N O L A.C O M
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T u e s d ay, M ay 26, 2026
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Essence Fest, N.O. kick off deal talks
Event seeking up to $12M in city, state funding BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer
STAFF PHOTOS By BRETT DUKE
Teacher Beatriz Orna, right, works with students participating in a vocabulary game at Alice Birney Elementary School in Metairie on May 19.
DOUBLE CHECK Jefferson Parish bilingual education program sees increase and success
Essence Festival of Culture leaders repeated their commitment to New Orleans earlier this month as they announced another star-studded lineup and a new podcast competition for the July event. “This is our city, too, you all. We love being here,” Rakia Reynolds, who works with Essence Fest’s owner, New Yorkbased Sundial Media Group, told local reporters and social media influencers. But behind the scenes, Essence and the city are trying to work out the specifics of how to ensure the festival keeps coming back to the Crescent City. The festival’s seven-year contract with the city expires in September, and in recent months, festival leaders and Mayor Helena Moreno’s administration have exchanged requests about how the partnership will need to work in the coming years.
ä See ESSENCE, page 4A
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
As Principal Ninon Ledesma entered her third grade Spanish dual-language classroom at Alice Birney Elementary in Metairie last week, a young boy looked up from the cluster of students gathered around a Spanish vocabulary board game and waved enthusiastically: “Hola, Ms. Ledesma!” While she watched the children work on end-of-year activities — some played with flash cards while others explored Spanish-language games — Ledesma gestured to the boy. “This is one of our friends who never spoke a word in Spanish” when he first entered the program as a preschooler, she said. “Now he’s fluent.” Students who speak both English and Spanish during the school day are increasingly common in Jefferson Parish’s public elementary schools, 12 of which currently offer enrollment in the district’s dual-language program. Last month, Louisiana recognized 11 of those schools, including Birney, as certified language immersion schools, meaning they were found to meet rigorous state-set standards for providing an effective bilingual education. Local leaders hope the distinction encourag-
STAFF PHOTO By BRETT DUKE
Rakia Reynolds speaks during an Essence Festival of Culture media event at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on May 12.
es more families to participate, which will allow the district to expand the program to more schools. In a dual-language education setting, math, science and social studies are taught alongside a language other than English to help students develop bilingual and biliterate skills
that proponents say improve their academic outcomes and broaden future job opportunities. The program differs from typical foreign or English learner classes because it focuses on teaching fluency in both languages.
ä See BILINGUAL, page 4A
Gulfport’s downtown stages a comeback Construction is underway May 13 on Channel South, a $105 million town center at the corner of U.S. 90 and 49 in Gulfport, Miss. STAFF PHOTO By JUSTIN MITCHELL
WEATHER HIGH 85 LOW 76 PAGE 6B
2026 LEGISLATURE
Students participate in a vocabulary game during class at Alice Birney Elementary School.
Revitalization attracts investors, spurs growth along coast
BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer
Restaurants are opening. Hotels are rising. Developers are planning to build more apartments and shops. It is part of a downtown resurgence in Gulfport, the largest city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The growing scene could be the start of a new era in Gulfport’s city center — a once-bus-
tling nightlife hub that fell quiet during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, vacant buildings are filling with businesses and word of investment opportunities is spreading. “People are really beginning to get it,” said Carole Lynn Meadows, chair of the Gulfport Redevelopment Commission. “There are possibilities here.” The largest project expected to transform downtown Gulfport is the construction of a $105 million mixed-use town center. The development, called Channel South, will include retail shops, more than 100 luxury
Funding of local ‘pet projects’ questioned Lawmakers defend not tapping reserve for teacher pay, vouchers
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
Louisiana legislators’ plan to draw millions from a special state fund to pay for local projects and other initiatives without funding a stipend for teachers or expanding a school voucher program has drawn backlash both sides of the aisle, with government policy think tanks questioning lawmakers’ priorities. The state’s latest set of budget bills, which could still be amended as legislators enter their final days of session, would divvy up $800 million from the Revenue Stabilization Fund for infrastructure upgrades, state economic development initiatives, regional law enforcement agencies, local governments and some nonprofits and other private organizations.
ä See GULFPORT, page 5A
Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
ä See LOCAL, page 5A
13TH yEAR, NO. 287