Louisiana

Pope Leo XIV’s family has ties to Louisiana going back more than 100 years, historian says

Published

1 year ago

May 9, 2025

Pope Leo XIV’s family has ties to Louisiana going back more than 100 years, historian says

NEW ORLEANS — The newly elected Pope Leo XIV has ties to Louisiana from more than a century ago, a New Orleans historian and genealogist said Thursday.

The former Cardinal Robert Prevost, elevated to the papacy Thursday, has connections to the New Orleans Creole community, said historian Jari Christopher Honora. Honora posted a marriage certificate that says Prevost’s maternal grandparents Joseph Martínez and Louise Baquie married at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Annette Street in New Orleans in 1887.

Honora, who has written for the Historic New Orleans Connection, added that at the turn of the 20th century the couple lived on North Prieur Street in the Seventh Ward before it was overtaken by the Claiborne Avenue overpass. The family then moved to Chicago between 1910 and 1912.

“What a great connection for our local population!” Honora said in a Facebook post sharing Census and marriage records.

According to AvoyollesToday.com, Joseph Martínez’ grandfather was an Italian immigrant — Jacques Martino — who married a woman from East Feliciana Parish. When he moved to New Orleans, Martino’s name was changed to Martínez.

Rep. Troy Carter celebrated the pontiff’s local ties, calling the occasion of an American Pope with Creole ancestry a testament to “the enduring strength and global reach of New Orleans’ diverse faith community.”

“The news that the first American Pope has roots here in New Orleans, with ancestral ties to our Creole and Haitian families, is nothing short of extraordinary. It reminds the world that greatness rises from every corner — including communities that history has too often overlooked or underestimated,” Carter said.

Honora has a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and his LinkedIn profile shows that he worked as a research intern at the Archdiocese of New Orleans while in college.

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Louisiana

Louisiana to redraw congressional map after court ruling

Published

1 hour ago

May 12, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana to redraw congressional map after court ruling

A state lawmaker whose district includes Iberville and nine other parishes will lead the way on the drawing of a new congressional map when the committee convenes Friday.

Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen, will chair the hearings to draw a new congressional district map. He currently serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.

On Wednesday, Kleinpeter said he has not worked on any maps. He is letting the committee members and the members of the Senate work on this with staff.

The move will come nine days after the U.S. Supreme Court on a 6-3 vote ruled one of Louisiana’s two majority-Black U.S. House districts unconstitutional.

“We can’t base it on race anymore, so the minority party is the Democrats,” he said. “The Democrats have migrated away from the New Orléans area, so we’re looking at Democrats versus Republicans, so the minority party — the Democrats — which means it’s more favored toward Baton Rouge.”

The move would work in favor of incumbent 6^th District Congressman Cleo Fields, who was a candidate for the race which Gov. Jeff Lndry suspended in the wake of the Supreme Court decision.

The ruling stemmed from Louisiana vs. Callais – a consolidation of Robinson vs. Callais – that centered on racial gerrymandering and redistricting in the state of Louisiana following the 2020 United States census. The lead plaintiff, Phillip “Bert” Callais, is a resident of Brusly.

The Supreme Court vote came despite the African American population comprising nearly one-third of the state’s population.

According to the 2020 Census, the Black or African American population in Louisiana was approximately 1,464,023,representing 31.4%of the state’s total population. Louisiana has one of the highest percentages of Black residents in the United States, ranking second behind Mississippi.

The Baton Rouge district would likely be the area to undergo the remap, he said.

It amounts to an intricate balancing act.

“What far-right Republicans don’t understand is that with Congress maps, you have to be within 776, 280 votes – within 50 votes of the other districts,” Kleinpeter said. “It’s not like our legislative maps where you can be off by thousands … when you start changing a precinct, it can run down a rabbit hole chasing this precinct over here and over there.

“We can easily draw a really strong nine Republican and one strong Democrat, so if you start watering districts down you could wind up with a 4-2 map.”

Republicans currently have a two-vote super majority vote.

“But some Republican districts are strong and others are weak,” Kleinpeter said. “If you take 58 percent Democrats and put them in Republican districts, you could end up losing Republicans.

“Drawing congress maps is very difficult – you have the leader of the party, and you have the Speaker of the House you have to protect,” he said. “You don’t want to jeopardize their maps at hole.”

One other issue is looming for the state, Kleinpeter said.

“What people don’t understand is that we will have to do this all over again in five years, after the next census comes out,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll people by that time.”

The 2030 Census will play a key role in the process, but it still requires participation.

“I had plenty of next-door neighbors who didn’t want to fill out their census” he said. “I’m going to push to fill out their census. We miss out on federal money and potentially risk losing a seat. “

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Louisiana

Neuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died

Published

13 hours ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Neuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died

Neuty, the iconic Bucktown nutria visits the state capitol, with Myra Lacoste, Denny Lacoste, Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, Dennis Lacoste Sr., and Louisiana state Senator J. Cameron Henry Jr. Neuty was an orphan, rescued by the Lacostes. In March 2023, LDWF agents attempted to confiscate the illegal pet.

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Louisiana

Louisiana State Police arrest 18-year-old in Vidalia crash t…

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana State Police arrest 18-year-old in Vidalia crash t…

VIDALIA, La. — Louisiana State Police arrested 18-year-old Gregory Steele early Sunday morning on two counts of vehicular homicide, one count of underage operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated, one count vehicular negligent injuring and one count careless operation, according to Concordia Parish Jail records.

Steele, 18, a white male, was arrested in connection with an accident that occurred at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Sunday morning on Minorca Road in Vidalia. Two passengers in the vehicle were killed. Steele and another passenger were able to escape the vehicle.

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