CERTIFIED ANGUS BEEF CHUCK ROAST
$5
99
8OZ WHOLE OR SLICED
2/$4
PRICES VALID 4/22/2026 - 4/28/2026
MEDIUM OR LONG GRAIN RICE
5 LB BAG
$2
LB
BABY BELLA MUSHROOMS
METAIRIE 504-885-5565 | RIVER RIDGE 504-737-8146 GARDEN DISTRICT 504-262-6017 | CHALMETTE 504-262-0750 BELLE CHASSE 504-393-1012
RED OR GOLD POTATOES
99
5 LB
EA
BIRDS EYE STEAMFRESH FROZEN VEGETABLES 10-18.8 OZ
$189
$239
EA
MARIE CALLENDER’S CREAM OR FRUIT PIES 25-42 OZ
$549
EA
EA
TRUMP SAYS U.S. WILL EXTEND CEASEFIRE WITH IRAN 8A
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, a p r i l 22, 2026
$2.00X
2026 LEGISLATURE
RAPTOR REHAB
Concerns raised over college search bill Sponsor says he plans to address transparency questions
BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer
A Louisiana state lawmaker says he plans to amend his bill that would have kept records secret about who is applying to college executive positions, proposing a change that would instead require universities to disclose some finalists amid concerns over transparency in hiring top officials. Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, drafted the bill, House Bill 289, to keep the identities of applicants to top college positions secret, and it had drawn concerns from groups that push for academic freedom and college transparency. He said it’s hard to lure candidates to apply for top jobs without the promise of secrecy. The bill also gives wide leeway over which positions it would affect, saying it’s STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
ä See SEARCH, page 5A
A red-tailed hawk named Harry looks at second-year veterinary student Holly Casper at the raptor rehab on April 12 at LSU.
LSU vet team returns injured birds of prey to the wild
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
The red-tailed hawk that was missing an eye screeched in its enclosure as it waited for its prey to appear. The prey came flying through the air, a rigid, dead mouse that barely had time to hit the gravel before the hawk snatched it up and swallowed it whole. Even with limited depth perception, the hawk named Harry was precise. Still, Harry’s hunting skills wouldn’t be up to par in the
wild, competing with other raptors for food. His permanent home is with LSU Raptor Rehabilitation, an extension of the Wildlife Hospital off Skip Bertman Drive that prepares injured carnivorous birds to return to their natural habitats. “He could not be released with one eye being removed, because hawks rely on sight,” said Abigail Gunby, a secondyear veterinary student at LSU and one of Harry’s caretakers.
Court upholds Texas Commandments law BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Dexter, an eastern screech owl, is one of the program’s educational birds due ä See RAPTOR, page 3A to injuries that make him unable to fly.
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a Texas law requiring public schools to post the Ten Commandments, just weeks after the same court allowed a similar Louisiana law to take effect. A majority of judges on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas’ law, which is nearly identical to Louisiana’s, is constitutional and does not violate students’ religious freedom. In February, the court lifted an injunction
ä See COURT, page 4A
Duncan takes ceremonial oath of office Legislature weighs axing criminal clerk-elect’s seat
BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
Hundreds of people gathered on the steps of the Orleans Parish criminal courthouse on Tuesday to support former life prisoner Calvin Duncan as he took a ceremonial oath of office for a post, clerk of criminal court, that he may never occupy. Duncan stood beaming with a joyous smile in the center of the crowd, five months after he defeated the incumbent,
WEATHER HIGH 81 LOW 67 PAGE 8B
Darren Lombard, in resounding fashion. Duncan is due to take office May 4 barring passage of a controversial bill backed by Gov. Jeff Landry to eliminate his seat. “We used to run from this building, now we’re running to it,” he told the crowd outside the venue where he lost his freedom to a murder conviction four decades ago. “What my oath means to me: Now I’m official.” New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams and state Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, were among those who stood by Duncan as he faces an imminent threat to his newly won seat.
Duncan acknowledged the ceremony was symbolic — a message to Republican state lawmakers pushing to shrink and consolidate New Orleans courts. Landry recently vowed to shepherd Senate Bill 256 into law without amendments. The measure proposes merging criminal and civil clerks in Orleans Parish and installing Civil Clerk Chelsey Richard Napoleon over a parishwide office. If it passes, the bill could reach Landry’s desk this week. “Not only am I going to sign it, I’m going to absolutely support it and make sure it’s passed,” Landry told reporters Friday.
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
Calvin Duncan took a ceremonial oath of office for the clerk of criminal court post on Tuesday on the steps of ä See DUNCAN, page 4A the Orleans Parish Criminal District Courthouse.
Business ...................10A Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................8D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-7D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 253