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THOUSANDS ATTEND ‘NO KINGS’ RALLY IN NEW ORLEANS 4A
N O L A.C O M
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S u n d ay, M a r c h 29, 2026
S&WB catch basin plan gets clogged up Slowdown in cleaning tied to new funding dispute
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Higher ed leaders OK three-year bachelor’s degree
Accelerated model will let students ‘get to work a year faster’ BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
Louisiana last week became the latest state to join a burgeoning trend in higher education: the three-year bachelor’s degree. The credential, shortened to “AccB,” is more than an associate degree, yet it requires 30 fewer hours in the classroom than a traditional bachelor’s degree. It has been described by the state’s higher education leaders as “efficient,” “lean” and “responsive” to industry as well as the evolving expectations placed on colleges and universities. “Students can get to work a year faster,” said Liz Beard, provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at LSU at Alexandria, where Louisiana’s first two degrees in the accelerated model will be offered. “That’s a cost saving. That’s being respectful of our students and our graduates’ time and the commitment it takes to be a full-time student.” The Louisiana Board of Regents approved Tuesday the addition of the stripped-down bachelor’s to its list of degrees. It is part of ongoing conversations
ä See DEGREE, page 3A
STAFF PHOTOS By CHRIS GRANGER
A catch basin is filled to the brim with leaves, rocks and other debris along a sidewalk in the Leonidas neighborhood of New Orleans on Friday. BY BEN MYERS Staff writer
A little more than a year ago, the Sewerage & Water Board took responsibility for New Orleans’ 76,000 catch basins, the mundane but critical pieces of the city’s drainage system that the Department of Public Works had largely failed to maintain for more than three decades. As part of a deal pushed by Gov. Jeff Landry and state lawmakers, City Hall handed over equipment, cleaning trucks and some funding to the S&WB. In return, the utility began regularly cleaning catch basins and the smaller pipes that connect to them. S&WB officials said they would aim to clean a fifth of the system every year, the first proactive catch basin maintenance program in New Orleans in years. In 2025, thousands
A catch basin is missing a cover on Orleans Avenue in New Orleans on Monday. of catch basins were cleaned in an early sign of progress toward their goal. That progress has stalled. After cleaning out 9,000 catch basins in 2025, the S&WB has cleaned
379 as of March 20, according to data collected by the utility to track its work. At that pace, the S&WB will clean just 2% of the city’s catch basins this year, nowhere near its goal of 20%. Fewer cleaned-out catch basins and stalled repairs to adjacent drainage lines could leave parts of the city at greater risk of street flooding during severe downpours or tropical storms. The slowdown appears to be tied to a new funding dispute between the S&WB and Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration. The administration is demanding the S&WB settle its debts to City Hall for work performed on other projects, while the utility says the city isn’t making good on its commitment to pay for catch basin maintenance.
State lawmakers to consider ban on prop bets Scrutiny comes after several high-profile scandals
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Major gambling scandals and reports of threats against athletes have led to renewed questions about the effects of sports betting — and, in particular, prop bets. Now, Louisiana lawmakers could soon wade into the debate over whether those bets should still be allowed. Prop bets are wagers that gamblers place on a specific event or occurrence during a game, rather than just on the final outcome. They would be outlawed under Senate Bill 354, which is on track to be considered in the Louisiana Legislature on Tuesday.
ä See CLOGGED UP, page 6A
David Kerstein selected to receive The Times-Picayune Loving Cup the New Orleans institutions that Executive, philanthropist preserve make that possible. As the leader of the Helis Foundation, the supports arts-related projects New Orleans-based philanthropy, he helped
BY JOHN POPE
WWOZ-FM find a new home, installed public sculptures along Poydras Street, established admission-free days at museums for David A. Kerstein, a soft-spoken lawyer, Louisiana residents and created a sculpture oil-company executive and philanthropist, garden in City Park to showcase the works does whatever he can to make all kinds of ä See LOVING CUP, page 8A art accessible to any and all people, and to
Contributing writer
WEATHER HIGH 76 LOW 68 PAGE 8B
Business ......................1E Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Classified ..................... 2F Living............................1D Opinion ........................6B Commentary ................7B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
ä See BETS, page 10A
David A. Kerstein, a philanthropist and executive dedicated to promoting the arts and supporting New Orleans’ prized cultural institutions, is the recipient of The TimesPicayune Loving Cup. STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
13TH yEAR, NO. 229