SAFETY BLACKMON’S RETURN A BOOST TO SAINTS’ SECONDARY 1C
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Bill would cut Orleans DA funding “warAbout $500K would be slashed, get redirected to other parishes the number of state-funded rants” — $50,000
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN
Tammany Parish. But the growth would come at a price for Orleans Parish, which Judicial districts across Louisi- could lose about $500,000 worth ana could get more prosecutors of state funding for 10 district atas a bill to give district attorneys torneys under an amendment the more money to hire them nears Senate added to House Bill 719 on final passage in the Legislature, Thursday evening. with the most new funds slated for Legislators supporting the bill East Baton Rouge Parish and St. say the current distribution of Staff writer
funding among judicial districts is based on outdated population and crime data that give Orleans a disproportionate share of prosecutors. They argue that, given Louisiana’s current budget constraints, some funds need to be reallocated to other areas. For example, East Baton Rouge Parish currently has two-thirds
allocations used to pay prosecutors — that Orleans Parish has. Yet it is the most populous parish in the state, with about 456,000 residents, accordWilliams ing to U.S. Census data, which shows that Orleans Parish has about 363,000 residents.
LANDRY SIGNS NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP
2026 LEGISLATURE State Rep. Peter Egan, R-Covington, who sponsored HB719, said the 22nd Judicial District, which he represents, charges more defendants with felonies than Orleans does. Yet that district has 30
ä See BILL, page 4A
Officials say state needs seismic network It would help understand rash of earthquakes
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS
Gov. Jeff Landry speaks Tuesday during a news conference at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Landry signed into law Louisiana’s new congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black voting districts on Friday.
After a month of fierce debates, it eliminates one majority-Black district ä Legislature passes budget bills package. PAGE 4A
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Gov. Jeff Landry signed into law Louisiana’s new congressional map that eliminates one of the state’s two majority-Black voting districts, hours after the Louisiana Legislature passed it Friday and following a month of passionate debate and marathon public hearings. But before the map can be used in
shed decision weakening a key provision of the federal Voting Rights Act, which for decades had driven states with a history of racial discrimination to draw November’s midterm elections, it must majority-Black voting districts. survive court challenges, potentially The justices invalidated Louisiana’s from groups at both ends of the political previous map with two majority-Black spectrum. districts. And they all but banned mapThe sprint to draw a new map effec- drawers from using race as a factor tively began one month ago, when the ä See MAP, page 6A U.S. Supreme Court released a water-
State regulators and LSU officials are working to create a seismic monitoring network to understand a rash of earthquakes in northwest Louisiana as questions mount over whether activity related to oil and gas production is to blame. Earthquakes have been occurring in northwest Louisiana at least since 2019. But a run of earthquakes starting in late 2025 and peaking with bigger quakes in early March, when Red River Parish was struck with three temblors between 4 and 5 on the Richter scale, have drawn new attention to the issue. Researchers revealed those big earthquakes appeared to have caused land in a coal mine reclamation area on timber property to liquefy and collapse. They also pointed out that some occurred under the Red River and its earthen levees, though damage wasn’t documented there. Laura Sorey, a petroleum scientist and geology manager for the state Department of Conservation and Energy, told a state legislative panel Tuesday that Louisiana “lacks adequate seismic monitoring across the state, which makes it extremely difficult to calculate the depth and geographic location of earthquakes.”
ä See EARTHQUAKES, page 7A
3 New Orleans restaurants receive Top 50 recognition 50 Best crowns Dakar NOLA, Emeril’s, Acamaya
BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer
New Orleans was a hub for culinary heavyweights from around North America on Thursday as three high-profile local restaurants were named to a new list of
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the continent’s best dining destinations. The city hosted the latest unveiling of the North America’s 50 Best Restaurants list, with a gala ceremony culminating nearly a week of culinary events. Dakar NOLA, Emeril’s Restaurant and Acamaya made the list, which was revealed Thursday night in downtown New Orleans at the Sheraton Hotel. Dakar NOLA was ranked No. 4, Emeril’s took the No. 20 spot, and
Acamaya was No. 30. Last year, Dakar was ranked No. 6 while Emeril’s was No. 30. This was Acamaya’s debut on the list. Dakar NOLA was created by chef Serigne Mbaye, initially as a pop-up serving communal meals, giving a modern vision of the chef’s Senegalese heritage. He and business partner Effie Richardson turned this into a tasting menu restaurant in 2022. The latest award arrives as they are in the midst of a big move.
The restaurant has a new location, now at 937 Leonides St., in the levee-side address that was previously Mat & Naddie’s Restaurant. It is slated to officially open June 2, with a new approach to its tasting menu. It will also have a patio for more casual a la carte service, which is slated to debut in July. In another honor, Dakar NOLA was named the Best Restaurant in the South USA. Emeril’s, the restaurant Emeril Lagasse first opened in 1990 as a
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showcase for his “new New Orleans” cuisine, has been reinvented as a tasting menu restaurant, run by his son, E.J. Lagasse, as chef and co-owner. The menu is an ode to New Orleans and Louisiana flavors, and the restaurant’s own history, now calibrated to the standard of the finest global cuisine. In addition, Emeril Lagasse himself received a special honor, the
ä See RESTAURANTS, page 7A
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