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M o n d ay, a p r i l 13, 2026
Private Louisiana zoo navigates turmoil
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U.S. says it will blockade Iranian ports
Ceasefire talks end without agreement BY MUNIR AHMED, JOSH BOAK, SAM METZ and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
ISLAMABAD — President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. Navy would swiftly begin a blockade of ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, after U.S.-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement. U.S. Central Command announced that it will blockade all Iranian ports beginning Monday at 9 a.m. CENTCOM said the blockade will be “enforced impartially against vessels of all nations.” It said it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the Strait of Hormuz. Trump wants to weaken Iran’s key leverage
ä See BLOCKADE, page 6A
STAFF PHoToS By MICHAEL JoHNSoN
one of two otters looks out its winter enclosure after swimming at the Magnolia Wilds preserve in Ethel.
After escapes, lawsuits and an arrest, preserve in East Feliciana is up for sale BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer
On a Friday in January at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, as passengers filed off a flight from Costa Rica into a looming winter ice storm, deputies Ligon were waiting at the gate for a Louisiana zoo owner known for sloth selfies and otter swims. In his 30s, Gabe Ligon has spent much of his life traveling the world in the name
of conservation — serving as board president of Kids Saving the Rainforest, a Costa Rica-based nonprofit that rescues and rehabilitates sloths, parrots and primates. But for over four months, a warrant had been out for his arrest for felony theft. Upon landing, Ligon was booked as a fugitive into the Tarrant County Jail. The arrest capped a busy and tumultuous few years for Ligon, who runs Magnolia Wilds, a private zoo in the East Feliciana Parish town of Ethel.
ä See ZOO, page 6A
STAFF FILE PHoTo By DAVID GRUNFELD
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Mississippi River
A hyena walks around its habitat at Magnolia Wilds in Ethel. The January arrest of Gabe Ligon capped a busy and tumultuous few years for the owner of the private zoo in East Feliciana Parish.
Bonnet Carre Spillway openings scrutinized BY MIKE SMITH
MISS. LA.
It has protected the New Orleans area from Mississippi River flooding for nearly a century, but changing conditions, environmental damage and new scientific analysis are raising a thorny question: Is there a better way to operate the Bonnet Carre Spillway? Mississippi Gulf Coast communities hit hard by the influx of fresh water and pollution from recent spillway openings believe there is, and they presented new scientific evidence to make their case last week. But while there may be
Baton Rouge 12
Staff writer
WEATHER HIGH 85 LOW 63 PAGE 10C
Miss. River
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ
Mississippi officials say the time has arrived to do so. More frequent spillway
All across the waterfront neighborhoods of Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, real estate agents are tracking a growing trend: Newcomers from around the country are buying milliondollar homes in cash. “It’s crazy,” said Shane Kowalski, a broker and appraiser who often sees cash deals between $750,000 and $2 million. “We’ve just become a little destination. People want to be here.” The influx of wealth is transforming the fast-growing city of Bay St. Louis, where locals and second-home owners from Louisiana could once buy beach homes for modest prices. It is also an example of the economic boon invigorating cities across the Gulf Coast, which are surging with new residents and tourists.
ä See SPILLWAY, page 4A
ä See HOMES, page 4A
Bonnet Carre Spillway Lake. P Pont.
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STAFF FILE PHoTo By DAVID GRUNFELD
Staff map
‘The secret is out’: Luxe Bay St. Louis homes are selling fast Staff writer
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The influx of wealth is transforming the fast-growing city of Bay St. Louis, Miss., where locals and second-home owners from Louisiana could once buy beach homes for modest prices.
Gulf of Mexico
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tests opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway in Norco.
widespread agreement on the have drawn strong opposiproblem, addressing it is no tion in parts of Louisiana, and simple matter. Suggestions much of what is being envifor how to alter the lower sioned would likely require river’s flood control systems Congress to change laws.
Classified .....................7C Deaths .........................9A Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....4C-6C Living............................1C opinion .....................10A Commentary .............11A Metro ...........................8A Sports ..........................1B
101ST yEAR, No. 287