The Times-Picayune 02-18-2025 by The Advocate

Stalled NOPD promotions awarded

Ceremony caps controversial process

BY MISSY WILKINSON

Staff writer

In a modest standing-room-only ceremony that belied a drama that unfolded to get there, the New Orleans Police Department promoted to its upper ranks Monday, while Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick named her ofﬁcial right-hand man. Chief Deputy Superintendent Hans Ganthier moves to assistant

superintendent, making the 27year police veteran a “true No. 2,”

Kirkpatrick said in announcing the appointment.

“Everybody said you’ve got to know somebody to get promoted,” Ganthier, a New York native, said Monday “This is proof that isn’t so.”

It was among a host of moves by Kirkpatrick shufﬂing top department brass, along with announcing

promotions that has been stalled after Mayor LaToya Cantrell alleged bias and pressured a halt to the process A federal judge recently found no basis for those claims, clearing the way for two captains, Precious Banks and Lejon Roberts, to rise to the rank of major. Filling their vacated spots as captain are former lieutenants Rebecca Gubert and Samuel Palumbo Jr “I started as a civilian in the basement,” Banks said upon getting sworn in as major “Rising up

is a privilege.” At the ceremony inside Gallier Hall, Kirkpatrick also announced she’s moved Stephanie Landry from chief of staff to deputy superintendent over the NOPD’s Management Services Bureau.

Three deputy chiefs also will change positions: Nicholas Gernon becomes chief of detectives, Jonette Williams will lead the Professional Standards & Accountability Bureau, and Ryan Lubrano will head up the Field Operations Bureau.

Trump begins firing FAA staff

ASSOCIATED

An American Airlines jet takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Feb 6 as salvage crews work on recovering wreckage from a deadly midair collision on Jan 29.

Move comes just weeks after fatal D.C. plane crash

BY TARA COPP Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Trump administration has begun ﬁring several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Probationary workers were targeted in late-night emails Friday notifying them

they had been ﬁred, David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, said in a statement

Kirkpatrick said she’d been “watching closely people’s talents and gifts” since she took the helm of the city’s police force in late 2023. aiming to promote them where they are best suited to serve.

The major roles had lain dormant for decades, with only one active major remaining. In restoring those posts, Kirkpatrick made good on an early goal to grow and promote NOPD leadership from

Lawsuit challenges ballot wording

Landry’s tax changes require revising state constitution

BY TYLER BRIDGES Staff writer

Gov Jeff Landry and Louisiana legislators overhauled the state’s tax system in November, but for the full plan to take effect requires one more step: A March 29 vote of the people to approve revising the state constitution.

But a law ﬁrm went to court in Baton Rouge on Monday to keep that question off the ballot, saying the wording is illegally slanted in favor of the proposition and misrepresents what the proposed changes would do.

The lawsuit notes that state law requires ballot language to be “simple, unbiased, concise, and easily understood.”

Amidst the lengthy ballot language for Amendment 2 next month, voters are told that voting for it would “provide a permanent teacher salary increase.”

Couple say vows in calf-deep pothole in Lower Garden District

BY DOUG MacCASH Staff writer

Everything was perfect. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome and the pothole where they stood to exchange vows was sublime.

It was not a mere ragged cavity in asphalt. This pothole was a deep, yet deceptively smooth depression in the antique paving stones at Felicity and Chestnut streets.

This was the sort of chasm that could go unnoticed by even an attentive driver until the familiar

A Transportation Department ofﬁcial told the AP late Monday that no air trafﬁc controllers were affected by the cuts, and that the agency has “retained employees who perform critical safety functions.”

In a follow-up query the agency said they would have to look into whether the radar, landing and navigational aid workers

The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air trafﬁc controller told The Associated Press. The air trafﬁc controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity

ä Delta jet overturns at Toronto airport. PAGE2A ä See FAA, page 4A

UNTIL DEPTH DO US PART

crunch of an oil pan or exhaust pipe on an unyielding roadway

There was no mud or burbling water in the bottom of this pitfall, only a manhole cover, which sat in the center of the crater like the yolk of a fried egg. All would agree, it was really the perfect road menace in which to begin a shared life.

But why, you ask, had Monica Resh and Kevin Nguyen of Houston chosen to marry calf-deep in a pothole in the ﬁrst place?

Nguyen explained that he and Resh had won a contest conducted by one of New Orleans’ favorite social media sites, the “Look At This F***** Street” Instagram account, a repository of photos and videos of especially egregious examples of the city’s infrastructure tumult.

The folks at LATFS cheekily offered to pay for the wedding of anyone willing to tie the knot in a pothole Devin MacNair, the Universal Life Church minister who ofﬁciated the nuptials, said there were more than 500 applicants for the free pothole wedding. Resh and Nguyen were randomly selected from that group.

The couple, MacNair said, received ministerial services, a wedding cake, wedding photography ﬂowers and other features of the ceremony

As a crowd of at least 50 attendees milled about, musician Andre Bohren played a piano located in the bed of a hazard-yellow pickup. The pothole was decorated

ä See DEPTH, page 4A

“But there is no salary increase,” the lawsuit says, “only the extension of an existing stipend that has been in place for several years. No teacher will be paid any more than they currently are due to this potential amendment, and some teachers may be paid less.”

Landry takes issue with the thinking behind the lawsuit.

“This lawsuit attempts to deny citizens their right to vote to

ä See LAWSUIT, page 5A

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH Monica Resh and Kevin Nguyen get married in a New Orleans pothole as part of a contest conducted by the popular ‘Look At This F***** Street’ Instagram account.

PRESS PHOTO By JOSE LUIS MAGANA

BRIEFS FROM WIRE REPORTS

Leader of cultlike group

linked to killings booked

BOSTON The apparent leader of a cultlike group known as the Zizians has been arrested in Maryland along with another member of the group, Maryland State Police said Monday

Jack Lasota, 34, was arrested Sunday along with Michelle Zajko 33, of Media, Pennsylvania

They face multiple counts including trespassing, obstructing and hindering and possession of a handgun in the vehicle

A bail hearing for the two is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday at Allegany District Court.

The Zizians have been tied to the killing of U.S. Border Patrol Agent David Maland near the Canadian border in January and ﬁve other homicides in Vermont, Pennsylvania and California Maland, 44, was killed in a Jan. 20 shootout following a traffic stop in Coventry, Vermont, a small town about 20 miles from the Canadian border

Ofﬁcials have offered few details of the cross-country investigation, which broke open after the Jan. 20 shooting death of Maland Associated Press interviews and a review of court records and online postings tell the story of how a group of young, highly intelligent computer scientists, most of them in their 20s and 30s, met online, shared anarchist beliefs, and became increasingly violent.

N.Y. officials resign over mayor’s corruption case

NEW YORK Four top deputies to New York City Mayor Eric Adams are resigning in the latest fallout from the Justice Department’s push to end a corruption case against Adams and ensure his cooperation in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown a bargain that has raised questions about the mayor’s political independence and ability to lead the city In a statement Monday, Adams conﬁrmed the departures of First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer, Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom and Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker

“I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I understand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future,” said Adams, who faces several challengers in June’s Democratic primary “But let me be crystal clear: New York City will keep moving forward, just as it does every day.” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams became the latest Democrat to call on the mayor to resign, saying that with the deputy mayor resignations it’s clear he “has now lost the conﬁdence and trust of his own staff, his colleagues in government and New Yorkers.”

Rebels tighten grip on major city in Congo

BUKAVU Congo Rwanda-backed rebels tightened their grip on Bukavu on Monday, a day after seizing the second major city in eastern Congo whose residents appeared resigned to their fate under the new rulers.

On Sunday, M23 rebels captured the city of 1.3 million people after it was abandoned by Congolese forces. Bukavu lies 63 miles south of Goma, which was captured by the rebels in late January

The M23 is the most prominent of more than 100 armed groups vying for control of eastern Congo’s trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that’s critical for much of the world’s technology The rebels are supported by about 4,000 troops from neighboring Rwanda, according to U.N experts.

The decadeslong ﬁghting has displaced more than 6 million people in the region, creating the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.

Plane flips on landing in Toronto

BY JOHN WAWROW and MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

TORONTO A Delta Airlines plane ﬂipped upon arrival at Toronto Pearson International Airport and ended up on its roof Monday, injuring 17 people.

The airport confirmed on X that an “incident” occurred with the Delta ﬂight from Minneapolis and that 76 passengers and four crew are accounted for

The accident happened at about 2:15 p.m. and ﬂights at the airport, which handles more passengers than any other Canadian airport, were grounded for around two and half hours. Two runways will remain closed during the investigation.

“We are very grateful there was no loss of life and relatively minor injuries,” Deborah Flint, CEO of Greater Toronto Airports Authority told reporters.

The number of people injured was down from early reports from paramedics

Envoys to meet in Saudi Arabia

BY MATTHEW LEE, JUSTIN SPIKE and BARRY HATTON Associated Press

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia Senior American and Russian officials, including the countries’ top diplomats, will hold talks on improving their ties and negotiating an end to the war in Ukraine, officials said Monday, in what would be the most significant meeting between the sides since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor nearly three years ago.

The talks scheduled for Tuesday in Saudi Arabia mark another pivotal step by the Trump administration to reverse U.S. policy on isolating Russia, and are meant to pave the way for a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The recent U.S. diplomatic blitz on the war has sent Kyiv and key allies scrambling to ensure a

cases of takeoffs where airplanes have ended up inverted, but it’s pretty rare.” The audio recording from the tower at Toronto Pearson International Airport shows the flight was cleared to land at about 2:10 p.m. local time. The tower warns the pilots of a possible air ﬂow bump in the glide path as the plane comes into land.

“It sounds to me like a controller trying to be helpful, meaning the wind is going to give you a bumpy ride coming down, that you’re going to be

that 19 were hurt Video from the scene shows the Mitsubishi CRJ900LR upside down on the snowy tarmac as emergency workers hose it down.

The plane was somewhat obscured by snow from a winter storm that hit Toronto over the weekend.

Ornge air ambulance said it was transporting one pediatric patient to Toronto’s SickKids hospital and two injured adults to other hospitals in the city.

“Emergency teams are responding,” the airport said in a post on the social platform X. “All passen-

gers and crew are accounted for.”

Tower controllers were heard speaking with the crew of a medical helicopter that had just left Pearson and was returning to help with the crash. The plane came to a rest at the intersection of Runways 23 and 15L, the controller said. That’s not far from the start of the runway

“Just so you’re aware, there’s people outside walking around the aircraft there,” a tower controller said.

“Yeah, we’ve got it. The aircraft is upside down

and burning,” the medical helicopter pilot responded.

It is too early to say what caused the plane to ﬂip but weather may have played a factor According to the Meteorological Service of Canada, the airport was experiencing blowing snow and winds of 32 mph gusting to 40 mph. The temperature was about 16.5 degrees.

“It’s very rare to see something like this,” said John Cox, CEO of aviation safety consulting ﬁrm Safety Operating Systems in St. Petersburg, Florida.

“We’ve seen a couple of

U.S. officials to hold talks without Kyiv

seat at the table amid concerns that Washington and Moscow could press ahead with a deal that won’t be favorable to them. France called an emergency meeting of European Union countries and the U.K. on Monday to decide how to respond.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov arrived in the Saudi capital on Monday according to Russian state TV Ushakov said the talks would be “purely bilateral” and would not include Ukrainian ofﬁcials.

The U.S. delegation, he said, is made up of “serious people” but said Russia “came with a serious approach too.” It is important, Ushakov said, “to start the real normalization of relations” between Russia and the U.S.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff will meet the Russian delegation, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the talks will be primarily focused on “restoring the entire range of U.S.-Russian relations, as well as preparing possible talks on the Ukrainian settlement and organizing a meeting of the two presidents.”

Bruce said the meeting is aimed at determining how serious the Russians are about wanting peace and whether detailed negotiations can be started.

“I think the goal, obviously, for everyone is to de-

termine if this is something that can move forward,” she told reporters traveling with Rubio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Bruce said that even though Ukraine would not be at the table for Tuesday’s talks, actual peace negotiations would only take place

with Ukraine’s involvement. Kyiv’s participation in any peace talks was a bedrock of U.S. policy under Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Speaking on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” program Witkoff said he and Waltz will be “having meetings at the direction of the president,” and hope to make “some really good progress with regard to Russia-Ukraine.” Witkoff didn’t directly respond to a question about whether Ukraine would have to give up a “significant portion” of its territory as part of any negotiated settlement U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week that NATO membership for Ukraine was unrealistic and suggested Kyiv should abandon hopes of winning all its territory back from Russia — two key items on Putin’s wish list.

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efﬁciency is seeking access to troves of sensitive taxpayer data at the IRS, two people familiar with the inner workings of the plan who were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly told The Associated Press on Monday. If successful, Musk and his group would have access to millions of tightly controlled files that include taxpayer information, bank records and other sensitive records.

potential unlawful release of taxpayer records could be used to maliciously target Americans, violate their privacy and create other ramiﬁcations.

would grant IRS system access to Musk or DOGE

The senators are also seeking justiﬁcations for DOGE efforts to inspect tax returns and private bank records.

Musk

The people who spoke to the AP and requested anonymity said DOGE is speciﬁcally seeking to access the IRS’ Integrated Data Retrieval System, which enables employees “to have instantaneous visual access to certain taxpayer accounts,” according to the IRS website Advocates fear that the

Harrison Fields, a White House spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that “waste, fraud, and abuse have been deeply entrenched in our broken system for far too long. It takes direct access to the system to identify and ﬁx it.”

“DOGE will continue to shine a light on the fraud they uncover as the American people deserve to know what their government has been spending their hard earned tax dollars on,” he said.

Democratic lawmakers are trying to ﬁght against DOGE plans to access IRS data. Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter Monday to acting IRS Commissioner Douglas O’Donnell, demanding copies of any memos that

Along with fears that DOGE access to taxpayer data may not be legal, “we are also extremely concerned that DOGE personnel meddling with IRS systems in the middle of tax ﬁling season could, inadvertently or otherwise, cause breakdowns that may delay the issuance of tax refunds indefinitely,” the letter reads.

“Any delay in refunds could be financially devastating to millions of Americans who plan their budgets around timely refunds every spring.”

Jan. 27 was the official start date of the 2025 tax season, and the IRS expects more than 140 million tax returns to be ﬁled by the April 15 deadline.

The Washington Post on Sunday first reported on DOGE’s plans to access taxpayer data.

PHOTO PROVIDED By UKRAINIAN 24TH MECHANISED BRIGADE Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire an MRLS BM-21 ‘Grad’ on Saturday toward Russian army positions near Chasiv yar, Donetsk region, Ukraine.

‘Life-threatening cold’ hits parts of U.S.

Death

toll

13 from weekend storms

BY JACK DURA and MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

BISMARCK, N.D Harsh cold de-

scend on the nation’s midsection

Monday as a polar vortex gripped the Rockies and Northern Plains on the heels of weekend storms that pummeled the Eastern U.S. with ﬂoods, killing at least 13 people

The National Weather Service warned of “life-threatening cold” as wind chills dropped to minus 60 in parts of North Dakota on Monday and minus 50 in parts of Montana.

Tuesday morning was forecast to be even colder

Extreme cold warnings were issued for an 11-state swath of the U.S. stretching from the Canadian border to Oklahoma and central Texas, where the Arctic front was expected to bring near-record cold temperatures and wind chills in the single digits by midweek.

Meteorologists had predicted that parts of the U.S. would experience the 10th and coldest polar vortex event this season. Weather forces in the Arctic are pushing chilly air that usually stays near the North Pole into the U.S. and Europe

Deadly flooding

The death toll in flood-battered Kentucky rose to 11, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday Nine of the deaths were ﬂood-related. Two fatal vehicle crashes were connected to the severe weather he said and at least 1,000 people stranded by ﬂoods had to be rescued.

Parts of Kentucky and Tennessee received up to 6 inches of rain as severe storms swept across the South. Water submerged cars and build-

ings in Kentucky and mudslides blocked roads in Virginia.

In West Virginia, where there was one conﬁrmed fatality with several people still missing, Gov Patrick Morrisey asked President Donald Trump to issue a disaster declaration for a 13-county region ravaged by ﬂooding. In Atlanta, a person was killed when a large tree fell on a home early Sunday.

Flood warnings were extended Monday across most of Kentucky and portions of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia and Ohio

Parts of U.S. hit by snow storms

In Nebraska, where much of the state was under a winter weather advisory, a state trooper was killed Monday morning while responding to a crash on Interstate 80 near the town of Greenwood. The trooper’s name and further circumstances of the fatality were

not immediately released.

Ice and snow made travel treacherous in large swaths of Michigan, which remained under a winter weather advisory until Monday afternoon.

Authorities in Colorado reported eight people were killed in fatal vehicle crashes since Valentine’s Day and warned drivers to be cautious. Avalanche warnings were issued for numerous areas of the Rocky Mountains, with the danger rated high in portions of Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Wyoming.

The Mount Washington Avalanche Center issued an avalanche warning Monday for areas of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Two ice climbers were rescued in the White Mountains on Sunday after triggering an avalanche that partially buried one of them, ofﬁcials said. Detroit water main bursts

Parts of a southwest Detroit neighborhood were submerged af-

ter a nearly century-old water main burst Monday, ﬂooding streets, sidewalks and yards under several feet of water

Firefighters used a ladder to help one person from the roof of a car in waist-deep water and a bulldozer was used to navigate a flooded street and help people leave a home, according to the fire department.

The 54-inch transmission main was built in 1930, according to the Great Lakes Water Authority Crews were attempting to isolate the break. It was not clear what caused it, but overnight temperatures had been well below freezing. No injuries have been reported.

Extreme cold

This is the coldest month of the year for many locations, and air temperatures may approach record lows in some areas, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Anglin in Bismarck.

People should cover exposed skin and limit time outside to avoid frostbite, which can happen in minutes in such low temperatures, Anglin said. Neighbors should check on each other and those who are vulnerable and monitor heater vents to make sure they don’t ice up.

Due to the frigid conditions and a “lack of adequate heating fuel,” North Dakota Gov Kelly Armstrong on Monday waived hours-of-service requirements for commercial-vehicle drivers hauling propane and petroleum products. The waiver is for 30 days.

The cold snap in North Dakota was expected to reduce oil production by about 5%, or about 50,000 to 80,000 barrels a day — pretty typical for such conditions, North Dakota Pipeline Authority Director Justin Kringstad said. It takes about a week once temperatures warm up for volumes to rebound, he said.

Israel’s ceasefires with Hamas, Hezbollah in doubt

BY MELANIE LIDMAN and SALLY ABOU ALJOUD Associated Press

JERUSALEM Israel’s military says its forces will remain in ﬁve strategic locations in southern Lebanon after Tuesday’s deadline for their withdrawal under a ceaseﬁre with the Hezbollah militant group, as Lebanon’s government expressed frustration over another delay.

A separate ceasefire in Gaza was also in doubt as the region marked 500 days of Israel’s war with Hamas, while Israel and the United States sent conflicting signals over whether they want the truce to continue. Talks on the ceasefire’s second phase are yet to start.

Military spokesperson Lt. Col Nadav Shoshani said the five locations in Lebanon provide vantage points or are located across from communities in northern Israel, where about 60,000 Israelis are still displaced He said the “temporary measure” was approved by the U.S.-led body monitoring the truce, which earlier was extended by three weeks. Under the agreement, Israeli forces should withdraw from a buffer zone in south-

ern Lebanon to be patrolled by the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers. The ceaseﬁre has held since taking effect in November Israel is committed to a withdrawal in “the right way, in a gradual way, and in a way that the security of our civilians is kept,” Shoshani told reporters.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told reporters the ceasefire “must be respected,” saying “the Israeli enemy cannot be trusted.”

He said Lebanese officials were working diplomatically for the withdrawal. Hezbollah leader Naim Kassem said Sunday “there can be no excuses” for any delay past Tuesday

Earlier on Monday, Israel’s military said its drone strike killed Muhammad Shaheen, head of Hamas’ operations in Lebanon. The strike in the port city of Sidon was the deepest inside Lebanese territory since the ceaseﬁre took effect. Associated Press video footage showed a charred vehicle.

“Now the fear has come back to people,” said Ahmed Sleim, a Sidon resident who worried about a return to war Israelis held protests call-

ing for the Gaza ceasefire to be extended so that more hostages abducted in the Oct. 7 attack can be freed.

An Israeli official said four bodies are expected to be returned to Israel on Thursday The ofﬁcial gave no further details and spoke on condition of anonymity because details were being arranged. So far, no bodies have been handed over during the ceasefire’s current phase. There was no immediate comment from Hamas.

Israeli ofﬁcials have said they believe eight of the 33 people to be returned in the ceasefire’s first phase are dead. Hamas is gradually releasing the 33 in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces have pulled back from most parts of Gaza and allowed a surge of humanitarian aid.

This first phase ends in less than two weeks. Negotiations on the more difficult second phase — which would release more hostages and see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza — should have started two weeks ago.

“All I care about, all I want, is for my friends to return. There were six of us living in unbearable condi-

‘No kings on Presidents Day’ rings out at protests against Trump, Musk

BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press

BOSTON Protesters against President Donald Trump and his policies braved frigid temperatures to demonstrate Monday at rallies corresponding with the Presidents Day holiday Dubbed “No Kings on Presidents Day” by the 50501 Movement, the latest protests came less than two weeks after a similar nationwide event on Feb. 5 drew participants in dozens of cities. Both protests denounced Trump and billionaire adviser Elon Musk the leader of Trump’s new Department of Government Efﬁciency, an outside-government organization designed to slash federal spending. Nearly 1,000 people marched in the snow from the Statehouse in Boston to City Hall, chanting “Elon Musk has got to go” and “No kings on Presidents Day!” The temperature was below freezing with wind chills in the teens. Boston protesters, some dressed in Revolutionary War-style clothing from the 1700s, carried signs saying such things as “This is a Coup” and “Cowards Bow to Trump, Patriots Stand Up.” One sign had a depiction of Uncle Sam saying “I Want You to Resist.” “I thought it was important to be here on Presidents Day to demonstrate for what America stands for,” said Emily Manning, 55,

demonstrate Monday as part of the ‘No Kings on Presidents Day’ protest near the Capitol in Washington in support of federal workers and against recent actions by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

a Boston engineer who came to the rally with her two teenage sons. “American values are not the values of the plutocracy or the limited few rich people.” Organizers of Monday’s protests, which were focused on state capitals and major cities including Washington, D.C.; Orlando, Florida; and Seattle, said they were targeting “anti-democratic and illegal actions of the Trump administration and its plutocratic allies.” One sign at the rally that attracted hundreds in the nation’s capital said, “Deport Musk Dethrone Trump.”

tions” Ohad Ben Ami, re-

leased a week and a half ago, told Israeli President Isaac Herzog. Families have described loved ones barefoot or in chains.

“It’s just not within the realm of possibility that they’re still there,” said

protester Eleanor Satlow in Jerusalem Others rallied in Tel Aviv, where newly released hostage Iair Horn told them: “I’m telling you, the hostages don’t have time, we don’t have time.” His brother Eitan is still in Gaza.

European leaders want say in talks with Russia

BY SYLVIE CORBET and RAF CASERT

Associated Press

PARIS European leaders insisted Monday they must have a say in international talks to end the war in Ukraine despite the clear message from both Washington and Moscow that there was no role for them as yet in negotiations that could shape the future of the continent.

Three hours of emergency talks at the Elysee Palace in Paris left leaders of Germany the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, NATO and the European Union without a common view on possible peacekeeping troops after a U.S diplomatic blitz on Ukraine last week threw a once-solid trans-Atlantic alliance into turmoil. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for U.S. backing while reafﬁrming he’s ready to consider sending British forces on the Ukrainian ground alongside others “if there is a lasting peace agreement.” There was a rift though with some EU nations, like Poland, which have said they don’t want their military imprint on Ukraine soil. Macron was noncommittal.

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof acknowledged the Europeans “need to come to a common conclusion about what we can contribute And that way we will eventually get a seat at the table,” adding that “just sitting at the table without contributing is pointless.” Starmer said a trans-Atlantic bond remained essential. “There must be a U.S. backstop, because a U.S. security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again,” he said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JACQUELyN MARTIN People

DETROIT NEWS PHOTO By ANDy MORRISON

Lisa Muscat carries her dog, Zoey, to safety on Monday after a water main break in Detroit caused massive flooding, triggering evacuations.

DEPTH

Continued from page 1A

with ﬂower arrangements augmented with traffic cones. The bride’s bouquet was ribboned with caution tape.

Resh and Nguyen were allowed to pick their own pothole They veered away from the grotesque, toward the genteel.

The roadway imperfection that they chose was suggested by Chris Jones, owner of the nearby Felicity Church, a wedding venue. Jones said he hopes that, considering the attention the wedding drew to the spectacular street defect, “one day, maybe, it gets ﬁxed.”

Email Doug MacCash at dmaccash@theadvocate. com.

affected were considered to handle critical safety functions.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a brief statement Monday it was “analyzing the effect of the reported federal employee terminations on aviation safety, the national airspace system and our members.”

Other FAA employees who were ﬁred were working on an urgent and classiﬁed early warning radar system the Air Force had announced in 2023 for Hawaii to detect incoming cruise missiles, through a program that was in part funded by the Defense Department. It’s one of several programs that the FAA’s National Airspace System Defense Program manages that involve radars providing longer-range detection around the country’s borders. Due to the nature of their work, staff in that office typically provide an exten-

PROMOTIONS

Continued from page 1A

within. But the promotions turned out to be as controversial as they were rare.

A process revamped in 2021 under the federal consent decree combines internal assessments of candidates by a panel of three deputy chiefs with an external assessment by the third-party contractor that administers and scores the Civil Service exam. Cantrell raised allegations of bias in the resulting list of ranked candidates for promotion, and an anonymous Public Integrity Bureau complaint alleged cheating on the test.

Topping the list for the coveted majors’ spots were captains Kendrick Allen and Banks, who investigated Cantrell’s alleged lover, former NOPD officer Jeffrey

sive knowledge transfer before retiring to make sure no institutional knowledge is lost, said Charles SpitzerStadtlander, one of the employees in that branch who was terminated.

The Hawaii radar and the FAA defense program ofﬁce working on it are “about protecting national security,” Spitzer-Stadtlander said. “I don’t think they even knew what NDP does, they just thought, oh no big deal, he just works for the FAA.”

“This is about protecting national security, and I’m scared to death,” SpitzerStadtlander said. “And the American public should be scared too.”

Spero said messages began arriving after 7 p.m. Friday and continued late into the night. More might be notiﬁed over the long weekend or barred from entering FAA buildings Tuesday he said.

The employees were ﬁred “without cause nor based on performance or conduct,”

Spero said, and the emails were “from an ‘exec order’ Microsoft email address” — not a government email ad-

Vappie, over his timesheets. A federal grand jury in July indicted Vappie in a fraud case that references the mayor Vappie has pleaded not guilty Kirkpatrick initially said she’d scrap the rankings. That decision spurred outcry from the Police Association of New Orleans and the Black Organization of Police, which ﬁled complaints with the Civil Service Commission alleging “political patronage and political interference in the civil service system” by the mayor In response, Kirkpatrick froze the high-level promotions list instead of discarding it, while federal monitors, outside assessors and the New Orleans Office of Inspector General each reviewed the process. None found wrongdoing On Feb. 7, U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, who has overseen the NOPD’s consent decree since its inception in 2013, deemed the

dress. A copy of the termination email that was provided to the AP shows the sending address “ASK_AHR_EXEC_ Orders@usfaa.mail.outlook. com.”

The firings hit the FAA as it is facing a shortfall in controllers. Federal ofﬁcials have been raising concerns about an overtaxed and understaffed air trafﬁc control system for years, especially after a series of close calls between planes at U.S. airports. Among the reasons they have cited for staffing shortages are uncompetitive pay, long shifts, intensive training and mandatory retirements.

In the Jan. 29 fatal crash between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and American Airlines passenger jet, which is still under investigation, one controller was handing both commercial airline and helicopter trafﬁc at the busy airport.

Just days before the collision, President Donald Trump had already ﬁred all the members of the Aviation Security Advisory Committee, a panel mandated by Congress after the 1988 PanAm 103 bombing over

Lockerbie, Scotland. The committee is charged with examining safety issues at airlines and airports.

Spitzer-Stadtlander suggested he was targeted for ﬁring for his views on Tesla and X, formerly Twitter not as part of a general probationary-level sweep. Both companies are owned by Elon Musk, whose Department of Government Efﬁciency is leading Trump’s effort to cut the federal government.

Spitzer-Stadtlander is Jewish and was angered by Musk’s straight-arm gesture at Trump’s inauguration. On his personal Facebook page he urged friends to get rid of their Teslas and X accounts in response.

Spitzer-Stadtlander said that post drew the attention of a Facebook account labeled “Department of Government Efficiency,” which reacted with a laughing emoji. Soon after, he saw the same account reacting to much older posts through his personal Facebook feed. There are at least a halfdozen Facebook accounts labeled “Department of Gov-

ernment Efﬁciency,” and it’s unclear who operates any of them White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt wrote Monday on X, “DOGE doesn’t even have a Facebook page.”

Spitzer-Stadtlander said he was supposed to be exempted from the probationary ﬁrings because the FAA ofﬁce he worked in focused on national security threats such as attacks on the national airspace by drones.

“Less than a week later, I was fired, despite my position allegedly being exempted due to national security,” Spitzer-Stadtlander wrote in a post over the weekend on LinkedIn. He added, “When DOGE fired me, they turned off my computer and wiped all of my files without warning.” DOGE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The firings were first reported by CNN.

original ranked lists valid with one correction that dropped Allen down a spot in the rankings for major, lifting Roberts On Monday Cantrell defended the earlier decision to pump the brakes on the promotions.

“I know the process added some weeks some anxieties. We had to go through, making sure we had promotional lists that we can stand on as being credible,” Cantrell said. “Because I believe the men and women who serve this department, and their families, deserve nothing less.”

Promotions also were announced Monday for other NOPD officers. Thaddeus Murray and Michael Guasco were promoted from sergeant to lieutenant, and Marylou Agustin, Tanisha Sykes-Smith, Michael Haynes and Jesse Roger rose from senior police ofﬁcers to sergeants.

Monica Resh and Kevin Nguyen get married in a New Orleans pothole at the conclusion of a contest conducted by the popular ‘Look At This F***** Street’ Instagram account.

STAFF PHOTO By DOUG MacCASH

Plan to power data center challenged

Entergy seeks to build 3 gas power plants

BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

Two environmental and consumer protection groups are challenging Entergy’s plan to power a massive artiﬁcial intelligence data center for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, in northeast Louisiana.

The Alliance for Affordable Energy and the Union of Concerned Scientists have ﬁled a motion asking the state’s utility regulators to deny Entergy’s request to build three gas power plants at a cost of over $3 billion until it follows standard procedure. If the regulators side with the advocacy groups, Entergy would have to scrap the proposal in its current form and resubmit it after proving the gas plants are the best option available Entergy did not sufficiently show that the plants are the most cost-effective generation options that serve the public interest, the groups allege. They say the state’s largest utility did not meet requirements to be exempt from the Louisiana Public Service Commission’s standard process, where the utility must go to the market to assess the various options that would meet electricity demands.

“This is a real problem from our perspective for ratepayers because we effectively have to take it on faith that Entergy has found the least cost option that will serve their customers,” said Logan Burke, the executive director for the Alliance for Affordable Energy Entergy argues that the beneﬁts the data center would bring in the

LAWSUIT

Continued from page 1A

grant teachers a permanent pay raise, lower income taxes for seniors, reduce the maximum income tax rate, and limit the growth of state government,” he said in a statement “Amendment 2 was thoroughly debated and passed by a bipartisan supermajority of both houses of the Legislature. I am conﬁdent that voters across Louisiana will see through this political charade and pass Amendment 2 overwhelmingly on March 29.”

The lawsuit was filed by Most & Associates a New Orleans ﬁrm. William Most declined to identify who is behind the lawsuit, which lists three citizens as ﬁling it. They are the Rev Willie Calhoun Jr., a pastor at Fairview Baptist Missionary Church in New Orleans; Amy Hession, a teacher and educator who lives in New Orleans; and Jacob Newsom, a high school humanities teacher who lives in Ascension Parish.

During a two-week special session in November, Landry and the Legislature reduced income taxes, abolished the corporate franchise tax, raised the sales

form of jobs and economic development, the significant outside funding from the tech giant for the power plants and the need to speed the process to secure Meta’s investment is enough to forego the formal process.

Entergy declined to comment on the motion itself, but a spokesperson highlighted the benefits the data center would bring to a region in need of new economic prospects. The project is expected to create 300 to 500 jobs.

”It represents a major investment for the state, creating new job opportunities both during construction and in long-term operations,” Brandon Scardigli, the company representative, said.

“Entergy Louisiana will play a key role in providing reliable and sustainable energy to support Meta’s operations, reinforcing our commitment to renewable energy and economic growth.” Meta did not immediately re-

tax and kept tax credits used by ﬁlm productions and developers of historic buildings, albeit at lower spending levels.

The net savings would disproportionately beneﬁt the wealthy and big companies, who, Landry said, would use the money to invest in Louisiana and grow the state’s economy.

At Landry’s behest, the Legislature also passed House Bill 7, which in 115 pages authorized a series of other changes to the constitution if approved by voters on March 29.

The lawsuit says the 91word question is hopelessly complicated.

“There is no person in the State of Louisiana — including the legislators who passed HB7 who understands all of the proposed changes to the constitution,” the lawsuit says. “The voters, however, are to be asked to vote on the proposed changes.”

The lawsuit also says the 91 words include only the sweeteners in the proposed amendment language aimed at drawing favorable votes.

“None of the unappealing changes are included,” it says. “The ballot language is all dessert, no vegetables.”

State Sen. Franklin Foil, R-

spond to requests for comment.

In December, Meta announced its $10 billion plan to build its largest data center yet in Richland Parish, in a rural area east of Monroe. The advance of AI is causing demand for these airport-sized computer warehouse facilities to skyrocket, though they can also strain local grids.

The new electricity generation could account for up to 30% of Entergy’s power in Louisiana, state ofﬁcials have said, though the utility stresses the plants will be set up for clean energy production when feasible in the future.

The Richland Parish complex is planned at 4 million square feet, the size of around 70 football ﬁelds.

Entergy is asking the commission to approve the construction of the three new gas power plants, two of which would be located near the facility and a third elsewhere in the state. The utility

Baton Rouge, said the ballot language was added in the Senate but wasn’t sure who provided it.

In layman’s terms, the proposed amendment would eliminate two education trust funds and use the $2 billion in those trust funds to eliminate a portion of teacher retirement system debt. The money saved from not paying the teacher retirement debt in turn would be used to give teachers a $2,000 bump in salary

But teachers would not receive more than they are getting this year because it would only replace a onetime, $2,000 pay increase that teachers received last year — a point of contention for Most.

School support personnel also would see the onetime, $1,000 pay hike they received last year replaced with $1,000 more next year

The proposed amendment would also give parishes the option of repealing the property tax on business inventory, take most property tax exemptions out of the constitution and put their fate in the hands of legislators, impose a cap on annual spending and make it harder to create more tax breaks in the future.

The proposed constitutional amendment also would merge two state savings accounts, and, if passed, allow

wants the proposal approved by October, around a year after it submitted the application to the regulators.

An administrative law judge will handle the motion and offer a recommendation to the commission Whoever loses on the motion has the right to appeal, members of the environmental groups noted.

Typically, a company requesting new power generation from state regulators would undergo a request for proposal, where it lays out all types of available sources of generation, from conventional to battery storage. These rules were updated last year, with the goal of including “a broad spectrum of supply-side options to provide the commission, stakeholders, and customers with information and participation from multiple generation types.”

There are exceptions, including for smaller contracts or the purchasing of emergency power The

Landry to use some of that money to pay parishes to drop the inventory tax program

It also would double the standard deduction for seniors on their income taxes and would impose a limit on the growth of state spending

utility can also propose an alternative if it can prove that the regular process would not be in the public interest.

Entergy is seeking a broad waiver to the requirements, but the advocacy groups, represented by the environmental law nonproﬁt Earthjustice, argue it does not meet the standard for these exceptions. They want the commission to require Entergy to submit a proposal request and deny the utility’s application in the interim.

The advocacy groups said Entergy should be able to expedite the proposal request process and still meet Meta’s timeline. Entergy’s application stresses the need for a quickened process.

“The commission’s competitive RFP process is likely to bring cleaner, less expensive proposals for meeting the data center’s energy needs,” said Paul Arbaje, an analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists’ climate and energy program.

Commissioner Davante Lewis said it was too early to comment on the motion, but that the ﬁling raises questions that the commission should look into.

“Having a review process is important to ensure we are building generation that is needed that is also the most cost-efﬁcient,” Lewis said.

Eric Skrmetta, another commissioner, similarly declined to comment on the motion specifically, but said he believes the concerns over fast tracking the process or massive power needs to be unfounded.

“The industrial customer being the guarantor of the construction is a game changer,” Skrmetta said, referring to Meta’s ﬁnancial commitments to the new power plants.

“We are protecting the folks that need to be protected and at the same time creating the energy for industrial expansion.”

if certain spending triggers are met.

The proposal does not touch two popular tax protections in the state constitution: the $75,000 homestead exemption and the sales tax exemption for the purchase of groceries, residential utilities and prescription drugs. If the proposed amendment is knocked off the ballot or does not pass, the tax changes approved in November would remain in effect.

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Making friends on Valentine’s Day

Last week, Meredith Cooper at Forage Floral put out a call for volunteers to help deliver Valentine’s Day ﬂowers. I quickly threw my name in the hat and was happy when she told me to arrive at 9:30 a.m. Valentine’s morning.

Once I arrived at Cooper’s Government Street shop in Baton Rouge, she was handwriting cards for customers. One was a husband’s take on a sonnet for his wife.

Cooper said Rebecca Nelson would be my ﬂoral delivery partner Forage Floral is not your typical ﬂorist shop. It’s more of a studio. She has preplanned arrangements customers can choose from with names like Gal Pal, Wild Child and Classic, but Cooper doesn’t do the standard dozen red roses for Valentine’s.

As she took thin pieces of wire and ran them up the stems of scabiosas — long, graceful and delicate ﬂowers — Cooper chatted with me about her career as a ﬂorist.

It’s a small operation. Folks don’t pop in and pick up flowers. Arrangements have to be ordered and planned in advance except for the occasional pop-up she hosts, one of which was going on for Valentine’s across the street behind Barracuda’s Tacos. But primarily she operates her floral business with a combination of creativity and parameters — and the help of other part-time florists.

She has to use her ingenuity because she’s also a nurse,

ä See RISHER, page 2B

Clarion

Hotel sold to Miami group

Kenner site was formerly owned by Joe Jaeger

BY ANTHONY McAULEY Staff writer

The Clarion Hotel on Williams Boulevard in Kenner, which was part of the late Joe Jaeger’s hotel empire, has been sold to an operator based in South Florida for an undisclosed price, the Jaeger estate’s representatives said Monday. Even before Jaeger died after a car accident last June, the Clarion was one of nearly two dozen hotels and other properties the late developer had been trying to sell. Jaeger’s family followed through with his plans to put the hotel up for auction at the end of July but it failed to reach the required minimum price of $4.5 million.

Garnet Hotels, a small Miamibased group whose properties include a Hilton Garden Inn in Houston and a DoubleTree in Wilmington, Delaware, closed on its purchase of the Clarion at the end of January, said Len Wormser,

Airbnb sues over rental rules

Company claims restrictions unconstitutional

BY BEN MYERS Staff writer

Airbnb has sued over New Or-

leans’ sweeping short-term rental restrictions, alleging that a recent ordinance improperly delegates law enforcement to it and similar online platforms while forcing disclosure of sensitive data.

The latest case targets an ordinance the City Council passed in October that aims to eradicate

The lawsuit, which includes local property owners as plaintiffs, also alleges the city’s 2023 regulations for rentals in residential neighborhoods are unconstitutional, echoing claims in a similar lawsuit originally ﬁled in 2019 and amended after the latest regulations passed. That lawsuit is now before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

listings of unpermitted rentals by requiring Airbnb, VRBO and similar platforms to ensure that their listings are registered and legal. The law was originally to take effect in March, but has since been pushed back to June, to give the city’s Safety and Permits department time to set up a new veriﬁcation system for platforms.

Though Airbnb takes steps to verify that listings aren’t fake,

WHOOO DAT?

that does not include checking for compliance with local permitting rules, according to its website. That type of compliance check “improperly deputizes (platforms) as enforcers of the City’s ill-conceived ordinances,” the plaintiffs’ attorneys wrote.

The new law also requires platforms to submit monthly reports with individual booking dates and transactions that Airbnb and other plaintiffs argue is sensitive and

NOPD bodycam footage released

Officers converge on stolen cars in rush-hour traffic

BY MISSY WILKINSON Staff writer

New Orleans police on Monday released body-worn camera footage of a violent rush-hour encounter this month between ofﬁcers and suspects in two stolen cars, one of whom rammed a civilian vehicle and a police ofﬁcer in an attempt to evade arrest.

Three New Orleans police officers fired 11 rounds at Jaquan Dominick, 20, as he fled the Claiborne Bridge at Poland Avenue in a stolen Kia. Dominick suffered a bullet wound to his right shoulder, according to court documents. Police said he ran down one officer as he approached the vehicle on foot, carrying him briefly on the Kia’s hood. That officer went to a hospital with

minor injuries.

“This is a dangerous business,”

Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said Monday. “(Ofﬁcers) go in every day, knowing the dangers that confront them. And it can happen in a moment.”

The city’s independent police

monitor and the department’s Force Investigation Team both were on the scene of the shooting. The latter’s administrative investigation into the use of force is ongoing, Kirkpatrick said.

Woman arrested in boyfriend’s death

Police say shooting sparked by fight over breakfast

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A LaPlace man is dead, gunned down by his girlfriend after the couple got into a heated argument about breakfast, according to authorities. Tamyrihu Hubbard, 24, of Marrero, was arrested Sunday and booked with second-degree murder in the death of her boy-

friend, Joshua Jones, 23, said St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre.

The shooting was reported about 10:36 a.m. Sunday at Jones’ family home in the 100 block of East Lakeview Drive in LaPlace, the Sheriff’s Ofﬁce said.

The disagreement began during breakfast when Hubbard ate a large amount of food and didn’t leave much for the rest of the family, Tregre said.

That sparked the bitter blowup between the couple because the family is on a tight budget, according to Tregre. The argument escalated, and

Hubbard shot Jones once in the chest with one of his own guns, according to authorities. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Hubbard told responding deputies the shooting was accidental “We have physical evidence that tells us differently,” said Tregre, who did not disclose any other details. Hubbard was taken into custody at the house and booked into the Sherman R. Walker Correctional Center in LaPlace where she was still being held there Monday Bail was set at $1 million.

Portion would honor former Algiers pastor

BY SOPHIE KASAKOVE Staff writer

Nearly a dozen blocks of an avenue in Algiers named after a Confederate general would be renamed after an educator and pastor, per a proposal the New Orleans City Council has ﬂoated that skirts the recommendations of a city street renaming panel. The council last week directed the City Planning Commission to consider renaming General Meyer Avenue between Sullen Place and Bennett Street to Reverend Taza Green Sr Avenue. If the change is approved, the roughly 4-mile avenue would be named in part for Green, a former pastor of Second Baptist Church in Algiers’ Cut-Off neighborhood. The rest would continue to be a namesake of Adolph Meyer, a Confederate general who served in the U.S. House from 1891 to 1908. General Meyer Avenue was one of 38 city streets highlighted in 2021 by the council’s Street Renaming Commission, a body tasked with recommending Council proposes

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

horned owl

of its owlets perch high up in a live oak tree recently in Audubon Park in New Orleans

PROVIDED PHOTO

New Orleans officers confront drivers of two stolen cars in video footage from the investigation of an officer-involved shooting on Feb 6 at the intersection of Poland and North Claiborne avenues.

AIRBNB

Continued from page 1B

must be kept private.

The city had not ﬁled a response to the lawsuit as of Monday Adam Swensek, the City Council’s attorney said it’s premature to comment on the lawsuit’s speciﬁcs.

“This Council will, however, continue to do everything in our power to protect the residential character of our neighborhoods and to preserve our right to enact common sense short-term-rental regulations,” Swensek said in an email.

New Orleans is not alone in seeking to force Airbnb to verify hosts are permitted. New York City started enforcing a similar verification requirement in September 2023, after a state Supreme Court judge tossed Airbnb’s lawsuit to block that city’s set of regulations, which include a requirement that platforms conﬁrm hosts are properly registered.

Since then, enforcement of the New York City verification requirement has focused on “collaborating with the booking platforms to ensure they are using the city’s verification system, that all verifications are occurring correctly, and that the platforms stop processing unverified transactions,” according to New York City’s Office of Special En-

NOPD

Continued from page 1B

“We have not made conclusions on anything as of yet,” she said New Orleans Police Department ofﬁcers had been searching for and then surveilling two vehicles stolen earlier in the day on Feb. 6. When the Nissan Sentra and Kia Optima both stopped at a red light in “heavy afternoon congested trafﬁc” about 5:11 p.m., of-

forcement.

Airbnb also settled a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco, where it is based, by agreeing to San Francisco’s demands to help it enforce existing registration laws and to be more transparent about host data, The New York Times reported

The latest lawsuit in New Orleans also takes a broad swipe at the city’s 2-year-old rules for rentals in residential areas and the administrative adjudication system for assessing violations.

Plaintiffs say hearing officers have “unlimited and unguided discretion” to enforce vaguely deﬁned restrictions on noise levels, odors and lighting.

Plaintiffs also argue the city’s one-per-square-block cap on permits, live-in operator requirement and ban on corporate ownership are unconstitutional.

A federal judge last year dismissed similar claims in the other lawsuit that is now before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Appellate judges during oral arguments on Feb. 5 appeared skeptical of some aspects of the law, especially the live-in operator requirement and corporate ownership ban. The City Council passed the new law after the court struck down a previous set of regulations in 2022.

Email Ben Myers at bmyers@ theadvocate.com

ﬁcers went in for the bust, Kirkpatrick said Police bodycam and city crime camera footage, released Monday in accordance with reforms under a federal consent decree, show ofﬁcers commanding Dominick to put his hands up and open the door

While the Kia is stopped in traffic at a red light, five officers walk up as a marked police vehicle sits on the shoulder and three others block the intersection.

“They’ll jump. Be aware. Get on

HOTEL

a broker at HREC, which handled the sale for the Jaeger estate. Garnet plans to keep the branding and retain key employees, including the general manager Wormser said.

Jaeger and his partners bought the hotel, which was originally built in 1974, shortly after Hurricane Katrina and completely renovated it It later became part of the Crowne Plaza franchise and was marketed primarily to corporate and event organizers who wanted proximity to the airport The owners boasted that the 7,000-square-foot ballroom was the biggest in Jefferson Parish.

The total building footprint is 406,000 square feet with just over 11,000 square feet of event and meeting space. It sits on a 5.6-acre site with an outdoor saltwater pool

The owners leased the entire hotel to the Shell Oil Company during the COVID pandemic, which kept the operation and its staff going at full tilt. But that deal expired almost two years ago, after which the hotel was rebranded as a Clarion by Choice Hotels and given a makeover

The property was seen as an outlier among Jaeger’s other assets, which are more upscale, boutiquestyle operations like Hotel Mazarin and the Chateau Hotel in the

both sides,” an ofﬁcer advises on the radio. “Don’t get in front of the car.”

“Puts your hands up! Open the door!” an ofﬁcer yells.

Instead, the video shows the Kia ramming a vehicle and nearly missing one officer before it struck a second officer, who tumbles down an embankment. The Kia then veers off the road, past the police units blocking Claiborne Avenue at Poland Avenue, fleeing north down Poland. Dominick was arrested

French Quarter

Mixed results

Jaeger’s hotel assets and other properties are being managed by his longtime ﬁnancial adviser, Randy Waesche, under his succession plan The efforts to sell the properties have had mixed success. The Royal Bourbon Hotel in the French Quarter, for example, was sold for $80 million. However, The Jung Hotel and Residences was encumbered by defaulted debt and was foreclosed by investors who took control of the property last month.

The Clarion was not covered by a deal Jaeger made two years ago with Ambridge Hospitality group to manage most of his hotels. Garnet Hotels plans to manage it directly Wormser said.

At the July auction, the minimum starting bid had been set at $4.5 million and the hotel property was valued by the Jefferson Parish Assessor’s Ofﬁce at $7.6 million. These types of hotels usually sell for about twice that amount, or about $50,000 per room, according to industry experts.

Wormser’s HREC also brokered the sale of the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel on Airline Drive in 2022, also for an undisclosed price. That 319-room property has an assessed market value of about $41 million, according to the parish assessor

Email Anthony McAuley tmcauley@theadvocate.com.

Wednesday and held on two counts of attempted ﬁrst-degree murder along with 18 other counts ranging from armed robbery to simple assault. He will be held without bail until a Gwen’s Law hearing Tuesday Dominick’s arrest follows that of Destiny Jefferson, 19, Kendall Burrell, 19, and a 14-yearold boy Police arrested all three at the scene in the stolen Nissan Sentra on suspicion of illegal possession of stolen things.

Continued from page 1B

working at Baton Rouge General. Cooper told me she sees lots of similarities between nursing and being a ﬂorist. She said they are both about caring for other people. Both require lots of planning and organizing. The last commonality she mentioned caught me off guard and harkened back to putting the wires in the scabiosa.

“I don’t know if you saw me wiring the scabiosa I think this so often that wiring ﬂowers is so similar to starting IVs,” she said. “Oh my gosh, like the feeling that you have whenever you’re in the right spot and like when you’re guiding it in.”

During the height of COVID, she decided that nursing was more important than ﬂowers and put her ﬂoral business on hold. These days, Cooper is back in

the full swing of flowers. On Valentine’s morning, as Cooper went from one arrangement to the next, she shared tips for making flowers even more beautiful. For example, she removes all the outer rose petals that may look a little bruised She holds the roses upside down spins them back and forth between both hands and then blows on them — and the roses look so much fluffier and prettier Cooper’s standard arrangements are anything but standard — and she customizes them on request. For example one husband had asked that all yellow and peach-colored flowers be removed from the arrangement for his wife. Not a problem. She plucked out the yellow and peach-colored flowers and replaced them with purple and pink. Cooper uses all the sustainable means she can as a florist no plastic holders for cards at For-

age. Instead, she splices the long stems she cuts from roses and wedges the cards in to include in the arrangements. After much ado about getting the right combination of 14 arrangements loaded into Nelson’s car in the right order, we were off. Nelson has lived in Baton Rouge for more than 20 years and knew her way around. She’s a longtime supporter of Forage, including ordering one of the weekly subscriptions of ﬂoral arrangements. We went to small houses. We went to large houses. Nobody was home. We went to a school. We went to more houses. We met a housekeeper. Nelson and I discovered that we have children in the same age range. Delivering ﬂowers gave us time to visit in between stops — and it turns out that very few people are home We had more than two hours to get to know each other We both like reading. We are

AVENUE

Continued

name changes for city streets named after Confederate-era ofﬁcials and segregationists. The lengthy process largely stalled by the following year with most of the streets retaining their existing names. That body recommended naming the entire avenue for Rudy Lombard, a New Orleans civil rights activist and author But District C council member Freddie King, who represents Algiers, said the push to change the street in part to honor Green, which he sponsored, came at area residents’ request. He called Green “a pillar of the Cut-Off community.” No residents spoke either for or against the change on Thursday Edwin Lombard, the younger brother of Rudy Lombard and a longtime Orleans Parish clerk and appeals court judge, said that it would a “terrible disappointment” and a “disservice to the contribution of Rudy and people of his ilk” if his brother were not honored with the street name change. “There’s plenty enough streets for everyone,” said Edwin Lombard, who said he had not been informed by King about the change to the proposal.

For a street’s name to be changed, the council must direct the City Planning Commission to review the requested change. The commission has 60 days to hold a public hearing about the request and make a recommendation to the council, which has the ﬁnal say The latest move comes after a previous attempt by King to resuscitate the street renaming process in his district was stymied. In December, the planning commission voted unanimously to deny an earlier request by King to name the smaller portion of the street for Green, with planners pointing to city rules that ban street name changes that split one street into multiple sections with different names. The exception, under the city’s rules, is when the portion of the street that will be renamed is materially different from the rest of the street, such as when the street grid splits in some way or there is a park or a similar barrier separating one portion of the street from the other King’s latest proposal leaves General Meyer intact from where it originates, the intersection of Behrman Avenue, to Sullen Place (General Meyer Avenue past Behrman Avenue is Newton Street). At Sullen Place and through Bennett Street, however, the multilane General Meyer Avenue becomes a single lane street separated by a large neutral ground.

King did not respond to multiple requests for comment. City Planning Commission Director Robert Rivers said the commission will consider King’s latest request.

King noted that Green was a graduate of O.P Walker Senior High School and of the University of New Orleans. He was a teacher in the Jefferson Parish school system before he was installed as pastor of Second Baptist Church in 1994 He served there for 20 years before he died in 2015.

both interested in art. We have creative husbands. We realized we had mutual friends. She knows the person hosting the rehearsal dinner of the wedding I was going to — that kind of thing. It was fun, and a welcomed social respite from my normal Friday morning editing and writing deadlines. I would venture to say, I made a new friend — a most appropriate way to mark Valentine’s Day On our last delivery, we finally had someone in the Goodwood area answer the door and accept her floral arrangement. Even though my involvement was minimal, it was still a strange feeling of accomplishment. Overall, helping deliver Valentine’s flowers made me reflect on all the people and parts that go into all the things delivered to our homes — so many hands and hearts make it happen.

Email Jan Risher at jan.risher@ theadvocate.com.

Edwin Lombard, who has publicly called on the council to resume its street renaming effort, said on Monday that the stalled renaming process was evidence of the council’s “lack of commitment to their own history, to knowing their history.”

He recalled something his brother would often say after someone, whether a politician or a relative, failed to follow through on a commitment: “Disappointed, but not surprised.”

“That’s exactly how I feel right now,” Edwin Lombard said. “I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised.”

Email Sophie Kasakove at sophie.kasakove@ theadvocate.com.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Meredith Cooper, owner of Forage Floral in Baton Rouge, makes last-minute additions to an arrangement about to be delivered for Valentine’s Day

Jackson,Abbie

Lowenburg,Anne

Picot, Mary

Pistorius, Randolph

Jackson,Abbie

Jones, Ruby

Picot, Mary

Duplantis, Melvyn 'Mel

Melvyn "Mel" Thomas Duplantis Sr., age 83, of Sugarcreek, Ohio, passed away on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. He was born in New Orleans, Louisianna on June 24, 1941, to the late Dunice and Beulah (Bullion) Duplantis. He worked in Environmental Protection for Union Carbide Plantin Hahnville, LA for 29 years. Mel was aRosicrucian member for over 20 years. He was also amemberof the Krewe Du Vieux Carre for 20 years.

On February 4, 1981,he married Sandra (Ewing) Duplantis who survives.

Along with his wife of 45 years, Mel is survived by his two sons, Tracy Duplantis and Melvyn Duplantis Jr., best friend, Michael Douglass and close friends, Suzanne Timmons and Terry Tarleton. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, James and Hickman Duplantis. Per Mel's wishes, acremation will take place. Given-Dawson-Paisley Funeral Home is serving the family. An online memorial can be viewed at www.givendawson-paisleyfh.com.

Michael Douglass and close friends, Suzanne Timmons and Terry Tarleton. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, James and Hickman Duplantis. Per Mel's wishes, acremation will take place. Given-Dawson-Paisley Funeral Home is serving the family. An online memorialcan be viewed at www.givendawson-paisleyfh.com.

Abbie Gail White Jack‐son, aged 59, was born on December 9 1965, and passed away on February 9, 2025. She was a native of New Orleans LA and was known for her vibrant per‐sonality and deep commit‐ment to her family Abbie will be remembered for her kindness, enduring spirit, and the love she shared with those around her Abbie attended Clark High School and spent many years working as an Assis‐tant Manager at Church's Chicken and Walmart, where she was respected by her colleagues for her work ethic and friendly de‐meanor She is survived by her loving husband, Michael Jackson; daughter, Gabrielle Jackson; grand‐daughter, Bailee Breaux; sisters: Wanda White El‐lzey and Sheila White Greene; brother, Dwight White, and numerous nieces and nephews Pre‐ceded in death by her par‐ents, Mary Alice and Willie L. White, Sr., and brothers: Willie White Jr Wayne White, Michael White, and Raymond White Family and friends are invited to attend a Homegoing Ser‐vice to Celebrate Abbie's Life for 10:00 a.m on Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at New Home Min‐istries, 1616 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA 70130. Vis‐itation will begin at 9:00 a.m. Bishop Samuel R Blakes ofﬁciating Inter‐ment will follow at Garden of Memories Cemetery, Metairie, LA. Guestbook Online: www anewtraditi onbegins.com (504)2820600. Linear Brooks Boyd and Donavin D Boyd Own‐ers/Funeral Directors

NEWS 24/7 ON

Ruby Major

Ruby Major Jones ﬂew away into immortality on Feb. 7 2025. She was 87 years old. Jones was born on Sept. 22, 1937, in New Orleans She was the sev‐enth of John and Lillian Major’s ten offspring She grew up in the Seventh Ward and lived there for much of her adult life Jones lived on Annette Street, in a trio of shotgun houses in the 1900 block, for several decades In later years, she was a resi‐dent of Flint Goodridge Apartments Uptown. Jones was a skilled domestic worker known for her love of dolls, dogs, leopard print and her ﬁerce indepen‐dence. Jones is prede‐ceased by her only child, Calvin Jones Jr.; granddogs Doodles, Tutu and Pre‐cious; eight siblings; and her parents She is sur‐vived by her brother Sid‐ney Major (Jeralyn); two goddaughter/nieces, Dion M. Harris and Dianne White Roy; and assorted nieces and nephews. A one-hour memorial service will be held on Thursday, Feb 20 at Charbonnet-LabatGlapion Funeral Home in Tremé, promptly at noon Family, friends neighbors and associates are invited to assemble at 11 a.m.

Anne Pake Lowenburg, born July 18, 1929 (Mobile, AL), passed away February 13, 2025 (New Orleans). Daughter of Bertram and Jeanne Pake. Wife of the late Richard Hill Lowenburg. Mother of Harry, Thomas, (Judith Lafitte), Ellen, James (Karen Mandell) and the late Margery Lowenburg. Mother-in-law of Jane Mauldin. Grandmother of Benjamin (Megan), Elizabeth, Sara, Richard and Samuel Lowenburg. Great grandmother of Eli, David, Max and Ellis. Aloving and courageous woman, dedicated to family, friends and community, and an active, generous supporter of civic and social justice causes. A memorial service celebrating her life will be held on Wednesday, February 19 at 11am at Temple Sinai, followed by areception. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Planned Parenthood, New Orleans JCC (ACE program), Avodah (for New Orleans), Temple Sinai, or the charity of your choice.

mother Marie Rousseau and 3 siblings, Austin Grif‐ﬁn, Ernestine Thompson, and Margie Ramos Mary leaves to cherish her mem‐ories her husband, Michael Picot; 2 children, Frank (Tamerra) Picot and Renee (Terrence) Duncan; 7 grandkids LinDale Michael, Asia, Frank Jr, Jaylen, Marie, Isaiah 8 greatgrandkids, 11 siblings, Lloyd Jr., Lionel Sr (Max‐ine) Ethel, Edwin Leory (Beverly), Arthur, Deborah (Kenneth) Morris, Norris Kenya (Tramall) and Lardet; Godchild Farrah Moses and a host of other relatives and friends. Rela‐tives and friends of the family are invited to attend her Mass of Christian Bur‐ial on Thursday, February 20, 2025, 10:00AM at St David’s Catholic Church, 5617 St Claude Ave NOLA Visitation 9:00AM until Mass. Interment Private. Services entrusted to the caring staff of: Profes‐sional Funeral Services, Inc. "Families First" 1449 N Claiborne Avenue New Or‐leans, LA 70116. 504-9487447.

Mary Marie Griffin Picot, age 75, passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2025. She was a graduate of L.E. Rabouin and worked for over 30 years at Charity Hospital She was pre‐ceded in death by her par‐ents, Dorothy Brooks and Lloyd Griffin Sr; grand‐mother, Marie Rousseau, and 3 siblings, Austin Grif‐fin, Ernestine Thompson, and Margie Ramos Mary leaves to cherish her mem‐ories her husband, Michael Picot; 2 children Frank (Tamerra) Picot and Renee (Terrence) Duncan; 7 grandkids, LinDale, Michael Asia Frank Jr Jaylen Marie, Isaiah, 8 greatgrandkids, 11 siblings, Lloyd Jr Lionel Sr (Max‐ine), Ethel, Edwin, Leory (Beverly) Arthur Deborah (Kenneth), Morris, Norris, Kenya (Tramall) and Lardet; Godchild, Farrah s and a host of other ves and friends. Rela‐and friends of the ly are invited to attend Mass of Christian Bur‐Thursday, February 025, 10:00AM at St s Catholic Church St Claude Ave NOLA ion 9:00AM until Interment Private. ces entrusted to the staff of: Profes‐Funeral Services, Families First" 1449 N orne Avenue., New Or‐LA 70116. 504-948-

Pistorius,Randolph Joseph

Anative of New Orleans, LA and aresidentof Tylertown, MS. Passed away at his residence on February 10, 2025. Preceded in death his mother Grace Bishop

Jones,

Jones, Ruby

Lowenburg, AnnePake

Duplantis, Melvyn

Picot, Mary Marie Grifﬁn

Jackson, Abbie Gail White

Public health in La. takes a step backward with vaccine order

With the ofﬁcial word last week that Louisiana’s Department of Health would end mass vaccination events and ban its staff from promoting seasonal vaccines, our state took another step backward.

Retreating from longstanding, common-sense measures to keep Louisianans safe from disease and protect public health is a bad idea on its face. And it’s particularly disturbing coming from a physician, state Surgeon General and former U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham. Abraham had previously telegraphed his opposition to promoting vaccinations late last year when DOH said it would shift away from offering “paternalistic guidance” and toward “a more informative approach aimed at enabling individuals, in consultation with their doctor, to make better decisions for themselves.” But last week’s ofﬁcial directive to state workers still hit hard, as it came on the same day the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of noted vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr to head the federal Department of Health and Human Services

Abraham coupled the order with a letter questioning public support of COVID vaccines and claimed that “public health agencies at the state and federal level have viewed it as a primary role to push pharmaceutical products.”

That’s a cynical way to describe policies aimed at safeguarding the overall good while not interfering with individual rights or privacy

Certainly, there were missteps during the unprecedented, deadly pandemic that became clear in hindsight. Science does not claim to be perfect

But the rapid development of COVID vaccines saved lives and helped our country get back to normal. And vaccines such as the ones public health agencies have long promoted — for seasonal ﬂu, for example, as well as RSV and mpox — have done immeasurable good

Even more discouraging is that the DOH directive comes in a season in which Louisiana has already experienced spikes in ﬂu and RSV cases.

We’re also already seeing more parents opt out of childhood vaccination in our state That’s alarming because a vaccine’s overall success relies on widespread usage that can produce “herd immunity,” which is the point at which a disease has trouble spreading to larger populations, including those who are most medically vulnerable.

Given these challenges, we were glad to see U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, a physician, speak out about the order’s practical effect “Advertising the beneﬁt of vaccines and where to get them helps parents improve the health of their child,” he said “Removing these resources for parents is not a stand for parents’ rights It prevents making health care more convenient and available for people who are very busy.”

This paper had urged Cassidy to fall back on his medical training and experience and vote against conﬁrming Kennedy We were disappointed that he chose not to, but we think he’s exactly right here.

Like Cassidy Abraham is speaking not just as a governmental ofﬁcial, but as someone with medical expertise. We’d hope he’d use his platform and his ofﬁcial powers to bolster public health, not undermine it.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE ARE OUR GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’s city of residence The Advocate | The Times-Picayune require a street address and phone number for verification purposes, but that information is not published. Letters are not to exceed 300 words. Letters to the Editor,The Advocate, P.O Box 588, Baton Rouge, LA 70821-0588, or email letters@ theadvocate.com.

U.S. is reaping what the voters asked for

The new world of the U.S. has begun. Remember seeing our Capitol building and legislators assaulted, trashed and smashed by insurrectionists on Jan. 6, 2021? These criminals, 1,500 of them, have been pardoned and exonerated for their crimes against our country Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and QAnon are now free to pursue their ideology The roundup and deportation of illegal immigrants, costing taxpayers millions of dollars, has now begun. Expect menial job workers for picking crops, cleaning streets, etc. to be gone. Therefore, expect grocery prices to skyrocket. And, by the way, why haven’t we encouraged these illegals to become legal citizens? Most of them are just quiet, hard-working people. Proposed tariffs on Mexican and Canadian products will cause other items to skyrocket in price. DEI workers are being eliminated. Paring down government by dismantling federal jobs means thousands of workers will be eliminated,

throwing these people into unemployment. So expect unemployment to skyrocket. President Donald Trump ranted about the Department of Justice being weaponized. Isn’t that what he’s threatening now? Isn’t that called hypocrisy? Since the wealthiest 1% of our country already had taxes reduced, the rest of us taxpayers will now pay for our government’s normal expenses. Expect many social services (Medicare, Medicaid, libraries, education) and perhaps the military to be cut to pay for government. I desperately want our country to succeed, but after watching Trump in action and seeing his nominations for high cabinet positions, I am not optimistic. Most of these cabinet posts are not being ﬁlled by quality or even qualiﬁed people. Welcome to the new world that is now the United States. Is everybody happy?

ELENE MILLER Metairie

EV charging stations signal progress, not an agenda

Regarding the misplaced ire of a few about the placement of a charging station at a public library, what a shame that some have so little to keep themselves busy besides poking their little stick at every sign of progress. The fact is that most Americans prefer the idea of clean energy Inherently there is nothing clean about combustion engines

Entergy is establishing EV charging sites across its service areas, as is every utility in the nation. Why?

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Because there is considerable demand for clean vehicles and better networks for charging. As these innocuous plug-ins begin to appear again and again at locations both public and private, it would beneﬁt those with heads in the past to begin looking to the future — when these same people probably will be maligning local entities for not doing enough to facilitate broad networks

of charging stations at spaces public and private alike.

In a 2024 study, the Pew Center found that 30% of Americans favor buying an electric vehicle — or roughly the same percentage of all eligble voters who voted for Donald Trump in the most recent election.

I would suggest more, not less, of these partnerships (as this simple, single charging station was likely federally funded under a nationwide program to build out charging networks in places such as this). Folks upset about popular projects of progress like this example typically represent their agenda — looking backward by stumbling forward and trying to ﬁnd another person or institution to blame for the most inevitable of all forces, change. (Look it up it’s in your local library.)

ANDREA ROMERO New Orleans

So let me get this straight. Gov Jeff Landry and the state agencies and nonprofits were scrambling to figure out what to do about President Donald Trump’s funding freeze. After all the kowtowing our elected Republican leaders have done to Trump, he rewards them by stopping all federal funding. The joke’s here somewhere, and it’s on them. Louisiana is eighth in the nation in receiving more federal dollars than its citizens pay in taxes. The state receives $1.88 for every $1 paid in taxes. We’re talking about money from our personal tax dollars. The so-called red states, such as Louisiana, are the ones who benefit most from federal grants and loans. Contrast that with New Mexico, a so-called blue state, that receives only 85 cents. Federal assistance to police, infrastructure, schools, children with disabilities, disabled veterans, suicide prevention, Medicaid (the bulk of which goes to nursing homes) and other things that we rely on every day could face cuts to federal aid. Who can afford a higher tax bill to make up the difference? Trump disavowed even the slightest knowledge of Project 2025 during the campaign, yet all of his actions so far are straight from its playbook. Furthermore, one of the authors of Project 2025, Russell Vought has been confrmed as budget chief. What will the administration do with the trillions of dollars it saves from the spending freeze, you ask? Use it to give huge tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy is the answer Write your senators and representatives about your opposition to the freeze or buckle your seat belts. The future for Louisiana is looking grim. KATHY HIGGINS Metairie

If hurricanes are not as frequent or destructive as a recent letter writer claims, why is it impossible for many coastal residents to obtain home insurance? Or ﬁre insurance in California? Insurance companies are experts at calculating risk, and they seem to disagree with the author The climate is changing. We need to take that seriously

TODD HOLLEY New Orleans

Pushing back on Trump-Musk deals

It’s not easy to steal the spotlight from two seasoned publicity lovers like President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, but Musk’s 4-year-old son X AE A-Xii, or “X” for short, made it look easy during his Oval Ofﬁce visit. Now viral on the web, little X seemed to teach his dad a lesson I learned the hard way when I agreed to take my own son to my ofﬁce on Take Your Child to Work Day The most memorable lesson he seemed to pick up was that Dad’s job is pretty boring, especially for a 4-yearold.

Little X Musk offered his own version of that lesson in an executive order signing event Tuesday in the Oval Ofﬁce with his dad, an adviser to the president as head of DOGE, the president’s “Department of Government Efﬁciency,” which is not a real federal department, since Trump apparently decided he could not spare the time to make it into one.

Although it is not easy to make out what the mics picked up of the young Musk’s voice in a video shared by media in the room, he seems to say “Shush your mouth” to the president as his daddy spoke — a sentiment I am certain was widely shared. And it was not the only push-back that Trump and his team heard.

On Thursday, the interim U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Danielle Sassoon, resigned rather than carry out an order from Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to dismiss the criminal indictments against New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Later in the day, ﬁve other top Justice Department ofﬁcials resigned, including the head of the Public Integrity Section in Washington, which oversees corruption prosecutions, where Bove went next seeking a prosecutor to dismiss the case.

The drama carried over into Friday, according to Reuters, when Bove assembled the career integrity section lawyers and told them they had an hour for a volunteer to step forward. After weighing a mass resignation, a veteran prosecutor in the section stepped forward to do the dirty work.

For old Washington hands, it calls to mind President Richard Nixon’s infamous “Saturday Night Massacre,” when the desperate president ordered Attorney General Elliot Richardson to ﬁre

Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was taking his job investigating the Watergate affair too seriously for Tricky Dick’s liking.

To his credit, Richardson resigned rather than carry out the order, as did his subordinate, William Ruckelshaus. Eventually, a man was found to do the deed, Solicitor General Robert Bork. Richardson and Ruckelshaus, it should be noted, were Republicans. They were loyal to their party and to their president, but they were public servants of conscience. Their highest loyalty was to the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law.

In that regard, Sassoon is cut from the same cloth. Although Trump’s MAGA World has denounced her as though she were some sort of inﬁltrator left behind by the radical left, in fact her conservative credentials are impeccable.

As she pointed out in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, she is a Harvard College and Yale Law School graduate, a former clerk for the late conservative icon Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and a member of Federalist Society, the prestigious conservative legal group.

Explaining her resignation to Bondi, Sassoon called Bove’s order to dismiss the case “inconsistent with my ability and duty to prosecute federal crimes without fear or favor and to advance good-faith arguments before the courts.”

The resignations matter They are a stunning repudiation of the administra-

tion’s attempt to force the dismissal of the charges against Adams for reasons that hopefully will become clearer They are an encouraging sign that some political conservatives remain true to the standards we would like to see in the face of Trump’s countless other attempts to pollute the integrity of the criminal justice system with oldfashioned machine-style politics.

A cloud of suspicion is raised by Sassoon’s charge that the mayor’s lawyers had “repeatedly urged what amounted to a quid pro quo, indicating that Adams would be in a position to assist with the Department’s enforcement priorities only if the indictment were dismissed.”

In one eye-catching passage in her letter, Sassoon said that Bove had scolded a member of her team for taking notes during the meeting and ordered that the notes be collected at the meeting’s end. What is being hidden? That’s a question that Americans have been asking themselves repeatedly as the unelected Musk has bragged of his DOGE teams rummaging through and slashing government departments without much accountability and highly questionable authority As that big argument rambles on, Sassoon and her fellow dissenters deserve our gratitude for reminding us that accountability matters, when others sound like little X, telling us to “Shush your mouth.”

Email Clarence Page at cpage47@ gmail.com.

When White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced that the brieﬁng room is now open to reporters for “new media,” including podcasters and websites, she was acknowledging the power and reach of these outlets, which was demonstrated in the last election when President Donald Trump made himself available to outlets that were ignored by the Kamala Harris campaign. The “legacy media” are in decline and the new media are surging. Part of this has to do with evaporating trust in what many regard as biased coverage by The New York Times from which broadcast news frequently takes its marching orders — and other major newspapers and networks that reﬂect built-in biases. Just two weeks after Trump’s inauguration, a guest essay appeared in the Times titled “Trump is Already Failing. That’s the Key to a Big Democratic Rebound.” Is anyone other than the liberals who read the Times paying attention to Democrats’ real problem? It appears not.

Chuck Todd, who has been with NBC News for 18 years, is resigning. The former host of “Meet the Press” once said he would never have a guest on the program who didn’t believe in “climate change.” Liberal Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus has resigned from the paper’s editorial board to focus more on her column. The Post has laid off 100 employees and 25,000 subscribers have canceled their subscriptions, outraged that the paper declined to endorse Kamala Harris. The Post continues to lose money.

On “The View,” co-host Sunny Hostin blamed Trump and those who voted for him for the recent collision between an American Airlines commercial jet and an Army helicopter. These and other outrageous and biased claims may feed the anger of many anti-Trumpers, but they do nothing to improve the credibility of the media, or increase their subscriptions, advertisers and ratings. As reported by the conservative Newsbusters.com, “ The leftist media began (the week) by attacking Trump’s cabinet nominees and dumping on his (inauguration) moment. They then proceeded to libel Trump and Elon Musk as a bunch of fascist Nazis, while tossing ﬁnal bouquets to Joe Biden.”

As one who shared the hope, after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, that representative government, guaranteed liberties and global capitalism laced with some measure of welfare state protections would spread across the globe, I naturally look back over the intervening long generation and ask what went wrong.

In the 1990s, it seemed to many that the vision of Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History and the Last Man” would prevail. Not that bad things would never happen again. Fukuyama’s more subtle thesis was that after the debacle of communism, there was no intellectually viable alternative to some combination of political democracy and market capitalism as the means to a decent society

But the past three decades have seen the vitality of politically viable alternatives — China’s dictatorial and Russia’s authoritarian state-directed capitalism, the oppressive clerical regimes of Shiite Iran and various Sunni Muslim states. By Freedom House’s sophisticated measures, 2004 saw a high point in global freedom, which has been in decline ever since.

How to explain this trend, the opposite of what I hoped for and predicted?

As I have reflected on this question, I’ve fallen back on an article I wrote in 1993 for Irving Kristol’s Public Interest, in which I identified four types of political parties. Two were based on European conflicts over religion: Religious parties favored established churches, and liberal parties favored the separation of church and state.

Two others, socialist and nationalist had their beginnings in attempts to rally the masses in the failed European revolutions of 1848, appealing to their working-class interests or their folk national yearnings.

American politics over the past 30 years provides some conﬁrmation. The market-respecting liberalism of former President Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party yielded to the woke socialism of former presidents Barack Obama’s and Joe Biden’s.

My conclusion in 1993 and, tentatively, now is that nationalism is the glue that holds parties and nations together

The problem we have encountered over the last 30 years is that other countries’ nationalisms are not like America’s.

It turns out that the leaders of Western Europe, traumatized by the horrifying wars of the ﬁrst half of the 20th century, seek a transnational harmony that overrules nations’ democratic electorates and smothers market capitalism with regulations. In reaction, Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, as the formerly (under Tony Blair) liberal Labour Party split into socialist and Scottish National parties, and the long-dominant Conservatives into high-education Conservatives and the Trumpish Reform UK party In the 1990s, there was reason to hope that Russia was moving toward democracy and that China, despite the Tiananmen Square massacre, would move away from repression and toward convergence with rules-based market economies. Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin grabbed power from the ﬂailing Boris Yeltsin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping jailed one rival and abolished his predecessors’ term limits.

Putin has been following a nationalist policy that dates back not only to Stalin but also to the czars, expanding Russia’s power outward from Muscovy in every direction though not as far in Ukraine as he hoped and expected. Something similar has been happen-

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARE WELCOME. HERE

ing in Mexico. Economic integration with Mexico and replacement of its one-party authoritarian rule by democratic rotation in ofﬁce and the rule of law was the goal of the North American Free Trade Agreement, pushed in the 1990s by Presidents George H.W Bush and Clinton. NAFTA was ratiﬁed, the economies converged, and, as I witnessed, the opposition party ended 71 years of Institutional Revolutionary Party rule in July 2000.

But Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, elected in 2018, has reinstalled oneparty rule and government control of the economy, and his handpicked successor, Claudia Sheinbaum, was elected with 61% of the vote.

One lesson seems to be that national character matters and that it is more a product of deep-seated history than of recent American policy initiatives

The hopes of the 1990s were not totally dashed.

Eighty-ﬁve years ago, in 1940, a time when some current leaders, such as Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, were living, Adolf Hitler and Stalin were allies in command of or with their allies holding most of the landmass of Eurasia, opposed actively only by Great Britain, whose air force and navy were stretched to the limit.

Representative government, guaranteed liberties and global capitalism laced with some measure of welfare state protections are much better off today than they were then, thanks in large part to the leadership at the time of the British nationalist Winston Churchill, the American nationalist Franklin Roosevelt and the French nationalist Charles de Gaulle something to keep in mind as we bewail our current discontents.

Michael Barone is on X, @MichaelBarone.

Then there was the legacy media cover-up of the Biden family’s business dealings, Biden’s cognitive decline and the infamous Hunter Biden laptop.

During other cultural transitions of the past there were die-hards who tried to keep the future from happening. People opposed to civil rights legislation to protect minorities from discrimination may be the most obvious recent example, but there are many others. There were those who resisted the transition from horses to motor cars. There were some who thought the telephone was a fad and that man was not made to ﬂy. Some Hollywood moguls believed TV wouldn’t last. There were people who once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Now it’s driverless cars that are raising alarms.

The one constant among resisters to change is that they are left behind when change comes. This is a continuing problem for much of the legacy media. Most seem incapable of self-reﬂection and have an ideological view that resembles “eat your vegetables because they are good for you.” Their attitude seems to be that consumers of news should swallow whatever they offer, whether they like it or not. This doesn’t mean the media should avoid questioning the policies and pronouncements of President Trump or anyone in his administration. What it does mean is that their approach should not be one of “he can do no right.” (Yes, some conservative media think Trump can do no wrong, which is equally bad). It also means when Trump and other Republicans succeed, that success should be acknowledged, instead of ignoring it and moving on to new rounds of cynical questioning. It may be too late for legacy media to redeem itself given the leftist bent of many within that cocoon If they go the way of previous outmoded and irrelevant things, they will have only themselves to blame A free press is essential to a strong America. The arrival of new media may be journalism’s savior

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ALEX BRANDON

Elon Musk speaks during an event in the Oval Office as President Donald Trump and Musk’s son listen at the White House on Feb 11 in Washington.

Michael Barone

Clarence Page

Cal Thomas

New Orleans Forecast

SPORTS

FOLLOW-UP ACT

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Matt McMahon felt no need to downplay the difﬁculty of keeping players engaged and committed to playing with full effort during a monthlong losing streak

“It’s hard, tough, very challenging,” the third-year coach for LSU men’s basketball said Monday

As the team felt the pangs of defeat eat at it more with each of its seven consecutive losses, the challenge McMahon had was getting players to “attack that adversity.”

“You’re trying to ﬁnd the right balance as a coach of ‘we got to get better,’ ” McMahon said.

“There’s got to be accountability in these areas to improve, but we also have to maintain conﬁdence and be-

lief in each other.”

LSU (13-12, 2-10 SEC) struck the right balance in its 82-79 road victory over Oklahoma on Saturday its first win since Jan. 14. The Tigers should have a chance to do that once again when they face South Carolina (10-15, 0-12) at 8 p.m Tuesday in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center

McMahon described the Gamecocks’ record as deceiving because they have lost six games by five points or less against Southeastern Conference opponents.

At the top of the scouting report is South Carolina sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles, who is projected to be a ﬁrstround NBA draft selection after this season.

The 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward is a re-

liable rebounder and disruptive defender that averages 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

McMahon complimented the Gamecocks star for having an “incredible skill set” combined with physicality MurrayBoyles is also an efﬁcient scorer, averaging 15.5 points while leading the SEC in ﬁeld-goal percentage (57.4%).

LSU will need its front court to have an impressive showing on both ends. That starts with availability, which was an issue in LSU’s win against the Sooners. The only playable rotation big men on Saturday were redshirt junior Daimion Collins and freshman Robert Miller Redshirt freshman Corey Chest, who averages a team-high 7.3 rebounds, is

See LSU MEN, page 3C

NBA teams ready to make playoff push

BY TIM REYNOLDS

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

AUSTIN, Texas Texas certainly had its struggles against the LSU women. Coach Vic Schaefer acknowledged that fact Sunday not long after he squinted his eyes and rummaged through a box score, searching for the reasons why his Longhorns pulled off a comeback win. Then it dawned on him.

“I thought they played really hard defensively all game long,” Schaefer said after he put down his pen and looked up.

“And that’s really what kept us in it.”

LSU nearly won its ﬁrst regular-season game against a top-five opponent under coach Kim Mulkey on Sunday But the No. 3 Longhorns (26-2, 12-1 SEC) simply defended the No. 5 Tigers too well, especially in the fourth quarter of what turned into a 65-58 win with important postseason implications.

LSU took a 43-31 lead — its largest of the day — at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter Then Schaefer called a timeout, shed his blazer and watched Texas storm back. From that moment on, the Longhorns outscored the Tigers 34-15. LSU converted only five of the next 25 field goals it took, and Texas nailed 10 of its next 18. The Tigers (25-2, 10-2) built their lead with effective half-court offense. Flau’jae Johnson ran behind a stagger screen, then buried a 3-pointer Aneesah Morrow sealed her defender in the paint, caught a lob pass and finished an easy layup. A baseline out-of-bounds action set Mikaylah Williams up for a mid-range jumper, a shot she hit on the possession after she timed a backdoor cut nicely, opening a passing lane for Morrow and an easy bucket for herself. Then those open looks disappeared. Texas contested every shot, challenged every pass and swarmed every cut. At the other end, its shots finally started to fall.

By the end of the day, the Longhorns and Tigers had identical shooting numbers: 21 of 63 (33%) from the ﬁeld, with LSU sinking only one more shot from beyond the arc than Texas did. What was the difference?

“Both teams got to the foul line,” Mulkey said. “They made theirs, and we missed (ours).”

Texas hit all 21 free throws it took, and LSU converted only 13 of its 19.

Because the Tigers struggled on offense for most of the second half, they couldn’t hit enough shots to offset that free-throw disparity

“I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Stephen Curry, the now two-time All-Star Game MVP of the Golden State Warriors. “It’s basically a playoff game every single night, and that usually brings the best out of you.” Some teams can go ahead and

The trade deadline is gone. The All-Star break is about to end. Luka Doncic is with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jimmy Butler is with the Golden State Warriors. Anthony Davis is with the Dallas Mavericks, though it’s unknown when he’ll play again. The dust has settled. It’s time for the stretch run. Here comes the fun part of the season. Every club has between 26 and 30 games remaining in this 71/2-week sprint to the April 13 ﬁnish line, play resuming Wednesday when Charlotte faces the Lakers. And teams will point to recent history as proof that just getting into the playoffs means anything can happen: No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 and No. 8 seeds have made their way to the conference ﬁnals in the last two years alone.

start planning for the playoffs Oklahoma City and Cleveland are both 44-10, tied for the best record in the league. Reigning champion Boston, currently No 2 in the Eastern Conference, remains on pace to obliterate league records for 3-pointers made and attempted in a season. The Celtics, New York, Denver,

ä See NBA, page 3C

Skenes intends to reach new level in 2025

Pirates’ ace working on 2 new pitches

BY WILL GRAVES AP sports writer

BRADENTON,Fla Paul Skenes spent his rookie season dutifully following the Pittsburgh Pirates’ plan to bring their young ace along as slowly and safely as possible. It worked. Maybe better than all involved imagined during an electrifying 2024 in which the towering right-hander from LSU started the All-Star Game and captured the National League Rookie of the Year award while becoming perhaps the game’s hottest young star in a decade. It was an incredible ride. Yet when Skenes arrived last week for

his second spring training, he did it with the kind of freedom he lacked a year ago. Oh, and a couple of new pitches, too. The 22-year-old is tinkering with adding a cutter and a running twoseam fastball to an arsenal that already includes a four-seamer that tops out north of 100 mph and a “splinker” that was one of the best putaway pitches in the majors in 2024.

“Just trying to create more swing decisions,” Skenes said. Or nondecisions.

Veteran second baseman Adam Frazier, who reunited with the Pirates last month, volunteered to be the ﬁrst batter to face Skenes during a live batting practice Saturday The ﬁrst pitch the left-handed hitting Frazier saw was a splinker that darted down and away while catching the outside corner of the

strike zone. Frazier’s bat never moved as the ball whizzed by, a pitch “nobody is going to do anything with,” as the former All-Star put it

“If you hit it, you’re hitting it straight in the ground,” Frazier said. “So it’s like, ‘All right, strap it on and get ready.’ ” Frazier second baseman Nick Gonzales and first baseman Darick Hall all failed to make solid contact off Skenes during a 25-pitch session in which a few dozen fans surrounded one of the practice fields at Pirates City, many of them with their phones raised to capture the first glimpse of Skenes in 2025. Skenes called the attention he commands “a privilege.” It’s also, however, not a priority The admitted perfectionist is too consumed

See SKENES, page 6C

LSU is scoring 86.3 points per game this season — the ﬁfth-most among Division I teams. On a per-possession basis, it has one of the 10 best offenses in the country The Tigers are also grabbing offensive rebounds at the nation’s third-highest rate, and they’re making more free throws per game than all but seven Division I squads. Yet LSU now has dropped both games

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward Daimion Collins, left, battles UNO forward MJ Thomas for position in the paint on Dec. 22 at the PMAC.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes resets on the mound before

a pitch against the Cincinnati Reds on Sept. 22 in Cincinnati Skenes feels like he has more freedom in his second MLB season.

Notre Dame ascends to No. 1

LSU drops from fifth to seventh

BY DOUG FEINBERG APbasketballwriter

Notre Dame is the new No. 1 in

The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll, ascending to the top spot Monday for the ﬁrst time since 2019.

The Fighting Irish replaced UCLA, which lost its first game of the season last week, falling to rival USC, 71-60 Notre Dame was last No. 1 on Jan. 21, 2019.

“It’s deﬁnitely an honor to be the nation’s top team, but we are just focused on getting better every day,“ Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said.

The Irish, who received 16 ﬁrstplace votes from a 30-member national media panel, defeated No. 11 Duke 64-49 on Monday

Texas moved up to second for its best ranking since 2017. The Longhorns, who garnered eight firstplace ballots, became the ﬁrst team

to beat three straight top 10 teams since 2004-05, according to ESPN, topping South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU.

The Bruins had been No. 1 for 12 straight weeks after beating South Carolina in late November UCLA fell to third and received the other six ﬁrst-place votes

USC moved up to fourth and UConn was fifth after routing then-No. 4 South Carolina 87-58 on Sunday

The Gamecocks, who saw their 71-game home winning streak end, fell to sixth. LSU and Ohio State were next.

North Carolina climbed up three spots to ninth for its highest ranking in three seasons after beating N.C. State 66-65 on Sunday TCU was 10th.

Ins and outs

Illinois reentered the poll this week at No. 25 after beating Penn State and Nebraska. The Illini spent the first few weeks of the season ranked.

Florida State fell out after losing to Louisville and edging Miami.

Falling Wildcats

It was a rough week for Kentucky One week after earning its best ranking in a decade, Kentucky fell six spots to 14th. The Wildcats lost games to Ole Miss and Texas before beating Georgia.

Conference breakdown

The Southeastern Conference still reigns with seven ranked teams. The Big Ten has six while the ACC and Big 12 each have ﬁve.

The Big East has two.

NCAA reveal

With a month left to the start of the NCAA Tournament, the selection committee revealed the top 16 teams to that point Sunday UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Notre Dame were the one seeds The reveal came before South Carolina’s loss.

Games of the week

No. 1 Notre Dame at No. 13 North Carolina State, Sunday The Irish currently have a two-game lead in the ACC race over the Wolfpack Five teams are within two games

of second place. No. 17 West Virginia at No. 10 TCU, Sunday Two of the top teams in the Big 12 square off as the Horned Frogs hope to remain at top of the conference standings.

Auburn strengthens its hold on top

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

Auburn’s win at Alabama assured the Tigers would keep the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for a sixth consecutive week. The Tigers (23-2) received 59 of 60 ﬁrst-place votes in Monday’s poll, reclaiming nearly all the support lost when they fell at home to Florida on Feb. 8. Auburn had been the unanimous No. 1 for three straight weeks before that loss, but remained at the top last week despite seeing nearly half of those ﬁrst-place votes go primarily to Alabama, with a few to Florida and Tennessee.

But the Tigers won Saturday in a 1-vs.-2 road matchup against the rival Crimson Tide, hours after the committee that will choose the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament put Auburn as its No. 1 overall seed in its preliminary rankings.

The top tier

The two teams to beat the Tigers sit right behind them. Florida and Duke were tied for third last week, and the Gators inched past the Blue Devils to break that

tie and take the No. 2 spot while claiming the remaining ﬁrst-place vote.

Alabama fell to No 4, followed by Houston, Tennessee, Texas A&M — with its highest ranking since December 2017 — Iowa State, Texas Tech and St. John’s to round out the top 10.

Of that group, the Red Raiders represented the only change from last week’s set of teams, climbing three spots to replace Purdue for their first top-10 appearance in three years.

Grant McCasland’s squad, which has lost just twice since the start of 2025, was unranked until cracking the poll at No. 22 on Jan. 27.

Rising Michigan had the week’s biggest jump among ranked teams, climbing eight spots to No. 12 after beating Purdue last week and pushing its win streak to six games. No. 15 Missouri jumped six spots, while No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 18 Clemson and No. 20 Maryland each rose ﬁve spots.

In all, 12 teams moved up from their position last week.

Sliding Memphis took the biggest tumble of the week, falling eight spots

to No. 22 after its overtime loss at Wichita State ended an eightgame winning streak. No 13 Purdue No 19 Arizona and No. 23 Kansas — the preseason No 1-ranked team — all fell six spots, while No. 24 Ole Miss tumbled ﬁve. Ten teams fell from last week’s poll.

Welcome back No. 25 Louisville was the week’s lone new addition, returning to the poll for the second time after a two-week stint in January Firstyear coach Pat Kelsey has guided the program to its first 20-win season since 2019-20. The Cardinals have lost just once since mid-December Farewell (for now) Creighton (No. 24) fell out of the rankings for the second time this season. The Bluejays were ranked for the first four weeks, then returned last week for what turned out to be a one-week stay Conference watch The Southeastern Conference had a national-best nine teams, including three of the top four and five of the top 10.

Alcaraz holds off Cilic to advance at Qatar Open

DOHA — Top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz overcame Croatian veteran Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4 to reach the round of 16 at the Qatar Open.

The 36-year-old Cilic, the 2014 U.S. Open champion who has fallen to No. 192 in the rankings, was playing his ﬁrst match of the season after recovering from a longterm knee injury

The Croatian led 4-3 and 0-40 on Alcaraz’s serve in the second set, but the Spanish four-time major winner managed to recover and then broke in the next game. Alcaraz will play either Zhang Zhizhen or Luca Nardi next. Earlier, seventh-seeded Grigor Dimitrov lost 6-4, 6-4 to Jiri Lehecka eighth-seeded Jack Draper beat Alexei Popyrin 6-2, 7-6 (4) to set up a meeting aga, Christopher O’Connell.

Angels moving Trout from center field to right field

TEMPE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Angels oft-injured star Mike Trout is moving from center to right ﬁeld in hopes of better preserving his health.

The three-time AL MVP played in 82 or fewer games in three of the past four seasons while dealing with an assortment of injuries. That doesn’t include the 53 games he played in 2020 because that season was shortened to 60 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Trout approached the club about the position switch. Trout said there could be situations where he plays center ﬁeld, but his focus will be on learning his new spot. He also could see time at designated hitter

Athletics extend contract with manager Kotsay MESA, Ariz. — Manager Mark Kotsay has agreed to a contract extension with the Athletics through the 2028 season that includes a club option for 2029.

The deal was announced Monday, which coincided with the team’s ﬁrst full-squad workout of spring training.

The 49-year-old Kotsay is in his fourth season with the A’s leading the franchise through a period of upheaval that’s included a move from Oakland to Sacramento, California, where they’ll play at a minor league stadium for the next few seasons.

The eventual plan is to end up in Las Vegas. The Athletics went 69-93 last season, a 19-win improvement over a 112-loss season in 2023.

Azarenka rallies from set down to advance in Dubai

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates Former No. 1 Victoria Azarenka rallied from a set and a break down to beat Anhelina Kalinina 2-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 Monday and reach the second round of the Dubai Championships.

The 35-year-old Azarenka trailed 5-2 in the second set and was down 4-2 in the tiebreaker before winning the next ﬁve points.

Just two days after winning the Qatar Open title in Doha, Amanda Anisimova lost 6-2, 6-3 to fellow American McCartney Kessler No. 11-seeded Diana Shnaider ousted Magdalena Frech 6-2, 6-2 while No. 12 Mirra Andreeva beat Elina Avanesyan 6-2, 6-1 to set up a meeting with 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova. Azarenka will face second-seeded Iga Swiatek, who had a bye into the second round.

Mets shut down pitcher because of a strained back

PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. Mets righthander Frankie Montas will be shut down from pitching for six to eight weeks because of a strained back. Manager Carlos Mendoza said Monday it was a high-grade lat strain and that Montas was heading to New York for an injection. After the shutdown, Montas will need a spring training-like buildup, meaning Montas won’t pitch until May at the earliest. He signed a two-year, $34 million freeagent contract in December The injury creates uncertainty for a starting rotation that went through a makeover in the offseason. Montas missed most of the 2023 season because of shoulder surgery He returned last season but went 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA while playing for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By GENE J PUSKAR

Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, right, is fouled by Pittsburgh’s MaKayla Elmore during the first half

No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 women’s poll after UCLA lost to USC last week. Notre Dame is

U.S. vs. world matchup gains support

NBA players open to idea of new format for All-Star Game

BY TIM REYNOLDS AP basketball writer

SAN FRANCISCO Victor Wembanyama has already gone up against the U.S. in international events, most notably last year’s Paris Olympics when he led France’s march to the gold medal game against the Americans

He’d like to be in that position more often — maybe even annually And Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo loves that idea as well.

In the ongoing search for the right NBA All-Star format, there was plenty of talk this weekend in San Francisco about an idea that has picked up some momentum in recent years: The U.S on one side, the world on the other side.

Count Wembanyama — San Anto-

nio’s 7-foot-4 All-Star center from France — as a fan of that notion.

“I would love to. My opinion is that it’s more purposeful,” Wembanyama said. “There’s more pride in it. More stakes.” Antetokounmpo was even more

succinct when asked if he’d be on board with such a move.

“I would love that. Oh, I would love that,” said Antetokounmpo, a native of Greece who is of Nigerian descent. “I think that would be the most interesting and most exciting format. I would love that. For sure I’d take pride in that I always compete, but I think that will give me a little bit more extra juice to compete.”

The latest format for the All-Star Game a four-team, three-game mini-tournament with all games

GREEN STEPS AWAY FROM LSU BASKETBALL TEAM

Two-sport freshman Trey’Dez Green will be away from the LSU basketball team with the hope of rejoining later as he focuses on academics, coach Matt McMahon said Monday

Green, who is also a tight end for the LSU football team, played his ﬁrst game on the basketball team Jan. 25 at No. 4 Alabama.The decision to leave the basketball team was made after a “collaboration meeting” with McMahon, Green and football coach Brian Kelly

Just after visiting with coach Kelly and Trey’Dez the academic workload is very heavy so he’s going to be focusing on those academics for the time being and rejoin us at a later date,” McMahon said.

The 6-foot-7 245-pound forward played in six games and was averaging 6.7 minutes, 1.8 points and 1.7 rebounds per game His best game was when he played 11 minutes and scored four points against Texas. Kelly told reporters Feb 5 that Green was still training with the football team in the weight room.

“He is not tapped out of that, which obviously we’re excited about,” Kelly said.“But he’s lost a little bit of weight running up and down the (basketball) court.”

In LSU football’s 44-31 win over Baylor in the Texas Bowl on Dec. 31, Green had six catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns Toyloy Brown III

LSU

up for

Matthew Murrell of Ole Miss at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Feb 8.

LSU MEN

Continued from page 1C

probable to return Tuesday He experienced back issues pregame against Oklahoma. McMahon said ﬁfth-year senior Derek Fountain, who was out because of an illness, practiced Monday alongside Chest.

Freshman Trey’Dez Green was out last game and will not be available for LSU. The dualsport athlete is stepping away from the team with the hope of rejoining later as he focuses on academics.

The depth of LSU’s front court is also important in assisting its best rim protector Collins, who had a career-high 22 points and four blocks last game, in slowing down Murray-Boyles.

The 6-9 Collins weighs 45 pounds less than South Carolina’s star, who could be a problem on

the offensive glass alongside 6-10 forward Nick Pringle.

“Their ability to get secondshot opportunities is highly concerning for us,” McMahon said.

When the Tigers collect defensive rebounds, they’ll have to limit turnovers, which has been a weakness until recently

“The last four games, our ball security has been much better,” McMahon said. “Not turning the ball over as much, getting more shots on goal.”

LSU has averaged only 9.3 turnovers in the previous four games. In the ﬁrst eight games of SEC play, it had 14 or more turnovers in six of them.

Limiting giveaways will allow leading scorer Cam Carter to have more opportunities to excel offensively as he did when he scored a career-high 29 points against Oklahoma.

If that happens, LSU’s chances of a third conference win improve drastically

being of the ﬁrst-to-40-points-wins variety — debuted Sunday night, with Shaq’s OGs winning the title.

The NBA decided to try the tournament approach, which mimics what was already in place with the Rising Stars event for first- and second-year players, after years of openly asking for more competitive games.

And the 211-186 final score in 2024 was the last straw

“I think that when you get events like this, All-Star Weekend, we don’t worry about the competition,”

said 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. “It’s just more about celebrating the basketball family and the community around this time. It shows how united we are as a group, as a basketball community, and how we can unite the rest of the world with what we do, as well. It’s a cool time.”

There is some evidence that a midseason matchup between the best American players and the best international players might work, and it’s happening right now in another sport.

The 4 Nations Face-Off hockey tournament, which opened last week in Montreal and concludes Thursday in Boston with the U.S. assured of a spot in the championship game, is obviously not meaningless to the players involved.

There’s been fighting — three brawls in the ﬁrst nine seconds of USA vs. Canada in Montreal on Saturday alone — and a ton of physicality, much to the delight of fans.

“Mayhem,” Canada coach Jon Cooper said.

The NBA at least some in the NBA — are watching the hockey, and taking note of how it seems to be working as a potential idea for basketball’s midseason showcase going forward.

“Sometimes things just get old

and kind of need a facelift,” Golden State forward Draymond Green said “I know they’ve done different things to try to get it going. I think what’ll be interesting to see is how this 4 Nations thing turns out in hockey If that turns out great, might have to peek an eye.”

Had it been an U.S. vs. The World this season for an All-Star format, here’s what the international team might have been: — Wembanyama, Antetokounmpo, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Indiana’s Pascal Siakam and Houston’s Alperen Sengun were All-Stars already New York All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns plays internationally for the Dominican Republic, his mother’s homeland, so it would make sense to add him to that mix. Luka Doncic, now of the Los Angeles Lakers, is almost always an All-Star lock as well, so that would be eight players. And here’s where it gets challenging.

If such a U.S. vs. The World AllStar matchup had the traditional 12-man rosters, four more players from the world pool would be needed — and that would mean four fewer American players would get the All-Star nod.

LSU WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

it’s played against the top two teams in the Southeastern Conference, and in those two losses, it scored 57 ppg on 31% shooting.

In four seasons under Mulkey, the Tigers have converted less than 35% of their shots nine times. Four of those instances — in games against Washington, No. 4 South Carolina, Texas A&M and now Texas — have come this year Before this season, LSU was 66-2 under Mulkey when its opponent shot worse than 40% from the ﬁeld. It has since held both the Gamecocks (37%) and the Longhorns (33%) below that threshold of efﬁciency, yet it dropped both

NBA

Continued from page 1C

Houston and the Lakers all have winning percentages over .600, which is an excellent sign — 132 of the last 133 teams to reach the break with such a record have wound up making the postseason.

“We have a pretty good basketball team,” said Oklahoma City All-Star guard Shai GilgeousAlexander, the current MVP favorite according to BetMGM Sportsbook. “We have a little bit more experience. We have an opportunity to, for sure, win an NBA championship. Now we’re going to have to earn it.”

Then there’s the other end of the spectrum, that being the teams that are out of the mix.

Over the last 20 seasons, 98.8% of the teams that have winning percentages under .400 at the break wind up missing the playoffs. If that form holds, that eliminates Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Toronto, Charlotte, Utah, New Orleans and Washington.

So, based on the numbers, that means seven teams are in, seven teams are out and 16 teams re-

contests. Now the Tigers are 82-4 in those games.

“Our kids played so hard defensively,” Schaefer said. “You have no idea — no idea — how hard that group is to guard, and we had made a decision to do some different lineups, different matchups, untypical of maybe what you think, but I just thought our kids were so locked in and so tough guarding.”

Despite the loss, LSU is still on track to earn a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament and begin a potential run to the Final Four at home. But now it will need not only to win its last four regular-season games but also, perhaps, win the SEC Tournament to move back into consideration for a No. 1 seed. The NCAA selection committee revealed Sunday morning that it

main in the middle fighting for what will be the last nine playoff spots — five to be clinched on or before the end of the regular season on April 13, four others to be won in the play-in tournament later that week.

“The last 25 to 30 games are really important for everyone,” said Miami guard Tyler Herro, the league’s new 3-point shootout champion. “We’ve got a new group, in a sense, and we’re going to hit the ground running. It’s going to happen fast. Everything is going to matter throughout this next month and a half.”

The Heat traded Butler to the Warriors, getting back Andrew Wiggins in return. San Antonio landed De’Aaron Fox from Sacramento, and the Los Angeles Clippers — who have barely had Kawhi Leonard available this season, but he’s playing now — ﬁgure they’re right in the mix to challenge as well.

“I think we got a really good chance,” Clippers All-Star guard James Harden said. “We added some shooting, we added some defense and obviously with a healthy Kawhi we’ve got a chance to compete with anybody So, I think for us, it’s just ﬁnding out how we want to play and attack-

had the Tigers ranked sixth overall and penciled into the No. 2 seed of the Spokane 1 region, alongside No. 1 UCLA, No. 10 Duke and No. 16 Tennessee. If LSU wants to win that region (or another one like it), then its offense can’t sputter down the stretch of games like it did Sunday against Schaefer’s Texas team, now just the sixth opponent to prevent Mulkey’s Tigers from scoring 60 points.

“You have to execute and be extremely tough,” Mulkey said, “when it requires the toughest of you.”

Email Reed Darcey at reed. darcey@theadvocate.com. For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter

ing it.”

Milwaukee added Kyle Kuzma, moving Khris Middleton to Washington in that deal. And Phoenix didn’t trade Kevin Durant, which is a sign that the Suns are hoping their star trio of him, Devin Booker and Bradley Beal can make a push.

“We’re all figuring it out, man,” Durant said. “We’ve got 28, 29 games to go to figure it out. That’s the fun part, trying to figure out how to get out of a slump.”

Davis’ injury obviously isn’t great for Dallas, especially with it was compounded by a rash of other injuries to the Mavericks’ big-man corps. Doncic is still working his way back into form after a calf issue, so he and James still likely will need some time to ﬁgure out the best way for this new star duo to work. Butler went to the Warriors with hopes of being the jolt that gets Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr back into title contention.

“I think, 27 games or so left to make a push,” Curry said. “All we want is just to get into a playoff series and have a ﬁghting chance to be a tough out against anybody in the West, and we have a good opportunity in front of us to do that.”

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON

Daimion Collins of

goes

two over

PHOTO By STEPHEN SPILLMAN

Texas forward Madison Booker goes to the basket between LSU guard Mikaylah Williams, left, and guard Shayeann Day-Wilson during a game in Austin, Texas, on Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO

Liam Charles points while sitting with his father, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and his younger brother Maverick Shai during the NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco on Sunday.

Country Day’s Kellen Brewer, right, grabs a rebound against De La Salle’s Levon Gipson on Monday in Metairie.

THE VARSITY ZONE

Sons of pro dads shine in Country Day victory

McAllister, Brewer play key roles in win over De La Salle

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

Country Day has two starting basketball players whose fathers were first-round draft picks in their respective sports Sophomore Kellen Brewer’s father Corey is a New Orleans Pelicans assistant coach who played on two national championship teams at Florida before the Minnesota Timberwolves selected him No. 7 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. Better known in the New Orleans area is the father of freshman Curtis McAllister His father is Deuce McAllister, the legendary Saints running back picked out of Ole Miss in 2001. Combined, the two 6-foot-3 standouts helped Country Day score in bunches as the host Cajuns defeated an undermanned De La Salle team 83-52 Monday “Me and K.B I’d say we’re really good friends,” McAllister said. “I would say that plays a pretty decent role with how we play together Once we’re both in that mode, we’re both playing good together.” Junior Brennan White led the Cajuns in scoring with 17 points.

He made four 3-pointers in the ﬁrst half as Country Day (20-6) took a 50-29 lead into halftime.

McAllister scored 16 points and Brewer 13 before both went to the bench with the game well in hand midway through the third quarter

Coach Mike McGuire said the energetic McAllister is “just starting to play a whole lot” as he gets into basketball shape. He played wideout and defensive back on the football team in the fall.

Brewer has been the leading scorer all season, McGuire said, and putting McAllister on the ﬂoor gives Country Day “an additional guy going to the goal and getting downhill.”

“It’s what both of them can do so well,” McGuire said.

Brewer scored nine of the team’s ﬁrst 13 points, including a three-point play after he drew a foul on a move to the basket.

McAllister got more active in the second quarter when he dunked, made a 3-pointer and scored on a jumper near the baseline.

Also notable was his play on defense.

“We felt we could press them,” McGuire said. “He’s at the top of that press and he’s done a really good job.”

Brewer made another big play in the third quarter when he rebounded a De La Salle miss and went the length of the court for a layup that resulted in another 3-point play when he got fouled.

“(Brewer) has a lot of individ-

ual skill,” McGuire said. “He can pass. He can see the ﬂoor He can get his shot off when he wants to get it off. And he rebounded well tonight He got us in transition early We had 40 shots in the ﬁrst half.”

Brewer, whose father has been with the Pelicans since 2020, said he doesn’t give much thought to being the son of a former firstround NBA draft choice.

“I’m my own player,” said Brewer, who noted that his father “teaches me my IQ and if I’m making the right play.”

As for McAllister, his father “tells me to always stay in the weightroom,” Curtis said. “Stay strong with the ball. Stay focused.”

Sophomore Zachary Borrego (seven points) is another starter with a Pelicans connection. His father, James, is an associate head coach for the NBA team.

For De La Sale (15-9), without three starters because of injury, junior Levon Gipson had a teamhigh 16 points.

This is the ﬁnal week of the basketball regular season. Country Day will play in the semifinals of the District 10-2A tournament Thursday against either Reed or Cohen. The championship is 4 p.m. Friday with Newman as a possible opponent. Both rounds will be held at Cohen.

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

Newman boys, girls soccer teams prepare to play together at state

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

The Newman boys and girls soccer teams commonly train on the same ﬁeld together, the boys at one end and the girls at the other

“Either team can look over at the other side and see hard work going on at any given time,” Newman girls coach Doug Freese said.

“There’s a lot of skill on both of these teams. As a coach, it’s fun to be there watching their training sessions at times.”

On Tuesday, the two teams will each play for a state championship. The top seeded Newman boys

(22-0-1) will face No. 2 Ascension Episcopal (18-3-2) in the LHSAA Division IV state final set for 5 p.m. The No. 2 Newman girls (16-3-3) will face No. 1 Loyola Prep (22-4-3) in the Division IV state ﬁnal set for 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be at Strawberry Stadium in Hammond.

The Newman boys and girls have won state championships in the same year ﬁve times. The last time it happened was 2020.

“I know how hard both teams worked to get to that point,” Freese said.

The Newman girls have won 14 state championships and are seeking a third in a row which would be the eighth in a span of 10 sea-

sons. The boys have won 10 titles, the last one in 2022.

The teams played a semifinal doubleheader at home on Friday.

The girls defeated No. 3 Episcopal-Baton Rouge 2-1 and the boys won against No 13 Calvary Baptist 6-0. Now comes another doubleheader in Hammond with a pair of gold trophies at stake.

“Both teams have gotten closer to each other culture wise,” said Newman boys coach Tooraj Badie, in his eighth season at the school.

“Now we have become a soccer program at Newman. We have dinner together. We have practices together It’s going to be special.”

The Newman boys reached the state final after a pair of nearmisses the past two seasons, losing at home in the semiﬁnals both years. Many of the current seniors were freshmen on the varsity when the Greenies won the state title in 2022.

Rylan Claverie has more than 100 career goals and Cole Spady has topped 40 goals this season.

George Villere has been a strong presence in the midﬁeld.

Alex Dulitz has been “the heart of my defense,” Badie said. “He runs the show from the back.”

The coach added that “the most impressive thing about this team”

Curtis, Karr hold top two spots in Division I select

BY CHRISTOPHER DABE Staff writer

John Curtis and Edna Karr hold the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds, respectively, in the LHSAA Division I select girls basketball playoff brackets, putting the two District 9-5A schools on a possible path toward meeting in the state championship next month. Other New Orleans high schools with high seeds include No. 5 Dominican, No. 6 Chapelle and

No. 7 St. Scholastica in the Division I select bracket.

Sacred Heart is No. 2 in the Division III select. The LHSAA released playoff brackets on Monday Most first -ound games will be played Thursday

The second round is Monday Quarterﬁnals are Feb. 27.

The state semifinals and finals for all divisions and classiﬁcations will be March 3-8 at the University Center in Hammond.

AREA GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE

has been the eight goals allowed over 23 matches never allowing more than one goal in a single match.

Ascension Episcopal, on a 12-match winning streak since a 2-1 loss to Country Day in January, reached the ﬁnal after it lost in the semiﬁnals three times in the past four seasons.

The Newman girls have won state titles in seven of the past nine seasons. The finals match against Loyola Prep, the Division III state champion in 2022, is a rematch from when Newman won a semiﬁnal 1-0 last season.

Newman returns to the finals with an experienced team that includes Lili Arjmand, who scored three goals in the state ﬁnals two years ago, and Avery Summerour, the lone goal scorer in a 1-0 victory against Episcopal last season.

Brooke Montano scored the decisive goal in the semifinal last week after Summerour tied the match at 1-1.

Freese described his team as mature and resilient.

“I don’t like when my teams have to play from behind,” he said. “But it’s a high-quality team that can come from behind to win games, and they have proven that consistently.”

Contact Christopher Dabe at cdabe@theadvocate.com

GIRLS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF PAIRINGS

Nonselect

(13-13) at No. 5 Barbe (29-3) No. 21 Benton (21-13) at No. 12 Northshore (23-6) No. 20 Ouachita (18-9) at No. 13 Destrehan (22-8) No. 4 Haughton (26-4) bye No. 3 Zachary (22-4) bye No. 19 H.L. Bourgeois (19-9) at No. 14 Hahnville (19-8) No. 22 Northwood-Shreve (18-9) at No. 11 East Ascension (20-5) No. 27 New Iberia (17-11) at No. 6 Natchitoches (27-4) No. 26 West Ouachita (19-9) at No. 7 Neville (19-3) No. 23 East St. John (18-10) at No. 10 Sulphur (21-3) No. 18 Terrebonne (23-7) at No. 15 Mandeville (21-9) No. 2 Walker (30-2) bye Division II Bidistrict No. 1 Wossman (24-3) bye No. 17 Carroll (14-15) at No. 16 Rayne (18-9) No. 24 Minden (14-11) at No. 9 Northwest (20-6) No. 25 Cecilia (12-12) at No. 8 Bastrop (18-8) No. 28 Livonia (11-17) at No. 5 Abbeville (18-4) No. 21 Pearl River (16-12) at No. 12 St. Martinville (17-6) No. 20 Beau Chene (15-13) at No. 13 Brusly (18-14) No. 4 Iowa (20-7) bye No. 3 Sterlington (21-7) bye No. 19 Franklin Parish (8-14) at No. 14 Opelousas (14-11) No. 22 Assumption (12-16) at West Feliciana No. 11 (18-6) No. 27 Plaquemine (14-14) at No. 6 South Beauregard (20-11) No. 26 Lutcher (11-11) at No. 7 Albany (21-11) No. 23 South Terrebonne (14-13) at No. 10 Lakeshore (11-9) No. 18 Iota (12-11) at No. 15 LaGrange (13-10) No. 2 North Vermilion (25-2) bye Division III Bidistrict No. 1 Oakdale (22-5) bye No. 17 North Webster (14-13) at No. 16 Avoyelles (10-15) No. 24 Mamou (11-22) at No. 9 Mansfield (16-12) No. 25 Port Barre (9-13) at No. 8 Ville Platte (19-8) No. 28 Crowley (9-15) at No. 5 Pine (21-5) No. 21 Church Point (12-18) at No. 12 Berwick (21-10) No. 20 St. James (8-11) at No. 13 Richwood (10-17) No. 4 Doyle (22-6) bye No. 3 French Settlement (23-9) bye No. 19 Kaplan (10-18) at No. 14 Many (19-13) No. 22 Vidalia (11-13) at No. 11 Springfield (17-12) No. 27 Baker (12-11) at No. 6 Westlake (16-6) No. 26 Winnfield (5-19) at No. 7 Kinder (10-7) No. 23 Port Allen (6-19) at No. 10 Jena (19-10) No. 18 Red River (11-16) at No. 15 Marksville (12-15) No. 2 Oak Grove (18-2) bye Division IV Bidistrict No. 1 Lakeview (26-4) bye No. 17 Franklin (10-10) at No. 16 Plain Dealing (15-14) No. 24 North Central (10-19) at No. 9 Homer (17-9) No. 25 Lake Arthur (10-16) at No. 8 Mangham (20-6) No. 28 Ringgold (8-15) at No. 5 Midland (20-11) No. 21 Jonesboro-Hodge (12-19) at No. 12 West St. Mary (14-11) No. 20 East Beauregard (13-13) at No. 13 East Feliciana (18-7) No. 4 Merryville (21-6) bye No. 3 White Castle (23-9) bye No. 19 LaSalle (16-12) at No. 14 Montgomery (12-14) No. 22 Basile (16-11) at No. 11 Grand Lake (14-12) No. 27 Ferriday (9-12) at No. 6 Logansport (20-5) No.

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN MCCUSKER

Pitchers, outﬁelders shine for LSU baseball

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball started off its 2025 campaign on the right foot this weekend, sweeping Purdue Fort Wayne in a three-game series at Alex Box Stadium.

The Tigers won 14-0 on Friday, 10-1 on Saturday and 8-1 on Sunday Here are five takeaways from LSU’s season-opening performance:

Strikes and more strikes

LSU’s dominance on the mound started with its ability to ﬁll up the strike zone.

The Tigers surrendered just two walks and hit one batter all weekend. More than two-thirds of their pitches were strikes, and those strikes often turned into strikeouts.

LSU recorded 45 strikeouts — the most it had accumulated against a single opponent in a three-game series since at least 1992.

“I talk football terms a lot,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said Sunday, “but strike-zone management on both sides of the ball is like the line of scrimmage in football.”

Generating swings and misses was never an issue for LSU last year the Tigers ﬁnished ﬁrst in the country in strikeouts. But this season, with most of their pitchers featuring fastballs in the mid to upper 90s with at least one effective breaking ball, they have the talent to top last year’s punch-out total (733).

Outfield logjam

LSU’s situation in the outﬁeld got a little more interesting.

Sophomore Ashton Larson, despite not starting the first two games, stepped up as LSU’s best hitter Sunday As the designated hitter, Larson went 3-for-4 with a home run and ﬁve RBIs, making a strong case to return to the lineup every day after being a starter last season

“I love to play baseball This is my life,” Larson said. “So when I’m out there competing, there’s no extra pressure. We spend hours and hours practicing situations and swings and stuff like that. So then you’re just executing and you don’t have to think too much.”

It may take a few more performances like Sundays for Larson to cement his starting spot LSU’s outﬁeld was a perceived strength heading into the year, and it showed over the weekend

Freshman Derek Curiel had four hits and hit his ﬁrst career homer Auburn transfer Chris Stanfield made a diving catch in center ﬁeld Friday and also had four hits in the series. Sophomore Jake Brown had multiple hits Sunday, and senior Josh Pearson drew four walks. Junior Ethan Frey started at designated hitter Saturday and got a single.

STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU outfielder Ashton Larson races out of the batter’s box for a two-run double Sunday at Alex Box Stadium. Larson was 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs in the game against Purdue Fort Wayne.

ON DECK

WHO: Southern (2-1) at LSU (3-0) WHEN: 2 p.m. Tuesday WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE: SEC Network+ RADIO: WDGL-FM, 98.1 (Baton Rouge); WWLAM, 870 (New Orleans); KLWB-FM, 103.7 (Lafayette) RANKINGS: LSU is No. 3 by D1Baseball PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — TBA; Southern — TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate.com/lsu ON X: @KokiRiley WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Junior college left-handed transfer Conner Ware, Wofford right-handed transfer Zac Cowan and junior Gavin Guidry did not pitch last weekend for LSU. Expect one of those three to start. Southern opened its season at the Cactus Jack HBCU Classic with wins over Texas Southern and Prairie View and a loss to Grambling.

Curiel and Stanﬁeld started all three games this weekend, signaling that their spots in the lineup are secure, at least for now

Outs on bases

LSU entered this season with an emphasis on becoming more aggressive on the base paths With less power and more speed in the lineup than in recent years, the strategy appeared sound.

But the plan backfired on LSU this weekend. The Tigers were thrown out six times, including two times while trying to steal a base.

Whether it was trying to take an extra base on a pitch in the dirt or being overly aggressive when rounding ﬁrst base after a hit, they had a rough weekend running the bases.

On Sunday, Johnson made a fullthroated defense of the Tigers’ strategy

“Like you can’t do it both ways,”

he said. “If you pass the ball 65 times a game, you’re going to throw more interceptions. If you run the ball 60 times a game — which nobody does that anymore, right you’re going to fumble more often

“How you score runs is really important. We need to be able to score runs in whatever type of game that we’re in, and so there’s

just a high bar.”

Freshman relievers shine

LSU’s four heralded freshman arms made their collegiate debuts this weekend, and they all lived up to the hype.

In 62/3 innings, right-hander William Schmidt, left-hander Cooper Williams right-hander Casan Evans and right-hander Mavrick Rizy combined to strikeout 13 batters and allow just one hit. They didn’t walk anyone.

“We only got four (freshmen) because we thought they were elite and could perform right away,” Johnson said. “And there’s no question about that.”

Slider for starters

LSU’s three starters — sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson on Friday, junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson on Saturday and redshirt sophomore right-hander Chase Shores on Sunday — possess different arsenals and have crafted their own pitching styles.

But what they do share is the ability to throw a good slider. The pitch played a big part in how the trio struck out 21 Mastodons in 15 innings over the weekend.

For Anderson, the slider was something he added to his repetoire last season, working on it over the offseason and turning it into a go-to offering. It was arguably his best pitch against Purdue Fort Wayne, as he struck out eight batters in ﬁve innings.

“It’s a new grip,” Anderson said in January “I throw a split grip slider It’s technically called a gyro slider so it doesn’t really move. It kind of just kind of spins.”

The slider was also probably Eyanson and Shores’ best off-speed pitch this weekend.

“It starts off with like a fastball and breaks pretty late,” Eyanson said. “So I think that makes it tough on (hitters), for sure.”

Clark

wishes gymnastics rankings were more clear

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

Casual gymnastics fans were puzzled Monday as to how LSU could beat No. 1-ranked Oklahoma on Friday and drop from No. 2 to No. 3 in the national rankings. Collegiate gymnastics rankings are based not on polls but on season averages. That is, until NCAA teams start using the NQS (National Qualifying Scores) formula, which went into effect this week.

To determine a team’s NQS score, the top-six scores are taken including at least three from road meets. The top score is thrown out and the next ﬁve scores are averaged.

Based on that formula, LSU’s NQS is 197.420 after Friday’s 198.050-197.675 win over the Sooners. But that score doesn’t count because it was the Tigers’ best mark of the season.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma is still No. 1 with an NQS of 197.730. UCLA leaped from No. 5 in last week’s total season average to No. 2 this week with an NQS of 197.455. Utah is No. 4 at 197.235.

Confused? LSU coach Jay Clark understands, and he isn’t happy about it.

“It’s an oddity, there’s no getting around it,” Clark said. “I’ve advocated for straight average for years. I don’t know what other sport counts just 50% of what they do, but we do.”

Clark acknowledged that based on the entire season’s average, LSU still would be No 2 behind Oklahoma, 197.736197.493. His complaint is about how hard it is for fans to understand.

“I really don’t care that we’re ranked third,” he said. “What I care about is I have to answer these questions. I want us to be as understandable as possible.”

LSU faces No. 9 Kentucky in Lexington at 6 p.m. Friday on the SEC Network.

Brock out indefinitely

Clark said Chase Brock is out indefinitely after suffering an Achilles injury in pre-meet floor warmups against Oklahoma. He didn’t have any details Monday as to when Brock might undergo surgery The fifth-year senior from Atlanta has been a fixture in the Tigers’ vault and floor lineups this season, competing in one or both events every meet this season until Friday Brock stayed on the floor on crutches to cheer on her teammates after the injury Bryant back on bars?

The reigning NCAA all-around champion is getting closer to

SKENES

Continued from page 1C

competing as an all-arounder for the ﬁrst time in 2025.

Fifth-year senior Haleigh Bryant practiced Sunday on uneven bars and did her full repertoire of releases, Clark said. Bryant has not done bars competitively since she injured the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in her elbow during LSU’s Gymnastics 101 exhibition in December

Clark said the results were promising, but he’s not ready to pencil his star gymnast into the bars lineup just yet. Of the four events — vault, bars, balance beam and floor bars causes the most strain on the elbow

“She said, ‘I think I can do a full set,’ ” Clark said. “So she’s an option on bars going forward. But whether that happens this week or not, I’m not ready to commit one way or another.”

Dunne has knee issue

Olivia Dunne has been out of the lineup the past three meets because of a knee injury Clark said.

“It isn’t a stress fracture, but it is a stress reaction on her kneecap,” he said. “The only answer for that is rest.”

Dunne has competed seven times this season for the Tigers: four times on ﬂoor, twice on balance beam and once on uneven bars. Her last outing came Jan. 24 at Arkansas.

The fifth-year senior’s best score this season are a pair of 9.875s on ﬂoor

Clark on OU post-meet

Clark said he did not take offense to Oklahoma coach KJ Kindler taking her Sooners off the floor near the end of the meet Friday night in a raucous and sold-out Pete Maravich Assembly Center (attendance: 13,386).

Several social-media posts criticized Oklahoma for the move as Bryant was performing on ﬂoor in the ﬁnal routine of the night.

Clark said he understood what happened and that the Sooners came back out to congratulate the Tigers after Bryant finished.

“The meet was over,” said Clark, meaning that LSU had clinched the win no matter what Bryant’s score was. “So she pulled her team into the tunnel so they could hear her talk. It was loud because Haleigh was on ﬂoor People on the internet will make a mountain out of anything.

“I didn’t read anything into that. They came out and shook hands with our kids and were very gracious in defeat. No one likes to lose, but all that stuff (about OU) is manufactured garbage.”

“frustrating,” he understands it was the right call.

BY JIM KLEINPETER

Contributing writer

LSU softball coach Beth Torina isn’t merely happy with her team’s 10-0 start she’s glowing Torina, in her 14th season, has good reason. The Tigers swept through another ﬁve-game weekend with solid victories built on good offense, excellent pitching and tight defense. This is coming from a team loaded with young, untested players in a transition season.

The most eye-catching result was four consecutive victories against ranked teams, two each against Northwestern and Virginia Tech. Torina credited the buy-in from her players from the top of the roster to the bottom.

“I’m really proud of this team,” she said after Sunday’s 7-4 victory against No. 17 Virginia Tech.

“We’re doing a lot of things well, things we worked on. I love our athleticism, running the bases It feels like there’s always hope for this team, no matter the situation we’re in, they’re going to ﬁnd a way to get it done, a way to score.

“They understand how important their prep is. They prepped really well for this weekend. We talked about having elite practice, preparing at a high level I think they

ä Penn St. at LSU. 3:30P.M.FRIDAy SECN+

will continue to do that, they’re a really driven group. I don’t see them letting up.”

The players get their coach’s philosophy, even while it has changed slightly. Bryce Neal has stepped in for longtime assistant Howard Dobson as the leader of the offense while Torina handles the pitching.

The offense had 45 hits in the four games against Northwestern and Virginia Tech and has a .377 team batting average The pitching staff has six shutouts and nine runs allowed in 10 games.

Danieca Coffey seems to have returned to form after last year’s devastating knee injury She leads the team with a 536 batting average and a 632 on-base percentage with nine RBIs from the leadoff spot, second on the team.

Junior catcher Maci Bergeron, a career .239 hitter, is batting .500 and tied for the team lead in homers with three. Torina said her pitch selection has improved this season. She walked 25 times in her ﬁrst two seasons combined but already has 11 in 2025.

Redshirt freshman first baseman Tori Edwards is the team’s top slugger with three homers and a team-best 14 RBIs.

“Coach Bryce has done an excellent job preparing us for every pitcher we face with the things we do at practice,” Bergeron said. “I feel like we’re in a really good spot, but we’re always trying to get better We have to keep our foot on the pedal.”

Freshman pitching sensation Jayden Heavener has been as phenomenal as advertised. She allowed three runs total in victories against Northwestern and Tech in her second and third college starts. Sydney Berzon has continued her excellence, and Tatum Clopton threw a shutout in her one start. Ashley Vallejo and Emilee Casanova give Torina the best depth she’s had in the circle since 2018. The Tigers face Penn State, Southern Mississippi and Nicholls State next weekend in Tiger Park before getting a major test on the road against No. 4 UCLA and solid programs Utah, Notre Dame and Cal Fullerton. “I liked all of it, what we got from the pitching staff, what we got from our offense, how we ran the bases, what I got from my staff, a fairly young staff,” Torina said. “They’re really just challenging all the things we thought were right before, making them better It’s cool to see guys push this offense in ways they haven’t been pushed in a long time.”

with his craft to cultivate his celebrity And for as dominant as he was at times last summer, Skenes knows he’s hardly a ﬁnished product after 23 major-league starts. His numbers as a rookie an 11-3 record with a 1.96 ERA and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings — were dazzling. They also were just the beginning.

Eyeing efficiency

While Skenes stressed he is not looking to get away from his identity as a strikeout pitcher, he is trying to ﬁnd a way to get to strike three a little more quickly

“Getting ahead, winning the 0-0, 0-1, 1-1 (pitches), winning those counts, that stuff is important,” he said.

That’s where adding a couple of more options to a repertoire that already includes six pitches comes in.

“Anything that looks like a fastball and doesn’t end up being a fastball (helps),” pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “I think we all know how special his fastballs are. (More options are) just something that is going to really open up the zone for him as well.” There is a sense of ease around Skenes that he didn’t necessarily have when he arrived at spring training a year ago as a rookie just trying to make the team. He didn’t initially not because he wasn’t good enough, but because it was part of the team’s plan to methodically build him up rather than rush him to the majors.

While Skenes admits that was

“They did a really good job with me last year,” he said. “I kind of knew, as much as I didn’t want to believe it, that that was how it was going to be when I came into camp.” Not this time. Skenes is a lock to be on the roster when the Pirates break camp. The questions now are whether he’ll be the opening day starter — something Skenes thinks would be “really cool” — and whether Pittsburgh is ready to take a step forward into contention despite a relatively quiet offseason. Different vibe

Skenes knows his performance at the top of the rotation is a vital part of that equation. He also knows it’s hardly only up to him. It’s one of the many reasons he plans to take on a more visible leadership role in 2025. There were small signs under a nearly cloudless mid-February sky Wearing long sleeves underneath his black No. 30 jersey Skenes dapped up support staff, chatted with video coordinator Kevin Roach and made it a point to wait for veteran pitcher Mitch Keller to finish before the two slowly walked off the practice ﬁelds together

The jitters he felt in 2024 are a fading memory He has a little more experience to go with his ever-present swagger and the kind of stuff that few can match Skenes wasn’t sure how fast he was throwing on Saturday, though he smiled while noting that it was probably faster than 94 mph because if it wasn’t “some other people would have been concerned if it were.”

ALL DOLLED UP

Baby Dolls revive old Creole songs ahead of Mardi Gras

BY JAKE CLAPP

Gambit Weekly

The old Creole song “Chère, mo lemmé toi” is a sweet love song, if a little dramatic. In English, the tune’s first verse ends simply as the singer says, “With all my heart, I love you,” before the melodrama rises in the second and third verses.

FRILLY AND FIERCE

WHAT: A talk with Kim Vaz-Deville and a chance to meet some Baby Dolls.

WHEN: 6 p.m.

Wednesday WHERE: BK House, 1113 Chartres St. TICKETS: $5-$10, bkhouse.org

“It means ‘I love you so much. I love you so great. I love you like a pig loves mud. If I ever stop loving you, maybe cut my throat,’ ” says Loren Brown to a videographer recording her description of the song.

“It’s just this great love song, and I think you can see that in a lot of Creole traditions,” she adds. “We’re very dramatic. We love a lot We put love into everything we do.”

A rattling tambourine and cheers break out from the group of women flanking Brown to underscore her words. And another Baby Doll steps forward to tell the camera about the next Creole song, “Eh, la bas.”

On a sunny Saturday morning recently, a group of Baby Dolls were strutting

around the gardens of the Historic BK House in the French Quarter and singing in Louisiana Creole. The nine women of color, each wearing bright dresses and headpieces and some holding second-line umbrellas, had gotten together to practice a trio of traditional Creole songs ahead of the quickly approaching Carnival season.

Accompanied only by tambourine, the Baby Dolls worked through each song, occasionally stopping to ask for pronunciation help from linguist Lawson Ota or input from scholar Kim Vaz-Deville,

who organized the musical project.

Along with a few other people watching from the edge of the gardens, a videographer ﬁlmed the performances as well as Baby Dolls describing each Creole tune. The Baby Dolls today are an iconic part of Black New Orleans celebrations at Mardi Gras, stepping out in brightly colored satin skirts, garters and bloomers to parade in the streets. Groups of Baby Dolls also will appear at Super Sunday around St. Joseph’s Day at French Quarter Fest and the New

Teach kids to be less susceptible to social

BY MORAYO OGUNBAYO

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (TNS)

After Meta, the parent company behind Facebook and Instagram, announced it would be shifting its fact-checking mechanisms to a crowdsourcing approach, concerns about how social media is shaping children’s minds have grown. A 2023 poll conducted by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan found that 67% of parents called “overuse of devices” and “screen time” one of their top concerns, and 66% of parents cited social media in general. Whether you are concerned about TikTok, Instagram, X, formerly Twitter or Snapchat, concerns about the young people in your life falling for social media misinformation are real. You can teach them to be less susceptible to it with these guidelines. Look out for telltale errors and targeted content One of the first things people should look for when deciding if something is misinformation are small errors. Grammar mistakes or misspellings are a good way to decide if something was sloppily put together This is also true when looking out for any AI-generated content. You should also teach kids to be wary of anything that makes them very emotional “Misinformation and disinformation are created to get extreme reactions out of people,” James P. Steyer, founder and CEO of Common Sense Media, told CNN. Kids should understand what algorithms do, CNN warns, and particularly how they will show people more inaccurate and extremist content the more they engage with it. Always double check with mainstream media sources For parents of young children today social media may be your kids’ first brush with any kind of news content. Whether through influencers or viral clips, that can be exciting. However it is important to teach your kids to find mainstream news sources they trust. Teach your kids to “consume more news, not less,” Dr Jingsi

Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and at other local cultural celebrations.

But the group of women gathered at BK House is hoping to revive a nearly lost aspect from the earliest days of the Baby Dolls tradition: singing in Louisiana Creole as they parade on Mardi Gras Day

“The idea is for them to make these songs their own as they learn them, as they begin to feel more comfortable and return them to the performing tradition that is the Baby Dolls,” says VazDeville, a scholar in residence at Dillard University and the author of “The Baby Dolls: Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi

media misinformation

MINNESOTA STAR-TRIBUNE

PHOTO By JERRy HOLT A 2023

STAFF PHOTOS By SOPHIA GERMER

A group of Baby Dolls gather at the Historic BK House to practice old Louisiana Creole songs.

Carolyn Dunbar Baby Doll Whodat Tambourine, sings with a group of Baby Dolls at the Historic BK House in the French Quarter

Micah Theodore, also known as Baby Doll Pretty Face, blows a kiss after finishing with a song

Gras Tradition.”

“They’re not professional musicians. They’re just like the people of old who would have been masking,” Vaz-Deville adds “people who would just want to have some fun, sing and dance and wear a costume and make others happy on Mardi Gras Day.”

Along with her 2013 book, “The Baby Dolls,” Vaz-Deville also edited the 2018 collection “Walking Raddy: The Baby Dolls of New Orleans” and she has co-curated exhibitions about Black masking traditions at The Presbytere and the McKenna Museum of African American Art.

Through her research, Vaz-Deville found that Baby Dolls at one point sang in Louisiana Creole. There are conﬂicting stories about how the Baby Doll tradition exactly began. It is possible the practice originated with sex workers in the segregated Black Storyville while other women, including the late Miriam Batiste-Reed, an elder in the culture, dismissed the connection to sex workers and pointed to individuals in the 6th and 7th Wards who started the tradition Still, 1912 has become a common year to pin the starting point, and by the 1930s, the Baby Dolls had cemented themselves as part of Black Mardi Gras traditions alongside Mardi Gras Indians, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club and the Skull and Bone gangs, VazDeville writes in “Walking Raddy.”

During the height of Jim Crow, the Baby Dolls offered Black women and some men who also paraded with the groups — a “unique form of fun and self-expression,” Vaz-Deville writes. Dressed in short dresses, bloomers and garters stuffed with money the Baby Dolls would strut and sing bawdy songs on Mardi Gras and St. Joseph’s Day They also would challenge and subvert gender norms by smoking cigars and throwing money at the onlooking men.

“During Mardi Gras in the early 20th century the Baby Dolls were entertaining themselves and their neighbors, and so they sang songs, and many of them spoke Creole,” Vaz-Deville told Gambit.

While they also spoke English, Louisiana Creole was the main language for many of these women, Vaz-Deville says.

“They were learning the songs, the home songs, and they would make songs up,” she says. “Dancing and singing was part of the entertainment they were giving to themselves and their neighbors.”

Baby Dolls came from all over the city, Vaz-Deville adds. While it’s impossible to say how many were of Creole descent, “what can be said is that music was important to the tradition. Those who were Creole brought their songs to

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, Feb. 18, the 49th day of 2025. There are 316 days left in the year

Today in history

On Feb. 18, 2001, auto racing star

Dale Earnhardt Sr died in a crash in the ﬁnal lap of the Daytona 500; he was 49.

the tradition and those who were not, sang songs popular in the community at the time.”

In 1921, though, Louisiana banned non-English languages in schools, and the use of Creole as well as Louisiana French in public began its decline. Over time, those Creole songs also faded out of common use.

Louisiana Creole, which is also called Kouri-Vini, developed in 1700s Louisiana among Creoles blending French with West African dialects. And while it was once common in New Orleans and parts of Acadiana, today it’s an endangered language, with only about 10,000 speakers in the state. Louisiana French has seen a similar decline, from around a million speakers in 1960 to just 150,000 today

There are a number of organizations and individuals across Louisiana now working to halt the decline of Louisiana Creole and French and preserve those languages and cultures. The organizations Chinbo and CREOLE, Inc., and the Creole Heritage Center at Northwestern are particularly dedicated to Louisiana Creole culture.

Still, “the reality is that there are precious few pedagogical resources for Louisiana Creole,” says Ota, a linguist who teaches Creole at Alliance Francaise. “It really takes a lot of work and effort to provide students with the resources they need to build their knowledge from the ground up. It can be a daunting task, but it’s enriching. Everything you put into it, you get back tenfold. People will say, ‘Oh, my grandmother used to say that,’ or ‘My grandfather said that phrase.’”

“This is not the deep past we’re talking about,” Ota adds. “Many of the ladies who are part of the Baby Dolls have grandparents who spoke Creole.”

Miriam Batiste-Reed, who died in 2023 at the age of 97, was one of those who could speak Creole, VazDeville says. Batiste-Reed held that her mother, Alma Trepagnier

On this date: In 1885, Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was published in the U.S. for the ﬁrst time.

KIDS

Continued from page 1D

Christina Wu associate professor of media studies at Hofstra University, told CNN. Watch the news with your kids or read the newspaper with them so they can better learn what type of news and information they trust.

Foster higher media literacy

Through introducing your

In 1930, the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered by American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh.

In 1970, the “Chicago Seven” defendants were found not guilty of conspiring to incite riots at the 1968 Democratic National Convention; ﬁve were convicted of violating the Anti-Riot Act of 1968 (those convictions were later reversed).

In 1983, 13 people were shot to death at a gambling club in Seattle’s Chinatown in what became

young ones to different types of media outside of social media, you can foster media literacy in your home and surrounding environments.

The Center for Parent and Teen Communication called media literacy learning “how to effectively access, analyze, and engage with media messages.”

The Center went on to say that media literacy teaches people to “understand how to think” and to use “the power of information and

Batiste, and their family started the Baby Dolls tradition, and she became a stalwart elder in the culture — a steady presence even as the Baby Doll community declined in the late 20th century and found new life in the 2000s.

“She was one of the last masking Baby Dolls who knew the Creole language and knew the songs. It occurred to me this was going to pass from the tradition, and it needed to be recouped,” Vaz-Deville says.

To do so, Vaz-Deville sought out help from Ota, cultural historian and Creole speaker Marilyn DeGrasse, and Jackson State University professor of music Phyllis Lewis-Hale, who specializes in 19th- and 20th-century Louisiana Creole songs. And last summer they began hosting workshops for any interested Baby Dolls.

Vaz-Deville hopes that the participating Baby Dolls — who represent several groups or are independent will in time introduce the songs to their home groups and other masking women.

The three songs, “Eh, la bas,” “Chère, mo lemmé toi” and “Hé lamizèr” are all traditional Creole songs and can be found on the album “Women’s Home Music.” The two-disc collection of French and Creole songs comes from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore.

The love song “Chère, mo lemmé toi” declares “If I stop loving you, I’ll cut my throat,” while “Hé lamizèr” draws from a Creole saying that “misery will make a monkey eat black pepper.” The tune “Eh, la bas” — which was recorded by Kid Ory, Paul Barbarin and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band calls out to friends across the way and comments about drinking too much and eating too much gumbo and ﬁsh court-bouillon.

“They’re racy songs,” Vaz-Deville says. “This is an adult tradition. They were young adults, having a good time. This was not church

TODAY IN HISTORY

known as the Wah Mee Massacre. (Two men were convicted of the killings and were sentenced to life in prison; a third was found guilty of robbery and assault.)

In 1994, in the ﬁnal race of his Olympic career at the Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway, U.S. speedskater Dan Jansen broke the world record in the 1,000 meters, winning the gold medal.

In 2001, veteran FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested,

communication to make a difference to yourself and others.”

Another thing to remind kids is that just because something has a lot of views does not mean it is vetted and true.

“Virality does not equal truth,” Wu told CNN. “Fake news travels faster by taking advantage of human instincts for sharing abnormal stories.”

Show empathy Make sure the young people in your life know that you under-

music.”

To help fund the workshops, VazDeville applied for several grants as well as to the Nous Foundation’s Le Lab accelerator the New Orleans cultural institution’s initiative to support Louisiana French and Creole programs and businesses. The connection resulted in the group of Baby Dolls recording two Creole songs for an upcoming album.

This year, the Nous Foundation will launch its “Musique(s)!” project to document today’s landscape of music in Louisiana French and Creole. Supported by the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, the project includes a multimedia exhibition, a documentary ﬁlm and ultimately a 12-track vinyl record and a publication to be housed in the Folklife Center’s archives.

The Baby Dolls’ recordings will join tracks by Leyla McCalla, Louis Michot, Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes, Sweet Crude and Les Cenelles on the album.

The Nous Foundation also is headquartered at the Historic BK House & Gardens and hosted the Baby Dolls practice.

Support for the project, “New Orleans Mardi Gras Baby Doll Maskers Recapturing Afro-Creole Language and Culture,” also came from a Louisiana Project Grant and a match from Xavier University of Louisiana; a New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Community Partnership Grant; the American Council of Learned Societies HBCU Faculty Fellowship and Grant Program; and the Foundation for Louisiana World Makers Grant Program.

The workshops will continue in 2025, Vaz-Deville says, with additional grant support this year from the New Orleans Recreation and Culture Fund, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation and the More Joy Community Arts program. Singing in Louisiana Creole is “new to me, so I’m still learning,” says Gilda Lewis, known as Baby Doll Honey, after the song practice. Lewis also leads the 12-member Le Bon Ton Baby Dolls.

“I was very excited when I got introduced to the idea, so I’m enjoying it,” she says.

While several of the women at the practice had known some Creole words and phrases picked up from family members or their older neighbors — learning these songs was a new experience for most.

“My dad would say some things, and I didn’t know what it was,” says Karen Williams, who goes by Baby Doll Rose. “I know now so I’m grateful. It’s a beautiful language.”

Williams grew up in the Lower 9th Ward, but didn’t often engage in the culture, she says, because transportation wasn’t easy In 2013, she was in a bookstore with her grandsons when she came across

Vaz-Deville signing copies of her book “The Baby Dolls.” She became interested in the tradition, started attending events and “it just took off from there,” Williams says.

“Being a culture bearer is like being part of a community that’s coming together to not just restore but enhance and keep the legacy of what has been going on in our city,” Williams says. “The suffering the people of our community had gone through, (Baby Dolls) was something to keep them going, to make them feel good. We want to be pretty on Mardi Gras because we work all the time On that Mardi Gras Day it’s a day off to be pretty and have fun.”

Learning Louisiana Creole has helped deepen that legacy, Williams adds. The workshops with Vaz-Deville, Ota, DeGrasse and Lewis-Hale also taught her more about local traditions and history

“It’s a beautiful thing that we had a language in the 1800s and early 20th century,” she says. Loren Brown, or Baby Doll Countess, also was drawn to the history and connection to her culture as an Afro-Creole person, she says.

“I always want to be involved with things that I felt like connect me to my ancestors,” says Brown, who grew up on the West Bank and began masking around four years ago. She was introduced to the culture by Denise Augustine and Merline Kimble and stepped out her ﬁrst year with the Gold Digger Baby Dolls. This year, though, she isn’t committed to one particular group, she says.

The Baby Doll tradition “is the idea of being able to still be feminine but also loud and raunchy,” Brown says. “They stand for not letting the world put a dimmer on you. It’s a way you can fully express yourself and be celebrated while keeping this amazing tradition alive.”

Brown says members of her family spoke Creole, and she has always wanted to learn more. After her grandmother passed, she was worried the language would be lost in her family, but soon after Augustine recommended she check out the Creole song workshops.

Learning Louisiana Creole hasn’t been exactly easy, but “at the same time, it just felt natural,” Brown says. “It feels like we’re supposed to be speaking this language and singing in this language.”

“It’s connecting you back to your ancestors, to the women that came before you,” she adds “I feel like it’s spiritual in a way Just like the history of everything in Louisiana and America, it seems like we lost a part of our culture, but when you start to pick it back up, it’s exciting. It feels natural and freeing to sing in Creole.”

Email Jake Clapp at jclapp@ gambitweekly.com

accused of spying for Russia. (Hanssen later pleaded guilty to espionage and attempted espionage and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.)

In 2003, an arson attack involving two South Korean subway trains in the city of Daegu claimed nearly 200 lives.

In 2021, the rover Perseverance successfully landed on Mars, where it continues to explore the planet’s surface today

stand why they believe certain things they see on social media, even if it’s later proven to be untrue.

“It’s important to show empathy by listening to them instead of being dismissive or offering immediate fact checks,” The American Federation of Teachers advised.

“It’s crucial that a student spreading bad information knows you are listening by getting them to talk about why they believe it and their other thoughts on the subject.”

It is also important to keep an open dialogue going with your kids and talk through the things they are being exposed to on a daily basis.

Wu told CNN that keeping an open dialogue “demonstrates to the kids that learning never stops and media literacy is a muscle that needs to be exercised.”

Birthdays: Artist-singer Yoko Ono is 92. Restaurateur-TV host Prue Leith (TV: “The Great British Baking Show”) is 85. Singer Irma Thomas is 84 Musician Dennis DeYoung is 78. Actor Cybill Shepherd is 75. Actor John Travolta is 71. TV personality Vanna White is 68. Actor Matt Dillon is 61. Rappermusic executive Dr Dre is 60. Actor Molly Ringwald is 57. Actor Ike Barinholtz is 48. Football Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney is 45 Musician Regina Spektor is 45.

PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER

Baby Dolls sing in the garden of the Historic BK House.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Consider a change, but don't make a move that isn't financially suitable. Lowering your overhead will buy you time and peace of mind. Sell off items you no longer need.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Set boundaries, focus on what's important and enjoy yourself. A smile coupled with a compliment will help you win favors. Be hesitant to make unrealistic suggestions or promises that you cannot fulfill.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Put more time and effort into home improvements and your relationships. A career option will turn out to be more inviting than you anticipated. Be secretive about your plans until you have everything in place.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) You have more control than you realize. Show passion in your voice and gestures. Refuse to let anyone derail your plans or lead you astray. Stick to your original idea and budget.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Take a deep breath and rethink your strategy. Be careful of anyone trying to take charge or redirect you. Research is your best friend and ticket to success.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You can mesmerize those you engage in conversation. Get out and mingle with folks who can offer insight and help you get ahead. Attend events that interest you.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Concentrate on getting ahead and enhancing your investments. Use your charm and a friendly nudge to convince others to make your dream a reality.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Take a stand and discuss what you can do to address matters that you find troubling. Your input will put you in a key position, allowing you to have an impact.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Follow the money. Be creative with investments, and put in the time and effort to outsmart anyone who tries to stand in your way. Refuse to let your need to keep the peace cost you.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Study your options, develop a unique plan and pursue your destiny Attend events that will help you use your knowledge and experience to outshine the competition.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Set your sights on connecting with the right people. Recognize who is reliable and who is trying to take advantage of you. Talk is cheap; actions speak.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Look at joint ventures carefully. Not everyone will share the same interests or standards. A physical outlet will help you blow off steam and define your goal.

FAMILY CIrCUS

Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

TODAy'S CLUE: F EQUALS U

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM

SherMAn’S LAGoon

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

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

William James, an eminent 18th- and 19th-century psychologist, said, “To study the abnormal is the best way of understanding the normal.”

Today’sdealseemstocontainanormal play, but is it time for an abnormal one?

South is in three no-trump. West leads the diamond king. What should declarer do?

South had seven top tricks: one spade, one heart, one diamond and four clubs. He saw that at least two more tricks would come from spades. And since he knew a Bath Coup when he saw one, he played his low diamond at trick one.

However,Easthadcorrectlyplayedhis diamond three. And West knew that his partner would have thrown out the jack or ace if he had held it, or played a high spot card. So West cleverly shifted to the heart jack. This time, East encouraged enthusiastically with his nine. Declarer ducked, but West continued with the heart 10, and East accurately overtook with his queen. Now South could not succeed. If he had taken this trick, crossed to the dummy with a club, and tried the spade finesse, West would have won with his king and led his last heart to give the defenders one spade, four hearts and one diamond. And if South had ducked the second heart, East would have reverted to dia-

monds, giving the defense one spade, two hearts and four diamonds (unless declarer cashed his seven top tricks) South should have won the first trick, crossed to the dummy, and run the spade queen. Yes, the finesse would have lost but declarer’s

InstRuctIons:

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

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.

Puzzle Answer 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. 3 Freebies: Fill in the single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner. HErE is a