The Advocate 03-20-2025 by The Advocate

Celebrating St. Joseph

The St. Joseph’s Altar is a tradition born in Sicily, thanking St Joseph for relief from drought. The traditional St. Joseph’s Altar is constructed in the shape of the cross, with three levels honoring the Holy Trinity A statue or picture of Joseph, often seen holding the baby Jesus, stands at the center of the highest tier with flowers surrounding him.

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

BY JOHN SIMERMAN Staff

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.”

See WATER, page 5A

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

ä See COURT, page 5A

execution chamber observed

was quiet and heavy as a pair of curtains rose on Louisiana’s first execution using nitrogen gas.

tor covered his face, leaving little of Hoffman to see as he lay at an incline facing the window, arms splayed on the cruciform table.

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.

The condemned

A pair of meters on a wall in the viewing room put the air at a healthy 20.7% oxygen, though it

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 respira-

“Would you like to make a last statement?” Hoffman, 46, tossed his head to the side and seemed to say noth-

ing. 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

Witness attends execution at Angola ä See EXECUTION, page 4A

Hoffman

STAFF PHOTOS By JAVIER GALLEGOS

The Rev. Cary Bani blesses the St Joseph’s Altar at the noon Mass at St. Joseph Cathedral on Wednesday.

ABOVE: Ladies of the Cathedral volunteer Karen Rimes, right, smiles as she serves parishioner Rose Marie Pizzolato at Wednesday’s celebration. RIGHT: Parishioners line up to donate and look at the St. Joseph’s Altar after Mass on Wednesday.

Trump threatens Houthi rebels amid airstrikes

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump threatened Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday that they’ll be “completely annihilated” as American airstrikes pounded locations.

Strikes hit Sanaa, Yemen’s rebel-held capital, as well as their stronghold of Saada on Wednesday night, the Houthi’s al-Maisrah satellite news channel reported. It aired footage showing ﬁreﬁghters battling a blaze in Sanaa and damage at a sheep farm in al-Jawf It also said strikes happened overnight Tuesday. The first strikes this weekend killed at least 53 people, including children, and wounded others.

Trump wrote on his Truth Social website that “tremendous damage has been inﬂicted upon the Houthi barbarians.”

“Watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair ﬁght, and never will be,” Trump added. “They will be completely annihilated!”

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 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. 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.

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 border 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 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.

Putin, Zelenskyy agree to limited ceasefire

BY HANNA ARHIROVA Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle to a limited ceasefire after President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders this week, though it remains to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack. The tentative deal to partially rein in the grinding war came after Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffed Trump’s push for a full 30-day ceasefire. The difficulty in getting the combatants to agree not to target one another’s energy infrastructure highlights the challenges Trump will face in trying to fulfill his campaign pledge to quickly end to the war

After a roughly hourlong call with Trump on Wednesday that both leaders said went well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters that “technical” talks in Saudi Arabia this weekend would seek to resolve what types of infrastructure would be protected under the agreement.

But it was immediately clear that the three parties had different views about what the pact entailed, with the White House saying “energy and infrastructure” would be covered, the Kremlin saying the agreement referred more narrowly to “energy infrastructure,” and Zelenskyy saying he’d also like railways and ports to be protected.

“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 his call with Trump, which came a day after the U.S. president held similar talks with Putin. “I supported this step, and Ukraine conﬁrmed that we are ready to implement it.”

During their call, Trump suggested that Zelenskyy should consider giving the U.S. ownership of Ukraine’s power plants to ensure their long-term security, according to a White House statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio and national security adviser Mike Waltz.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By JEHAD ALSHRAFI

Strip

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

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA

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.

Everyonewants to avoidtax.Whenpeoplethink about avoiding taxes, they usually thinkabout avoiding income tax. But, Louisianaresidents have to be concernedwithseveraltypesoftaxeswhentheyareplanningtheirestates

FederalEstateTax–DidYouKnow?

Thefederal estate taxappliestoestates of peoplewho areresidents in anyof the 50 states.Whenitapplies, it is significant. Essentially,whena person dies, we have to addupthe fair market valueofeverythingthe deceased owned–theirhouse, cars, bank accounts, IRA’s, 401(k)’s,lifeinsurance, stock, businessestheyown,real estate andmore. Since2013, newfederal estate tax lawswerepassed.Theexemptionamountis$13,610,000fordeathsoccurringin 2024,andtheestatetaxrateis40%

WhatAboutTheSurvivingSpouse?

Before 2010, eachspousehad an estate taxexemption. If theestateofthe first spouse to diedid not usetheir exemption, it wouldbelostand thesurviving spousecouldnotuseanyoftheexemptionofthefirstspousetodie.Howeverin 2013, “portability”was kept in place –the survivingspousecan now increase theirexemptionbytheamountoftheunusedexemptionamount ofthedeceased spousewhodiedafter2010. Butportabilitymustbeexercisedtimely

HowToAvoidCapitalGainsTax

Thetaxthatoftencreepsuponpeoplepeopleiscapitalgainstax.Capitalgains ispaidwhenyou sell an assetthathas appreciated in value. Example: you buy astockfor$20,000andlatersellthestockfor$100,000.Youwillhave$80,000 ofcapitalgain,andyoumustpaytaxonthis.Howyoustructureyourbequests to your spouseand your familycan have asignificantimpact on how much capitalgainstaxyourheirswillhavetopay.Whenyoudie,yourassetswillbe stepped-up”andyourheirswillgetanewvalue

BY COLLIN BINKLEY and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order Thursday calling for the shutdown of the U.S. Education Department, according to a White House ofﬁcial, advancing a campaign promise to eliminate an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.

The ofﬁcial spoke on the condition of anonymity before an announcement Trump has derided the Department of Education as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology However, ﬁnalizing its dismantling is likely impossible without an act of Congress which created the department in 1979.

A White House fact sheet said the order would direct

Secretary Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure (of) the Department of Education and return education authority to the States, while continuing to ensure the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely.”

The Trump administration has already been gutting the agency Its workforce is being slashed in half and there have been deep cuts to the Ofﬁce for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.

Advocates for public schools said eliminating the department would leave children behind in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.

“This isn’t fixing educa-

tion. It’s making sure millions of children never get a fair shot. And we’re not about to let that happen without a ﬁght,” the National Parents Union said in a statement. The White House has not spelled out formally which department functions could be handed off to other departments, or eliminated altogether At her conﬁrmation hearing, McMahon said she would preserve core initiatives, including Title I money for low-income schools and Pell grants for low-income college students. The goal of the administration, she said, would be “a better functioning Department of Education.” The department sends billions of dollars a year to schools and oversees $1.6 trillion in

Giftsof$19,000PerYearPerPerson (UsedToBe$10,000PerYearPerPerson)

Youmayhaveheardyoucandonateorgive$19,000eachyearperpersonwithout gifttaxconsequences.Typically,noonepaysincometaxonagiftregardlessof thevalueofthegift.Asizeablegiftwillhaveestateandgifttaxconsequences.

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•Ensurethatyourheirsreceiveastep-upintaxbasis–notjustwhenthefirst spousediesbutagainwhenthesurvivingspousedies;

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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.

Arizonaexecutesman convictedof2002murder

He is second of

to be puttodeath this week in theU.S

BY JACQUES BILLEAUD and SEJAL GOVINDARAO Associated Press

FLORENCE, Ariz. An Arizonaman who kidnapped and murdered his girlfriend’s ex-husband was executed Wednesday,the secondof 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

Complexinthe town of Florence, John Barcello, deputy director of Arizona’sdepartment of corrections, told news outlets. He was pronounced dead at 10:33 a.m.

Gunches fatally shot TedPrice in the desert outside the Phoenix suburb of Mesa in 2002. He pleaded guilty to ﬁrst-degree murder in 2007.

Sitting up on agurney,covered with what looked like awhiteonesieand tuckedinwithasheet, Guncheslookedstraight ahead and had no ﬁnal words before the execution,witnesses said.

Accordingto Barcello,the prisoner took afew heavy breaths and let out asnoring-typesound after thelethal injection

“By all accounts, the process

went accordingtoplanwithout any incident at all,” Barcello said. Gunches’ execution hadoriginally been scheduled for April2023, but was called off after Democratic Gov.Katie Hobbs ordered a review of the state’sdeath penalty procedures. Late last year,Hobbs ﬁred theretired judge she had appointed toconduct the review,and thestate’scorrections department announced changesinthe team that lethally injectsdeath row prisoners.

Thelethalinjection was administeredthrough IVs inserted into Gunches’ arms,according to a handful of news media representativeswho witnessed the execution.

In thestate’stwo previous executions, the IV had been inserted into

theprisoner’sfemoral artery

The mediawitnessesreportedno visible problems with the execution.But DaleBaich, aformer federal public defender whoteaches death penalty law at Arizona State University andwitnessedthe execution, said he believed Gunches sufferedfrompulmonary 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.Gunchestrying to catchhis breath, areall signs of pulmonaryedema,” Baich said “Even though it may have looked peaceful, it was not.”

TheAssociated Pressleftan email messagewithcorrectionsof-

SCENE OF GASEXECUTION OF JESSIE HOFFMAN JR.

ﬁcials seeking comment. Michael Kiefer,ofthe Arizona Mirror,said he did not seeany signs of pulmonary edema,such as ashaking or jerking of Gunches’ abdomen. For his last meal, Gunches had adouble western bacon cheeseburger,two sandwiches, french fries,onion ringsand baklavafor dessert.

Gunches is the second person executedthis week in the U.S. Louisiana executed aman on Tuesday,and twomore executions werescheduled in Florida and Oklahoma on Thursday Arizona is the ﬁrst state with a Democratic governor to execute someone since2017, when Virginia did so under then-Gov.Terry McAuliffe.

when the ultrahigh grade nitrogen called for in Louisiana’snew execution protocol would begin to enter the mask and kill Hoffman.Ofﬁcials said in abrieﬁng later 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’sright hand. At 6:22 p.m., his breathingbecame uneven. Hischest rose and he made ajerking motion.

Aminute later, Hoffman’s bodyshook and his ﬁngers twitched. He appearedto pull at the arms of the table, which is bolted into the ceramic tile ﬂoor of the cinder block chamber.

Hoffman’shandsbegan 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 newsreporters, divided by awall.

Hoffman was 18 whenhe kidnapped, raped and shot 28-year-old Mary “Molly” Elliott execution-style in a remote area of St. Tammany ParishinNovember 1996. A duckhunterfound hernaked and dead on Thanksgiving morning.

Her husband then, Andy Elliott, declined to attend Hoffman’sexecution,and no other family member chose to witnessit. Louisiana Department of Public Safety andCorrections Secretary Gary Westcott deniedHoffman’s family andlawyers a place among the witnesses.

The Rev.Reimoku Gregory Smith, the Buddhist spiritual adviser Hoffman chose to accompany his death, knelt on arug from afew feet away,rarelytakinghis eyes offHoffman. An oxygen monitorrested nearby on asill. Hoffman’s head remained tilted toward theroom withthe nitrogen tanks.

At 6:26 p.m., Hoffman’s head moved inside the mask. Lessthana minute later,afew seconds before 6:27 p.m., he jerked slightly

It would be the last signiﬁcant movement Hoffman would make, in alifehe’d mostly spent on death row

To his left, Vannoy stood in acharcoalsuitand black loafers, beside an anonymous prison official. Minutes passed. Hoffman’s breathing slowed, thenbecame imperceptible.

On the wall behind his head, apair of red phones, installed in case of aneed to communicate last-minute

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

At 6:38 p.m., Smithcasthis eyes downward toward the ﬂoor as he knelt. Afew minutes later,Vannoy pressed a button, and the curtains descended.

Rhythmic, deep vibrato chanting and popping soon could be heard from the obscuredchamber.Partof Hoffman’sstate-approved spiritualsend-off, the pops and chants continued for morethanfourminutesbefore they wound down. When the curtains rose again,at6:52 p.m Smith had left the room. Westcott, thecorrections secretary, had entered it. Vannoy announced that theexecution was complete, placing the timeofdeath at 6:50 p.m Hoffman’sface had been made visible forthe first time, the mask used to kill him now removed.

Hisheadwas tilted back, teethexposed in agrimace, as thecurtains slowly descended once more.

Editor’snote: JohnSimerman, staff writer forThe Times-Picayune |The Advocate, wasone of twomedia witnesses allowedtoview the execution of Jessie HoffmanJr.

Staffgraphic by DANSWENSON

Social Security to impose tighteridentity-prooﬁngmeasures

BY FATIMA HUSSEIN Associated Press

WASHINGTON In an effort to limit fraudulent claims, the Social SecurityAdministration will impose tighteridentity-prooﬁng measures

—which will require millions of recipients and applicants tovisit agency field officesratherthan interact with the agency overthe phone.

COURT

Continued from page1A

misleading in violationofstate law and that it didn’tcomply with constitutional requirements for proposed amendments. The plaintiffs, two teachers and apastor, asked the court to blockAmendment 2fromtaking 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’selection procedures “will be upheld,” said Secretary of State Nancy Landry,the state’schief election ofﬁcer and named defendant in the suit.

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

LouisianaAttorney GeneralLiz Murrill, who spearheaded the appeal, applauded the decision, saying the court sided with her “ofﬁce’s

WATER

Continued from page1A

Commission on Thursdayis set to decide how to determine whether salt wateris intrudingfaster than expected.

The Southern Hills aquifer,the area’smain source of drinking water,has faced along-term threat from salt watermovingnorth underground across the Baton Rouge Fault,a geological crack that generally tracks Interstates 10 and 12.

Arecent analysis suggested salt concentrations fromjust south of the fault are similartobrackish water.Ocean water is about five times saltier than the groundwater near the fault.

Baton Rouge Water officials say they would comply with arequest for data from the commission but believe amove to also launch an investigation, at apotential cost of $50,000, wouldduplicate that effort.

Baton Rouge Water says the chloride increases in one of the scavenger wells, which are designed to deflect the encroaching salt water,appear to reﬂect acoincidental shift in operations at Lula Avenue that likely changed the ﬂow pattern of groundwaterafter aproduction well went down.

”Weknow the scavenger well is doing its job because the water at Lula is agood quality,” said Adrienne Mire, chief administrative ofﬁcer and vice president of Baton Rouge Water.“Chloride levels remain low.Right where they’re supposed to be overall. That’sagood thing.”

The Lula Street station, just east of Acadian Thruway,has seven wells providing 8.6% of Baton Rouge Water’soverall production, though only three operate usually at any one time, company ofﬁcials said. The scavenger system south of the Lula station protects it with two wellsworking together.One draws off brine from ahigher salinity

BeginningMarch 31, people will no longer be able to verify their identity to the SSA over the phone, andthosewho cannot properly verify their identity over the agency’s“my Social Security” online service will be requiredtovisit an agency field office in person to complete the verification process, agency leadershiptoldreporters

Tuesday

The change will applytonew

defenseofthe ballot language.”

At abroad level, Amendment 2 asksvoters to decide if state lawmakers should have morepower and flexibility todecide which revenuestreams fund government and how tospendthatmoney.It would also lower aconstitutional caponstate incometax rates, make it more difﬁcult to increase government spending and make it harder to pass new tax breaks, among dozensofother complicated changes to tax policy

Gov.JeffLandry, whoseadministration played acentral role in crafting the tax amendment, celebrated thedecision.

“This case was flawed and attempted to silence the voiceof thepeople. Thepeople can now speak,” he said in astatement.

When thehigh court ruled Tuesday, there had not yet been ahearing on the merits of thecase, nor hadthe challenge gone through a review by the stateappeals court, thetypical progression for legal challenges.

Social Security applicants and existing recipients whowant to change their direct deposit information

Retiree advocates warn that the change will negatively impact older Americansinrural areas, includingthose withdisabilities, mobilitylimitations,thosewho live far from SSA ofﬁces and have limited internet access.

Theplan alsocomes as the agency plans to shutter dozensof

But the Supreme Court agreed to take up the matter and settle the disputeonce and for all.

“Time is of the essence given that earlyvoting commenced March 15 and is ongoing,” theruling states. “Considering the interests of judicial economy,the need to provide adeﬁnitive resolutionof the issue,topreventconfusion or concern about infringement of the right to vote, or the effect of electoral choice, we elect to exercise our plenary supervisory authority under (theconstitution).”

Theplaintiffs’ constitutionalobjections to the ballotquestionhad “no merit,” says the unsigned ruling. The4-3 decisionwas supported by Justices William Crain, Cade Cole, Jay MaCallum and Jeff Hughes. ChiefJustice John Weimer and Justices John Michael Guidryand PiperGriffin dissented.

Represented by New Orleansattorney William Most, theplaintiffs argued the title of the ballot question is nottruly a“brief summary

Social Security ofﬁces throughout thecountry and hasalready laid outplans to layoff thousands of workers.

bottom layer of the aquifer andsends that water to the Mississippi River.The other welltaps the upper,less salty part of thesame layer to pullinreplacement fresh water from farther north.

Research done to install the scavenger system predicted it would shield the Lulastreet stationfor decadesbeforeeventually being overwhelmed by the salty water drawn toward it.

Groundwater commission member MattReonas, a state Ofﬁce of Conservation policy planner,says that’s whyit’simportant to take a closer look

Aresolutiontobevoted on bythe commission would askfor awide rangeofinformation about affected wells andany plansfor new supply optionstoreplace those that might be threatened by salt water

An expert hired for a study would review the informationand make recommendations.

During arecent commission meeting, PatrickKerr, presidentand CEO of Baton Rouge Water, argued that his company will provide

data, so the resolutiontoinvestigateisn’tnecessary

“Let us give you what we have,and youtell us whether it’senough. Andifit’s not, we’ll work withyou to writethe rules to ﬁgure out howtodoitbetter,” Kerr said. “So,weare concerned about these aquifers. We are aligned in ourneed to protect these aquifers.”

Reonas countered that a speciﬁc resolution to investigateiswarranted.

“I feel like this commission needs to makea dedicated focus on what’shappening thereright now,” he said.

The slow processofsaltwater intrusion is driven by heavy pumping north of the fault.

That has driven controversy over howtoreduce pumping and whether another water sourceshould be used. Environmental groups argue majorindustries that tapthe aquifer should use water from theMississippi River instead.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

In addition to theidentity verification change, the agency announced that it plans to expedite processing of recipients’ direct deposit change requests —both in personand online —toone business day.Previously,online direct deposit changes were held for 30 days.

of the proposed changes,” as the constitution requires.

They also said dozens of changes to ArticleVII,the sectionof the constitution dealing with state taxes andﬁnance, don’tactually constitute “a revisionofanentire article,” another constitutionalrequirement to ﬁt allofthe changes under one ballotquestion.

But the court’smajority 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 everydetail of the proposition be stated on theballot,”statesthe decision, which also asserts the full amendment hasbeen publicly viewable online forthree months.

In astatement Wednesday,Most said theplaintiffs “were weighing theiroptions”and calledthe high court’sdecision to bypass standard hearing andappealscourt proce-

“The Social Security Administration is losing over $100 million ayearindirectdepositfraud,” LelandDudek, theagency’sacting commissioner, said on aTuesday evening call with reporters —his ﬁrst call with the media. “SocialSecuritycan better protect Americanswhile expediting service.”

dures “unusual.”

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

Weimar said the decision of the SupremeCourt served to effectively “upend the normal judicial process,” the absence of which “erodesthe respect for thefairness and impartiality of the system of justice.”

“Louisiana has asystem of justice that allowsfor public hearings, the right of review by acourt of appeal,and then andonly then, arequest to this court by wayofa writofcertioraritohear the matter,” Weimar wrote.

Guidry in aseparate dissent said speciﬁc questionsoverthe legality of the amendment arenot clearcut.

“I strongly disagree with the majority that the proposed ballot language is sufﬁcient andtransparent to accurately summarize andput votersonnotice concerning what they are being asked to vote foror against,” Guidry wrote.

EU aims to break U.S. security dependency

BY LORNE COOK Associated Press

BRUSSELS — The European Union on Wednesday announced a new drive to break its security dependency on the United States, with a focus on buying more defense 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 military 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 EU-wide 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 governments sign security agreements with the EU.

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.

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.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited as grounds for Khalil’s deportation a rarely-used statute giving him sweeping power to de-

Vatican says pope better, no longer needs ventilator

By The Associated Press

ROME Pope Francis’ condition continued to improve Wednesday and he hasn’t needed to use the mechanical ventilation mask to help him breathe, the Vatican said in signalling further progress in his recovery from double pneumonia. The 88-year-old pontiff is also reducing his reliance on high-ﬂow supplemental oxygen during the day, the Vatican said in a medical bulletin. His pneumonia infection, while not completely eliminated, is under control, the Holy See press ofﬁce said.

Francis concelebrated Mass on Wednesday, which is an important feast day for the Catholic Church and is the anniversary of his installation as pope 12 years ago. Francis has been at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since Feb. 14 for a complex lung infection that turned into pneumonia in both lungs. He has been receiving respiratory and physical therapy to help strengthen his lungs. For two nights in a row, he hasn’t needed to use the noninvasive mechanical ventilation mask, which pumps oxygen into his lungs, and doctors said its use had been “suspended.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By VIRGINIA MAyO

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen rings a bell Wednesday to signify the start of the weekly College of Commissioners meeting at EU headquarters in Brussels.

Council approves restaurant zoning

Neighbors protest plan for Perkins Road spot

BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

A plot of land on Perkins Road

has been rezoned to allow for a restaurant able to serve alcohol, despite objections from residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

On Wednesday, the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council approved a zoning change for property on the corner of Perkins Road and Virgil Street — known to many as the “old gas station” after hearing from about a dozen neighbors who said the move would worsen already dangerous trafﬁc conditions in the area.

The property is leased by Gabrielle McKellar, who operates a pop-up sno-ball stand at the site and requested the zoning change.

Residents said a restaurant serving alcohol would add to the area’s parking woes and increase the hazard of pedestrians being hit by a car on the tight corner with limited visibility

Robert Reed, who lives two doors down from the location, said the intersection is already “dangerous.”

He said he regularly witnesses pedestrians forced to walk into the winding Perkins Road to avoid parked cars at the business currently there.

“This is with a small sno-ball stand. What will it be like with a restaurant serving alcohol for eternity?” Reed asked council members.

Though some residents said they didn’t mind the sno-ball stand, all spoke in opposition to the council approving alcohol service at the address.

“’We want to gather young people, but we also want a liquor license.’ Somehow, that just is seeming contradictory to me. I’m sorry honey,” Perkins Road resident Deborah Roe said to McKellar in front of the council.

Racca addressed a ﬂurry of rumors that have surrounded the location over the past week.

McKellar told council members she hopes to turn the business — which is in council member Jen Racca’s District 12 into a “family-friendly” venue for adults and children that serves sandwiches, small plates and wine.

STRIKE A BARGAIN Top DEQ lawyer departs

Baby jaguar to make zoo debut

Cub plans public appearance April 4

BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer

The baby jaguar that’s been bonding with her mom behind the scenes at the Baton Rouge Zoo will make her ﬁrst public appearance April 4, zoo ofﬁcials said Wednesday

The 5-month-old cub, Lacumba III, is the ﬁrst jaguar born at Baton Rouge Zoo in more than 30 years. She also was the first jaguar born in the United States since 2022, according to the zoo. Before her birth, Lacumba’s mother Jenny had experienced stillborn litters.

Her name honors the original “Lacumba,” Southern University’s jaguar mascot in the early 1970s Lacumba was the ﬁrst live exotic mascot at a historically

Black college or university

Baby Lacumba will meet the public on exhibit at the zoo’s “Southern University Day” on the ﬁrst Friday in April.

In addition to the baby jaguar cub, the day will feature early admission and discounted ticket prices for Southern University students, alumni and faculty, with university identiﬁcation.

Jaguars are the third-largest cat species in the world and are native to Central and South America. In the wild, they make their homes in jungles and grasslands, but they have faced severe habitat loss, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

“This event is a tribute to the legacy of Southern University and the vital role conservation plays in preserving species like the jaguar,” said Brittany Tully, Baton Rouge Zoo spokesperson.

Email Ellyn Couvillion at ecouvillion@theadvocate.com.

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 moving 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.

Woman dies after shooting near Our Lady of the Lake

A female employee at Our Lady of the

and the suspect remains at large, Morse said. Officers working security at the hospital were informed of the shooting near the intersection of Hennessy Boulevard and Brittany Drive about 4 p.m. The victim

STAFF PHOTO By JAVIER GALLEGOS

Resident Rufﬁn Hamilton looks over his shoulder as a customer lies on a mattress and bed frame for sale during a yard sale in North Baton Rouge on Thursday

gunman

said.

he said.

Hoggatt

PHOTO PROVIDED By BATON ROUGE ZOO Lacumba III, the jaguar cub born at the Baton Rouge Zoo last fall, is now ready to meet the public, zoo officials said.

CRIME BLOTTER staff

STAFF FILE PHOTO By MARGARET DELANEy

Owner Gabrielle McKellar serves classic Louisiana sno-balls at 1808 Sneaux along Perkins Road on June 10, 2024. The plot where the snoball stand operates has been rezoned to allow for a restaurant.

Paper mill fined over sulfur releases

BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer

A Bogalusa paper mill known for chronic odor problems has accepted a $500,000 ﬁne from federal regulators over alleged monitoring breakdowns and elevated air releases of sulfur compounds that can produce a rotten egg smell. International Paper, the owner of the mill, also agreed to operational and inspection changes, employee training and recordkeeping improvements and potential upgrades of a key incineration furnace that was the focus of regulators’ concerns, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency settlement Known as a “consent agreement and final order,” the deal caps nearly four years of consultation between EPA and International Paper over alleged U.S Clean Air Act and state environmental violations from the paper mill dating from 2017 and 2018 International Paper, which did not respond to requests for comment, is a publicly traded worldwide company with a market value of nearly $28 billion and net earnings of $557 million in 2024, despite ﬂat sales in its North American industrial packaging business.

Under the deal, signed Feb. 20, the company did not admit to the violations alleged in the settlement nor in earlier notices of violation that led to the agreement. In operation for more than a century, the pulp mill and related corrugated box plant are a mainstay of Washington Parish’s lumber industry and was the parish’s third-largest employer in 2024, with 650 workers, according to parish School Board audit ﬁgures. The mill recently survived a round of closures by International Paper that will shutter the Red River containerboard mill in Campti by April, according to state economic ofﬁcials.

Environmental groups, however, have criticized the EPA for not doing enough to control all hazardous emissions from the mill and others like it.

for

The International Paper Mill in

DEQ

Continued from page 1B

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.

accepted a

federal regulators over alleged monitoring breakdowns and elevated air releases of sulfur compounds that can produce a rotten egg smell.

The Bogalusa pulp mill also operates, in part, under older and now replaced federal hazardous air rules that allow the plant to exclude air exceedances due to startups, shutdowns and malfunctions.

BLOTTER

Continued from page 1B

Workers at the hospital reported the woman had been receiving threats from an ex, Morse said.

The hospital was placed on lockdown after the shooting. The lockdown was lifted after about 45 minutes.

Baton Rouge Emergency Medical Services was dispatched to respond to a reported gunshot victim. However, the EMS team was called off en route when it was confirmed that the wounded person had already been taken to the hospital via private vehicle, according to an EMS spokesperson

“Our Lady of the Lake is a beacon of healing for our community and today that sacred space was shattered by a tragic act of violence,” Chuck Spicer, president of the hospital, wrote in a news release. “We lost a member of our work family, a mother, and a friend to many

“I want to thank law enforcement for their quick response, the team members who jumped into action to provide care, and our security who ensured the safety of our facilities.”

Woman killed after trailer detaches

A woman was killed Tuesday morning in Pointe Coupee Parish after two tanker trailers veered off the roadway striking her as she stood in her driveway

Rotten egg smells have been a source of regular complaints to state regulators, according to agency records.

The Bogalusa mill uses the kraft chemical recovery process to make pulp from wood and manufacture paper products. It also uses a chemical from the wood, known as lignin, to help power its operations in addition to natural gas.

However, the mixture of chemicals used to break down the wood is well known to produce a smell, what one paper from a forestry trade research association calls “kraft odor.”

The sulfur-based chemicals typically released are hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide.

EPA notices of violation dating from 2021 and 2023 that led to the settlement zeroed in on a series of emissions exceedances of those sulfur-based hazardous air pollutants, but also alleged a failure to report a gap in the monitoring of nitrogen oxides when continuous monitors were down for 187 hours.

The ﬁnal settlement only dealt with alleged violations related to emissions of “total reduced sulfur,” monitoring rules for that category of sulfur-based chemicals, and measures to prevent unrecorded air releases and leaks.

Nitrogen oxides contribute to particulate pollution and ground-level ozone that can enter the bloodstream and, with long-term expo-

Susan Shows, 74, of Lakeland, was standing in her driveway around 9:30 a.m when the tanker trailers detached from the 2024 John Deere tractor that was pulling them and hit her

The John Deere had been traveling south on La 1, just north of U.S. 190, near Oscar What caused the tankers to detach and veer off the road is unknown, according to a news release from Louisiana State Police. Shows suffered serious injuries after she was hit. She was taken to a hospital, where she later died State Police don’t think impairment was a factor in this case, but standard toxicology tests were taken from the tractor driver

Police involved in two nonfatal crashes

Two crashes involving Baton Rouge Police Department cars occurred on Sunday and the department has launched internal investigations into each.

Cruiser strikes bicyclist

First, a BRPD cruiser struck a bicyclist in the intersection of Louise Street and Thomas H. Delpit Road in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The cruiser was marked, responding to a call at the time, had its lights on and was traveling through the intersection with a green light, a spokesperson for BRPD said.

The bicyclist suffered serious injuries and was taken to

sure, can worsen respiratory conditions, like asthma, and cardiovascular problems, according to the EPA.

Hydrogen sulﬁde and other sulfur compounds can cause headaches, vertigo, fatigue and neurological problems with long-term exposure, according to the EPA.

In two instances cited in the settlement, for example, the mill exceeded the air standard for total reduced sulfur on Aug. 14, 2017, and again on Sept. 27, 2017, on average over 12-hour periods those days. State regulators sometimes just missed catching them.

On the August 2017 date, TRS emissions were 75% higher than the 12-hour standard, the settlement alleges, citing the company’s own reporting to regulators.

The day before the alleged sulfur emissions exceedances on the afternoon of Sept. 27, 2017, a member of the public complained to the EPA, saying that “’you can really see and smell the smoke (coming from the mill),” according to state a Department of Environmental Quality report.

A state inspector first showed up the next day, on Sept. 28, 2017, and made subsequent visits and inspections through midOctober but only detected a mild odor during visits in early October A records check found no emissions exceedances or process upsets on Sept. 26, 2017, and the 10 days beforehand, according to the DEQ report. A few weeks later, in a required quarterly submis-

a hospital, the spokesperson said.

Off-duty officer involved in head-on crash

On Sunday night, an unmarked cruiser driven by an off-duty BRPD officer was involved in a head-on collision in Zachary

According to the Zachary Police Department, the BRPD vehicle was northbound on Zachary Slaughter Highway when it collided head-on with a car traveling the other direction.

Both vehicles struck each other on the front passenger sides, a spokesperson with Zachary police said. The crash remains under investigation. Both drivers suffered minor injuries and were treated by EMS on site.

According to Zachary Fire Department, the BRPD cruiser caught ﬁre shortly after the crash but was quickly extinguished.

Investigations

Internal BRPD investi-

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sion, International Paper ended up reporting to DEQ and EPA exceedances of sulfur emissions on Sept. 27, 2017.

In two other cases, in February 2018 and May 2018, International Paper was accused of failing to report exceedances of sulfur emissions to regulators.

EPA inspectors later found them in backup data from the plant’s required continuous monitoring system for sulfur, the settlement alleges.

In another alleged violation, International Paper left six bypass valves without a seal or other way to know whether they had been opened and were releasing hazardous air emissions.

Since International Paper bought the paper mill from Temple-Inland in 2012, the company has spent close to $490 million on upgrades.

International Paper is planning another upgrade to replace equipment that ties into a furnace that was the main source of alleged emissions violations in the EPA settlement in hopes of improving operational efﬁciency according to a proposed state air permit.

The upgrades are expected to lead to newer federal air rules applying to the plant that further limit exclusions for air exceedances, though in other cases older rules will remain in effect, according to permit records.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

gations into both incidents have begun. The ofﬁcer in the head-on collision has been placed on administrative leave, while the ofﬁcer who struck the bicyclist has not.

Toxicology samples were taken from all drivers in each crash, as is standard BRPD procedure for crashes resulting in serious bodily harm involving ofﬁcers.

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.

Rumored for several weeks, Hoggatt’s departure means the loss of an ofﬁcial who oversees the many legal matters raised by DEQ’s regulation and enforcement of environmental laws. He also was often at Giacometto’s side last year in public settings at the State Capitol.

During unplanned interactions with the media in those settings, he would on occasion step in to try to end interviews with Giacometto if they strayed off script. His loss also came a little more than a week after a state workplace audit and employee survey was made public Feb 28 and turned up mixed views of

PROTEST

Continued from page 1B

Hearsay that the business is going to be a bar is untrue, she said, pointing out that the zoning permit allows only for alcohol service in a restaurant setting.

Racca also told McKellar that if she gets complaints regarding the area’s parking because of the new business, she will personally call Police Chief Thomas Morse Jr and ask him to make sure citations are written.

Though it allows for alcohol sales, the new zoning permit is actually a “down-zoning” in that it allows for those sales only in a restaurant setting.

Racca said under the former designation, a liquor store, vape shop or other businesses could set up shop at the location.

“I love Poet’s Corner. What this hinged upon was the ‘down zone,’ ” Racca said, adding she understood the neighborhood being protective of what businesses pop up.

“This was cleaned up

the agency

While majorities liked their direct managers and jobs, near majorities had far less positive views for executive leadership More than three-fourths reported low morale, and about one-third also reported working in a toxic environment.

A small percentage reported being asked to do things that they believed were procedurally or legally improper

Though the audit was driven by workplace concerns that have arisen during Giacometto’s tenure, it doesn’t indicate that employees were asked directly in the survey about her leadership individually

Despite the concerns emanating from DEQ under Giacometto, civil service data shows the agency’s turnover rate was below the state average in the 2024 ﬁscal year, which included the first six months of the secretary’s tenure. The state average voluntary turnover rate is 14.3%; DEQ’s voluntary rate was 10.2%, according to an annual report. Like some others of Giacometto’s departing executives, Hoggatt is a military veteran.

He served in the Marine Corps with two combat deployments in Iraq, according to his agency biography

He previously worked for the Louisiana Public Service Commission and, in his private sector work, worked as an in-house counsel for an oil and gas company and later handled energy disputes and negotiations for clients.

David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.

for any future use in the future. We’ve protected it,” she said. After the council’s approval, resident Kevin Bongiorni said he felt like the city-parish’s Planning Commission was “dismissive” of the neighbors’ concerns on Tuesday night, and was not surprised with Wednesday’s outcome after hearing the commission say Racca was helping McKellar and architects throughout the recent permit process.

“It just seems that there’s very little concern or input from the community and neighborhood in their decision-making,” Bongiorni said. “They’ve made the decision but it seemed like the ﬁx was in.”

Despite the rationale of the Planning Commission, Racca and the rest of the council, residents left Wednesday’s meeting unhappy

“We’ll see you at the polls,” one said as while boarding the City Hall elevator

Email Patrick SloanTurner at patrick.sloanturner@theadvocate.com.

STAFF FILE PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER

Bogalusa, known

chronic odor problems, has

$500,000 fine from

Obituaries

Cambre,Harrell John HarrellJohnCambre passedawayonSunday, March 16, 2025 at hishome inClinton. He was64years old.AnemployeeofTerrell Plumbing, he loved ﬁshing, huntingand LSUbaseball. Heisprecededindeath by his wife of 27 years, Cindy H.Cambre, hisparents Clinton andMarie Cambre, his sister,JudyC.McQueen and hisin-laws.Harrell is survivedbyhis twin brother,Darryland wife, Sherri,and Wayneand Donna KayCambre, two sisters,Cindy andBobby Guilbeauand Ruth andEllis Whitehead. Abrother-inlaw,Jim McQueenand nu‐merousniecesand nephews.Visitationwillbe onFriday, March21, 2025 at Charlet FuneralHomein Zachary from 9amuntil RiteofChristian Burial at 11am. Pallbearerswillbe Ellis Whitehead, Robby Guilbeau, Alex Cambre,Jim McQueen,SethDozierand Jeffrey Terrell. Sharesym‐pathies,condolences and memoriesatwww.Charlet FuneralHome.com

Regina Landry Daigle passed awaypeacefully at Landmark of Plaquemine on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, at the age of 88. She was adevoted wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother. Regina was a resident and native of Bayou Pigeon, LA. Visitation will be held at Wilbert Funeral Home, Plaquemine on Friday, March 21, 2025 from 10am to 2pm with Mass of ChristianBurialat St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plaquemine at 3pm. Interment will follow at Grace Memorial Park, Plaquemine. Regina is survived by her sons and daughter, Craig Daigle,Sr. (Ruby),DarrelDaigle, and Melanie Daigle Haydel (Shane); grandchildren, Craig Daigle,Jr. (Dixie) Erin Daigle (Raymond), Britta Haydel Lopez (Eddie), Trey Haydel (Jade), and Connor Case (Victoria); great-grandchildren, Sydney Daigle, Shelby Begue (Matthew), Micah Daigle, Carson, Caleb, Cade, and Cohen Weber, Carter and Shaylee Tullier, Liam Haydel, Beckham Case, and Hyacinthe Lopez; great-great grandchildren, Porter Begue, and Baby Begue; siblings, Harriet Michel (Jimmy), and Natalie Hebert (Randy); and numerous nieces, nephews, and godchildren. Preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Caffery Daigle; great-grandson, Noah Daigle; parents, Leroy andAgnes Landry; in -laws, Alberta and Devillier Daigle; and brothers, Claude and Rodd, Sr. Landry. Pallbearers will be Craig Daigle,Jr., Connor Case,Trey Haydel, Micah Daigle, Carson, Caleb, Cade, and Cohen Weber Regina enjoyed spending time with her family, especially cooking for them and living on the Bayou! Special thanks to the staff at Landmark for their loving care.

AnthonyR Daniel Sr. was borntothe late Robert and Dorothy WDanielin 1952. He transitioned from his earthlyhome on March 12, 2025.Heleavestocherish his memories,Anthony Daniel JR,Katie Franklin, Erica,Sondra, and Junita Franklin. Four Grandchildren and Four Great Grandchildren.Two sisters, six brothersand a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives.

Daniels, LaKarice Visitation services for LaKariceDaniels will be heldFridayMarch 21, 20205 atCharles Mackey Funeral Home, 1576 RobinSt. A publicvisitationwillbe heldfrom10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. Interment: Pri‐vate. Professional services entrusted to Charles MackeyFuneralHome.

She was employedby the State of Louisiana Department of Healthand Hospitals and aresident of Clinton, LA. Shedied Thursday,March13, 2025, at 5:53 p.m. at OurLadyof the Lake Medical Center. She was 73, a1970graduate of East-Clinton High School. Visitation willbeheld at Richardson Funeral Home, Clinton, on Friday, March 21, 2025from5pm to 7pm. Areligious service will take place at Mount Calvary Baptist Church, 9147 Hwy 422,Norwood, on Saturday,March22, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., with Bishop George Veal officiating. Interment willfollow at the church cemetery. She is survivedbyher lovingson,Marshall S. Thomas, Jr.;fourdevoted sisters: Beulah D. Robertson of Baton Rouge,Rose D. Doolittle of Baker,LA, Earnestine D. Gordon of Clinton, LA, and Loretta D. Dunn of Baton Rouge. She was precededin deathbyher parents,two sisters, three brothers, and other relatives.

theEvangelist100 Years Capital Campaign.Pall‐bearers honoredtoserve willbeher grandsons Keith,Kyle, Kade,Kenny Jr, David,Larry Jr.and Tony Visitationwillbeheldat WilbertFuneralHomein Plaquemine, on March20 from5 pm to 8pmand again at St.Johnthe Evan‐gelistCatholicChurch in PlaquemineonFriday, March 21, from 8amuntil MassofChristian Burial at 10am. Entombment will be atGrace Memorial Park fol‐lowingmass. Ourfamily extends heartfeltgratitude and thanks to thecaring staff of Pinnacle Hospice, PHS caregivers MariePos‐ton andKristle Green.A special thanks to Father GregDaigle. Please share memoriesatwww.wilbert services.com.

With our heartsfilled with bothsorrow and the peace of knowing she is in thelovingarms of ourSavior, we announce thepassing of Gloria, adevoted wife, loving mother, and a woman of unwavering faith on March 14, 2025 at theage of 83 at GoldenAge Healthcare &Rehabilitation Center. As ayoung mother, she was astay-athome mom who was active with her four children. As her childrengrew, she served as achurch secretary and eventually retired frombeing ateacher's aide for special needs children. She found joy in serving others, sharing her faith, and spending time with lovedones. She had a warm heart and always readywitha kind word and ahelping hand.She was always someone her children couldgotofor advice, love and support She was along-time resident of Denham Springs and Baker,Louisiana. She is survivedbyher husband, DonFuqua, her children,Darlene Whittlesy (Stephen), DeAnna Cole (Lance), Damon Hughes (Christie), her grandchildren Kolby, Savannah, River, Blake, Kyle, Cade, Micah, Havenand twogreat grandchildrenVivian& Lilith, her sibling Doyce McGuffee(Linda). Gloria was preceded in death by her parents Shelley and EathelHornMcGuffee, sisterSylviaGathright (Herbert), brother Merrell McGuffee(Betty), first husband Dr. David Hughes, and son HoustonDavid HughesJr.

We would like to thank allthe staff at Golden Age Nursing Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center and Baton Rouge Hospicefor their compassion and care giventoour mother.

Davis andSon www.halldavisandson.com

Harrison, Patricia Pattison

Patricia “Patty”Jane PattisonHarrison, beloved wifeand mother of five children, passedaway peacefullyonMarch 9, 2025, surrounded by family. Patricia, theoldestof five siblings, grew up in New Orleans andlived therefor all of herchildhood years withher parents, Lizetta and Thomas Pattison, and siblings, Mike,Beth, Terry and Judy.Patriciaattended WarrenEastonHighSchool and HotelDieuNursing School.Soon after finishing nursing school,Patricia married John Harrison Theyinitially livedinNew Orleans,thenTexas and PuertoRicowhile John servedinthe USAF as a dentist.Duringthistime, Patriciagavebirth to her two sons,James and Charles,and herdaughter, Maureen.Theyeventually moved to Houma, Louisiana where shehad two daughters, Amyand Marian. Patricia wasa de‐voted andlovingwifeand mother. Shealsoservedas a dedicatednurse,caring for others at Terrebonne Medical Center,inhome health, andatmental healthrehabilitationhospi‐tals. Patricia trulyenjoyed vacationing at thebeach withher familyand taking her children andtheir friends on beachtrips.Pa‐triciawas adevote Catholic andwas active in the family’schurch parish She also enjoyedgarden‐ing,playing bridge with her friends,and traveling. One ofher greatest adventures was hertriptoIreland.Pa‐triciaisprecededindeath byher husband,John, her father, Thomas,mother, Lizetta,and brother, Mike She is survived by hersib‐lings,Beth, Terry,and Judy, her children,James Charles,Maureen,Amy, and Marian,and eight grandchildren,Colin,Jack‐son,Emma,Quinn, Aidan, Jeremy, Hagan, and Rachael.Familyand friends will celebratePatri‐cia’s life with amemorial massatMostBlessed Sacrament Catholic Church,onFriday, March 28, 2025, with visitation at 10:30 a.m. andthe mass at 11:00 a.m.

foundonhis boat on weekends. Ronnieispreceded in death by his loving wife, Elizabeth "Betty" LeJeune Jackson,of60years. He is survived by daughters, RhondaJackson Bush (Bryan), JulieJackson Fife (Brad); sons, Brian Jackson,and Monroe Jackson; grandchildren, Courtney Jackson,AlexJackson Forester (Dustin),Baylie Fife Aguirre (Ernesto), Cody Fife, Madison Jackson Massimini (Vinnie), Mary Jackson,Morgan Jackson,and Zack Jackson;and numerous great grandchildren. Visitation will be held at St.Thomas More,11441 Goodwood Blvd,onFriday, March21, 2025 from 10 am untilMass of Christian Burial at 11 am. Burial will follow in Greenoaks Memorial Park. Please visit www.greenoak sfunerals.com to leave condolencestothe family. In lieu of flowersdonations canbemade to a Leukemiafoundation of yourchoice

tist Church,Hwy.10East, St. Francisville,onSatur‐day,March 22, 2025 at 11:00 amuntil CelebrationofLife Service at 1:00 pm con‐ductedRev.Lafayette Veal; interment at church ceme‐tery. Survivorsinclude her sons, Gerald andFredPate,

Shaddinger, Michael J. 'Mike'

Beulah Hebert Ferachi, our belovedmotherwitha gentleheart andpeaceful spirit, passed away on March 18,2025, at theage of101. Shewas born Octo‐ber 5, 1923 in Plaquemine, La. Beulah marriedVincent A.Ferachi on August 24, 1947; they were marriedfor 58years until hispassing Vincent andBeulahworked together andestablished Ferachi OilCo.;she eventu‐allyretired in 1987. She was alifetimememberof St. John theEvangelist Catholic Church andAltar Society.Those left to cher‐ish hermemoryare four children, Glenn(Fran)Fer‐achi, Kenny(Debbie)Fer‐achi, Joycelyn (Barry) Lamothe andJanet (Mark) Abernethy;sister, Shirley HebertRivet;brother Floyd Hebert,11grandchil‐dren, Keith(Tiffany) Fer‐achi, Kyle Ferachi, Kellye (Fritz) Carville, Kade Fer‐achi, KennyJr. (Gretchen) Ferachi,Kaci(Chris) No‐bles, Dr.David (Melissa) Ferachi,Dr.LarryFerachi Jr.,Tony(Jessica) Lamothe, Jaime Lamothe, andJill (Jordan)Wrightand 20 great-grandchildren.Beu‐lah is preceded in deathby her husband,Vincent A. Ferachi;her parents, Alcee and IreneHebert; son, Dr Larry Ferachi, Sr.; sister, HerdSchexnaildre; and brothers, Morris,Alcee, Nolan,J.C.and Fabian Hebert. In lieu of ﬂowers, donations maybemadeto St. John theEvangelist Catholic Church or St.John

As we honorher wishes, asmall graveside service to celebrateGloriaMcGuffee HughesFuqua willbe directed throughRiserand SonFuneral Home and held at RosefieldCemetery in Catahoula Parish, LouisianaonSaturday, March 22nd at 11am. In lieu of flowers,the family request adonation to your church in honorofour mother.

Her memory willforever be etched in ourhearts, and we will miss her dearly.May her example of faith and love continue to guide us.

Granger, Barbara

In Loving Memory of Barbara Jean Hawkins Granger. Aresident of Port Allen, LA,passed away on Friday, March 7, 2025. Visitation, Friday, March 21, 2025 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, Hall's Celebration Center 9348 Scenic Highway, BatonRouge,LA. Visitation continues on Saturday, March 22, 2025, 9:00 am untilreligious serviceat 11:00 am Holy Family Catholic Church, 319 North JeffersonAvenue, Port Allen, LA .Entombment St. John Baptist Church Cemetery,Brusly, LA. Funeral Service entrusted to Hall

Jackson, MonicaLynette Monica Lynette Jackson transitioned to her "Brand NewLife"onMarch 06, 2025, at Clarity Hospice in BatonRouge,LA. Memorial Services March 20, 2025, at 7p.m.atPilgrim Rest Baptist Church 23030 Talbot Dr. Plaquemine, LA.Cherishing Monica'slegacy of sweetmemories are great nieces whomshe helped rear, Adriana Johnson and AyanaJohnson; brother, Lawrence Jackson; nieces AshanteCamper, Breia Gordon,and Karesa Hall; nephews, Brandon Gordon and Lawrence (Keisha) HallJr.

Jackson, Ronald G. 'Ronnie'

Ronald Gerard Jackson, anativeofTexas,and alife -longresident of Baton Rouge, passed away on March 18, 2025, at theage of 87. Ronnie was adeeply devoted Catholicand known for his passion of faith. He served as aEucharistic Minister at St. Thomas More Catholic Church wherehewas a parishionerfor 50 years. Ronnie was amember of KnightsofColumbus and The Krewe of Denham Springs. For over40years he enjoyed tailgating and attending LSUfootball gameswith his friends and family.Hewas also very passionate aboutLSU baseballand was part of theLSU Coaches Committee. Ronnieloved beingon thewater and could be

Gloria Carol Underwood Justice passedaway peacefully on her92nd birthday, on March 13, 2025, at herhome on the BendRoad(Watson, La.), barely"up theroad" from 2sycamore tresswhich once framed thehome whereshe wasborn. She wasa graduate of Live Oak High School, andearned hermusic degree from the LSUSchool of Music.She taughtmusic in herhome to numerouspiano students,and freely shared hergift of music for over 74 years at herbeloved Live Oak Methodist Church. Shebegan playing for worshipservicesatage 8, wasthe "interim" choir directorfor 23 years, and played for countless worship servicesincluding weddings andfunerals. Carol's entire life was guided by herlove of faith andfamily. Like Jim, Carol nevermet astranger, and thedoor to herhomewas always open to friends and family. Shewas an avid, lifelongLSU fan, butthe center of herworld were thejoysand triumphs(no matter howgreat or small) of herchildren,grandchildren,great grandchildren, friends andeveryoneshe took underwing.She is preceded in death by her parents, WalterHoward Underwood, andHazel CarrollUnderwood, andher husband, JamesW.Justice. Sheissurvived by two daughters, Carol AnnSutton (Scott) and Jill Marie Rushing (Joel)and one son, William Howard Justice (Amy); six grandchildren,AndrewDavid Sutton (Elizabeth), DanielPaul Sutton(Jenny), Travis David Rushing(Lauren), MollyAnneRushing (Daniel), Margaret Rose Carmichael (Andrew)and Samuel Lemoine Justice; seven great grandchildren Willow AnnSutton,Gregory Scott Sutton, Shepherd JamesSutton,Campbell GraceRushing, Carson JamesRushing, Alice Rose Carmichael and Charles William Carmichael. Visitation will be held at Live Oak Church in Watson, on Saturday, March 22 from 9:00 a.m. until11:00 a.m., followed by funeral service at 11:00 a.m. conducted by Reverend Mark Crosby and Reverend Stephen Hebert, followed by burial, and then receptionatthe Family Life Center.Donations canbemade to Live Oak Church or theJustice Scholarship Fund.

Dunbar

JoyceDunbarPateen‐tered into eternalrestat Baton RougeHealthCare onMarch 13, 2025. Shewas an84-year oldnativeand residentofSt. Francisville Louisiana.Viewing at Miller& Daughter Mortu‐ary on Friday,March 21, 2025 from 5-7pm; viewing resumesatRosedownBap‐

Michael "Mike" Shaddinger,passed away on March17, 2025 at the age of 81, in Gonzales, Louisiana. Born on March 6, 1944, Mike lived alife filledwithpassion and dedication to thethings he loved. He was an avid model train andrailroad enthusiast, ahobby that reflected hismeticulous natureand love fordetail. Hisinterests extendedto drag racing, motorcycles, andcustom cars,revealing aspirited passion for speed. Mike workedasa mechanic as well as apoliceman.Heproudly served in theNational Guard, demonstrating hissense of duty andservice to his country. He wasa caring husband, father, paw paw, brother-in-law, uncle, and friend. He is survived by hislovingwife of 59 years, Deborah Richard Shaddinger;his children, Troy Shaddinger Nassar, DanaShaddinger,Johnny Shaddinger,and Ronnie Shaddinger (Sherri);and histreasuredgrandchildren,Elizabeth,Samantha(Auhtym), Victoria Quincy Jr,Joshua,Ava,Sophie,and Pearl Shaddinger.Healso enjoyed thecompanyofhis great-grandchildren Ozwald Steiband Ezra Shaddinger.Mike was a cherished brothertoMary Jo Varnado (Tommy), Shasta Shaddinger,and Scott Shaddinger (Shelly). Mike wasprecededin death by hisson,Quincy Shaddinger Sr., and his parents, Oswald"Shot" andMaxell Shaddinger.His memory is atapestrywovenwith love,laughter, andunforgettable moments shared with family andfriends. Avisitation will be held Thursday March20, 2025 at St.Theresa of Avila Catholic Church 1022 N. Burnside Gonzales, LA at 9:00 am followed by a funeral mass at 10:00 am. An inurnment at alater date.

Edwin C. Williams Jr., affectionately known as E.C. and"BandMan," passed away on March 12, 2025, at age 90. Adevoted educator, musician,and deacon, he taughtfor 39 years at the Louisiana School for theVisually Impairedand played bass guitar at Fairview Baptist Church.A graduate of L.B. Landry High School andSouthern University A&M College, he was aproud member of OmegaPsi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He is survived by his children: BeverlyAustin, Carolyn Ike (Fred), Lemor Smith (Daryl), Keith Williams (Shirley),Dale Williams (Sheleen), ChristopherJohnson (Michelle), Clifford Johnson (Claudette), Ralph Johnson, Sean Williams, andYusufWilliams, along with numerous grandchildren andextended family. He waspreceded in death by hiswife,Eva J. Williams, anddaughter, Nia Williams. Funeral serviceswillbe held Friday, March 21, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Fairview Baptist Church,1636 BraddockSt.,Baton Rouge,LA. Visitation:9:00 AM -11:00 AM Arrangements entrusted to WilsonWooddale Funeral Home, 1553 Wooddale Blvd,Baton Rouge,LA 70806.

Daniel, Anthony Ray

Fuqua, Gloria Hughes

Justice, Gloria Carol Underwood

Dunn, Geraldine 'Jerry'

Daigle, Regina Landry

Ferachi, Beulah Hebert

Williams, Edwin Clifford

Pate,Joyce

OUR VIEWS

Deathreminds us that the fight againsthazing is notover

It is with indescribablesadness that we read of thedeath of Caleb Wilson, a20-year-old Southern University studentwho died in an alleged fraternity hazing incident lastmonth. In the aftermath, three men have beenarrested on counts of felony hazing.One alsofaces a count of manslaughter

The resolution of any criminal chargesisa process properly left to thecourt system. But Wilson’sdeath highlights thefact thatthe laws under which thesemen may becharged have not eradicated the pernicious practiceofhazing

We likely do not need to remindreadersthat state laws making hazing afelony were passed in 2018 afterthe tragic 2017 death of LSUstudent Maxwell Gruver,who diedofalcoholpoisoning while trying to pledgeafraternity.Gruver’sdeath provoked abroad reckoning with the pervasive practice across Louisiana campuses

But laws are not the only attempt to address the problem. Southern Universityhas 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’snot difﬁcult to see whyhazinghas continued. Few things create faster or strongerbonds betweenhumans than ashared “ordeal.” In initiation rituals, these manufacturedordeals test and strengthen arecruit’sloyalty to the organization

What’s more, hazing has along 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 andoff campus.That’swhat has made it so difﬁcultto police.

Wilson’sdeath should provokeanother broad evaluation of how to do so. Already, some steps have been taken. Southern has suspendedall club and Greek life recruitingthrough the end of the year,and Omega Psi Phi, thefraternity involved, was ordered to stop allactivities. Other measures are likely to follow.Southern University Board Chair Tony Claytonhas suggested removing responsibilityfor recruiting and initiating new members of Greekorganizations from undergraduate chapters to graduate chapters made up of “professional menand women.

Former state Rep. TedJames, amember of the Black fraternity AlphaPhi Alpha, andstate Rep. Vanessa LaFleur,amember of the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha, also said theyplan to reinforce anti-hazing policies andmeasures, especiallybyspeaking out against thepractice. We applaud these efforts. We knowthathazing is deeply ingrained anddifﬁcultto root out That’s why anyattempt to further reduceit will need to extend beyond new laws or policies —which do little if they areignored—to include educating students on the dangers and potential consequences of hazing. Adopting such amulti-level approachoffers the best hope of preventing anothertragedy Caleb Wilson’slife, along with that of Maxwell Gruver,demands nothingless.

OPINION

Medicare must keep itspromise to seniors

I’m aLouisiana senior who has paid intoMedicare my entire working life —decades of hard-earned wages to ensure care in my later years. Now,as aMedicare patient, Irely on my doctor for checkups and managing health challenges. Buta2.83% cut to physician payments that took effect on Jan. 1threatens that care. Thesecutsare just thelatest in a long listoftroubling statistics facing Medicarepatients like me. The American Medical Association reports that practice costs have soared over 50% since 2001, yet Medicarepayments to physicians,adjusted for inﬂation, have dropped 33%. While hospitals have seen heftyincreases —nearly 80% —physician paymentshave inched up only 10%.

Physicians feel it, and so do we. Some may limit Medicare patients or shutter theirdoors —options no senior should face. Surveys show 1in 5doctors might leave their practices soon,worn thin by ﬁnancial pressures. For me and countless others from New Orleans to Shreveport, losing adoctor means scrambling for

WatchwhatTrump

care, often far from home.That’snot theMedicare Ipaid for I’ve earned fair treatment, as have all seniors. We need physicians to be reimbursed properly so they can keep serving us.Congress hasdodged this issuetoo long, offering temporary fixes or nothing at all. Thatmust change. My friends and Iare encouraging Speaker Mike Johnsontosupport H.R. 879, the Medicare Patient Access and Practice StabilizationAct, to reverse therecent cut starting April1and add a2%payment boost to steadypractices. Then, lead on a permanent fix: Tiepayments to inflation so doctorsaren’tsqueezed while costs climb. I’ve trusted Medicare to honormy contributions. Now,I’m counting on our very own SpeakerJohnson to ensure it does —bykeeping physicians paid fairly and accessible.Seniors across Louisiana deserve that security ANNE PRICE deputy chair,RepublicanParty of Louisiana Bossier Parish

Iama recently widowed retired federal worker.Itpains 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. Iwas 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’sbusiest time of year.There is no online option to makeany lifestatus change and calls to OPM during open enrollmentaren’tanswered because they don’thave the stafftodoso.

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

GUIDELINES: Letters are published identifying name, occupation and/or title and the writer’scity of residence

This is in response to thearticle, “WhiteHouse 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 thenarcissistic, tyrannical and calculated actions of Donald J. Trump. This is an assault that began not on Jan. 20, 2025, but on Jan. 6, 2021. Andtragically,when the insurrectionists of Jan. 6were pardoned, that was akin to pouring acid into awound.

people are toldand not told.

The press is one of the key tenets of democracy Beingaware 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.

If President Donald Trumpand his puppeteer Elon Musk werereally 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.

TheAdvocate |The Times-Picayune require astreet address andphone 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.

Buoyed by politicians like Gov.Jeff Landry,the extremist Republican Congress, aquestionable SupremeCourt theNew Apostolic Reformation movement, theWhitesupremacist movement, andgrowing nationalism,weare on adangerous road to an authoritarian government, and an erosion of our freedoms —including one of the most important, freedom of the press. In yet thelatest affront, the Trumpadministration wants to control the press and essentially control what the American

OneofTrump’smostdangerous lies is that the press is the enemy of the people. The press, especially now,is needed morethan ever to ensure that thepublic —Democrats, Republicans, Independents, whatever one’spolitical party—have access to all information about our government.

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

GLORIA DAUPHIN Gretna

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 manyunidentiﬁed risks.

The government employees I worked with throughout my career and in my grief have been competent and caring. They don’tdeserve the mischaracterizations and wholesale loss of employment engendered by the Trump/Musk team

DEIDRE CHARLOT NewOrleans LETTERSTOTHE

Saints obsessionanincurable,wonderful ailment

“Wereally need aguard. Why haven’twemade astrongplay for astarting 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’svisceral. Sure, other fan bases identify with their teams, but there really is something different,something profound, in the combination of alove affair and borderline codependency betweenthe Saints and ourfans. (“Our,” not “their.”)

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

Wasitthat the denizens of this state so accustomed to beating nature’sodds, so scrappily insistent on joy amid hurricanes and epidemics, identiﬁed so strongly with the early,misﬁt Saints?

There we were with our twomost prominent players being aslowfooted wide receiver who was cut from the team but literally told

the coach herefused to leave, and then became an All-Pro, and awhiskey-swilling quarterback whohad been atailback before acar accident so bad that doctorsfeared he might never walk again And as if Danny Abramowicz and Billy Kilmer didn’tprovide enough underdog vibes,wethen latched onto ahalf-footed kicker whose astonishing 63-yard ﬁeld goal couldn’t be heard onlive radio because a swarm of bees ﬂew into the transmitter.

At least kicker TomDempsey hada“normal,” un-jokeiﬁable name.Unlike his successor,Happy Feller, and unlike Joe Don Looney, D’Artagnan Martin, Cephus Weatherspoon,Wimpy Winther, or thenickname 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 uswere so long. Andal-

Louisiananeeds to getaplan to fixailing infrastructure

Resolutions for 2025: Put together aplan to fund and replace the bridges on U.S. 90 between Slidell and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, by the end of 2026. raise and tion ing th forec provid “succe on the the clif relianc the recto think good making ture those money summarily is ensuring the Given ture do

ways with asense of humor: Four years before thefamous “baghead” fans during the1-15 season in 1980, the Saints played so badly in a1976 season-opening 40-9 loss to theVikings that the biggest (andperhaps only) cheers came fora paper airplane lofted from onesideline terrace that managed to waft all the way to the other side.

Andnever let it be said that Saintsfans aren’ttrend-setters: That paper airplane feat catalyzed abrief mania of paper airplanes in losing NFL stadiums across the land.

So, yes, theSaints matched the whimsy of their southernLouisiana home. Andwhen, under Tom Benson and Jim Mora, the Saints ﬁnally began winning, the emotional cocktail produced alonglasting high.

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

alive!

Since then, we’ve had selfinﬂicted wounds (the Seahawks going “Beast Mode,” the “Minneapolis Miracle”) and awful breaks (the Rams mugging Tommylee Lewis without aﬂag, 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 andsupporters even moreallencompassing. There’snothing, anywhere, like aSaints-obsessed fan—afan, forexample, like the oneinmyown mirror

That’swhy,once the free-agent “tampering” window opens, some of us refresh ourSaints web search at least 20 times aday,all theway to and through the ﬁrst week after the NFLdraft. We keep hopingfor that free agent, rock-solid guard to come aboard, hoping not to lose our favorite Saintsveteran, hoping forthe “wow” of an unexpected splash of adazzling receiver or runner somehow ﬁtting under our salary cap. General Manager Mickey Loo-

TOWN SQUARE |PRIORITIES FOR LOUISIANA

At thebeginning of the year,weasked youtomake aNew year’sresolution for the state.We receiveda numberofresponses addressing everything from roadstoeducation. Hereare some of the best suggestions we received.

mis’ annual cap manipulations are like ahigh-wire act, infuriating but also adding to the spectacle and fun. The sameobsessive fan-hood is whyweall think that reading ahost of scouting reports and watching ﬁve minutes of highlight footage can give us better judgment than Loomis on apotential college draftee. We all have our “I-toldja-so” stories about how we wereonrecord desperately wanting to draftAlvin Kamara(hooray!), Pro-Bowler Cooper Kupp (the Ramsgot him) and Chiefstackling machine Nick Bolton, while conveniently forgetting that we swore Kellen Mond (out of the NFLalready) 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 Bowlagain. And oh, in case you’re wondering, the Saints need to draftsafety Nick Emmanworithis year.His athleticism and production, you see, are off the charts, and Quin Hillyer can be reached at quin.hillyer@theadvocate.com.

In February,the newspaper reported that a27-year-old plumber waskilled by astray bullet while returning to ajob after buying parts. His grieving father said, “Itcould 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 ayoung woman waiting foratrain to pass on Government Street, ayoung boy leaving abarbershop with his family before Thanksgiving, atoddler killed at apoolside birthday party and ayoung boy hit by astray bullet while lying in his bed. These random people werekilled simply because they were in the wrong wrong time. of gun violence in Louisiana is Right now,in2025, Louisiana second nationally in the number of gun 100,000. On average, 1,153 people 3,345 are wounded by guns each between 2013 and 2022, the rate violence in Louisiana rose by 46% as to 36% nationally.Furthermore, spends $14.3 billion each year for associated with gun deaths and injuspent on police investigations, care and judicial costs.

Louisiana lawmakers passed a “constitutional carry” bill that allows anyone years old to carry aconcealed ﬁrethout apermit. Additionally,apermit, check or ﬁrearmsregistration required when buying ahandgun from individual. This is unfortunate, states with permitless concealed gun violence has increased by ety should be our state’stop nd currently,that is not the case. in Louisiana know that states omprehensive gun safety laws rincidents of gun violence, so let’s ething about it. Let’smake our state conducting background checks, owners to be trained and repealing concealed carry law.These things work states, safer states, so let’stry them save lives, reduce costs and lessen caused by guns. eople hold onto the notion that the stop abad guy with agun is a th agun. However,the statistics do not distinguish between bad guys or random people whojust be at the wrong place at the wrong makeour state safer,wemust take reduce gun violence, and that’smy sresolution forLouisiana. Let’s ommitment to something because know,gun violence can happen to —but it’smore likely to happen in JANICE HINSON Baton Rouge

Quin Hillyer

PATRICIA

Janice Hinson GUEST

Former LSUcoach Wade acceptsjob at North CarolinaState, Page 4C

SPORTS

LSU forward Aneesah Morrow drives upcourtagainst Vanderbilt forward Jane

Jan. 13 at the PMAC.Morrowwas named asecond-team All-American by The Associated Press.

TOP HONORS

BY REED DARCEY Staff writer

The LSU women’sbasketball team has one of the top trioofstars in the country,and on Wednesday,each of them were recognizedwith 2025 Associated Press All-American honors.

Aneesah Morrow is asecond-team All-American, Flau’jae Johnson isa third-team All-American, and Mikaylah Williams is an All-Americanhonorable mention.

players fromthe SoutheasternConferencemade one of the threeteams.

Texas forwardand SECPlayerofthe

Year Madison Booker was named to thefirst team, while Kentuckypoint guardGeorgia Amoore earned aspot on the second team.Vanderbiltfreshmanguard MikaylaBlakestook oneof thethird-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 aﬁrstplaceﬁnish in itsconference, aconference tournament titleand an NCAA Tournament No. 2seed.

The Tigers’ threestarsled them to a No. 3seed in the Big Dance.

Johnson, ajunior,scored acareerhigh 18.9 points per game,while shooting 47% from the ﬁeld and 37% from 3-point range.

Southern wins first NCAA tourney game

Jaguarsoff to ared-hot startinBig Dance

BYCHARLES SALZER Contributing writer

ä Southern vs: UCLA 9P.M. FRIDAy

Aftertraveling more than1,800 milesto play its First Four game against UC San Diego, the Southern women’s basketball team looked right at home Wednesday night. TheJaguars took control with red-hot shooting in the first half andwithstood every run the Tritons came up with in thesecondhalf. The resultwas a68-56 win, thefirst forSouthern in seventrips to the NCAA Tournament. The win advances No.16-seeded Southern(21-14)intoafirst roundgameon Friday. The Jaguars will face UCLA, the No. 1overall seed at 9p.m. Friday After the gamewas tied 2-2, Southern led the entire game. UC San Diego (2016) trailed 40-20 at the half, but sliced the deficit to 49-40entering thefourthquarter. The Tritons got as close as 62-56 with one minute left. Southern made 6of8free throws in the

ä See SOUTHERN, page 4C

Morrow is now athree-time All-American. Last season, she was an honorable mention, and in her sophomore year at DePaul, she was named to the third team. Johnsonand Williams appeared in the awards for the ﬁrst time in their careers. LSUwas one of four programs that put multipleplayers on the three AllAmerica teams. Theothers were Notre Dame, UConn and Southern Cal Including Johnson andMorrow,ﬁve

BYROD WALKER Staff writer

For the New Orleans Pelicans, Wednesday’sgame against the MinnesotaTimberwolves was achance toshowjust how mentally tough they were.

The Pelicans were 48 hours removed from tying the franchise record for worst regular season loss in franchise history On top of that, they were still dealing with the season-ending lossofTrey Murphy The Pelicans showed plentyofgrit as Zion Williamson led the the Pels to a119-115 victory overthe Timberwolves at the Target Center

“Itshows the resiliency of our team,” Williamson said in his postgame television interview

2025 AP All-America teams First team GHannah Hidalgo, NotreDame GPaige Bueckers,UConn* GJuju Watkins,SouthernCal* FMadisonBooker,Texas CLauren Betts, UCLA *Unanimous selection Second team GGeorgia Amoore, Kentucky GOlivia Miles, NotreDame GTa’NiyaLatson, FloridaState FAneesah Morrow,LSU FSarah Strong, UConn Thirdteam GHailey VanLith, TCU GMikayla Blakes,Vanderbilt GFlau’jae Johnson, LSU FKiki Iriafen,Southern Cal FAudi Crooks,IowaState Honorable mention (alphabetical order): Raegan Beers, Oklahoma;Sonia Citron, Notre Dame; KatieDinnebier, Drake; JoyceEdwards, 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; AyokaLee, 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; HarmoniTurner, Harvard; Mikayla Williams, LSU

Southernguard Soniyah Reed scored 19 of her career-high 24 points in the firsthalfof aFirst Four NCAATournament game against UC San DiegoonWednesday. Southernwon 68-56. ASTRONGOFFER

ä See LSU, page 6C

LUKE JOHNSON and MATTHEW PARAS

ffwriters

everal of the newplayers the NewOrans Saints have acquired this offseason veexperiencewithsomeofthe new oaches on the staff.

This will be cornerback Isaac Yiadom’s thirdtime working withnew defensive coordinator Brandon Staley —healso spenttime withhim in SanFrancisco last season,and withthe Denver Broncos in 2019. Defensive lineman Jonah Williams was an undraftedrookie with Staley’s Los Angeles Ramsin2019. Tight ndJack Stoll spentafew months with adcoachKellenMoore lastseason in Philelphia, and offensive lineman Will Clapp ayed underMoorefor aseason with the s Angeles Chargers. Those priorrelationships —and the versatilthose coaches showed in their former roles weredrawsforthoseplayersinfreeagency Though Staley was not the coordinator for her of theteams Yiadom playedfor,he got akeen sense for the coach’sability since

Staley worked closely with the defensive backs in San Francisco.

“I’mreally excitedtoworkwith him again,”Yiadomsaid. “I love the wayhe coaches, theway he’s detailedand theway he helps defensive backs. …Now that he’s aD-coordinator again, Ithink he’ll get a chance to cook somestuff up.” Yiadom spoke about Staley as someone who is willing to adapt his defenses on a week-to-week basis, depending on the opponent and what they do well —which, as a player,heappreciates.

“I just feel like we playa little bit of everything, that’salways agood mix to have. You’re notone-dimensional, it’s not like offenses can sit there and pick you apart. I’m really excited about that diversity this defense brings.”

Williamshad afront 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.1total and scoring defenses.

STAFF FILEPHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON

Nwabainthe firstquarteroftheir game on

STAFF FILE PHOTOByMICHAEL JOHNSON

vs. Louisville CBS

11:40 a.m.High Point vs. Purdue TRUTV

12:30 p.m.Montana vs.Wisconsin TNT

1 p.m. SIU-Edwardsville vs Houston TBS

1:50 p.m. Alabama St.

5:50 p.m.

6:10 p.m. Arkansas vs. Kansas CBS

6:25 p.m. yale vs.Texas A&M TBS

6:35 p.m. Drake vs. Missouri TRUTV

8:25 p.m. Utah St. vs. UCLA TNT

8:45 p.m.

9:10

6 p.m.

p.m.

vs.White Sox MLBN

vs San Diego MLBN NBA

6:30 p.m. Brooklyn at Indiana NBATV 9 p.m. Chicago at Sacramento NBATV NFL Noon Big 12 Pro Day: Day 2 NFLN MEN’S SOCCER 11:50 a.m.Turkey vs. Hungary FS2

2:30

Scheffler’s Masters dinner includes ravioli

Dish to blame for PGA star’s injury to 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

April 10.

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.

Georgia man sentenced for theft of Masters memorabilia

BY SOPHIA TAREEN Associated Press

CHICAGO A former Georgia warehouse worker for the Augusta National Golf Club was sentenced to one year in prison Wednesday for transporting millions of dollars’ worth of stolen Masters tournament memorabilia, including one of Arnold Palmer’s iconic green jackets. Richard Globensky, 40, pleaded guilty last year to one count of transporting stolen goods across state lines.

He appeared Wednesday in Chicago’s federal court wearing a suit and red tie.

With his parents and wife seated in the courtroom behind him he apologized for his actions before U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman handed down the sentence.

“I deeply regret the decision that led me to this moment,” he said, his voice breaking. “I have taken full responsibility for my actions and remain committed to doing everything in my power to make amends.”

Globensky and his attorney did not respond to reporters’ questions as they left federal court. Under the sentence, he will also have to pay more than $3 million in restitution and face one year of supervised release.

Federal prosecutors had sought a 16-month sentence, while defense attorneys wanted probation.

Globensky took items from the warehouse for sellers in Florida,

PELICANS

Continued from page 1C

Williamson finished with 29 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The Pelicans (19-51) snapped a three-game losing streak They responded in a big way after Sunday’s 46-point blowout loss to the Detroit Pistons. Murphy tore his labrum and partially tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder in the opening minute of that game. Murphy’s absence wiped 21.2 points per game from the Peli-

who then sold them online at a markup, according to prosecutors.

Globensky was paid through a limited liability company set up in his wife’s name, among other ways. The scheme lasted for more than a decade earning him over $5 million.

“The violation of trust was very serious and ongoing,” Brian Hayes, an assistant U.S. attorney, said in court

Still, he noted how Globensky cooperated in the ongoing investigation, providing text messages between him and a third-party

Court documents only identify the third party as “Individual A,” along with an associate “Individual B.” Hayes said Globensky also preemptively sold his house and gave the proceeds to the government

The items, which were stolen between 2009 and 2022, included such historic memorabilia as tickets to Masters tournaments in the 1930s, as well as T-shirts, mugs and chairs, according to prosecutors.

Among the stolen legendary green jackets were those won by Palmer, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen. Some of the stolen goods were recovered in the Chicago area, which is why the court case was at the downtown courthouse.

Globensky who had worked at the warehouse since 2007, would secretly photograph items and

cans’ lineup. “You try to move forward,” Green said prior to Wednesday’s win in Minnesota. “It’s by committee. That won’t be on one particular player Guys will do it together That’s a part of the beauty in basketball is you get a chance to step on the ﬂoor together and get after it. We’ll need guys to step up in Trey’s absence.” They did The Pelicans trailed by as many as 14 in the first half, but roared back to take a 62-61 lead. Williamson scored 16 of his points in the first half. CJ McCollum, who had one of the worst games of his NBA ca-

send them to a Florida-based seller

Globensky would then sneak out items that they were interested in, taking small quantities to avoid the risk of Augusta National’s auditing practices, according to court documents. Items were hidden in an offsite storage facility and shipped.

Prosecutors say the money was used to fund a luxurious lifestyle, including $370,000 to buy vehicles and a boat, $160,000 for Disneythemed vacations and $32,000 for items at Louis Vuitton, according to court documents made public earlier this month.

In court, Globensky’s defense attorney, Thomas Church, said it wasn’t uncommon for employees to occasionally take items from the warehouse, his client had expressed remorse and wasn’t a danger to the public.

“This is not a case where he went and broke into any vaults. He didn’t manipulate any data or access any electronic data,” Church said in court, explaining that his client saw the opportunity to take items that were set to be destroyed or weren’t selling.

The total loss to Augusta National was more than $3 million, according to prosecutors. An Augusta National spokesman asked for comment Wednesday pointed to a victim impact statement submitted to the court during the hearing.

“We were severely disappointed to learn several years ago that a former Augusta National employee betrayed that principle, and our

reer Sunday, bounced back to help Williamson shoulder some of the load. McCollum ﬁnished with 18 points, bouncing back from a game he made just 1 of 15 shots, including 0-for-7 on 3-pointers. Bruce Brown came off the bench and had 15 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. The Pelicans’ starting lineup of McCollum, Williamson, Jose Alvarado, Kelly Olynyk and Yves Miss was the 35th different one the Pels have used this season. Olynyk, Missi and Jordan Hawkins scored 13 points each. The Pelicans play the Timberwolves (40-31) again Friday

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 Clark, Fever on bigger stage

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.

trust, by stealing from the Club, Tournament and even a number of legends whose accomplishments at the Masters and in the game of golf are revered by all,”

Augusta National said in the letter “In short, the employee made signiﬁcant personal gain with no regard for the impact his selﬁshness would have on the Club, players, the Tournament, and his fellow employees.”

Augusta National hosts the annual Masters golf tournament each year in April, which Scottie Schefﬂer won last year Palmer, who died in 2016 at age 87, won four green jackets.

He’s widely credited with introducing golf to the masses and hit the ceremonial tee shot every year at the Masters for years after he stopped playing in the tournament in 2004. Getting a ticket to the Masters also gives fans the chance to buy exclusive merchandise that’s not ofﬁcially sold online.

But the green jackets are particularly guarded by the Georgia company that owns Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters golf tournament.

The company sued in 2017 to stop a golf memorabilia company from auctioning off items, including a champion’s green jacket.

Augusta National Inc. ﬁled a federal lawsuit against the Floridabased auction company seeking to stop it from selling a champion’s green jacket and two member green jackets, along with other items.

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

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 setting records.

AP PHOTO By ABBIE PARR

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson dunks the ball during a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in Minneapolis.

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

Globensky

THE VARSITYZONE

West Feliciana’s Tristen Harrissoars through the air in the long jump at the Class4A outdoor track championships on May4atLSU’s Bernie Moore Stadium. Harris earned asilver medal in the long jump at the Nike Indoor Nationals in Newyork

Taking it up anotch

BY ROBIN FAMBROUGH Staff writer

For some high schools,the track season won’tkick into high gear until April. However, oneofofthe Baton Rouge area’stop competitors established a state record and two others combined for three runnerup finishes over the past week in nationalevents.

East Ascension’s Kiristen McGirt posted astate record markinthe shot putata local outdoor meet, while Parkview Baptist’s Aiden Monistere andWestFeliciana’s Tristen Harris recorded silver medal performances and season or personal bestsat

national indoormeets. McGirt, aUniversity of Tennesseesignee, became the first Louisiana girl tosurpass the50-foot barrier in the shot put after a50feet,4 inches toss at Zachary’sBroncoRelays last Thursday.McGirt also had aseason’sbest 134-0 throw in the discus. “I did it on the first throw,” McGirt said of herrecord shot puteffort. “I wasn’t sure (itwas 50 feet), so I waited until they measured it. It felt very fluidand it was honestly the first time in a few days that Ifelt arhythm afteratechnical change we made.”

Harris, aSouth Carolina signee, placed second in the long jump at theNike Indoor Nationals in NewYork. She

jumped aseason bestof20-53/4

“I really enjoyed it since it was my last Nike Indoor meet,” Harris said. “I really was hoping to win it, but to getaseason bestsofar for this year is good.

“We’ve been working on ﬁxing my formfor (the long jump) and alsothe 60 (meters). I’m excited to see what happens outdoors now.”

Monistere ran two personal bests in taking silver medals at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in Boston

“It was really fun andI learned from the experience,” he said. “I was running against alot of guys I already knew.The two-mile was abig surprise. My focus was more on the mile going into themeet.”

Monistereran atimeof8 minutes, 46.78 seconds in the two-mile race and 4:06.31 in themile.

All-Statenominations

Coaches arereminded to submit nominationsfor the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s all-state girls/ boys basketball teams by Friday

Players nominated must be ﬁrst-team all-districtselections.Include full season anddistrictstatistics, along with the player’sheight. A list of performances is helpful, too.

Alsoinclude any other notes about recruitment and signees.Send nominations to Robin Fambrough at rfambrough@theadvocate.com

Sunstrom’s complete game liftsU-High

BY WILLIAM WEATHERS

Contributing writer

Not only wasUniversity High pitcher Grant Sunstrom effective in Wednesday’s6-3 victory over St. Michael, he also helped set up theCubs’ pitching for success this weekend.

Sunstrom, aLouisiana Tech commitment, threw his third completegame of the season and in doing so, kept the Cubs’ pitching intact for akey road trip to CatholicNew Iberia on Saturday “When we go there,we’ll

have all of our pitchersand that’shuge,” U-High first yearcoach Jon Ramsey said.. “They’re anotherquality opponent just like St. Michael. With where we are, we need to keep getting victoriesagainst good teams.”

U-High (13-6) gave Sun-

strom early support. The Cubs took a5-0 lead in the topofthe ﬁrst with four hits while taking advantage of two errors and two hit batters.

Run-scoring hits came from Lane Mixon and Trey Sotile. Mackie Musgrove capped the inning with a sacriﬁce ﬂy against starter Nathan Perere (0-1).

“You have to get ahead on guys early and thathelps decrease your pitch count,” said Sunstrom, whoallowed sixhitsand three runs to go with seven strikeouts and twowalks. “If Ican do that,

then Ican go along way.” St. Michael (10-11) scored once in the first on aCharlie Broyles doubleand added runs in the third on asingle from Drew Bruno andfourth on asingle from ParkerFife. Raymondentered the game in thetop of thesecond and slowed down UHigh’soffense over 41/3 innings. He yieldedthreehits and struck out twoand left after issuing aleadoff walk in theseventh to Mixon, who scored on pinch-hitter Zach Joubert’ssacrifice fly off reliever John Martinez.

Ohtani thrilled Tokyofanswith towering homer

BY DAVID BRANDT AP baseballwriter

TOKYO— Shohei Ohtani’s everystep, swingand smile were intensely followed this week during his homecoming at the Tokyo Dome, an event that would make most mortalswiltunderthe pressure. TheJapaneseslugger was introduced before each at-battoloudroars that continued until afew seconds before the pitch, when the crowd wentinto a silent trance that’snormally reserved foreventslike Wimbledon or the Masters. Every mighty hack —even if it produced afoulball —drewgasps as roughly 42,000 fans waited to see if the national hero would deliver And then, he did. Because of course he did.

Ohtani hit atowering solo homer in his return to Japan, taking Chicago Cubs pitcher NatePearson deep with aball that barely cleared the fence in rightcenter ﬁeld and helping the LosAngelesDodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 6-3to sweep the two-game series in Tokyo.

“It’skind of ridiculous,” Dodgers teammateTommy Edmansaid. “It like he’s just playing avideo game. We’re all out there grinding, trying to do anything we cantowin agame, but he’s just playing adifferent gamealtogether

“It is pretty crazytosee the stuff he does on adaily basis.”

It’s hard to fathom how muchpressure Ohtani felt during his much-anticipated return to hishome country, and manager Dave Roberts said he could feel the star’s emotions,particularly during the Japanese national anthem on Tuesday night.

It seemed like his picture was on halfthe billboards in Tokyo,and ahuge chunk of the pregame advertisements on thecenter field video board featured his face.

After admitting to some nerves during Tuesday’s opener,the slugger was morerelaxed aday later

It led to another baseball moment thatwill live in MLB lore forquite awhile.

Ohtani turned on a99 mphfastball from Pearson

and the crowd roared as the ball traveled on amajestic arc deep into the outﬁeld. Afew fans reached forthe ball but couldn’tmakethe catch. Cubs outﬁelder Pete Crow-Armstrong threwthe ball back intothe stands anda 10-year-old Japanese boy was the lucky recipient to avaluable souvenir

“I was happy Iwas able to hit ahomer offapretty good pitcher,” Ohtani said “I thought the ball was going to travel alittle bit more, but I’m glad it at least got in (the stands).”

Thehomer was upheld after an umpire review andgave the Dodgersa 6-2 lead, much to the delight of theroughly 42,000 in attendance.

It was another example of Ohtani rising to themomentina big occasion. The 30-year-old also homered in an exhibition game on Saturdayagainst the Yomiuri Giants.

“I know Shohei puts his pantsonlike we alldo— one leg at atime,” manager Dave Roberts said.“Butif there’sever asuperhero, Ithink Shohei just seems like asuperstar.Inthe biggest of games, the biggest of moments, he always seemstodeliver.”

The homerwas Ohtani’s third hit in the two-game Tokyo Series. He was2for 5with adouble and asingle in the Dodgers’ 4-1 win on Tuesday night. “I’m happythatmyteammates gottoexperience Japan on and off the ﬁeld, but mostimportantly coming away withtwo wins is something really huge for us,” Ohtani said. “I’m glad we’re going to head back to the U.S. on agood note.” Ohtani —who finished 1for 3with two walks on Wednesday —had two moreplate appearances after the homer He was intentionally walked in the seventh, which was met with loud disapproval from the fans. Ohtani hadone more chance in the ninth with runners on first and second with one out, but drew another walk to load the basesbeforeTommy Edmangroundedintoa double play It did little to damper the mood in Tokyo, where Ohtani’sexcellence wason display again.

Matt Macaluso, 7-6, 6-3, 1-0(11-9)

Monceret/Preston Edwards, DSHS def. Leyton Conley/Jacob Kostelak, 6-7 (6-8), 6-2, 1-0 (10-3); Gabe Daigle/Hays Tibbets,DSHS def. CarterEvins/James Cashio 6-1, 6-2; Aiden Westerhaus/Dean Palermo, Prairieville def. Cole Acosta/Ryan Gelpi 3-6, 6-3, 1-0(10-7); Nick Enamorado/DedrickJeansonne, DSHS def. Nordy Samson,DrewLacroix 8-7(13-11) Dunham 3, Ascension Christian 2 Singles Josh Miller, ACHS def. BennettLassiegne 6-1, 6-0; Brennan Pearce, ACHS def. Adam Nesheiwat 6-1, 6-2

Parkview def. VedKandula/Ryan Nguyen 6-2, 6-1; EdwinRedding/ Alexander LeBlanc,Parkview def. David Shen/RyanShen, 6-0, 6-2; Cameron LeBlanc/Logan Parker, Parkview Baptist def. Alexander Nguyen/Whitman Thompson, 6-1, 6-4

Girls tennis

Denham Springs 5, Prairieville 1

Doubles George Harrod/Milo Johnston,Dunhamdef. Cole Duhe/Joseph Berry 6-1, 6-1; Chris Oliver/Wait Harrod, Dunham def. Kason Tanner/Kyler Faul 6-1, 6-2; Lucian Pham/Cooper Eenigenburg, Dunham def. Carson Guy/Colton Stokes 6-0, 6-2 Parkview 3, BR High 2

Singles Benjamin Daniel, BRHS def. Reid Scott, 6-3, 6-2; HenryChen, BRHS def. Wade Teague6-3, 6-2

Doubles Jackson Belcher/Samuel Bullentini,

Singles

SaraTorri,DSHS def. Avery Falcon 6-3, 6-1; Ja’Dince Babin, Prairieville def. Adalyn Farrell, 6-7, 6-3,1-0(11-9)

Doubles

Macy Dry/Halle Huddleston, DSHS def. Jolie Champagne/Adalyn Landry 6-4, 0-6, 1-0(10-6); Kendyll Davis/ Sophie McCarty,DSHS def. Layah Gladstone/Riley Falcon,6-0, 6-1; Valeria Ortiz/Ivana Smith, DSHS def. Mia Clouatre/Adalyn Guidry 6-3, 6-0

Emma Anderson/Cameron Burger DSHS def. AliaLaracuente/Callie Townsend, Prairieville 8-5

Dunham 5, Ascension Christian 0

Singles Bailey Adams, Dunham def. Novalee Gros 6-1, 4-6, 10-1; JordynMooney def. Gabi Urban6-2, 6-1

Doubles

AdoraDinh/Josephine Johnston def. Lucy Levert/Abby Berry 6-0, 6-0; Campbell Banks/Bella Dupont def. AddisonLe/Kaitlyn Ellingburg6-0, 6-0; ClaireNesheiwat/Elizabeth Ortiz def. Elizabeth Akin/Oakly Guilliot 6-0, 6-0

Baton Rouge High 3, Parkview Baptist 2

Singles

Meredith McNulty, BRHS def. Mallory Wiley 6-1, 6-3; Jordan Hurt, Parkview def. Asha Reddy 4-6,6-3, 10-5

Doubles Pearl/Duplechin, Parkview def. Beamon/Tessier 7-5, 6-3;Brown/ Spencer, BRHS def. Trosclair/Pino, 7-6, 7-6; Sheridan Jones/AmelieKutter,BRHS def. AlexisPowell/Allison Cate6-4, 6-1

TRANSFORMING TRAUMARECOVERY

Guillaume Spielmann,PhD Lead TraumaResearcher, Our Lady of theLakeHealth AssociateProfessor of Kinesiology, LSUHealth

ASSOCIATEDPRESS PHOTOByHIROKOMAE

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani follows through on asolohome runinthe

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 sea-

ä McNeese St. vs. Clemson,

sons 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 appear-

ances 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

Email Toyloy Brown III at toyloy.brown@theadvocate.com

Unselﬁshness, depth have become calling card for

BY STEVE REED

AP sportswriter

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Midway through the first quarter of South Carolina’s Southeastern Conference Tournament quarterfinal game against Vanderbilt, coach Dawn Staley sensed her team needed a boost with the scored knotted at 9-9. Backup point guard MiLaysia Fulwiley checked into the game.

Fulwiley closed the quarter with a ﬂurry, making two remarkable plays. She grabbed a long rebound and outraced two Commodores to the basket for a layup causing one of them to trip over her own feet — with 19 seconds left. As Vanderblit looked for a last-second shot, Fulwiley bolted in front of a pass, raced the ball up the court and, sensing the game clock was about to expire, pulled up for a 3-pointer and knocked it down. Just like that, the Gamecocks led by nine. Fulwiley would finish with 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals in just 22 minutes as South Carolina went on to win 84-63. The Gamecocks’ bench outscored Vanderbilt’s 33-4 that day and Fulwiley would go on to make the all-tournament team as South Carolina won all three games by at least 18 points. After the game, Staley called Fulwiley a “generational talent,” saying she can do things that she’s never seen before from a female basketball player. Not bad for a reserve Fulwiley is one of several South Carolina reserves who could start for almost any other team in the country And yet she seems content with coming off the bench

South Carolina

Top seeds have faced tricky paths in the transfer portal era

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 long-running 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-andwill-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 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

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 eighth-seeded 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).

for the Gamecocks, who enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed for the ﬁfth straight year in search of their third national championship in four seasons.

“I think here we all just have the same mindset, and that’s winning,” Fulwiley said “Whether you’re doing it from coming off the bench or starting the game. We all just want to win. I think the ﬁrst group, they pushed the bench to be a better version of ourselves.”

That second-ranked South Carolina (30-3) has a plethora of riches when it comes to talent is nothing new

Staley has built a powerhouse in Columbia, not unlike what Connecticut and Tennessee have done in previous decades, and there’s no shortage of players who want to play for the two-time national coach of the year and three-time national champion To do so often

means a direct path to the WNBA. South Carolina’s bench is the best in women’s college basketball, and it’s not even close. The Gamecocks average 41.5 points per game from their reserves — nearly 10 points more than the next closest Division I team. The Gamecocks, which host 16 seed Tennessee Tech in their NCAA opener on Friday, are averaging 80.5 points per game this season, but it’s not uncommon for their leading score to have fewer than 15 points.

“For South Carolina, it isn’t about who is the leading scorer — that’s a team over there,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said earlier this year With that bench talent comes a tricky balance Staley has to strike. It begins with recruiting players willing to buy into her team-ﬁrst concept, meaning those who start may have to surrender minutes to reserves if they’re not playing well, and reserves who don’t know how much they’ll play, if at all.

SOUTHERN

Continued from page 1C

closing seconds to hold off the Tritons. Soniyah Reed scored 19 of her career-high 24 points in the ﬁrst half. Aniya Gourdine added 17 points and a team-high 7 rebounds. Tionna Lidge made 6 of 8 shots on her way to 12 points. For the game, Southern made 25 of 51 shots (49%) and outrebounded UCSD 36-29. Sumayah Sudapong led UCSD with 19 points. Southern made 1 of 4 shots to

open the game. After that, Reed found her rhythm and the rest of the team followed along. She made three first-quarter 3-pointers and the Jaguars took a 19-11 lead into the second quarter After UCSD cut its deficit to 19-13, Southern went on an 11-0 run. Aniya Gourdein and Aleighyah Fontenot made 3-pointers and Reed continued her run making baskets on four consecutive possessions during one stretch. Southern ended the half shooting 58% from the field and led 40-20 at halftime. Defensively, Southern held the Tritons to 28% from the field.

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By MICHAEL CONROy

Fairleigh Dickinson guard Grant Singleton celebrates after a basket against Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Columbus, Ohio on March 17, 2023.

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By NELL REDMOND South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts as her team plays against UConn in Columbia, S.C on Feb 16.

PROVIDED FILE PHOTO By MCNEESE ATHLETICS

McNeese State coach Will Wade celebrates the Cowboys’ Southland Conference Tournament championship win against Lamar on March 12 in the Legacy Center in Lake Charles.

Vikingscommitted to McCarthy as starting QB

The Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS The Minnesota Vikings have committedtomoving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback this season after deciding nottooffer Aaron Rodgers acontract, aperson with knowledge of thedecision said Wednesday The person spoketoThe Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Vikings were notcommenting publicly on their plans.

NFLnotebook

Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP award winner, was released last week by the New York Jets. With Pro Bowl pick Sam Darnold departed in free agency for the Seattle Seahawks after his breakout performance, the Vikings prepared to turn their offense over to McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft whose rookie year was spent rehabilitating from surgery to repair atorn meniscus in his right knee. Trade inquiries from other teams for McCarthy wererejected, the person said.

Rodgers was widely reportedto be interested in joininghis former rival from his time with theGreen Bay Packers, and Vikings leaders took their time to consider thebold move of bringing in a41-year-old player whoseability,accomplishments and personality have the potential to alter alocker room dynamic that by all accounts contributed to Minnesota’s14-win ﬁnish last season. The Vikings also have been able to spendbig on free agency this month because of the ﬂexibility afforded by aquarterback on arookie contract, primarily bolstering their defensive and offensivelines.

They stillneed anotherveteran to help support McCarthy andcapably ﬁll in if he were injured again, however, for thebridge role they originally envisioned for Darnold

The Vikings wanted former New York Giants starter Daniel Jones back, but he signedwiththe Indianapolis Colts for astronger opportunity to winthe job. Minnesota’s primary backup for the previousthree seasons, Nick Mullens, signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The onlyother quarterback currently on therosterisBrett Rypien, who hasfour career starts in six years in the league.

The most proven available quar-

terbacks on the market are currently Joe Flacco andRyanTannehill, though the Vikings could work outatrade for oneorﬁnd someone elseavailable later in the offseason once teams adjust theirrostersafter the draft, or even during training camp once health and performance more clearly dictate depth charts around the league

Dolphins

Former Saints LB Gaysigning 1-year deal with Dolphins: Veteran linebacker Willie Gay agreed to aone-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, a personfamiliarwith the deal told The Associated Press on Wednes-

Banontushpushamong proposed NFLrulechanges

BY JOSH DUBOW AP pro football writer

The Green Bay Packershave formally proposed arule change to ban the tush pushand the Detroit Lions proposedthat playoff seeding be done based on record instead ofautomatically placing division winners in the topfour spots. Teams made several other proposals released Wednesday that will be added to additionalones made by the competition committee to be considered at the league meetings later this month, including achange to the overtime rule and the so-called legal tampering period in freeagency

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 amodiﬁed 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 aﬁrst down or touchdown.

Philadelphia has used theplay successfully behind Jalen Hurts for the past three seasonsinshortyardage situations, including during a40-22 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

SAINTS

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Like Yiadom, he saw someone willing to ﬁt the week’sgame plan to the opponent.

“It was cool every week seeing the game plan come together,”Williams said. “He wasn’tstubborn about, ‘Wehavetodoitthis way every week.’ It was ‘What is the offense showingontape, and how can we put our guys in the best position?’” Moore drew some similar praise. While Stoll wasn’twith the Eagles for their Super Bowl run last year—hewas on their practice squad until November,whenhe was waived and the MiamiDolphins 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

no offensive player may “immediately at the snap, push or throw his body against ateammate, who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receivedthe snap, to aid him in an attempt to gain yardage.” Doing so would result in a10yard penalty

The playoff change proposal by theLionswould have led to signiﬁcant changes last season when Minnesota had to go on theroad for awild-card gameagainst theRams despitewinning four more games than Los Angeles in the regular season. TheVikings wouldhave hostedagame as the third seed underthe proposal

TheChargers also went on the road as awild-card team against division-winning Houston despite having oneadditional win.

Under the proposed rule, the ﬁrst tiebreaker among tiedteams wouldbebased on winning the division.

TheEaglesproposed achange in overtimerulestoalign it more like the playoffs when each team is guaranteed an opportunityto score. The proposal would extend regular-season overtime from 10 minutesto15and the game wouldn’tend if the team that got the ball ﬁrst scored atouchdown.

League executive Troy Vincent said last month that changes were needed to overtime rules to decrease theadvantage of winning the coin toss. Receiving the ball first has become more of an advantage than before 2011, when overtime was sudden death. Re-

—somethinghesaw play out with the Eagles last year,when thenormally pass-heavy Moore shifted hisoffense to feature Saquon Barkley and Philadelphia’sstandout offensiveline.

“He’ll do everything he can to make sure all the players are successful, which Ithink in turn leads to ateam being successful in an offense,”Stoll said. “He’sabrilliant offensive mind. …Seeing how he adapted his offense to the personnelthattheyhad in Philly,that’s something that Ithought was phenomenal

“He had hissystem he had with Dallas and LA, andwhen he took it to Phillyhesaw thepersonnel and adjusted his system accordingly to make it successful. Ithink that’s something that is verydifficult to do. …Obviouslyitworked out prettywell for him.”

Clappspent two seasons with the Chargers. Staley was his head coach for both of them, and Moore was his offensive coordinator for

day. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because theteam had notannouncedthe signing. ESPN ﬁrst reported the deal.

Gay played for New Orleans in 2024 after spending the ﬁrst four seasonsofhis career with Kansas City.Asecond-round pickbythe Chiefs in 2020, Gay won back-toback Super Bowls withKansasCity in 2023 and 2024.

He started 47 gamesfor the Chiefs —and nine playoff games —recording 233 tackles, five sacks,17tackles for loss andfour interceptions in theregular season. He had29postseason tackles, four tackles for loss, aforced fumble and 1/2 sack.

Forthe Saintslast season,Gay recorded 28 tackles, two sacks, twotackles for loss and three pass breakups.

Commanders

Commanders rework Samuel’scontract to guarantee $17M in 2025: Deebo Samuel andthe Washington Commanders have reworked the wide receiver’s contract to guarantee $17 million this season with $3 millioninadditional incentives, according to aperson with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on conditionofanonymity Wednesday because the team did notannouncethe restructuring.

Samuel, 29, is entering the ﬁnal season of the three-year,$71.55 millionextension he signed with SanFrancisco in 2022; his previous base salary wasn’tguaranteed. The Commanders acquired him from the49ers on March1for aﬁfthround pick in next month’sdraft.

Samuelisone of several highproﬁle additions made by secondyear generalmanager Adam Peters after his team’s improb-

able runtothe NFCchampionship game, led by Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington also traded for standout left tackle Laremy Tunsil and signed defensive linemen Javon Kinlaw and Deatrich Wise, cornerback Jonathan Jones and safety Will Harris.

Samuel, whoimmediatelybecomes the No. 2receiver for Daniels after Terry McLaurin, made 51 catches for 670 yards and three touchdowns last season with the 49ers. The South Carolina product has 334 receptions for 4,792 yards and 22 TDs since making his NFL debut in 2019.

Rams

CB Witherspoon re-signs for a3rd season withRams: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon agreed to aone-year contract Wednesday to return for athird season with the Los Angeles Rams.

Witherspoon started every game for the Rams during the 2023 season, but went unsignedlastsummer. He returned to the Rams’ practice squadlastSept. 11 and soon resumed amajor role on the defense, starting ﬁve regular-seasongames andbothpostseason games forthe NFCWest champions while ﬁnishing with 31 tackles and one interception.

The Rams aren’twaiting this year to secure Witherspoon, who is entering his ninth NFLseason.The Northern California native spent his ﬁrst four NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before playing two years for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Witherspoon frequently played alongside starting cornerbacks Darious Williams andCobie Durant for the Rams, who are expected to look for cornerback depth in the draft next month.

ceiving teamswon 56.8% of overtime games from 2017-24, up from 55.4% from 2001-11.

Otherchanges

The Lions proposed thatillegal contact anddefensive holding penalties wouldnot give the offensean automatic ﬁrst down.

The Steelers proposed that teams would be allowed to have onevideo call or phone call with prospective unrestricted free agentsfrom other teams andtheir agents during the two-day negotiating window before thestartofthe league year

Currently teams are allowed to talk only to agentsduring this period. It also would allow for teams to arrange travel for prospective free agents as long as the travel didn’tstart until after theleague year

The Lionsproposed that players put on injured reservebefore or on theday that rostersare cutto53 shouldn’tcount on the 90-man roster limit, unless they will be designated toreturnduring theseason.

Severalclubs proposed allowing teams to preparethe special kicking balls before theday of the game liketheycan with regular balls.

Washingtonproposed allowing teamstoobtain scouting credentials for games in Weeks17and 18 for potential playoff opponents in the conferenceand requiring teams hosting wild-card games to grant scouting credentialstoany team in their conference that is in theplayoffs

his second year.Hecalled the offense he ran under Moore in 2023 his “favorite offense thatI’ve been in” during his seven-year playing career He liked everything about it, fromthe playbook to thegame day operation. And, as an offensive lineman,hespecifically enjoyed theadaptabilityofthe run game. Last season, New Orleans predominantly deployeda zone run scheme. It was largely effective, but there were notableweeks wherethe rushing offense was shut out by asmart defense across thelineofscrimmage. While Moore’srushing offense struggled in his loneseason with the Chargers,Clapp still sawa scheme that emphasizedattackingopposing defenses’ weak spots.

“The waytodescribeitisprobably anything and everything,” Clappsaid. “Theywill use anythingthat will expose aweakness, or anything thatwefeel thatour

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback JoeBurrow looksto throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 4in Pittsburgh.

Burrow amongseveral QBsfeaturedinnew season of Netﬂix series

LOS ANGELES Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow,Atlanta’sKirk Cousins andDetroit’sJared Goff will be featured on the second season of Netﬂix’s“Quarterback” series.

Thestreamer announced the series will debut in July with a promotional video released on Wednesday

“Quarterback” debuted in 2023 and wasone of Netflix’s top-streamed series. Last year, NFL Films, Omaha Productions and2PM Productions had the series “Receiver,” following ﬁve wide receivers and quarterbacks throughoutthe 2023 season.

Burrow,Cousins and Goff had their 2024 season chronicled on and off the ﬁeld.

Burrow led the league with 4,918 passing yards and 43 touchdowns, buthad hishouse brokenintoinDecember whilethe Bengalswere in Dallas facing

group can do better than your group.

Left (guard)unanswered

Before he rejoined the NewOrleans Saints last week,offensive lineman Will Clapp played more than 1,000snaps in his threeseasons away from the team. Most of them were at center not guard. Butashereturnsfor asecond stint, Clapp likely realizeshecould be askedtoplaymoreguard this timearound. That’saspot, after all, that remains agiant questionmarkfor the Saintsafter the ﬁrst waveof free agency.Lastyear,the Saints used ﬁvedifferent players at left guard because of injuriesand poor performance. And so far this offseason, NewOrleans 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

the Cowboys in aMonday night game. Cincinnati endedthe seasonona five-game winning streak andfinished 9-8, butmissedthe playoffs Cousins —who also wasonthe first season of “Quarterback” signed afour-year,$180 million contract last March with the Atlanta Falcons that included $100 millionguaranteed. Cousins, however,was benched as rookie Michael Penix started the final three games. Atlanta finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs afterleading the NFCSouth late in the season. Goff wasa finalistfor AP NFL Most Valuable player after he led Detroittoconsecutivedivision titles andthe No. 1seed in the NFCfor the first timeinfranchise history with a15-2 record. Goffpassedfor 4,629 yards and 37 touchdowns, but the Lions were eliminated in thedivisional round by Washington.

Kyle Hergel. “I haven’ttalkedto(thecoaching staff) about any roles,” said Clapp, the former LSU product whose ﬁrst stint with the Saints wasfrom 2018-2021. “Nothing’sbeen deﬁned yet.” Of course, the Saints may not be done adding to the position. Severalnotable guards remained unsigned, including Lucas Patrick (last year’sprimary starter at left guard forthe Saints) and Brandon Scherff. The draftalso remains an optionfor NewOrleanstoadd another interior lineman.

More capspace

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 receiverCedrick Wilson and defensivetackle DavonGodchaux, creating more than $4 millionin2025 cap space in the process.

Associated Press

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RyAN SUN

Minnesota Vikingsquarterback JJ McCarthystands before agame against the Los Angeles Rams on Oct. 24 in Inglewood, Calif.

Sharinga bit of Kentucky in aLouisiana kitchen

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

Recipe, Kentuckystyle Barbecue, Beans and Cornbread 2D

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

Her mom, Brenda Stephens, was amarvelous and generous cook. In full disclosure, Iﬁrst 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 agood man and happiness being two kinds of ice cream over and over again, she and Ibecame friends. We bonded, in large part, over being the children of school teachers in small Southern communities.

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

In her NewOrleans home

Stephanie November chops up barbecue pork to makeone of her mother’ssignature 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’sclassic Kentucky dishes, Icouldn’tresist. Not only becauseitwould be fun to visit, but because her mom wasone of my favorite people. Ilove celebratingher 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 2D

IBY APRIL HAMILTION | Contributing writer

was raised on fresh ﬁsh, farm standsand Mom’sfried chicken on theeast coast of central Florida. Each of these provisions had itscadence.

Fried chicken was always aSunday affair,the farm stands a weekly stop. Freshﬁsh waseveryFriday,especially during Lent.My brothers skipped downtothe beach to see what was biting and Mom would cook it up. If they returned empty-handed, ourmeatlessmeal was eggs and toast and fresh squeezed orange juice, today’strendy breakfast for dinner My truth is that the freshcatch, or any seafood, was on my “no thank you” list until college when Iexperienced aperfectly blackened mahi mahi on aspring break trip to the Caribbean. From this conversion, my worldchanged and now theﬁrst place Iturn to on any restaurantmenu is “today’scatch.”

Tuna Crispy-Rice PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON

Trythistrick forthe microwave

Dear Heloise: Iwanted to share ahint that I’ve never seen before.Ialways keep asmall jar of water in my microwave in case I happentoturn 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 lettingit

sit overnight. Thanks for all your greatideas! —Molly S., Dayton, Ohio Men usingcoupons

2cups

Hints from Heloise

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

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

2. Add milk— should be the consistencyofpancakebatter

3. Place griddleorlarge skillet on burner.Add small amountofbutter (as you would for apancake) and heatskilletonmediumheat until butter melts.

4. Pour batter about until it spreads to about4inches in diameter

Brenda’sChexMix

Recipe by Brenda Stephens. Makes7quarts

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

1. Preheat oven to 275 F. 2. Melt butter 3. Once butterismelted, add onion salt, garlic powder,celery salt, Worcestershire sauce andTabasco.

5. Brown cornbread pancakeonone side untillittle holes start showing near the edges and it is ready to be ﬂipped withaspatula.

6. Flip pancakeand cook about 3to5moreminutes, depending on heat

7. Serve on aplate and top with thebarbecueand beans mixture.

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

FOR THE RICE:

2cups uncooked short-grain rice (sushi rice)

3cups water for the rice

¼cup unseasoned rice vinegar 1tablespoon granulated sugar

1½ teaspoons fine salt

Coconut oil for cooking

1. Place therice in aﬁne mesh strainer and run cold water through it for 1minute,until the water is running almostclear.Shake the strainer to remove most of thewater from the rice.

2. Combinethe rinsedrice and 3cups water in amedium saucepan withatightﬁtting lid. Setovermediumhigh heat and bring to aboil. Reduce heat to mediumlow.Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it continue to steam for 10 minutes

3. Fluffthe cooked rice with alarge fork and transfer to alarge bowl.

4. In asmall bowl,whisk

TUNA

Continuedfrom page1D

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

5. Line a13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with plastic wrap. When the rice is cool, turn it out into theprepared pan and press ﬁrmly into a half-inch-thick layer,dampening fingers if therice sticks to your hands. Cover the baking pan with asheet of plastic wrap and slasha few holes in the wrap with aparing knife to letitdry outjust abit while it chills. Refrigerate overnight or freeze for1hour

6. When the rice is cold, transferthe whole slabto acutting board, carefully removing theplastic wrap. Cut into 4dozen rectangles with asharp knife.

7. Heat 1tablespoon of

coconut oil in alarge cast iron or nonstick skilletover medium-high heat. Cook the rice rectangles in batches, turning after the ﬁrst side is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes total.Transfer them to aserving platter as they arecooked.Repeat until all of thericerectanglesare crisped,orrefrigerate extra un-crisped rice in an airtight containerfor up to 3days.

FOR

Brianna’slead, measure with

THE DISH

Continued from page1D

took great pride in eating at home and on abudget.

“My brother and Iwere just talking about how most every nightatdinner,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’ssignature 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 Imade the Chex Mix with cashews, and November told me that growing up they would

ByThe Associated Press

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

Todayinhistory On March 20, 1995, in Tokyo, packages containing the deadly chemical sarin were opened on ﬁve separate subway trains in adomestic 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’sinﬂuential novel about slavery,“Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” was ﬁrst published in book form afterbeing

have usedsalted peanuts

“Because they were cheap,” she said.“That’sthe theme of this whole demo. Except for the cashews, what we’re makingisinexpensive— and itwould stretch.”

Every homeeconomics teacher I’veeverknown was amaster of stretching. There’snocoincidence that “economics” is part of the title.

“My dad would have told youthat,‘Oh, you don’t need cashews when youcan buy peanuts forhalf the cost,’”she said. November said theeconomics ofameal played a bigrole even on holidays in the Stephens household. On Christmas Eve, her parents hosted an all-day open house. People would come andgo. Her mother made agigantic pot ofwhat she calls, “Barbecue, beansand cornbread,” which is apork and beansand barbecue concoction on acornbread

TODAYINHISTORY

serialized in the abolitionist newspaperThe National Era; it would becomethe best-selling novel of the 19th century In 1854, the Republican Party of the United States was founded byopponents of slavery at aschoolhouse in Ripon,Wisconsin. In 1996, ajury in Los Angeles convicted Erik andLyleMenendez of ﬁrst-degree murder in the shotgun slayings of their wealthy parents. (They were sentenced to life in prison withoutthe possibility of parole.) In 2014, President Barack Obama ordered economic sanctions against nearly two dozenmembersofRussian President Vladimir Putin’sinner circle and amajor bank that provided them support, raisingthe stakes in an East-West showdown

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

6. Bake for onehour, stirring thoroughly every 10 minutes.

7. Cool completely before portioningintocontainers for sharing.

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

pancake —something Ihad never tried before.

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

Onecritical component of the dish is thebarbecue sauce. November recommends asauce she describes as “tomato based but vinegar forward mustardy and not avinegar sauce because that is different.”

Iknew exactly what she meant.

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

over Ukraine. In 2018, in aphone call to Vladimir Putin, President Donald Trumpoffered congratulations on Putin’s reelection victory; asenior ofﬁcial said Trumphad been warned in brieﬁng materials that he should not congratulate Putin. Today’sbirthdays: Actor Hal Linden is 94. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley is 80. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orris77. 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. Ionce took aclass in his restaurant kitchen and realized the skill requires morethan asharp knife. Idoenjoy dabbling in the artand employ my sushi rolling mat for extensive kitchen fun. (Moreonthis later,staytuned) In my BatonRouge neighborhood,Iamnow two handshakesaway from the freshest ﬁsh. Cuethe glee when theinquiry arrives from my friendAlison: “Would you likesome fresh my sonjust caught?”

Fill in the blank. Irecallthe redsnapperthatfed my crowdedtable andthe grouperfilets thatIblackened permyCaribbean taste memory.Lastweek,the fresh catch callwas tuna.I could notbelieve my luck. I ponderedthe myriad menu possibilitiesbeforepicking up this prize.I imagineda single serving thatIcould stretchtofeed two and instead washandedthree tenderloin-sizedhunks of sushi-grade tuna My mind flashed to my last trip hometoFlorida when agenerous fisherman shared the bounty with my nephew Thomas and his girlfriend Brianna. Ionly half observed their process of making rice, dicing the tuna and mixing it with

somespecial sauce. They cut the slab of cooled rice into squares and seared them in ahot skillet ﬁlled with coconut oil which perfumed the whole house with nutty fragrance. They plated their spicy tuna concoction onto platformsof crispy rice and garnished each piece with avocado and fresh jalapeño. In asingle phone call, I wasable to recreate the delicacy with Brianna’s reassurance, “First of all, Imeasure with my heart,” followed by “It’snot hard at all.” Nowthat my grown-up tastebuds appreciate the bounty of the sea, Iamready to spring into action when the generous neighborhood ﬁsherman shares his haul.

PHOTO By APRIL BUFFINGTON Crispy-Rice

STAFF PHOTO By JANRISHER

Stephanie Novembershares her family recipeofa 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.

By Andrews McMeel Syndication

Sudoku

InstructIons: Sudoku is anumber-placing puzzle based on a9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1to9inthe empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the samenumber only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.

BaBY BLueS

BY PHILLIP ALDER Bridge

Julia Child said, “I think careful cooking is love, don’t you?The loveliest thing youcan cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice avalentine 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 andtwo diamonds. South can hope that East has the club ace, or try to establish dummy’s diamond suit. But the actual layout is theone thatSouth shouldfear. If he takes the first trick, draws trumps and plays on diamonds, East will win atrick and can shift to theclubqueen Then, as long as neither defender tries to cash aheart trick, declarer will lose one diamond and three clubs. What is the secret?

South must keep East off the lead. And theway 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 adiamond from his hand. Then heplaysatrumptohisacebeforeattack-

ingdiamonds. South takesdummy’s two winners, ruffs adiamond 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.

Inthisway,Southcollectsanovertrick, not an undertrick.

Each Wuzzle is aword riddle which creates adisguised word, phrase, name, place, saying, etc. For example: NOON GOOD =GOOD AFTERNOON

Previous answers:

wuzzles

Bizarr

hagar the horriBle

Pearls Before swiNe

garfield

B.C.

PiCKles

mallard fillmore

3/17/2025 2:54:33PM Jury Type: Petit Judge: Judge: Elizabeth A. Engolio Date: Monday,April 7, 2025

ALEXANDER, ABRA LUNDY 16185 DEER BUCK RUN ROSEDALE, LA 70772-3830 11/09/1981

ALEXANDER, ELIZABETH SLOANE 58140 ROBERTSON ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3642 10/03/1956

ALEXANDER, LATANGA DARNELL 6100 MARGARETDR#1STGABRIEL, LA 70776-4650 12/06/1982

ALLAIN, TAMMI COURTADE 27000 BRADY LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5949 06/18/1971

ALLAN, JAMES 54820 MAYORDOC FOLEYSTWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2035 03/24/1950

ALLEN, SHALANDA LEWIS 32455 LEONA AVEWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2423 12/13/1970

ANDERSON JR, HOSEA KENDRICK 77410 PARISH LN MARINGOUIN,LA70757 05/13/1992

ANDERSON, JASON JERODE 59001 WWHARLEAUX ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2966 10/15/1982

ANDERSON, KAYLA LASHA 1897 PINEGLEN DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4618 02/12/1990

ANDERSON, MALCOLM 22650 AIDAN RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5253 11/10/1958

ANDERSON, TAYLAR LASHAY54915 GLEASONSTWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2308 12/02/1994

ANGELLOZ, CHRISTINE ELIZABETH 15820 HWY 77 ROSEDALE,LA70772 04/11/1952

ARNOLD, TREVOR SCOTT 24722 FERDINAND ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4028 08/04/1986

ATWAN, LAYLA 230 FIELD HOUSE AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4444 03/27/2001

BABIN, SANDRA JEAN 32645 WILLOWSTWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2221 11/07/1952

BALDWIN, KATELYN MICHELLE 34805-A HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7216 10/24/1996

BALLARD, TRAVIS D62905 ROSE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7803 02/09/1962

BARBARIN, CHRISTIAN MILES 56110 MEDINE RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4429 07/02/2001

BARBER-SAMPSON, DONNA 18080 WILLOW ST #3GROSSE TETE, LA 70740 07/06/1959

BARBIER, ANNE L23775 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5538 12/10/2003

BARRICK, MORGAN GLYNN STORY 2245 ELMCREST WAYSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-5356 08/21/1997

BARRILLEAUX, HANNAH ELISE 4695 POINT CLAIR RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4108 10/09/1997

BARRILLEAUX, REESE ADAM 27000 BRADY LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5949 11/11/1999

BATTON, MARYTAYLOR 57930 PANAMST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4142 12/07/1974

BENNETT,EDDIE 32380 HWY 405 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2049 06/28/1951

BESSIX, SHERRYTURNER 24765 PATUREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5900 08/19/1969

BESSIX, TURAND JEVON 15320 HARRIS ST ROSEDALE, LA 70772-0294 10/19/1977

BICKHAM, REBECCA SUSAN 25865 SAWMILL RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5406 06/27/1954

BLANCHARD, ZACHARYCOLE 5465 POINT CLAIR RD CARVILLE, LA 70721-2108 10/19/1994

BOURGOYNE, JARRED PAUL 24654 PECAN PLACE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3804 07/14/1987

BOURQUE, GERALD J76945 BIG DEE DR GROSSE TETE, LA 70740 06/28/1960

BRANDAU, MEGHAN FAITH 24515 HOLLYDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3807 05/02/2006

BREAUX, ROWDY P55925 MEDINE RD WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4431 04/02/1965

BREWER, CYNTHIA JEAN 5445 BAYOU PAUL RD ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5106 12/24/1958

BRIGALIA, ANGELA BARBIER 20160 SALLIE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5322 01/10/1977

BROUSSARD, CHRISTOPHER 510 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4452 10/26/1970

BROWN, HAYLEY MENDOZA 58445 VILLAGE COURTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7420 08/30/1973

BROWN, RAEGAN AKIRA 1420 ST FRANCIS LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4917 11/14/2005

BURKS, STEPHANIE ANN 32990 ADAMS DR WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2606 03/12/1986

BURNETT,LESLIE C 57876 HOMESTEAD DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2108 01/29/1946

BURON, EMILYM 59920 BELLEVIEW RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6504 08/01/1998

BUTLER, SHANTEL M610 BAYOUPAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5403 08/04/1979

CALLEGAN, JUSTIN LUKE 39060 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7731 05/28/1995

CARBO, MICHAEL JOSEPH 58145 ELM ST 2PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3257 05/05/1952

CARLIN, DIANE MICHELLE 23455 WILBERTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2651 03/04/1965

CARTER, LATANYAWYNETTE 57770 ELI CRAIG ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4526 08/06/1979

CARVILLE JR, ALFRED J 60775 BAYOU JACOB RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5531 01/21/1940

CAVANAUGH, ANNIE LABBE 57620 ERWIN DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4506 10/31/1981

CHRISTOPHER, NAKIASHANTELL 10650 1ST ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757 07/13/1983

COLEMAN, KEVIN 32205 HWY 405 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2005 06/25/2001

COLEMAN, LANCE 25905 TENANT RD E19 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6590 10/24/1976

COLLINS,ANGELA M 59370 EVANGELINE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3418 07/31/1980

COLLINS,TIMOTHY LEROY 59370 EVANGELINE AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3418 07/17/1964

COLLOR, KELSIA MONIQUE 77040 SALARIE LN GROSSE TETE, LA 70740 05/18/1974

COLLURA, SUSAN LEWIS 10145 KIMBALL DR MARINGOUIN,LA70757 08/17/1954

COLTHARP,DEBRA JANE 10635 BAYOURDMARINGOUIN, LA 70757 05/13/1954

COOKE, BOBBY EARL 24645 BELLEMOORDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764 11/03/1994

DAIGLE, ANGELINE MARIE 36865 HWY 69 BYPASS #AWHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4450 11/21/1966

DARVILLE, KANESHIA SHANTRICE 4771 MARYLAND ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776 10/23/1992

DAVIS, BRIANKEITH 56920 BBREAUX STREETBAYOU GOULA, LA 70788 01/20/1984

DAVIS, HILDRED MARIE DORSEY58090 BARKERSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2524 11/11/1956

DAVIS, MARIAH 57997 CENTERSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4311 12/25/1990

DAWKINS,CHERYL TRACEY1513 RAVIER LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3520 08/08/1965

DEAN, TIMOTHY SHANE 32810 HWY 405 WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4802 06/05/1997

DEDON, REAGANMARIE 740 PECAN DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5506 12/12/2005

DELAUNE, AMY CLAIRE 35761 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-7607 03/24/1983

DEMPSEY,MARVIN EARL 58140 WASHINGTONSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4056 04/17/1974

DESSELLES, AUDRA B 58480 TRABEAUX LN WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-4211 06/10/1971

DORSEY,COLLAND JERMAINE 10925 MILL ST MARINGOUIN,LA70757 10/09/2005

DOUCET,BRIANA DENEE 1945 ROLLINGWOOD DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5358 07/11/1991

DOUCET,NONA MARIE1315 KNOTTAWAYDRSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-5210 09/18/1958

DOZIER, BLAKE EDWARD 24545 HEBERTSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4007 01/25/1992

DOZIER, CHAD JOSEPH 24425 DOZIER DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5555 03/13/1987

ELDRIDGE, RYAN DOUGLAS 76132 ROSEDALE RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772 07/05/1978

ENGOLIO, ELIZABETH A57894 ORANGE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2120 02/04/1979

FALCON, CHAUNCY NICOLE 32430-ABOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2406 11/13/1987

FAVROTH, ADEN D 58245 SHERBURNE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4015 06/01/2005

FEAST,VINCENT EARL 77170 PARISH LN MARINGOUIN,LA70757 01/08/1955

FEHN JR, DOMINICK J455 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4441 02/10/1967

GALES, JOYCE M23989 FLENIKENLNPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3013 04/06/1955

GALES, MICHELLE CHIQUITA 1895 ROLLINGWOOD DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5355 11/22/1978

GARVIN, PATRICIA A20225 TONI LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5309 06/18/1954

GEORGE, LACIEFAYE22115 HWY 77 GROSSE TETE, LA 70740-3619 06/01/1988

GEORGE, MARLENE A29850 HWY 75 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6108 10/27/1953

GEORGETOWN, JOELL 58259 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2813 10/27/1983

GERACE, BARBARA ANN 25560 TENANT RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6534 12/20/1956

GERK, TRISTIANJ 25405 HWY 77 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5432 02/23/2006

GONZALEZ, MARLENE 24305 CALVIN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3646 05/28/2000

GORE, ZANE WELTON HUNTER 32566 MAYORMAURICE BROWN ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2510 04/18/1993

GOVERNOR, TIJAH TYQUINCYIA 55030 CYPRESS ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2350 07/14/1994

GRACE, KHRISTOPHER ROBERT1365 BESSONLN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3522 09/01/1999

GRANT JR, JAMESANDREW 20050 CHARLES ORYDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5311 02/22/1966

GRAVOIS, COLIN BENEDICT 1455 TASAJILLO DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5337 07/17/1985

GREEN, LARRYJ 4930 MARTIN LUTHER

HILBOURNE, CORINAMARIE 23000 JACOB ST #BPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-231704/27/1981

HILLERY, ELEANOR L55275 CAMBRE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-211201/09/1958

HOLLINS, KHRISHEND LEVBRE 4855 MARYLAND ST ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-425008/02/2002

HUNT JR, ROBERTBRADLEY 76730 ARTHUR RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772 10/01/1989

HUNTER, DARRIN D 57675 TRUE HOPE LN #APLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-4541 01/21/1968

JACKSON, ANDRA DIONNE 4677 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PKWY ST GABRIEL, LA 70776 01/15/1981

JACKSON, AUTRYPETER 24110 DUNN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-371104/01/1975

JACKSON, MICHAEL WAYNE 57736 BRODE ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-454007/12/1976

JACKSON, TINEKA MONIQUE57642 TRUE HOPE LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-454110/15/1983

JAMES, CHRISTOPHER SEAN 57835 GUIDRYSTPLAQUEMINE,

JOHNSON,ANN

JOHNSON,SEAN

JONES,

KAISER, EVAN MICHAEL 1446A HWY 75 SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3208 07/09/1990

KELLY, CHRISTOPHER E57109 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3120

KING,

JOANNE DILS 58075 HOMESTEAD DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5200 07/13/1950

LAMOTHE, JOYCELYN ANN 22230 TALBOT DR

LANDRY, ANGELE RENEE 58108 CANAL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3617 03/10/1970

LANDRY, MARYLAVERN 33330 BOWIE ST WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-2717 01/31/1963

LANG, TRAYVAUGHNMARQUELLE 5525 ROSE

LANGLINAIS, ANDREW CHARLES 59655 HWY 1148 #51PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5334 08/19/1999

LATHAN, CASEY DANIELLE 76775 MAGNOLIA ST GROSSE TETE, LA 70740 04/05/1984

LEBAN, ALEX MCDONALD 24330 CHURCH ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-375805/21/1956

LEBLANC, OLIVIA ALYSE 1386 HWY 75 SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3110 04/04/1999

LEE, RYAN EDWARD 23963 BAYTOWN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3007 01/05/2006

LEGENDRE, BERNARDINE M58500 ST CLEMENT AVEPLAQUEMINE, LA 707643532 12/14/1948

LEGRANGE, BRENT ALAN 23480 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-553502/03/1971

LEWIS, COLBY WILL 24720 STASSI RD #C PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5951 12/29/2003

LEWIS, KAREN VINCE 13645 HWY 411 MARINGOUIN, LA 70757-4111

LEWIS, KATIE DUFRENE

LEWIS, TYLER 1560 TASAJILLO DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-5339 12/21/1994

LOCKETT,TANNAQUE SANSONI58390 MERIAM ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-284807/03/1972

LODGE, DONTAE 1835 BESSON LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-3527 03/05/2003

LOVETTE, DAVID W58224 MAIN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2520 01/23/1971

MARTIN JR, ELTON 32865 ADAMS DR WHITE CASTLE,

MELLIEON,BRANDON TROY 58475 NATS ALYPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2856 03/09/1972

MESSINA, BECKY LEE 59285 HARVEST LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3077 07/12/1981

MILEY,ROSE C58655 BELLEVIEW RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3954 12/12/1971

MILLER, JAMIE LYNNETTE 1400 LIVE OAK DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776 06/28/1989

MOREL, MARYCLAIRE 25308 CLEMENT ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-440403/02/2000

MORGAN, JOHN P57860 ORANGE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-211802/19/1964

MYLES, MYARENE 57772 SENATOR GAYBLVDPLAQUEMINE, LA 707644438 09/23/2005

NEWMAN,LAMAR DENZLE 6435 HWY 74 ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-454402/28/1998

NORTHERN,JEREMY77235 OAKS AVEROSEDALE, LA 70772 10/08/1984

PARSONS, RHONDA H20115 SALLIE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-532206/04/1959

PATIN, SHANNON S24450 KIRTLEY DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-550907/13/1966

PAYTON, JENNIFER 26195 HWY 77 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5704 04/20/1976

PERSICK, DARLENE CROWE 63110 BAYOU JACOB RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5604 08/31/1953

PIERRE, ALVIN ROY 58886 ALLEN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3048 09/03/1955

PRICE, BENJAMIN HENRY 1210 ETTADRSTGABRIEL, LA 70776-562401/08/1987

PRYER JR, WILBERT57943 MCARTHUR ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-436408/25/1957

PUGH, DANIELLE MARIE 25245 PATUREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5905 03/12/1978

PUGH, JAMES 25251 PATUREAU LN PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5905 07/29/1980

RANDALL, PENELOPE L58578 WARE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-424811/07/1973

REED, DEAUNDRIA 5655 MAGNOLIA DE PERCY DR CARVILLE, LA 70721 03/18/2001

REED, KELVIN 5617 POINT CLAIR RD #DCARVILLE, LA 70721 11/21/1994

RICHARD, FARRON RICHARD 22165 WALKER ST #LOT 23 PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2038 10/20/2004

RIDER, SHELETER L2135 JAKE LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780-350401/08/1964

RILLS, BRICE CHRISTOPHER 23430 EAST ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-250805/27/1988

ROBINSON,GALE EJELLA 57845 DESOBRYSTPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-375506/26/1954

ROGERS, NINA ELAINE JOHNER 725 PECAN DR ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-551101/16/1950

SANCHEZ, DANNYRAY 57840 SENATOR GAYBLVDPLAQUEMINE, LA 707644442 12/18/1953

SANCHEZ, JASON MONTRELL 2175 BAYOU PAUL LN ST GABRIEL, LA 70776-4932 04/06/1999

SENECA, MARK PATRICK 20390 CHARLES ORYDRPLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-5314 02/04/1966

SHAHEEN,RONALD PHILLIP 32975 ADAMS DR WHITE CASTLE, LA 70788-260507/14/1964

SMITH,CLAUDIA BEVERLY58706 ALLEN ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-3050 11/05/1963

SMITH,JENNIFER R58230 BELL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-223605/04/1966

SMITH,KEVIN 23526 FEDERAL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-2610 06/26/1969

SMITH,MAE M180 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-4438 01/12/1959

SMITH, NIJA TRAMAINE 58230 BELL ST PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-223608/01/1998

SMITH,RAMSEY H76645 HURDLE RD ROSEDALE, LA 70772 05/15/1985

SNEARL, MARYRICHARDSON 22815 JADE DR PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-523006/26/1966

STEVENSON,CEDRICK JONTRIL 57310 CPL HERMAN BROWN JR DR BAYOU GOULA, LA 70788-3122 06/07/1979

STEWART, LATONYACUSHENBERRY 1885 BESSON LN SUNSHINE, LA 70780 11/19/1972

TACKNO, NATASHA LYNETTE 77650 MAYER ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757 06/07/1972

TEMPANARO, TROY A62765 BELLEVIEW RD PLAQUEMINE, LA 70764-6310 02/13/1963

THIBODEAUX, MICHAEL T500 SOUTH CLUB AVESTGABRIEL, LA 70776-445204/19/1966

THOMAS, AQUILA ANN 77460 COMSTOCK ST MARINGOUIN, LA 707573729 12/14/1964

THOMAS, TREVION JORDAN 10530 COATES ST MARINGOUIN, LA 70757 11/14/1997

tudeand dedication of new drainage servitude for WardsCreek located at15673 &15775 Old Perkins Road,Tract A-1 (TractA-1-A)ofthe MansurProperty, Sec. 49 T8S-R2E,GLD,EBRP, SG LA,andtoprovide forre‐lated matters (Applicant: Brian Aguillard, PC,PLS onbehalfofContinental Enterprises,LLC) Public commentwas openedfor theordi‐nance Thefollowing citizens wereinfavor of theordi‐nance:Brian Aguillard

AYES: Monachello,Cook, Himmel

NAYS: 0 ABSENT: Edmonds RECUSED:Heck IV.New Business (Items forPublicHearing and Action)

1. Motion by Council MemberHeck, Seconded byCouncil Member Him‐mel to amendOrdinance No. 2025-002 relative to the levy of the2%sales and usetax authorized atthe December 7, 2024 electionand to provide for relatedmatters (CouncilMemberHeck) Public Comment was openedfor theordi‐nance Thefollowing citizens werenot in favorofthe ordinance:Shaun Wyche AYES: Monachello,Cook, Heck, Himmel

NAYS: None ABSENT: Edmonds

2. Motion by Council MemberHimmel, Sec‐onded by CouncilMem‐ber Monachello to autho‐rizeincurring of debt and issuance of $20,000,000 of Revenue Notesofthe CityofSt. George,State ofLouisiana,and to pro‐videfor relatedmatters (CouncilMemberHim‐mel)

Public commentwas openedfor theordi‐nance Thefollowing citizens werenot in favorofthe ordinance:Shaun Wyche AYES: Monachello,Cook, Himmel NAYS: None ABSENT: Edmonds RECUSED: Heck

3. Motion by Council MemberHeck, Seconded byCouncil Member Cook toenact Title4 of the CodeofOrdinancesrela‐tivetoFireProtection and Prevention andto provide forrelated mat‐ters. (Council Member Edmonds) Public commentwas openedfor theordinance withthe followingspeak‐ers:Chief Dwayne Arde‐neaux AYES: Monachello,Cook, Heck, Himmel

JUDICIAL DIS‐TRICT COURT, FORTHE PARISHOFWESTBATON ROUGE,INTHE ABOVE ENTITLEDCAUSE,I WILL PROCEED TO SELL BY PUBLIC AUCTION, IN FRONT OF THECOURT‐HOUSE DOOR,ONTHE

ingsand improvements located thereon, situated inthatsubdivision in the TownofPortAllen,Parish ofWestBaton Rouge, State of Louisiana, known as TheOaksSub‐division, andbeing allof Lot No.Seven (7), the Eastern Five (5') feet of Lot No.Six (6)and the Western Twenty-five (25') feet of Lotno. Eight(8) all of Square No.TwentyFour(24), of thesaid OaksSubdivision,asdes‐ignated LotNo. 7, mea‐suringFifty (50')feet front on Avenue "G"by a depth of OneHundred Twenty(120')feet be‐tween parallel lines, the Eastern 5feet of said Lot No. 6measuring Five (5) feet frontonAvenue "G bya depth of OneHun‐dredTwenty(120')feet between parallel lines and theWestern 25 feet ofsaidLot No.8 measur‐ing Twenty-five (25')feet front on Avenue Gby a depth of OneHundred Twenty(120')feet be‐tween parallel lines, the entirepropertyherein described measuring Eighty(80') feet fronton Avenue G";subjecttore‐i i i d PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE -THE SUCCES‐SIONOFRASSIECLARK AND SARAHMOCK CLARK,DOCKETNO. P111706, 19THJDC,EAST BATON ROUGEPARISH, LA, NOTICE OF FILING OF PETITIONFOR AUTHOR‐ITYTOSELLIMMOVABLE PROPERTYATPRIVATE SALENOTICEISHEREBY GIVEN that theAdminis‐tratrix of this succession has fileda

BRIEFS

Wall Street rallies after Feddecision on rates

U.S. stocks climbed Wednesday after the Federal Reserve saidthe economystill looks healthy enough to keep interest rates where they are. Wall Street also got aboost from easing yields in the bond market

TheS&P 500 jumped. The DowJones IndustrialAverage and the Nasdaq compositealso rose.

Stocks also got aboost from lowerTreasury yields in the bondmarket. When Treasurys are payinginvestors less in interest, they canencourage investors to pay higher prices for stocks.

Greenpeace must pay $650M in protest case

Environmental group Greenpeace must pay more than $650 million in damagesfor defamation and other claims brought by apipelinecompany in connection with protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline’s construction in North Dakota, a jury found Wednesday Dallas-based EnergyTransfer and subsidiary Dakota Access had accused NetherlandsbasedGreenpeaceInternational, Greenpeace USA and funding arm Greenpeace Fund Inc. of defamation, trespass, nuisance,civil conspiracy and other acts. The damagesowed will be spread out in different amountsover the three entities.

Greenpeace said earlier that alarge award to the pipeline company would threaten to bankrupt the organization. Following the nine-person jury’s verdict, Greenpeace’ssenior legal adviser saidthe 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 itsMissouri River crossing upstream of the StandingRock Sioux Tribe’sreservation.

Attorneys for EnergyTransfer alleged Greenpeacepaid outsiderstocome intothe 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’ssays its CEO was unlawfully removed by its parent company,Unilever, in retaliationfor theice cream maker’s social and political activism.

In afederalcourt ﬁlinglate Tuesday,Ben &Jerry’ssaid Unilever informed its board on March 3that it wasremoving and replacing Ben &Jerry’s CEO David Stever.Ben &Jerry’ssaid that violated its merger agreement withUnilever, which states that any decisions regarding aCEO’sremoval must come after aconsultation with an advisory committee from Ben &Jerry’sboard.

Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry’sin2000 for $326 million. At the time, Ben &Jerry’ssaid the partnership would help the progressive Vermont-basedice cream company expand its social mission.

But lately,the marriage hasn’tbeenahappy one. In 2021, Ben &Jerry’sannounced it would stop serving Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and contested east Jerusalem. The followingyear, Unilever sold itsIsraeli business to alocal company that saiditwould sell Ben &Jerry’s underits Hebrew and Arabic name throughout Israeland the West Bank. Last May,Unilever said it was planning to spin off its ice cream business —including Ben&Jerry’s—bythe end of 2025 as part of alarger restructuring. Unileveralso owns personal hygiene brands like Dove soap and food brands like Hellmann’smayonnaise.

Fedkeeps keyrateunchanged

BY CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP economics writer

WASHINGTON The Federal Reservekeptits benchmark interest rate unchanged Wednesday andsignaled that it still expects to cut rates twicethis year even as it sees inﬂation staying stubbornly elevated

TheFed also now expects the economy to grow more slowly this yearand next than it did three months ago, according to aset of quarterly economicprojections also released Wednesday.Itforecasts 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,to2.7% by theend of 2025 from its current level of 2.5%. Both are above the central bank’s 2% target.

Even though the Fed maintained itsforecastfor twocuts, economists noted that under thesurface there were signs that the central bank is likelytostayonholdfor some time. That is likely to keep borrowing costsfor mortgages, auto loansand credit cardsunchanged in the coming months.

Eight of the19Fed ofﬁcials said they see only one or zero rate reductions this year.InDecember, four were projecting one or less ratecuts.

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

moving sideways,” said Michael Gapen, an economist at Morgan Stanley Fed Chair JeromePowell, at a news conference, said that President Donald Trump’stariffs have started to push up inﬂationa bit and would likely stall out the progress the centralbankhas seen in reducing inﬂation in recent years.

“I think we were getting closer and closer” to price stability,Powell said. “I wouldn’tsay we wereat that. Idothink with the arrival of thetariff inﬂation,further progress may be delayed.”

Butheadded that theFed does still expect inflation to getback nearly 2% by the end of next year That statement suggests Powell is moreinclined to see theinﬂationary effects of tariffs as aone-time

change, rather than an ongoing rise in prices.

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

Fed policymakers also expect the unemployment rate to tick higher,to4.4%, by theend of this year,from 4.1% now

The economicprojectionsunderscorethe tight spotthe Fed may ﬁnd itself in this year: Higher inﬂation typically wouldlead the Fedtokeepits key rate elevated, or even raise rates. On the other hand, slower growth and higher unemployment would often cause theFed to cutrates to spur more borrowing andspending andlift the economy

VentureGlobalhas export OK

More countriescan getLNG from CameronParishsite

BY TIMOTHYBOONE Business editor

Venture Global said it has received approvalfrom theU.S. Department of Energy increasing the number of countries thatcan receive liqueﬁed naturalgas from its second Cameron Parish facility

Theapproval means Venture Global can export LNG from itsCalcasieu Pass 2, or CP2, project to any country,including Europe.Previously,the plant was limitedto exporting to the 20 countries the U.S. has free tradeagreements with, which includes nations such as Australia, Canada, Israel, Korea, Mexico and Singapore.

“Expanding U.S. LNG exportsbolstersour economy,supportsAmerican jobs and provides reliable, secure AMERICAN energy production to the American people and our alliesaround theworld,”the Energy Department said in apost on X.

Venture Global CEO MikeSabel thanked

the Trump administration forreturning to “regulatory certainty” that allows the company to expand LNG imports.President Donald Trumphas 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 sinceTrumpreturned to the White House two monthsago.

“Thiswill enable us to provide our allies around the world with American LNGinjust afew years and for decades to come,” Sabel said in astatement.

The process for making aﬁnal investment decision on CP2 was launched earlier this month. Venture Global said it haspurchase agreements with companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron andChina Gas forthe LNG produced at the plant

Sabel said CP2is“gettingready to launch as soon as we get maybe acouple morepermits from thefederal government.”

The LNG exportbusinesshas been booming in Louisiana sinceatleast2010 when CheniereEnergy ﬁrst appliedtoship thefuel

from itsthen-plannedSabinePassterminal in southwest Louisiana. Three other LNG terminalshave opened in the state since then, most recentlyVenture Global’sPlaquemines LNG, whichstarted production in December.Venture Global announced plans earlier this month foran$18 billion expansion of Plaquemines LNG, which would makeitthe largest exporter in North America.

CP2 would pumpout about 20 million tons of LNG annually,whichwould make it the third-largest LNGexporter in the nation. Environmental groups criticized theEnergy Department’sexport approval,noting that comments on CP2 will be accepted until Thursday afternoon.

“By conditionally approving this massive project, Trump’sDepartmentofEnergy is once again failing to protect the American people from an unnecessary LNG project set to generate billions for corporate executives andleave everydaypeoplewithhigherenergy costs,” Mahyar Sorour, Sierra Club director of beyond fossilfuels policy, saidina statement. Email TimothyBoone at tboone@ theadvocate.com.

Purdue Pharma submitssettlementplantoresolve opioid lawsuits

BY GEOFF MULVIHILL Associated Press

Purdue Pharma asked abankruptcy judge late Tuesday to consider the latest versionofits plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over thetollofthe powerful prescriptionpainkillerOxyContin,a deal that wouldhave members of theSackler familywho ownthe companypay upto$7billion. The ﬁling is amilestoneina tumultuous legal sagathathas gone on for more than ﬁveyears. Under the deal the family members —estimated in documents from 2020 and 2021 to be worth about$11 billion —would give up

ownership of thecompanyinaddition to contributing money over 15 years, with thebiggest payment up front Family members resigned from Purdue’sboard, stoppedreceivingmoney from thecompany and ceased other involvementbefore it ﬁled for bankruptcy protection in 2019 as it faced lawsuits from thousandsofstate andlocalgovernments, plus others.

The new entity would be runby aboardappointed by stategovernments, and itsmission will be to abate theopioid crisis that hasbeen linked to hundreds of thousands of deaths in theU.S. since OxyContin hit the market in 1996. The first

wave of deadly overdoses were tied to OxyContin and other prescription drugs, andsubsequent 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 nearlyall of them are supporting it, according to mediator reports ﬁled in court. Approval would take at least several more months.

Aprevious version hadbankruptcy court approvalbut 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 thesettlement. If they do not, they can still sue Sackler family members, whoagreed 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 saleofforeign 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’thappen, it’s to go into the main settlement. Members of the family continue to deny any wrongdoing.

STAFFFILE PHOTOByBRETT DUKE