SAINTS EXCITED TO SEE BIG PLAYS FROM NEW RB ETIENNE 1C
N O L A.C O M
TROPICAL STORM
|
T h u r s d ay, J u n e 18, 2026
ARTHUR
Storm threatens floods in Louisiana
$2.00X
Prosecutor accused of improper relationship
Ginsberg was lead on case against former N.O. mayor BY JAMES FINN and JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writers
STAFF PHOTOS By DAVID GRUNFELD
Dalton Saacks moves a mud buggy from the rising Tchefuncte River near Folsom on Wednesday ahead of Tropical Storm Arthur’s arrival. He planned to leave the boat tied up just in case they need it to get out of the house.
Overnight downpours pose serious concerns BY MIKE SMITH, WILLIE SWETT and JONI HESS Staff writers
Tropical Storm Arthur lumbered toward Louisiana on Wednesday after becoming the first named storm of the 2026 season, bringing heavy rains expected to lash large swaths of the state and threatening to overtop already high rivers on the northshore. While not a major storm, overnight downpours associated with it posed serious concerns for much of south-central Louisiana. In the New Orleans area, St. Tammany Parish kept a close eye on rising rivers and emergency responders helped move residents out of the way, with the Tchefuncte already at major flood stage and water on the road in some areas even before the arrival of the storm’s remnants. New Orleans and its south shore suburbs faced the risk of flash flooding, and officials urged residents to take precautions and
cutor, Jordan Ginsberg, suddenly faces accusations that mirror aspects of the allegations his office has mounted against the former mayor. Ginsberg led the office’s public corruption unit for years, until Courcelle promoted him this spring after being confirmed to head the office. The promotion landed Ginsberg in charge of overseeing all criminal prosecutors. He was removed from that post last week and placed on leave, Courcelle said in a brief statement Tuesday. Led by Ginsberg, the yearslong probe of Cantrell’s affairs culminated last August in a grand jury indictment accusing Cantrell of spending taxpayer money on sojourns with her police bodyguard, Jeffrey Vappie, then conspiring to hide the
A senior prosecutor in New Orleans’ U.S. Attorney’s Office has been demoted and pulled from a team prosecuting former Mayor LaToya Cantrell as the Justice Department launches an internal probe into allegations that he hid a romantic relationship Ginsberg with a subordinate, three people familiar with the matter said. The revelations have roiled U.S. Attorney David Courcelle’s office since they emerged internally last week, in a major twist to Cantrell’s criminal case. The veteran criminal prose- ä See PROSECUTOR, page 7A
Officials release details of Iran deal BY MICHELLE L. PRICE, INSIDE MATTHEW LEE, SAMY MAGDY, ä G7 leaders back agreement JON GAMBRELL and MIKE CATALINI to end Iran war. Page 3A Associated Press ä Cassidy blasts Trump’s deal
Kenny Walsh secures a boat east of Slidell on Wednesday. be prepared to shelter in place. There were also warnings that tornadoes could be spun off from the storm along with the risk of power outages and road closures. National Weather Service forecasters said some the worst rainfall would likely saturate a corridor stretching from the River
Parishes and into Baton Rouge, then across the northshore and coastal Mississippi, potentially approaching 10 inches in certain locations. With the ground already saturated, rain at such an intensity would “quickly lead to
ä See STORM, page 7A
WASHINGTON — A draft agreement by the United States and Iran calls for Tehran to dilute its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and would waive, but not permanently end, sanctions on the country, according to U.S. officials who read the language of the memorandum on ending the war to
with Iran. Page 4A
journalists. The agreement would also open the Strait of Hormuz toll-free for two months and affirm a commitment to Lebanon’s territorial integrity in the face of Israel’s invasion
ä See DEAL, page 4A
Residents of Willows Apartments must leave for renovation With construction slated for August, about 60 remain
BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer
City officials, advocates and tenants of the Willows Apartments in New Orleans East cheered in March when the long-neglected complex was sold to a new owner who vowed to make big changes to improve the property. But the cleanup and gut renovations come with a catch, residents learned last month. To do the work on the 263-unit complex off the Interstate 10 Service Road near Crowder Boulevard, residents are
WEATHER HIGH 92 LOW 81 PAGE 8B
required to vacate the property for an estimated two years. On Wednesday, with one day to go before the Thursday deadline to move out, many units were empty with doors boarded up. But in other parts of the complex, residents appeared to still be living on the site, coming and going from the buildings, some with busted windows and siding tainted with mildew. Erin Earls, chief strategy officer of property owner The Lee Adrion Company, estimates that around 60 tenants are still living on the property and said the company would “continue to work with them to help folks find resources” before construction begins in August. “The idea is not to be forceful and kick people out,” Earls said. The closure of the complex for
renovations comes after years of demands by city officials, advocates and tenants that Tennesseebased Ministry Outreach Foundation, the property’s former owner, address dangerous conditions or hand over control of the complex. In March, Earls promised to turn the property around when her California-based real estate firm purchased it for $3.75 million during a public auction. During an interview Wednesday, she said years of neglect have created a major renovation job and that it would be unsafe to undertake it with tenants on-site. “We will certainly take it down to the studs,” Earls said of the complex, which has been ravaged by
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Dominique Flot stands at the Willows Apartments on Wednesday. She ä See WILLOWS, page 4A moved out of the apartment complex earlier this month.
Business ......................6A Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....3D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C
13TH yEAR, NO. 310