The Advocate 03-18-2025 by The Advocate

Last-minute filings seek to stop execution

Mary ‘Molly’ Elliott was kidnapped, raped and fatally shot in St. Tammany Parish in 1996.

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN and JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writers

The legal team for death row inmate Jessie Hoffman Jr has filed a flurry of last-minute court challenges in hopes of stopping the death row inmate from becoming the first person in Louisiana to be executed by nitrogen gas on Tuesday night as scheduled Hoffman’s attorneys filed challenges in both state and federal courts on Monday as they sought a judge willing to stop the first Louisiana execution in 15 years.

A state judge in East Baton Rouge’s 19th Judicial District Court and a federal judge in New Orleans will consider two of those challenges Tuesday morning, just

hours ahead of the scheduled execution, which is required to happen between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Hoffman is on death row for the 1996 abduction, rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliott in rural St. Tammany Parish.

An attorney for Hoffman on Monday ﬁled a request for an injunction in state court that would stop the execution on the grounds that it would violate Louisiana’s religious freedom laws.

Hoffman is a practicing Buddhist. His lawyers have argued that killing him using nitrogen gas would interfere with his Buddhist breathing exercises, therefore violating his religious freedoms.

That argument failed in

ä See EXECUTION, page 5A

Audit finds worsening prenatal care in Louisiana

Report details lack of doctors, transportation issues

BY EMILY WOODRUFF Staff writer

A state audit found that pregnant Medicaid patients in Louisiana often struggle to access prenatal and postpartum care because there aren’t enough nearby doctors who accept the government-funded health insurance, provider lists are frequently inaccurate and many people lack reliable transportation, especially in rural areas.

The report, released Monday by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor‘s Ofﬁce, reviewed the state Health Department’s efforts to improve maternal health — an area where Louisiana has long ranked among the worst in the nation.

Despite increased attention and funding, the share of pregnant women in the state who did not receive ﬁrst-trimester prenatal care rose from 22.5% in 2018 to nearly 26% in 2023.

Medicaid patients were most affected, with 3 out of 4 missing timely care. The majority of new babies in Louisiana, 63.5%, are born to women insured by Medicaid.

The audit found that the Louisiana Department of Health spent nearly $400 million on maternal health reform through the Managed Care Incentive Payment program from February 2020 to March 2024, but some initiatives were duplicative or lacked measurable outcomes.

“A lot of money is being put toward it, but there aren’t a lot of measurable outcomes or new things being created,” said Chris Magee, a data analytics manager at the Auditor’s Ofﬁce.

ä See AUDIT, page 5A

Move could impact National Weather Service BY JOSIE ABUGOV Staff writer

When Chris Franklin and other meteorologists at WWL Louisiana broadcast vital weather forecasts, they don’t do it alone.

They are in ongoing communication with National Weather Service forecasters. Franklin said there’s an active chat 24 hours a day, and before severe weather — like the strong line of thunderstorms that roared through the region on Saturday — the conversation ramps up, adding video calls.

“We pick their brains as almost co-workers in forecasting daily weather,” Franklin said. “Those are the folks that are issuing those watches and warnings, so when we’re on air talking about a tornado warning, talking about a severe thunderstorm warning or ﬂooding, this is coming from the

ä See NOAA, page 4A

PHOTO PROVIDED By JESSIE HOFFMAN JR.’S LEGAL TEAM

Observers sitting outside the new execution chamber at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola will witness the execution

Jessie Hoffman Jr was sentenced to death in 1998 after being found guilty of Elliott’s murder

Canada’s Carney meets with European allies

LONDON New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met the leaders of Britain and France on Monday during his ﬁrst ofﬁcial overseas trip, seeking support from two of Ottawa’s oldest allies as U.S. President Donald Trump targets Canada’s sovereignty and economy Canadians have criticized the leaders of the two countries that founded Canada for their muted response to Trump’s attacks. The president has imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum and repeatedly commented on turning Canada into the 51st state.

Carney and French President Emmanuel Macron did not take journalists’ questions, and a joint news conference was not scheduled with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, either. An ofﬁcial familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to speak publicly, said the Canadians proposed a news conference in Paris but the French declined. Starmer has called Canada a friend and ally of the U.K. but has declined to directly call out Trump’s talk of annexation — though he went further than he has before by stressing Canada’s sovereignty

“The relationship between our two countries has always been strong,” Starmer told Carney inside the British leader’s 10 Downing St. residence “Two sovereign allies, so much in common — a shared history, shared values, shared king.”

Carney said the relationship between the two countries is “built on shared values” and noted that “we’re at a point in history where the world is being reordered.”

Macron did not address Trump’s attacks on Canada ahead of their talks but noted that tariffs only bring inﬂation and damage to supply chains.

Rebels withdraw from Congo peace talks

DAKAR, Senegal The Rwandabacked rebels who captured key areas of Congo’s mineral-rich east said Monday they were withdrawing from peace talks this week with the Congolese government, saying that international sanctions on the group’s members have undermined such dialogue.

The talks scheduled to start in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Tuesday “have become impracticable” as a result of the sanctions announced by the European Union against some of its members on Monday, M23 rebel group’s spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said in a statement. Alleged offensives still being carried out in the conﬂict-hit region by Congo’s military also undermine the talks, he said.

“Consequently our organization can no longer continue to participate in the discussions,” he added.

Congo’s government, after initially rejecting such talks, said Monday it would participate in the dialogue in Angola. A delegation representing Congo already had traveled to Luanda for the talks, Tina Salama, the spokesperson for President Felix Tshisekedi, told The Associated Press.

S.C. apartment complex mourns slain alligator

DANIEL ISLAND, S.C. — Several dozen people gathered Saturday at an apartment complex along the South Carolina coast to remember a longtime resident who died the day before — an alligator named Walter who sunned beside a pond on the property for more than a decade.

Walter was killed on the property after several complaints over the past week, the management of Daniel Island Village told WCIV-TV in a statement.

Neighbors in the apartment complex near Charleston said Walter had been hanging around the complex for more than a decade, not only earning a name but a little fame.

Memorial organizer Rebekah Cole told the TV station that people with pets and children could walk right past Walter and not be bothered.

“He was a piece of the community Even though he was a coldblooded animal, we all loved him and it tore us all up,” Cole said.

Judge questions feds over ignoring his order

Deportation flight was not turned around despite

ruling

BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST and REGINA GARCIA CANO Associated Press

A federal judge on Monday questioned whether the Trump administration ignored his orders to turn around planes carrying deportees to El Salvador, a possible violation of the decision he’d issued minutes before District Judge James E. Boasberg was incredulous over the administration’s contentions that his verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed, that it couldn’t apply to ﬂights that had left the U.S. and that the administration could not answer his questions about the deportations due to national security issues.

“That’s one heck of a stretch, I think,” Boasberg replied, noting that the administration knew as the planes were departing that he was about to decide whether to brieﬂy halt deportations being made under a rarely used 18th century law invoked by Trump about an hour earlier

“I’m just asking how you think my equitable powers do not attach to a plane that has departed the U.S., even if it’s in international airspace,” Boasberg added at another point.

Deputy Associate Attorney General Abhishek Kambli contended that only Boasberg’s short written order, issued about 45 minutes after he made the verbal demand, counted. It did not contain any demands to reverse planes, and Kambli added that it was too late to redirect two planes that had left the U.S. by that time

“These are sensitive, operational tasks of national security,” Kambli said.

The hearing over what Boasberg called the “possible deﬁance” of his court order marked the latest step in a high-stakes legal fight that began when President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 wartime law to remove immigrants over the weekend. It was also an escalation in the battle over whether the Trump administration is ﬂouting court orders that have blocked some of his aggressive moves in the opening weeks of his second term.

“There’s been a lot of talk about constitutional crisis, people throw that word around. I think we’re getting very close to it,” warned Lee Gelernt, of the ACLU, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs, during the Monday hearing After the hearing, Gelernt said the ACLU would ask Boasberg to order all improperly deported people returned to the United States.

Boasberg said he’d record the proceed-

ings and additional demands in writing.

“I will memorialize this in a written order since apparently my oral orders don’t seem to carry much weight,” Boasberg said.

On Saturday night, Boasberg ordered the administration not to deport anyone in its custody through the newly-invoked Alien Enemies Act, which has only been used three times before in U.S. history, all during congressionally declared wars.

Trump issued a proclamation that the law was newly in effect due to what he claimed was an invasion by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

Trump’s invocation of the act could allow him to deport any noncitizen he says is associated with the gang, without offering proof or even publicly identifying them. The plaintiffs ﬁled their suit on behalf of several Venezuelans in U.S. custody who feared they’d be falsely accused of being Tren de Aragua members and improperly removed from the country

Told there were planes in the air headed to El Salvador which has agreed to house deported migrants in a notorious prison, Boasberg said Saturday evening that he and the government needed to move fast.

“You shall inform your clients of this immediately, and that any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States,” Boasberg told the government’s lawyer

According to the ﬁling, two planes that had taken off from Texas’ detention facility when the hearing started more than an hour earlier were in the air at that point, and they apparently continued to El Salvador A third plane apparently took off after the hearing and Boasberg’s written order was formally published at 7:26 p.m. Eastern time. Kambli said that plane held no one deported under the Alien Enemies Act.

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, on Sunday morning tweeted, “Oopsie.. too late” above an article referencing Boasberg’s order and announced that more than 200 deportees had arrived in his country The White House communications director Steven Cheung, reposted Bukele’s post with an admiring GIF

Later Sunday, a widely circulated article in Axios said the administration decided to “defy” the order and quoted anonymous ofﬁcials who said they concluded it didn’t extend to planes outside U.S. airspace. That drew a quick denial from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said in a statement “the administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order.”

The administration argues a federal judge does not have the authority to tell the president whether he can determine the country is being invaded under the act, or how to defend it

Trump warns Iran about further attacks from Yemen’s Houthi

BY JON GAMBRELL Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates U.S. President

Donald Trump on Monday explicitly linked the actions of Yemen’s Houthi rebels to the group’s main benefactor, Iran, warning Tehran would “suffer the consequences” for further attacks by the group.

The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website escalate his administration’s new campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people this weekend alone. The Pentagon said the strikes were carried out against more than 30 targets and it planned further airstrikes in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the Iranians continue to weigh how to respond to a letter Trump sent them last week trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program Houthi supporters rallied in several cities Monday after the strikes, vowing revenge against America and Israel over

blocking aid to the Gaza Strip after its war on Hamas there. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news channel put young boys on air live, who chanted the group’s slogan: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

“The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

The United Nations called for a halt to all military activities in Yemen and the Red Sea, urging “utmost restraint” and warning that “any additional escalation could exacerbate regional tensions,” U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said Monday

Describing the Houthis as “sinister mobsters and thugs,” Trump warned any attack by the group would be met with “great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”

Putin, Trump to speak about war in Ukraine

BY CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump will speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday in a possible pivot point in efforts to end the war in Ukraine and an opportunity for Trump to continue reorienting American foreign policy

Trump disclosed the upcoming conversation to reporters while ﬂying from Florida to Washington on Air Force One on Sunday evening, while the Kremlin conﬁrmed Putin’s participation on Monday morning.

“We will see if we have something to announce maybe by Tuesday I will be speaking to President Putin on Tuesday,” Trump said “A lot of work’s been done over the weekend. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday morning conﬁrmed the plans for the two leaders to speak on Tuesday but declined to give details, saying that “we never get ahead of events” and “the content of conversations between two presidents are not subject to any prior discussion.”

European allies are wary of Trump’s afﬁnity for Putin and his hardline stance toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who faced sharp criticism when he visited the Oval Office a little more than two weeks ago.

Although Russia failed

in its initial goal to topple the Ukrainian government with its invasion three years ago, it still controls large swaths of the country Trump said land and power plants are part of the conversation around bringing the war to a close.

“We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants,” he said, a process he described as “dividing up certain assets.”

Trump special envoy Steve Witkoff visited Moscow last week to advance negotiations.

Russia illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions after launching its fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east and the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions in the southeast of the country — but doesn’t fully control any of the four Last year Putin listed Kyiv’s withdrawal of troops from all four regions as one of the demands for peace. In 2014, the Kremlin also annexed Crimea from Ukraine. In the occupied part of the Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow controls the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant — the largest in Europe. The plant has repeatedly been caught in the crossﬁre since the invasion. The International Atomic Energy Agency, a U.N. body has frequently expressed alarm about the plant because of fears of a potential nuclear catastrophe.

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President Donald Trump departs Air Force One on Friday at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Fla.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MANUEL BALCE CENETA

PHOTO PROVIDED By EL SALVADOR PRESIDENTIAL PRESS OFFICE

A prison guard on Sunday transfers deportees from the U.S. alleged to be Venezuelan gang members to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador

Israel resumes fighting in Gaza with airstrikes

Attacks kill at least 44 people

BY WAFAA SHURAFA Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip Is-

rael launched a wave of airstrikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, saying it was striking dozens of Hamas targets in its heaviest assault in the territory since a ceasefire took effect in January Palestinian ofﬁcials reported at least 44 deaths.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the strikes because of a lack of progress in ongoing talks to extend the ceaseﬁre.

Ofﬁcials said the operation was open-ended and was expected to expand.

“Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s ofﬁce said The surprise overnight attack shattered a period of relative calm and raised the prospect of a full return to fighting in a 17-month war that has killed over 48,000 Palestinians and caused widespread destruction across Gaza. It also raised questions about the fate of the roughly two dozen Israeli hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive. In a statement, Hamas condemned what it called Israel’s “unprovoked escalation” and said it had put the fate of the hostages in jeopardy.

There was no immedi-

ate U.S reaction But over the weekend, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been leading mediation efforts along with Egypt and Qatar warned that Hamas must release living hostages immediately “or pay a severe price.”

An Israeli ofﬁcial, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the unfolding operation, said Israel was striking Hamas’ military, leaders and infrastructure and planned to expand the operation beyond air attacks The ofﬁcial accused Hamas of attempting to rebuild and plan new attacks Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said the “gates of hell will open in Gaza” if the hostages aren’t released.

“We will not stop fighting until all of our hostages are home and we have achieved all of the war goals,” he said.

Explosions could be heard throughout Gaza, and Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 44 people were killed in the new wave of airstrikes. The territory’s civil defense agency said its crews were having a difficult time carrying out rescue efforts because various areas were being targeted simultaneously The strikes came two months after a ceaseﬁre was reached to pause the war

Over six weeks, Hamas released roughly three dozen hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in a ﬁrst phase of the ceaseﬁre

But since that ceasefire ended two weeks ago, the sides have not been able to agree on a way forward with a second phase aimed at releasing the nearly 60 remaining hostages and ending the war altogether Netanyahu has repeatedly threatened to resume the war, and early this month cut off the entry of all food and aid deliveries into the besieged territory to put pressure on Hamas.

“This comes after Hamas repeatedly refused to release our hostages and rejected all offers it received from

Trump claims Biden pardons of Jan. 6 committee invalid

BY RYAN TARINELLI and NIELS LESNIEWSKI CQ-Roll Call (TNS)

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump claimed without evidence early Monday that pardons granted by then-President Joe Biden to lawmakers on the disbanded select House committee that investigated the 2021 Capitol riot were invalid because he used an automatic pen.

“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Monday “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”

It’s unclear if Trump’s proclamation will be acted upon. Members of the House Jan 6 select committee who were targeted by Trump in the past with threats of prosecution — have not been charged with violating any committee-related crime

But it could set the stage for a high-proﬁle legal ﬁght over executive power, if Trump’s assertion is used as a basis to pursue criminal charges.

Trumphasinstalledstaunch allies in key government positions that wield inﬂuence over who is subject to investigation and prosecution by the federal government. Those officials include Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, who previously framed himself as a fighter against the “Deep State” and certain members of the media. In the post on Monday,

Trump said the lawmakers who served on the committee “should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level.”

Trump had told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One that questions about the validity of Biden’s use of the pardon power would be up to the judicial system.

“It’s not my decision. That’ll be up to a court,” Trump said, arguing he is “sure Biden didn’t have any idea that it was taking place.”

Trump has called for the prosecution of Sen. Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., and members of the now-disbanded panel.

Schiff, in a post on social media responding to Trump’s post, said the members of the select committee “are all proud of our work.”

“Your threats will not intimidate us,” he wrote. “Or silence us.”

the U.S. presidential envoy, Steve Witkoff, and from the mediators,” Netanyahu’s ofﬁce said early Tuesday Taher Nunu, a Hamas official, criticized the Israeli attacks. “The international community faces a moral test: either it allows the return of the crimes committed by the occupation army or it enforces a commitment to ending the aggression and war against innocent people

in Gaza,” he said. The war erupted with Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, crossborder attack, which killed some 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage. Israel responded with a military offensive that killed over 48,000 Palestinians, according to local health ofﬁcials, and displaced an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population. The territory’s Health Ministry doesn’t differentiate

between civilians and militants, but says over half of the dead have been women and children.

The ceaseﬁre had brought some relief to Gaza and allowed hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians to resume to what remained of their homes.

But the territory is coping with vast destruction, with no immediate plans to rebuild. A resumption of the war threatens to reverse any progress made in recent weeks toward halting Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.

The return to ﬁghting could also worsen deep internal ﬁssures inside Israel over the fate of the remaining hostages. Many of the hostages released by Hamas returned emaciated and malnourished and described harsh conditions in captivity

The released hostages have repeatedly implored the government to press ahead with the ceaseﬁre to return all remaining hostages, and tens of thousands of Israelis have taken part in mass demonstrations in recent weeks calling for a ceasefire and return of all hostages.

Since the ceaseﬁre in Gaza began in mid-January, Israeli forces have killed dozens of Palestinians who the military says approached its troops or entered unauthorized areas.

BY JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press

HOUSTON A Texas mid-

wife has been arrested and accused of providing illegal abortions, marking the ﬁrst time authorities have filed criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced on Monday Maria Margarita Rojas has been charged with the illegal performance of an abortion, a second-degree felony as well as practicing medicine

without a license, which is a third-degree felony.

Paxton alleges that Rojas, 48, illegally operated at least three clinics in the Houston area where illegal abortion procedures were performed in direct violation of state law

“In Texas, life is sacred. I will always do everything in my power to protect the unborn, defend our state’s pro-life laws, and work to ensure that unlicensed individuals endangering the lives of women by performing illegal abortions are

fully prosecuted,” Paxton said in a statement. “Texas law protecting life is clear, and we will hold those who violate it accountable.”

Waller County District Attorney Sean Whittmore, whose office is located northwest of Houston, referred the case to Paxton for prosecution, according to the state Attorney General’s Ofﬁce.

Waller County court records show Rojas was arrested on March 6 and she was released on bail the next day

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Palestinians Ali Marouf and his mother, Aisha, cook Monday by fire on the roof of their house in Jabaliya, Gaza Strip, which was destroyed by the Israeli army’s air and ground offensive.

federal court, but some believe Louisiana’s religious freedom protections are stronger than those in the U.S. Constitution.

Hoffman believes in reincarnation and that he “must practice his Buddhist breathing exercises at the critical transition between life and death,” or else his rebirth may be negatively impacted, according to his petition in Baton Rouge district court.

He argues in court filings that “his ability to practice his faith at the moment he is put to death is thus substantially burdened under the Nitrogen Gassing Protocol.”

State Judge Richard “Chip” Moore III will hold a hearing at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the 19th Judicial District Courthouse to consider whether to issue an injunction.

Hoffman also has several requests pending with federal courts.

Hoffman’s attorneys are asking a federal judge in New Orleans to reopen his federal habeas petition, which was denied more than a decade ago

U.S. District Judge Ivan Lemelle agreed to hold a hearing at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday

Hoffman’s attorneys argue that a pair of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions should allow him to again argue that the all-White jury at his trial was “preoccupied with race,” and that it inﬂuenced the decision to sentence him to death. Rebecca Hudsmith, the federal public defender over much of the state, said it wasn’t a new argument, but that the legal landscape had changed.

Hudsmith acknowledged the ﬂurry of legal action was unusual for capital attorneys in Louisiana, where no executions have taken place since 2010, and none that have been contested in more than 20 years.

“This has been a moving target, and quite difﬁcult,” Hudsmith told Lemelle. “We really have more than a generation of lawyers who haven’t faced this.”

Northshore District Attorney Collin Sims’ ofﬁce is ﬁghting the attempt in federal court.

Lemelle, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, said he plans to issue a ruling shortly after Tuesday morning’s hearing, to give the federal appeals court enough time

AUDIT

Continued from page 1A

Among the examples cited in the report:

n $12.8 million was paid for initiatives related to breastfeeding policies and assessing them for inclusion in the state’s breastfeeding initiative, even though all 16 participating hospitals already had such policies and 15 of the 16 were already part of the initiative.

n $4.26 million was paid for the submission of a riskstratification tool already developed and in use by Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge.

n $13 million was paid for initiatives that duplicated efforts already funded under another Health Department Medicaid program, including reducing C-section rates, even though the department paid Managed Care Organizations an additional $15.1 million for the same goal.

“In essence, LDH paid for the same improvement twice,” the audit stated.

However, some internal programs did show improvement compared with some of the externally funded programs The audit highlighted the Louisiana Perinatal Quality Collaborative and the Safe Births Initiative as examples of data-driven programs with measurable outcomes that have improved maternal health. At 21 weeks pregnant, a Louisiana woman couldn’t get care because there were no in-network Medicaid OBGYNs in her rural area, according to one complaint

Another pregnant resident missed multiple prenatal appointments because Medicaid-provided transportation never picked her up. At 30 weeks, her doctor threatened to stop seeing her because of the missed visits. One of the audit’s most striking findings was that 37.5% of Louisiana parishes had no practicing

to weigh in before an execution scheduled for that evening.

Hoffman’s legal team also requested a stay of execution from the U.S. Supreme Court, which seeks to strike down Friday’s ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. They vacated an injunction from U.S. District Judge

Shelly Dick of Louisiana’s Middle District, who blocked the execution last week

Dick had ordered a delay to ﬂesh out whether using nitrogen gas to kill Hoffman would amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Her ruling suggested a firing squad would be more humane.

The state appealed, and a panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals disagreed with Dick, ﬁnding a firing squad would be a more painful way to die.

In their petition to the U.S Supreme Court, Hoffman’s lawyers argue the 5th Circuit did not adequately consider the psychological suffering of death by nitrogen gas.

The petition argues the 5th Circuit Court’s decision “ignores

OB-GYNs serving Medicaid patients. In areas with listed providers, nearly 1 in 5 had not seen any Medicaid patients in the previous six months. Patient complaints reviewed by the auditors showed transportation was a big issue.

“There’s a big disconnect between what the provider network looks like versus what it actually is,” said Magee.

The audit found that Managed Care Organizations, which are responsible for coordinating care for most Medicaid enrollees, did not maintain accurate lists of providers, which is “one of the most basic things” they should do, said Magee. The auditors verified that the list was inaccurate by checking it themselves.

“If we can do it, they should be able to do it with their own internal data,” Magee said.

An increase in payment rates might address the provider shortage, said Magee, and analyzing complaints and improving oversight of the organizations could help more Medicaid patients get connected to care.

In response to the audit, the Health Department agreed with all of the auditors’ recommendations.

State health officials acknowledged problems with provider network accuracy and access to care, and noted efforts such as a 2024 initiative to clean up organizations’ provider directories The department also recognized the need for improved case management and transportation services, and emphasized its commitment to improving maternal health outcomes.

In a February public letter, Dr Ralph Abraham, Louisiana’s surgeon general, identiﬁed maternal and infant mortality as a priority for the department

A spokesperson, however, said ofﬁcials would not immediately be able to answer questions about efforts to improve access and hold MCOs accountable.

The report said rural areas could be better served

Supreme Court precedent holding that psychological terror is a component of cruel and unusual punishment, and it is ﬂatly at odds with the approaches of other circuits that have long recognized that psychological terror and distress is relevant in the constitutional analysis.”

The same judge who signed Hoffman’s death warrant, Judge Alan Zaunbrecher, of St. Tammany’s 22nd Judicial District, also denied a last-minute request for a stay of his execution Monday Hoffman argued in filings to the 22nd Judicial District Court that the state violated his right to due process via the “arbitrary denial of any access to clemency and failure to grant him a pardon board hearing.”

Zaunbrecher wrote in an order late Monday that Hoffman’s filings were “without merit.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Sunday night also rejected another challenge from Hoffman’s legal team, who argued that the clock should have reset on his ex-

by setting up remote care, increasing the number of nurse midwives and making it easier for them to practice, starting group prenatal care and increasing home visiting. While the Health Department has two home visiting services, they serve just 6% of births.

Prenatal care allows for the diagnosis of diabetes or hypertension, which can make pregnancy more dangerous for babies and moms and should be monitored, said Dr Rebekah Gee, an OB-GYN and founder of Nest Health, which provides in-home primary care to patients. A provider can spot mental health issues or review medications for safety during pregnancy, she said.

But only a handful of appointments need to be in a doctor’s office setting, said Gee, who oversaw the Health Department as secretary of health from 2016 to 2020. Many patients could be seen at home or virtually Nest is launching in Arizona and plans to include prenatal appointments in that state, but has found it challenging to partner with health plans to do the same in Louisiana.

Gee said a bigger issue is that pregnancy is often treated as separate from women’s overall health. But to support a healthy pregnancy care needs to start before conception and continue during and after birth. Many women start prenatal care late, don’t receive postpartum care and lack regular care between pregnancies, she said.

“Pregnancy is a stress test on women’s health, and we are failing that stress test,” Gee said.

A lack of care sets up moms and babies for poor health outcomes, impacting their entire lives.

“Doing whatever you can to make those networks more robust is important because this really is a longterm game,” said Magee.

Email Emily Woodruff at ewoodruff@theadvocate. com.

ecution when Dick issued a preliminary injunction last week.

Though the injunction was vacated, Hoffman’s attorneys claimed the state still needed to seek a new death warrant to kill him. The State Supreme Court disagreed in a 5-2 ruling, ﬁnding “no merit” to the argument.

“When a federal or state court grants a stay of execution that is dissolved before the execution date, the execution may proceed on the date originally ﬁxed,” the state’s high court ruled.

Justices Piper Grifﬁn and John Michael Guidry dissented. Grifﬁn wrote in a dissent that “the question remains open” about whether nitrogen gas executions violate Louisiana’s constitution. She referenced a citation in the state constitution that says “no law shall subject any person to euthanasia, to torture, or to cruel, excessive, or unusual punishment.

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

NOV. 28, 1996: A duck hunter discovers the body of Mary “Molly” Elliott near the Middle Pearl River in St.Tammany Parish. Elliott was a 28-year-old advertising executive who went missing the night before. The same day, police arrest 18-yearold Jessie Hoffman Jr., who they say abducted, raped and shot Elliott in the head.

SEPT 11, 1998: Hoffman is formally sentenced to death, which a jury recommends after having found him guilty of first-degree murder Lethal injection was the only legal means of execution at the time.

JAN. 20, 2015: The U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Hoffman’s petition for certiorari on his conviction and death sentence. It’s one of many appeals of his sentence that’s denied over the years.

FEB 10: Gov Jeff Landry says the state is ready to resume executions after a 15-year hiatus and that Louisiana has developed a protocol for using nitrogen gas to put people to death, which the state legalized in 2024.

FEB 12: Judges sign death warrants for Hoffman and another death row inmate in Louisiana, Christopher Sepulvado.

FEB 23: Sepulvado dies at 81, leaving Hoffman as the lone inmate in the state with an execution scheduled.

FEB 26: Hoffman files a lawsuit to prevent the state from executing using nitrogen gas, arguing it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment

MARCH 11: U.S District Judge Shelly Dick grants a preliminary injunction to stop Louisiana from moving forward with the execution until she can hold a full trial on his case.

MARCH 14: The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals vacates Dick’s preliminary injunction, allowing the execution to go forward.

MARCH 18: Hoffman, now 46, is scheduled to be the first person Louisiana puts to death with nitrogen gas at Angola.

PHOTO PROVIDED By JESSIE HOFFMAN JR.’S LEGAL TEAM

Jessie Hoffman Jr is scheduled to be the first person in Louisiana to be executed by nitrogen gas on Tuesday night The gas will be administered in the new execution chamber at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola using this mask.

BRIEFS

FROM WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street up again after last week’s fall

U.S. stocks climbed again on Monday as Wall Street’s wild roller-coaster ride veers back upward

The S&P 500 rose for a second straight gain after it fell 10% below its record late last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also climbed. More big swings could be ahead, with a decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates coming later in the week and worries continuing about President Donald Trump’s trade war Stocks have been mostly tumbling on worries that Trump’s rat-a-tat announcements on tariffs and other policies are creating so much uncertainty that they’ll push U.S. households and businesses to freeze their spending, which would hurt the economy Surveys have shown sharp drops in conﬁdence, and some companies are already warning about changes in behavior from their customers.

Forever 21 files for bankruptcy protection

Forever 21 has filed for bankruptcy protection for a second time and plans to close down its U.S business as traffic in U.S. shopping malls fades and competition from online retailers like Amazon, Temu and Shein intensifies.

F21 OpCo, which runs Forever 21 stores, said late Sunday that it will wind down the business in the U.S. under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection while determining if it can continue as a business with a partner or if it will sell some or all of its assets.

“While we have evaluated all options to best position the company for the future, we have been unable to ﬁnd a sustainable path forward, given competition from foreign fast fashion companies, which have been able to take advantage of the de minimis exemption to undercut our brand on pricing and margin,” Chief Financial Officer Brad Sell said in a statement.

The de minimis tax exemption lets shipments headed to U.S. businesses and consumers valued at less than $800 to enter the country tax-free and duty-free Forever 21 stores in the U.S. will hold liquidation sales and the website will continue to run while operations wind down The retailer’s locations outside of the U.S. are run by other licensees and are not included in the bankruptcy ﬁling. International store locations and websites will continue operating as normal.

Forever 21 has stores in Baton Rouge New Orleans, Metairie, Lafayette, Gretna and Bossier City

PepsiCo buys prebiotic soda brand Poppi

PepsiCo said Monday it’s acquiring the prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion

The acquisition gives PepsiCo a fast-growing brand in the popular functional beverage category

“More than ever, consumers are looking for convenient and great-tasting options that fit their lifestyles and respond to their growing interest in health and wellness,” PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said in a statement.

Allison Ellsworth, the cofounder of Austin, Texas-based Poppi, said the combination with PepsiCo will expand Poppi’s reach.

Ellsworth developed Poppi — then known as Mother Beverage — in her kitchen in 2015 because she loved soda but was tired of the way it made her feel. She mixed fruit juices with apple cider vinegar, sparkling water and prebiotics and sold the drink at farmer’s markets. The brand took off in 2018 when Ellsworth and her husband pitched it on “Shark Tank.” An investor on the show, Rohan Oza, took a stake in Mother Beverage and undertook a major rebrand. Poppi, with its brightly-colored fruitforward cans, was born.

Meta deal ‘changed the narrative’ of La.

Entergy CEO says more opportunities will be available

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor

After luring Meta’s largest data

center to Richland Parish, the CEO of Entergy Louisiana said Monday the state is poised to take advantage of economic opportunities driven by the push for artiﬁcial intelligence and renewable energy

“We can’t really name who is out there, but the Meta announcement created a lot of interest,” Phillip May told the Press Club of Baton Rouge. May said Meta’s decision to build a $10 billion data center in

north Louisiana, “changed the narrative” of the state.

caused by retiring facilities and general economic growth.

“Changing that narrative and being able to produce such an outstanding economic win means that we are able to attract more of those opportunities to improve the outcomes of our families in our community,” he said.

Entergy plans on building three new power plants to meet the needs of the Richland Parish facility The plants will be powered by natural gas but will have the ability to generate power from hydrogen and capture carbon dioxide.

Beyond that, May said Entergy is considering adding two additional power plants to meet the needs

Entergy is accepting requests for proposals from operators who would build the plants and sell electricity to the company or sell the generating facilities outright.

The company also is accepting requests for a 3,000-megawatt solar facility, driven by the demands of industrial customers who want clean, reliable power May said.

Those investments will improve service for existing Entergy customers, with Meta absorbing much of the tab, because of the amount of power it will use, he said.

Louisiana is one of the most challenging places to keep electrical power running in the entire U.S., due to the frequency of lightning strikes in population centers like New Orleans and Baton Rouge, tropical storms hitting the state regularly, the fast rate of tree growth and the fact that utility poles sink into the ground.

“In order for us to continue to attract industry to Louisiana, we need a more resilient grid,” May said. “The grid we have today was designed at a time when we dealt with a very different environment.”

Entergy has launched a fivwyear plan to improve the resilience and reliability of the power grid. The work will involve 21,000 projects around the state, including at least 100 projects to harden the system.

Spending patterns at Costco have changed to accommodate a soured view of the economy, including a shift toward ground beef and poultry instead of more expensive cuts of meat, said Costco CEO Gary Millership.

U.S. shoppers warily increase their spending in February

Anxiety over the economy seemingly takes hold

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and ANNE D’INNOCENZIO AP business writers

WASHINGTON U.S. shoppers stepped up their spending just a bit in February after a sharp pullback the previous month, signaling that Americans are shopping more cautiously as concerns about the direction of the economy mount.

Retail sales rose 0.2% in February, a small rebound after a sharp drop of 1.2% in January, the Commerce Department said Monday Sales rose at grocery stores, home and garden stores, and online retailers. Sales fell at auto dealers, restaurants, and electronics stores. The small increase suggests Americans may be growing more wary about spending as the stock market has plunged and President Donald Trump’s tariff threats and government spending cuts have led to wide-

spread uncertainty among consumers and businesses.

Some economists were relieved the numbers weren’t worse. Still, many expect consumer spending will grow 1% to 1.5% at an annual rate in the first three months of this year, far below the 4.2% gain in the final quarter last year “Consumer spending is on track to slow sharply this quarter but not by as much as we previously feared,” Stephen Brown, an economist at Capital Economics, a consulting firm, said in an email.

On Friday, a measure of consumer sentiment fell sharply for the third straight month and is now down more than 20% since December Respondents to the University of Michigan’s survey cited policy uncertainty as a leading reason for the gloomier outlook. While the respondents were divided sharply by party — sentiment about the current economy fell among Republicans by much less than for Democrats Republicans’ conﬁdence in the economy’s future dropped 10%.

February sales also fell last month at gas

stations, clothing stores, and sporting goods stores.

The ﬁgures aren’t adjusted for prices, and the cost of gas also declined in February, which likely accounts for most of the drop. Excluding gas and autos, retail sales rose 0.5%, a healthier ﬁgure but still modest after a plunge of 0.8% in January

The retail sales report mostly just covers goods purchases — as well as restaurant sales — but there are signs Americans are cutting back spending on services as well.

Airline executives at JP Morgan’s airline industry conference last week said bookings have fallen.

“There was something going on with economic sentiment, something going on with consumer conﬁdence,” said Delta CEO Ed Bastian at the industry conference.

Expected tariffs on lumber, appliances driving up prices

BY ALEX VEIGA and MAE ANDERSON AP business writers

Shopping for a new home? Ready to renovate your kitchen or install a new deck? You’ll be paying more to do so.

The Trump administration’s tariffs on imported goods from Canada, Mexico and China some already in place, others set to take effect in a few weeks are already driving up the cost of building materials used in new residential construction and home remodeling projects

The tariffs are projected to raise the costs that go into building a single-family home in the U.S. by $7,500 to $10,000, according to the National Association of Home

Builders.

Such costs are typically passed along to the homebuyer in the form of higher prices, which could hurt demand at a time when the U.S housing market remains in a slump and many builders are having to offer buyers costly incentives to drum up sales.

We Buy Houses in San Francisco, which purchases foreclosed homes and then typically renovates and sells them, is increasing prices on its refurbished properties between 7% and 12%. That’s even after saving $52,000 in costs by stockpiling 62% more Canadian lumber than usual.

“The uncertainty of how long these tariffs will continue has been the most challenging aspect of our planning,” said CEO Mamta Saini.

The timing of the tariffs couldn’t be worse for homebuilders and the home remodeling industry, as this is typically the busiest time of year for home sales. The prospect of a

trade war has roiled the stock mar-

ket and stoked worries about the economy which could lead many would-be homebuyers to remain on the sidelines.

“Rising costs due to tariffs on imports will leave builders with few options,” said Danielle Hale chief economist at Realtor.com.

“They can choose to pass higher costs along to consumers, which will mean higher home prices, or try to use less of these materials which will mean smaller homes.”

Prices for building materials, including lumber have been rising, even though the White House has delayed its tariffs rollout on some products. Lumber futures jumped to $658.71 per thousand board feet on March 4, reaching their highest level in more than two years.

The increase is already inﬂating costs for construction projects. Dana Schnipper, a partner at building materials supplier JC Ryan in Farmingdale, New York,

sourced wooden doors and frames for an apartment complex in Nassau County from a company in Canada that cost less than the American equivalent.

Half the job has already been supplied. But once the tariff goes into effect it will be applied to the remaining $75,000, adding $19,000 to the at-cost total Once JC Ryan applies its markup, that means the customer will owe $30,000 more than originally planned, Schnipper said.

He also expects the tariffs will give American manufacturers cover to raise prices on steel components.

“These prices will never come down,” Schnipper said. “Whatever is going to happen these things will be sticky and hopefully we’re good enough as a small business, that we can absorb some of that. We can’t certainly absorb all of it, so I don’t know It’s going to be an interesting couple of months.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By DAVID ZALUBOWSKI

St. Patrick’s Day brings celebrations across U.S.

By The Associated Press

NEWYORK St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish, was marked across the United States on Monday with boisterous parades and festivities.

Across the pond, the Irish capital of Dublin culminated its three-day festival with a parade. Cities such as Liverpool, England, another city transformed by Irish immigration, also hosted celebrations on St. Patrick’s feast day

School marching bands and traditional Irish pipe and drum ensembles ambled down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue with uniformed delegations from the police and ﬁre departments in New York City, which hosts one of the nation’s largest and oldest

Residents clean up after major storms

BY SAFIYAH RIDDLE and JOHN SEEWER Associated Press

PLANTERSVILLE, Ala. — Darren Atchison loaded his all-terrain vehicle with granola bars and sports drinks, avoiding downed trees Monday as he delivered supplies to a neighborhood pummeled by one of the many deadly tornadoes that ripped through the U.S. South and Midwest.

The three-day outbreak of severe weather across eight states kicked up a devastating combination of wildﬁres, dust storms and tornadoes, claiming at least 42 lives since Friday

Two people were killed by a twister in Atchison’s tiny Alabama hometown of Plantersville. One of the lives lost was that of 82-year-old Annie Free, who “just looked out for everyone,” Atchison said. The tornado struck her home, leaving only the front patio behind.

More than a half-dozen houses were destroyed while others were left in rough shape, some with walls peeled clean off. The tornado ﬂipped a trailer onto its roof and toppled trees in every direction. Also killed was Dunk Pickering, a ﬁxture in the community who often hosted live music events and helped neighbors during tough times.

“Whether he knew you or not, he would help anyone. I’ve known him for 20 years. He’s been like that ever since the day I ﬁrst met him,” said John Green, who found Pickering’s body in the wreckage of a building just across the street from Green’s own home. Green and other neighbors spent at least ﬁve hours Saturday night pulling people from the rubble and carrying them to paramedics who were unable to reach the area because roads were blocked by debris.

Wildfires in Oklahoma

Wind-driven wildfires across the state destroyed more than 400 homes over the weekend and will continue to be a threat in the coming days because of high winds.

Dozens of ﬁres were still burning across the state on Monday, said Keith Merckx at Oklahoma Forestry Services, and much of the state including the Oklahoma City area remained under fire warnings.

While conditions over the weekend allowed crews to get a handle on most wildﬁres across Texas and Oklahoma, forecasters at the National Weather Service said extremely critical ﬁre weather conditions were expected Tuesday over an area spanning from southeastern New Mexico through the Texas Panhandle and into western Oklahoma.

“These ﬁres, once they get started, become really hard

to stop. They move more quickly than our resources can keep up with,” Merckx said.

Four deaths so far were blamed on the ﬁres or high winds, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said. More than 70 homes were destroyed by wildfire outbreaks Friday in and around Stillwater, home to Oklahoma State University Tornadoes and high winds

In Mississippi, six people died and more than 200 were displaced by a string of tornadoes across three counties, the governor said.

Within about an hour of each other on Saturday, two big twisters tore through the county that’s home to hard-hit Tylertown, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service.

parades.

As a light morning rain fell, the rolling celebration made its way north past designer shops and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a stunning Neo Gothic landmark that’s the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Mayor Eric Adams donned a green cap and scarf and waved an Irish flag while Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan greeted marchers wearing a green, white and orange sash — the national colors of the Emerald Isle.

“It’s fantastic to be here,” said Ryan Hanlon, vice chairman of the parade’s board of directors. “We’re getting a little bit of rain at the moment, but as we Irish call it, it’s just liquid sunshine.”

The New York celebration, now in its 264th year dates

to 1762 — 14 years before the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The parade was scheduled to last through the afternoon, ending on the east side of Central Park, about 35 blocks from where it started. That’s much, much longer than the 98-foot route in the resort town of Hot Springs, Arkansas, which claims it hosts the World’s Shortest St. Patrick’s Day Parade. And in Savannah, thousands of revelers in gaudy green costumes crowded sidewalks and oak-shaded squares as the South’s largest St. Patrick’s Day parade wound through the historic Georgia city This parade marked its 200th anniversary a year ago, tracing its origins to the day Irish immigrants marched to church in March 1824.

Scattered twisters and storm damage led to the deaths of at least 13 people in Missouri, including a 30-year-old man who along with his dog was found dead from carbon monoxide poisoning after he was using a generator indoors during the storm, authorities said. In Arkansas, officials conﬁrmed three deaths.

on their home in

North

As the storm headed east, two boys ages 11 and 13 were killed when a

day, according to ﬁreﬁghters in Transylvania County. Firefighters found them amid the uprooted 3-footwide tree after relatives said they had been trapped in their bedroom, officials said.

tree fell

western

Carolina early Sun-

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ADAM GRAy

People wave green flags Monday during the 264th New york City St. Patrick’s Day parade in New york.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ROGELIO V. SOLIS Steve Romero, 23, center, hugs his fiancée, Hailey Hart, right, and their friend Jessica Soileau on Sunday in Tylertown, Miss., after recalling how he, Hart and their three dogs rode out Saturday’s tornado in their small 1994 Toyota.

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LOUISIANA AT LARGE

A shimmy and shake of plans

While the show must go on, sometimes it doesn’t go as planned.

In theory, the plan for this column was to recount the adventure of my having a walk-on role in Le Petit Theatre’s production of “Jersey Boys” this past weekend. A serious case of laryngitis/ bronchitis changed those plans In fact, the show did go on, but I ended up spending the weekend in bed. Fortunately, Le Petit has more shows. I’ll have my chance to fake my way across this coming weekend. “Jersey Boys” is scheduled to run through April 6, but because of its popularity, they may be adding additional shows.

If you haven’t been to Le Petit Theatre, there are things you should know First, I can’t think of a more charming theater anywhere. It is one of those places that has a certain magic to it.

The historic theater got its start way back in 1916. It’s been in its current location, just off Jackson Square in the French Quarter at 616 St. Peter St., since 1922. The theater’s lobby is connected to the restaurant Tableau, in all of its New Orleans glory with a courtyard so picturesque that every time I look at it, I want to paint the scene — and I draw so poorly that my stick ﬁgures need therapy Even still, when I look at that particular courtyard, I wish I had a canvas. It strikes all the right New Orleans chords. Theater patrons take in all of that charm before even entering the 300-seat theater Once inside, the space is cozy and feels good. Though I’ve only seen one show there, I went to a “Jersey Boys” practice two weeks ago, which I loved since I’ve long been a fan of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. What is a sitzprobe?

The theater folks explained that this wasn’t just any old practice, this was the sitzprobe. If “sitzprobe” leaves you with a puzzled expression, you are not alone. Two weeks post-sitzprobe, I can enlighten you First, “sitzprobe” is German for “seated rehearsal.” The event is the rehearsal when the cast and orchestra rehearse together for the ﬁrst time, focusing solely on the music and singing, with no staging or costumes Theater people get excited about the sitzprobe. The coming together of different groups of people who have been preparing and practicing separately is monumental. Before the sitzprobe started, the actors were milling around the theater I met Stephanie Toups Abry who’s playing a double role. Not only is she Le Petit’s development director, she also has the role of Lorraine in “Jersey Boys.” Abry, who is originally from Baton Rouge, got her start at Le Petit when they did “Beautiful” a few years ago.

“It was my ﬁrst kind of dipmy-toe into the audition scene here — and got cast as Cynthia,” Abry said. “I joke that I pestered AJ (Allegra) and DonScott (Cooper) until they let me stay.” Cooper is Le Petit’s producing executive director Allegra is the theater’s artistic director Both take a hands-on approach with every show, and Allegra is codirecting “Jersey Boys.” On cue, Allegra joined us.

District public defenders fired

Decision believed to be connected with criticism of new law

BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer

A year after the Louisiana Legislature passed a controversial bill giving more power to a state public defender appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry, ﬁve chief public defenders have been told they are losing their jobs.

In letters dated Feb. 27, State Public Defender Rémy Starns told the ﬁve ofﬁcials their contracts, which expire July 1, would not be renewed They are Michelle AndrePont of Caddo Parish, Trisha Ward of Evangeline Parish, Brett Brunson of Natchitoches Parish, Deirdre Fuller of Rapides Parish and John Hogue of East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes.

Ward and AndrePont contend the group was targeted because they criticized Starns and Act 22, the law passed last year that gave him more power. Starns manages Louisiana’s public defense system but must consult the Louisiana Public Defender Board over some decisions.

State Sen. Mike Reese, R-Leesville, sponsored Act 22. Neither he nor Starns responded to requests for comment. When the legislation was passed, public defenders and some legal scholars argued it placed too much power into the hands of the governor — and the state, which is also responsible for prosecutions. They argue the previous arrangement, which vested more power

in the board, made public defenders more independent.

Meanwhile, Starns argued the bill would help win more funding for public defense. Reese said it would make the system more efficient and give the Legislature greater conﬁdence in how funds are spent.

The Public Defenders’ Association of Louisiana has spoken out against the recent ﬁrings, issuing a news release that said the ﬁve public defenders have 115 years of combined experience.

“I’m incredibly saddened by (the job loss) because I have spent my entire career serving as a public defender,” said Ward, adding that public defense was the reason she went to law school.

She and AndrePont said they believed Act 22 paved the way for their ﬁrings.

All ﬁve district chiefs who stand to lose their contracts are appealing those decisions with the Louisiana Public Defender Oversight Board.

They argue they were fired without just cause and say they were not given reasons for the nonrenewal of their contracts, according to letters they wrote to the board.

In those letters, they all said they believed the firings are at least partly retaliatory

“There are no reasons for it,” Ward said in an interview “My ofﬁce is running well. I had lunch with my judges this week, and they said they had no complaints,

designed to

by cutting

PROGRESSIVE PREVENTION

Departments to get electric vehicle fire blankets

BY AIDAN McCAHILL Staff writer

Following the Jan. 1 Tesla Cybertruck explosion in Las Vegas, Baton Rouge resident and Cybertruck owner Daniel Miremont asked local firefighter Danny Smith how his department planned to manage similar electric vehicle fires.

Smith said firefighters use special blankets to smother such vehicle fires, though there were only two of them to use between East Baton Rouge Parish’s multiple fire departments.

“I said, ‘I’m going to buy one for every station,’” Miremont said Monday

National data shows electric vehicles tend to catch fire less often than their gasguzzling cousins. When they do, there are unique risks for firefighters.

Due to their lithium-ion batteries, those that do usually burn longer at higher tem-

peratures and can reignite after being extinguished. Electric vehicle ﬁres can also release toxic fumes like heavy metals, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide.

“It’s not like a normal vehicle ﬁre where you can put water on it and it goes out immediately,” said Michael Kimble, Baton Rouge Fire Department chief. “This is a whole different game that we’re playing with electric vehicles.”

The 75-pound silica blankets can endure up to 2,900 degrees Fahrenheit, according to FireIsolator, the blanket’s manufacturer The blankets cut off oxygen fueling the ﬁre, which prevents collateral damage and stiﬂes the spread of toxic fumes, according to FireIsolator’s website.

The 10 blankets he donated cost Miremont more than $20,000, he said.

“I just shot off the cuff,” said Miremont, former president of Compliance EnviroSystems who is a co-owner of Kennerbased general contractor BLD Services “If it helps the community, all of us win.”

Each of the following area ﬁre departments will receive at least one silica blanket:

n Baton Rouge Fire Department

n Pride Volunteer Fire Department

n Baker Fire Department

n Central Fire Department

n Chaneyville Volunteer Fire Department

n District 6 Fire Department

n Brownfield Volunteer Fire Department

n Zachary Fire and Rescue

n East Side Fire Department

The progressive prevention strategy contrasts with consumer habits in Louisiana, which ranks 49th in the nation for electric vehicle market share.

Still, while an electric vehicle ﬁre hasn’t yet occurred in East Baton Rouge Parish, Kimble said the rapid rise in popularity of these vehicles makes those occurrences all but inevitable.

Between 2017 and 2022, electric vehicle registrations in the state increased by 486%, according to Louisiana Clean Fuels, a local nonproﬁt

“We’ve seen the potential around the country, so we’re just preparing for when it happens,” Kimble said. “There is always more training that should always be done, but I do say we are more prepared now.”

Judge pushes back trial for 2019 murder

Evidence disclosures delay case in activist’s killing

BY MATT BRUCE Staff writer

After more than five years of anticipation, the murder trial of a man accused of killing beloved Baton Rouge civil rights activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph was on the verge of getting underway Monday But new information handed

over to defense attorneys less than 48 hours in advance delayed Ronn Jermaine Bell’s trial by least a few more months. District Judge Brad Myers bristled over the latest derailment but was compelled to grant a motion postponing the

killing. But Bell’s New Orleans attorney, Randy Dukes, told the judge that prosecutors sent him an email Saturday that contained information about the case he wasn’t previously made aware of. Roberts-Joseph was a 75-yearold local civil rights icon who founded Baton Rouge’s ﬁrst African-American history museum. She was discovered suffocated in the trunk of her car July 12, 2019. The vehicle was found behind an abandoned house in the 2300 block of North 20th Street. Bell was a tenant of one of

STAFF PHOTO By JOHN BALLANCE

Judy and Daniel Miremont stand in front of one of the 10 electric vehicle fire blankets they donated The EV blankets are

smother

res

off the oxygen supply and containing flames.

Fugitive doctor arrested

Man allegedly tampered with sister’s monitor

BY MICHELLE HUNTER Staff writer

A New Orleans doctor accused of trying to remove his sister’s ankle monitor ahead of her manslaughter trial has been arrested at a northeast Louisiana hospital, according to authorities.

Dr Kerry Sterling, 49, was wanted by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce on counts including being an accessory after the fact to manslaughter and tampering with electronic monitoring equipment, according to Captain Jason Rivarde, JPSO spokesperson.

Sterling was arrested Friday at Madison Parish Hospital in Tallulah where he was working as a traveling physician. Hospital employees tried to prevent Madison Parish Sheriff’s Ofﬁce deputies from taking Sterling into custody, Rivarde said. But he was eventually arrested and booked into the Madison Parish jail as a fugitive.

Sterling has been on the run since March 11, when a bail bond agent caught him using a soldering iron to cut a GPS monitoring cuff from the ankle of his sister, Kyana Traylor, said Matt Dennis, cofounder of Assured Supervision Accountability Program.

Traylor, 37, was wearing the monitor while free on bond while awaiting her Monday trial in the death of George Singleton, according to court records.

Traylor is charged with manslaughter, accused of starving and beating the 32-year-old mentally and physically disabled Singleton before allowing him to slowly bleed to death over the course of about 12 hours, Sheriff’s Ofﬁce investigators said.

Traylor was wanted by authorities after missing a hearing in the case on March 10, according to court records. That same day Dennis said he suspects Sterling posed as Traylor’s doctor at a local hospital where she was admitted for strokelike symptoms.

Traylor’s “doctor” had asked an ASAP company employee to remove her ankle monitor so she could get an MRI. The employee removed the monitor, but it was put back on when a bail bond agent, who thought the request was suspicious, later found Traylor trying to leave the hospital, according to Dennis.

Sterling was caught attempting to remove the cuff the next day while parked on a street in New Orleans’ Bywater neighborhood, authorities said.

Traylor was taken to the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna and a judge later revoked her bond, according to court records.

Sterling is expected to be taken to Jefferson Parish in the next few days, Rivarde said.

FIRED

Continued from page 1B

and they also said they had talked to my attorneys who felt the same way.” Brunson called the firing “an act of retaliation” for exercising his “1st Amendment right to freedom of speech” — and “in particular, for having spoken in opposition to (Act 22) in committee hearings of the second special session of the Louisiana Legislature last year,” he wrote in his letter “We as district defenders need to be able to speak out and offer our input into the process because we have a lot of experience,” Hogue said “I think Rémy Starns should welcome that input.” Act 22 was not the only issue over which these ofﬁcials have

Group: Judge should face ‘public censure ’

Commission dings Foret over language

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff writer

Judge Donald “Chick” Foret‘s use of salty or biased language in several judicial settings warrants a “public censure,” according to the Louisiana Judiciary Commission.

The commission issued its recommendation Friday to the Louisiana Supreme Court, which is the ultimate arbiter of discipline for state judges.

The commission found that Foret, a former TV news legal analyst before he won a seat on the state bench in Gretna in 2020, violated eight judicial canons over several reported outbursts in his ﬁrst year on the 22nd Judicial District Court

Among them: Foret lost his temper and allegedly swore at his criminal clerk during an emotional trial He’s also accused of refusing to recuse himself after expressing bias in a civil case against nursing homeowner Bob Dean over the botched evacuation of seven facilities during Hurricane Ida.

In that instance Foret cut loose his personal sentiments against a local attorney, Jason Baer, during a bench conference at which he described Baer to other lawyers

as a “piece of s***”. An ad hoc judge found that Foret could remain on the case, but a state appeals court disagreed and tossed him from it. In yet another incident, Foret is accused of weighing in for one side in civil settlement talks, instructing one lawyer to tell another to “go f*** himself” if he didn’t raise his client’s offer

To the commission in December, Foret described the complaints lodged against him mostly as a product of an intense work ethic, an old-school penchant for profanity and mistakenly bringing a lawyer’s mentality to the job of a jurist.

A former state and federal prosecutor, Foret insisted that he’d cleaned up his act in the more than two years since the incidents that drew complaints. He said he’s sought counsel from a priest and a veteran retired judge, Dennis Waldron.

“I know what mistakes I’ve made,” Foret said then. “As clear as I can hear the calliope on the Mississippi River, that’s the clarity I have in my life. I’m not perfect.”

The commission, however, found by “clear and convincing” evidence that Foret had crossed several ethical lines.

It cited a “pattern of inappropriate judicial demeanor and comments indicating bias as well as

his failure to recuse himself on a matter after questioning his own ability to be impartial.”

Foret’s attorney, Gus Fritchie, issued a statement on Monday

“Judge Foret is pleased that the (commission) concluded that he is a strongly driven, hardworking, and extremely passionate judge who is widely seen as exceptionally well-prepared, conversant about the speciﬁc details of each case, having a good heart, and striving to do the right thing by the parties and attorneys in his court,” it read.

“Judge Foret also appreciates the fact that the (commission) speciﬁcally found that there was no evidence that he exploited his position as a judge to satisfy his own personal desires, rather that, at most, some of Judge Foret’s conduct appeared to result of his frustration or anger when others did not meet his personal standards.”

The Louisiana Supreme Court has not yet set a hearing over the commission’s findings. A public censure is near the low end of a spectrum of possible discipline for judges available to the court, up to removal from the bench.

The court last suspended a judge last year when it benched Judge Vercell Fifﬁe of St. John the Baptist Parish for three months for ignoring court orders and failing to sign warrants.

RISHER

Continued from page 1B

Abry explained that I would have one of the walk-on roles in an upcoming show

At this point, it’s important to note that I was recording the conversation, because it wasn’t until I went back and listened that it hit me what Allegra said next which is the biggest clue I have about exactly what I’ll be doing in the show

Discovering this added detail was not, shall we say, comforting. He said, “You’re gonna shimmy and shake like you’re doing a, like you’re doing a beach blanket

clashed with Starns. Brunson

wrote that he told the board he opposed Starns’ plan for compensating chief defenders. That plan came up during a June board meeting, when Starns said his plan would “(align) the expenditures for district defender compensation more closely with what the district can actually sustain with the funding it actually has.”

The public defender board has not adopted Starns’ plan; Ward, AndrePont, Pogue and Brunson all raised objections to it.

Hogue said the new plan would create disproportionately lower salaries in poor, rural districts. Ward said the new plan would have cut her salary between $42,500 and $59,000.

In a follow-up interview Friday, she said the old plan valued district chiefs’ experience as line defenders, and that it favored full-time chiefs. “Citizens deserve a full-time

bingo.”

He went on to tell me that 62 people are working to make “Jersey Boys” happen, including 16 in the cast and 10 people in the orchestra The rest of the crew are behind the scenes building the sets, creating the costumes, handling the lighting/sound and directing music/vocals There’s also stage management/run crew, directors/choreography, wigs/ hair and makeup. Then there are the front-of-house people production, and for this show set in New Jersey, they hired a dialect coach. I’ve since worked with the theater’s costume department to get my wardrobe I’m working now to regulate my breathing regard-

public defender who works as hard as they do,” she said. What Act 22 did Before Act 22 passed, an 11-member Louisiana Public Defender Board selected the state public defender and had the ﬁnal say in contracting decisions, the selection of chief defenders and how to distribute funds among parishes.

The governor appointed two members of the board outright, and another four members who had been nominated by four law schools. The remaining ﬁve members were selected by various organizations, among them the Louisiana State Bar Association, which chose two, and the Louisiana State Law Institute’s Children’s Code Committee, which chose one. Act 22 overhauled that system, allowing the governor to select the state public defender who in turn can hire and ﬁre district

ter, Angela Manchen. Brogan was the Baton Rouge Police Department homicide detective that led the investigation into Roberts-Joseph’s killing.

Manchen told Brogan in July 2019 that she spoke to a woman who said she saw a man in Roberts-Joseph’s car the night her body was discovered. In a separate email days later, Manchen emailed Brogan address listings of Roberts-Joseph’s rental properties.

Then on March 6, Manchen relayed that she spoke to a man earlier this month who told her he made a 911 call to authorities the night the victim was found dead.

Dukes said none of the revelations were ever disclosed to him before, and could have led to useful pieces of evidence to exonerate Bell or help the defendant’s case.

“From the beginning of this investigation, the Police Department has focused on Ronn Bell and Ronn Bell only,” Dukes said. “Mr Bell is charged with second-degree murder If he’s convicted of this particular crime, he is going to jail for the remainder of his life. So he should have had the opportunity and deserves now the opportunity, to look into this information and investigate it.”

Assistant District Attorney Kathleen Barrios Heap disputed the notion that prosecutors withheld any evidence that could’ve been beneﬁcial to Bell. She said neither Manchen, investigators or prosecutors have a name or contact information for the woman who spoke to the victim’s daughter in 2019. She argued Roberts-Joseph’s rental property listings are public information that Bell’s legal team could’ve acquired through other means, such as probate records or the Clerk of Court’s Ofﬁce. Barrios Heap also told Myers the man who initially claimed he made a 911 call to report Roberts-Joseph’s body told Manchen he was with a group of people that made the discovery and he never made a 911 call himself. Barrios Heap gave Dukes the man’s name and contact info. She said she handed over audio recordings of both calls made to 911 and all other evidence in the case.

“As is our obligation, we made a timely disclosure of an email we obtained sent by the victim’s family to the lead detective in March of this year,” District Attorney Hillar Moore said afterward in a statement “That email also contained a previous email from July 2019 which we were previously unaware of but the email contents of the July email list properties believed to be owned by Ms. Sadie Roberts Joseph. Our obligation is to disclose matters which may be favorable to the defendant before a trial begins which we did.”

ing that “shimmy and shake” thing and mentally preparing.

My teensy-weensy minor role occurs during the song “Who Wears Short Shorts?”

There is one deﬁnite answer to the question that the song title poses: “Not me.”

The good news is that seats for “Jersey Boys” are open for all 13 remaining shows as of now, and adult tickets start at $47 (including all fees). Student tickets are $27 (including all fees) for all performances (through college, with ID). Go to lepetittheatre. com/events for ticket information.

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

chiefs and decide how to spend much of the $50 million public defense budget.

Along with the Senate, the new Louisiana Public Defender Oversight Board had to approve Starns’ nomination. It also must approve contracts worth over $250,000, and compensation plans for district chiefs. The new board also differs from the old one in the makeup of its appointees. Landry appointed four members outright, and he selected a ﬁfth from a list of three nominees. The Public Defenders Association of Louisiana and the Louisiana Association of Public Defense Lawyers created that list Meanwhile, the Supreme Court chose two members, and the Senate president and House speaker chose one each.

Email Meghan Friedmann at meghan.friedmann@ theadvocate.com.

Myers had doubts that investigators for the defense lawyer would be able to track down the potential witness that reached out to Manchen nearly six years later

Barrios Heap argued the emails didn’t amount to exculpatory evidence for Bell considering the state’s case against him, such as Bell’s statements to investigators and the fact that his DNA was found on RobertsJoseph’s hands and the steering wheel of her car

But Myers became visibly irked at one point during Monday’s hearing at the prospect of having to delay the trial at the last minute because investigators didn’t follow up on the information.

“I mean, this is so typical, quite frankly, of the sloppy, lazy work that’s done in these cases,” he said.

“You can see that the defendant has a right to investigate those leads that Mr Dukes talked about,” the judge said to prosecutors moments later before turning his attention to Dukes and granting his request for more time.

“I think ultimately, you will be running down some rabbit hole that’s going to produce absolutely no information that’s helpful to you. But I think you have a right to do that.”

LOTTERY

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 2025

PICK 3: 3-6-8

PICK 4: 3-1-9-6

PICK 5: 7-2-3-3-9

Unof

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Le Petit Theatre’s cast of ‘Jersey Boys’ rehearses for the first time with the band on March 6. The show will run through April 6, with a chance of being continued Le Petit Theatre is located in the French Quarter at 616 St. Peter St. in New Orleans.

Carlos Jose Armas, Jr. affectionately known as "Carlito" or "CJ", 29, of Marrero, passed away on March 4, 2025. He was born on February 2, 1996, and from the moment he entered this world, his bright green eyes and big, radiant smile could light up any room. Carlos had aheart bigger than his body —selfless, kind, and always ready to give more than he had. He loved deeply and unconditionally, touching the lives of everyone he met. His devotion to his family and friends was unwavering, and he took immense pride in being someone they could always count on. His infectious laugh and unique sense of humor could lift even the heaviest of hearts. Carlos never meta stranger; to know him was to love him. He truly lived to make others smile, leavinga lasting impact on everyone fortunate enough to cross his path. Family was everything to Carlos.Hewas fiercely loyal and brave, always standing by those he loved without hesitation. His strength and devotion to his familywere unmatched, and he was a constant source of comfort and protection for those closest to him.

Carlos is survived by his loving parents, Carlos Jose Armas, Sr. and Maria Leonor Rocha; his devoted sister, Karla Maria Armas Gilkers; his cherished daughter, Sofia K. Castillo Armas, who was the light of his life. Carlos's memory will live on in the hearts of those who loved him. His light, his love, and his laughter will never fade. Relatives, friends and associates are invited to attend his funeral services on Wednesday, March 19, 2025- Visitation and viewing will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 pm. Funeral Service immediately following, at Baloney Funeral Home, LLC, 1905 West Airline Highway, LaPlace, Louisiana 70068, (985)2248460. https://www.facebo ok.com/baloneyfuneralho me.

Guillory, James L. James L. Guillory, a resi‐dent of Jackson, passed away peacefully on Sun‐day, March 16, 2025 at LA War Veteran's Home in Jackson. He was 77 years old and was retired from Folks Vocational School in Jackson. Visitation will be on Wednesday, March 19, 2025 at Charlet Funeral Home in Zachary from 5pm until 8pm Visitation con‐tinues at Charlet Funeral Home on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 9am until Rite of Christian Burial at 11am conducted by Fr. Brad Doyle and Rev Clint Stew‐art Burial will be in Jack‐son Cemetery, Jackson He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Linda T. Guillory, children James A. Guillory and wife, Stacy, and Cherie Guillory Manning and hus‐band, Ricky Sister, Alice Sanders and husband Robert. 5 grandchildren Tyler Guillory, Bryne Man‐ning, Dara Manning Madi‐son Guillory and Aaron Manning. He is preceded in death by his parents, Wilbert and Carena Guil‐lory. Siblings, Glenda Guil‐lory, Hampton “Keno” Guil‐lory, and Freida Ferguson Pallbearers will be Tyler Guillory Hamp Guillory Melvin Templet, Michael Fontenot, Seth Pevey and Aaron Manning. Honorary pallbearers will be mem‐bers of Jackson Vol. Fire Department. James was a lifetime member of Jack‐son Vol Fire Department Share sympathies, condo‐lences and memories at www CharletFuneralHome. com

Stephen Craig Hunt, lov‐ingly known as Craig and most affectionately called "Pawpaw" by his grand‐children and their friends, passed away peacefully after a courageous 13-year battle with cancer. He faced every challenge with strength and grace, never complaining and always pressing forward Born in Zachary Louisiana, on April 26, 1958, Craig was a proud graduate of Zachary High School, where he played the drums in the band before continuing his education and musical passion at UL. He built a life centered on family, hard work and adventure Craig was the devoted hus‐band of Darlene Dodson Hunt for 46 years—a love that was the foundation of their family Together, they raised two children: Amy Hunt (Justin Cop) of Fred‐ericksburg, TX, and Stephen Hunt (Laurie) of Zachary, LA His greatest joy came from being "Paw‐paw" to AnnClaire, Ivan, MaryCatherine, JohnHunt Cop, Easton and Kaiden Hunt His role as a grandfa‐ther was one he cherished, and he never missed a mo‐ment to be present in their lives Craig was a beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend to many He had a way of making everyone feel like family, offering kindness, laugh‐ter, and unwavering sup‐port. Whether through his jokes, advice, or simply being there when needed he touched countless lives For 46 years, Craig was a skilled custom home builder, leaving his mark in both Zachary, LA, and Fred‐ericksburg, TX. He split his time between Louisiana and Texas, ensuring he was always near the peo‐ple he loved most Beyond his work, he was an avid ﬁsherman who loved spending time at his Old River camp, where some of his best memories were made with family He be‐lieved in making the most of life—whether that meant planning trips to bring everyone together or showing up for every sporting event competi‐tion, or special occasion There was never a dull mo‐ment with him, and his presence ﬁlled every room with warmth and laughter Craig is survived by his sib‐lings: Don Hunt (Rosalyn) Jeff Hunt (Sherlyn), Ginger Kent (Mike) Stacy Denicola (Mike), Brad Hunt (Kathy), and Tara Jones (Matt) Sis‐ter-in-law Scarlet Faulk (Gilbert) and brother in law, Jim Lipscombe was also a cherished uncle to many nieces and nephews, each of whom he loved dearly. He was preceded in death by his parents, Don‐ald DeWeitt Hunt Sr. and Shirley Claire Hunt; inlaws, AP and Clara Dodson; sister, Da’Anne Lipscomb (Jim); brother-in-law Mickey Dodson; niece, Jen‐nifer Hunt; and nephew DR McDavid. Craig’s legacy is one of love, laughter, and a deep commitment to fam‐ily and friends He lived with purpose and left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. His family and friends will forever cherish the memories made with him Pallbearers will be Ivan Cop, Easton Hunt, Kaiden Hunt, John‐Hunt Cop, Brandon Dodson, Don Hunt, Jeff Hunt, Brad Hunt Dennis Kirby and Ronnie Byrd. Visitation will be held at St John the Bap‐tist Catholic Church on Thursday, March 20th from 10am until Mass of Christ‐ian Burial at 1pm con‐ducted by Fr. Lamar Partin Burial will be in Hunt Fam‐ily Cemetery, Zachary Share sympathies, condo‐lences and memories at www CharletFuneralHome. com

Jeannette Schexnayder

Jeannette Schexnayder Lambert. Born on August 29, 1961, and passed away on March 14, 2025 at age of 63. Survived by a son Adam Joseph Lambert (Jessica); a daughter Ash‐ley Lambert Simon (Harley); a sister Odette Schexnayder Vicknair; a brother Otis Schexnayder Jr, (Ava); a brother, Charles McCarty (Rosemarie); a grandson Heath Simon and a loving companion, Paul Babin. Preceded in death by her husband, Warren Lambert, Jr.; her parents, Otis Schexnayder, Sr. and Shirley Richard Schexnayder; her siblings, Wayne McCarty and her grandson, Brayden Lam‐bert.Survived by numerous nephews and nieces and loving dog, Beau. She will be greatly missed by all who loved her She worked as a retail store manager for many years. She loved her family listening to 60’s and 70’s music as well as Christian music! Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Visitation and Funeral Service at Rose Lynn Funeral Home,1870 Cabanose Ave Lutcher LA. Visitation will be held on Wednesday March 19 2025 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and on Thursday from 9:00 a.m until 11:00 a.m followed by a Funeral Service at 11:00 a.m with services by Grace Church, Pastor Larry Rocquin. Bur‐ial in St Joseph Mau‐soleum, Paulina, LA. To view or sign the online guest book please visit www roselynnfuneral home.com

Morales, Donald Allen 'Donnie Moe' Donald Allen Morales, knows as “Donnie Moe passed away at his home in Brusly surrounded by his family on Sunday, March 16, 2025, at the age of 80 He was a native of Plaque‐mine and resident of Brusly. Donnie Moe started his career in the chemical plant before retiring then he taught a couple years at BRCC before retiring again Funeral services will be pri‐vate. Burial will be in Hracek Cemetery in Point Pleasant Donnie Moe is survived by his wife of 59 years Doris Berthelot Morales; their two chil‐dren, Donald “Donnie” Morales and wife Charlotte Burgess, Lisa Morales Hracek and husband Robert; four grandchildren, Ty Morales fiancée Cameron Landry, Allie Morales Raylan Hracek (Joey Foreman), Chance Hracek; two great-grand‐children, Blakely Foreman and Isabella Rae Morales; siblings, Cheryl Cavaliere and husband Harvey, Peggy Woods; mother-inlaw, Dorothy Dupuy. Donnie Moe was preceded in death by his parents, Lilly Woods and Claude Woods; and father-in-law, Adolph Berthelot. Donnie Moe was an avid hunter and fisher‐man He also liked to cheer on any LSU football and baseball player. In lieu of flowers, memorial dona‐tions may be made to your charity of choice. Please share memories at www wilbertservices.com

Passantino, Dora Berthelot 'Dora Jean'

Dora "Dora Jean" Berthelot Passantino passed away peacefully at Ochsner O'Neal withher family by her sideonSaturday, March 15, 2025, at the age of 67. She was a devoted caregiver, resident and nativeofBayou Pigeon, LA.Visitationwill be held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from 5to9pm and will resume on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from8 to 9am with mass of Christian Burial at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine at 10am. En-

Home, Plaquemine on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, from 5to9pm and will resume on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from8 to 9am with mass of Christian Burial at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine at 10am. Entombment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Dora Jean is survived by her daughters, Ashley Morgan (Adam), and Amber Naquin (Garrett); grandchildren, Blair Naquin, Garrett Naquin, Jr. (Anna), Keagan Falcon (Alexis), Brooklyn Naquin (Matthew), Braxton Wilson, Rose Marie Wilson, Alex Wilson, and Abigail Naquin; great grandchildren, Kaley Courville, Ella Cavalier, Kimberly Naquin Layla Cavalier, Riley Naquin, and Remi Naquin; partner in life, Randy Hanchett; siblings, Beatrice Coupel (Edley), and Noris Berthelot (Bernadette); godchildren, Mark Coupel and Tiffany Skinner; and numerous nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Thomas Passantino; great grandson, GarrettNaquin, III; parents, Clarence and Mary Solar Berthelot; and brother, Adam Berthelot. Pallbearers will be Garrett Naquin, Sr., Garrett Naquin, Jr., Keagan Falcon, Adam Morgan, Braxton Wilson Greg Wilson, Randy Hanchett, and Mark Coupel. Dora Jean enjoyed spending time with her family, dancing and fishing with Randy. To know Dora Jean was to knowlove.

Elenora Doreen Collins Purpera, age carried to the loving of Jesus on Friday, March 14, 2025, at home with family by her side. She was born on July 7, 1922, in Sheffield, England to the late Michael and Elenora Hayes Collins of CountyClare, Ireland. Following her brothers into WWII, she proudly served in the Women's Royal Navy Service (WRNS) as Leading WREN where she met US Army Air CorpsCpl. Jimmie Purpera, both stationed in Scotland. Married on VE Day, May 8, 1945, at St Catherine's in Sheffield, not knowing thewar had ended,they arrived to find the church fullofstrangers who had flocked to the "Peace Mass", also their wedding. She was devoted to her family, her faithin Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and Our Blessed Mother Mary, and was a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Doreen is preceded in deathbyhusband of 65 years, Jimmie Purpera; grandson, Samuel James Purpera; and brothers, Dennis (Betty), James "Jim", John (Mary), and Michael (Pauline) Collins, all of Sheffield,England. She is survived by her children, Doreen Camus (Michael), James Purpera (Cherie), and Nancy Purpera (Gary Surber); grandchildren, Bernadette Cutrer (Lester), Jennifer Camus, Sarah Surber (Bradley), James Purpera, Jr. (Avery), Abby &Emily Purpera; great grandchildren, Katie Corley, Brett Cutrer (Hannah), Courtney Cutrer, Alexis Camus, Landon &Sammy Williamson Oliver &Emrys Bounds; great-great grandchildren Grayson &Claire Corley, Simon Cutrer, and soon to be born, Mayson Camus; countless nephews and nieces. Her faith and legacy live on throughfive generations who will always remember her hospitality, humility, humor and playfulness. "Granny" was the epitome nating ence person She teller, advent friend Her sharp with at Home, Baton Wednesd 2025, the vices immed Greenoaks

preceded in death by husband of 65 years, Jimmie Purpera; grandson, Samuel James Purpera; andbrothers, Dennis (Betty), James "Jim", John (Mary), and Michael (Pauline) Collins, all of Sheffield, England. She is survived by her children, Doreen Camus (Michael), James Purpera (Cherie), and Nancy Purpera (Gary Surber); grandchildren,Bernadette Cutrer (Lester), Jennifer Camus, Sarah Surber (Bradley), James Purpera, Jr. (Avery), Abby &Emily Purpera; great grandchildren, Katie Corley, Brett Cutrer (Hannah), Courtney Cutrer, Alexis Camus, Landon &Sammy Williamson, Oliver &Emrys Bounds; great-great grandchildren, Grayson &Claire Corley, Simon Cutrer, andsoon to be born, Mayson Camus; countless nephews and nieces. Her faith and legacy live on through five generations who will always remember her hospitality, humility, humor and playfulness. "Granny" was the epitome of goodness, emanating peaceinher presence and makingevery person andpet feel loved. She was agreat storyteller, sharing tales of her adventures with family, friends, neighbors, nurses. Her sharp wit never dulled with age. Visitation will be at Greenoaks Funeral Home, 9595 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, from 12:30pm until the time of funeral services at 2pm. Burial will immediately follow at Greenoaks Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please make donationstoBuddy Walk- dsagbr.org in Memory of Samuel James Purpera or your favorite charity. Family and friends are invited to sign the online guestbook at www.gre enoaksfunerals.com

Rachel Drago Wall passed away on Friday, March 14, 2025, surrounded by her lovingfamily at the age of 58. Shewas anative of Baton Rouge, Louisiana anda resident of Prairieville, Louisiana. She is survived by her husband of 33 years, Richard G. Wall, Jr., Major, USAF Retired; father, William P. Drago III; brother, Stephen Drago; sister, Dawn Drago; sisters-in-law, Robin Hunter and husband, Sterling, Kathleen Friend and husband, David, and Amanda Brown; nephews, Brandon Drago and girlfriend Brittany Matherne, Travis Drago and wife Brittanie, Cody Drago and wife Amanda, Sterling Hunter, Jr. and wife Cambrea, Robert Hunter and wife Kim; niece, Katie Hassell and husband Kobe; greatnephews and nieces are Gage, Luca, Resa, Sofia, Emilia, and Jude Drago. She waspreceded in death by her mother, Joyce Drago; and sister-in-law, Donna Drago. The family would like to give aspecial thanks to the nurses at BRG OutpatientInfusion Unit as well as the many doctors, nurses, and staff who provided her care. Visitation will be held at St. John theEvangelist Catholic Church, 15208 LA73, Prairieville, LA 70769, on Friday, March 21, 2025, from 10:15 a.m. until Mass of Christian Burial at 12:00 p.m. with Fr. Andrew Merrick celebrating. Interment will follow at Resthaven Gardens of Memory. Pallbearers will be Brandon Drago, Travis Drago, Cody Drago, David Barbay, Sterling Hunter, and Robert Hunter. Honorary pallbearers will be Gage, Luca, and Jude Drago. In lieu of flowers, donationsmay be made to St. Joseph's Academy, 3015 Broussard Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. Family and friends may sign theonlineguestbook or leave apersonal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonroug e.com

In lie make donations to Buddy Walk- dsagbr.org in Memory of Samuel James Purpera or your favorite charity. Family and friends are invited to sign theonline guestbook at www.gre enoaksfunerals.com

Purpera, Doreen

Robertson, Lisa R.

Lisa R. Robertson,55, a resident of Clinton, LA, transitioned on March7, 2025. Ms. Robertson was an employee of the United States Postal Servicefor more than 28 years. Ms. Robertson is survived by her husband of 36 years, Joseph Robertson, daughter, ZaTabia Williams; son, Deandre Galmon;grandchildren,Kairo and Kaiyah Williams; mother, Ophelia Thomas and five sisters.

Armas, CarlosJose

Hunt, Stephen 'Craig'

Wall, Rachel Drago

Calling foul on effort to exempt NIL earnings from state taxes

Perhaps the best response to a new tax-relief idea in the Louisiana Legislature is to quote a famous on-court explosion by tennis great John McEnroe.

“You cannot be serious!”

Forgive us if we express scorn for a proposal by state Rep. Dixon McMakin R-Baton Rouge, which would exempt from state income taxes all “name, image and likeness” money earned by college athletes. The exemption would signify misplaced priorities and values, not to mention a stunning lack of fairness.

It also would be just bad tax policy on a macroeconomic level, not to mention a hypocritical step for this particular Legislature.

Let’s take that last point first. This is the same Legislature that late last year lowered tax rates in return for, among other things, significantly dialing back tax credits and special-interest deductions. The dial-backs were a recognition that state government should be providing a level playing field, not picking and choosing economic winners and losers — and also that abundant special-interest credits create economic inefficiencies the state should avoid.

Having just done that, how does it make sense to offer a huge exemption to an extremely small group of people who already are commanding large incomes at a young age? And doesn’t that open the state to yet a new round of supplicants begging for similarly favored treatment?

Next, consider priorities and values The combination of the name image and likeness system with wide-open rules for transferring among universities already has made college sports into an openly rent-a-player enterprise Before NIL and the transfer portal, college athletics at least had a tenuous, even if oft-violated, link to the overall educational enterprise. Transfers and NIL have reduced that tenuous link to a thread.

It’s a thread that tax-free earnings, all for playing a game, ineluctably would sever. And what message would it send about how the state values education if its policy for top athletes already getting paid mountains of cash indicates that the value of a free scholarship — itself an untaxed beneﬁt — is so negligible that the state also will exempt the athletes from regular taxes on personal income that every other worker in the state must pay?

Are we so besotted with the ability to throw balls or run fast that we need to turn athletes into their own, exalted class of citizen who can skate away from otherwise basic obligations of residence and employment in Louisiana? That brings us to the most basic issue, of fairness. Plumbers must pay state income taxes Attorneys and anesthetists must pay taxes; teachers and truck drivers must pay Why should barely adult athletes, already basking in beneﬁts, be absolved from the same civic requirements?

The Legislature should reject this proposal. It amply deserves a failing grade.

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

History shows dedicated taxes restore trust in government

I have been in the private practice of law for 51 years and served on many Metro Council committees for almost the same time. I feel like it’s Groundhog Day with a twist of “Ostrich Day” thrown in. Our local government still seems to have its head in the sand.

I served on two Plan of Government Amendment committees. The ﬁrst service resulted in writing into the Plan of Government the mandate requiring the Metro Council to adopt a comprehensive plan. I then served for two years on the steering committee to develop it, followed by four years to implement it.

During the initial phase, the mayor attempted to take the library tax, with the disastrous result of causing a good comprehensive bond issue to fail from mistrust.

I tried to get the city-parish to use a bar graph that would show what was being currently spent on each element,

and what additional amounts were needed according to the independent professional city planners hired at $1.4 million to create the comprehensive plan. The purpose was to build back trust using dedicated taxes.

I feel like it was Groundhog Day with the library tax as the same lighted match brought back the old distrust. It can be calculated exactly what amount is needed for 100 new police and raises for existing police. Dedicate that amount just like the library, and each element of the comprehensive plan.

Let’s not have an annual Ostrich Day

Prepare now for the bond issue with legally drafted hands-off dedicated taxes for purposes you know must be paid to move Baton Rouge toward the 22nd century ELLIOTT W. ATKINSON JR. Baton Rouge

Lack of safety striping makes Baton Rouge roads treacherous

The state of our roads’ striping is deplorable and unsafe. Each day, I make the drive on Interstates 12 and 10 without reflectors or fog lines in sight. It amazes me that the stretch of I-10 recently widened in East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes already is threadbare. Likewise, I-12 in East Baton Rouge near the Airline exit is completely devoid of striping or reflectors. And it is not just the interstates: Airline Highway, Jefferson Highway, Perkins and College all have plenty of areas where there is little to no striping and/or reflectors. If it is raining or if there is a glare on the road, good luck making it home in one piece.

TO SEND US A LETTER, SCAN HERE

Lauren Cheramie’s recent article on the oldest building in Baton Rouge, Magnolia Mound, completely buries the lead on the site’s legacy as a French colonial-era slave labor camp.

I would know: Armand Duplantier is my ancestor Although Cheramie mentions that Armand served as an aide-de-camp to the Marquis de Lafayette, she fails to mention that he was a slave owner whose own obituary referred to him as a “bright example of a master.”

Armand was, however, a typical slave owner one who sought economic stability and luxury by exploiting the bodies of enslaved Blacks. To that end, as Julia Anne Rose notes in her excellent dissertation on Magnolia Mound, he hosted the largest slave auction in West Florida — 200 enslaved persons — on the very grounds visitors now stroll.

Armand’s own ﬁnancial mismanagement necessitated selling off many enslaved people he inherited from his deceased uncle and from his second wife, Constance, a practice which ripped apart families to ensure the Du-

plantiers’ own comfortable lives.

As the historian Ed Baptist pithily stated, “such homes hide the real purpose of these places, which was to make African Americans toil under the hot sun for the proﬁt of the rest of the world.” If not from wealth derived from the work and misery of enslaved Black people, how else does an economically incompetent Frenchman acquire “a multimillion-dollar collection of art and furniture?”

In Cheramie’s article, the only substantive acknowledgment of Magnolia Mound’s history of Black enslavement is a quotation from special facility manager, John Sykes, which Cheramie puts in the very last paragraph of an article depicting a seemingly slaveless plantation.

If we are to make any progress toward an accurate understanding of our state’s past, it must start with recognizing that plantations — slave labor camps are only sites of beauty and wealth because of exploited, enslaved Black labor

ANDREW CERISE Columbia, South Carolina

What has been the most disheartening about this is trying to teach my children how to drive on roads that do not even have safety striping. It does not give me much conﬁdence in their safety on these roads with large trucks and maniac drivers who act as though they learned to drive by playing video games. I am also constantly blown away that it seems that people around our city do not give this a second thought. I guess it is the norm to be substandard and unsafe.

BARBARA L. IRWIN Baton Rouge

Importance of freedom of the press evident in letters

I have had a subscription for over 50 years. Every morning, I wake up with my coffee and my newspaper and I always read the letters to the editor But I must say the letters in the Feb. 26 edition were, in my view, the best ever They all addressed concerns about the current attacks on democracy in a way that all Americans should be concerned. I realize that the only reason that these opinions, and those on both sides of the political spectrum, are available is because of the freedom of the press and the good faith of your newspaper Thank you and please never back down from a ﬁght for our free press.

MARCY GERTLER New Orleans

EBR library deal shows how compromise and politics work

It’s rare that three different sides can walk away from a political ﬁght claiming a victory

But I think it’s fair to say that last week’s announcement of a compromise in the battle for library funds in East Baton Rouge Parish is a win for all the main parties involved: East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sid Edwards, the Library Board of Control and the Metro Council. What’s more, the process showed what can happen when all sides with very different political priorities and points of view — are willing to work together

These are the deal basics. The library’s dedicated millage will drop to 8.3, 2.8 mills below its current maximum of 11.1. The library will also agree to a rededication of approximately $52 million of its approximately $92 million reserve fund to help service city-parish debt and free up more revenue for the general fund. Other city-parish agencies, including Mosquito Abatement and the Council on Aging, will also surrender parts of their millages to the city-parish’s general fund as part of the deal.

This all helps the city-parish avert the ﬁscal nightmare created by St George taking its share of parish sales taxes.

Here’s why this is a win for Edwards, who’d originally proposed taking the library’s entire millage and reserve fund and putting them in the city-parish general fund.

He said the money would go for police raises. But that idea drew such heated opposition that he quickly withdrew the plan and came up with another more general proposal, which he termed “Revive EBR.” That also was panned. The coached-turned-mayor was in a pickle. Just two months into his new job, he was forced to confront a looming budget hole caused by the formation of the new city Driven by that and no doubt chastened by the vitriolic reactions the plans were drawing from residents at a number of community meetings, Edwards and his team kept working During Tuesday’s news conference, Edwards called the compromise a “huge win for Baton Rouge.” The new plan adds $37 million in revenue to the city-parish general fund without adding a new tax.

Edwards and his administration de-

serve praise for listening to residents and stakeholders. They weren’t ideological. In today’s highly toxic political environment, especially at the national level, that’s a rare quality. And here’s why the deal is also a win for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library Edwards came in with a real mandate just a couple of months ago. He’s new on the job and still relatively popular He could have hunkered down and insisted that it was his way or the highway At the very least, that would have forced library leaders to wage a bloody political battle just to get their millage in front of voters. It would have cost them time and effort with no guarantee of success.

The library is going to have to take a revenue cut, and there are many who don’t like that at all. But library ofﬁcials said Tuesday that the cut wouldn’t lead to shorter hours or other major cuts in service.

Even more importantly, the library keeps its dedicated millage, a major sticking point for system leaders who don’t want to have to trek up to the Metro Council every year and compete for the scarce dollars in the general fund.

The roughly $48 million that the 8.3 mills is expected to bring in will remain theirs and theirs alone.

More broadly, the library can rest assured that its position with voters as a beloved public good remains ﬁrm.

Residents of East Baton Rouge Parish

approximately 70% of whom have library cards, according to the system — love their libraries. And it showed. Finally, this was a win for the Metro Council. Tellingly, at Tuesday’s bubbly news conference, Edwards spoke for just a minute or two and let several Metro Council members take the mic and talk about this new plan, now branded “Thrive! East Baton Rouge.” Ever since Edwards ﬁrst announced his plan, Metro Council members, both Democrat and Republican, have been traversing the parish, collecting input in public meetings and private conversations. They knew, perhaps more than anybody, that there had to be some middle ground. And their work was instrumental in making Tuesday’s compromise happen.

Hudson noted that the council has become less partisan and more collaborative than at any time in his nine years as a member Racca said she was proud “to serve alongside this bipartisan group of leaders.”

That’s good, too, because they are going to need to work together The state’s capital city faces a number of daunting challenges. It will take broad and bipartisan efforts, like what we saw Tuesday, to overcome them. Perhaps the rest of the state ought to be taking notes.

Faimon A. Roberts III can be reached at froberts@theadvocate.com.

Reparations for enslaved descendants a bad idea

A new law, buried inside an otherwise obscure piece of federal legislation, permits the Washington, D.C., City Council to establish a commission that will give “reparations” to descendants of enslaved people who can demonstrate how slavery and Jim Crow laws have negatively affected their lives. Talk about a high bar

recommending reparations of up to $1.2 million to each eligible resident.”

The 12-member commission — yet to be appointed — will include a “social justice expert,” which should tell you all you need to know about its likely liberal slant.

According to reporting by The Washington Times, the reparations will come from government appropriations and private donations.

The project is ripe for abuse, as we are seeing from the alleged misspending exposed by DOGE.

How does one “prove” negative effects from slavery and Jim Crow laws from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the latter of which were created by Southern Democrats? Will money go to African Americans who are in prison? Will it be paid only to the poor, and if so, what if it is misspent and the money runs out? Suppose the recipient has proved irresponsible or is abusing drugs and alcohol?

California passed a reparations measure that allocates $12 million for “reparations bills.” The Times reports: “State lawmakers have not approved cash payments despite a 2023 report

California is noted for some crazy ideas, but this might top them all.

Better to focus on choices one can make for a better life than to assume one’s ancestors have forever trapped their descendants in an endless life of poverty and despair Better to inspire people with the stories of others who overcame difficult circumstances by making decisions that improved their lives with little or no help from the government. History.com tells the stories of five men who were slaves but overcame their circumstances by not taking it as a final verdict. All five became statesmen

“Blanche K. Bruce was the son of an enslaved black woman and her white master He was a house servant on plantations in Virginia and Mississippi. Bruce later worked as a teacher and opened Missouri’s ﬁrst school for Black children before moving to Mississippi in the late-1860s. He arrived in the state with only 75 cents to his name, but within a few years, he became a successful land speculator and planter His sharp mind and genteel demeanor also made him a rising star in the Mississippi Republican Party, leading to jobs as a sheriff, tax collector and county superintendent of education.

“In 1874, the Mississippi legislature elected Bruce to the U.S. Senate, mak-

ing him the second Black senator in American history and the ﬁrst to serve a full six-year term.”

I especially love this one: “Robert Smalls’ journey from slave to U.S. congressman began with a famous act of deﬁance. In 1862, the South Carolina native was serving as a wheelman aboard a Confederate steamer called the Planter When the white crew took an unsanctioned shore leave in Charleston in the early morning hours of May 13, Smalls and several other slaves hijacked the ship, piloted it past Fort Sumter and surrendered it to a Union blockading squadron. Smalls went on to captain the Planter for the Navy After the Civil War ended, he used his reward for capturing the ship to purchase his former master’s home in Beaufort, South Carolina.”

All ﬁve of these former slaves were Republicans, due in part, I suspect, out of gratitude for Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Congress, which has ultimate authority over the District of Columbia, will have an opportunity to reverse the D.C. Council’s reparations legislation. It should. Inspiration, followed by motivation and a considerable amount of perspiration changed the lives of many former slaves and their descendants. These qualities have a better record of improving lives than reparations ever could.

Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.

In 1984, when I was in sixth grade, I managed to sneak into an R-rated movie called “Revenge of the Nerds.” (It probably helped that I was almost 6 feet tall.) The movie played on familiar stereotypes about jocks and nerds, culminating in a delightful comeuppance where the nerd fraternity bests the jocks who have been picking on them.

It all feels dated now, and not just because some of the “raunchy, uproarious satire,” as one critic put it, plays differently post-MeToo. The dynamic of jocks oppressing hapless nerds — quite accurate for the time — no longer rings true, because the past 40 years have been one long revenge of the nerds. Silicon Valley became rich and glamorous, and the internet became a sheltered workshop for bookish, awkward keyboard warriors.

Alas, what technology giveth, technology also taketh away Artiﬁcial intelligence is best at the very nerdy skills that became so ﬁnancially rewarding over the past few decades, such as writing software code. Oh, it’s not yet good enough to replace a seasoned professional at their peak. But then, it’s only been around for a few years.

Even if you’re not worried that AI will take your job — if, say, you are an obstetric nurse or a federal judge — it’s scary to think of machines taking over tasks that have, until now, seemed particularly human. People have been using substitutes for human muscle for millennia. But we’ve never tried substitute brains. What does society look like if human cognition is no longer unique, or even the best on the block? Will we all end up living in some machine-ruled sci-ﬁ dystopia?

If you’re anxious about that, let me suggest how it might make our lives more human. Yes, AI is likely to be painfully disruptive. But it can also enable — even force — us to focus on our common humanity Job skills are the most obvious: The more inroads AI makes into corporations, the more the jobs of the future will rely on the things we’re still relatively better at, such as people skills and physical presence. That may be a tough transition for the nerds. But it might be a better society if work consisted mostly of interacting with other humans, rather than abstract symbols on a screen. But the more interesting possible transformation is in our personal lives. Take one of the most beautiful human scenes, a pack of kids running around the neighborhood, migrating from house to house and yard to yard as the mood takes them. Unfortunately, that tends to be a scene from an old movie that few kids have ever witnessed in real life.

At 6 years old, even in the bitterest Great Lakes snows, my mother was snapped into a playsuit daily and instructed to go out and play until dinner My freedom was limited to one Upper West Side co-op building. My friends’ kids tend to have organized activities or carefully scheduled playdates.

There are many reasons for this — the lure of screens, the disappearance of housewives who kept a genial eye on the proceedings. But a major one is the ubiquity of the automobile, which made it extremely dangerous to let small children run around in the street. Now imagine that those cars are reliable self-driving ones, which — unlike a human driver — can be counted on to see your kids and stop. Parents could, like my grandmother, turn off the screen, hand the kid a cookie and tell them to go out and ﬁnd some kids to play with.

AI could also make it easier to have those kids. We’ll be richer, for one thing. Even those near the top of the current income ladder who ﬁnd themselves downgraded to some less glamorous position will beneﬁt from the productivity boom.

By increasing our productivity, AI can also give us more time to spend with our families and friends. The ﬁve-day workweek was an invention of the industrial era; ﬁelds and livestock won’t give farmers a couple of days off every week to relax and rejuvenate. The AI revolution might similarly give us more leisure time that we could invest in our relationships with the people around us.

The obvious rejoinder is that people might just use that time to stare even harder at their screens, while human society withers. And indeed, what I’m sketching out will have to be a choice. It will not happen automatically, and AI certainly won’t do it for us.

All I’m saying is that it’s a possibility, a choice we could make with the opportunity before us. And with AI rapidly oncoming, it’s a choice we should prepare to make.

Megan McArdle in on X, @asymmetricinfo.

Faimon Roberts

Cal Thomas

Mega McArdle

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy SCHEINUK

From left, Mayor-President Sid Edwards and District 10 council member Carolyn Coleman listen as District 9 council member Dwight Hudson speaks during a press conference on March 11 at City Hall in downtown Baton Rouge.

BY MATTHEW PARAS Staff writer

Sometime earlier this month

— he doesn’t remember exactly when — Juwan Johnson couldn’t sleep. It was around 11 p.m. or midnight, and the tight end had grown restless over his free

agency He wasn’t sure whether to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints. The team had made a strong initial offer, but Johnson didn’t know how he’d ﬁt into its new offense. He wanted to know the plan. He needed to know why the Saints wanted him back.

So he called Kellen Moore.

The ﬁrst-year Saints coach answered the phone. And for the next 15 to 20 minutes, Moore laid out his vision for how he’d use the 28-year-old

“I think just us having a candid conversation was the biggest thing,” Johnson said

The conversation led Johnson to sign a three-year, $30.75 million contract to remain with the Saints. But here’s the thing about those talks: There wasn’t one speciﬁc answer that convinced the tight end he needed to stay with the franchise, Johnson said. Rather Johnson was ﬂattered that Moore took the time that late at night to be there for him. “So I really had to just understand where we wanted to go because something in my heart was telling me, ‘Man, I got to stay in New Orleans,’ “ Johnson said. “But if I stay in New Or-

leans, it’s got to make sense. I’ve got to make a wise decision.”

That decision didn’t come easy Johnson called his free agency “exhausting” and “taxing” as he was unsure whether to uproot his family and leave the franchise that took a chance on him as an undrafted free-agent wide receiver

At ﬁrst, Johnson said he grew frustrated in the months leading up to free agency that he had heard little from Saints about a new contract. Across the league,

BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer

LSU baseball started off Southeastern Conference play on the right foot this weekend, sweeping Missouri at Alex Box Stadium to improve to 20-1. LSU took down Missouri 12-5 on Friday before squeaking by with a 7-6 win on Saturday It clinched the sweep on Sunday with a 10-5 victory Here are ﬁve takeaways from the series.

Bullpen issues

Walks and home runs were a problem for LSU’s bullpen against Missouri. The unit walked 10 hitters, hit three batters and allowed three home runs over the weekend Control issues from freshman right-handers Casan Evans and William Schmidt nearly cost LSU the win Saturday, as Missouri loaded the bases in the seventh and eighth innings primarily on walks. But Evans locked in when he had to, getting a groundout to end the seventh and two consecutive strikeouts in the eighth to escape trouble. Getting out of jams was a specialty for LSU relievers all weekend. Missouri was just 5 for 22 with runners in scoring position, including 1 for 7 on Saturday “Our pitchers did a great job of leaving guys on base tonight,” Johnson said Saturday “I don’t know how many they left on, but it seemed like it was a lot in key spots.”

Overall, LSU’s bullpen posted a 4.05 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 131/3 innings. Without including the run allowed in the ninth inning Sunday which happened when LSU was already leading by six and allowed Missouri to put a runner in scoring position on defensive indifference — the group’s ERA dropped to 3.38 Even if the control and homer concerns are valid, it wasn’t a disastrous weekend for LSU’s relievers, especially considering that its Saturday and Sunday starters didn’t get out of the fourth inning. Brown under the radar

Few LSU hitters have been as consistent as sophomore Jake Brown has been at the plate.

The right ﬁelder didn’t even start Friday and still went 2 for 2 with four RBIs.

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

Johnson is dealing with shin inﬂammation while Morrow is recovering from a sprained foot. Coach Kim Mulkey reiterated Sunday that both stars are “good to go” for the No. 3-seeded Tigers’

first-round game against No 14 San Diego State on 9:15 p.m. Saturday (ESPN) Exactly how close are Johnson and Morrow to full strength? And will they have to shake off any rust once the tournament begins? “You do worry about it,” Mulkey said, “but you watch what your trainers are doing with them to make sure that they stay in sync. Both of them were shin and foot injuries, so you can’t just (go) up and down the ﬂoor with that, but you could get some shots up and do some things.” Johnson and Morrow now

PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS LSU’s Mavrick Rizy throws in relief in the fifth inning Sunday against Missouri in LSU’s Alex Box Stadium.

Stingley becomes highest-paid CB

BY KRISTIE RIEKEN AP sportswriter

HOUSTON Former LSU star Der-

ek Stingley has agreed to a threeyear, $90 million contract extension with the Houston Texans that will make him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Monday

The deal includes $89 million guaranteed, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced it

It makes his average yearly salary more than that of Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, who set the record for cornerback contracts last week when he agreed to a four-year, $100 million extension Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, is coming off a season when he was named to his ﬁrst AP All-Pro team after ranking second in the NFL with 18 passes defended and tying a career high with ﬁve interceptions. His breakout season came after he was slowed by injuries in his

first two seasons. Stingley missed 14 games combined in his first two years before playing every game last season. Rather than picking up the fifthyear option on Stingley’s rookie deal by the May 1 deadline, which would have certainly been a nobrainer the Texans instead rewarded one of their finest homegrown defenders long before free agency would ever come knocking. The 23-year-old logged five interceptions for the second straight year His 18 passes de-

fensed ranked second in the NFL, the same as his 84.4 PFF coverage grade among corners. Stingley earned such a mark in part by limiting opponents to 42 receptions on 90 targets as the nearest defender, good for a 46.7 completion percentage and 56.9 passer rating allowed. Stingley importantly shined even brighter during the playoffs, as he added two interceptions and another ﬁve passes defensed in the Texans’ surprising 32-12 wildcard drubbing of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Stanley’s return keeps Ravens stable at LT

BY NOAH TRISTER AP sportswriter

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Once again, the Baltimore Ravens were able to keep their top free agent from leaving.

Ronnie Stanley’s return saves Baltimore the trouble of trying to replace its left tackle and gives the team an opportunity to bring back its offense largely intact after a record-setting 2024 season. The Ravens reached a deal with Stanley before he hit the open market, and on a video conference Monday, he said he never reached the point where he seriously had to consider joining another team

“I don’t think we ever got that far to really feel that about it. I didn’t really feel that yet,” Stanley said. “They showed interest We were talking, so I think just through the whole time I knew that they were interested, and we were possibly going to get something done.”

SAINTS

Continued from page

Johnson noticed teams re-signing their own left and right — only for New Orleans to keep quiet That changed, however, in the days before free agency opened. The Saints presented an offer that impressed Johnson, who said he felt respected since the team didn’t try to low-ball him with an initial number Still, Johnson wanted to explore his options. And those options made the decision even harder Old coaches jumped into the mix with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks both wanting to sign him.

Two offseasons ago, it was star quarterback Lamar Jackson who was a free agent and eventually signed a long-term deal after the Ravens put the franchise tag on him. It was a similar, if less dramatic, scenario last year when defensive lineman Justin Madubuike returned The Ravens didn’t have to use the franchise tag before Stanley agreed to come back. He has played all nine of his NFL seasons with Baltimore.

“I think it just goes back to the fact that they drafted me straight out of college (and) took a chance on me,” Stanley said. “So I’m always going to give them ﬁrst dibs when it comes to things like that, out of respect.”

As recently as a year ago, this partnership seemed on shakier ground after Stanley had played in only 31 games in his previous four seasons. Then he started all 17 in 2024 and made the Pro Bowl for the ﬁrst time in ﬁve years.

In Denver, Johnson would have reunited with Sean Payton — the former Saints coach who once convinced him to switch to tight end. In Seattle, Johnson would have been paired with Klint Kubiak — last year’s offensive coordinator in New Orleans who got a career year out of the veteran.

But during the process, Johnson thought back to his time in college when he transferred from Penn State to Oregon as a senior

“I’m so grateful I went to Oregon, but there was something about me, it’s just like, ‘Man, I felt like I should stay,’ “ Johnson said. “And I said, ‘When I get this opportunity again, I’m going to stay.’ “ Johnson said he felt peace with his new contract, which makes

“I think part of it is luck,” Stanley said. “You have to get a little lucky to not have something bad happen in this game, but the other side of it is taking care of your body, and I feel like that’s something I always try to put an emphasis on throughout my whole career I always try to look to get different advantages or the ﬂexibility, hydration, whatever it is.”

The Ravens aren’t returning everyone from their offensive line. The versatile Patrick Mekari moved on to Jacksonville.

“I think Pat’s one of the best examples of what a professional football player should be like,” Stanley said. “I know Jacksonville — they got a great player in him, and he’s going to be a great leader for them, and we’re deﬁnitely going to miss him here. He has been a great player for us. He’s played every single position. He’s a unicorn.”

Still, Stanley’s return means Baltimore doesn’t have to ﬁgure

him the 12th-highest-paid tight end in terms of annual average value. Now he’ll look to build upon the 50-catch, 548-yard season he put together in 2024. Though the numbers were personal highs, Johnson indicated he wasn’t satisfied with his performance. Not only did he again start the season slow — a throughline over his first five seasons — but his best outings also came when Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed were hurt.

“It makes me happy but also makes me upset,” Johnson said. “Because I don’t want to just be a guy that’s used just when guys are down.” Johnson said he feels he’s demonstrated the player he can be in practice, but that his goal is to put

Invitation to S. Alabama ‘avoidable’ error by NIT

MOBILE, Ala. — Even amid the backdrop of college basketball’s chaotic postseason, what happened to South Alabama was “avoidable” and “unfortunate,” the school’s athletic director said Monday

The Jaguars received an invitation to the NIT following the reveal of the NCAA Tournament bracket Sunday and immediately accepted. An hour later, the NIT called back and rescinded the offer because it had overbooked the bracket.

The issue? NIT ofﬁcials thought a spot opened because UC Riverside was locked into another postseason tournament, the College Basketball Invitational. But UC Riverside got out of the CBI and accepted the NIT offer

Bengals agree to terms with WRs Chase, Higgins

The Cincinnati Bengals agreed to four-year extensions with receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, assuring that Joe Burrow will have his top two targets with him for some time.

A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press that Chase, a former LSU star, will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, earning $161 million, including $112 million guaranteed. That surpasses the $40 million per year average by Cleveland pass rusher Myles Garrett. Higgins will get $115 million

The Bengals placed the franchise tag on Higgins but were hopeful of getting a new deal done.

Chase led the league in receptions (127), yards receiving (1,708) and touchdown catches (17) this past season, becoming just the sixth wide receiver in the Super Bowl era to achieve the receiving triple crown.

Iona fires Anderson two years after he replaced Pitino NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y Iona ﬁred Tobin Anderson on Monday, just two years after he replaced Rick Pitino as the school’s coach.

The Gaels made the announcement two days after losing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game and missing out on an NCAA Tournament bid. Iona was the No 4 seed and knocked off top-seeded Quinnipiac in the semiﬁnals before falling to No. 6 Mount St Mary’s 63-49 in the title game.

That dropped the Gaels to 17-17 this season after they went 16-17 in Anderson’s ﬁrst season

out a new plan at the crucial left tackle position — or worry about him signing with a conference rival. Baltimore won a second consecutive AFC North title behind an offense that averaged an NFLrecord 5.76 yards per rush. Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and a collection of solid receiving threats helped the Ravens average a league-best 425 yards of offense per game. In free agency, Baltimore has added veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins, while keeping receiver Tylan Wallace and fullback Patrick Ricard.

“I had a huge smile on my face when we signed D-Hop,” Stanley said “You know what you’re getting with that guy I think he’s a Hall of Fame-caliber wide receiver, and I still think he has a lot of good reps, years, seasons in him. And he’s a physical player, he’s a competitive player, and I think he’s going to ﬁt into our team really well.”

together a more consistent season from start to ﬁnish. He also said he doesn’t want to be known as just a pass-catching tight end, telling reporters he wants to keep improving as a run blocker — an area he said he made strides in last year

But Johnson made clear he’s capable of more. At 28, he signed the third contract of his NFL career — and while many players don’t get an opportunity for a fourth deal, Johnson said he still believes he has six or seven years left.

“Yeah, this is a three-year contract, but I want to be in New Orleans a lot longer than that,” he said.

Email Matthew Paras at matt.

Sanders suggests playing another team in spring BOULDER, Colo. — In a time when programs are rethinking their annual spring football game, Deion Sanders has his own suggestion — bring in another team.

Just like the NFL sometimes does before exhibition games. The Colorado coach ﬁgures with just about everything else changing in college football — transfer portal, name image likeness deals, roster limitations — it’s about time to ﬁnd a way to make what’s usually an intra-squad scrimmage better for fans and teams alike. Such a change would require the NCAA to alter its rules on spring ball. His concept would be similar to a preseason game in the NFL, where a team comes in for a few days of joint practices before their exhibition game.

76ers forward George to miss the rest of season

PHILADELPHIA Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover from his injuries, ending a difﬁcult ﬁrst year in Philadelphia for the nine-time All-Star The 76ers announced Monday that George had received injections in his left adductor muscle and left knee, following consultations with specialists.

“Following the procedure, George is medically unable to play and will be out for at least six weeks,” the team said in its statement.

Philadelphia carried a 23-44 record into Monday night’s game at Houston. Its last game of the regular season is on April 13.

George, who turns 35 on May 2, signed a $212 million, four-year contract in free agency last summer But his ﬁrst year in Philly was marred by injuries that resulted in the forward having one of the worst years of his NBA career

ASSOCIATED PRES FILE PHOTO By DAVID J PHILLIP

Former LSU cornerback Derek Stingley gestures as he is introduced before a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Dec 25 in Houston.

Pelicans demolished by Pistons in 46-point defeat

N.O. ties for worst loss in franchise history

BY ROD WALKER Staff writer

Want to know how bad things were Monday night for the New Orleans Pelicans?

Well, here’s a stat that will tell you all you need to know Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Jordan Hawkins, Jose Alvarado and Bruce Brown combined to take 18 shots in the ﬁrst quarter

They missed all of them.

And just like that, this game got away from the Pelicans early on their way to an embarrassing 12781 loss to the Detroit Pistons.

The 46-point loss tied the record for worst loss in team history, equalling the 130-84 defeat to the Dallas Mavericks in the 2019-20 season The 81 points was the fewest points scored this season, surpassing the previous low of 85 in a loss in December to the New York Knicks.

It was Pels’ second-straight lackluster performance in the Smoothie King Center, following last Thursday’s beatdown at the hands of the Orlando Magic.

RABALAIS

Continued from page 1C

Gamecocks aren’t the No. 1 overall seed (UCLA is), just a No. 1 regional seed. Looking for something to be mad about, I guess.

E is for ESPN, which gave LSU and San Diego State a 9:15 p.m. tip time Saturday I quote our LSU beat writer, Reed Darcey, who called it “absurd” and leave it at that.

F is for NCAA tournament ﬁrsttimers: Omaha in the men’s tourney; Arkansas State, Fairleigh Dickinson, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego and William & Mary on the women’s side.

G is for Baton Rouge’s Mark Grant, in his third year as lead director for CBS coverage of the NCAA Tournament. If you still can’t ﬁnd TruTV give him a call

H is for the UConn Huskies, trying to be the ﬁrst to win three straight NCAA men’s titles since UCLA (1967-73). Don’t bet on it: If the Huskies survive an 8-9 game with Oklahoma, they get Florida in the second round.

I is for the Ivy League which has three teams (Columbia, Harvard and Princeton) in the women’s tournament for the ﬁrst time.

J is for Julian Reese, brother of former LSU All-American Angel Reese, who plays for Maryland as a No. 4 seed in the West.

K is for LSU women’s coach Kim Mulkey She is 21-0 in the ﬁrst round since losing her ﬁrst NCAA game at Baylor in 2001.

L is for Luther Vandross, whose voice during the “One Shining Moment” montage after the men’s ﬁnal is one of the best traditions in sports.

M is for the aforementioned Omaha Mavericks who destroy the nearest trash can after every big win. If they upset No. 2 St John’s, they’ll probably go for a garbage truck.

N is for the NIT now on the endangered list since Fox Sports

LSU softball team showing it can win in variety of ways

BY JIM KLEINPETER Contributing writer

The LSU softball team is showing indications that instead of taking a step back with a young team, it is taking two forward in the 2025 season. While sweeping Kentucky, which itself swept Missouri the week before, the No. 4 Tigers showed it can win in a lot of ways: the preparedness to strike ﬁrst, the toughness to strike late and an ability to ﬁnish a game with a knockout punch even when it may not be necessary

The pitching has two lockdown starters, and, defensively, nearly everyone has had a turn making clutch, highlight reel plays.

“We’ve done a good job of applying consistent pressure throughout the game with our offense,” coach Beth Torina said “Everyone is contributing something. We’re playing well in all phases.”

ä LSU at Georgia.

games. Bergeron hit her sixth and seventh on Sunday while Edwards clouted her 11th, surpassing last year’s home run leader Taylor Pleasants, who had 10 in 61 games. Bergeron credits a sharpened batting eye — she’s second on the team with 25 walks — with improving her plate performance. She’s batting .473 after entering the season with a career .239 average. Her defense is impeccable. She has no passed balls and LSU has allowed the fewest stolen bases in the league (ﬁve) and the third-fewest attempts (eight). Edwards is hitting .427 after missing nearly all of last season with an injury She’s also capable of stealing bases with three in four attempts.

Pelicans coach Willie Green called his team “soft” after that loss. Monday night’s loss surely didn’t do anything to change his mind about that assessment.

The Pelicans trailed 35-12 at the end of the first quarter, earning boos from the crowd.

The hole got even deeper by halftime as the Pistons built a commanding 63-32 lead. The Pelicans made just 10 of 37 shots in the ﬁrst half (21.3%).

Kelly Olynyk’s 3-pointer in the first 90 seconds of the game is the only one they made in the first half. They were 1 of 16 from beyond the arc in the first two quarters.

Alvarado was 0-for-7 on 3s in the half. He ended his drought and the Pelicans’ 3-point drought midway through the third quarter

For the game, the Pelicans shot 32.6 % from the ﬂoor, and made just 5 of 32 3-pointers

Making matters even worse is

Trey Murphy left the game in the ﬁrst minute with a right shoulder injury Murphy hurt his shoulder chasing a loose ball and went to the locker room with 11:11 left in the opening quarter

It was all downhill from there.

The Pelicans (18-51) came into the game having won their past

seven games against the Pistons (38-31). Before Monday, the Pistons hadn’t lost to Detroit since Valentine’s Day of 2021. Green, born and raised in Detroit, lost for the ﬁrst time against the team he grew up watching. He’s now 6-1 against them.

Zion Williamson, who missed Saturday’s game against the Spurs for personal reasons, returned to the lineup. So did rookie Yves Missi, who had missed the previous two games with an ankle injury, also returned. None of it really mattered. Williamson scored a team-high 30 points, including 22 in the second half.

Missi recorded his 11th doubledouble, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. McCollum shot 1 of 15 from the floor, 0 for 7 on 3-pointers and 1 of 5 from the free-throw line. The Pelicans have now lost five games by 30 or more points this season.

The Pelicans begin a three-game road trip, with two games against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday and Friday and a rematch against Detroit on Sunday Email Rod Walker at rwalker@ theadvocate.com.

has created a 16-team tourney in Las Vegas called, pompously the College Basketball Crown. Tulane is in the CBC, but only four power conference schools are in the NIT

O is for Otega Oweh of Kentucky and the rest of our all-name starting ﬁve: Boogie Fland, Arkansas; Saylor Poffenbarger, Maryland women; Bella Smuda, Liberty women; and Solo Ball, UConn. Solo Ball has to be deadly at one-on-one.

P is for Rick Pitino He may be one of the shadier coaches around his 2013 Louisville team had its NCAA title stripped — but the 72-year old can still coach. St. John’s is the sixth program Pitino has taken to the NCAA Tournament.

Q is for quick quiz: What is still the lowest seed to reach the men’s Final Four? Yes, an 11 seed. LSU did it in 1986, followed by George Mason (2006), VCU (2011) and UCLA (2021).

R is for the Red Flash of St. Francis (Pennsylvania), in the men’s tournament for the ﬁrst time since 1991.

S is for South Alabama invited to the NIT then uninvited when UC Riverside got out of a commitment to play in the CBI and took its bid back. Coach Richie Riley called the episode “unacceptable.” No kidding.

T is for Ta’Niya Latson, who leads the nation in scoring (24.9 ppg) and will try to lead Florida State out of Baton Rouge and to the Sweet 16.

U is for unbelievable political grandstanding. West Virginia Gov Patrick Morrisey is threatening legal action because West Virginia (19-13) got left out of the tourney and North Carolina got in. Admittedly it’s not a good look that UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham chairs the selection committee.

V is for Hailey Van Lith, the former LSU transfer from Louisville who led her third team, TCU, to a No. 2 seed.

W is for McNeese State coach Will Wade His Cowboys are 27-6 and have Clemson in their sights for one of those traditional 5-12 upsets.

X is for xylophone I love a basketball band with a xylophone or plays the theme from “Hawaii Five-O.”

Y is for the Indiana women’s Yarden Garzon a native of Israel who is shooting a toasty 41.5% from 3-point range.

Z is for the Akron Zips, whose coach John Groce had to beat his brother Travis Steele (yes, they are brothers) to win the MAC’s automatic bid. Enjoy the madness, y’all, and may your brackets stay unbusted.

The Tigers (27-1, 3-0 SEC) have won 12 straight games but Torina is quick to point out it still has work to do to iron out some of the rough spots. This week will be a good one for that with no midweek games before the ﬁrst SEC road trip at No. 13 Georgia beginning Friday.

“It’s nice to have no midweek (game), a little reset to get some things right we want to get right,” Torina said. “We still would like to see some things like a few less ﬂy balls, a couple of other things we want to clean up. It continues to get tougher as the season goes on.”

One part of the lineup shining brightly is the 1-2 power combo of junior Maci Bergeron and freshman Tori Edwards, who combined for ﬁve home runs in the past two

LSU

Continued from page 1C

On Saturday, he hit a triple before blasting his ﬁrst homer of the season into the right ﬁeld bleachers Sunday After this weekend, Brown has a .393 batting average, good enough for third among LSU hitters with at least 10 at-bats.

“I’ve improved all around,” Brown said Tuesday “I mean, I’ve gotten a little bit stronger I’ve gotten a better approach.

“I think I’m a little comfortable now because it’s not my ﬁrst time doing it anymore.”

Starters not going long Sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson made the longest start of his career Friday, going 61/3 innings. But neither junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson nor sophomore right-hander Chase Shores reached the ﬁfth inning in their starts. Combined, they allowed seven earned runs in 71/3 innings.

Johnson said Saturday the plan was for Eyanson to get through the order twice before handing the ball to left-hander Conner Ware. That’s what happened, but the only problem was that Eyanson allowed a three-run homer just before he exited the game.

“We almost got there. I mean he was literally two strikes or one hitter away from getting the job done,” Johnson said, “which I would have let him probably go back out there (for the ﬁfth), but he’ll be ﬁne.”

Shores didn’t allow any homers, or as many hard hit balls, but his command was spotty (three walks and a hit batter) and his pitch count ballooned to 87 by the time he exited with two outs in the fourth inning.

“I’m good with where Chase is at,” Johnson said Sunday, “and I think he’ll take from today and learn from it.”

LSU’s bullpen is better equipped to make up for short outings from its starters this season as opposed to last year However, relying on the unit too much as the season goes along could wear down arms by the time the playoffs begin.

Primeaux’s importance

If LSU opening SEC series proved anything, it’s that sophomore left-hander DJ Primeaux is probably going to play a big role in the bullpen this season.

Primeaux pitched in all three games this weekend, throwing more innings against Missouri than he had all of last season in SEC play

“I saw some things where I

“By the time Tori ﬁnishes at this program, she’s going to be one of the best players in the country,” Torina said. “She’s a special player because of what she can do as an athlete. She runs so well. She’s so strong and plays good defense. She’s one in the record books for a long time here.”

The offensive success continues being triggered by leadoff hitter Danieca Coffey, who leads the SEC with a .541 batting average and .670 on-base percentage. LSU pitching has done its share, sitting second in the SEC in ERA (1.56) and third in opponents’ batting average (.188) Defensively, LSU ranks fourth in ﬁelding with a .979 percentage. The Tigers remain one of three teams unbeaten in SEC play behind Oklahoma (26-0, 6-0), and Texas (2-0, 28-1).

ON DECK

WHO: UNO (11-7) at LSU (20-1) WHEN: 6:30 p.m.Tuesday WHERE: Alex Box Stadium ONLINE: SEC Network+

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

RANKINGS: LSU is No. 2 by D1Baseball; UNO is unranked PROBABLE STARTERS: LSU — TBA; UNO — TBA PREGAME UPDATES: theadvocate. com/lsu ON X (FORMERLY TWITTER): @ KokiRiley

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: LSU threw both of its midweek starters over the weekend. Junior left-hander Conner Ware and freshman right-hander William Schmidt combined to toss three innings, likely ruling both out for starts on Tuesday game. UNO swept Incarnate Word this past weekend.

KokiRiley

thought he could be successful,” Johnson said. The results this weekend for Primeaux were a mixed bag.

He helped LSU get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning Saturday by forcing a double play, but he also walked a batter and hit another in the inning. He then gave up another walk and a single Sunday that allowed an inherited runner to score. Friday was his strongest performance as he retired both batters he faced on a groundout and a strikeout.

“I don’t know how they do it,” Johnson said, “but the one (inherited) run he gave up (Sunday), you should put that on the coach’s ERA for asking him (to pitch) for three days in a row.”

Without a plethora of left-handed pitchers on its roster as LSU had last season — Johnson will likely continue to lean on Primeaux to retire lefty hitters for the remainder of conference play

Guidry injury update

Junior right-hander Gavin Guidry was unavailable for a fourth consecutive weekend against Missouri, as he was listed as out on the SEC availability report before each game of the series.

Guidry has been out with a back injury Johnson didn’t have an update on his status Sunday, only saying that he’s still playing catch.

“I’m just waiting for the green light,” Johnson said.

STAFF PHOTO

McNeese State men’s basketball coach Will Wade speaks at a news conference during a NCAA tournament selection party on Sunday at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By PETER FOREST

Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren passes while being defended by Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins, left, and forward Kelly Olynyk during the first half Monday in New Orleans.

McIlroy takes drama out of playoff

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

stuff this week,” McIlroy said. “But I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world

the gallery And he still couldn’t believe it

That’s a huge thing.”

It’s the ﬁrst time in his career he has won twice going into the Masters, the major that for more than a decade has kept him from joining golf’s most elite group with the career Grand Slam.

PONTEVEDRA BEACH,Fla. The playoff was only three holes. Rory McIlroy needed only three swings. And yet his victory Monday over J.J. Spaun in The Players Championship revealed so much about the state of his game and the cruel nature of the notorious TPC Sawgrass McIlroy delivered an early knockout against J.J. Spaun with his best drive of the week that set up a simple birdie, followed by a threequarter 9-iron into a cold, cackling wind that found land on the island green at the par-3 17th.

“By no means did I have my best

LSU gymnast Aleah Finnegan finishes her vault routine against George Washington on Feb 28 at the Raising Cane’s River Center

Spaun thought he had the perfect answer until he saw his 8-iron sail over the island on the second playoff hole, ending his hopes of the biggest win of his career

“Can I watch this?” Spaun said as he sat at a table his eyes trained on a television in the back of the media center showing a replay of his tee shot on the 17th. It was his first time seeing where the ball landed just beyond the wooden frame and into the water He had heard only groans from

“I never thought it was long,” he said quietly “I never thought it was long.”

So ended a memorable week at golf’s richest tournament, where thousands of spectators showed up in the cold and wind for 47 minutes of golf between McIlroy — among the most celebrated players who now has 39 worldwide wins and Spaun, a 34-year-old with one PGA Tour title who until this week had never broken 70 on the TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy said he woke up at 2 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep

Whether this was about trying to win or trying not to lose — he had a three-shot lead with ﬁve holes to play in the ﬁnal round Sunday didn’t matter He worked on his tee shot with

LSU in Session II with other top 4 SEC seeds

BY SCOTT RABALAIS Staff writer

The seeds and rotations are set for the Southeastern Conference gymnastics championships Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. Oklahoma LSU, Florida and Missouri are the 1-4 seeds that will take part in the Session II at 7 p.m. inside Legacy Arena. Kentucky, Georgia, Auburn and Alabama are seeds 5-8 and will compete at 2:30 p.m. in Session I. Arkansas had the lowest National Qualifying Score among the nine SEC teams and did not earn a berth in the championships. Both sessions will be televised on the SEC Network. Despite the fact that LSU and Oklahoma were SEC regular-season co-champions and the Tigers beat the Sooners in a home meet Feb. 14, OU got the top seed based on NQS (198.040 for Oklahoma, 198.005 for LSU).

The Sooners chose the Olympic or traditional home rotation and will go vault, bars, beam and ﬂoor LSU chose to start on bars and will then go beam, ﬂoor and vault. “It’s familiar,” LSU coach Jay Clark said. “You start on bars half the dual meet season. You’ve got to do all four events anyway, but psychologically it’s comfortable.”

Florida is ranked No. 3 nationally coming off posting a nation’sbest score of 198.625 on Friday

LSU NOTEBOOK

against Kentucky that eclipsed LSU’s nation’s-best score of 198.575 the week prior against Georgia. Missouri is also ranked No. 7.

“This will be a slobber knocker,”

Clark said of Saturday’s evening session. “I don’t think there’s ever been an evening session that stacked.”

Chio No. 1 on vault

Coming off her perfect 10 on vault Friday at Auburn, LSU freshman Kailin Chio is ranked ﬁrst nationally in that event with an NQS of 9.955 She is one of three gymnasts with 10.0 scores on vault along with Florida’s Selena Harris-Miranda and Danie Ferris

Chio and senior Aleah Finnegan are ranked ﬁfth and 10th nationally as all-arounders (senior Haleigh Bryant doesn’t have enough scores to qualify), while Chio is also tied for sixth on beam. Bryant is also ninth on ﬂoor and tied for 10th on vault.

Returning champions

LSU returns four gymnasts who won a total of ﬁve SEC individual titles last year at the Smoothie King Center: Bryant (all-around, vault), Konnor McClain (beam), Ashley Cowan (bars) and KJ Johnson (ﬂoor). Johnson will likely compete

Saturday on vault, but Clark said he doesn’t expect her on ﬂoor as she continues to recover from an ankle injury

“KJ hasn’t touched ﬂoor since before the Kentucky meet (Feb. 21), so I don’t see that on the horizon,” Clark said “She’s feeling better and her ankle is good, but we need her on vault.”

Clark also said McClain will be ready by NCAA regionals to compete on the so-called leg events (vault and ﬂoor) for the ﬁrst time since an Achilles tendon injury in May, but that would mean disrupting one or two lineups.

March Madness … ish

Don’t ask Bryant or Finnegan for help filling out your NCAA tournament bracket.

Both gymnasts admitted Monday they are much to focused on what March means in their sport, the start of championship season, to have much interest in what’s going on with basketball.

“I heard they could go to Spokane or something,” Bryant said of the LSU women’s team. Indeed, the Tigers are the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Spokane 1 regional and could advance there if they win two games at home this weekend.

“It’s cool to see,” Finnegan said. “I don’t follow it super closely But it’s really March Madness in all sports at LSU We’re all going for the same things.”

the same helping wind off the right. To practice in the right wind for the 17th, McIlroy turned and hit balls from the range toward the third green.

McIlroy had been spotty off the tee all week, missing nearly half of his fairways He set the tone with his best of the week, a 336-yard blast right down the middle that set up a pitching wedge from 176 yards into the par-5 16th for a twoputt birdie from 35 feet.

“I thought if I could get the ball in the fairway there, it sort of puts a little bit of pressure on J.J.,” he said. “To step up and make that swing was awesome.”

And then it effectively ended on the 17th.

“When my ball was in the air, I was telling it to get down,” McIlroy said.

Spaun hit his 8-iron with a higher

trajectory into a hurting wind off the right, and his ﬁrst instinct was to yell, “Get up.”

“It just looked like it was going to be short,” Spaun said. “I was stunned. I couldn’t believe it was long I’m happy with the swing I put on it — I am. The wind must have just laid down just a little too much, and it just went through the wind. Wasn’t my time.”

The ﬁrst three-hole playoff in 10 years at The Players was caused by a four-hour rain delay on Sunday McIlroy had to make a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. Spaun had a 30-foot birdie putt for the win that stopped inches short.

McIlroy, disappointed and having lost a three-shot lead on the back nine, looked ahead to the playoff by saying, “Make ﬁve good swings tomorrow morning and get this thing done.”

Tar Heels get chance to justify tournament berth

BY JEFF WALLNER Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio North Carolina was

a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four

The winner will face No. 6 seed Ole Miss on Friday in Milwaukee.

The Tar Heels (22-13) seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quad 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule.

“I didn’t listen to bracketology,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “I didn’t listen after our name was selected on CBS. I didn’t listen to the telecasts. I haven’t listened to anybody’s comments in regards to selections, seedings. I know that we’re really excited to be a part of this, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow night.”

UNC’s inclusion fueled some conspiracy theories, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham being chair of the selection committee.

Rules state that Cunningham could not participate in the debate about his team, so the vice chair, Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill, presided over discussions about the Tar Heels.

San Diego State (21-9) isn’t going to make things easy for the Tar Heels.

The Aztecs lead the nation in ﬁeld goal percentage defense (.378) and rank 13th in defensive efﬁciency

“I think our identity is in our defense and our effort,” forward Jared Coleman-Jones said. “I think that if we play really good defense and we play with effort and we play with swagger, I think everything else is going to handle itself.”

RJ Davis carries the load for the Tar Heels, averaging 17 points and 3.7 assists per game.

The No. 11 seed is the lowest ever for North Carolina, which is making its 54th NCAA Tournament appearance, second-most to Kentucky’s 62. Despite the questions about their résumé, the Tar Heels practiced Sunday and prepared to play

“I think we’ve all kind of felt the hate, the disagreement, all that,”

guard Seth Trimble said. “We’re just running with it. We deﬁnitely feel like we’ve got something to prove.”

Familiar foes

When No. 11 seeds Texas and Xavier play on Wednesday night in Dayton, it will mark the fourth time since 1990 the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament.

The Longhorns (19-15) beat the Musketeers 83-71 in the 2023 Sweet 16. In 2004, Xavier beat Texas 79-71 to reach the Elite Eight before losing to top-seeded Duke 66-63.

Zach Freemantle returned from injury and averaged 19.8 points during a seven-game winning streak to close the regular season, helping the Musketeers (21-11) return to the tournament after missing out last year

The First Four extends the standout freshman season for Longhorns guard Tre Johnson, who led the SEC in scoring with 19.8 points per game.

The Longhorns and Musketeers were ﬁrmly on the bubble entering Selection Sunday The winner will face No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee.

“It’s so difﬁcult to make the tournament,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said “There’s so much invested. We played our best basketball as we entered March.”

Unlikely dancers

Saint Francis (PA) made an unlikely return to the University of Dayton Arena after becoming the 19th team to reach the NCAA Tournament with a losing record.

The Red Flashes (16-17) lost their season opener 87-57 to the Dayton Flyers on Nov 4, and few would have predicted they’d return to the same building in March.

“We’re obviously very excited we’ve already played here before,” Saint Francis guard Riley Parker said. “The first game we played here didn’t turn out our way, so we’re just trying to come back here and make it right.”

Saint Francis is making its second NCAA Tournament appearance and its ﬁrst since 1991.

The Red Flashes face Alabama State (19-15) in a matchup of No. 16 seeds on Tuesday night. The Hornets’ last tournament appearance was in 2011.

Poll breaks down why people ﬁll out March Madness brackets

BY LINLEY SANDERS Associated Press

WASHINGTON — As March Madness takes over this week, how many people are ﬁlling out NCAA brackets — and why?

A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows what share of Americans typically take a shot at bracket predictions and their motivation for joining in the madness. The survey found that about one-quarter of Americans fill out a men’s March Madness bracket “every year” or “some years.” But what about the women’s tournament? High-profile NCAA women’s basketball games have closed the gap with men’s tournaments in terms of viewership and there is more money flowing

in and around women’s sports in general; women’s teams will now be paid to play in the tournament, just like men have for years. It all points to higher interest in how women’s teams fare even if the bracket frenzy has not quite caught up.

The survey found that 16% of U.S. adults fill out a women’s tournament bracket “every year” or “some years.” And it’s much more common for bracket participants to only fill out a bracket for the men’s tournament than the women’s — about 1 in 10 U.S. adults only fill out a men’s tournament bracket, while only 2% fill out only a women’s bracket. Another 14% fill out a bracket for both tournaments at least “some years.” So, a sizeable chunk of Americans are into NCAA bracketology but what’s behind the hype?

Among those who ﬁll out brackets at least “some years,” about 7 in 10 say a reason for their participation was for the glory of winning, the chance to win money or the fact that other people were doing it.

They’re less likely to be motivated by support for a specific school or team and in particular, to say this was a “major” reason for their participation.

There’s certainly a financial motivation for correctly predicting the Final Four, and it’s hard to deny NCAA college basketball is in a betting-heavy era. More Americans can legally bet money on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments than in previous years, and many will place a wager on their bracket’s success. Does that mean Americans

think the tournaments are all about wagering, or that it’s technically gambling to enter a friendsand-family pool with only a modest payout at stake?

Most U.S. adults — 56% — say that if someone enters a March Madness bracket pool for money, they consider that to be gambling. About 2 in 10 say it depends on the amount of money, and another 2 in 10, roughly, say this is not gambling.

Who are the diehards?

Just avoid them?

Not everyone wants to risk a bracket buster and people avoiding the Madness this month are hardly alone. About 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they “never” fill out a men’s or women’s bracket. This group leans more female: About 6 in 10 bracket avoiders are women. And roughly one-third in this group are women over 45.

Men tend to make up the bulk of the regulars who fill out a bracket at least “some years.” Among the March Madness bracket regulars, about 6 in 10 are men, including about one-third who are men under the age of 45. These bracket regulars are less likely to be women; only about 4 in 10 are women, and they’re about evenly split between being older or younger. Those who only fill out a bracket for the men’s tournament are also overwhelmingly men About 7 in 10 people who fill out a men’s bracket — and not a women’s bracket — “every year” or “some years” are men. About 4 in 10 are men over 45, and about 3 in 10 are younger men.

McIlroy

PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

SCHEINUK

STAFF PHOTO By HILARy

Walker coach Korey Arnold speaks with his team during a timeout against Zachary in a Division I nonselect semifinal game on Thursday at the University Center in Hammond.

Arnold leaving Walker for job at Acadiana High

Wildcats coach had 371 wins in 13 seasons

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

Korey Arnold had received inquiries from other high schools and colleges in years past. But this time, the Walker High School girls basketball coach is making a move. Arnold resigned his coach duties at Walker and was hired as Acadiana High’s coach. Over the past 13 seasons, Arnold has coached Walker 371 wins and berths in six of the past 10 LHSAA girls basketball tournaments.

“I deﬁnitely wasn’t looking,” Arnold said. “I’ve got offseason offers, but never really entertained them because I was happy with the program and where we are at Walker

“This time I did listen. I think Walker will always be good because the players are so coachable and work hard Sometimes, a change of scenery and a new challenge is nice. I look forward to it.”

Walker advanced to the LHSAA semiﬁnals for the fourth straight year and ﬁnished the season 32-3, including to rival and eventual Division I nonselect champion Zachary, in the semifinals just under two weeks ago at the University Center in Hammond.

At Walker, Arnold’s teams were 371-77 with eight district titles, ﬁve Livingston Parish titles and a

Class 5A runner-up ﬁnish to Ponchatoula in 2015. His career record is 523-150.

The new job comes with a notable common denominator — Acadiana principal Jason St. Pierre, who was previously Walker’s principal.

“I will leave Walker with a lot of fond memories,” Arnold said. “We had a lot of success, quite a run, and it wasn’t just me involved. I had great assistant coaches, support from the administration and from the parents of the players. I think we had 17 kids sign scholarships in the last 10 years, which is a lot for any program these days.

“Knowing Jason St. Pierre makes a difference He is an athleticminded principal. He sees that his teams get the things they need to become successful.”

At Acadiana, Arnold inherits a program that won five games in 2024-25. The Wreckin’ Rams do have a girls basketball pedigree of note. The late Kim Perrot was a star at UL (then the University of Southwestern Louisiana) and averaged 30 points per game as a senior in 1990. She then won inaugural WNBA titles with the Houston Comets Former LSU and Acadiana star Detrina White and ex-Vanderbilt and Acadiana star Sheri Sam each had stints as players with multiple WNBA teams.

PREP REPORT

Boys tennis Dunham 4, St. Amant 1

Singles Jacob Angel, St. Amant def. Adam Nesheiwat, Dunham 6-4,4-6,10-8 Bennett Lasseigne, Dunham def. Nevin Sandel, St. Amant 6-1,6-0 Doubles George Harrod/Milo Johnston, Dunham def. Braydon King/Tristan Bailey St. Amant 6-2,6-2 Chris Olivier/Wait Harrod, Dunham def. Grant Wells/Beau Estes, St. Amant 6-0,6-1 Lucian Pham/Cooper Eenigenburg, Dunham def. Slaydon Porche/Noah Templet, St. Amant 6-0,6-0 Baton Rouge High 4, Zachary 1

Singles Benjamin Daniel, Baton Rouge High def. Keaton Chaney, Zachary 6-1, 6-1 Henry Chen, Baton Rouge High def. Ian Jackson, Zachary 6-0, 6-1

Doubles Ryan Nguyen/Ved Kandula, Baton Rouge High def. Warner Barron/Nathan Boyea, Zachary 6-4, 6-2 Clayton Howell/Parker Castleberry, Zachary def. David Shen/Ryan Shen, Baton Rouge High 7-6, 5-7, 10-8

Gracen Shepherd/Whitman Thompson, Baton Rouge High def. Sebastian Naquin/Jacob Wunsch, Zachary 6-0, 6-2 Denham Springs 5, Walker 0 Singles Jason Hu, Denham Springs def. Wesley Frioux 6-0, 6-0 Soren Moncerent def. Jace Johnson 6-1, 6-0 Mason Bell def. Carter Hawkins 6-0, 6-0 Doubles Ronen Moncerent/Preston Edwards def. Xavier Martinez/Jose Meza 6-1, 6-1 Gabe Daigle/Hays Tibbets def. Mason Azua/ Oliver Koelbel 6-0, 6-0 Girls tennis

Dunham 5, St.Amant 0 Singles Bella Dupont, Dunham def. Julia Haddon 6-0,6-0

Campbell Banks, Dunham def. Elena Torres

2-6,6-2,10-2

Doubles

Adora Dinh/Josephine Johnston, Dunham def. Lila Robinson/Allie Jeavons 6-0,6-1

Elizabeth Ortiz/Claire Nesheiwat, Dunham def. Olivia Winegar/JoAnna Haddon 6-4,6-3

6-0,4-6,10-8

Jordyn Mooney/Bailey Adams, Dunham def. Camryn Accardo/Kayden Ory 6-2,ret

LSU WOMEN

Continued from page 1C

Manning Award winner is staying level-headed

BY JEFF DUNCAN Staff writer

Cam Ward is projected to be the

No 1 pick in the NFL draft next month, and while the star quarterback from the University of Miami will be honored if it happens, it’s not a priority for him

For a former no-star recruit out of tiny West Columbia, Texas, just making it to the NFL will be the fulﬁllment of lifelong dream.

“I’m not worried too much about where I’m picked,” Ward said Monday night before ofﬁcially receiving the Manning Award at a ceremony at the Caesars Superdome. “I just want a jersey number so I can play football.”

Ward’s humble answer drew a round of applause from the crowd attending at the Manning Award ceremony The Manning Award has been awarded by the Allstate Sugar Bowl to the top quarterback in college football since 2004, but Ward is the ﬁrst Hurricanes quarterback to receive the honor

Other finalists were Carson Beck (Georgia), Jaxson Dart (Ole Miss), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), John Mateer (Washington State), Kyle McCord (Syracuse), Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Kurtis Rourke (Indiana), and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado)

“Cam is a great Manning Award winner,” Archie Manning said. “He’s played a lot of college football and had a great career, outstanding senior year He’s battletested. He’s ready for whatever happens (in the NFL).”

Ward took a break from his hectic workout schedule of draft preparations in Miami to ﬂy in for the event. His parents, Calvin and Patrice, ﬂew in from Texas to join him for the festivities.

“I’m blessed to receive this award, especially because of the Mannings and the history that they have, just football knowledgewise,” Ward said “This is a team award. It’s just got my name on it.”

In his lone season at Miami, Ward turned in one of the best passing campaign in Hurricanes history He completed 305 of 454 passes for 4,313 yards and a school-record and nation-leading 39 touchdowns. He was a consensus All-American, the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year and a ﬁnalist for the Heisman Trophy His 4,313 passing yards and 305 completions broke school records set by Bernie

Kosar in 1984 (262 completions, 3,642 yards).

If the Tennessee Titans or another team makes Ward the top selection in the draft, he would become the eighth Manning Award winner to go No. 1, following Jamarcus Russell, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, Baker Mayﬁeld, Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow and Bryce Young.

“The pick is never anything,” Ward said, when asked what it would mean to him to be selected No 1. “If someone wants to be known for a pick, they’re not playing for the right reasons.”

NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms recently ranked Ward the top quarterback in the draft.

“He’s a franchise quarterback, and I think that’s a big reason why you haven’t heard the Titans involved in any conversation with any veteran quarterback is because I think they see what I see,” Simms said on his “Unbuttoned” podcast “I’d be shocked if any team didn’t have Cam Ward No. 1 on their (draft) board. This is a slam dunk.”

Ward’s relationship with the Mannings dates to 2023, when he attended the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux. He was part of a counselor class that summer that included, among others, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, Jayden Daniels, Garrett Nussmeier and Quinn Ewers.

Unlike many of his predecessors, Ward was not a blue-chip

recruit. He was essentially a nostar recruit out of Columbia High School, where his mother was the girls basketball coach. The Roughnecks ran the Wing-T offense, so Ward attempted only about 12 passes a game on average. Consequently, his only scholarship offer was from the University of the Incarnate Word, a private FCS school in San Antonio that began playing football in 2009. He put up mind-boggling numbers there in 2021, passing for more than 6,900 yards and scoring 74 touchdowns through his ﬁrst 19 college games, before following then-UIW head coach Eric Morris to Washington State. After two record-breaking seasons with the Cougars, the 6-foot-2, 223-pound Ward transferred to Miami this past offseason and led the Hurricanes to a 10-3 record and No 13 national ranking.

“I just put my head down, worked every day, and that’s what I did going from UIW to Wazzu to Miami,” Ward said. “I’ve been praying for this moment since I was 6, and so I’m just blessed to be here. To everybody who was in a situation like me, who’s still going to be in a situation like me, not having scholarships and all of that, all you got to do is believe in God and work. Those two things, they’ll take care of everything.”

Email Jeff Duncan at jduncan@ theadvocate.com.

Southern men’s basketball earns national HBCU awards

Walker 5, Denham Springs 2 Singles Morgan Duncan, Walker def. Sara Torri, Denham Springs 6-0, 6-1

Adalyn Farrell, Denham Springs def. Makenzie Fountain, Walker 3-4 (retired)

Doubles Viviana Vasquez/Elyza Boo, Walker def.

Macy Dry/Halle Huddleston, Denham Springs 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-7)

Kendyll Davis/Sophie McCarty, Denham Springs def. Alia Moore/Brileigh Gray Walker 6-0, 6-1

Analeigh Murry/Savannah Hoffman, Walker def. Valerie Ortiz/Ivana Smith, Denham Springs 6-4, 6-3

Christina Lin/Kamryn Hudspeth, Walker def. Emma Anderson/Cameron Burger, Denham Springs 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-5)

Zinyah Boone/Ava Bernard, Walker def. Francess Docog/Amadia Hutchin, Denham Springs 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-7)

Baton Rouge High 5, Zachary 0

Singles

Meredith McNulty, Baton Rouge High def.

Ja’Nyria Williams 6-0, 6-0 Asha Reddy def. Genevieve Moon 6-0, 6-0

Doubles Amelie Kutter/Lillian Tessier def. Amela/ Ortegas/Landrie Barr 7-5, 6-4

Emma Brown/Ally Spencer def. Natalie Ricketts/Anna Beauchamp 6-1, 6-1

Sheridan Jones/Aubrey Spencer def. Emerald Hall/Taylor Merritt 6-1, 6-4

Boys golf

At J. S. Clark Park

Team

Christian 217

scores: 1. Central 212. 2. Ascension

Medalists: 1. Townes Couvillion, Episcopal, 38. 2. (tie) Harrison Willet, Episcopal, 47. 2. Lowell Lambert, Episcopal, 47. 2. Tripp Harbour, Central, 47

At Copper Mill

Par: 72 Team scores: 1. Brusly 360. 2. Catholic-PC, 403. 3. Walker, 426. Medalists: 1. Mason Comeaux, Brusly, 72. 2 Brooks Holley Brusly, 83. 3. Jude Morrison, Catholic-P.C., 88. Girls golf

At City Park

Par 32

Team

High 100. 3. St. Amant 101.

scores: 1. St. John 94. 23. University

Medalists: 1. Ella Nugent, Zachary, 40, 2. Saige Berthelot, St. John 43. 3. Jules Alario, U-High, 45.

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Southern men’s basketball

earned a couple of national HBCU honors after having its ﬁrst 20-win season in a decade.

Southern coach Kevin Johnson and guard Michael Jacobs received individual awards after the 17th HBCU Division I college basketball All-America teams presented by BOXTOROW were released on Monday Johnson along with South Carolina State coach Erik Martin were named HBCU National Co-Coaches of the Year by BOXTOROW Johnson is the first Southern coach to receive the honor since Roman Banks won it during the 2013-14 season.

Johnson, in his second season, led Southern to a 20-12 overall record and a 15-3 conference record, finishing first in the standings. In his first season, the Jaguars went 18-14 overall and were third in the SWAC at 12-6. Southern’s season ended Wednesday after it lost 65-62 to Grambling in the first round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament.

Johnson was also the SWAC Coach of the Year Jacobs was named a second-

team All-American on the HBCU Division I college basketball teams. The junior, who also made the All-SWAC first team, averaged a team-high 11.3 points, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and shot 42% from the ﬁeld. The 6-foot-2 guard from Atlanta, Georgia scored at

least 20 points three times, including a career-high 27 points in a 66-65 loss to Alabama State on March 5.

Before coming to Baton Rouge, Jacobs played two seasons at Lawson State Community College in Alabama.

Johnson

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON Southern guard Michael Jacobs drives past Prairie View guard Braelon Bush on Feb 15 at the F.G. Clark Activity Center

STAFF PHOTO By DAVID GRUNFELD

Archie Manning, left, presents former Miami quarterback Cam Ward with the Manning Award during a ceremony Monday at the Caesars Superdome.

GRAFTING 101

Behind the scenes of a fruit tree’s journey

From

peaches, almost all

trees are grafted, and

are

Some ornamental trees and plants, including Japanese magnolias, Japanese maples and camellias, also are grafted. Grafting is somewhat of an art, and because it is a laborious procedure, it isn’t something most home gardeners do. It’s typically done at nurseries to propagate in-demand cultivars for sale and by hobbyists who enjoy the process or want to grow trees to share with others. So why are trees grafted? There are a couple of reasons, according to LSU AgCenter fruit and nut specialist Michael Polozola.

“Let’s use pecans as an example,” he said. “If you plant pecans by seed, they don’t come true to type, and you can’t root them as a cutting — they just sit there and die.”

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO

By OLIVIA McCLURE

When grafting, it’s important that the scion wood and rootstock fit together well. The green cambium layers seen at the edges of the pieces of wood need to connect so they can fuse together

To reliably propagate the large numbers of trees needed to fulﬁll orders, nurseries depend on grafting — and they’re busy doing so right now The cool, overcast conditions of late winter and early spring in Louisiana help freshly grafted trees heal and get ready to grow. Trees are grafted when they are young — about a year or two old, depending on the species. The idea is to take a cutting from a tree with desirable characteristics and attach it to the base of another tree that will provide a root system The cuttings being propagated are called scion wood, and the tree being grafted onto is known as rootstock. A variety of techniques can be used to cut and splice together the two sections of wood, which enables the cambium — a green layer beneath the bark that generates new growth — of each piece to connect and become one. “We harvest the scion wood while the trees are dormant so that they’ll have time to heal,” Polozola explained. “You don’t want it to grow right away You want that good connection ”

LIVING

All-white looks are out as painted cabinets and wood grain join in the mix

BY JYL BENSON Contributing writer

For those who have grown weary of the long-standing popularity of white kitchens, 2025 is bringing some opportunity for changes. Houzz, a website popular with those seeking inspiration for home improvement projects, recently published a kitchen trends study of 1,620 U.S. homeowners planning kitchen renovations. The study provided insight into how people spend money on the house’s most expensive room. It is also the most popular room, with 35% of study respondents growing the footprints of their kitchens, 29% of whom snagged that extra space from their dining rooms. White won’t go away It remains indispensable; few colors can evoke the same sense of cleanliness and simplicity However, the trend of entirely white kitchens — with white

While white remains the most popular color for cabinets, pair those white cabinets with black counters and you are on top of the style game.

Wood grain, to mix with furniture

“Wood grain is back in, but in lighter, more natural tones,” said John Lagarde, a kitchen designer and owner of Classic Cupboards in Harahan, a business his father founded in 1983.

“Painted cabinets will always be around,” Lagarde added, “but the warmth of the wood grain has a positive impact, especially with so many kitchens that are open to the living space. The wood grain gives a more natural furniture feel and less of a utilitarian feel.

“Wood grain also tends to wear better due to the camouﬂaging effects.”

Cabinet-matching wood hoods, however are not as popular as they once were. Mixed-metal hoods are gaining popularity, Lagarde said.

The English look is in

cabinets ﬁxtures, countertops and ﬂooring — has begun to wane. This style often creates a washed-out appearance and can be quite stark Plus, over the past decade, it has been extensively utilized, leading to a growing perception that it is overdone.

The Houzz survey showed that many homeowners renovate kitchens for style updates. Of those, 12% chose modern styles and 11% went for contemporary Surprisingly, 14% went for traditional

Painting cabinets in jewel tones is another way of escaping the all-white kitchen.

PHOTO By JEFF STROUT

PROVIDED

By The Associated Press

Today is Tuesday, March 18, the 77th day of 2025. There are 288 days left in the year

Today in history:

On March 18, 1925, nearly 700 people died when the Tri-State Tornado struck southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana; it remains the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history

On this date: In 1922, Mohandas K. Gandhi was sentenced in India to six years’ imprisonment for civil disobedience. (He was released after serving two years.) In 1937, in America’s worst school disaster, nearly 300 people most of them children — were killed in a natural gas ex-

plosion at the New London Consolidated School in Rusk County, Texas. In 1942, President Franklin D Roosevelt signed an executive order authorizing the War Relocation Authority, which forced JapaneseAmericans into internment camps during World War II. In 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gideon v. Wainwright, ruled unanimously that state courts were required to provide legal counsel to criminal defendants who could not afford to hire an attorney on their own In 1965 the ﬁrst spacewalk took place as Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov went outside his Voskhod 2 capsule, secured by a tether In 1990, two thieves posing as police ofﬁcers subdued security guards at the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of Art in Boston and stole 13 works of art valued at over $500 million in the biggest art heist in history In 2018, a self-driving Uber SUV struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona, in the ﬁrst death involving a fully autonomous test vehicle. Today’s Birthdays: Composer John Kander is 98. Actor Brad Dourif is 75. Jazz musician Bill Frisell is 74. Filmmaker Luc Besson is 66. TV personality Mike Rowe is 63. Singer-actor Vanessa L. Williams is 62. Olympic speed skating gold medalist Bonnie Blair is 61. Rapper-actor Queen Latifah is 55. Actor-comedian Dane Cook is 53. Singer Adam Levine (Maroon 5) is 46. Actor Lily Collins is 36.

PROVIDED PHOTO FROM CLASSIC CUPBOARDS

Large islands, as shown in this kitchen by Classic Cupboards, provide extra storage and are a particularly useful trend.

KITCHENS

Continued from page 1D

styles, whereas last year that number was at 9%.

However, the most popular choice is a transitional style combining elements of both and chosen by 25% of renovating homeowners.

Under the auspices of a traditional makeover, homeowners are showing afﬁnities for English countrystyle kitchens, while French country-style is resoundingly out.

For the Brit look, think natural wood cabinets, exposed wooden beams and jewel-toned paint colors like smoky blue and hunter green, with counters of wood or soapstone Granite and marble are out.

Creating special spaces

An alcove for the musthave showpiece range plays into the English aesthetic, but the spaces also turn up in more streamlined spaces. Bonus style points if the alcove has a curved arch.

For the recent kitchen renovation in her Algiers Point home, Lacey Wotring, principal architect with Archetype, designed an arched plaster alcove for her husband’s 36-inch Fisher Paykel six-burner range. She covered the wall behind the range in shimmery tiles with the appearance of mother-of-pearl.

“I wanted to frame and deﬁne the range as a focal point in the space,” Wotring said. “The kitchen is now an extension of the rest of a home’s living space rather than a place where some utilitarian thing happens. It needs a focal point.” While the range is commanding ever more attention, other appliances have disappeared. Coffee setups, ice makers, microwaves and other undesirables have been banished to butler’s pantries. Refrigerators and dishwashers are hiding out behind panels that allow them to blend seamlessly with the cabinetry

“I didn’t want the refrigerator to be a focal point, and who wants to look at the dishwasher?” Wotring said musing. “If we hide these things, the eye is free to rest on something beautiful or interesting. I want to look at the range with my beautiful

copper pots hanging over it.”

Island style

Islands continue to be strong features in the kitchen. Fifty-eight percent of renovating homeowners in the Houzz study either added an island or upgraded an existing one while remodeling. Storage space plays a big part in those islands. Eighty percent added drawers, and 79% added cabinets with doors to their island designs.

Wotring and her husband, Jason Thibodeaux, both natives of Lafayette brought in Grand Coteau woodworker Toby Rodriguez to custom-build a seated walnut island with storage drawers on the working side and open access on the seated side.

“The island is not a builtin,” Wotring said. “It is a free-standing piece of furniture. We did not want a squeaky clean feeling in the kitchen. We wanted it to look period-appropriate to the house.”

Ben Davis, of Lafayette, crafted custom recessedpanel cabinets, some with glass fronts. The black soapstone counters feature white veining. Unlacquered brass fixtures provide a periodappropriate touch, while a butler’s pantry and panels over the refrigerator and dishwasher keep the design sleek and fresh.

“I love the idea of a scullery or back kitchen,” Lagarde said. “It keeps the open kitchen looking great while the back kitchen is more utilitarian. Also, we can’t get enough ‘integrated’ appliances almost completely hidden in cabinetry panels.”

All about backsplashes

The expanded use of backsplash material has become a thing. Houzz reports that 67% of homeowners are expanding backsplash coverage up to the cabinets or range hood, and 12% are extending it to the ceiling. Ceramic and porcelain tile that contrasts with the counter material are the most popular choices, but mirrored finishes, wood, stone and glass are in the game, too.

The report found resounding support (68%) for rectangular tiles for their kitchen backlash, followed

GRAFTING

Continued from page 1D

To be successful, it’s critical to collect scion wood from healthy trees. The rootstock also must be in good shape.

“You want it to have that energy that it pushes for that healing process,” he said.

If you’re interested in trying your hand at grafting — or just curious about how it’s done here are some basic steps for the whip and tongue method, which is just one of several ways to graft. Polozola likes using this strategy to graft pecans.

n Cut off the top of the rootstock, leaving a stem that is several inches to a foot high. (While it may seem strange to remove so much of the tree’s growth, keep in mind that supporting all of that wood takes a lot of energy That energy is needed to heal the graft union and fuel growth of the scion wood that will be afﬁxed to the top.)

n Locate a piece of scion wood with a diameter similar to that of the rootstock. This needs to be a close match; otherwise, the cambium layers won’t line up and be able to join.

n Use a grafting knife or grafting shears to make a slanted cut (or whip) across the end of the scion

PENNY

Continued from page 1D

wood. Then, cut the tip of the rootstock stem at the same angle. Hold the two pieces together to ensure they ﬁt together

n To help secure the graft, use a grafting knife to cut a notch (or tongue) in each piece.

n Place the scion wood on the rootstock. The tongues will allow them to hold together securely

n Wrap the graft union tightly with grafting tape and ﬁlm, which provide extra stability and trap humidity This encourages healing, which takes a few weeks.

Grafting tools are extremely sharp and can be dangerous. Getting grafting right takes skill and

necticut, hometown and historical and sentimental scenes. Everything was obsessively cataloged, including more than 4,000 penny photographs.

patience. Time and money must be invested in growing rootstock and scion wood trees, and not all grafts take. For all of these reasons, most people are content to leave grafting to the professionals.

“That process of grafting takes extra time than rooting something from a cutting,” Polozola said. “That’s why your fruit trees and your other ornamentals that are grafted often cost more. There’s some loss at every step of the process.” To learn more about grafting, visit www LSUAgCenter.com/grafting, where you can view videos and other resources.

of small change, how to denominate amounts so small that the metal coin itself is actually worth more.

by hexagonal tiles at 4%, diamond-shaped tiles at 3%, and tiles with no particular shape (blobs?) creep in at 2%. Use octagonal tiles, and you will ﬁnd yourself in the 1%, not the 1% anyone is aiming for

Homeowners and designers are turning to woven and mesh panels to front an expanse of kitchen cabinets to break things up while introducing warmth and visual interest. Visual interest is also being introduced with accent cabinets, glass-fronted being the choice of 36%.

Open shelving was popular, with 16% tidy enough to maintain it or sloppy enough not to care.

“Open shelves were a big trend in the ’70s,” Lagarde said, “then clients realized open shelves can get cluttered quickly, but somehow ﬂoating shelves are back in style.”

Hardwood floors are out for the kitchen, but vinyl planks that look like hardwood are all the rage, according to 46% of homeowners in the Houzz study

Lagarde says that a common mistake homeowners make with their kitchen is that the refrigeration is not in the right place or insufﬁcient refrigeration. “Don’t skimp on appliances,” he said.

Lagarde has garnered sage advice in the hundreds if not thousands of kitchens he has helped homeowners with throughout his nearly three-decade career

“Two dishwashers could be a lifesaver if you are a cook and like to entertain. People regret not planning a kitchen that functions best for them and their families,” he said.

A closing note of caution on kitchen design: Avoid too many textures in one space.

“There was a trend for a while of more is better when it came to colors and materials in kitchens,” said Lagarde. “We would see multiple colors on kitchen cabinets, and often different woods, tile on the ﬂoor and different tile on the backsplash. Additionally, heavy moldings (sometimes with inlays) and furniture details were popular in the recent past. All of these elements when used together create textures and busyness when completed. Today, much of our design is cleaner and less complicated.”

But the presidential penny pledge is already being felt in one niche world. It’s a little-known world that depends on buying pennies wholesale, loading them into machines and persuading parents to feed a few dollars into machines that stamp designs on the pennies Paw Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles — as they are stretched between metal rollers at funfairs.

Small orbits of collectors and craftsmen have developed around them. And without the penny, the whole thing faces an uncertain future.

The last pennies?

New copper pennies vanished from circulation in 1982 — 73 years after the first Lincoln penny was minted. They were replaced by coins of mostly zinc thinly coated with copper

The solid copper old ones were more pliable and easier to stamp, making them hot items for kids at funfairs.

“They’ll clean ’em so when they elongate the dino or shark of the printed coin it maintains a ghost image of the printed head of Lincoln,” said Brian Peters, general manager of Minnesota-based Penny Press Machine Co. “Pre-1982 copper pennies, they bring those.”

Jeweler Angelo Rosato worked for decades in the 1960s and ’70s hand-printing pennies with scenes of their New Milford, Con-

“We’re big fans of the penny Keep the penny,” said Aaron Zablow of Roseland, New Jersey, who was with two of his sons at the American Dream Mall.

“I like the pennies,” his 9-year-old son Mason said.

Some don’t want stoppage

Critics say the rise of electronic commerce and the billions of pennies in circulation mean the U.S. could stop printing the copper coins tomorrow and see little widespread effect for decades. But some people are watching fearfully to see if Trump’s public critique of the penny will affect their business.

Alan Fleming, of Scotland, is the owner of Penny Press Factory, one of a number around the world that manufacture machines that ﬂatten and stamp coins.

“A lovely retired gentleman in Boston sold me over 100,000 uncirculated cents a couple of years ago but he doesn’t have any more,” Fleming wrote. “I will need to purchase new uncirculated cents within the next 12 months to keep my machines supplied and working!”

Regardless of what happens to niche businesses like Fleming’s, penny defenders say they’re an important tool for lubricating the economy even if they’re a money-losing proposition. Since the invention of money, humankind has wrangled with the question

In 2003, Thomas J. Sargent and another economist wrote “The Big Problem of Small Change,” billed as “the ﬁrst credible and analytically sound explanation” of why governments had a hard time maintaining a steady supply of small change because of the high costs of production.

Why pay money for coins?

In a digital world with the line blurring between the real and the virtual, tactile coins have been reassuring. “What this all tells you about the United States as a country is that it’s an incredibly conservative country when it comes to money,” said Ute Wartenberg, executive director of the American Numismatic Society Pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters are sometimes designed by artists lasersculpting tiny portraits of leaders and landmarks using special software.

“It’s pretty cool because when I tell people what I do I just say my initials are on the penny,” Joseph Menna, the 14th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint, said in the 2019 film “HeadsUp: Will We Stop Making Cents?”

Fleming is hoping some lobbying may help: “Maybe we should take a trip to Washington and ask to speak to President Trump and Elon Musk and see if we can cut a deal on buying millions of pennies from them.”

LSU AGCENTER PHOTO By OLIVIA MCCLURE

LSU AgCenter fruit and nut specialist Michael Polozola uses a knife to make a ‘tongue’ cut in the rootstock stem.

PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Simplify your plans to make your life easier today Cap what you want to spend and refuse to venture outside your comfort zone regarding money, emotions or physical risks.

ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Refuse to let anyone step in and take your post. Avoid being neglectful or letting your mind wander. Stick to your responsibilities and avoid temptation and impulsive actions.

tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Serious people, plans and possibilities will attract you. Before you begin a project, check out which regulations, paperwork and preparations are mandatory. Stick to the basics and trust your instincts.

GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Stop short of too much. Promising more than you can realistically deliver will put you in an awkward position with someone you want to impress. The past will haunt you if you exaggerate or take undue privileges.

cAncER (June 21-July 22) Stay under the radar to achieve your goals. Networking functions will offer insight into what others want. Change is brewing, and you can be at the forefront of it.

LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Be careful what you wish for. Acting too quickly will put you in a weak spot. Play to win; use your experience, knowledge and connections to make your way forward.

VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Steadiness is the key to success. You can hold your own in any situation today if you are

straightforward and willing to compromise. Positive change is within reach.

LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Your home and family need attention. Express your feelings, and you'll gain insight into how and what you can do to appease others without burning out or losing face.

scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Live, love, learn and be happy Take the time to indulge in what brings you joy and introduces you to something or someone that excites you. Travel or doing something creative will change your perspective.

sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Someone will misinterpret what you convey, causing havoc within your inner circle. A secretive, charming approach will help you ferret out whoever is being two-sided before trouble can brew.

cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Say less and do more. Put your emphasis on money, professional or investment gains and a lifestyle you can afford. The goal is to ease stress and enjoy what you've worked so hard to build.

AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Physical action and bold talk will help you win over those skeptical of the changes you want to enforce. Offer innovative ideas and suggestions regarding what others can contribute.

FAMILY CIrCUS

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

toDAy's cLuE: c EQuALs B

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

And erneSt SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

bIG nAte

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

nea CroSSwordS La TimeS CroSSword

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

By PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Friedrich Schiller, a German poet, philosopher, historian and playwright who died in 1805, said, “It is easy to give advice from a port of safety.”

That would also be easy for me to say. Somedeclarers,though,insteadofworking safely in port to make their contract, take risks on the high seas of bad distribution.

In this example deal, South is in three no-trump. West leads the heart eight (top of nothing), East wins with his king and shifts to the diamond queen. West correctly wins with his king and returns the 10, East overtaking with his jack. South ducks and wins the next diamond, West and dummy discarding hearts. How should South continue?

North’s two-club rebid was New Minor Forcing, indicating at least gameinvitational values and asking South to describe his hand further. Two no-trump denied three spades and four hearts.

This auction kept dummy’s heart suit hidden momentarily, but resulted in the most damaging defense. Yesterday we saw that when North rebid a gameforcing three hearts, West led a club, the unbid suit. Then South took a safety-play in spades (cash the ace, followed by low to dummy’s 10) to ensure his contract.

Even now it looks as though dummy’s spades will provide the necessary tricks

However, a cautious declarer will cash his club winners first. Here he learns that West started with four hearts (presumably), two diamonds and two clubs. He seems marked with five spades. So declarer cashes his spade ace and plays a spade to dummy’s 10. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Each Wuzzle is a word riddle which creates a disguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example:

Previous answers:

InstRuctIons:

toDAy’s WoRD — HostILIty: hah-STIL-ih-tee: A deep-seated, usually mutual ill will.

Average mark 20 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 22 or more words in HOSTILITY?