QB KNOX KIFFIN BUILDING HIS OWN LEGACY IN BR 1C
N O L A.C O M
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T h u r s d ay, M ay 21, 2026
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TROUBLE BREWING
2026 LEGISLATURE
Political battles factor in redistricting
Lawmakers tweak maps based on colleagues’ addresses BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
In public, the debate over redrawing Louisiana’s congressional map centers on big-picture political questions, like how many majority-Black districts there should be and how Republicans can secure another seat in Congress. But behind closed doors, state lawmakers are also wrestling with how to draw districts that help — or hurt — some of their colleagues’ chances to climb the ä La. political ladder. could close “Reapportionment is personal, primaries to persnickety and political,” said unaffiliated Jay Dardenne, a veteran of Louisiana politics who was on the leg- voters. PAGE 4A islative committee that handles redistricting in the 1990s and 2000s. This year, redistricting is personal because some legislators are contemplating congressional bids, Dardenne said. And it’s persnickety because of the detail and difficulty that goes into actually drawing the lines — and the risk of getting “people’s dander up” if those districts run afoul of their preferences, he said. “The end result can be an offensive one or a defensive one, depending on what you’re trying to do,” Dardenne said of the line-drawing process. “You can make sure somebody is in a particular district or you can make sure somebody is out of a particular district.” Current lawmakers are generally loath to publicly discuss internal debates about district lines. But former lawmakers say it’s often one of the fiercest fights in politics. “There’s nothing more dear to an elected official than the construction of their individual districts, the districts they represent,” said former Senate President John Alario. “It’s a very dear fight on their part.” For those lawmakers that have ambitions to run
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Construction continues on the Gretna brewpub project at Huey P. Long Avenue and 2nd Street on Wednesday.
Nonprofit overseeing Gretna brewpub trying to cancel leases with Port Orleans BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer
In a major move that could scuttle the $10 million publicly funded brewpub currently under construction in Gretna, the nonprofit overseeing the development is trying to cancel leases it signed with Port Orleans Brewing Co., which was tapped to operate the brewpub once it is built. If successful, the legal maneuver by Jefferson Facilities Inc., the economic development corporation in charge of the brewpub, would effectively leave the brewpub building at Huey P. Long Avenue and Second Street, steps from the Gretna courthouse, without a
brewery to occupy it. Jefferson Parish officials have been in a pitched battle over the brewpub plan since 2023, when the Jefferson Parish Council agreed to put up millions of taxpayer dollars to fund its construction. Since then, the project, which supporters argue is a boon for the West Bank’s economy, has descended into a major political battle. On Wednesday, the Jefferson Parish Inspector General’s Office issued a report arguing the brewpub could jeopardize the tax-exempt status of Jefferson Facilities Inc., known as JFI. With the Inspector General’s Office, Jefferson Parish Council member at large Jennifer Van Vrancken
district council member Timothy Kerner Jr. all aligned against the project, the fate of the pub is now likely to be decided in 24th Judicial District Court. Last month, in response to a lawsuit initially filed by Port Orleans, JFI requested that a judge declare its leases with Port Orleans to be null and void. Attorneys for the economic development agency argued that the parish and JFI are unlawfully donating a public asset to Port Orleans without receiving an equal or greater benefit in return, among other issues. “JFI maintains the amended leases
ä See BREWING, page 8A
U.S. indicts ex-leader of Cuba
S&WB fee plan sparks criticism Draft proposal would cut costs for pricier homes
Charges stem from 1996 downing of civilian planes
BY BEN MYERS
BY JOSHUA GOODMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER
Staff writer
Associated Press
MIAMI — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced criminal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes flown by Miamibased exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the island’s socialist government. The indictment accuses Castro of ordering the shoot- Castro down of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, who turns 95 next month, was Cuba’s defense minister at the time. The charges, which were secretly filed by a
ä See CASTRO, page 8A
WEATHER HIGH 85 LOW 77 PAGE 8B
ä See POLITICAL, page 7A
STAFF FILE PHOTO 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.
The Sewerage & Water Board’s draft stormwater fee proposal would benefit wealthier homeowners who would pay less than they do now in property taxes. Those with less valuable homes would get squeezed with additional costs. Skyscrapers on relatively small lots, meanwhile, would see large tax cuts while strip malls and other commercial properties with parking lots would pay significantly more. Those and other new details are included in a March presentation by the S&WB’s
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consultant, Raftelis Financial Consultants, which Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration provided Tuesday at a reporter’s request. The board, which agreed Wednesday to let Raftelis continue working on the proposal, will seek public input as it finalizes the fee proposal, which they say is needed to cover a severe shortfall in drainage funding. Without more revenue, utility officials say they can’t properly maintain centuryold pumps, repair broken drain lines and clean out catch basins. A Moreno adviser, Andrew Tuozzolo, said the administration will not support a stormwater fee unless the proposal is revised and packaged into a broader parcel fee that pays for a
ä See S&WB, page 8A
13TH yEAR, NO. 282