The Times-Picayune 05-01-2026

La. leaders postpone House elections

Move comes in wake of Supreme Court map ruling

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

In a dramatic move with statewide ramifications, Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday postponed Louisiana’s upcoming elections for the U.S. House, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map is an illegal racial gerrymander.

Landry, who has the authority under state law to change the election schedule in case of an “emergency,” moved quickly because absentee ballot voting has already begun for the May 16 primary election and early voting begins on Saturday. Lawmakers are planning

Hutson appears in court

Sheriff faces charges from probe in wake of jailbreak

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

It’s been a wrenching week for outgoing Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson.

On Tuesday, she delivered an emotional farewell address at the Orleans Justice Center, marking some of the challenges she faced during her four-year term as the parish’s first African-American woman sheriff.

The next day, Hutson surrendered on 30 felony charges from an indictment stemming from an investigation that began after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center on May 16. And on Thursday, Hutson made her first court appearance on the charges. She issued her first statement in response, vowing to “aggressively fight” them. And details began to emerge on the specifics of the allegations.

An arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WVUE-TV alleges that Hutson failed to supervise the jail even after several warnings from federal consent decree monitors.

The report detailed security

ä See HUTSON, page 10A

ä N.O. officials react to Supreme Court map ruling. Page 10A ä State officials say congressional map can’t be used. Page 14A

for the House races to take place later this year, only after the Legislature and governor have redrawn the map for the six congressional districts.

The election plans are likely to cause chaos for voters and election officials because Landry and legislative leaders are keeping the existing May 16 primary schedule for other races,

most notably the hotly contested Senate election in which Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing a tough challenge from U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. The five constitutional amendments scheduled for May 16 also would continue as planned, according to sources.

So would a heated state Supreme Court race on the northshore, two Public Service Commission races — one in northwest Louisiana and the other to represent the suburban districts around New Orleans — a seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary

ä See ELECTIONS, page 14A

CLOUDS & CROWDS

Schedule shuffled, ends early due to threatening weather

Thursday was a day of improvising for the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and not just on stage. With rains threatening the Fair Grounds, producers scrambled Thursday’s schedule, canceling some artists and moving others earlier in the day. They released a revised version of Thursday’s scheduling cubes at 12:30 p.m. that indicated the music would go as late as 5 p.m. on some stages, not the usual 7.

But as the forecast for late afternoon worsened, they pulled the plug on the music even earlier than that.

Right after Lake Street Dive singer Rachel Price finished singing “Good Kisser” at the Shell Gentilly Stage at 3:30 p.m., an unwelcome message appeared on the stage video screens: “Today’s Festival has ended.

STAFF PHOTOS

Thank you and get home safely. See you tomorrow!” On the revised cubes, Lake Street Dive had been scheduled to end at 3:50 p.m. News that the festival was over hadn’t yet reached the members of Widespread Panic. As the rest of the fest’s stages went dark and

Britney Spears charged with DUI in California

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears was charged in California on Thursday with driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, authorities said.

The 44-year-old pop star was charged with a single misdemeanor count of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and at least one drug, the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office said.

A Spears representative had no immediate comment.

The criminal complaint does not specify what kind of alcohol or drugs, or what amount, Spears is accused of having used. Spears, who has since entered substance abuse treatment, was arrested March 4 after she was pulled over for driving her black BMW fast and erratically on U.S. 101 near her home, the California Highway Patrol said. She appeared to be impaired, took a series of field sobriety tests, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs and was taken to a Ventura County jail, the CHP said. She was released on bail the following day. Police completed their investigation and presented it to prosecutors on March 23.

A representative at the time called Spears’ actions “completely inexcusable” and said it would ideally be “the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

Spears voluntarily checked into a substance abuse treatment facility just over a month after the arrest, her representative said.

Spears’ arraignment is set for Monday. Because it is a misdemeanor charge, she will not be required to appear in court, prosecutors said.

Scientist who mapped human genome dies

J. Craig Venter, who mapped the first draft of the human genome and helped scientists understand how genes shape our lives, died Wednesday. He was 79. Venter’s death was announced by the J. Craig Venter Institute, a genomics research group with locations in La Jolla, California, and Rockville, Maryland. The institute said he died in San Diego after being hospitalized for side effects from a recent cancer treatment.

In the 1990s Venter bet that he could use a different sequencing technique to speed up the process of decoding the human genome and beat an enormous government effort called the Human Genome Project. And in 2000, Venter’s private company Celera Genomics announced, along with Human Genome Project leaders, that they had decoded the 3.1 billion sub-units of DNA, the chemical “letters” that make up the recipe of human life. Three years later, in April 2003, the project declared the genome complete.

“Some have said to me that sequencing the human genome will diminish humanity by taking the mystery out of life,” Venter said at a White House event in 2000 about the breakthrough. “Nothing could be further from the truth.” And his work did reveal even greater mysteries — even as it helped scientists understand the genetic causes for rare diseases and more common conditions such as heart disease and cancer, as well as what mutations or shifts may put people at higher risk of disease.

Congress OKs extension of surveillance program

WASHINGTON — Congress has approved a short-term extension of a critical surveillance program used by U.S. spy agencies, staving off a Friday expiration as disputes over a longer reauthorization remain unresolved.

The House sent the extension to President Donald Trump’s desk Thursday after the Senate cleared it earlier in the day. The move comes despite passage through the House of a longer three-year extension, with lawmakers needing more time to negotiate a final agreement. The temporary patch extends the program through June 12.

“I don’t like kicking the can down the road. Not my jam. But that’s where we are,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D.

IMAGE PROVIDED BY DANA VERKOUTEREN

This courtroom sketch depicts Cole Tomas Allen, seated center, the California man arrested in the shooting incident at the correspondents’ dinner in Washington, appearing Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya in federal court in Washington.

Prosecutors release video from D.C. attack

Officials: Footage shows man attempting to storm correspondents’ dinner

BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors released a video Thursday showing the moment authorities say an armed man tried to storm the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner and attempt to kill President Donald Trump.

Jeanine Pirro, the top federal prosecutor for Washington, posted the video on social media. She said it shows Cole Tomas Allen shooting a U.S. Secret Service officer as he runs through security toward the gala packed with journalists, administration officials and others.

Pirro said there is no evidence that the agent was hit by friendly fire.

Allen agreed earlier Thursday to remain jailed while he awaits trial.

Allen did not enter a plea during his brief appearance in federal court days after authorities say he ran through a magnetometer at the Washington Hilton while holding a long gun and disrupted one of the highest-profile annual events in the nation’s capital.

Allen was injured during Saturday night’s attack but was not shot. A Secret Service officer was shot but was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and survived, officials say. Prosecutors have said they believe Allen fired his shotgun at least once and that a Secret Service agent fired five shots. They had not previously confirmed that it was Allen’s bullet that struck the agent’s vest.

In court papers pressing for Allen’s continued detention, prosecutors wrote Wednesday that Allen took a picture of himself in his hotel room just minutes before the incident, and that he was outfitted with an ammunition bag, a shoulder gun holster and a sheathed knife. In a message that authorities say sheds light on

his motive, Allen referred to himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin” and alluded obliquely to grievances over a range of Trump administration actions.

Allen’s lawyers agreed during the brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Moxila Upadhyaya to keep their client behind bars for now after initially arguing in court papers that Allen should be released.

In a court filing Wednesday, the defense wrote that the government’s case is “based upon inferences drawn about Mr. Allen’s intent that raise more questions than answers” and noted that Allen’s writings never mentioned Trump by name. The defense left the door open to pressing in the future for Allen’s release before trial.

“The government’s evidence of the charged offense –- the attempted assassination of the president –- is thus built entirely upon speculation, even under the most generous reading of its theory,” defense lawyers wrote.

Allen’s lawyers alleged that some of acting Attorney General Todd Blanche’s statements “indicate that the recovered ballistics evidence is inconsistent with aspects of the government’s theory, evidence collected by the government and/or statements made by witnesses.”

The Justice Department, in response, said the evidence shows Allen fired his shotgun at least once in the Secret Service agent’s direction. Investigators recovered at least one fragment at the crime scene that is consistent with a buckshot pellet, prosecutors wrote.

“The government is aware of no physical evidence, digital video evidence, or witness statements that are inconsistent with the theory that your client fired his shotgun in the direction” of the officer or that the officer “was indeed shot once in the chest while wearing a ballistic vest,” prosecutors wrote.

Allen was charged on Monday with that crime, as well as two additional firearms counts, including discharging a weapon during a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the assassination count alone.

Texas’ Camp Mystic drops reopening plan amid outrage

Site was location of deadly flooding last year

BY JIM VERTUNO and SEAN MURPHY Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Camp Mystic on Thursday halted plans to reopen this summer on the Texas river where floodwaters killed 25 girls and two teenage counselors, backing down in the face of outraged families and investigations that accused the all-girls Christian camp of dangerous safety and operational deficiencies.

The decision, a striking reversal of the camp owners’ determination to reopen, follows weeks of testimony in court hearings and legislative investigations. Those hearings laid bare the camp’s lack of detailed planning for a flood emergency, reliance on poorly trained staff, and missed chances for an evacuation that came too late as floodwaters ripped through the camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River in the early morning hours of July Fourth.

The camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, also died in the flooding.

As recently as Tuesday, members of the Eastland family told state lawmakers the camp would be ready to open for business for nearly 900 campers on May 30. That swiftly changed with Thursday’s announcement that the camp had withdrawn its application for a license renewal for 2026.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while fami-

lies continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” Camp Mystic said in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services confirmed Thursday that the camp has withdrawn its application.

The decision was praised by Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who opposed the camp’s reopening while investigations were ongoing.

“I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application,” Patrick said in a statement. “Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has not weighed in publicly on whether the camp should reopen, noted in a statement Thursday that the result of ongoing investigations into Camp Mystic by DSHS and the Texas Rangers “will be made public as soon as possible.”

Several lawsuits have been filed against the camp and the Eastlands. The families of the victims have packed court and legislative hearings, often wearing “Heaven’s 27” pins with photographs of their daughters. They listened to the details of missed flood warning signs, the descriptions of the flood and the decision to leave the girls in their cabins until it was too late. The testimony included video of the raging floodwaters as a girl repeatedly screamed for “help!” somewhere in the distance.

President signs DHS funding bill

Legislation ends shutdown, funds much of agency

BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON — President

Donald Trump swiftly signed a bipartisan legislation Thursday to fund much of the Department of Homeland Security, but not its immigration enforcement operations, shortly after the package won final approval in the House, ending the longest agency shutdown in history.

The quick action after weeks of political blame brought an abrupt end to the monthslong standoff that began after Trump’s deadly immigration crackdown in Minneapolis launched a reckoning on Capitol Hill over the funding for the president’s agenda.

DHS has been without routine funds since Feb. 14, causing hardship for workers, and the White House had warned that temporary funding Trump had tapped to pay Transportation Security Administration and other agency personnel would “soon run out.” Some employees risked missed paychecks in May.

“It is about damn time,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who proposed the bipartisan bill more than 70 days ago.

The House swiftly voted by voice earlier Thursday, without a formal roll call, to pass the measure. The movement in Congress comes as DHS is under intense scrutiny after Trump ousted Kristi Noem as the department’s leader, installing Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin in the middle of the shutdown. The agency counts some 260,000 employees, across TSA, the Coast Guard, FEMA and other operations.

Many workers have endured repeated turmoil with potential furloughs and pay lapses as the congressional stalemate dragged on. This shutdown came on the heels of last year’s government-

wide closure, which itself had set a record at 43 days. Countless employees have struggled with bills or simply quit their jobs. In the aftermath of the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, by federal agents during protests against the immigration actions in Minneapolis, Democrats refused to fund U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol without changes to those operations. At the same time, Republicans would not go along with a plan pushed by Democrats to fund TSA and the other parts of DHS without the money for ICE and Border Patrol. They insisted that immigration operations must not be zeroed out. After the shutdown intensified, with hourslong lines at airport security screening, the Senate unanimously approved the bipartisan package in a middle of the night vote a month ago. Then the bill languished in the House.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, himself had called the legislation a “joke.”

To break the impasse, Republican leaders in both the House and Senate decided to tackle the immigration enforcement funding on their own through what is called budget reconciliation, a cumbersome weekslong process ahead.

By beginning that path, Johnson was able to unlock the broader bipartisan bill for the rest of DHS. House Republicans late Wednesday adopted a budget resolution, on a largely partyline vote, that focused on eventually providing $70 billion for immigration enforcement and deportations for the remainder of Trump’s time in office. His term expires in January 2029.

Johnson acknowledged Thursday that while he had trashed the bipartisan bill before, the new budget process ensure that the immigration money eventually will flow “with no crazy Democrat reforms.”

“We threw a fit,” the speaker said. “We had to.”

Hegseth testifies before Congress

Defense secretary faces tough questions from Democrats

BY BEN FINLEY, STEPHEN GROVES and MEG KINNARD Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Defense

Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress at a pair of hourslong hearings this week for the first time since the Trump administration went to war against Iran, with the Pentagon chief facing tough questions from skeptical Democrats.

Hegseth seemed to emerge with solid Republican support over his leadership and handling of the war. But a few GOP lawmakers questioned his dismissal of a top Army general, while some sought assurances that the Pentagon is doing everything possible to prevent civilian deaths.

The hearings Wednesday and Thursday before the House and Senate Armed Services committees delved into the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which would boost defense spending to a historic $1.5 trillion. Hegseth and other Pentagon officials stressed the need for more drones, missile defense systems and warships.

While Republicans focused on the details of military budgeting and voiced support for the Iran operation, Democrats grilled Hegseth about the ballooning costs of the war, the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children.

Clashes with Democrats

The hearings were the first time a member of President Donald Trump’s Cabinet has defended the war publicly on Capitol Hill since it entered the conflict without congressional approval two months ago.

Hegseth did not hold back in his criticism of anyone who questioned the war.

“The biggest adversary we face at this point are the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans,” Hegseth said on Thursday as he opened the second day of hearings. He cast the conflict as a historic victory by a president who, unlike his predecessors, is backing up his tough talk on Iran. Yet even Hegseth’s timeline for the war included a tacit admission that it has dragged on much longer than Trump’s initial pledges of only a few weeks.

Democrats relentlessly questioned Hegseth on endgoals for the war and sought to highlight the steep economic repercussions being felt through high prices for gas and other goods.

“I’m sad for all the people who voted for Trump. I’m sad for them because you betrayed them,” Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Dem-

ocrat, told Hegseth as he questioned the war costs during a nearly six-hour hearing Wednesday.

Sen. Jack Reed, the Senate committee’s ranking Democrat, argued Thursday that the war has left the U.S. in a worse strategic position, with 13 American troops killed and more than 400 injured.

The Strait of Hormuz, a critical sea route for global oil shipments, remains closed, sending fuel prices skyrocketing. Iran still has highly enriched uranium and enough combat capabilities to keep the conflict locked in an impasse.

“I am concerned that you have been telling the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear,” Reed said.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, is coming under growing pressure from Republicans on Capitol Hill to find an end to the conflict, especially as a 60-day legal window expires for the president to conduct the military campaign without permission from Congress.

That deadline is Friday, but Hegseth claimed that because a fragile truce is in place, “the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire.”

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, responded, “I do not believe the statute would support that,” adding that he had “serious constitutional concerns.”

Cost of Iran war Pentagon officials informed lawmakers that the cost of the war to date is $25 billion, with most of that being spent on munitions. Operations and equipment repairs also have contributed to the costs.

Still, that number was met with some skepticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have been expecting an eventual request for war funding from the White House to run closer to $100 billion.

There is also concern that the bombing campaign against Iran has depleted America’s supply of weapons, such as crucial missile defense systems, potentially leaving the country vulnerable if conflicts break out in other areas of the globe.

Hegseth contended that

the Pentagon is not in any danger of running low on munitions, yet he also blamed any challenges on President Joe Biden’s decision to assist Ukraine as well as on an aging U.S. defense manufacturing industry.

“On the munitions front, we’re in really good shape, but we need to accelerate,” Hegseth told senators.

He presented the Pentagon’s budget request as vital to the goal of multiplying munition production rates and said he plans to bolster the industry so that it can quickly replace any munitions used in the Iran war.

The budget request would amount to a record boost to defense spending that would increase the Pentagon’s budget by over 40% from the previous year.

Pentagon firings

The defense secretary faced intense questions from Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, a Pennsylvania Democrat, about his decision to oust the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George, one of several top military officers to be dismissed since Trump took office again.

Houlahan said George was deeply respected by members of the military and Congress and asked why Hegseth fired him. Hegseth’s response that “new leadership” was needed failed to satisfy her.

“You have no way of explaining why you fired one of the most decorated and remarkable men,” Houlahan began, before Hegseth interrupted her. “We needed new leadership,” he repeated.

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa also spoke out about George, saying she was “disappointed” to see his retirement “hastened.”

Ernst said George “pulled the Army out of its worst recruiting crisis since the Vietnam era” and trimmed “nonessential” positions. George had held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023.

“He had 38 years of honorable service. He achieved the greatest Army recruitment and modernization effort in a generation,” Ernst said.

Bombing of school

Hegseth told lawmakers

in the House that a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including many children, is an “unfortunate situation” that is still under investigation.

The Associated Press has reported there was growing evidence that pointed to U.S. culpability for the Feb. 28 strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base in Iran. Experts, citing satellite image analysis, said the school was probably struck as bombs were dropped on the compound in quick succession.

Senators wanted to know what the Pentagon is doing to prevent deaths of civilians.

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, of New York, asked Hegseth: “What is your response to targeting that has resulted in the destruction of schools, hospitals, civilian places? Why did you cut by 90% the division that’s supposed to help you not target civilians?”

Hegseth responded that the Pentagon has an “ironclad commitment” to do more than other countries to prevent civilian deaths.

Iran’s leader vows to protect nuclear, missile capabilities

BY JON GAMBRELL and AAMER MADHANI Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader defiantly vowed Thursday to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities, which President Donald Trump has sought to curtail through airstrikes and as part of a wider deal to cement the war’s shaky ceasefire.

In a statement read by a state television anchor, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters” and that a “new chapter” was being written in the region’s history.

Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as supreme leader following the killing of his father in the war’s opening airstrikes.

His remarks come as Iran’s economy is reeling and its oil industry is being squeezed by a U.S. Navy blockade halting its tankers from getting out to sea. The world economy is also under pressure as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of all crude oil is transported. On Thursday, the global benchmark for oil, Brent crude, traded as high as $126 a barrel.

That shock to oil supplies and prices is putting pressure on Trump, who is floating a new plan to reopen the critical passageway used by the U.S.’s Gulf allies to export their oil and gas.

Under the plan, the U.S. would continue its blockade on Iranian ports, while coordinating with allies to impose higher costs on Iran’s attempts to subvert the free flow of energy, according to a senior administration offi-

cial, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

In a cable sent Tuesday, the U.S. State Department instructed American diplomats around the world — except those in Belarus, China, Cuba and Russia — to seek their host government’s support for the Trump administration’s call for assistance in establishing a “maritime freedom construct” that would ensure free and unimpeded access to shipping through the strait.

“This commitment reflects broad international consensus on the need for coordinated action to counter Iranian maritime provocations and ensure navigational rights and freedoms in the Strait of Hormuz,” said the cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday. The initiative, being led by the State Department and the Pentagon’s Central Command, “is a fundamentally defensive response to protect the rights of all countries to navigate international waters freely and safely and to hold Iran accountable for its aggressive and illegal actions to impede the free flow of commerce,” the cable said. At the same time, Trump has also floated possible changes to U.S. troop presence in allied countries in Europe. The day after the president announced his administration was conducting a review on potentially reducing the U.S. troop presence in Germany, he was asked by a reporter whether he’d weigh pulling U.S. forces out of Italy and Spain — which have sparred with the United States over use of bases for Iran-related operations.

NOTICE OF EARLY VOTING in JEFFERSON PARISH MAY 16, 2026 PARTY PRIMARY / MUNICIPAL PRIMARY ELECTION

The Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Office will conduct Early Voting on the following dates for this parishwide election: Beginning on SATURDAY, MAY 2nd through SATURDAY, MAY 9th Closed on Sun (5/3) 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the following 5 locations:

EAST BANK:

Jefferson (Joseph S. Yenni Building) 1221 Elmwood Park Blvd., Suite 502 Jefferson, LA 70123 (504) 736-6191

Kenner (Rivertown) 408 Minor St. Kenner, LA 70062 (504) 467-5168

Metairie (East Bank Regional Library) 4747 West Napoleon Ave. Metairie, LA 70001

WEST BANK:

Marrero (Charles B. Odom Building) 5001 West Bank Expressway, Suite C-2 Marrero, LA 70072 (504) 349-5690

Harvey (West Bank Regional Library) 2751 Manhattan Blvd Harvey, LA 70058

ICE releases detained Miss. brothers

Teens were arrested at Diamondhead school bus stop

BY MARTHA SANCHEZ Staff writer

The teenage brothers arrested by federal immigration agents as they walked to their school bus last week were released from custody Thursday after outcry from residents and leaders across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Gail Baptiste, the brothers’ legal guardian and host mother, said the teens from the Republic of the Congo are returning to their home in Diamondhead, Mississippi, after more than a week in federal detention.

“We have the boys and we are on our way home,” she said Thursday afternoon.

The release of Israel Makoka, 18, and Max Makoka, 15, followed pleas from students, teachers, neighbors and the mayor of their deep-red Mississippi community.

The office of Republican U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith also helped the family find a top immigration attorney and answered their questions about the federal immigration process, according to Baptiste.

“My office is doing what it can to work with the guardians of Max and Israel Makoka as they deal with an ongoing and complex immigration case,” Hyde-Smith said in a statement earlier this week. “We will continue to monitor the situation and work toward the best possible solution within the law.”

Students and staff at Hancock High School, where the Makokas studied and played basketball, wrote dozens of letters in support of the brothers’ release. Residents in Hancock County, where Donald Trump won almost 80% of the vote in the last presiden-

tial election, also called and left messages at the offices of Hyde-Smith, Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Ezell, who represents southern Mississippi in Congress.

The brothers’ arrests came as the Trump administration cracks down on illegal immigration and increases scrutiny on international students studying in the United States.

ICE has not responded to detailed questions about the case. But in a statement, the agency told media outlets the brothers violated their student visas by transferring out of the Piney Woods School, a historically Black boarding institution in central Mississippi.

The Baptiste family said the brothers unknowingly fell out of legal status when they transferred to Han-

cock High School last year.

“They were granted the opportunity to participate in a student exchange program. However, they failed to attend that school,” a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said in a statement earlier this week. “Because they violated their visas, they are subject to removal.”

Federal agents arrested the brothers as they left home to board their school bus on April 21, according to their host family. Israel Makoka was held at an ICE facility in Jena. Authorities transferred Max Makoka to a facility in Houston.

Next steps

Diamondhead Mayor Anna Liese praised the brother’s release.

“As a community, we are hugely re-

lieved and absolutely overjoyed that the boys are on their way home,” she said. “It has really brought out the best in our people. They rallied for these kids and did what they could to advocate for them, and I think it made a difference.”

Amy Maldonado, an attorney representing the Makoka brothers, said they will participate in ICE check-ins and court proceedings while seeking reinstatement of their student visas.

Israel Makoka was released with an ankle monitor, Maldonado said. He will return to Mississippi in time for his high school graduation.

His younger brother, Max, was released to the Baptistes, his legal guardians, and will likely attend a local private school next year. Maldonado said the family will also be required to pay Hancock High School for the cost of this year’s tuition in accordance with federal laws that govern international students’ attendance at public schools.

Their brothers’ arrests outraged many neighbors across the tight-knit city of Diamondhead, where most residents support the Trump administration. Some residents questioned the outcry, arguing ICE had no choice but to detain the brothers’ since their legal status had lapsed. The Baptiste family said an ICE agent told them the agency received a tip that “two African kids” were attending Hancock High School.

The brothers arrived in the U.S. in 2023 and 2024 and stayed with the Baptiste family during the holidays and summers before they transferred to the local high school. Their arrests drew national media attention.

Baptiste credited their release to local and federal leaders “who really went to bat for us,” she said.

“The boys are very grateful,” she added. “They look forward to having an opportunity to finish their education.”

Brazil’s Congress reduces Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence

BY MAURICIO SAVARESE

Associated Press

SAO PAULO

— Brazil’s Congress voted Thursday to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence, a decision likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court and one that could potentially upend the nation’s October presidential election. It’s unclear how much time Bolsonaro would serve for his conviction for leading a coup attempt, but analysts

say the move could shave 20 years off his sentence. The former president, who began his term in November, is currently under house arrest. The opposition to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva scored its win by drawing centrist senators and federal deputies to comfortably override his veto on a sentencing bill passed last year. Bolsonaro supporters were confident of their victory before the voting began. “This is a first and much

FEMA workers

By The Associated Press

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has moved to address staffing issues that triggered concern and uncertainty among and about its workforce, including reinstating employees put on leave for publicly opposing agency policies, and extending contracts for some workers whose terms were set to expire soon.

Fourteen FEMA employees who signed a public letter of dissent last August sounding alarms about the nation’s disaster preparedness were reinstated after being put

on paid administrative leave for eight months, according to two FEMA staff members.

They were among over 190 current and former FEMA employees who signed the letter but were the only active employees who included their names. The letter, known as the “Katrina Declaration,” called out multiple policy decisions by President Donald Trump’s administration that the signatories said risked a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina.

“I feel pretty vindicated, and like we did the right thing,” said Abby McIlraith,

awaited step by those who are afflicted. The next stage is full amnesty,” said Sen. Espiridião Amin, a Bolsonaro ally. The bill passed by Congress last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup when a person is convicted in both. The new legislation states that only the count carrying the highest sentence should be counted.

Sen. Davi Alcolumbre,

president of Brazil’s Senate, argued earlier that the scope of the decision excludes heinous crimes, a claim legal experts say will be questioned in court.

Bolsonaro allies in Congress said the move benefits

not only the former president, but also supporters who were sentenced for destroying government buildings in capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023, in a riot that mirrored the assault on the U.S. Capitol Hill two years earlier.

a FEMA emergency management specialist who is among the reinstated workers.

The group received emails Wednesday informing them that an investigation into that matter was closed and instructing them to return to work Thursday, she said. Their reinstatement was first reported by NBC News.

FEMA leadership also told some employees this week that it will be extending certain term-limited employees’ contracts, according to documents seen by The Associated Press, after extended uncertainty over the future of those positions.

Trump gives OK to major new oil pipeline

Canada

BY MEAD GRUVER and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — President Donald Trump granted a key approval Thursday for a major new oil pipeline that would carry oil from Canada into the U.S. where it would be exported and refined.

The three-foot-wide Bridger Pipeline Expansion would carry up to 550,000 barrels of oil a day from the Canadian border with Montana down through eastern Montana and Wyoming, where it would link with another pipeline.

The project would require additional state and federal environmental approvals before construction, which company officials expect to start next year. Environmentalists hope to stop the project over worries that the pipeline could break and spill. At peak volume, the 650-mile pipeline would move two-thirds as much oil as the better-known Keystone XL pipeline that got partially built before President Joe Biden, citing climate-change concerns, canceled its permit on the day he took office in 2021. “Slightly different from the last administration. They wouldn’t sign a pipeline deal. And we have pipelines going up,” Trump said after signing the Bridger Pipeline Expansion crossborder approval.

food and merchandise vendors closed, the Georgia jam band that is a long-standing Jazz Fest favorite was still rolling at the main Festival Stage for a good-sized crowd.

Widespread Panic had been allotted the longest set of the 2026 festival, at two and a half hours. They were originally scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m., but moved up to 2 p.m. They kept playing until 3:55, with trumpeter Gregory Davis and baritone saxophonist Roger Lewis of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band sitting in.

Lead singer John Bell looked like he wanted to keep on going.

But Jazz Fest producer/director Quint Davis materialized at the side of the stage, got on a microphone and announced that the show, and the day, were done.

“Thank you for sticking with us,” Davis said to Panic fans still processing that the party was over. “Thank you for loving Jazz Fest through the weather. Thank you for loving Jazz Fest through the rain.”

The day’s canceled acts included Texas-based Americana guitarist and singer Alejandro Escovedo, who was to have performed at 5:50 p.m. on the Sheraton New Orleans Fais Do-Do Stage. Escovedo had to cancel his 2025 Jazz Fest show at the last minute because of illness.

Other acts who didn’t get to play included Zigaboo Modeliste’s Funk Revue, The Iceman Special, Ingrid Lucia and Flagboy Giz.

Ryan Brunet and the Malfecteurs started off the day at the Fais Do-Do Stage with a brace of traditional Cajun music under gray skies. Cedric Watson et Bijou Creole followed.

Tonya Boyd-Cannon deployed her big voice at the Congo Square Stage. Boyd-Cannon then filled in for Leela James as an interview subject at the Allison Miner Music Heritage Stage inside the Grandstand.

Interviewer Karen Celestan had been scheduled to interview James, who was also slated to close down the Congo Square Stage on Thursday. The rain said otherwise.

Melissa “DJ Soul Sister” Weber’s Music Heritage Stage inter-

view with James Brown and Parliament/Funkadelic trombonist Fred Wesley was also canceled.

“At least we had a good time in the green room,” Weber said. “We were both talking about how sad

we were that the stories we were telling each other couldn’t be done on the stage.”

Wesley was able to perform earlier in the afternoon in the WWOZ Jazz Tent.

The reverse happened to Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and Jenard Andrews of the New Breed Brass Band: They were interviewed in the Grandstand as originally scheduled at 1:45 p.m., but were unable to perform at Congo Square at 3:55.

The early shutdown allowed time for the Fair Grounds to be cleared before heavier rain moved in.

Most fans seemed to take Thursday’s truncated fest in stride.

“What if we all agreed not to leave?” one Widespread Panic fan shouted in jest as people packed up at the Festival Stage field.

“Unite!’

By the time Widespread Panic finished, the festival’s vendors had also closed down. One young woman told her companion that she was sad she didn’t have a chance to buy a Jazz Fest T-shirt. “We’ll get one tomorrow,” he replied.

How much time she’ll have at the Fair Grounds to make that purchase Friday will be determined by the weather.

With more rain in Friday’s forecast, the festival is likely to adjust that day’s schedule too. An announcement will likely be made Friday morning about changes.

“For information regarding tomorrow’s schedule, continue to follow us on social media,” the festival posted on Facebook. Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

N.O. officials react to election map decision

Voting rights case fallout continues in state

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Former Louisiana Appeals Court Judge Edwin Lombard can remember when the Congressional Black Caucus was formed.

It was the 1970s, and he was a young attorney fighting for federal funds for New Orleans. At those early meetings, the caucus’ 13 members could fit around a small conference table.

These days, the caucus has grown to 62 members. But after the Supreme Court on Wednesday shot down Louisiana’s second majority-Black congressional district, Lombard fears membership will dwindle and Black voters will lose the gains they’ve achieved.

“You’re going to go back to where it was when I first got involved … You never had any (Black) congressman — any thought of a (Black) congressman — in Mississippi or Louisiana,” said Lombard, who as the city’s former longtime criminal court clerk became the first Black person elected to a citywide post in New Orleans after Reconstruction.

The court’s Wednesday decision to weaken the landmark Voting Rights Act has spurred vocal opposition from Lombard and many other New Orleans officials and civil rights leaders, who say it threatens to immediately shrink Black voters’ representation in the state and the country.

The decision has been cheered by supporters, including Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, as a way to prevent the racial discrimination they say occurred under the old system.

“The Supreme Court has ended Louisiana’s long-running nightmare of federal courts coercing the state to draw a racially discriminatory map,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill in a statement this week. “That was always unconstitutional — and this is a seismic decision reaffirming equal protection under our nation’s laws.”

The justices on Wednesday said “no compelling interest” justified the Louisiana Legislature’s configuration of the six-district map, which contains an additional majority-Black district that was drawn in response to a Voting Rights Act lawsuit.

HUTSON

Continued from page 1A

lapses where staff left inmates unsupervised for hours with access to items they could fashion into weapons. High-risk inmates were allowed out of their cells and assaulted staff and other inmates, destroyed property, smoked, possessed dangerous contraband and lit fires.

“OPSO used to house many of those inmates in a highsecurity unit, but chose to abandon this practice after Sheriff Hutson took office,” the affidavit stated.

Agents from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations, which falls under Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office, said they found evidence that Hutson lied to criminal court judges over a two-year span regarding her ability to staff transfers of detainees from the jail to the courthouse seven days a week for in-person appearances. A report by Louisiana’s legislative auditor this month said Hutson’s office saw an 8.6% staff increase between 2022 and 2025. None of those staff members was assigned to handle courthouse matters despite repeated requests from

The court’s ruling

That lawsuit began back in 2022 when legislators drew a map with five majorityWhite districts and one majority-Black district. White majorities in Louisiana have never elected a Black candidate to Congress.

Black voters sued to get a second majority-Black district created. But a second group of “non-African Americans,” known as the Callais litigants, filed their own lawsuit, claiming the new map relies primarily on race and is an illegal gerrymander. The case was eventually appealed up to the Supreme Court.

The court’s 6-3 conservative majority found the Republican-majority Legislature sorted voters by race to reconfigure its map, which they said violates the Equal Protection clause of the Constitution.

The ruling came three days before early voting is set to begin for congressional races, among others, and as absentee ballot voting has already begun. In an executive order on Thursday, Landry suspended the May 16 primary elections for the six congressional races. Lawmakers are planning for the House races to take place later this year, after the Legislature and governor have redrawn the map for the congressional districts.

‘Weakens our democracy’ Leaders in majority-Black New Orleans — including U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, DNew Orleans — sounded off this week. The city is also represented by Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, and two senators, Baton Rouge Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy and Madisonville Republican Sen. John Kennedy, who represent the entire state.

The decision “suppresses voices, disenfranchises our people, and weakens our democracy,” said Mayor Helena Moreno in a statement on Wednesday. “We should be working to expand representation, not roll it back.”

Critics also said Landry’s executive order to suspend U.S. House elections created immediate chaos in the state.

“Our elections in Louisiana are already underway. Voters overseas living in nursing homes, voters who needed to vote absentee, they have already returned their ballots,” said Alanah Odoms, executive director of the ACLU of Louisiana, at a news briefing held by civil rights organizations

judges, LBI stated. It was not immediately clear how the individual counts under the indictment relate to those allegations.

With days until she leaves the helm of the Sheriff’s Office, the 59-year-old Hutson sat quietly in the courtroom Thursday morning, flanked by Bianka Brown, her chief financial officer and now co-defendant. Brown was indicted on 20 counts under the same charging document.

Criminal District Judge Franz Zibilich set bails for both women following Wednesday’s indictments. It’s unclear which judge will end up with the case, but it landed Thursday with District Judge Leon Roche. Zibilich told Hutson and Brown to turn in their passports and ordered both not to leave the state. They’re set to be arraigned May 15. Hutson was led out of the courtroom afterward. She issued a statement late Thursday.

“I will aggressively fight to clear my name,” Hutson said. “The timing of this indictment is concerning. It will not deter me from pursuing every available legal action to demonstrate that these accusations are unfounded.”

Her attorney, Gregory Carter, described Hutson

on Thursday. “Moving the election now means literally erasing those votes.”

Others feared the court’s decision could set a precedent that could apply to down-ballot races.

“This is a new test that will be applied to districts all over,” said Louisiana Public Service Commissioner Davante Lewis. “Seats on school boards, city councils, on police juries, judicial districts across the state.

“Who knows where it stops once the ball starts rolling?” Lewis said.

The Supreme Court’s decision came the same day that the Legislature sent a bill to Landry to eliminate the post of Orleans Parish criminal clerk of court, after voters overwhelmingly elected Calvin Duncan — who is Black and an exonerated life prisoner — to the position. Lombard and others said the combined events were a one-two punch to the local electorate’s ability to select its own representation.

“It’s one move after another about disenfranchising people — It’s just coming from all angles,” said Lombard. “So you reduce the number of African American judges, African American elected officials and whatever else.”

Others on Thursday said that they were saddened, but not surprised by the court’s decision.

“It’s sad, but that’s where we are right now,” said Jim Singleton, a former stalwart of the New Orleans political organization, the Black Organization for Leadership Development, and a former New Orleans City Council member. “The Republicans in charge in Washington and Baton Rouge, anything they can do to dethrone the Democrats, that’s what they’re going to do.”

For Lombard, who led voter registration drives shortly after the Voting Rights Act passed, including for the 1967 election that saw Ernest “Dutch” Morial become the first Black state representative in Louisiana since Reconstruction, the decision is an affront to years of work.

“We know why people protested, why people went out and got killed to make sure that the rights of every individual was guaranteed and protected,” said Lombard, whose brother Rudy Lombard, was a civil rights leader arrested for participating in a lunch counter sit-in in New Orleans. “All those gains will now be going by the wayside if this stands.”

as feeling “offended” by the indictment.

“I think we all would be caught off guard to come to serve this city, and serve it passionately, and to have something like this happen,” Carter said outside the courtroom Thursday.

Sheriff-elect Michelle Woodfork, who unseated Hutson last October, is set to take office Monday.

A special state grand jury seated for months in Orleans Parish under the direction of prosecutors with Murrill’s office levied the bombshell charges Wednesday afternoon in an indictment that lacked key details.

The charges against Hutson include 14 counts of malfeasance in office, three counts apiece for obstruction of justice and filing or maintaining false public records, along with 10 related conspiracy charges.

Brown, 40, faces eight malfeasance counts, six charges of filing false public records and three counts apiece for obstruction of justice and conspiracy. Hutson and Brown both were booked in Jefferson Parish late Wednesday. Hutson made a $300,000 bond, and Brown was released on a $200,000 bond.

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

Trump blasts Cassidy over holding up surgeon general

President calls senator ‘very disloyal’

BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer

WASHINGTON — President

Donald Trump on Wednesday called U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy “very disloyal” for not scheduling a confirmation vote for Casey Means, the controversial MAHA influencer, as the nation’s surgeon general. Trump then withdrew Means’ nomination and tapped Dr. Nicole B. Saphier. The third nominee for the post, Saphier is a radiologist in New York and a Fox News contributor.

On Truth Social, Trump called for Louisiana voters to defeat Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, in the May 16 closed party primary. Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, R-Baton Rouge, in Cassidy’s effort to win a third six-year term — early voting starts Saturday. Letlow is also backed by the MAHA movement.

“Hopefully all of the Great Republican People of Louisiana, which I won, BIG, three times, will be voting Bill Cassidy OUT OF OFFICE in the upcoming Republican Primary!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“I nominated Casey, a strong MAHA Warrior, at the recommendation of Secretary Kennedy, who understands the MAHA Movement better than anyone, with perhaps the possible exception of ME!,” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post, referring to Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement the sec-

retary has trumpeted for years.

The president wrote about 20 minutes later on another Truth Social post that he was nominating Saphier.

Cassidy’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment, and he has repeatedly refused to talk about Means. But, as chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions committee, Cassidy has not scheduled a vote on Means’ confirmation, even though her hearing took place in February.

Means reportedly did not have enough Republican votes on the committee to forward her confirmation to the full Senate as all the Democratic members oppose. With 12 Republicans and 11 Democrats, one GOP member voting “no” would have ended Means’ chances.

Senators raised questions about Means’ writings and past positions. During her Senate committee confirmation hearing, Means did not embrace the use of vaccines. While agreeing that vaccinations save lives, she wouldn’t expressly support shots to combat measles. She appeared to back Kennedy’s policies that support his long-held vaccine skepticism.

Means also was opposed by prominent conservative bloggers and the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, which sets public policy for the 13 million Southern Baptists.

This is not the first time that Trump has gone after Cassidy on social media. In April 2024, Trump posted a two-page entry that read, in part: “One of the worst Senators in the United States Senate is, without question, Bill Cassidy, A TOTAL

FLAKE, Republican though he may be.”

Cassidy became one of seven Republican senators to convict Trump of inciting insurrection in the 2021 impeachment trial that followed the Jan. 6, 2021, sacking of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters trying to disrupt the official certification that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Cassidy was the only member of Louisiana’s Republican delegation in Congress to support impeachment; he also was the only GOP member from the state who voted to certify the electors from every state. The Louisiana Republican Party censured Cassidy and its more conservative members have belittled him since.

Several leading Louisiana conservatives spent the last few years flirting with challenging Cassidy. He drew two major elected officials as opponents — Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming.

Once a doctor from Minden, Fleming is a founder of the far-right Freedom Caucus in the House and worked in the administration during Trump’s first administration.

Cassidy has spent much time trying to make amends with Trump. He is largely responsible for Kennedy becoming the nation’s health chief despite fundamental disagreements on vaccinations.

As a practicing physician and medical researcher for 30 years before elective office, Cassidy ardently supports vaccinations. Kennedy has spent years questioning whether certain vaccines work.

Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate. com.

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Stocks rally to best month since 2020

NEW YORK — The U.S stock market motored to more records Thursday as profits keep piling up for Alphabet, Caterpillar and other big businesses. The gains came after the latest whipsaw moves for oil prices, which surged toward their highest levels since the war with Iran began only to quickly regress.

The S&P 500 rallied 1% and topped its prior all-time high to close out its best month in more than five years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 790 points, or 1.6%, while the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.9% to its own record.

Alphabet led the way and rallied 10% after the owner of Google and YouTube reported profit for the latest quarter that almost doubled analysts’ expectations. Investments in artificial intelligence “are lighting up every part of the business,” CEO Sundar Pichai said. Traders are buying and selling contracts for different kinds of oil, going out for many months. In the most actively traded part of the market for Brent crude, for delivery in July, the price got as high as $114.70 per barrel overnight. It then fell back toward $107 before settling at $110.40, nearly unchanged from the day before.

Caterpillar soared 9.9%, Eli Lilly jumped 9.8% and O’Reilly Automotive leaped 8.4% after all delivered profits for the latest quarter that topped analysts’ expectations.

Meta Platforms tumbled 8.7% even though the company behind Facebook and Instagram made more profit last quarter than expected.

Jobless claims plunge to lowest since 1969

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits plunged to the lowest level in decades, a sign that job-cut announcements have not yet meaningfully translated into layoffs.

Initial claims fell by 26,000 to 189,000 in the week ended April 25. according to Labor Department data released Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 212,000 applications.

Continuing claims, a proxy for the number of people receiving benefits, dropped to 1.79 million in the previous week, the lowest in two years. Filings have remained subdued despite high-profile companies such as Meta Platforms Inc. and Nike Inc. announcing job cuts, signaling the labor market continues to be in a lowfiring environment.

Before adjusting for seasonal factors, initial claims also fell last week. New York led the declines with nearly 11,000 fewer filings, erasing a large increase over the previous two weeks. California and Connecticut also registered sizable declines.

Average long-term mortgage rate rises

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week, pushing up borrowing costs for prospective homebuyers in the midst of the spring homebuying season.

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.3% from 6.23% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. That’s still down from one year ago, when the rate averaged 6.76%. The increase ends a three-week slide, bringing the average rate back to where it was two weeks ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also moved higher this week. That average rate rose to 5.64% from 5.58% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.92%, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. This week’s uptick in the average rate on a 30-year home loan follows a rise in the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds.

Union Pacific argues for merger

Previous application to acquire Norfolk Southern was denied

BY JOSH FUNK AP transportation writer

OMAHA, Neb. — Union Pacific hopes regulators will be convinced this time that its $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern that it detailed for the second time Thursday will be good for the country.

The U.S. Surface Transportation Board rejected Union Pacific’s initial application as incomplete in January because regulators wanted more details about how the deal would affect the competitive balance between the five remaining major freight railroads and

the impact on customers. The STB has 30 days to decide whether to accept this application, and then it will move forward into its detailed review of the deal that will likely last more than a year.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said the new application makes an even stronger case for the benefits of the merger that he believes would shave a day or two off the delivery time for many shipments because they would no longer have to be handed off between two railroads in the middle of the country. The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad projects that the merger could lead to shifting 2.1 million truckloads off the highway onto trains, and doing that could save shippers $3.5 billion because over long distances, rail is cheaper than trucking. Critics that include some current

major rail shippers like chemical companies and agricultural groups and two of the major competing railroads worry that the shipping rates existing customers pay could soar if Union Pacific gains monopoly power all across the country. Competitors BNSF and CPKC railroads joined a new coalition Wednesday to highlight concerns that the deal could hurt shippers and eventually consumers if it leads to higher rates for companies that have few options besides rail to get their raw materials and deliver their products.

But Vena said CSX and BNSF are already improving their operations to ensure they can compete ,and shippers will benefit from that if the deal is approved. Plus, he pointed out that since BNSF is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway it has the financial

resources to do whatever is needed because Berkshire is sitting on nearly $400 billion cash.

“The first few years after this, it’s gonna be like one of those old 15-round boxing fights. Prices are gonna be used, the service is going to be used, everything. And I think the customer’s going to be the winner in all this while we knock down, drag it out, to see who can win and grow their market share,” Vena said.

But the STB established a high bar for major railroad mergers like this one around the turn of the century after past rail mergers snarled freight and led to prolonged disruptions while two railroads worked to integrate their networks. Now Union Pacific has to demonstrate that this deal will enhance competition.

High oil prices due to war weigh on everything from gas to goods

As conflict in Iran enters third month, consumers are paying for disruption

BY MAE ANDERSON and WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS AP business writers

NEW YORK — Pain at the pump. Higher postal prices. Flights canceled, costlier airplane ticket prices and baggage fees. Everyday items such as soap and toothpaste getting more expensive.

Consumers are paying for the Iran war’s disruption of global energy production as the conflict enters its third month. Steeper gasoline, diesel and jet fuel prices are making driving and air travel more expensive. Many companies warn there’s more to come: the cost of fuel and of materials derived from petroleum could drive up food prices and for other household items.

Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, keeping them pent up in the Persian Gulf and away from customers worldwide, while a U.S. Navy blockade is preventing Iran from selling its own oil. Prices surged overnight on worries that the war will affect the flow of crude for a long time.

Gas surges to highest level since 2022

As the cost of crude climbs, so do the prices of gasoline and other fuel that keep equipment, cars, buses, delivery trucks and airplanes running.

Across the U.S., gas prices are at their highest level since 2022. The national average hit $4.30 a gallon on Thursday, compared with $2.98 before the war started, according to AAA. That’s a 44% increase since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

Diesel prices making shipping cost more

Steep diesel prices are making it more expensive to haul everyday goods. Diesel is now at an average of nearly $5.50 a gallon, up from $3.76 before the war, AAA says.

Shippers have started adding surcharges to cover the cost. The U.S. Postal Service implemented a temporary 8% charge on some of its services, including Priority Mail, to help blunt the impact of rising transportation costs. Amazon added a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on third-party sellers using its platform to offset fuel prices as well.

Shoppers may see more sticker shock for clothing, cosmetics, furniture and other goods. Plane tickets getting pricier

After jumping to $209 a barrel in early April, the global price of jet fuel eased last week to around $179, still well above the roughly $99 at the end of February.

Fuel is one of the largest expenses for airlines. Its prices are pushing up airfares, baggage fees and add-on charges.

Major U.S. carriers including Delta, United, American and Southwest have raised checked baggage fees. United is expanding its “pay for what you want” model from economy to premium cabins, charging separately for options like seat selection. American is adding fees for seat assignments in basic economy, even for its elite-tier loyalty members.

Outside the U.S., carriers in Asia and Europe have added or raised fuel surcharges, in some cases tacking on hundreds of dollars to long-haul tickets.

Many airlines also have trimmed flight schedules, cut less profitable routes or reduced seat capacity. The Lufthansa Group has said it plans to cancel about 20,000 flights across its network over the next six months.

Consumer goods makers raising prices

Procter & Gamble, the maker of such household products as Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper, warned last week the war would cause a $1 billion hit to profits during its next fiscal year. Many of P&G’s products and packaging are made of resin or other petroleumbased material, Andre Schulten, P&G’s chief financial officer, told reporters on April 24. He said the company may have to pass on costs to shoppers.

London-based Unilever, which makes everything from Dove soap to Hellmann’s may-

onnaise, plans to raise prices around 2% to 3% in “small doses,” CFO Srinivas Phatak said in an earnings call on Thursday.

Groceries could be next

Grocery prices have yet to be affected, according to government figures. But they are expected to rise with tightening supplies of fuel and fertilizer.

Fuel accounts for roughly 15% to 30% of the total cost of food, according to the Independent Grocers Alliance, a grouping of 7,500 global supermarkets. Fertilizer is also essential to farmers, and about 30% of the world’s fertilizer shipments typically pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ken Foster, a professor of agricultural economics at Purdue University, said there is typically a 3- to 6-month lag between an energy price shock and an increase in retail food prices. The lag can be up to a year for packaged foods with a longer shelf life. Increased hunger in Asia, Africa is possible

The U.N. World Food Program estimates that 45 million additional people – the majority of whom live in Asia and Africa — could tip into hunger if the war doesn’t ease by the middle of this year. That would bring the global total of people facing food insecurity to 363 million, the highest level on record.

“Delays and higher transport costs push up food prices, and families who spend 50% to 70% of their income on food are the first to go without,” Corinne Fleischer, the program’s supply chain director, said in a statement.

Senate bans its members, staff from betting in prediction markets

BY MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Senate has approved a bipartisan resolution to prevent its own members from using prediction markets, banning senators who are often privy to sensitive information from making bets on upcoming events. The measure that passed unanimously by voice vote Thursday was written as a change to the Senate’s rules, so it will go into effect immediately. It comes a week after a U.S. special forces soldier was charged with using classified information to bet on the January capture of Venezuela’s then-

president, Nicolas Maduro, and as lawmakers increasingly voice concerns about who might be making public wagers on the war with Iran.

“United States senators have no business engaging in speculative activities like prediction markets while collecting a taxpayer-funded paycheck, period,” said Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, who sponsored the resolution. An amendment by Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., broadened the measure to include staff.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the move was a “no-brainer.” He encouraged the House and Trump administra-

tion to do the same.

“We must never allow Congress to turn into a casino where members representing the public can gamble on wars or economic crises or elections,” Schumer said. “That would destroy the very principle of representative government.”

Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., have introduced a bill to ban all federally elected officials and government employees from using insider information to make prediction market bets. Young said the resolution was “a good first step” and he encouraged the Senate to take up their bill. Prediction markets, including the betting platform Polymarket and

its chief rival Kalshi, have come under scrutiny as the business has expanded. Polymarket has received particular criticism as a venue for offshore trades that are beyond the reach of U.S. regulators. Earlier this month, The Associated Press reported that a group of new accounts on Polymarket made highly specific, well-timed bets on whether the United States and Iran would reach a ceasefire on April 7, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for the new customers. On the same day the AP published the report, the White House warned staff against using private information to trade on prediction markets.

La. officials say congressional map can’t be used

Election lawyers disagree that ruling immediately invalidated primaries

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

One day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana’s congressional map is unconstitutional, Gov. Jeff Landry declared an election emergency and suspended primary elections for the state’s six U.S. House seats, just two days before early voting was set to begin.

In an executive order, Landry said that the state had little choice, because “electing members to Congress under an unconstitutional map flies in the face of the United States Constitution.”

“This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map,” Landry said.

A three-judge panel on the Western District federal court, where the lawsuit was originally filed, buttressed that point in an order issued late Thursday, in which it said the state could not use the current maps.

But some election lawyers say it’s not clear that Louisiana was right to delay the congressional primary, since changing the election date will confuse voters, and there are more procedural steps in the Supreme Court case.

“The primary is already underway,” said Michael Li, a redistricting expert and senior counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice.

Mail ballots were already sent to voters who are overseas or in the

ELECTIONS

Continued from page 1A

Education and local races around the state.

Landry said having all but the six congressional races go forward on May 16 as planned is the only legal path for Louisiana.

“The best way to end racebased discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race,” Landry said Thursday in issuing his executive order. “Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters.

This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map.”

Landry made his statement after he and Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “The state is currently enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map.”

The governor issued the executive order after Secretary of State Nancy Landry took the necessary step of certifying that an “emergency” existed for Louisiana’s election laws following the Supreme Court ruling. In a statement, she said the House races will remain on the May 16 primary ballot, but those votes won’t be counted.

The governor’s plans are already inviting criticism.

U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields, a Democrat from Baton Rouge who could be given a seat through redistricting that he cannot win, called delaying the congressional elections and redrawing the current map “an unwise stance for Louisiana to take … Louisianans who have already submitted their ballots deserve to have their voices heard. Halting this election would be nothing short of disenfranchising the very constituents we are sworn to serve.”

The Legislature won’t have to call a special session to redesign the current congressional boundaries that give Louisiana four Republican and two Democratic seats. Lawmakers can redistrict the House seats through bills filed during the current legislative session by state Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, or state Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen. The Legislature has time to

military, and people in Louisiana voting by mail have already begun to cast ballots, he said.

In East Baton Rouge Parish, for example, ballots were sent to military and overseas voters on March 25 and to all other absentee voters on April 8, according to data from the registrar of voters there. And 4,364 voted ballots have already been returned in that parish.

Sarah Brannon, an ACLU votingrights lawyer and attorney on the team representing Black litigants in the Supreme Court case, echoed Li.

“People have already cast their ballots,” she said. “It is extremely chaotic and confusing to try and change the rules of the election in

the middle of an ongoing election.”

Brannon also noted that congressional candidates have already formally qualified for the race.

“The most equitable thing to do for voters and candidates who are already participating in this process is to allow the election to continue,” she said.

Both Brannon and Li said there have been many redistricting cases where voting maps have been struck down by a court close to an election, and the map is used for the upcoming election but altered for future ones.

“This is not uncommon in redistricting cases where there’s rulings about maps, and the changes don’t always get implemented immediately,” Brannon said.

The process

On Thursday, Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said Louisiana is “enjoined from carrying out congressional elections under the current map.”

A lower court had already ruled the current map was unconstitutional and blocked Louisiana from using it, but that decision had been put on hold until the Supreme Court could weigh in. The Supreme Court’s decision means that earlier ruling blocking the map is now in effect, Murrill and Landry argued.

But Brannon said whether Louisiana must use a different map for the 2026 midterms is “unresolved.”

The Supreme Court’s opinion

Wednesday is “not an order or an injunction” blocking use of the map, nor does it include guidance on immediate next steps, Brannon said.

“There are some procedural steps that need to take place,” she said. “That procedural process has not occurred yet.”

Still at issue is when the high court will issue a certified judgment, which “would have more legal impact,” Brannon said.

The White plaintiffs in the case on Wednesday quickly asked the Supreme Court to immediately issue a certified copy of its judgment.

They argue the lower court has to either approve a new map passed by the Legislature or draw a new map itself, and because elections will be held in either the coming days or months, “time is of the essence.”

The Black litigants in the case Thursday afternoon opposed the plaintiffs’ request, arguing that the court should allow them 25 days to consider asking for a rehearing.

They are also asking the court to hold off on issuing its judgment until the 2026 elections are complete.

Louisiana in court filings on Thursday said the state believes the Supreme Court opinion automatically triggered a prohibition on using the current map.

“The Governor and Attorney General are thus working with the Legislature — which is in session until June 1 — to immediately produce a constitutional map and electoral process for Louisiana,” Louisiana’s filing states. “They do not view their ability to do so as contingent upon when this Court transmits its opinion and judgment.”

take up those measures because the legislative session is not scheduled to end until June 1.

The redistricting process won’t begin on Friday. The House is not scheduled to meet again until Monday and the Senate on Tuesday. “We want to stress to voters, as the Secretary of State has advised, that it is only the six Louisiana U.S. House seats whose races are being suspended at this time,” state Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, and House Speaker Phillip DeVillier, R-Eunice, said in a statement. “All other races and ballot measures will continue as scheduled on the election dates currently scheduled. We urge voters to continue to make their plans to vote in all other races or matters on the ballot on the election dates currently scheduled.”

Republicans have said they want the new map to eliminate either one or both of the congressional seats held by Fields and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans. Both are Black Democrats. It’s possible the two might have to run against each other.

“This election is already underway — mail-in ballots have been sent, and early voting begins in just two days,” Carter said in a statement Thursday. “We must account for that reality and ensure voters aren’t left in confusion or denied fair representation at a critical moment.”

The map adopted by Landry and legislators in 2024 created the Baton Rouge-to-Shreveport district won by Fields, who has supported the governor’s initiatives behind the scenes. Creating that district meant sacrificing the congressional seat held by then-U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, a Republican from Baton Rouge who was at odds with Landry. Depending on the new map, Graves could try to win back his seat in the House.

The events in Louisiana are being closely watched in Washington.

President Donald Trump issued a shoutout to Landry on Truth Social “for moving so quickly to fix the Unconstitutionality of Louisiana’s Congressional Maps. He has shown tremendous Vision, Strength, and Leadership.”

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, told reporters Thursday that he supports delaying the elections, while noting he has no say in that decision.

“The governor has no choice but to suspend it,” Johnson said. “The court has ruled our map unconstitutional.”

Said Cassidy: “The governor’s decision to move ahead with the Senate race during a confusing time is disappointing. Now, it’s up to all of us to help people understand what’s happening and make sure voters know how to cast their votes over the next two weeks.”

The changed election schedule will most directly affect the Republican primary to replace Letlow in the 5th Congressional District race. Candidates include state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Sen. Blake Miguez of Erath and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe.

The candidates have been campaigning hard to perform well in the May 16 primary, traveling the district from Monroe to Baton Rouge, and running ads on TV stations and digital networks. But now that race is up in the air.

Echols said he hopes that lawmakers now return to the congressional maps that were in place for the 2022 elections. Under that map, the 5th Congressional District included northeast Louisiana and extended to the Florida Parishes. Under the current map that the Supreme Court has invalidated, the district extends to Baton Rouge, where Letlow now lives.

Edmonds said he will run for the 5th Congressional District seat no matter the new boundaries. In the meantime, he added, he is keeping his current campaign plans.

Edmonds would lose the benefit of being on the same May 16 ballot as the proposed constitutional amendment to create a school district for the city of St. George within East Baton Rouge Parish.

Edmonds sponsored the legislation that is prompting the constitutional amendment and has been expecting a solid turnout from St. George voters to boost his candidacy.

The Washington Post first reported on plans to delay the House election schedule.

Legislators have gotten themselves in this fix because they followed Landry’s lead in 2024 to switch to a semiclosed primary schedule for this year’s elections, a move

from the open primary system that has been in place for 50 years. Moving to the semiclosed primary — in which no-party voters can decide whether to vote for either party’s slate of candidates — meant moving up the election schedule.

Traditionally, candidates

in the open primary system don’t have to qualify until July at the earliest. Legislative sources said that delaying the House elections likely means moving back to an open primary schedule for those races.

Delaying the House elections will cost millions of dollars for state officials to create a new primary election this fall in advance of the general election that is already scheduled for Nov. 3. Washington bureau chief Mark Ballard and Capitol news reporter Alyse Pfeil contributed to this article.

Calvin Duncan vows to keep fighting

Louisiana lawmakers cut New Orleans clerk

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

Criminal court records are sacred to Calvin Duncan. He knows they can mean the difference between freedom and life in what he calls “the pit.” Duncan spent decades fighting for case documents from his murder trial from the confines of the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. As a legal counsel in the prison, he handled thousands of other prisoners’ appeals as well, pushing for copies of trial transcripts, supplemental police

reports and other records.

“Every parish’s clerk office in this state, I could get records from prison — except Orleans Parish,” Duncan said in a lengthy interview last week. “And I see my friends dying because they can’t get their damn records.”

If he’s not so eager to cede a seat that he won in convincing fashion last fall, 40 years after his murder conviction and life sentence, Duncan explains he has work to do.

“My motive is not to be

in politics. My motive is to correct a system that still exists,” Duncan said. “If I don’t get to take office, I hope the person that does makes sure that what happened to me doesn’t happen to other people.”

Duncan has called it “personal” where he finds himself now: The Legislature on Wednesday sent a bill to Gov. Jeff Landry to elimi-

nate the post of Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk of Court, to which city voters overwhelmingly elected Duncan last November over incumbent Darren Lombard. “If it reaches my desk, I’m gonna sign it,” Landry reiterated on WBOK on Wednesday, citing cost savings. “I’m not telling you the

DANCE IN THE RAIN

Sisters

RTA CEO’s contract scrutinized as Moreno pushes for change

Outside law firm to review Hankins’ contract

BY BLAKE PATERSON Staff writer

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno has signaled for months that she wants to see a new chief executive atop the Regional Transit Authority.

But her efforts to replace RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins hit a snag in early April, when she was surprised to learn that Hankins’ employment contract had been quietly amended by a board chair appointed by former Mayor LaToya Cantrell without any public notice or vote of the full board. That contract amendment — dated Oct. 15, just days after Moreno won the mayoral race — is now at center of an investigation by the RTA’s newly installed board. They’ve hired an outside

law firm to review the contract and are awaiting a legal opinion before taking action. Moreno expressed surprise in a phone call on April 2, when told by a reporter that Hankins’ contract had been significantly amended. Among the changes: The CEO’s employment, set to expire in 2028 before the board’s action last year, now expires in 2031. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” the mayor said.

Hankins, meanwhile, has hired her own lawyer — William Aaron, who in an interview Wednesday, confirmed that he’s representing Hankins “in connection with her

employment.” Hankins and the RTA declined to comment on the contract.

Moreno, who took office in January, hasn’t explicitly said she wants to oust Hankins, but her actions have suggested as much. She included on her transition team a former RTA executive with a lawsuit pending against Hankins. She elevated Barbara Major, a vocal critic of Hankins, to the board, after dismissing all of Cantrell’s appointees. And she called for “meaningful reform and structural change” at the agency, after a dozen current and former employees filed a lawsuit in April alleging rampant workplace discrimination while also accusing Hankins of trampling on their First Amendment rights.

In an interview last week, Moreno described the RTA as a “broken agency” and said its problems

See more photos. PAGE 3B

NOPD: 6 jailed, 1 sought in shootout

Marine veteran killed in St. Claude drug feud

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

Six people are in jail and a seventh is wanted after a drug feud culminated in a St. Claude shootout that left a Marine Corps veteran dead in the crossfire, the New Orleans Police Department said Thursday. Court documents describe a conflict between rival dealers that escalated on April 7, leaving more than 60 shell casings from four firearms scattered across the intersection of North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street. One bullet struck Michael Garcia, 41, as he drove to his partner’s house, killing him. “He served our country … and we are so sorry to his family,” NOPD Superintendent Anne

Kirkpatrick said at a media briefing announcing the most recent arrests. “He did die as a result of just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Mother and daughter Bennalynn Ingram, 39, and Mi’janae “Gunna” Ingram, 20, were arrested on accessory to second-degree murder and second-degree murder counts, respectively. Also jailed are Alshawn “Osama” Watts, 21, and his uncle, Terrence Leavell, 48. Watts faces second-degree murder as well as narcotics counts tied to an outstanding warrant. Leavell was booked on manslaughter, possession of a firearm by a felon and illegal use of weapons. Caron “Rondo” Fortenberry, 25, and Joshua “Money” Emery, 33 — associates of the Ingrams — were both booked on second-degree murder counts.

CLERK

Continued from page 1B

timing is the best, but I don’t get to pick the time sometimes.”

The bill to cut Duncan’s elected job is part of a wider package of legislation that would mark the most significant shift for the Orleans judiciary in over 100 years. Landry and other supporters of a smaller, reconfigured judiciary for Orleans Parish argue it’s long overdue. They insist Duncan is a casualty, not a target. They point to a limited time window to rein in the Orleans courts from Baton Rouge, with numerous six-year judgeships up for grabs this year.

Fueled by Landry’s calls for judicial reform, Republican lawmakers pushed four separate measures through both chambers. In all, they seek to remove several New Orleans judgeships, merge civil and criminal clerks and combine the civil, criminal and juvenile courts into one. It would also empower Landry to select a five-member “nominating committee” that chooses magistrate commissioners in the parish’s criminal court.

Under Senate Bill 256, Chelsea Richard Napoleon, the clerk for Orleans Civil District Court, will take over recordkeeping next week for both courts as well as elections in the city, which Lombard’s office has overseen. On the radio, Landry said he wasn’t trying to keep Duncan from elective office, including the combined clerk seat when it comes up in four years.

“He can run for sheriff, he can run for mayor, he can run for governor. I’m not stopping him from running. I do not know Calvin Duncan,” Landry said. “It’s about recognizing that the city is out of balance.”

Following Wednesday’s approval in the Senate, Duncan filed a federal lawsuit in Baton Rouge’s U.S. Middle District Court that named Landry, Attorney General Liz Murrill and Secretary of State Nancy Landry as defendants.

The lawsuit, led by ACLU attorneys, describes the legislation as an “unconstitutional campaign” that seeks to “illegally obstruct” him from taking his duly elected post. Duncan seeks a temporary restraining order to allow him to assume office at noon Monday.

Questions over transition

Neither clerk’s office has explained their plans for a transition with only weeks to go before the criminal clerk was set to oversee a slate of local races. Napoleon and Lombard failed to respond to multiple calls from The Times-Picayune this week.

Several lawmakers and political insiders have speculated that Napoleon would appoint Lombard to continue overseeing the criminal side of the office.

NOPD: Man arrested in Mid-City shooting

BY JULIA GUILBEAU Staff writer

A man was arrested Wednesday, accused of fatally shooting another man in Mid-City on Tuesday, the New Orleans Police Department said. Cleimani Price, 48, was booked on a count of second-degree murder. Officers responded to the 4300 block of Baudin Street at 7:55 p.m. Tuesday and found a man suffering from a gunshot wound.

The victim, who has not been publicly identified, was declared dead at the scene. Authorities said Price was arrested hours after the shooting. No other information about the investigation was immediately available, including a possible motive. Anyone with additional information is asked NOPD Homicide Section detectives at (504) 658-5300.

ARRESTS

Continued from page 1B

Byron “BB” Dubose, 23, remains wanted on one count of second-degree murder.

The setup

Investigators say Watts was targeted “due to an ongoing contention between drug dealers” by the Ingrams, Fortenberry, Emery and Dubose, who were driving through the 9th Ward in Bennalynn Ingram’s red Nissan SUV, according to court records.

“That would be shameful,” Duncan said. “For her to appoint him or hire him, it would be going against the will of the voters.”

The author of SB256, Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, has empowered Napoleon to hire temporary employees and contractors for the transition. The criminal clerk’s nearly 90 staff members are assured jobs until at least Jan. 15.

Lombard and Duncan ran a heated campaign that featured a last-ditch lawsuit by the incumbent, who is well connected in city political circles, that challenged Duncan’s innocence claim. Murrill entered the fray as well against Duncan. Recently, Lombard has described Duncan as his “rightful successor,” joining local political leaders who have chafed publicly at the state intervention.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno is among those who endorsed Lombard but are now championing Duncan’s cause.

“I think it sets a very scary precedent,” she said after Duncan’s supporters held a ceremonial swearing-in. “Because this is a situation where somebody doesn’t like who got elected, and then all of a sudden the Legislature comes in and abolishes the office.”

‘Too late for that’

In 1985, a jury convicted Duncan of shooting a man dead during a late-night robbery at a Treme bus stop. He spent the next 36 years fighting to get his conviction undone.

Duncan reached an agreement with former Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, who now heads Murrill’s criminal division, to plead guilty to lesser charges and go free in 2011.

A decade later, District Judge Nandi Campbell vacated Duncan’s conviction and sentence under the state’s factual innocence statute. She cited, among other things, inconsistencies in a key eyewitness’ trial testimony and suppressed evidence. District Attorney Jason Williams subsequently dismissed the case. When he left prison, Duncan went on to spearhead advocacy against nonunanimous juries. State voters abolished the Jim Crow-era law in 2018, and the U.S. Supreme Court followed in April 2020 by striking down split-jury laws in both Louisiana and Oregon.

Murrill had argued the case to preserve nonunanimous juries before the U.S. Supreme Court as the state’s solicitor general under Landry, then the attorney general. Duncan watched from the front row.

Murrill has denied any role in SB256 or any of the legislation aimed at the Orleans Parish courts.

Duncan said last week that he had not spoken directly with Landry, Lombard or Napoleon. He indicated he wasn’t allowed access to the clerk’s office in the weeks after last year’s election win.

“When he (Lombard) finally said yes to a tour, we were at the Legislature. It was too late for

that,” Duncan said. “A transition can’t happen in 30 days.”’

Returned From the ‘Pit’

Lawmakers who favor the change have described the criminal clerk’s position as “ministerial.” To Duncan, “it’s the most important department in this city because it deals with your life and liberty.”

He has no plans to go away quietly, or at all.

The former prison counsel often speaks in hushed tones and wears a broad smile behind a joyful glint. The smile dissolves and his eyes narrow when he talks about watching men languish and die in Angola for lack of access to court files.

“Nobody else experienced this. I experienced it, so I want to correct it,” he said.

It took nearly 25 years for Duncan to get the police reports that ultimately undermined his conviction. Once he did, he faced procedural bars before the deal that led to his release.

Duncan, who founded the Light of Justice program, has traveled the state obtaining records for incarcerated litigants representing themselves in appeals.

If they refuse to hand him the keys, he said he’ll certainly run for the combined clerk’s post in four years.

“I got to find these people’s records. They’re there somewhere,” he said. “I ain’t resting until I find these damn records.”

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

Fortenberry was driving, with Bennalynn Ingram in the passenger seat, when Dubose spotted Watts at North Claiborne Avenue and Desire Street — an area where, according to an NOPD affidavit, Emery was “the predominant drug dealer.” Authorities say Watts had recently cheated Dubose and Fortenberry in a drug deal.

Dubose allegedly got out of the SUV and punched Watts, who fled in his blue Nissan Maxima but returned to the intersection a short time later.

Both groups dispute who opened fire first. Watts told police that everyone in the SUV got out wearing masks and fired on him. Those in Ingram’s SUV said Watts pulled up alongside them and fired at the vehicle.

Watts’ uncle, Leavell, who lived around the corner on Gallier Street, allegedly told the NOPD that he’d shot at the SUV to protect his nephew. He was arrested that same day on a manslaughter count.

As Watts fled the area a second time, he crashed his Nissan into Garcia’s Jeep before running away on foot. Officers arriving at around 5 p.m. found Garcia inside the wrecked Jeep with a gunshot wound to the head.

The aftermath

Real-Time Crime Center footage, Instagram records, a clandestinely placed GPS tracker and suspect interviews allowed investigators to develop a timeline of the shooting’s aftermath.

“Gunna” Ingram resumed distributing drugs in the SUV within hours of the murder. Though she was grazed in the leg, she had her cousin dig the fragment out at home rather than go to a hospital and risk arrest.

“got ina shoot out and da bullet grazed my leg and ah piece of fragment was in my leg,” she texted a relative after sending a news report about the shooting.

She also sent Fortenberry an article about Garcia’s death, along with laughing emojis. “F***ed his s*** up,” she wrote.

“Gunna” Ingram was booked Wednesday and is being held on a $1 million bond. Emery was arrested Saturday in a separate domestic violence case and was ordered held without bail at his Gwen’s Law hearing. He was rebooked on a second-degree murder charge, with bail in that case set at $3 million.

Leavell remains jailed on a $700,000 bail. Bail information for the other suspects was not immediately available.

Police are still searching for Dubose.

“If you’re listening, we would ask you to turn yourself in,” NOPD Lt. Andrew Waldron said Thursday. “Because we are coming to find you.”

Anyone with information can contact NOPD detectives at (504) 658-5300 or call CrimeStoppers of Greater New Orleans at (504) 8221111. Marco Cartolano contributed to this report.

Authorities still piecing together mall shooting

Ballistics test results should be available in a week, DA says

BY OLIVIA TEES and QUINN COFFMAN Staff writers

Ballistics testing of evidence gathered in the investigation of the fatal mass shooting in the Mall of Louisiana should be available in a week, East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar Moore said Thursday.

That will help authorities paint a fuller narrative of events that led up to the shooting in the food court, which left a Youngsville teenager dead and five other people wounded, authorities said.

Police so far have arrested one suspect. Initially, four people were detained for questioning immediately after the shooting, but they were released after a short time.

It remains unclear how many shooters were involved, though authorities have said they believe it stemmed from an encounter between two groups. Police said they recovered one gun from the scene.

Moore said ballistics testing will reveal how many guns were used, how many times each fired and which shots struck which victims. It could also tie the guns to other previous shootings in Baton Rouge, he noted.

Other questions, such as whether it was a targeted attack, or whether the two groups met spontaneously or had argued beforehand online, are still unanswered, Moore said.

Moore confirmed one group was made up of five individuals, while two were in the other group. He said it hasn’t been determined whether either group had gang ties.

“From what I can gather, there were some words exchanged, that someone said something and

RTA

Continued from page 1B

seemed to stem from the fact Hankins has been “calling the shots,” with previous boards “rubber stamping” her decisions.

At issue now is whether the RTA board must abide by the terms of the original contract or the amended version. If the board decides to oust Hankins, that determination could mean the difference between the RTA paying Hankins tens of thousands of dollars — or, potentially, nothing at all.

The contract Hankins took over as the agency’s permanent CEO in May 2023, under a contract that was originally set to expire at the end of 2028.

In October, unbeknownst to some board members, then-board Chair Fred Neal Jr. signed a contract amendment, extending the length of the agreement to the end of 2031.

Like the old contract, the new contract holds that Hankins can still be terminated “for cause” for reasons including gross misconduct or willful neglect. Neal’s amendment also changed the language around the payout that

then after that shots are fired,”

Moore said. “The question is whether there was one or more shooters. We don’t know exactly what was said to let it off. … I have no idea whether there was previous social media jousting back and forth.”

Markel Lee, 17, was booked with one count of first-degree murder, five counts of first-degree murder and a count of illegal use of a weapon. He turned himself in to police.

Some answers could be revealed through searching suspects’ phones, Moore said, and learning who was communicating with Lee prior to him going to the mall.

Lee, who is being held without bail, dropped out of Glen Oaks High School in August 2024, records show. Authorities confirmed a search warrant was secured for his grandmother’s house.

The shooting killed 17-year-old Ascension Episcopal High School senior Martha Odom. She was at the mall with her friends celebrating senior skip day before their graduation on May 16.

Five bystanders were injured, including two Ascension Episcopal seniors. All the victims, except Donnie Guillory, 43, have been released from the hospital. Guillory is in stable condition at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital after multiple surgeries.

Lee was seen on multiple surveillance videos from the mall running from the scene with a semi-automatic pistol in his hand, his arrest warrant said.

On Monday, a memorial was held at the mall for the victims, hosted by clergy members and city leaders, including East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sid Edwards. Over 200 people attended to show their support for the victims and the city.

Baton Rouge police spokesperson Sgt. L’Jean McKneely said authorities are still asking the public for any information they have on the individuals involved.

Hankins would be entitled to in the event that she was ousted. Under the original contract, the board would “have no further obligation … to pay anything other than (the CEO’s) salary for work performed through the date of termination” if it fired Hankins for cause. It’s unclear if that overrides a clause later on in the contract that requires the RTA to compensate Hankins for unused paid time off in the event the contract is terminated.

The amended contract is much clearer: If Hankins is fired for cause, she’s entitled to compensation for unused time off.

If she is fired without cause, however, Hankins, under the original contract, would be entitled to a severance package that includes compensation for unused time off, six months’ salary and “other benefits, if any that a non-bargaining unit RTA employee would be entitled to upon termination.”

If she is fired without cause under the amended contract, the board would pay for unused time off and the “other benefits,” but not the six months’ salary. Hankins began 2026 with 240 hours of personal time off. It’s unclear how much she has remaining. But with a base salary of $315,000 and hourly rate of around $151,

A Festing Good Time

LEFT: David Batiste, of the Batiste Brothers Band, performs and encourages crowd participation from the Congo Square Stage on Thursday at the Fair Grounds before Jazz Fest was shut down early.

BELOW LEFT: Mike Bennett of Houston listens to Lettuce on the Festival Stage.

that could cost the RTA as much as $36,000.

Performance pay

The amendment also gave Hankins a path toward bonuses. It stipulates that the board is required on annual basis to determine whether Hankins “met or exceeded the specific performance objectives” set by the board and CEO. For each year she does, she can get a retroactive payment up to a maximum of 15% of her salary — or as much as $47,000.

The contract amendment was approved by Neal without a vote of the full board or public notice. Reached by phone Thursday, Neal declined to comment, but he told WWL-TV that he was able to decide the contract amendment in private because it did not involve increasing

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Hankins’ base salary. Neal also told the station that said the board’s executive committee conducted a performance evaluation for Hankins during an executive session on Sept. 23. Performance evaluations

of public employees are exempt from disclosure under the state constitution.

Hankins, in an interview with WWL-TV, also said the contract amendment was approved in accordance with the RTA board’s bylaws.

Boloney, Bertha

Brown, Jaden

Brown, Mercedes

Gauthier, Carl

Jackson, Leroy

Joseph lll, August

LaFrance, Ramona

Lawson, Josephine

Levie, Shirley

Mackie, Joan

Mclendon, Myra

Meyer, Maria

Moon, Edgries

Rivé, Courtney

Royal-Gardner, Alma

Scott Jr., Claiborne

Sloss, Dracos

Tarver, Dorothy

Turner, Jarrell

Warner, Melissa

Williams, Doris

E Jefferson

Garden of Memories

Tarver, Dorothy Richardson FH Turner, Jarrell

Tharp Funeral Home Sloss, Dracos

church, treasurer and sec‐retary of the usher board, and in the women ministry Beloved mother of James (Ella) Coleman Carldell J (Debra) Coleman, Leroy (Cheryl) Coleman Marcha (Carl) Richards, Sullivan Coleman Paula (Eddie) Davis, and the late Terry L Coleman Grandmother of the late Travis Coleman Great grandmother of the late Legend Mack Daugh‐ter of the late Alfred and Elizabeth Baloney Sister of Herbert Boloney, Rose Allen Beatrice Ackers and the late Alma Richner, Gertrude Sylvester Lillian Coleman, Ola Mae Warren, Alfred Baloney Jr Willie Smith, Sr , also survived by 34 grandchildren, 69 great grandchildren 20 great great grandchildren, and a host of nieces nephews brothers and sisters in law, other relatives and friends Relatives and friends of the family also pastors offi‐cers, and members of New Jerusalem Baptist Church and neighboring churches are invited to attend the Celebration of Life at New Jerusalem Baptist Church, 414 Westwego Ave New Orleans, LA on Saturday, May 2 2026 at 10:00 am Visitation will begin at 8:30a m until the time the above named church In‐terment: Woodlawn Park Memorial Cemetery-West‐wego LA Arrangements by Davis Mortuary Service 230 Monroe St Gretna, LA To view and sign the guest‐book, please go to www davismortuaryservice com

Brown,Jaden

day May 2, 2026, for 10:00 a m at The Boyd Family Fu

tery Guestbook Online: www anewtraditionbegins com (504)282-0600 Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D Boyd Owners/Funeral Di‐rectors

Gauthier,Carl Anthony'Knuckle'

Itiswithaprofound senseoflossthatweannouncethepassingofCarl AnthonyGauthier,Sr.,affectionatelyknownas "Knuckle"tothosewho lovedhim.BorninNew OrleansonNovember22, 1956,Carllivedalifedefinedbylove,loyalty,compassion,andreliability.His rootswereplantedin Louisiana,andhewasa proudresidentof Hahnville,wherehewas knownforhisunwavering commitmenttofamily, friends,andhisfaith.

Josephlll,August'AJ'

AugustJosephllldepartedthisearthlylifeon Tuesday,March24,2026in FortLauderdale,Floridaat theageof61. Augustwasbornon February4,1965,tothelate LulaM.JosephandAugust JosephJr.Heaccepted JesusChristashisLord andSavioratanearlyage. Augusttouchedsomany peoplewithhiskindspirit, hisbigbrightsmileand lovingheart.Aconnection tosuchauniqueperson wasablessingandtobe apartofhislifewaslove.

Augustretiredafter morethan38yearsofexceptionalservicetothe UnitedStates,including21 yearsofserviceinthe MarineCorps.August servedwithhonordistinctionandthefinesttraditionsofselflessserviceno mattertheenvironment, demandsorstress.So, withallthatGodsays,well donemygoodandfaithful servant.

ofEverettWashingtonJr. andRemaWashingtonSr. alongwith,onegreat-great nephew,andtwogreatgreatnieces.Shewillalso berememberedbyahost ofcousinsandfriends. JosephineacceptedChrist atanearlyageandwas baptized.Sheattended NewOrleansPublic Schools.ShewasamemberoftheFirstBaptist ChurchofAlgiers,where shelovedtosingandworshipwithherfamily.From 1956to2006,sheserved hercommunitybyhelping familiesinneedasshe workedattheChurch's bookstoreanddonation center.Shewaspreceded indeathbyhersisterElsie B.PriceandbrotherHenry Burke.Relativesand friendsareinvitedtoattendMrs.Josephine Lawson'sHomegoing CelebrationonSaturday May2,2026atRhodes FuneralHome,1020Virgil St.Gretna,LA70053.The visitationwillbeginat 10:30amfollowedbythe funeralserviceat11:30am. Interment:MountOlivet, 2050CatonSt,New Orleans,LA70122. ArrangementbyD.W. RhodesFuneralHome. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.comto signtheonlineguestbook.

Boyd Family

Brown, Mercedes

Royal-Gardner, Alma

DW Rhodes

Lawson, Josephine

Moon, Edgries

Gertrude Geddes

Warner, Melissa

Greenwood

Meyer, Maria

JadenBrownwillbelovinglyrememberedbyall whoknewhim.Hispassing hasleftadeepemptiness intheheartsofhisfamily, friends,andcommunity. Thoughhistimewasfar tooshort,hisimpactand memorywillliveon throughtheloveheshared andtheliveshetouched. Jadenissurvivedbyhis parents,JasonBrownand KatrelleGabriel;siblings JamalJonesJr.and Terrione(D'Errix)Gray;his grandmother,Lorriane Gabriel,Proceededin deathbyPaternal(Grand Parents)Willie&Girley BrownandMaternal (Grandfather)Roosevelt McDaniel.Funeralservices willbeheldonMay2,2026 atMarineBaptistChurch, 3034AndoverSt.,New Orleans,LA70121.Viewing willbeginat12:00PM,followedbythefuneralserviceat1:00PM.

Heissurvivedbyhis childrenCarlJr.(Jare), SharonneGauthierClay (Byron),Ana,Maya GauthierBatiste(Jordan), andByron(Emily);hissiblings,Shawn,Joey,and Jomeika;andhisson DamonLewis(Jonique). Hislegacylivesonthrough hisgrandchildren,hischildren'spartners,andthe manyliveshetouched.He wasprecededindeathby hisbelovedwife,Nadine, hisparentsJosephand Lucille,andhisbrothers, TyroneandByron.

Augustleavestocherish hismemories,his son,AugustJosephlV; threesistersMaryAnn Joseph,LulaBeaJoseph, GlendaScottThomas; greataunt,ShirleyGrimes; auntGwendolynJ.Franklin andahostoffamilyand friends.Aswebidfarewell toAugustJosephlll,we celebratealifewelllived.

Relativesandfriendsof thefamilyareallinvitedto attendhisCelebrationof LifeonSaturday,May2, 2026,1:00PM,atLuxury Hall 5555BullardAve,New Orleans,LA70128.

New Orleans LaFrance, Ramona Hingle 'Mona'

AGatheringofFamily& Friendswilltakeplaceon Friday,May1,2026,at TreasuresofLifeFuneral Services,315E.Airline Hwy.Gramercy,LA70052 from5:00PMto7:00PM.A MassofChristianBurial willbeheldonSaturday, May2,2026atSt.Johnthe BaptistCatholicChurch, 2349Hwy.18,Edgard,LA 70049;visitation8:00AMto 10:00AMfollowedbythe Massfor10:00AM. EntombmentSt.Johnthe BaptistCatholicChurch Cemetery.

Lake Lawn Metairie Brown, Mercedes Madison

Rivé, Courtney

Majestic Mortuary

Mclendon, Myra

Williams,

Jackson, Leroy

Boloney, Bertha

LaFrance,

Mercedes Madison Brown was born on April 16 1934 in Raceland Louisiana, and was raised in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans She was the daughter of Samuel Folse and Bessie Madison-Folse The beloved wife of the late Samuel Brown Jr and devoted mother to four sons: the late Harold Brown, Alvin Madison, Calvin Madison and Blenny (Debra) Madison Known for her warm spirit and generous heart she found great joy in cooking and feeding others She dedicated more than 20 years of service as a cook at McDonough 15 under the Orleans Parish School Board On April 17, 2026, just one day after celebrat‐ing her 92nd birthday, she peacefully entered eternal rest She leaves to cherish her memory her loving sons Alvin Calvin and Blenny Madison She will be fondly remembered by her grandchildren: Teshe‐sha Madison Kenyatta Williams, Kevin Sanchez, Trenise Lyons Lanicha (Shane) Madison, Corey Madison, Britney Madison, Nasha Brown, Chavez Madison, and Calvin Celes‐tine; along with 31 greatgrandchildren and 18 great-great grandchildren She was preceded in death by her parents Samuel Folse and Bessie MadisonFolse; her husband Samuel Brown Jr ; son Harold Brown; siblings: Noelan Madison, Louis Kelly Jr , Ulysses Madison, Emelda Esprit Elton Madison and her great-great grandson Rashad Harris Family and friends are invited to at‐tend the Homegoing Cele‐bration Service on Satur‐day May 2 2026 for 10:00 a m at The Boyd Family Fu‐neral Home Visitation will begin at 9:00 a m Pastor Milton Perkins will be offi‐ciating Interment will fol‐low at St Louis #3 Ceme‐tery

Finalcareandprofessionalservicesentrusted toTreasuresofLife FuneralServices,315E. AirlineHwy.,Gramercy,LA 70052.

"Whensomeoneyou lovebecomesamemory, thatmemorybecomesa TREASURE"

Ramona (Mona) Hingle LaFrance born August 26 1956, went home to our Heavenly Father on April 19, 2026 She was preceded in death by her parents Adam Raymond Hingle and Betty Lightell Hingle and her brother, Paul Joseph Hingle She is survived by her husband Roland LaFrance and her children, Nicholas Paul Lobrano (Flora) and Samantha Jane LaFrance She is also sur‐vived by her sisters, Anna Marie Hingle Giummo (Lawrence, deceased), Nina Hingle Guillot (War‐ren), Annette Hingle Williams (Edward), and Yevette Rachel Hingle She was the loving grand‐mother of Zoey & Madison Lobrano Mona is also sur‐vived by many nieces and nephews Age 69, a native of New Orleans she resided in Terrytown for the past 28 years Mona died peacefully amongst her loving family Private services were held on Fri‐day, April 24, 2026 Funeral planning entrusted to Robinson Family Funeral Home Online condolences can be shared at Robinson‐familyfuneralhome com

Shirley Dabney Levie age 88, passed away peacefully on April 17 2026 She was born on March 15, 1938, in New Or‐leans Louisiana to the late George and Effie Dabney Shirley was preceded in death by her parents; her beloved husband of 52 years, Edward Joseph Levie III; her children Raymond Levie (Victoria) and Leonie Levie; and her cherished companion, Leon Giaccone She leaves behind her lov‐ing children: Jennifer Goldring (Marc), Steven Levie Barry Levie (Penny) and Edward Levie IV (Seni‐tra) She is also survived by her beloved cousin, John Bartram whom she loved as a son Shirley was a devoted Mawmaw to her grandchildren: Maggie O’Quinn (Timothy) Ashton Goldring, Emilie Patron (Stephen), Andrew Levie, and Olivia Guidry (Delvin) and a proud Great-Maw‐maw to Elena O Quinn Lan‐don O’Quinn, and Marin Pa‐tron She is also survived by her nieces and nephews: Ginger Felice (Mike), Pam Schellhaas (Jerry) Bobby Levie (Kat) Christine Vinson (Chris), Jimmy Boyle (Barbara), and Pat Boyle (Shannon) along with numerous great-nieces and greatnephews Shirley will be deeply missed by her dear friends Darlene LeBreton, Rosemary Giaccone and Debbie Davis The family extends their heartfelt ap‐preciation to Stephanie Brown for the love, com‐passion and care she pro‐vided during Shirley’s twomonth stay in the hospital Shirley was the proud owner and operator of a preschool for many years In her free time she en‐joyed traveling and spend‐ing time at the beach with her family She especially loved visiting the fishing camp with her late com‐panion, Leon Giaccone She had a deep love for nature particularly butterflies and flowers Shirley also loved cooking and took great joy in feeding everyone who came to visit no one ever left her home hungry Above all, she cherished the time she spent with her family and friends Rel

atives and friends are in‐vited to attend the memor

ial services on Saturday, May 2 2026 at St Cather

ine of Siena Catholic Church 1643 Metairie Road, Metairie, Louisiana 70005 Visitation will begin at 12:00 p m , followed by a Mass at 1:00 p m Following mass, a butterfly release will be held outside the church as well as a recep‐tion inside the Saint Catherine of Siena parish center The family kindly requests that all who at‐tend the memorial services wear pastel colors in honor of Shirley To offer online condolences send flowers to the family, or plant a tree in memory of Shirley, please visit www gardeno fmemoriesmetairie com

Ann

was born to the late Robert and Lila McClendon Sr on June 18, 1961 She was the fourth of the five children they shared Myra was a lifelong resident of New Orleans She entered into eternal rest on Friday, April 17 2026 while at home at the age of 64 Myra con‐fessed and accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior early in her life Renewing her commitment, she joined St Luke's Episcopal Church where she was a faithful member Myra was a valued administration worker at Charity Hospital and LSU Medical Center She retired after 30 years of service Myra was a beloved daughter, sister, aunt friend and neighbor She was a pillar of her community and will be greatly missed Myra leaves to Cherish one Brother Renolda McClen‐don; two sisters-in-law, Cynthia and Cheryl Mc‐Clendon; one aunt, Edith Francisco; nieces and nephews Anthony McClen‐don

Maria Schiro Meyer, age 94 of New Orleans Louisiana, passed away peacefully at home on April 27, 2026 Born on April 20 1932 in New Orleans Maria was the beloved daughter of Lillie Guzzardo Schiro and Gasper Schiro She grew up in New Or‐leans and graduated from John McDonogh High School where she was honored as salutatorian of her graduating class Be

fore dedicating herself to raising her family Maria worked for Bell Telephone and later for Blue Cross She was a woman of many interests and passions, finding joy in all things plants and flowers, espe

cially tending to her or‐chids Maria was a lifelong member of the Lake Vista Garden Club and the Lake Vista Women’s Club She deeply cherished her Wednesday cards group, where she especially en‐joyed winning She also looked forward to weekly drinks with her lady friends and treasured her monthly NAIM group at St Pius X She was an avid reader, loved the sym‐phony and opera and never missed her daily crossword puzzle Above all, Maria s greatest joy was her family She was immensely proud of her children and loved spend‐ing time with her four grandchildren, who affec‐tionately called her Re Cooking for her family dur

ing the holidays also brought her great joy, es

pecially when preparing the dishes that reflected her cherished Italian fam

ily heritage She will be re

membered by all who knew her for her warm em

brace, her gift of engaging conversation and her won

derful sense of humor Maria is survived by her children, Diana Rachel Meyer David Charles Meyer (Lizbeth Ecke), and Helen Maria Meyer; and by her four grandchildren Matthew, Lillie, Emilie, and Olivia She was preceded in death by her son, Paul Ran

dolph Meyer and her for

mer spouse, Jacob Joseph Meyer Visitation will be held from 10:00 a m until 12:00 p m on Friday May 1 2026, at Greenwood Funeral Home, 5200 Canal Blvd , New Orleans, LA A private family burial will follow In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial do

nations in Maria s memory be made to City Park Con

servancy (neworleanscity

park org)

Moon,Edgries EdgriesL.MoondepartedthislifeonApril20, 2026. Relativesandfriendsof thefamilyareinvitedtoattendherMassofChristian BurialatBlessed Sacrament/St.JoanofArc CatholicChurch,8321 BurtheStreetonSaturday, May2,2026at11:00am. Visitationwillbeginat 10:00am.Interment: ProvidenceCemetery. ArrangementsbyD.W. RhodesFuneralHome,3933 WashingtonAvenue. Please visit www.rhodesfuneral.comto signtheguestbookand sharecondolenceswith thefamily.

Rivé,CourtneyReinhardt

CourtneyReinhardtRivé passedawayonMonday, April27,2026,attheageof 57. Courtneyissurvivedby herhusbandof27years, JohnSandfordRivéJr.;her daughter,GabrielleVolaire Rivé;herson,JohnSanford RivéIII;andhersister, PamelaSusanReinhardt. Shewasprecededindeath byherparents,Robert MiltonReinhardtand Shirley McArthur Reinhardt. Courtneywasbornand raisedinNewOrleans, Louisianaandattended MercyAcademywhereshe graduatedin1987.She earnedaBachelorof ScienceinManagement withaconcentrationin ManagementInformation Systemsfromthe UniversityofNewOrleans in1995,andlateraMaster ofScienceinHealthcare Managementin2002. Courtneystartedhercareerincomputerconsultingwheresheprogrammed,designed,and implementedinformation technologysystemsfora varietyofindustries.Most recently,sheservedina long-standingroleat9th WayInsigniaasan InformationTechnology ProgramDirector.Thefam-

grammed,designed,and implementedinformation technologysystemsfora varietyofindustries.Most recently,sheservedina long-standingroleat9th WayInsigniaasan InformationTechnology ProgramDirector.Thefamilywouldliketoexpress theirappreciationto9th WayInsigniafortheunwaveringkindnessandsupporttheyprovided Courtney. Courtneyengagedin manyphilanthropicendeavors,servingasthe CookbookChairforthe JuniorLeagueofNew Orleans,co-chairingthe PoydrasHomeArtShow& PatronParty,participating ineventspromotingbreast cancerawareness,and volunteeringformanyof herchildren'sactivitiesat IsidoreNewmanSchool. ForCourtney,herfamily alwayscamefirst.She couldbefoundatall schoolfunctionsand sportingeventstosupport herchildrenanddeeply valuedtheimportanceof familytraditions.Inher freetime,sheenjoyed cooking,traveling,shopping,sittingonthebeach, readingforbookclub,and attendingsocialactivities atboththeSouthernYacht ClubandtheOrleansClub. Giftedwithaneyeforcreativity,Courtneyfoundjoy inneedlepointing,party planning,andanydecorativepursuit.Morethan anything,shefoundher greatesthappinessintime spentwiththepeopleshe lovedmost,herfriends andfamily.

Relativesandfriends arewelcometoattend Courtney'sserviceson Monday,May4,2026at LakeLawnMetairie FuneralHome,5100 PontchartrainBlvdNew Orleans,LA70124. Visitationbeginsat10:00 AMfollowedbytheFuneral Massat12:00noon.

Inlieuofflowers,and forthosewhosodesire, thefamilyinvitesdonationstobemadein Courtney'smemorytothe CancerResearchInstitute: (https://fundraise.cancerr esearch.org/CourtneyRive)

Royal-Gardner, Alma Lair

Alma Lair Royal-Gardner was born on October 31, 1953 - April 23 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana, to the late Dudley Royal Sr Mor‐gan City, LA and Alma Royal New Orleans She was raised in a loving Christian family and ac‐cepted Christ as her LORD and Savior and baptized at the early age of 6 at Pro‐gressive Baptist Church, New Orleans LA Alma was blessed with a close-knit family that included her sisters, Barbara MurrayDavis and Martha RoyalCrosby, her brothers, Dud‐ley Royal, Jr , and Charles Royal Sr She received her early education in New Or‐leans at Abijah Fisk Ele‐mentary School, Mary Dora Coghill Elementary School and finally graduating from George Washington Carver High School in 1971 Alma was a devoted loving mother and grandmother to her children, Monica Gardner and Terry Gardner Jr , grandchildren Kendall Gardner Sr (wife Taylor) Terry Gardner, IIl (wife Lameisha) Lionel Howard Jr (wife Melisa), and her great grandchildren Li’Niya, Blair, Kendall, Alaia Elijah Kade Lionel and Khalil and a whole host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives Family and friends are invited to attend the Celebration of Life on Saturday, May 2, 2026 for 11:00 a m at Greater Ebenezer Baptist Church 2100 St Roch Ave New Orleans, LA 70117 Vis‐itation will begin at 10:00 a m Reverend Corey Cooper officiating Inter‐ment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery Guest‐book Online: www anewtra ditionbegins com (504)2820600 Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D Boyd Own‐ers/Funeral Directors

Claiborne Scott Jr age 70, transitioned to his heavenly home on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 6:37 p m at the VA Hospi‐tal A native of New Or‐leans Louisiana Claiborne was born on July 4, 1955, to the late Doris Dean and Claiborne Scott, Sr He was baptized at 5th African Baptist Church and ac‐cepted Christ at an early age Claiborne attended New Orleans Public Schools and graduated from Booker T Washington High School Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1972 alongside his cousin, Shedrick Toney under the buddy system During his service, he toured over‐seas in Spain and served during the Vietnam War Following his honorable discharge, Claiborne and his cousin went into busi‐ness together, working in construction on homes and businesses throughout New Orleans and Texas He also worked at the Kaiser Aluminum Plant and was known as a dedicated en

trepreneur who took great pride in his craftsmanship Claiborne had a deep love for his family and enjoyed spending time dancing with his sister Cynthia He was known for his joyful spirit his love of good food, and his frequent re

minders that his birthday fell on the Fourth of July With roots in Chicago, Illi

nois through his father Claiborne also spent meaningful time there over the years sharing memo

ries with his other siblings

Though he is no longer with us the pride he car

ried for his loved ones and the memories he created will live on forever in the hearts of all who knew him He leaves to cherish his memory his siblings Eu

gene (Tiffany) Dean Terrol Kimble, Cynthia Newman and Cori Orsby; nieces Penny (James) Tate, Tiffany Newman and Princetta Vessel; nephews, Eugene (Toya) Vessel Theophilus (Jada) Vessel, Jerimyah Dean, Robert Parker Kellie Orsby Jr Isa‐iah Orsby, Chase Kimble, and Morgan Kimble; along with a host of great and great-great nieces nephews, cousins, an uncle and friends Michelle, David and Woody He is preceded in death by his parents, Doris Dean and Claiborne Scott, Sr ; his grandparents; his sister Princetta Vessel; and his nephews Gerald Newman Henry Newman, and Cor‐nelius Vessel Celebration of Life Israel Baptist Church 1612 Esther Street Harvey, Louisiana 70058 Saturday May 2 2026 Visi‐tation: 10:00 a m Service: 11:00 a m Officiating: Pas‐tor Darrell McKinnies In‐terment Veterans Ceme‐tery 34888 Grantham Col‐lege Drive Slidell, Louisiana 70460 Arrangements En‐trusted To Robinson Family Funeral Home Online con‐dolences Robinsonfamily‐funeralhome com

Orleansroots,Drakehad anunparalleleddevotion toBamafootball.Paired withhisintelligence,he possessedanuncanny abilitytorecallplayers, statistics,andstorylines throughouttheprogram's history.Inoneofhisfinal days,afterhearinganattendingphysician'slast name,Drakeinformedthe doctorhehadthesame lastnameasafootball playerforLSUinthe60's. Thephysician,happilytakenaback,informedhim thattheplayerinquestion washisfather. Smallinstaturebut formidableinpresence, Drakewasthoughtful,observant,andcontentinhis routines,especiallytime spentwithfriendsand family.Akeenobserverof politicsfromanearlyage, henevershiedawayfrom spiriteddebate(whether invitedornot).Atjustsix yearsold,hewascampaigningthroughhis neighborhoodwithchants of"BooforSchiro!Yayfor Duplantier!"Drakewasdirect,sharp,andopinionated,traitsrivaledonlyby hissincerekindnessand affablenature.Hisquick witandhumormadehima constantsourceofamusementtohisfriendsand family.

Drakeremaineddeeply rootedinNewOrleans frombirth,andhebuilta longandsuccessfulcareer asafinancialadvisor,relyingonhisattentiontodetail,analyticalmind,and innateskepticism.Heeschewedfast-paced,bigcitylife.Whenhis"favorite niece",Nina,movedto NewYorkCity,hefound greatjoyinremindingher of"thehorrors"oftheBig Apple,despitenothaving steppedfoottheresince the80's.Hewas,inevery sense,suigeneris.Tohis family,hewillalwaysbe rememberedasadevoted son,aloyalbrother,alovinguncle,andawellspring ofamusement,providing humorandcommentary thatwasasmemorableas itwasunfiltered.

Heonceremarkedtohis brother,"Whatwouldwe dowithoutLiz?"Now,his familyfindsthemselves askingwhattheywilldo withoutDrake.Although hisfriendsandfamilywill misshimgreatly,thereis catharsisinknowingheis beyondthereachofpain. AMemorialServicewill beheldonMonday,May4, 2026at1:00PMatTrinity EpiscopalChurch,1329 JacksonAvenue.Visitation willbeginat12:00PM. Arrangementsentrustedto TharpFuneralHome. Expressionsofloveand sympathymaybeplaced andviewedat www.tharpcares.com.Roll tide.

regularlyvolunteering muchofhertimeatanimal rescuecentersinthearea. Inlieuofflowers,thefamilykindlyrequeststhatdonationsbemadeinher honortoananimalrescue serviceofyourchoice. Amemorialgathering willbeheldatLeitz-Eagan FuneralHomeonSaturday, May2nd,2026from2P.M. until4P.M.,witha CelebrationofLifetofollowatherfinalresting placenexttoherbeloved Tarverfamilyin Mississippi,laterthissummer. Fondmemoriesandexpressionsofcondolences maybesharedatwww.leit zeaganfuneralhome.com.

RonellWarner.Devoted sisterofHenryWarner, D'monicaandNeomia Lang.Adoringcompanion ofMichealCooper.She wasalsosurvivedby7 grandchildren,andahost ofnieces,nephews,aunts, uncles,familyandfriends. Shewasprecededindeath byherparentsLloyd Warner,Jr.andMarion Warner;herbrotherLloyd WarnerIII;hergrandparentsDeomiaLangsand JosephLang,Sr.;andher nephewLavellTucker. Relativesandfriendsof thefamilyareinvitedtoattendtheCelebrationofLife ServiceonSaturday,May 2,2026atGertrudeGeddes WillisFuneralHome,2120 JacksonAvenue,New Orleans,LA70113at12:30 p.m.Visitationfrom11:30 amuntil12:30pm.Private Burial.Youmaysignthe guestbookonwww.gertru degeddeswillis.com. GertrudeGeddesWillis FuneralHomeInc.,in charge(504)522-2525. Turner,Jarrell

JarrellTurner,age79, enteredeternalreston Monday,April27,2026.He leavestocherishhismemorieshislovinganddevotedwife,WillieaScott Turner;sixchildren;ten grandchildren;andahost ofotherrelativesand friends.

Relativesandfriends areinvitedtoattendthe funeralserviceat RichardsonFuneralHome, 11112JeffersonHighway, RiverRidge,LA70123,on Saturday,May2,2026,at 1:00p.m.Aviewingwillbeginat12:00noon. Intermentwillfollowat JeffersonMemorial GardensinSt.Rose, Louisiana.

ArrangementsareentrustedtoRichardson FuneralHomeofJefferson, RiverRidge,LA.www.richa rdsonfuneralhomeofjeffers on.com

MelissaWarner,age53 wasbornonAugust20, 1973inNewOrleans,LA, departedthisearthlyhome onThursday,April2,2026. Shewaseducatedinthe NewOrleansPublicSchool System.Melissawasthe motherofAlmesha, Jalissa,Decarlas,and RonellWarner.Devoted sisterofHenryWarner, D'monicaandNeomia Lang.Adoringcompanion ofMichealCooper.She wasalsosurvivedby7 grandchildren,andahost ofnieces,nephews,aunts, uncles,familyandfriends. Shewasprecededindeath byherparentsLloyd Warner,Jr.andMarion Warner;herbrotherLloyd WarnerIII;hergrandparentsDeomiaLangsand JosephLang,Sr.;andher nephewLavellTucker. Relativesandfriendsof thefamilyareinvitedtoattendtheCelebrationofLife ServiceonSaturday,May 2,2026atGertrudeGeddes WillisFuneralHome,2120 JacksonAvenue,New Orleans,LA70113at12:30 p.m.Visitationfrom11:30 amuntil12:30pm.Private Burial.Youmaysignthe guestbookonwww.gertru degeddeswillis.com. GertrudeGeddesWillis FuneralHomeInc.,in charge(504)522-2525.

to Majestic Mortuary Service, Inc (504)523-5872

CorneliusJames May01,1950-Feb15,2025

Wemissyouand loveyoualways! Cue,Carlton,Henry

DracosDimitrySloss, betterknownas"Drake", diedonApril26,2026,after asix-monthbattlewith stageIVlungcancer.Heis survivedbyhisbrother, LynesRobinsonSloss(Liz), hisniece,NinaSloss McGuire(Ryan),andhis nephew,JosephMerrick JonesSloss(Kate).Hewas precededindeathbyhis parents,NinaO'BrienSloss andFrederickMaclinSloss, aswellashisnephew, AlexanderDimitrySloss. BornAugust29,1955,in NewOrleans,DrakeattendedLaSalleSchool, MetairieParkCountryDay, andTulaneUniversity, wherehewasamemberof DeltaKappaEpsilonand graduatedwithaB.A.in history.DespitehisNew Orleansroots,Drakehad anunparalleleddevotion toBamafootball.Paired withhisintelligence,he possessedanuncanny abilitytorecallplayers, statistics,andstorylines throughouttheprogram's history.Inoneofhisfinal days,afterhearinganat-

DorothyLouTarver,of Metairie,Louisiana,also knownasDoryor"Goldie" tofriendsandfamily, passedawayonFriday, April24atherhomeInOld Metairie.Shewas72. Dorywasbornon September28th,1953,in Heidelberg,Germany,to JamesWallyTarverof Brookhaven,Mississippi, andMargotSonja Baumann,ofHeidelberg. DoryattendedUNO whereshereceivedher Bachelor'sDegreein Sociology.Shecontinued hereducationatLoyola Universitywhereshereceivedherlawdegree,and whereshealsoservedon thelawreviewboard.A tirelesschampionofothers,shewasproudestof herprobonoimmigration work.Shewasaloverof oldmovies,travelingtoexoticplaces,andclassic rock,especiallyTheRolling Stones,andthemusicof theRatPack(particularly atChristmastime).Dory movedtotheUnitedStates asachild,firstto Mississippithenlaterto theNewOrleansarea whenherfatherbecamea unionorganizerinthecity. Shemarchedwiththe DaughtersofLirintheIrish Channelparadeevery year;shewasendlessly proudofbeingaNew Orleanian,aplaceshe deeplyloveduntilher passing. Sheissurvivedbyher onlydaughter,Lilith,and son-in-law,Ryan,of Cornwall,NewYork;her brotherJames,andsisterin-lawCindy,of Madisonville,Louisiana; herniecesJessicaand Jaime;andhercousins Wally,Nancy,Sherrie,and Janet. Dorywasalongtime loverofanimalsinneed, regularlyvolunteering muchofhertimeatanimal rescuecentersinthearea. Inlieuofflowers,thefamilykindlyrequeststhatdonationsbemadeinher honortoananimalrescue serviceofyourchoice. Amemorialgathering willbeheldatLeitz-Eagan INLOVINGMEMORYOF

OPINION

NOLA.COM/ opinions

Reducing domestic violence a group effort

PROVIDED PHOTO

A plaque will accompany a cross monument honoring the eight children slain in the domestic murder spree in Shreveport on April 19.

Domestic violence is a very serious issue in Louisiana. It is a cancer feeding off the most vulnerable of our residents, and it does not discriminate because of sex, race, creed or socioeconomic status. The most recent tragedy in Shreveport is arguably the most heinous example of domestic violence that we have ever seen. While we wrap our arms around the individuals affected by the events of April 19, we must also see this as a mandate to put our resources and time into prevention measures so that this never happens again. No discussion of domestic violence issues can be complete without addressing mental health

and substance abuse. Providing mental health and substance abuse resources for both abusers and survivors must be a top priority. Mental health and substance abuse may increase volatility and financial strain and may also enhance the lethality risk in a domestic violence situation.

As with all social issues, breaking cycles of abuse begins with education. Healthy relationships must be taught, and they must be taught early. We must become more adept as a society at identifying abusive situations and abused individuals. This is especially important for those who directly touch these individuals, including law enforcement, court systems, educators, medical providers and state agencies that offer services to these individuals. Expansion of home visits for at-risk mothers, hospitals and

Truck ‘slammer’ scam should spur policy changes

What unfolded recently in a federal courtroom in New Orleans sounds more like a true-crime thriller than a civil justice case. But for Louisianans, it’s not entertainment. It’s a warning.

After a lengthy federal investigation, two plaintiffs’ attorneys were convicted for their roles in a sprawling scheme that staged truck crashes, filed fraudulent insurance claims and manipulated the Louisiana legal system for profit. For more than a decade, recruiters known as “slammers” were paid to find passengers, pack them into cars and intentionally cause crashes with commercial trucks on roads like I-10. They’d then direct those false injury cases to corrupt attorneys in on the scheme and eventually trigger lucrative, often seven-figure lawsuit settlements. A cooperating witness in the investigation was even murdered before trial.

For me, this isn’t just something I read about in the headlines. It’s something I’ve lived. As the head of a thirdgeneration, family-owned Louisianabased trucking company, I’ve seen firsthand how these jackpot justice rings operate, and the real damage they leave behind for drivers, businesses and families.

Trucking companies and their drivers have increasingly become prime targets — not because they’re at fault, but because they’re seen as deep pockets that can be easily extorted. The civil justice system has become a highstakes game where the threat of massive jury awards wildly disconnected from actual damages forces settlements regardless of merit.

For our industry, the stakes are especially high. Trucking remains in a prolonged freight downturn, with tight margins and rising insurance costs that often ignore even the strongest safety records. When litigation turns into a gamble instead of a fact-based process, insurers hedge their risk by raising premiums across the board — leaving carriers and, ultimately, consumers to pick up the tab.

It’s not a line item on a receipt, but Louisianans pay it every day. Those higher insurance premiums are passed along in the cost of groceries, fuel and everyday goods. It slows economic growth and puts additional strain on families already dealing with rising costs. In total, the U.S. economy loses $529 billion — or $4,207 per family — each year.

This kind of abuse starts long before the courtroom. Across Louisiana, billboard ads and late-night commercials flood the airwaves, often painting truck drivers as reckless dangers rather than the professionals who keep the economy moving. That messaging shapes perceptions, and those perceptions can follow jurors into the courtroom.

None of this is to say that legitimate victims shouldn’t have their day in court. They absolutely should. But when the system rewards manipulation instead of truth, it stops serving the public.

Louisiana’s own U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise can fight back against fraud rings at the national level by helping advance Reps. Mike Collins and Brandon Gill’s Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act, which would make it a federal crime to engineer a crash with a commercial motor vehicle.

At the same time, Louisiana’s truckers are calling on Sen. John Kennedy to introduce companion legislation in the U.S. Senate to ensure this effort gains traction in both chambers.

Lawmakers in Baton Rouge can also help restore balance, whether by increasing transparency in litigation financing, cracking down on staged accidents or ensuring that damages more accurately reflect reality.

Other states have already begun to act. Reforms in Florida have helped stabilize insurance markets and deliver relief to consumers, while New York is moving to crack down on staged crashes and fraudulent claims without undermining legitimate cases.

The question is whether Louisiana will follow suit or continue down a path where a broken system drives up costs for everyone.

Truckers take pride in running loads from the Port of New Orleans to the highways that carry goods up and down the Mississippi River. Every grocery shelf, construction site and small business depends on them.

The case in New Orleans should be a wake-up call to protect the lifeblood of the state’s economy, not just because of its shocking details, but because of what it reveals about the broader environment. Curbing lawsuit abuse means restoring fairness and holding bad actors accountable, so the system works as intended. Justice should never be for sale. And in Louisiana, it’s time to make sure it isn’t.

Randy Guillot is the president of Jefferson-based Triple G Express, Inc.

clinics creating warm handoff protocols for patients in need of services and increased funding for school and community-based prevention are just a few ways to improve outcomes for survivors. While economic stressors do not cause abuse, they often trigger or increase the risk of domestic violence. Reducing financial dependence on an abuser by providing education or job training is key, but so is affordable childcare and transportation. These hurdles are especially evident in rural areas where there are limited resources and opportunities. Increasing existing safety nets for survivors by maximizing shelter capacity and housing support and necessary associated wraparound services for survivors is crucial.

As attorney general and now as governor, Jeff Landry has made huge strides in our state in

addressing some of the above issues. Gov. Landry made sure the one-time funds for our shelters has been converted into permanent funding, he has continued to strengthen our laws to protect survivors and has created partnerships with wonderful private entities who exist in our local communities to support survivors, but we still have a long way to go. It is going to take education, funding and increased programs on a grand scale. We can and we must do better. If you or someone you know needs help right now, find your local domestic violence program or call the Louisiana Statewide Hotline: 1 (888) 411-1333. Help is free, confidential and available 24/7.

Laurie Marien is the executive director of Gov. Jeff Landry’s Office of Women’s Policy.

Amendment 4 would give state a competitive edge

Louisiana’s economic growth hinges on a simple reality: Companies go where they can compete and succeed. When deciding where to build, expand or invest, they closely evaluate workforce, infrastructure and, critically, tax policy.

Right now, Louisiana’s inventory tax puts our communities at a disadvantage.

For more than five decades, my family has done business in the Marigny. New Orleans is home, and today I’m proud to run the company with my two brothers right here in the state we love.

But I’ll be honest: We’ve been approached about basing our operations in neighboring states. We’ve never seriously considered leaving, but I can’t say the same for business colleagues who have felt the pressure of this debilitating tax. Louisiana is ripe for opportunity and investment, but we can’t start businesses behind the eight ball the moment they choose to come here.

Experiences like this are exactly why the inventory tax is harmful to economic growth.

Most states — more than 40 — do not tax business inventory at all. In Louisiana, however, groceries on shelves, vehicles on lots, raw materials in warehouses and products awaiting shipment are taxed as property before they are ever sold. That added cost can discourage investment, slow expansion and shift jobs and opportunities to neighboring states.

Amendment 4 offers a practical solution.

Rather than imposing a statewide mandate, it gives parishes the option to reduce or eliminate inventory taxes based on their local economic goals. This is local control in action, allowing each community to decide what works best.

For parishes seeking to attract new employers or support growing industries, this flexibility matters. Inventory taxes can directly impact business decisions, often forcing employers to choose between paying taxes on unsold goods or investing in hiring, wages and expansion. Reducing that burden can help businesses reinvest in their workforce and operations.

At the same time, Amendment 4 respects the needs of parishes that rely on existing revenue streams. Communities that benefit from the current system can continue using it. The amendment simply provides an additional option, not a requirement.

This balanced approach strengthens Louisiana’s ability to compete while pre-

FILE PHOTO Industry and other business sectors hope Gov. Jeff Landry’s plan to eliminate the state’s inventory tax succeeds, but some local governments are leery of losing that revenue.

serving local decision-making.

It also builds on the state’s recent efforts to modernize its tax structure. After significant reforms in 2024, Amendment 4 addresses one of the remaining structural challenges affecting a wide range of industries from small, family-owned businesses to large manufacturers and distributors.

For chambers of commerce and economic development leaders, the implications are clear. The inventory tax is frequently identified as a barrier in site-selection decisions. Providing local flexibility helps remove that obstacle and makes Louisiana a more attractive place to invest and grow. Importantly, Amendment 4 does not eliminate the inventory tax statewide. It does not impose a one-size-fits-all policy. Instead, it empowers parishes to evaluate their own economic priorities and choose the approach that best supports long-term growth.

The bottom line is simple. Competitiveness matters. By giving parishes another tool to attract investment and support job creation, Amendment 4 helps position Louisiana for stronger economic outcomes.

For voters who prioritize economic growth and fiscal responsibility, Amendment 4 is a practical, locally controlled reform that strengthens competitiveness without expanding government or mandating statewide change.

In May, voters can take a practical step toward strengthening our economy and expanding opportunity across the state.

Approval of Amendment 4 would give Louisiana communities the flexibility they need to compete and succeed.

“Scott Ballard is co-owner of Ballard Brands and is board of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry.

COMMENTARY

16

ISSUE OF THE WEEK ST. GEORGE SCHOOL SYSTEM

Proponents of a new school system in the southeast part of East Baton Rouge have worked for years to bring it to fruition. Now, it’s on the May 16 ballot. Voters across the state, and those within East Baton Rouge Parish, will have to approve Amendment 2 for the district to become a reality. Opponents argue that a new system would exacerbate inequities and harm students in the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. Here are two perspectives.

Vote for improved local control, opportunity

Education is the cornerstone of a thriving community, but for too long, the conversation around our schools has been dominated by fear rather than vision. As we approach the upcoming vote on Amendment 2, which will enable the creation of a school system for the city of St. George, it is time to move past rhetoric and focus on the practical realities of what is best for our children and our taxpayers.

At the core of this issue is accountability. A rational approach to governance suggests that the closer a decision-maker is to the person affected, the better the outcome. By establishing a local school district for St. George, we are not just drawing new lines on a map, we are creating a system where parents have a direct line to their representatives.

When a school board is tasked with overseeing a massive, parishwide bureaucracy, individual student needs can be overlooked. A smaller, more focused district helps ensure that every dollar is tracked, every policy is examined and every child receives the attention they deserve.

Just as important, this effort is about protecting student opportunities. Families across our community rely on magnet and specialized programs that support their children’s success. Under the law establishing the St. George School District, students already enrolled in magnet programs, including K-8 magnet schools, will be allowed to remain in their current schools.

Future cross-district enrollment will occur through agreements between both school boards, allowing both districts to plan responsibly while maintaining continuity for families. Our goal is not to disrupt opportunity, but to preserve and expand it.

We must also address the common refrain that this move will

“bankrupt” the existing system. This argument is used to maintain the status quo. In reality, as students transition to a new district, the costs associated with educating them — teachers, facilities and administration — transition as well.

Even within the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, leaders like President Shashonnie Steward have acknowledged that while there will be a shift in funding, the impact “won’t be to the detriment that people think.”

The math is straightforward: When you have fewer students to serve, you require fewer resources. Claims of a looming “fiscal cliff” assume that systems cannot adjust, yet school systems across Louisiana have adapted to enrollment changes before. Responsible financial planning, not fear, should guide these discussions.

Opposition to this amendment is often framed as a question of unity, but local governance does not mean isolation. It means responsibility. Communities across Louisiana — including Central and Zachary — have demonstrated that locally governed districts can deliver strong academic outcomes while maintaining partnerships with neighboring systems.

Voting yes on this amendment is not about “leaving” anyone behind; it is about leading toward a more efficient, transparent and parent-driven model of education. It reflects a belief that parents should have meaningful access to decision-makers and that funding should follow students to the programs that best serve them. The choice before voters is not between division and cooperation. It is between maintaining a centralized structure or embracing a model that prioritizes accountability, opportunity and student success. By choosing local governance, we are choosing a future designed around the needs of children. And that is a future worth supporting.

Dustin Yates is the mayor of St. George.

A new school district would be bad for students

Public education is grounded in the promise that all children deserve access to high-quality opportunities and resources, regardless of their ZIP code or their family’s economic status.

Amendment 2 on the May 16 statewide ballot, creating a new school district in St. George, would violate this promise by cementing and deepening the long-standing racial and economic divides that keep East Baton Rouge Parish from reaching its full potential. The new breakaway school district would serve a population that is much wealthier and more White than the parish as a whole, while the school district that would remain would be less wealthy and more predominantly Black than it is today.

Students and families on both sides of this new divide would lose if the amendment wins majority support from statewide voters and in the parish. East Baton Rouge schools would hemorrhage tax revenues. The East Baton Rouge school system estimates that it would lose 25% of its projected property and sales tax revenue — $94 million — and $17 million per year in per-pupil state funding through the Minimum Foundation Program. But its costs would only shrink by $40 million, creating a $71 million annual shortfall.

This means two likely outcomes: Budget cuts, which could translate to larger class sizes and fewer instructional supports and make it harder to recruit and retain teachers. Alternatively, the school board could try making up the shortfall by raising property taxes.

Families in St. George, meanwhile, would have fewer choices in how and where their kids are educated. The EBR School System estimates that 2,633 students live in St. George but currently attend East Baton Rouge schools outside St. George.

A grandfather clause, included in a companion law to the amendment, lets students stay at their current school and allows students in St. George and East Baton Rouge to attend school across district lines. But St. George families would have far less access to highly competitive magnet and gifted programs in East Baton Rouge once the phase-in period has passed. That’s because EBR schools would be allowed to establish enrollment policies that give preference to students within

its boundaries, meaning St. George students would be last in line for admission to highperforming magnets. The same would be true for students with special needs or exceptionalities, who would also have fewer options. Teachers and school employees would also face significant disruption. The EBR public school system estimates that 478 of its employees currently work in a school that would become part of the new district. These employees would face a choice: They could resign or retire from their current job and apply to work with St. George, which means they would have to regain their tenure and other benefits; or they could choose to remain and be reassigned to new schools or potentially laid off.

Then there are so-called “legacy” costs: health, retirement, life insurance and other benefits. The new school district would be responsible for health, retirement, life insurance and other benefits for every person it hires.

But EBR remains responsible for the legacy costs of all previous retirees from St. George, allowing St. George to walk away from approximately $57.8 million in liabilities. This is a conservative estimate, as it excludes the teachers, faculty and administrators not directly located in St. George who still served St. George students.

Dollars aside, the vote on St. George is about something more fundamental. It’s about what kind of community we want Baton Rouge to be; what kind of message we want to send to students. A recent analysis by the Brookings Institution ranked 55 large U.S. metro areas on their economic performance across several broad categories. The East Baton Rouge metro area came in 55th place — dead last — in the category of “inclusion.” The message was unmistakable: When racial and economic divides are allowed to fester, the whole community suffers.

There is a better way forward, and it starts by staying together and rejecting this misguided amendment. EBR schools just saw the highest performance scores in the district’s history, and the country is taking notice of the dramatic gains in reading and math scores that are happening here and across the Deep South. We should be building on these gains, not tearing this district apart.

Jan Moller is CEO of Invest in Louisiana. Carina Holguin is a student intern at Invest and an LSU Presidential Alumni Scholar.

with meteorologist Damon Singleton

Free agent corner Emerson grateful for Saints’ belief in him

BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer

It did not take long for Martin Emerson to feel like he found the right place to call home.

The free agent cornerback visited the New Orleans Saints, the team of his childhood, and spent about 20 minutes “chopping it up” with the rest of the defensive backs. He felt welcomed, like he was already part of the team.

Then he met the coaches and heard exactly what he wanted to hear to make signing a free agent contract an easy decision: They believed in him.

“I was fired up,” Emerson said. “Just the same vision, the same goals. Even coming off this injury, they believe in me, and that’s all I need.”

The 25-year-old Emerson is coming off a serious injury, having ruptured his Achilles tendon in late July during a training camp practice with the Cleveland Browns.

In his first three seasons, the former third-round pick out of Mississippi State worked his way into a starting role with Cleveland. He broke up 15 passes during his 2022 rookie season, then enjoyed a breakout 2023 campaign, when he intercepted four passes and broke up 14 as a 12-game starter.

But Emerson missed the entire 2025 season, which also happened to be the final year of his rookie contract. The recovery was tough, Emerson said. He spent nearly two months on bed rest, where he “couldn’t walk, couldn’t (do) nothing” and needed help to get out of his

ä See SAINTS, page 5C

Off to the races: Derby picks from local experts

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

The Kentucky Derby will be run for the 152nd time on Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The favorites in the early betting pools are The Puma (7-2) and Renegade (4-1), but handicappers expect a wide-open race. Since 2000, just 28% of morningline odds favorites (7 of 25) have won the Run for the Roses. The 1-2-3 finishers in the Louisiana Derby — Emerging Market (15-1), Pavlovian (30-1) and Golden Tempo (30-1) — are also among the contenders. New Orleans is home to some of the top horse racing experts in the nation. Each year, I round up a group of them to handicap the race. This year’s lineup is excellent, as always:

TOM AMOSS’ ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: The 2026 Kentucky Derby has a different feel to it than last year’s race. As a handicapper, you’re always looking for value. When Renegade, the post-time favorite and the most talented horse in the race, drew the No. 1 post, it leveled the playing field. The other 19 horses will be jockeying for position out of the gate and pushing down towards the rail to save ground going into the turn. There’s no doubt that he will be shuffled back in the pack early and forced to navigate a full field of 20 horses to reach the front. Think about driving and maneuvering through rush-hour traffic on Airline Highway, and you can understand the difficulty of that task. I see this as an opportunity to bet on a horse offering bigger odds.

1. Chief Wallabee

Chief Wallabee was most recently a very close third in the Florida Derby. Kelly Clarkson

sang, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” and when it comes to thoroughbred racing, competition in defeat leads to improved future performance.

2. Further Ado (6-1): He was very impressive in winning the Bluegrass Stakes by a stunning 11 lengths. An effort similar to that one puts him right there at the finish line. He has tactical speed, which will allow him to be in a very good spot early, as the horses pass the grandstand for the first time.

ä See DERBY, page 4C

’26 season outlier in Johnson’s résumé

LSU coach: ‘I’ve never been in a position like this’

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

Nevada baseball didn’t hit the ground running when Jay Johnson took over the program in 2014.

The Wolfpack finished that season 15-15 in the Mountain West Conference and 31-28 overall. It was his first season as a Division I head coach, and it’s still the fewest number of wins Johnson’s had in a campaign outside of the COVID-19 shortened year of 2020.

ä South Carolina at LSU 6:30 P.M. FRIDAY, SECN+

But Johnson, who has led his teams to two national championships and four trips to the College World Series since, has hit another speed bump in 2026. LSU baseball, with a 25-21 overall record and 6-15 mark in Southeastern Conference play, is on the precipice of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011, heading into this weekend’s series with South Carolina beginning on Friday (6:30 p.m., SEC Network+).

The Tigers head into the series having been swept in three consecutive three-game series in SEC play for the first time in program history. The last time they had been swept in three straight series was in 1966, when they dropped a trio of two-game sets to Tulane, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Tulane looking to finish strong in American Conference

BY GUERRY SMITH Contributing writer

ä Tulane at Charlotte 5 P.M. FRIDAY, ESPN+

Despite going 1-2 in back-to-back weekends, Tulane is one spot higher in the American Conference standings entering its series at Charlotte than it was two Fridays ago. Realistically, the Green Wave (23-23, 8-10) can finish anywhere from fourth, which would guarantee direct entry into the doubleelimination portion of the league tournament, to ninth, which would leave it out of the field entirely after reaching the championship game in three consecutive years under Jay Uhlman. “Coach Jay keeps saying the league is drunk,” said shortstop Kaikea Harrison, reflecting the unusual results in the first six weeks of conference play.

Expecting the unexpected has been the norm through April.

UAB (28-16, 12-6), which the coaches tabbed last among the 10 teams in their pre-

poll, is tied for first with preseason

3

LSU, Wade have quiet recruiting start

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Low key is one way to describe LSU’s offseason so far under coach Will Wade.

Kentucky transfer Mo Dioubate is the only player who has committed to the program since the college basketball transfer portal window opened on April 7. Since Wade returned to Baton Rouge on March 26, nine players with eligibility from last year’s team entered the portal. The team’s two high school signings under former coach Matt McMahon reopened their recruitment, which is normal after a coaching change, and 22-year-old guard Owen Foxwell, who played in the National Basketball League in Australia, decommitted and signed to Wisconsin.

Not much has happened besides the hiring of three assistant coaches — Rick Stansbury, Johnny Jones and Damon Stoudamire. The slow start in building the next team comes after Wade said at his March 30 introductory press conference that turning LSU into a success will happen sooner rather than later.

“We’re going to build a winning program, and we’re going to build this thing quick,” Wade said. “This is not something that’s going to take long. We’re going to get in that portal when it opens next (Tuesday), and we’re going to put together a winner because everybody in here deserves a winner.”

A source with knowledge of the team’s situation told The Advocate that there’s no internal concern with the lack of commits thus far. LSU, like any other team, can continue to add players later in the summer. Typically, teams have most, if not all, of their scholarship players in June before summer workouts.

When the portal closed on April 21, that meant college players could no longer make themselves available to join a new team.

How does LSU compare?

LSU is the only high-major basketball team with one play-

er on its roster projected for the 2026-27 season. Florida is the other SEC team with just a single transfer. However, it has a high school and international signee slated and several returners.

The other high-major teams with one transfer commit are Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue and Virginia. In all those cases, they have more than one player for next year’s roster because they return multiple players, have high school signees or both.

Stanford is the only highmajor team with no players acquired in the transfer portal or internationally yet. The Atlantic Coast Conference school does have five high school signees.

Wade added players gradually during his lone season at NC State. When the portal opened on March 24 last year, he added his first commitment 11 days later. Dioutbate committed to

LSU 14 days after the transfer window began. NC State had three commitments after the same amount of time had passed since the transfer window started.

The Tigers’ slow start in the portal means that many of the most sought-after talents are no longer on the market.

Eight players remain uncommitted on The Athletic’s top 100 transfer portal players list as of Thursday. Four are ranked in the top six, and they are all early entrants for the 2026 NBA Draft. The deadline for college players to withdraw from the draft is May 27.

One of those top players is Santa Clara transfer forward Allen Graves, who is from Ponchatoula. LSU is interested in the redshirt freshman, according to reports from On3 and 247Sports. His older brother, Marshall Graves, played for Wade at LSU from 2017-20.

International recruiting

While the depth of talent in the portal is shallower over three weeks since player movement began, Wade and company can still acquire talent internationally.

The same source with knowledge of the team’s situation told The Advocate that LSU is trying to recruit overseas players. Finding talent outside of traditional high school and college pathways has grown in popularity after the advent of NIL, but Wade doesn’t have an extensive track record of attracting highlevel non-American players, dating back to his first stint at LSU (2017-22).

Wade had two international freshmen at NC State. One didn’t appear in any game action and the other, Musa Sagnia from The Gambia, averaged 2.3 points in 34 games. At McNeese State (2023-25), Wade had one Latvian and one Canadian player on his teams. Both were upperclassmen who averaged less than four points and transferred from a different college.

Across Wade’s first five seasons at LSU, he had only two non-American players play for him: Australian forward Duop Reath and British forward Kavell Bigby-Williams.

Reath was the second-leading scorer (12.5) during the 2017-18 season, which was Wade’s first year in Baton Rouge. Reath’s first season with the Tigers was the previous year under coach Jones. Bigby-Williams, originally from London, played a year at Oregon before transferring to LSU during the 2018-19 season. He was the team’s second leading rebounder (6.7).

While practically the entire team is unknown, two things are certain. Wade said he’ll have a “heavy hand” in creating the team. He is also comfortable with the resources at his disposal.

“We’re going to win, and we’ve got the resources that we need to compete in the SEC,” Wade said on March 30. “At the end of the day, that’s all we can ask. Then it’s on me to get the job done. It’s on me to make it happen.”

Knicks crush Hawks in record-setting Game 6

BY MAURA CAREY AP sportswriter

ATLANTA — OG Anunoby scored 29 points in 27 minutes, KarlAnthony Towns had his second triple-double of the series and the New York Knicks had their biggest playoff victory in franchise history, overwhelming and eliminating the Atlanta Hawks 140-89 in Game 6 on Thursday night.

The Knicks broke several NBA records by halftime. Their 40-15 lead at the end of the first quarter marked the largest of the shot clock era. Their 47-point halftime lead was the biggest in playoff history.

New York’s 51-point win tied for the sixth-largest margin of victory in NBA postseason history.

Dyson Daniels and Mitchell Robinson were ejected after fighting following a pair of free throws from Anunoby that gave the Knicks a 50-point lead in the second quarter.

The Knicks exceeded 100 points with 8:21 remaining in the third quarter. New York’s starters were done for the

Infantino affirms Iran will participate in World Cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — FIFA President Gianni Infantino opened his address at Thursday’s FIFA Congress by affirming that Iran will participate in the World Cup and that the team will play in the United States despite the conflict between the two nations.

“And the reason for that is very simple, dear friends, is because we have to unite. We have to bring people together. It is my responsibility. It is our responsibility,” Infantino said. “Football unites the world. FIFA unites the world. You unite the world. We unite the world.”

Infantino has not wavered on Iran’s participation in the World Cup or in its matches in the United States. At one point, Iran asked to move its games to Mexico, but that request was rejected.

World’s tallest player

Rioux signs with UC Irvine

IRVINE, Calif. — The world’s tallest college basketball player is going coast to coast.

Former Florida walk-on Olivier Rioux, a 7-foot-9 center from Canada and one of the most recognizable student-athletes in North America, announced Thursday he has signed with UC Irvine. The school in Southern California announced his arrival hours earlier.

“Olivier is a high-character young man whose presence will elevate our team, our university, and our community,” UC Irvine coach Russell Turner said in a statement. “He embodies the values that have defined our success at UC Irvine.

UC Irvine won the Big West regular-season title last season but lost in the conference tournament and ended up in the NIT.

Young takes early lead at Cadillac Championship

DORAL, Fla. — Cameron Young made, by his own count, about a billion feet worth of putts. Jordan Spieth was, to use his own word, a nerd. Both approaches were optimal in the opening round of the Cadillac Championship.

Young shot a bogey-free round of 8-under 64 on Thursday, taking a one-shot lead over Spieth and Alex Smalley at Trump International Doral to open the $20 million signature event — the first PGA Tour event at the course in 10 years.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler had a slightly different opinion after his opening round. He made three birdies in the first five holes, then didn’t get another the rest of the day.

Milwaukee hires former Memphis coach Jenkins

MILWAUKEE — Taylor Jenkins was officially announced as the Milwaukee Bucks coach on Thursday, as the former Memphis Grizzlies coach takes over a team coming off a 50-loss season that snapped a string of nine straight playoff appearances.

The Bucks said Jenkins will have an introductory news conference Wednesday at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The 41-year-old Jenkins coached the Grizzlies from 2019-25 and posted a 250-214 record that included three straight playoff appearances from 2021-23. The Grizzlies fired him with nine games left in the 2024-25 season and went on to get swept by eventual champion Oklahoma City in the first round of that year’s playoffs.

Broncos QB Nix expected to be ready for training camp

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Bo Nix is still expected to be ready for training camp and the regular season following a cleanup procedure on his right ankle during a scheduled post-operative visit with his surgeon, a person with knowledge of the matter told The Associated Press.

night with 2:45 remaining in the third.

Anunoby scored 26 of his points in the first half. Mikal Bridges finished with 24. Towns, five days after becoming the fourth Knicks player with a playoff triple-double,

had 12 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Hawks were 12 for 39 from the field in the first half and 4 for 18 from 3-point range. Atlanta had 14 turnovers in the first half. Jalen Johnson led the Hawks with 21 points. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, CJ McCollum and Jonathan Kuminga each had 11 points.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team isn’t releasing details of Nix’s cleanup performed by Dr. Norman Waldrop III, who operated on Nix after Denver’s quarterback broke a bone in his right ankle on Jan. 18 during the AFC playoffs.

The Knicks will face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers series in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

The Broncos will probably be conservative with Nix following the follow-up surgery, which was either going to take place this spring or after next season.

Landmark achievement

Tulane beach volleyball team competing in NCAA championships for first time

BY GUERRY SMITH

Contributing writer

When Amira Ali made the final kill last Saturday in the Conference USA championship, Tulane beach volleyball coach Eyal Zimet was not sure how to react.

Seven years into his job, the Green Wave had clinched its first trip to the NCAA tournament, where it will be the No. 14 seed and face third-seeded, three-time national champion UCLA in the first round on Friday in Gulf Shores, Alabama (3 p.m., ESPN2).

“I was speechless,” Zimet said of his feelings after Tulane beat topseed Florida Atlantic 3-0 on Saturday in Youngsville. “You work so hard for a goal in multiple years, and we were so close the last two years. I almost felt blank for a second. I couldn’t believe it. Is it real?”

It was almost surreal the way Tulane (26-13) blitzed the field in southwest Louisiana. The Wave went 0-5 in the regular season against Conference USA opponents — the league it plays in, because the American does not sponsor the sport — dropping each one in excruciating 3-2 fashion. While going 4-0 in the tournament — all against teams it lost to earlier — the Wave won 12 of 13 individual matches. The sole defeat came in the first round about one second before Tulane clinched a 3-1 victory against South Florida.

NCAA beach volleyball consists of five separate two-on-two matches played simultaneously. The first team to win three of them clinches the dual match.

“That just meant everything,” Ali said of her clinching point with partner Tawny Ensign. “It’s so special to have my team behind me, knowing that no matter who’s playing, they are going to get it done. It just felt awesome to know how hard we’ve worked this season to get where we are and to see everything come together when it really mattered.”

Ali, a graduate transfer from Hawaii, participated in the NCAA tournament three times before arriving at Tulane. Almost all of her teammates are making their first trip.

After falling in the Conference USA tournament championship match in 2024 to TCU and in 2025 to Florida Atlantic, the Wave headed to Youngsville with a strong determination despite the frustrating losses earlier in the season that made it only a No. 5 seed.

After blanking the then-19thranked Owls on the way to the championship match, the Wave did it again. Molly Todd and Sklyar Ensign won 21-17, 23-21 at No. 1. Lauren Mann and Avery Burks won 22-20, 21-19 at No. 5. Tulane even was ahead at No. 4 when Ali ended matters at No. 3 for a 21-13, 15-21, 15-9 victory.

“A big change was just our over-

all energy,” Mann said. “We came out with an attitude of what’s in the past is in the past. We took those (regular season) losses as fuel for us to go out and be super aggressive. I didn’t see anyone really timid on the court. We left it all out there.”

Step by step, Zimet guided the program to this point. His goal was never to stay stagnant, and the vision paid off this past weekend.

Clearly, Tulane has a tall task against UCLA in the single-elimination tournament. The Wave faced three opponents in the 16team field earlier this year, losing 5-0 twice to No. 2 seed Texas, 5-0 to No. 6 seed Cal Poly and 4-1 to No. 7 seed Loyola Marymount.

Zimet hopes the experience gained in those matches will help after watching his players author a complete reversal of fortune last week.

“We learned that it’s tough competition, but we also learned that we can compete,” he said. “We feel like this year, more than ever, we are well-positioned to be in that realm. Obviously, the conference performances shows us we’re there. I don’t think any of the top teams wanted to see us in the first round.”

The pressure is off. Friday is about enjoying the moment.

“This is all a bonus,” said Mann, a junior who was on the two teams that lost in the league final. “We have nothing to lose. I want us to go out there and just play our hearts out and have so much fun.”

LSU to host NCAA tennis regionals

BY CHARLES SALZER

Contributing writer

The LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams have each had varying levels of success through the years, but they have rarely been relevant on the national scene in the same season. This spring has been an exception. Both LSU tennis teams finished the season in the top 10 of the ITA rankings, and both will serve as regional hosts this weekend in the first round of the NCAA tennis tournament at the LSU Tennis Complex.

The LSU men (25-6) are seeded seventh in the 64-team field and begin play Friday against Alabama State (10-9) at 5 p.m. Pepperdine (17-9) and Michigan (13-10) square off at 2 p.m. to open the regional.

The men’s winners will play at 5 p.m. Saturday for a chance to move into the round of 16.

For the LSU women (19-9), the opening opponent will be Stephen F. Austin (11-8) for the second consecutive year. LSU defeated SFA 4-0 last year, a win that started the Tigers’ run to the national

semifinals. LSU reached the national semifinals for the first time in program history before losing 4-2 to North Carolina.

This year, LSU is seeded 10th overall, and will play SFA at 2 p.m. Saturday. The regional gets started when TCU (20-4) and Rice (17-6) play at 11 a.m. in the first match of the day.

“There were a lot of firsts last year with the NCAA finish, conference win totals and total wins, so I certainly think we’ve tried to build on that,” LSU women’s coach Taylor Fogleman said. “We haven’t had too many valleys but if you had asked our girls before the SEC tournament, I don’t think they would have said there were an immense amount of peaks.”

That changed at the SEC tournament when LSU defeated topranked Georgia 4-1 in the semifinals. LSU lost 4-2 to Auburn in the championship match, but it went 4-1 at the tournament including three wins over ranked opponents.

The LSU women are led by sophomores Cadence Brace and Kayla Cross, their top two performers from last season. Brace, an AllAmerican, and Cross will play No.

Burks helps Jesuit to team regional championship

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Reigning state hurdles champion Ja’ir Burks helped Jesuit win the team championship, Brother Martin’s Easton Royal ran a personal-best time in the 200-meter dash and Warren Easton’s Dai’jah Robertson finished first in all four of her events during the Region 3-5A championship Wednesday at Hahnville.

For Mount Carmel, the girls team champion, LSU signee Stella Junius won the 3,200 meters and qualified or state in the 1,600 while UL signee Miranda Weeks won the pole vault.

The top three finishers in all events advanced to the 5A state championships held May 9 at LSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium. Burks won the two hurdle events despite not competing at his best, he said.

“I’m very, very proud of myself, but there’s always more to be had, more to accomplish,” said Burks, who hopes to run personal-best times at state like he did at last year’s state meet.

“I like to PR whenever I can,” Burks said. “Especially with all this competition now this year. I try to run as fast as I can.”

Other event winners for Jesuit were Connor Fanberg in the 1,600, David Quintana in the 3,200, Spencer Waguespack in the shot put and Jude Cannon in the pole vault. Fanberg also qualified in the 800.

Jesuit, a runner-up to CatholicBaton Rouge by one point at state last year, won the regional meet with 117 points.

Brother Martin’s Royal won the 100 and 200 meters and anchored the winning 4x100 relay on the way to helping the Crusaders to a runner-up team finish with 60 points.

Royal’s 20.82 seconds in the 200 meters was a personal best. He

won the 100 in 10.47.

“This year is all about redemption,” Royal said. “Last year I came in second in the 100. Some unfortunate things happened at the end of that, that if I could have done them right, I would have won.”

Rummel had a strong showing with Nasir Ceazer winning the 400 and qualifying with teammate Micah Green in the 100 and 200.

In the girls meet, Warren Easton’s Robertson won the 100 and 200 and anchored the winning 4x100 and 4x200 relays, helping the Eagles to a runner-up finish with 66 points. Mount Carmel had 96 points.

“We knew we could come out here and win,” Robertson said. “We knew we could drop (times) by a big amount. That’s what we did. It feels great to know that we could still PR at state.”

Other two-event winners in the girls meet were Chalmette’s Jayde Williams in both hurdle events, Northshore’s Grace Keene in the 800 and 1,600 and Salmen’s Zoe Smith in the long jump and triple jump. Keene also qualified in the 3,200 and Smith qualified in the high jump.

Weather delays area baseball playoff series

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Jesuit and John Curtis, along with Brother Martin, postponed the start of their quarterfinal round baseball playoff series Thursday because of inclement weather. Jesuit and John Curtis rescheduled their best-of-three series opener to 5 p.m. Friday at Harahan Playground and would then play up to two games starting 1 p.m. Saturday. If the teams do not play Friday, they’ll play two games starting 1 p.m. Saturday and an if-necessary game 1 p.m. Sunday. Brother Martin, the No. 1 seed in

Division I select, and Alexandria tentatively rescheduled their bestof-three series opener to 3:30 p.m. Friday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium. Rummel, on the road against St. Thomas More, will open its series 6 p.m. Friday after a Thursday postponement. Holy Cross will resume its away series against Catholic-Baton Rouge at 1 p.m. Saturday. Holy Cross lost the opening game of the series Wednesday. In Division IV select, St. Martin’s and Ascension Episcopal rescheduled their single-elimination game from Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday at Mike Miley Stadium. Riverside played Wednesday and defeated Glenbrook 5-0.

1 and No. 2 singles, and will also form the Tigers top doubles team.

An abundance of available players has also been a factor for the men’s team, which recorded two of its biggest wins of the season amid a third-place SEC finish. The Tigers won 4-3 at second-ranked Texas 4-3 on March 6, and then defeated No. 12 Georgia 4-3 in the semifinals of the SEC tournament.

The win over Georgia was LSU’s first over the Bulldogs since 1999 and helped the Tigers post their highest win total since that same year.

“We’ve won a lot of different ways, but we feel confident at all six singles and all three doubles spots,” LSU men’s coach Danny Bryan said. “Do we win there every time? No, but we don’t feel like we have any holes in our lineup. I think that’s really been the key for us getting to four points.”

The LSU men feature top player Olaf Pieczkowski, who edged teammate Erik Aritiunian for honors as the SEC freshman of the year. Sophomore Andrej Loncarevic, who Bryan calls the most improved player in the country, has also been a factor.

KENTUCKY DERBY

Fulleffort scratched from Kentucky Derby

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Fulleffort was scratched from Saturday’s Kentucky Derby because of a chip in his left hind ankle, the latest departure from the field of 20 horses roughly 24 hours after Silent Tactic was ruled out.

Race officials announced the change Thursday, and trainer Brad Cox told The Associated Press that Fulleffort will undergo surgery and is expected to recover and return to racing. Cox said an Xray revealed fluid in the ankle and called it an easy decision because Fulleffort showed some lameness.

“That’s part of the game,” Cox said. “It was a problem that needed to be addressed.” Fullefort’s exit means jockey Tyler Gaffalione will have to wait for another chance to win the race for the first time. Cox went into the week with three Derby horses and is now down to two: Commandment andP-

DERBY

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3. Renegade (4-1): He is the most talented horse in the field, but it would not be surprising for the connections to walk away from this year‘s Kentucky Derby knowing they ran the best horse, only to lose because of traffic issues. He will need the Horse Gods on his side to have a clean trip. Long shot – Wonder Dean (30-1): The Japanese have put tremendous effort in trying to win the Kentucky Derby, and make no mistake, they will accomplish that goal. It should’ve happened two years ago with Forever Young, who encountered traffic issues down the stretch. Forever Young is now considered the best older dirt horse in the world.

(TomAmoss was one of the leading thoroughbred trainers in NorthAmerica before stepping down earlier this year. The New Orleans native is also a longtime racing analyst at Fox Sports.)

MICHAEL BEYCHOK’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: My top pick last year

finished fourth at a very good price of 18-

1. If I improve on that result this year, an “in the money” finish is guaranteed. As usual, the Kentucky Derby presents handicappers with a difficult and challenging puzzle to solve for the winner, but let’s give it a go and try to get home a long-shot winner.

1. Incredibolt (20-1): Incredibolt has won two races over the quirky Churchill Downs racetrack. When he won the Street Sense takes in October, I said then to myself, “Self, this is my Derby horse.” Incredibolt ran a stinker in his first start as a 3-year-old but followed that effort with a win going a longer distance in the Virginia Derby. He is owned by Pin Oak Stud, which has roots in Baton Rouge through the Bernhard family. What a story it would be if this horse could win for his late owner Jim Bernhard and his wife, Dana, and son, Ben. It would truly be incredible, and I’m betting on it on Saturday.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): His trainer, Bill Mott, won this race last year. and his son, Riley, trains our top selection. Mott has now won two Kentucky Derbies, so he

ä Kentucky Derby. POST TIME: 5:57 P.M. SATURDAY, NBC, PEACOCK

Further Ado.

“I love ‘em,” Cox said. “Both had a great morning. I’m excited about Saturday.”

With Fulleffort out, Ocelli draws in off the also-entered list. Trainer Whit Beckman found out after the colt galloped at Churchill Downs around 7:15 a.m.

“I kind of had the expectation all along that if you’re within a couple spots that you have a chance,” Beckman said. “Especially in this day and age, it just seems there’s always a lot of changes from the time we draw to the time we run.

We were kind of quietly confident that things would go our way.”

Beckman has been training Ocelli all along as though the colt would be participating in the Derby. Ocelli is coming off a third-place finish in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct

knows how to get a horse to peak on the first Saturday in May. This one looks like he is peaking.

3. Danon Bourbon (20-1): A horse from Japan always adds a little mystery to the Derby story, and this horse is undefeated in three starts, racing solely in Japan. Forever Young, another Japanese horse, proved two years ago the quality of the 3-year-olds in the Far East can compare to the U.S. horses. It’s hard to predict just how good this one is, but if he is as good or better than the previous Japanese entrants to the Derby, then he fits right in as a long shot.

Long shot — Emerging Market (15-1):

The Louisiana Derby winner may not be a long, long shot, but he is deserving of a mention. Undefeated after just two starts, his trainer, Chad Brown, surely thinks enough of his raw talent to give the Derby a shot. I’ll certainly include him in most of my exotic plays.

(Michael Beychok is a senior partner of Ourso Beychok Inc.,an award-winning national political consulting firm based in Louisiana,and the 2012 National Handicapping Championship and 2012 EclipseAward winner for best handicapper.)

KEVIN KILROY’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: Each year, a big part of handicapping the Kentucky Derby is figuring out which prep races had the best fields and then using horses out of those races in your wagers. I see Gulfstream and Fair Grounds as the key prep series featuring the best 3-yearolds. While the Arkansas Derby and the Blue Grass Stakes showcased talented winners, the horses that Renegade and Further Ado beat are very suspect.

1. Commandment (6-1): This colt is built like a tank and is willing and able to bully through tight spots to split horses. Perfect in four starts since his sprint debut, he’s passed every distance test he has faced, overcome difficult trips and beaten legitimate Derby contenders in The Puma and Chief Wallabee. With a win at Churchill Downs on his résumé, we know he handles the track, and in his works as well as his races, he runs evenly through every call. 2. Golden Tempo (30-1): We’ve watched

Horse racing in Japan is on the rise

BY STEPHEN WHYNO AP sportswriter

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As horse racing grapples with an uncertain future in the U.S. with tracks closing and legalized sports betting taking away something that made the sport unique, there is a place in the world where it’s getting increasingly popular and turning out significantly better competition.

Japan is pouring tons of money into everything from breeding to training and racing, with a turn to dirt-track runners over the past decade or so after turf was the focus for so long. Following a near miss with Forever Young in 2024, the investment could soon pay off in the form of a Kentucky Derby winner, with Danon Bourbon and homebred Wonder Dean the country’s hopes in the race this year.

“We are getting closer,” racing manager Hiroshi Ando told The Associated Press outside the Japanese horses’ barn Thursday. “For Japan, I think we’re able to change Japanese racing history again, like we did with Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Our ambition is the Kentucky Derby right now, if possible.”

Race Track on April 4.

“He’s been training great since we got back here from New York after the Wood,” Beckman said. “Around the barn, he’s a very mature, easygoing horse. Sometimes he could be a little quirky on the track, but it seems like we’re getting a little bit close to perfection every time.”

Ocelli follows Great White into the field, who got in Wednesday when Silent Tactic was scratched because of a foot injury. Like Great White’s John Ennis, Beckman was unsure if he’d have a horse in the Derby but was unbothered by the situation.

“The certainty of it to me was more stressful because things can only go wrong,” Beckman said. “In this case, when things can only go right and if something did go wrong, well, it didn’t matter: We weren’t in the race anyway. ... Coming in knowing you could — maybe, maybe not — go, you just kind of let the cards fall and let the universe do its thing.”

Golden Tempo take shape at Fair Grounds, backing up his maiden score with an electric last-to-first win in the Lecomte. His nonchalance out of the gate and late-running style are concerns in the Kentucky Derby, but since we last saw him run third in the Louisiana Derby, he has trained more aggressively and shows up at Churchill as chiseled as I’ve ever seen him.

3. Incredibolt (20-1): His victory in the Virginia Derby ranks at the top of my list of visually impressive prep wins. Buried in traffic for much of the race, Incredibolt accelerated when daylight opened in the stretch and drew away from the field, putting his class and push-button speed on full display. In terms of speed figures, he would need a major step forward to beat the best we’ve seen from his rivals, but his jockey, Jaime Torres, told me he had a lot more horse than we saw at Colonial Downs, leading me to believe that a reasonable move forward puts him right there with this group. Long shot – Fulleffort (20-1): No horse has touted himself on the track over the last two weeks more than Fulleffort. Relaxed yet producing sharp times in his drills, Fulleffort has been galloping with an alpha energy that I look for in horses ready to fire the best race of their careers. He overcame a speed-favoring track at Turfway Park to win the Jeff Ruby, and similar to Final Gambit last year, I believe he is a must-use in the third and fourth slots of any trifecta or superfecta you play. (Kevin Kilroy is a racing analyst at the Fair Grounds Race Course and Churchill Downs. He is a two-time National Horseplayers Championship qualifier, finishing 21st in 2021.)

PATRICK MCGOEY’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: 1. Incredibolt (20-1): The son of Bolt D’oro is improving at the right time, coming off a powerful closing win in the Virginia Derby at the 1 1/8-mile distance. His latest Churchill work was smooth and efficient, and he already owns a two-turn win over this track in last fall’s Street Sense Stakes. From post No. 11, he should work out a stalking trip behind the main pace, which fits his onerun style in a field with plenty of speed.

The ambition for a longer period of time has been the Arc De Triomphe on grass in Paris, because Japan’s roots in racing are on turf. The Japanese Racing Association launched the Japan Cup in 1981 to promote the sport and get more national interest in it, and it has become the richest turf race in the world with a purse of $8.2 million.

“We tried to learn a lot of things from the techniques and lots of things from foreign countries, not only U.S. — from European countries,” said Tom Hashimoto, general manager of the JRA’s New York Representative Office. “Developed not in a short period, (but) we make it. It took step by step and learn from other countries, and now we are very lucky to have so many good thoroughbreds.”

Interest in mainstream dirt racing ramped up a little after that, around the time Victoire Pisa delivered Japan’s first Dubai World Cup championship in 2011. American Pharoah, who won the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes in 2015 to end a 37-year Triple Crown drought, is in Japan breeding until July.

“Obviously he produced a lot of good horses in Japan, too, so Japanese people love American Pharoah babies,” Ando said. “I’m really interested to see how his babies perform because we have many good Japanese mares.”

While the result of his stay in Japan won’t be evident for a few years, the country is churning out strong horses on a regular basis, coming a long way from its debut Ski Captain finishing 14th in 1995. Master Fencer in 2019 and Derma Sotogake in ‘23 each were sixth, and Forever Young was a very close third two years ago when Mystik Dan beat Sierra Leone by a nose.

The post time just before 7 p.m. at Churchill Downs makes the Kentucky Derby a first Sunday morning in May event in Japan, and all the horses coming from there running in it is making fans take notice.

“Last couple years, Japanese racing people understand the Kentucky Derby,” Ando said. “Even the public knows the Kentucky Derby now, which is great for betting, great for the industry.”

Ando just wants to keep experiencing the Derby, which he called the best atmosphere in racing — and addictive. The chance to have a Japanese presence almost annually is certainly no accident, given how intentional Japanese stakeholders have been about getting to the elite level of the sport.

“The important thing is, how does the money fund the horse racing industry as a whole?” Hashimoto said. “Not only the racing: breeding, training, training, training and racing and back to breeding. We have to invest the money to all the aspects of horse racing.”

That history of quality thoroughbreds there dates to the early ‘90s, when 1989 Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sunday Silence drew little breeding interest in the U.S. and was exported to Japan to stand as a stallion. He was Japan’s leading sire for 13 consecutive years from 19952007, and his ancestors have won races all over the world.

He needs to improve to win this race. But 20–1 Morning Line odds are generous for a horse that is peaking and proven at Churchill. Pulling hard for the Bernhard family (and young trainer Riley Mott) to bring the Derby trophy to Louisiana.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): He is lightly raced but moving forward with every start, and Bill Mott is one of the best in the world at pointing a horse for a specific race. This colt wasn’t on an early Derby plan, but he jumped up after his maiden win, just missing in the Gulfstream preps, the last being a solid third in the Florida Derby. He has trained sharply at Churchill, including a recent five-furlong move in a minute flat with blinkers added to keep him focused. With only three starts, he has plenty of upside to step forward again on Derby day. We just saw the Fitzpatrick brothers win the Zurich Classic; we might just see father-and-son Mott run one-two in the Kentucky Derby.

3. Further Ado (6-1): Further Ado owns the highest speed ratings in the field and is bred to run a mile and a quarter, as a son of Gun Runner. He absolutely dominated the Blue Grass Stakes by 11 lengths and is a major player if he can repeat his Keeneland performances at Churchill. Hall of Famer John Velazquez taking the mount adds to the appeal, especially with the parallels to Authentic: same Spendthrift connections, similar forward running style, and breaking from the same post 18 slot Velazquez used to win the 2020 Derby. If he breaks clean and can sit a tracking trip just off the leaders, he should get first run on the deep closers and have a big shot at winning.

Long shot — Emerging Market (15-1): Emerging Market fits the Louisiana theme and is one of the most intriguing, lightly raced colts in the race. He is 2-for-2, stretching out from a sharp maiden win at Tampa to a gritty victory in the Louisiana Derby at 1-3/16 miles, so the Derby distance is well within his scope. Flavien Prat, who has consistently delivered in Triple Crown races, signed on here instead of sticking with Florida Derby winner Commandment, which speaks volumes about how live this horse is. The last horse to win the Derby with only two starts was Leonatus in 1883. But at a 15–1 morning

line, Emerging Market is exactly the kind of lightly raced with big upside long shot who can blow up the exotics.

(Patrick McGoey is a commercial litigator from New Orleans and won the 2011 & 2012 Breeders’Cup Betting Challenge and 2018 Kentucky Derby Betting Challenge.)

JEFF DUNCAN’S ANALYSIS AND SELECTIONS: I lack a strong conviction for this year’s race, the way I did with Sovereignty a year ago. The race seems to have several win-worthy contenders with no true standout. When in doubt, I rely on my tried-and-true formula, which winnows the field down to the horses that have proven they can run a 100-plus Beyer Speed Figure, which is traditionally what is needed to win the Derby.

1. Further Ado (6-1): Trainer Brad Cox has never had a horse cross the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby, but this could be his year. He has three quality prospects, led by this speedy son of Gun Runner. Further Ado owns the fastest Beyer Speed Figure (106) in the field. If rider John Velazquez can get him into a good stalking position into the first turn, I think he will pounce on the rest of the field at the top of the stretch.

2. Chief Wallabee (8-1): This talented Bill Mott-trainee has done nothing wrong in three career starts and looks poised to make a jump to a new lifetime best performance. That’s what it will take to win the Derby in only his fourth lifetime start. In Mott, we trust.

3. Emerging Market (15-1): The Louisiana Derby winner is lightly raced and will try to become the first horse in modern history to win the Derby after only two lifetime starts. Trainer Chad Brown is extremely high on him and wouldn’t have entered him in the race if he didn’t think he could win. Long shot – Fulleffort (20-1), Golden Tempo (30-1): Why pick one when two will do? Not sure either is fast enough to win, but I am confident both will get the distance and can hit the board. They’re trained by two of the best conditioners in the sport, Cox and Cherie DeVaux. I will throw both of these colts into my trifecta and superfecta bets.

Cardinals continue to beat Pirates ace Skenes

BY WILL GRAVES AP sportswriter

PITTSBURGH — The almost mania-

cal preparation Paul Skenes pours into every start is already the stuff of legend, just two years into his career. Still, even the Pittsburgh Pirates ace knows no matter how his pregame routine goes, he’s never really sure what kind of stuff he’s going to have on a given day until he steps onto the mound and the leadoff hitter steps into the box.

Many times, such as last week in Milwaukee, it’s nearly perfect. Then there are afternoons like Thursday against St. Louis, when the command that seems to come so easily looks far more ordinary than extraordinary.

Skenes’ third pitch of the game landed in the right-field seats at PNC Park courtesy of Cardinals rookie JJ Wetherholt. Three batters later, Jordan Walker turned on a sweeper that didn’t sweep and sent it into the first row of bleachers in left to give the Cardinals the early momentum on their way to a 10-5 victory and a four-game sweep.

The loss dropped Skenes (4-2) to 0-5 against the Cardinals, though that number is a little misleading. His career ERA versus St. Louis sits at 2.95, even after allowing five runs, four earned, in his first rocky performance since a bumpy opening day in New York against the Mets.

That number is telling of the almost impossibly high standard

SAINTS

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bed. But the forced time away from the game also allowed Emerson time to slow down and focus on other areas he might otherwise not exercise.

When he couldn’t work with his body, he trained his mind. He read self-help books, listing titles such as “48 Laws of Power” and “Why the Best are the Best.” And now that he’s recovered, he feels faster than he did before.

“That year built me up in a good way, honestly,” Emerson said. “I could rehab and take care of my body, but also mentally, it made me stronger as a man.”

He joins a Saints cornerback room that is defined by its youth. By the end of last season, the Saints were starting second-year corner Kool-Aid McKinstry on one side and rookie Quincy Riley on the other. The longest-tenured

TULANE

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favorite East Carolina and defending champion Texas-San Antonio. Charlotte (20-24, 5-13) and South Florida (28-16, 7-11), which were picked third and fifth, respectively, are last and second-to-last.

Coming off its best two-game stretch of the season, Tulane, which is in a four-way tie for fifth, appears to have a friendly schedule the rest of the way. After facing Charlotte, the Wave will host South Florida and travel to Rice, which has by far the lowest batting average (.221; next worst is .243) and runs scored (60; next worst is 77) in league play.

“We are far from a finished product,” Uhlman said. “We’ll see what May brings, and if we get into the (conference) tournament, that’s been our second home for three years now. It’s been very kind to us.” Uhlman is a sterling 13-4 in Clearwater, Florida, as interim coach and then full-time coach of the Wave, winning the tourney championship there in 2023 and 2024. Whether or not this team can repeat the feat remains to be seen, but the vibes are more positive than they have been in a while.

Center fielder Tanner Chun, who was mired in a massive hitting slump, had the go-ahead single as Tulane snapped an eight-game skid against 12th-ranked Southern Miss on Tuesday night.

Shortstop Kaikea Harrison, who was 5 for his last 46 entering last weekend, blasted the go-ahead home run in a comeback victory against Texas-San Antonio on Sunday.

Aidan Rath, a candidate to be the Wave’s closer before a preseason injury setback, pitched against Southern Miss for the first time since Feb. 21.

“He has an electric fastball and a real curveball,” Uhlman said. “He’s a weapon we haven’t had the whole year, pretty much.”

Jack Frankel, a solid starter until an injury sidelined him in late

Skenes has set for himself during his rapid rise from first overall draft pick to arguably the best pitcher in the game.

“Nobody expects more out of Paul Skenes than Paul does out of himself,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “I think when he has a game like today or the opener, we have to find a way to pick him, be-

“They believe in me. I’m going to come in, put my head down and compete every day and be the best player I can be.”

MARTIN EMERSON, Saints cornerback

Saint in last year’s defensive secondary, Alontae Taylor, signed a free agent contract with the Tennessee Titans this offseason. Though Taylor’s departure created a void in the starting lineup, Emerson said he has not played on the inside since he was in high school. His conversations with the Saints have primarily been about playing boundary corner. And the Saints shouldn’t have to wait too long to see what Emerson can do.

Though he is less than a year removed from a major injury, Emerson said he was cleared “to participate in

cause he picks us up all the time.”

Yet given a chance to put a halt to Pittsburgh’s first rough patch this season, Skenes didn’t quite have it. He fell behind Wetherholt 2-0 before the St. Louis second baseman turned on a 95 mph fastball — a tick below the usual 98-99 range Skenes sits at — and laced it into the seats above the Roberto Clem-

everything” about a month ago.

“I’m not sure how everything will look; I have to talk to everybody and we’ll get on the same page with that, but pretty much I’m full go,” Emerson said. “I don’t want to rush anything because I’m like nine months out, but training camp, I will be full-go.”

The Pensacola, Florida, native said he grew up rooting for New Orleans because his grandmother, who served as a mother figure for him, was a huge fan of Drew Brees and the Saints. He’s grateful to be just a short drive away from home, especially with a team that believes in what he can do.

“They know what type of player I am, they believe, and they’re excited to see the player I come back to be after the injury,” Emerson said. “They believe in me. I’m going to come in, put my head down and compete every day and be the best player I can be.”

Email Luke Johnson at ljohnson@theadvocate.com.

March, pitched live in Wednesday’s practice and should be cleared for a relief role this weekend.

“He’s going to do just like Rath — 20 pitches (maximum),” Uhlman said. “If we get into winning time at Clearwater, who knows, but I would anticipate Jack operating from the bullpen the rest of the year.”

Scuffling at the plate for much of the season, Tulane is the fourthhighest scoring team in the American during conference games. Jason Wachs (.382), Matthias Haas (.339), Trent Liolios (.328) and Hugh Pinkney (.304) are hitting about .300 in those contests.

“We’re super confident,” Chun said. “I like where we’re at right now, how we’re swinging the bat and how we’re pitching. We just have to continue to make good swings and play solid baseball.”

While Tulane faces cellar-dwelling Charlotte this weekend, Wichita State plays at Texas-San Antonio, which has won 17 consecutive American series. The two-game gap between the Wave and Shockers could disappear, and the Wave owns the tiebreaker because it won their series in early April.

Rice faces UAB and East Carolina before hosting Tulane. Florida Atlantic has a series at South Florida and Wichita State before entertaining East Carolina. Memphis plays East Carolina and Texas-San Antonio this weekend and next.

On paper, it is an advantage if the Wave can take care of business on the field.

“We’re acutely aware of the scenarios,” Uhlman said. “But at the same time, while keeping an eye on that, we have to focus on what we’re doing today.”

Lagniappe

Uhlman said Pinkney, a lastminute scratch against Southern Miss after getting hit in the head by an errant toss during warmups, was doing well in concussion protocol and would play Friday against Charlotte unless he suffered a setback. … Tulane has not allowed a triple for 58 games, the longest streak in Division I. … As of Wednesday, the staff had not determined any definite starting pitcher for the weekend. … Friday’s opener is 5 p.m., with Saturday’s start at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s finale beginning at noon.

since 2019.

Asked why St. Louis might have his number — relatively speaking — the 23-year-old Skenes responded with his typical mix of sarcasm and blunt truth.

“They score more runs than us,” he said.

Skenes settled in — his nine strikeouts were a season high — but when the Cardinals were able to make contact, they made things happen. They added a run in the third after an infield single by Alec Burleson and a throwing error by rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin led to an RBI single by Nolan Gorman. In the fifth, Burleson flipped his bat at a changeup well off the plate and dumped it into left field to drive in Wetherholt.

“I think that sometimes teams go up there, try to work his pitch count, try to get that up,” Kelly said. “It doesn’t seem to be the case. They’re going up there swinging and trying to get their swing off. ... They put some good swings on the ball today.”

ente Wall in right. Ivan Herrera followed with an infield single. Two batters later, Walker pounced on an 83 mph sweeper that caught the inside part of the plate. The ball sailed just over the glove of Pittsburgh left fielder Jake Mangum, sending the Cardinals on their way to their first four-game sweep at PNC Park

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“The goal is to win all three games this weekend,” Johnson said. “That’s where my focus is at. It’s where the team’s focus is. It’s where I want the team’s focus to be.”

LSU finds itself in uncharted territory, especially for a program that is coming off two national championships in three years and entered the season as the No. 2 team in the country. But as unusual as this season has been for LSU, it’s also on pace to be an outlier on Johnson’s résumé.

In 12 seasons as a Division I head coach, Johnson has only missed the NCAA Tournament four times (three times, not including the COVID year). But in the three years where he didn’t crack the field, his teams still had a chance to make the big dance heading into the final weeks of the season.

“I’ve never been in a position like this,” Johnson said. “Even in the Mountain West, the Mountain West tournament is double elimination. My first year in Nevada, we would have had to win the tournament to get in. But every other year, we’ve been in a position to be in the NCAA Tournament until the final game of the season.

“That’s not really the case, as we stand today. Doesn’t mean that can’t change, but we’re not in that position today.”

After laying the groundwork in his first season at Nevada, Johnson led the Wolfpack to a 4115 record and their first Mountain West regular-season title in program history. But they still missed the NCAA Tournament after going 0-2 in the Mountain West Conference tournament, suffering losses to New Mexico and San Diego State.

The other two instances in which Johnson missed out on the NCAA Tournament came at Arizona, when the Wildcats didn’t get there in 2018 and 2019.

In 2018, Arizona only won 34 games despite having one of the best offenses in the Pac-12. The Wildcats won their past two series in conference play against Arizona State and Oregon, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 14-16 conference record or a 5-5 start to the season.

The Wildcats won even fewer games the next year (32), but also led all Power Five teams in batting average and finished the season winning 13 of their past 14 games. What ultimately determined their fate was how they played during the middle of the year, when a seven-game losing streak and another stretch in which they lost 10 of 12 games placed them in a deep hole.

Unlike with Arizona in 2018 or 2019, LSU probably won’t be in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA Tournament on May 14, when the Tigers begin their final series of the regular season against Florida. They would have to, at the very least, sweep South Carolina and win the series at Georgia next weekend to be in consider-

The Pirates fell to 16-16, hardly the horrific start of a year ago that cost former manager Derek Shelton his job, but it also has them off the pace a bit in the hypercompetitive NL Central with firstplace Cincinnati coming in for the weekend.

“I mean, every team is going to have skids,” Skenes said. “Just got to get back to who we are and just play our game. Not try to do too much. Just think we’re trying to do too much a little bit, especially today. Just got to be us.”

ON DECK

WHO: South Carolina (22-24, 7-14

SEC) at LSU (25-21, 6-15)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE/TV: SEC Network+

RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWL-AM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette)

RANKINGS: Both teams are unranked.

PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — RHP William Schmidt (4-4, 4.17 ERA); South Carolina. — RHP Amp Phillips (3-5, 3.27)

PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley WHAT TO WATCH FOR: LSU moves Schmidt into the Friday starting role with sophomore right-hander Casan Evans’ status for this weekend uncertain. The Tigers are taking it slow with Evans after he was scratched from his start last Friday due to arm discomfort. Phillips gave up five earned runs in just 11/3 innings last weekend against Kentucky.

Koki Riley

ation for the tournament heading into their three-game set with the Gators.

Their best path to making the big dance may be through winning the SEC Tournament. They’d need to go 5-0 over six days, but even the odds of that happening, given their injuries and season-long struggles, are unlikely to say the least.

“The season is not over. We are where we are; we’ve had 46 games, and we have accountability for that,” Johnson said. “But we still have 10 more games in the regular season, and I’ve seen things change quicker.”

This year has turned into a nightmare for LSU, and the season is on track to become one of the worst in Johnson’s head coaching career. But for a program that has already had so much success under his command, this season is likely nothing more than just a blip on the radar for Johnson and LSU.

“He’s done a great job of managing everything. He’s the best coach I’ve ever played for,” junior shortstop Steven Milam said. “I have the most faith and belief in him. And he’s telling us to be positive, and what you have to do is just get back to work.

“There is no running from it. There’s no way around it. You have to attack it head-on, and that’s what he wants us to do, but you have to stay positive and in all this negative.”

Some music fans just don’t like the Eagles. And they’re

wrong.

Sometimes I need a perfect album.

Sometimes I need the Eagles.

Not just any Eagles album will do. The band’s studio albums are imperfect. But “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)” — released 50 years ago — is about as close to perfection as a flat, round slab of vinyl can be. There are those who vehemently disagree. The Dude, Jeff Bridges’ character in “The Big Lebowski,” famously gets kicked out of a cab for declaring, “I hate the f****** Eagles, man.”

I don’t begrudge anybody’s personal tastes, The Dude included. Indelible melodies, carefully crafted lyrics, precise harmonies and fluent but not flashy musicianship rendered in the 1970s by shaggy white dudes in denim is not for everyone. That’s fine. But some detractors don’t like the idea of the Eagles, regardless of musical merit. They are reflexively dismissive of a band and an album that are so popular. They suspect lowest-common-denominator blandness and/or insidious corporate marketing explains why, in January, “Their Greatest Hits” became the first album certified by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 40 million copies in the U.S. (Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” No. 2 on the RIAA’s all-time sales tally, is also perfect.) Eagles affection, according to this school of thought, is unsophisticated, uncool or both. To which I respond with

THAT YOU DREAM

Boyfriend calls it curtains for Jazz Fest

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Say it ain’t so. Boyfriend, New Orleans’ quirky cabaret rapper, is calling it quits. Known for her comic, choreographed stage act, and her scrappy feminist lyrics, Boyfriend has been a mainstay of the local music scene for 15 years. But Sunday was her last Jazz Fest performance. At the end of the raucous show, Boyfriend was covered with a sheer black shroud and carried away like a fallen warrior on the shoulders of her troupe of female dancers. An absurdly large toe tag was attached to her exposed foot, marked with the date of her faux demise.

Little Feat’s frontman grew up in Milwaukee but learned from New Orleans’ The Meters

BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer

Future Little Feat frontman

Scott Sharrard first heard New Orleans funk band The Meters’ early, instrumental recordings as a Milwaukee arts high school student in the 1990s. But in those pre-internet days, he could never confirm the existence of rumored Meters albums featuring Cyril Neville on vocals. Then he accompanied a classmate to New Orleans for a clinic with renowned drummer Johnny Vidacovich. When he wasn’t taking advantage of local bartenders’ willingness to serve him at 16, he was searching the “Meters” section at record stores.

Which is where he found a copy of the 1974 Meters album “Rejuvenation,” with Cyril Neville on vocals. Back in Wisconsin, he and his much older bandmates learned the songs on “Rejuvenation” and started performing them at Milwaukee bars.

“These Marquette University stu-

dents were like, ‘This is the best original music band around!’ ” Sharrard recalled recently. “They had no idea we were playing Meters songs.” The Meters helped launch Sharrard’s musical odyssey, which spanned 12 years as Gregg Allman’s bandleader. In 2019, Sharrard joined legendary rock band Little Feat as its

lead singer and guitarist. His fluency in Meters music came in handy with Little Feat. The band formed in Los Angeles in 1969, but its members and music have deep ties to New Orleans and Louisiana. Sharrard will talk about all that

From co-worker to tricky confidante

Dear Annie: I work in a small office where everyone is friendly, but one co-worker has taken “friendly” to a new level. Over the past year, she’s begun confiding in me about deeply personal issues: her marriage troubles, financial stress, arguments she’s had the night before. At first, I listened out of kindness. But it’s becoming a daily occurrence.

These conversations can last an hour or more, and it’s starting to interfere with my work. I’ve fallen behind more than once because I didn’t know how to politely end things. What makes this tricky is that she outranks me. She’s not my direct boss, but we work together

By The Associated Press

closely enough that I worry about seeming cold or uncooperative. I also don’t want to embarrass her; she clearly trusts me. Still, I dread when she walks by my desk. “Therapist” is not a part of my job description. How do I squash this without burning bridges at work? — Cornered at My Desk Dear Cornered: Kindness without limits quickly turns into resentment. When she arrives, greet her briefly, and then say, “I’ve got a tight deadline this morning. Can we catch up later?” Repeat as needed. Most people will take the hint, even if it takes a while. Dear Annie: My husband and I

TODAY IN HISTORY

Today is Friday, May 1, the 121st day of 2026. There are 244 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden during a U.S. commando operation, which took place in Abbottabad, Pakistan, in the early morning hours of May 2 local time. Also on this date:

In 1866, three days of race-related rioting erupted in Memphis, Tennessee, as White mobs targeted Black people, 46 of whom were killed, along with two Whites.

In 1931, the Empire State Building was dedicated in New York City; it would be the world’s tallest building for four decades.

In 1960, the Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 reconnaissance plane and captured its pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

In 1963, Jim Whittaker, joined by Sherpa mountaineer Nawang Gombu, became the first American to summit Mount Everest.

In 1964, the computer programming language BASIC (Beginner’s All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was first run by its inventors, Dartmouth College professors John G. Kemeny and Thomas E. Kurtz.

In 1971, the national passenger rail service Amtrak went into operation to bolster the declining privately-run intercity rail market.

BOYFRIEND

Continued from page 1D

It was an end and a beginning. Beneath Boyfreind’s curlers, the conical bra cups, negligee and irascible attitude lay someone named Suzannah Powell, who plans to carry on in show biz, after she’s finally mothballed her Boyfriend alter ego. Farewell concerts across the country are scheduled for the balance of 2026.

In a recent interview, Powell said she grew up in a rather rigid Christian household. She dreamed up her liberating Boyfriend persona in 2011 after moving to the Big Easy. Her stage act included sets, props, selfdesigned costumes and antics such as tossing hair curlers and panties to the crowd. And body surfing. All of which blended perfectly with the ever-random New Orleans gestalt.

Over the years, her theatrical performances have taken on a somewhat less satirical tone, and her rapping has been overtaken by pop. Most recently, she’s cast herself in the role of Eve in a Boyfriend-style interpretation of the creation of mankind in the Book of Genesis. It’s a moment in biblical history, she said, that sowed “the roots of the patriarchy” as it stigmatized women as eternal scapegoats.

She performed as Eve in a sort of arty rock opera at Le Petit Theatre in the French Quarter Friday, to a full house. Playing Eve, Powell said, was a big part of her shelving her Boyfriend persona. It told her that there were other avenues of expression to explore. Thus, Powell came to believe the alluringly aggrieved Boyfriend character is complete. “I said what I needed to say,” Powell said with finality. She views this moment in her career as an ellipsis, she said, with much to follow. Powell has long had a less visible role as a songwriter and producer, collaborating with local performers from Irma Thomas to Big Freedia. She’s contributed to tracks by Lil Wayne and Pussy Riot, the polemical Russian punk band that she met in a secret location, be-

married 31 years ago, when my son was 7. After graduating high school, my son joined the Air Force and served for 11 years until he was injured. He then married and had a child.

He and his wife divorced when our grandchild was 2. Two years later, her mother was diagnosed with Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and the court granted our son full custody. He wanted help raising his daughter, so they moved in with us. That was seven years ago.

I’m retired now, and my husband is thinking about retiring, too. Our grandchild is now 11, and she and her dad still live with us. We’d like to eventually sell our house and move to Florida or Tex-

as, but our son says he can’t raise our grandchild on his own.

I’m so torn. I want to enjoy retirement with my husband. However, my son’s insistence that he can’t afford to raise his daughter without us makes me feel so guilty and fearful for both of their futures. My husband has put up with a lot over the years because of this situation. He deserves to retire without the additional stress and financial burden of having these two living with us.

Please help me navigate this situation without feeling guilty. — Hopeless in Ohio

Dear Hopeless: You’ve given your son and granddaughter a tremendous gift: years of stability, love and support.

But your son is no longer a young man starting out. He’s a parent, and raising his daughter is his responsibility, not yours to share indefinitely. His belief that he “can’t” sounds more like fear than fact.

Move forward with compassion and clarity. Give him time to prepare and help him explore options, but be firm about your plans. You’re not abandoning him; you’re simply stepping back and returning the responsibility where it belongs.

You’ve done your part. Now it’s time to live the life you’ve earned, without guilt.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators. com.

In 2003, President George W. Bush declared that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended” in a speech aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which bore a banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” (The last U.S. combat troops would not withdraw from Iraq until December 2011.)

In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI beatified Pope John Paul II, moving his predecessor a step closer to sainthood in a Vatican Mass attended by some 1.5 million pilgrims. (John Paul II would be declared a saint by Pope Francis at a canonization ceremony in 2014.)

In 2015, six Baltimore police officers were charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in connection with the death of Freddie Gray, a Black man who’d suffered a spinal injury while riding in a police van. (None of the officers would ultimately be convicted.)

In 2020, U.S. regulators allowed emergency use of remdesivir, the first drug that appeared to help some COVID-19 patients recover faster.

Today’s birthdays: Singer Judy Collins is 87. Singer Rita Coolidge is 81. Filmmaker John Woo is 80. Actor Dann Florek is 76. Musician Ray Parker Jr. is 72. Hall of Fame jockey Steve Cauthen is 66. Singer-actor Tim McGraw is 59. Filmmaker Wes Anderson is 57. Football Hall of Famer Curtis Martin is 53. Actor Jamie Dornan is 44. Singer Victoria Monét is 37.

cause, she said, they were wanted fugitives at the time.

Powell will certainly continue songwriting, she said. She comes by it naturally since her dad was a country music songwriter. She also plans to lean into musical theater, one of her first loves. If Powell were to adopt another pseudonym after Boyfriend, she’s not sure what it would be. Though a fan suggested Ex-Boyfriend, which is really perfect, she said.

During Sunday’s Jazz Fest concert, she performed in her signature scarlet rollers for the first few songs, before ceremoniously removing them. “I’m happy to be out of those rollers,” she told the large audience, “but they’ve served me well.”

But wait a minute, isn’t there a whole float dedicated to Boyfriend in the annual Freret parade, with her on the front, like a giant maidenhead, made of fiberglass, hair curlers and all. Are they supposed to just park it somewhere and forget about it? No, Powell said. The float is important. She said that her Boyfriend alter ego will basically be buried otherwise, but will arise like a cicada to ride in Freret each Carnival.

Powell said that Jazz Fest performances have always been important “rites of passage” in her career as Boyfriend. These days, she said, she lives close to the festival site. To emphasize her proximity, she sat relaxedly on stage, slipping from one costume to the next, as she sang Mr. Rogers’ theme “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.”

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate.com.

EAGLES

Continued from page 1D

a simultaneous song and suggestion: “Take It Easy.”

The Eagles will undoubtedly play “Take It Easy,” one of their most perfect songs, at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday. Many thousands of fans will assemble at the Fair Grounds to listen, just as they did when the Eagles first played Jazz Fest in 2012.

That’s because the actual reason “Their Greatest Hits” has sold 40 million copies is that it is really, really good.

That’s also true of other gazillion-selling records from the 1970s, including one that last Saturday’s Jazz Fest headliner, Stevie Nicks, had a hand in creating: Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours.” It, too, approaches ’70s pop-rock perfection.

Oversaturation accounts for some of the blowback these bands and albums receive. Eagles singles have been omnipresent on rock radio forever — first as contemporary hits, now as classic rock standards. Over-familiarity makes it easy to take a song for granted. I’m not immune to that.

But a couple years ago, I treated myself to a nice turntable and delved into vinyl records for the first time since college. A vintage, near-mint used copy of “Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)” on sale for $15 at a record store in Austin, Texas, caught my eye.

I put it on the turntable and rediscovered the Eagles.

The cream off the top

“Their Greatest Hits” opens with “Take It Easy,” the song that put Winslow, Arizona, on the map while showcasing all the band’s strengths. From there on in, it’s one California country-rock banger after another.

“Lyin’ Eyes,” a Don Henley/ Glenn Frey composition, is sublime storytelling about a young woman who is with a rich older man but sneaks off to see her true love on the side. The word choice, the structure, the economy of distilling a novel into eight rhyming verses and a chorus — it’s a masterclass in songwriting.

“Take It To the Limit,” the only Eagles hit on which co-founding bassist Randy Meisner handled lead vocals, also highlights the band’s best attributes. (After leaving the Eagles, Meisner cheekily put a different spin on the song for his self-titled 1978 solo debut.)

“Peaceful, Easy Feeling” goes down smooth. So too “Tequila Sunrise.” “Take It To the Limit” soars even as it’s tinged with pa-

thos. There’s no let-up in quality all the way through the final “Best of My Love.” “Eagles,” the band’s self-titled 1972 debut, is arguably the strongest of the first four studio albums. Meisner, Henley, Frey and guitarist Bernie Leadon were already music industry veterans. Meisner was an alumnus of country-rock collective Poco. All four had toured and/or recorded with Linda Ronstadt. They brought that experience to bear on “Eagles” and the albums that followed.

“Their Greatest Hits (1971-75)” skims the cream off the top of early-period Eagles, as represented by Henley, Frey, Meisner, Leadon and guitarist Don Felder, who joined them for 1974’s “On the Border” album.

The band’s history, as chronicled in books and documentaries, was turbulent. Following 1975’s “One of These Nights,” Leadon left, unhappy with the Eagles’ gradual shift from country-flecked songs to a more straight-ahead rock sound. (A deluxe edition of “One of These Nights,” available as three LPs or a 3-CD/Blu-ray set, comes out Friday.) His replacement, Joe Walsh, is still on board.

Bassist/singer Timothy B. Schmit, who replaced Meisner in Poco, later replaced him in the Eagles; Schmit remains in the lineup. Country guitarist Vince Gill now fills in for Glenn Frey, who died in 2016; Frey’s son Deacon also appears onstage in his father’s stead.

Singular listening experience

Some criticism of “Their Greatest Hits” has come from the Eagles themselves. They’ve asserted that Asylum Records assembled and released the collection without the band’s consent or input. Henley, the only original Eagle still on board, reportedly preferred the context of the original

studio albums. In this view, mixing and matching songs for a compilation detracted from the original artistic intent.

But Asylum did Henley and company a huge solid — and not just because of the many millions of dollars in royalties “Their Greatest Hits” generated.

The 10 tracks aren’t just the most popular songs from the band’s first four studio albums — they’re the best songs.

Compiling them on a single album makes for a singular, front-to-back listening experience superior to the original studio albums.

After the Eagles broke up in 1980, Asylum released a second compilation album, “Eagles Greatest Hits Volume 2.” It consisted mostly of songs from “Hotel California” and “The Long Run,” the last two studio albums from the band’s classic period. Was “Volume 2” also a record company ploy to generate revenue by recycling previously released material? Sure. Record companies aim to make money. They’re businesses.

But Asylum didn’t force millions of fans to buy Eagles greatest hits albums. They bought them because they are perfect.

Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

SHARRARD

Continued from page 1D

history and perform songs from throughout his career during “Scott Sharrard’s Endless Road Live” on Friday at the New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market. His Little Feat bandmate Fred Tackett will join him, as will local keyboardist John “Papa” Gros and guitarist Marc Stone. Tickets start at $41. Little Feat will then perform at the 2026 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the Blues Tent.

The Fair Grounds stop is part of Little Feat’s The Last Farewell Tour. Named for the 1975 Little Feat release “The Last Record Album,” the open-ended farewell tour finds the band showcasing rarities alongside such signature songs as “Dixie Chicken” and “Willin’.”

“It took us several years to get back to Jazz Fest, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that it’s for this themed (farewell) tour,” Sharrard said. “It’s an unbelievable win all the way around, because you are gonna get an amazing show and this band is gonna be celebrated properly.”

A Milwaukee Meters connection

More than 30 years after the fact, Sharrard still considers his teenage trip to New Orleans to be a formative experience. In addition to Johnny Vidacovich, he met such local music luminaries as guitarist Steve Masakowski, keyboardist David Torkanowsky and drummer Russell Batiste.

“It was an unbelievable immersion,” he said. Back in Milwaukee, he and his bar band got way into “Rejuvenation.” The opening song, “People Say,” was “a big staple,” Sharrard said. “It was foundational.”

They also discovered “Uptown Rulers: The Meters Live on the Queen Mary.” That 1992 CD from Rhino Records captured the Meters’ 1975 performance at the record release party for Paul McCartney’s “Venus and Mars” album. Sharrard’s band copied Meters medleys from that album. “That is one of the most definitive live performances of all time on record,” he said. “It’s the ultimate convergence of all the different styles I love in that period of the Meters. Everything I would do going forward was off that Cyril Neville lineup, in terms of their influence on me.” Little Feat’s 1978 album “Wait-

ing for Columbus,” recorded when Sharrard was 1 year old, is often cited as an all-time great live album. How does it stack up against the Meters’ “Live on the Queen Mary?”

“I’m a rock and roll guy at the end of the day, even though I grew up studying jazz and blues,” Sharrard said. “It’s hard to compare (the Meters) to rock bands. But as a rock and roller, the Allman Brothers’ ‘At Fillmore East’ and Little Feat’s ‘Waiting for Columbus’ were the definitive records for how to play in a band as a middle-class white kid from the Midwest.

“I can hear the influences of the unattainable, which is the Meters, Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Thelonious Monk, even Coltrane and Miles. It was all baked into the cake, but it was being done by guys who wanted to figure out some way to tell their own story with the incredible energy of this African-American music.

“That’s what I hear when rock is at its best, that alchemy. Without the Meters and the music of New Orleans, you’re not getting the music of the Allman Brothers and Little Feat, and those guys would be the first to tell you that.”

After Little Feat’s 1972 second album, “Sailin’ Shoes,” the band added guitarist Paul Barrere, percussionist Sam Clayton and bassist Kenny Gradney. Both Clayton and Gradney have family roots in Louisiana. Their debut with Little Feat on the “Dixie Chicken” album

signaled a shift to a more New Orleans-influenced sound.

Lowell George, Little Feat’s late founder, started working with legendary New Orleans producer, songwriter and pianist Allen Toussaint around that time. George contributed slide guitar to “Just Kissed My Baby,” a song on the Meters’ Toussaint-produced “Rejuvenation” album.

As a teenager, Sharrard attended a Little Feat show on the band’s “Let It Roll” tour with the Neville Brothers, whose ranks included former Meters Cyril and Art Neville.

“What a great combination that was,” Sharrard said. “There was a lot of mutual love and respect between the bands.”

Standing where legends stood Sharrard and his high school friends still marvel that he grew up idolizing the Allman Brothers and Little Feat, then ended up collaborating with Gregg Allman for 12 years, until Allman’s death in 2017, and now fronts Little Feat.

“The whole trajectory of my life has blown all of our minds, because we would sit around and practice those (Allman Brothers and Little Feat) albums and marvel over them.”

Playing guitar parts originated by Lowell George and Gregg’s late brother Duane Allman can be intimidating. But when Sharrard first saw Little Feat and the Allman Brothers as a teenager, Craig Fuller had stepped in for Lowell George and Warren Haynes was

PROVIDED IMAGE

The cover of the 2025 Little Feat album ‘Strike Up the Band,’ which featured several songs co-written by Scott Sharrard.

handling guitar duties for the Allmans.

“That gave me enough confidence to say, ‘If those guys can figure out how to get over the specter of replacing a genius, I would certainly get through on the third draft,’ ” Sharrard said.

“Those guys really had the hardest job. They made it easy for me, because they wrote great songs, they played amazing, and you’d go to the shows and be like, ‘Alright, this is gonna work.’ So it was really just a matter of, on a pure sort of journeyman level, keeping that standard.”

Sharrard has been in Little Feat for seven years now; his buddy Tony Leone, a drummer and singer, joined the band months after he did. For their first couple years in

Little Feat, they “worked our way into accepting that we could collaborate on honoring the legacy,” Sharrard said.

By writing songs for the 2025 album “Strike Up the Band,” Sharrard and Leone took a big step toward being part of the Little Feat legacy.

“When I heard the band play these songs (that he and Leone wrote), all of a sudden they started to sound like Little Feat songs. When those guys start playing, they nudge everything in that direction. If you were raised on it and want to honor it, you can’t help but jump and take the ride.”

Sharrard was initially asked to fill in when Little Feat guitarist Paul Barrere got too sick to tour in 2019. Little Feat founding keyboardist Bill Payne also tours as a member of the Doobie Brothers, and he knew Sharrard because Sharrard occasionally sat in with the Doobies.

Hours before Sharrard’s first show with Little Feat on Long Island, New York, the band received word that Barrere had died.

“During the three-hour period where I was supposed to rehearse with the band for the first time, they were mourning and calling Paul’s family and calling their families,” Sharrard said. “We went on stage and Bill announced to the crowd that Paul had passed away.

“But the thing about Little Feat fans is, if you start playing and they hear you can keep up, they will embrace you. That’s what happened that night. And the band embraced me. I remember Fred Tackett saying to me, ‘All right, man, you’re in the band now. Now what do we do?’ It’s kind of been like that ever since.”

Having lost friend and collaborator Gregg Allman just two years prior, Sharrard had some sense of what the members of Little Feat were going through after Barrere’s death.

“I came to Little Feat at the right time, not just for the band but for me. I had been through that kind of loss already. I had been through that position of being on stage with a legacy. I had been under the gun spiritually, technically, musically so much already that I think I was the right guy for that moment.

“I’ve tried to just ride that energy and approach it as simply as I can. Because if I think about it too much, it kind of spooks me out.” Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Check your schedule and fill the empty spaces with whatever your heart desires. A new location, lifestyle or relationship looks promising and offers a multitude of tempting offers.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Emotions and ego collide; common sense will keep you out of harm's way and situations that can spin out of control. If you can't help or offer a kind word, retreat.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) Lighten up, say no to drama and distance yourself from anyone trying to start a fight. Overreacting will lead to trouble. Stick to a budget, set boundaries and avoid hasty decisions.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Mixing business with pleasure requires intuition, time and patience if you want to avoid unnecessary implications. Trying to force your will or plans on others will meet with opposition.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Let your intuition lead the way and focus more on what you say than on how you look. Beware of anyone trying to coerce you into spending on something you don't need or buying into a dubious scam.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Approach situations with grace and a set budget. Opportunities are endless, but not all will be equal. Use charm and knowledge, ask questions and figure out the best fit.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Open discussions and negotiations are favored if you are willing to meet the other party

in the middle. Choose intelligence over force. Social events will lead to interesting encounters.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Make a list and proceed. Execute your plans with confidence, but stay within budget. Refuse to let anyone pressure you into something you don't want or can't afford.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Caution is necessary when dealing with touchy issues. Expect situations to get blown out of proportion and for tempers to escalate more quickly than usual.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Put emotions and ego aside, and focus on getting things done. A budget-friendly agenda will put your mind at ease and give you a fighting chance to reach your objective.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Pay attention to your needs. It's more difficult to backtrack than it is to do your due diligence. Choose discipline and moderation over being lazy and indulgent. Recognize and refuse emotional manipulation.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Your words will resonate with someone who shares your beliefs. Keep talking and asking questions until you are satisfied that you are making the right choices. Financial and personal growth are within reach.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

Bridge

BY PHILLIP ALDER

William Shakespeare wrote, “Defer no time, delays have dangerous ends.”

How wrong could he be when applied to bridge? Many players make mistakes because they play too quickly. In particular, when a defender is on lead, a delay or two ... or three ... for analysis is rarely a bad idea.

In this deal, for example, West leads the heart two against four spades. What should East do?

North responds with four clubs, a perfect splinter bid, showing at least fourcard spade support, game-going values and at most a singleton in clubs.

East was tempted to overcall four hearts. However, the vulnerability was unfavorable, East presumably had two cast-iron defensive tricks (so the opponents did not have a slam), and NorthSouth owned the master suit. (Note that if East does intervene with a four-heart bid, South should pass. North would be delighted to double for penalty and the price would be 1,100 or 1,400.)

East knows that his partner has led a singleton. So, many a defender wins with his heart ace and immediately gives his partner a ruff. After that, there is no longer a defense. East should consider his target. Four tricks are needed, not three. From the point-count, West is known to have a Yarborough. So, East must organize

his diamond ruff before giving West his spade ruff. At trick two, East should shift to his diamond. Declarer will win in the dummy and play a spade, but East takes the trick and leads the heart eight, a suit-preference signal for diamonds. West, after ruffing, returns a diamond, and East’s ruff defeats the contract. © 2026 by NEA, Inc., dist. By

Andrews McMeel

Syndication

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters 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 words are not allowed.

toDAY’s WoRD PALLADIuM: puh-LAY-dee-um: A silver-white malleable metal.

Average mark 22 words

Time limit 45 minutes

Can you find 36 or more words in PALLADIUM?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD — MARInE

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.

ken ken

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.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

WiShinG Well

3 - Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a plEasanT

the

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E. RIS ney for tiff JOSEPH P TO, III sh of son The

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E. MORRIS Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026

May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 853-731

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS KEVIN COLER

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated May 7, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public tion, at the

STATE OF LOUISIANA

NO: 853-731

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS KEVIN COLER

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated May 7, 2024, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and ments and rights, privileges, servitudes, appurte and ad thereunto longing anywise taining, situated Parish son, State Louisiana, that thereof known as AK COVE ES

GROUND, to gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments and rights, priv servi appur and ther longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as OAK COVE ES‐

o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as OAK COVE ES‐TATES, and ac‐cording to sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated Decem‐ber 13, 1975, said portion of ground is desig‐nated and de‐scribed as follows, to-wit:

LOT NO 17, in SQUARE NO 5, which square is bounded by Gatt and T

said portion of ground is desig‐nated and de‐scribed as follows, to-wit:

LOT NO 17, in SQUARE NO 5, which square is bounded by Gatt and Tusa Drives and Cove and Ross Lanes. Said LOT NO 17 commences at a distance of 309.36 feet from the corner of Tusa and Gatt Drives and measures thence a first frontage on Gatt Drive of 12 feet to a point; thence a further frontage on Gatt Drive of 48.98 feet, by a depth on the sideline nearer Ross Lane of 103.85 feet, a width in the rear of 59 feet, and a depth on the opposite side‐line nearer Tusa Drive of 94 feet; all as further shown on a sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated April 8, 1976. Measurements all in

ATES and ac‐cording to sur

ey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐eyor, dated Decem‐ber 13, 1975, said portion of ground is desig‐nated and de‐scribed as follows, to-wit:

OT NO 17, in SQUARE NO 5, which square is bounded by Gatt and Tusa Drives

TATES and ac‐cording to sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated Decem‐ber 13, 1975, said portion of ground is desig‐nated and de‐scribed as follows, to-wit:

and Gatt Drives and measures thence a first frontage on Gatt Drive of 12 feet to a point; thence a further frontage on Gatt Drive of 48.98 feet, by a depth on the sideline nearer Ross Lane of 103.85 feet, a width in the rear of 59 feet, and a depth on the opposite side‐line nearer Tusa Drive of 94 feet; all as further shown on a sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated April 8, 1976.

frontage on Gatt Drive of 48.98 feet, by a depth on the sideline nearer Ross Lane of 103.85 feet, a width in the rear of 59 feet, and a depth on the opposite side‐line nearer Tusa Drive of 94 feet; all as further shown on a sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated April 8, 1976. Measurements are all in accor‐dance with a survey elly Inc., gust subject tions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal Number: 3120 Gatt Drive, Marrero, Louisiana 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal Number: 3120 Gatt Drive, Marrero, Louisiana 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit. CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate:

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

LOT NO 17, in SQUARE NO 5, which square is bounded by Gatt and Tusa Drives and Cove and Ross Lanes. Said LOT NO 17 commences at a distance of 309.36 feet from the corner of Tusa and Gatt Drives and measures thence a first frontage on Gatt Drive of 12 feet to a point; thence a further frontage on Gatt Drive of 48.98 feet, by a depth on the sideline nearer Ross Lane of 103.85 feet, a width in the rear of 59 feet, and a depth on the opposite side‐line nearer Tusa Drive of 94 feet; all as further shown on a sur‐vey by Laurent J. Noel, Jr., Sur‐veyor, dated April 8, 1976. Measurements are all in accor‐dance with a plan of survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., Surveyors, dated August 27, 1977; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐

Measurements are all in accor‐dance with a plan of survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., Surveyors, dated August 27, 1977; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal Number: 3120 Gatt Drive, Marrero, Louisiana 70072

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New

CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

distance of 275.5 feet from the corner of Elise Avenue and Ruth Street, and measures thence 58 feet front on Elise Avenue, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 105 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines, a copy of which is an‐nexed to act recorded Sep‐tember 24, 1959, under Entry No. 161478, COB 488, Page 691, of the official records of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Being the same property ac‐quired by Nicole Gray Miller by Cash Sale dated October 10, 2025, from AJ Homes, LLC, recorded Octo‐ber 13, 2025, under Entry No. 12542411, COB 3517, Page 262, of the official records of Jef‐ferson Parish, Louisiana.

District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Septem‐ber 29, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

The improve‐ments thereon bear the munici‐pal address of 1312 Elise Av‐enue, Metairie, Louisiana 70003.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

DAVID J SCOTTON Attorney for Plaintiff

bered and enti

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 862-118

25 feet, a dis‐

tance of 48.87 feet, thence a depth and front on Boutall Street of 76. 19 feet, a width in the rear of 40 feet, by a depth on the opposite sideline of 105 feet. All as more fully shown on sur‐vey made by Gilbert, Kelly, & Couturie, Inc., dated December 12, 1996.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 865-878

MIDFIRST BANK VERSUS ASHLEY F ACKER

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. vs GUY STEPHEN FOLSE, JR. A/K/A GUY S. FOLSE, JR. A/K/A GUY FOLSE, JR.

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 7, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

tled cause dated March 6, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex

pressway, Har

vey Louisiana 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop

erty to wit: A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND situ

ated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, State of Louisiana, in AIRLINE PARK NORTH SUBDIVI‐SION, in SQUARE NO 302 bounded by Elise Avenue Ruth Street, Lu‐cille Avenue and Jean Street, desig‐nated as LOT NO 8, all in ac‐cordance with the survey of S.K. Landry C.E., dated Au‐gust 3, 1959 which said lot commences at a distance of 275.5 feet from the corner of Elise Avenue and Ruth Street and measures thence 58 feet front on Elise Avenue the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 105 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines, a copy of which is an‐nexed to act recorded Sep‐tember 24, 1959, under Entry No 161478, COB 488 Page 691, of the official records of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

Being the same property ac‐quired by Nicole Gray Miller by Cash Sale dated October 10, 2025, from AJ Homes, LLC, recorded Octo‐ber 13, 2025 under Entry No. 12542411, COB 3517, Page 262, of the official records of Jef‐ferson Parish, Louisiana.

The improve‐ments thereon bear the munici‐pal address of 1312 Elise Av‐enue, Metairie, Louisiana 70003.

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 868-989 PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES, LLC VS CYNTHIA CARTER WEB‐BER A/K/A CYN‐THIA CARTER BOOTH WEBBER AND FERNAND GEORGE WEB‐BER, JR. By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated Septem‐ber 29, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as

A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Brenvilla Subdi‐vision, as shown on plan of re‐subdivision by Adloe Orr, Jr., C.E. & Associates, dated April 25 1962, registered in COB 553, folio 556, records of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, des‐ignated as Lot 49-C. All in ac‐cordance with a survey by Dading, Mar‐ques & Associ‐ates, Inc., dated February 27, 1996, a copy of which is annexed to act no. 96-11857 and made a part hereof; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property For informa‐tional purposes only: Improve‐ments thereon bear Municipal No. 612 Sophia Street, River Ridge Louisiana 70123. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CANDACE A. COURTEAU Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 862-118

WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A. vs GUY STEPHEN FOLSE, JR. A/K/A GUY S. FOLSE, JR. A/K/A GUY FOLSE, JR.

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated March 7, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

DENNIS F WIGGINS, JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

One certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Willowdale Sub‐division, Section 1, in Square 13, bounded by Elizabeth and Boutall Streets, Rosalie Court, Elise Av‐enue and York Street, desig‐nated as Lot 106 on the survey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc. Surveying, &I Engineering, dated November 15 1979, redated October 15, 1980 and September 10, 1983, accord‐ing to which said lot forms the corner of Eliza‐beth and Boutall Streets and measures 45.38 feet front on Elizabeth Street, thence a further front on a curve having radius of 25 feet, a dis‐tance of 48.87 feet, thence a depth and front on Boutall Street of 76. 19 feet, a width in the rear of 40 feet, by a depth on the opposite sideline of 105 feet. All as more fully shown on sur‐vey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., dated December 12, 1996.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

DENNIS F WIGGINS, JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New

SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST TO JP MORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A. AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE FOR NEWCASTLE MORTGAGE SE‐CURITIES TRUST 2006-1 VS THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF GEORGE

BENJAMIN

MILLS A/K/A

GEORGE MILLS A/K/A GEORGE BENJAMIN MILLS A/K/A GEORGE B. MILLS AND THE UNOPENED SUC‐CESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF JANIE

HOWARD MILLS A/K/A JANIE

HOWARD MILLS A/K/A JANIE H MILLS A/K/A JANIE MILLS A/K/A JANIE

HOWARD

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of FIERI FACIAS from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 26, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

That certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in Ames Terrace, designated on a survey by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E., dated August 3, 1964, as Lot 31 Square 4, bounded by Lincoln Avenue, Sixth Street, Sil‐ver Lily Lane and the south‐

dated March 26, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in Ames Terrace, designated on a survey by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E., dated August 3, 1964, as Lot 31, Square 4, bounded by Lincoln Avenue, Sixth Street, Sil‐ver Lily Lane and the south‐ern boundary of the subdivision (Acres Road side). Lot 31 commences at a distance of 495 feet from the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Sixth Street and measures thence 55 feet front on Lincoln avenue, the same in width in the rear, by a depth of 114.28 feet on the sideline nearest Sixth Street and a depth of 114.59 feet on the opposite sideline. All as more fully shown on sur‐vey by J.J. Krebs & Sons, C.E. dated June 30, 1966.

bounded by Liro Lane, Destrehan Avenue, Glenoak Drive and Keith-Way Drive, said Lot 249 commences at a distance of 620.13 feet from the intersection of Keith-Way Drive and Liro Lane, measures thence 60 feet front on Liro Lane, same width in the rear, by a depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines; subject to re‐strictions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofway and out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting the property

70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m.

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal No. 3808 LIRO LANE, HAR‐VEY LOUISIANA 70058

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and ad‐vantages there‐unto belonging or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, ac‐cording to a plan by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E. & S., dated October 20, 1976, ap‐proved by Ordi‐nance No. 1974, C.O.B. 885, folio 313, Entry No. 756309 filed February 18, 1977, de‐scribed as: Audubon Subdi‐vision, Square 3, Lot 24 324 Pel‐lerin Drive; sub‐ject to restric‐tions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the property

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal No. 324 Pel‐lerin Drive Ken‐ner, LA 70065

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J. GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 865-878

MIDFIRST BANK VERSUS ASHLEY F ACKER

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause dated June 23, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated June 23, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in Township 14 South, Range 23 and 24 East, Southeast Land District of Louisiana, West of the Missis‐sippi River known as Har‐vey Canal Prop‐erty, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, des‐ignated as Par‐cel 0-2-A all as per plan by J.J Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E., dated May 15, 1973, re‐vised October 1, 1982, which said por‐tion of ground has been resub‐divided into WOODMERE SOUTH SUBDIVI‐SION, SECTION 2 all as per plan of resubdivision made by J.J Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E.&S dated Septem‐ber 28, 1982, ap‐proved by the Jefferson Parish Council by Ordinance No. 15418 recorded in COB 1042, folio 673 and as per Act of Dedica‐tion before Odom B. Heebe, Notary Public, dated June 30, 1983, recorded in COB 1056, folio 89 same being des‐ignated as fol‐lows:

LOT 249, SQUARE F, bounded by Liro Lane, Destrehan Avenue, Glenoak Drive and Keith-Way Drive, said Lot 249 commences at a distance of 620.13 feet from the intersection of Keith-Way Drive and Liro Lane, measures thence 60 feet front on Liro Lane, same width in the rear, by a depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines; subject to re‐strictions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofway and out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting the property

The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal No. 3808 LIRO LANE, HAR‐VEY, LOUISIANA 70058

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

BRIGHAM J. LUNDBERG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 869-832

NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION VERSUS ZAHAIR CHERRY AND ISA CHERRY By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti‐tled cause, dated October 23, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop

erty to wit: That portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve

ments thereon and all the rights ways, privi

leges, servi

tudes, appurte

nances and ad

vantages there

unto belonging or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, ac

cording to a plan by J.J Krebs & Sons, Inc., C.E. & S dated October 20, 1976, ap

proved by Ordi‐nance No. 1974, C O.B. 885, folio 313, Entry No 756309 filed February 18, 1977, de

scribed as: Audubon Subdi‐vision, Square 3, Lot 24 324 Pel‐lerin Drive; sub‐ject to restric‐tions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges. TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check Money

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated January 16, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and ad‐vantages there‐unto belonging or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State

nances and ad

unto belonging or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in Meadowbrook Subdivision, Unit No. 2, being a resubdivision of original tracts 1, 2, and 3 of Oakdale Sub‐division, Section C", all as shown on plan of resubdivision by J.J. Krebs and Sons, Inc., C.E., dated July 19, 1966, approved by the Jefferson Parish Planning Department on January 5, 1967, and according to which said por‐tion of ground is situated and measures as follows:

Lot 27 of Square 19, which said square is bounded by Bannerwood Drive, Mt. Laural Drive, the east‐ern boundary of the subdivision and Blythewood Drive, said Lot 27 commences at a distance of 420 feet from the in

tersection of Bannerwood Drive and Mt. Laural Drive and measures thence 60 feet front on Banner‐wood Drive, the same width in the rear, by a depth of 100 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines. All as more fully shown on the survey made by J.J Krebs and Sons, Inc., C.E., dated September 7, 1968, and as more fully shown on a more recent survey by Ster‐ling Mandle, dated August 13, 1971; annexed to an act passed be‐fore William W Shaw, Jr., N.P., dated August 31, 1971.

All as more fully shown on a sur‐vey by Gilbert, Kelly & Cou‐turie, Inc., dated Sep‐tember 10, 1986. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J. GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated October 14, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana in that part known as TIMBERLANE VILLAGE PHASE II and designated as LOT 4C, SQUARE J all in accor‐dance with the plans of subdi‐vision made by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., certified by John F Marshall, surveyor, dated November 11, 1982 approved in Ordinance No. 15453 by the Jefferson Parish Council on March 9, 1983 registered in COB 1044, folio 774 as revised by plans of subdivision made by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc. certified by John F Marshall, Surveyor dated June 7, 1983 and recorded in Map Book 115, Page 2 approved in Or‐dinance No. 15637 by the Jefferson Parish Council on July 27, 1983 regis‐tered in COB 1054, folio 595. To‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto belonging or in anywise apper‐taining,

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

KATE SOTO‐LONGO Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated October 23, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in that part des‐ignated as HICKORY RIDGE ESTATES on a plan of resubdi‐vision by Krebs, LaSalle, LeMieux Consultants, Inc., dated April 1, 2003, desig‐nated as LOT 11 and is described as follows:

LOT 11 mea‐sures 70 feet front on Ferri‐day Court, same width across the rear, by a depth of 138 feet between equal and paral‐lel lines. All as shown on plan of subdivision for Hickory Ridge Estates by Krebs, LaSalle, LeMieux Consul‐tants, dated April 2, 2003, registered with the Clerk of Court for the Parish of Jeffer‐son. All as more fully shown on a sur‐vey by Gilbert, Kelly & Cou‐turie, Inc., dated December 14, 2003; subject to restrictions, servitudes, rights-of-way and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

The below is for informational purposes only: The improve‐ments thereon bear the Munici‐pal Number: 681 FERRIDAY COURT, HARAHAN, LA 70123.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ELIZABETH CROWELL PRICE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

CARLOS R. MATUTE AND SANTOS MATUTE

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 31, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: ALL THAT CER‐TAIN LOT OR PARCEL OF GROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL OF THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVE‐MENTS THEREON, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS WAYS, MEANS, PRIVILEGES SERVITUDES, PRESCRIPTIONS APPURTE‐NANCES AD‐VANTAGES AND COMPONENT PARTS THERE‐UNTO BELONGING OR IN ANYWISE AP‐PERTAINING, LYING AND BEING SITUATED IN THE CITY OF GRETNA, PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, IN THAT PART THEREOF KNOWN AS ROSE PARK SUB‐DIVISION, IN SQUARE C, WHICH SQUARE IS BOUNDED BY CLAIRE AVENUE, 21ST STREET ROSE DRIVE AND 23RD STREET, DESIG‐NATED AS LOT 12 ON A PLAT OF SURVEY BY HOTARD & WEBB, CIVIL EN‐GINEER, DATED DECEMBER 4, 1952, A COPY OF WHICH IS AN‐NEXED TO AN ACT REGIS‐TERED IN COB 331, FOLIO 492, AND ON A PLAT OF SUR‐VEY BY J. J. KREBS & SONS INC., CIVIL ENGI‐NEERS & SURVEYORS, DATED MAY 18, 1968, A COPY OF WHICH IS AN‐NEXED TO AN ACT REGIS‐TERED IN COB 679, FOLIO 132, AND ACCORD‐ING TO WHICH SURVEYS SAID LOT FORMS THE INTERSECTION OF CLAIRE AV‐ENUE AND 23RD STREET AND MEASURES THENCE 56.06 FEET FRONT ON CLAIRE AVENUE, SAME WIDTH IN THE REAR, BY A DEPTH OF 96.08 FEET BETWEEN EQUAL AND PARALLEL LINES

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CANDACE A. COURTEAU

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐

MENT

24TH JUDICIAL

DISTRICT COURT

PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA

NO: 872-833

MMG REO VI 2, LLC

VERSUS G&CJS PROPER‐TIES LLC

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 20, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana. In that part there of known as SOUTH AVONDALE HOMES SUBDI‐VISION, SEC‐

TION NO 4, ac‐

cording to a plan of William Maler, Civil En‐gineer, dated March 1, 1965, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nance No. 7071, and filed for record as Entry No., 322-701, registered COB 611, folio 184, and in Plan Book 52, Plan No. 1, of the records of the Clerk of Court for the Parish of Jeffer‐son, according to which saif lot of ground is designated as LOT NO 24 in SQUARE 14, which said square is bounded by Ruth Drive, the Westerly line of Subdivision, Tract “YY” and an undeveloped portion of the subdivision; said Lot 24 mea‐suring 60 feet front on Ruth Drive, the same in the width in the rear, by a depth of 90 feet between equal and parallel lines.

Improvements thereon bear Municipal No. 508 Ruth Drive, Avondale, a/k/a 508 Ruth Drive, West‐wego, LA 70094

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - 10% down balance in 30 days.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

WAYNE A.

MAIORANA, JR Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 873-882

U.S. BANK TRUST NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR RCAF ACQUISI‐TION TRUST VERSUS WAYNE ASHTON SAUNDERS

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 30, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

ONE CERTAIN LOT OF GROUND together with all of the build‐ings and improvements thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in Lake Trail Subdi‐vision Section 1, desig‐nated as LOT 247 of SQUARE 18 bounded by Lake Trail Drive, West Esplanade Av‐enue, David Drive and Thirty-Third Street. Said Lot 247 commences at a distance of 235.38 feet from the corner of Lake Trail Drive and Thirty-Third Street, and measures thence 63.46 feet front on Lake Trail Drive, the same width in the rear, by depth of 88.07 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines. All in ac‐cordance with a survey of J.J. Krebs and Sons, Inc., dated Octo‐ber 27, 1976 and resurveyed on April 1, 1977

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

BRIGHAM J. LUNDBERG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 873-920

PINGORA LOAN SERVICING, LLC VERSUS THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF CHARLES L. NICELY, (A/K/A CHARLES LEE NICELY) AND LEANE MARIE SCHERER AND CAROLYN SCHERER DUPUY By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 19, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey Louisiana, 70058, on June 10 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: ONE CERTAIN LOT GROUND together with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEFFERSON, STATE OF LOUISIANA, in SQUARE “E” of BELMONT PLACE, bounded by Bel‐mont Place, N. Line of Subdivi‐sion, KennerN.O Interstate Highway, Jeferson Drive Subdivision, N. Turnbull Drive and 33rd Street, designated as LOT NO 2 on a sur‐vey made by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., Surveyor, dated May 30, 1974, revised July 1, 1983, a copy of which is annexed to an Act of Mortgage dated August 1, 1983 by act passed before Gerald Wasserman, No‐tary Public, recorded in MOB 888, Folio 264, and accord‐ing thereto, said LOT commences at a distance of 360 feet from the corner of Belmont Place and 33rd Street, measures thence 60 feet front on Bel‐mont Place, same width in the rear, by a depth on the sideline nearer to 33rd Street of 100.92 feet, and a depth on the opposite side‐line of 101.20 feet. And according to a survey made by S Z. S Consultants dated Decem‐ber 7, 1993, the above-de‐scribed prop‐erty has the same location, designation and dimensions as hereinabove set forth. Improvements thereon bear the Municipal No. 2509 Bel‐mont Place, Metairie, Louisiana 70001.

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

PENNY M. DAIGREPONT Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 862-752

LAKEVIEW LOAN SERVICING, LLC VS MAURICE SANDERS AND MURIEL E. SANDERS A/K/A MURIEL E. REED SANDERS By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 14, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That Certain Piece or Portion of Ground, To‐gether With All of the Buildings and Improvements Thereon, Situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in That Part Thereof Known as Lake Vista of Jefferson, Being a Subdivision of a Portion of the Elmwood lafreniere Plan‐tation, Accord‐ing to a Survey Made by J. L. Fontcuberta, Surveyor, Dated August 2, 1956, Said Lot is Des‐ignated by the No. 18 in Square no. 22, Bounded by Toby Lane, Lake Avenue, Craig Avenue and 39th Street (formerly 21st Street)

Measures 60 Feet Front on Toby Lane, Simi‐lar Width in The rear, by a Depth of 130.85 Feet Between Equal and Paral‐lel Lines and Be‐gins at a Distance of 180 Feet From the Corner of 39th Street (For‐merly 21st Street) and Toby Lane; sub‐ject to restric‐tions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofway and out‐standing min‐eral rights of record affecting the property

be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ZACHARY GAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 868-494 NAVY FEDERAL CREDIT UNION VS CALEB MYCHAL RUNNELS

May 1-jun 5-2t

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale. All

Municipal No. 5013 Toby Ln, Kenner, LA 70065

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale. NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Septem‐ber 23, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: That certain condominium parcel, consist‐ing of Unit No. 303, of The Riverwood Condominium, together with the undivided interest in the Common Ele‐ments of the Condominium Declaration exe‐cuted by Gold‐smith-Hernan‐dez Kerry Apart‐ments, by an act before Henry O`Con‐nor, jr., I.P dated Decem‐ber 11, 1981, filed for record in the office of the Clerk of Court for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana on December 15, 1981, under Entry No. 996005, in COB 1016, folio 762. The Riverwood Condominium is situated upon Plots 111 and 112, Hessmer Farms Subdivi‐sion, Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana and bears the Mu‐nicipal No. 2301 Edenborn Av‐enue

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ZACHARY GAR‐RETT YOUNG Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA

NO: 870-208

MIDFIRST BANK VERSUS FELTON JAMES GLAPION AND PAMELA JOSEPH GLAPION

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer

son, State of Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti

tled cause, dated Novem

ber 12, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high

est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop

erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to

gether with all the buildings and imporve

ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privileges, servitutdes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be

longing or in anywise aper

taining, situated in the State of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer

son, City of Har

vey, being more fully described as follows: Par

cel A-11, Lake Timberlane Es

tates, now known as LOT 12, SQUARE B, LAKE TIMBER

LANE ESATES, SECTION 4, in accordance with the plan of resbdivi

sion by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., dated De

cember 4, 1989, approved by the jefferson Parish Council on February 14, 1990, by Ordi

nance No. 17929 recorded March 15, 1990, under Entry No.9010219, in COB 2305, folio 207, more fully described as follows: SQUARE B, is bounded by Brighton Place, Jupiter Street, Bradford Place and Manhattan Boulevard, LOT 12 commences 665 feet from the intersecton of Jupiter Street and Brighton Place, measures thence 60 feet front on Brighton Place, same width in the rear by a depth between equal and paral

lel lines of 105 feet. All as more fully shown on sur

vey by J.J. Krebs & Sons, Inc., redated and certified De‐cember 10, 1991; subject to re‐strictions, servi‐tudes, rights-ofway and outstanding mineral rights of record affect‐ing the prop‐erty

The improve‐ments theron bear the munici‐pal number: 2109 Brighton pl, Harvey La

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ASHLEY E. MORRIS

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026

mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 870-602 PENNYMAC LOAN SERVICES LLC VERSUS TYRONE LOUIS JOSEPH A/K/A TYRONE L. JOSEPH A/K/A TYRONE JOSEPH

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Decem‐ber 5, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

A certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in Terrytown Sub‐division No. Eight (8), being part of Oakdale Subdi‐vision, Section "B", First Ward, as shown on a plan by Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associates, C.E., dated April 30, 1962, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nance No. 5627, adopted June 21, 1962, which ordinance was amended by Ordinance No. 7327, and according to a plan by Adloe Orr, Jr. & Associ‐ates, C.E., dated June 23, 1973, the said portion of ground is desig‐nated as lot eleven (11) of square one hun‐dred thirtythree (133), and bounded by Oakwood Drive (side), Daniels Road, West Martin Court, Morning‐side Drive (side), and Carol Sue Avenue (side). Said lot eleven (11) commences at a distance of six hundred fifteen feet (615’) from the corner of West Marlin Court and Daniels Road, and measures thence sixty feet (60’) front on West Marlin Court, same width in the rear, by a depth between equal and paral‐lel lines of one hundred fifteen feet (115’). An in

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, r ‐gages, liens and privileges.

Daniels Road, and measures thence sixty feet (60’) front on West Marlin Court, same width in the rear, by a depth between equal and paral‐lel lines of one hundred fifteen feet (115’). An in accordance with survey by Gilbert, Kelly & Couturie, Inc., Surveying & En‐gineering, dated April 4, 1995, a copy of which is at‐tached to act registered in COB 2916, folio 449.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J. GIROIR

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 870-674

NEWREZ LLC D/B/A SHELL‐POINT MORT‐GAGE SERVIC‐ING VERSUS TRACEY WILLOZ By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Decem‐ber 29, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN CONDOMINIUM, together with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon desig‐nated as UNIT NO.31, BUILDING NO 1, including an undivided ownership in‐terest in the Common Ele

ments and Lim‐ited Common El‐ements, as more fully set forth in that cer‐tain Declaration Creating and Es‐tablishing Condominium Property Regime for AVANT GARDE, A CONDO‐MINIUM, by act before George L. Gibbs, Notary Public, dated March 17, 1982, registered in COB 1021, folio 817, in the pub‐lic records of the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, March 18, 1982, together with the survey plat and other instruments and documents annexed thereto and in‐corporated by reference therein, which establishes Avant Garde, a Condominium, as amended by First Amend‐ment to Condo‐minium Declara‐tion of

annexed thereto and in‐corporated by reference therein, which establishes Avant Garde, a Condominium, as amended by First Amend‐ment to Condo‐minium Declara‐tion of Avant Garde, a Condominium, by act before Andrew Joffe, Notary Public, dated September 20, 1982, registered in COB 1032, folio 620, on September 20, 1982; by Second Amend‐ment to Condo‐minium Declara‐tion of Avant Garde, a Condo‐minium, by act before George L. Gibbs, Notary Public, dated Septem‐ber 29, 1982, registered in COB 1033, folio 279, on September 30, 1982, by Third Amendment to Condominium Declaration of Avant Garde, a Condominium, by act before George L. Gibbs, Notary Public, dated December 21, 1982, registered in COB 1040, folio 184, on January 18, 1983; by Fourth Amendment to Condominium Declaration of Avant Garde, a Condo‐minium, by act before George L Gibbs, Notary Public, dated January 25, 1983, regis‐tered in COB 1040, folio 530, on January 25,1983; by Fifth Amendment to Condominium Declaration of Avant Garde, a Condominium, by act before Andrew Joffe, Notary Put c, dated March 14, 1983, registered in COB 1043, folio 238; by Sixth Amend‐ment to Condo‐minium Declara‐tion of Avant Garde, a Condominium by act before Andrew Joffe, Notary Public, dated May 6, 1983, registered in COB 1046, folio 667; by Seventh Amendment to Condominium Declaration of Avant Garde, a Condominium by Act before Andrew Joffe, Notary Public, dated July 12, 1983, registered in COB 1052, folio 728; and by Eighth Amendment to Condominium Declaration of Avant Garde, a Condominium, by act before Andrew Joffe, Notary Public, dated October 12, 1983, registered in COB 1059, folio 312, Entry No. 83-42914.

CONDOMINIUM UNIT NO.31, BUILDING NO 1, is situated in Sub-Phase V of Phase II of Lot X-2, as shown on a plat of sur‐vey by Sterling E. Mandle, dated July 28, 1983, a copy of which is marked Exhibit A-11-E" and at‐tached to and made a part of the Eighth Amend‐ment to Condo‐minium Declara‐tion of Avant Garde, a Condominium, dated October 12, 1983, regis‐tered in COB 1059, folio 312, Entry No. 83-42914.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

AMY R. ORTIS Attorney for Plaintiff

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

AMY R. ORTIS

Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL

DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 871-079 STANDARD MORTGAGE CORPORATION VERSUS MATTHEW PALMISANO A/K/A MATTHEW J. PALMISANO

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Decem‐ber 11, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND with all the buildings and improvements thereon and all of the servi

tudes, rights and appurte

nances there

unto applying, situ

ated in the State of Louisiana, in the Parish of Jeffer

son, WOODLAND WEST SUBDIVI

SION, sail por‐tion being des

ignated as LOT 152 of SQUARE 11.

According to a plan by S K. Landry, C.E., dated March 31, 1966, and resur‐veyed June 27, 1968, Square 11 is bounded by North Friend‐ship Drive, Vul‐can Street, Lapalco Blvd, and Apollo Av‐enue, Lot 152 commences at a distance of 1,048.18 feet from the corner of Apollo Av‐enue & N. Friendship Drive and 913.65 feet from the corner of North Friendship and Vulcan Street and measures thence 70 feet front on North Friend‐ship Drive, with the same width in the rear, by a depth on the sideline closer to Apollo Avenue of 116.53 feet and depth on the opposite sideline closer to Vulcan Street of 117.33 feet.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

FOERSTNER G.

MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P

Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

FOERSTNER G. MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III

Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 871-615 BPCP INVEST‐MENT HOLD‐INGS, LP VS D.K.A. ONE, L.L.C.

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated January 20, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUND, to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing, or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, State of Louisiana, designated as Plot Y-1-D on a plan entitled “For‐merly Square 2 and portion of Square 3, METAIRIE RIDGE NURSERY SUBDIVISION,” prepared by J.J. Krebs and Sons, Inc. C.E. & S., dated October 8, 1968; approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nance No. 9017; adopted on November 7, 1968, Entry No. 443-834, and more particu‐larly on accor‐dance with survey of J.J. Krebs and Sons, C.E. & S dated January 20, 1971, said Plot Y-1-D is described as follows:

Commencing at the intersection of the northerly right-of-way line of DAHLIA STREET and the easterly right-of-way line of METAIRIE ROAD said lot measures South 86 degrees 59 min‐utes and 51 sec‐onds East along side northerly right-of-way line of DAHLIA STREET a distance of 324.88 feet; thence North 3 degrees 00 min‐utes and 09 seconds East a distance of 446.97 feet; thence North 86 degrees 59 min‐utes and 51 seconds West a distance 319.21 feet; thence South 3 degrees 00 min‐utes and 09 seconds West a distance of 20 feet; thence South 72 de‐grees 27 min‐utes and 09 seconds West a distance of 161.33 feet to the easterly

thence South 3 degrees 00 min‐utes and 09 seconds West a distance of 20 feet; thence South 72 de‐grees 27 min‐utes and 09 seconds West a distance of 161.33 feet to the easterly right-of-way line of METAIRIE ROAD, thence South 17 de‐grees 24 min‐utes and 21 sec‐onds East along said easterly rightof-way line of METAIRIE ROAD a distance of 42.23 feet; thence continuing along said east‐erly right-ofway line of METAIRIE ROAD South 18 degrees 31 min‐utes, and 36 seconds East a distance of 355.56 feet to a point, the point of begin‐ning. Plot Y-1-D is in square bounded by DAHLIA STREET METAIRIE ROAD NARCIS‐SUS STREET AND CARROLL‐TON AVENUE.

Improvements thereon bear the Municipal No. 401 Metairie Road.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

CHRISTOPHER CAPLINGER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 829-882 HOME POINT FI‐NANCIAL VS TAMY T NGUYEN A/K/A TAMY NGUYEN AND MUI T. LE A/K/A MUI LE

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated July 15, 2022, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

The property described in the Act of Mortgage is described as follows:

One certain lot or parcel of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all of the rights, ways, privi‐leges, servi‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part known as Westgate Subdivision,

‐tudes, appurte‐nances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part known as Westgate Subdivision, being a resubdivision of a portion of Highway Park Subdivision, ac‐cording to a plan of Westgate Subdi‐vision by Roessle & Gal‐loway, Consult‐ing Engineers, dated June 30, 1935, recorded in Plan Book 27, folio 29, revised January 17, 1956, recorded in Plan Book 28, folio 45, which portion of ground is desig‐nated as fol‐lows: Lot 25 of Square L of Westgate Subdivision and said portion of ground that has the same designa‐tion on a certifi‐cate of survey by Adloe Orr, Jr. and Associates, dated March 1, 1957.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

ELIZABETH CROWELL PRICE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT

24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 855-462

CASCADE FUND‐ING MORTGAGE TRUST HB7 VS MEHDI BAL‐DOSSE AND MARY BAL‐DOSSE (A/K/A MARY K. BAL‐DOSSE) By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 26, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: ALL THAT PAR‐CEL OF LAND IN JEFFERSON PARISH, STATE OF LOUISIANA, AS MORE FULLY DE‐SCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 3023, PAGE 896, ID# 0920000960, BEING KNOWN AND DESIG‐NATED AS LOT P, BLOCK 360, HIGHWAY PARK A CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES ‐

GROUND, TO‐GETHER WITH ALL THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON, AND ALL OF THE RIGHTS, WAYS, PRIVILEGES, SERVITUDES, APPURTE‐NANCES AND ADVANTAGES THEREUNTO BE‐LONGING OR IN ANYWISE AP‐PERTAINING, SITUATED IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, CITY OF KENNER, IN HIGHWAY PARK SUBDIVISION, ACCORDING TO A PLAN OF RE‐SUBDIVISION MADE BY ADLOE ORR, JR. & AS‐SOCIATES C.E., DATED JULY 9, 1957, REVISED SEPTEMBER 13, 1957, A COPY OF WHICH IS IN THE OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF COURT, PARISH OF JEF‐FERSON, IN PLAT BOOK 34, FOLIO 8, SAID PORTION OF GROUND IS DES‐IGNATED AND MEASURES AS FOLLOWS: LOT P, SQUARE NO 360, WHICH SQUARE IS BOUNDED BY KENTUCKY AVENUE, 27TH STREET KANSAS AVENUE AND 26TH STREET; SAID LOT COMMENCES 180 FEET FROM THE CORNER OF KENTUCKY AV‐ENUE AND 27TH STREET AND MEASURES THENCE 60 FEET FRONT ON KEN‐TUCKY AVENUE, SAME WIDTH IN THE REAR, BY A DEPTH OF 122.5 FEET BETWEEN EQUAL AND PARALLEL LINES; ALL AS SHOWN ON SUR‐VEY OF ADLOE ORR, JR. & ASSOCI‐ATES, DATED APRIL 17, 1958, A COPY IS AN‐NEXED TO ACT NO 123410. AC‐CORDING TO SURVEY BY GILBERT KELLY & COUTURIE, INC., DATED JULY 20, 1991.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges. TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

WILLIAM S TEBBE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 872-740

REGIONS BANK DBA REGIONS MORTGAGE VERSUS EMMA ROBERT‐SON (A/K/A EMMA TAYLOR ROBERTSON) AND JAMES N. ROBERTSON, II

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 13, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office

Louisiana, in the above num

bered and enti

tled cause, dated February 13, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har

vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de

scribed prop‐erty to wit: ONE CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND, to

gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be

longing or in anywise apper

taining, situated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in CY

PRESS GROVE SUBDIVISION EXTENSION NO 3 in SQUARE V thereof, bounded by Kismet Street, Evie Street, the North boundary of the subdivi‐sion, and Dede Street, desig‐nated by No. 4 which commences 270.0 feet from the corner of Dede Street and Kismet Street, mea‐sures thence 90.00 feet front on Kismet Street, same width in the rear, by a depth of 84.35 feet between equal and paral‐lel lines. This sale is sub

ject to all supe

rior security in

terests, mort

gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

EMILY A. MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 872-820

CARRINGTON MORTGAGE SER‐VICES, LLC VERSUS SCOTT MICHAEL GUILLORY

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 18, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PORTION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improvements thereon, situ‐ated in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as LAKE VISTA OF JEF‐FERSON, in ac‐cordance with a plan of resubdivision by BFM Corpora‐tion dated 9-882 approved by virtue of Ordi‐nance No, 15467 of the Jef‐ferson Parish Council recorded in COB 1044-680 and further approved by virtue of Ordi‐nance No. 3751 of Kenner City Council recorded in COB 1062-711 and ac‐cording thereto said lot is desig‐nated by the LOT NO. 20-A in SQUARE 20, bounded by Jan‐ice Avenue, Stahl Drive, Re‐becca Boule‐vard and 39th Street (formerly 21 Street) and measures 60 feet front on Re‐becca Boule‐vard, same width in the rear, by a depth of 155.85 feet between equal and parallel lines and begins at a dis‐tance of 295.47 feet from the corner of 39th Street and Re‐becca Boulevard, all as more fully shown on sur‐vey of Gerald Swanson, Inc., dated

‐tance of 295.47 feet from the corner of 39th Street and Re‐becca Boulevard, all as more fully shown on sur‐vey of Gerald Swanson, Inc., dated 11-14-86, an‐nexed to a prior act in the chain of title. This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

EMILY A. MUELLER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 874-132

ARVEST BANK VS DARNELL ROUSELL SOLELY IN HER CAPACITY AS IN‐DEPENDENT TESTAMENTARY EXECUTOR OF THE SUCCES‐SION OF ONEATA ELAINE STEWARTJONES, DE‐CEASED

‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and all therights, ways, privileges, servitudes, appurtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the State of Louisiana, Parish of Jeffer‐son, in that part thereof known as CLAIBORNE GARDENS SUB‐DIVISION, said portion being designated as LOT 9 OF SQUARE 106. Ac‐cording to a plan by Rene A. Harris, C. E., dated February 4, 1972, the said SQUARE 106 is bounded by East Krueger Lane, Stilwell Lane and East Clark Lane; and LOT 9 com‐mences at a dis‐tance of 343.52 feet from the corner of East Krueger Lane and Stil‐well Lane, and measures thence 62 feet front on Stilwell Lane, the same width in the rear, by a depth of 105 feet be‐tween equal and parallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

STATE OF LOUISIANA

NO: 873-083

THE SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, AN OF‐FICER OF THE UNITED STATES VS CLARENCE HAR‐VEY AND MARI‐LYN HARVEY (A/K/A MARIL‐LYN ROBB, MAR‐ILYN SYKES)

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated February 25, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

hereof; and ac‐cording to said plans, said lot is designated as LOT TWELVE (12) SQUARE SIXTEEN (16), which said square is bounded by Sherbrooke Lane, Sunswept Lane, Ab‐botswood Drive, Heatherwood Drive, and Par‐cel 11-F-A; and according to said plans, said Lot 12 measures sev‐enty-seven and 78/100 (77.78') feet front on Heatherwood Drive, with a width in the rear of EightyTwo and 22/100 (82.22') feet, by a depth on the sideline adjoining Lot 11 of one hundred twenty and no/100 (120.00') feet, and a depth on the sideline adjoin‐ing Lot 12 of one hundred twenty and no/100 (120.00') feet.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007AMC2

VERSUS THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN

HEIRS OF WILLARD JAMES DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD JAMES DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD J. DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD DOMINGUE AND THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN

HEIRS OF BEV‐ERLY LYNN WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY LYNN WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY L. WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY WILLIAMS

dated Novem‐ber 27, 1978, said portion of ground is fur‐ther designated and described as follows:

Lot no. 41, square no. 7, which square is bounded by Manor Heights Drive, Jeffrey Street, Canal Road and east line of subdivi‐sion and the said lot com‐mences at a distance of 400’ feet from the corner of Jeffrey Street, Canal Road and east line of subdivision and the said lot commences at a distance of 400’ feet from the corner of Jeffrey Street and Manor Heights Drive and measures thence 50’ feet front on Manor Heights Drive, same in width in the rear, by a depth of 110.30’ feet between equal and parallel lines.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

WILLIAM S TEBBE Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026 mar 27-may 1-2t

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Septem‐ber 9, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on May 6, 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit:

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated March 26, 2026, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the highest bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Ex‐pressway, Har‐vey, Louisiana, 70058, on June 10 2026 at 10 o'clock a.m. the following de‐scribed prop‐erty to wit: THAT CERTAIN PIECE OR POR‐TION OF GROUND to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon, and parallel lines.

FOERSTNER G. MEYER Attorney for Plaintiff

JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson

The New Orleans Advocate: May 1, 2026, June 5, 2026 May 1-jun 5-2t

ONE CERTAIN LOT OF GROUND, together with all of the rights, ways privileges, servitudes, ad‐vantages and appurtenances thereunto be‐longing or in anywise appertaining, situate, lying and being in the Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as BARKLEY ES‐TATES in accor‐dance with the plan of resubdivision by Krebs, LaSalle, Lemieux, Con‐sultants, Inc., Engineers, Plan‐ners & Surveyors, dated at Metairie, Louisiana, March 2, 1994, approved by the Jefferson Parish Council under Ordi‐nance No. 19117, adopted July 20, 1994, registered under Entry No. 9446983 in COB 2901, folio 398, of the Con‐veyance Records of the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana; and also in accor‐dance with plan of survey by Dufrene Survey‐ing Engineering, Inc., dated at Harvey Louisiana, May 15, 1996, a copy of which is attached hereto and made a part hereof; and ac‐cording to said plans, said lot is designated as LOT TWELVE (12) SQUARE SIXTEEN (16), which said square is bounded by Sherbrooke wept Ab‐ood Drive, ood Par‐and to said sev‐and (77.78') on ood th a the ghty22/100 feet, by on the ot 11 hundred and (120.00') a depth on the adjoin‐of one enty no/100 (120.00') feet. sub‐supe‐rity in‐mort‐ens and The full price the time of the sale. funds be Check, Check, der, or Check etter of Credit.

WILLIAM S TEBBE

JUDICIAL ADVERTISE‐MENT 24TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT PARISH OF JEFFERSON STATE OF LOUISIANA NO: 866-279

U.S. BANK TRUST COM‐PANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE, AS SUCCESSOR-ININTEREST TO U.S. BANK NA‐TIONAL ASSOCI‐ATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR CITIGROUP MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST INC. ASSETBACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007AMC2 VERSUS THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF WILLARD JAMES DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD JAMES DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD J. DOMINGUE A/K/A WILLARD DOMINGUE AND THE UNOPENED SUCCESSION OF AND UNKNOWN HEIRS OF BEV‐ERLY LYNN WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY LYNN WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY L. WILLIAMS A/K/A BEVERLY WILLIAMS By virtue of and in obedience to a Writ of SEIZURE AND SALE from the 24th Judicial District Court, Parish of Jeffer‐son, State of Louisiana, in the above num‐bered and enti‐tled cause, dated Septem‐ber 9, 2025, I have seized and will proceed to sell to the high‐est bidder at public auction, at the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office Complex, 1233 Westbank Expressway, Harvey, Louisiana, 70058, on May

A certain piece or portion of ground, to‐gether with all the buildings and improve‐ments thereon and all the rights, ways, privileges, servitudes, ap‐purtenances and advantages thereunto be‐longing or in anywise apper‐taining, situated in the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana, in that part thereof known as Manor Heights Subdivision, in accordance with survey by Alvin E. Hotard, C. E., dated Au‐gust 25, 1955, copy of which is in Book of Plans 32, folio 25 and further shown on sur‐vey of Errol E. Kelly Surveyor, dated June 4, 1966; and according to survey of R. L. Schumann & As‐sociates, Land Surveyor, dated November 20, 1978, copy of which is annexed to act before Leonard M. Berins, No‐tary Public, dated Novem‐ber 27, 1978, said portion of ground is fur‐ther designated and described as follows:

Lot no. 41, square no. 7, which square is bounded by Manor Heights Drive, Jeffrey Street, Canal Road and east line of subdivi‐sion and the said lot com‐mences at a distance of 400’ feet from the corner of Jeffrey Street, Canal Road and east line of subdivision and the said lot commences at a distance of 400’ feet from the corner of Jeffrey Street and Manor Heights Drive and measures thence 50’ feet front on Manor Heights Drive, same in width in the rear, by a depth of 110.30’ feet between equal and parallel lines.

This sale is sub‐ject to all supe‐rior security in‐terests, mort‐gages, liens and privileges.

TERMS - The full purchase price is due at the time of the sale.

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter

NOTE: All funds must be Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, or Personal Check with Bank Letter of Credit.

COREY J. GIROIR Attorney for Plaintiff JOSEPH P LOPINTO, III Sheriff Parish of Jefferson The New Orleans Advocate: March 27, 2026, May 1, 2026