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South Louisiana bracing for storm Tropical depression is drifting erratically in Gulf
From staff, wire reports A tropical depression that formed in the Gulf over the weekend is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha before it heads inland over southeast Louisiana later this week, prompting preparation efforts in parishes across the region ahead of incoming stormy weather. The system, however, is not expected to have a great impact on Lafayette and Acadiana. Rainfall is expected to start in south-
central Louisiana as early as Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service in Lake Charles. The latest forecast track had Bertha making landfall south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish late Wednesday or early Thursday morning. Forecasters Monday said they were not entirely certain of the system’s potential path, as it was moving “erratically.” As of 4 p.m. Monday, the tropical depression was about 105 miles south of Panama City, Florida, slowly drifting northwest at 3 mph. It was producing
maximum sustained winds of 35 mph, just shy of the 39 mph minimum required for tropical storm classification. A tropical storm watch is in effect from the Ochlockonee River in Florida westward to southeastern Louisiana at the Jefferson and Plaquemines parish line. The system is expected to bring rainstorms and flash flooding across much of the Gulf Coast through Friday. In Louisiana, areas south of Interstate 10
ä See STORM, page 4A
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The Gulf
CUBA
A ‘ghost town’ no more
Amtrak line, financial investment transforming Pascagoula PHOTO By MARIO TOMASSETTI
Catholic Charities of Acadiana CEO Kim Boudreaux meets with Pope Leo XIV on May 4 during a private audience at the Vatican.
Catholic Charities CEO gets meeting with pope
BY KRISTIN ASKELSON Staff writer
SUN HERALd FILE PHOTOS By HANNAH RUHOFF
developer Joe Cloyd stands in the old Pascagoula train station in 2025. Chandeleur depot opened in the building in June. BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer
PASCAGOULA, Miss. — The changes transforming this coastal Mississippi city are easy to spot. Where a lot sat vacant, a boutique hotel is now welcoming visitors. In a building that once housed an old bank, young professionals are moving into modern apartments with a rooftop bar. Where a train depot long languished in disrepair, an elegant new brew pub just opened. “There’s a lot of neat things going on,” said Joe Cloyd, who developed the brew pub project, called Chandeleur Depot. “The vibes in Pascagoula are good.” It is a striking contrast to the downtown Pascagoula of 10 years
ago, which residents and developers called a “ghost town.” Most storefronts were vacant. The streets emptied by evening as thousands of employees at Ingalls Shipbuilding and a nearby refinery drove home to Alabama or elsewhere in Mississippi. But years of targeted efforts are now turning downtown Pascagoula into a hub of trendy businesses designed to lure newcomers and visitors — including from Louisiana — whose numbers are growing across the Gulf Coast region. Chandeleur Depot opened in June and is brewing beer and serving meals, including steak frites and Korean fried wings to Pascagoula residents and the 15
A new Amtrak sign is placed at the old Pascagoula, Miss., train station in 2025. Amtrak trains began running ä See PASCAGOULA, page 4A between New Orleans and Mobile, Ala., in August.
Catholic Charities of Acadiana CEO Kim Boudreaux met with Pope Leo XIV during a private audience at the Vatican as part of her service on the Catholic Charities USA Board of Directors, officials said. The meeting took place May 4 and included Catholic Charities USA board members and leadership. During the audience, officials said Pope Leo thanked Catholic Charities agencies across the United States for their work serving people in need, including the poor, vulnerable and marginalized. “You seek to find solutions to inhumane situations, alleviate the suffering of individuals and families, and relieve the burden of those weighed down by hardship and strife,” Pope Leo said. “The practical assistance you offer allows those you serve to experience God’s love.”
ä See POPE, page 4A
U.S. says it’s carrying out 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United States military said late Monday it was carrying out its 10th consecutive night of strikes on Iran in a push to reopen the Strait
WEATHER HIGH 95 LOW 79 PAGE 6A
of Hormuz. The renewed CO ONFLICT U.S. Central Command bombings followed the IN THE said on social media that T death of another Amerithe latest strikes “are deMI IDDLE can service member, and signed to further degrade AST came after Iran launched EAST Iranian military capabiliattacks on American allies ties used to attack comKuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, home mercial shipping” in the strait. of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Even as the U.S. and Iran inch
closer to all-out war again, glimmers of hope appeared on the diplomatic front, as Iran’s interior minister traveled to Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, for talks. The interim deal signed last month that was meant to end the
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fighting has crumbled. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a vital supply route for world energy supplies — has largely stalled. And as fighting intensifies, both sides have targeted civilian
ä See STRIKES, page 6A
102Nd yEAR, NO. 21