The Acadiana Advocate 03-20-2025

Lafayette leads state in population growth

Parish also recorded third-largest gain in jobs

BY ADAM DAIGLE

Lafayette Parish was the fastest-growing parish in Louisiana

while most other parishes lost people, according to U.S. census data released last month.

The parish had an increase of 3,755 residents between July 1, 2023, and July 1, 2024, edging out Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge and Livingston as the parish with the biggest overall gain in population, according to data.

The parish gained jobs during that span, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the second quarter of 2024, the parish reported gaining 1,403 over the previous 12 months, the third-largest gain in the state That gain was mostly due to the surge in leisure and hospitality jobs. Lafayette reported a gain of just under 1,000 jobs in that sector,

ä See GROWTH, page 4A

La. Supreme Court tosses amendment challenge

Lawsuit questioned validity of proposal on March 29 ballot

BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer

After the Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday ended a lawsuit challenging the validity of one of four proposed constitutional amendments on the March 29 ballot, it is now up to voters whether to approve the mass of changes to state tax law that are part of the measure.

The lawsuit filed in February argued the ballot language for Amendment 2 was biased and misleading in violation of state law and that it didn’t comply with constitutional requirements for proposed amendments The plaintiffs two teachers and a pastor, asked the court to block Amendment 2 from taking effect.

But the Supreme Court dismissed their case, and it barred them from any future attempts at suing over the issues they raised.

The ruling affirms that Louisiana’s election procedures “will be upheld,” said Secretary of State Nancy Landry the state’s chief election officer and named defendant in the suit.

“We continue to remind voters that Amendment 2 will be on the ballot,” she said.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who spearheaded the appeal, applauded the decision, saying the court sided with her “office’s defense of the ballot language.”

At a broad level, Amendment 2 asks voters to decide if state lawmakers should have more power and flexibility to decide which revenue streams fund government and how to spend that money It would also lower a constitutional cap

ä See COURT, page 5A

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN

Associated Press

WASHINGTON In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social Security Administration will impose tighter identity-proofing measures — which will require millions of recipients and applicants to visit agency field offices rather than interact with the agency over the phone.

Beginning March 31st, people will no longer be able to verify their identity to the SSA over the phone, and those who cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s “my Social Security” online service will be required to visit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process, agency leadership told reporters Tuesday

The change will apply to new Social Security

See IDENTITY, page 5A

Witness attends execution at Angola

BY JOHN SIMERMAN

Staff writer

A waft of spring flowers and a low chant filled the entryway to Louisiana’s execution building on Tuesday as seven designated witnesses filed inside. The source of the chanting soon became apparent: The condemned man’s spiritual adviser, dressed in

a black robe, appeared through a side window as prison officials led him into the death chamber It was 6:17 p.m. inside Camp F at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where no one had been executed since 2010. Laminated signs on the walls cautioned: “Nitrogen hypoxia system is active and pressurized.” A pair of meters on a wall in the viewing room put the air at a healthy 20.7% oxygen, though it was quiet and heavy as a pair of curtains rose on Louisiana’s first

splayed on the cruciform table.

execution using nitrogen gas. Jessie Hoffman Jr appeared through the picture window He was already strapped onto the execution table and draped in a plush gray blanket. A blue, industrial-grade respirator covered his face, leaving little of Hoffman to see as he lay at an incline facing the window, arms

Only a portion of his neck and his hands were visible, thumbs touching forefingers in a sacred Buddhist pose, as Angola Warden Darrel Vannoy reached for a microphone.

“Would you like to make a last statement?” Hoffman, 46, tossed his head to the side and seemed to say nothing. He’d also declined a last meal, a prison official said later Vannoy adjusted a valve on the mask covering Hoffman’s face.

“The state will now carry out the execution of condemned inmate Jessie Hoffman,” he said. There would be no signal for when the ultrahigh grade nitrogen called for in Louisiana’s new execution protocol would begin to enter the mask and kill Hoffman. Officials said in a briefing later

ä See EXECUTION, page 4A

Newly released JFK files reveal more about CIA

DALLAS Newly released documents related to President John F. Kennedy’s 1963 assassination gave readers more details Wednesday into Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations but didn’t initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories.

Assessments of the roughly 2,200 files posted by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on its website came with a huge caveat: No one had enough time as of Wednesday to review more than a small fraction of them. The vast majority of the National Archives’ more than 6 million pages of records, photographs, motion pictures, sound recordings and artifacts related to the assassination have previously been released.

An initial Associated Press review of more than 63,000 pages released this week shows some were not directly related to the assassination but rather dealt with covert CIA operations, particularly in Cuba. And nothing in the first documents examined undercut the conclusion that Kennedy assassin Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963.

“Nothing points to a second gunman,” said Philip Shenon, who wrote a 2013 book about the assassination. “I haven’t seen any big blockbusters that rewrite the essential history of the assassination, but it is very early.”

Ex-engineer accused of stealing Eminem music

A former Eminem studio engineer was charged Wednesday with stealing the Detroit rapper’s unreleased music and selling it online, federal prosecutors announced.

Investigators say more than 25 songs have been played or distributed online without the consent of Eminem or Interscope Capital Labels Group, which owns Eminem’s music. The music was stored on password-protected hard drives kept in a safe at Eminem’s studio in a Detroit suburb, according to an FBI affidavit.

Joseph Strange, 46, of Holly, Michigan, was charged via a criminal complaint with copyright infringement and interstate transportation of stolen goods, Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck in Detroit said. Strange, who lost his job at Eminem’s studio in 2021, could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of both counts. Strange’s attorney, Wade Fink, said in a text to The Associated Press that Strange is a married father of two “with decades of dedication to the music industry.” He called the charges “untested allegations” that haven’t been vetted by a grand jury or a judge.

Vernal equinox marks start of spring season

Spring is here officially at least.

The vernal equinox arrives Thursday, marking the start of the spring season for the Northern Hemisphere and the fall in the Southern Hemisphere. On the equator, the sun will be directly overhead at noon. Equinoxes are the only time when both the north and south poles are lit by sunshine at the same time.

The events have been marked and celebrated around the world for centuries. Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, is based on the spring equinox, for example. And at the Mayan site Chichen Itza in Mexico, people gather during the equinox to watch the sun create a shadow pattern that resembles a serpent descending a building called El Castillo.

Livestream that lets viewers help fish is a hit

UTRECHT, Netherlands — The central Dutch city of Utrecht has installed a “ fish doorbell ” on a river lock that lets viewers of an online livestream alert authorities to fish being held up as they make their springtime migration to shallow spawning grounds. The idea is simple: An underwater camera at Utrecht’s Weerdsluis lock sends live footage to a website When somebody watching the site sees a fish, they can click a button that sends a screenshot to organizers. When they see enough fish, they alert a water worker who opens the lock to let the fish swim through.

Israeli troops retake part of Gaza corridor

BY WAFAA SHURAFA, JULIA FRANKEL and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israel said Wednesday its troops retook part of a corridor that bisects Gaza, and its defense minister warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas frees dozens of hostages and gives up control of the territory

The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim Corridor that divides northern Gaza from the south, and from where it had previously withdrawn as part of a ceasefire that began in January That truce was shattered Tuesday by Israeli airstrikes that killed more than 400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry

The advances on the ground by Israel on Wednesday which included sending more troops to southern Gaza — threatened to drag the sides into all-out war again. The ceasefire had given warweary Palestinians some respite, allowed a much-needed surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza — and led to the release of dozens of hostages who had been held for more than 15 months. Within Israel, the resumption of

airstrikes and ground maneuvers has raised concerns about the fate of roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive Thousands of Israelis took part in anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem, with many calling for a deal to bring the captives home.

A Hamas spokesman, AbdelLatif al-Qanou, said the moves by ground forces in Gaza was a clear sign that Israel had backed out of the truce and was reimposing a “blockade.”

There have been no reports of rocket attacks by Hamas since Tuesday’s bombardment.

Also Wednesday, the United Nations said one of its employees was killed in Gaza and five others were wounded in an apparent strike on a guesthouse. It was not immediately clear who was behind the strike, the U.N. said.

The military said its “limited ground operation” in Gaza would create a “partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza.”

It wasn’t immediately clear whether the move would entirely block Palestinians from traveling north or south through the Netzarim Corridor Israel used the roughly 4-mile corridor as a military zone during

the war It ran from the Israeli bor-

der to the coast, just south of Gaza City, the territory’s largest metropolitan area. Israel said airstrikes on Wednesday hit dozens of militants and militant sites, including the command center of a Hamas battalion. It denied Palestinian claims that it hit the U.N. guesthouse.

Fares Awad, an official in the Gaza Health Ministry, said an Israeli strike on a gathering of mourners in the northern town of Beit Lahiya killed 17 and wounded 30. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Until Israel withdrew from Netzarim in January, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had fled northern Gaza for the south were prevented from returning throughout the war Many of them have since returned.

But Israel Katz, the Israeli defense minister, said the military would soon order Palestinians to evacuate from combat zones.

Katz said Tuesday’s aerial bombardment “was just the first step” in Israel’s plan to ratchet up the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages and give up control of Gaza. Until it does, Israel will attack “with an intensity that you have not known.”

System brings blizzard conditions to Midwest

BY HANNAH FINGERHUT and MARGERY A BECK Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb — Another storm system is affecting millions of people in the middle of the U.S leaving parts of the Midwest and Great Plains under blizzard conditions and a broad swath of neighboring states at risk of high winds and wildfires. Roughly 72 million people were under a wind advisory or warning Wednesday with winds gusting over 45 mph, according to Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center

At this time of year, cold air lingering in the north collides with warm air coming in from the south to produce strong, low pressure systems, Jackson said But Wednesday’s weather is the third storm system to rapidly develop in recent weeks and bring high winds to a large swath of the U.S., a “very active pattern” since February Jackson said.

At least 42 people died over the weekend when dynamic storms unleashed tornadoes, blinding dust and wildfires — leaving behind uprooted trees and flattening hundreds of homes and businesses across eight U.S. states in the South and Midwest.

A band from southwestern Kansas up to central Wisconsin was expected to see as little as 2 inches of snow or as much as 1 foot Wednesday. Combined with high winds, forecasters warned of whiteout conditions

The Kansas Department of Transportation closed more than 250 miles of Interstate 70 from the Colorado border east to Salina, Kansas, because of winter weather

The first stretch to close in western

Kansas was also impacted by last week’s high winds. Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks.

Blizzard conditions early Wednesday led to near-zero visibility in south central Nebraska, the state patrol said in a Facebook post urging people to stay off the roads. More than 160 miles of Interstate 80 cutting east from Lincoln west to Lexington was closed Wednesday morning. By midday, nearly 70 miles of Interstate 29 running along the border between eastern Nebraska and western Iowa had closed. Stalled cars, jackknifed semitrailers, crashes and downed power lines contributed to road closures throughout the area. Power outages affected households and businesses as heavy snow and high winds knocked down tree branches and snapped utility poles, affecting at least 100,000 customers in Nebraska and 30,000 in Iowa.

The sudden storm left many in the region with weather whiplash, following a springlike Tuesday with temperatures in some parts reaching beyond 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

Zelenskyy agrees to a limited ceasefire

Trump floats U.S. ownership of power plants

BY HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed Wednesday to a limited ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, as President Donald Trump suggested during a call with the embattled country’s leader that he consider American ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to ensure their long-term security Trump told Zelenskyy that the U.S could be “very helpful in running those plants with its electricity and utility expertise,” according to a White House statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz that described the call as “fantastic.”

“One of the first steps toward fully ending the war could be ending strikes on energy and other civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said on social media following the roughly hourlong call, which came a day after Trump held similar talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I supported this step, and Ukraine confirmed that we are ready to implement it.” Trump suggested “American ownership of those plants could be the best protection for that infrastructure,” according to White House officials. The idea was floated even as the Trump administration looks to finalize an agreement to gain access to Ukraine’s critical minerals as partial repayment for U.S. support for Ukraine during the war White House officials did not reveal any further details about Trump’s thinking on potential American involvement with Ukrainian power plant.

Weeks after a disastrous Oval Office meeting between the two leaders that led to Trump temporarily pausing intelligence sharing and military aid to Ukraine, Trump and Zelenskyy had “a very good conversation” in which they joked around, according to a senior Ukrainian official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to comment publicly

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Displaced Palestinians carry their belongings Wednesday as they travel from Beit Hanoun to Jabaliya, a day after Israel’s renewed offensive in the Gaza Strip

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By MARGERy BECK Snow covers the streets Wednesday following a storm in Omaha, Neb.

Justice Department resists judge’s order

More details on deportation flights demanded

BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press

WASHINGTON The Justice Department is resisting a federal judge’s demand for more information about flights that took deportees to El Salvador, arguing on Wednesday that the court should end its “continued intrusions” into the authority of the executive branch.

It’s the latest development in a showdown between the Trump administration and the judge who temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration. President Donald Trump has called for the judge’s impeachment as the Republican escalates his conflict with a judiciary after a series of court setbacks over his executive actions.

U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, who was nominated to the federal bench by Democratic President

Barack Obama, had ordered the Trump administration to answer several questions under seal, where the information would not be publicly exposed. There were questions about the planes’ takeoff and landing times and the number of people deported under Trump’s proclamation. The judge has questioned whether the Trump administration ignored his court order on Saturday to turn around planes with deportees headed for the Central American country, which had has agreed to house them in a notorious prison. In court papers filed hours before the deadline to respond Wednesday, the Justice Department said the judge’s questions are “grave encroachments on core aspects of absolute and unreviewable Executive Branch authority relating to national security, foreign relations and foreign policy.” The

department said it was considering invoking the “state secrets privilege” to allow the government to withhold some of the information sought by the court.

“The underlying premise of these orders is that the Judicial Branch is superior to the Executive Branch, particularly on non-legal matters involving foreign affairs and national security The Government disagrees,” Justice Department lawyers wrote. “The two branches are co-equal, and the Court’s continued intrusions into the prerogatives of the Executive Branch, especially on a non-legal and factually irrelevant matter, should end.”

Boasberg later issued an order giving the administration until Thursday at 12 p.m. to either provide the requested information or make a claim that it must be withheld because it would harm “state secrets.”

DOGE official takes a leadership role at USAID

Agency has been largely dismantled

BY MATT BROWN and ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press

WASHINGTON A senior official at Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is taking a leadership role at the U.S. Agency for International Development, according to an email obtained by The Associated Press, giving DOGE a top job at an agency that it has helped to dismantle.

Jeremy Lewin, who has played a central role in DOGE’s government-cutting efforts at USAID and other federal agencies, becomes at least the second DOGE lieutenant to be appointed to a top job at an agency during the Trump administration, further formalizing the work of Musk’s associates in the federal government. The integral role that DOGE teams have played in the administration’s push to dramatically reduce the size of the government has been divisive among the public and lawmakers. Musk has faced heavy blowback from some and support from others for his chainsaw-wielding approach to laying off workers and slashing programs. Pete Marocco, a Trump administration political appointee who was serving as deputy head of USAID, disclosed the change in an email Tuesday to State Department staff. It comes after Marocco and DOGE oversaw the gutting of 83% of USAID contracts shifting the remaining programs under the State Department.

Judge moves Palestinian activist’s deportation fight

Columbia student being held in La.

BY SUSAN HAIGH and LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press

NEW YORK A Columbia University student activist detained by the U.S government over his participation in pro-Palestinian demonstrations can challenge the legality of his detention, but the case should be heard in New Jersey, rather than in New York or Louisiana, a federal judge ruled Wednesday Mahmoud Khalil, 30, a legal U.S. resident with no criminal record, was detained by federal immigration agents on March 8. He was held overnight at an immigration detention center in New Jersey before being

moved to an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana.

Judge Jesse Furman in Manhattan called the legal challenge an “exceptional case” in need of careful legal review to determine whether the government “violated the law or exercised its otherwise lawful authority in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner.”

Furman said New Jersey was the appropriate venue because Khalil was detained there when his lawyers sued the government. Federal authorities argued to move the case to Louisiana, saying Khalil was there because of a lack of available detention center beds in the metropolitan New York region and because of a bedbug infestation at a lockup in Elizabeth, New Jersey

Khalil’s lawyers said the transfer was a “retaliatory” action separating Khalil from his lawyers and an effort to find a jurisdiction where judges may be more favorable to the Republican administration’s unusual legal claims. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Government lawyers had said that if the case wasn’t sent to Louisiana, New Jersey was also a proper venue. In a statement released by the American Civil Liberties Union, Khalil’s wife, Dr Noor Abdalla, called Furman’s order a “first step.” “His unlawful and unjust detention cannot stand. We will not stop fighting until he is home with me,” said Abdalla, a dentist and U.S. citizen who is pregnant with their first child.

Columbia plans next move with other colleges watching closely

BY COLLIN BINKLEY Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Confronted with huge cuts to its funding, Columbia University’s leaders face a grim decision: They can yield to the Trump administration’s demands over allegations of antisemitism — ceding extraordinary control to the federal government or they can fight back, potentially risking even more debilitating cuts in an escalating clash. However it responds, Columbia carries tremendous weight It’s the first school to face such aggressive intervention from the Trump administration, but dozens of others have been put on

notice they’re next if they defy the president’s orders on issues around pro-Palestinian activism, diversity programs or transgender women in girl’s sports.

“People in the academy around the country are looking to see what Columbia does here,” said Samuel Bagenstos, a law professor at the University of Michigan who served until December as general counsel for the Health and Human Services Department.

The Trump administration is acting quickly to make an example of Columbia as it demands stronger action against allegations of anti-Jewish bias on college campuses. On March 7, just 32 days after open-

ing an investigation at Columbia, the Trump administration pulled $400 million in research grants and other federal money It threatened to cut billions more over the university’s handling of protests against the war in Gaza and allegations of antisemitism. The threats escalated last week with a list of demands that Trump officials called a “precondition” for receiving federal money It told the college to place its Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies Department into “academic receivership” and reorganize discipline processes, among other changes. It gave Columbia until this week to comply

Judge ‘offended’ at DOGE’s tactics but does not pause institute takeover

BY THALIA BEATY Associated Press

A federal judge allowed Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to remain in control of the U.S. Institute of Peace, an independent nonprofit created by Congress, but expressed concern about their conduct.

But she declined to immediately restore the former board members, who filed the lawsuit late on Tuesday,

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said Wednesday she was offended by DOGE staff’s use of threats and law enforcement to gain access to the USIP headquarters and to remove the institute’s president, George Moose, from the building on Monday

to their positions. Howell also declined to bar DOGE staff from USIP’s headquarters, which they gained access to on Monday in part with the help of the police. Trump last month in an executive order targeted USIP and three other agencies for closure in an effort to deliver on campaign promises to shrink the size of the federal government.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS

Jasmin Ramirez holds a photo of her son, Angelo Escalona, at a government-organized rally Tuesday protesting the deportation of alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang who were transferred to an El Salvador prison, in Caracas, Venezuela. Ramirez said she hadn’t heard from her son since he called to say he was with a group of migrants about to be deported on Friday.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By J SCOTT APPLEWHITE Pete Marocco departs March 5 after briefing the House Foreign Affairs Committee behind closed doors on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Arizona executes man convicted of 2002 murder

He is second of four prisoners scheduled to be put to death this week in the U.S

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD and SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated Press

FLORENCE, Ariz. An Arizona man who kidnapped and murdered his girlfriend’s ex-husband was executed Wednesday, the second of four prisoners scheduled to be put to death this week in the U.S.

Aaron Brian Gunches, 53, was lethally injected with pentobarbital at the Arizona State Prison Complex in the town of Florence, John Barcello, deputy director of Arizona’s department of corrections, told news outlets. He was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m Gunches fatally shot Ted Price in the desert outside the Phoenix suburb of Mesa in 2002. He plead-

ed guilty to first-degree murder in 2007.

Sitting up on a gurney, covered with what looked like a white onesie and tucked in with a sheet, Gunches looked straight ahead and had no final words before the execution, witnesses said.

According to Barcello, the prisoner took a few heavy breaths and let out a snoring-type sound after the lethal injection.

“By all accounts, the process went according to plan without any incident at all,” Barcello said.

Gunches’ execution had originally been scheduled for April 2023, but was called off after Democratic Gov Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the state’s death penalty procedures. Late last year, Hobbs fired the retired judge she had appointed to conduct the review, and the state’s corrections department announced changes in the team that lethally injects death row prisoners.

The lethal injection was administered through IVs inserted into

Gunches’ arms, according to a handful of news media representatives who witnessed the execution.

In the state’s two previous executions, the IV had been inserted into the prisoner’s femoral artery

The media witnesses reported no visible problems with the execution. But Dale Baich, a former federal public defender who teaches death penalty law at Arizona State University and witnessed the execution, said he believed Gunches suffered from pulmonary edema, when fluid seeps into the lungs and causes people to drown in their own fluids.

“The eight deep breaths and chest heaving, the gurgling sounds, and Mr Gunches trying to catch his breath, are all signs of pulmonary edema,” Baich said. “Even though it may have looked peaceful, it was not.”

The Associated Press left an email message with corrections officials seeking comment. Michael Kiefer, of the Arizona Mirror, said he did not see any signs of pulmo-

SCENE OF GAS EXECUTION OF JESSIE HOFFMAN JR.

Representatives from: Governor’s

22nd

nary edema such as a shaking or jerking of Gunches’ abdomen.

For his last meal, Gunches had a double western bacon cheeseburger, two sandwiches, french fries, onion rings and baklava for dessert.

Gunches is the second person executed this week in the U.S. Louisiana executed a man on Tuesday, and two more executions were scheduled in Florida and Oklahoma on Thursday Arizona is the first state with a Democratic governor to execute someone since 2017, when Virginia did so under then-Gov Terry McAuliffe.

“The family of Ted Price has been waiting for justice for more than two decades,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said at a news conference following Wednesday’s execution. “They deserve closure.”

Price’s sister Karen Price described her brother as a kind and loving person who enjoyed watching the Phoenix Suns and Arizona Diamondbacks and riding his mo-

GROWTH

Continued from page 1A

torcycle. She said her family was devastated by Ted’s death.

“I’d like to imagine we would be both enjoying our retirement and perhaps planning a trip together, rather than me coming here to witness the execution of a man that took his life,” Price said Wednesday She added that “closure” doesn’t capture the reality of the family’s situation. “Although we’ve taken the final step in the legal process, the pain of losing Ted remains profound and cannot be conveyed in mere words. It is a relief that we no longer have to deal with lawyers, sift through documents, check prison records or communicate with victims’ advocates or reporters,” she said.

Ted Price’s daughter, Brittney Price, said in a statement distributed to the news media that the “pain of reliving the circumstances surrounding my father’s death for over two decades has taken a significant toll on my family and me.”

EXECUTION

from page 1A

that it happened at 6:21 p.m and that the gas ran for 19 minutes.

Tubing led from the wall under the blanket at Hoffman’s right hand. At 6:22 p.m., his breathing became uneven His chest rose and he made a jerking motion. A minute later Hoffman’s body shook and his fingers twitched. He appeared to pull at the arms of the table, which is bolted into the ceramic tile floor of the cinder block chamber.

Hoffman’s hands began to clench. His head stayed turned to his right. His breathing slowed.

Birds could be heard chirping under cloudless skies near dusk from the witness room, which included only state officials and news reporters, divided by a wall.

Hoffman was 18 when he kidnapped, raped and shot 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott execution-style in a remote area of St. Tammany Parish in November 1996. A duck hunter found her naked and dead on Thanksgiving morning.

Her husband then, Andy Elliott, declined to attend Hoffman’s execution and no other family member chose to witness it. Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections Secretary Gary Westcott denied Hoffman’s family and lawyers a place among the witnesses.

The Rev Reimoku Gregory Smith, the Buddhist spiritual adviser Hoffman chose to accompany his death, knelt on a rug from a few feet away, rarely taking his eyes off Hoffman. An oxygen monitor rested nearby on a sill. Hoffman’s head remained tilted toward the room with the nitrogen tanks.

At 6:26 p.m., Hoffman’s head moved inside the mask. Less than a minute later, a few seconds before 6:27 p.m., he jerked slightly It would be the last significant movement Hoffman would make, in a life he’d mostly spent on death row To his left, Vannoy stood in a charcoal suit and black loafers, beside an anonymous prison official Minutes passed. Hoffman’s breathing slowed, then became imperceptible. On the wall behind his head, a pair of red phones, installed in case of a need to communicate last-minute

reprieves, remained still and silent while Hoffman died under bright fluorescent light.

At 6:38 p.m., Smith cast his eyes downward toward the floor as he knelt. A few minutes later Vannoy pressed a button, and the curtains descended.

Rhythmic, deep vibrato chanting and popping soon could be heard from the obscured chamber Part of Hoffman’s state-approved spiritual send-off, the pops and chants continued for more than four minutes before they wound down.

When the curtains rose again, at 6:52 p.m., Smith had left the room. Westcott, the corrections secretary, had entered it. Vannoy announced that the execution was complete, placing the time of death at 6:50 p.m. Hoffman’s face had been made visible for the first time, the mask used to kill him now removed. His head was tilted back, teeth exposed in a grimace, as the curtains slowly descended once more.

Editor’s note: John Simerman, staff writer for The Times-Picayune | The Advocate, was one of two media witnesses allowed to view the execution of Jessie Hoffman Jr

the largest gain in the state. The data shows that despite a slight uptick in the state’s population, which was attributed to international immigration, parishes across the state are still struggling to keep their residents from leaving for other parts of the country Lafayette, with a population of 254,241 as of July 1, had the highest amount of net migration at 2,536 residents, according to data. Its international migration was 1,417, fourth-highest in the state behind the Baton Rouge and New Orleans metro parishes. It also reported the greatest amount of natural change, which is total births minus total deaths, at 1,208.

Forty-one parishes reported in decline in population over that span. Acadiana, Evangeline, Iberia and St. Landry were among those as each reported a drop of less than 1% St. Martin and Vermilion had increases of under 1%.

Thirty-five parishes reported a negative net migration, and 38 reported more deaths than births, data shows. Twenty-five reported a decline in both categories.

“Ultimately people can’t stay if they can’t find jobs I think everyone has an anecdote of someone who wanted to stay but couldn’t because they couldn’t find

Among the most notable declines was New Orleans, which saw its population slide by almost 2,470 people last year and nearly 20,700 people since 2020. About 28,400 people have left the city for other parts of the country, an exodus that has only partially been offset by immigration.

The population loss in Orleans Parish amounted to a decline of about 0.68%, making it the fifth fastestshrinking county with more than 100,000 residents in the country Just ahead of it was Caddo Parish, which lost about 1,570 people last year

Since 2020, Lafayette’s population increased by just under 5%, which was behind only Livingston and Ascension.

St. Landry Parish had one of the biggest migration losses among non-metro parishes, with 541 domestic residents moving out.

The declines are further cause for concern for parishes across the state, which have seen their populations wither in recent years as devastating hurricanes and insurance increases have ravaged the state. In the end, the main thing that drives people to move into or out of any area is whether there are well-paying jobs to support them, said Allison Plyer, the chief demographer for The Data Center, a research nonprofit in New Orleans.

“Ultimately people can’t stay if they can’t find jobs,” Plyer said. “I think everyone has an anecdote of someone who wanted to stay but couldn’t because they couldn’t find a good job.”

That’s a troubling sign for Louisiana, which is heavily dependent on oil and gas and tourism, industries which Plyer said are both seeking to increase automation and cut the size of their workforces.

“We have not diversified our industries in a substantial way to grow our economy and we will keep losing population until we do that,” Plyer said.

Jeff Adelson contributed to this report.

Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@theadvocate. com.

applicants and existing recipients who want to change their direct deposit information.

Retiree advocates warn that the change will negatively impact older Americans in rural areas, including those with disabilities, mobility limitations, those who live far from SSA offices and have limited internet access

The plan also comes as the agency plans to shutter dozens of Social Security offices throughout the country and has already laid out plans to lay off thousands of workers.

In addition to the identity verification change, the agency announced that it plans to expedite processing of recipients’ direct deposit change requests – both in person and online – to one business day Previously, online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.

“The Social Security Administration is losing over $100 million a year in direct deposit fraud,” Leland Dudek, the agency’s acting commissioner, said on a Tuesday evening call with reporters — his first call with the media. “Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service.”

He said a problem with eliminating fraudulent claims is that “the information that we use through knowledge-based authentication is already in the public domain.”

“This is a common-sense measure,” Dudek added. More than 72.5 million people,

including retirees and children, receive retirement and disability benefits through the Social Security Administration.

Connecticut Rep. John Larson, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee, said in a statement that “by requiring seniors and dis-

abled Americans to enroll online or in person at the same field offices they are trying to close, rather than over the phone, Trump and Musk are trying to create chaos and inefficiencies at SSA so they can privatize the system.” The DOGE website says that leases for 47 Social Security field

COURT

Continued from page 1A

on state income tax rates, make it more difficult to increase government spending and make it harder to pass new tax breaks, among dozens of other complicated changes to tax policy

Gov Jeff Landry, whose administration played a central role in crafting the tax amendment, celebrated the decision.

“This case was flawed and attempted to silence the voice of the people. The people can now speak,” he said in a statement.

When the high court ruled Tuesday, there had not yet been a hearing on the merits of the case, nor had the challenge gone through a review by the state appeals court, the typical progression for legal challenges.

But the Supreme Court agreed to

take up the matter and settle the dispute once and for all.

“Time is of the essence given that early voting commenced March 15 and is ongoing,” the ruling states “Considering the interests of judicial economy, the need to provide a definitive resolution of the issue, to prevent confusion or concern about infringement of the right to vote, or the effect of electoral choice, we elect to exercise our plenary supervisory authority under (the constitution).”

The plaintiffs’ constitutional objections to the ballot question had “no merit,” says the unsigned ruling.

The 4-3 decision was supported by Justices William Crain, Cade Cole, Jay MaCallum and Jeff Hughes. Chief Justice John Weimer and Justices John Michael Guidry and Piper Griffin dissented

Represented by New Orleans attorney William Most, the plaintiffs

“Time is of the essence given that early voting commenced March 15 and is ongoing Considering the interests of judicial economy, the need to provide a definitive resolution of the issue, to prevent confusion or concern about infringement of the right to vote, or the effect of electoral choice, we elect to exercise our plenary supervisory authority under (the constitution).”

LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT RULING

argued the title of the ballot question is not truly a “brief summary of the proposed changes,” as the constitution requires.

They also said dozens of changes to Article VII, the section of the constitution dealing with state taxes and finance, don’t actually

constitute “a revision of an entire article,” another constitutional requirement to fit all of the changes under one ballot question.

But the court’s majority said “the ballot language for the proposition at issue is framed in ‘simple, unbiased, concise, and easily understood language,’ ” in accordance with Louisiana state election law

“There is no requirement that every detail of the proposition be stated on the ballot,” states the decision, which also asserts the full amendment has been publicly viewable online for three months.

In a statement Wednesday, Most said the plaintiffs “were weighing their options” and called the high court’s decision to bypass standard hearing and appeals court procedures “unusual.”

He highlighted concerns over transparency raised in the dissents of Guidry and Weimar Weimar said the decision of the

offices across the country, including in Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Kentucky and North Carolina, have been or will be ended. However Dudek downplayed the impact of its offices shuttering, saying many were small remote hearing sites that served few members of the public.

Many Americans have been concerned that SSA office closures and massive layoffs of federal workers — part of an effort by President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the size of the federal government — will make getting benefits even more difficult.

Musk has pushed debunked theories about Social Security and described the federal benefit programs as rife with fraud, and called it a “Ponzi scheme” suggesting the program will be a primary target in his crusade to reduce government spending.

Voters have flooded town halls across the country to question Republican lawmakers about the Trump administration’s cuts, including its plans for the old-age benefits program.

In addition a group of labor unions last week sued and asked a federal court for an emergency order to stop DOGE from accessing the sensitive Social Security data of millions of Americans.

Supreme Court served to effectively “upend the normal judicial process,” the absence of which “erodes the respect for the fairness and impartiality of the system of justice.”

“Louisiana has a system of justice that allows for public hearings, the right of review by a court of appeal, and then and only then, a request to this court by way of a writ of certiorari to hear the matter,” Weimar wrote.

Guidry in a separate dissent said specific questions over the legality of the amendment are not clearcut.

“I strongly disagree with the majority that the proposed ballot language is sufficient and transparent to accurately summarize and put voters on notice concerning what they are being asked to vote for or against,” Guidry wrote.

Email Alyse Pfeil at alyse.pfeil@ theadvocate.com.

BY LORNE COOK

fense equipment in Europe

The EU’s executive branch unveiled its “Readiness 2030” security strategy with the threat of Russian aggression at the forefront of concerns. NATO intelligence estimates suggest that Russia could be capable of launching an attack in Europe again in three to five years Last month, the Trump administration signaled that U.S. security priorities lay elsewhere — on its own borders and in Asia and that Europeans would have to fend for themselves and Ukraine in the future. That was as Europe’s biggest land war in decades entered its fourth year Under the strategy, member countries will be urged to buy much of their mili-

tary equipment in Europe, working mostly with European suppliers — in some cases with EU help to cut prices and speed up orders. They should only purchase equipment from abroad when costs, performance or supply delays make it preferable.

In recent years, the 27 EU nations have placed about two-thirds of their orders with U.S. defense companies. To qualify for new loans, they would have to buy at least 65% of equipment from suppliers in the EU, Norway or Ukraine.

“The security architecture that we relied on can no longer be taken for granted,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said.

“We must buy more European. Because that means strengthening the European defense, technological and industrial base. That means stimulating innovation. And that means creating an EUwide market for defense equipment,” she added

The strategy resembles the RepowerEU scheme that the commission proposed in 2022 to wean the bloc off Russian natural gas after President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces into Ukraine and used energy as a weapon to try to undermine EU support for Kyiv

That strategy saw the EU’s dependence on Russian gas imports fall from 45% in 2021 to 15% in 2023.

The new blueprint was unveiled on the eve of a summit of EU government leaders. At emergency talks on March 6, they signed off on proposals to ease budget restrictions and create a $164 billion loan plan for defense projects. Defense firms in the U.S., U.K., and Turkey would be excluded from the loan plan unless those

Top DEQ lawyer departs agency

Executive leaves for federal position

BY DAVID J MITCHELL

Staff writer

The top lawyer for the state Department of Environmental Quality has left for a federal government position, creating another opening in the agency’s leadership circle.

W. Noah Hoggatt is the latest

in a string of top executives who were tapped by Secretary Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto only to leave within a year’s time. Hoggatt became DEQ’s executive counsel last April.

Some of those executives have left with criticisms of Giacometto’s leadership style, while others have said they were simply mov-

ing to different spots in Gov Jeff Landry’s administration. Giacometto and Landry have defended her leadership, saying she is seeking to create a more business-friendly approach while protecting the environment.

In an email sent to staff March 10, Hoggatt wrote that he was resigning “in order to move into a federal position” and that it was “an honor and a pleasure” to work with the agency’s “talented and

dedicated legal” and Criminal Investigation Division staff.

“Throughout my time at LDEQ, I’ve been consistently impressed with your wide breadth of knowledge, professionalism, and dedication. I wish you all nothing but the best in your continued service and future

endeavors,” he wrote.

The resignation formally took effect March 11, according to state civil service officials.

Hoggatt didn’t say in the email what federal position he was taking and didn’t respond to requests for comment Wednesday DEQ officials also hadn’t immediately responded to a request for comment.

FIT FOR A FEAST

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

BY CLAIRE TAYLOR Staff writer

BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer

STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE Sunset Police Chief Luis Padilla pleaded guilty on Wednesday in federal court in Lafayette to using unreasonable force on a suspect.

STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK

ABOVE: Third grade students get a look at the St. Joseph’s Altar display Wednesday at the St. John Cathedral Hall in Lafayette. The tables feature elaborate displays of bread, vegetables, holy cards, statues, desserts and artwork.

RIGHT: St. Joseph’s Altar items are displayed Wednesday at the St. John Cathedral Hall in Lafayette. The altars began as an Italian tradition to honor St Joseph for his intercession during a time of famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages.

Hoggatt

OUR VIEWS

Death reminds us that the fight against hazing is not over

It is with indescribable sadness that we read of the death of Caleb Wilson, a 20-year-old Southern University student who died in an alleged fraternity hazing incident last month. In the aftermath, three men have been arrested on counts of felony hazing One also faces a count of manslaughter

The resolution of any criminal charges is a process properly left to the court system. But Wilson’s death highlights the fact that the laws under which these men may be charged have not eradicated the pernicious practice of hazing. We likely do not need to remind readers that state laws making hazing a felony were passed in 2018 after the tragic 2017 death of LSU student Maxwell Gruver, who died of alcohol poisoning while trying to pledge a fraternity Gruver’s death provoked a broad reckoning with the pervasive practice across Louisiana campuses

But laws are not the only attempt to address the problem. Southern University has strict anti-hazing policies, as does Omega Psi Phi, the fraternity Wilson was attempting to join. But none were sufficient to prevent what happened to Caleb Wilson.

It’s not difficult to see why hazing has continued. Few things create faster or stronger bonds between humans than a shared “ordeal.” In initiation rituals, these manufactured ordeals test and strengthen a recruit’s loyalty to the organization

What’s more, hazing has a long history in American higher education and especially in Greek organizations. Over the last century, as laws and policies cracked down on the practice, hazing has often moved underground and off campus. That’s what has made it so difficult to police.

Wilson’s death should provoke another broad evaluation of how to do so. Already, some steps have been taken. Southern has suspended all club and Greek life recruiting through the end of the year, and Omega Psi Phi, the fraternity involved, was ordered to stop all activities.

Other measures are likely to follow Southern University Board Chair Tony Clayton has suggested removing responsibility for recruiting and initiating new members of Greek organizations from undergraduate chapters to graduate chapters made up of “professional men and women.

Former state Rep. Ted James, a member of the Black fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha, and state Rep. Vanessa LaFleur, a member of the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, also said they plan to reinforce anti-hazing policies and measures, especially by speaking out against the practice. We applaud these efforts. We know that hazing is deeply ingrained and difficult to root out.

That’s why any attempt to further reduce it will need to extend beyond new laws or policies — which do little if they are ignored — to include educating students on the dangers and potential consequences of hazing Adopting such a multi-level approach offers the best hope of preventing another tragedy. Caleb Wilson’s life, along with that of Maxwell Gruver demands nothing less.

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.

OPINION

Medicare

must keep its promise to seniors

I’m a Louisiana senior who has paid into Medicare my entire working life — decades of hard-earned wages to ensure care in my later years. Now, as a Medicare patient, I rely on my doctor for checkups and managing health challenges. But a 2.83% cut to physician payments that took effect on Jan. 1 threatens that care. These cuts are just the latest in a long list of troubling statistics facing Medicare patients like me. The American Medical Association reports that practice costs have soared over 50% since 2001, yet Medicare payments to physicians, adjusted for inflation, have dropped 33%. While hospitals have seen hefty increases — nearly 80% — physician payments have inched up only 10%. Physicians feel it, and so do we. Some may limit Medicare patients or shutter their doors — options no senior should face. Surveys show 1 in 5 doctors might leave their practices soon, worn thin by financial pressures. For me and countless others from New Orleans to Shreveport, losing a doctor means scrambling for

care, often far from home That’s not the Medicare I paid for.

I’ve earned fair treatment, as have all seniors. We need physicians to be reimbursed properly so they can keep serving us. Congress has dodged this issue too long, offering temporary fixes or nothing at all. That must change. My friends and I are encouraging Speaker Mike Johnson to support H.R. 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice Stabilization Act, to reverse the recent cut starting April 1 and add a 2% payment boost to steady practices. Then, lead on a permanent fix: Tie payments to inflation so doctors aren’t squeezed while costs climb.

I’ve trusted Medicare to honor my contributions. Now, I’m counting on our very own Speaker Johnson to ensure it does — by keeping physicians paid fairly and accessible. Seniors across Louisiana deserve that security ANNE PRICE deputy chair Republican Party of Louisiana Bossier Parish

Watch what Trump is trying to do to

This is in response to the article, “White House says it ‘will determine’ which news outlets cover Trump” by The Associated Press on Feb. 26. Every day we are affronted, appalled and assaulted by the narcissistic, tyrannical and calculated actions of Donald J. Trump. This is an assault that began not on Jan. 20, 2025, but on Jan. 6, 2021. And tragically, when the insurrectionists of Jan. 6 were pardoned, that was akin to pouring acid into a wound.

TO SEND US A LETTER,

Buoyed by politicians like Gov Jeff Landry, the extremist Republican Congress, a questionable Supreme Court the New Apostolic Reformation movement, the White supremacist movement, and growing nationalism, we are on a dangerous road to an authoritarian government, and an erosion of our freedoms — including one of the most important, freedom of the press. In yet the latest affront, the Trump administration wants to control the press and essentially control what the American

people are told and not told.

The press is one of the key tenets of democracy Being aware of what is happening in our government is how we keep power in check and ensure there are checks and balances, so our freedoms and constitutional rights are not assaulted and eroded.

One of Trump’s most dangerous lies is that the press is the enemy of the people. The press, especially now, is needed more than ever to ensure that the public — Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whatever one’s political party have access to all information about our government.

During a recent global conference in Europe, JD Vance stated that those who speak out against nationalism are the “enemy within.” Ironically, the biggest “enemy within” the United States today resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

GLORIA DAUPHIN Gretna

Federal workers don’t deserve how they are being portrayed

I am a recently widowed retired federal worker It pains me to see the Trump/Musk debacle slashing the employment of federal workers in what is touted as reducing waste and cutting fraud.

The current federal workforce as a share of all U.S. workforce is at 2%, an all-time low The largest number of federal workers are in health care, including Veterans Affairs hospitals.

My husband of 44 years died in September While grieving the loss of my partner, I tried to change my health insurance coverage from “self plus one” to “self-only” during the October open enrollment. I was informed by the sympathetic woman at my health insurer that this change had to be coordinated by the Office of Personnel Management. The October open enrollment is OPM’s busiest time of year There is no online option to make any life status change and calls to OPM during open enrollment aren’t answered because they don’t have the staff to do so.

In November, I wrote OPM and included my husband’s certified death certificate. OPM returned the death certificate and told me they would send the form I needed to complete. I received the form through the mail on Feb. 20.

If President Donald Trump and his puppeteer Elon Musk were really interested in reducing government fraud and abuse, they would invest in computerized and secure systems to complete government business, not in slashing the number of federal employees.

The Trump/Musk team’s actions endanger cybersecurity veteran and civilian health, responses to natural and man-made disasters and access and enjoyment of national parks, and they entail many unidentified risks. The government employees I worked with throughout my career and in my grief have been competent and caring. They don’t deserve the mischaracterizations and wholesale loss of employment engendered by the Trump/Musk team.

DEIDRE

CHARLOT New Orleans

Saints obsession an incurable, wonderful ailment

“We really need a guard. Why haven’t we made a strong play for a starting left guard?!?”

Note the “we.”

This is how obsessive New Orleans Saints fans many tens of thousands of us — talk about Louisiana’s major professional football team. It’s visceral. Sure, other fan bases identify with their teams, but there really is something different, something profound, in the combination of a love affair and borderline codependency between the Saints and our fans. (“Our,” not “their.”)

the coach he refused to leave, and then became an All-Pro, and a whiskey-swilling quarterback who had been a tailback before a car accident so bad that doctors feared he might never walk again.

Quin Hillyer

And as if Danny Abramowicz and Billy Kilmer didn’t provide enough underdog vibes, we then latched onto a half-footed kicker whose astonishing 63-yard field goal couldn’t be heard on live radio because a swarm of bees flew into the transmitter

ways with a sense of humor: Four years before the famous “baghead” fans during the 1-15 season in 1980, the Saints played so badly in a 1976 season-opening 40-9 loss to the Vikings that the biggest (and perhaps only) cheers came for a paper airplane lofted from one sideline terrace that managed to waft all the way to the other side. And never let it be said that Saints fans aren’t trend-setters: That paper airplane feat catalyzed a brief mania of paper airplanes in losing NFL stadiums across the land.

alive!

We all know this instinctively and experientially, of course, but it’s still worth considering why and how this love-dependency happened.

Was it that the denizens of this state so accustomed to beating nature’s odds, so scrappily insistent on joy amid hurricanes and epidemics, identified so strongly with the early, misfit Saints?

There we were with our two most prominent players being a slowfooted wide receiver who was cut from the team but literally told

At least kicker Tom Dempsey had a “normal,” un-jokeifiable name. Unlike his successor, Happy Feller, and unlike Joe Don Looney D’Artagnan Martin, Cephus Weatherspoon, Wimpy Winther, or the nickname my dad had for Margene Adkins — Margarine Adkins — because he supposedly had “butterfingers” and couldn’t hold onto the ball.

Saints fans embraced our woebegone team not just despite the seemingly doomed prospects, but in some ways because the odds against us were so long. And al-

Louisiana needs to get a plan to fix ailing infrastructure

Resolutions for 2025:

Put together a plan to fund and replace the bridges on U.S. 90 between Slidell and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, by the end of 2026.

Pass a recurring, dedicated tax that will raise a minimum of $500 million per year and increase yearly with the rate of inflation to increase transportation funds.

The recently passed changes regarding taxes have been hailed as a success that will avoid the “fiscal” cliff previously forecast for fiscal year 2025 and may even provide a surplus. A large portion of that “success” was due to moving the sales tax on new vehicles previously dedicated to the transportation department back into the general fund.

“It’s good that they don’t have a fiscal cliff to deal with next year, but there is a reliance on temporary changes” to cover the shortfall, said Jan Moller, executive director of Invest in Louisiana, a left-leaning think tank.

It is easy to move money around in the good years to provide an appearance of making a dent in the backlog of infrastructure projects. It is much harder to fund those projects with a stable, recurring money source when any type of new tax is summarily rejected.

Fiscal responsibility of the Legislature is not just about cutting taxes. It is about ensuring that enough money is coming into the state to properly fund needed services. Given the enormous backlog of infrastructure projects, this has obviously not been done in this area.

MARK DELANEY Jefferson

We need civility before we can begin to address state’s issues

If we all truly want Louisiana to be a better place to live, there is a New Year’s resolution that would go a long way toward achieving that goal. Each of us, every day should resolve to treat everyone with whom we interact with the same love, compassion, kindness, dignity, respect and charity that we always display after each natural or manmade disaster After this, all the other important things can more easily be accomplished BO BIENVENU Prairieville

So, yes, the Saints matched the whimsy of their southern Louisiana home. And when, under Tom Benson and Jim Mora, the Saints finally began winning, the emotional cocktail produced a longlasting high.

Of course, years later everybody well understood how the Saints became an ongoing symbol of civic renewal after Hurricane Katrina. Steve Gleason’s blocked punt; Drew Brees’ mind-bending excellence; the onside kick; the Super Bowl victory Oh, how great it felt to be with the Saints,

Since then, we’ve had selfinflicted wounds (the Seahawks going “Beast Mode,” the “Minneapolis Miracle”) and awful breaks (the Rams mugging Tommylee Lewis without a flag, the Vikes’ Kyle Rudolph committing unpenalized offensive pass interference). The repeated heartbreaks combined to add to Saints fandom an us-against-the-world mentality that made the bond between team and supporters even more allencompassing. There’s nothing, anywhere, like a Saints-obsessed fan a fan, for example, like the one in my own mirror That’s why, once the free-agent “tampering” window opens, some of us refresh our Saints web search at least 20 times a day all the way to and through the first week after the NFL draft. We keep hoping for that free agent, rock-solid guard to come aboard, hoping not to lose our favorite Saints veteran, hoping for the “wow” of an unexpected splash of a dazzling receiver or runner somehow fitting under our salary cap.

General Manager Mickey Loo-

TOWN SQUARE | PRIORITIES FOR LOUISIANA

At the beginning of the year, we asked you to make a New year’s resolution for the state.We received a number of responses addressing everything from roads to education. Here are some of the best suggestions we received.

at

Mississippi River and the Louisiana

Goal should be for state to be at the top of all rankings

Louisiana first. Be among the first of the states for good things for a change. I’ve noticed for a very long time that with anything good, our state always ranks at or near the bottom. Anything bad, yes you guessed it, our state is always at or near the top. Let’s put forth every effort to be a top leader in the good things for the great state of Louisiana, where people will want to come and raise a family because we have great education opportunities, safer environment, affordable housing and great health care. Now, that’s a great gumbo recipe for a good New Year’s resolution. PATRICIA B FREDERICKS Baton Rouge

mis’ annual cap manipulations are like a high-wire act, infuriating but also adding to the spectacle and fun. The same obsessive fan-hood is why we all think that reading a host of scouting reports and watching five minutes of highlight footage can give us better judgment than Loomis on a potential college draftee. We all have our “I-toldja-so” stories about how we were on record desperately wanting to draft Alvin Kamara (hooray!), Pro-Bowler Cooper Kupp (the Rams got him) and Chiefs tackling machine Nick Bolton, while conveniently forgetting that we swore Kellen Mond (out of the NFL already) would be the next superstar quarterback. We think we know so much, and by gosh, if the Saints would just listen, we’d be back in the Super Bowl again. And oh, in case you’re wondering, the Saints need to draft safety Nick Emmanwori this year His athleticism and production, you see, are off the charts, and Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.

Take concrete steps to reduce gun violence

In February, the newspaper reported that a 27-year-old plumber was killed by a stray bullet while returning to a job after buying parts. His grieving father said, “It could have happened to anybody Anybody could have been there at the wrong place at the wrong time”

In recent years, Baton Rouge residents know gun violence has happened to “anybody.” High-profile incidents include a young woman waiting for a train to pass on Government Street, a young boy leaving a barbershop with his family before Thanksgiving, a toddler killed at a poolside birthday party and a young boy hit by a stray bullet while lying in his bed. These random people were killed simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The level of gun violence in Louisiana is staggering. Right now, in 2025, Louisiana ranks second nationally in the number of gun deaths per 100,000. On average, 1,153 people die and 3,345 are wounded by guns each year, and between 2013 and 2022, the rate of gun violence in Louisiana rose by 46% as compared to 36% nationally Furthermore, Louisiana spends $14.3 billion each year for costs associated with gun deaths and injuries, money spent on police investigations, medical care and judicial costs.

In 2024, Louisiana lawmakers passed a “constitutional carry” bill that allows anyone at least 18 years old to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. Additionally, a permit, background check or firearms registration is not required when buying a handgun from a private individual. This is unfortunate, because in states with permitless concealed carry laws, gun violence has increased by 10%.

Public safety should be our state’s top priority, and currently, that is not the case. Lawmakers in Louisiana know that states with more comprehensive gun safety laws have fewer incidents of gun violence, so let’s do something about it. Let’s make our state safer by conducting background checks, requiring owners to be trained and repealing the concealed carry law These things work in other states, safer states, so let’s try them here to save lives, reduce costs and lessen the anguish caused by guns.

Some people hold onto the notion that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. However, the statistics cited above do not distinguish between bad guys, good guys or random people who just happen to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. To make our state safer, we must take steps to reduce gun violence, and that’s my New Year’s resolution for Louisiana. Let’s make a commitment to something because as we all know, gun violence can happen to anybody — but it’s more likely to happen in Louisiana.

JANICE

HINSON Baton Rouge

PROVIDED PHOTO By RANDy ROUSSEL

Janice Hinson

TOP HONORS

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU women’s basketball team has one of the top trio of stars in the country, and on Wednesday, each of them were recognized with 2025 Associated Press All-American honors.

Aneesah Morrow is a second-team All-American, Flau’jae Johnson is a third-team All-American, and Mikaylah Williams is an All-American honorable mention.

Morrow is now a three-time All-American. Last season, she was an honorable mention, and in her sophomore year at DePaul, she was named to the third team. Johnson and Williams appeared in the awards for the first time in their careers.

LSU was one of four programs that put multiple players on the three AllAmerica teams. The others were Notre Dame, UConn and Southern Cal. Including Johnson and Morrow, five players from the Southeastern Conference made one of the three teams. Te fo d d SEC Play of the

BY KEVIN FOO Staff writer

Year Madison Booker was named to the first team, while Kentucky point guard Georgia Amoore earned a spot on the second team Vanderbilt freshman guard Mikayla Blakes took one of the third-team slots.

Former LSU point guard Hailey Van Lith was voted onto the third team.

She’s also now the Big 12 Player of the Year, the star who guided TCU to a firstplace finish in its conference, a conference tournament title and an NCAA Tournament No. 2 seed.

The Tigers’ three stars led them to a No. 3 seed in the Big Dance.

Johnson, a junior, scored a careerhigh 18.9 points per game, while shooting 47% from the field and 37% from 3-point range. Williams hit her stride once LSU began playing conference games.

Against SEC foes last season, the star sophomore averaged 12.1 ppg while converting 43% of her field goals and 29% of her 3-pointers. This year, she

2025 AP All-America teams

First team

G Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame

G Paige Bueckers, UConn*

G Juju Watkins, Southern Cal

F Madison Booker, Texas

C Lauren Betts, UCLA

*Unanimous selection Second team

G Georgia Amoore, Kentucky

G Olivia Miles, Notre Dame

G Ta’Niya Latson, Florida State

F Aneesah Morrow, LSU

F Sarah Strong, UConn Third team

G Hailey Van Lith, TCU G Mikayla Blakes, Vanderbilt

G Flau’jae Johnson, LSU

F Kiki Iriafen, Southern Cal

F Audi Crooks, Iowa State Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Raegan Beers, Oklahoma; Sonia Citron, Notre Dame; Katie Dinnebier, Drake; Joyce Edwards, South Carolina; Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga; MiLaysia Fulwiley, South Carolina; Rori Harmon, Texas; Izzy Higginbottom, Arkansas; Aziaha James, N.C. State; Lauren Jensen, Creighton; Taylor Jones, Texas; Chloe Kitts, South Carolina; Ayoka Lee, Kansas State; Cotie McMahon, Ohio State; Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina; Sedona Prince, TCU; JJ Quinerly, West Virginia; Kiki Rice, UCLA; Shyanne Sellers, Maryland; Serena Sundell, Kansas State; Makayla Timpson, Florida State; Harmoni Turner, Harvard; Mikayla Williams, LSU

BY AARON BEARD AP basketball writer

It seemed a perfect and even relatively safe setup for Arizona. The Wildcats held a No. 2 seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament and headed to Los Angeles within their longrunning Pac-12 regional footprint with a chance to reach the Final Four Instead, a sixth-seeded Clemson team that had traveled across the country and hadn’t reached a regional final in more than four decades sent the Wildcats home.

“It’s all about matchups at the end of the day,” said Tigers forward Ian Schieffelin, who had 14 points in that upset and is part of Clemson’s fifth-seeded team this year “Whether you’re a 6 or an 11, it really doesn’t matter.”

That’s always been one of the biggest selling points of March Madness, that anything-can-and-will-happen vibe on everything from buzzer-beaters and memorable upsets to the best teams abruptly stalling at a shocking time. But the road to college basketball’s biggest stage for the top seeds has been even trickier in the four tournaments since the COVID-19 pandemic, with lowerseeded opponents making deeper runs to put more potential chaos into the bracket. It just so happens that volatility has come amid the growing use of the transfer portal, which has granted freer player movement to distribute talent more widely in the college version of free agency That’s been particularly true with many players carrying a fifth year of eligibility after competing during the pandemic, though this year largely marks the final crop of those players coming through the tournament.

Tougher ask

“I think winning a championship is harder the path is harder,” said ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock, who was the Final Four’s

“I’m really excited to work with him again. I love the way he coaches.”

yIADOM, Saints cornerback, on defensive coordinator Brandon Staley

worked closely with the defensive in San Francisco. really excited to work with him ” Yiadom said. “I love the way he coaches, the way he’s detailed and the way helps defensive backs. Now that he’s D-coordinator again, I think he’ll get a to cook some stuff up.” adom spoke about Staley as someone willing to adapt his defenses on a week-to-week basis, depending on the opand what they do well — which, as a he appreciates.

just feel like we

AP PHOTO By GEORGE WALKER IV

Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara, left, and Johni Broome react to a play against Tennessee during

semifinal game

Tenn.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow drives up court against Vanderbilt forward Jane Nwaba in the first quarter of their game on Jan. 13 at the PMAC Morrow was named a second team All-American.

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Scheffler’s Masters dinner includes ravioli

Dish to blame for PGA star’s cut right hand

BY DOUG FERGUSON AP golf writer

Scottie Scheffler added a few wrinkles to the menu for the Masters Club dinner he will host for past champions. And yes, there will be ravioli.

Ravioli is to blame for Scheffler still trying to reach full strength in his right hand. Glass punctured his palm when he used a wine glass to cut ravioli he was making for Christmas dinner, requiring surgery that kept him out of golf for a month.

He is serving cheeseburger sliders and firecracker shrimp again as appetizers, along with a choice of ribeye or redfish for the main course. He added Texas-style chili from the recipe of Randy Smith, his longtime swing coach

As for the ravioli?

That’s listed as “Papa Scheff’s Meatball and Ravioli Bites.” That was a specialty of his father, Scott Scheffler, when Scottie was growing up.

“Any time he made them, we were all jacked up about it,” Scheffler said Wednesday during a conference call for the Masters.

“Thought it would be fun to put them on the menu this year And the raviolis were a nice touch, as well.”

Scheffler won’t be making them, so all is well. Now it’s a matter of getting the pieces together as he goes after a third Masters green jacket on April 10-13.

The Masters champion lost out on his typical start to the season by missing The Sentry at Kapalua and The American Express in the California desert while waiting for his hand to heal. While the

hand is pain-free, Scheffler said it has taken time to regain full strength in it.

“I have absolutely no pain in the hand but getting the full total range of motion out of my hand is a little bit of a different story just because you’re not able to use a certain muscle for almost a month’s time. You have to build back strength in that hand.”

Scheffler has two top 10s in his five starts since returning at Pebble Beach, with his worst finish a tie for 25 in the Phoenix Open.

He has one more tournament, the Houston Open next week, before heading to Augusta National.

“I think it would be silly to say that it didn’t set me back a little bit because I had to take a good amount of time off,” he said. “I’m a right-handed golfer. So any sort of injury you have to that hand, especially a surgical one, is going to have some sort of effect.

“But each day, my hand continues to improve,” he said. “My body continues to get back to where it needs to be, and I think my swing

is coming around, as well. So I’m definitely excited about the improvements that I’m making.”

Scheffler is two weeks away from reaching 97 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the world ranking.

Tiger Woods is the only other player to hold the top spot longer Woods had streaks of 264 weeks and 281 weeks.

Scheffler will try to join Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only repeat champions at Augusta National.

Tush push ban among proposed NFL rule changes

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

The Green Bay Packers have formally proposed a rule change to ban the tush push and the Detroit Lions proposed that playoff seeding be done based on record instead of automatically placing division winners in the top four spots Teams made several other proposals released Wednesday that will be added to additional ones made by the competition committee to be considered at the league meetings later this month, including a change to the overtime rule and the so-called legal tampering period in free agency

Any rule change must be approved by 24 out of 32 team owners.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said last month at the scouting combine that his team wanted to ban the tush push, which is a modified quarterback sneak where two or three teammates line up behind the quarterback and push him forward to help him try to gain the yardage necessary for a first down or touchdown. Philadelphia has used the play successfully behind Jalen Hurts for the past three seasons in shortyardage situations, including during a 40-22 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. Other teams have tried to use it as well but without the success of the Eagles The proposed rule states that no offensive player may “immediately at the snap, push or throw his body against a teammate, who was lined up directly behind the snapper and received the snap, to aid him in an attempt to gain yardage.” Doing so would result

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By CHRIS SZAGOLA

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up for the goal line ‘tush-push’ play during the NFC championship game against the Washington Commanders on Jan. 26 in Philadelphia.

in a 10-yard penalty.

The playoff change proposal by the Lions would have led to significant changes last season when Minnesota had to go on the road for a wild-card game against the Rams despite winning four more games than Los Angeles in the regular season. The Vikings would have hosted a game as the third seed under the proposal.

The Chargers also went on the road as a wild-card team against division-winning Houston despite having one additional win.

Under the proposed rule, the first tiebreaker among tied teams would be based on winning the division. The Eagles proposed a change in overtime rules to align it more like the playoffs when each team is guaranteed an opportunity to score. The proposal would extend regular-season overtime from 10 minutes to 15 and the game wouldn’t end if the team that got the ball first scored a touchdown. League executive Troy Vincent said last month that changes were

Webpage on Jackie Robinson goes down

A Department of Defense webpage describing baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson’s military service was restored Wednesday after it was missing earlier in the day

That development came after pages honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner and Japanese American service members were taken down the Pentagon said that was a mistake — amid the department’s campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups, which the Trump administration considers “DEI.”

The page on Robinson includes biographical information about his Army service during World War II, which occurred prior to his famously breaking baseball’s color barrier in 1947 with the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Wings to play against Clark, Fever at home

DALLAS The Dallas Wings, who have the No. 1 overall pick in next month’s WNBA draft, will play their June 27 game against 2024 top pick Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at the home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. The Wings announced Wednesday that the game will be held at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center, where Clark played in the Final Four with Iowa two years ago. That is about 20 miles from College Park Center at UT-Arlington, which has a capacity of 6,251 and where the Wings are playing their 10th and expected final season since the franchise moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2016. They are planning to move next year into an arena being renovated that is part of the Dallas convention center

Athletics, Giants, Phillies games available locally

NEW YORK — Fans of the Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Philadelphia Phillies will be able to stream their games on a direct-to-consumer basis this season through MLB. tv Viewers in the team’s home markets who do not have cable or satellite subscriptions will be able to purchase a package and watch games live or on demand without blackouts, along with live pre- and post-game shows.

The A’s and Giants package will be available for a monthly cost of $19.99 and can be bundled with MLB.tv’s out-of-market games for $39.99 a month. The Phillies package is $24.99 per month and can be bundled with the out-of-market package for $44.99 per month.

Openly gay soccer player faces online death threats

needed to overtime rules to decrease the advantage of winning the coin toss. Receiving the ball first has become more of an advantage than before 2011, when overtime was sudden death. Receiving teams won 56.8% of overtime games from 2017-24, up from 55.4% from 2001-11.

Other changes

The Lions proposed that illegal contact and defensive holding penalties would not give the offense an automatic first down.

The Steelers proposed that teams would be allowed to have one video call or phone call with prospective unrestricted free agents from other teams and their agents during the two-day negotiating window before the start of the league year

Currently teams are allowed to talk only to agents during this period. It also would allow for teams to arrange travel for prospective free agents as long as the travel didn’t start until after the league year

The Lions proposed that players put on injured reserve before or on the day that rosters are cut to 53 shouldn’t count on the 90-man roster limit, unless they will be designated to return during the season.

Several clubs proposed allowing teams to prepare the special kicking balls before the day of the game like they can with regular balls.

Washington proposed allowing teams to obtain scouting credentials for games in Weeks 17 and 18 for potential playoff opponents in the conference and requiring teams hosting wild-card games to grant scouting credentials to any team in their conference that is in the playoffs.

ADELAIDE,Australia The first openly gay man to play in Australia’s domestic soccer league says he’s still subject to death threats four years after going public about his sexuality Josh Cavallo, who plays for Adelaide United in the A-League, told the FIFPro Footballers Unfiltered podcast that “in a world of football, being a gay player is a very toxic place.” Cavallo was 21 in 2021 when he decided to come out, acknowledging his video message “took the world of football for a shock.” He still regards it as “the best move and decision” he’s made, but warns that there’s “mountains of downside.” Cavallo didn’t detail the online threats. He continues to train and play as a professional footballer every week.

Bettman says NHL, NHLPA will begin CBA talks soon NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said Wednesday the league and the Players’ Association will sit down to begin negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement the week of April 1. Bettman and other league officials updated general managers on the situation at their annual spring meeting this week and got their thoughts on potential CBA changes that could be considered.

Unlike some more contentious situations in previous decades that led to work stoppages, there is optimism about getting a resolution done in the coming months well before the current agreement expires in September 2026. The working relationship between the league and union is at its highest point in recent history with business booming

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON

Scottie Scheffler lines up his shot on the second green during the final round of The Players Championship on Sunday in Ponte Vedra Beach Fla. The Masters begins April 10.

Continued from page 1C

notched 17.9 ppg in those games, while shooting 46% from the field and 38% from beyond the arc. This season, Morrow became just the second player in NCAA Division I history to post more than 100 career double-doubles.

She also averaged 18.6 points and 13.5 rebounds per game while

shooting 50% from the field. No Division I player has posted more double-doubles (27) than she has this year, and only four in NCAA history have ever grabbed more career boards (1,665). Morrow needs to corral 29 more rebounds to move into fourth place on the NCAA’s all-time leaderboard. She can start at 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, when LSU’s first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 14 seed San Diego State tips

off in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on ESPN. A win could give the Tigers a second-round matchup against No. 6 seed Florida State, which is led by junior guard Ta’Niya Latson — the nation’s leading scorer and a second-team All-American.

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

Los Angeles Chargers coach Brandon Staley celebrates with guard Brenden Jaimes, left, and center Will Clapp after a touchdown during the second half of a game against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov 26, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. Staley and Clapp will be reunited in New Orleans.

SAINTS

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You’re not one-dimensional, it’s not like offenses can sit there and pick you apart. I’m really excited about that diversity this defense brings.”

Williams had a front row seat to one of the better defensive seasons in recent memory He was an undrafted rookie with the Rams in 2020, when Staley coordinated the NFL’s No. 1 total and scoring defenses. Like Yiadom, he saw someone willing to fit the week’s game plan to the opponent.

“It was cool every week seeing the game plan come together,” Williams said. “He wasn’t stubborn about, ‘We have to do it this way every week.’ It was ‘What is the offense showing on tape, and how can we put our guys in the best position?’”

Moore drew some similar praise.

While Stoll wasn’t with the Eagles for their Super Bowl run last year — he was on their practice squad until November, when he was waived and the Miami Dolphins claimed him — his couple of months with Moore as the coordinator were informative.

He sees Moore as someone who finds ways to put his players in the right position to make plays — something he saw play out with the Eagles last year, when the normally pass-heavy Moore shifted his offense to feature Saquon Barkley and Philadelphia’s standout offensive line.

“He’ll do everything he can to make sure all the players are successful, which I think in turn leads to a team being successful in an offense,” Stoll said. “He’s a brilliant

CAJUNS

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one inning proved to be too much for the Cajuns to overcome. After each team scored a run in the first inning, McNeese attacked UL starter Sam Ryan with a fourrun second inning behind a Jada Munoz RBI single and Nyjah Fontenot’s two-run double. Ryan finished the game allowing five runs on five hits, two walks and no strikeouts in 1.1 innings. The Cajuns finally responded to that early 5-1 deficit with three runs in the fifth inning Mia Norwood and Erin Ardoin singled ahead of Maddie Hayden’s two-run triple. Kayla Falterman added an RBI single to make it 5-4. It then appeared UL might complete the comeback in the sixth inning when the Cajuns loaded the bases with one out, but a double play ended the threat UL was in that position thanks to the effective relief pitcher of Bethaney Noble, who allowed no runs on three hits, three walks and four strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Kadence Williams improved to 4-4 on the season after giving up

offensive mind. Seeing how he adapted his offense to the personnel that they had in Philly, that’s something that I thought was phenomenal.

“He had his system he had with Dallas and LA, and when he took it to Philly he saw the personnel and adjusted his system accordingly to make it successful. I think that’s something that is very difficult to do. Obviously it worked out pretty well for him.”

Clapp spent two seasons with the Chargers. Staley was his head coach for both of them, and Moore was his offensive coordinator for his second year He called the offense he ran under Moore in 2023 his “favorite offense that I’ve been in” during his seven-year playing career

He liked everything about it, from the playbook to the game day operation. And, as an offensive lineman, he specifically enjoyed the adaptability of the run game.

Last season, New Orleans predominantly deployed a zone run scheme. It was largely effective, but there were notable weeks where the rushing offense was shut out by a smart defense across the line of scrimmage. While Moore’s rushing offense struggled in his lone season with the Chargers, Clapp still saw a scheme that emphasized attacking opposing defenses’ weak spots.

“The way to describe it is probably anything and everything,” Clapp said. “They will use anything that will expose a weakness, or anything that we feel that our group can do better than your group.”

Left (guard) unanswered

Before he rejoined the New Orleans Saints last week, offensive

lineman Will Clapp played more than 1,000 snaps in his three seasons away from the team.

Most of them were at center not guard.

But as he returns for a second stint, Clapp likely realizes he could be asked to play more guard this time around.

That’s a spot, after all, that remains a giant question mark for the Saints after the first wave of free agency Last year, the Saints used five different players at left guard because of injuries and poor performance. And so far this offseason, New Orleans has taken a quieter approach to address the position.

On paper Clapp could be in the mix to compete at guard, alongside Landon Young, Nick Saldiveri and Kyle Hergel.

“I haven’t talked to (the coaching staff) about any roles,” said Clapp, the former LSU product whose first stint with the Saints was from 2018-2021. “Nothing’s been defined yet.”

Of course, the Saints may not be done adding to the position.

Several notable guards remained unsigned, including Lucas Patrick (last year’s primary starter at left guard for the Saints) and Brandon Scherff. The draft also remains an option for New Orleans to add another interior lineman.

More cap space

The Saints have roughly $30 million in 2025 cap space available after restructuring several contracts early this week.

The Saints performed simple restructures on both receiver Cedrick Wilson and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, creating more than $4 million in 2025 cap space in the process

center fielder Maddie Hayden delivered a two-run

cause at McNeese on Tuesday.

runs (three earned), six hits, no walks and no strikeouts in 4.1 innings. RyannSchexnaydergotherfourth

MCNEESE ATHLETICS

Wade to leave McNeese State for NC State job

Former LSU coach readying Cowboys for first-round tourney game against Clemson

BY TOYLOY BROWN III Staff writer

Former LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade has reached an agreement to be the new coach at North Carolina State, according to reports from Joe Giglio and ESPN.

The deal is reportedly not yet finalized with Wade currently coaching No. 12 seed McNeese State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cowboys play No. 5 Clemson at 2:15 p.m. Thursday Wade coached at LSU from 2017-22 after two years leading VCU. He went 105-51 in fi ve seasons and led the Tigers to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021 and 2022. Before the 2022 NCAA Tournament, he was fired four days after the university received a notice of allegations from the NCAA, which included several Level I violations involving the men’s

basketball team.

After the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Wade took a season away from coaching college basketball and was hired at McNeese State.

He was ultimately given a twoyear show-cause order and a 10game suspension in June 2023 for three Level I violations.

Wade has led the Cowboys to a 57-10 overall record and back-toback NCAA Tournament appearances in two seasons. The team was 30-4 last season, and fell to Gonzaga in the Round of 64. Wade has five tournament appearances overall between his time at VCU, LSU and McNeese State. He has a 253-106 career coaching record.

LSU has been led by coach Matt McMahon since Wade’s exit. In the three seasons under McMahon, the Tigers are 45-53, missing the NCAA Tournament each year The program finished with a disappointing 14-18 record this season and declined its bid to the National Invitational Tournament. Sources said McMahon will be back for a fourth season and that LSU will provide more NIL funding as the staff directs its attention to the transfer portal.

FINAL FOUR

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most outstanding player during Louisville’s run to a later-vacated national title in 2013. “You don’t have teams that have just five, six, seven upperclassmen who have played together three, four and five years, where they play a certain way and know each other and there’s continuity

“It’s more about how you build your team, roster management, how you can navigate the portal. I think there will be more variance.”

There’s already been an uptick in that starting with the bizarre “bubble” tournament of 2021, both when compared to the four years immediately before the pandemic as well as going back to the expansion of the tournament to 64 teams in 1985. A look at the combined seeds of teams reaching specific points in the tournament offers a glimpse as to just how much, with higher averages indicating the presence of more teams with bigger numbers alongside their names in the bracket.

And trouble has come throughout the bracket for the teams carrying those No. 1, 2 or 3 seeds, most notably Fairleigh Dickinson joining UMBC as the only 16-seeds to take down a No. 1 by beating Purdue in the 2023 first round. Final Four

in a

after two shutout innings. Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer cuts the net after their AAC Championship win against Louisville on March 15 in Charlotte, N.C.

The average combined seeds of teams in the Final Four was 17.0 from 2021-24, up from 13.5 from 2016-19 and 11.3 for the 35 tournaments from 1985-2019. It was only two years ago when

4-seed UConn was the top team in an unusual Final Four in Houston, marking the first time there was no 1-, 2- or 3-seed in the national semifinals dating to ‘85.

Additionally, there has been at least one team seeded eighth or lower in four consecutive Final Fours for the first time dating to the 1985 expansion, with 11thseeded N.C. State as last year’s improbable example.

Elite Eight

The average combined seeds for teams in the regional finals has been 38.3 from 2021-24, up from 27.8 from 2016-19 and 25.6 dating to 1985. The biggest outlier came in 2022, when St. Peter’s stunned Kentucky in Round 1 on the way to becoming the only 15-seed ever to reach a regional final. The Peacocks’ opponent? Another surprise team in eighthseeded North Carolina, which went all the way to the national title game. Meanwhile, only six No. 1 seeds have reached the Elite Eight from 2021-24. That’s half the total of the same span immediately before the pandemic.

Sweet 16

Just getting to the tournament’s second week has been tricky, too. The average combined seeds since the pandemic is 77.5. That’s up from 66.3 immediately before the canceled 2020 tournament and 70.6 from 1985-2019. The aforementioned 2023 tournament had only two No. 1 seeds — Alabama and Houston — survive the opening weekend. And that had happened only three times previously going back to 1985 (2000, 2004, 2018).

AP PHOTO By CHRIS CARLSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By ASHLEy LANDIS

PROVIDED FILE PHOTO By

McNeese State coach Will Wade celebrates the Cowboys’ Southland Conference regular season championship win against Houston Christian on March 4, 2024, at the Legacy Center in Lake Charles.

Jan Risher THE DISH

Sharing a bit of Kentucky in a Louisiana kitchen

Typically with this column, readers send in recipes, and I cook them in my kitchen. Then, we compare notes. This week is different.

When Stephanie November invited me into her New Orleans kitchen to make some of her mother’s favorite Kentucky dishes, I said, “Absolutely!” November, the daughter of a high school band director and home economics teacher, grew up in Princeton, Kentucky

Her mom, Brenda Stephens, was a marvelous and generous cook. In full disclosure, I first met November and her mom 15 years ago when our young daughters were in “Charlie Brown” together

Watching the young cast sing about Charlie Brown being a good man and happiness being two kinds of ice cream over and over again, she and I became friends. We bonded, in large part, over being the children of school teachers in small Southern communities.

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

In her New Orleans home, Stephanie November chops up barbecue pork to make one of her mother’s signature dishes.

Since those days, we’ve both moved to different cities, but we’ve stayed in touch. When she proposed teaching me to make one of her mom’s classic Kentucky dishes, I couldn’t resist. Not only because it would be fun to visit, but because her mom was one of my favorite people. I love celebrating her memory Stephens was the kind of person who spread joy Her generosity was contagious. She passed those genes on to her daughter As we were preparing the dishes, she told me about how every night at dinner, her dad would figure out how much the cost for the meal was. He

ä See THE DISH, page 6C

BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER Tribune News Service (TNS)

Tuna Crispy-Rice is a make-ahead dream recipe for Lent and beyond

BY APRIL HAMILTION | Contributing writer

Iwas raised on fresh fish, farm stands and Mom’s fried chicken on the east coast of central Florida. Each of these provisions had its cadence.

Fried chicken was always a Sunday affair, the farm stands a weekly stop. Fresh fish was every Friday, especially during Lent. My brothers skipped down to the beach to see what was biting and Mom would cook it up. If they returned empty-handed, our meatless meal was eggs and toast and fresh squeezed orange juice, today’s trendy breakfast for dinner My truth is that the fresh catch, or any seafood, was on my “no thank you” list until college when I experienced a perfectly blackened mahi mahi on a spring break trip to the Caribbean. From this conversion, my world changed and now the first place I turn to on any restaurant menu is “today’s catch.”

Tuna Crispy-Rice

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON

Try this trick for the microwave

Dear Heloise: I wanted to share a hint that I’ve never seen before I always keep a small jar of water in my microwave in case I happen to turn it on by mistake when it’s empty This tip has saved me from disaster You can also eliminate unwanted odors by putting some vinegar in the jar and letting it

sit overnight. Thanks for all your great ideas! — Molly S., Dayton, Ohio Men using coupons

Dear Heloise: I am responding to your question about men using coupons. I’m a happily married 80-year-old man who is financially well-off. I have no idea how long I’ve been using cou-

pons, but it’s been several decades. I used to do most of the grocery shopping, but now that I can’t drive, my shopping has been reduced. I’ve been using coupons for decades. To me, coupons are tax-free money, so why not take advantage of them? — Len Smith, via email Send a hint to heloise@ heloise.com.

2.

4. Pour batter about until it spreads to about 4 inches in diameter

Brenda’s Chex Mix

Recipe by Brenda Stephens. Makes 7 quarts

6 cups salted dry-roasted peanuts, mixed nuts or cashews

1. Preheat oven to 275 F 2. Melt butter 3. Once butter is melted, add onion salt, garlic powder, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco.

5. Brown cornbread pancake on one side until little holes start showing near the edges and it is ready to be flipped with a spatula.

6. Flip pancake and cook about 3 to 5 more minutes, depending on heat.

7. Serve on a plate and top with the barbecue and beans mixture.

This is a do-ahead dream recipe if planning ahead is an option. Make the rice, pat it out and chill it overnight before cutting it into little squares and browning/ crisping in a hot skillet. The water ratio here is from the rice package — follow the instructions according to the rice you use.

FOR THE RICE:

2 cups uncooked short-grain rice (sushi rice)

3 cups water for the rice

¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons fine salt

Coconut oil for cooking

1. Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and run cold water through it for 1 minute, until the water is running almost clear Shake the strainer to remove most of the water from the rice.

2. Combine the rinsed rice and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan with a tightfitting lid. Set over mediumhigh heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to mediumlow Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it continue to steam for 10 minutes

3. Fluff the cooked rice with a large fork and transfer to a large bowl.

4. In a small bowl, whisk

TUNA

Continued from page 5C

Tuna Crispy-Rice

together the rice vinegar, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Drizzle over the cooling rice in the bowl and fold together to incorporate.

5. Line a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. When the rice is cool, turn it out into the prepared pan and press firmly into a half-inch-thick layer, dampening fingers if the rice sticks to your hands. Cover the baking pan with a sheet of plastic wrap and slash a few holes in the wrap with a paring knife to let it dry out just a bit while it chills. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for 1 hour

6. When the rice is cold, transfer the whole slab to a cutting board, carefully removing the plastic wrap. Cut into 4 dozen rectangles with a sharp knife.

7. Heat 1 tablespoon of

THE DISH

Continued from page 5C

took great pride in eating at home and on a budget.

“My brother and I were just talking about how most every night at dinner, my dad would itemize the fact that we were feeding the four of us this whole meal for under $7,” she said. “Dad was the one that was always mindful about what the calculus of the per-person cost was versus what that would have cost us to eat out.”

Her mother’s signature recipe was Chex Mix, which she shared in droves

We followed her recipe last week. The dish was so synonymous with Stephens that they even put her recipe on the back of the prayer card at her funeral. November and I made the Chex Mix with cashews, and November told me that growing up they would

By The Associated Press

Today is Thursday, March 20, the 79th day of 2025. There are 286 days left in the year

Today in history

On March 20, 1995, in Tokyo, packages containing the deadly chemical sarin were opened on five separate subway trains in a domestic terror attack by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, causing 14 deaths and injuring more than 1,000.

On this date: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte returned to Paris after escaping his exile on Elba, beginning his “Hundred Days” rule. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s influential novel about slavery, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” was first published in book form after being

have used salted peanuts.

“Because they were cheap,” she said “That’s the theme of this whole demo. Except for the cashews, what we’re making is inexpensive — and it would stretch.”

Every home economics teacher I’ve ever known was a master of stretching. There’s no coincidence that “economics” is part of the title.

“My dad would have told you that, ‘Oh you don’t need cashews when you can buy peanuts for half the cost,’” she said November said the economics of a meal played a big role even on holidays in the Stephens household. On Christmas Eve, her parents hosted an all-day open house. People would come and go. Her mother made a gigantic pot of what she calls, “Barbecue, beans and cornbread,” which is a pork and beans and barbecue concoction on a cornbread

TODAY IN HISTORY

serialized in the abolitionist newspaper The National Era; it would become the best-selling novel of the 19th century In 1854, the Republican Party of the United States was founded by opponents of slavery at a schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin In 1996, a jury in Los Angeles convicted Erik and Lyle Menendez of first-degree murder in the shotgun slayings of their wealthy parents. (They were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.) In 2014, President Barack Obama ordered economic sanctions against nearly two dozen members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle and a major bank that provided them support, raising the stakes in an East-West showdown

5. Pour melted butter mixture over cereals and stir well.

6. Bake for one hour, stirring thoroughly every 10 minutes.

7. Cool completely before portioning into containers for sharing.

4. In the largest roasting pan you have (a 16-quart pan is ideal), combine cereals, crackers, pretzels and nuts.

pancake — something I had never tried before.

“Maybe this is what a hoecake is?” November said as she was flipping one of the cornbread pancakes. “But we always just called this cornbread when we made this dish.”

One critical component of the dish is the barbecue sauce. November recommends a sauce she describes as “tomato based but vinegar forward — mustardy and not a vinegar sauce because that is different.”

I knew exactly what she meant.

You, too, can send in the recipe for your signature dish. Each week, Jan Risher picks a different dish to prepare. She compares notes with the cook who sent in the recipe. If you’ve got a great dish you think others would love, email Jan. Risher@theadvocate.com.

over Ukraine. In 2018, in a phone call to Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trump offered congratulations on Putin’s reelection victory; a senior official said Trump had been warned in briefing materials that he should not congratulate Putin. Today’s birthdays: Actor Hal Linden is 94. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley is 80. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr is 77. Guitarist Jimmie Vaughan is 74. Film director Spike Lee is 68. Actor Holly Hunter is 67. Model-entrepreneur Kathy Ireland is 62.

Actor David Thewlis is 62. Actor Michael Rapaport is 55. MMA commentator and former champion Daniel Cormier is 46. Actor-singer Christy Carlson Romano is 41. Tennis player Sloane Stephens is 32.

My brother-in-law is from Japan and crafts sushi as elegantly as any of the masters. I once took a class in his restaurant kitchen and realized the skill requires more than a sharp knife. I do enjoy dabbling in the art and employ my sushi rolling mat for extensive kitchen fun. (More on this later stay tuned) In my Baton Rouge neighborhood, I am now two handshakes away from the freshest fish. Cue the glee when the inquiry arrives from my friend Alison: “Would you like some fresh my son just caught?”

Fill in the blank. I recall the red snapper that fed my crowded table and the grouper filets that I blackened per my Caribbean taste memory Last week, the fresh catch call was tuna. I could not believe my luck. I pondered the myriad menu possibilities before picking up this prize. I imagined a single serving that I could stretch to feed two and instead was handed three tenderloin-sized hunks of sushi-grade tuna. My mind flashed to my last trip home to Florida when a generous fisherman shared the bounty with my nephew Thomas and his girlfriend Brianna. I only half observed their process of making rice, dicing the tuna and mixing it with

some special sauce. They cut the slab of cooled rice into squares and seared them in a hot skillet filled with coconut oil which perfumed the whole house with nutty fragrance. They plated their spicy tuna concoction onto platforms of crispy rice and garnished each piece with avocado and fresh jalapeño. In a single phone call, I was able to recreate the delicacy with Brianna’s reassurance, “First of all, I measure with my heart,” followed by “It’s not hard at all.” Now that my grown-up tastebuds appreciate the bounty of the sea, I am ready to spring into action when the generous neighborhood fisherman shares his haul.

Hints from Heloise

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON Crispy-Rice

STAFF PHOTO By JAN RISHER

Stephanie November shares her family recipe of a western Kentucky favorite, barbecue, beans and cornbread.

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Discipline and hard work will pave the way to a better lifestyle. Get out, be active and do your best to choose healthy alternatives. A professional change looks promising.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Tidy up your finances, investments and spending habits. Put debt to rest and pay down outstanding balances. Sell off unnecessary items. Fiscal health will improve your physical health.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Take uncertainty out of the equation by being blunt about what you want to know. Positive change begins with the facts, a plan and taking the initiative to make things happen.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20) Partnerships will lead to opportunity. It's OK to wheel and deal, but if you want a relationship to be ongoing, you'll have to include compromise, honesty and a strong moral compass.

CANCER (June 21-July 22) You'll have to weigh today's pros and cons when doing business, buying and selling or handling matters that can influence your reputation. Change is inevitable.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your thinking cap on and prepare to learn. Let your heart lead the way. Expose yourself to new concepts and technology that helps spin old favorites into something new and exciting.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) Emotions will surface over situations you encounter at home or work. Be ready to look

for alternative methods to make ends meet. Accurately assessing your cost of living will help you get ahead.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) Take a break and do something that will spark your imagination and give insight into how you can put your attributes to better use. Love, partnerships and social engagement will enhance your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) Stop obsessing about the past and focus on what you can do to build a better future. Put your energy into learning, exercising your rights and making things happen. It's your life to live, so get moving.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) Tidy up loose ends, clear the path and start anew. Refuse to let the past hold you back when it's time to put your best foot forward and find your passion.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Get involved in something that matters to you. The people you meet and the difference you make will change how you feel about your life and what you do for an income.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Consider what you enjoy most and turn it into an occupation or favorite pastime. Whether it concerns work, money or morals, satisfying your soul will impact you profoundly and shape your path forward.

The horoscope, an entertainment feature, is not based on scientific fact. © 2025 by NEA, Inc., dist. By Andrews McMeel Syndication

CeLebrItY CIpher

For better or For WorSe

SALLY Forth

beetLe bAILeY

Mother GooSe And GrIMM SherMAn’S LAGoon

Sudoku

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

Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer

THe wiZard oF id

BLondie

BaBY BLueS

Hi and LoiS

CurTiS

BY PHILLIP ALDER

Julia Child said, “I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.”

Yourbridgepartnerwillbeveryhappy if you play bridge carefully, whether or not on Valentine’s Day. In this deal, how should South play in four spades after West leads the heart king?

In Standard American, the auction is straightforward.Ifyouusetwo-over-one game-force, North would rebid three spades,andSouth,withaminimumopening, would sign off in game.

Declarer has four potential losers: one diamond and three clubs. He has only nine top tricks: six spades, one heart and two diamonds. South can hope that East has the club ace, or try to establish dummy’s diamond suit. But the actual layout is the one that South should fear. If he takes the first trick, draws trumps and plays on diamonds, East will win a trick and can shift to the club queen. Then, as long as neither defender tries to cash a heart trick, declarer will lose one diamond and three clubs. What is the secret?

South must keep East off the lead. And the way to do that is not to win the first trick; let West take it. Suppose he continues with another heart.

Declarer wins with dummy’s ace and discards a diamond from his hand. Then he plays a trump to his ace before attacking diamonds. South takes dummy’s two winners, ruffs a diamond high, and (when they split 3-2) draws trumps ending on the board. Finally, declarer cashes dummy’s remaining two diamonds, throwing club losers from his hand.

wuzzles

Inthisway,Southcollectsanovertrick, not an undertrick. © 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: NOON GOOD = GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

word game

InstRuctIons: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or

toDAY’s WoRD uPRosE: UP-roze: Stood up or got out of bed.

Average mark 22 words Time limit 30 minutes

Can you find 28 or more words in UPROSE?

YEstERDAY’s WoRD — nEoGEnEsIs

loCKhorNs

marmaduKe

Bizarro

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

hidato mallard

BRIEFS

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

Wall Street rallies after Fed decision on rates

U.S. stocks climbed Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said the economy still looks healthy enough to keep interest rates where they are. Wall

Street also got a boost from easing yields in the bond market

The S&P 500 jumped. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also rose.

Stocks also got a boost from lower Treasury yields in the bond market. When Treasurys are paying investors less in interest, they can encourage investors to pay higher prices for stocks.

Greenpeace must pay $650M in protest case

Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $650 million in damages for defamation and other claims brought by a pipeline company in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday Dallas-based Energy Transfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused Netherlandsbased Greenpeace International, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance, civil conspiracy and other acts. The damages owed will be spread out in different amounts over the three entities.

Greenpeace said earlier that a large award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the organization Following the nine-person jury’s verdict, Greenpeace’s senior legal adviser said the group’s work “is never going stop.”

The organization later said it plans to appeal the decision.

Energy Transfer called the verdict a “win” for “Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law.”

The case reaches back to protests in 2016 and 2017 against the Dakota Access oil pipeline and its Missouri River crossing upstream of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s reservation.

Attorneys for Energy Transfer alleged Greenpeace paid outsiders to come into the area and protest, sent blockade supplies, organized or led protester trainings, and made untrue statements about the project to stop it.

Ben & Jerry’s alleges CEO unlawfully fired

Ben & Jerry’s says its CEO was unlawfully removed by its parent company, Unilever, in retaliation for the ice cream maker’s social and political activism.

In a federal court filing late Tuesday, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever informed its board on March 3 that it was removing and replacing Ben & Jerry’s CEO David Stever Ben & Jerry’s said that violated its merger agreement with Unilever, which states that any decisions regarding a CEO’s removal must come after a consultation with an advisory committee from Ben & Jerry’s board.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’s in 2000 for $326 million At the time, Ben & Jerry’s said the partnership would help the progressive Vermont-based ice cream company expand its social mission.

But lately, the marriage hasn’t been a happy one. In 2021, Ben & Jerry’s announced it would stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. The following year, Unilever sold its Israeli business to a local company that said it would sell Ben & Jerry’s under its Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israel and the West Bank. Last May, Unilever said it was planning to spin off its ice cream business — including Ben & Jerry’s by the end of 2025 as part of a larger restructuring.

Unilever also owns personal hygiene brands like Dove soap and food brands like Hellmann’s mayonnaise.

Fed keeps key rate unchanged

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Federal Reserve kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday and signaled that it still expects to cut rates twice this year even as it sees inflation staying stubbornly elevated

The Fed also now expects the economy to grow more slowly this year and next than it did three months ago, according to a set of quarterly economic projections also released Wednesday It forecasts growth falling to 1.7% in 2025, down from 2.8% last year,

and 1.8% in 2026. Policymakers also expect inflation will pick up slightly, to 2.7% by the end of 2025 from its current level of 2.5%. Both are above the central bank’s 2% target.

Even though the Fed maintained its forecast for two cuts, economists noted that under the surface there were signs that the central bank is likely to stay on hold for some time. That is likely to keep borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards unchanged in the coming months.

Eight of the 19 Fed officials said they see only one or zero rate reductions this year In December, four were projecting one or less rate cuts.

“It will be harder for them to cut rates this year with inflation

moving sideways,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Morgan Stanley

Fed Chair Jerome Powell, at a news conference, said that President Donald Trump’s tariffs have started to push up inflation a bit and would likely stall out the progress the central bank has seen in reducing inflation in recent years.

“I think we were getting closer and closer” to price stability, Powell said. “I wouldn’t say we were at that. I do think with the arrival of the tariff inflation, further progress may be delayed.”

But he added that the Fed does still expect inflation to get back nearly 2% by the end of next year That statement suggests Powell is more inclined to see the inflationary effects of tariffs as a one-time

change, rather than an ongoing rise in prices.

“They’re talking about tariffs in a totally different way,” compared to their last meeting in January, said Luke Tilley chief economist at Wilmington Trust.

Fed policymakers also expect the unemployment rate to tick higher, to 4.4%, by the end of this year, from 4.1% now The economic projections underscore the tight spot the Fed may find itself in this year: Higher inflation typically would lead the Fed to keep its key rate elevated, or even raise rates. On the other hand, slower growth and higher unemployment would often cause the Fed to cut rates to spur more borrowing and spending and lift the economy

Venture Global has export OK

BY TIMOTHY BOONE Business editor

Venture Global said it has received approval from the U.S. Department of Energy increasing the number of countries that can receive liquefied natural gas from its second Cameron Parish facility

The approval means Venture Global can export LNG from its Calcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, project to any country, including Europe Previously the plant was limited to exporting to the 20 countries the U.S. has free trade agreements with, which includes nations such as Australia, Canada, Israel, Korea, Mexico and Singapore.

“Expanding U.S. LNG exports bolsters our economy, supports American jobs and provides reliable, secure AMERICAN energy production to the American people and our allies around the world,” the Energy Department said in a post on X.

Venture Global CEO Mike Sabel thanked

the Trump administration for returning to “regulatory certainty” that allows the company to expand LNG imports. President Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed to move ahead with permitting LNG facilities quickly, while the Biden Administration paused export permits for CP2 in order to study its impact on global warming. This is the fifth LNG-related approval from the Energy Department since Trump returned to the White House two months ago.

“This will enable us to provide our allies around the world with American LNG in just a few years and for decades to come,” Sabel said in a statement.

The process for making a final investment decision on CP2 was launched earlier this month. Venture Global said it has purchase agreements with companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron and China Gas for the LNG produced at the plant.

Sabel said CP2 is “getting ready to launch as soon as we get maybe a couple more permits from the federal government.”

The LNG export business has been booming in Louisiana since at least 2010 when Cheniere Energy first applied to ship the fuel

from its then-planned Sabine Pass terminal in southwest Louisiana. Three other LNG terminals have opened in the state since then, most recently Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG, which started production in December Venture Global announced plans earlier this month for an $18 billion expansion of Plaquemines LNG, which would make it the largest exporter in North America.

CP2 would pump out about 20 million tons of LNG annually, which would make it the third-largest LNG exporter in the nation. Environmental groups criticized the Energy Department’s export approval, noting that comments on CP2 will be accepted until Thursday afternoon.

“By conditionally approving this massive project, Trump’s Department of Energy is once again failing to protect the American people from an unnecessary LNG project set to generate billions for corporate executives and leave everyday people with higher energy costs,” Mahyar Sorour, Sierra Club director of beyond fossil fuels policy, said in a statement.

Email Timothy Boone at tboone@ theadvocate.com.

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

Purdue Pharma asked a bankruptcy judge late Tuesday to consider the latest version of its plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin, a deal that would have members of the Sackler family who own the company pay up to $7 billion. The filing is a milestone in a tumultuous legal saga that has gone on for more than five years. Under the deal the family members estimated in documents from 2020 and 2021 to be worth about $11 billion — would give up

ownership of the company in addition to contributing money over 15 years, with the biggest payment up front.

Family members resigned from Purdue’s board, stopped receiving money from the company and ceased other involvement before it filed for bankruptcy protection in 2019 as it faced lawsuits from thousands of state and local governments, plus others.

The new entity would be run by a board appointed by state governments, and its mission will be to abate the opioid crisis that has been linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths in the U.S. since OxyContin hit the market in 1996. The first

wave of deadly overdoses were tied to OxyContin and other prescription drugs, and subsequent waves have involved heroin and more recently illicit versions of fentanyl. This settlement plan was hammered out in months of mediation involving groups that sued Purdue, and nearly all of them are supporting it, according to mediator reports filed in court. Approval would take at least several more months.

A previous version had bankruptcy court approval but was rejected last year by the U.S. Supreme Court because it protected members of the Sackler family from civil lawsuits even though none of them filed for bankruptcy

protection themselves. Under the new version, plaintiffs will have to opt in to get full shares of the settlement. If they do not, they can still sue Sackler family members, who agreed to put in about $1 billion more than under earlier plans.

The Sacklers’ cash contribution would depends in part on how many parties join the settlement and on the sale of foreign drug companies. Some of the money they put into the settlement is to be reserved to pay any judgments if they are sued and lose; but if that doesn’t happen, it’s to go into the main settlement. Members of the family continue to deny any wrongdoing.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRETT DUKE

Doug Burgum, and Venture