Construction moves along on the $65 million renovation project at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium at Cajun Field on Tuesday. The stadium is scheduled to open in August for the 2025 football season. The new west tower will look like a completely new structure, featuring 34 suites, 40 loge boxes and 524 club seats.
Six-month measure averts shutdown
BY KEVIN FREKING and LISA MASCARO Associated Press
WASHINGTON The Senate passed a six-month spending bill on Friday hours before a government shutdown, overcoming sharp Democratic opposition to the measure and sending it to President Donald Trump to be signed into law
The vote was 54-46. Democrats voiced frustration that Republicans went ahead with a measure they said included little input from them, and one they viewed as shortchanging key priorities such as health care and housing assistance. But in the end, some of them viewed a shutdown as a worse outcome and supported Democratic leader Chuck Schumer’s effort to allow the bill to come to a final vote. Democrats were confronted with two painful options: allowing passage of a bill they believe gives President Donald Trump vast discretion on spending decisions or voting no and letting a funding lapse ensue. Schumer gave members of his
ä See SENATE, page 4A
45 universities part of federal investigation
BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
The Department of Education is investigating Tulane University for alleged racial discrimination because its graduate programs have partnered with a group that promotes diversity, federal officials said Friday in a move that aligns with the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The department’s Office for Civil
ä See TULANE, page 4A
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
On March 29, residents in every parish will have the chance to vote on four proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution. The changes deal with courts, taxes, how juveniles are treated in the criminal justice system, and elections for judges. Three of the constitutional amendments have faced controversy and court challenges. One of those, Amendment 2, is part of
a push by Gov. Jeff Landry and the Legislature to overhaul Louisiana’s tax system This month, every ballot includes the four proposed amendments, but some parishes will vote on local issues, too. There are 23 parishes that will consider just the amendments, while 41 parishes will also vote on local races or propositions.
Early voting runs from March 15 to March 22, excluding Sunday, and early voting locations are open from 8:30 a.m to 6 p.m.
Voters can find out where to vote at www.GeauxVote.com, on the GeauxVote mobile app or by calling their parish registrar of voters. Here are the four proposed constitutional amendments in the order they appear on the ballot.
Amendment 1
This amendment would give state lawmakers new, broader authority to create regional or statewide specialty courts. Currently they can only create specialty courts, such as drug courts or
family preservation courts, within a parish or a judicial district. It would also clarify that, under the Louisiana Constitution, the state Supreme Court has authority over disciplinary cases involving lawyer misconduct by out-of-state attorneys working in Louisiana.
Currently, the constitution only says the Supreme Court has authority over “disciplinary proceedings against a member of the bar.” Proponents say Amendment 1
ä See AMENDMENTS, page 4A
ELECTION 2025
EARLY VOTING
Early voting runs from March 15 to March 22, excluding Sunday, and early voting locations are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voters can find out where to vote at www.GeauxVote.com, on the GeauxVote mobile app or by calling their parish registrar of voters.
Texas AG: IDs for trans people can’t change AUSTIN,Texas In a written opinion issued Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton questioned the validity of court orders directing state agencies to change a person’s biological sex on driver’s licenses, birth certificates and other identification documents Identification previously changed under court orders sought by transgender Texans should be reissued with the original sex designation, the nonbinding opinion said The Texas Department of Public Safety requested the opinion in September about a month after it stopped accepting court orders to change gender markers on driver’s licenses. The Department of State Health Services also stopped allowing gender changes on birth certificates unless the hospital made an error “The Transportation Code as well as the Health and Safety Code contain no provision for judicial review over the contents of driver’s licenses or birth certificates,” Paxton wrote in a 19page opinion. “Neither can DPS or DSHS change a person’s ‘sex’ designation without supporting evidence that, as a matter of law, cannot exist on the facts you describe.”
Illinois flag vote results with current one on top SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Flags engender such loyalty and pride, they often become very personal emblems with quirky or quaint nicknames: Old Glory, Union Jack, Maple Leaf — or SOB.
That would be (state) “Seal on a Bedsheet,” the derisive moniker with which some have burdened the Illinois state flag, a gleaming white banner emblazoned with the state’s bald eaglethemed emblem.
Some forward-looking lawmakers set up a contest to design a new flag and put it to a vote. In a landslide, a winner was chosen.
And it’s the current flag.
Of nearly 385,000 votes cast, the existing bunting received 43% more tallies than the next six finalists combined
“Some may call it an SOB and the vexillogical community (flag experts) may hate it, but people overwhelmingly prefer our current state flag,” said Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias, whose archivist chairs the Illinois Flag Commission. Its members were chosen by the governor legislative leaders and state education and museum administrators.
Created in 1915, the current emblem is a white field featuring the state seal adopted in 1868: A bald eagle before a rising sun, a shield in its talons and in its beak, a banner expressing the Prairie State’s dual tenets: “State Sovereignty, National Union.” In 1970, “Illinois” in block letters was added at the bottom.
Last fall, residents were invited to submit their vision for a new standard. More than 4,800 did — most of them serious. The commission whittled it down to 10 finalists, then added the current 1915 flag, and banners created for the state’s 1918 Centennial and 1968 Sesquicentennial. American who snatched wombat leaves Australia
MELBOURNE,Australia An American influencer left Australia on Friday after the government announced it was reviewing her visa over a video she posted of her snatching a baby wombat from its mother Sam Jones, who describes herself as an “outdoor enthusiast & hunter,” made her Instagram account private Thursday after she was widely condemned for the video. Jones, who also uses the name Samantha Strable, closed her social media channels to messages and couldn’t be reached for comment Friday
“There’s never been a better day to be a baby wombat in Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement after a government official confirmed Jones had flown from the country voluntarily In the video, Montana-based Jones lifts the wombat joey by its front legs in darkness from a roadside then runs away from its mother “I caught a baby wombat,” she said as a man filming her laughs. She returns the wombat to the roadside after several seconds.
‘We will never be part of the United States,’ Mark Carney says
BY ROB GILLIES Associated Press
TORONTO Former central bank-
er Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s new prime minister on Friday, and will now try to steer his country through a trade war brought by U.S. President Donald Trump, annexation threats and an expected federal election.
Carney, 59, replaces Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who announced his resignation in January but remained in power until the Liberal Party elected a new leader Carney is widely expected to trigger a general election in the coming days or weeks.
“We will never, ever, in any way shape or form, be part of the United States. America is not Canada,” Carney said. “We are very fundamentally a different country.”
The governing Liberal Party had appeared poised for a historic election defeat this year until Trump declared economic war and repeatedly has said Canada should become the 51st state. Now the party and its new leader could come out on top.
in his annexation threats and suggested the border is a fictional line.
Carney called the idea “crazy.”
The U.S. trade war and Trump’s talk of making Canada the 51st U.S. state have infuriated Canadians, who are booing the American anthem at NHL and NBA games. Some are canceling trips south of the border, and many are avoiding buying American goods when they can.
Carney has said he’s ready to meet with Trump if he shows respect for Canadian sovereignty He said he doesn’t plan to visit Washington at the moment but hopes to have a phone call with the president soon.
“The president is a successful businessman and deal maker We’re his largest client in so many industries,” Carney said. “Clients expect respect and working together in a
proper commercial way.” Carney navigated crises when he was the head of the Bank of Canada during the 2008 financial crisis, and then in 2013 when he became the first noncitizen to run the Bank of England — helping to manage the worst impacts of Brexit in the U.K. He will now try to steer Canada through the trade war brought by Trump.
Carney, a former Goldman Sachs executive with no experience in politics, becomes Canada’s 24th prime minister He said protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified trade actions and growing the economy will be his top priorities.
Trump put 25% tariffs on Canada’s steel and aluminum and is threatening sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products April 2. He has threatened economic coercion
17-vehicle pileup killed 5
By The Associated Press
A man was charged Friday with intoxication manslaughter after five people were killed and several injured in a late-night wreck in Austin, Texas, that involved over a dozen vehicles on Interstate 35, authorities said.
Authorities said that the five people killed in the crash that involved 17 vehicles Thursday just before 11:30 p.m. included three adults, a child and an infant.
First responders said that 11 people were taken to hospitals.
Solomun Weldekeal Araya, 37, was charged with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and two counts of intoxication assault after the crash, Austin police said Friday Police said he was in custody in Travis County Jail. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney Jail
records did not list an attorney for him.
Police have not detailed the circumstances that led to the wreck. Police said in an email Friday that they were still early in the investigation and had no further information available to release.
The southbound lanes of I-35 were closed following the crash, and they remained closed into Friday before reopening at about 1 p.m. The wreck left a stretch of the interstate littered with mangled vehicles and debris.
The collision was “very large and very complex,” police Officer Austin Zarling said at an early morning news conference.
Edgar Viera told KXAN television that he was at a nearby store when he heard the crash and went to try to help those involved.
“We didn’t have the proper tools to open the vehicles, so we just did what we could,” Viera told the station. “It was hard to see this.”
USPS agrees to work with DOGE on reform, plans to cut 10,000 workers
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON Postmaster General Louis DeJoy plans to cut 10,000 workers and billions of dollars from the U.S. Postal Service budget and he’ll do that working with Elon Musk ’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to a letter sent to members of Congress on Thursday
DOGE will assist USPS with addressing “big problems” at the $78 billion-ayear agency, which has sometimes struggled in recent years to stay afloat. The agreement also includes the General Services Administration in an effort to help the Postal Service identify and achieve “further efficiencies.”
USPS listed such issues as mismanagement of the agency’s retirement assets and Workers’ Compensation Program, as well as an array of regulatory requirements that the letter described as “restricting normal business practice.”
“This is an effort aligned with our efforts, as while we have accomplished a great deal, there is much more to be done,” DeJoy wrote.
Critics of the agreement fear negative effects of the cuts will be felt across America. Democratic U.S. Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia said turning over the Postal Service to DOGE would result in it being undermined and privatized.
“This capitulation will have catastroph-
ic consequences for all Americans — especially those in rural and hard to reach areas — who rely on the Postal Service every day to deliver mail, medications, ballots, and more,” he said in a statement.
USPS currently employs about 640,000 workers tasked with making deliveries from inner cities to rural areas and even far-flung islands.
The service plans to cut 10,000 employees in the next 30 days through a voluntary early retirement program, according to the letter. The USPS announced the plan during the final days of the Biden administration in January but at the time didn’t include the number of workers expected to leave.
Neither the USPS nor the Trump administration immediately responded to emails from The Associated Press requesting comment.
The agency previously announced plans to cut its operating costs by more than $3.5 billion annually In 2021, the agency cut 30,000 workers.
As the service that has operated as an independent entity since 1970 has struggled to balance the books with the decline of first-class mail, it has fought calls from President Donald Trump and others that it be privatized. Last month, Trump said he may put USPS under the control of the Commerce Department in what would be an executive branch takeover
The surge in Canadian nationalism has bolstered the Liberal Party’s chances in a parliamentary election expected within days or weeks, and Liberal showings have been improving in opinion polls.
The opposition Conservatives hoped to make the election about Trudeau, whose popularity declined as food and housing prices rose and immigration surge.
But after decades of bilateral stability the vote on Canada’s next leader now is expected to focus on who is best equipped to deal with the United States.
BY JOHN SEEWER and TARA COPP Associated Press
WASHINGTON Helicopters will be permanently restricted from flying near Washington, D.C.’s airport on the same route where a passenger jet and an Army helicopter collided in midair, killing 67 people, the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday
The move comes just days after federal investigators looking into the cause of the crash recommended a ban on some helicopter flights, saying a string of near misses in recent years showed that the current setup “poses an intolerable risk.”
The FAA, which manages the nation’s airspace and oversees aviation safety, has come under criticism after the National Transportation Safety Board said there had been an alarming number of near misses in recent year in the congested skies around Ronald Reagan National Airport.
The closure of the heli-
copter route near the airport makes permanent the restrictions put in place after Jan. 29 midair collision. The FAA order will allow a few exceptions for helicopter use, including presidential flights along with law enforcement and lifesaving missions. The FAA also said it is studying cities with airports where there are a high number of different types of aircraft sharing the same space. It also is looking at offshore helicopter operations along the Gulf Coast. The Army supports the FAA’s efforts to improve aviation safety around the nation’s capital and will use “alternative routes to mitigate impacts on training and readiness,” spokesman Matt Ahearn said Friday Before the collision there were 28 government agencies authorized to fly helicopters near Reagan National, including the Department of Defense, military services, law enforcement, and emergency medical services.
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Joint statement includes support for Ukraine
BY MATTHEW LEE
AP diplomatic writer
LA MALBAIE, Quebec Top diplomats from the Group of 7 industrialized democracies agreed Friday on a joint statement expressing support for Ukraine and a U.S. ceasefire proposal in the three-year-old war even as President Donald Trump’s trade policies and taunts toward host Canada overshadowed the talks.
Despite the tensions, diplomats from the U.S., Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan signed off on a final communique after hours of late-night negotiations.
There were concerns that the bloc’s once solid unity had been thrown into irreversible disarray by Trump’s whopping tariffs on steel and aluminum and threats for additional levies if there is any retaliation.
Although the trade war and Trump’s repeated comments about turning Canada into the 51st state distracted from the discussions, diplomats were able to rally around his Ukraine peace plan.
Ukraine statement
“G7 members reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine in defending its territorial integrity and right to exist, and its freedom, sovereignty and independence,” the communique said. “G7 members called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully.”
U.S Secretary of State Marco Rubio denied after the meeting that the G7 support for Ukraine’s territorial sovereignty strayed from the Trump administration’s position, including
for “blunt.”
“I wanted to be able to have a frank conversation,” Joly said. “Of course, Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate and we had a long conversation on tariffs and trade.”
After Trump reiterated in the Oval Office on Thursday that “Canada only works as a state,” Joly stood firm.
“What I said to the secretary is that Canada’s sovereignty is not up for debate. Period,” she said Friday “There is no argument. There is no conversation about it.” She added, as if addressing him, “You are here, you respect us, you respect our sovereignty, you respect our people. Period.”
By The Associated Press
its insistence that Ukraine must be open to ceding control of some land to Russia to get a peace deal.
“I’ve never heard President Trump say that Russia has a right to take all of Ukraine and do whatever they want there,” Rubio told reporters. “So that’s not inconsistent.”
The G7 diplomats discussed, but did not detail, imposing further sanctions on Russia — including the possibility of selling seized Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s defense should Russia not accept and respect a ceasefire and providing additional support for Ukraine in that event.
In a significant change from the past, the G7 statement did not contain a specific condemnation of Russia for invading Ukraine. Rubio had said prior to the meetings that the U.S. did not see the value in antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin while he was considering Trump’s ceasefire proposal. Putin said Thursday he agrees with the plan in principle, but set out a host of details that need to be clarified before it is ac-
cepted. The G7 statement “emphasized that any ceasefire must be respected and underscored the need for robust and credible security arrangements to ensure that Ukraine can deter and defend against any renewed acts of aggression.”
Still, Trump’s apparent desire to draw Putin back into the fold — including saying he would like to see Russia rejoin the group to restore it to the G8 continues to alarm G7 members Russia was thrown out of the G8 after it seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Unity and division
Despite the agreement on key points, Trump’s policies were front and center as the allies gathered for two days of talks at a snowy resort in La Malbaie, Quebec. All G7 members are affected by the tariffs but perhaps none more so than Canada, the only one that borders the United States and the only one that Trump has personally antagonized with repeated derogatory comments about it becoming the 51st
Trump demands ‘accountability’
state.
Rubio, on his first official trip to Canada and his first to a G7 event, heard a litany of complaints as he met with his counterparts.
Many of them, notably the Japanese, appealed to Rubio to use what influence he might have with Trump to spare their country from harsh trade treatment. But Trump has said he will not relent.
“We will put maximum pressure on the Americans and, meanwhile, will work on looking for off-ramps,” Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly told reporters Friday “The Trump tariffs are going to hurt Americans. That’s our message, that’s our approach.”
Rubio, who called Joly a friend, said the tariffs are not meant to be a “hostile move” against allies but are about making trade fair Those benefiting from previous arrangements likely do “feel it is hostile to change the status quo because it’s to your benefit,” he told reporters.
U.S., Canada diplomats Joly said her discussion with Rubio had been “frank” — diplomatic code
BY ERIC TUCKER, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump pledged to “expose” his enemies during a norm-breaking political speech at the Justice Department in which he aired a litany of grievances against the criminal cases he faced and vowed retribution for what he described as the “lies and abuses that have occurred within these walls.”
The speech was meant to rally support for Trump administration policies on violent crime, drugs and illegal immigration. But it also functioned as a triumphant forum for the president to boast about having emerged legally and politically unscathed from two federal prosecutions that one year ago had threatened to torpedo his presidential prospects but were dismissed after his election win last fall.
Though other presidents have spoken from the Justice Department’s ceremonial Great Hall, Trump’s address amounted to an extraordinary display of partisan politics and personal grievance inside a Justice Department that is meant to be blind to both. He promised to target his perceived enemies even as he claimed to be ending what he called the weaponization of the department.
The speech marked the latest manifestation of Trump’s unparalleled takeover of the department and came amid a brazen campaign of retribution already undertaken under his watch, including the firing of prosecutors who investigated him and the scrutiny of agents who investigated supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“Our predecessors turned this Department of Justice into the Department of Injustice. But I stand before you today to declare that
those days are over and they are never going to come back and never coming back,” Trump said to cheers from a crowd that included political allies. “So now as the chief law enforcement officer in our country, I will insist upon and demand full and complete accountability for the wrongs and abuses that have occurred
The visit to the Justice Department the first by Trump and the first by any president in a decade, brought him into the belly of an institution he has disparaged in searing terms for years but one that he has sought to reshape by installing loyalists and members of his personal defense team in top leadership positions.
Trump’s unique status as a onetime criminal defendant indicted by the department he was now addressing hung over the speech as he vented, in profane and personal terms, about investigations as far back as the Russian election interference investigation to the more recent inquiries into his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and the hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
“We will expel the rogue actors and corrupt forces from our government. We will expose, very much expose their egregious crimes and severe misconduct,” Trump said in a wide-ranging speech.
“It’s going to be legendary And going to also be legendary for the people that are able to seek it out and bring justice. We will restore the scales of justice in America, and we will ensure that such abuses never happen again in our country.”
Trump’s visit also comes at a time when Attorney General Pam Bondi has asserted that the department needs to be depoliticized even as critics assert agency leadership is injecting politics into the decision-making process.
When it comes to setting its agenda, the Justice Department historically takes a cue from the White House but looks to maintain its independence on individual criminal investigations.
Trump has upended such norms.
He encouraged specific investigations during his first term and tried to engineer the firing of Robert Mueller, the special counsel assigned to investigate ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 campaign. He also endured difficult relationships with his first two handpicked attorneys general — Jeff Sessions was fired immediately after the 2018 midterm election, and William Barr resigned weeks after publicly disputing Trump’s bogus claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election.
Trump has appeared determined to clear from his path any potential obstacles, including by appointing Bondi a former Florida attorney general who was part of Trump’s defense team at his first impeachment trial — and Kash Patel, another close ally, to serve as his FBI director
Even before Bondi had been confirmed, the Justice Department fired department employees who served on special counsel Jack Smith’s team, which charged Trump with plotting to overturn the 2020 election and with hoarding classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. Both cases were dismissed last November in line with longstanding Justice Department policy against indicting sitting presidents.
Officials also demanded from the FBI lists of thousands of employees who worked on investigations into the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, when a mob of Trump’s supporters stormed the building in an effort to halt the certification of the electoral vote, and fired prosecutors who had participated in the cases.
Rubio told reporters Friday that Trump “loves Canada” and has simply “made an argument for why Canada would be better off joining the United States from an economic perspective and the like. He’s made that argument repeatedly, and I think it stands for itself.”
Joly noted that many of the allies thought Trump’s comments were a joke.
“I said to them this is not a joke — Canadians are anxious, Canadians are proud people, and you are here in a sovereign country and so therefore, we don’t expect this to be even discussed, clearly not laughed at,” she said.
Friday’s sessions were shortened due to Joly’s need to depart earlier than planned to attend Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s swearing-in ceremony and first Cabinet meeting.
On the Middle East, the communique did not, as it has in previous years, express support for a twostate solution to the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. But it did recognize the need for the Palestinians to have a “political horizon” to reach their aspirations.
WASHINGTON Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States “is no longer welcome” in the country Rubio, in a post on X, accused Ebrahim Rasool of being a “racebaiting politician” who hates President Donald Trump and declared him “persona non grata.” He didn’t give further reasoning. The State Department did not have additional details, and it was unclear whether the ambassador was even in the U.S. at the time the decision was made. Rubio posted as he was flying back to Washington from a Group of 7 foreign ministers in Quebec. It is highly unusual for the U.S. to expel a foreign ambassador although lower-ranking diplomats are more frequently targeted with persona non grata status. It comes after Trump signed an executive order that cut aid and assistance to the Black-led South African government. In the order, Trump said South Africa’s Afrikaners, who are descendants of mainly Dutch colonial settlers, were being targeted by a new law that allows the government to expropriate private land. The South African government has denied its new law is tied to race and says Trump’s claims over the country and the law have been full of misinformation and distortions.
Trump said land was being expropriated from Afrikaners — which the order referred to as “racially disfavored landowners” — when no land has been taken under the law
The Expropriation Act was signed into law by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year and allows the government to take land in specific instances where it is not being used, or where it would be in the public interest if it is redistributed.
Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, has highlighted that law in social media posts and cast it as a threat to South Africa’s white minority Musk grew up in South Africa.
Continued from page 1A
caucus days to vent their frustration about the options before them, but abruptly switched course and made clear on the eve of voting that he will not allow a government shutdown.
His move outraged many in the party who want to fight the Trump agenda, but gave senators room to side with Republicans and allow the continuing resolution, often described as a CR, to advance.
Democrats from all corners looked to pressure senators to kill the bill. House members wrote letters, posted on social media and held news conferences in the hours before the vote.
“The American people sent Democrats to Congress to fight against Republican dysfunction and chaos,” said a letter from 66
Continued from page 1A
Rights is targeting Tulane and 44 other universities that have partnered with the PhD Project, a 30-year-old nonprofit that aims to increase diversity in the corporate world by helping people of color earn doctorates in businesses.
Federal officials say that partnership may violate federal laws barring racial discrimination, known as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, because the PhD Project exclusively aids people of color
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin,” U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement. “We will not yield on this commitment.”
In a statement Friday, Tulane
Continued from page 1A
will give lawmakers flexibility to set up new legal forums like business courts requiring specialized knowledge, something many states already do.
“The amendment will give the Legislature the flexibility to create new courts to address the needs of our citizens,” said Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, who sponsored the measure. “If we need a regional drug court or mental health court, this amendment will allow the Legislature to create one.”
Proponents of the amendment also argue it would empower Louisiana to punish out-of-state bad actors.
Opponents, however, say the amendment is too vague, and the true impetus behind the proposed changes is unclear Some legislators who voted against the amendment argued it was a way for conservative lawmakers to strip power from judges they think are too liberal.
Leaders for a Better Louisiana, a state policy advocacy group that formed this year through a merger of the statewide business roundtable Committee of 100 and Council for a Better Louisiana, opposes Amendment 1.
“To date there has been little to no discussion about whether there is a need to create a new business court or expand the jurisdiction of drug or other specialty courts,” an analysis of the amendment prepared by Better Louisiana states. “Nor has the Legislature addressed the significant problems that currently exist with the high number of judges Louisiana already has (and) the disparities in their caseloads.”
Amendment 2
This amendment would restructure one of the 14 articles of the Louisiana Constitution that deals with taxes, debt, savings, investing and budgets.
Broadly, it would give state lawmakers more power to decide which revenue streams should fund government and how to spend those funds. It would also place a lower cap on income tax rates. And it would make it harder for lawmakers to increase government spending and to pass new tax breaks.
State individual income tax would be capped at 3.75% in the constitution,
House Democrats to Schumer House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and his team dashed back to the Capitol, urging senators to block the bill and negotiate a true compromise with Republicans.
Some Democrats also argued that Republicans would take the blame for a shutdown, given they controlled all the levers of power in Congress and the White House.
“If you refuse to put forward an offer that includes any Democratic input and you don’t get Democratic votes, that’s on Republicans,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee.
In contrast, Schumer picked up one unexpected nod of support from Trump himself, who just a day earlier was gearing up to blame Democrats for any shutdown.
“Congratulations to Chuck
spokesperson Michael Strecker said the university is prepared to work with investigators to ensure Tulane is complying with the law
“We’re committed to fostering a community where everyone can thrive, without bias for or against any groups,” he said.
Diversity efforts like the ones targeted by the Trump administration aim to counteract past discrimination, including legal segregation, that have left Black and Hispanic students underrepresented at many universities.
But critics say that any practices that consider race are by default discriminatory In 2023, a conservative-led Supreme Court banned race-conscious admission policies at colleges, saying that such policies violate the Civil Rights Act.
The Education Department’s latest investigation comes just days after the department warned Tulane and dozens of other univer-
down from the current cap of 4.75%. Seniors 65 years and older would be eligible to double their standard income tax deduction
Groceries, residential utilities and prescription drugs would continue to be exempt from state sales tax under the constitution
Local governments would be constitutionally required to mirror the same sales tax exemptions as the state moving forward The constitution would also authorize the state to administer a centralized tax collection system.
Amendment 2 would remove many property tax exemptions from the constitution. They would remain in state statute, but legislators could eliminate them with a two-thirds vote instead of requiring voter approval.
The affected property tax exemptions include public lands, property owned by nonprofits, labor groups or fraternal organizations, boats and medical equipment, among others.
The Industrial Tax Exemption Program, which sometimes creates controversy by generating millions of dollars of tax breaks for major businesses, would also move into statute where it could be more easily changed Also removed from the constitution but remaining in statute would be authority granted to local governments to adjust property tax millages to deal with fluctuating property values.
The amendment would also authorize local governments to opt out of collecting property tax on business inventory, a major source of revenue for some parishes but not for others.
The amendment would make it harder for lawmakers to pass tax breaks A two-thirds vote of the Legislature, rather than a simple majority, would be required to pass new tax breaks. New property tax exemptions would need a three-fourths vote of the Legislature.
Amendment 2 also proposes a major reorganization of state trust funds, or savings accounts, that are currently set up under the constitution with rules on how the money can be spent — for example on education, road construction or health.
Some funds will remain in the constitution with changes, some will be removed from the constitution but continue to exist under state law, and some will be eliminated entirely
Remaining in the consti-
Schumer for doing the right thing
Took ‘guts’ and courage!” the president posted on his social media account.
Schumer has acknowledged the difficult choice he faced, but insisted Democrats would not allow a government shutdown and warned of the havoc Trump and Musk could bring if federal offices shuttered.
“A shutdown will allow DOGE to shift into overdrive,” Schumer said, referring to the Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency. “Donald Trump and Elon Musk would be free to destroy vital government services at a much faster rate.”
Congress has been unable to pass the annual appropriations bills designed to fund the government, so they’ve resorted to passing shortterm extensions instead. The legislation before the Senate is the third such continuing resolution for the current fiscal year, now nearly half
sities that they could face consequences if they fail to protect Jewish students from antisemitism on campus And it follows a Feb. 14 department memo that said that racial preferences in admissions scholarships or any other academic decisions are illegal and discriminate against White and Asian students Federal officials warned schools that retain such policies could lose federal funding.
The Trump administration has followed up on the warnings. It pulled $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University for allegedly failing to combat campus antisemitism. And last month it terminated over $600 million in federal grants for teachertraining programs, including several in Louisiana, that it said used race-based recruitment strategies.
One of the programs was led by Tulane and sought to develop a pipeline of diverse, well-trained
tution would be the state’s rainy day savings account, the Budget Stabilization Fund, though with a higher cap on the amount of money that can be saved.
Also staying in the constitution would be the Transportation Trust Fund, which is dedicated to road construction, and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund. But funding sources for the latter would be determined by state law rather than constitutional mandate.
Another savings account meant to shield the state budget process from fluctuating revenue streams, the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, would eventually be eliminated entirely after money saved there is used to finance a variety of initiatives.
Corporate tax collections that have been funneled to the Revenue Stabilization fund would instead go into the state general fund.
Several funds would move out of the constitution and into state statute, where they could only be changed with a two-thirds vote of the Legislature: Millennium Trust, Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund, Artificial Reef Development Fund, Oil Spill Contingency Fund, Louisiana Fund and Local Revenue Fund.
Three funds for early childhood, elementary, secondary and postsecondary education would be liquidated and eliminated. They are the Education Excellence Fund, Louisiana Education Quality Trust Fund and Louisiana Quality Education Support Fund. Taken together, the three funds contained nearly $2 billion at the start of the current fiscal year
The amendment would require those liquidated education funds to pay down a portion of debt in the Teacher’s Retirement System of Louisiana The savings would be used to increase teacher salaries by $2,000, solidifying what was previously a one-time pay raise.
Amendment 2 would also impose a constitutional limit on how much state lawmakers can increase spending of state general funds from year to year
The Landry administration, which played a central role in crafting this amendment, has highlighted the permanent reduction to the state income tax rate, teacher salary increases, and streamlined government that would result if voters approve it.
“Amendment 2 addresses
over The legislation would fund the federal government through the end of September It would trim nondefense spending by about $13 billion from the previous year and increase defense spending by about $6 billion, which are marginal changes when talking about a top line spending level of nearly $1.7 trillion.
The Republican-led House passed the spending bill on Tuesday and then adjourned. The move left senators with a decision to either take it or leave it. And while Democrats have been pushing for a vote on a fourth shortterm extension, GOP leadership made clear that option was a nonstarter
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and others made the case that any blame for a shutdown would fall squarely on Democrats.
“Democrats need to decide if
teachers for New Orleans schools by recruiting local high schoolers, college students and classroom aides. The U.S. Education Department ended the program’s threeyear $10 million grant, saying it had been used to promote diversity, equity and inclusion and racial discrimination. Tulane denied the allegations and said it would appeal the grant cancellation.
The PhD Project, which lists Tulane among dozens of partner universities, said in its 2022 annual report that it helps its “Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American and Native American members pursue business PhDs with the intent to become university faculty.” Just 4% of full-time business school faculty are Black, less than 3% are Hispanic, and less than 1% are Native American, according to 2020 data from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
tax and policy issues that have held Louisiana back for generations,” said Department of Revenue Secretary Richard Nelson. “It provides individual tax relief, smarter government spending and a brighter future for our children.”
The amendment received bipartisan support in the Legislature. The statewide teachers’ union, Louisiana Association of Business and Industry, and Better Louisiana have all endorsed it.
But some opponents say the caps on revenue from income tax and on government spending would negatively impact low- or middleincome people and families. And others argue the ballot language is misleading and biased in favor of the amendment.
The latter concern is the subject of lawsuit led by New Orleans attorney William Most challenging Amendment 2.
“Democracy only works if state officials are transparent with voters about what they are being asked to vote on,” Most said when he announced the legal challenge last month.
Amendment 3
This proposed amendment would broaden the authority of state lawmakers to expand the list of crimes for which juveniles age 16 and younger can be treated as adults in the criminal court
system.
they’re going to support funding legislation that came over from the House, or if they’re going to shut down the government,” Thune said.
Progressive groups urged Democratic lawmakers to insist on the 30-day extension and oppose the spending bill, saying business as usual must not continue.
“There’s still time,” said Rep. Melanie Stansbury of New Mexico at a House Democratic retreat in Leesburg, Virginia. “So, any of my colleagues in the Senate who are considering voting on cloture, the American people are shouting: Please do not hand the keys over to Elon Musk.”
But Schumer said Trump would seize more power during a shutdown, because it would give the administration the ability to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel nonessential, furloughing staff with no promise they would ever be rehired.
The 45 universities under investigation for partnering with the PhD Project include major institutions from across the country, such as Arizona State, Clemson, Duke, Notre Dame and Yale.
The Education Department also said Friday it was investigating six other universities for allegedly awarding scholarships based on race and another for running a program that segregates students by race. Tulane is not one of those seven universities.
The department’s Feb. 14 memo ordering schools and universities to end diversity programs and race-based practices is being challenged in federal court by groups including the American Federation of Teachers, a national teachers union. The lawsuit argues that the memo, which based its order on the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision, is overly broad and vague.
Currently, the constitution defines a list of 16 felony crimes for which juveniles can be charged as adults. And 14 of those are violent offenses like murder, rape and armed robbery Amendment 3 would throw out that list and allow state lawmakers to decide juveniles can be charged as adults for any felony offense.
“It offers the Legislature the ability to study and debate solutions for the most serious of juvenile crimes that have jeopardized the safety and security of communities,” said bill sponsor Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, while debating the legislation during session in November
The landscape of juvenile crime has changed “catastrophically,” and the constitution prevents lawmakers from adequately responding to crime trends, she said.
But opponents say the change would send more young people to adult prison, a result that does more harm than good.
Teenagers sent to adult prison are at a greater risk of suicide and more likely to reoffend, said Kristen Rome, executive director of Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, an advocacy group that opposes the systematic criminalization of young people of color
“Putting more kids in adult
prison does not make us safer,” said Rome.
Amendment 4
Amendment 4 is the only one that hasn’t provoked a lawsuit ahead of the election. It would change the timeline for elections for vacant and newly created judgeships. Currently, elections for those judicial seats must happen within 12 months. The amendment would specifically require them to happen during the next gubernatorial or congressional elections in the next 12 months, or on “on the election date first available pursuant to applicable law” passed by the Legislature. The Legislature recently changed some elections — including the state Supreme Court — to a closed party primary system, starting in 2026. That could require three elections instead of two: two during the party primary race and one in a general election.
Organizations such as LABI and Better Louisiana back Amendment 4 as a way to potentially limit the number of elections the state holds and save money on election administration costs. Some opponents have argued the requirements for filling vacant judgeships should be changed via state statute rather than cemented in the constitution.
BY JEFF MARTIN Associated Press
AUSTELL, Ga. — Musical artists and loved ones on Friday mourned Grammy-nominated R&B singer Angie Stone, who was killed in a car crash earlier this month.
Mourners filed into the massive Word of Faith Cathedral west of Atlanta, taking their seats around a silver and gold casket surrounded by a sea of red roses
“In her so ng ‘ No More Rain (In This Cloud),’ she says my sunshine is coming, and I’m all cried out,” filmmaker and entertainment executive Tyler Perry said at Friday’s service.
“There’s no more rain in this cloud,” he said. “The beauty of what she was talking about is when a cloud has no more tears, it dissipates, it’s gone.”
The song, like so many of Stone’s hits, found great success. It reached No. 1 for 10 weeks on Billboard’s Adult
R&B airplay chart The cargo van she was riding in flipped over and was then hit by a truck on March 1 near Montgomery, Alabama, music producer and Stone’s longtime manager Walter Millsap III has said.
Everyone else in the van survived except Stone, who was 63.
Online tributes from fans and fellow artists poured in
after her death.
“God is good even when life is not, and so we celebrate the life of our sister that has been well-lived,” said Bishop Dale Bronner, the church’s senior pastor Many acclaimed musical artists performed at the service, including Keke Wyatt, Anthony Hamilton and Kirk Franklin.
Before Wyatt sang Fri-
day, she recalled how Stone would call her in the middle of the night to pray with her or give her encouragement.
“She was so beautiful,” Wyatt said. “Like seriously, I love her music and I love her voice and all that. But her as a person trumps all of that.”
The church-grown singer was born in Columbia, where music was always in her life since she was a child, Stone
told The Associated Press in a 1999 interview Her mother would sing around the house, and her father sang gospel and blues at establishments around Columbia. Another service is planned on Saturday in Columbia, at First Nazareth Baptist Church.
Stone was a member of the all-female hip-hop trio The Sequence and known for the hit song “Wish I Didn’t Miss You.” She helped form The Sequence, the first allfemale group on the hip-hop trailblazing imprint Sugar Hill Records, becoming one of the first female groups to record a rap song.
The group recorded “Funk You Up,” which has been sampled by numerous artists, including Dr Dre.
After finding success in the early 1980s, Stone later joined the trio Vertical Hold before launching her solo career
Stone created hits like “Baby” with legendary soul singer Betty Wright, another No. 1 hit; and “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and “Brotha.”
She found a sweet spot in the early 2000s as neo-soul begin to dominate the R&B
landscape with the emergence of singers like Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Maxwell and D’Angelo. Her 2001 album “Mahogany Soul” reached No 22 on the Billboard 200, while 2007’s “The Art Of Love & War” peaked at No. 11.
A Soul Train Lady of Soul winner, Stone went on to showcase her acting chops with film roles in “The Hot Chick” starring Rob Schneider, “The Fighting Temptations,” which starred Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyoncé, and “Ride Along” led by Ice Cube and Kevin Hart. She also hit the Broadway stage as Big Mama Morton in “Chicago,” and she showcased her vulnerability on the reality TV shows “Celebrity Fit Club” and “R&B Divas: Atlanta.”
But her qualities as a person and her lasting imprint on people around her were qualities that kept coming up from speaker after speaker at Friday’s service. “This woman sewed good things to people, she sewed kindness to people, she sewed joy to people, she sewed love and her voice to people,” Perry said.
BY JULIA FRANKEL Associated Press
JERUSALEM Palestinian
militant group Hamas said Friday that it has accepted a proposal from mediators to release one living American-Israeli hostage and the bodies of four dual nationals who had died in captivity
The Israeli prime minister’s office cast doubt on the offer, accusing Hamas of trying to manipulate talks underway in Qatar on the next stage of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire.
Hamas, which rules over what remains of the Gaza Strip, didn’t immediately specify when the release of soldier Edan Alexander and the four bodies would take place or what it expected to get in return.
Alexander was 19 when he was abducted from his base on the border with Gaza in southern Israel during Hamas’ attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war, which has been the deadliest and most destructive fighting ever between Israel and Hamas.
It wasn’t clear which mediators proposed what Hamas was discussing. Egypt, Qatar and the U.S have been guiding negotiations, and none had confirmed making the suggestion as of Friday night.
U.S. officials, including envoy Steve Witkoff, said Friday that they had presented a proposal Wednesday to extend the ceasefire a few more weeks as the sides negotiate a permanent truce.
The officials said in a statement that Hamas was claiming flexibility in public while privately making “entirely impractical” demands. Israel’s negotiators return It added that Israel’s ne-
ASSOCIATED
during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
gotiating team would return Friday from Qatar’s capital, Doha. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he plans to convene his ministerial team Saturday night to hear from the negotiators and decide on the next steps. Hamas, meanwhile, sent a delegation to Cairo to discuss the ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian officials. Hamas official Husam Badran reaffirmed Friday what he said was the group’s commitment to fully implementing the ceasefire agreement in all its phases He warned that any Israeli deviation from the terms would return negotiations to square one.
The White House announced last week that American officials had engaged in “ongoing talks and discussions” with Hamas, stepping away from a longheld U.S. policy of not directly engaging with the militant group. That prompt-
ed a terse response from Netanyahu’s office.
The U.S. said Friday that under its proposal, Hamas would release Alexander and other living hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The militants were told that the proposal would have to be accepted soon, the U.S. statement said, adding that delay would not pay off for Hamas.
The first phase of the ceasefire ended two weeks ago, but the pause in fighting has held — if tensely — for now. The initial phase allowed the return of 25 living hostages and the remains of eight others in exchange for the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas is believed to be holding 24 living hostages and the bodies of 35 others.
Israel has been urging Hamas to release half of the remaining hostages in re-
turn for an extension of the first phase, and a promise to negotiate a lasting truce.
The supply cutoff came as Israel pressed the militants to agree. About 80% of Gaza’s residents have lost access to food sources, and 90% can’t access clean drinking water, according to the Hamas-run government media office in Gaza.
Muslims pray at mosque
The developments came as Jews began celebrating the Purim holiday, and Muslims continued marking the holy month of Ramadan. Around 80,000 Muslim worshippers prayed Friday at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque
compound, according to the Islamic Trust, which monitors the site. Israel is allowing only men over age 55 and women over 50 to enter from the occupied territory “The conditions are extremely difficult,” said Yousef Badreen, a Palestinian who left the southern West Bank city of Hebron at dawn to make it to Jerusalem. “We wish they will open it for good.” Hamas accused Israel of escalating a “religious war” against Palestinians, casting the Al-Aqsa restrictions as “systematic targeting of Muslim religious practices.” The Israeli government didn’t immediately respond.
What to know about measles outbreak that’s hit 250 cases
BY DEVI SHASTRI Associated Press
Measles outbreaks in West Texas and New Mexico are now up to nearly 300 cases, and two unvaccinated people have died from measles-related causes
Measles is caused by a highly contagious virus that’s airborne and spreads easily when an infected person breathes, sneezes or coughs. It is preventable through vaccines, and has been considered eliminated from the U.S. since 2000
As of Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its count of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. surpassed 2024. Here’s what else you need to know about measles in the U.S How many cases in Texas, N.M.? Texas state health officials said Friday there were 36 new cases of measles since Tuesday, bringing Texas’ total to 259. Five more people were hospitalized, for a total of 34. The outbreak has spread to two new counties: Cochran in West Texas with six and Lamar in the northeast part of the state with four New Mexico health officials announced two new cases Friday, bringing the state’s total to 35 Most of the cases are in Lea County where two people are hospitalized. Eddy County has two cases. Oklahoma’s state health department reported two probable cases of measles Tuesday, saying they are “associated” with the West
A health worker administers a measles test on Fernando Tarin, of Seagraves, Texas, on Feb 21 at a mobile testing site outside
Hospital District in Seminole, Texas.
Texas and New Mexico outbreaks.
A school-age child died of measles in Texas last month, and New Mexico reported its first measlesrelated death in an adult last week. Where else is it showing up?
Measles cases have been reported in Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines an outbreak as three or more related cases — and there have been three clusters that qualified as outbreaks
in 2025. In the U.S., cases and outbreaks are generally traced to someone who caught the disease abroad It can then spread, especially in communities with low vaccination rates. In 2019, the U.S. saw 1,274 cases and almost lost its status of having eliminated measles.
Do you need an MMR booster?
The best way to avoid measles is to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The first shot is recommended for children between 12 and 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
People at high risk for infection who got the shots many years ago may want to consider getting a booster if they live in an area with an outbreak, said Scott Weaver with the Global Virus Network, an international coalition. Those may include family members living with someone who has measles or those especially vulnerable to respiratory diseases because of underlying medical conditions.
Adults with “presumptive evidence of immunity” generally don’t need measles shots now, the CDC said. Criteria include written documentation of adequate vaccination earlier in life, lab confirmation of past infection or being born before 1957, when most people were likely to be infected naturally
A doctor can order a lab test called an MMR titer to check your levels of measles antibodies, but health experts don’t always recommend this route and insurance coverage can vary Getting another MMR shot is harmless if there are concerns about waning immunity, the CDC says.
People who have documentation of receiving a live measles vaccine in the 1960s don’t need to be revaccinated, but people who were immunized before 1968 with an ineffective measles vaccine made from “killed” virus should be revaccinated with at least one dose, the agency said. What are the symptoms?
Measles first infects the respira-
tory tract, then spreads throughout the body causing a high fever runny nose, cough, red, watery eyes and a rash.
The rash generally appears three to five days after the first symptoms, beginning as flat red spots on the face and then spreading downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet. When the rash appears, the fever may spike over 104 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the CDC.
Most kids will recover from measles, but infection can lead to dangerous complications such as pneumonia, blindness, brain swelling and death.
How can you treat measles?
There’s no specific treatment for measles, so doctors generally try to alleviate symptoms, prevent complications and keep patients comfortable.
Why do vaccination rates matter?
In communities with high vaccination rates — above 95% — diseases like measles have a harder time spreading through communities. This is called “herd immunity.”
But childhood vaccination rates have declined nationwide since the pandemic and more parents are claiming religious or personal conscience waivers to exempt their kids from required shots.
The U.S. saw a rise in measles cases in 2024, including an outbreak in Chicago that sickened more than 60.
BY JAKE OFFENHARTZ Associated Press
NEW YORK The Trump administration has delivered an extraordinary ultimatum to Columbia University, threatening to permanently end federal funding to the Ivy League school unless it cedes control of an international studies department and implements sweeping changes to other campus policies.
In a letter sent Thursday night, federal officials said the university must immediately place its Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under “academic receivership for a minimum of five years.” It must also ban masks on campus meant to conceal the wearer’s
identity “or intimidate others,” adopt a new definition of antisemitism, abolish its current process for disciplining students and deliver a plan to “reform undergraduate admissions, international recruiting, and graduate admissions practices.”
The letter described those changes and others as “preconditions” in order to begin “formal negotiations regarding Columbia University’s continued financial relationship with the United States government.” It did not elaborate on why it was targeting the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department or what the process of “receivership” would entail.
“We expect your immediate compliance with these critical
next steps,” officials from the Department of Education, General Services Administration and Department of Health and Human Services wrote.
The administration announced last week that it was pulling $400 million in federal funds from Columbia and reviewing $5 billion in additional grants over the school’s alleged failure to staunch antisemitism on campus. The cuts have already affected research studies at Columbia’s medical center, which has long relied on grants from the National Institutes of Health.
The letter comes as the Trump administration ramps up efforts to impose control over academic institutions. On Friday the Education Department announced it was
investigating more than 50 universities, including major public universities, over alleged racial discrimination.
Simultaneously, federal immigration officials have continued to target students for deportation following the arrest this weekend of Mahmoud Khalil, a well-known Palestinian activist currently detained in Louisiana over his role in protests at Columbia against the war in Gaza.
In a notice to the student body Thursday, Columbia officials said agents with the Department of Homeland Security searched two additional university residences with a warrant Thursday evening.
No one was arrested or detained, according to the university’s interim president, Katrina Armstrong,
who said she was “heartbroken” by the news.
The university said in a statement that it is reviewing the Trump administration’s letter, adding, “We are committed at all times to advancing our mission, supporting our students, and addressing all forms of discrimination and hatred on our campus.”
The letter drew immediate backlash from faculty members and free speech groups.
“Half of this stuff you can’t just do and the other half is insane,” said Joseph Howley a professor of classics at Columbia. “If the federal government can show up and demand a university department be shut down or restructured, then we don’t have universities in this country.”
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
The owner of a cemetery in un-
incorporated Lafayette Parish who didn’t have the local permits needed before he started burying bodies got permission this week to proceed with conditions.
Kevin Menard said he obtained a state permit to operate Serenity
Memorial Gardens Cemetery at 2512 West Willow St. near Scott, but was unaware he needed local permission, too.
He needed a local business or building permit, an LCG official said, which requires going through the planning process to obtain a plat.
The Planning Commission denied his request for a plat in No-
vember after hearing concerns from nearby residents and considering he already buried bodies on the land in a floodway without local permits.
Menard appealed the decision to the Parish Council in February, saying the commission’s decision was improper because it was based on land use, and his property is in the unincorporated part of the
parish and is unzoned.
The council voted in February 2-2 on the appeal, with one council member absent.
City-Parish Attorney Pat Ottinger issued a cease-and-desist order for Menard to stop burying bodies at the cemetery
Menard’s appeal returned to the Parish Council on March 11. Once again only four council members were present. After some discussion, the council voted 4-0, with council member
Acadiana High brings real-world businesses to the school with the launch of a PJ’s Coffee shop
BY JA’KORI MADISON Staff writer
Students at Acadiana High are gaining knowledge, confidence and a competitive edge in the workforce with the launch of a PJ’s Coffee shop inside the school.
Acadiana High’s shop offers the same options as a traditional store, including lattes, mochas, cappuccinos, cake pops, ice cream and more.
“The vision is to bring real world businesses to the classroom,” said Jason St. Pierre, principal of Acadiana High. “It’s a great opportunity for students beyond the classroom ”
Fully operated by students, this hands-on learning experience allows students to demonstrate both hard and soft skills they’ve developed through the school’s Business Academy, one of Lafayette Parish School System’s magnet academies that offers specialized theme-immersed programs.
ä See COFFEE, page 2B
Suspect charged with second-degree murder
motel near the Lake Charles Event Center in the 1000 block of N Lakeshore Drive around
sex abuse, according to The Guardian. He testified in the 1980s that his priest Gilbert Gauthe, had raped him.
Gauthe is believed to be the first priest in the United States to be openly accused and prosecuted for child sexual abuse. He served various church parishes in the Acadiana area. Reese Iles Chaumont, 28, of Lake Charles, was charged with second-degree battery, which was upgraded to seconddegree murder when Gastal died, authorities said. Chaumont was originally arrested March 2 by Lake Charles
Police on unrelated charges about an hour after the incident is believed to have occurred, officials said. Chaumont is being held in the Calcasieu Correctional Center on $650,000 bail. Detectives say this is an ongoing investigation, and anyone with information is asked to contact Lake Charles Police at (337) 491-1311 or anonymously leave a tip on the Lake Charles Police Department app.
John Guilbeau absent, to approve the appeal with some conditions. Menard had requested a variance on building sidewalks and a cross-access easement to adjacent properties but will have to do both as conditions of the council approving the preliminary plat. The cemetery owner’s team has been working to comply with local regulations, said Neil Leboeuf, development manager of Lafayette
See CEMETERY, page 2B
Rural Livingston Parish bogged down with stormwater
BY CLAIRE GRUNEWALD Staff writer
Cecil Coates enjoyed sitting on his front porch in Holden. Now, doing so is only a painful reminder of the swampy eyesore in front of his house.
Ongoing problems with stormwater drainage have caused the ditches along Coates’ street to be filled to the brim and coated with a bright green residue or algae. They’ve taken on a life their own. Coates said the ditches and their culverts’ inability to properly drain water started after Hurricane Ida in 2021. It has only gotten worse, and every time it rains water overflows into his front yard, he said.
Across the street is Coates’ son’s house, which is nearly hidden behind unruly shrubbery that’s a byproduct of the drain situation.
“If we can put a man on the moon, why can’t we get water out of a ditch,” the elder Coates said Coates called his Parish Council member Joe Erdey about a year ago about the issue. Erdey, who covers part of the eastern side of the parish that is predominantly
Ruling finds Lafayette Parish Council erred in rejection
BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer
A state appeals court has ruled that the Lafayette Parish Council erred in 2023 when it rejected plans for a convenience store and gas station in an unincorporated area between Lafayette and Youngsville.
“As it is undisputed that Plaintiff’s application complied with the (Lafayette Development Code), the Parish Council acted unreasonably in finding that it did not comply with the (Comprehensive) Plan,” Van Kyzar 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal judge, wrote in the ruling. “We find that it acted arbitrarily and capriciously and in violation of Plaintiff’s due process rights by denying its plat application.” Singh Signature Stores, the owner of Grab-N-Geaux convenience stores in south Louisiana, bought property at the intersection of
Prospect for Shaq franchise in limbo
BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer
The prospect of a Big Chicken restaurant in Lake Charles is no slam dunk even though the eatery has ties to Shaq, the Hall of Fame professional basketball player In fact, the proposal now is in limbo following a decision this week by the Lake Charles Planning and Zoning Commission.
In December 2023, Lake Charles-based franchisees Gul and Vick Awan inked a partnership with the fastcasual restaurant chain Big Chicken founded by former
Continued from page 1B
Th dents curriculum exposed paths available nance, ism. students lum expe nar complete “It’ do t in starving and this their Pierre.
LSU basketball star Shaquille O’Neal to bring chicken eateries to Lake Charles and Lafayette. The locations would be the first Big Chicken restaurants in each city and join the other Louisiana site inside the Queen Baton Rouge Casino The chain offers chicken sandwiches, salads and sides. On Monday, Lake Charles planning and zoning panel unanimously rejected permits requested by the Awans to build a Big Chicken drive-thru restaurant at 3760 Nelson Road, with the entrance being on the deadend residential street Sarah Lane. The Nelson Road property is now a vacant grassy tract. After the vote, Gul Awan
said he is unsure of his next move to try to build a Big Chicken franchise in Lake Charles.
Katie Harrington, a Lake Charles spokesperson, said the Awans have 15 days to appeal the city planners rejection of the permits to build the chicken restaurant on Nelson Road to Lake Charles City Council. If the Awans opt not to appeal, their proposal to build the fast-food chicken eatery on Nelson Road would be dead.
The commission’s decision came after several Sarah Lane residents opposed the proposed restaurant location.
Sarah Lane resident Derek Corkran said the restaurant at that site would become a safety issue with
children walking to Prien Lake Elementary School across the street from the Nelson Road property
“You put this on our road, our subdivision is going to go down in property value and our peace of mind with our children playing, is going to go down,” Corkran said.
Lake Charles city staff members said during the commission meeting the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development would allow the chicken restaurant to have its entrance on Sarah Lane, but not Nelson Road.
When an Advocate reporter reached state transportation officials to ask about the proposed Big Chicken site officials said submit a
public records request.
Adam McBride, a Lake Charles planning and zoning commissioner, asked city staff members if they could work with state transportation department officials to possibly get permission for the Big Chicken entrance to be build with an entrance on Nelson Road.
“If this business opportunity is not allowed to access off of Nelson and the residents rightly don’t want this traffic on Sarah, then this property owner can never develop this piece of property,” McBride said.
“That seems to me to be an unreasonable outcome.”
Email Courtney Pedersen at courtney.pedersen@ theadvocate.com.
St. Pierre took over as the school’ the was High Pi businesses Acadiana with Neighbors U learn There fin niors about credit cards ing
tant first in
A student prepares a drink order during the grand opening of the studentrun PJ’s Coffee at Acadiana High School in Scott on Friday.
better with others. Caroline Carriere, a senior, said she is more focused now on what she wants to do next.
I think this program motivated me to see what’s next for me, I feel much more excited about my future,” said Carriere. “I’ve learned how to manage my time, how to work, and how to interact with my peers.”
Foreman adds, “I lov coming to school just to be able to work which sounds crazy but doing this makes learning so much fun. I also feel more driven.”
Amy Bergeron, who teaches business classes, says staff and faculty can purchase items from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Monday to Friday while students can make purchases during lunch periods.
Lafayette Parish School System offers Magnet Academy programs at various elementary, middle, and high school levels. Students of Lafayette Parish can apply for admission in the Magnet Academies at appropriate grade levels Only applicants who fulfill entry criteria will be eligible for invitation to enroll.
skills,” said St. Pierre. Sophomore Cylie Foreman said the initiative has
Continued from page 1B
rural, said he could name about 30 roads and ditches with drainage problems — but he thinks the area where Coates lives is the worst of them.
“It keeps growing because it never goes away,” he said about Coates’ problem.
Erdey said roughly 75% of the things he handles are drainage problems that can take a while to solve.
“It’s a tough situation over here council into age The throug taxes ern half is eas including posals fund the of trict pro ha and es while works
trict 8. There is a substantial gap in the number of employees per capita with the funded districts compared to the public works department. Funded drainage District 5 has about 20 employees specifically for that area, meanwhile the public works department has about 50 employees working on the entire parish, the department director Robert Dugas said. This means the funded districts have more leeway to handle drainage projects and general main-
Continued from page 1B
Fortune Road and Chemin Metairie Road to build a convenience store and gas station. The property, which is not zoned, abuts residences that are not incorporated into any city
Before buying the property, the company made revisions to its plans to comply with the Lafayette Development Code, then applied for a minor plat to officially establish the property’s
Continued from page 1B
Consolidated Government’s Community Development & Planning Department. With the council approval,
a drainage impact analysis and other requirements, he said, that are needed before final approval of the project plans.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate com.
MARCH 13, 2025
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PICK 5: 2-7-9-8-6 Unofficial notification, keep your tickets.
not only boosted her confidence but taught her more about patience, and working
“We want to prepare them so they know what to expect in the real world. It’s a great thing to be a part of. I am joyous and excited for what’s next,” said Bergeron Email Ja’kori Madison at jakori.madison@ theadvocate.com.
2023, meeting.
The council voted 4-1 to grant the appeal, reversing the Planning Commission’s approval of the plat Only then-councilman Kevin Naquin agreed with the Planning Commission’s decision.
Singh Signature Stores filed suit in 15th Judicial District Court in Lafayette, which agreed with the Parish Council in a judgment in May 2024.
The company appealed to the 3rd Circuit, alleging
the district court did not allow Singh to introduce evidence supporting its claim that Lafayette Consolidated Government was arbitrary and capricious; did not allow Singh to introduce testimony from three LCG employees; and did not rule that LCG abused its authority or violated Singh’s rights by overturning the original approval of the plat.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate. com.
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Wall Street rallies to best day in months
U.S. stocks rallied to their best day in months on Friday as Wall Street’s roller coaster suddenly shot back upward. That still wasn’t enough to keep the U.S. market from a fourth straight losing week, its longest such streak since August.
The S&P 500 jumped a day after closing more than 10% below its record for its first “correction” since 2023. The last time the index shot up that much was the day after President Donald Trump’s election, when Wall Street was focusing on the upsides of Trump’s return to the White House.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also jumped.
A multiday “relief rally could be coming” after so much negativity built among investors, said Yung-Yu Ma, chief investment officer at BMO Wealth Management. Swings in sentiment don’t go full-tilt in just one direction forever, and the U.S. stock market has been tumbling quickly since setting a record less than a month ago.
While stock prices may be close to finishing their reset to account for tariffs set to hit in April Ma said concerns about how big an impact cutbacks in federal spending will have on the economy are “likely to remain for some time.”
BR office once home of Lamar sells for $2M
An office building on Corporate Boulevard that was once the headquarters of Lamar has been sold for $2 million.
The building at 5551 Corporate was purchased by an LLC of the same name, according to documents filed Thursday with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office. The seller was River Regional Properties III LLC of Baton Rouge, which lists as officers former Ascension Parish Coroner Dr John Fraiche and his wife, Donna, an attorney and longtime civic and community leader Local attorney Charles Landry was listed as the manager of 5551 Corporate, according to a business filing with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office. Landry said he facilitated the deal for a client, whom he could not disclose. The buyer is in the process of evaluating what will be needed to renovate the space for any potential future tenants Will Adams and Kelly Morgan of Beau Box Commercial Real Estate represented the sellers, while Fabian Edwards of Elifin Realty represented the buyers. The agents would not disclose details about the sale, citing confidentiality requests made by the parties involved.
The office at 5551 Corporate is a three-story, nearly 52,000-squarefoot building that once served as the offices for Lamar Advertising. The building opened in 1981 and was renovated in 2013 It was damaged in a fire in December 2023 and has been vacant since then.
Gold rises to new heights as anxiety spreadsAmid widespread economic turmoil, the price of gold has soared to levels never seen before. The going price for New York spot gold closed Thursday at record $2,988 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals, which is equivalent to 31 grams — per FactSet. That’s over $825 higher than gold’s spot price one year ago Gold futures surpassed the $3,000 mark Thursday But as of Friday afternoon, fell to just over $2,994.
The price of spot gold is up nearly 14% since the start of 2025, per FactSet By contrast, the stock market has tumbled. The benchmark S&P 500 has tumbled more than 5% this year, with even blue chip stocks fading Interest in buying gold can rise sharply in times of uncertainty, as anxious investors seek safe havens for their money If trends continue, analysts say gold’s price could continue to climb in the months ahead
Trump’s tariffs drive consumer anxiety
BY JOSH BOAK and CHRISTOPHER RUGABER Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump’s volatile tariff threats are unleashing historic jumps in public anxiety, with the potential to undermine his pledges to strengthen a U.S economy that is increasingly weakened.
The University of Michigan’s index of consumer sentiment tumbled 10.5% on a monthly basis in March and plunged 27.1% over the past year The preliminary report released Friday shows that consum-
ers’ expectations of annual inflation climbed to 3.9% from 3.5%, the largest monthly jump since 1993.
Along with a ferocious stock market sell-off and downgrades to growth estimates by Wall Street economists, the latest confidence numbers are evidence of possible blowback facing Trump, who just months into his term has suggested that his threats of import taxes meant to create factory jobs would in the short term cause “a little pain.”
Declines were “seen consistently across all groups by age, education, income, wealth, political affiliations, and geographic regions,” Joanne Hsu, director of the survey said in a statement. “Many consumers cited the high level of uncertainty around
policy and other economic factors.”
Even Trump’s base supporters are turning slightly more pessimistic. Sentiment fell 3.2% among Republicans. They backed Trump in last year’s election on the promise that he would boost growth and bring down prices after inflation spiked to a four-decade high in 2022 under then-President Joe Biden, an event that caused consumer confidence to slump for the Democrat and helped pave the way for Trump’s return.
Bill Adams chief economist at Comerica Bank, warned that the waning confidence could crush economic growth.
“People who are afraid the economy is headed into a ditch won’t buy new cars or houses, go out to eat, or go on vacations,” Adams said. “If
consumer sentiment continues to sour, spending will likely follow it lower and the economy could take a substantial hit.”
The survey also found that Americans expect unemployment to spike in the coming year
So far, Trump appears to be doubling and tripling down on his commitment to taxing imports.
The Michigan consumer sentiment reading follows a sharp drop in consumer confidence in February, as measured in a separate survey by the Conference Board. It also comes as the S&P 500 stock index has fallen more than 8% over the past month, as companies such as Target, Walmart and Ford have warned about the uncertainty caused by tariffs. Producers
Industry battered by storms, loss of acreage
BY MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press
LAKEWALES,Fla.— As Trevor Murphy pulls up to his dad’s 20-acre grove in one of the fastest-growing counties in the United States, he points to the cookie-cutter, one-story homes encroaching on the orange trees from all sides.
“At some point, this isn’t going to be an orange grove anymore,” Murphy, a thirdgeneration grower, said as he gazes at the rows of trees in Lake Wales, Florida. “You look around here, and it’s all houses, and that’s going to happen here.”
Polk County, which includes Lake Wales, contains more acres of citrus than any other county in Florida. And in 2023, more people moved to Polk County than any other county in the country
Population growth, hurricanes and a vicious citrus greening disease have left the Florida orange industry reeling. Consumers
are drinking less orange juice, citrus growers are folding up their operations in the state and the major juice company Tropicana is struggling to stay afloat. With huge numbers of people moving into Florida’s orange growing areas, developers are increasingly building homes on what were once groves.
Many growers are now making the difficult decision to sell orange groves that have been in their families for generations to developers building homes to house the increasing population.
Others, like Murphy, are sticking it out, hoping to survive until a bug-free tree or other options arrive to repel the disease or treat the trees.
“I would like to think that we’re at the bottom, and we’re starting to climb back up that hill,” Murphy said.
When Hurricane Irma blasted through the state’s orange belt in 2017, Florida’s signature crop already had been on a downward spiral for two decades because of the greening disease. Next came a major freeze and two more hurricanes in 2022, followed by two hurricanes last year A tree that loses branches and foliage in a hurricane can take
three years to recover, Murphy said. Those catastrophes contributed to a 90% decline in orange production over the past two decades. Citrus groves in Florida, which covered more than 832,00 acres at the turn of the century, populated scarcely 275,000 acres last year, and California has eclipsed Florida as the nation’s leading citrus producer “Losing the citrus industry is not an option. This industry is so ingrained in Florida. Citrus is synonymous with Florida,” Matt Joyner, CEO of trade association Florida Citrus Mutual told Florida lawmakers recently Nevertheless, Alico Inc., one of Florida’s biggest growers, announced this year that it plans to wind down its citrus operations on more than 53,000 acres, saying its production has declined by almost three-quarters in a decade. That decision hurts processors, including Tropicana, which rely on Alico’s fruit to produce orange juice and must now operate at reduced capacity Orange juice consumption in the U.S. has been declining for the past two decades, despite a small bump during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Orleans event planned March 24-29
BY RICH COLLINS Staff writer
The producers of New Orleans Entrepreneur Week have released details for the 2025 event, which is scheduled to take place March 2429 at multiple locations citywide before two days of programming on the campus of Loyola University in New Orleans. Now in its 14th year, the free, weeklong celebration of entrepreneurship will gather more than 100 speakers and panelists, who will discuss business, technology innovation and culture.
This year, nonprofit business accelerator The Idea Village, NOEW’s founder, has partnered with Loyola to co-produce the event which is scheduled to coincide
with the New Orleans Book Festival at Tulane University
“Bringing NOEW to campus is going to take our entrepreneurship program to a whole new level,” said Robert “Bobby” Savoie, dean of Loyola’s College of Business. “The gathering will be good for participating businesses and will be an excellent networking opportunity for our students.”
The two-day NOEW Summit, previously held at Gallier Hall, is designed to attract entrepreneurs, investors, students and “anyone with a stake in the city’s future.”
The event will spotlight south Louisiana entrepreneurs.
Matt Wisdom, who sold his tech company TurboSquid for $75 million in 2021, will join Waitr founder Chris Meaux to talk about the lessons they learned launching their first companies, how they’re approaching entrepreneurship
the second time around, and how AI is reshaping the startup landscape. Jim Odom, founder of PreSonus, will explain how he built and sold his global music tech company The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation bought the Baton Rouge-based startup in 2021. Walt Leger, president of New Orleans & Company, will join Idea Village CEO Jon Atkinson in a discussion about the future of the New Orleans brand and explore how innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship are fueling the city’s next chapter Hospitality veterans Amy Sins, Larry Morrow and Robert LeBlanc will discuss the future of hospitality and night life in New Orleans, as well as their expansion into new markets. Other highlights of NOEW programming at Loyola include a dedicated “mini-summit” cel-
ebrating Black entrepreneurs and investors, a panel about the business of festivals, and a look at how universities can fuel economic growth. Unlike previous years, when the week culminated with a pitch competition, this year’s NOEW is taking a different approach. On Friday, three startups that have successfully completed the Idea Village’s accelerator program over the years will make presentations and receive an investment commitment from NOEW, which launched its Momentum Fund last year There will be several other pitch competitions throughout the week. After the Idea Pitch event, NOEW will conclude with a panel focusing on “My Black Country,” a memoir written by songwriter Alice Randall. See the full schedule at NOEW. org.
How many of you are dealing with this?
You’re having conversations with family, friends and associates that are supposed to be uplifting and positive, but they start to meander and dissolve into comments about sad events of the day and the ongoing tide of bizarre decisions coming out of Washington, D.C.
Edward Pratt
There’s simply no breathing space for what used to be hours of sitting around chatting about the past, good times, sports and positive thoughts. The conversations are becoming more dire, resulting from the rapid and bizarre rants and troubling minute-to-minute shifting decisions from the White House.
Tariffs. Did you know much about them months ago? Thousands of people losing their jobs and families being battered at the whim of a billionaire.
It’s troubling, and try as you might, you can’t get away from it anywhere.
It makes me think of the late Rev. Timothy Wright’s 1981 iconic song, “Trouble Don’t Last Always.” The song is probably sung in virtually every Black Baptist church in the U.S. Its short verses speak to what’s going in the country and across the table right now
Here’s a bit of the song: “I’m so glad trouble don’t last always. I’m so glad. Weeping may endure for a night. Keep the faith, it will be all right.” Man, I want to believe in that.
Sitting around Monday evening with some fellas, we began our usual moments of laughing and joking about goings-on in our past. That’s what a bunch of older guys do when given enough time to reflect. But that came to a sudden halt and drifted to serious talk of the violence here in Baton Rouge and nearby areas, involving children killing children over arguments that mean nothing in the big picture.
There was a bit of defeatism in the conversation about ending the violence. The hope is to find a means to bring a major reduction. The understanding is that this will be tough.
As one guy said, “You can’t get a moment to breathe before some other stupid s*** happens.”
But nothing compares to friendly conversations going up in flames ignited by the lit match of the President Donald Trump + DOGE Elon Musk systematic destruction of jobs, funding for low-income families, health care and education programs
Then there is the talk of tariffs and how people will be affected. Most folk don’t know what tariffs mean, but they know “it just sounds bad,” a friend said.
Well, that’s OK because some in the president’s administration can’t explain it. On the day I was writing this, the president’s press secretary got it wrong about who pays for tariffs.
The uncertainty and the feeling of impending hardships are dominating conversations online, before and after church services, in the middle of card games and among co-workers in offices across the country
The fear is palpable, and why not? In one conversation, a guy asked how some long-standing businesses and young entrepreneurs survive with hundreds of thousands of people being thrown out of work.
What happens with cuts to programs that feed children and protect them from illnesses? And then there’s the thought of how many of these cuts may lead to increased homelessness, crime and even the breakup of families
Remember these conversations are taking the place of fun chats about movies vacations and things that happened while shopping.
You try to sit and watch a basketball game, and a bulletin comes across the screen about tariffs on and off, or government departments being shredded and workers fired, or threats to ignore or lop off one branch of government to make it easy for the president to make his worrisome vision a reality.
Dale Carnegie wrote: “Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.” I say no way folks worried about or saw something like this coming yesterday
But we can hope that Rev Wright’s song is right that “trouble don’t last always.”
Email Edward Pratt, a former newspaperman, at epratt1972@yahoo.com.
The Trump administration, under direction from Elon Musk, is in a process that might best be described as gutting the budget. The budget is being cut in a way similar to how private corporations do it when they need to maximize efficiency to enhance or restore profits.
The problem is that government’s highest priority is service, not profit, and many people fail to see the distinction. We expect certain services from government, and we do not expect government to profit from providing them. Nor should we. That said, I know of nobody who would object to efforts aimed at squeezing more efficiency and effectiveness from our government. Deficiency in both regards is the reason we find ourselves in such turmoil today Having spent over 20 years in government budgeting, I have to say a variation of the current approach is the only way to actually cut the budget. During my tenure
we tried many ostensibly rational approaches to budget cuts and none of them worked. Though almost as simple as what Musk it doing and things we have done in the past, what I am suggesting has never, in my experience, actually even been tried. Based on the best information readily available (and, there’s lots of it), assign cuts at the department level. Give department heads the most flexibility possible and tell them to make the cuts and be fully accountable for them. Do not allow an appeals process. This approach would require upfront analysis, but, as I say, the information necessary to assign the cuts is already there, as is the staff necessary to do the analysis. What has been lacking so far is the resolve. The executive branch has to propose it, and the legislative branch has to enact it. Both have to abide by it.
STEPHEN WINHAM retired state budget director
“Watch the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves” is an adage that may go the way of the alarm clock, rotary phone and marbles. President Donald Trump has taken on the lowly penny by declaring that the U.S. Mint will issue fewer pennies thus reducing the number in circulation. His excuse is that it costs more to mint than its face value. This has implications on currency use, Congressional power and inflation. Let me focus on the last. As a hypothetical, let’s buy a soft drink at a convenience store. It will be some odd-numbered price such as $1.79 or $2.23 or the like. Adding tax will increase it by some amount that may end in a number other that
0 or 5. There’s a 66% chance of this happening. If you pay by credit this is a moot point. If you pay cash, the penny now takes a front-row seat. What happens to the final cost if it ends in a number other than 0 of 5 (a nickel or a dime.)? Will the store drop the pennies you owe? Not likely You will pony up the difference in cost between the calculated cost and 0 or 5. Sure, it’s only one penny at the least or four pennies at the most. It is still a real value that is greater than you need to pay The penny is actually a real thing that will save your money “Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves”
EARL PRATZ Metairie
I feel very discouraged about our state leaders agreeing and following in President Donald Trump’s footsteps. I know our state is “red” and only “blue” in a couple of cities, but our rights as Americans are dwindling every day that these individuals are in office. I pray that during the midterms we will have a few more Democrats step up to the plate.
When everyone works together for the people, I feel that we have better results overall. I’ve written to our representatives but don’t actually expect them to change. Sen. Bill Cassidy approving Robert Kennedy Jr as Secretary of Health and Human Services really tops the cake.
I’m disappointed these actions are claimed to be based upon “Christianity.” I am a Christian and have been all my life. These decisions have nothing to do with those principles taught by Christ. When Trump refused to place his hand on the Bible at his swearing in ceremony, why didn’t Christians jump on that?
LINDA PIERCE New Orleans
Voucher program harms public school teachers
So, as I understand school vouchers, public school teachers’ tax money pays the salary of private schoolteachers. Although I am not certain if this is constitutional, I am certain that it is not appropriate.
CLYDE LEBLANC retired public school teacher East Baton Rouge Parish
BY WILSON ALEXANDER
Staff writer
LSU football significantly increased the amount of money that has been spent on its roster going into the 2025 season, helping form a team that coach Brian Kelly believes can contend for the SEC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Kelly told The Advocate in a recent interview that $26.5 million has been allocated for the 2024-26 teams to this point. About half the money was provided by LSU’s name, image and likeness collective The other half will come this summer when LSU expects to begin paying athletes for the first time.
The money was used to retain key players, sign freshmen and add one of the nation’s top-ranked transfer classes after a 9-4 season in Kelly’s third year LSU has the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, according to 247Sports, before the portal opens again in April
“We have a football team that now is poised to play with anybody in the SEC,” Kelly said. “We didn’t before.”
The roster would not have been assembled without money, and after a fundraising push, Kelly said about $13 million came from the NIL collective in recent months. Kelly noted
BY LUKE JOHNSON Staff writer
According to Justin Reid, about a quarter of the NFL’s 32 teams checked in on him when he became a free agent, a list he soon whittled down to three.
And when he told his family members one of those teams, they made their preference as clear as a cloudless sky
“I was letting them know ‘Hey there’s a possibility I end up signing with the (New Orleans) Saints,’ ” Reid recounted. “And my text message thread with the family started blowing up, ‘Sign with the Saints! Sign with the Saints!’ ” Reid, the 28-year-old Prairieville native, granted his family’s wish. Shortly after free agency opened, he agreed to a three-year $31.5 million contract with the team he grew
up watching. When he was introduced at the Saints’ Airline Drive facility Friday morning, he did so with most of his family sitting in the audience.
“Being right here in this moment, just walking around the building, as everything is starting to settle in, it’s just one of the best feelings ever,” Reid said. “I’ve got my whole family here in the building right now supporting me. I feel like the city is wrapping their arms around me.”
This is more than just a homecoming story, of course.
New Orleans plugged a hole on its defense by signing a safety who is coming off arguably his best professional season He is a versatile defensive piece whom new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley can and
I’ve got my whole family here in the building right now supporting me. I feel like the city is wrapping their arms around me.”
JUSTIN REID, Saints safety
BY JIM KLEINPETER
If nothing else, UL basketball fans have a team they can pull for in this year’s NCAA Tournament. After athletic director Bryan Maggard announced Houston associate head coach Quannas White as the next man to lead the Ragin’ Cajuns, the Cougars jumped to the top of the list of teams for UL fans to cheer on after the brackets are unveiled Sunday That process should sound familiar to longtime UL fans. Back in 1997, Jessie Evans was hired to replace Marty Fletcher as the UL head coach. That year, UL fans watched as the Arizona Wildcats won the national championship before Evans moved to Lafayette. If White and the Cougars pull off a similar feat, it won’t be as surprising as that Arizona team. Houston figures to be a No. 1 seed in this year’s field. The Wildcats were a No. 4 seed that knocked off No. 1-seeded North
coaches in Lute Olson and Kelvin Sampson, respectively Evans was 46 when he took the UL position and White is 44.
Most UL fans would be all for White delivering seven years similar to what Evans produced. Prior to Evans leaving Lafayette for San Francisco, the Cajuns won four conference and/or division championships, made two NCAA appearances,
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
LAKE CHARLES – Every athletic team over the course of a season has a story that defines its campaign. For the St. Thomas More boys basketball team, it has been “make a way or find a way” to win the game. In the past two rounds of the playoffs, the Cougars have certainly found ways to win In the quarterfinals, it was Xarian Babineaux hitting a shot at the buzzer from beyond halfcourt to defeat Huntington 53-50.
In Thursday’s semifinals, it was John Luke Bourque with a baseline floater as time expired to propel STM over John Curtis 46-44. “Winning never gets old,” Cougars coach Danny Broussard said. “This team’s kind of special. It’s hard to describe how the season has gone. It’s been one thing after another, but we just find ways. Making a defensive play or making a big shot, (we are) just finding ways to win.”
Broussard said he hopes the Cougars’ good fortune continues when they face No. 4 St. Augustine in the Division I select championship game at noon Saturday at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles.
and the
will take on St. Augustine in the Division I select state championship game on Saturday in Lake Charles.
“It’s the first time in my 42-year career that it has ever happened,” Broussard said of winning backto-back games on shots made at the buzzer “… Team of destiny, who knows. (Hopefully) we can keep the magic going one more time against a really good St. Aug team.” The Cougars (32-5) are in the finals for a second consecutive year — finishing as state runnerup to Liberty last season — and are seeking their first state title since 2022 when they won the last of four straight championships. St. Augustine (29-4) is in a final for the first time since 2021 when they won the Division I state championship “We’re kind of mirror images of each other,” Broussard said.
“Their strength is in their defense not offense. That’s ours. They force you to turn it over They are very sound in what they do.”
And because of the stifling defense these teams play, Broussard doesn’t envision either team lighting up the scoreboard.
“All indications are it’s going to be a low-scoring game,” Broussard said. If the Cougars are going to knock off the Purple Knights and
claim the big trophy STM will certainly have to do a better job on the boards, Broussard said.
“The key is rebound the ball. John Curtis’ efforts on the offensive boards they were relentless,” Broussard said. “We did a poor job of blocking out. We have to do a better job (against St Augustine). They pursue the boards. We can’t give them second shots.” Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
BY NEAL MCCLELLAND Contributing writer
Ascension Episcopal pitcher
Jackson Devey has always had a reputation as a curveball pitcher but he can put a fastball across the plate every now and then.
On Thursday night, both worked well as the Blue Gators starter went seven innings and scattered one run on four hits with nine strikeouts in a 9-1 win over Vermilion Catholic in District 6-1A action at Sellers Field in Abbeville.
With the win, the Gators improved to 15-2 and 2-0 in district. Vermilion Catholic fell to 10-4 and 1-1.
“I did what I was supposed to do on the mound, hit spots and the results showed it,” Devey said.
“My curveball was working really well. Sometimes I had a problem leaving it on the arm side, but today it was really sharp and my fastball had a good run to it.
“A lot of people say that I’m a curveball pitcher, but I’ve been working on my fastball and being able to locate it for strikes and getting after the bitters.”
Getting after the batters wasn’t a problem for Devey as he kept the Eagles off balance.
Devey being spotted to a sixrun lead after the third inning also helped a lot.
“He was sharp,” Ascension
coach Lonny Landry said. “Plus, we had some timely hits and put a little pressure on them.
“That six-run third gave us a little breathing room. We want to pitch with a lead, and Devey did that tonight.”
The way Devey was pitching, all the Blue Gators needed was the six run top of the third inning, but the Blue Gators added three runs in the top of the fifth.
In addition to his pitching, Devey had two RBIs. The other top hitters for As-
cension Episcopal were Sport Gros at 2 for 4 with two RBIs and Hayden Pearson at 2 for 4. Landry has been pleased with how the Gators’ season has progressed.
“This team is a great team, and I love them,” Landry said. “They are playing well and I have no complaints about them.
“It’s been all in from the beginning. The guys come in ready to play, and they are having fun while they are doing it So it is really hard for me to say anything
Skip Bertman’s wife, Sandy, dies at age 87
Sandy Bertman, the wife of former LSU baseball coach and five-time national champion Skip Bertman, died on Thursday night in Baton Rouge, LSU announced Friday
She was 87 years old.
Sandy Bertman was a native of Brooklyn and met Skip in 1961 while teaching at Madie Ives Elementary School in Miami. They were engaged three months later and got married on Feb. 11, 1962. Their marriage lasted for 63 years. Sandy arrived in Baton Rouge with her husband in 1984, when he was hired to become the LSU baseball coach. He led the Tigers to their first national championship in 1991 before leading them to four more titles over the next nine seasons. His final season was in 2001.
Cowboys reunite with Fowler on 1-year deal
The Dallas Cowboys are turning to a familiar face to boost their pass rush, agreeing with free agent Dante Fowler on a one-year contract worth up to $8 million two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Friday Fowler first joined the Cowboys in 2022 to reunite with Dan Quinn, his former head coach in Atlanta. The 30-year-old followed Quinn last year when Quinn took over as Washington’s coach after three years as the defensive coordinator in Dallas. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Fowler had 101/2 sacks for the Commanders, who reached the NFC championship game before losing to Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
Iowa men’s hoops fires coach after 15 years
Iowa fired coach Fran McCaffery on Friday after the Hawkeyes won their fewest games and had their lowest Big Ten regularseason finish in seven years. The 65-year-old McCaffery, who was under contract through 2028, had said last week that he intended to return for a 16th season rather than retire.
Athletic director Beth Goetz decided a change was in order amid declining attendance at CarverHawkeye Arena and will sign off on McCaffery’s $4.2 million buyout. McCaffery was 297-207 with the Hawkeyes after Thursday night’s 106-94 loss to Illinois in the conference tournament. McCaffery is Iowa’s all-time wins leader and longest-tenured coach in program history
Curry first to make 4,000 3-pointers in NBA history
SAN FRANCISCO Stephen Curry’s shooting range and accuracy from way back have long stood alone — whether with a defender or two in his face or when letting it fly from the logo.
Now, the NBA’s career leader in 3-pointers has reached new territory from beyond the arc: Golden State’s star guard is the first player in league history to reach 4,000 3s. He did it Thursday, a day before his 37th birthday His 4,000th came from the right wing and under pressure off a pass from Moses Moody with 8:19 left in the third quarter, on his fourth attempt of the night.
Fans jumped to their feet and roared when Curry made it, and a tribute played on the big screen during a timeout shortly after
WR Kupp, Seahawks agree on $45 million, 3-year deal Cooper Kupp and the Seattle Seahawks have agreed on a threeyear, $45 million contract. Kupp, the Super Bowl 56 MVP was released by the Los Angeles Rams on Wednesday He’ll help replace DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett for his home state team in Seattle, which traded quarterback Geno Smith and signed Sam Darnold in free agency Kupp, who starred in college at Eastern Washington and is from Yakima, Washington, was the AP Offensive Player of the Year
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Over the past decade, technol-
ogy has played a greater role in baseball.
Instant replay; various ball tracking devices that measure spin rate, movement and velocity; and PitchCom devices relaying pitch calls to pitchers and fielders’ wrists at the press of a button are some of the common examples.
They have transformed the sport, starting in pro ball before eventually trickling down to colleges like LSU.
But one piece of tech that hasn’t made its way to the collegiate level yet is the Automated Ball-Strike challenge system. The ABS challenge system is a mechanism that enables a batter, pitcher or catcher to challenge a ball or strike call from the umpire.
Each team gets two challenges and loses a challenge if the umpire’s call is confirmed. The tech-
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some of the money went toward the 2024 team, though he did not specify how much.
Sources with knowledge of the situation told The Advocate the Bayou Traditions collective spent $5.5 million on the 2024 roster So far the collective has put $7.5 million toward the 2025 team, though a source said the number could increase in the coming months.
Kelly also expects LSU football players will receive $13.5 million during the 2025-26 school year when teams can begin paying players.
LSU has not said how it plans to distribute the projected maximum of $20.5 million that schools would be able to share in the first year of a settlement in the House antitrust case, which must be approved in April by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken.
However Kelly said the money will not be spent entirely on the 2025 roster Revenue sharing will operate on the academic calendar, and LSU plans to reserve an unspecified amount for the 2026 team.
Even then, LSU would have the ability this year to at least triple what it spent on the 2024 team between the funds from the collective and revenue sharing
“This is an investment where we raised money, and then with the new House settlement, there’s going to be another $13.5 million if it follows the course of what’s been prescribed,” Kelly said. “But that’s going to be stretched out over (2026) as well.”
Under the new system, the NCAA said every third-party NIL deal of more than $600 will have to go through a clearinghouse run by Deloitte, which is supposed to determine whether compensation meets fair market value and achieves a valid business purpose, potentially curbing collective spending.
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also make a lot more money than they did 28 years ago. Consequently, some have wondered why White is leaving a program such as Houston.
“Amazing program working under coach Kelvin Sampson for all of these years and having the privilege of playing for them for two years,” White said after Monday’s announcement. “I’ve learned a lot. He’s prepared me every single day for this moment.
“Talking it over with my wife and family and people that I’m close with, it just felt like the timing is right. What better time to make that jump than right now?” White is also from New Orleans and has deep roots in South Louisiana that should help in recruiting wars.
ä Missouri at LSU ended after this edition went to press. For complete coverage, visit theadvocate.com
nology used to determine the balls and strikes is Hawk-Eye, which tracks the exact location of pitches as they enter the strike zone.
The first use of the ABS challenge system in the minor leagues was in the Single-A Florida State League in 2022. The apparatus has been utilized in Triple-A the last two years and is being used in MLB spring training games this year for the first time.
There’s nothing indicating the system will come to the college game soon, but LSU players have expressed mixed feelings as to whether or not they’d utilize it if given the chance.
LSU sophomore outfielder Jake Brown and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson said they’d be hesitant to challenge calls. Eyanson
As a result, Kelly said deals were front-loaded to use the money from LSU’s collective before the settlement would take effect
July 1
The post-settlement future of Bayou Traditions is uncertain.
LSU plans to exceed the revenuesharing cap by helping players find NIL deals.
In order to fund the roster, Kelly said LSU “had to raise millions of dollars in a very short period of time” in early December It then divided the money into three categories: current players, transfers and incoming freshmen.
The highest percentage went toward player retention. Kelly said starters such as quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, running back Caden Durham and linebacker Whit Weeks “are not free.”
“Clearly, whether you believe it or not, their agents are getting hit up by other schools saying, ‘We can give you X,’ ” Kelly said. “You have to protect your roster, too.”
LSU also looked for more instant starters in the transfer portal than in the past. It has signed 16 so far, tied for the most in one year during Kelly’s tenure. The previous offseason, LSU signed nine transfers in a class that ranked 43rd nationally
Kelly said all of the transfers are on the two-deep as LSU began spring practice this week, adding he feels “really good about the depth of the team and the roster itself.”
After the investment LSU made, he thinks the Tigers could win their first SEC title since he became the head coach.
“Regardless of how we played the game before, we would have needed help,” Kelly said. “Something favorably would have had to happen. We don’t need that now We need to play the game, play the game the right way, be prepared, do the right things in all areas. If we do that, we’ve got a team that can win the SEC.”
For more LSU sports updates, sign up for our newsletter at theadvocate.com/lsunewsletter
guy His vision aligned with my vision.
“Then, being from New Orleans, it’s just a great fit going back home I have tons of relationships I’m born and raised in New Orleans and lived in Baton Rouge for 13 years. My AAU program before I got into college coaching was in Louisiana. So being able to go back there as my first head coaching opportunity again in a great city like Lafayette is just a great opportunity, and I’m ready for it.”
“ ... I had the privilege of visiting with Bryan Maggard, who is the athletic director, over the past three weeks. Really great guy. His vision aligned with my vision.”
QUANNAS WHITE, incoming UL men’s basketball coach
“Lafayette is a great city,” White said. “The UL program, the administration and leadership over there, really great people. I had the privilege of visiting with Bryan Maggard, who is the athletic director over the past three weeks. Really great
By
STAFF
LSU coach Jay Johnson speaks with home plate umpire James Ainsworth, right, and third-base umpire Ryan Broussard, left, regarding the call of interference at third base in a game against North Dakota State on March 4 at Alex Box Stadium.
went as far as saying he doesn’t want the system to be used in college.
“It doesn’t really make a difference,” Brown said. “I think especially where we’re at, the umpires
are normally pretty good. And I don’t want to lose the challenge because I thought something was a ball.”
Juniors Chris Stanfield and Daniel Dickinson would embrace the ABS challenge system if given the chance.
Both admitted they aren’t terribly familiar with the rules, but they still were enthusiastic about the idea.
“As soon as the umpire makes a bad call,” Dickinson said, “I’m challenging every single time.”
Junior Jared Jones also would be interested in playing with an ABS challenge system. He just wants to make sure he is 100% right before challenging anything.
“I think there are times where I would catch myself doing it,” Jones said. “I’d have to be totally sure, though. I mean, I’m not going to try and guess and be wrong.”
Email Koki Riley at Koki.Riley@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1C
likely will move about his chessboard. In Reid, the Saints are also getting a player who has played in the last three Super Bowls, winning two of them, with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Reid understands his recent history may be important when it comes to playing a part in reversing the downward trajectory of the organization because he understands what it takes to win in the NFL.
There are standards that must be met, Reid said. Accountability, work ethic, attitude and fundamentals. And to meet those standards, there has to be organizational buy in.
“If you have everybody playing as a team and not as a group of individuals, then that’s where you’re going to bring your best football out and you’re going to have some success,” Reid said. “I want to bring that attitude. I want to bring a sense of calmness to everyone on the defense, so when I’m out on the field, guys can have trust that I’ll be in position to make plays, and I will help put them in position to make plays.”
Reid has some familiarity with some of the roster already He was Chiefs teammates with Khalen Saunders and Clyde EdwardsHelaire, and he spent one season starting alongside Tyrann Mathieu when both were playing for the Houston Texans.
Because of their prior experience together, he is confident he will fit nicely next to Mathieu. Reid thinks of himself and Mathieu as
The New Orleans Saints have prioritized their defensive line to start free agency, and they’ve made another move to add depth to the group. The Saints are signing defensive end Jonah Williams to a one-year contract, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed. Williams, 29, spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions — appearing in nine games with one start. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Weber State. He has 80 career tackles and 21/2 sacks. Over the last week, the Saints traded for defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, re-signed Chase young to a three-year deal, reworked Cam Jordan’s contract, extended Nathan Shepherd’s deal by one season and restructured Khalen Saunders’ contract.
Matthew Paras
cerebral players who are excellent communicators. And, stylistically, they pair well.
“Tyrann is a savvy vet. Every offense needs to know where he’s at because he will show up and steal the ball away some type of way,” Reid said. “I see myself as a physical tone-setter — if you want to come down the hall with me, you’re going to have to pay a toll
for it.”
Justin Reid answers questions during an introductory news conference after signing with the New Orleans Saints on Friday at the team’s practice facility
During the interview process, Maggard sensed White was itching to be a head coach in the right scenario.
“He’s wanted to be a head coach for a long time, but he’s always been real selective,” Maggard said. “It was kind of the perfect match.
He understands that within the Sun Belt, we have the resources to position somebody to win.”
First thing first, though. White must be focused on helping Houston win a national championship.
The Cougars now have a whole new fan base rooting for them.
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
Continued from page 1C
things that come with that (jumping ahead),” LSU coach Beth Torina said. “They do such a good job of being prepared. A huge part of that is we have the best leadoff hitter in the country in Danieca Coffey, who gets on base all the time. Out or safe, she sets the tone for the offense, the way she carries herself in her at-bat in the first inning.”
Berzon allowed only four hits and received stellar defensive play behind her. After giving up a run in the third inning, Berzon (10-0) didn’t allow a baserunner past first in the last four She struck out five, walked two and induced 10 groundball outs. LSU had multiple fine defensive plays to back Berzon. Left fielder Jadyn Laneaux plucked a line drive just off the grass to prevent a hit; second baseman Si-
erra Daniel turned two hot shots into outs; and Coffey at third and Edwards at first did the same one time each.
“I felt good, and the thing that gave me confidence was how well my defense was playing behind me,” Berzon said. “You get enough experience that the butterflies go away and the excitement is more what I feel.
“Getting the lead lets me play a little freer My movement pitches move a little more. I don’t have to be absolutely perfect with every single pitch.”
Coffey walked to start the bottom of the first before Jalia Lassiter hit into a fielder’s choice. Bergeron then walked, and the runners moved up on a passed ball. Edwards sent a liner up the middle to score one run, and Redoutey slammed a triple to leftcenter field to score two more.
“It’s because during the week we’re preparing for these pitchers and we’re a doing a really good job of it,” Redoutey said
Reid is eager to get to work in Staley’s scheme. Entering his eighth NFL season, Reid said the scheme he’d be playing in was an important part of his decision. He saw Staley’s defense as one that fit “like a glove.”
“He mixes things up. I love that,” Reid said of Staley “Not everything is always the same thing over and over He allows guys to be versatile, and I see myself as a versatile player who can play a lot of different positions and cause some problems for the offense. I’m excited to be a weapon for him.” Reid said he also considered offers from the Titans and Eagles, but he decided upon a return home. It wasn’t just because of the urging from his family There was a big part of him that wanted this, too.
“Every kid in Louisiana dreams about playing for the Saints,” he said.
He knows what it means throughout the state when the Saints are successful. He said he was getting chills thinking about leading the Who Dat chant, what he considers to be one of the best traditions in sports.
When he looks at the Saints, on the heels of their fourth consecutive season without a playoff appearance, he sees possibility — a roster that he believes is talented, and a new head coach in Kellen Moore that he believes in.
He hopes he can restore what he knew as a proud and successful franchise.
“I think that we have something where there’s a lot of momentum going and we can build something special,”Reidsaid.“Iseenothingbut opportunity and blue skies for us.”
of the hot starts to games. “The coaches are preparing us well, and we’re really confident going into the game.” LSU kept up the pressure on Kentucky starting pitcher Sydney Langdon (1-2). McKaela Walker led off the second with a walk, Avery Hodge singled and Coffey hit a hard grounder off Langdon’s leg to load the bases. One out later, Bergeron singled to left to score Walker, but Hodge was out at the plate on the throw from Wildcats left fielder Hallie Mitchell.
Carson Fall replaced Langdon in the third, and she retired the first seven hitters she faced Kentucky (17-8, 3-1) got its only run when Mitchell led off the third with a walk and went to second on a single by Delani Sullivan. An infield single by Ally Hutchins loaded the bases before McKenzie Bump lined a sacrifice fly to left. That was the only inning Berzon allowed more than one baserunner
BY TERESA M. WALKER Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Chaz Lanier
scored 17 of No. 8 Tennessee’s first 21 points, and the Volunteers never trailed Friday beating Texas 83-72 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
The fourth-seeded Volunteers (26-6) also gave coach Rick Barnes the 832nd victory of his career moving him into sole possession of 10th all-time after being tied with Cliff Ellis The Vols will play regular season champ and third-ranked Auburn, a 62-57 winner over Ole Miss, in the semifinals Saturday Lanier finished with 23 points. Zakai Zeigler scored all of his 19 points in the second half after playing nine minutes with two fouls in the first half. Jahmai Mashack added 13 and Igor Milicic Jr 12. Texas (19-15) came to its first SEC Tournament as the 13th seed after winning the Big 12 Tournament two of the last four seasons.
Kadin Shedrick and Jordan Pope each had 14 apiece for Texas. Tre Johnson had 11. Tennessee led 41-38 at halftime, then jumped out to a 65-50 lead halfway through the second against a team playing its third game in as many days.
No. 3 AUBURN 62, OLE MISS 57: In Nashville, Tennessee, Johni Broome scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds as regularseason champion Auburn opened its bid to repeat at the Southeastern Conference Tournament by
holding off eighth-seeded Mississippi on Friday
The third-ranked Tigers (28-4) will play No. 8 Tennessee, an 83-72 winner over 13th-seeded Texas, in the semifinals Saturday
Denver Jones also had 13 points as Auburn snapped a two-game skid. Ole Miss (21-11) has lost two of its last three to top-five teams. Dre Davis and Sean Pedulla each had
12 points, and Malik Dia and Jaylen Murray 10 apiece.
The Tigers showed some rust after being off since losing to Alabama in overtime last week. They led 29-22 at halftime but never were up more than 10.
No 16 MEMPHIS 83, WICHITA ST 80:
In Fort Worth, Texas, PJ Haggerty scored a career-high 42 points and led the go-ahead run for 16th-ranked Memphis in a win over Wichita State in a quarterfinal game at the American Athletic Conference tournament Friday
The Tigers (27-5) went ahead to stay with a 12-0 run over a 2 1/2-minute span after halftime in which Haggerty scored nine of those points. Two of his baskets in that spurt came off turnovers by Wichita State (19-14), which knocked the Tigers out of last year’s AAC tournament and is responsible for their only loss in 15 games since Jan. 16
The 42 points by Haggerty, a sophomore named this week as the AAC player of the year after being the top freshman last season, matched the highest-scoring AAC tournament game. That was one point shy of the record for most scored in any league game.
Dain Dainja added 18 points for Memphis.
No. 18 WISCONSIN 86, UCLA 70: In Indianapolis, John Tonje matched his career high with six 3-pointers on his way to 26 points, and No. 18 Wisconsin tied the Big Ten Tournament single-game record by mak-
1:19
0 0 0 Totals240:0043-8314-188-392520113 Percentages: FG .518, FT .778. 3-Point Goals: 13-33, .394 (Banchero 4-8, Black 2-3, Caldwell-Pope 2-4, Joseph 2-4, F.Wagner 1-2, Houstan 1-2, da Silva 1-4, Isaac 0-1, Carter Jr. 0-2, Howard 0-3) Team Rebounds: 9. Team Turnovers: 3. Blocked Shots: 7 (Isaac 2, Banchero, Black, Caldwell-Pope, Carter Jr., da Silva). Turnovers: 8 (F.Wagner 2, Banchero, Bitadze, Black, Carter Jr., Queen, da Silva). Steals: 7 (Banchero 4, Black, F.Wagner, Isaac). Technical Fouls: Caldwell-Pope, 9:03 fourth. FGFTReb NOLA Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS Murphy III 34:26 5-12 6-6 1-5 2 2 17
Williamsn 28:04 8-15 4-6 3-8 5 2 20 Matkovic 25:34 4-8 0-0 3-6 1 4 8 Brown 14:27 0-3 0-0 0-0 2 0 0
McCollum 22:45 3-10 2-2 0-2 4 4 9
Rbnsn-Earl 26:12 4-7 1-2 1-6 3 1 11
Bamba 25:34 1-3 0-0 2-8 1 2 2 Alvarado 24:58 5-10 0-1 0-2 4 1 12
Hawkins 24:11 4-8 2-2 0-0 1 0 11 Reeves 9:33 1-3 1-2 1-3 0 0 3 Cain 4:16 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals240:0035-7916-2111-40231693
Percentages: FG .443, FT .762.
3-Point Goals: 7-25, .280 (Robinson-Earl 2-4, Alvarado 2-6, Hawkins 1-4, McCollum 1-4, Murphy III 1-4, Bamba 0-1, Brown 0-1, Reeves 0-1). Team Rebounds: 5. Team Turnovers: None. Blocked Shots: 4 (Matkovic 2, Bamba, Brown). Turnovers: 13 (Brown 4, Alvarado 2, Matkovic 2, Murphy III 2, Williamson 2, Reeves).
Steals: 3 (Alvarado 3). Technical Fouls: Williamson, 12:00 second. Orlando32362025—113 New Orleans2315272893 A_16,323 (16,867). T_2:10. College basketball
Men’s national scores
Friday’s games
American Athletic Quarterfinal Memphis 83, Wichita St. 80 Atlantic 10Quarterfinal VCU 76, St. Bonaventure 59
Loyola Chicago 72, Saint Louis 64
Big Ten
Quarterfinal Michigan St. 74, Oregon 64 Wisconsin 86, UCLA 70 Conference USA
Semifinal Liberty 81, Kennesaw St. 79 Jacksonville St. 70, Middle Tennessee 68 SEC Quarterfinal Auburn 62, Mississippi 57 Southwestern AthleticSemifinal Alabama St. 64, Grambling St. 62 Southland Conference Glance
At The Legacy Center Lake Charles, La.
First Round Sunday’s games Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 62, Houston Christian Huskies 48 Incarnate Word 71, SE Louisiana 67 Quarterfinals Monday’s games Northwestern St. 66, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 63 Nicholls 74, Incarnate Word 70 Semifinals
games McNeese St. 83, Northwestern St. 64 Lamar 58, Nicholls 55 Champion
Saturday’s games Auburn vs. Tennessee-Texas-winner, 1 p.m. Florida-Missouri-winner vs. Alabama-Kentucky-winner, 3:30 p.m Championship Sunday’s games Semifinal winners, 1 p.m Women’s national scores Friday’s games Big West Semifinal UC San Diego 51, Hawaii 49 Coastal Quarterfinals William & Mary 74, NC A&T 66, OT Drexel 70, Monmouth (NJ) 67, OT
Metro Atlantic Athletic Semifinal Fairfield 49, Mount St. Mary’s 48 Quinnipiac 65, Merrimack 51
Mid American Semifinal Ball St. 70, Kent St. 53 Toledo 56, Buffalo 49 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Semifinal Norfolk St. 72, Coppin St. 33 Howard 67, Md.-Eastern Shore 59 Missouri Valley Quarterfinal Murray St. 86, Bradley 50 Drake 75, Illinois St. 69 SWAC Semifinal Alcorn St. 65, Texas Southern 55 Western Athletic Semifinal Grand Canyon 84, Utah Valley St. 55 Southland Conference At The Legacy Center Lake Charles, La. First Round Monday’s games Northwestern St. 66, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders 63 Nicholls 55, Texas Rio Grande Valley 53 Quarterfinals Tuesday’s games Incarnate Word 69, Northwestern St. 54 Stephen F. Austin 77, Nicholls 65 Semifinals Wednesday’s games SE Louisiana 57, Incarnate Word 37 Stephen F. Austin 61, Lamar 53 Championship Thursday’s games Stephen F. Austin 65, SE Louisiana 57 College baseball Wednesday’s games Mississippi State 2, Nicholls 1 Mississippi Valley State at Northwestern State, canceled McNeese 4, UL 2 Southeastern 7, Xavier 4 Oklahoma 9, Louisiana Tech 5 Tulane 16,
ing 19 3s in a victory over fourthseeded UCLA on Friday
Tonje also had nine rebounds and four assists. He was 9 of 10 from the field and a perfect 6 for 6 on 3s as the Badgers (25-8) advanced to Saturday’s first semifinal game against No. 7 Michigan State. John Blackwell added 18 points, five rebounds and four assists while making four 3s. Six Badgers made at least one shot from beyond the arc. Iowa also made 19 3s against Northwestern three years ago.
Sebastian Mack scored 18 points for the Bruins (22-10), who head into the NCAA Tournament with a 4-4 mark in their last eight games. Kobe Johnson had 14 points.
No. 7 MICHIGAN ST 74, No. 23 OREGON 64: In Indianapolis, Jase Richardson scored 17 points and Jeremy Fears Jr added 11 points and five assists to lead No. 7 Michigan State past No. 23 Oregon in the first of Friday’s four Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal games. The Spartans (27-5) have now won eight straight, matching a season best. The league’s regularseason champion will face either No. 18 Wisconsin or fourth-seeded UCLA in Saturday’s first semifinal game.
Jaden Akins had 12 points for the Spartans while Coen Carr had 10 points and eight rebounds. Nate Bittle finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Ducks (24-9). TJ Bamba added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists.
BY JAN RISHER Staff writer
Fans of Smiley Anders, the longtime newspaper columnist who passed away in May 2024, will appreciate Baton Rouge’s upcoming annual Capital Correspondents Association satirical Gridiron show, set for March 21 at The American Legion Hall, 1515 S Wooddale Blvd., Baton Rouge.
This year’s show will be dedicated to Anders, who in 1973 began performing in the annual Gridiron show Gridiron volunteer Ronnie Stutes says that Anders was a perfect fit for the show’s irreverent tone as it poked fun at Louisiana politics. Anders’ widow, Katherine Scales Anders, known to readers as “Lady Katherine,” invites readers to participate in “Send it in to Smiley” by submitting an item similar to those sent in by readers to the column over the almost 45 years Anders wrote it. As was the tradition with his columns, these items could be humorous, nostalgic, informative, silly — anything and everything that Smiley’s column was.
Stutes says the purpose of the notes from readers is to reflect the tone of Smiley’s column, and they are not themselves intended to be a tribute to him.
The submissions will be displayed at the Gridiron show alongside a picture board and other memorabilia of Smiley’s career. Items should be emailed to SmileyGridiron@yahoo.com, including the sender’s name and city They should be original to the submitter or indicate a source. Submissions may be edited for length or clarity If the number of submissions exceeds capacity, some submissions may not be displayed but all will be preserved as part of the remembrance.
Stutes reminds readers that while much “of Smiley’s column was about current events, a good portion was sparked by reading something in the column, making the reader think of something in their own experience.”
He says that since Smiley’s last column, “we’ve had a football season (college and pro, some good, some not-so-good), an election, children saying cute
ä See GRIDIRON, page 6C
BY SERENA PUANG Staff writer
While in the air, aerialists look natural, light and effortless. They float overhead, contorting themselves into different poses. In Baton Rouge, they’re a regular presence at festivals or events like White Light Night.
From the outside, one might assume that aerialists have been doing it forever, but many start after they’re adults in their twenties or thirties.
Whether as a new hobby, revisiting old passions like dance or gymnastics in a new way, or simply starting a new chapter in life, aspiring aerialists build strength and community one class at a time until they too can hang from the apparatuses attached to the ceiling.
Though it may look intimidating, aerial can be for everybody, and it’s more accessible than one might think Those who have cheer, dance or gymnastics backgrounds might have an easier time initially due to the body awareness they developed from those other sports, and upper body strength definitely helps, but neither are necessary
“I have taught people with all different shapes of bodies that are all capable of doing things that they never thought that they would be
able to,” said Jenn Brown, one of the coaches at Refuge Aerial Fitness & Performance.
As a teacher for intro level classes, she hasn’t taught anyone who wasn’t able to do the initial skills like getting into a foot knot or hanging upside down in a ham-
mock sling. From there, people only build more strength and skills. Not thinking about the ground
Alaina Williams and Lily Tyndall opened Refuge Aerial after a different gym, Above Ground, closed, and many people had nowhere to go for aerial fitness classes or practice.
“We created refuge,” Williams said “That’s exactly why we call it that. A refuge for the aerialists and circus artists that didn’t have a place to go anymore because Above Ground had left. But for us it took on a much deeper meaning of just having a place that anyone could come and do something really incredible no matter who they are or what their barriers might be — really creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and empowered.”
Aerial is not a replacement for therapy, but many aerialists find something helpful about it mental health wise.
Rebecca “Spitfire” Taylor, an instructor and performer at Refuge who is primarily a trapeze artist, said that she’s found that the practice has helped with her anxiety She started aerial in her thirties and has taught people in their 50s-60s.
ä See AERIALISTS, page 6C
BY JAN RISHER
Dear Heloise: My coffee comes out terrible. I’ve changed coffee brands, used cold tap water and distilled water, and measured my coffee grounds carefully, yet I always get such a nasty bitter taste to my coffee. What am I doing wrong? — C.N., in Texas C.N., are you cleaning your coffeepot carefully and using the right grind for your coffeepot? I’ve found that when coffee starts to taste a little “off,” it’s usually due to a buildup of coffee oils.
First, run white vinegar through the coffeepot to help get the oily buildup out of the inner workings of the pot You might have to do this twice if you’ve never done it before. Afterward, run clean, clear water through your coffeemaker to get the taste of vinegar out.
You can either run your coffeepot through the dishwasher or clean it by hand with warm water and a mild soap. However do not run the mechanical part of the coffee maker through the dishwasher — just the pot where the coffee goes into. — Heloise Grocery shopping in bulk
Dear Heloise: My husband and I live on a ranch out in the country For this reason, we buy in bulk I put items that can melt
in plastic bags, but all of my other groceries are packed in paper bags. I make certain that these paper bags get recycled. By using this method, we can take the items in plastic bags inside first and get them into the refrigerator The other items in paper bags can wait. We also recommend that people use coolers with ice in them to carry meltable items if they are traveling a greater distance to and from the grocery store. — B.L., in Wyoming
Lost clothing items
Dear Heloise: When washing my bedsheets each Wednesday I also toss in whatever else that’s in the laundry hamper Over time, I noticed that whenever I dried the load, small items such as socks and washcloths would invariably lodge in the pockets formed by the contour sheet’s elastic corners. They usually did not dry very well and often went forgotten until I found them later
I discovered that if I place all of the other wet items in the dryer first, then add the contour sheet last, small things don’t get “lost” in a corner anymore. — J.R., in Houston
Send a hint to heloise@heloise. com.
Freeman Baptist holds fellowship service
Freeman Baptist Church, 4628 LA. 955, Ethel, invites you and your family to 5th Sunday Fellowship Service 8:30 a.m. on March 30.
The guest pastor will be John Bowman of Beech Grove Baptist Church. All are invited.
St. Joseph Cathedral Feast Day Celebration
St. Joseph Cathedral, 401 Main St., will celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 with a noon Mass, traditional St. Joseph’s Altar, and community meal.
The altar will be open for prayer and viewing 9 a.m. to 3 p.m Bishop Michael G. Duca will preside
over Mass, with Cathedral Rector Rev J. Cary Bani concelebrating and blessing the altar
After Mass, all are invited to the Parish Hall for a free, meatless meal prepared by parish volunteers. For details, contact the Cathedral Parish Office at (225) 387-5928 or office@cathedralbr org
Nathaniel Baptist hosts annual homecoming
Nathaniel Baptist Church, 5032 Highway 33 South, Centreville, Mississippi, invites you to its annual homecoming This event will take place on March 23 at noon.
The guest will be pastor Clyde Lewis, of Bethel Metropolitan Baptist Church of Lake Charles
By The Associated Press
Today is Saturday, March 15, the 74th day of 2025. There are 291 days left in the year
Today in history:
On March 15, 44 B.C., on the “ides of March,” Roman dictator Julius Caesar was assassinated by Roman senators, including Brutus and Cassius, who feared Caesar was working to establish a monarchy
On this date: In 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson, addressing a joint session of Congress, called for new legislation to guarantee every American’s right to vote The result was passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
In 1972, “The Godfather,” Francis Ford Coppola’s film based on the Mario Puzo novel and starring Marlon Brando and Al Pacino, premiered in New York.
In 2012, convicted former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich entered a federal prison in Colorado, where the 55-year-old Democrat began serving a 14year sentence for corruption (He was released in February 2020 after President Donald Trump commuted his sentence; Trump pardoned Blagojevich in February 2025.)
In 2018, a pedestrian bridge
Continued from page 5C
Dear Miss Manners: I have been a vegetarian for 15 years. It never fails that once a fellow diner finds out this information, they immediately take it upon themselves to read aloud everything on the menu that I am “allowed” to have. It’s as if being a vegetarian means I can no longer read. I often don’t divulge my eating preferences because of this. And it never ends! I can eat with friends I’ve known for decades, and as soon as the menus are placed on the table, I am bombarded with “Oh, look, Giselle, you can have (XYZ).”
Believe me when I say it happens every single time. I want it to stop. What can I say that isn’t rude? (By the way, my husband always says they are just being nice. I say they are being annoying!)
Gentle reader: “Thank you, yes, I saw that.” And they are being annoying.
Dear Miss Manners: Just over a year ago, myself, a friend and that friend’s cousin “Grace” were asked to be bridesmaids in
the wedding of another friend, “Tara.” Tara did not have a lot of female friends, so Grace was asked, despite being just an acquaintance. She agreed. Fast-forward several months and Grace was sending out invites to her own wedding. She had a limited budget and space for her ceremony and reception, so she did not invite Tara. Tara was upset and thought that she should have been invited in reciprocation, even though she had not made an attempt to build or maintain a relationship with Grace since her own wedding. While I did not get myself involved in the matter, it got me thinking about what would be proper Should Grace have invited Tara to her wedding because she was in Tara’s?
Gentle reader: There is a difference between forging a friendship and casting roles in a wedding. But Miss Manners is beginning to see why it was necessary for Tara to engage in the latter
Dear Miss Manners: While staying at a lovely hotel, each morning
before leaving my room, I would place $10 on the writing table for the maid.
When I returned to my room the second day, I noticed that the money was still there. The room looked very nice, so clearly the maid had done her work. I sorted it out with the front desk and the money was left for her in an envelope. I understand that
under construction over a busy Miami highway collapsed, crushing vehicles beneath it; six people died and 10 were injured.
In 2019, a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, streaming the massacre live on Facebook. (Brenton Tarrant, an Australian White supremacist, was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to 51 counts of murder and other charges.)
In 2022, Russia stepped up its bombardment of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, while an estimated 20,000 civilians fled the desperately encircled port city of Mariupol by way of a humanitarian corridor
Today’s Birthdays: Actor Judd Hirsch is 90. Singer Mike Love (The Beach Boys) is 84. Filmmaker David Cronenberg is 82. Musician Sly Stone is 82. Musician Ry Cooder is 78. Actor Frances Conroy is 72. Rock singer Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) is 70. Baseball Hall of Famer Harold Baines is 66. Filmmaker Renny Harlin is 66. Rock singer Bret Michaels (Poison) is 62. Singer-TV host Mark McGrath (Sugar Ray) is 57. Actor Kim Raver is 56. Actor Eva Longoria is 50. Musician will.i.am (Black Eyed Peas) is 50. Actor Kellan Lutz is 40.
super
Experian has engaged ForgiveCo to administer the acquisition and cancellation of qualifying consumer debt for the selected beneficiaries in Louisiana, one of the states with the highest percentage of poverty in the U.S., according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Email Jan Risher at jan. risher@theadvocate.com.
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“It’s hard to explain, but I do remember my first class, and they usually teach you how to hang from your knees first,” Taylor said. “So I was just in a knee hang and felt so much like being a kid again — that feeling of being inverted and not on the ground and the more I did it the more I learned to trust myself and trust the trapeze.”
Tyndall said anecdotally that she finds people who are neurodivergent or have a history of trauma are disproportionately drawn to aerial. This has been supported by other aerialists, and it makes sense: Aerial fitness provides a way for people to connect with their bodies in a supportive community
“You’re doing hard things physically so it makes you more capable of doing hard things mentally,” Tyndall said.
Diversity in aerial
Tyndall and Williams agree that diversity of all forms is a priority for Refuge. To be more inclusive, they make aerial accessible by adding adaptations to classes.
“The biggest factor is being patient with yourself cause it’s hard, and it takes some time to learn, but
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things to their grandparents, Taylor Swift in New Orleans, a new mayor, a snowfall, children saying embarrassing things in church, a windy Mardi Gras and a lot of festivals.”
Readers also enjoyed sending Smiley misheard song lyrics. In one of his last columns, he wrote: Misheard Lyrics Dept.
Readers continue to amuse me with tales of hearing songs that deviate from the correct lyrics: n Kathy Gibbs says, “Mishearings of words in songs are called ‘mondegreens.’ The American writer Sylvia Wright coined the
if you’re willing to just show up for yourself and do it, you will eventually get the strength and the coordination,” Taylor said. “We can work with any skill level.”
For people who start with less strength, they have modifications and can break things down step by step, and for students with disabilities, they also offer adaptive circus lessons.
When Baker started out, she was nervous and even asked a friend to come with her to her first class, but she’s come a long way since
term in 1954, recalling a childhood memory of her mother reading the 1765 Scottish ballad ‘The Bonny Earl of Murray’ and mishearing the words ‘laid him on the green’ as ‘Lady Mondegreen.’
n Richard Schega, of Mandeville, says, “I remember sitting around lunch at work discussing the movie ‘Saturday Night Fever’ when Sandy said she thought the Bee Gees’ ‘More Than a Woman’ lyrics were ‘Bald-Headed Woman.’
n Alan R. Crnko, of Holden, says, “One day I was singing in the shower Creedence Clearwater Revival’s smash hit, ‘There’s a Bathroom on the Right’ when my wife Catherine told me the lyric was really ‘There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise.’ In the spirit of misheard lyrics, Anders also included gems like
then. She has even performed in two student showcases.
“I’ve met so many new people and new friends from it,” she said.
“It’s been a really nice community for me, and I feel like it’s helped me de-stress whoever I’m coming out of work.”
It’s not about perfection but about improvement and community The aerialists are creating a refuge all their own.
Email Serena Puang at serena. puang@theadvocate.com.
this one: I love U Shirley McDonald says, “The creative writing comment in your column Tuesday reminded me of one of my (long ago) student’s creative writing assignments that had a bride and groom exchanging ‘wedding vowels.’ The mental picture is priceless.” The Gridiron show will
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) It's up to you to implement change. Look around you, and if something doesn't feel right or suit yourneeds,makeadjustmentsand carry on. If doubt sets in, take a pass.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) Look for the good in everyone you deal with today. A smile orkindgesturewilltakeyoufurtherthan will making demands. Pay attention to detail when dealing with institutions.
TAURUS(April20-May20)Improveyourliving space, lifestyle or relationships with associates. Keep the peace, regardless of howothersreact Afinancialopportunity can free up accumulated debt.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Consider what makesyouhappyandfollowthepaththat will take you there. Refuse to let anyone goad you into something you don't want to do. Don't give in to guilt tactics.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) Pay attention to what others expect of you and what's at stake. Less complaining and more action will help you dodge negativity and outside interference. Put your emotions on the back burner and do your best.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Stay on top of matters, go directly to the source and interact with people who can help you get things done. Be accommodating, but set boundaries that ensure you don't have to give up what's important to you.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) A change of scenery will do you good. Whether you travel toyouroldstompinggroundsortoplaces
you've never been, you can spark your imagination.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Live and learn. Look around and consider ways to improve your surroundings, relationshipsandlifestyle.Setpersonalgoalsand build a routine around whatever lowers stress and helps you build strength.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Participating, being active and mingling with people who share your interests will help you find your desired happiness. Don't sit idle when there is so little time and much to explore.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Take what others say with a grain of salt and refuse tobecomeunnervedorrespondunnecessarily.Concentratemoreonyourselfand your environment.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Travel, attend a reunion or revisit something you must address before you can feel comfortable moving forward. Anger doesn't solve problems, but rational alternatives can.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Invest more time and money in your surroundings, your skills and the prospects that interest you. A financial gain is possible if you build equity instead of spending money on things.
The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist.
By Andrews McMeel Syndication
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
Bridge
BY PHILLIP ALDER
Henry David Thoreau said, “When I hear music, I fear no danger. I am invulnerable. I see no foe. I am related to the earliest times, and to the latest.”
Many years ago, an expert married couple played together, and whenever the wife was the declarer, the husband turned on his portable CD player. As you might have guessed, they are not still married. But if running tunes through your mind helps you to relax and think more clearly, do it.
In today’s deal, what do you think of the bidding? After West leads his fourthhighest heart against three no-trump, what should South do?
The South hand has only 19 high-card points, but it has a very good five-card suit, one 10 and two nines. It also has seven control points (ace - 2; king - 1), which is normal for a two-no-trump opening. So I agree with South’s bid. And North, with 4-3-3-3 distribution, was playing the percentages in not using Stayman.
Declarer starts with seven top tricks: four spades, one heart, one diamond and one club. And there are at least three more winners available from the club suit. The original declarer, though, was tone-deaf. Thinking West had led away from the heart king, South played low from the board. However, East won with his king and shifted to the diamond king.
Declarer ducked, took the next diamond, crossed to dummy with a heart, and ran the club jack. But when the finesse lost, the contract went down two. If South had been humming, he would have won the first trick with dummy’s heart ace and taken the club finesse. Then he would have won at least 10 tricks.
2025
Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON
Previous answers:
word game
InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters.
today’s thought
“You believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” James 2:19
