DUNCAN: MANNING LOOKING FORWARD TO TIGER STADIUM VISIT 1C
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S at u r d ay, J u n e 27, 2026
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Voters to settle Senate primary race runoffs tax measures, PSC and BeSe seats are also on ballot BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer
Voters will conclude Louisiana’s new primary elections Saturday by choosing between two Republicans and two Democrats in the U.S. Senate party runoff elections. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow has been the heavy favorite to win the Re-
publican Senate nomination, but treasurer John Fleming has closed most, if not all, of the gap. Farmer Jamie Davis and business owner Gary Crockett are vying in a separate primary for the Democratic Party Senate nomination. The winners of each runoff on Saturday will advance to a general election on Nov. 3. Whoever
emerges victorious in that election will replace U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was ousted in the May 16 Republican primary. Polling stations on Saturday will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Also on the ballot are races for open seats on the Public Service Commission and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Educa-
a Republican, are facing off for the PSC seat that Eric Skrmetta is vacating because of term limits. The Legislature drew boundaries ä See what’s on your ballot. designed to elect a Republican. The PSC regulates the power grid PaGe 3B and other utilities. The district includes portions of Jefferson, Livtion — and 115 local measures, ingston, Orleans and St. Charles most involving taxes. parishes and all of Plaquemines, St. State Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, R- Bernard, St. Helena, St. Tammany, New Orleans, and former Jefferä See ELECTION, page 5A son Parish President John Young,
ELECTION 2026
Police chief of flood authority terminated rondeno had been placed on leave
BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer
StaFF Photo By SoPhIa GerMer
Pedestrians walk past the Maison Dupuy hotel in New orleans on Friday. the hotel has been sold to Valentino New orleans.
Maison Dupuy hotel sells to Valentino family
hospitality sector. In addition the Maison Dupuy, historic properties. French Quarter deal chased “It won’t be a cookie-cutter to hotels, including the Prince located at the corner of Touexpands local group’s louse and Burgundy streets, hotel, a Hilton on the side of Conti, Place d’Armes and Hothe estate of developer the interstate,” said Chris Val- tel Ste. Marie, they also own hospitality portfolio from Joe Jaeger, who owned and entino, who, with his father, Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
The Maison Dupuy, one of the French Quarter’s largest hotels, has a new owner with big plans to renovate and rebrand the 200-room property. In a deal finalized earlier this month, the family-owned Valentino New Orleans pur-
Editor’s Note:
Because of expected late election results, Sunday’s delivery may be delayed.
operated the hotel for nearly a decade. The Valentinos plan to spend an estimated $13 million on a complete overhaul of the hotel, which will be closed during the six-month renovation. When it reopens in 2027, it will fly the Hilton Curio flag, an upscale Hilton brand that includes boutique and fullservice hotels in unique or
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Michael, and sister, Emily, owns the hotel portfolio. “It is a property that will tell a story — the history of the French Quarter.” The acquisition brings to seven the number of hotels in the growing portfolio of the Valentino family, which has emerged in recent years as a dominant, local player in New Orleans’ tourism and
and operate tours of St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery. The Maison Dupuy will be the family’s biggest and most ambitious project yet. “This is a large step for our family business, but it is one we feel very comfortable with,” Michael Valentino said. “The French Quarter is still
ä See HOTEL, page 5A
Business ......................5B Classified .....................5D Comics-Puzzles .....1D-4D Deaths .........................4B
PaGe 6C
Joshua Rondeno, the superintendent of police for New Orleans’ east bank flood control agency, lost his job Friday after being placed on leave, capping more than a year of turmoil at the agency tasked with maintaining the region’s $14.5 billion levee system. Board President Peter Vicari confirmed that Rondeno, who had worked at the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East since July 2024, was terminated Friday morning, effective immediately. During Rondeno’s tenure as the top cop at the agency, numerous board members resigned in protest over changes he led. His pay increased substantially — to $208,000 a year, more than most other police chiefs in the region and about twice Rondeno what his predecessor made — and he oversaw an overall increase in focus on policing at the flood agency. Residents in areas overseen by the force supported him at public meetings, where some said he had ä Report performed his job well finds levee and argued for expanding the police force. But board his leadership drew ‘chaotic.’ scrutiny from former PaGe 4a board members and lawmakers in Baton Rouge who questioned why a police chief with no flood control experience had so much influence at the agency, which oversees much of the region’s flood control system of levees and pumps. They also called attention
Metro ...........................1B Nation-World................2A opinion ........................6B Sports ..........................1C
THE REPUBLICAN CHOICE
Nearly every Republican governing body has endorsed John Young for Public Service Commissioner. These organizations are the backbone and policymakers of the Louisiana GOP. The validation proves that in the Republican Primary, the Real Republican is John Young.
Jefferson
Plaquemines
St. Charles
VOTE TODAY
St. Tammany
St. Bernard
Livingston
Washington
ä See RONDENO, page 4A
13th year, No. 319