA/K/A STACEY M. BRIGNACA/K/A STACEY BRIGNAC

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:861-817 NATIONSTAR MORTGAGE LLC VS PATRICKJ URCIAA/K/A PATRICKURCIA

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐

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, datedMay 12, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing described prop‐i

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 20, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: That certainlot of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon andall of the

U.S. BANK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR- ININTEREST TO U.S. BANK NA‐TIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE, SUC‐CESSORININ‐TEREST TO WACHOVIA BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEEFOR AEGISASSET BACKED SECURI‐TIES TRUST 2005-2MORT‐GAGE BACKED NOTES VS KENNETHAN‐DRES A/K/A KENNETHC.AN‐DERS

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‐ber12, 2024, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the

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: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-540

THEBANKOF NEWYORKMEL‐LONTRUST COMPANY, NA‐TIONAL ASSOCIATION FKATHE BANK OF NEWYORK TRUSTCOM‐PANY,N.A.AS SUCCESSORTO JPMORGAN CHASEBANK, N.A.,AS TRUSTEEFOR RESIDENTIAL ASSETMORT‐GAGE PROD‐UCTS,INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2006-RP3 VERSUS

FRANKJ.FAL‐GOUT,JR. A/K/A FRANKFAL‐GOUT,JR. 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, datedMay 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: 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,Subdi‐vision No.8, beingpartof SectionD of Elmwood Subdi‐vision,located in Section17, Township 13 South, Range24 East andinSec‐tion 30, Town‐ship 14 South, Range24East, allin accordance with thesurvey of AdloeOrr, Jr andAssociates, C.E.,dated April 22, 1964, approved by theJefferson Parish Council under ordinance no.6610, regis‐tered in COB590, folio 515 on May4 1964, Jefferson Parish Louisianaand as perplan made by J. J. Krebs& Sons, C.E. &S dated July 20, 1971, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder ordinanceno. 10338 andas perplanofre‐subdivision made by J. J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,dated May 18, 1972, ap‐proved by the Jefferson Parish Council under ordinance no.10725, recorded as is more particu‐larly describedas follows, to-wit: Lot25, in Square 129, which said square is bounded by Morningside Drive, North Marlin Court, West Marlin Court, East Mar‐linCourt and Mink Street,and said Lot25 commences at a distance of 255 feet from the corner of Morn‐ingsideDrive andMink Street andmea‐suresthence60 feet fronton Morningside Drive, same widthinthe rear,bya depth of 115 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. Allas more fully shown on survey by Wilton J. Dufrene, Land Surveyor,dated September21, 1991. Allin accordance with asurveyby Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc datedMay 27, 1997.

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

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026

Mar6-apr10-2t

Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

THREECERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, allof therights, ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated In theCity of Kenner Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louislana, in that part thereofknown as KENNER HEIGHTSSUBDI‐VISION,inBlock 3-Athereof, bounded by Compromise, Eleventh,Clay andTenth Street,which said lots are designated as LOTS 21, 22 and 23. said lots ad‐join each other andmeasure each 20 feet frontonCom‐promise Street thesame in width In the rear,bya depth of 123feet 9 inches between equal andparallel lines. LOT21 formingthe cor‐nerofCompro‐mise and Eleventh Streets.

All as more fully shownonsur‐veybyAdloe On,Jr.,C.E., datedMarch 27,

1951; subjecttore‐strictions,servi‐tudes, rights-ofwayand out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting theproperty.

Improvements thereonbear MunicipalNo. 1020 Compro‐mise Kenner, Louisiana

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.

CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr 10-2t

CHARMAINEOC‐TAVIATURNER AKACHAR‐MAINEOCTAVIA TURNER MITCHELL

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, datedSeptem‐ber3,2025, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOTORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILDINGSAND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLTHE RIGHTS, WAYS PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISEAP‐PERTAINING SITUATED IN THE PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON,STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT PART THEREOF KNOWNAS WOODMERE SUBDIVISION, SECTIONNO.

TWO, IN ACCOR‐DANCE WITH AS SUBDI‐VISION PLAN

THEREOFBYJ.J KREBSAND SONS,INC., C.E., DATEDMAY 5, 1975, APPROVED BY THEJEFFER‐SONPARISH COUNCILON JUNE 12, 1975, UNDERORDI‐NANCENO. 12053, REGIS‐TEREDINCOB 839, FOLIO 588, WHICHSAIDLOT IS DESIGNATED AS LOT580, SQUARE L, SAID SQUARE IS BOUNDEDBY OAKMERE DRIVE, DEER PARK DRIVE, A CANALAND PAIGEJANETTE DRIVE. SAID LOT BEINGS 1103.00 FEET FROM THE CORNER OF OAKMERE DRIVEAND PAIGEJANETTE DRIVE, SAID LOT MEASURES 60.0 FEET FRONTON PAIGEJANETTE DRIVE, SAME WIDTHINTHE REAR BY A DEPTHOF100 FEET BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES ALLASPER SURVEYS, INC., DATEDMARCH 11, 1981, IM‐PROVEMENTS LOCATED MARCH 30, 1981, AND RECERTIFIED CORRECTAU‐GUST 31, 1981, SAID LOTIS BOUNDEDBY PAIGEJANETTE DRIVE, ACANAL, E. SUNNY MEADEDRIVE, W. SUNNY MEADE DRIVE, DEER‐PARK,AND OAK‐MERE DRIVE, ANDHAS THE SAME COM‐MENCINGDIS‐

TANCEAND MEASURE‐MENTS; subject to restrictions servitudes, rights-of-way andoutstanding mineralrights of record affect‐ingthe property

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 ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

in obedienceto aWritof SEIZUREAND SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber14, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 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 that part thereofknown as Woodmere Subdivision, SectionNo. 2, in accordance with thesubdi‐vision plan of J.J. Krebs& Sons,C.E., dated May5,1975, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish CouncilonJune 12, 1975, under OrdinanceNo. 12035, regis‐teredinCOB 839, folio 588, which said

lotisdesig‐natedand de‐scribedasfol‐lows,to-wit: LOT618, SQUARE "M", which square is bounded by PaigeJanette Drive, Paige Janette Drive (side),Lynbrook Drive(side)and OakmereDrive Lot618 com‐mences at adistanceof 409.42 feet from thecornerof PaigeJanette Driveand Oak‐mere Drive. Lot618 measures thence 68.88 feet fronton PaigeJanette Drive, awidth in therearof59.70 feet,bya depth of 100.00 feet between equal andparallel lines.

Improvements thereonbear theMunicipal No.2476 Paige Janette Drive, Harvey,LA 70058.

Beingthe same property ac‐quired by Cathy DichersonMills, by actdated September 23. 2019, recorded at COB 3426, folio 209, furtheracquired by CathyDich‐ersonMills andGregory AllenMills, by actdated July 24, 2014, recorded at COB 3335, folio 561 Parish of Jeffer‐son, Louisiana.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check,

MoneyOrder,or

J. PATRICK GAFFNEY Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

and

SALE from the 24thJudicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in the abovenum‐beredand enti‐tled cause, datedNovem‐ber20, 2025, I have

g estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereonand all therights, ways privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, towit:

In that part des‐ignatedasHar‐veyCanal Sub‐division,ac‐cordingtoplan of subdivision by Elbert G. San‐doz, C.E. &Sur‐veyor, dated September10, 1927, revised December 21, 1927, which said portionis designated as Lots 35 and36 of Square 60 which lots adjoin each otherand mea‐sure each 25 feet frontonEs‐talote Street, similarwidth in therear, by a depth of 120 feet between equaland paral‐lellines.Lot 36 commences 200 feet from thecornerofEs‐talote Street and38thStreet

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

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026

March6,2026

jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA

NO:869-330

U.S. BANK,N.A., AS TRUSTEE, SUCCESSORIN INTEREST TO WACHOVIA BANK,NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, AS TRUSTEE, SUC‐CESSORBY MERGER TO FIRSTUNION NATIONAL BANK AS TRUSTEE, FORMID-STATE TRUSTX VS TIMOTHYG BRISCOE, JR.

g scribed prop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN LOTORPARCEL OP GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining. Lots 28 and29, Square 114, Broadway Ave, Harvey,LAin SouthNew Or‐leansSubdivi‐sion,eat lot measuring25by 100 feet in Jef‐ferson Parish, LA

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.

KATE SOTOLONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January 30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t y 1974, revised December 16, 1974 approved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder OrdinanceNo. 11923,adopted February 6, 1975, registered in C.O.B. 830, Folio776, which subdivisionplan is recorded in Jef‐ferson Parish Plan Book 88, Folio1,which ordinance was ratified and amendedbyOr‐dinanceNo. 12299, adopted February 19, 1976,registered in COB 855 Follo659, andalsoac‐cordingto the survey of J. J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,dated 1-30-76, revised 2/12/76 and 3/17/76 and resurveyed to show improve‐ments6/23/76, said property is designated as Lot7 of Square E, andsaidLot commences 335.55 feet from thein‐tersection of SugarpineDrive andthe North Boundaryofthe subdivisionas shownonthe said survey of J.J. Krebs& Sons,dated Jan‐uary 30, 1976,and mea‐suresthence60 feet fronton SugarpineDrive, same in width in the rear,bydepths of 113.15 feet each

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:868-766

FEDERALHOME LOAN MORT‐GAGE CORPORA‐TION AS TRUSTEE FOR FREDDIEMAC SEASONED CREDIT RISK TRANSFER TRUST, SERIES 2019 3 VS TRUDY BADEAUXBACK INDIVIDUALLY ANDASSURVIV‐INGSPOUSEIN COMMUNITY WITH DARRYL G. BACK A/K/A DARRYL GLENN BACK 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, datedSeptem‐ber19, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

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.

KATE SOTO‐LONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: January 30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:867-596

g ways privileges, servitudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Stateof Louisiana; Parish of Jeffer‐son, City of Ken‐ner, in that part thereofknown as ChateauEs‐tatesLakefront Subdivision, ex‐tensioninac‐cord with a plan of subdivi‐sion by J. J. Krebs& Sons Inc.,C.E.& S., dated6/27/76, approved by theCityofKen‐nerunder ordi‐nanceno. 1916, dated9/27/76, reg. in COB874, folio 958. According to said plan of subdivision, said lots are designated measures as follows:

Lot19ofSquare 8, boundedby MeursaultDrive MercureyDrive, Brouilly Drive and Echezeaux Drive. Lot19 formsthe cor‐nerofBrouilly Driveand Echezeaux Drive, measures a first frontof17.37 feet,thence a second frontof 115.11 feet on Echezeaux Drive, 52.62 feet in width in the rear,bya depth on itssouthern sideline of 122.63 feet anda depth of 100 feet on its opposite side‐line.All also in accordance with survey of Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc., Surveying &En‐gineering, dated 5/22/86, acopyofwhich is annexed hereto and made part hereof

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 TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on March 11,2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: That portionof ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, and allthe rights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages there‐unto belonging, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in Terrytown Subdivision, SectionNo. 3, beingpartof OakdaleSubdi‐vision,Section 8, FirstWard, allinaccor‐dancewithplan by AdloeOrr, Jr andAssociates, C.E.,dated Octo‐ber9, 1959, revised July 15, 1960, ap‐proved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder ordinanceno. 4707, adopted August 25, 1960, registered in COB514, folio 345, plan book 40, folio 37, office of the clerkofcourt, Parish of Jeffer‐son, Louisiana, and according thereto, said portion of ground is more fully described anddesignated as follows: Lot29, square no.61, which square is bounded by Farmington Place, Fredrica Street,Terry Parkwayand DanielsRoad. Lot29measures 60 feet fronton Farmington Place, thesame in width in the rear,by adepth be‐tween equal andparallel linesof110 feet Lot29com‐mences at a distance of 528.33 feet from thecornerof Farmington Placeand FredricaStreet, all in accordance with survey made by Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,dated September 11, 1997.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

tled cause, datedMay 30, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall therights, ways, privileges, servitudes and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theState of Louisiana, in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, TERRY‐TOWN SUBDIVI‐SION,SUBDIVI‐SION NUMBER NO.7, being part of OakdaleSubdi‐vision,Section "B", FirstWard, allin accordance with thesurvey of AdloeOrr, Jr andAssociates, CivilEngineers dated May10, 1960, approved by the JeffersonParish Councilunder Ordinance4921, adoptedFebru‐ary16, 1961, registered in C.O.B. 524, folio 586, Parish of Jefferson, Louisiana, on February 23, 1961, andin Plan Book 42, folio 50, Office of theClerk of Court,Jefferson Parish Louisiana, said lotisdesig‐natedasLOT 15 in SQUARE 107, bounded by SouthGlencove Lane,GaryLane, thenortherly boundaryofthe subdivisionand Romona Lane

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:863-573

VS RONALD A. GUIDRY,SR. (A/K/A RONALD A. GUIDRY)

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

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 8, 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the following de‐ib d

That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall rights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Stateof Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐soninthatpart knownas Southwood West Subdivi‐sion,Section B. Accordingto a Subdivision Plan of J. J. Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E.& S. datedJuly10,

ROCKET MORT‐GAGE,LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS, LLC VS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSION OF ANDUNKNOWN HEIRSOF DANIEL J. RACHAL A/K/A DANIEL J. RACHAL A/K/A DANIEL RACHAL 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 14,2025,I have seized andwill proceedtosell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOffice Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway,Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058,onMarch 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: That certain pieceorportion of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, i il

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:867-141

CITIBANK,N.A NOTINITS INDI‐VIDUAL CAPAC‐ITYBUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEEOF BRAVORESIDEN‐TIAL FUNDING TRUST2024NQM1 VERSUS ALVINWOOTEN INTERNA‐TIONAL,LLC ANDALVIN WOOTEN

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: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

Said lotcom‐mences at adis‐tanceof61feet from thecorner of SouthGlen‐cove Lane andRomona Lane,and mea‐suresthence60 feet fronton SouthGlencove Lane, same width in therear, by a depth of 120 feet between equal andparal‐lellines,all as more fully shownonthe survey of Gilbert, Kelly andCouturie, CivilEngineers dated April19, 1979.

Said measure‐mentsare more fully shownon a Plan of Survey by Wilton J. Dufrene, Land Surveyor, datedJanuary 29, 1985, andac‐cordingtosaid survey,Lot 15 is bounded by SouthGlencove Lane,Romona Lane,GaryLane andthe South‐ernLine of Subdivision

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

PHHMORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS EDWARD J. SHIELDS, SR ANDKATHERINE P. SHIELDS (A/K/A KATHER‐INE PARKER SHIELDS) 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, datedApril 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 March 11, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m.the followingde‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, together with allthe rights ways,privi‐leges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywise appertaining situated in the Stateof Louisiana, PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON,CITY OF KENNER,and in that part thereofknown as UNIVERSITY CITY SUBDIVI‐SION, SECTION2,and in SQUARE NO 34 thereof, which square is bounded by E. LOUISIANA STATEDRIVE,E RICE PLACE, OLE MISS DRIVEand E. PURDUE PLACE, said lot is designated as LOTNO. 3-A, commences at a distance of 127 feet from thecorner of E. Louisiana StateDrive and E. Rice Place, andmeasures thence in thedirection of E. Purdue Place62feet frontonE LouisianaState Drive, same in widthinthe rear,bya depth of 110 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines.

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

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 8, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, prescrip‐tions, servitudes,ad‐vantages and appurtenances thereuntobe‐longingorin anywise appertaining situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in that part thereofknown as EDWARDS SUBDIVISION, in SQUARE NO."E" bounded by Joyce, Twelfth, Thirteenth Streetsand Farm LotNo. 235-C, which said lotof ground is designated by theNUMBER36, commencesat a distance of 225 feet from the corner of Joyce andTwelfth Streetsand measures thence 75 feet frontonJoyce Street,the same widthinthe rear,bya depth on thesideline nearestto Twelfth Street of 71.09 feet and adepth on theopposite side line of 70.87 feet allaccord‐ing to sketch of sur‐veyofJ.J.Krebs andSons, Inc., certified by John Krebsasof November 26, 1965, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoact passedbefore Allain C. Andry, Jr., No‐tary Public, datedMay 20, 1966, forrefer‐ence Allinaccor‐dancewith a survey of DonA Garland, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, datedSeptem‐ber2,1977 and recertified Sep‐tember 14, 1977. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is dueatthe time of thesale.

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA

NO:870-456

REGIONSBANK VS GEORGE E. ALLENA/K/A GEORGE ALLEN ANDJULIE M. ALLENA/K/A JULIE FAGANALLEN A/K/AJULIE F. ALLENA/K/A JULIEALLEN

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‐ber19, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

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, datedJuly30, 2025, Ihave seized andwill proceed to sell to thehighest bidder at public auction, at the JeffersonParish Sheriff'sOffice Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:864-977

ASSURANCEFI‐NANCIAL GROUP, LLC VERSUS ANISHKA CHANTELL DE‐GRUY AND TYJUAN V. CARTER

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‐

EMILYA MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: January30, 2026 March6,2026 jan30-mar6-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:869-229

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

AMYR.ORTIS

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

Onecertain lot of ground,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐mentsthereon, andall of the rights,ways, privileges, servitudes,ap‐purtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in theCityof Kenner,Parish of Jefferson, Stateof Louisiana, in ChateauEstates LakefrontSub‐division,being a resubdivisionof aportion of Sec‐tion A, Chateau Estates, Section 37, T-11-12S, R-9-E, allasper plan by J.J. Krebs& Sons Inc.,dated Feb‐ruary26, 1976, approved by theCityof Kenner Planning &ZoningCom‐mission, on April4,1976, under ordinanceno. 1839 andsaid lotismorepar‐ticularlyde‐scribedasfol‐lows,to-wit: Lot35, in Square No.3 which said square is bounded by Cabernet Drive, Petit Berdot Drive, Traminer Drive andSylvaner Drive. Lot35 commencesat a distance of 420 feet from thecornerof Traminer Drive andSylvaner Driveand mea‐suresthence 60 feet fronton Traminer Drive, same widthin therear, by a depthof110 feet between equal andparallel lines. Allinac‐cordance with a survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie,Inc datedJuly17, 1986. Furtherin accordance with survey by Gilbert, Kelly &Cou‐turie, Inc.,dated March17, 2005, acopyofwhich is annexedto act before Dnaiel M. Douglass, No‐tary Public, datedMarch 31, 2005. This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

JPMORGAN CHASEBANK, NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION

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

TheNew Orleans Advocate:

March6,2026, April10, 2026

Mar6-apr10-2t

DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:868-283

RENASANT BANK VERSUS CARCONNEC‐TION AUTO SALESLLC AND HOUSECON‐NECT,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, datedSeptem‐ber12, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

"TOBESOLD SEPARATELY

ATTACHMENT "A"

p thereonbear theMunicipal No.216 Cumber‐

land Street

a/k/a216 S. Cumberland Street,River Ridge, LA 70123

ATTACHMENT "B"

ACERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,to‐gether will all thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances andadvantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the State of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, AIRLINE VISTA SUBDIVISION, in Plot "B", bounded by DavidDrive,Air‐line Highway, theEastLineof Subdivision, and West Metairie Avenue (Canal No.5), desig‐natedasLot No 6, more particularly de‐scribedasfol‐lows,to-wit: Lots 6measures 100 feet frong on DavidDrive same in width in therear, by a depth of 150.02 feet between equal andparallel lines. LotNo. 6 lies nearer to and commences 582.64 feet from thecornerof DavidDrive and AirlineHighway; all accordingto a survey by Harris &Varisco,Con‐sultingEngi‐neers, dated May8,1974, acopyofwhich is annexedto ActNo. 643097 Improvements thereonbear theMunicipal No.301 David Drive, Metairie, LA 70003

y Plaintiff

STATEOF

NATIONAL AS‐SOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE VERSUS RICHARDO REESEA/K/A RICHARDO REESE, SR

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, datedJanuary 8, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit:

LOUISIANA NO:871-186 STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS NOEMIMAR‐TINEZPEREZ DI‐VORCED WIFE BY FIRSTMAR‐RIAGEOFTONY MULLER,DI‐VORCED WIFE BY SECOND MARRIAGE OF/AND RIGOB‐ERTO H. PEREZ

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026

THREECERTAIN LOTS OF GROUND,to‐gether will all thebuildings and improvements thereonand all of therights, ways,privileges andservitudes, appurtenances andadvantages hereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON,STATE OF LOUISIANA, in that part thereof knownasOWN YOUR OWNSUB‐DIVISION,and designated and describedas LOTS NOS. 72, 73 AND 74 in SQUARE NO.5,said square being bounded by Al‐tana, Newton,and Cumberland Streets, andJef‐ferson Highway, Lot72, 73, and 74 adjoin each otherand measureeach 20 feet fronton Cumberland Street,same width in the rear,bya depth of 115 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. LotNo. 74 commences 200.65 feet from thecomer of Cumberland Street andJef‐ferson Highway, allas shownona plat of survey by AdloeOrr, Jr.& Associates, Consulting Engi‐neersdated September23, 1971, acertified copy of which is annexedtoan actpassedbe‐fore Robert E. Jeffer‐son, Jr Notary Public,dated November 24, 1971.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges

TERMS- 10% down balancein 30 days

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

WAYNE A. MAIORANA,JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026

Mar6-apr10-2t

will proceed to sell to thehigh‐estbidderat public auction, at theJefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on Wednesday April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECEORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILDINGSAND 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‐PENTLOTS2 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 EQUAL AND PARALLEL LINES ACCORDINGTO SURVEY BY RICHARD DAD‐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, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter ofCredit.

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026

Mar6-apr 10-2t

Allthatcertain parcel of land situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in Square "N"of MadisonPark Subdivision, bounded by MadisonStreet 39thStreet, Taft Park,East Line of Subdivi‐sion,Canal No.4 andVernonAv‐enue,desig‐natedas LotNo. 3-Aon a survey made by Harris and Varisco, Survey‐ors, dated March12, 1974, according thereto, said lot commences at a distance of 135 feet from the corner of Madi‐sonStreet and 39thStreet mea‐suresthence60 feet from the corner of MadisonStreet, thesamein width in the rear by adepth of 120 feet be‐tween equal andparallel lines. Allas more fully shownonsur‐veyofJames H, Couturie,Land Surveyor, (Gilbert,Kelly & Couturie,Sur‐veying andEngi‐neering),dated April30, 1990, copy of which is an‐nexedtoanact passedbefore Warren E. Mouledoux, Jr., Notary Public datedMay 7, 1990. Together with allthe buildingsand improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, andap‐purtenances and advantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior securityin‐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

KATE SOTO‐LONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, 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, datedDecem‐ber11, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐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 thereofknown as TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION, SUBDIVISION4A, andaccord‐ingtoa plan of resubdivisionby Adloe Orr, Jr.&Associ‐ates,C.E., dated April30, 1962, approved by the Parish of Jeffer‐son on May24, 1962 under Ordi‐nanceNumber 5553, registered as EntryNum‐ber 232,635, and a plat of survey by J.J. Krebs& Sons,Inc Civil Engineers& Surveyors, datedJune21, 1973, acopyof which is an‐nexedtoanact registered in COB806, folio 175, said portion of ground is designated as LOT26, SQUARE 48, which square is bounded by EmersonStreet, DeerfieldRoad, CarolSue Av‐enue and Oakwood Drive, andwhich lot formsthe inter‐sectionofPak‐wood Driveand Emerson Street andmea‐suresthence65 feet fronton EmersonStreet same width in therear, by a depth of 110 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.

COREYJ.GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

Mar6-apr10-2t of Credit

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:872-133 CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SER‐VICES, LLC VERSUS THEUNOPENED SUCCESSION OF ANDUNKNOWN HEIRSOFPAULA A. TRUMBACH A/K/APAULA A. TRUMBACH A/K/APAULA TRUMBACH

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026

Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-550

East Lexington Avenue,a width in therearof30 feet,bya depth of 110.29 feet on thesideline nearer to Leslie Street,by a depthof 109.88 feet on theopposite sideline.All as more fully shownonsur‐veymadebyJ.J Krebs& Sons, Inc.,C.E dated July 14, 1971.

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 FOERSTNERG MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

CITY COUNCIL BY ORDINANCE NO.668, REGIS‐TEREDIN COB2873, FOLIO 814, SAID LOTIS DESIGNATED BY THENO. 28, AND MEASURES 75.00 FEET FRONTON RUEST. MARTIN SAME WIDTHIN THE REAR,BYA DEPTHOF130.00 FEET BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES. ALLAS MORE FULLYSHOWN ON SURVEY BY DADING,MAR‐QUES & ASSOCIATES INC.,DATED 7/25/97. THEIMPROVE‐MENTS THEREONBEAR THEMUNICIPAL NO.4409 RUEST. MARTIN,KEN‐NER, LOUISIANA 70065.

Improvements

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

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, datedJanuary 23, 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 April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: Acertain piece or portionof ground,to‐gether with all of thebuildings and improvements thereon, andall of therights, ways,privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances, thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, Louisiana, in that part thereof known as East St.MarySubdi‐vision (formerly St.MarySubdi‐vision), in square bounded by St.Mary Street as posted andoriginal plan (EastSt. Mary Street per title) Irving Street,St. Martin Street andKane Streets, desig‐natedbythe no 92 on aplot planeofsaid subdivision made by Adloe Orr, Jr., C.E., datedJuly8, 1953, Lot92ad‐joins Lot93 andcommences at adistanceof 200 feet from thecornerofSt. Mary andKane Streetsand measures thence 50 feet frontonSt. Mary Street by a depth of 113.45 feet between equaland paral‐lellines,with a width in the rear of 50 feet Allasmore fully shownon a survey by Man‐dleSurveying, Inc.,dated April 23, 1990.

This sale is sub‐ject to allsupe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liensand privileges.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit

FOERSTNERG MEYER Attorney for

TERMS- Thefull purchase price is due at the time of thesale.

NOTE:All funds must be Cashier'sCheck, Certified Check, MoneyOrder,or Personal Check with Bank Letter

CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SER‐VICES, LLC VERSUS ERNEST WILLIAMS,JR. ANDELAN WILLIAMS 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‐ber25, 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, April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: THAT PORTION OF GROUND,to‐gether with all thebuildings andimprove‐ments thereon, andall of therights, ways,servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances andad‐vantages thereuntobe‐longingorin anywiseapper‐taininganywise appertaining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, Stateof Louisiana, in TERRYTOWN SUBDIVISION SUBDIVISION NO.7,being part of OakdaleSub‐division,Section "B", FirstWard, all in accordance with thesurvey by AdloeOrr, Jr Associates,C E.,dated May 10, 1960, approved by Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nanceNo. 4921, adopted February 16, 1961, registered in COB524, folio 586, Parish of Jefferson, Louisiana, on February 23, 1961, andin Plan Book 42, folio 50, Office of theClerk of Court, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, which said property,ac‐cordingtothe aforesaid plan is more particu‐larlydescribed as follows, towit: LOT22IN SQUARE 112, which square is bounded by East Lexington Avenue,Leslie Street,Legion Driveand North LexingtonAv‐enue,and said Lot22com‐mences at a distance of 69.56 feet from thecornerof East Lexington Avenue and Leslie Street andmeasures thence a first frontage of 24.93 feet on East Lexington Avenue,a furtherfrontage of 65.51 feet on

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24THJUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA NO:870-835 WILMINGTON SAVINGSFUND SOCIETY, FSB, NOTINITS INDI‐VIDUAL CAPAC‐ITY BUTSOLELYAS OWNER TRUSTEEOF CSMC 2018-SP3 TRUST VERSUS AHMADQ.SID‐DIQUIAND GUL‐NAZQAVISID‐DIQUI

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‐ber5,2025, 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 April15, 2026 at 10 o'clocka.m thefollowing describedprop‐erty to wit: ONECERTAIN LOTOFGROUND, TOGETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLOFTHE RIGHTS,WAYS, PRIVILEGES SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGING OR IN ANYWISE APPERTAINING, SITUATED IN THEPARISHOF JEFFERSON STATEOF LOUISIANA, IN THECITYOF KENNER,IN THAT PART THEREOF KNOWNAS PLACE PONTCHAR‐TRAINSUBDIVI‐SION,AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEPLAN OF SUBDIVISION BY J.J. KREBS& SONS INC., DATED FEBRUARY,4 1993, REVISED MAY24, 1993 ANDJUNE30, 1993, APPROVED BY THEKENNER

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

KATE SOTO‐LONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P. LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

TheNew Orleans Advocate: March6,2026, April10, 2026 Mar6-apr10-2t