A colossal Louisiana legal showdown began this week in a Plaquemines Parish courtroom, as attorney John Carmouche, who has led a statewide fight to make the energy industry pay for damage to coastal wetlands, squared off against oil companies in the first of more than three dozen landmark lawsuits to go to trial.
The case, Plaquemines Parish v. Rozel, filed in 25th Judicial District Court, centers on claims that Texaco, an oil company now owned by Chevron, discharged pollutants into wetlands near Bayou Gentilly over more than half a century, and broke other state laws and permitting rules that led to land loss and other environmental issues. The company has said it complied with all applicable regulations.
over Trump’s tariffs, trade war fuels decline
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK Wall Street’s sell-off hit a new low Thursday after President Donald Trump’s escalating trade war dragged the S&P 500 more than 10% below its record, which was set just last month.
A 10% drop is a big enough deal that professional investors have a name for it — a “correction” — and the S&P 500’s 1.4% slide on Thursday sent the index to its first since 2023. The losses came after Trump upped the stakes in his trade war by threatening huge taxes on European wines and alcohol. Not even a double shot of good news on the U.S. economy could stop the bleeding.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 537 points, or 1.3% Thursday, and the Nasdaq composite fell 2%.
The trial has taken on outsize importance If the parish prevails, the resulting damages and required coastal reconstruction would likely serve as a model for the 40 additional lawsuits Carmouche has filed on behalf of Plaquemines and five other coastal parishes — which could reach into the billions of dollars. If the oil companies win, it could raise doubts about how other cases may fare in front of juries and make lower settlements — or no settlements — more likely Carmouche’s team is asking for more than $3 billion in damages from Chevron in the trial that’s now underway Those funds would by law have to be used to restore the damaged area. Payouts to attorneys could be substantial as well. In opening statements Thursday, Carmouche argued before the jury of six men and six women that the oil company had knowingly caused
Youngsville increases police presence at Mardi Gras
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
As Youngsville’s Mardi Gras parade continues to grow in popularity, so too does the number of law enforcement personnel needed to ensure the safety of the small town and its visitors
This year’s Mardi Gras festivities saw anywhere from 89,000 upward to 100,000 people entering the city of Youngsville, said Police Chief JP Broussard, or about a 9% increase compared to last year Policing and ensuring safety for the ever-rising number of revelers required new and increased security measures in light of recent events like the New Year’s terror attack in New Orleans. Those measures included blocking roadways with dump trucks and excavators,
ä See YOUNGSVILLE, page 7A
ä See SUIT, page 7A
to 100,000
The dizzying, battering swings for stocks have been coming not just day to day but also hour to hour, and the Dow hurtled between a slight gain and a drop of 689 points on Thursday
The turbulence is a result of uncertainty about how much pain Trump will let the economy endure through tariffs and other policies in order to reshape the country and world as he wants. The president has said he wants manufacturing jobs back in the United States, along with a smaller U.S. government workforce and other fundamental changes.
Trump’s latest escalation came Thursday when he threatened 200% tariffs on Champagne and other European wines, unless the European Union rolls back a “nasty” tariff announced on U.S. whiskey The European Union unveiled that move on Wednesday, in response to U.S. tariffs on European steel and aluminum.
U.S. households and businesses have already reported drops in confidence because of all the uncertainty about which tariffs will stick from Trump’s barrage of on-again, off-again announcements. That’s raised fears about a pullback in spending that could sap energy from the economy Some U.S. businesses say they’ve already begun to see a change in their customers’ behavior
TUMBLES, page 5A ä Trump’s policies have thrown G7 countries’ once solid unity into disarray. PAGE 4A ä A 10% drop for stocks isn’t that rare. PAGE 6A
‘His death will not provide closure’
As inmate’s execution day nears, victim’s husband torn over process
BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer
It’s been nearly 30 years since a duck hunter found his wife Molly shot dead and naked on Thanksgiving Day by the Middle Pearl River Andy Elliott says he isn’t sure now if he wants her killer Jessie Hoffman Jr., to be executed on Tuesday, as the state has planned, or to die in prison.
But the March 18 date that a St. Tammany Parish judge has set for Hoffman to become the first death row inmate to be executed in Louisiana by nitrogen gas has filled the family with dread, forced to
reckon with their feelings under a media glare, Elliott wrote in a statement late Wednesday
“There is something about knowing it could actually finally happen that has forced all of us to relive the past tragedy and re-examine our true feelings,” Elliott wrote.
“The reality is this: after this much time passing, I’ve become indifferent to the death penalty vs. life in prison without possibility of parole. However, I’m not indifferent to the uncertainty that has accompanied these many years. If putting him to death is the easiest way to end the uncertainty then on balance I favor that solution. But, his death will not provide closure.
“Anyone who has experienced a tragedy of this magnitude will recognize the absolute truth Molly’s and my families and friends lost a great human being to a senseless
ä See CLOSURE, page 5A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE Police estimate the youngsville Mardi Gras Parade drew up
people to the city this year
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER
Attorney John Carmouche, center walks to the Plaquemines Parish Courthouse in Pointe à la Hache on Tuesday.
A rusted oil pipeline in the Bayou Gentilly oil field has been abandoned, according to lawyers representing Plaquemines Parish in their lawsuit against oil and gas companies.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By MATTHEW HINTON
Democrat Raúl Grijalva, of Arizona, 77, dies
WASHINGTON Democratic U.S.
Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, of Arizona, who championed environmental protection during his 12 terms in Congress, died Thursday of complications from cancer treatments, his office said Grijalva, 77, had been absent from Congress as he underwent cancer treatment in months.
Grijalva, son of a can immigran was first elected to the House 2002. Know a liberal leader, he dedicated much of his career to working on environmental causes on the Natural Resources Committee. He stepped down from that position this year, after announcing that he planned to retire rather than run for reelection in 2026.
Senate Democrats under pressure
Deadline looms for Republican-led government funding bill
BY LISA MASCARO AP congressional correspondent
WASHINGTON Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer signaled privately Thursday he’s ready to start the process of considering a Republican-led government funding bill, as Democrats are fiercely ided under pressure to impose limits on the Trump administration he eve of a shutdown deadline.
Schumer, D-N.Y., told Democrats spirited closed-door lunch that would be voting to proceed to bill when it comes up Friday ich will be hours before the midnight deadline. His comments, first reported by The New York Times, were confirmed by two people familiar with the matter and granted anonymity to discuss it.
The move by Schumer brings a potential resolution to a dayslong standoff. Senate Democrats have mounted a last-ditch protest over the package, which already passed
the House but without slapping any limits they were demanding on President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to gut federal operations.
The Democrats are under intense pressure to do whatever they can to stop the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, which is taking a wrecking ball to long-established government agencies and purging thousands of federal workers from jobs.
Trump himself offered to wade in Thursday to negotiate: “If they need me, I’m there 100%.” But the president also began casting blame on Democrats for any potential disruptions, saying during an Oval Office meeting, “if it shuts down, it’s not the Republicans’ fault.”
Democrats are pushing a stopgap 30-day funding bill as an alternative. But its prospects are dim in the Congress controlled by Republicans. And it’s unlikely the Democrats would allow a govern-
ment shutdown, worried about the further chaos they say Trump and Musk could cause.
As the Senate opened Thursday, with one day to go before Friday’s midnight deadline, Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said: “It’s time for Democrats to fish or cut bait.”
House Republicans stuck together to pass their bill, many conservatives cheering the DOGE cuts, leaving Democrats sidelined as they stood opposed. The House then left town, sending it to the Senate for final action.
Options for Schumer are limited, especially as the party is wary of fully withholding their votes and being blamed for a full shutdown of services.
Schumer earlier had announced that Democrats were unified in pressing for a 30-day stopgap measure as an alternative to the House passed bill, which would instead fund operations through the end
of the budget year in September Schumer said the Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority, lack the support needed to reach the 60vote threshold, which is required to overcome a filibuster But Senate Republicans have shown little interest in Schumer’s offer Over the next 24 hours, Democrats face the choice before them: provide the votes needed to advance the package or stand in the way of passing the funding bill in time to avoid a shutdown when money expires midnight Friday
Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn said the Democrats “have been railing against Elon Musk and the Trump administration over reductions in force of the federal employees, and now they basically want to put all of them out of work by shutting down the government.”
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, has called Trump and Musk “two billionaires who don’t know the first thing” about what American families need.
During his time in Congress, Grijalva championed protections for endangered species and wilderness areas, as well as stronger regulations on the oil and natural gas industries. He played a key role in writing the National Landscape Conservation System Act and the Federal Lands Restoration Act, which were passed and signed by President Barack Obama.
Father gets 13 years for shooting football coach
ST LOUIS A father in Missouri was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Thursday for shooting and wounding a St. Louis youth football coach over his son’s playing time while 9- and 10-year-olds practiced nearby.
A jury found Daryl Clemmons, 45, guilty last month of assault and armed criminal action in the October 2023 shooting of Shaquille Latimore, a volunteer coach for the City Rec Legends Football League. He was hospitalized in critical condition but survived.
Both men were armed. According to prosecutors, the coach handed his gun to a friend and told Clemmons they should fight with fists. Clemmons rejected that idea and shot Latimore five times. The father fled but turned himself in to police later that evening.
The team was then suspended over what St. Louis officials described as “a series of incidents perpetuated by adults” that culminated in the shooting near a practice field in Sherman Park
The defense argued that the shooting was in self defense and filed a motion for a new trial.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office said the two men were at odds over the amount of playing time Clemmons’s son had been getting.
States sue to block
Education Dept. layoffs
WASHINGTON A coalition of Democratic-led states is challenging the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs across the Education Department, saying it amounts to an illegal dismantling of an agency created by Congress. In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Massachusetts, 20 states and Washington, D.C., say the layoffs are so severe that the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”
It alleges the cuts will result in a loss or delay of federal money for public schools, and will leave the agency unable to administer college financial aid or enforce civil rights laws at schools, among other disruptions
The department has insisted previously it will continue to deliver on its statutory obligations, despite the cuts.
Some Education Department employees have left through buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees.
After a layoff of 1,300 people announced Tuesday the department will sit at roughly half the 4,100 it had when President Donald Trump took office.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants the agency shut down, calling it wasteful and overly influenced by liberal thinking
The suit says only Congress has the power to close the department or dismantle its core work.
Jewish protesters flood Trump Tower’s lobby
Group demands release of pro-Palestinian activist
BY CEDAR ATTANASIO Associated Press
NEW YORK Demonstrators from a Jewish group filled the lobby of Trump Tower on Thursday to denounce the immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Palestinian activist who helped lead protests against Israel at Columbia University.
The demonstrators from Jewish Voice for Peace wore red shirts reading “Jews say stop arming Israel” and held up banners as they chanted “Bring Mahmoud home now!” on the lower level of the Fifth Avenue building’s public atrium.
After warning the protesters to leave, police said they arrested 98 people who stayed on various charges, including trespassing, obstruction and resisting arrest Khalil, a 30-year-old permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen and who hasn’t been charged with breaking any laws, was arrested outside his New York City apartment Saturday and faces deportation. He’s being held at an immigration detention center in Louisiana.
President Donald Trump has said Khalil’s arrest was the first “of many to come” and vowed on social media to deport students who he said engage in
“pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity.” The White House didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment about the Trump Tower demonstration.
Founded in 1996, Jewish Voice for Peace describes itself as a grassroots movement of American Jews seeking to “end U.S. support for Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.” It is one of a number of Jewish groups around the world advocating for the rights of Palestinians.
Protester Sophie Edelhart, a Barnard graduate who studies Yiddish as part of a Ph.D. program in Canada, said the building — with its golden escalator that Trump rode before announcing his 2016 presidential run — was a symbolic target.
Trump Tower serves as headquarters for the Trump Organization and is where the president stays when he is in New York. The skyscraper often attracts demonstrations, both against and in support of its namesake, though protests inside are less common.
Khalil’s supporters say his arrest is an attack on free speech and have staged protests elsewhere in the city and around the country, including outside a Manhattan courthouse during a brief hearing on his case Wednesday
Khalil whose wife is pregnant with their first child, finished his requirements for a Columbia master’s degree in December
Columbia University says it expelled some students who seized building
BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK Columbia University says it has expelled or suspended some students who took over a campus building during pro-Palestinian protests last spring, and had temporarily revoked the diplomas of some students who have since graduated.
In a campuswide email sent Thursday the university said its judicial board had issued its sanctions against dozens of students who occupied Hamilton Hall based on its “evaluation of the severity of be-
haviors.”
The university did not provide a breakdown of how many students were expelled, suspended or had their degree revoked.
The takeover of Hamilton Hall came on April 30, 2024, an escalation led by a smaller group of students of the tent encampment that had sprung up on Columbia’s campus against the war in Gaza. Students and their allies barricaded themselves inside the hall with furniture and padlocks in a major escalation of campus protests.
At the request of university leaders, hundreds
of officers with the New York Police Department stormed onto campus the following night. Officers carrying zip ties and riot shields poured in to the occupied building through a window and arrested dozens of people.
In June, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said it would not pursue criminal charges for 31 of the 46 people initially arrested on trespassing charges inside the administration building — but all of the students still faced disciplinary hearings and possible expulsion from the university
Egyptian wrestler sets 3 world records
He can pull a train with his teeth
BY MOHAMED SALAH and FATMA KHALED Associated Press
CAIRO Pulling a train by the strength of your teeth is no easy task. But for Egyptian wrestler Ashraf Mahrous, also known by his nickname Kabonga, it’s just one of several things he can do to show off his astonishing strength. Mahrous this week received formal recognition by the Guinness World Records in three categories, including the heaviest rail pull using only his teeth His two other certificates are for the heaviest locomotive pull and for the fastest 100-meter road vehicle pull. He said he pulled the twoton locomotive in under 40 seconds.
On Thursday, crowds gathered at the Ramses train station in downtown Cairo to watch and cheer him on as he pulled a train — weighing 279 tons — with a rope held by his teeth for a distance of nearly 33 feet. He then repeated the feat, pulling the train with the strap around his shoulders to cheering spectators. Mahrous, who is in his 40s and also is president of the Egyptian Federation for Professional Wrestlers, was previously recognized for cracking and eating 11 raw eggs in 30 seconds in February 2024.
Demonstrators from the group Jewish Voice for Peace protest inside Trump Tower in support of Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil on Thursday in New york.
AP PHOTO By AMR NABIL Egyptian wrestler Ashraf Mahrous pulls a train for nearly 33 feet at Ramses Station in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday as he is watched by Guinness World Record observers.
Weldon nomination yanked amid vaccine concerns
BY LIA DEGROOT and JESSIE HELLMANN CQ-Roll Call (TNS)
WASHINGTON — The abrupt White House decision Thursday to withdraw former Republican Rep. Dave Weldon’s nomination to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes amid questions surrounding the agency, including its handling of a growing measles outbreak and reports that it will study debunked theories linking autism to childhood vaccines.
Lawmakers have grown increasingly concerned about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy’s actions on comments on vaccines since getting confirmed, which likely complicated Weldon’s path to confirmation. Kennedy and Weldon had been close since Weldon, a former House lawmaker from Florida, left office
The decision to withdraw Weldon’s nomination hours before he was scheduled to face the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel for his confirmation hearing appeared to stun Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky second in seniority on the panel. He told reporters he had no knowledge of the deci-
sion.
But Sen. Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska, said Thursday she wasn’t surprised the White House withdrew the nomination, saying she had shared her concerns about him to the White House.
In a statement, Weldon, a physician, said Sen. Susan Collins, RMaine, had expressed reservations about his nomination, and her staff accused him of being anti-vaccine.
“I r emi nd ed them that I actually give hundreds of vaccines every year in my medical practice,”
Weldon said in a statement. “More than twenty years ago, while in Congress I raised some concerns about childhood vaccine safety, and for some reason Collins staff suddenly couldn’t get over that no matter what I said back.”
A Collins aide disputed Weldon’s comments that staff said he was anti-vaccine. On Thursday, Collins said the news of Weldon’s nomination “came as a surprise to me.”
She said she did not express concerns to the White House. “I had
some reservations, but I certainly had not reached a final judgment,” she said.
A person familiar with a recent meeting between Weldon and aides to Republican members on the HELP panel also disputed Weldon’s characterizations of his interactions with congressional staff.
Weldon appeared unprepared for the meeting, stating that he did not have a strategic plan for running the CDC and had been busy working on transitioning his medical practice, the source said.
In Weldon’s four-page statement, which was sent to the New York Times, Weldon defended his background on vaccines, but also defended Andrew Wakefield, the discredited anti-vaccine advocate whose papers linking vaccines with autism was retracted from journals, but not before it helped spark an anti-vaccine movement.
Pushback from Cassidy
The renewed focus on the debunked link between vaccines and autism by Kennedy has frustrated Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidey R-Baton Rouge, a physician who has pressed multiple health nominees on the issue.
In the committee’s confirmation hearing with National Institutes of Health director nominee Jay Bhattacharya, Cassidy pressed him on whether he would expend federal resources studying what Cassidy described as a resolved question.
After the hearing, Reuters reported that the CDC in fact planned to study the link.
Weldon said Cassidy was also considering voting “no” and had asked for his nomination to be withdrawn.
But in a statement, Cassidy disputed that account. “I was looking forward to the hearing. I was surprised when Dr Weldon’s nomination was withdrawn. His poor response to this situation shows that the pressures of being CDC director would have been too much,” Cassidy said in a statement.
‘Big Pharma didn’t want me’
Public health experts have warned Weldon would be a dangerous pick to lead the agency given his past comments about vaccines.
In his nearly 15-year tenure in the House, Weldon sought to remove vaccine safety research from the CDC’s domain. After he left, he became close with Ken-
nedy who reportedly put his name forward for the job, and continued promoting anti-vaccine theories. Weldon’s nomination came as measles outbreaks grow across the U.S. The CDC is responsible for providing assistance to those outbreaks, including shipping vaccines to localities.
As of March 6, the CDC reported 222 measles cases from three outbreaks in 12 states. Kennedy has come under fire for linking the outbreaks to poor diet and health while promoting cod liver oil as a treatment.
Weldon blamed “Big Pharma” for the withdrawal in the nomination, saying in a statement he would have investigated “why some kids have a bad reaction to the MMR,” or measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. “Clearly, Big Pharma didn’t want me in the CDC investigating any of this,” Weldon said.
Weldon, who served in the House from 1995 through 2009, routinely questioned the links between vaccines and autism. He does not specialize in infectious diseases and has never formally worked in public health, having spent his career as a military doctor, internist and politician.
Judge orders administration to rehire probationary workers
Ruling applies to multiple agencies
BY JANIE HAR Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO A federal judge in San Francisco ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to rehire thousands, if not tens of thousands, of probationary workers let go in mass firings across multiple agencies, blasting their tactics Thursday as he slowed the new president’s dramatic downsizing of the federal government.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup said that the terminations were directed by the Office of Personnel Management and its acting director, Charles Ezell, who lacked the authority to do so.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt quickly pushed
back, casting the ruling as an attempt to encroach on executive power to hire and fire employees.
“The Trump Administration will immediately fight back against this absurd and unconstitutional order,” she said in a statement
Alsup’s order tells the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture, Defense, Energy the Interior and the Treasury to immediately offer job reinstatement to employees terminated on or about Feb. 13 and 14. He also directed the departments to report back within seven days with a list of probationary employees and an explanation of how the agencies complied with his order as to each person.
The temporary restraining order came in a lawsuit filed by a coalition of labor unions and organizations as the Republican administration moves to reduce the federal workforce.
“These mass firings of federal workers were not just an attack on government agencies and their ability to function, they were also a direct assault on public lands, wildlife, and the rule of law,” said Erik Molvar, executive director of Western Watersheds Project, one of the plaintiffs.
Alsup expressed frustration with what he called the government’s attempt to sidestep laws and regulations governing a reduction in its workforce — which it is allowed to do by firing probationary workers who lack protections and cannot appeal.
He was appalled that employees were told they were being fired for poor performance despite receiving glowing evaluations just months earlier
“It is sad, a sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based
on performance when they know good and well that’s a lie,” he said.
“That should not have been done in our country.”
Lawyers for the government maintain the mass firings were lawful because individual agencies reviewed and determined whether employees on probation were fit for continued employment.
But Alsup, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, has found that difficult to believe.
He planned to hold an evidentiary hearing Thursday, but Ezell, the OPM acting director, did not appear to testify in court or even sit for a deposition, and the government retracted his written testimony
“I know how we get at the truth, and you’re not helping me get at the truth,” Alsup said to Kelsey Helland, an assistant U.S. attorney
The judge encouraged the government to appeal.
The case is among multiple lawsuits challenging the mass firings. Another judge in Maryland also appeared skeptical of the Trump administration in a Wednesday hearing held in a lawsuit brought by nearly two dozen states. A judge in the nation’s capital, on the other hand, ruled against unions last month, finding the fired workers needed to work through a process set out in employment law
There are an estimated 200,000 probationary workers across federal agencies. They include entrylevel employees but also workers who recently received a promotion. The plaintiffs said in their complaint that numerous agencies informed workers that the personnel office had ordered the terminations, with an order to use a template email informing workers their firing was for performance reasons.
BY MARK SHERMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow restrictions on birthright citizenship to partly take effect while legal fights play out
In emergency applications filed at the high court on Thursday, the administration asked the justices to narrow court orders entered by district judges in Maryland, Massachusetts and Washington that blocked the order President Donald Trump signed shortly after beginning his second term.
The order currently is blocked nationwide. Three federal appeals courts have rejected the administration’s pleas, including one in Massachusetts on Tuesday
The order would deny citizenship to those born after
Feb 19 whose parents are in the country illegally. It also forbids U.S. agencies from issuing any document or accepting any state document recognizing citizenship for such children.
Roughly two dozen states, as well as several individuals and groups, have sued over the executive order, which they say violates the Constitution’s 14th Amendment promise of citizenship to anyone born inside the United States.
The Justice Department argues that individual judges lack the power to give nationwide effect to their rulings.
The administration instead wants the justices to allow the Trump’s plan to go into effect for everyone except the handful of people and group that sued, arguing that the states lack the legal right, or standing, to challenge the executive order
As a fallback, the administration asked “at a minimum” to be allowed to make public announcements about how they plan to carry out the policy if it eventually is allowed to take effect.
Acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris contends in her filing that Trump’s order is constitutional because the 14th amendment’s citizenship clause, properly read, “does not extend citizenship universally to everyone born in the United States.”
But the emergency appeal is not directly focused on the validity of the order Instead, it raises the issue of the broad reach of orders issued by individual federal judges. In all, five conservative justices, a majority of the court, have raised concerns in the past about nationwide, or universal, injunctions. But the court has never ruled on the matter
Weldon
Top diplomats from G7 countries meet in Canada
BY MATTHEW LEE AP diplomatic writer
LA MALBAIE,Canada Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies gathered in Canada on Thursday as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade and foreign policies have thrown the bloc’s once solid unity into disarray
The meeting began after Trump threatened to impose 200% tariffs on European wine and other alcohol if the European Union doesn’t back down from retaliating against U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs with a levy on American whiskey
The escalating trade war adds to uncertainty over relations between the U.S. and its closest allies, which have already been strained by Trump’s position on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
It also likely means U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will hear a litany of complaints as he meets with the foreign ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan over the next two days.
All of them have been angered by the new American president’s policies, and they smiled stiffly in frigid temperatures as they posed for a group photo at a snowy resort in La Malbaie, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River
“Peace and stability is at the top of our agenda, and I look forward to discussing how we continue to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal aggression,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said. “Of course, we want to foster long-term stability as well in the Middle East.”
Rubio met earlier with Joly, arriving in Quebec late Wednesday just hours after Trump’s steel
Minister Antonio Tajani.
and aluminum tariffs kicked in — prompting responses from the European Union and Canada.
Canada won’t back down Joly, the host of the meeting, made clear that Canada, at least, would not back down. Trump has arguably been most antagonistic toward Canada with persistent talk of it becoming the 51st U.S. state, additional tariffs and repeated insults against its leadership.
Ahead of the talks, Joly said that “in every single meeting, I will raise the issue of tariffs to coordinate a response with the Europeans and to put pressure on the Americans.” She noted on Wednesday that Trump had “repeated his disrespectful 51st state rhetoric.” For his part, Trump doubled down on his anti-Canada rhetoric during an Oval Office meeting on Thursday with NATO chief Mark Rutte. “To be honest with you,
Canada only works as a state,”
Trump said before going on to say that he’s not going to change his mind on the tariffs he’s imposing on Canada. “We’ve been ripped off for years,” he said. “We’re not going to bend.” Rubio had downplayed Trump’s earlier comments, saying the president was only expressing what he thought would be a good idea. The G7 “is not a meeting about how we’re going to take over Canada,”
he said.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said G7 nations should avoid panic and posted a message of support for Canada on X, featuring a photo of her and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. “We’ve got your back, @melaniejoly,” she wrote.
Rubio faces allies as tariffs start On tariffs, Rubio said G7 partners should understand that these are a “policy decision” by Trump to protect American competitiveness.
“I think it is quite possible that we could do these things and at the same time deal in a constructive way with our allies and friends and partners on all the other issues that we work together on,” Rubio told reporters Wednesday on a refueling stop in Ireland. “And that’s what I expect out of the G7 and Canada.”
Asked if he expected a difficult reception from his counterparts, Rubio brushed the question aside: “I don’t know, should I be? I mean, they’ve invited us to come. We intend to go. The alternative is to not go. I think that would actually make things worse, not better.” Rubio notably skipped a meeting of G20 foreign ministers — a bigger but less powerful group that includes developing nations last month in South Africa because of his concerns that the agenda, which included climate change and diversity, did not align with Trump administration policies.
The agenda for the G7 meeting includes discussions on China and the Indo-Pacific; Ukraine and Europe; stability in the Americas; the Middle East; maritime security; Africa; and China, North Korea, Iran and Russia.
Putin agrees in principle with proposal for Ukraine ceasefire
Russian president says ‘issues’ need to be discussed
By The Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he agrees in principle with a U.S proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, but he emphasized that the terms are yet to be worked out and noted that any truce should pave the way to lasting peace.
“The idea itself is correct, and we certainly support it,” Putin told a news conference in Moscow “But there are issues that we need to discuss, and I think that we need to talk about it with our American colleagues and partners
and, perhaps, have a call with President Trump and discuss it with him.”
President Donald Trump said there have been “good signals” coming out of Russia and offered guarded optimism about Putin’s statement. He reiterated that he’s ready to speak with Putin and underscored that it was time to end the war Putin “put out a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete,” Trump said Thursday at a start of a meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte “Now we’re going to see whether or not Russia’s there. And if they’re not, it’ll be a very disappointing moment for the world.”
Putin, who launched the full-scale invasion of
and remove the root causes of the crisis,” Putin said.
The Russian leader made the remarks just hours after the arrival of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Moscow for talks on the ceasefire, which Ukraine has accepted.
The diplomatic effort coincided with a Russian claim that its troops have driven the Ukrainian army out of a key town in Russia’s Kursk border region, where Moscow has been trying for seven months to dislodge Ukrainian troops from their foothold.
this war, that he wants to kill Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said Thursday in his nightly address to the nation.
Ukraine more than three years ago, noted the need to control possible breaches of the truce and signaled that Russia would seek guarantees that Ukraine would not use the break in hostilities to
rearm and continue mobilization.
“We agree with the proposals to halt the fighting, but we proceed from the assumption that the ceasefire should lead to lasting peace
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Putin is “essentially preparing to reject” the ceasefire.
Putin “is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue
“That is why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the idea of a ceasefire with such preconditions that nothing will come of it — or at least, it will be delayed as long as possible.” Putin said it appeared that the U.S. persuaded Ukraine to accept a ceasefire and that Ukraine is interested because of the battlefield situation, particularly in Kursk. Referring to the Ukrainian troops in Kursk, he questioned what will happen to them if the ceasefire takes hold: “Will all those who are there come out without a fight? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down arms and surrender?”
BY MICHAEL CASEY Associated Press
BEDFORD,Mass.— Jack Teixeira, the Massachusetts Air National Guard member who leaked highly classified documents about the war in Ukraine, pleaded guilty to military charges of obstructing justice at his court-martial Thursday and called himself a “proud patriot.” In a 10-minute address, Teixeira said he was “exposing and correcting the lies that were perpetrated by President Biden and force-fed to the American people” about the
war in Ukraine.
“I believe the Department of Justice was politicized against President Trump and myself,” added Teixeira, who said he acted alone when he shared the documents in a geopolitical chatroom on Discord, a social media platform popular with online gamers. He called on Trump and members of his administration to reverse his convictions.
“If I saved one American, Russian or Ukrainian life in this money-grabbing war, my punishment was worth it,” he said.
The judge agreed to the plea deal, which calls for dishonorable discharge and no jail time. Teixeira was already sentenced last year to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in federal court to six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information under the Espionage Act, following his arrest in the most consequential national security breach in years. Military prosecutors said before the court-martial at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts that charges of disobeying orders and
obstructing justice were appropriate given that obeying orders is the “absolute core” of the military
A plea agreement was accepted by both sides that drops the disobeying orders charge Teixeira pleaded guilty to the obstruction charge, admitting that he used a hammer to destroy a cellphone, a computer hard drive and an iPad.
Teixeira worked as an information technology specialist responsible for military communications networks. His lawyers described Teixeira as an autistic, isolated individual who spent most of his time online.
The leaks exposed to the world unvarnished secret assessments of Russia’s war in Ukraine, including information about troop movements in Ukraine, and the provision of supplies and equipment to Ukrainian troops. The leaked documents also revealed assessments of the defense capabilities of Taiwan and internal arguments in Britain, Egypt, Israel, South Korea and Japan. Teixeira also admitted to posting information about a U.S. adversary’s plans to harm U.S. forces serving overseas.
POOL PHOTO By SAUL LOEB
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, center right, speaks during the G7 foreign ministers meeting Thursday in La Malbaie, Quebec. Alongside Joly are, from left, European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Japanese Foreign Minister Iwaya Takeshi, U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Italian Foreign
RUSSIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with Russian Chief of General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov as he visits military headquarters in the Kursk region of Russia on Wednesday.
because of the uncertainty
A particularly feared scenario for the economy is one where its growth stagnates but inflation stays high because of tariffs Few tools are available in Washington to fix what’s called “stagflation.” If the Federal Reserve were to cut interest rates to boost the economy, for example, that could also push inflation higher
Good news came on both those economic fronts Thursday
One report showed inflation at the wholesale level last month was milder than economists expected. It followed a similarly encouraging report from the prior day on inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling.
But “the question for markets is whether good news on the inflation front can make itself heard above the noise of the ever-changing tariff story,” said Chris Larkin, managing director trading and investing, at E-Trade from Morgan Stanley A separate report, meanwhile, said fewer U.S workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than economists expected. It’s the latest signal that the job market remains relatively solid overall. If that can continue, it could allow U.S. consumers to keep spending, and that’s the main engine of the economy On Wall Street, some stocks connected to the artificial-intelligence
CLOSURE
Continued from page 1A
series of crimes, the reasons for which we still don’t know The pain is something we simply have learned to live with. That pain cannot be decreased by another death, nor by commuting the sentence of Molly’s assailant to life in prison.”
Elliott, 63, of Covington, thanked Gov Jeff Landry, whose interest in restarting Louisiana’s execution chamber after 15 years resulted in an expansion of the allowable methods of state killing, adding nitrogen gassing and electrocution to lethal injection in a new list of options Landry last month announced that the state had finalized its protocol for death by nitrogen hypoxia, the only currently available method in the state, officials said.
The issue has come to a head in federal court The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals is now considering a district judge’s decision to halt Hoffman’s execution while she considers a claim that using lethal gas on him would amount to unconstitutionally cruel and unusual punishment.
Elliott said that he and Landry had “spoken personally of many things, among them being that the death penalty itself is meant to be the strongest possible deterrent, yet, if the system cannot be streamlined so that the penalty is imposed in a reasonable amount of time, it becomes a less effective deterrent or punishment But most of all, I appreciate Jeff’s decision to finally provide urgency toward a final resolution.”
Hoffman’s attorneys have challenged the protocol, while appealing to Landry for a reprieve until the state pardon board can consider a request for clemency Hoffman, who was 18 at the time of the crime and is now 46, has exhausted his appeals. He is the only
industry resumed their slide and weighed on stock indexes. Palantir Technologies, which offers an AI platform for customers, sank 4.8%. Super Micro Computer, which makes servers, lost 8%. Nvidia swung between gains and losses before finishing with a dip of 0.1%. Such stocks have been under the most pressure in the U.S. stock market’s recent sell-off after critics said their prices shot too
inmate among the 56 prisoners on death row in Louisiana with an execution date.
No explanation for brutal crime
His advocates describe Hoffman as a product of a grim upbringing in New Orleans housing projects, one “characterized by sexual, physical, and verbal abuse, and other trauma and violence,” including frequent shootings and killings in his neighborhood.
On the night of Molly Elliott’s murder, Hoffman allegedly forced her to drive to an ATM for $200 cash in New Orleans East, and then to a boat launch in St. Tammany Parish, where he killed her execution-style. Police arrested Hoffman at the Fischer housing development in Algiers a few days after the killing. He reportedly confessed a few hours later Family members have pleaded for his life describing a transformation in prison, where they say Hoffman has become a mentor on death row State corrections officials have so far declined a request to interview Hoffman. A spokesperson Thursday cited the court injunction.
Molly Elliott was 28 and working at an advertising firm in downtown New Orleans when Hoffman, then a parking attendant fresh out of high school, abducted her as she walked to her car She died of a single gunshot to the head. A St. Tammany Parish jury convicted Hoffman in 1998 and sentenced him to death.
In his statement, Andy Elliott said that he’s never heard an explanation for the brutal crime. When Hoffman took the stand at a hearing last week about whether nitrogen gas is a humane way to die, he did not elaborate on any details about the murder
“Molly was a cherished person who missed out on motherhood, a promising and successful career, and a life in the country on
the property we bought together Hers was a life that was so full of hope and promise for a beautiful future,” Elliott wrote.
“The loss of Molly is a scar we will forever carry, and it will never heal. From my standpoint, hearing why he did this crime is the only hole that could be filled by Jess(i)e himself, yet, he’s never offered any explanation or remorse, not even to his own family.”
Apology was in clemency petition
Hoffman offered an apology in a clemency petition that his attorneys filed in 2023 as part of a mass application that failed to reach the desk of Gov John Bel Edwards in his last year in office.
“To Mr Elliott, to Molly Elliott’s parents, and to all those impacted by such a senseless and painful loss, I want to say that I am extremely and genuinely sorry for all the pain that my very selfish, horrible and heartless acts caused you all,” it read.
“I cannot begin to comprehend the pain you have had to endure because of me. I know that I am the cause of unimaginable pain and suffering. I am truly sorry.”
It never reached Elliott’s family, however, Andy Elliott said.
“Jessie has wanted more than anything to have the opportunity to speak directly with the Elliott family, offer his heartfelt apology face-to-face, and answer any questions they may have,” said Caroline Tillman, one of Hoffman’s attorneys Francis Abbott, the executive director of Louisiana’s pardon board who also oversees the state’s victim outreach program, said Hoffman’s application “was refused because he was not disciplinary conduct report-free for 24 months.”
“We’re not required to notify anybody that we’ve received an application and refused an application,” he said. “There was no hearing scheduled, no investigation.”
Other areas of the market that had also been riding big earlier momentum have seen their fortunes swing drastically Elon Musk’s Tesla fell 3% following a rare back-toback gain, and it’s down more than 40% so far in 2025.
Following the mass application in 2023, after Edwards had declared his opposition to the death penalty, the law changed, restricting the ability of an offender’s attorneys from reaching out to victims’ families directly
They first need permission from the victim or survivor, Abbott said.
“There is a process: victim-offender dialogue. It’s got to be initiated by the victim,” he said. That process runs through Abbott’s office. Since the law changed last year, he said there’s been no request regarding Hoffman.
Looking forward to having family
Elliott recalled being surprised at Hoffman’s swift confession after the crime.
Molly was from Arizona and went to college in Southern California before moving to Louisiana, he said. They wed in spring 1995, less than two years before her death.
Elliott, who later remarried and raised three children, said they were both looking forward to raising a family He’d started a business designing and manufacturing pumps for the oil and gas industry that remains, while still living on the property he and Molly bought.
Elliott said he won’t be attending Hoffman’s execution if it happens.
“I’ve gone back and forth. In the end I’ve decided not to for a couple of reasons,” he said in a phone interview Thursday “One being just the discomfort of having a grieving family all going through the same thing at the same time.”
Elliott said another reason for missing it is “just not really feeling like I need to watch another human being die.”
“I don’t have the appetite. If this would have happened three or four years after the event, I for sure would have attended and would have been one of the most prodeath penalty people you would ever meet,” he added. “It’s amaz-
American Eagle Outfitters dropped 4.1% after the retailer said “less robust demand and colder weather” have held back its performance recently It forecast a dip in revenue for the upcoming year, though it also delivered a stronger profit report for the latest quarter than analysts expected. On the winning side of Wall Street was Intel, which jumped 14.6% after naming former board member and semiconductor industry veteran Lip-Bu Tan as its CEO. Tan, 65, will take over the daunting job next week, more than three months after Intel’s previous CEO, Pat Gelsinger, abruptly retired amid a deepening downturn at the once-dominant chipmaker All told, the S&P 500 lost 77.78 points to 5,521.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 537.36 to 40,813.57, and the Nasdaq composite sank 345.44 to 17,303.01. In the bond market, Treasury yields lost an early gain to sink lower The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.27% from 4.32%. The yield has been mostly dropping since January when it was approaching 4.80%, as traders and economists have ratcheted back their expectations for U.S economic growth. While few are predicting a recession, particularly with the job market remaining relatively solid, recent reports have shown a souring of confidence among U.S. consumers and companies. In
ing how much time and distance can change you.”
Execution currently held up Louisiana would become the second state to execute someone using nitrogen gas, behind Alabama, which has done it four times since the start of last year under a protocol that Louisiana officials have largely copied.
U.S. Chief Judge Shelly Dick of the Middle District of Louisiana ordered a temporary injunction Tuesday while she considers Hoffman’s argument that his execution would violate the Eighth Amendment with cruel and unusual punishment. Attorney General Liz Murrill’s office has appealed the ruling, and a decision by the appeals court is expected soon. Among the issues for the appeals court to decide is whether the March 18 execution date stands if the court reverses Dick. Hoffman’s attorneys argue that Dick’s ruling resets the clock, and that a judge must sign a new death warrant. Murrill says the preliminary injunction that Dick ordered is not a stay of execution and that the March 18 date can hold if the appeals court vacates the ruling. Landry led state lawmakers last year in adding to the options for executions in Louisiana, and he announced last month that the state had established a protocol for nitrogen gas. Soon after, a judge in St. Tammany Parish signed an execution warrant for Hoffman.
It’s not closure, but finality that the family seeks, Andy Elliott said, “so we can stop dreading the reminder of the tragedy every time the subject of his execution re-emerges.”
“My sincere hope is either to get the execution done or commute his sentence to life in prison without parole, one or the other, as soon as possible. Then, we can put Molly’s brutal death in the past. That’s not closure, but it’s the best we can hope for.”
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW
BRIEFS
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
GMFS to buy back BR mortgage lender
GMFS, a Baton Rouge-based mortgage lender, said it has reached a deal to buy the business from Ready Capital Corp. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tee Brown, president of GMFS, said the purchase should close in 75 to 90 days.
“This is a great opportunity to set the business on the course of becoming private and owned by management, and ultimately being owned by employees down the line,” Brown said.
GMFS was acquired by New Jersey-based Zais Financial in 2014 for $63 million in cash. Two years later, Sutherland Asset Management Corp., the parent company of Ready Capital, merged with Zais.
The deal shouldn’t have any impact on GMFS customers, because the company’s leadership, structure and service will not change, Brown said
“Effectively, we’ll have the same consistency and experience that we’ve had for 26 years,” he said.
GMFS was founded in 1999 by J. Terrell Brown. The company has provided more than $33 billion in residential mortgage funds to more than 160,000 customers. GMFS has operations in 22 states. About 175 people work for the company, with 60% based in metro Baton Rouge. Brown said the plan is for GMFS to grow the company and hire additional workers.
Spirit Airlines exits bankruptcy protection
Discount carrier Spirit Airlines has emerged from bankruptcy protection.
The budget airline — known for its no-frills, low-cost flights on a fleet of yellow planes — said Wednesday that its parent, Spirit Aviation Holdings exited Chapter 11 after finalizing debt restructuring. The reorganization plan, which received the court greenlight last month, aims to bring the carrier back to profitability and boost resources to compete with rivals. Spirit filed for bankruptcy back in November, following years of struggles and mounting debt as it failed to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Florida carrier was particularly hit hard by rising operating expenses and stiffer competition By the time of its Chapter 11 filing, the airline had lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020
Whether Spirit will continue as a stand-alone airline has also been up in the air, although takeover attempts from budget rivals like JetBlue and Frontier have proved to be unsuccessful before and during the bankruptcy process. Spirit rejected a third bid from Frontier last month While future merger proposals may not be entirely off the table, Spirit signaled Wednesday that it would continue to focus its own growth and offerings.
Circle K shows interest in Japan 7-Eleven chain
Canada’s Alimentation CoucheTard reaffirmed Thursday that it is determined to acquire Seven & i Holdings, although the operator of Japan’s top convenience store chain has rejected its offer
“We are continuing to pursue a friendly, mutually agreeable transaction,” the chairman and founder of Alimentation CoucheTard, Alain Bouchard, told reporters in Tokyo.
Last year Couche-Tard which operates Circle K stores, proposed acquiring all of Seven & i Holdings shares for $14.86 per share in cash. Media reports now say the offer is for $18.19 per share, or about $47 billion. Bouchard stressed that his company was pursuing a “friendly” transaction, not a hostile takeover. He reiterated his promise to retain local management, saying the merger would be good for 7-Eleven’s business.
The chain has more than 20,000 stores nationwide and more than 80,000 outlets around the world, serving an estimated 63 million customers a day according to Tokyo-based Seven & i Holdings Co.
Vaccinating poultry may help egg prices
of a larger $1 billion effort to invest in more protections to keep the virus off farms that President Donald Trump believes will help lower egg prices.
BY JOSH FUNK Associated Press
OMAHA, Neb Vaccines could be a key means of suppressing bird flu and avoiding the slaughter of millions of chickens, which has been blamed for egg prices averaging nearly $6 a dozen. But the move has been delayed in part because of concerns it could jeopardize chicken exports worth billions of dollars a year
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced plans to spend $100 million to study bird flu vaccines to fight the disease in concert with meat chicken, egg and turkey groups. That’s part
Chicken meat producers remain the most resistant to vaccines because of concerns they could harm meat exports, which totaled nearly $4.7 billion last year Egg and turkey producers sell most of their products in the U.S. and have been hit hardest by the virus.
Without a new policy including vaccines, the government will continue to slaughter every flock with a bird flu infection to limit the spread of the disease. Those deaths have totaled over 166 million birds in the U.S. since 2022.
Most birds killed are egg-laying chickens, and the death of so many hens is the main reason egg
prices keep rising. The average price per dozen has hit $5.90, and in some parts of the country, it is far higher Poultry veterinarian Simon Shane, who runs www.Egg-News. com, said the government is hesitant to use vaccines and change its policy of killing birds largely because of the meat chicken industry’s opposition.
“Basically this is a political issue, and this only came to a head because eggs are at $8 to $9 a dozen, and it’s embarrassing the government — embarrassing the present administration,” Shane said.
Before using vaccinations, the government must decide how to devise an effective system and monitor for outbreaks within vaccinated flocks that might not show any symptoms, said John Clifford,
the USDA’s former longtime chief veterinary officer who now works with a poultry industry export group. Once that is figured out, the industry can negotiate with countries to minimize trade problems.
“What the industry wants is the ability to develop the strategic plan to share that with the trading partners and then find out what kind of impact that that will have on trade,” Clifford said. There are fears that vaccinating could allow the virus to linger undetected in flocks and mutate in ways that could make it more of a threat to humans and allow sick birds to get into the food supply Like with other diseases, properly cooking chicken to 165 degrees Fahrenheit will kill bird flu, but the industry and chicken buyers don’t want it there at all.
BY STAN CHOE Associated Press
NEW YORK The U.S. stock market has just dropped 10% from its high set last month, hurt by worries about the economy and a global trade war
The fall for the S&P 500 is steep enough that Wall Street has a name for it: a “correction.” Such drops have happened regularly for more than a century, and market pros often view them as potentially healthy wipeouts of overdone euphoria, which could send stock prices too high if unchecked
But corrections are frightening in the moment, particularly for every new generation of investors that gets into the mar-
ket at a time when it seems like stocks only go up. The S&P 500 is coming off two straight years with gains of more than 20%. Such stellar gains left the market looking too expensive to critics, who pointed to how prices rose faster than corporate profits.
Culling too-high enthusiasm among day traders is one thing. The larger fear always accompanying a correction is that it could be a warning sign of a coming “bear market,” which is what Wall Street calls a drop of at least 20%.
The U.S. stock market initially jumped after President Donald Trump’s election in November on hopes he’d bring lower taxes, less regulation for businesses
and other policies that would drive corporate profits higher
All those gains have since disappeared, as Wall Street faces the potential downsides of Trump’s White House for the economy
The president has been making announcements on tariffs at a dizzying pace, first placing them on trading partners, then exempting some and then doing it all over again. The tariffs could hit every country that trades with the United States, which would raise prices for U.S. households and businesses when high inflation has already proven stubborn to fully subdue.
All the uncertainty is also making things more complicated for the Federal Reserve, which had been cutting interest rates after
getting inflation nearly all the way down to its 2% target. Cutting rates further would help the economy, but it could also put upward pressure on inflation.
The brunt of this sell-off has also hit stocks that critics were saying looked the most expensive after running wild through the frenzy around artificial intelligence Nvidia, for example, has already dropped roughly 14% in 2025 so far after surging more than 800% through 2023 and 2024.
Corrections occur every couple years, on average. Even during the historic, nearly 11-yearlong bull run for U.S. stocks from March 2009 to February 2020, the S&P 500 stumbled to five corrections, according to CFRA. Worries about everything from interest rates to trade wars to a European debt crisis caused the pullbacks.
Officials issue scam warnings on road toll texts
Smishing scheme involves collection messages
senders,
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By RICHARD DREW
environmental harm from the time it started drilling in 1941
He compared the damage done to the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. And when new regulations came into effect in 1980, Texaco did not apply for the permits it should have, Carmouche alleged.
“The obligation couldn’t be clearer,” he said. “You have to restore the property back to its original condition. That’s the law That’s what the marsh deserves.”
Carmouche was backed up by Jimmy Faircloth, an attorney representing the state Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, which are supporting Plaquemines Parish in the lawsuit.
Faircloth made clear that Gov Jeff Landry’s administration supports the oil and gas industry and the jobs it brings to the state. But he stressed that this lawsuit was about remedying “sins of the past” committed by Texaco as well as the regulatory state, which Faircloth said had failed to enforce regulations on the oil company over the years.
“The state is late to this,” he said.
“But tration Mike for ing seekin pany that Sound He on River ment Plaquemines
“Chevron’ are loss,” Jud aside jur days this week.
During the process, jurors made clear residents, w Land hurricane
more parki ways, a cerns year ficer Broussard thing.
back to state court, which paved the way for the trial that began mouche similar strataron behalf
erand all ed apactivities after a was arstrategy like lawsuits nies, practices going back for decades,” said Jason Harbison on behalf of the legal team representing the oil companies in 2022. He said that the cases implicate distinct federal interest and deserve to be heard in a federal forum,” rather than in state
courts.
In 2020, the oil and gas industry supported a bill in the Louisiana Legislature that would have forced the parishes to drop the lawsuits led by Carmouche. It did not pass.
In addition to keeping the suits in state court, Carmouche also managed to win the support of both Gov John Bel Edwards, a Democrat with ties to trial lawyers, and Landry, a Republican and longtime supporter of the oil & gas industry who received the backing of trial lawyers during his 2023 campaign.
In 2023, Carmouche’s law firm settled a similar case brought by Cameron Parish. How much the oil companies have agreed to pay the parish hasn’t yet been disclosed.
The details are subject to a confidentiality agreement, a spokesperson for BP previously told The
Times-Picayune A judge subsequently sealed the details behind a protective order It also isn’t clear required to restore the wetlands the lawsuit alleged they had harmed. Plaquemines has filed 21 of the 41 active cases. In add to the case currently underway the parish has alleged that oil companies have damaged other coastal wetlands, including in areas near Coquille Bay, Bohemia and Tiger Pass.
“Chevron is proud to be a longtime part of the Plaquemines Parish community,” said Phillips, Chevron’s lead attorney, in a prepared statement. He said he looked forward to a time when the company and the parish could return to working productively together
fun, but you have people that take it to the extreme. They’re sitting there power drinking while the parades going on, so it gives them time to power drink end up with fights and safety issues. God forbid someone getting shot at,”
Broussard said.
or first thing he asks is what I need to make sure the city’s safe,” Broussard said.
ensure that everyone knows their job and duties
Last year, the city had around 90 officers posted around the event. This year saw that number increase to 140 officers coming from more than 20 agencies, including Louisiana State Police. Security alone cost the department around $50,000, Broussard said.
“There’s no price you can put on public safety.” He added, “And we’re going to reevaluate next year and see if we need more.”
Limiting the length of the parade and the amount of time people stay in the city is also important, officials said. Simply put, the more time people spend drinking, the more likely something will go wrong In 2023, the parade route had 137 floats, compared with this year’s cap of 75.
In 2024, the city capped it to 80 floats to give emergency services better access to throughout the city.
“The parade, granted, is
Broussard said next year he hopes to improve traffic leaving the city Traffic issues made up the bulk of calls for service this year In the next few years, Broussard hopes to have police traffic cameras put up across the city to monitor hot spots and traffic choke points better “My thing is to make sure to fight for the citizens and everybody that comes into the city of Youngsville.”
Broussard said, “To make sure we’re safe and to fight for those officers that they’ve got everything they need to do their job. You give them the right tools, the right knowledge and the right training, it makes sure everything is running smoothly
STAFF PHOTO By SOPHIA GERMER egal showdown as attorney John Carmouche squares off against oil go to trial.
Voters could cancel inventory tax
parish governments.
BY ADAM DAIGLE Acadiana business editor
Lafayette Parish should be able to afford to stop levying an inventory tax if voters OK the constitutional amendment late this month, one analyst said. The inventory tax item will be
Lafayette Parish brings in $27M through the property tax ä
part of a larger tax reform question being pitched for voters in the form of a statewide amendment on the March 29 ballot. Among other things, the proposed amendment gives parishes an option of repealing the property tax on business inventory
Some parishes, including Ascen-
sion where the tax brings in about $80 million, might not be able to repeal it, said Steve Procopio, executive director of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, during a Thursday legislative event with One Acadiana. In Lafayette Parish, the tax generates about $27 million for city and
Others along major interstate corridors with educational resources might be better poised to repeal the tax, which is based on tangible business assets ranging from chemicals and natural gas to cars and groceries. State officials are offering parishes a one-time payment to end the tax.
“Even if you don’t have a lot of industry now, it’s probably even
“Other parishes, if they are on a major corridor like I-10 or I-49 and if they have educational resources like (University of Louisiana at Lafayette), those in that region should really seriously consider eliminating their tax on inventory,” he said. “It’ll make you much more competitive if you can take the financial hit.
The nest best thing
youngsville woman helps wild birds thrive in rehab center after injury
BY ALENA MASCHKE Staff writer
Walking across Letitia Labbie’s 5-acre property on the outskirts of Youngsville, it’s hard to shake the feeling of being watched. And despite the tall tree line that hems it, spectators abound In fact, it’s the perch they watch from. Labbie, who isn’t shy to admit that she prefers the company of animals over people, rescues and rehabilitates injured wild birds, most of them of the prey variety An owl gets clipped by the side of a truck? Bring it to Labbie.
A red-shouldered hawk named Toot Toot, Astrid the barred owl and a murder of crows are among the eyes that follow Labbie and her visitors around, hoping for a snack of thawed out mice to come their way
They represent a small fraction of the thousands of animals the Georgia native has nursed back to health over the decades and released back into the wild. Labbie doesn’t get paid to do this work; she operates on donations, liberally dipping into her own limited funds to pay for food and species-appropriate enclosures for the animals in her care
Qualifying
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
“I’ve been doing this my whole life,” Labbie said. “It’s my calling.”
Labbie cared for her first animals when she was only 10 years old, bringing home baby squirrels from science class to look after over the summer break. When a wildlife agent spotted her with a squirrel on her shoulder outside her family’s home in Columbus, Georgia, he asked her parents what was going on. Her father ended up getting a permit to rehabilitate animals and built
cages in the backyard.
Since 1999, Labbie has been a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist in Louisiana, where she moved at age 17 to join her sister She’s one of just a handful of federally licensed wildlife rehabilitators in the state.
There’s an abundance of interested volunteers to help her, she said, but many of them change their minds as soon as they realize her work involves little cuddle time with animals and lots of cleaning up feces and dried up remnants of mice or chicks used to feed the predatory birds. “They usually disappear really fast,” she noted dryly More professionals are needed, but the financial burden can be intimidating. “There definitely needs to be more training for younger people to get people interested in it, but I think the cost scares people,” she said.
Labbie had to build a 50-foot long enclosure to adequately house vultures and hawks while they recover, a $20,000 expense that came out of her own pocket. She hopes to get her license to rehabilitate eagles, too, but an appropriate
underway in Lafayette for House seat
La. schools will give fewer tests
Changes to affect kindergarten, fourth, sixth grades
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO Staff writer
Louisiana students will no longer take a readiness screener when they enter kindergarten, and fourth and sixth grade students will eventually stop having to sit for an annual social studies test, state education officials said Tuesday
Starting next fall, schools will no longer give the Kindergarten Entry Assessment, a test that measures incoming kindergartners’ social-emotional, cognitive and physical development, as well as their literacy and math skills. However, kindergartners will still take a one-time English proficiency test and a separate literacy screener three times over the course of the school year, in addition to a new math screener schools will start using this fall.
Beginning in the 2027-28 school year, the state Education Department will do away with the social studies exam for fourth and sixth grades, while continuing to administer the test to students in third, fifth and eighth grades. The changes are part of an ongoing effort by the department to reduce testing in public schools. State Superintendent of Education
See TESTS, page 4B
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Dust off all your green clothing and get ready to enjoy live music, food and drinks in Lafayette for St. Patrick’s Day In celebration of all things green, there are two annual festivals that bring the commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day to the streets of Lafayette. The holiday is Monday, but these festivals will bring the celebration to
page 4B
Wildlife rehabilitator Letitia Labbie stands inside a large enclosure that houses vultures and a red-tailed hawk on her property in youngsville on March 7.
STAFF PHOTOS By ALENA MASCHKE
Letitia Labbie feeds a great horned owl fledgling in an enclosure on her property in youngsville March 7
OPINION
Southern Spirit project is a good model
The first thing to know about the electric grid is that electrons are agnostic about who pays for the electric superhighway that connects generators with substations and ultimately customers
Electrons follow the laws of physics.
The second thing to know about the electric grid is that customers very much care about who pays for that electric superhighway.
for financing construction: one where the developer wears the risk and costs of building the project.
Traditionally captive customers, often referred to as ratepayers in regulatory parlance, get stuck with the bill when big utilities make investments in the grid.
Recently, however, the Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a multibillion-dollar grid project — Southern Spirit — that suggests a different model
At the end of 2024, the commission reached a settlement to approve the Southern Spirit Transmission Project, a near 320-mile ±525 KV, 3,000 MW high voltage direct current transmission line connecting Electric Reliability Council of Texas, Inc. and southeastern transmission grids Conservatively speaking, 3,000 megawatts of transmission capacity provide a pathway to serve approximately 600,000 homes
The agreement follows a model that will increase grid reliability and access to affordable renewable energy by using private
investment, rather than committing ratepayer dollars to the grid project. This project will provide benefits to multiple regions across the Southeast.
The project is designed to enhance grid resiliency during severe weather and extreme power usage events while also adding to electric diversification to help drive down rates. It is geared to address growing power demand by supplying reliable power to the ERCOT and southeastern grids.
Across Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi, the project boasts a private investment of more than $2.6 billion by Pattern Energy For Louisiana, the economic impacts cannot be ignored. In every parish the transmission line passes through including DeSoto, Red River, Bienville, Jackson, Ouachita, Richland, Franklin and East
Fluoride’s benefits have been proven over time
Fluoride has been used in drinking water for decades to help prevent cavities, but this common practice is now under attack. The movement has gained momentum in Florida and has the support of the nation’s health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr
Any efforts to end fluoridation of public water supplies must be viewed with a critical eye. As a family nurse practitioner with a master’s degree in public health, I cannot overstate the urgency of safeguarding this vital public health measure.
Carroll parishes, Southern Spirit will bring a range of direct and indirect economic boosts to these communities. Once completed, the transmission line will support over 250 permanent jobs in the state, while also supplying over 2,000 construction jobs during its two-year construction. In the first 40 years of operations, the project is estimated to bring in local and state property tax revenue of over $349 million, while also adding many opportunities for local businesses. Louisiana stands to gain greatly from this project: The parish corridor needed for its function ensures that our state will not be left out of its loop of large-scale benefits. The Southern Spirit project points to a larger storyline one distinguished by conservative, free market solutions to increase
grid reliability and access to affordable, clean energy Conservatives for Clean Energy Louisiana is proud to see conservatives working hard to develop and support private sector solutions to our energy challenges. We commend the Louisiana Public Service Commission for its approval of the Southern Spirit project. After all, while the electrons may be agnostic about costs, the customers paying for those electrons and the grid that delivers them are not. Opportunities like Southern Spirit abound. We need only buy-in from the right minds, companies and developers to make economic energy solutions work across our nation.
Will Hardy is the director of Conservatives for Clean Energy Louisiana
I was a USAID cut. Here is what we are losing.
Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, I fell in love with the French language. Cajun French was all around me, and not just when we laissez les bons temps rouler! We would all coo at every cher bebe and quip with a mais non! or zut alors! when things went sour I continued to pursue French as schooling went on, and was thrilled to learn I could apply these language skills for the greater good — working in global health, supporting U.S. Agency for International Development-funded public health activities across west, central and southern Africa.
ARNOLD
The evidence in support of fluoridation is overwhelming and irrefutable. Since Grand Rapids, Mich became the first city to fluoridate its water in 1945, communities with fluoridated water have consistently reported significantly lower rates of tooth decay This breakthrough is grounded in the pioneering research of Dr Frederick McKay who, in the early 20th century discovered the benefits of naturally occurring fluoride in Colorado water: While it caused minor tooth discoloration, it drastically reduced decay Today, federal guidelines recommend maintaining fluoride levels at 0.7 mg/L — an optimal concentration that maximizes cavity prevention while ensuring safety. The results are compelling: Fluoridation reduces tooth decay by 25% in both children and adults and children in fluoridated areas experience, on average, 2.25 fewer cavities than their peers in non-fluoridated regions. By preventing cavities, fluoridation reduces the need for expensive pro-
cedures such as fillings, root canals and extractions — many of which are not fully covered by insurance. The benefits extend beyond health care costs as untreated dental issues can lead to missed school days for children and decreased productivity for adults, affecting both educational outcomes and economic well-being. Fluoridation helps mitigate these challenges, ensuring healthier communities while alleviating financial burdens.
Organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics unequivocally endorse water fluoridation as the most effective and economical way to prevent tooth decay Beyond oral health, fluoridation promotes health equity by acting as a powerful equalizer that provides cavity prevention to all families regardless of income or access to care. At a time when health care disparities are widening, this intervention is more crucial than ever. Critics of fluoridation cite isolated studies suggesting potential neurodevelopmental effects in
children exposed to high fluoride levels. However, these studies often focus on regions with fluoride concentrations far exceeding the strict regulatory limits maintained in the United States. Here, careful monitoring ensures fluoride remains within safe and effective ranges, mitigating any risks.
Despite decades of robust scientific backing, fluoridation programs face mounting threats. Social media has become a hotbed for pseudoscience and conspiracy theories, eroding public trust in proven public health practices.
As we face these challenges, we must not allow baseless fears to dictate public health policy The evidence is clear, the benefits are undeniable and the need for fluoridation is urgent. The obligation to protect the oral health of our communities, especially our children, remains constant. The time to act is now to protect our communities and uphold a legacy of public health progress.
Melissa Perera LeBrun is a professor at the Loyola University School of Nursing.
In my 15-year career I traveled to Niger to meet with the country’s government about how to most efficiently and effectively distribute moustiquaires, or insecticide-treated bednets. While we are no strangers to pesky mosquito bites in Louisiana, outside of the U.S. the insect can carry malaria, a leading cause of death and disease in children and pregnant women worldwide.
I crossed the globe to Madagascar, a francophone island country, to conduct market research on how best to decrease the country’s astounding rates of stunting of children’s growth, a result of chronic malnutrition across many parts of the country Most recently I helped to facilitate a dual French-English language meeting in Ghana, bringing 183 grassroots organizations together to share how to better their businesses to prevent and treat HIV across the continent.
However, my dream career came to a screeching halt earlier this year I was laid off from USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS on Jan. 28, the day after returning from maternity leave. The office was helping to provide lifesaving medication for more than 20 million people worldwide, including more than 500,000 children with HIV, within an agency that lives depended on in 177 countries around the world was swiftly and haphazardly torn apart in less than a month.
In an attempt to help me feel better, many of my friends and family have shared that they know someone who lost their job under the Biden or first Trump administrations. Others have cited that under Clinton, more than 400,000 jobs were lost.
This is not that.
When the Clinton administration conducted its National Performance Re-
view in 1993, it cut more than 400,000 jobs, methodically and thoughtfully They gave the key leaders six months to determine how and when to cut down. I am one of 51,946 Americans who lost their jobs just from USAID’s shutdown in a matter of weeks. More than 100,000 more job cuts are expected globally when taking into consideration USAID’s vast network. And those of us affected by the USAID shutdown are not just losing a job, we’re losing our entire industry of helping others — all while being called “radical lunatics” by our president along the way Seth Middleton, an army veteran who served in the military for 21 years who was let go from USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, put it best: “USAID is neither a criminal organization nor a ball of worms. It does not deserve to die or to be thrown into the wood chipper Rather, it is filled with patriotic Americans who have honorably served their country.”
Still, many remain happy that our money is no longer going abroad — reflecting that at least private sector workers and businesses on American soil are not being affected by these cuts.
This is not that.
Louisianans are going to suffer. Not just francophone Louisiana natives like me who found an opportunity to use their French skills in international development. Louisiana rice farmers are losing income.
Reports have noted that more than $500 million worth of food, planned for distribution to those affected by famine and starvation, is sitting and rotting in a Houston port. Louisiana institutions are losing funding. Millions in research previously funded by USAID to LSU’s AgCenter to breed resilient crops will be taken away And for those who were hoping that at least all of these cuts would result in significant savings to our federal budget?
This is not that.
USAID typically accounted for between 0.7-1.4% of our federal budget. So much good done around the world, jobs provided, agriculture and research funded, for so little of our taxpayer dollars. Mais non, c’est pas ça. Zut alors! C’est pas bon.
Elizabeth McGehee Kiriakou lives in Virginia Beach, Va.
COMMENTARY
ROOM FOR DEBATE AMENDMENT 2
Early voting begins Saturday on four proposed amendments to the state constitution on the March 29 ballot, including a sweeping rewrite of the section that deals with taxes and revenue.Amendment 2 advances some longheld priorities but also faces criticism for having been hastily debated and creating consequences that voters might not fully understand. Here are two perspectives:
Tax reform ballot measure gives La. a chance to lead
It’s rare in these polarized political times to find much of anything on which 80%-plus of people can agree Amendment 2 presents that opportunity, as evidenced by the fact that it passed overwhelmingly from the legislative process, drawing opposition from only 15 state House members and winning the vote of every single state senator That overwhelming legislative support reflects a harsh reality: For too long, our state has lagged behind its neighbors, weighed down by an outdated tax system and a bloated constitution that stifles economic growth, sending our children and grandchildren to states with more jobs and greater opportunity
On March 29, voters have an historic opportunity to change that trajectory Amendment 2 isn’t just another ballot measure; it’s the capstone of Gov Jeff Landry’s and the Legislature’s bold tax reform agenda, a plan that has already delivered the largest tax cut in Louisiana history and hundreds of new jobs in just a short few months.
Now, it’s up to us to finish the job.
The passage of Amendment 2 would double the income tax deduction for seniors — a well-deserved reward for a lifetime of contribution. It also moves parishes away from taxing business inventories by making such a tax, a relic that punishes entrepreneurs and deters job creation, optional. The existing homestead exemption — and protections for religious organizations remain in place.
These changes aren’t just tweaks; they’re a signal to job creators and families alike that Louisiana is open for opportunity
This isn’t about short-term fixes; it’s about long-term prosperity
Flawed constitutional rewrite would create bad policy
Louisiana voters face an important choice on their March 29 ballot that could have a generations-long impact on the state’s ability to fund the public services that can help our state thrive.
Amendment 2 is a complicated and cumbersome 115-page rewrite of the longest section of the constitution, which governs tax and budget policy Crafted behind closed doors and approved in haste during a November special session, it would permanently enshrine a regressive tax system where the wealthiest people and corporations pay lower effective tax rates than people with low incomes.
not change.
The amendment also does away with the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, created by voters less than a decade ago to help smooth out the volatile ups and downs of Louisiana’s corporate tax collections. This new fund has been wildly successful, collecting $2.8 billion in reserves that state lawmakers could use to shore up the budget in a down year or invest in new roads, ports or other infrastructure.
The Pelican Institute has long championed pro-growth policies to unleash Louisiana’s potential We’ve argued that our tax code — riddled with complexity, high rates and disincentives for investment — has held us back from competing with states like Texas, Tennessee and Florida.
Last year’s special legislative session marked a turning point: Income tax rates were lowered and flattened, the job-killing corporate franchise tax was repealed and structural reforms were set in motion. Amendment 2 locks in those gains and takes us further revising Article VII of our constitution to create a leaner, more competitive framework for the future.
What does a “yes” vote mean?
For starters, it lowers the maximum allowed individual income tax rate, enacts a government growth limit to keep spending in check, bolsters the state’s “rainy day” fund and eliminates duplicate savings accounts that tie up resources. It even secures a permanent pay raise for teachers and school support staff by redirecting currently locked-up funds to erase teacher retirement debt a win for education without raising taxes.
By shifting certain provisions from the constitution to statute, Amendment 2 gives the Legislature flexibility to adapt as needs evolve — something most states take for granted. It also imposes a higher bar for new tax deductions and special interest treatment, requiring a two-thirds vote, ensuring that tax relief benefits all Louisianans, not just the well-connected. And by empowering local governments to align sales taxes with state law and opt out of inventory taxes, it fosters local control without overreliance on Baton Rouge.
Skeptics may point to the length of the amendment — yes, it’s substantial. But that’s because it tackles decades of constitutional clutter head-on.
For years, good government advocates from all sides of the political spectrum have called for a streamlining of Article VII. This is that moment. It’s a chance to shed the complexity that has made Louisiana an outlier and embrace policies that can bring our kids and grandkids back home
On March 15, early voting begins. By March 29, we can set Louisiana on a path to rival the economic powerhouses of the South. The Pelican Institute has said it before: Tax reform isn’t optional, it’s essential. Amendment 2 is not just a vote for lower taxes; it’s a vote for a Louisiana where people want to live, work and raise their kids. We’ve waited long enough. Let’s lead the way
Daniel Erspamer is chief executive officer of the Pelican Institute for Public Policy.
The amendment would eliminate constitutionally protected funds that provide ongoing funding for education and transportation, and would make it harder for policymakers to deal with the ups and downs of Louisiana’s economy It would almost certainly leave Louisiana with less state and local revenue to finance essential services such as schools and health care that people and communities need in order to prosper
This amendment is being presented to voters in language that is misleading. The 91 words that voters will see on their ballot don’t come close to capturing the true extent of what they are being asked to consider.
Before we talk about what the amendment does, it’s worth looking how we got here, as Amendment 2 is a case of a flawed political process leading to bad policy outcomes.
Louisiana’s 1973 constitutional convention was a two-year process with hundreds of public meetings by elected delegates. This latest constitutional rewrite happened in a 16-day special session, where legislators also made deep cuts to corporate and personal income taxes and gave Louisiana the nation’s highest overall sales-tax rate.
From this rushed process came an amendment that is poorly written and barely understood, revives discredited budget practices and comes with the possibility of unintended consequences.
The “permanent” teacher pay raise? It depends on doing away with constitutionally protected funds that provide $64 million per year in ongoing support for education programs. While most teachers would be getting a raise from their local school boards, they would also be giving up on the stipends they’ve received the past two years from the state, so their total compensation would
Instead, the fund would be eliminated, with some of its money used to pay for tax cuts and provide one-time payments to local governments that agree to give up on an ongoing source of funding.
Amendment 2 also creates a new — and unnecessary — “government growth limit” that would make it much harder for policymakers to create and sustain new programs and services. If a future Legislature decided that the status quo was no longer acceptable and wanted to bring teacher pay to the Southern average or make early childhood education available to everyone, the growth limit could prevent it from doing so.
It’s a similar story with taxes: By putting a low constitutional “cap” on income tax rates, the amendment would give future generations less flexibility to deal with budget challenges. Should they decide that wealthy households should bear a higher share of the cost of funding state services the cap would stand in their way All of this comes at a time of unprecedented budget turmoil in Washington Each day brings new headlines about federal programs and services that President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, RBenton, want to cut. These cuts will hit especially hard in Louisiana, where federal funds make up more than half of the state budget. Programs like Medicaid, disaster relief and K-12 education are shared costs between the state and federal government. If Congress cuts these programs, it will create pressure on Louisiana to make up the difference.
State policymakers need more freedom and flexibility as they confront these challenges. But Amendment 2 would make their job much harder, and potentially leave Louisiana citizens without the services they need to reach their full potential.
Jan Moller is executive director of Invest in Louisiana.
STAFF FILE PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK
The Louisiana State Capitol is lit in the early morning hours of Jan. 15 in downtown Baton Rouge.
Jan Moller GUEST COLUMNIST Daniel Erspamer GUEST COLUMNIST
Lake Charles Police Department hiring 25 officers, support staff
Staff report
The Lake Charles Police Department is working to hire 25 police officers and a handful of support staff.
Lake Charles Police Chief Shawn Caldwell said he wants to add 31 employees overall to his department, including officers and filling
TAX
Continued from page 1B
better As we saw in Richland Parish (with Meta), you can turn it into something.” Lafayette Mayor-President Monique Boulet, in her State of the Parish address on Wednesday, said the parish is working on removing the inventory tax if voters approve the measure. The parish, School Board, city of Lafayette and Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office would be the hardest hit if the inventory tax is discontinued.
REHAB
Continued from page 1B
enclosure would have to be double that size.
Some states have wildlife rehabilitation centers staffed by a mix of government employees and volunteers, but not Louisiana. Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge has an animal hospital that can operate on injured wildlife, but housing them while they recover is left to Labbie and her peers. In addition to a calling, Labbie sees it as a responsibility.
“Humans are the main reason most of these birds are injured,” she said She also hopes every interaction with a person bringing in an injured bird can serve as an opportunity to make them aware of the impacts humans have had on the ability of wildlife to simply exist in its natural habitat
Her own environment is an apt example of that.
Once surrounded by cane fields, trees and gravel, the city of Youngsville has experienced explosive growth and now encircles her sanctuary with dense subdivi-
TESTS
Continued from page 1B
Cade Brumley said Louisiana students take more tests than their counterparts in other states.
“Students spend too much time testing,” he said during a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting Tuesday
“We need to know where they are academically to help drive instructional decisions and policy decisions,” he added.
“At the same time, I think that we should be evaluating the quantity of assessments that we are requiring.”
Brumley said Tuesday that Louisiana is the only state that tests all students in third through eighths grades in social studies. He said doing away with the assessments in two grades would cut overall testing
ACTIVITIES
Continued from page 1B
also take the stages. Among the performers, expect a diverse array of instruments food, dance and entertainment at the festival. Before Saturday’s festival, on Friday, a pub crawl departs from the Grouse Room at 4:30 p.m. followed by a costume contest at 4:45 p.m., with prizes available. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Saturday The festival will kick of with an Irish blessing and the party will continue
openings in dispatch, communications and records. Currently, there are 132 officers. Typically, the department is considered full if it has 192 employees. However Caldwell said there isn’t a defined number He allocates positions based on the needs of the Police Department.
But removing the tax, she said, would make the parish more competitive for businesses to relocate. The item is part of Constitutional Amendment 2, which One Acadiana is backing. “Louisiana is one of the only states that levies that,” state revenue secretary Richard Nelson said. “We get asked all the time — how come you have these huge manufacturing facilities that are going into Texas, Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia? Why are they not coming here? We have a very punishing inventory tax.”
The changes in the state’s
“With that said, I want to reassure the citizens of Lake Charles that we are currently staffed at a level that allows us to provide the necessary coverage to respond to calls for service within the city of Lake Charles,” Caldwell said. Caldwell said the positions are open for varying reasons, including retirements and
tax code has helped move it up in national rankings, said Will Green, head of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry The state has had some sizable wins in recent months, including Meta’s $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in northeast Louisiana that will employ about 500.
Others include the multibillion-dollar Hyundai steel mill plant proposed for Donaldsonville that could employ 1,300 and a $2.5 billion data center in West Feliciana Parish that could employ hundreds.
The next step, he said, is
Rescued chickens roam Letitia
in youngsville on March 7.
sions, trucks speeding on fresh blacktop roads and new homes.
While she still releases some of her recovered birds into the wild straight from her property, she now has to rely on friendly ranchers around the state to allow her to release formerly injured birds on their land.
“If I release too many birds on this piece of property, then they won’t have food,” she explained Meanwhile, having birds of prey, such as owls, on a ranch property has its benefits.
One owl can eat up to 1,000 mice per year, eliminating
time for students from 1,100 minutes to 550 minutes.
He said the new social studies testing schedule aligns with the state’s revamped social studies standards, which officials call the “Freedom Framework.”
The testing change means that fifth graders now will be assessed on world history they learn in fourth and fifth grades, and eighth graders will be tested on American history they learn in sixth, seventh and eighth grades, which spans from pre-Revolutionary War to the early 2000s.
“I think it’s important to assess students in history and civics, and so we’re going to continue to do that,” Brumley said, “but we’re trying to do it in modules.” To scale back Louisiana’s heavy emphasis on testing, the department announced in October that the state’s annual math and English tests in third through eighth
the need for pest control measures like rat poison. Picking up and later releasing injured birds also offers an opportunity to educate ranchers on their value. “So usually they’ve called me and say: ‘Hey, can you take this baby owl that we found in our barn?’” she said. “Then I say: Can I release it back? And when they realize that I can bring more, they’re usually really happy.”
Labbie’s move to the sprawling property and the founding of Acadiana Wildlife Education & Rehabilitation, her nonprofit, was born out of a personal
grades would be shortened by about 20%, reducing the average time students are expected to spend taking them by about 40 minutes.
Federal law requires students to be tested annually in those subjects, but states determine what’s on the tests Some parents and teachers argue that the tests can stress students and take away from instructional time.
Louisiana is in the process of revamping the way schools teach reading and math As part of the reforms, students still will take multiple assessments each year in both subjects, which Brumley has said will allow the state to better track which students are struggling and help inform future policy decisions.
“I think we have to be surgical in the way we approach testing reduction,” he said, “so that we still get good information” without over-testing students.
normal attrition.
“I would encourage anyone who has even the slightest interest in making a difference in their community through a career in law enforcement to reach out to us,” Caldwell said.
The starting salary for a Lake Charles police officer is about $48,000 a year, with
start developing a workforce to fill the jobs. The state has one of the highest nonparticipation rates in the country and many of those who have given up looking for work are women with children due to the high cost or lack of access to child care.
According to seasonally adjusted data from the U.S. Federal Reserve, Louisiana ended 2024 with a labor force participation rate of 58.4%, which is among the 10 lowest rates in the country He also touted the success of Be Pro Be Proud initiative
a base salary of $41,000 and $7,200 supplemental pay paid by the city the first year and then by the state. On top of retirement benefits, insurance, sick leave and paid time off, Caldwell said another benefit of the job is officers can take home a vehicle once they have completed training.
in Arkansas, which involves a mobile workshop visiting students around the state to raise awareness of in-state jobs that require either a high school diploma or a two-year degree.
“It’s connecting kids to needs-based jobs,” Green said. “It’s encouraging kids to graduate, and Arkansas has seen significant improvements in two-year enrollments and graduation rates. We want to bring it here to Louisiana.”
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate. com.
tragedy In 2014, she and her husband bought a camp in Butte La Rose. The two planned to purchase another camp in Arkansas and spend their time in picturesque reclusion riding their motorcycles.
Then one day, in 2016, while Labbie was caring for her mother in hospice in Alabama, her husband texted her that he was going to get a hamburger and a soft drink. “Ten minutes later, he was gone,” Labbie recounted. His motorcycle had slid on a gravel road along the levee to their camp. The next day her mother too passed away “I came out here just to look at the little house because I figured I needed something small,” she said. When she saw the rest of the property, she fell in love. To prevent anyone
else from building on the tree-studded land, she bought the whole tract. She now leaves most of it wild, mowing around the wildflowers that dot the lush green floor and defending a dam that a colony of beavers built on the coulee flowing along the property line.
While her efforts come at a sizable financial cost, especially for someone living on a fixed income, and often go unappreciated by the public at large, Labbie finds meaning in her work. “The odds are that one out of 10 birds of prey only make it to live a year,” she points out. “If I can help just one of them to live longer, I’ve made a difference.”
Email Alena Maschke at alena.maschke@ theadvocate.com.
until 10 p.m. Admission is $25 at the door, kids ages 7 to 12 are $6 and under 6 are free. Presale tickets are $20 online
Occurring on the same day visit downtown for Patty in the Parc in its 15th year of making Lafayette turn green for St. Patrick’s Day Patty in the Parc opens its gate from 4:30 to 10 p.m. on Saturday at Parc International. This year’s entertainment features Dustin Sonnier, Wayne Toups, Cupid and DJ Digital. Advance tickets are $20 and are available at any Legends Annex location or Eventbrite. Tickets at the gate are $25. Kids 12 and under get in free.
LOTTERY WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2025
PICK 3: 3-9-5
PICK 4: 1-5-9-7
PICK 5: 4-2-6-4-6
EASY 5: 1-5-9-11-14
LOTTO: 2-3-5-16-21-42
POWERBALL: 11-13-28-51-58 (1)
STAFF PHOTO By ALENA MASCHKE
Labbie’s property
A DREAM
William Schmidt woke up at 11:30 a.m on July 14 not knowing what decision he’d make. Would he become a professional baseball and potentially earn millions of dollars as a first-round MLB Draft pick? Or would he stay home and fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming an LSU baseball player?
All he knew was that he needed to make the five minute drive back home to talk about it with his parents. The draft was starting in a matter of hours.
“I would say it was probably 50/50,” Cindy Schmidt, William’s mother said.
LSU fans know the next chapter of the story Schmidt picked LSU and effectively pulled his name out of the MLB Draft Despite being ranked as the No 1 high school righthanded pitcher, according to MLB.com, the Catholic High star decided to stay home and enroll at LSU.
So far, it’s a choice that’s paying off Schmidt has a 1.35 ERA through the first 131/3 innings of his LSU career He’s started three midweek games, but coach Jay Johnson told 104.5 ESPN FM that he probably won’t be throwing on Tues-
BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer
Chase Young says he has always been invested in taking care of his body. But as his career progressed and he was affected by several significant injuries the New Orleans Saints pass rusher decided to spare no expense.
So Young spent $30,000 on a pulsed electromagnetic machine — better known as a PEMF machine They’re typically found in NFL facilities and can help with inflammation, scar tissue, bone density and all sorts of areas that athletes have grown used to treating. He keeps it at his house.
“I wouldn’t have made a purchase like that my rookie year,” Young said.
The investment also paid off perhaps quite literally Young re-signed with the Saints this week on a three-year, $51 million contract, and it’s arguably no coincidence that the 25-year-old was able to secure such a deal after playing a full season for
days anymore “for the rest of his career here.”
Instead, he’ll be one of a handful of arms Johnson will rely on in relief ahead of LSU’s Southeastern Conference opener against Missouri on Friday (4:30 p.m., SEC Network+).
“I’m loving it,” Schmidt said. “No regrets at all.”
So how did it happen? What transpired on the day Schmidt decided to stay at LSU? Here’s the story of how one of the most heralded recruits in LSU history made his choice.
Derek Curiel knew Schmidt for two years before they were roommates. They had participated in the same All-American showcase events over the last few summers. Curiel was a top 10 player in the country according to Perfect Game, and committed to LSU. Schmidt was the No. 1 pitcher in the nation and the top player in Louisiana.
“One was in Arizona, one was in North Carolina, another one was in Texas,” Curiel said. “We (also) played against each
the first time in his five-year career After undergoing neck surgery last offseason, and after suffering a traumatic knee injury years earlier, Young was able to stay healthy and play in all 17 games in the 2024 season Young’s health, too, had been a question mark entering last season. The former Defensive Rookie of the Year settled for a one-year, $13 million contract that was essentially a prove-it deal. And that contract also contained provisions that would have cost Young money if he had been forced to miss time. But Young stayed on the field — and played some of his best football as a result.
“That’s what I’ve been working towards,” Young said. “But I definitely think it helps being healthy This is a league where people get injured, snap of a finger, you never know. So it’s always a blessing being able to go through a season fully healthy ”
This offseason also marks the rare occasion that Young hasn’t had to worry about recovering from a major injury Last year, he said, he had to sit for three and a half months — “like do nothing, a bump on
UL hopes to rebound in time for SBC play
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
For the UL Ragin’ Cajuns softball team, it’s got to be mind over matter heading into Friday’s start of Sun Belt Conference play against Marshall at 5 p.m. at Dot Hicks Field in Huntington, West Virginia. For one, there’s the rebound from Wednesday’s 14-0 loss at No. 4 LSU. It certainly helps that coach Alyson Habetz’s club did so the week before after losing five straight with wins over Iowa and Alabama on Saturday “I know they know they can respond,” Habetz said. “I think they know they’re better and I think facing good competition only helps us.” Then there’s how to deal with the program’s incredible Sun Belt series streak. UL has won 89 consecutive league series dating back to March of 2013. In last year’s regular season finale, the Cajuns beat Troy 4-1 on Sunday to win the rubber match for the 15th time during the streak.
“When we did the goals at the beginning of the year, that’s one of the goals,” Habetz said. “That’s the standard, so we want to keep that. I think it’s more of an opportunity to continue the standard. It’s not going to be a burden. We don’t really talk about it.”
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
Two categories that have been plaguing UL all season long sunk the Ragin’ Cajuns once again in a 4-2 loss to McNeese on Wednesday at Russo Park. Now the Cajuns must figure
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
Stephen F. Austin tops SLU for SLC tourney title
Stephen F. Austin put four players in double figures and used a second-half rally to beat Southeastern Louisiana in the Southland Conference women’s championship game and earn an NCAA Tournament bid on Thursday in Lake Charles. The third-seeded Ladyjacks (295) were led by Trinity Moore with 14 points, while Harmanie Dominguez, Ashlyn Traylor-Walker and Avery Vansickle each had 13. SFA trailed 32-29 at halftime but outscored the Lions (26-5) 14-7 in the third quarter and 22-18 in the fourth Top-seeded Southeastern which made just one of its last 12 field-goal attempts, was led by Alexius Horne and Taylor Bell with 13 points each. Lexi Alexander had a team-high 10 rebounds for the Lions, the SLC’s regular-season champions.
LSU unraveled in SEC opener
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
Staff writer
Cam Carter rejected the screen and gave a legal push-off to a defender who embellished the contact with no foul called.
The LSU senior swished a pullup 3-pointer from 25 feet from the right wing Carter trotted back on defense with an extra bounce in his step, trimming the deficit to one point after six minutes in his team’s first-round matchup against 10th-seeded Mississippi State in the SEC Tournament on Wednesday night in Nashville, Tennessee.
This positive moment for the 15th-seeded LSU was not a sign of more lovely shotmaking to come.
After Carter’s first 3-pointer, his scoring was erratic, making just one of his next eight field-goal attempts.
As the team’s leading scorer, Carter and LSU (14-18) stumbled, losing 91-62 to Mississippi State (21-11). This was the thirdmost points the Tigers allowed and the second-biggest loss this season. The lopsided defeat was not all Carter’s fault. The Tigers guard finished with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, six rebounds and a career-high seven turnovers. This was a teamwide unraveling where poor offense, shooting 39% overall, bled into its defense.
LSU scored easily in the beginning, starting 5 of 8 from the field.
The most improbable score during this stretch was a contested end-of-shot-clock 3-pointer near the top of the key by Jordan Sears, who had 20 points and five steals.
While LSU was shooting 53% from the field with a little less than nine minutes left in the first half, it was still down 26-19.
The Tigers trailed because they lost the field-goal attempt battle. Their four-guard lineup failed to limit second-chance opportunities early LSU also forfeited possessions because of a combination of the Bulldogs’ defensive pressure and some carelessness
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By WADE
LSU guard Cam Carter shoots against Mississippi State forward KeShawn Murphy during the second half of their SEC Tournament game on Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn.
Mississippi State finished with 11 more shot attempts and forced 15 LSU turnovers. Contested shots from Carter and Sears kept the score close initially but it wasn’t a winning formula. The current iteration of LSU has a minimal margin for error especially, without Vyctorius Miller and Corey Chest.
LSU entered the game 121st in offensive rating on KenPom for a reason, the worst among SEC teams Its tough buckets tapered off and it rarely generated any uncontested looks.
Carter was guarded tightly and outside of freshman Robert Miller, who had 14 points on 6 of 7 shooting, no other player could find breathing room for easy
shots.
The Tigers’ issues were most clearly personified in the final 10:04 of the first half when they mustered only three points and made no field goals.
LSU battled hard early in the second half to cut the deficit to 11 points. That effort was fruitless in a four-minute span when Mississippi State scored 17 unanswered, taking a 68-40 lead with 10:52 left in the game. While LSU’s scoring confidence appeared to dissipate with each miss, the Bulldogs seemed to get more empowered.
Star guard Josh Hubbard had 26 points, making half of his 12 3-pointers. The rest of the roster defended with intensity and
played with a freedom where it seemed it could score every time down the court Mississippi State shot 58% from the field and 61% from 3-point range in the second half.
Mississippi State feasted on a disorganized defense, converting multiple alley-oop plays and made a season-high 15 3-pointers.
The Bulldogs, who led by as many as 33 points, had 10 players make at least two field goals. LSU had only five and went 13 of 26 from the free-throw line.
It’s not known yet if the Tigers will have more basketball ahead this season in the NIT Coach Matt McMahon said after the game the program hasn’t thought about that.
LSU hosts Kentucky in SEC softball opener
BY JIM KLEINPETER
Contributing writer
As well as the LSU softball has played this season, coach Beth Torina knows her No. 4-ranked Tigers haven’t reached their potential.
At the same time, she’s taking the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach with SEC play beginning Friday with a three-game series against Kentucky at Tiger Park.
“The message is to keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Torina said of her team which has started 24-1. “We’ve put up a nice brand of LSU softball on the field for the first 25 games. Just continue that and playing the way we’ve played since the beginning of the season.” The Tigers dive in against a team that is already tied for first in the league. The No. 23 Wildcats (17-7, 3-0) swept Missouri last weekend as one of 12 teams that has started conference play LSU, No. 23 Alabama and No 1 Texas had byes the first week.
“It’s important we’re continuing to find ways to get better,” Torina said. “Even though the team has been super successful and doing a lot of things well, we’re continuing to grow them and find ways to get better That only happens through attention to detail and how you practice, prepare and conduct yourself on a daily basis.” So far, so good. LSU has handled
LSU
ä Kentucky at LSU. 6 P.M
almost every situation and is playing its best ball with four consecutive five-inning, mercy-rule wins
The Tigers are No. 2 in team batting average (.384) and tied for third in runs (209) among SEC teams. Third baseman Danieca Coffey’s ability to get on base (.680
on-base percentage) and Tori Edwards’ power output (nine homer runs, 39 RBIs) have fueled the start. But the rest of the lineup is also producing, with three other starters batting better than .400. The Tigers are also relying more on speed and aggressiveness on the bases. The 40 steals is four fewer than they had in 61 games last season. The pitching staff with junior
Sydney Berzon, freshman Jayden
Heavener and transfer Tatum
Clopton has produced the No. 3 ERA (1.59) in the conference.
LSU is facing a Wildcats team coached by Rachel Lawson, who is in her 18th season and considered “one of the smartest minds in softball” by Torina.
On the field, Kentucky is led by right fielder Peyton Plotts who is batting .364 with four homers and 26 RBIs. Third baseman Ally Hutchins is hitting .344 with three homers and 13 RBIs.
Among the Wildcats’ losses were games against No. 8 Duke, No. 9 Oklahoma State and No. 4 UCLA, a team LSU defeated 2-1 two weeks ago.
Alexia Lacatena, a control pitcher, is the ace of the pitching staff with a 6-1 record and a 2.52 ERA. She has 29 strikeouts in 461/3 innings but has walked only six batters. Sarah Haendiges, a transfer from Oregon State, is 4-2 with a 1.56 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 36 innings. “They’re well coached and are going to be well prepared,” Torina said. “They are one of the best teams we will have played all year I don’t think our schedule has been a slouch by any means. We’ve played some really good teams, but looking at this team from top to bottom they’re going to be one of the best teams we’ve played all season.”
Duke loses Flagg, Brown in costly victory over Ga. Tech
Cooper Flagg went airborne to snag a rebound in his first ACC Tournament game when Duke’s freshman star landed awkwardly and crashed to the court, holding his left ankle and writhing in pain. It came moments after defensive whiz Maliq Brown had to be helped to the locker room, his left arm hanging limply by his side.
Duke now faces serious injury questions that threaten to linger well beyond however long the Blue Devils play this week in Charlotte.
Coach Jon Scheyer said it’s a “real long shot” Flagg will be able to play in the ACC semifinals due to that sprained ankle suffered in Thursday’s quarterfinal win against Georgia Tech.
Brown was taken to a nearby hospital after dislocating his left shoulder again less than a week after returning from injury
Rangers RHP Bradford to open season on injured list
SURPRISE,Ariz.— Texas Rangers righthander Cody Bradford will start the season on the injured list because of soreness in his throwing elbow Bradford had an MRI this week that came back clean, but Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday the club will shut him down for 10 days to see how he responds. Bradford was scratched from a scheduled start on Wednesday Bradford is the second Texas starter to get hurt this week after Tyler Mahle was scratched with forearm soreness. The right-hander is expected to start throwing again in a few days.
The 27-year-old Bradford went 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 13 starts last season after appearing eight times the year before. He pitched in five playoff games during the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run.
NBC, IOC agree to $3B Olympic media rights deal
LAUSANNE, Switzerland NBC will now be the champion of Olympic broadcasting in the United States through at least 2036.
The IOC said Thursday it signed its long-time United States broadcast partner to a $3 billion renewed deal for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games.
The International Olympic Committee’s statement said the agreement elevates Comcast NBCUniversal to being a strategic partner instead of just a media rights holder, promising “innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects” and involving the streaming platform Peacock.
WNBA announces 2025 draft to be held on April 14
NEW YORK The 29th WNBA draft is set to take place on April 14, the league announced late Wednesday For the second consecutive year, fans will be able to attend the draft when it takes place at The Shed in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. In 2024, about 1,000 fans were on-site at the Brooklyn Academy of Music — steps away from Barclays Center to witness the Indiana Fever select Caitlin Clark with the No 1 overall pick.
The Shed, which opened to the public in 2019 and features concerts, theater and art experiences, is a significant upgrade from BAM. The Shed’s key space can hold an audience of up to 2,220 and also features room to house an additional 1,200 standing fans. The Dallas Wings own the top pick in the draft with UConn star Paige Bueckers being the consensus No. 1 overall pick.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
pitcher Sydney Berzon winds up to pitch against Penn State on Feb. 21 at Tiger Park. The Tigers (24-1) have a 1.59 team ERA and a .384 team batting average.
PAyNE
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the log,” he said — before he could begin working out after his neck procedure. Each of the two years before that, Young focused on working his way back from his 2021 knee injury that forced him to miss a total of 22 games
But Young can feel the difference now He said he hasn’t stopped working out, later saying that he’s excited about what the Saints’ new coaching staff will bring. Young is looking to build upon a 2024 campaign that included 51/2 sacks and 73 quarterback pressures. Though his sack total was underwhelming, Young still affected the passer by ranking sixth in pressures.
Young said he was pleased with his output from last year but acknowledged there were areas to improve. The Saints, of course, would welcome more sacks Of the top eight in pressures, Young and Los Angeles Rams rookie Jared Verse were the only players to not record double-digit sacks. And Young’s career high, to this point, is only 71/2 Young said he’s not wasting time this offseason.
“My fire is still lit,” he said. As for his contract, Young said he wanted to stay in New Orleans from the beginning. Even with last year’s disappointing 5-12 record, Young said he liked his teammates, the city and the team’s fanbase. And it helped his family liked it in New Orleans also, he said. After the deal was done, Young reached out to general manager Mickey Loomis and thanked him for believing in him. Often last year, Young would downplay the fact that he was on a prove-it type contract. But on Thursday, he acknowledged that he did bet on himself to a point.
Every year in the NFL, he said, requires to bet on yourself.
But some bets pay off more than others And it takes work for that to happen.
“You’ve got to invest in your body,” Young said.
Email Matthew Paras at matt.paras@ theadvocate.com
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to see that many baserunners, but you don’t like to see that big a number at the end of a game. “We’re doing the hard part and that’s the getting them on. The key is you keep getting them on. If you really start to press, those are going to evaporate.”
The Cajuns are now 8-10 on the season, while the visiting Cowboys (12-3) completed the season sweep of UL.
The visiting Trojans are expecting to start Garrett Gainous (2-0, 4.42 ERA) Friday, Noah Edders (2-0, 4.50) Saturday and Drew Nelson (3-0, 2.08) Sunday UL is expected to start Matthew Holzhammer (0-1, 4.50) Friday, but it’s yet to be announced who is on after that Offensively Troy is hitting .308 and scoring 8.7 runs a game with 21 homers and 26 stolen bases Steven Meier (.419, 3 HRs, 14 RBIs), Blake Cavill (.396, 2 HRs, 22 RBIs() and Sean Darnell (.328, 3 Hrs, 22 RBIs) are the top hitters.
“We’ve got to stay patient and work to get better towards the latter part of the season,” Deggs said. “The positive part is we’re the defending champions A 30-game war starts on Friday and we’re ready to start a brand new season. I feel like we’ve got a schedule that has prepared us for it It’s just a matter of coming out and playing good baseball.”
UL
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When transfer pitcher Tyra Clary first learned of the streak, it was a bit shocking. “I think initially I was like, ‘Wow’. I felt kind of vulnerable, but like (catcher Savannah White) said, it’s more of a ‘get to’ because that kind of legacy is here I think our team has a lot of confidence. We know what we can do.”
Speaking of streaks, the Cajuns will have to get really hot to extend the program’s streak of 25 consecutive seasons with at least 40 wins.
To do so, it will require more consistency Wins of Ole Miss and Alabama this year display the club’s potential, but duplicating that level has been a chore.
“The goal now is, it’s conference now, so we need to play more consistently,” Habetz said “We can’t have the ups and downs Sometimes, it’s like a different team that shows up and then a different team shows up the next day We just have to find that consistency.”
The Cajuns are 13-10, while Marshall is 12-12, including 6-1 at home. The Herd’s 12 losses, though, include two to Oklahoma, Kansas and Clemson, as well as losses to Texas Tech, Missouri and Iowa.
“They have a good pitcher this year — a transfer from a Division II school,” Habetz said. “She has a rise ball and she goes up and in on righties and she throws in the upper 60s, so she’s going to be tough. We’re going to have to get to work and really be intentional about that pitch and the pitch we’re looking for.” Marshall has used three pitchers — Jules
other in some tournaments in like Georgia.”
At these events, the two bonded through ping pong. Curiel claims that he and Schmidt were always the best players there, but he’d usually win anytime they’d face each other
“Me and him would just spend literally hours before the game just playing ping pong, messing around,” Curiel said, “and we just talked for hours and played.”
While at these showcases, Curiel would talk with Schmidt and Konnor Griffin — a fellow LSU commit — about what it would be like to play together at LSU.
Griffin never made it to campus after the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the draft. But Curiel decided he was staying at LSU once he arrived on campus for freshman summer school nine days before the draft.
Schmidt also went to summer school but his future was still uncertain Curiel had already been recruiting him to stay at LSU before they had gotten to campus Schmidt suspected that’s why LSU coach Jay Johnson paired them together as roommates. It turns out he was right.
“Why not put the guy that’s already made the decision to turn down pro baseball with him,” Johnson said. “And they’re both just so simple, easy going (and) fun guys, and I thought that they would enjoy being together.”
Curiel’s recruiting pitch to Schmidt was less of a pitch and more of a bonding exercise. He wanted to continue strengthening their relationship and show that he cared for his roommate.
He and his fellow freshmen didn’t bombard him with the same question that everyone else in his life was asking: What are you going to do?
“I kind of just try to keep it personal relationship, and just ask him like, ‘How’s (your) day going?’. and just be a good friend,” Curiel said “And I felt like he respected that probably more than anything.
“We just kind of showed him, like, ‘Hey, if you stay here, this is what’s going to be like.’ And I think he wanted to be a part of that.”
Curiel’s approach wasn’t a sign of uncertainty He was confident with how Schmidt’s decision would turn out, enough so that he stepped into pitching coach Nate Yeskie’s
In Wednesday’s loss to McNeese, the Cajuns fell behind 4-2 in the top of the fourth and neither team scored the rest of the way
“I thought it was a combination of us not making some plays and not handling some running game stuff early to allow them a couple three runs,” Deggs said. “Then we had multiple opportunities to create some distance between us and them. We just haven’t done a good job of hitting with runners in scoring position lately.”
The Cowboys added a run in the second when Easton Dowell reached on an error and scored on Seth Fontenot’s RBI single That run-scoring hit brought up another issue plaguing the Cajuns over the last two seasons — not getting 9-hole hitters out Fontenot had no at-bats on the season and still got two-out RBI singles in the second and fourth innings. Simon Larranga’s RBI ground out scored McNeese’s first run in the fourth.
The Cajuns did tie the game at 2-all in the third when Lee Amedee’s ground out scored Max Mandino, who had singled and stole third UL’s first run was a Brooks Wright RBI double in the first.
But UL stranded two runners in the third, fourth and sixth innings.
In the ninth, the Cajuns got runners at second and third with one out and stranded two more to end the game.
“You’ve got to keep getting them on and keep swinging and one day that ball is going to find a hole for Lee (Amedee) or Higgs (Conor Higgs) or whoever it is,” Deggs said. “I like a lot of our at-bats right now.
King (4-4, 3.59, 50.2 IP, 59 K), Bub Feringa (24, 4.33) and Paige Maynard (4-3, 6.07, 30 IP)
At the plate, the Herd is hitting .320 with 20 homers and 25 stolen bases.
The Cajuns are expected to start senior right-hander Tyra Clary (3-2, 2.85 ERA).
“Just taking it one pitch at a time,” Clary said. “It being our last year, every pitch is going to be one pitch that I don’t have anymore So it’s not having any regret on any pitch.”
Habetz said the rest of the weekend will be determined on the fly.
“It’s really going to be game to game in the sense of how we match up,” she said. “I’m anticipating Tyra on Friday and we’ll go from there, depending on how she pitches and how we match up.
“We have four potential starters Any of the four can start. It just depends on who is hitting spots and how we match up with their hitters.”
The other issue has been a lack of offensive punch.
Only two Cajuns have reached double figures in RBIs — shortstop Cecilia Vasquez (.333, 2 HRs, 24 RBIs) and first baseman Emily Smith (.304, 5 HRs 15 RBIs)
Adding to the problem is Smith is still out with a concussion.
“It is just being confident and knowing that I’m sitting a pitch or looking for a pitch to drive,” Habetz said. “A hitter knows and I think sometimes we’re swinging at the right pitch, but we’re just missing it. We’re fouling it straight back.
“At the beginning of the season, that sometimes may happen, but in the middle of the season, you want to square those balls up You may only get one of those pitches, so when you get it you want to crush it. You can’t just miss it.”
office a couple days before the draft and hinted at the possibility of Schmidt staying at LSU.
“The next thing I know, two or three days before the draft Derek’s texting me, like, ‘Hey, I’m your ace recruiter I got this,’ “ Johnson said. “This (roommate decision) turned out way better than I even thought it would.”
Curiel’s confidence stemmed from his strong relationship with Schmidt and how he spoke about LSU. They talked about winning SEC championships and national championships together
“He knows everything about every LSU baseball player,” Curiel said. “I’ll ask him questions and he knows everything.”
On the morning of July 14, Curiel woke up to a call from Johnson asking if Schmidt had made his decision yet.
But he had not because, well, he was still asleep. Curiel was awake though, so he made himself breakfast.
Schmidt then finally got out of bed.
“I walked out there and Derek’s sitting in the living room,” Schmidt said. “He’s like, ‘You ready?’ And I’m like, ‘No, not really.’ “
Curiel went back to sleep after having breakfast. The next thing he remembered was Schmidt, who had driven back from his house, waking him up to tell him the good news. He was staying at LSU.
The two then hopped in Schmidt’s car and blasted music on the drive over to the draft party Schmidt’s family had put together.
“He was a man, and he ended up making his own decision,” Curiel said. “People were telling him to do the opposite, go to professional baseball. But I felt like he stuck to his guns and made the right decision.”
Johnson figured that he was gone.
There was no need to have a suit and tie draft meeting. There would be no power point presentation comparing him to an MLB star that Schmidt hoped to one day become.
Johnson didn’t believe there was any chance they could land the Baton Rouge star, despite his family insisting that they had not made up their minds.
“I watched him pitch at Catholic a couple of times and walked away like ‘This is not happening,’ “ Johnson told the Baton Rouge Rotary Club in January “Somebody’s going to give this dude a lot of money and he’s going to go.”
Schmidt still came to summer school, which wasn’t the case for all of LSU’s fresh-
The hard part is happening. We just have to keep swinging.”
Starting pitcher Blake McGehee pitched somewhat effectively, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, two walks and striking out two in four innings and 64 pitches.
True freshman Matt Osteen had his second good outing, giving up no runs on one hit, two
man signees. Along with Griffin, left-handed pitchers Cam Caminiti and Boston Bateman also never arrived on campus. Both lefties ended up getting picked in the first two rounds of the draft.
Schmidt even showing up led Johnson to believe that he had genuine interest in becoming a Tiger He didn’t think Schmidt was using LSU as leverage against MLB teams. But what really opened Johnson’s eyes to the possibility of Schmidt staying at LSU was a conversation they had the day before the draft.
“Hey man, how are you doing?” Johnson asked.
“Awful,” Johnson remembers Schmidt replying.
“What do you mean? Talk to me about this,” Johnson responded.
“Coach, I really just want to play here but I don’t want to be dumb for turning down $3 million or whatever,” Schmidt said.
“Okay Well, explain that to me a little bit more,” Johnson asked.
“Well, if it doesn’t work out, I would rather it not work out here than out on my own in minor league baseball,” Schmidt stated. Johnson was intrigued by his response for obvious reasons, but he also agreed with everything Schmidt said on face value.
“He’s right, honestly,” Johnson said. “Like there’s a thought of, ‘Hey, maybe I should just take the money.’ But if that’s all that you have and you don’t have this 36 month deal to grow, to work towards a degree, to be transitioned into manhood properly, your life can get off track.” Johnson then told Schmidt that he’d support him no matter what decision he made. But when he hadn’t heard back from him on the morning of July 14, he figured Schmidt had started moving out of his summer dorm room.
“Well, I think I have my answer,” Johnson remembered thinking.
Bracing for the bad news, Johnson called Curiel.
“I was like ‘Hey, what’s going on with our boy,’ “ Johnson said. “He was like ‘Oh, coach, he’s still asleep right now.’ “
Then, at around 12:30 p.m., Johnson received a text from Schmidt. It was a picture of him holding a stuffed toy tiger Johnson had landed his man, but he still needed to ask one more question.
“Hey buddy, I think I know what this means,” Johnson remembered saying. “But, I’m just making sure that’s an LSU Tiger and not a Detroit Tiger.”
walks and striking out two in 2.1 innings Aiden Grab, also a true freshman, pitched two scoreless innings.
“Certainly (use in Sun Belt play),” Deggs said. “We’re going to have to step back a little bit and go, ‘That’s what those midweeks are for.’ We’ve got to figure out some of that stuff.
Ready for some football?
The East Baton Rouge Parish Library’s 19th One Book One Community selection is “Season of Life” by Jeffrey Marx. This six-week celebration of football and youth mentorship opens with a free tailgate kickoff party from 5 p.m to 8 p.m. Friday at the Main Library at Goodwood. Entertainment, food, children’s activities and more.
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday, March 14, the 73rd day of 2025. There are 292 days left in the year Today in history
On March 14, 1879, Albert Einstein, who would revolutionize physics and the human understanding of the universe, was born in Ulm, Germany
On this date:
In 1794, Eli Whitney received a patent for his cotton gin, an invention that revolutionized the American cotton industry
In 1964, a jury in Dallas found Jack Ruby guilty of murdering Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, and sentenced Ruby to death. (Both the conviction and death sentence were overturned, but Ruby died before he could be retried.)
QUEST
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In 1967, the body of President John F. Kennedy was moved from a temporary grave to a permanent memorial site at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
In 1973, future U.S. senator and presidential candidate John McCain was released from North Vietnamese captivity after being held as a prisoner of war for over five years.
In 1980, a LOT Polish Airlines jet crashed while attempting to land in Warsaw, killing all 87 people aboard, including 22 athletes and staff members of the U.S. boxing team.
In 2015, Robert Durst, a wealthy eccentric linked to two killings and his wife’s disappearance, was arrested by the FBI in New Orleans on a murder warrant a day before HBO aired the final episode of a serial documentary about
MICAH GILL: The Alley Downtown, Lafayette, 5:30 p.m.
THE MINTLLY ILLBILLIES: Adopted Dog Brewing, Lafayette, 6 p.m. LIVE MUSIC: Charley G’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
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thoroughly enjoyed.
Do you work outside the home or are you retired? If retired, what was your profession?
I was a primary school teacher teaching children ranging in age from 4-13 years old. I taught every age group during my 37 years in the Irish education system. How did you and the parade organizers become connected?
I first got to know the Shingleton family through Patrick Quigley, who once owned Ivar’s bar in Baton Rouge. My late brother Denis (who was Wearin’ of the Green grand marshal in 2004) got to know Paddy’s dad, Ivar, through the “universal language that is golf.” The Quigley family became very close friends with my family We subsequently met Pat Shingleton (one of the parade’s founders) when he and a group of his family and friends came to my hometown, Killarney, on a golfing trip and as they say “the rest is history” — friends for life.
Have you ever led a parade before?
I have never had the honor of leading a parade, and what an honor this is I have participated in a number of parades in Killarney, but never with an important role. What was your first reaction to be-
THE SOCIAL DIVIDE TOUR FEATURING CRASHING WAYWARD + THE ALMAS: Feed’n’Seed, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
An all-ages 5K race preceding the Wearin’ of the Green Parade l 8 a.m. Sunday l From Moreau Physical Therapy on Perkins Road left on Dalrymple Drive, left on East Lakeshore Drive, right on Perkins Road back to Moreau l Awards to top 10 male and female runners l Register at wearinofthegreen.com/ shamrock-run
ing asked to be grand marshal? I would say shock was the first reaction when Pat (Shingleton) called me. In fact in such a state of shock that I said yes immediately Then I had to “pinch myself“ after the conversation with Pat and say, “Did that really happen?” It was sheer delight then. Possibly the best way to describe the feelings is how you feel as a child when waiting for Santa’s arrival at Christmas.
Will this be your first time in the U.S.? If not, please give a few details on your last visit. I have been to the U.S. on many visits, but never to the beautiful state of Louisiana.
It’s a state I’ve always wanted to visit.
I’ve visited New York; Connecticut; Washington, D.C.; Florida; Colorado; California and Hawaii over the past 40 years and thoroughly enjoyed every single visit. Any particular place you’ll want to see while you’re here?
THE ROCK ORCHESTRA BY CANDLELIGHT: Heymann Center, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.
TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
GROOVE ROOM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitors Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.
JILL BUTLER: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
MYLES MIGL: Tap Room, Youngsville, 6:30 p.m.
CAJUN JAM: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC: The Brass Room, Lafayette, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
LADIES NIGHT WITH DJ DONOVAN: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 6 p.m.
LAYLA LAVERGNE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
DUSTIN SONNIER: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m
HORACE TRAHAN: Rock ’N’ Bowl, Lafayette, 7:30 p.m.
Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/ photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper
I loved geography when I was a student in secondary school high school for you — and the Mississippi (River) in New Orleans was something I’ve always wanted to see. My interest in geography has given me a bucket list to see the major rivers of the world. The Danube and the Rhine in Europe are already ticked off, along with the Zambezi in Africa. The Amazon is on the wish list. Your sister is accompanying you to Baton Rouge. Tell us about the rest of your family My sister, Mary O’Rourke, is traveling with me. There were five siblings but alas, just three of us are still alive. My two brothers, John Joe and Denis, are deceased. My last remaining brother, Dermot, lives in Greystones County, Wicklow, Ireland. I’m single.
Do you tell your age?
I like to keep people guessing, but you can tell by the fact that I am retired — I retired before it was mandatory to do so in Ireland. I will quote Lucille Ball: “The secret of staying young is to live honestly eat slowly and lie about your age.“ And the secret of really staying young is subtraction. It never fails.
For more on the parade go to www.wearinofthegreen com.
Email Judy Bergeron at jbergeron@theadvocate. com.
prayerful performance of Mumford and Sons’ “After the Storm.”
“In order to be ready to walk into a room and make music with somebody at Sullivan’s level, I had to have been practicing and collaborating with people all these years,” Elling said. “That gave me the experience and the expertise to play at a certain level. It’s my responsibility to maintain and, possibly, expand my abilities through the course of a lifetime.”
Elling and Branford Marsalis — a member of the New Orleans jazz family that features Wynton, Jason and Delfeayo Marsalis and their late father, Ellis — worked together for nearly three years. Elling sang for the Branford Marsalis Quartet’s 2016 album, “Upward Spiral,” and Marsalis contributed to Elling’s Grammy-nominated 2018 album, “The Questions.” They hit the road together, too.
“Branford has done so much with music and understanding music,” Elling said. “Not just in terms of theory, but in the concepts of the greatest composers and improvisers. He has very well thought out, informed opinions. He’s stubborn about some of them. If you disagree with him, you’re going to get good argument.”
Marsalis wins almost every argument, Elling added.
CIRCUS
Continued from page 5C
inspirational journey as he enters a world featuring a cast led by Ringmaster Shai Yammanee, the artistry of Deaf dancer Malik Paris and a host of acrobats, aerialists, comedic performers and more. Omnium Circus describes
“I knew that I had won an argument when he changed the subject real fast. I was proud of myself, but that happened only once.”
Elling recently returned from the jazz festival at sea known as the Jazz Cruise.
“Usually, when you think of a jazz festival, it’s outdoors and there are a bunch of bands,” he said. “Well, here’s a jazz festival where everybody gets to stay the whole week. It’s inspiring to be among cats of that caliber.”
Jazz Cruise talent includes long-established performers like Elling and younger stars.
“I heard a couple of solo sets from Sullivan,” Elling said. “I heard Bill Charlap (one of America’s premiere pianists) a couple of times. And the fans are nice and the view is excellent.”
A Chicago native, Elling began pursuing a music
its show as a high-spirited, limit-defying, life-affirming spectacle that is a blend of wow moments and laughter
career after he realized that being a jazz musician wasn’t an obsolete profession.
“I thought all the jazz musicians were dead,” he said. “Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Charlie Parker, all those incredible cats I missed them all!” But then Elling learned that jazz music venues still existed in Chicago.
“When I was old enough to go to clubs, I found that jazz was alive, and people were continuing the tradition,” he said. “Some of the Chicago legends took me into their wing. They encouraged me, again and again. I really owe it to Von Freeman, Eddie Johnson and Willie Pickens. I credit the musicians on the Chicago scene, the elders of that time, for my life in music.” Email John Wirt at j_ wirt@msn.com.
In addition to the public performance on Friday, Performing Arts Society of Acadiana will also offer a daytime performance for students on Friday This performance is underwritten by a grant from Love Our Schools. The performance is part of Performing Arts Serving Acadiana’s season of live entertainment. Tickets start at $30 (student and group discounts available) and are available at omniumcircus.org and pasaonline.org. Tickets are also available at the Heymann Center Box office, 1373 S. College Road. For more information about Omnium, visit www omniumcircus.org.
SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA
STAFF FILE
PHOTO By SCOTT THRELKELD
Felix Hanemann, of Zebra, performs in Slidell in 2023. Rock out with the band starting at 9 p.m. Friday at Rock ’N’ Bowl in Lafayette.
PROVIDED PHOTO By ANNA WEBBER
The jazz fusion-crossover group yellowjackets is performing a series of concerts with Kurt Elling this year, including Wednesday’s show at the Manship Theatre in Baton Rouge.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Taking on too much will be your downfall. Sometimes, you should yourself first to replenish yourenergyandconsiderhowbesttouse your strengths. Focus on relaxing.
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refrain from lockingyourselfintosomethingyoudon't want to do. Check out other possibilities and consider where your time and effort willmakethemostsignificantdifference in your life.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Finish what you startandheadintotheweekendwithouta worry Taking some time to enjoy nature or engage in social events will give you the pick-me-up you need.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Be careful not to start something you cannot finish. Honesty is the best policy, especially when dealing with people who need help or want answers.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) Put your energy where it counts, and you won't be disappointed. A chance to make others take notice of your skills will help you move in a more responsible direction.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Take responsibility for your happiness. Love, romance and participating in something that brings you closer to someone will offer insight. Don't forget to relax.
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Implement a financialplanthathelpsyousavemoney. Think twice before you take on someone's debt or responsibilities. Strive for
equality and balance in relationships to avoid dissatisfaction.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Let your emotions and heart step up and take the lead. Personal gains, self-improvement, love and romance are featured and can turn an ordinary day into something special.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) You'll have a revelation if you test your strengths and courage. Don't sell yourself short; you have more to offer than you realize, and the right people will help you discover how special and talented you are.
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Fall in love with your life, your surroundings and the prospects available to you, and it will change the way you see yourself and your future. Make your way forward.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Set a budget and plan to alter your surroundings to suit your needs. Adding to your comfort and convenience will improve your attitude and benefit you more than you can imagine.
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Putyourtalents and intelligence to work, and you'll find a way to bring in extra cash. A sideline business or activity will take on a life of its own.
Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.
toDAy's cLuE: D EQuALs B
CeLebrItY CIpher
For better or For WorSe peAnUtS
FrAnK And erneSt
SALLY Forth
beetLe bAILeY
Mother GooSe And GrIMM
SherMAn’S LAGoon
dooneSbUrY
bIG nAte
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
nea CroSSwordS
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS CurTiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
There are times when it is easier to play against good players. They are reliable. If they can do something beneficial for themselves, they will; they will not make silly errors. Beginners are not trustworthy. That is relevant in this deal, where South is an expert. He is in seven hearts. West leads a trump What should South do, and how should West discard?
After South opened one heart, North understandably drove into the grand slam after two doses of Blackwood.
Despite all of the high-card points, the contractlooksimpossible—declarerhas only 12 tricks. His only chance is to run winners and hope for a misdefense.
At the table, South took all of his trumps, discarding a spade from the board. West calmly pitched all of his diamonds. This persuaded East to throw diamonds as well. Thencamedummy’sdiamondwinners. East let go of three clubs; West released onespadeandoneclub.ButWestwasnot sure what to do on the last diamond.
Eventually, not wanting to come down to queen-doubleton in clubs, he discarded a second spade. But now the missing spades were 2-2 and declarer gained a 13th trick.
