The Times-Picayune 04-01-2026

Hotelproject eyed forFaubourgMarigny

501 Esplanade Ave. was the longtime home of Check Point Charlie’sbar.The buildingand

recently sold with plans toturnthe property into ahotel and entertainment venue.

it

Billionairebuysbar,neighboring building; negotiations in theworks forthird property

BY JONAH MEADOWS Staff writer

Apreliminary deal is in theworks to turnthree buildings on the edge of the Faubourg Marigny —including ahistoric, 19th-century structure on Frenchmen Street —into a40-room hotel and entertainmentvenue,a potentially transformational project fora long-neglected block that serves as thegateway to one of the city’smost popular tourist destinations

The buildings are located on thetriangular block bounded by Frenchmen and Decaturstreetsand EsplanadeAvenue. Twoofthe buildings have recently sold,according to their former owners andpropertyrecords.Negotiations over the third building are in the works, according to a representative of itsowner

Property transfer recordsfiled Monday in Orleans Parish identify the buyer as Galaxy InvestmentPartners, the family office of New York billionaireMichael Novogratz, a

ä See HOTEL, page 6A

The same buyer whorecently closed on the purchase of 500-504 Frenchmen St. and 501Esplanade Ave. has inquired aboutbuyingthe 1950s-eraapartment complex at 511 EsplanadeAve

BY IAN McNULTY Staff writer

When the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2026 awards, New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf Coastregion had along roster of contenders, including well-knownnames, rising talent, bakers and pros in the wine realm. Now four continue to the next round as finalists, all from New Orleans, including two up for national honors andtwo forregional awards. They are:

OutstandingRestaurateur

Donald Link andStephen Stryjewski, Link Restaurant Group (whichincludes PêcheSeafood Grill, Herbsaint, Cochon, Gianna, Cochon Butcher,LaBoulangerie, and Chemin ÁLaMer with the Four Seasons Hotel). These two chefs started workingtogether at Link’sfirst restaurant, Herbsaint, and started apartnership with the next, Cochon.Asarestaurant group, they have six James Beard awards for restaurants,chefsand Link’scookbooksand numerous nominations

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

Aslew of bills filed in the Louisiana Legislature this year aims to grapple with the rise of artificial intelligence, but someare being placed on hold amidoppositionfromPresident Donald Trump’s administration. One proposalwould barhealth insurancecompaniesfromrelying solely on AI to deny coverage. Another wouldrestrict howemployerscan use AI when making hiring and firing decisions. Those are two of myriadmeasures, sponsored by Republicans and Democrats, that have shown signs of bipartisan support. But nowthose proposals arehitting aroadblock: theWhite House.Officials have been toldLouisiana could lose federal funding for high-speed internet in rural areas if certain bills pass, according to multiple legislators.

Sentencing setfor Montoucet in kickback scheme

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

Former Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Jack Montoucet, of Lafayette Parish, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one federal felony count forhis role in akickback schemewhile he led the department. Montoucet, 78,was indicted in May 2025 on onecount of conspiracy to commitbribery and

ä See PLEADS, page 7A

through theyears.

Emerging Chef E.J.Lagasse,Emeril’sRestaurant, 800 Tchoupitoulas St.The son of restaurant founder Emeril Lagasse is nowchefatthe flagship,

which he has transformed into aworld-class tasting menuexperience built around Louisiana flavor. Last year,itmade an extraordinary two-star debut in the Michelin Guide.

Best Chef,South

This regional award covers Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Puerto Rico. Ana Castro,Acamaya, 3070 Dauphine St. With her sister,Lydia Castro, thechefopened this modern and stylish Mexican seafood restaurant in the Bywater,which has gained many accolades. Castro has been asemifinalist or finalist for numerous James Beard awards for her prior work at other restaurants

All systems go for NASA on Wednesday’s launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. After weeks of fuel leaks and other issues, NASA faced a troublefree countdown Tuesday on the eve of astronauts’ first trip to the moon in more than half a century Officials reported the moon rocket was doing well on the pad, and the weather looked promising. Forecasters put the odds of favorable conditions at 80%.

“Everybody’s pretty excited and understands the significance of this launch,” said senior test director Jeff Spaulding. The four astronauts assigned to the Artemis II mission will become the first lunar visitors since Apollo 17 in 1972. They’ll zip around the moon without landing or even orbiting, and come straight back.

It’s the closest NASA has come to launching Artemis II. Hydrogen fuel leaks bumped the flight from February to March, then clogged helium lines pushed it to April. The space agency has only a handful of days every month to send the three Americans and one Canadian to the moon. Confident that all of these problems are fixed, the launch team plans to begin fueling the 32-story Space Launch System rocket on Wednesday morning for an evening send-off.

Hegseth lifts helicopter pilot suspensions

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Army pilots who hovered two helicopters near Kid Rock’s Tennessee home during a training run while he clapped and saluted have had their suspension lifted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday “No punishment. No Investigation. Carry on, patriots,” Hegseth said in a social media post. The Pentagon didn’t immediately respond for comment.

Earlier, a U.S Army spokesperson said the crews of the two AH-64 Apache helicopters were suspended from flying, pending an investigation into their actions. The suspension was a discretionary but not unusual — step when an investigation is underway, Maj. Montrell Russell said.

“The Army has confirmed that on March 28, two Apache helicopters from the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade at Fort Campbell conducted a flight in the Nashville area that has attracted public and media attention,” according to a statement from the Army on Tuesday The Army said it would review whether the flight complied with FAA regulations and aviation safety protocol Kid Rock, who is an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, told WKRN-TV on Monday that it’s not uncommon for helicopters from nearby Fort Campbell to fly near his home. He said he is a big supporter of the military and he’s performed for troops overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries.

Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump suggested maybe the crews shouldn’t have done it before adding, “I like Kid Rock, maybe they were trying to defend him, I don’t know.” Duggar posts $600K bail in sex abuse case FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Reality TV star Joseph Duggar posted a $600,000 bond Tuesday and is flying home to Arkansas after making a first appearance in Florida on molestation charges involving a child under the age of 12, his attorney said. Duggar was arrested earlier this month in Arkansas and was transferred to the Bay County Jail in Panama City Florida, to face charges of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12 and lewd and lascivious contact. Judge Brantley Clark on Tuesday also barred Duggar, 31, from having unsupervised contact with any person under 18, court documents show Duggar, who starred with his parents and siblings in TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” was arrested March 18 in Tontitown, Arkansas, after police officers interviewed a 14-year-old girl who told them Duggar had molested her several times during a family trip to Panama City Beach, Florida, when she was 9. BRIEFS

Sanctioned Russian oil tanker docks in Cuba

Shipment eases a dire fuel shortage

BY MILEXSY DURÁN Associated Press

MATANZAS, Cuba A Russian tanker docked Tuesday at the Cuban port of Matanzas laden with 730,000 barrels of oil, marking the first time in three months that an oil tanker reached the island.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had allowed the Anatoly Kolodkin to proceed despite an ongoing U.S. energy blockade Cubans including Energy and Mines Minister Vicente de la O Levy cheered the ship’s arrival. A shortage of petroleum has exacerbated a deep economic crisis that has left the population mired in long blackouts and facing a severe shortage of food and medicine.

“Our gratitude to the Government and People of Russia for all the support we are receiving. A valuable shipment that arrives amid the complex energy situation we are facing,” de la O Levy wrote on X.

Cuba produces barely 40% of its required fuel and relies on imports to sustain its energy grid. Experts say the anticipated shipment could produce about

180,000 barrels of diesel, enough to feed Cuba’s daily demand for nine or 10 days.

“The arrival of an oil tanker to a country has likely never generated so much news as the Russian one to Cuba,” Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío wrote on X. “It’s a sign of the brutal siege Cubans endure with heroism and stoicism It’s a demonstration of the criminal cruelty of imperialism against a nation that refuses to be dominated.”

Some Cubans, however, wondered who would benefit from the newly arrived shipment “A ship comes; it gives us aid. But who does it go to? Because we don’t get anything here,” said 54-year-old Matanzas resident Leticia Almeida Barceló. “The ships that come in with oil or anything else don’t give us anything. Because we’re still stuck with blackouts, with water shortages, with shortages and shortages, and we need everything.”

The vessel’s arrival was watched by some fishermen as it docked.

“We’ve been waiting for the ship to arrive because it’s been some time since any ship entered,” said 50-year-old Armando Ramirez. “And it is needed here for the people, for Cuba.”

Others celebrating the arrival included Matanzas resident Ca-

milo Galves, who watched the ship dock from his home.

“This is undoubtedly a great relief for the Cuban people and a moment of great joy for us amid so many hardships we are experiencing,” he said. “It’s yet another sign that we are not alone in the world.”

Cuba used to receive most of its oil from Venezuela, but those shipments were halted ever since the U.S. attacked the South American country and arrested its leader in January

Since then, Mexico also has halted its oil shipments to Cuba as Trump threatened in late January to impose tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island. The U.S. administration is demanding that Cuba’s government ease political repression and liberalize its economy for a lifting of sanctions.

On Sunday night, Trump had said he had “no problem” with a Russian oil tanker off the coast of Cuba delivering relief to the island. “We don’t mind having somebody get a boatload because they need they have to survive,” Trump told reporters as he flew back to Washington.

“Cuba’s finished,” he added. “They have a bad regime. They have very bad and corrupt leadership and whether or not they get a boat of oil, it’s not going to matter.”

Trump administration ordered to halt White House ballroom work

Federal judge grants preservationist group’s request for injunction

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press

WASHINGTON A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Trump administration to suspend construction of a $400 million ballroom it demolished the East Wing of the White House to make space for barring work from proceeding without congressional approval.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington granted a preservationist group’s request for a preliminary injunction that temporarily halts President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project.

Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation is likely to succeed on the merits of its claims because “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”

sion. Construction of the ballroom would mark the most significant structural change to the White House since President Harry S. Truman added a balcony on the south side of the mansion.

The judge’s decision came two days before the National Capital Planning Commission, the agency that signs off on construction on federal property in the Washington region, is expected to approve the addition.

Stephen Staudigl, a spokesperson for the commission, said the judge’s ruling does not affect the schedule for Thursday

Trump

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families He is not, however the owner!” the judge wrote at the beginning of his opinion

The ruling was the first major rebuke of Trump’s sweeping efforts to overhaul the White House, but it wasn’t immediately clear what it would mean for a sprawling project in which crews have long since torn down the East Wing, radically transforming the look and feel of the historic grounds.

The Trump administration filed a notice of appeal shortly after Leon’s deci-

Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which filed the lawsuit, that prompted Leon’s ruling, said, “We are pleased with Judge Leon’s ruling today to order a halt to any further ballroom construction until the Administration complies with the law and obtains express authorization to go forward.”

“This is a win for the American people on a project that forever impacts one of the most beloved and iconic places in our nation,” Quillen said in a statement The group had sued in hopes of obtaining an order pausing the ballroom project until it undergoes multiple independent reviews and receives congressional approval.

The judge suspended enforcement of his order for 14 days, acknowledging that the case “raises novel and weighty issues, that halting an ongoing construction project may raise logistical issues.”

He also recognized that the administration is likely to appeal his decision

Leon ruled that any construction work that’s necessary to ensure the safety and security of the White House is exempt from the scope of the injunction.

Gulf drilling exempt from endangered species rules

Critics pan Trump administration

move

BY MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

The Trump administration on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists’ lawsuits threatened to hobble domestic energy supplies as the U.S. wages war against Iran.

Critics said the move by the government’s Endangered Species Committee could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life. Nicknamed the “God Squad” by groups who say it can decide a species’ fate, it comprises several Trump administration officials and is chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

It met Tuesday for the first time in more than three decades amid global oil shocks and soaring energy prices brought on by the Iran war The U.S. pumps more oil than any other nation, but that hasn’t insulated it from spiking prices: The national average for a gallon of gasoline topped $4 Tuesday

“Disruptions to Gulf oil production doesn’t hurt just us, it benefits our adversaries,” Hegseth told the committee. “We cannot allow our own rules to weaken our standing and strengthen those who wish to harm us. When development in the Gulf is chilled, we are prevented from producing the energy we need as a country and as a department.”

The exemptions were not expected to immediately impact prices for crude or at the pump. Putting new oil wells into production takes years of planning and development. Environmental groups sought unsuccessfully to block Tuesday’s meeting and pledged to challenge the exemption. They say the exemption would speed the extinction of the rare Rice’s whale, which is found exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico. Government biologists say only about 50 of the animals remain.

“If Trump is successful here, he could be the first person in history to knowingly extirpate a species from the face of the earth That’s how precarious the condition of the Rice’s whale is,” said Patrick Parenteau, emeritus professor of law at Vermont Law School. Parenteau dismissed Hegseth’s claims of a security threat, since companies have continued to look for and extract oil in the Gulf despite legal challenges over the critically endangered whale.

Proposed banonprop bets dies in Legislature

Lawmaker:Itwould cost statemillions

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

Aproposal to ban propbets and live betting on sports died in theLouisiana Legislature on Tuesday afterthe state lawmaker sponsoring the measure said eliminating those kinds of wagers would cost the state too much money

Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe, said she was “shocked” by afiscal analysis of Senate Bill 354, which projects the state would have foregone millions of dollars in tax revenue from sports gambling platforms.

“It is an extremely serious issue that Ineed to revisitwithoutthistypeoffiscal note onit,” she said of the prop betting ban. “I realizethe seriousnature of what it does to the budget.” Fiscal notes estimate abill’s cost and are compiled by the Legislature’snonpartisan staff.

The note for SB354 projected that revenue going into the state general fund could decrease by $21 million annually,and revenue allocatedto several other funds could decrease by $17 million annually Louisiana Gaming Control Board data shows that prop bets and micro betsaccount for approximately 40% of mobile sports wagering and 13% of retail sports wagering, according to the fiscal note.

However,the analysisalso includes acaveat noting that overall consumer demand for gambling products is unlikely to significantly decline when specific options areremoved.

“Consumer activityis expected to shift to other available forms of gaming rather than be substantially reduced,” it states. “Tothe degree this happens, the projectednegative revenue impacts may be mitigated to an

unknown degree.”

In 2025, Louisianans wagered roughly $4 billion on mobile sports bettingplatforms, accordingtogambling revenue data compiled by the Louisiana StatePolice. Those platforms broughtin$492 million in revenue and paid $90 millioninstate taxes, thedata shows.

What arepropbets?

Prop betsare wagers that gamblers placeona specific occurrence during agame, rather than just on the final outcome, and “micro bets” refer to wagers made on particular plays oractionsduring alive, ongoingsporting event

Both would have been bannedunderSB354.

“My issuewith prop betting and micro betting is this, to be veryclear,isthat it’svery compulsive innature,” Jackson-Andrews said,addingthat Louisiana familieshavelost “substantial income” due to those types of bets

During apublic hearing on the measure Tuesday,JacksonAndrews agreedtoset it aside. She said she plans to revisitthe issue next year but won’tpursue it further during the currentlegislativesession.

Theoutcomewas awin for sportsbetting platforms, which argue that alegal sports gambling market enables strong consumer protections.

“Prop betsare how fans engage with sports andthe athletes that they follow,” said Cameron Onumah, policy director of Sports Betting Alliance, which represents major online betting platforms like DraftKingsand FanDuel.

“In the legalmarket, every oneofthese wagers is tracked in real time,”Onumah told lawmakers during the hearing. “Whensomething looks off, operators flag it and share it with regulators,leagues and law enforcement. That system hasworked.Ithas led to investigations andcriminal

charges.”

It was alsoa winfor the Louisiana Casino Association, atrade group that represents the state’s brick-and-mortar casinos, which also offer sports gambling and said at thehearing prop betting should be allowed tocontinue. Opposition to prop betting

Several groups on Tuesday went to the StateCapitol to support aban on prop betting, however

Prop bets underminefans’ belief in theintegrityof sporting events, said Peter Robins-Brown,executive directorofLouisiana Progress, aleft-leaning advocacy group that worked with Jackson-Andrews on the legislation.

In recent months,high-profile scandals and indictments tied to prop betting and players intentionally underperforming have come to light.

JessicaWelman, of The Campaign for Fairer Gambling, saidbettors no longer have to waituntil theend of an event for a“dopamine hit” from sports gambling because there are “hundreds of opportunities in agame to place prop bets on the pitch, thenext play,the next point.”

“The dopamine hitdoesn’t come from the win,” she said. “It comes from the anticipationofthe result, and you’re able to trigger it over andover again hundreds of times within asingle athletic event.”

That “feedback loop” is different than placing asingle wager on agame, Welman argued.

Louisiana FamilyForum, which broadly opposes gambling, also supported the prop bet ban.

SB354 is a“commonsense measure”that would protect Louisianans from “highly addictive betting platforms” and from “scandals andrigged outcomes in sporting events,” said Kathleen Benfield, the group’slegislative director

Eminentdomainbill failsinHouse committee

BY DAVID J. MITCHELL Staff writer

Abill barring companies from taking privateproperty for carbon dioxide pipelinesand underground storageareas failed Tuesday in committeeasindustry and legislators voiced concerns aboutstymying carbon capture and storage infrastructure plannedacross thestate.

Known as the Louisiana Landowners Protection Act, House Bill 7isfirst of more than 20 billsaddressing carbon capture andsequestrationtoreceive a hearing.

Thetechnology would pumpcarbon dioxideemitted by industrialprocesses deep underground andstore it there permanently to cut emissions of climate change-inducing gases. The prospect, however, has riledupparts of rural Louisiana where pipelines and massive storage sites encompassing tensofthousands acres are planned.

State and industryleaders see carbon captureasakey to thefutureofthe state’soil andgas and petrochemical industries in an increasingly low-carbon world. The industry has already drawn tens of billion dollars in investment to thestate, stateofficials said.

The House NaturalResources Committee shot down the landowner bill on a12-7vote aftermore than four hours of testimonyfromresidents opposed the technology,industry lobbyists and lawyers,and stateofficials.

Speaker of theHouse Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, watched in the committeeroom for some of the testimony occasionally chatting with members as people spoke.

What thebillwould have done

Eminent domain is often used after property negotiations for infrastructure and other purposes break down.

Aselect handful of businessesand state andlocal governments canforce aresisting landowner to go to court to acquire the needed land. In the case of pipelines,the court must determine if theplanned infrastructure serves a public purpose and sets the price.

Last year,the Legislature tightened companies’ ability to use expropriation power for new CO2pipeline routes and to create largeunitsoflandfor underground storage sites.

Butstate Rep.Mike Johnson, R-Pineville,cameback this year withHB7

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and an outright ban for CCS projects, saying even the current law violates private property protections in the state and federal constitutions.

Johnson argued his bill wasn’t “antiCCS” but wasdesigned to force voluntary negotiations between large oil companiesand working-classpeople without the lingering threat of being takentocourt or being forced into a CO2storageunit.Hedismissedindustry concerns that sole holdouts could block projects.

“But letmebeclear to you. What they may calla holdout, the Constitutioncalls alandowner, an American and aLouisiana citizen.Noone hasaright to profit from someone else’sunwilling sacrifices,” Johnson said. “Ifaproject is truly beneficial, then it should succeed voluntarily with voluntary agreements, not through state-granted powers to force asale.”

Whyitfaced opposition

Industry lobbyists andsomelegislators opposed to the bill argued it would treatCO2 infrastructure differently that oil and gas infrastructure, even though carbon capture is part of the sameoverall business.

State Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Cut Off, underscored this point.

He said he spent 18 months leading atask force on clean hydrogen and it was clear from that workthat carbon storage and hydrocarbon production will be inextricably linkedinthe future.Hequestioned how Johnson could propose separating the treatment of naturalgas andoil pipelines from CO2 pipelines.

“Because what the task force Iran determined is that the global market is changing and the export of our hydrocarbon productsgoingforward or those products that we produce from the hydrocarbon, the world market will want alower carbon intensity,” he said.

“The world may change, but our Constitutionremains thesameuntil we change it,” Johnson shot back. If protecting the property rights of that one holdout is so important to him Orgeronresponded, Johnsonshould amend his bill to include barring expropriation foroil and gas pipelines.

“Would you like to makethat amendment?” Johnson asked.

“I am not going to make that amendment,” Orgeron said, drawing laughs in the committee room

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CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Trumplashesout at allies over Iraq

Says securing the Strait of Hormuz is ‘not

forus’

BY JON GAMBRELL, MIKE CORDER and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates President Donald Trump lashed out Tuesday at allies who have been unwilling to do more to support the U.S. war effort against Iran, telling them to “go get your own oil” and saying it was not America’sjob to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

The president said the military could end its offensive intwo to three weeks and that the U.S. “will not have anything to do with” what happens next in the strait that has been closed by the Islamic Republic. Instead, he told reporters, the responsibility for keeping the vital waterway open will restwith countries that rely on it.

There’s“no reason forustodo this,” Trump said aftersigning an executive order that seeks to restrict mail-in voting. That’s not for us. That’ll be for France. That’ll be for whoever’susingthe strait.”

TheWhite House said Trump would deliver aprime-timeaddress Wednesday eveningto update the public on the war In other developments,the closure of the strait sentaverage U.S. gaspricespast$4a gallon, and U.S. strikes hit the central city of Isfahan, sending amassive fireball into the sky.Tehran attacked afully loaded Kuwaitioil tanker in the Persian Gulf.

The attacks showed the intensity of the war more than amonth after the U.S. and Israel launched it.The conflicthas left more than 3,000 deadand causedmajor disruptions to the world’ssupply of oil and natural gas, roiling global markets and pushing up the cost

of manybasic goods.

Trump, whose commentshave vacillated betweentalk that diplomatic progress is being made with Iran and threats to widen thewar, hadearliershared footage of the attack on Isfahan.

Iran’sstranglehold on thestrait, the waterway leading out of the Persian Gulf through which afifth of the world’soil is transported during peacetime, hasdrivenup globaloil prices, as have Tehran’s attacks on regional energy infrastructure.

In asocial media post,Trump directed blame at U.S. allies such as the United Kingdom and France, who have refused to enter awar with noclear endgame that they were not consulted on “You’llhave to start learning how to fight for yourself, the U.S.A.won’tbe there to help you anymore, just likeyou weren’t there for us. Iran has been, essentially,decimated.The hard part is done.Go getyourown oil!” Trump wrote.

He singledout France for not letting planes fly over French ter-

ritory while takingmilitarysupplies to Israel.

France has allowed the U.S. Air Force to usethe Istres base in southern France because it had guarantees that planeslanding there would notbeinvolvedin carrying out strikes.

Spain, whichhas emerged as Europe’sloudest critic of the war said Monday that it had closed its airspace forU.S. planesinvolved in the conflict. Italy recently refusedtoallow U.S. military assets to use the Sigonella airbase in Sicily foran operation linkedtothe offensive, an official with knowledge of the matter said, confirming alocal press report. The official spoke on conditionofanonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto wrote on XthatItaly is still allowing the U.S.touse its bases,adding that there has been no coolingofrelations between thetwo countries.

The aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush deployedTuesday

Pope LeoXIV urgesEasterend to conflict

ByTheAssociated Press

VATICAN CITY Pope Leo XIV expressed hope that the U.S.-Israel war on Iran could be finished before Easter in remarks to reporters as he left the papal retreat at Castel Gandolfooutside of Rome on Tuesday

“I’m told that President Trump has recently stated that he would like to end the war,” the U.S.-born pope said. “I hope that he’slooking for an off-ramp.”

leaders to return todialogue and look for“waystoreduce the amount of violence,” so that“peace, especially at Easter,might reign in our hearts.”

Leo’sremarks cameduring Holy Week, themost sacred period of the year for Christians.

Pope Leo

“Hopefullyhe’s looking for away to decrease the amount of violence, of bombing, which would be asignificantcontribution to removing the hatredthat’sbeing created, that’sincreasing constantly in the MiddleEast and elsewhere.”

Leo called on all world

“It shouldbethe holiest timeofthe year.Itisatime of peace, atimeofreflection. But as we allknow, again,in the world, in many places we are seeing so much suffering, so many deaths, even innocent children,”Leo said.

“Weconstantly make the call for peace, butunfortunately, many people want to promote hatred, violence, war.”

On Palm Sunday,the pontiff saidGod doesn’tlisten to theprayers of those who

make war or cite God to justify theirviolence, as he prayed especially for Christians in the Middle East during Mass in St. Peter’s Square.

Leaders on all sides of the Iran war have usedreligion to justifytheir actions.U.S. officials, especially Defense SecretaryPete Hegseth, have invoked their Christian faith to castthe war as aChristian nation trying to vanquish its foes with militarymight.

Russia’sOrthodox Church, too, has justified Russia’sinvasion of Ukraine as a“holy war” against aWestern world it considers has fallen into evil.

As Holy Week continues, Leo will carry outthe Holy Thursdayfoot-washing tradition in the basilicaofSt. John Lateran, where popes have performed it for decades.

from Norfolk, Virginia, and is slated to head to the Middle East, two U.S. officials said. Theyspoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military plans.

It would be the third carrier sent outtosupport the Iranwar, along withthe USS Gerald R. Ford, which is nowundergoing repairs, and the USS Abraham Lincoln, which arrived in the region in January Trumpwarned this weekthat if aceasefireisnot reached “shortly,” and if the strait is not reopened,the U.S. would broaden its offensive, including by attacking theKharg Island oilexport hub and possibly desalination plants.

Speaking at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would not say if U.S. ground forces would enter the war. “Wedon’t want to have to do moremilitarily than we haveto,” he said.

Aground invasion could alienate Iranians who despise the ruling theocracy and who rose up in massprotests that werecrushed earlier this year.Some could see it as an attack on Iran itselfand rally around theflag.

Sincethe Iran war began, 13 U.S. service members have been killed and 348wounded, six seriously,according to aformal count providedTuesday by Capt.Tim Hawkins, spokesman for U.S. Central Command.

The Israelimilitary saidearly Wednesday that it had killed asenior Hezbollahcommander and another senior leader in twoseparatestrikes in the Beirut area.

Military officials said they launched strikes targeting what they described as Hezbollah infrastructure in the Lebanese capital.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel plans to control the area south of the Litani River —some 20 miles north of the border

Israel invaded southern Lebanon after Hezbollah began launching missiles into northern Israel days after the outbreak of the wider war

Security forces launching search

BY QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ABBY SEWELL Associated Press

BAGHDAD An American journalist was kidnapped on Tuesday in Baghdad and Iraqi security forces are pursuing her captors, Iraqiofficialssaid. Thejournalist wasidentified as freelancer Shelly Kittleson.

AU.S. official blamed the Iranbacked Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah.

The Iraqi interior ministry confirmed aforeign journalisthad been kidnappedbut didn’tgive more details.

TwoIraqi security officials, who spoke on conditionofanonymity because theywerenot authorized to speak publicly about the case, saidthe kidnappedjournalist is a womanand aU.S. citizen. They saidthat twocars wereinvolved in the kidnapping,one of which crashedwhile being pursued near the town of Al-Haswa in Babil province southwest of Baghdad. The journalist wasthen transferred to asecond car that fled the scene.

The interior ministry said security forces had launchedanoperation to track down the kidnappers, and intercepted avehiclebelonging to thekidnappersthatoverturnedas they tried to flee. Onesuspect was arrested andone of thevehicles used in the kidnapping was seized, but others remain on the loose, the statement said.

The two Iraqi security officials said the journalist wasabducted in centralBaghdad, andthat an alert was sent to all checkpoints, leading to the pursuit of the kidnappers as they headed toward Babil province.

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Scientificstudies tellusthatspinaldiscs aremostoften therootcause of achesand pain that people suffer from Thesediscs actascushionsbetween thevertebrae and create thenecessaryspacefor nerves to exit thespinal column.But when discsare injured, worn down,orbegin to degenerate,theybulge or herniate -pressingonnerve rootsand triggeringpaininthe backorneck This pressure canalsoleadtoradiating pain in thehips, legs,feetor arms

We areDr. ScottLeBlanc andDr. Dana LeBlanc, owners of LeBlancSpine Center.Weknowwhatit’sliketobein pain,because we see it everyday.Wehave treatedthousandsofpatientsoverthe past 14 yearsatour BatonRouge andKenneroffices.

Disc issuesare common,but patients sufferingare usually givenlimited optionsoftreatment.Werun thesebig newspaperads to letpeopleinthe communityknowthere is anotheroption- withoutinjectionsorsurgery!

NON-SURGICALSPINALDECOMPRESSION is abreakthrough, non-invasive treatmentfor herniated, ruptured, bulgingand degenerative discs. It hasbeenprovento reversedischerniations andrelieve nervepain, backpain, andradiating pain

At LeBlancSpine Center,wehave state-of-the-art technology that iisFDA clearedand very successfulin relievingpaininpain- even when othertreatmentshave failed.Unlikeother treatments that only mask symptoms spinal decompressionaddresses therootcause of your pain-restoringdischeight, improvingspinalalignment andreducingnerve compression.

PROOFTHIS TREATMENTWORKS There’splentyof researchtobackupthe claims of Spinal Decompression Therapyand itseffectiveness.Hereare just afew of the publishedscientificstudies

SEEWHATSOMEOFOUR

•“Patients reported amean88.9% improvement in back pain andbetterfunction. No patientrequiredany invasive therapies(e.g. epidural injections,surgery).”American Academy of Pain Management

•“We thus submit that decompressiontherapy should be considered first, before thepatient undergoesasurgicalprocedure whichpermanently alters theanatomy andfunctionofthe affectedlumbarspine segment.”JournalOfNeuroscienceResearch

•“86%ofthe 219patientswho completedthe therapy reported immediateresolutionofsymptoms.”-Orthopedic Technology Review

•“Vertebralaxial (spinal) decompressionwas successfulin 71%ofthe 778cases”-Journal of Neurological Research

•“Good to excellentreliefin86% of patients with Herniated discs” - TheAmericanJournal of Pain Management

•“Decompression Therapyreported a76.5% with completeremissionand 19.6%withpartial remissionof pain anddisability” -Rio Grande Hospital,Department of Neurosurgery

Youwillsit with thedoctorone on onetogooveryour x-rays,and you’ll gettosee everything firsthand. At LeBlancSpine Center,our goal is to help youlive pain-freeand return to theactivitiesyou love.Wegenuinelyenjoy meetingwithpatients, answeringquestions, andshowing firsthandhow spinal decompressioncan be alife-changing solution.Ifyou’vebeenlivingwith back or neck pain,weinviteyou to schedule aone-ononeconsultationand experience what sets ourclinic apart-personalized attention, proventechnology, and compassionatecare. Thereisnochargeatall andyou don’tneedtobuy anything Youdon’t have to go on living in pain-Callustoday! 225-763-9894

PATIENTS HAVE TO SAY…

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center becauseIhad been suffering with extreme back pain andleg pain for severalweeks.I hadtried other treatments, massage, NSAIDs andTylenol,but Iwas stillinpain.

Ibegan Spinal Decompressiontreatmentsand nowIfeel100% improved!WhatIlikemostabout my treatment is that it is non-invasive anditeliminatedmypain. My treatment appointments arenot long, andthe treatmentispain-free.Since beginningtreatment at LeBlanc SpineCenter, Iamnow able to do allofmypreviousactivitiesand work withoutpain. Ialsohavemorerange of motion.I wouldhighly recommend LeBlancSpine Center!

Dr.JohnBarksdale (Dentist) hometown -Baton Rouge,LA

IcametoLeBlancSpine Center becauseIhad been suffering with severe neck pain andlower back pain.I hadpreviouslytried otherback specialists, physical therapy, andMRI’s,but wasstill suffering forseveral years. Ibegan Spinal DecompressionTherapy treatmentsinAugustof 2019,and sincethen, Iamnow 60%improved! Iamnow able to do my dailyactivities, such as vacuuming, walkingand exercise-Iwas notable to do this withoutpain before my treatmentatLeBlancSpine Center My headachesare almost completelygone, andI am also able to walk 3 to 4miles perday.LeBlancSpine Center hascertainly helped me,when everywhere else Iwentinthe past didn’t help at all. What Ilikemost aboutmycareatisthatithas greatly improved my problems!

JenniferLee (Retired Administrative Assistant) Hometown -Brusly, LA

I first came to LeBlancSpine Center with numbness in my arms and legs.Iwas also experiencing lowerbackpainand neck pain.Ihad been suffering with this forover10years.Ihad previouslytried one epidural injectioninmylower back andphysicaltherapy,anI wasstill suffering with thesesymptoms. Sincebeginning Spinal Decompression treatments, Ihavehad consistent improvementinmybackcondition, andIamnow 70%improved! Iamlifting withoutpain, sleeping better,and Inow have theability to walk withouttiring! Iwould highly recommendDr. LeBlancand LeBlancSpine Center!

L. J. Dupuy (College Baseball Coach) Hometown -Addis,LA

former Goldman Sachs partner and co-founder of the private equity firm Fortress Investment Group.

Plans depicting an extensive redevelopment of the site have recently circulated around the neighborhood, though the plans have not been linked to Novogratz and no formal documents have been filed with city regulators.

The buildings include 500502 Frenchmen St., a historic three-story property that was at the center of a neighborhood controversy for several years over plans by its former owners, the Motwani family, to develop a hotel on the site, and Check Point Charlie, a 24-hour dive bar, at 501 Esplanade Ave., that shut down last week

Aaron Motwani and Check Point Charlie’s owner, Darren Brooks, both confirmed they sold their buildings earlier this month but declined to discuss the terms of the sales, citing confidentiality agreements.

The third building is 511 Esplanade Ave., a 19-unit apartment complex dating from the mid-1950s. Jim Jacobs, who represents the estate that owns the complex, said he has referred a potential purchaser’s inquiries to the attorney handling the succession and that he is “fairly confident” the building would be part of the new development.

Galaxy Investment Partners did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment Monday Local attorney Seth Levine, a partner with Jones Walker, confirmed last week that he represents the buyer behind the recent transactions but said his client is unprepared to comment on any plans for redevelopment Three-building design

Plans for the project began making their way around the neighborhood earlier this month, when a resident provided them to the Vieux Carre Property Owners and Residents Association, according to VCPORA Executive Director Erin Holmes. Holmes posted the plans to social media but declined to say who gave them to her The plans indicate that 502 Frenchmen St. and the former Check Point Charlie building would be renovated and converted into a

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and for Acamaya. The Castro sisters are now developing a second casual restaurant, Casamiro (800 Louisa St.), also in the Bywater Serigne Mbaye, Dakar NOLA, 3814 Magazine St. The chef started with a pop-up and in 2022 with partner Effie Richardson as a modern Senegalese tasting menu restaurant. It’s been a magnet for high-profile accolades since. The James Beard Founda-

40-room boutique hotel with a music venue and restaurant. Plans show a secondfloor pool above a central courtyard with “fine dining” in the former Check Point space, along with a partially enclosed jazz club flanked by a library, bar and bistro.

The apartment complex at 511 Esplanade Ave. would be demolished to make way for a hotel kitchen, spa, and laundry and mechanical area below the pool, patio and hotel rooms. The plans were drawn up by a New York architectural firm, Young Projects, where staff declined to comment when reached by phone last week, saying several parties were involved in the project. That same firm’s work renovating a French Quarter vacation home for the Novogratz family was featured in Architectural Digest magazine in 2024. Holmes said there’s a great deal of curiosity in the neighborhood as to who is behind the development, which will have to pass through a series of steps before it receives city approval to move forward

“This is how projects evolve over time,” she said.

“It’s going to be a very pub-

tion named it Best New Restaurant in 2024, and last year it landed at No. 6 on North America’s 50 Best Restaurants List.

The finalists were named on March 31. Chef and restaurant awards winners will be named during a gala event in Chicago on June 15. New Orleans typically has many contenders, but has won fewer awards in recent years. This year’s slate of four finalists is a return to past form for the city’s showing in the awards.

In 2025, more than a dozen local names were listed as

lic process, so residents, stakeholders and people in the area are going to have an opportunity on many occasions to weigh in on this.”

Gateway to Frenchmen

The block at the center of the project has drawn ever larger crowds over the past two decades, as Frenchmen Street has evolved from a shabby chic strip of retailers and live music clubs frequented by locals to a tourist destination with a crowded street party scene.

The visiting throngs have also attracted waves of investors, including a Motwani family trust, which acquired the building at 500-502 Frenchmen for $6.1 million in 2020 following a protected court battle with Sidney Torres IV over the right to purchase it.

The family gutted the interior and planned to turn it into a hotel with ground-floor entertainment and rooftop penthouses. But city regulators twice rejected their plans because of alterations it would have made to the roofline of the historic building, which dates to the 1830s and was once owned by one of the Marigny’s first free Black merchants.

Though scaled-down plans for the project were eventually approved, the family abandoned the plans. Scaffolding needed to secure the building remained in place for more than a year hampering access to the sidewalk. The property became an eyesore that attracted vagrants and graffiti. In 2024, the family put it back on the market for sale.

Aaron Motwani said he invested millions of dollars on the project to get it ready for development, acquiring permits and putting up structural support in preparation for its renovation.

“We tried to develop the property, we ran into some issues with city permitting,” Motwani said. “Obviously, we want to see the building developed. It’s a great building and we believe this group is the best fit for the project.”

Parke McEnery, who previously listed the property but was not involved in the recent sale, said its location at the gateway to Frenchmen Street was among the best in the city

“The fact that it’s sold — and then it looks like plans to redevelop it are completely in motion is a very positive thing for Frenchmen,” McEnery said. “Because the building’s big enough to lift all the ships.”

Missing piece

While many questions surround the plans, it’s clear that the next hurdle for the project’s developer is to finalize the sale of 511 Esplanade Ave., which was built in the 1950s in a motor lodge style.

Formerly owned by Lorretta Doussan, who also owned the Original Pierre

Maspero’s restaurant in the French Quarter, the building has been tied up in court since her death in 2022. Jacobs, who is Doussan’s widower and also executor of her estate, said many prospective buyers have approached the owners over the years and that they rejected a $2.5 million offer a decade ago. He now expects the building to fetch significantly less. The latest offer was an unsolicited one, and no purchase agreement has been finalized, Jacobs said Friday But he fully expects the discussions to result in a sale.

“There’s nothing on my end, I hope, that’s going to hold this thing back,” said Jacobs.

Email Jonah Meadows at Jonah.Meadows@ theadvocate.com.

semifinalists, though just one made the cut to finalist, Lagniappe Bake House, the new bakery cafe in Central City from Kaitlin Guerin, and none won chef or restaurant awards.

Dooky Chase’s Restaurant was also named last year to the group’s America’s Classics, an honor recognizing restaurants that are notable contributors to their community’s food, culture and traditions.

Email Ian McNulty at imcnulty@theadvocate. com.

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wire fraud, three countsofwire fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. He pleaded not guilty in June 2025 to all charges.

On Tuesday,heappearedinU.S. District Court in Lafayette,where he changed his plea to guilty on one count of conspiracy to commit an offense, namely to receivea bribe. Federal Judge David Joseph setsentencing for June 30. Montoucet faces amaximum sentence of five years and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Keller,in anews conference followingthe court hearing, said prosecutors entered aplea deal where four of thefive charges were dropped becausethe sentencethey’ll get with the plea will be appropriate. Federal prosecutors, he added, will advocate for prison timefor Montoucet.

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In December,Trump issued an executive ordersaying his administration would attempt to pull federal funding for broadband projects from states that pass “onerous and excessive” laws regulating AI.The Trump administration, whichhas been largely reluctantto setrestrictions on AI, says it is working on anational framework to regulate the technology,one that would avoid having apatchworkof laws that differs from state to state.

“This approach will protect children, prevent censorship, respectintellectual property,and safeguard communities while ensuring America remains the undisputed leader in AI and technological innovation,” a White House official said in astatement.

Trump’sexecutive order warns that if states pass or enforce AI regulations, they couldlosemoney from the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment Program Congressestablished that initiative in abid to bring high-speed internet to rural andother underserved areas. It is unclear how much direct power the Trump administration has over broadband funds.

State Rep. Daryl Deshotel, R-Marksville, who chairs the House Commerce Committee andhas worked on legislation that governs how broadband grants are administered, said Louisianais set to receive another $800 million in broadband funding this year

The federal government approved $1.3 billion in broadband funding last year, he said, and the state has so far spent $700 million of it to deploy broadband. Louisiana administers that money through aprogram known as Granting Unserved MunicipalitiesBroadband Opportunities.

Rep. Vincent Cox, R-Gretna, said he decided to pull his two AI bills after learning from Gov.Jeff Landry’s office about the Trump administration’s oppositionto

LESLIEWESTBROOK

process, and our Office will continue to work with ourlaw enforcement partners to prosecutethese abuses and see that offenders face justice.”

In anews release, IRSCriminal Investigation AtlantaField Office Special Agent in Charge Demetrius D. Hardemansaid, “Public officials areentrusted with serving the people —not enriching themselves.Today’sguiltyplea makes clear thatthe defendant abused that trust by engaging in ascheme to manipulatethe contract process and steer contracts for personal gain.”

“The citizensofLouisiana deserveand demand honesty andintegrity from those entrusted with public office, including when they contract for services on behalf of ourLouisiana communities,” Kellersaid. “OfficeholderslikeMr. Montoucet who abusethat trust undermineconfidence in government and thepubliccontracting

Montoucet is aretired Lafayette fire chief and former staterepresentative. Former Gov.John Bel Edwards appointedhim Wildlife andFisheriessecretary in January 2017, where he oversaw services suchasissuing citations for boating and hunting violations.

He was set to retire in January 2024 when Edwards left office.

Instead, Montoucetresigned abruptly in April2023, aday after TheAdvocate identified himas

Sen. JayLuneau, D-Alexandria, said he has ‘parked’Senate Bill 246, which would regulate howinsurance companies

them

“As much as Ilike my bills, our rural parishes need broadband, and I’m not going to do anything to hurt that,”hesaid. He was disappointed the bills wouldn’t move forward but saw the benefits of having one national regulatory framework, hesaid

Cox’sHouse Bill 157 attempted to protect Louisianamusicians by making it illegaltouse AI-generated contentofanother person’slikeness or voice for commercial purposes without thatperson’spermission.

His other proposal, House Bill 421, would have required employers to disclose when they useAI-run automated decision systems to choose whether to hire,fire, disciplineorpromoteemployees. It also wouldhave required human beings to review adverse employment decisions

“I thoughtthey were both good bills, but IknewI wasn’t getting themout of committee,” Cox said Kate Kelly, aspokesperson for Landry,declined to comment.

Sen. Jay Luneau, D-Alexandria, said he has“parked” Senate Bill 246, which would regulate how insurance companies coulduse AI, after learning it could putfederal fundsinjeopardy

Thatmeasure, which was approved by the SenateInsurance Committee and needs avote from the full Senate to move to the House, would prevent health insurance companies from relying solely on AI or any

automated decision system to deny coverage. It would require that licensedhealth care providers independently review cases and come to their own conclusions about whether coverage should be granted.

Luneau saidhewas unsure what type of federal funding wasatrisk. He hopedinsurance companies would police themselves for the time being, he said, adding that he did not feel thebill was so urgentthat it needed to pass this year “Westand to lose alot of money in the state of Louisiana that would help alot of people if we go forward with this bill,” he said.

State Rep. Jessica Domangue, R-Houma, confirmed she would not runher bill restricting how health care providers use AI as she waited for “clarity” from the federal government.

Thatmeasure,House Bill 197, would barhealth care providers from relying on AI to makediagnoses or treatment decisions.Under thebill, providers also could not use AI to communicate directly withpatients.

On March 20, theTrump administrationreleased its AI policyagenda, which says Congress should block state AI laws that “impose undue burdens,”all with thegoal of ensuring “a minimally burdensomenational standard” to promoteAmericandominance in thetechnology States should notbeallowed to pass laws that regulateAIdevelopment, penalizeAIdevelopers for howthird parties use their models or “unduly burden Americans’ use of AI for ac-

the unnamedWildlife andFisheriesofficial whosignedacontract with Lafayette businessman Leonard Franques for his company, DGL1, to provide online courses for sportsmen to resolve Wildlife and Fisheriescitations. The unnamed Wildlife and Fisheries official was mentioned in a March 2023 indictment against Dusty Guidry,aYoungsville resident at the time, who was the allegedmastermind behind the agencykickback schemeand another involving the District Attorney’sOffice of the 15th Judicial District in Lafayette. Guidry and Franques are serving time in federal prison fortheir rolesinthe schemes, as is former Assistant DistrictAttorney Gary Haynes, of Lafayette. In the Wildlife andFisheries scheme, Montoucet’sand Franques’ company,DGL1, signed acontract Oct. 8, 2021, court records show.Inreturn for his help getting DGL1 the lucrative contract, Franques agreed to payMontoucet kickbacksthat

tivitythat would be lawful if performed withoutAI,” the White House’spolicy memo says.

It suggests giving states leeway to write AI laws that protect children and consumers, prevent fraud and govern the placement of AI infrastructure.

Some Louisianabills,including ones that would add criminal penaltiesfor using AI to createchild pornography,donot appear to be facing pushback from the Trumpadministration.

“The WhiteHouse fully supportschild safety and hasnever tolda State that it cannot enact child safety protections,” the White

House’sstatement said.

he would collect after he retired from the agency,court documents indicate. The Advocate obtained acopy of theOct.8,2021,contract which identified Montoucet as the lone Wildlife andFisheriessigner. He resigned the next day

The contract with the agency wasfor 10 years. The state agency wastoreceive 20% to 40% of the money that DGL1received forthe education courses. The state also would receive 50% of the money that DGL1 collected to host classes for those ticketed for civil violations. About 11,000 people peryear use the agency’shunter education program and 8,000 per year use the boater education program,according to the contract. The courses would last three to six hours and cost $29.95, according to the department’swebsite. The agency issued about 8,000 civil citations per year

Contact ClaireTaylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.

Last year,the U.S. Senate rejected ameasure that would have required states to pump thebrakes on AI regulations in order to receive federalsubsidies for broadband and AI infrastructure.The vote was 99-1.

But in Florida earlier this year,state legislators heeded Trump’sresistance to regulating the technology, declining to takeupanAI Bill of Rights even though it was supported by Republican Gov.Ron DeSantis, according to aNew York Times report.

BrendanSteinhauser, CEO of The Alliance for Secure

AI, said it is “disappointing and frustrating” to see state lawmakers back downfrom AI bills.

“This is avery powerful technology that is getting better exponentially,and we have not solved the problem of control,” said Steinhauser, who worried the country could have major problems if AI is integrated into the economy too quickly

TheAlliance forSecure AI is anonprofit based in Washington, D.C., that aimsto build bipartisansupport for AI safeguards. Steinhauser also has worked as aRepublican strategist. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Asupdated national guidelines call forearlier and more personalized management of cholesterol, the team at Tulane Medicine is helpingpatients take a proactiveapproachtoheart health,often starting much sooner than in thepast.

Thelatestrecommendations were released in Marchbythe American CollegeofCardiology, the AmericanHeart Associationand otherleading medicalorganizations.Overall,theyreflectphysicians’ growingconcernsthathighcholesterolisincreasingly beingdiagnosed in youngeradults. At thesametime, researchcontinuestoshowthatearlyinterventioncan significantly reduce theriskofcomplications such as heartattackand stroke

Dr.NicoleNash, aboard-certifiedfamilymedicine physicianwithTulaneMedicine, said sheisseeing both of thesetrendsfirsthand.

screenings,physiciansnow have access to advanced toolsthatcan furtherrefine apatient’sriskprofile, includingbiomarker testingand geneticscreenings

Theupdated guidelines also highlightthe importanceofmaintaining ahealthy weight,staying physicalactive,gettingadequatesleepandavoidingtobacco use. Dr.Nashsaidshe encourages patients to focus on practical, sustainablechanges.Diets that include plenty of fruits,vegetables, wholegrainsand fiber are most beneficial, whilefried foods, redmeat, pork and saturatedfatsshouldbelimited When it comestoexercise, therecommendationis at least150 minutesa week of aerobic/cardio activity, with moderate resistance trainingthree days aweek. Dr.Nashemphasizedthatthisdoesn’t necessarily mean people need to pay for amonthly fitness club membership or spendhours at thegym each day.

“Wecontinuetosee elevated cholesterolinyounger patients here.I have some patients in their20s with high cholesterol,”she said.“Some people have genetic predispositionsiftheyhavea family historyofany type of coronary arterydisease.Evenifthatisthe case, we canoften seecholesterol improvements with ahealthier diet,a more active lifestyleand theappropriate medication.”

Onenotable update in thenew guidelines is the useofa cardiovascular risk calculator that doctors cannow usewhenpatients turn 30.The tool evaluates factorssuchasage,blood pressure,bodymass index, smokingstatusand otherhealthconditionsto estimate aperson’sriskofdevelopingcardiovascular diseaseoverthe next decade Dr.Nashsaidthatkindofdata-driven approach is keytohelping patients understand theirhealth.

“It’simportant to us here at Tulane to explainwhat labresults mean,and that when it comestocholesterol,youwanttoloweryourLDLandraiseyourHDL,” shesaid.“Wetaketimetoexplainhowhighcholesterol thickens your blood, whichcan lead to heart attacks andstrokes.Ifind that when people don’t know what thenumbers mean andtheydon’t have anysymptoms, they don’t make lifestylechanges or take medications. That puts them at furtherriskoffuturecomplications, whichiswhatweare trying to avoid. Expertsagreethatearliercholesterolscreeningcan lead to improved outcomes.Dr. Nash said sherecommendsatleast onescreening for children between ages 9and 11,another during adolescence, andregular monitoring in adulthood. In addition to traditional

“Evensomething as simple as goingfor regular walksand gettingyourheart rate up is beneficial,” she said.“Youcan also incorporatemovementintoyour day, like taking thestairsatworkorwalking afew laps in your office hallwayoraroundthe building.Those little changescan addup, especially if your lifestyle tendstobesedentary.” If lifestylechanges aloneare notenoughtolower aperson’scholesterol,physiciansmay recommend statin medications. Dr.Nashsaidpatient concerns aboutsideeffects,especiallymusclepain, are common,but canoften be managed.

“Ifthe muscleaches become unbearable,wecan exploreputting apatientonadifferentstatinorsee if they areacandidate for additional lipid-lowering therapies,”she said Dr.Nashsaidshe also takesintoaccount apatient’s otherchronic conditions,which caninclude high bloodpressure, diabetes or pre-diabetes. By finding theright medication to treatthose diseases,using modernriskassessmenttools andseeingpatientson aregular basis, sheand othersatTulaneMedicineare workingtoensurepeoplehavethe information and supporttheyneed. “The most importantpartisfor patients to come in for annual wellness visits andhavethe proper screenings,” Dr.Nashsaid. “Wetakea whole-patient approach andlookathow conditions occurhand-inhand andinfluenceone

Supreme Court seems likely to rule for inmate in Miss. racial bias case

Justices agreed defense, judge didn’t handle case well

BY MARK SHERMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to rule for a Black death row inmate from Mississippi who claims there was racial bias in the makeup of the jury that convicted him.

The justices took up an appeal from Terry Pitchford in a case with similarities to that of another Black man on Mississippi’s death row whose conviction the high court overturned seven years ago. The jury that sentenced Pitchford to death for his role in the killing of a grocery store owner in northern Mississippi had one Black juror Doug Evans, a nowretired prosecutor with a history of dismissing Black jurors for discriminatory reasons, had excused four other Black people.

The Supreme Court ruled 40 years ago in Batson v. Kentucky that jurors could not be excused from service because of their race and set up a system by which trial judges could evaluate claims of discrimination and the race-neutral explanations by prosecutors.

Pitchford’s case focuses on whether his lawyers did enough to object to Judge Joseph Loper’s rulings and whether the state Supreme Court acted reasonably in ruling they had not.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh said he thought one of Pitchford’s lawyers had spoken up. Reading from the trial transcript, Kavanaugh said, “She’s trying to make the objections right there.”

There was broad agreement that neither the judge nor the lawyers performed especially well when the jury was chosen.

“This is the most timid and reticent defense counsel that I

have ever encountered,” Justice Samuel Alito said.

But Alito also faulted Loper, who accepted Evans’ explanations and moved on without analyzing whether race was the reason. “The judge didn’t handle this the way it should have been handled,” Alito said.

In 2019, the Supreme Court overturned the death sentence and conviction of Curtis Flowers because of what Kavanaugh described as a “relentless, determined effort to rid the jury of Black individuals.”

Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart sought to distinguish Pitchford’s case from Flowers’.

“In Flowers versus Mississippi, this Court faced an extraordinary case and ruled against the state,” Stewart said. “This case is also extraordinary but in a very different way that requires a very different result.”

The Supreme Court could rule for Pitchford but still leave it to lower courts to sort out whether his conviction should be overturned.

Pitchford, now 40, was 18 when he and a friend decided to rob the Crossroads Grocery, just outside Grenada in northern Mississippi

The friend shot store owner Reuben Britt three times, fatally wounding him, but was ineligible for the death penalty because he was younger than 18. Pitchford was tried for capital murder and sentenced to death.

The case has been making its way through the court system for 20 years. In 2023, U.S District Judge Michael P. Mills overturned Pitchford’s conviction, holding that the trial judge did not give Pitchford’s lawyers enough of a chance to argue that the prosecution was improperly dismissing Black jurors.

Mills wrote that his ruling was partially motivated by Evans’ actions in prior cases. A unanimous panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the ruling.

Trump signs order limiting mail ballots

BY SEUNG MIN KIM, ALI SWENSON, MATT BROWN and JONATHAN J COOPER Associated Press

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order to create a nationwide list of verified eligible voters and to restrict mail-in voting, a move that swiftly drew legal threats from state Democratic officials as the president demands further limitations on voting ahead of this year’s midterm elections. The order, which voting law experts say violates the Constitution by attempting to seize the power to run elections from states, is the latest in a torrent of efforts from Trump to interfere with the way Americans vote based on his false allegations of fraud. The president has repeatedly

lied about the outcome of the 2020 presidential campaign and the integrity of state-run elections, asserting again Tuesday that he won “three times” and continuing to cite accusations of voter fraud that numerous audits, investigations and courts have debunked.

The order signed Tuesday calls on the Department of Homeland Security, working in conjunction with the Social

Security Administration, to make the list of eligible voters in each state. It also seeks to bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to those not on each state’s approved list, although the president likely lacks the power to mandate what the Postal Service does.

Trump is also calling for ballots to have secure envelopes with unique barcodes for tracking, according to the executive

order which was first reported by the Daily Caller States and localities that don’t comply could see their federal funding withheld, the order says.

“The cheating on mailin voting is legendary It’s horrible what’s going on,” Trump said, repeating his false allegations about mail ballots as he signed the order. “I think this will help a lot with elections.”

Within minutes of Trump signing the order, top elections officials in Oregon and Arizona, two states that rely heavily on mail ballots, pledged to sue, arguing that the president was trying to illegally encroach on the right of states to run elections.

“We don’t need decrees from Washington, D.C.,” said Tobias Read, the Democratic secretary of state in Oregon, which votes entirely by mail. “My message to the President: We’ll see you in court.”

Tenn. librarian fired for refusing to move books

BY JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Tennessee library board has fired the county’s top librarian for refusing to comply with its vote to move more than 100 LGBTQ books from the children’s to the adult section over its claims that they promote “gender confusion.”

The Rutherford County Library Board voted 8-3 on Monday evening to fire library system Director Luanne James. James has previously said that relocating the books would violate her and county residents’ First Amendment rights and compromise her professional obligation against government-mandated viewpoint discrimination.

The case establishes the county southeast of Nashville as another focal point in the yearslong national fight over library content, often

centering on racial and LGBTQ themes.

“Her story will echo from the Courthouse in Murfreesboro, TN, across the country as emblematic of the fight against censorship and suppression,” said Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read program for PEN America, which advocates for freedom of expression on behalf of writers.

Last fall, a former Wyoming library director won $700,000 to settle a lawsuit after her firing.

Terri Lesley was removed during an uproar over books with sexual content and LGBTQ themes that some people sought their removal from youth shelves, though Campbell County officials contended that only her performance played a role in her firing.

Additionally in December the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal on a Texas free speech case that allowed local offi-

cials to remove books deemed objectionable from public libraries.

The Tennessee decision stems from a March 16 vote by the board to relocate the books to the adult section in county libraries. During that meeting, board Chairman Cody York said it is dangerous and inaccurate to tell children, particularly those going through puberty, that boys can be girls and girls can be boys.

Two days later, James emailed the board and said she would not move the books.

The meeting Monday was peppered with cheers and boos from the audience. When it was James’ turn to speak, she said, “I stand by my decision and I will not change my mind.”After the board voted to fire her, James’ attorney read a statement from her in which she said she thought the firing was an unlawful act of viewpoint discrimination.

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Court weighs man’s death sentence

Ineffective counsel cited in double-murder case

BY JAMES FINN Staff writer

State corrections officials on Monday asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the death sentence of a man convicted nearly three decades ago of a Baton Rouge double-murder, a case that could hasten the next use of Louisiana’s death chamber

Todd Wessinger, who landed on death row for killing two former co-workers at Calendar’s restaurant in Baton Rouge in 1995, is the nearest of more than 50 death row prison ers to exhausting his avenues of appeal in state and federal courts, officials say.

A three-judge panel of the U.S 5th Circuit Court of Appeals seemed ill-convinced Monday by arguments from Wessinger’s attorney that he deserves another chance at a new sentence due to a prior lawyer’s failures to provide complete evidence during the sentencing phase of his 1997 trial.

U.S. District Judge John deGravelles sided with that argument in a ruling last year that sent Wessinger’s case back to the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge.

DeGravelles ruled that Wessinger deserved a new sentencing due to ineffective counsel.

Attorney General Liz Murrill and the Louisiana Department Public Safety and Corrections appealed. They argued Monday that the ruling from deGravelles, who was nominated to the federal bench by former

SCHEINUK

From right East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore speaks alongside Wayne Guzzardo and Kimen Lee in 2023. State corrections officials on Monday asked a federal appeals court to reinstate the death sentence of Todd Wessinger

President Barack Obama, was riddled with flaws.

One of the three appeals court judges on Monday’s panel, Andrew Oldham seemed to agree as he peppered Wessinger’s attorney with questions about the legal turns of Wessinger’s nearly 30-year appeals process and related case law Oldham was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump.

A second judge, Stephen Higginson, another Obama appointee, also questioned what he seemed to view as inconsistencies in attorney Rebecca Hudsmith’s arguments.

The appellate court has already rejected separate appeals in Wessinger’s case twice, in 2017 and 2022. Oldham and Hudsmith parried back and forth during Monday’s arguments, occasionally speaking over each other

“I’m trying to give you as much leeway as I can here,” Oldham told Hudsmith.

The arguments marked the latest from a yearslong string of appeals in a case that featured prominently two years ago as Republican state officials pressed

to resurrect capital punishment in Louisiana after 15 years.

Amid Wessinger’s push for relief, Gov Jeff Landry brought the parents of one of his victims, Stephanie Guzzardo, to the State Capitol in Baton Rouge in a push to persuade lawmakers to add electrocution and nitrogen gassing to lethal injection as legal execution methods, while sealing some related records.

Louisiana has executed one person since that legislation became law: Jessie Hoffman Jr., who was convicted of the 1996 abduction and murder of Molly Elliott, a 28-year-old advertising executive who was shot dead in rural St. Tammany Parish.

Hoffman died last March with a mask affixed to his face inside the death chamber at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

On Monday Murrill confirmed that nitrogen hypoxia remains the most viable method for the state. She said Wessinger appears the nearest in the state to having his death sentence carried out.

The Guzzardos attended

Monday’s oral arguments. Stephanie’s father, Wayne Guzzardo, nodded along as Oldham sharply questioned Hudsmith.

A federal district judge vacated Wessinger’s death sentence in 2015. The order by the late U.S. District Court Judge James Brady landed before the U.S. Supreme Court, which reinstated Wessinger’s death sentence in 2018 after rejecting his claims that his defense lawyers’ miscues amounted to a constitutionally deficient defense.

DeGravelles ordered Wessinger’s resentencing in 2022 and again last year, citing shifts in case law

The attorney general and East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore III, whose office prosecuted Wessinger appealed the latest order

Monday’s oral arguments in New Orleans came before an appeals court widely viewed as among the nation’s most conservative. Along with Oldham and Higginson, Judge Don R. Willett, another Trump appointee, was the third panelist who heard the arguments.

In the days before his Hoffman’s execution at Angola last year, the 5th Circuit rejected a plea by his lawyers that the act of gassing him would violate his Buddhist values. The U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 not to intervene.

In that case, conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch joined three liberal justices in dissent. Gorsuch argued that both the federal judge and the 5th Circuit should have considered Hoffman’s claim that nitrogen hypoxia would violate his faith under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Instead, a spiritual adviser chanted and then knelt on a mat nearby as Hoffman, cloaked in a mask and blanket, gasped his final breaths.

Judge blocks order that ends funding for NPR, PBS

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Citing the First Amendment, a federal judge on Tuesday agreed to permanently block the Trump administration from implementing a presidential directive to end federal funding for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service, two media entities that the White House has said are counterproductive to American priorities

The operational impact of U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss’ decision was not immediately clear both because it will likely be appealed and because too much damage to the public-broadcasting system has already been done, both by the president and Congress.

Moss ruled that President Donald Trump’s executive order to cease funding for NPR and PBS is unlawful and unenforceable.

The judge said the First Amendment right to free speech “does not tolerate viewpoint discrimination and retaliation of this type.”

“It is difficult to conceive of clearer evidence that a government action is targeted at viewpoints that the President does not like and seeks to squelch,” wrote Moss, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Moss’ decision is “a ridiculous ruling by an activist judge attempting to undermine the law.”

“NPR and PBS have no right to receive taxpayer

funds, and Congress already voted to defund them. The Trump Administration looks forward to ultimate victory on the issue,” Jackson said in a statement.

PBS, with programming ranging from “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” to Ken Burns’ documentaries, has been operating for more than half a century NPR has news programming such as “All Things Considered.” and cultural shows like the “Tiny Desk” concerts

For decades, the fates of both systems have been part of a philosophical debate over whether government should help fund their operations

The judge noted that Trump’s executive order simply directs that all federal agencies “cut off any and all funding” to NPR, which is based in Washington, and PBS, based in Arlington, Virginia.

“The Federal Defendants fail to cite a single case in which a court has ever upheld a statute or executive action that bars a particular person or entity from participating in any federally funded activity based on that person or entity’s past speech,” the judge wrote. Last year, Trump, a Republican, said at a news conference he would “love to” defund NPR and PBS because he believes they’re biased in favor of Democrats

“The message is clear: NPR and PBS need not apply for any federal benefit because the President disapproves of their ‘left wing’ coverage of the news,” Moss wrote.

Bill to shrink N.O. courts advances

Measurewould abolishseveral judgeships

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Efficiency of New Orleans courts remains ahot-button issue in Baton Rouge, where aSenate committee on Tuesday passed abill that aims to abolishseveral judgeships in the city’scriminal, civil, juvenile,traf-

fic and municipal courts

Senate Bill 217 cleared the Judiciary ACommittee on a4-3 vote along party lines andisset to go before thefull Senate.

Walker callsoff runfor parish president

Departurecould widenelection field

BY LARA NICHOLSON Staff writer

Jefferson Parish Council at-large member ScottWalkersaidTuesday he is ending his campaign for parish president in 2027, amove that potentially widens the field for next year’selection.

In an interview,Walker said he wouldnolongerseektofollow Cynthia Lee Shengasthe elected leader of Jefferson Parish after her second term ends. Walker and Lee Sheng are both barred from running for their current positions again due to term limits.

The elections for parish president and Parish Council arein fall 2027, with winners taking office in January 2028. Instead, Walker said he plans to focus on his public relations firm and on expanding his ventures to include political consulting.

“I weighed the pros and consand literally went back and forthover it for months and daily,” Walker said. “I thoughtaboutitmany times, and at the end of the day came to the conclusion that eight years is enough and Iwant to do more things with my career.”

AMetairie resident and former WDSU television newsanchor whose first foray into politics was his election to aparishwide councilseatin2019, Walker appeared set tobeastrong contender for the parish presidencywhen he made his intentions known at a fundraiser in November2024, an unusually early announcement Walker often touted his office’s communications with thepublic and same-day response times for constituents’ concerns,and pushed for expanding access for early childhoodeducation. Walker also was instrumental in millions of dollars in planned renovations for The Shrine on Airline sports stadiuminMetairie, expected to break ground later this year,and at the Alario Center in Westwego. Walker has also positioned himself as apeacemaker on the Parish Council, havingserved as chair for threestraight years and keeping order during heated

ä See WALKER, page 4B

Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, presented an amendedbillto remove two civil district judgeships and four from the criminal courthouse. Ajuvenile court section would dissolve

through attrition, and ajudgeship in the Municipal and Traffic Court of New Orleans would also go away under Morris’ bill. Republican committeemembers Gregory Miller, Rick Edmonds, Beth Mizell andAlan Seabaugh favoredthe measure. Democratic Sens. Gary Carter Jr., Jay Luneau and Sam Jenkins Jr.opposed it Morrisissponsoring three measures this sessionthat target the

Orleans Parish court systemfor reform. The judiciary committee passed allthree Tuesday,each on thesame 4-3 split.

SenateBill 197 would reduce theroster of judges from 12 to eight in the 4th Circuit Courtof Appeal, whichhandlescriminal and civil appeals from Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard par-

ishes. The third, SB256, stands to merge the civil and criminalclerks for Orleans Parish, doing away with the Criminal Court Clerk’s Office.

Another Morris offering, SB123, would apply to the judiciary statewide, empowering the Legislature to remove state judges for “malfeasance, gross misconduct or incompetence committed while in office.”

ä See COURTS, page 2B

Cat’s claw vine (Macfadyena unguis-cati), abright yellowflowering vine, is popping up alloverNew Orleanstomarkearly spring. It climbstrees, fences andbuildings using clawliketendrils,which is howitgets its name. Originally plantedasanornamental, it spreadsaggressively and is now considered invasive.While theblooms area beautifulyellow,the vine can quickly overtakenative plants andeven smother trees.It’saclassiccase of something looking pretty for amomentbut causing long-term problems.

STAFF PHOTOSByCHRISGRANGER

N.O. eyes ways to counteract heat risk

Number of extreme days projectedto increase dramatically

BY SAM KARLIN Staff writer

TheNew Orleans residents most at-risk fromextreme heat wanthelppayingutilitybills, more shade andexpanded access to coolingcenters, according to the preliminary resultsofa yearslongeffort from CityHall to develop aplan to respondtorising heatrisk Consultants hired by the New OrleansCity Council told residentsinapublic meeting late Monday that thenumber of extreme heat days are projected to increase dramatically over the comingdecades in New Orleans, largelythe result of human-driven

climatechange. Consultingfirmsare gathering survey responsesuntil Mayahead of the delivery of adraft heat plan to the CityCouncil due June 1. Members of Agaru Consulting, whopresented preliminary findings from the heat study,identified severalsolutions the citycould embrace to prevent heat deaths and illnesses. Thoseinclude helping peopleweatherizeand insulate their homes,delivering water and fans,expanding accesstocooling centers and increasing the tree

canopy The city is facing abudget crunch that has madepaying for basic services —let alone new initiatives —difficult.But AustinFeldbaum, head of the city’s Hazard Mitigation Office, said thecitycan look for ways to cool down.

Sheriff: Jeffersondetective shot person whopulledgun

Manhospitalizedin

critical condition

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

AJefferson Parish Sheriff’s

Officedetective shot andwounded aperson who pulledout agun and pointed it at him while he was working anarcotics investigation in Metairie, according to authorities. The shootingwas reported about 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday in the 2500 block of PasadenaAvenue, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The person wounded, who has not been identified, wastaken to University Medical Center in New Orleans andisincritical condition. SheriffJoseph Lopinto described the encounter as an “ambush.”

“He just comes out of nowhere, pullsout agun with an extended magazine andpointsitatthe detec-

and

tive,” Lopinto said. The Sheriff’s Office said the department’snarcotics division was working on an investigation in the area when they detained two suspects.

Bill takes aim at falling enrollment

BY MARIE FAZIO Staff writer

A proposed state law would empower the Orleans Parish School Board to close charter schools before their contracts have ended, giving district officials broader authority to deal with declining student enrollment.

Filed last week by state Rep. Aimee Adatto Freeman, D-New Orleans, House Bill 1003 would allow the board to close schools midcontract if the superintendent determines the district is “overcapacity” with too many schools and not enough students. The proposed law, which would take effect this year if passed, would apply only to charter schools in New Orleans.

Under the current rules the board can generally close a charter school only when its contract is up for renewal, typically every three to 10 years.

The legislation would also bar the creation of new schools if the district has too many seats, and do away with a requirement that the district offer vacant buildings to other schools before they can be repurposed or sold.

“The bill gives us some additional local control that we need to solve

what is one of the biggest challenges we have faced since COVID,”

said board member Carlos Zervigon, who helped draft the legislation.

Some charter schools leaders said they support the bill because it would take the onus off school operators to make tough decisions like closing schools, which can benefit the entire district

But some board members called the legislation unnecessary Nolan Marshall, who proposed a resolution last week opposing the bill, said the district’s strategy of relying on schools to voluntarily close or consolidate has worked well, adding that the district hasn’t needed to close schools mid-contract

“I’m always leery about going to the Legislature for fixes we can do ourselves,” he said last week Deciding when to close schools

The proposed legislation comes as New Orleans district officials grapple with a declining student population.

New Orleans has lost 3,000 students since 2020 and is projected to lose an additional 4,300 over the next three years, according to an analysis from New Schools for New Orleans. The organization recom-

mended that up to nine schools be shut down by 2029 The bill would require the superintendent to determine each year if the district has too many empty seats and, if so, come up with a plan to address the excess capacity, which could include closing schools before their contracts expire. The board could overturn the plan within 30 days.

“It doesn’t mean we have to close a school mid-contract,” Zervigon said last week. “It just gives us the extra authority to do so only under these very specific situations as specified by statute and the policy we will develop.”

The proposed law could work in tandem with a district “optimization” policy that the board is currently updating. The revised policy would address how much space the district needs in light of declining enrollment — and could be used to determine which schools to close in order to downsize the district

At last week’s board meeting, district officials said the policy could lay out ways to reduce the district’s footprint, such as by having

During hot nights, mental health hotline calls rise

BY EMILY WOODRUFF

Staff writer

Hot, sticky Louisiana nights when temperatures stay above 70 degrees have a measurable effect on residents’ mental health, according to a study that adds to a growing body of research on the links between heat and psychological well-being.

Researchers analyzing nearly 12,000 calls to Louisiana’s 988 suicide hotline found that calls about suicide increased 19% after nights in the 90th percentile for heat, 55% after nights in the 95th percentile and 166% after the most extreme hot nights, according to the peer-reviewed study, published earlier this year in PLOS Mental Health.

The researchers defined “extreme” heat relative to what is typical for each parish, using percentiles rather than a fixed temperature.

A “hot night” in the study generally meant overnight low temperatures in the low to mid-70s in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lafayette and the mid- to upper-60s in Shreveport, which reflect the 90th percentile of what is typical for each area.

The findings represent some of the latest research linking heat to mental health crises. Studies across the United States and internationally have found connections between higher temperatures and suicide deaths,

HEAT

Continued from page 1B

“Funding is always difficult and complicated. But federal grants are not the only way to fund these actions,” Feldbaum said.

“There are ways through building codes or new ways of designing projects to develop heat relief or cooling measures into renovations

Continued from page 1B

The detectives had them on the ground when the gunman ran over and pulled out a firearm, according to Lopinto “From everything I’ve seen, it looks like he literally tried to ambush our detectives that were on the ground,” Lopinto said. “They didn’t even know he was approaching.”

One of the Sheriff’s Office detectives managed to draw his own gun and fired several times, Lopinto said. Authorities don’t believe the gunman

emergency department visits for suicidal behavior, violent crime and domestic violence.

Researchers say Louisiana, with its humid subtropical climate and rising nighttime temperatures, offers an example of how heat can strain both the body and the mind.

“This is consistent with what we’re seeing in the broader literature,” said Mostafijur Rahman, an environmental health researcher at Tulane who has studied the relationship between temperature and mental health and was not involved in the Louisiana analysis. “The strongest effects are often tied to nighttime temperature.”

Hot nights

The Louisiana study examined 11,684 crisis hotline risk assessments conducted between 2019 and 2023 by VIA LINK, the nonprofit that operates the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the state. Researchers looked at whether suicide-related calls increased on the day of and up to two days after extreme temperatures.

The strongest association was at night, rather than scorching temperatures during the day

“When it stays hot overnight, you don’t get a break,” said Sophia Ryan, the study’s lead author and a geographer at UNC Chapel Hill who studies climate and mental health. “Your body doesn’t have a chance to cool down.”

or constructing projects.”

An investigation from The Times-Picayune | The Advcoate last year found that worsening summer heat is causing a dramatic rise in heat deaths and illnesses in south Louisiana. Many of the victims of heat are elderly residents who died at home, some because of a lack of adequate air conditioning. Data on heat deaths is incomplete, but the available figures show the state ex-

fired any shots, but said they are still investigating. Lopinto said the incident was recorded from several angles on different devices, including security cameras. He said one video, recorded by a witness at the scene, has been circulated on social media. That video, which was posted to Facebook, appears to show people struggling on the ground behind an open car door A man wearing black shorts and a black jacket is then seen jogging up to the car before pulling what looks like a gun from his shorts. One of the men, who had

Callers didn’t necessarily mention heat as a stressor, Ryan said. But they did talk about difficulty sleeping and having fewer future plans.

Researchers saw that kids were calling at an even higher rate than adults. During heat waves, typical social outlets like sports practice may be canceled or interrupted, leading to more feelings of isolation, Ryan said.

Heat as a warning

The findings come as Louisiana continues to grapple with intensifying heat. While daytime highs have not increased dramatically in recent decades, minimum temperatures nighttime heat — have risen steadily since 2000, according to the study

As Louisiana looks to another sweltering summer, the research suggests that heat waves could serve as a warning signal.

“These are predictable increases in demand,” Ryan said. “If we know we’re going to have a week of really hot nights, that may be a time to consider additional staffing or outreach.”

Rahman said lawmakers could consider policies to to keep air conditioning running during extreme heat. In northern states, utility companies are prohibited from turning off electric service during colder months. The same policies could be put in place in Louisiana for warmer periods, he said

perienced a significant rise in heat deaths in 2023, when Louisiana was hit with the hottest summer on record. The trend continued in 2024, when temperatures were again above normal.

The City Council voted to fund a heat action plan in fall 2023, but it took years for the work to begin. The group of consultants started work last spring and began meeting with residents in December

been on the ground moments before, raises a hand and stands before pulling his own weapon. He is seen firing his gun at least five times as the man in black collapses to the ground.

Authorities are still working to determine whether the injured man had any ties to the suspects arrested in connection with the narcotics investigation, Lopinto said.

The Sheriff’s Office’s homicide division will handle the use-of-force investigation and turn over the results to the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office, the sheriff said.

schools share buildings.

Board member Olin Parker said the closure policy should take into account a school’s performance and financial viability, not just its enrollment. Zervigon said it should also consider the “community impact” of closing a school.

The district is also revamping the Charter School Accountability Framework, the standards the school board uses to evaluate schools when determining whether to renew their contracts.

Proposal sparks debate

The bill has prompted a discussion about how best to tackle declining enrollment and whether the proposed legislation would empower or hinder local officials.

NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Fateama Fulmore said she feels “agnostic” about the legislation because the district is already addressing the enrollment issue, adding that future superintendents or school boards could misuse the law to close disfavored schools.

“How do you control for ill intention?” she asked at the board meeting.

Zervigon said the bill includes guardrails, such as only allowing mid-contract closures if the dis-

COURTS

Continued from page 1B

It would place a constitutional amendment on next year’s ballot asking voters for the change, under which the Legislature could ax a judge with a majority vote of the House and a two-thirds vote from the Senate.

Currently, only the Louisiana Supreme Court can toss a state judge, and only on the recommendation of the Louisiana Judiciary Commission.

Morris is not alone in seeking an overhaul of Orleans Parish courts. In New Orleans, unlike other parishes, civil, criminal and juvenile courts operate as independent entities.

In the other legislative chamber, Rep Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge has sponsored House Bill 911, which seeks to consolidate civil, criminal and juvenile courts in New Orleans beginning Jan. 1.

Four civil judges, three criminal judges and two juvenile court judges would be removed under McMakin’s bill, which a House judiciary committee supported last month.

He and Morris have both said their proposals strive to bring Orleans Parish an outlier — in line with other judicial systems across the state and reduce the burden on taxpayers by cutting costs the state pays into New Orleans’ courts.

Both legislators have touted raw population and caseload data reported to the Louisiana Supreme Court to support their respective bills, arguing that shrinking numbers from Orleans Parish warrant a drastic change.

But several elected officials raised concerns about

trict is deemed to be overcapacity and allowing the board to overturn the superintendent’s recommendations.

Caroline Roemer, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, said she supports the premise of the bill because, despite years of discussions about underenrollment, the district has relied on schools to voluntarily close.

“This law can give the Orleans Parish School Board the cover they need to make some really hard decisions,” she said, adding that her organization was not involved in drafting the legislation.

Marshall’s resolution opposing HB1003, which did not pass, described the bill as “prescriptive” and said it could “undermine school-level autonomy, and create unintended consequences.”

He argued that the current system is based on free market principles, with demand from families determining the fate of schools. He added that competition for students has bolstered school quality and noted that some school operators have voluntarily merged schools.

In the past several years, 14 schools have closed or consolidated because of low enrollment.

“The system we have is working,” he said.

“It takes many years to correct the harms of laws once they take effect. It destroys people’s lives and does all kinds of harm. We’ve got the opportunity to prevent it from happening right now.”

CALVIN DUNCAN, incoming Criminal Court clerk

the proposed merger and the data supporting the cuts, as a parade of critics spoke out Tuesday against Morris’ proposal.

Many said the issue was much more complex than comparing total case filings from different parishes. Others worried that reducing the number of judges would clog the courts and spike street crime.

Morris at times scrolled on his phone or offered muted answers when questioned by lawmakers who challenged his proposal.

Carter grilled Morris on the data and pressed him to divulge any Orleans Parish judges or attorneys he spoke to when drafting the measures.

Morris said he sought advice from Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jay McCallum and spoke to Gov Jeff Landry Morris said he did not venture into New Orleans.

“I didn’t go meet with people that are absolutely going to oppose everything I was going to do,” he said “It wouldn’t have made a difference. There was no point in that.”

Later, Jenkins asked Morris to explain his push for the bills and emphasized that Morris did not consult with Orleans Parish stakeholders on his proposed legislation.

“Didn’t sound like you felt the need to even have a discussion with a senator from New Orleans about the matter,” Jenkins said. “Does that not raise any concern for you?”

“Nope,” Morris answered. Sitting behind him was Clerk of Criminal Courtelect Calvin Duncan, who in five weeks is set to be sworn into an office that Morris is proposing to eliminate. A former life prisoner and inmate counsel over 28 years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, Duncan argued against Morris’ proposal. He said it doesn’t even address responsibility for the election process in Orleans Parish, a role that currently falls to the criminal clerk Duncan testified that the trio of bills will hurt crime victims, defendants awaiting trial and New Orleanians generally “It takes many years to correct the harms of laws once they take effect,” Duncan said. “It destroys people’s lives and does all kinds of harm We’ve got the opportunity to prevent it from happening right now.”

Email Matt Bruce at matt.bruce@theadvocate. com.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Job openings slide to 6.9 million in February

WASHINGTON U.S job openings fell last month to 6.9 million and hiring was weak, more signs of sluggishness in the American labor market.

The Labor Department reported Tuesday that job vacancies slid from 7.2 million in January

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, showed that layoffs rose. Just 2.97 million people quit their jobs in February Typically, people giving up their jobs is a sign of confidence in their prospects for finding better pay or working conditions elsewhere. The number of people leaving jobs last month was the fewest since August 2020.

A measure of hiring also deteriorated: The jobs report showed 4.85 million gross hires in February, the fewest since April 2020. The hiring rate the number of hires as a percentage of employment — dropped to 3.1%, also the lowest since April 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that shut down economic activity.

Employers added fewer than 10,000 net jobs a month in 2025, the weakest hiring outside a recession since 2002 This year started out with a decent 126,000 new jobs in January

But in February, the United States lost 92,000 jobs. When the Labor Department releases March jobs numbers Friday, they’re expected to show that hiring rebounded and that companies, nonprofits and government agencies added 60,000 jobs this month.

McCormick latest to combine with Unilever NEW YORK Spice and flavorings company McCormick announced on Tuesday that it’s combining with Unilever’s foods division, which includes brands like Hellmann’s and Knorr

The merger is the latest in a string of actions in the packaged food sector as companies contend with inflation and changing consumer tastes. Last year, both Keurig Dr Pepper and Kraft Heinz announced plans to unwind huge mergers, although Kraft later put that plan on hold. Mars recently bought Cheez-It maker Kellanova while Nutella maker Ferrero bought WK Kellogg. The combined company will maintain McCormick’s name and leadership. But upon closing, Unilever and its shareholders are expected to own 65% of the food company’s outstanding equity, amounting $29.1 billion Unilever would also get $15.7 billion in cash. Meanwhile, McCormick shareholders will own 35.0%.

McCormick and its redcapped array of spices is a $15 billion company and the stable of brands it’s adding from Unilever are worth billions more. The companies said on Tuesday that McCormick and Unilever would have a combined revenue of $20 billion for the 2025 fiscal year McCormick said the deal will give it better access to high-growth regions like Latin America and Asia, where Unilever has an extensive presence. It will also expand Unilever’s footprint in North America, where McCormick has a stronger profile.

JetBlue raises checked bag fees as costs grow

U.S. carrier JetBlue has raised its checked bag fees by as much as $9 as the war in the Middle East disrupts global oil supplies and increases fuel prices. The new fees took effect Monday For most domestic economy passengers, the first checked bag now costs $39, up from $35. During peak travel times such as April spring breaks, major holidays and the summer, passengers will have to pay $49 instead of $40, the airline said. JetBlue increased the charge to check a second bag from $50 to $59 for off-peak periods, and from $60 to $69 for periods of peak demand.

BUSINESS

NOLA.COM/BIZ

Dow has best day since last spring

Stocks surge more than 1,100 points

BY STAN CHOE AP business writer

NEW YORK U.S. stocks surged to their best day since last spring, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 1,125 points on Tuesday as doubt swung back to hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 leaped 2.9% for its largest gain since May Just a day before, worries about the war had sent the main measure of Wall Street’s health more than 9% below its all-time high set early this year

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 2.5%, while the Nasdaq

composite jumped 3.8%.

The rebound came as financial markets seized on a couple of tenuous signals for hope about a possible end to the war It’s the latest manic swing following weeks of frenetic back and forth amid uncertainty about the war The moves also came as Wall Street marked the end of the year’s first quarter, a milestone that can cause a flurry of trading as fund managers close their books.

Analysts said optimism entered markets overnight following a report from The Wall Street Journal saying President Donald Trump told aides he’s willing to end the U.S. military campaign against Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz remains largely closed.

Oil prices then took a sudden and sharp turn lower in midday trading

following a news report from the Middle East quoting Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian as saying it has “the necessary will to end the war” as long as certain requirements are met, including “guarantees to prevent a recurrence of aggression.”

The worry on Wall Street has been that the war may last a long time and keep oil and natural gas from the Persian Gulf out of global markets, which could create a brutal blast of inflation.

Following Tuesday’s possible signals of hope, the price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, eased 3.2% to settle at $103.97. Benchmark U.S. crude erased a gain from the morning and fell 1.5% to settle at $101.38.

Tech stocks were the strongest forces lifting the market in a wide-

in the

and announced a partnership with it. Nvidia rose 5.6% and was the single strongest force lifting the S&P 500. Centessa Pharmaceuticals soared 44% after Eli Lilly said it was buying the company working on treatments for excessive daytime sleepiness and other neurological conditions. Lilly which is paying up to $7.8 billion if certain conditions are met, rose 3.7% All told, the S&P 500 jumped 184.80 points to 6,528.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 1,125.37 to 46,341.51, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 795.99 to 21,590.63.

Gas prices eclipse $4 a gallon in U.S., the highest since 2022

High fuel costs will trickle to other industries

BY WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

Associated Press

NEW YORK U.S gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday, as the Iran war continues to push fuel prices higher worldwide.

According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 over a dollar more expensive than it was before the war began on Feb 28. That’s the largest monthly jump the motor club has seen on record. And the last time U.S drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates.

Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran a month ago, the cost of crude oil — the main ingredient in gasoline

— has spiked and swung rapidly That’s because the conflict has caused deep supply chain disruptions and cuts from major oil producers across the Middle East. Both Brent crude, the international standard, and benchmark U.S. crude are now going for more than $100 per barrel, up from roughly $70 before the war

Motorists around the world are coping with higher gas prices. In Paris, for example, gas is at $2.68, which is about $10.27 a gallon.

Higher gas prices arrive as many households continue to face wider cost-of-living strains. And as drivers pay more to cover necessities like gas, or even utility bills impacted by soaring fuel costs, many may be forced to cut their budgets in other places That threatens broader consequences for the economy overall.

Before launching the war, President Donald Trump bragged about keeping gas prices low Consumer prices and the cost of living already have become flashpoints in this midterm election year A recent AP-NORC poll found that 45% of U.S. adults are “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to afford gas in the next few months, up from 30% shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential election.

Beyond visits to the pump, analysts say high fuel costs will trickle into groceries,

which have to be restocked frequently and could also see price hikes as businesses’ transportation and packaging costs pile up. Other cargo has also been impacted. The U.S. Postal Service is seeking a temporary 8% added charge on some of its popular products including Priority Mail.

U.S. diesel, used for many freight and delivery trucks, is now going for an average of $5.45 a gallon, up from about $3.76 a gallon before the war began per AAA.

“It’s going to mean more expensive bills for truckers, tractors and trains that move the U.S. economy with diesel fuel. It’s going to mean consumers are likely greeted by rising grocery prices and broadly speaking, a rise in U.S. inflation,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at fuel-tracking service GasBuddy

It’s possible those prices could jump even higher To Trump’s frustration, most tanker movement in the key Strait of Hormuz — where roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil once sailed through remains at a halt. That’s led to cuts from producers in the region who have no way of getting their crude to market. Meanwhile, Iran, Israel and the U.S. have all struck oil and gas facilities, worsening supply concerns.

Alisa Howell, of Charlotte, North Carolina,

normally fills up her tank entirely when she goes to the gas station. But now, she says just gets enough fuel to do what she needs to do each day Howell hopes gas prices will go down as Trump once promised, but stressed that the “foolishness with the government” continues to impact peoples’ livelihoods. She blamed the administration for making the decision to attack Iran, adding that she doesn’t believe it was worth going to war

“It’s just unfair to all of us. It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican. It’s everybody,” Howell said.

Many drivers are on the hunt for cheaper prices where they can find them. Danielle Ervin, of Novi, Michigan, stopped at a local Speedway station Tuesday morning because it offers an 11-cent per gallon discount.

Still, overall, Ervin said what she pays now is “terrible.” She noted she’s had to cut other parts of her budget.

“I had to cut back on some of my streaming services at home, so the kids are a little upset about that. I had to change which grocery stores I buy my fruits and veggies at,” Ervin said. “And then, I’m not buying stuff for myself — sneakers and clothes and all that other stuff because I have to maintain for the household.”

Consumer confidence up despite soaring costs from war

BY MATT OTT AP business writer

WASHINGTON U.S consumer confidence inched higher in March despite soaring energy prices brought on by the war in Iran.

The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose modestly to 91.8 in March from 91 in February

The board said that while rising costs due to tariffs and spiking oil prices induced by the conflict in the Middle East did not affect the topline confidence reading, there was increasing pessimism in other measures of the survey, including expectations of higher inflation.

Respondents’ comments about oil, gas and the war spiked and consumers’ 12-month inflation expectations surged to levels last seen in August when anxiety over

tariffs peaked.

U.S. gas prices jumped past an average of $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022 on Tuesday as the war caused fuel prices to soar worldwide.

According to motor club AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now $4.02 — up more than a dollar before the war began. The last time U.S. drivers were collectively paying this much at the pump was nearly four years ago, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“This is the key concern as the war in Iran enters the second month will the oil price shock turn into a demand destruction shock?,” wrote Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. Long said that Navy Federal’s credit card data from March

showed that consumers were still making purchases across categories even as gas prices rose But she said that could change in the second quarter “as the worst of the inflation shock hits consumers.”

A measure of Americans’ shortterm expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market fell 1.7 points to 70.9, remaining well below 80, a marker that can signal a recession ahead. It’s the 14th consecutive month that reading has come in under 80. The index for consumers’ assessments of their current economic situation rose by 4.6 points to 123.3. Government data from earlier in March showed that an inflation gauge closely monitored by the Federal Reserve moved 2.8% higher in January in the latest sign that prices were persistently elevated even before the Iran war caused

spikes in oil and gas costs.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories — which the Fed pays closer attention to — core prices rose 3.1%, up from 3% in the prior month and the highest in nearly two years. Consumer prices and prices at the wholesale level also remain elevated.

Those higher prices and the prospect of even higher inflation due to the Iran war make it unlikely that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates any time soon.

The Fed cut its benchmark interest rate three times to close 2025 in an attempt to support a flagging labor market. However, because lower rates can exacerbate inflation, which remains above the Fed’s 2% target, the Fed has left its overnight lending rate alone at its past two meetings.

NewOrleans Area Deaths

Construction firm bookkeeper accusedoftheft

Womanallegedly netted more than $44,000

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

Jefferson Parish Sheriff’sOffice investigators arrested awoman accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from the Metairie construction company where she worked as abookkeeper Michelle Miller,52, of Mandeville, was booked March 20 with theft valued over $25,000, bank fraud and 110 counts of forgery said Sgt. Brandon Veal, spokesperson for the department.

She is accused of stealing more than $44,000, according to authorities.

The Sheriff’s Office opened its investigation in January.The construction company’sowner told detectives that he was contacted by his bank about a woman who was trying to cash a$5,265check from the company,according to authorities.

Theamountsonthechecks varied, rangingfrom $525 to $5,200, for atotal of $44,552, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The company’sowner told investigators Miller was the only personwith access to the company’sphysical checks andthe software usedtoissuethem, accordingto authorities. He also notedthatthe signatureon thefraudulent checkswas not his.

Miller denied any involvement when the owner reached outtoher to ask about the checks, authoritiessaid.

No information was immediately available about whether investigators uncovered more fraudulent checks after the initialcall to the Sheriff’sOffice in January Miller wasbeing held Monday at theJefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna. Bail wasset at $320,000

EmailMichelle Hunter at mhunter@theadvocate com.

The owner asked the bank not to process the check andlater learned that it was issued by Miller and was made payable to cash, according to authorities. Suspicious, theowner began reviewing other checks handled by Miller and found 18 fraudulent checksthat had beenmade outtocash between July 2025 andJanuary 2026, authorities said.

WALKER

Continued from page1B

council debates regarding the Jefferson Parish Inspector General’s Office and its criticisms against aparish projecttobuild a brewpub in Gretna, among other issues.

While the five district council members strongly opposed theinspector general and her main supporter,at-large council member Jennifer VanVrancken, Walker largely stayed above the fray

“I’ve enjoyed working withScottWalker on the Jefferson Parish Council, I consider him afriend, and Ilook forward to continuing to work with him in the future,” VanVrancken said in astatement. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Several other council memberspraised Walker and said they respected his decision.

“I hate to see him not run,” said council member Hans Liljeberg, who represents District 5inMetairie “I hadalot of confidence in him.” Walker said he plans to focus the remainder of his term on easing the parish’s permittingprocess,after the council agreedtohire

outside consultant BerryDunn last summer to review and revise the parish’spermittingordinance.

Walker’splanned departure fromparishpolitics leaves both hiscurrentatlarge Division Bseat and the parish president role open for the taking, as no other candidates havepublicly announcedtheir campaigns yet.

VanVrancken is not termed out of her at-large Division Aseat. She hasnot yet announcedher planfor the nextelection, although her name has been mentionedamong the parish politics watchers as apotential candidate.

“Ourfocus needs to be on finding solutions to the pressing issuesthat concernour residents like thecostofinsurance,high water bills, restoring our bond rating, andpushing for good government,” she said. “Regarding future plans, Itruly appreciate the outpouring of support I’vereceived.Iwill always make decisions based on what is best for the people of Jefferson Parish.”

Lara Nicholson writes about Jefferson Parishfor The Advocate |TimesPicayune. Email her at lnicholson@theadvocate com.

Bowie, Ethel Cargo, Zion Elie,Migel Giordano, Gary Hebert,Leo Hogan, Roy Johnson, Donna Quick, Burnet

EJefferson

Richardson FH Cargo, Zion NewOrleans Cargo,ZionA.

DW Rhodes

Elie,Migel

Gertrude Geddes

Bowie, Ethel St Tammany

EJ Fielding

Giordano, Gary Obituaries

Bowie,Ethel Mae

EthelMae Bowie, age 82 was bornonJune 1, 1943 in NewOrleans, LA departed this earthly home on Wednesday, March 25, 2026. Ethel was theloving mother of Gail Baptiste (Clifford), Willard George III(Margret), Desiree' George, Andree' Lazana (Don), and AngelaKeys (Tracy). Belovedsister of Jean Harris, Noel Randall, Thomas Harri Croson. Ethel vivedby10g 9great-grand

ahost of nieces, nephews, cousins, family and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband Harold Bowie; her parents Albert Harrisand Bessie Hudson; twosiblingsDoris Mylesand Albert Harris; and one grandsonJoshua. Relatives and friends of thefamily are invitedtoattend theCelebration of Life Service on Thursday, April 2, 2026 at Gentilly Baptist Church, 5141 Franklin Avenue,New Orleans, LA 70122 at 10:00 a.m. Visitationfrom 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 am. Interment SoutheastLouisiana Veteran Cemetery, Slidell, LA to be announced later. Youmay sign theguest book on www.gertrudeged deswillis.com. Gertrude Geddes Willis Funeral Home,Inc, in charge (504) 522-2525.

With heavyheartsand profound sorrow, we announce thepassing of Zion A. Cargo, who departed this life on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at thetenderage of 13. Zionwas astudent at Martin Behrman Elementary School and a proud member of the Valley of theQueens Grand ChapterofLouisiana (Order of theEastern Stars) Youth Debutants. She willberemembered forthe joy she brought to those around herand the love she shared so freely She leaves to cherish her precious memories her devoted parents, Alvin Cargo, Jr.and Barbara Benson; her belovedsiblings, Alaza, Destiny, and Damren Benson, and Aaliya,Alvin III, Aami, Armani, andA'Aniya Cargo;her grandparents, Billy Benson, Alvin Cargo, Sr., and Varronise Cargo; alongwitha host of other relativesand friends who willmiss her dearly. Relatives and friendsof

on Thursday, April 2, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Aviewing will be held from9:00 a.m. until thetimeofservice Arrangements have been entrustedto Richardson Funeral Home of Jefferson, RiverRidge, Louisiana. www.richardson funeralhomeofjefferson.co m.

MigelElizabeth Elie de‐partedthislifeonMarch 19, 2026 at theage of 66 after alongstrugglewith breastcancer. Shediedat the Carrollton Retirement Community.She wasborn onSeptember 25, 1959 at Flint-GoodrichHospitalto Gerri MooreElieand Lolis EdwardElie. Agraduateof BenjaminFranklinSenior HighSchool,she received her undergraduatedegree fromBrandeisUniversity. After graduating from the Tulane University School of

Many Americans are fortunate to have dental coveragefor their entire working life,through employer-provided benefits. When those benefits end with retirement,payingdental bills out-of-pocket can come as a shock,leading peopletoput offoreven go without care.

Simplyput —without dental insurance, there may be an importantgap in your healthcarecoverage

Whenyou’recomparing plans ...

 Look forcoveragethat helps pay formajor services. Some plans maylimit thenumber of procedures —orpay forpreventive care only.

 Look forcoveragewithnodeductibles. Some plans mayrequire you to pay hundredsout of pocket before benefits are paid.

 Shop forcoveragewithnoannual maximumoncash benefits.Some plans have annual maximums of $1,000.

Medicare doesn’tpay for dental care.1

That’s right. As good as Medicare is,itwas never meanttocover everything. That means if youwant protection, youneed to purchase individual insurance.

Previous

dental work canwearout

Even if you’ve hadqualitydentalworkinthe past, youshouldn’t take your dentalhealth forgranted. In fact, your odds of havinga dentalproblemonly go up as youage.2

Early detectioncan prevent small problemsfrom becomingexpensive ones

The best way to preventlarge dental bills is preventive care. TheAmerican Dental Association recommends checkupstwiceayear.

Treatment is expensive especially theservicespeople over 50 often need

Consider these national average costsof treatment. $274for acheckup $299 for afilling $1,471 foracrown.3 Unexpected bills likethiscan be areal burden, especially if you’reonafixed income

Medicine,Dr. Elie devoted her life to serviceprimarily inthe healthcare field, working at Chartres Pontchartrain Mental HealthCenter, Orleans ParishPublicSchools and atvarious healthcare orga‐nizations.In1999, shere‐ceiveda Master of Science fromthe LSUHealthSci‐ences Center School of PublicHealth. Sheissur‐vived by hermother, Gerri Elie, herbrother,Lolis Eric Elie, hernephews,Lolis NirikoElieand Olajidé TsarasoaElie, andher sis‐ter-in-law, Béatrice Elie as wellher aunts, Bobbi Anna Dantzer andAltheaHills and ahostofcousins.A memorialwillbeheldat Dillard University’s Georges Auditorium,2601 GentillyBlvdonSaturday, April 4, with visitation at 10:00 a.m. anda memorial at11:00 a.m. Membersof Delta SigmaTheta Sorority are invitedtoparticipate in the Omega-Omega cere‐monyat9:30a.m.The fam‐ily wouldalsowelcome pastors andmembers of Bethany United Methodist Church,BrooksShaw UnitedMethodist Church, Boynton United Methodist Church,Christian Unity Baptist Church,Franklin AvenueBaptist Church and BroadwayMissionaryBap‐tistChurch.Arrangements byD.W.RhodesFuneral Home, 3933 Washington Ave.Pleasevisit www.rho desfuneral.comtosignthe onlineguestbook.Inlieuof flowers, Dr.Elie’sfamilyis askingthatdonations be madetothe Benjamin & Yancy Foundation,Inc.a 501(c)3nonprofitdedi‐cated to providingscreen‐ing,therapeutic services, and educationalresources tothose coping with breastand prostate can‐cer.https://www.benjami nandyancyfoundation.org/

HE DEAD. This simplephrase is what Gary wanted his obituary to say, but there is so much more to his story. He also wanted people to know his cause of death. Even though he had an incrediblybig heart,it suddenly failed him in the end. Gary Anthony Giordano was born in New Orleans, LA on December 13, 1956, to aproud Sicilian Orleanian family. He leftus from the comfort of his home on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at the age of 69.After awonderful and habitually productive day with his wife Susan, his heart tragically stopped. Gary is survived by his wife and best friend, Susan Maurin Giordano; his children, JessicaGiordano (Katie Rehani), Julia Giordano (Nicholas Dischler, III),and Angela Fleury (Robert Fleury); and his grandchildren, Lily and Liam Fleury. He is also survived by his parents, Benedetto "Benny" Giordano and Rose VinterellaGiordano; his siblings, Kim Campbell, Karen Nepute, and Kris Medieros; and his numerous cousins, in-laws nieces, and nephews. Dedicated to family,

Gary adoredlivinglifewith Susan; taughthis daughterstobeindependent, strong, and ambitious women; was the goofiest Poppa Ghis grandchildren could have askedfor;regularly visited andcared for his parents; and served as adependable resourcefor hisnieces and nephews. Gary builtdeep,lifelong friendships filledwith strong bonds, laughter, and adventure.Heloved gathering with those closesttohim to share good jokes, music, food,drinks, vacations,and (cheating at) cardgames. Throughouthis 40+ years as an engineerfor Texaco and Chevron, Gary beamed with excitement over his individual accomplishments along with his mentorshipofand advocacy forhis associates. Gary, his boisterous voice, and his vivacious laugh willbemissed by all who knew and lovedhim.

In lieu of flowers, contributionsinmemory of Gary Giordano may be made to the *Freedom from Religion Foundation *ACLU *Northshore Humane Society Family and friends are invited to celebrate Gary's life at EJ Fielding Funeral Home, 2260W 21st Avenue, Covington, LA 70433, on Saturday, April4,2026.The family willwelcome guests from 9:00-11:00AM,with a Celebration of Lifebeginningat11:00AM. You are invited to share thoughtsand fondest memoriesat www.ejfieldingfh.com.

Dr. Leo P. HebertJr.,85, resident of Thibodaux, Louisiana,passed awayon March 26, 2026. Born in Houma, he graduated from St.Francis High School beforeattending theUniversity of SouthwesternLouisiana. Upon graduatingfrom college as aproud Ragin' Cajun alumnus, he entered Louisiana State University School of Medicine.There, he earned his medical degree before serving as a captaininthe US AirForce during the Vietnam War. After returninghome, he completed his residency at Charity HospitalinNew Orleans and married the love of his life. Together they practiced medicine forover thirty years, caring forthe peopleof Thibodaux and the surroundingarea. In retirement, he continuedtolive

hisfaith by becoming a Benedictine Oblate.But perhapshis biggest accomplishment of allwas surviving dailylifewith his five daughters,thanks in largeparttothe help of his one son. He is survivedbyhis wife, Carolyn St.Amant Hebert; son, Leo Placide Hebert III(Stacy); daughters, Catherine Hebert Messersmith(Win), Maria Hebert-Leiter (Andrew) and Julie Hebert Danos (Andre); grandchildren, James Winston ArdoinII, LeoP.Hebert IV (Nicole), William Messersmith, BenjaminHebert, Elizabeth Hebert,Robert Leiter, Mary ElizabethDanos, Andrew Messersmith,Charles Leiter, and Isabel Messersmith.

He is preceded in death by parents, Leo Placide Hebert Sr. and Ethel Trosclair Hebert;daughters, Anne-Marie Hebert Ardoinand Elizabeth Anne Hebert; brother, John Hebert(and Celeste).

Avisitationwillbeheld in his honoronMonday, April6,2026, at St.Thomas Aquinasfrom 10:00 AM untilfuneraltime.A Mass of ChristianBurial willtake place at 12:00 PM Interment willbeinSt. JosephCemetery in Thibodaux.

In lieu of flowers,donations can be madetoE.D. White CatholicHigh School, St.Genevieve CatholicSchool or St JosephCatholicSchool in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in memory of Dr. Leo P. Hebert Jr. Online condolences can be givenatwww.landrysfu neralhome.com

Landry's FuneralHome, Inc. is in charge of arrangements.

Hogan,Roy A. Plumbers & SteamfittersLocal Union 60: Funeral services will be held for our lateBrother RoyA.Hogan, on Wednesday, April1,2026 at 12:00 p.m. at St. Michael theArchangel Catholic Church, 15405 Highway 90, Paradis, LA.Byorder of JacobR.Newton, President Attest: Ronald R. Rosser, Business Manager

ChristianFellowship International, NewOrleans, LA

Colonel Burnet "Burnie" ReaQuick, USA (Ret.), October26, 1943 -March 24, 2026. Burnie Quick passed away peacefully at home in Columbus, GA on March 24, 2026. He was 82 years oldand,above allthings, a fighter. Aman who met hardship with quietresolveand filledevery room he entered with warmth and light.Evenindeath. BorninNew Orleans, LA on October26, 1943, Burnie lost his mother at age11 and found hisfooting with his aunt and uncle, Ginger and Len Preston,in Tuscaloosa, AL.Itwas at MarionMilitary Institute that he found his calling graduatingasthe Cadet Corps Commander. It's also where he met thelove of his life,Frances McDonald. He went on to graduatefrom Troy State University and laterearned aMaster's in Psychology fromthe Universityof Georgia.

Commissioned intothe regular army as a2nd Lieutenantin1965, Burnie gave28years to theUnited States Army as an Airborne Infantry Ranger. He served twotours in Vietnam, commanded an Infantry Company each tour, was awardeda Silver Star on each occasion, plus received theBronze Star forValor with 5Oak Leaf Clusters. During Burnie's career, he commanded a MechanizedInfantry Battalionand aBradley Infantry Brigadewhile servingtwo tours in Germany. He was Chief of Staffofthe 3rd Infantry Division in Germany and theUnited States Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning where he retired after helping that installation earn recognition as theBest Large Military Installationinthe world. In 2014, Burniewas inducted intothe Alabama Military

Hall of Honor In civilian life, Burnie served as Presidentof Uptown Columbus, Inc. and launchedthe Columbus Business Improvement District,playinga proud role in helpingtransform downtown Columbus. But hisgreatest title was Grandaddy. He left hisfamilyone last instruction twoweeks before he passed: "Don't letpeople mourn me too long. Make people laugh andremember thegood timeswehad." That was Burnie Burnie is survived by his wife of 58 years, Frances McDonaldQuick; daughter Shannon Reid Quickof Columbus; son Jeffery WadeQuickofAtlanta, daughter-in-law Amanda McAvan Quick, andgrandchildrenParkerMoseley Quickand Lacey Rose Quick; and his sister,Mary Reid Flukinger of Columbus, and many beloved niecesand nephews. He waspreceded in death by his parents, Leslie Burnet andGladys ParkerQuick; his sister BeverlyQuick Kearney; his cousin,PeggyWilkinson Virski;and his auntand uncle, Gingerand Len

Preston. TheMemorialService will take place Thursday, April 16, 2026, 11am-12pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church:1130 1st Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901. Visitation to follow in the church.The Inurnment Thursday will take place afterwardsfrom1:30 -2:00 p.m. at Fort Mitchell NationalCemetery:553 Alabama Highway165, Fort Mitchell, AL 36856. In lieu of flowers, the familyrequest donations be made to Trinity Episcopal Church in ColumbusGeorgia, The HistoricColumbus Foundation or Marion Military Institute in Marion Alabama.

OUR VIEWS

Louisiana would welcome visitfrom Pope Leo

It’sbeen nearly four decades since thelast time apontiff set foot in Louisiana,but locals still talk about the time Pope John PaulIIcame to town

Justimagine the memories that would be created should the first American popehonor his family’sancestral home with avisit. Chicago may claim Pope Leo XIV as its own, but the former Robert Prevost’selevation last year unleashed atorrent of emotion in these parts, as details of his family’shistory —first reported by the Historic NewOrleans Collection’sJari Honora and soon amplifiedbygenealogistsworldwide —definitively linkedhim to New Orleans’ Creole community

The researchplaced Leo’sstorysquarely into auniquelyAmerican narrative, as both aproduct of our celebrated meltingpot anda descendant of people who wrestled with thecountry’s complicated legacy of race.

It also created awhole class of people,both here and elsewhere, who feel adeep connection to the pope, including more than afew whoare pretty sure they just might somehow be related. Indeed, Leo’sascent has already inspiredajoyfulfamilyreunion of sorts,asdescendants of relatives who identified as Black andthose who passed for White finallymet

New Orleans Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson and Archbishop James Checchio reportedly discussed those family ties duringa 35-minute audience with the pope atthe Vatican lastweek, during which they invited him to include New Orleans on afuture itinerary

We’d like to echo that invitation to aplace that boasts not only one of thelarger percapita Catholic populations in the United States,but one where Catholicculture touches everything from football to Carnival to ourfamous cuisine.

In addition to Leo’sfamilial connection,the group that visited also discussed the state of Catholic education in Louisianaand therestoration of historic St. Louis Cathedral inNew Orleans, where the pope’sgreat-grandmotherwas baptizedin1840, according to research by Katie Beeman, the director of the archdiocese’sarchives. Benson is leadingthe fundraising drive for the restoration.

During the visit, Checchio soughtand received Leo’spermission to name the upcoming renovation of thecathedral rectory thePope LeoXIV Centerfor Evangelization, in honor of both him and his family.

The gesture “moved the Holy Fatherdeeply,” said Greg Bensel,the Saints’ andPelicans’ senior vice president of governmentrelations, who also attended the meeting

To sweeten the invitation still more, Benson presented Leowith acustomized Saints jersey, and —incase the team’sAll Saints’ Dayorigins aren’tenoughtoentice him—Checchioshared some localrecipes. Call it asmall taste of thecelebrationNew Orleans would throw if Pope Leo XIV decided to visit.

LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR ARE

HERE AREOUR

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O. Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCANHERE

Hubris is defined as “overbearing arrogance or presumption, often leading to adownfall.” It originates from ancient Greek mythology,where it referred to defying thegods. Today, hubris describes overconfidence that resultsinfailure or ruin. Narcissistic personalitydisorder is amental health condition characterized by along-term patternofgrandiosity, an excessive need for admiration and alack of empathyfor others. People with narcissistic personalitydisorder often feel superior,entitled and exploitative, yet they may possess fragile self-esteem vulnerable to criticism. Donald Trumpisthe epitomeof these two terms. However,these conditions are not limited to Trump. They infect his entire Cabinet, theU.S. House and Senateand mostred-dominated states have governors and legislators who replicate theattitude and actions of Trump. They believe they have theright to do what they want, regardless of the rightsofall citizens.

In aDecember 2025 VanityFair

The attack on Iran has not had the results thatPresident Donald Trump wanted; just the opposite. Before the attack, the hard-liners running the country wereonapathtobereplaced by moremoderateleaders, including Ali Larijani, who was the de facto government leader after Ayatollah Ali Khameneidied in theattack.Larijani himself was killed in an Israeli strike.Iranian hard-liners are now more powerful thanbefore, determined to continue their counterattacksand to block the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely

So now we face an angry,even more extremistIraniangovernment with fewer checks on itspower,aswell as galloping inflation with the rapidly rising priceofoil andeverything else that depends on petroleum for shipping and/

Iwould like to propose aconstitutional amendment that would put into law that when there is agovernment shutdown or apartial government shutdown, Congress and itscongressional stafferswill not be paid. If there was also away to include that their

interview,WhiteHouse Chief of Staff Susie Wiles defended the actions of the second Trumpadministration, specifically regarding theaggressive tactics of officials like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., by stating that “in order to get back to themiddle, you have to push it too far.” Democracy is amessy,difficult way to govern. It involves multiple points of view,often polarizing, yet it is what our country has successfully managed to use to makeAmerica the country that people wanted to come to in order to escape regimes that deny basic rightstotheir citizens.

The actions of today’sfederal and stategovernmentswill be judged by theelectorate in themidterm elections. The outcome of these elections will determine if Trump will lose his majorities in the House and Senate, thereby bringing his exploitation of thegovernment to ahalt, or continue theswing to the right to the detriment of our democracy DANIEL NORDURFT Harahan

or manufacturing. The Pentagon just asked taxpayers to kick in another $200 billion for this war,with no escape plan and no end in sight Vietnam draft dodger Trump says he is “not afraid” to send ground troops to Iran. He was afraid of the military draft as ayoung man; nowheiswilling to send today’syoung Americans to their death. Idetestthe hard-line, anti-democratic Iranian regimeasmuch as anyone, but our attack has only further empowered it. That is why Iamappalled by our attack on Iran, which posednoimminent threat to theU.S. before and now poses amuch greater threat to us after the president’s ill-advised military action.

CHRISDAY NewOrleans

salaries and possibly their personal finances would be garnished, Iwould like to see that included in the amendment. Why are they getting paid when they are not doing their jobs?

A.J.FRIEDMAN NewOrleans

Mayor Helena Moreno has stated that the current sanitation feeisn’t generating enough incomeand that an additional $24 million per year has to be taken from the general fund to cover the actual costs of trash removal services. She says this is an untenable situation and that arate hike is necessary

But, before Moreno and the City Council ask forrate hikes, they need to explain to the citizens of NewOrleans whyJefferson Parish can provide twice-a-week trash pickup fora monthly residential bill of about $25 per month while NewOrleanians, by contrast, currently pay $24 per month foronce-a-week pickup and it appears they will soon be asked to pay even more. Why are our trash removal costs higher? Is it that NewOrleans sanitation companies have to pay higher dumping fees at landfills? Is it the lack of atruly competitive bidding process fortrash hauling contracts? Is it something else? The citizens of New Orleans deserve an explanation.

MICHAEL NUSSBAUM NewOrleans

Iwould like Mayor Helena Moreno and the City Council to say whether they are in favor of a$90 million public subsidy fora1,000-room Omni hotel in acity where residents must check their text messages each morning to see if it’ssafe to brush their teeth.

MARYR.ARNO NewOrleans

Welcomeback, Columbus

Sometimes Humpty Dumpty canbe put back together again

Rich Lowry

Back in 2020, during the spasmof violence in the wake of the killing of George Floyd,vandals in Baltimore, Maryland, tore down astatue of Christopher Columbus. They shattered the figureofthe iconic explorer and tossed the piecesintothe Inner Harbor,including the severedhead That seemedtobring to adecisive end astatue that had stood since 1984. This act of iconoclasm, though, has ahappyending.A replica now stands in front of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, courtesy of aWhite House committed to the memory of the great navigator The assailed statue found afriendin alocal artist and fishermannamed Tilghman Hemsley.Hegot diverstofish out the pieces, and then his son, Will Hemsley,set aboutcreating areplica,a painstaking,expensiveeffort Columbusisworth it. His statueshave been afrequenttarget of protesters and hishonorary day has been downgraded to ashotgun marriage with Indigenous Peoples Day,afaux holiday meant asa rebuke to Columbusand allhis works.

The famous explorer is hardly the monster of the left’simagination. There’snodoubt that he was flawed and aproduct of his time, a15th century that was red in tooth and claw. Columbus was wrong onafundamentalquestion, thinking thathe’d discovered Asia, when he hadn’tcome close. He enslaved natives and could be highhanded, although he wasn’texceptionally cruel by the standards of the day.The devastation of native populations wasa terrible tragedy owing to the spread of disease, not deliberatepolicy.

His worst failing was thathe wasan abysmal administrator.Atone point, Columbus was sent back to Spain in chains to answer for his misgovernance

Theother side of the ledgeristruly epic. How many people have played acentral role in knitting together two hemispheres, and doingitatconsiderable personal risk?

What Columbus pulled off wasthe equivalent, in today’sterms, oftravel-

ing to Mars in ajerry-rigged spacecraft, without propernavigation or anysense of whatmight await on the RedPlanet.

Right before Columbus made landfall during his first voyage,the crew of the Santa Maria was ready to mutiny; he came closetohaving to turn around.

After making landfall in theBahamas Columbus barely made it back to Europe. Repeatedly hit by brutalstorms, he tossed abottle overboard with adescriptionofwhathehad found in case he didn’tmakeit. His featsofnavigation andexplorationwereextraordinary; he,and other explorers of his era, catalyzed advances in map-making and geography; andhe made an outsized contribution to forging the Atlantic bridge between Europe andthe Americas that was one of the keys to the creation of themodern world

The maritime historian Lincoln Paine writes, “This erawas unprecedented not only because extraordinary floods of people, ideas and material wealth, as well as flora,fauna andpathogens, were unleashedaround the world, but be-

cause Europeans were for thefirsttime in the vanguard of world change.” It is this epochal development considered adisasterbythe woke left —thatisatthe root of thecampaign to dethrone, andevendecapitate, ChristopherColumbus. Sincethe inception of cities,there have been statues to honor heroes and to establishthe valuesand history that define aplace. These choices are fraught with meaning —the public displayofahistorical figure in marble isn’t merely adecorative elementina park or trafficcircle, but astatement about whoweare.

This is whythe restoration of the Columbus statue is so gratifying. In this instance, an act of destruction carriedout by revolutionaries seeking to change ourpublic landscapeand the story we tell about ourselves has been resisted andreversed. For now, Christopher Columbus is together again andhonored on theWhite House grounds.

Rich Lowry is on X, @RichLowry

Nation’s leadersare stuckina time warp

Economist John Maynard Keynes once remarked, “Practical men,who believe themselves to be quiteexempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of somedefunct economist.” The wry commentary eventuallycurdled into ironic prophecy, as Keynes became one of those defunct economists. His prescription for countercyclical stimulus mutated into abelief that government spendingwas a kind of perpetual motion machine: Since spending creates jobs and jobs create spending, youcould fuel an increasinglyvirtuous cycle with ever-expanding outlays. This garble led to unnecessary stimulus during post-pandemic recovery and then some unnecessary inflation. Alas, this is common in public policy fights. Expert debates grounded inthe conditions of aparticulartime getfiled down to sound bites in mediareports. Years later, half-remembered versions inspire policies that are at best inappropriate to the current moment and,at worst, counterproductive. We’re seeing alot of that now,inpart becausethe Great Recession wasso damaging, its politics so formativefor so many people,that many of them seem stuck in atime warp.

Nutrition Assistance Program, stronger protection for unions, tighter utilityrate regulation paired with expanded subsidiesand,ofcourse, a“root causes” approach to public safety. There are some standard technocratic transportation ideas, such as congestion pricing and some vague gestures toward economic development, but theanimating logic is pure Democratic SocialistsofAmerica: make life harder for landlords, bigbusinesses and affluent taxpayers, and easier for those at the bottom.

Does social media really addict us?

Facebook,Instagram and WhatsApp are running content very harmful to children. So said ajury in NewMexicothat just slappedtheir owner, Meta, with a$375 millionfine.The state accused the company of spreading pornographic imagesand helping adults contact vulnerable children.

Meta faces thousands of suits, but in alandmark case decidedinCalifornia, the company wastoldtopay 20-yearoldplaintiff KaleyG.M. $4.2 million in combinedcompensatory andpunitive damages. Kaley blamed its products on avariety of mental health issues, including depression and dangerous distress over her body shape. All the abovechargesring true, but large remedies for reducing the hazards through legislationand suits seem almost impossible.The webisalot biggerthaneventhe media giants. There will always be operators spreading the nastiest content, and tech-savvy users, including adolescents, will be able to find it.

Meanwhile, a$375 millionfine is arounding errortoMeta, whose revenuesinone recentquartertotaled 160 timesthatamount. The companyhas just unveiled anew stockoptionplanthatcould hand outdollars in the hundreds of millions to topexecutives if theyhit steep growth targets. With that kind of incentive, how picky do youthink Meta execs will be about content drawing viewers?

Whatmakes it so hard to protect young people fromdamaging content is social media’s addictive pull. The platforms observe what keeps youengaged and keep sending youmoreofthe same type of content. That’s why my feeds arefull of videos showing dogs being rescued.

Forteen girls worriedabout their looks, as they’ve always been, the platforms’ barrage of content portraying unusually perfect young bodiesexposes them to hurtful comparisons. Some pictures aren’teven of real females. And some that are have been very muchdoctored Suchcontent promotesobsessive media use amongteens, according to arecent study by the Journalofthe American Medical Association. The messages fuel humiliationand anxiety andcan triggereating disorders.

McArdle M n

Aworthy goal, one might say, and if it’sa mite optimistic, well, she can trim it back when she getsthe job.But theproblem with her platform is not that it’s too focused on working families who are struggling with affordability. The platform feels designed for adifferentera, when D.C. was booming, and the only question was how to manage that growthand distribute thefruitsofthe boom.

urban core. Meanwhile, making life harder for landlords will discourage developers, who are reeling from higher interest rates and lower rents. They’re already pretty discouraged: In 2019, developers pulled permitsfor 5,777 units of multifamily housing. In 2025? It was 1,410. If elected, Lewis George will learn the samelesson as Mamdani, only more so: Youcannot govern a2026 city with 2016 ideas. They are not the only ones who need to learnthat lesson.

Take California’sbillionaire wealth tax referendum,which assumes that most of the billionaires will obediently stick around to fork over 5% of their assets. Given the size of the tax, that would have been adubious notion even 10 yearsago, but it’s much more dubious in theZoom era, when it’seasier to relocate or keep an eye on things remotely No one should be surprised that some of the state’slargest taxpayers have already left or made plans to leave, for lessonerous jurisdictions.

It’snot easyfor parents to rein in children’ssocial media use in asocietyswimming in technology andthose cool delivery systems, but theycan try.I’m always surprisedtosee family dinners at restaurants where childrenare engaged with tablets, offintheir ownworld. Many otherwise good caregivers encourage use of these devices to keep childrenoccupied and out of their way.

The best schoolsare banning tablets and phonesintheir classrooms.Theyoften store the devices on the way in andgive them back as the students leave. Some parents make this harderbydemanding the ability to contact their childrenatany time in the day. The schoolstellthem that the main officecan be called in the event of an emergencyand the student taken out of class. Bear in mind thatfor centuries, parents didn’thave24/7 access to children at school or outatplay. Earlier generations somehow survived.

In my beloved home of D.C., democratic socialist JaneeseLewis George is running amayoral campaign that you might call “Mamdani Lite”: half the charisma and one-thirdfewer freebies than the classic version. Awise adjustment, given that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has already retrenched because of legislative opposition and asizable budget gap. Nonetheless, she’sstill got plenty of ambitions. Lewis George, whohas a history of pro-tenant, anti-landlord politics, wantsD.C. to beef up theTenant Opportunity to Purchase Act,expand the first-time home buyer program and investin public housing. She promises auniversal child care benefit,free bus rides for people in the Supplemental

Today’sD.C. is in adifferent position. Sincethe pandemic, rising crimeand remote work shifted housing and office demand toward thesuburbs. Though crime has fallen, President Donald Trump’sfederal workforce cuts dealt thecity another blow.D.C.’soffice vacancy rate stands at 18.1%, and rents are stagnant; wage and job growth trail the national economy; and the housing market has weakened compared to the Virginia suburbs.

Glen Lee, the district’s chief financial officer,recently notified theD.C. Council that revenue growth is down sharply andis“estimated to be at or below the rate of inflation for the foreseeable future.”

Taxhikes, you say? Or perhaps cut police spending now that crime is down? Unfortunately,D.C. is an unusually small city,which makes it easy for taxpayers andbusinesses to decampfor thesuburbs when thingsget tough. Any declineinpublic order —orincrease in taxes or commuting costs —could prove catastrophic for the already-struggling

In case you thinkI’m beating up on theleft too much, let’stake the right’s obsession with wokeness. That’san obsession Ishared —five years ago, when people were shouted down or fired everywhere you looked. It seems quaint today,asinstitutions race to dismantle their diversity,equity and inclusion initiatives, right-wing influencers openly embrace antisemitism and thecancellation artists are reduced to shouting at each other on Bluesky

Nor do voters seem to care much. Republican WinsomeEarle-Sears hit transgender issues hard in the2025 Virginia gubernatorial race, which did nothing to revive her campaign.

Perhaps Lewis George will have better luck playing thegolden oldies this time around. Buteven if audiences enjoy her nostalgia tour,governing requires something more contemporary Current problems call for current ideas, not thegreatest hitsofyesteryear Megan McArdle is on X, @asymmetricinfo.

The most manipulative content can be hard on adolescents, but howaddictive is it really? Ichangedsome unhealthy habits without going coldturkey.

Fora while, Iwas hooked on rage-bait. That’scontent designed to make me angry Rage-bait is the gateway to doomscrolling, which is the obsessive search for negative posts. Icouldn’tcount the hours I’ll never getback scrolling through aggravating posts, many of which were basically fictiondisguisedasreal news or real news designedtodistort the reality,which can be worse. But YouTube,owned by Google,has wonderful videos on history,goodthings to read andhow to do stuff. Sure, there’smind rot, but yougenerally must click to getit. As for the less noble platforms, Istill followthe dogrescues.

Froma Harrop is on X, @FromaHarrop. Email her at fharrop@gmail.com

SPEED BREAKDOWN

SPORTS

Tulane’s new OC earning trust

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

New Tulane offensive coordina-

tor Russ Callaway has not called plays for seven years, but coach Will Hall did not see any rust when he returned to his old role during the first scrimmage of spring practice on March 19. The touchdown the offense scored on the first play set the tone for an impressive debut.

“He did a good job of calling the scrimmage last week with how fast he got the play calls in,” Hall said Tuesday after the Green Wave returned from an 11-day hiatus for spring break.

“We were never waiting no matter what the situation was. It gave the quarterbacks plenty of time to look at the defense and assess it.”

Hall assessed what he wanted from a coordinator carefully before hiring the 38-year-old Callaway, who spent the previous two years in the same role at Florida while former coach Billy Napier called the plays. Tulane will run Hall’s scheme, but he is ceding play-calling duties to Callaway

“It’s no different than Kirby Smart on defense at Georgia or Dan Lanning at Oregon or Lane Kiffin at LSU,” Hall said. “I needed a guy that could learn my system, get to where they can complete my sentences and realize what a great opportunity this is with the players we have and the way we can win.” After two interviews, both coaches felt it would be a perfect fit.

“We shared a lot of the same beliefs, and not just from the football side,” Callaway said “It was the same life beliefs on family, work ethic and going through tough times. That triggered me first. Then once we started talking more scheme and football, we have a lot of similarities. It was a good, smooth mesh. I like being around high-energy people, and he is the definition of high energy.”

Callaway already is a hit with his players.

“He has a lot of swagger to him,” said quarterback Zeon ChrissGremillion, who was full go on Tuesday after being limited by a hamstring injury in the six practices before spring break. “When he calls the plays, he gets us juiced up. He’s very smart and meaningful with everything he does.” Hall was a run-first coach at Division II West Alabama and West Georgia. Callaway, the son of former UAB coach Neil Callaway (2007-11), ran an Air Raid offense from 2016-19 as offensive coordinator at Samford, which finished third in the FBS in yards passing his first year, fifth in his second and first in his third (392.7 per game)

ä See TULANE, page 5C

Worth talking about

Buzz lends insight into Saints’ thinking on Kamara, Jordan, Davis’ departure

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

PHOENIX When Kellen Moore says there’s a process that has to unfold with Alvin Kamara, the coach hasn’t directly stated the next steps. So what does he mean?

Based on buzz from the NFL owners’ meetings this week, a clearer picture is emerging The Saints still would like to address Kamara’s contract, even after deploying a quietly used salary-cap tactic to lower his cap hit from north of $18 million to roughly $10.5 million. Addressing that could mean asking Ka-

Saints notebook. PAGE4C

mara to take a pay cut. Or it could mean parting ways entirely, whether through a trade or cutting him. The Saints have yet to decide which path they want to take, preferring to let the draft unfold first. New Orleans had informed Kamara that the team planned to add another running back regardless, and the Saints did exactly that when they signed Travis Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract. Etienne’s arrival does not preclude the Saints from adding even more at the position in the draft. With the draft another three weeks away, that puts the Saints

and Kamara in a wait-and-see mode. Here’s what else the Times-Picayune heard at the three-day event. Demario clarity

One of the more curious developments of free agency for the Saints was Demario Davis signing a two-year, $22 million deal ($15 million guaranteed) with the New York Jets only for New Orleans to then sign Kaden Elliss for the same average annual salary ($11 million per year), a bigger guarantee ($23 million) and a longer term (three years). Did the Saints prioritize Elliss because

Kiffin: Reliford injury ‘significant’ for LSU

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Observations

College football rosters aren’t as deep as they were four or five years ago. Coach Lane Kiffin offered that observation on March 24 when he said his first LSU roster could have some “depth issues.” Most programs do nowadays. The transfer portal, Kiffin said, spreads talent across the country Which means that it’s now more difficult than it used to be for top teams to overcome injuries like the one that LSU edge rusher Gabe Reliford suffered last week in spring practice when he tore his ACL

“This was a significant loss for us,” Kiffin said.

LSU

Reliford, a former four-star recruit from Shreveport, is a returner who missed all but four games last season with a torn ro-

tator cuff, and he was expected to play a role on the LSU defensive

line in 2026.

Now the Tigers may have to rely even more heavily on the top two edge rushers they signed from the transfer portal: Princewill Umanmielen from Ole Miss and Jordan Ross from Tennessee.

Other players could emerge, especially because Kiffin said Tuesday that he’d like to rotate defensive linemen so the Tigers can keep up with the up-tempo offenses he expects them to face next season.

But Reliford was one of LSU’s most experienced edge rushers. Now he’ll have to rehab another major injury

“That’s a difficult injury,” Kiffin said. “Really challenging for him after missing time last year He was doing a great job.”

Here’s what else stood out on Tuesday from a glimpse into

ä See LSU, page 3C

New Sugar Bowl president discusses challenges

BY LES EAST

This might appear to be a slow time of the year for the Allstate Sugar Bowl. The next contest, which will be a College Football Playoff semifinal game, is less than 10 months away But there are a whole bunch of other events that involve the Sugar Bowl, and working on the game is closer than it seems.

Just ask Riley Busenlener, who was installed as the 68th president of the Sugar Bowl committee on Feb. 5 for a one-year term.

“It seems like I’ve been on the job

for quite a while,” Busenlener said.

“It’s only going to get busier.” Busenlener has been on the committee since 2006, served as a Sugar Bowl officer for the past five years and was the longtime chairman of the finance committee. “Ever since I’ve been here (33 years), the Sugar Bowl has had an uncanny habit of picking the right person at the right time as president,” Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley said. “That’s very much

the case with Riley.” Hundley cited Busenlener’s legal and business acumen as well as an acute ability to bring clarity to cumbersome negotiations as coming in handy as the Sugar Bowl, like all the CFP-affiliated bowls, has had to play catch-up because the CFP didn’t settle on its format for the 2026 season until January

The Sugar Bowl has been working on more than 50 contracts for the next several years after all CFP-related contracts for the last six years, including those with Allstate as the Sugar Bowl’s title sponsor and even the Caesars Superdome, expired when Indiana defeated

Miami for the 2025 championship at the Orange Bowl on Jan. 19.

As a result, the Sugar Bowl hasn’t finalized the contracts necessary to formalize next season’s game, which will be the 93rd edition and be played Jan. 15 in the Superdome, though Busenlener assured “It will absolutely happen.”

Hundley said the Sugar Bowl and the CFP are “very close” to signing the primary contract. The CFP bowls agreed to “a letter of intent” for a new six-year deal last fall, but that didn’t guarantee anything until a continuation of the 12-team format and the inclusion of the particular bowls was officially

adopted in January

“There are a lot of new contracts that need to be negotiated,” Busenlener said, “so being able to see both the legal side and the business side of these things is, I think, a relatively unique advantage that I have, and can offer a little bit of guidance and meaningful voice in the room.”

The Sugar Bowl, which has served as a CFP quarterfinal game during the first two years of the 12-team format, will move from its traditional New Year’s night spot to two weeks later on a Friday night.

Schaefer chasing an elusive title

Texas coach in his fourth women’s Final Four

BY JIM VERTUNO AP sportswriter

AUSTIN, Texas Texas coach Vic Schaefer has come agonizingly close to winning a national championship. Close as in three previous trips to the Final Four And two title game appearances, including one lost on a last-second 3-pointer The 65-year-old Schaefer is close again. Only he’s over being close in March Madness. He wants to win one. And the Longhorns just may have the team to do it this year Texas returns to the Final Four for the second consecutive year behind dominant three-time All-American forward Madison Booker and dynamic fifth-year point guard Rori Harmon. The Longhorns are chasing the program’s first national championship since 1986, when Texas and Hall of Fame coach Jody Conradt barnstormed through a 34-0 season to become the first undefeated title winners.

And for Schaefer, it’s a chance to exorcise some “close” ghosts from the past. The Longhorns (35-3) play UCLA (35-1) on Friday night. Texas handed the Bruins their only loss, 76-65, back on Nov 26. Win again and they’ll play either South Carolina (35-3) or UConn (38-0) in the final.

“With this team, how special they are, they’re good enough” to win the championship, Schaefer said. “I keep telling ’em, they’re good enough.”

Games that got away

Schaefer is leading his fourth team at two different schools to the Final Four He won a national title as an assistant at Texas A&M in 2011, but the trophy has been elusive for Schaefer in 21 seasons as a head coach.

His Mississippi State Bulldogs played in the championship game in 2017 and 2018. The 2018 nail-biter against Notre Dame still leaves a bitter taste after the last-second defeat.

And before Texas advanced to the Sweet 16 this year, Schaefer

said the best team he ever had was his 2019 Mississippi State team that lost to Oregon in the Elite Eight, a matchup in Portland that effectively was a home game for the Ducks.

“That team was better than the two previous teams that played in the national championship game,” Schaefer said. “If we’d have beat (Oregon), we’d have won the national championship, no question.”

After Texas dismantled Michigan 77-41 on Monday night, Schaefer came around to saying his current team might be that good.

“Right now,” Schaefer said, “they’re playing as good as any team I’ve ever had.”

Schaefer left the power program he’d built at Mississippi State for Texas in 2020. A Texas native, he loves to note how he was born in an Austin hospital right next to campus. The hos-

pital has since been torn down, but the Longhorns’ arena is just a short walk from the vacant lot.

Schaefer’s impact in rebuilding Texas was immediate.

In his first season, the Longhorns made a surprising run to the Elite Eight They have made it to at least the Sweet 16 in five of his six seasons. Last season’s run to the Final Four was the program’s first since 2003, when Conradt was still at the helm.

Along the way, he has recruited players like Harmon, the only player in Division I history with more than 1,500 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 350 steals, and Booker, whose allaround skills and playmaking lead Schaefer to call her “a generational talent.”

After Texas beat Michigan, he and Harmon shared a long hug.

“We’ve been together for five years,” Harmon said. “There’s so much hard work, tears, blood,

sweat, adversity that we go through together.”

Schaefer believes he must win a national championship at Texas, not just compete for one. If he can get to Sunday’s final, he’ll face either UConn’s Geno Auriemma, who has won 12 championships, or South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, who has won three.

Schaefer recently recalled a meeting of Longhorns coaches across all sports a few years ago. He noted the success that was in the room.

“(Texas) is a place of elite. It’s a place of greatness,” Schaefer said. “There’s 10 head coaches at the table. As I’m sitting at the table, I look around, and there’s ten head coaches that played for the national championship. Ten. Four of them won it. Six of them finished second. I finished fifth in the country and went to the Elite Eight, and I’m not even in the top half in the room.”

Tough love

Schaefer is not easy on his teams. Even this one. At times, he can be downright harsh. Schaefer benched Harmon for most of the fourth quarter in regular-season losses at LSU and Vanderbilt. After an 18-point loss in Nashville on Feb. 12, he went on a postgame rant that questioned his team’s heart and called the Longhorns “probably the softest team I’ve had in years.”

Booker said the team responded to the scolding. Texas hasn’t lost since, and the Longhorns have been in another gear in the postseason. They have won four NCAA Tournament games by an average of 36 points. Booker scored a career-high 40 in a second-round win over Oregon.

“For me and my teammates, we never want to hear our coach say that about us, especially because he does so much for us,” Booker said. “We say we have heart, and I think after that game we kind of turned it around. You know, I hope he sees we have heart now Yeah, like, that will never happen again.”

Mulkey hires former Tennessee assistant Lazo

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Coach Kim Mulkey announced

Tuesday that she has hired former Tennessee assistant coach Gabe Lazo to her LSU women’s basketball staff.

Lazo is an ace recruiter who’s spent the last four seasons in the Southeastern Conference two with Mississippi State and two with the Lady Vols. In 2025, he helped Tennessee land its most highly rated freshman class since 2017. That group, which ESPN said was the second-best haul in the country, featured three McDonald’s All-Americans: guards Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Jaida Civil Lazo, a Miami native, also helped the Lady Vols sign 6-foot3 forward Oliviyah Edwards the second-best recruit in the 2026 class, according to ESPN

“Gabe will be an outstanding addition to our staff,” Mulkey said in a statement. “He has been an invaluable member of two SEC staffs with an unbelievable ability to teach the game and recruit the best players in the country.” Mulkey had two openings to fill on her staff this offseason because one of her former assistants, Gary Redus, accepted the Rutgers head coaching job on March 8. Daphne Mitchell, a former Baylor assistant who followed Mulkey to LSU in 2021, joined Redus’ staff.

During his two-year stint at Mississippi State, Lazo helped coach Sam Purcell land nationally ranked freshman and transfer classes In 2025, Purcell said he expects Lazo to become a head coach someday Lazo, he said, was “a major part” of why Tennessee signed one of the nation’s best freshman classes that year

“He’s a big, strong dude, but he’s a teddy bear inside,” Purcell said. “And his life and where he’s been man, he can relate to a lot of kids. And he has a passion and energy for life that sets him apart from other people.

“He’s just an absolute workhorse. He gets after it, and when you got those ingredients, it makes for a special person, and that’s why he’s doing a special job.”

Lazo played college basketball at Florida International and Barry University from 2004-08. He started his coaching career in the high school ranks, then made stops as an assistant at FIU, Stony Brook and George Washington.

“Gabe will impact our program at the highest level,” Mulkey said, “and his unmatched work ethic will lead to great results on the court and on the recruiting trail. It doesn’t matter if Gabe is out recruiting or coaching on the floor because the contributions he will make toward our program will be significant.”

Lazo resigned from his job at Tennessee on Friday. Under sec-

Tournament

ond-year coach Kim Caldwell, the Lady Vols finished the 202526 season with only 16 wins — the fewest in the program’s NCAAera history They drew a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost to No. 7 seed NC State in the first round. Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

Pelicans center Jordan finalist for best teammate

New Orleans Pelicans center DeAndre Jordan is one of 12 finalists for the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award.

The award recognizes the NBA player deemed the best teammate based on selfless play, on- and offcourt leadership as a mentor and role model to other players, and commitment to the team.

Jordan is in his first season with the Pelicans.

“He’s an extension of our staff,” Pelicans interim coach James Borrego said earlier this season. “Maybe I should put him on staff. He’s got a great voice. Wisdom. The guys respect him. So it’s like having another coach out there on the floor.”

The award, which began in the 2012-13 season, is named after former Rochester/Cincinnati Royals’ Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes.

Bulls waive guard Ivey after anti-LGBTQ+ comments

SAN ANTONIO The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jaden Ivey on Monday in the wake of anti-LGBTQ+ comments and remarks about religion he made in videos on his Instagram account.

“They proclaim Pride Month in the NBA,” he said “They proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say come join us for Pride, for Pride Month to celebrate unrighteousness.They proclaim it on the billboards. They proclaim it in the streets. Unrighteousness. So how is it that one can’t speak righteousness? How are they to say that this man is crazy?”

Coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls have employees from “all different walks of life” and Ivey’s comments don’t reflect the values of the organization.

Florida 7-9 center Rioux to enter transfer portal

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The world’s tallest college basketball player is on the move.

Florida’s Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center from Canada and the most popular athlete on campus, announced Tuesday he is entering the transfer portal. The portal officially opens April 7.

Rioux played sparingly in two years with the Gators, redshirting as a true freshman during the team’s national championship season and then getting on the court in mop-up duty this past season. He played 15 total minutes, finishing with seven points, six rebounds and an assist.

“After taking time to reflect on my journey and what’s best for my future, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal,” Rioux wrote in an Instagram post.

NFL taps Seahawks to be featured on ‘Hard Knocks’ SEATTLE The Seattle Seahawks will appear on the HBO show “Hard Knocks” ahead of the 2026 NFL season.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because neither the Seahawks nor the NFL had formally announced the agreement to have the team on the league’s training camp documentary The NFL’s behind-the-scenes show is in its 26th year

The Seahawks didn’t have to participate in “Hard Knocks” for many years because of a rule giving a team the option if they made the playoffs each of the previous two seasons. That rule was changed a year ago.

Seattle has a handful of intriguing storylines ahead of the 2026 season.

Jaguars to play home games in Orlando during 2027

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to Disney World. The Jaguars will play most of their 2027 home games in Orlando after NFL owners rubber-stamped a proposal Tuesday that has been years in the making and essentially a done deal for months.

Owners voted unanimously at the league’s annual meetings in Arizona to allow the team to temporary relocate next year’s home slate during the final stages of a $1.4 billion stadium renovation. Jacksonville started

LSUgolfrepresented againatAugusta amateur

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

For the sixth straightyear,LSU will be represented in theAugusta National Women’sAmateur

LSU sophomore Rocio Tejedo from Castellon, Spain, and signee Raegan Denton of Adelaide, Australia, will tee it up Wednesday in theevent, which has rapidlyrisen to become one of the premier events in women’samateur golf since starting in 2019.

“It probably is” the biggest, Tejedo said. “It’sadifferent tournament. They treat us so nicely, andit’sadream to be able to walk around Augusta.”

The 2025 Southeastern Conference freshman of the year,Tejedo is trying to break through to the final round at Augusta forthe first time after missing the 36-hole cut in her first two appearances.

“I’m very excited,” saidTejedo, who qualified by being one of thetop 30 non-Americans in the world amateur rankings at No. 47 overall. “It’salways nice to get an invitation,because youhave to keep working every year to stay on top.”

Tejedo said she is goinginto this Augusta National Women’s Amateur determined to have adiffer-

ent mindset

“You can get alot of pressure in your head,” Tejedo said.“That’s kind of what happened to me in past years. Iwas like, ‘OhmyGod, this is the mostimportant tournament thatI’ve ever played, Iwant to do well.’But in the end, you’re just playing golf.

“I think that’swhatI’m going to do differently this time.Ienjoy every year Iplay but want to take adifferentperspective.”

Denton, ranked 43rd in the world, signed with LSUinNovember and will enrollthisfall. Makingher first appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, Dentonhas had eight victories the past twoyears, including three straight to end 2025 and start 2026.

Tejedo tees offWednesday at 7:12 a.m. Denton is schedule to start at 7:46 a.m.

Tejedo is the fifth LSU player to compete in the Augusta National Women’sAmateur.Older sister Carla (now on the LPGA Tour) played in 2023; IngridLindblad from 2021-24; andLatanna Stone from 2022-24. Lindblad and Stone were co-runners-up in 2022. Former LSU golfer Kendall Griffin alsoplayed in 2023

The 72-player fieldwill contest

two rounds at Champions Retreat Golf ClubinEvans, Georgia,

LSU defensivetackles Deuce Geralds, center, and Richard Anderson,

practice on ThursdayatLSU’spracticefacility.

LSU

Continued from page1C

LSU’sfourth spring practice and a newsconference with Kiffin.The on-field session was open to reporters for roughly half an hour Handlingtempo

One of the pass rusherswho could carve out arole nextseason is Lamar Brown, the former University High star and top-five nationalrecruit who signedwiththe Tigers in December Brown has not enrolledatLSU, so he isn’tpracticing. But on Tuesday, he was spotted on the sideline, watching as the rest of the defensive linemen begin to condition themselves against Kiffin’suptempo offense. Kiffin said after the first day of practice that the group had fatigued quickly “I thought it was better (today) ” Kiffin said Tuesday.“Ithought their mindset was better.”

Sometimesfatiguecan lead to fights. The Tigers had “like six” of them in one of their firstthree sessions, Kiffinsaid, butnone on Tuesday,and that’sasign that things are slowly improvinginthe

trenches.

“Up front has along ways to go, Kiffinsaid, “and that was apparent today.But Ilike that because we’re givingthem the hardest tempo they’regoing to see all year already.

KiffinonWillWade

Kiffin said Tuesday that he’s talked to new LSU men’sbasketball coach Will Wade. Wade is beginning his second tenurewiththe Tigers. He was firedin2022 amid an investigation into NCAA recruiting violations and rehired on Thursday —after atwo-year stint at McNeese and a one-year runatNCState.

“They break up,”Kiffin said, “and thenhemakes thedecision to comeback. To me, it says alot aboutLSU.”

Both Kiffinand Wade took controversial jumpsfrom onejob to another.Kiffin left his Ole Miss team shortly before it beganits College FootballPlayoff run last season, and Wade left after only oneyear with theWolfpack. Both coaches were booed and jeered at airports before they boarded flights to Baton Rouge.

Kiffinsaid heknows that Wade faced “judgment” for his decision

to return to LSU, so he offered him someencouragement.

“Everything is everybody’s story,”Kiffinsaid. “Theygot one life to live.And what they want to choose to do and what they believetheir story is aftertheyget thebestinformation they can from the people thatare closest to them, and they make their decisions.

“Andthen,inmyopinion, it’s that person’sjob to go prove that decision right.”

No spring game

During histenure at Ole Miss, Kiffinditched the program’sannual spring game becauseopposing teams could use it to scout players who may enter the transfer portal.

Now,for the first time in thelast few years, theportal won’treopen in the spring, but LSU still won’t play atraditional springgame.

Kiffin confirmed thatfact Tuesday and said he isn’teven sure how he’ll structure his team’sremaining 11 practices.

“I kind of look at that as it goes,” Kiffinsaid,“andinstead of being completelyset —like howmany plays,how manyscrimmages, how muchtackling —justkind of continue to get afeel for the team and how they’re developing.”

SUGAR BOWL

Continued from page1C

“It’snot aholiday anditwill be aFriday,” Busenlener said. “So to attract people to the game from either ourcommunityorthe visitingschools, they will have to find time to take offworkand travel to watch agamem and that presents achallenge after the general football season is over

“People have done Christmas and they’ve done New Year’s, and New Orleanianshave already started Carnival. So it’ll be achallenge to keep people’sminds on football and try to attract them to thegame on aFridayevening in the middle of January.”

The trade-off is that the game will have the attractionofproducingone of thetwo participants in thechampionship game 10 days later in Las Vegas.

Busenlener’stenure also coincides with groundwork for the SugarBowl’snextturn as host of theCFP titlegameonJan. 24, 2028.

“It won’thappenundermytenureaspresident,” Busenlener

said of thechampionship game, “but we’re working as agroupto make sure that we getall of the prerequisites in line andeverything taken careof, so thatthe transition happens and there’sno problem between the presidents or ourorganization pullingoff a world-class event.”

Busenlenerisactive in the community,havingserved on numerousboards, includingthatofthe Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Louisiana, which serves him well as the Sugar Bowl continuesto sponsor and hostnumerous prep and other youth events.

“I knowthatsports in ayoung person’slife can really help them feel asense of belonging and a sense of purpose andhelpform whotheymay be in future years,” Busenlener said.

Busenlener’sfather Johnhas been amember of the Sugar Bowl Committee since 1984 and served as theorganization’s presidentin 2001-02.

“It’sanice thing and it’sboth personally and professionally rewarding,”Busenlener said “but also it’s greattosee the smile on his face and alittle bit of pride.”

Woodstoseektreatment, pleads notguiltyfor DUI

BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press

ORLANDO,Fla. Tiger Woods said Tuesday he’ll step away and seek treatment,daysafter hisvehicle crashed in Florida and he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

“This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery,” he said in apost on the social-media platform X. Woods pleaded not guilty in his driving under the influence case in Florida on Tuesday,hoursafterasheriff’s reportsaidhehad pain pills in his pocket andshowed signs of impairment at acrash last week. The online court docket for MartinCounty,Florida, showed Woods enteredawritten plea of notguilty and planned to waive hisappearance during an arraignment hearing next month.

Woods’ eyes were bloodshot and glassy,his pupils dilated, and he had opioid pills on him when interviewed at the scene of the crash according to the arrest report re-

leased by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

Woods’movements were slow andlethargic, hewas sweating as he talked to deputies and told them he had taken prescription medication earlier in themorning, according to the report. Woodstold deputies he had been looking at his phoneand fiddlingwiththe radio before he clipped atruck in front of him, thereport said.

Deputies found two white pills, which were identified as the opioid hydrocodone used to treat pain, in hispocket, thereport said.

When asked by adeputy whether he took any prescription medications, Woods said,“Itake afew.”

Woods’ defense attorney,Douglas Duncan, didn’trespond to an email andphone call after the plea was entered on Tuesday

The golfer was traveling at high speeds on abeachside, residential road on Jupiter Island when his Land Rover clipped the truck and rolled onto its side, according to the sheriff’soffice.

Thetruck had $5,000 in damage, accordingtothe report.

The truckdriver and another person helped Woodsout of his vehicle, withthe golfer needing to climb outfromthe passenger side. No one was injured.

During afield sobriety test, deputies noticed Woods limping and thathehad acompression sock over his right knee. The golfer explained he hadundergone seven back surgeries and over 20 leg operationsand that his ankle seizes up while walking. Woods, who was hiccupping during thequestioning, continuously moved his head during one of thesobriety tests and deputies hadtoinstruct himseveral times to keep his head straight, thereport said.

“Based on my observations of Woods, howheperformed the exercises andbased on my training, knowledge, and experience, I believed that Woods normal facultieswereimpaired,and he was unable to safely operatethe motor vehicle,” thedeputy wrote after thetests.

Woods, 50, agreed to aBreathalyzertestthatshowednosigns of alcohol,but he refused aurine test, authorities said. He was arrested and released on bail eight hours later

Woods, whohas been involved in manycrashes over the years, is charged with driving under theinfluence withpropertydamage and refusal to submit to alawful test. He is scheduled for arraignment April 23.

Jaguarscoach happyEtienne wasabletocashinwithSaints

BY MATTHEW PARAS andRASHAD MILLIGAN Staff writers

PHOENIX —Liam Coen can sympathize with Travis Etienne‘s revelation that his last name is pronounced like “achan” and not “ETN,” as the Jacksonville Jaguars coach and so many others called the newNew Orleans Saints running back over theyears. Growing up, Coen heard plenty of “lieums” instead of “lee-em.” And he commonly sees his last name spelled“Cohen,” even as recently as this month when he noticed it was wrong on agolfing trip itinerary

“I can kind of at least understandwhere he’scoming from,” Coen said withagrin Coen indicated he was not only happy to see his former player embrace the change but also to see Etienne land afour-year,$52 million contract with the Saints. Etienne’sdeparture meant the Jaguars had to replace their startingrunning back, but that didn’tstop Coen from enjoyingthe one season they had together. In Coen’s first year with the Jaguars, Etiennehad a bounce-back season with 1,107 yards rushingasJacksonvillewent 13-4.

“He was apro’spro forus,” Coen said. “I think he took on the challenges of what we brought in as acoaching staff theright way.Heformed areally good relationship with Chad Morton, ourrunningbacks coach, but also with some of the players on our team. He got some captain votes in preseason.

“I’m very appreciative of what he was able to do for us this season.For him to be abletogoback home, get paid,change his family’sfuture and himself, that’srewarding for me.”

Italyrights

The New Orleans Saints announced the franchisehas been grantedinternational marketing rights in Italy,the latestaddition to the NFL’s GlobalMarkets Program. This is theSaints’ secondinternational territory within the initiative. France was given to the Saints in 2023.

The Saints are joined by the Cleveland Browns in having access tothe Italian market.

Tigerdominating Masterschatter for thewrong reason

SAINTS NOTEBOOK

Saintsowner GayleBenson recently visited the Italianarea,where shemet with Pope Leo XIV at theVatican on March 23.

New Orleans is the only NFL franchise with rights in France. FromMarch 25-27, Benson, quarterback TylerShough and offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga took atrip to France to promote theteam’sgame in the country this upcoming season.

Backup center

TheNew OrleansSaints understood Luke Fortner likely wasgoingtoleave in free agency

Theydidn’tnecessarily anticipatehim staying in the NFC South.

“TogotoCarolina in the division, Iwas alittle bummed on that part,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “But he’sgoing to do areally good job.Heobviously played areally valuablerolefor us.”

It’sa role the Saints still have to fillfor nextseason. After Fortner signed aoneyear,$2.75 million deal to join the Panthers, New Orleans hasaholeatbackup center —a positionthathas becomevery important to the black andgoldoverthe last two years.

Fortner,whomthe Saints acquiredlast year in apreseason trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, ended up starting 10 games in place of an injured Erik McCoy

.McCoy is healthy now, but he has missed 14 games since 2024. The Saintsknow theyneed a contingency plan.

So,what are they going to do?

“Wedohave some guys who play the guard positionthathaveplayedfor us thelast year,year-and-a-half that could probablytransition intocenter,” Moore said. “We’ll give those guys opportunities throughthe offseason.”

CurrentSaintsguards Torricelli Simpkins and Cesar Ruiz are among the players who have experience playing center if McCoy goes down.

EmailMatthew Paras at matt.paras@ theadvocate.com

SAINTS

Tiger Woods is taking up all of the attention in golf with the Masters approaching. That’snot always agood thing. Woods has been the center of golf’s universe his entire professional career, if not longer,as one of thefew athletes whonot only lived up to his potential but also surpassed it. That hasn’t changed, even with him having not competed in aserious tournament in 20 months. Anditdoesn’t matter whether he plays in the Masters. Woods was planning to be at Augusta National, anyway He was scheduled to appear with Masters chairman Fred Ridley on Sunday evening to celebrate the opening of “The Patch,” the refurbished municipal course where Woods’ design firm wasasked to build a short course. Then there’sthe Masters Club dinner Tuesday night, held exclusively forMasters champions since 1952. No one wants to miss that. Does he go? Should he go?

These are uncomfortable questionsconsuming the Masters, thetournament golf fans look forward to morethan any other because of thefamiliarity of Augusta National and because it will have been 263 days since thelast major In golf, Georgia is always on themind.

At stakefor Woods is no longer aMasters green jacket or any other trophy.Now it’sabout his legacy That probably won’t change as agolfer.Even after returning following his sudden and shocking downfall in 2009 —sordid details of serial adultery that were exposed when his SUV crashed into afire hydrant fans flocked to watch him because he’sTiger Woods. The other three car incidents —all in the last nine years raised adifferent set of questions.

deadline.

Continuedfrom page1C

they wanted to get younger —Elliss is 30, Davis 37 and he is viewed as more versatile at this stage of their careers? Not exactly

The Saints initially explored theidea of an Elliss reunion in addition to Davis coming back. Butthe Saints were left with the impression that Davis simply preferred New York, with New Orleans’ offer not that different from theJets.

The Saints then pivoted to focus fully on Elliss, raising their offer to meet what Elliss wanted.

Publicly and privately, theSaints and Davis have harbored no ill will after thesplit.The sides released lengthy statements about gratefulness for their eight years together,while Davis told reporters in New York that he felt his “mission personally was alittle incomplete” with the Jets.

“This wasn’tahappenstance situation,” said Davis, who is on his third stint with the Jets, the team that drafted him.“This was a choice, knowing who Iam and what Iamcalled to be. I know what I’m stepping into this timearound. Iknow what I’m bringing intoa locker room. Iknow Iplay the gameatanelitelevel.”

Camstickingpoint

Likewith Kamara, the Saintsare content waiting out the situation with Cam Jordan. New Orleanswould be open toareturn, even if the team draftsa young pass rusher.There will be a time when the Saints need to know Jordan’schoice so they can move forward, but that’sfar from ahard

Toxicology reports indicated five medications in his system when he was found asleep behind the wheel of his running car in 2017. Woods didn’tknow where he was or howhegot there. At one point, apolice officer told Woods his shoe was untied. Woods fumbledwith the laces when the officer said: “It’s your other shoe that’suntied. Now that one is, too.”

Four years later,Woods was going nearly twice the 45 mph speed limit on acoastal road outside Los Angeles when his SUVstruck amedian and tumbled downahill. More than 20 surgeries were required on his right leg. Remarkably,he wasnever cited and authorities never sought awarrant fora blood test. The vehicle’sblack box indicated Woods never hit the brakes.

Why?

“All those answers have been answered in the investigation, so you can read about all that there in the police report,” he curtly replied in his first public appearance nine months later.Woods was the master of “no comment” even when he commented. More details emerged from his latest crash Friday in Florida, where Woods wasgoing at a “high speed” when he clipped a trailer being pulled by atruck and his SUVflipped on its side. He wasarrested fordriving under the influence when officers determined he was impaired. In the incident report released Tuesday,Woods told deputies he had been looking at his phone and fiddling with the radio. According to the report, Woods said he had taken his prescription medication that morning the accident time waslisted as 1:15 p.m.—and deputies found twohydrocodone pills in his pocket during asearch. So much remains unknown except that he spent eight hours in jail Friday forrefusing a urine test and he faces an April 23 court date in Martin County Save foranot guilty plea he entered Tuesday,there has not been aword from his camp, or from anyone else whohas a stake in him

The Masters starts in eight days. Even if Woods is not there, he will be atopic no one can avoid.

Rapid fire

On apodcast with Terron Armstead, Jordan said he has a“set value” related to money and his role. The Saints don’tbelieve that money,inthis case, is what is holding up the deal. Instead, the issue could be related to the role.

If the Saints draft Rueben Bain with the eighth pick, that seemingly would move Jordan fromthe team’s third edge rusher to its fourth. Jordan hassaid he wants to continue chasing history with an opportunity to rack up “10, 12, 13” sacks.

Olaveextension

No surprise here, but the reason the Saints and Chris Olave have yet to lock up an extension appears to be that the sides don’tagree on the price tag. Only three receivers averagemore than$35 million peryear,but nine makeat least $30 million. TheSaints haven’tbalked at the latterrange but don’tappear to have gottenthere yet. Andthe guarantees are especially relevant to these talks.DespiteOlave playing 16 games last year without suffering abrain injury, the wide receiver’sconcussion history complicates the negotiation. TheSaints are willing to take on some risk to payOlave,but notall of it. Regardless, the Saints wanttoadd another body at his position. There are three notable prospects Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson and Makai Lemon —who have been linked to New Orleans at No. 8, but the Saints like the wideout depth in this year’sdraft enough that even if they take another position in the first round, they feel they can land acontributor afterward.

n Beyond wide receiver and defensive end, other potential adds over the next fewmonths include a cornerback, an interior offensive lineman and arunstuffing defensive lineman.

n Don’tbesurprised if the Saints add another kicker to compete with Charlie Smyth in training camp. NewOrleans was pleased with Smyth’semergence, but the team will explore adding someone to push the incumbent.

n The SaintssignedZach Wilson but might notbedone at quarterback.The plan is to re-sign Hunter Dekkers, the fourth-stringerwho spent last year as adevelopmental quarterback,oncethe United Football League wrapsup. n Bryan Bresee had only twosacks in 2025 after recording 71/2 in 2024, but the feeling is that last year was astep forward for him in termsofthe rest of his game. That could inform what the team does in termsofthe defensive lineman’sfifth-year option, which must be decided by May n Whom the Saints use to replace Alontae Taylor remains to be seen. Internally, there’sabelief that safety Julian Blackmon, cornerback Quincy Riley,safety Jordan Howden or even cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry could kick inside to cover the slot. But the latter depends on the Saints drafting another outside cornerback.

n With the quarterback market mostly settled, aside from Aaron Rodgers deciding on his future, the Saints still haven’treceived any calls inquiring about retired quarterback Derek Carr

Celtics coach dismisses talk of NBA award

Mazzulla a top candidate for Coach of the year, but he doesn’t want it

BY TIM REYNOLDS Associated Press

The NBA has started the process of lining up voters for postseason awards, and if form holds from recent years the ballots will be due shortly after the end of the regular season.

Analysis

Some categories will be easier for those on the voting panel to fill out than others. Defensive Player of the Year might not take voters very long (spoiler alert, it’ll be San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama) and Rookie of the Year is basically going to be a two-contender race (a Duke guy will win; it’s TBD if it’ll be Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel or Dallas’ Cooper Flagg).

Other races will be tougher When talking MVP, for example, logical arguments can be made for Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic, Wembanyama, Boston’s Jaylen Brown and probably a few others as well.

Another of those wide-open races? Coach of the Year

There is no shortage of candidates. J.B. Bickerstaff is likely going to guide Detroit — a team that made headlines for losing streaks just two years ago to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Mitch Johnson, in his first full season at the helm in San Antonio (he did coach 77 of the Spurs’ 82 games last season, but technically, this is full season No. 1), will have the Spurs in the No 1 or No. 2 spot on the Western Conference bracket Quin Snyder in Atlanta, Charles Lee in Charlotte, Jordan Ott in Phoenix and Darko Rajakovic in Toronto should, at minimum, get some consideration as well

And then there’s Boston’s Joe Mazzulla. The Celtics played most of this season without Jayson Tatum and were expected by some to be a fall-back-to-the-pack

team this season because of Tatum’s injury and the departures of players like Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday Oops. The Celtics are at 50 wins, again, and Mazzulla has done an admirable job

He was asked before Boston’s game on Monday about Coach of the Year, and specifically his place in that race. What happened next was well, probably not unexpected.

“I don’t need it,” Mazzulla said. “I think it’s a stupid award.”

It’s probably now reasonable to think the Celtics won’t be sending out any Coach of the Year pitches to voters on Mazzulla’s behalf.

Some teams do that; among the more memorable ones in recent years was Utah mailing out an actual album cover depicting then-Jazz center Rudy Gobert as a jazz artist (get it?) when hyping his Defensive Player of the Year chances.

There will be some lobbying for awards. It has already started. Wembanyama stated his MVP case after a game in Miami last week, and Keldon Johnson is also being promoted by fellow Spurs players as a Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner (His main competition there figures to be Miami’s Jaime Jaquez.)

There’s nothing wrong with teams lobbying for their guy, or guys, to win awards. There’s also nothing wrong with Mazzulla making very clear that he’s focused on far bigger things than individual honors.

“You shouldn’t have it,” Mazzulla said of the award. “And it’s more about the players and it’s more about the work that the staff puts in It’s just that simple. I really don’t ever want to be asked or talked about it again. It’s just that dumb So, the players play, it’s about them. Staff works their (butt) off. I’m grateful to have ’em.”

The team awards are all that seem to really matter to Mazzulla. It won’t stop people from voting for him but it’s a stance that should be respected.

Final Four brings Michigan big man’s parents from Spain

BY LARRY LAGE Associated Press

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Aday Mara was on his tiptoes when he helped cut down the nets in Crisler Arena a few weeks ago after a win against rival Michigan State, celebrating Michigan’s Big Ten championship.

with a team lacking a true center and found what he was looking for under coach Dusty May after Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf left to play professional basketball.

“Vlad and Danny left so it was a great place for me,” Mara said.

Dominican gets flag football win over rival Mount Carmel

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

The setting wasn’t loud like it usually is during those volleyball matches between Mount Carmel and Dominican. Nor were the stakes as high as when those schools met for the soccer state championship in February Still, the emotion was there Monday at Joe Yenni Stadium.

“It definitely gave me a little bit of a shiver,” Dominican senior Evelyn Ieyoub said.

In the first flag football game between the rival schools, Ieyoub’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Molly Baker on the final play of the first half accounted for the only points in Dominican’s 7-0 victory

Ieyoub took the shotgun snap and ran to the left, lofting a high pass to Baker’s outstretched arms as she landed in the end zone on a modified field that measured 80 yards between goal lines.

“It was just perfect, right into my hands when I jumped up with that other girl,” said Baker, who collided with the defender and fell to the turf.

In her second season playing quarterback, Ieyoub learned that it’s sometimes OK to go deep and hope for the best.

“When I saw her go up, I knew it was going to be a touchdown, and I haven’t felt that emotion all season,” said Ieyoub, a standout on Dominican’s state championship soccer team.

Dominican is in its second season with a flag football team Mount Carmel is in its first. The teams are playing in a league organized by the New Orleans Saints.

in the first year that we started,” Broussard Sheridan said. “You can see the refinements. There’s a lot of practices that have been happening.”

The Saints are hopeful that girls flag football could become fully sanctioned by the LHSAA for the 2027-28 school year, as the sport has grown in popularity with roughly 40 states sponsoring it to some degree.

kind of come out here and have fun with it.”

Ieyoub and Molly Baker — the coach’s daughter — were not the only players to make an impact in the seven-on-seven contest.

The Dominican defense also came through with senior Maiya Emilien’s interception that set up the long touchdown pass. Dominican sealed the win with Ali Duhe’s interception with less than two minutes left. Dominican has not allowed a point through four games this season.

The 7-foot-3 Spaniard looked around and lamented that he and German center Malick Kordel were the two Wolverines without family on the confetti-filled court. If Michigan wins two more games in the NCAA Tournament to claim its second national championship and first since 1989, Mara’s parents will be there, and he will be thankful.

Mara’s parents, former professional basketball and volleyball players in Spain, have been able to attend just a few games when they traveled to spend Christmas with him.

Javier Mara and Gely Gomez are with their son, staying at his apartment, and plan to join him at the Final Four in Indianapolis to experience March Madness in person.

“Having them here is amazing because I can spend time with them now and if we win it all, I can celebrate with them,” Aday Mara told The Associated Press on Tuesday “It’s special ” The Wolverines will face Arizona on Saturday night and the winner will advance to play Connecticut or Illinois for NCAA Tournament title on Monday night Michigan’s versatile big man will likely be a pivotal player He transferred from UCLA last year, seeking a larger role

“They had a great year last year and when I talked with Dusty, I could tell he is a person you can trust. I was also impressed with his obsession with basketball and with helping his players improve.”

Mara started in 37 of 38 games after starting in just nine over two seasons with the Bruins and played 23 minutes a game — an increase of 10 minutes — and made the most of the opportunity The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year set a single-season school record with 100 blocks, breaking a record Roy Tarpley set four decades ago. The thirdteam all-conference honoree also forces opponents to alter shots or simply not to take them if they get past other Wolverines.

“There have been so many times this year where we’ve been not afraid to be more aggressive than we normally are because of the shot-blocking that we have down there,” teammate Yaxel Lendeborg said “It’s key to our defense.”

Mara makes plays at the other end of the court, too.

He averages nearly 12 points, almost doubling his scoring average from last season, and had career highs with 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with a high-scoring, pass-happy team.

“Everyone for the last 10 years has known he’s had talent,” May said. “But how do you unlock that talent? We weren’t sure we could We did feel like we had the system in place where we could maximize what he does well.”

The third-year league began with 10 New Orleans-area schools in 2024 and has grown to more than 60 statewide with a chance to top 80 next season, said Elicia Broussard Sheridan, the senior director for social unification and youth sports development with the Saints.

“The intensity has always been there from the very first game

TULANE

Continued from page 1C

After leaving Samford, he spent a year as an analyst at LSU, a year as a quality control coach for the New York Giants and four seasons at Florida, moving from defensive intern to tight ends coach to cooffensive coordinator to sole coordinator

Look for a balanced approach at Tulane that will be less run heavy than when Hall was offensive coordinator in 2019 and 2020 under Willie Fritz The Wave ran nearly twice as much as it threw in 2019 and about 60% of the time in 2020.

“Ultimately, the best players have got to touch the ball at the end of the day, however that looks,” Callaway said. “At the end of the spring camp we are going to sit down and evaluate the roster and say, all right, who made the plays? What groupings give us the best ability to put points on the scoreboard?”

One sure thing is Tulane’s tempo will be faster. The Wave’s time in between plays was slightly longer than the average team under former coach Jon Sumrall last year and significantly longer than the norm in 2024.

“The pairing of tempo and pace is important because it doesn’t al-

Though the sport is new to the high school level, it is not entirely new for girls. Dominican coach Gavin Baker coached his four daughters at St. Catherine of Siena over the years. Baker and Chad LaRose coach the team together

“We have soccer players and track people and volleyball and basketball — they just kind of come out and have fun with it,” Baker said. “It’s not as professionalized as youth sports is for all the other sports. It’s fun to see them

Gavin Baker has seen countless volleyball and basketball games against Mount Carmel. Now with flag football added to the list, he noted one common thread.

“Anytime it’s Dominican-Mount Carmel, we want to win,” Baker said. “We circle that game.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

low defensive coordinators to be in a great call every time,” Callaway said. “You get him on his heels and he bases out a little more.” Holdover Kadin Semonza, who threw that immediate touchdown pass in the scrimmage, likes what he has seen from Callaway though seven practices.

“He’s always bringing great energy,” Semonza said. “He’ll get on you, but he’s always going to love you up when you do something good, too, so I love that about him.” Lagniappe Tulane practiced at the New Orleans Saints’ indoor facil-

ity on Tuesday because of the threat of lightning, bypassing its recently opened on-campus indoor facility because the ability to videotape workouts in the new digs remained a few days away Hall said. The 11-on-11 session (without pads) was all in the red zone to protect players from running long distances at a high speed coming off of spring break. Semonza and Garrett Mmahat turned in the play of the day, with Semonza scrambling to his left under pressure and hitting the sprinting Mmahat near the corner of the end zone in tight coverage.

SCOREBOARD

p.m. UL at James Madison,6p.m.

Tulane at Wichita State, 6:05 p.m.

McNeese at UNO,6:30 p.m. Nicholls at Houston Christian, 6:30 p.m. Friday’s games

Late-night coffee shops thrive afterdark

BY KASEY BUBNASH Staff writer

Not too long ago,agroup of ladies dressed to the nines stopped in at Flora Gallery and Coffee Shop for a quick pick-me-up before heading out to the bars for agirls’night.Barista Kipp Pierce treatedthem to alittle of his renowned Southern hospitality, making their drinks and food withcareand delivering themwith aside of what he admits are “stupid dadjokes.” Before he knew it, it was midnight and time to close up shop. The group still hadn’tleft.

“And they told me,” Pierce said, “‘Youknow,we were gonna go bar hopping tonight, but we stayed all night at the coffee shop.’”

It’sa common occurrence at the Royal Street cafe, where, despite atotal absence of beer and liquor,longtime baristas have their own followings and recurring events draw crowds of regulars long pastthe recommended cutofftime for caffeine consumption. But,even in acity known for its coffee and booming nightlife, it’s rare nowadays to find acoffee shop open past sunset. The daysoflegendarylocal late-night cafes like Kaldi’s and Borsodi’sare longgone, and few others have survived rising rents COVID-19 and the rise of corporate coffee. At the late-night spotsthat are still kicking, it takes alot more than caffeine to fuel the long hours.

Flora —surrounded by bustling bars on the borderbetween the colorful Marignyand Bywater neighborhoods —features regular open mic nights, craft supplies, Ramadan dinners and snacks untilmidnight. And at Z’otz Cafe on Oak Street Uptown —two doorsdownfroma 30-year-old comic book store and, until recently,neighbor to atabletop gaming cafe —the atmosphere is notably fantastical, with dim lighting, nods to sci-fi epics and bookshelves filled with board games. Both came up at atime when it seemed coffee giants like Starbucks might take over the world, promising aready-made, one-size-fits-all kind of experience. Z’otzand Flora offer the exact opposite.

“I really wanted to have aplace that felt NewOrleans,” Z’otz owner Michael Bartlett said. “… Z’otzhas always been like alove letter to the city.”

LIVING

ar hopping is one thing. Courtyard hopping adds its own twist, and this weekendinthe French Quarter brings one of the peak days to pursue it Easter Sunday in the French Quarter can feel like amini Mardi Gras, with multiple paradesondifferentroutes and overflowing bars turning the streets into block parties. People dress up, either in pastel finery or in creative costumes worthy of the Society of St Anne on Fat Tuesday Easter brunch has become an annual tradition formany,and reservations are typically booked far in advance. Butthere is also agreat day to be had with alooser plan, roaming the festive streetsand pristine people watching. Along the way,ashaded French Quarter courtyard fora cocktail, afew bites andsome time off the heels can feel like arestorative oasis. Pat O’Brien’siseasily the most famous courtyard bar in New Orleans, and Bourbon Street is lined with plentymore. Butthe French Quarter is now home to more modern spots quietlydrawing locals in the know

BY IAN McNULTY| Staff writer

Manolito

508 Dumaine St.

Here’s aguide and possible (if ambitious)itinerary to courtyardstops that will do you right.

Patula

619 RoyalSt.

An inviting, arched carriageway leads to this courtyard cafe and wine bar,attached to the Krewe eyewear store. Surrounded by rooflines and plants and, as the sky darkens, the glowing windowsabove, it feels like that enchanting patio cafe discovered on a vacation overseas.

ChefRob Tabone’s short menu is inventive andfresh, withpoached shrimp over crisp radishand herbs, Moroccan-spiced meatballs and tinnedsardine plates to build tasty bites. The winelistis full of interesting finds Cane &Table 1113 DecaturSt.

Never mind the slow-rolling construction behind the big green barrier lining the sidewalk. Once through the doors, it doesn’tget more evocative of old New Orleans than in this Latin/Caribbean-inspired lair of old brick and timeless sight lines,

Here’sa Cuban-inspired bar giving daiquiris and blender drinksagood name. It alsoserves aremarkably robust menuofCuban dishes forsuch asmall spot.The Cuban sandwich is acrisp-edged delight; shrimpceviche, black bean hummusand cheesy arepas makegreat drinking food. Arecent expansion has added abeautiful hidden courtyard.

Look outfor this phonecallscam

Dear Heloise: Iknow you warn people never to give out their personal information, but since this past Christmas, I have been blasted with phone calls from callers who claim to be from some fake government agency and are checking to see if I’m gullible enough to give out information about my Medicare card. Iusually hang up on them, but not everyone knows that they are scammers. Who should Ireportthesecallers to in order to stop them?

Hints from Heloise

Naomi L., in Oklahoma Naomi, try the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud FTC.gov.You’re correct —we should never hand out personal information to anyone, but most especially to strangers over the phone —Heloise

Thank-younotesound off

Dear Heloise: Iagree with Sandy from Tucson, Arizona, about acknowledging the receipt of a gift. It would be nice to receive athank-you note for agift (especially amonetaryone).But alas, today,this is not the usual response.

After havinghad several cardsand letters lost in the mail (which was especially dishearteningwhen they were lost by FedExand UPS), Inow appreciate anote/ email/text/phone call stating that the gift was received.Ofcourse, if this is sent, then aquick “thank you” could be added.(Just ahint!) Lately,I’ve stopped sending gifts, and sure as heck, I’ve received messages asking, “Did you forget my anniversary/ birthday/graduation/wedding, etc.?” Omissionsget noticed very quickly —Valerie G., in Tucson, Arizona

Easy-to-read medication

Dear Heloise: Tubesofvarious over-the-counter or prescription salves have expiration dates that are, manytimes, hard to read withoutamagnifying glass. So, Istarted using ablack fine-point permanentmarker to write the month/yearonthe outsideofthe tube in an easy-to-read location. Problem solved! —LEO G., via email

Send ahint to heloise@heloise. com.

TODAYINHISTORY

ByTheAssociated Press

Today is Wednesday,April 1, the 91st day of 2026. There are 274daysleft in the year.This is April Fools’Day

Todayinhistory:

On April 1, 1945, American forces launched the amphibious invasion of Okinawa during World WarII. (U.S. forces succeeded in capturing the Japanese island on June 22 after abattle in which more than 240,000 died, including as many as 150,000 Okinawan civilians.)

Also on this date:

In 1924, Adolf Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich. (Hitler would serve just nine months of the sentence, during which time he completed the first volume of “Mein Kampf.”)

In 1946, amagnitude 8.6 earthquake centered near Alaska’s Aleutian Islands triggered atsunami that pounded the Hawaiian Islands with waves up to 55 feet tall, killing 159.

In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon signed ameasurebanning cigarette advertisingon radio andtelevision beginning in January 1971.

In 1976, Apple Computer was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

COFFEE

Continued from page1D

‘Another living room’

In the more than 20 years since opening, the striped awning and sign welcoming customers to Z’otzCafehaveremainedlargely unchanged. But its entryway has been quietly evolving.

The coffee shop’stwo front doors started with 15 standard glass panes each, but over time, thepanes have been replaced one by one with colorful stained-glass mosaics depicting things like Oscar the Grouch,the Deathly Hallows and the Vulcan salute.

Each mosaic was designedbya current or former barista,usually installed to replace abroken or damaged pane.

“So each one of our windows represents one of the employees who’s been there,” Bartlett said Like its entryway,Z’otz has always been defined by its employees and community,operating as a kind of hyper-localcollective going all the way back to when Bartlett and his wife, Suzanne, bought and reopened it as a24-hour cafe and commiseration station in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“The reason why Iran it even when it waslosing moneyisI just wantedtohave asanctuary,just asafe place,” Bartlett said. “Especially because we took it over right after Katrina and everyone’s nerveswere so raw.”

The coffee shop has changed in some ways since then —itcloses at 11 p.m. now —but it’snever lost sight of that mission, offering alate-night reprieve for college students in need of aquiet place to study and plenty of spacefor dramatic games of Catan or Dungeons

HOPPING

Continuedfrom page1D

and that continues through the long courtyard. With first-class cocktails, it’salways adinnerworthy destination for chef Fredo Noguiera’smenu. For Easter Sunday,Cane &Table opens early,at 11 a.m., with its regular menu.

The Will &the Way

719 Toulouse St.

In 1984, singer Marvin Gaye was shot and killed by his father after Gayeintervened in an argumentbetween his parents at their home.

In 2001, theNetherlands becamethe first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage

In 2003, American troops raided ahospital in Nasiriyah, Iraq,and rescued Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, whohad been heldprisoner since her unit was ambushed byIraqi forces on March 23.

In 2025, Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, in asymbolic protest against President Donald Trump’ssecond-term agenda, wrapped upthe longest individual speechonthe Senate floor. He began hismarathon address to thechamberonthe evening of March 31 andconcluded 25 hours and 5minutes later on the nightofApril1

Today’sbirthdays: Actor Ali MacGraw is 87. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is 76. Actor Annette O’Toole is 74. Filmmaker Barry Sonnenfeld is 73. Singer SusanBoyleis65. Hockey Hall of FamerScott Stevens is 62. Political commentator Rachel Maddow is 53. Actor David Oyelowo is 50. Comedian-actor Taran Killamis44. Actor Asa Butterfield is 29.

This is themore rollicking sister bar to nearby Sylvain, and shares asenseofmodern style cast in thetimeless French Quarter setting. Little nooks abound, and the courtyard, often hidden behind athicket of people at the bar,has awonderfully cloistered feel and big table umbrellas should rain arrive. Chef Josh Williams serves aglobal pub menu, ranging from falafel and Asian wings, birria tacos,spicy fried chicken and grits and astraightahead burger.There are good drink deals during thelong and generous happy hour (3 p.m.to 7p.m. daily)

Peychaud’s at the Celestine

727 Toulouse St.

Oneofthe finest cocktail lounges in town is waiting behind an unassuming door at this boutique hotel. The rattle andhum of Bourbon Street is often audible in the leafy courtyard, but it’seasy to feel aworld away.The property was once home to Antoine Amédée Peychaud, a19th-century apothecary known to history as one of the most influential people in the realm of cocktails, and namesake of the bittersthat remain abar essential. Obviously,

&Dragons after sunset.

First-time business owners with dayjobs, Bartlett said he and his wife had “no clue” what they were doing when they took over Z’otz. So they’ve always leanedheavily on their employees, who work their shifts oneata time as abarista,cashier andmanager all rolled into one.

ButBartlett said having another source of incomehas also allowed him to runZ’otz idealistically, wherethere’s no rush to turn tables, andyou can get acup of infamouslystrong cold brew well into the night, whether it’sbusy or not “Wejust want to have aplace that youcan come, we wantittobe like another livingroom,” he said.

Apersonaltouch

Across town,Flora is that kind of refugefor adifferent setofemployees and adifferent neighborhood. Open since 1997, manyofFlora’s baristas, including Pierce, were

get theSazerac. Drinks only Sylvain 625 ChartresSt.

Arestaurant that feels like a neighborhood joint forthe French Quarter also has one of the loveliest courtyards around. Between thehigh brick walls and patina, I’m always grateful to find this midrange spot at homeinthe heart of the Quarter,blending themodern and timeless. The menuhas along-standing combo of Champagne and fries (and a moremodest one with asix-pack), though the fries also pair beautifully with the chicken liver pate.

Jewel of the South 1026 St. Louis St.

An old townhouse frames a moderncocktail den where bar maestroChris Hannah has resurrected lost classics andmadehis own signatures into destination

mic nights years ago. Haghighi, an artist himself, displays his sculpture work at the cafe and cooks sunset meals during Ramadan.

That’s ultimately what keeps customers —about 70%ofwhich are regulars —coming back, Carle said. They don’tcomefor the coffee. They come to catch alittle free live music, or to get ataste of Haghighi’sspecial jasmine tea after breakingfast, or to chat with Pierce late into the night.

“So it’s acommunity,” she said.

Open nights

n FLORA GALLERYAND COFFEE

SHOP: 2600 RoyalSt.; 6:30 a.m. to midnight daily

n THE BEAN GALLERY: 637 N. CarrolltonAve.; 6:30 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Thursday; 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.,Friday and Saturday

p.m.daily

customers before they joined the team and double as artists. Owner Ali Haghighi has aknack for findingthe right person fora job,and he asked Pierce to help outatFlora amidshort staffing in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Pierce hasmanned the night shift ever since,gaining recognition for his quesadillas andwillingness to stay open past closing time.

A59-year-old Louisiana native who spentyears doing videography formajor concertsand sporting events,Pierce is anight owl who loves telling stories and cooking forpeople.

“So if Ihave people, I’ll fix food late, I’ll stay past,” he said. “I stay here until Istop selling food.”

Mariah Carle, a49-year-old photographer who works mornings at Flora, said Haghighiencourages all his employees to bring their own personal touch to their shifts.

Musician and baristaChristi Simoa launchedFlora’s popular open

n ENVIE ESPRESSO BARAND CAFE: 1241 DecaturSt.; 7a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 7a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday

n EUPHORBIA KAVA AND COFFEE

BAR: 8726 Oak St.; 10 a.m. to midnight daily

n Z’OTZCAFE: 8210 Oak St.; 7a.m. to 11 p.m. daily

n THE ROOK CAFE: 4516 Freret St.; 5:30 a.m. to 6p.m., Monday, Tuesday, Thursdayand Friday;5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.,Wednesday; 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.,Saturday and Sunday n THE NEUTRAL GROUND: 9000 Hickory St.; Hours dependonevents Open evenings n ST.NOIR CAFE: 1128 St. Roch Ave.; 7a.m.to8 p.m Mondaythrough Saturday; 7a.m. to 4p.m., Sunday n HONEY’S: 2400 St. ClaudeAve.; 7a.m.to8p.m., Mondaythrough Saturday; 7a.m. to 3p.m., Sunday

n RUE DE LA COURSE: 1140 S. CarrolltonAve.; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m Monday through Friday;8a.m. to 7:30 p.m.,Saturdayand Sunday n MOJO COFFEE HOUSE: 4700 Freret St.; 1500 Magazine St.;

drinks (look forthe seasonal pastel gin fizz around Easter time). The courtyard, lined by brick walls and overarching trees, is anice spot foradrink and abar snack or afull run at the menu, from akitchen now led by chef Chris dos Reis (recently of 34 Restaurant &Bar).

Patrick’s Bar Vin

730 Bienville St.

This wine bar,the throne room forthe fabulous Krewe of Cork wine-themed Mardi Gras group, is an oasis foroenophiles, created by awine-loving bon vivant from Brussels. It has acourtyard crossed with afront patio at the entrance. It also connects through French doors to apiazza-sized courtyard of the Hotel Mazarin. Check out the cheeky decor and explore the wine list; the wine labeled “Patrick’sbest-kept secret” is always agood value fora decent pour

daily n PJ’S COFFEE: Multiple locations; varying hours,withseveral open past 5p.m. Beignets andcoffeepast5 p.m. n MORNINGCALL COFFEESTAND: 5101 Canal Blvd.; 7a.m.

dayand Saturday;*Cafe Du Monde has several otherlocations across town withvarying hours,manyof which areopen intothe evening. n UPTOWNCOFFEE: 4141 St. Charles Ave.; 7a.m. to 9p.m., Sunday through Thursday;

DEBS’ADO

Within ashort period, three debutantes, starting with Lucie Williamson, then Mary Roberts Favor,and finishing with Susan Ellis, enjoyeda festive framework. Friends andfamily joined in their happy hobnobbing.

The New Orleans Board of Trade on Magazine Street tookonanartistic atmosphere when Lucie Ellann Williamson, daughter of Mr GeorgeTaylor BrodnaxWilliamsonJr. and Mrs. James Russell Kelly, respectively George and Mollie, was honored.She is also the stepdaughter of Mr.Kelly,Jim, whowas present. “Une Nouvelle Nuit”titled thepretty Scriptura invitation that featured a feminine presence, in profile, andgarbed in art nouveau attire. “Black tie” was requested for the guests. The envelope was sealed in wax with afew surrounding flowerets. Recalled wasthe artistic timeperiod of Art Nouveau (New Art), which occurredbetween 1890 and1910 andwas characterized by “sinuous, asymmetrical lines ‘whiplash’ curves,and organic plant-inspired motifs.” Feminine figures, quitestylized, depicted women with flowinghair and elegant clothing.

Pamela Dennis Flowers created thefloral ambiance. On the Board of Trade’scourtyardgates,a lush arrangement of flowers depictedcolorsof soft lavender,pale gold andwhite, amidst green leaves. A“wall” of leaves served as the backing and green lighting bathed thepremises, both the courtyard (whichwas also hung with string lights) andthe building itself. Similarflowers were surrounded by votives and placed in clear glass vases atop the tables.

Lucieworealong black dress withanart nouveau-inspired print by Camilla, which she accessorized by agoldfloral headband by Deepa Gurnani from theshop, Peony. Mollie’s sophisticated black, “one-shoulder” dress hada huge coordinated flower on the left shoulder Hors d’oeuvreswere plentiful and included such enticementsasduck and jalapeno poppers, while several stations included charcuterie, beef short ribs,spicy shrimp skewers, and, after 10 pm, beignets and espresso martinis. Recalling alibation of the thematic period,there was an absinthebar.Acurated cocktail station featured absinthe bardriptowers, dry ice, assortedherbs,fruit, and botanicals. Stirringupthe soundsfor thedancefloor wasThe Peyton Falgoust Band.

Among the many socializingwere Susan and JimKolbe, Michele and Norris Williamson,Maclin Williamson, Charlee and Richard Williamson,AnaClaire Hanley,Will Hanley,Linda and TedKennedy,Phoebe and John Cook, Judy and Ryan Acomb,Laurieand Walter Becker,Thomas O’Keefe, Reginald White,Cheryland Wade Webster,Vesta Fort,Abi Brawley, Ella Stouse, SophiaZuniga,Ella Short, and Toby and Sandy Florman Also Bill Dodenhoff, Kristinand MichaelTubbs,Caroline and Brian Fitzpatrick, Natalie and Robert Phillips,Kathleen and Patrick Dennis, Michele and Sam Prokop,AvaPrestenbach,Ahmed Al-Fozan, Crickett and AndrewLapeyre,Chris Fitzpatrick, Margaret and Davis Isganitis, Jackson Cosma, Stirling Kennedy,and Jane Scott and Philip Hodges. Many othersmade the “Nouvelle Nuit”scene and departed witha koozie party favor that depicted an artnouveau maiden. Meanwhile,Lucie will have countlessmemories of the evening and thejoy of rememberingthis art with heart

n Home-coming

The dress code produced many asmile: “Come as you are.” But everyone really gussied up to gallivant with Anna and John Ellis and debutantedaughter Susan Sledge Ellis The location and the spirit of thesocializing was “At Home.”

Embellishment featured agiant paper moon, aset for photographs, made bydeb sister Miriam,along withsilver andwhite decorations, and needlepointornaments by the sisters’ maternal grandmother, Susan Burge.Family linens —handed down from paternalgrandmother Marcelle Ellis were also admired and used.For her dress, the honored Susan chose avintagewhite crepe design with silver French embroidery To sate the collective appetite, ErnieSanchez fried Gulf oysters andshrimp; hostess Anna,with help from pal Monique McCall, made savory and sweet finger food; Kathleen and Drew Ramsey gave personalized Hubig’s pies; and Ann Ecuyer added monogrammed cookies. Joey Miles ran the bar, whereChampagne and Old Fashioneds were the choice libations. Mingling kin and kith included Laurie and Warren Doyle, Bessie and DugganEllis,Tommy Ellis, Marcelle and Brenda Ellis, Haydeeand Steve Ellis, and from the Bright family, Marion, Holly Elinor,and Susan and Timothy. McCallsincluded Carol, Monique and Richard, and Elle Also, Rob and Lisa Clark, Douglas McCollam, Jane Scott and Philip

Nell Nolan SOCIETY

Contact: nnolan@theadvocate.com

n TwoFacets of Eve

“Eve” was the excitement when MaryRoberts Favor and Kelsey Grace French were honored at “Dessert and Dancing,” aparty given by JoyFavor and MichaelFavor, the parents of the former,and KaraVan de Carrand Daryl Byrd, Kelsey’smother and stepfather.Earlier,Kelsey was aco-honoree at another gala party,which included as hosts her father, Will French,and his fiancée, Tricia Sarpy. Acutout bottle of bubbly wasattached to the “Eve” invitation that stated the VandeCarr/Byrd homeasthe venue. Champagne bottles and disco balls decorated the handsomehome, where the artful eating of Patti Constantin attracted scores of partakers. Shrimppasta, fried soft shell crabs, andfried oysters were among the menuitemsthat also added grilled cheese sandwiches and tableside tacos. For the sweet finish, there wasadining room full of desserts, manyenjoyed with Kir Royale, the signature drink.

Mary Roberts greeted guests in alovely design by Oscar de la Renta. Among those noted were her sister, LaurenFavor,Maria and Randy Argote, Rickyand Mamie Favor, Chickie Martin, Karen and PerryEastman, Jody and Anne Guillot, Stacey Williams,and Erica and James Reiss, whose debutante daughter, Brooke,was entertained acouple of weeks prior by grandparents Pixie and Jimmy Reiss at their Audubon Place home. Another set of at-home hosting grandparents were Dr.and Mrs. Ronald James French, Ronnieand Flora, who celebrated the above Kelsey Grace French and her cousin Fenner Elise French. Still others reveling in the “Eve” evening were Sarah and GregFeirn,Dr. and Mrs. DerekMimeles, Peggyand Jack Laborde, Courtney and Louie Freeman, Lisa and Karl Hoeffer, Sweet and Ben Dupuy,Liam and Ethan French, Michaeland Suzanne Brown, and Tommy Westervelt.

Cowboy Mouth rallied the revelers to the dance floor forlate-night fun. With memories of all of the party’scomponents, Mary Roberts and Kelsey will have lots to talk about in years to come.

Hodges,Virginia and Lee Barba, JP and Erin Hymel,Allie and Duncan Brown, Phoebe and John Cook, Kate and Thomas Patin, Rand and MichaelRutledge, Erin and Gerard Plauche, Marilu and Sam Robinson, theRamseys, Mary Hewes, and Elizabeth and MikeJohnson, in from Arkansas. Theall-female band, New Orleans Me-

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Think creatively, and you'll dazzle everyone with your insight. An emotional situation is best handled swiftly before matters escalate. Protect your assets and yourself

TAuRus (April 20-May 20) Get busy, make your move and be the one to make things happen. Make some calls and set up meetings, and you'll gain access to information that can help you further your agenda.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Learn something new. Sign up for a course that encourages you to increase your mental, physical or emotional strength. Take a chance and make a positive change.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Avoid taking life too seriously. Step back from the drama, and you'll find alternative options that encourage you to let go of what's no longer working for you.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Walk away from negative people. Refuse to let anyone stifle your plans; actions will help you carry your thoughts forward. Live in the present and let go of the past.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Taking care of business will make it easier to release stress and enjoy life's little pleasures. Shoot for greater balance between work and play, and set a routine that puts your mind at ease.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) You know what's coming, but are you ready to adjust? Think about recent events, and you'll

find a way to navigate the changes that are heading your way.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Making impossible promises or demands will take its toll. Put emotions aside and be reasonable, and you'll devise an alternative that works wonders for others and puts you in a good position.

sAGITTARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Do your best to protect yourself against misrepresentation, gossip and false information. "Waste not, want not" is the mantra for today. Set your space up to reflect your lifestyle.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Take notes, keep tabs on what you hear and see, and separate truth from fiction. Protect and appreciate yourself and awaken to truth and possibilities.

AQuARIus (Jan 20-Feb. 19) Lay down a foundation and begin your journey. The possibilities are endless if you restrict excess and use your time and ingenuity to reach your goals.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Interact with people who spark your imagination and motivate you to use your intelligence and talents to get ahead. Take advantage of networking opportunities and use any public venue to promote yourself.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by nEa, inc., dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

ToDAy's cLuE: B EQuALs P

Sudoku

InstructIons: sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. Theobject is to place the numbers 1to9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. Thedifficulty level of thesudoku increases from monday to sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

By PHILLIP ALDER

David Cone, who pitched aperfect gamefor the Yankeesin1999, said,“I’m afinesse pitcher without the finesse.” That gives agood hint for today’sdeal Southisinsixspades.Westleadsthediamond ace: three, queen, two. West continueswith alow diamond, whichSouth ruffs.Howshoulddeclarercontinue?As asecondaryissue,whatwasWest’smore successful defense?

North’ssequence, atwo-over-one response followed by ajump in spades, showedexactly three-card spade supportandgame-forcingvalues.Souththen used RomanKey Card Blackwood to learn that his partner had twokey cards (two aces, or one ace and the spade king) and the spade queen. After ruffing the second diamond, declarer initially thought he would have to rely on the club finesse. But then,because North’strumpswereso strong, he realized that if spades were 3-2(mathematicallymorelikelythanthe clubfinesseworking),hecouldgethome with adummy reversal.

South played aheart to dummy’s 10, ruffed another diamond, returned to dummy with atrump, ruffed the last diamond, drew trumps and claimed. Declarertookthreespadesontheboard, five hearts, one club and three ruffs in his hand.

West couldhave defeated the contract if he had shifted to aspade or heart at tricktwo,whichwouldhave killed the timing for the dummy reversal and forced South to take the club finesse Afterward,Northcommented,“Inever guessedthat my heart10wouldbesuch avital card.

©2026 by nEa,inc dist. By andrews mcmeel syndication

Each Wuzzle is awordriddlewhich creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: nOOn gOOD =gOOD aFTErnOOn

Previous answers:

word game

InsTRucTIons: 1. Words must be of fourormore letters. 2. Words that acquire fourletters by the addition of “s,”such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3 additional words made by adding a“d” or an “s” may not be used. 4. proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit wordsare not allowed

ToDAy’s WoRD IncIsIVEnEss: in-SY-siv-ness: Directness; decisiveness.

Average mark17words

Time limit 40 minutes

Can you find 29 or morewords in INCISIVENESS?

yEsTERDAy’s WoRD —coMBusTs

tomb toss

Scrabble GramS

dIrectIons: make a 2- to 7-letter word from the letters in each row. add points of each word, using scoring directions at right. Finally, 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks” used as any letter have no point value. all the words are in the Official sCraBBlE® players Dictionary, 5th Edition.

InstructIons: 1 Each row and each column must contain the numbers 1 thorugh 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating. 2 The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to produce the target numbers in the top-left corners. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a

Puzzle Answer

p

557 F. EdwardHebertBlvd. Belle Chasse,LA700370069 notlater than Tues‐day,April 21, 2026, 2:00 P.M.Central Standard Time(CST) forthe fol‐lowing: RFP-26-002 Environmen‐tal Services

ThePlaquemines Parish School Board(PPSB) owns and/or leases ap‐proximately nineteen (19) buildingsthroughout Plaquemines Parish and isseekingqualified ven‐dorstoprovide services for properties impacted byweather andnonweather events on an asneeded basis. Services include environmental assessments,testing,re‐porting andfullproject managementofenviron‐mentalremediation work for weather-related eventsand non-weatherrelated events

BelleChasse,LA700370069, 504.595.6305. It is thepolicyofthe Plaquemines Parish School Boardtoprovide equal opportunitieswith‐out regard to race,color nationalorigin, sex, age, disabilitiesand/orvet‐eranstatusineduca‐tionalprogramsand ac‐tivities. This includes but is notlimited to,ad‐missions, educational services, financialaid and employment PLAQUEMINESPARISH SCHOOL BOARD Dr.SHELLEY RITZ SUPERINTENDENT Advertisementdates: Wednesday, March18, 2026 Wednesday, March25, 2026 Wednesday, April1,2026 180358-mar18-apr1-3t $784

Proposalswillbeopened atthe Plaquemines ParishSchool Board BusinessCentral Office (BCO) immediatelyfol‐lowingthe closingofpro‐posal time on theabovenoted date Bids will be opened at PPSB’sBusinessCentral Office,557 F. Edward HebertBlvd.,Belle Chasse,LA70037-0069 immediatelyfollowing the closeofbid time on the abovenoted date Preliminaryproposalin‐formation maybeob‐tainedbycontactingAnn Relle,Finance Manager, arelle@ppsb.org, 557 F. Edward Hebert Blvd

The PlaqueminesParish School Board(PPSB) owns and/or leases ap‐proximately nineteen (19) buildingsthroughout Plaquemines Parish and isseekingqualified ven‐dorstoprovide emer‐gency remediationser‐vices on an as-needed basis.The purposeof thiscontractistomiti‐gateadditional deterio‐rationand/orsecondary damages from occurring and to remediatedam‐agestobuildings and/or contentsresulting from water,wind, mold conta‐minationand othernat‐uralormanmade disas‐ters. Proposalswillbeopened atthe Plaquemines ParishSchool Board BusinessCentral Office (BCO) immediatelyfol‐lowingthe closingofpro‐posal time on theabovenoted date Bids will be opened at PPSB’sBusinessCentral Office,557 F. Edward HebertBlvd.,Belle Chasse,LA70037-0069 immediatelyfollowing the closeofbid time on the abovenoted date Preliminaryproposalin‐formation maybeob‐tainedbycontactingAnn Relle,Finance Manager, arelle@ppsb.org, 557 F. EdwardHebertBlvd. Belle Chasse,LA700370069, 504.595.6305. It is thepolicyofthe Plaquemines Parish School Boardtoprovide equal opportunitieswith‐out regard to race,color nationalorigin, sex, age, disabilitiesand/orvet‐eranstatusineduca‐tional programs andac‐i i i hi i l d

p g tivities.This includes but is notlimited to,ad‐missions, educational services, financialaid and employment PLAQUEMINESPARISH SCHOOL BOARD Dr.SHELLEY RITZ,SUPER‐INTENDENT

Advertisementdates: Wednesday, March18, 2026 Wednesday, March25, 2026 Wednesday, April1,2026

180366-MAR18-25-APR 13T $830 p p at thePlaquemines ParishSchool Board BusinessCentral Office

Meeting (Council Special Public Meeting)

Notice of the Special Meeting of the Mayor and City Council was duly posted on the bulletin board, main entrance of Gretna City Hall Building; 740 Second Street, Gretna, LA 70053; and on the City’sWebsite. 1. Call to Order and

At the same time, the City continues to monitorbroader economic factors including inflation,risingoperational costs, and changing consumer spending patternsthat may affect municipal revenues. Theseconditions underscorethe importance of conservative financial planning and careful revenue forecasting Revenue Trends Sales tax revenue remains the City’slargestsource of General Fund revenueand is closely tied to local economic activity. For Fiscal Year 2026–2027, sales tax collectionsare projected to remain consistent withthe prior fiscal year

Although anew Chick-fil-Arestaurantisexpected to open during the budget year andcontribute additional commercial activity, revenue projectionshave been developed using conservative forecasting practices. This approach helpsensurethe operating budget remainsstable and is not dependent on uncertain revenue growth.

Additional revenue sources includeproperty taxes, franchise fees, licenses and permits, and intergovernmental revenues. Estimates for these revenues were developed using historical trends and currenteconomic indicators.

Major Budget Initiativesfor FiscalYear2026–2027

The budget was developed through acollaborativeprocess involving department directors, the finance department, and city administration to ensure that operational needs and long-term priorities were carefully evaluated

The FY 2026–2027 budget supports several initiatives focused on maintainingreliable municipal services andpreserving critical infrastructure.

Community engagement continues to play asignificant role in the City’splanning andbudgeting process. Duringdistrict meetings held throughout theyear,residents provided input regarding neighborhood priorities and service needs

Feedback from thesemeetings emphasized theimportance ofinfrastructure improvements, neighborhood services, and continued investmentinpublic safety

Consistent with this feedback, the budget continues to prioritize public safetyoperationsand infrastructure maintenance throughout theCity.

Public Safety and CoreServices

Public safety remains afundamental priority of the City

The FY 2026–2027 budget supports continued operations of the GretnaPolice Department and provides resources for equipment replacement, operational needs,and ongoing training.

The budget also supports essential municipal services including water andwastewater utilityoperations, street maintenance,drainagesystems, parks andrecreation programs, and community developmentactivities that contribute to the qualityoflife for residents

Capital Improvements

Infrastructure investmentremainsa vital component of the City’slong-termstrategy. The FY 2026–2027 budget includes funding for roadway maintenance, drainageimprovements, and utility system upgrades to maintain reliable public infrastructure and support theneedsofresidents and businesses.

Asignificantinfrastructureinitiative currently underway is the construction andimprovementproject along 5th Street. The primarypurpose of this project is to restore both the roadway surfaceand the supporting underground infrastructure, improve drainagecapacity,enhance pedestrian safety, and promote continued economic activity along this important corridor. TheLouisiana Department of Transportation and Development(DOTD) is overseeing the project and is providing full fundingthrough acombination of state and federal resources

These infrastructureimprovements help ensure that the City’stransportation and utilitysystemsremain safe, reliable, and capable of supportingGretna’slong-termgrowthand development.

Long-Term Planning and CapitalImprovement Program

The City of Gretna utilizes aCapital ImprovementProgram (CIP) to identify and prioritize major infrastructureprojects over multiple years.The CIP provides aframework for evaluating infrastructure needs, coordinating project schedules, and aligning capital investmentswithavailable financial resources

Through this process, theCity can strategically plan for roadway improvements, drainageupgrades, and infrastructure maintenance while pursuing potential grant opportunitiesand external funding sources.

Fund Balance and Financial Condition

The FY 2026–2027 budget was developedinaccordance with the City’s financial policies,which emphasizebalanced operations andresponsible fund balance management

Maintaining adequate fund balance reserves provides financial stability andallows the City to respond to unforeseen expenses,revenue fluctuations, or emergency situations. Conservative revenue forecasting andcareful expenditure management help ensurethe City maintains a strong financial positionwhile continuing to deliver essential services.

Economic Development and Community Vitality

Supporting economic developmentand maintaining community vitalityremain important priorities for the City Gretna’shistoric district, small business community, and residential neighborhoods contribute significantly to the City’scharacter and economic strength. The City will continuetosupport responsible development and initiatives that strengthen the local economywhile preserving the historic identitythat makes Gretnaunique.

Acknowledgments The preparation of this budget reflectsthe collaborative efforts of the City Council, departmentdirectors, and the finance staff. Their cooperation and dedication throughout the budget processhelp ensure that theCity continues to operate withtransparency,accountability, and fiscal responsibility

The City remains committed to presentingthe budget in a clear and transparentmannersoresidentsand stakeholders can better understandhow public resources are allocated and managed

Together,wewill continueworking to strengthenour community,maintain essential services,and supportastable future for the residents of Gretna

Respectfully submitted Mayor Belinda C. Constant City of Gretna Mrs. Raylyn C. Stevens, Chief Financial Officer said the Budget has been reviewed through several meetingshad She thanked the City Council for their support. Thanked her staff, especially Marisa Bush(her right hand)for producing these reports

Chief Lawson thanked MayorConstant, Council Members and Mrs. Raylyn Stevensand DeputyChief Jason DiMarco for all theeffortsthat goes

Rudy S. Smith,District1;Michael A. Hinyub, District 2; Mark K. Miller,District3.And RandyS.Carr, District 4. Absent: None No comments from the public or Council members. ** * 5. Consideration and Adoption of the Budget Ordinance: On amotion by Council MemberRau and seconded by Council MemberSmith,the following ordinance was read, and adopted sectionbysection and then as awhole by the following vote: Yeas: Council Members Rau, Smith, Hinyub, Miller and Carr Nays: None

Absent:None Abstain: None ORDINANCENO. 5033 An ordinance adoptingthe Budget for the City of Gretna, Louisiana for the Fiscal Year of April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027; and authorizing the Mayorofthe City of Gretna, Louisiana to sign all contracts herestatedwithin the Budget instrument, on behalf of the municipality NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED,bythe City

Council of the City of Gretna, Louisiana, acting as legislative authority for said City that: The Budget for the City of Gretna, Louisiana for the FiscalYear of April 1, 2026, to March31, 2027, is hereby introducedinopen session on February 12, 2025, of Council regularmeeting; and the same is to be adopted on March 17, 2025, Council Special meeting. The Mayorofthe City of Gretna is hereby authorized to sign all contracts herestatedwithin the Budgetinstrument on behalf of the municipality

MayorConstant: The citywas requested by Chick-fil-A to considerthe businessbeingable to use the city’sarea purchased by the city next door to Chick-fil-A if in fact after 30-days of operation they would need the necessary additional parking based on the success of the business.

WJ LeBlanc: Explained it was apiece of land the city would never use andobviously if the business is successful, he had the expectation that they will be needing the use of that particular piece of land;and will be forwarding this resolution to Chick-fil-A’sattorneythis afternoon

Provided that amajorityofthe City Council of the City of Gretna have voted in favor of this ordinance, this ordinance shall have the full force andeffect of law at midnight on thetenth day, following the Clerk’spresentment of same, to the Mayor, in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:406(c)(2) unless theMayor returns same, unsigned, to the Clerkduring that ten-day period.

No comments fromthe public or Councilmembers.

FLOOR MATTERS:

Adoption of aResolution:

On amotion by Council MemberRau and seconded by Council MemberSmith,the following resolution was read, andadopted section by sectionand then as awhole by the following vote:

Yeas: Council Members Rau, Smith, Hinyub, Miller and Carr Nays: None

Absent:None Abstain: None RESOLUTION NO. 2026-019

Aresolution ratifyingMayor Belinda C. Constant’sentering into aletteragreementwith Chickfil-A relatedtoparkingissues and related matters.

WHEREAS,the City of Gretna is excited about the upcoming Chick-fil-A project coming to Gretna, and WHEREAS,inconnection with this project, Chick-fil-A and the CityofGretnahave worked together to make this project areality; and

WHEREAS,inworking togetherthe Mayor signed a letter agreementconcerning parking issues, necessitating council ratification of same.

NOW,THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City of Gretna, Louisiana, acting governing authority of said City that: The letter agreement between the City of Gretna and Chick-fil-A previously entered into by Mayor Belinda C. Constant is hereby ratified No comments fromthe public or Councilmembers.

Approving new date of previously approved event request.

Tunnel to Towers 5K Run and Walk.

On amotion Council Member Hinyub and seconded by Council MemberSmith, IT WASRESOLVED to approve the proposed new date for theevent request Tunnel to Towers,5KRun and Walk; for November 1, 2026;from 5:30 AM to 12 NOON; andthe samewas approved by the following vote:

Yeas: Council Members Hinyub, Smith, Rau, Miller and Carr Nays: None

Absent:None

Abstain: None

No comments fromthe public or Councilmembers.

ApprovalofEvent Request:

On amotion by Council MemberCarr and seconded by Council MemberRau, IT WASRESOLVED to approve the event requestfor the Easter Egg Hunt at Centennial Park (Willow Drive) on March 28, 2026; at 1:30 p.m.; and the same was unanimously approved *** 6. Other Matters: NONE

There was no further

of

,the

Officials

Endeavor Agreement between

FPA-E and

OLDPD

scope of this legal representation does not involve federal claims; and

WHEREAS,this resolution shall take effect immediately

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED,that the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, pursuanttoLaR.S. 42:262, does hereby authorize the retention of LaneLaw Group, LLC as counsel to represent the FPAonthis matter,asneeded

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that the Board of Commissioners authorizes Executive Counsel to retain the firm of Lane Law Group, LLC to representthe FPAonsaid insurance coveragelitigation,and that the Regional Director isauthorized to executesaid contract with LaneLaw Group, LLC.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,that this Resolution and the proposed contractdescribed herein be submitted to the Attorney General for the StateofLouisiana for approval.

The foregoing was submitted to avote; the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Mr.Vicari, Mr.Carubba,Mr. Martin, Mr Marsiglia, Mr.King, Mr.Schumann, Mr.Meyers

NAYS: None ABSENT:None

RESOLUTION NO. 03-26-26-04 –APPROVAL OF FY 2027

BUDGET FOR THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FLOOD

PROTECTION AUTHORITY-EAST.

On the motion of Mr.Carubba Seconded by Mr.Martin, the following resolution was offered:

WHEREAS,the SoutheastLouisiana FloodProtection Authority-Easthas reviewed financial projectionsfor Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027, including estimated operating revenues and expenditures; and

WHEREAS,funding in the following amountsis required as detailed by the line-item budget for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027:

TWELVE MONTHS

JUNE 30, 2027 BUDGET

WHEREAS

and

WHEREAS,the Finance Committee at its meeting held on March 24, 2026, reviewed the O.L.D. General Fund and SLIP

FundBudget for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027.

BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED,that the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-Eastapproves the General Fund and SLIP Fund Budget of theOrleansLevee District for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027.

The foregoing was submitted to avote; the vote thereon was as follows:

YEAS: Mr.Vicari, Mr.Carubba,Mr. Martin, Mr Marsiglia, Mr.King, Mr.Schumann

NAYS: None

ABSTAIN: Mr.Meyers

ABSENT:None

RESOLUTION NO. 03-26-26-06 –APPROVALOFFY2027

BUDGETFOR THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANAFLOOD PROTECTION AUTHORITY-EASTONBEHALOF THE EAST JEFFERSON LEVEE DISTRICT. On the motion of Mr.Carubba SecondedbyMr. Martin,the following resolution was offered:

WHEREAS,the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection

Authority-Eastonbehalf of the East Jefferson Levee

District(EJLD) has reviewed financial projections for Fiscal

Year Ending June 30, 2027, including estimated operating

revenues and expenditures; and WHEREAS,funding in the following amounts is required as detailed by the line-item budget for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027: TWELVEMONTHS ENDING JUNE 30, 2027 BUDGET

WHEREAS,the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority -Eastismandated to submit an approved budget by April 1, 2026, to theJoint Legislative Committee on the Budget and other variousoversightauthorities; and

WHEREAS,the Finance Committee at its meeting held on March 24, 2026, reviewed the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority- East General Fund Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027. BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED,that the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority-Eastapproves the General Fund Budget for the Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027.

The foregoingwas submitted to avote; the vote thereonwas as follows:

YEAS: Mr.Vicari, Mr.Carubba,Mr. Martin, Mr Marsiglia, Mr.King,Mr. Schumann

NAYS: None ABSTAIN: Mr.Meyers ABSENT:None

RESOLUTION NO. 03-26-26-05 –APPROVAL OF FY 2027

BUDGET FOR THE SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA FLOOD

PROTECTION AUTHORITY-EASTONBEHALOF THE ORLEANS LEVEE DISTRICT

On the motion of Mr.Carubba

Seconded by Mr.Martin, thefollowing resolution was offered:

WHEREAS,the SoutheastLouisiana Flood Protection Authority-East on behalf of the OrleansLevee District (OLD)

has reviewed financial projectionsfor Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027, including estimated operating revenues and expenditures; and WHEREAS,funding in the following amountsisrequired as detailed by the line-item budget for Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 2027: TWELVE MONTHS ENDING JUNE 30, 2027 BUDGET

WHEREAS,the EastJeffersonLevee District is mandated to submit an approved budget by April 1, 2026, to the Joint Legislative Committee on the Budget and other various oversightauthorities; and WHEREAS,the Finance Committee at its meeting held on March 24, 2026, reviewed the East Jefferson Levee District General Fund Budget forthe Fiscal Year Ending June 30,

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS213 NEIL AVENUE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CAR‐RINGTONMORT‐GAGE SERVICES, LLCVERSUSAN‐THONY GULLAGE,SR. ANDSTEPHANIE R. GULLAGE

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-10238

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by the Honorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the above entitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City onMay 7, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN LOTORPOR‐TION OF GROUND,situ‐ated in the ParishofOr‐leans, Stateof Louisiana, in the FIFTHDISTRICT of theCityof NewOrleans in AURORA GAR‐DENS SUBDIVISION, in PLOT "J'', bounded by Neil Avenue,desig‐natedasLOT NO.SEVEN (7), all in accordance with thesurvey ofAdloe Orr, Jr andAssociates C.E.,dated Au‐gust 26, 1959, which said lot commences at a distance of 264.14 feet from thecornerof Neil Avenue and Aurora Drive andmeasures thence eighty (80')feetfront on Neil Avenue, thesamein width in therear, by a depth of 152.50 feet between equaland paral‐lellines

Whichhas the addressof213 Neil Avenue, NewOrleans,LA 70131

WRIT AMOUNT:

$170,712.42

The purchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 21 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504 838 7535

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS20132015 PAINTERS ST,CITYOFNEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED: PANORAMA MORTGAGE GROUP, LLC VERSUS MOR‐GANNICOLE WILLIAMS

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-6548

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by publicauction on theground floorofthe Civil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2013-2015 PAINTERS ST NEWORLEANS, LA 70117 LOT7 -SQUARE 1017 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1412471 WRIT AMOUNT: $278,138.76

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACEMASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 20 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 EMILYA MUELLER

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLICNOTICE

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS28212823 N ROCHEBLAVE ST CITY OF NEWORLEANS IN THEMATTER ENTITLED: ROCKET MORT‐GAGE,LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS, LLC F/K/A QUICKENLOANS INC. VERSUS IRA THOMPSON A/K/AIRA D. THOMPSON

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-4973

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSale di‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the above entitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2821-2823N ROCHEBLAVE ST NEWORLEANS, LA 70117 LOTB -SQUARE 1318 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1318234 WRIT AMOUNT: $160,635.82

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 22 LAWOFFICES OF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR., LLC(225) 7560373

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

on April 2, 2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

11141 NFOREST PARK CT NEW ORLEANS, LA 70128 LOT9 -SQUARE

A 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1396941 FOREST PARK EAST SUBDIVI‐SION WRIT AMOUNT:

$265,416.05

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 23

NEWMAN MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 225-3433456

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 3641 REDOAK COURT, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:HAN‐COCK WHITNEY BANK VERSUS DARRENMARK HARRIS

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2442

Sheriff Parish of Or‐leans

GH 25

NEWMAN MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE APLC 225-3433456 JEFFERY TOEPFER

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1937 MIRABEAU AV‐ENUE,THISCITY, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LIBERTY BANK AND TRUSTCOM‐PANY VERSUS BEACON LIGHT INTERNATIONAL BAPTIST CHURCH A/K/A BEACON LIGHT INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES: DARRYL S. BRIS‐TER; AND DIONNE FLOT BRISTER

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-9581

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

1937 MIRABEAU AV NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70122 LOT: B, SQUARE: 1 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT WRIT AMOUNT:

$2,380,249.64

BAPTIST CHURCH OF NEWORLEANS

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-28

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2800 1STST NEWORLEANS LA 70113 LOTX-1SQUARE 390 4THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQ MIN: 1432353 WRIT AMOUNT: $265,325.07

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 27 NEWMAN, MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 225-3433456 WAYNEA.MAIO‐RANA

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

724 PELICANAV NEWORLEANS, LA 70114 LOT: 20 BIX, SQUARE:34-35 FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT MIN: 1461011 WRIT AMOUNT: $264,141.73

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified Check or Money Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 29 THELAW OF‐FICESOFHER‐SCHELC.AD‐COCK,JR.,L.L.C (225) 756-0373 DENNIS F. WIG‐GINS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 4956 MEADOW BANK STREET,CITYOF NEWORLEANS IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:LAKE‐VIEW LOAN SER‐VICING,LLC VERSUS CHRISTYQ JACKSON

RB 11 LAWOFFICES JACKSON &MCPHERSON, L.L.C504-5819444 CRIS JACKSON

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 4520 LENNOXBOULE‐VARD,THISCITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED: ROCKET MORT‐GAGE,LLC F/K/A QUICKEN LOANS, LLC F/K/AQUICKEN LOANSINC VERSUS THEUN‐OPENED SUC‐CESSIONOF ANDUNKNOWN HEIRSOF RICHARDA BARROWA/K/A RICHARD A. BARROW A/K/ARICHARD BARROW

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-8446

NUMBER 11141 N. FOREST PARK CT,CITYOF NEWORLEANS INTHE MATTER ENTITLED: METAIRIE BANK &TRUST VER‐SUSWOODROW W. RANDALL

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 3641 REDOAK CT NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70131 LOT: 14, SQUARE:114 FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1401030 TALL TIMBERS SUBDIVISION, SECTION7 WRIT AMOUNT: $417,753.86

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 26

TAYLOR PORTER BROOKS & PHILLIPS225387-3221

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-4010 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil DistrictCourt forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 4956 MEADOW BANK ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70128 LOT14- SQUARE 3 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN:202029400 SHERWOOD FOREST EAST NO.3 SUBDIVI‐SION WRIT AMOUNT: $152,181.67

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: 4520 LENNOXBD NEWORLEANS, LA 70131 SQUARE A, LOT 11 FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQ MIN:1320209 WRIT AMOUNT: $170,704.60

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

BD 13 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR. LLC (225) 756-0373 COREYJ.GIROIR

JUAN SCOTT ANDDANIELLE

ROBERTSSCOTT A/K/ADANIELLE R. SCOTTA/K/A DANIELLE SCOTT

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-10162

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 6825 ECORONET CT NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70126 LOT18- SQUARE 4 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 962174 PARC BRITTANY SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $229,820.66

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 14 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR. LLC(225) 7560373

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

Seized in the above suit, TERMS- CASH The purchaser h

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2717 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the above entitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, t 12 00 l k

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson

Sheriff, i h f

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 2800 1STST, CITY OF NEWORLEANS IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:FIRST AMERICAN BANK AND TRUSTVERSUS THEMOUNT SALEMMIS‐SIONARY BAPTIST

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 724 PELICANAV‐ENUE,THISCITY, IN THE MATTER ENTI‐TLED:U.S.BANK TRUSTNA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, NOTIN ITSINDIVIDUAL CAPACITY,BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEEFOR CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2023-AVERSUS BRIANELLISON A/K/ABRIAN LEEELLISON A/K/ABRIAN L. ELLISON CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-4220 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1015 MELPOMENE STREET,THIS CITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:SE‐LECT PORTFO‐LIOSERVICING, INCVERSUS ERIC JARED IGLESIAS A/K/A ERIC J. IGLESIAS A/K/A ERIC IGLESIAS CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-6179 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 11

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 6825 E CORONETCT, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:WELLS FARGOBANK, N.A. VERSUS JUAN PAUL SCOTTA/K/A JUAN P. SCOTTA/K/A JUAN SCOTT

LOT: 15, SQUARE:141 FIRSTMUNICI‐PAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1114069 WRIT AMOUNT:

$140,208.48

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH

Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING.

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 18 LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL C. ADCOCK,JR., LLC(225) 7560373 COREYJ.GIROIR

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 920 SOUTHCAR‐ROLLTONAV‐ENUE,UNIT T, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:ASSUR‐ANCE FINAN‐CIAL GROUPLLC VERSUS FIONA HELENE PEDEN(A/K/A FIONA-HELENE PEDEN, FIONA PEDEN, FIONAH PEDEN, F.H. PEDEN) ANDAU VERITASTRUST

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2023-3027 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 920 SCARROLL‐TONAVUNITT NEWORLEANS, LA 70118

LOTS:1,2,3,4,5 26 ANDB, SQUARE:108 SEVENTHMU‐NICIPALDIS‐TRICT ACQMIN: 1346049 WRIT AMOUNT: $275,998.24

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

GH 19 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 AMYR.ORTIS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1202 N GALVEZ STREET, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:WELLS FARGOBANK, N.A.,AS TRUSTEE, FOR PARK PLACESE‐CURITIES,INC ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2005WCW2 VERSUS ESTATE OF JULIE LANELLE BENNETT

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2062

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

1202N GALVEZ ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70119 LOT: A, SQUARE; 263 SECOND MUNIC‐IPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1454496 WRIT AMOUNT: $82,113.12

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 7 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, L.L.C. 504-5819444 CRIS R. JACK‐SON

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS9304 –9306FIG STREET, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:TOORAK CAPITALPART‐NERS LLCVER‐SUS5GK PROP‐ERTIES LLC

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-9910

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 9304-9306 FIGST NEWORLEANS LA 70118 LOT: B, SQUARE: 438 SEVENTHMU‐NICIPALDIS‐TRICT ACQMIN: 1439944 WRIT AMOUNT: $273,000.00

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 9 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, L.L.C. 504-5819444

KATE A. SOTO‐LONGO

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026

FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1446 HARRISONAV, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:U.S BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION VERSUS LOLA INEZ CUADRADO (A/K/A LOLA I. CUADRADO)

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-423

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable JudgesofCivil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 1446 HARRISON AV NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70122 LOTS 35 AND36 -SQUARE2875 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1165800 WRIT AMOUNT: $32,416.75

posit of ten per cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING. SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 10 ALBERTELLI LAW, P.A. 813221-4743 PENNY DAIGRE‐PONT

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 25 CHRISTOPHER COURT, THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:FREE‐DOMMORT‐GAGE CORPORA‐TION VERSUS RODNEY J. RI‐CARD,DEIDRA RICARD LOPEZ A/K/ADEIDRAR LOPEZA/K/A DEIDRA LOPEZ, KEVINJOSEPH

RICARD A/K/A KEVINJ.RICARD A/K/AKEVIN RI‐CARD ANDROD‐NEYANTHONY

RICARD A/K/A

RODNEY A. RI‐CARD A/K/A RODNEYRICARD

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-1037

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

GANNON ROAD, LOT25COM‐MENCES THENCE 248.80 FEET FROM THE CORNER OF GANNON ROAD ANDCHRISTO‐PHER COURT ANDMEASURES THENCE 50 FEET FRONT ON CHRISTO‐PHER COURT, SAME WIDTHIN THEREAR, BY A DEPTHOF100 FEET

BETWEEN EQUALAND PARALLEL LINES ALLASMORE FULLYSHOWN ON MORE RECENT SURVEY MADE BY GILBER KELLY& COUTURIE,INC THEIMPROVE‐MENTS THEREONBEAR THEMUNICIPAL NO.25CHRISTO‐PHER COURT, NEWFORLEANS, LA 70128

WRIT AMOUNT:

$97,098.66

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 6 HALLIDAY WATKINS& MANN P.C. AT‐TORNEYSAT LAW

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026 & 4/1/2026 FEB25-APR1-2T

PUBLIC NOTICE

DISTRICT ACQMIN: 825828 WRIT AMOUNT:

$19,847.39

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note: Thepay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 11 JACKSON& MCPHERSON LLC504-5819444

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 7710 BREVARDAAV, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LAKE‐VIEW LOAN SER‐VICING,LLC VERSUS DEE'AUNDRA WITSON

cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 6022 CAMERONBLVD, THIS CITY,IN THE MATTER ENTI‐TLED:HOME BANK,N.A.VER‐SUSKJT TRANS‐PORTATIONOF LOUISIANA, LLC; KEITHJ.JACK‐SON ANDKELLIEM COOPER

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-7636

for the Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 3505 CON‐STANCE ST NEW ORLEANS, LA 70115 LOT14ASQUARE 213 6THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1400376 WRIT AMOUNT: $734,610.64

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, ParishofOr‐leans

RB 26 NEWMAN MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 225-3433456 WAYNEA.MAIO‐RANA,JR.

NAPOLEON AV NEWORLEANS, LA 70115 LOTS:27& 28, SQUARE:784 SIXTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 745523 WRIT AMOUNT: $318,491.60

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 6022 CAMERON BD NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70122 SQUARE 4, LOT 85-B THIRDMUNICI‐PAL DISTRICT ACQ MIN:1405905 WRIT AMOUNT: $366,668.07

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 15

LAWOFFICESOF HERSCHEL CAD‐COCK JR LLC (225) 756-0373

DENNIS F. WIG‐GINS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐posit of ten per‐f h

ACERTAIN LOT OR PORTIONOF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLRIGHTS, WAYS,PRIVI‐LEGES, SERVI‐TUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISE APPERTAINING SITUATED IN THETHIRD DIS‐TRICTOFNEW ORLEANS, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN CHRISTOPHER COURTSUBDIVI‐SION,ACCORD‐INGTOPLANOF UNIVERSALEN‐GINEERS, INC., DATEDDECEM‐BER14, 1978, APPROVED BY THECITY PLANNING COM‐MISSIONONAU‐GUST 13, 1980, NO.183/78 OF SUBDIVISION DOCKET, RECORDED IN COB764, FOLIO 572, BEINGA RE‐SUBDIVISIONOF LOT1 A, SEC‐TION 3 OF TH LAKRATT TRACT, DESIG‐NATEDASLOT 25, IN SQUARE BOUNDEDBY CHRISTOPHER COURT, CURRAN ROAD,VINCENT ROAD,MORRI‐SONROAD, AND GANNONROAD,

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS261820 LASALLEST, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS,IN THE MATTER ENTI‐TLED:CITIBANK, N.A. NOTINITS INDIVIDUAL CA‐PACITY,BUT SOLEYAS OWNER TRUSTEEOFTHE NEWRESIDEN‐TIAL MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2019-1VERSUS MADELINE GAINES WILKERSON A/K/AMADE‐LINEG.WILKER‐SONINDIVIDU‐ALLY ANDAS SURVIVING SPOUSE IN COM‐MUNITY WITH HAROLD WILK‐ERSON

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-9509

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-413 By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 7710 BREVARD AV NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70127 LOTH -SQUARE 12 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1435122 VILLASITES SUBDIVISION/ NOWSOUTH SHORES SUBDI‐VISION NO.1 WRIT AMOUNT: $119,282.02

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans BD 25 NEWMAN, MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE A PROFESSIONAL LAWCORP225343-3456 WAYNEA.MAIO‐RANA,JR.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 38163818-3820 NAPOLEON AV‐ENUE THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:WELLS FARGOBANK, N.A.,SUCCES‐SORBYMERGER TO WELLS FARGOBANK MINNESOTA, N.A.,AS TRUSTEEF/K/A NORWESTBANK MINNESOTA, N.A.,AS TRUSTEEFOR THE REGISTERED HOLDERSOFRE‐NAISSANCE HOME EQUITY LOAN ASSETBACKED CER‐TIFICATES, SE‐RIES 2004-1VERSUS MICHAELM OGDENJR. (A/K/A MICHAEL M. OGDEN, MICHAEL OGDEN, JR.)AND THEUNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2008-11774

PUBLICNOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBERS2448 CUMBERLAND COURT, CITY OF NEWORLEANS IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:CAR‐RINGTONMORT‐GAGE SERVICES LLCVERSUS EXTON GARRETT HURT CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-11562

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2448 CUMBER‐LAND CT NEW ORLEANS, LA 70131 LOT: 19, SQUARE:51 FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1304960 WRIT AMOUNT: $362,336.94

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictof theCity on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 2618-20 LASALLE ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70113 LOT12- SQUARE 331 4THMUNICIPAL DISTRICT

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 14 JACKSON& MCPHERSON, LLC504-5819444 CRIS JACKSON

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 505 CONSTANCEST, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:GULF COASTBANK ANDTRUST VER‐SUSCBA HOME BUILDERS INC. CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-2984

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date ( )

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of l i h

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor ofthe Civil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 3816-3818-3820 NAPOLEON AV

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 22 LOGS LEGAL GROUPLLP 504838-7535 WILLIAMS TEBBE

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026& 5/6/2026

apr1-may 6-2t

cause, I will pro ceed to sell by publicauction, on theground

floorofthe Civil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

4120AND 4124 ERATOSTNEW ORLEANS, LA

70125 LOT: F, SQUARE: 501 FIRSTMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1445180 WRIT AMOUNT: $242,067.57

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 24

MCCABE LAW FIRM,LLC 504782-3436

de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 1661 PAUL MOR‐PHYSTNEW OR‐LEANS, LA 70119 LOT: 21, SQUARE:1533 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1453962 WRIT AMOUNT: $246,000.00 Seized in the above suit TERMS- 100% CASH AT THE MOMENTOFAD‐JUDICATION

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 23 LawFirm: MC‐CABE LAWFIRM, LLC504-7823436

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026& 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLICNOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1522 GORDON STREET,THIS CITY,IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUS LYDIA CHAPITAL JOSEPH,ALLI‐SONL.CHAPI‐TAL, JR.,SHARON CHAPITAL GRIF‐FIN, KARENL CHAPITAL ELEANORM CHAPITAL,GARY CHAPITAL,OR HIS SUCCESSORS, HEIRS, ANDAS‐SIGNS, ERIC D. CHAPITAL,KEN‐NETH S. CHAPI‐TAL, SHAUNE CHAPITAL, JAMAR C. CHAPITAL, ANDRAPHAEL CHAPITAL

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-10715

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by publicauction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026 at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 1522GORDON ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70117

LOTS:18AND 19, SQUARE:686 THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQMIN: 1409555 WRIT AMOUNT: $20,170.00

at the moment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and the balance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans GH 1 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS504658-4346 DEISHA LA‐GARDE

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 4666 ARTHUR DR, CITYOFNEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:FREE‐DOM MORT‐GAGE CORPORA‐TION VERSUS RONALD D. MCMILLAN

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-8436

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil DistrictCourt forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 4666 ARTHUR DR NEWORLEANS, LA 70127 LOT40- SQUARE 7 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 742641 CASTLE MANOR SUBDIVISION WRIT AMOUNT: $25,029.48

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPONENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans RB 8 HALLIDAY, WATKINS& MANN P.C. AT‐TORNEYSAT LAW318-3881440 CANDACEA COURTEAU

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 9751 ANDOVERDR, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:PLANET HOME LENDING, LLCVERSUS MONTRELL MPAGIAND COURTNEY MPAGI

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 00 2025-11165

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

9751 ANDOVER DR NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70127 LOT48- SQUARE A 3RDMUNICIPAL DISTRICT ACQMIN: 1397685 WRIT AMOUNT: $241,253.87

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 9 DEAN MORRIS, LLC318-3881440 CANDACEA COUTEAU

TheN.O.Advo‐

cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 3518 MONROE ST, CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, IN THEMATTEREN‐TITLED:LIBERTY BANK AND TRUSTCOM‐PANY VERSUS SANDRA AUBERT CADE

Building, 421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit:

3518 MONROE ST NEWOR‐LEANS, LA 70118 LOT23- SQUARE 555 7THMUNICIPAL

DISTRICT ACQ MIN: 204435 WRIT AMOUNT:

$74,598.01

Seized in the abovesuit

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 27 NEWMAN, MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE, APLC 225-3433456 WAYNEMAIO‐RANA

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE

SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1241 SOUTHLAWN BOULEVARD, THIS CITY,INTHE MATTER ENTI‐TLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUS CURTIS ORSTIN GWATH‐NEY, HIS SUCCESSORS, HEIRSAND AS‐SIGNS, IDONIA SIMMSGWATH‐NEY, HERSUC‐CESSORS, HEIRS ANDASSIGNS, ANDKEIMY‐EREIALEWISJONES

CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2024-6652

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 1241 SOUTH‐LAWN BD NEW ORLEANS, LA 70114 SQUARE 1, LOT 26

FIFTHMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT ACQ MIN:1404421 WRIT AMOUNT: $810.00

ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

RB 33 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS504658-4346 CHARMAINEL MARCHAND

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT THAT CERTAIN PORTIONOF GROUND BEAR‐INGMUNICIPAL NUMBER 1900 02 AND1904 06 SAINTANN STREET,THIS CITY,INTHE MATTERENTI‐TLED:CITYOF NEWORLEANS VERSUS THE BAT2,LLC CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR PA RI SH OF OR LE AN S Case No: 2025-7288

REAR LINE, TOEGTHER WITH THEUSE IN COMMONWITH SAID LOT“B” OF AN ALLEY3 FEET WIDE OPENINGONST. ANNSTREET THEIMPROVE‐MENTSTHERE ON BEAR THE MUNICIPAL NO 1904 06 ST.ANN STREET NEWORLEANS, LOUISIANA 70116. PARCEL 2 THAT PORTION OF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WIH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS IMPROVE‐MENTS THEREON, AND ALLRIGHTS, WAYS,PRIVI‐LEGES, SERVI‐TUDES, APPUR‐TENANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISEAP‐PERTAINING, SITUATED IN THESECOND DISTRICT OF THECITYOF NEWORLEANS, DESIGNATED BY THELETTER “B”INTHE SQUARE BOUNDEDBYST. ANN, ROMAN, ORLEANSAND PRIEUR STREETS, ON ASKETCH DRAWNBY GEORGE DE ARMAS, DATED AUGUST 3, 1891, ANNEXEDTO THEINVENTORY TAKENBYJ.F MEUNIER, N.P., ON JULY 27, 1891, ACCORD‐INGTO WHICHSKETCH, SAID LOTMEA‐SURESINAMER‐ICAN MEASURE, 31 FEET,4 INCHES FRONTONST. ANNSTREET,60 FEET,8 INCHES DEPTHAND FRON ON ROMAN STREET (OF WHICHIS FORMSTHE CORNER), 32 FEET ON AFIRST DEPTHONTHE LINESOFAN ALLEY, THENCE 3FEET ON AN OBLIQUELINE RUNNINGTO‐WARDSLOT “A”, THEN ASEC‐ONDDEPTH OF 26 FEET,1 INCH TO THEREAR LINE,WHICH HASA WIDTHOF32 FEET,10INCHES; TOGETHER WITH THEUSE IN COMMON WITH LOT“A” OF AN ALLEY3 FEET WIDE OPENINGONST. ANNSTREET ALLASFMORE FULLY SHOWNON PLAN OF SUR‐VEYMADEBY

VEY MADE BY JOHN E. WALKER,LAND SURVEYOR, DATED JULY 5, 1974, A COPY OF WHICH IS ANNEXEDTO ACTBEFORE

SIDNEY I. GOLD‐MAN N.P.,DATED FEB‐RUARY7,1975, ANDACCORD‐INGTOWHICH THESAIDLOT OF GROUND IS SIT‐UATEDIN SQUARE NO.238. THEIMPROVE‐MENTS THEREONBEAR THEMUNICIPAL NO.1900 02 ST ANNSTREET, NEWORLEANS, LOUISIANA 701216

WRIT AMOUNT:

$7,260.00

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and the balance within thirty days thereafter

Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING

SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans

GH 4 CITY OF NEW ORLEANS504 658 4346 DEISHA LA‐GARDE

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 4/1/2026 & 5/6/2026 apr1-may 6-2t

PUBLIC NOTICE SALE BY SHERIFF JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

THAT PORTION OF GROUND, BEARINGMU‐NICIPALNO. 5740 EASTOVER DR,THISCITY, IN THEMATTER ENTITLED:BANK OF LOUISIANA VERSUS LIONEL BURNS, JR CI VI L DI ST RI CT CO UR TF OR

By virtue of a Writ of Seizure andSaledi‐rected to me by theHonorable Judges of Civil District Court forthe Parish of Orleans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue, in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on April2,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: 5740 EASTOVER DR LOTNO. 6, SQUARE "B THIRDMUNICI‐PALDISTRICT EASTOVER SUB‐DIVISION PHASE1

ACQMIN 1099117 WRIT AMOUNT: $208,838.70

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be

By virtue of a Writ of FieriFa‐cias directed to me by theHon‐orable Judges of CivilDistrict Courtfor the Parish of Or‐leans, in the aboveentitled cause, Iwillpro‐ceed to sell by public auction, on theground floor of theCivil District Court Building,421 Loyola Avenue in theFirst Dis‐trictofthe City on May7,2026, at 12:00 o'clock noon,the fol‐lowing de‐scribedprop‐erty to wit: IN GLOBO: THAT PORTIONOF GROUND,TO‐GETHER WITH ALLTHE BUILD‐INGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALLRIGHTS, WAYS,PRIVI‐LEGES, SERVI‐TUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTOBE‐LONGINGORIN ANYWISE APPERTAINING, SITUATED IN THESECOND DISTRICT OF NEWORLEANS, IN SQUARE NO.238, BOUNDEDBYST. ANN, N. ROMAN ANDN.PRIEUR STREETSAND ORLEANS AVENUE,DESIG‐NATEDBYTHE LETTER “A”ONA PLAN OF SUR‐VEYMADEBY GILBERT ANDKELLY,SUR‐VEYORS,DATED SEPTEMBER26, 1951, ANDAC‐CORDINGTO WHICH SAID LOTCOM‐MENCES AT A DISTANCE OF 34 FEET,4 INCHES FROM THECOR‐NEROF N. ROMAN STREET AND MEASURES THENCE 34 FEET 7LINES FRONT ON ST.ANN STREET,35FEET, 6INCES,7 LINES IN WIDTHINTHE REAR,BYA DEPTHONTHE SIDE LINENEAREST PRIEUR STREET OF 62 FEET,AND AFIRST DEPTH ON THEOPPO‐SITE SIDE LINEOF32 FEET ON LINEOF AN ALLEYIN COMMONWITH LOT“B”, THENCE 3 FEET ON AN OBLIQUE LINE, THENCE ASEC‐ONDDEPTH OF 27 FEET,5 INCHES TO THE REAR LINE, TOEGTHER WITH

Seized in the abovesuit, TERMS- CASH Thepurchaser at themoment of adjudication to make ade‐positoften per‐cent of thepur‐chaseprice,and thebalance within thirty days thereafter Note:The pay‐ment must be Cash,Cashier's Check, Certified CheckorMoney Order. No Per‐sonalChecks. FACE MASKS ANDTEMPERA‐TURECHECKS AREREQUIRED UPON ENTERING BUILDING SusanHutson Sheriff, Parish of Or‐leans BD 1 NEWMAN MATHIS,BRADY &SPEDALE 225343-3456 ROBERT A. MATHIS

TheN.O.Advo‐cate Date (s): 2/25/2026