$ 1519 METAIRIE ROAD 504.835.5979
3135 ESPLANADE AVE. 504.322.2595
5OFF
2221 FILMORE AVE. 504.218.7048
6735 ST. CLAUDE AVE. 504.266.2059
50 PURCHASE LIMIT 1 COUPON PER CUSTOMER
$
Must have original, no photocopies accepted. Not valid on beer, wine, liquor, tobacco or THC products.
Valid March 22 - 28, 2026
1133 S. CARROLLTON AVE. 504.766.0972
3623 JEFFERSON HWY. 504.503.0900
NCAA TOURNAMENT: LSU vs. TEXAS TECH • 2 P.M. • ABC 1C
N O L A.C O M
|
S u n d ay, M a r c h 22, 2026
$2.50X
MASSIVE
MAKEOVER
Pelicans unveil major renovation plan for Smoothie King Center
Victims of water main breaks seek answers
Financial relief in wake of flood damage hard to come by BY JONI HESS Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD
The New Orleans Pelicans’ Smoothie King Center is the subject of a plan that would bring significant upgrades to seating and the area surrounding the NBA arena. BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer
Imagine going to a future New Orleans Pelicans game and beforehand, taking in an outdoor concert at a treelined, open-air plaza outside the Smoothie King Center, then crossing the street to grab a pregame drink in the arena’s club lounge with a view of downtown New Orleans on an open-air Garden District-style rooftop veranda. That’s the vision Pelicans officials have pitched to key decision-makers across the city and state as they try to garner support for a major makeover of their home arena and its surrounding campus. The Smoothie King Center in New Orleans is seen on Wednesday. The project would be the most extensive renovation of the Smoothie King CenStadium and Exposition have not been approved by District, which oversees the state, LSED or Pelicans ter since it opened in 1999, the arena’s operations for and “are preliminary at something officials say is the state, and was com- best,” said Larry Roedel, needed to bring the building up to modern NBA stanpleted in July by the archi- the longtime legal counsel dards. It would feature the tectural firms Gensler and for the LSED. “The Master Plan is a conaddition of 2,155 lower-level ä See a graphic showing EskewDumezRipple. The seats, upgraded concourses, the proposed Smoothie Times-Picayune obtained ceptual look at different opnew social spaces and a recopy of the master plan tions for improvements to King Center upgrade plans. athrough a public records the Smoothie King Center, design of the surrounding request. with a renovation being concampus that includes two PAGE 3A Officials stressed that tingent on a lease extension parking lots adjacent to the arena along Le Rouge and Macy’s parking garage. the architectural render- with the Pelicans,” said Rob Street, Champions Square, The master plan was com- ings presented in the plan the old New Orleans Centre missioned by the Louisiana are conceptual studies that ä See MAKEOVER, page 3A NEW AND EXPANDED LOWER BOWL SEATING: • Three added rows to top of existing lower bowl • Two added rows to floor seats in end zone baseline
UPGRADED FAN AMENITIES AND HOSPITALITY: • VIP club lounges • New sideline clubs • Bunker suites • Upper-level party deck • Grab-&-go concession markets • Refurbished existing suites with high-end furnishings like island bars, crushed velour furniture, brass light fixtures and wood floors. MA GN
R WA HO
D AV
OL
IA
ST.
E.
t floor Even
VE DA
ON DIX
DR
.
Jennifer and John Ransone and their two toddlers went a week without hot water in January, after a water main break flooded part of their Uptown property and totaled their water heater. The couple spent thousands ä S&WB to replace the heater as a hard plan to freeze descended on the New Orleans region. A few weeks replace later, another pipe burst near water mains their Panola Street home, re- decades old. sulting in floods that again PAGE 8A totaled the new heater and swamped their Honda sedan. “Before we can finish one task, something else happens,” Jennifer Ransone said. The Ransones are one of many families who have found themselves at the mercy of New Orleans’ century-old water system, which is poorly maintained and prone to failure through leaks and ruptured pipes. They’ve combed through insurance policies, considered their legal options and availed themselves of a small claims process the Sewerage & Water Board manages. It’s a frustrating process, they said, and their path to becoming whole after the floods seems full of obstacles.
ä See ANSWERS, page 4A
Child deaths draw sharp questions from state lawmakers Louisiana senators demand overhaul of DCFS
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
State Sen. Regina Barrow was visibly emotional, at times holding back tears as she talked about Louisiana children facing abuse and neglect. “They need our help, and we cannot fail them,” she said, “’cause when we do fail them, it may actually mean the death sentence of the child.” Her comment came Tuesday while presenting legislation to Barrow dismantle the Department of Children and Family Services, which she says is structurally broken — and continues to let
ä See QUESTIONS, page 10A
WEATHER HIGH 83 LOW 60 PAGE 8B
Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................... 2F Living............................1D Opinion ........................6B Commentary ................7B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 222