N O L A.C O M
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M o n d ay, J u n e 15, 2026
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Trump: U.S., Iran reach peace deal President says Strait of Hormuz to reopen soon BY MUNIR AHMED, JULIA FRANKEL, ABBY SEWELL and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
ISLAMABAD — The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to end the war and open the Strait of Hormuz, offering relief to the global economy more than three months since fighting began. Details of the deal were not immediately available. Key mediator
Pakistan said the signing will be Friday in Switzerland. Key issues like Iran’s nuclear program are expected to be addressed later. President Donald Trump confirmed a deal had been reached and said he had authorized an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz, imposed in retaliation for Iran’s grip on the crucial waterway. “Congratulations to all!” Trump
wrote on social media, adding: “I hereby fully authorize the toll free opening of the Strait of Hormuz, and, simultaneously herewith, authorize the immediate removal of the United States Naval blockade.” The U.S. previously said it would ease its blockade of Iranian ports as the strait reopens, and would agree to relax sanctions to allow Iran to sell more of its oil and strengthen its battered economy.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed the agreement on state television but said Iran would not start impleTrump menting it until it was signed on Friday. He said the deal followed over 14 hours of talks in Tehran with a representative from Qatar, another mediator. Iranian state TV showed a
The Batture at center of lawsuit between developers
banner asserting: “US was forced to sign an agreement to end the war.” Pakistan first announced the deal after a day in which Israel, sidelined from the negotiations, attacked Beirut’s southern suburbs while pursuing the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The attacks posed a threat to completing the negotiations. “Both sides have declared the immediate and permanent
ä See PEACE, page 5A
Turbulent election ahead for N.O. judges 12 possible incumbents, 9 seats after criminal court reduced BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
The Batture is seen along the Mississippi River in New Orleans on Thursday. The Uptown destination is at the center of a legal dispute between childhood friends and business partners, Casey Burka and Ben Jacobson, over ownership and financial issues, threatening the park’s future plans.
Longtime friends and business partners now in a legal battle over the Uptown destination
Hours after word got around last week that Gov. Jeff Landry had signed a bill to eliminate her seat and two others in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, Judge Rhonda Goode-Douglas didn’t just announce plans to fight for another judgeship in the fall. She identified which of her nine surviving colleagues she aims to unseat. Goode-Douglas said she’s gunGoode-Douglas ning for Judge Leon Roche, whose job was spared for hers in a late switch in the Legislature. “They may be eliminating my seat, but they cannot eliminate my commitment to justice in New Orleans,” she wrote in a social media post Tuesday. Her announcement was the first major note in what’s shaping Roche up as an unusual game of musical chairs in the criminal courthouse, as the dozen sitting district judges jockey in an election year
ä See JUDGES, page 3A
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
The privately developed park known as The Batture opened last year and quickly became a popular Uptown destination with food trucks, lawn games and other amenities, an ideal spot for a sunny afternoon with friends or family along the Mississippi River. The developers behind the project, childhood friends and business partners Casey Burka and Ben Jacobson, had overcome neighborhood opposition by scaling down what was once a much more expansive project. They slowly added new features, including a coworking space, a small grocery with branded apparel and a petting zoo run by Jacobson’s wife that featured bunnies, chicks and baby goats. On some weekend evenings, kids would toss footballs and play chase on the grassy lawn, while adults sipped wine on Adirondack chairs, enjoying the sunset over the river. Now, the project is at the
Congress eyes changes to college athletics Two bills would rein in sports spending, restrict transfers STAFF FILE PHOTO By IAN McNULTy
The Batture is an outdoor space on the New Orleans riverfront with food trucks, popups, a farmers market and a specialty grocery. center of a legal battle between its owners that’s set to break up their real estate firm, Ben + Burka, and could threaten future plans for The Batture. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Burka claimed that Jacobson reneged on agreements with him and investors who helped fund the 2023
purchase and subsequent renovation of The Batture. Burka claims Jacobson failed to bring revenuegenerating tenants to the 10-acre site, as promised, and kept what little money The Batture has generated over the past 15 months for his own benefit. In his own court filings, Jacobson denied the allegations. His attorney called
them “false, frivolous and advanced for the improper purpose of smearing Jacobson and harming his business reputation.” The dispute, according to the court documents, has been brewing since shortly after The Batture opened. And it has fueled such enmity between the partners
ä See BATTURE, page 3A
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — The push in Congress to revamp college athletics — including a “Lane Kiffin rule” to keep coaches from switching schools midseason — now involves two bills, with one championed by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise competing against another out of the Senate. Both would rein in college sports spending and restrict unlimited use of the transfer portal — trends that have upended Scalise century-old traditions of amateur student-athletes playing for their schools on scholarships.
ä See ATHLETICS, page 5A
WEATHER HIGH 88 LOW 78 PAGE 6B
Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................3B Nation-World................2A Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Opinion ........................4B Commentary ................5B Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 307