BY COLLIN BINKLEY and CHRIS MEGERIAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday calling for the dismantling of the U.S. Education Department, advancing a campaign promise to take apart an agency that’s been a longtime target of conservatives.
Trump has derided the Education Department as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology However, completing its dismantling is most likely impossible without an act of Congress, which created the department in 1979. Republicans said they will introduce legislation to achieve that, while Democrats have quickly lined up to oppose the idea.
The order states the education secretary will, “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law, take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education and return authority over education to the States and local communities.” It offers no detail on how that work will be carried out or where it will be targeted, though the White House said the agency will retain certain critical functions.
Trump said his administration will close the department beyond its “core necessities,” preserving its responsibilities for Title I funding for low-income schools, Pell Grants and money for children with disabilities.
The White House said earlier Thursday that the department will continue to manage federal student loans, but the order appears to say the opposite. It states the Education Department doesn’t have the staff to oversee its $1.6 trillion loan portfolio and “must
MANAGING FAME
McNeese basketball manager Khan makes history with his own NIL deal
McNeese State men’s basketball student manager Amir Khan scored endorsement deals after a video of him dancing, rapping and leading the Cowboys basketball team down the tunnel to the court for a February game went viral on social media
BY COURTNEY PEDERSEN Staff writer
During his two years as a student manager with the McNeese State University men’s basketball team, Lake Charles native Amir Khan often joked he would land a deal to capitalize on his name, image and likeness.
Khan’s joke became reality at the end of February, when he became the first student manager of a college sports
team to secure an NIL deal
The senior sports management major has scored endorsement deals with TickPick, Buffalo Wild Wings and Insomnia, the gourmet cookie franchise.
“I don’t know how to fully process that,” Khan said of his instant fame, after a video of him dancing, rapping and leading the Cowboys basketball team down the tunnel to the court for a February game went viral on social media.
“It’s crazy to think that I’m
the first one ever to do that. So, it’s definitely amazing, and I’m glad it’s the start, but hopefully it’s not the last.”
When Khan, 22, first applied to be a student manager for the McNeese Cowboys in March 2023, he had no intent of getting NIL deals or going viral on social media.
He applied for the position after he learned former Louisiana State University men’s basketball coach Will Wade would be taking the coaching
job at McNeese State University As a lifelong LSU basketball fan, he wanted the opportunity to work with Wade.
For the past two years, he’s done just that. Ten months out of the year Khan and the four other student managers for the basketball team do team laundry, wipe up spots on the court, set up for games and practices, run the clock and hype the basketball team before games.
ä See FAME, page 4A
return bank functions to an entity equipped to serve America’s students.”
At a signing ceremony, Trump blamed the department for America’s lagging academic performance and said states will do a better job.
“It’s doing us no good,” he said. Already, Trump’s Republican administration has been gutting the agency Its workforce is being slashed in half, and there have
Food bank to open store on north side
Second
Harvest grocery to help with area’s food desert
BY ADAM DAIGLE
Acadiana business editor
Second Harvest Food Bank will open a nonprofit grocery store on its campus to address food deserts on the north side of Lafayette. The nonprofit will open the Makin’ Groceries Store, at 215 E. Pinhook Road, in partnership with the United Way of Acadiana, officials with both agencies announced Thursday morning.
The store will be funded through the United Way’s Laf ay ett e Initiative for Food Equity program and will open later this year, said Paul Scelfo, chief regional officer at Second Harvest Food Bank.
“Access to healthy, affordable food is a fundamental right, yet many face barriers stemming from poverty, food deserts and limited nutrition education.”
PAUL SCELFO chief regional officer at Second Harvest Food Bank
“Access to healthy, affordable food is a fundamental right, yet many face barriers stemming from poverty, food deserts and limited nutrition education,” he said. “The Makin’ Groceries Store is a direct response to these challenges and will be a hub for nourishment, empowerment and positive change.”
The store will build on the success of the food bank’s Makin’ Groceries Mobile Market, a grocery store on wheels that has been delivering fresh, affordable food and health services to food desert neighborhoods across the region. According to data from the
Higgins says he won’t challenge Cassidy for U.S. Senate seat
BY MARK BALLARD Staff writer
WASHINGTON — Acadiana U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins wrote in a letter Thursday that he would not run in the 2026 U.S. Senate race — even though he pointed to a poll that found he would have won “It is my considered determination that, current engagement in the House being incredibly significant, it may be ultimately more beneficial to the Republic that I remain in service to the MAGA America First agenda as a senior Republican in the House of Representatives,” wrote Higgins, R-Lafayette. “So, fellow citizen, I shall continue to serve you in the People’s House.” Higgins did not endorse incumbent Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Baton Rouge Republican
who has angered many right-wing Republicans after voting to convict President Donald Trump of impeachment charges for provoking the Jan 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol. Cassidy, however, has been invited to the White House twice in the past week. “I respect the Senator, I thank him for
U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-Lafayette, has served in Congress since 2017.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
ä See STORE, page 4A
ä See TRUMP, page 4A
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA
Report: Plane showed high rate of descent
TORONTO The alert system on
a Delta Air Lines jet that flipped upside down and burst into flames as it tried to land in Toronto last month indicated a high rate of descent less than three seconds before touchdown, a preliminary report said Thursday
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, which issued the report, continues to investigate the Feb. 17 crash-landing in which 21 people were hospitalized.
All 76 passengers and four crew members survived when the Delta plane arriving from Minneapolis burst into flames after flipping over and skidding on the tarmac.
The TSB of Canada report says when the plane’s ground proximity warning system sounded 2.6 seconds before touchdown, the airspeed was 136 knots, or approximately 155 mph. It says the plane’s landing gear folded into the retracted position at touchdown and the wing detached from the fuselage, releasing a cloud of jet fuel, which caught fire as the plane slid along the runway
Family of whistleblower suing Boeing in his death
CHARLESTON,S.C.— The family of a former Boeing quality control manager who police say killed himself after lawyers questioned him for days about his whistleblowing on alleged jumbo jet defects sued the airplane maker Thursday Boeing subjected John Barnett to a “campaign of harassment, abuse and intimidation intended to discourage, discredit and humiliate him until he would either give up or be discredited,” lawyers for the family wrote in a wrongful death lawsuit filed in federal court in South Carolina. Barnett, 62, shot himself March 9, 2024, in Charleston after answering questions from attorneys for several days. He lived in Louisiana
“Boeing had threatened to break John, and break him it did,” the attorneys wrote in court papers.
Boeing has not yet responded in court filings.
‘Coco 2’ in the works at Disney and Pixar
“Coco” is getting a sequel Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Thursday that “Coco 2” is currently in development at Pixar Animation Studios.
“While the film is just in the initial stages, we know it will be full of humor, heart and adventure,” Iger said at the company’s shareholders meeting The sequel will reunite the creative team behind the first, including directors Lee Unkrich and Adrian Molina. “Coco” followed Miguel, a 12-year-old boy with musical dreams who goes to the Land of the Dead to find out more about his family’s history
The original grossed over $814 million at the worldwide box office and won two Oscars, for best animated feature and best song for the catchy hit “Remember Me.” It also won a Golden Globe and the BAFTA for best animated film.
“Coco” was Pixar’s first feature film with a lead character from a minority group, and one of the largest American productions ever to feature an almost entirely Latino cast.
“Coco 2” is reportedly eyeing a 2029 theatrical release Finland again ranked world’s happiest country
HELSINKI— Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order When it comes to decreasing happiness — or growing unhappiness — the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012
The report states that the number of people dining alone in the United States has increased 53% over the past two decades.
Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 85
BY WAFAA SHURAFA and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press
DEIR-AL-BALAH,Gaza Strip Israeli strikes killed at least 85 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to local health officials. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel broke their ceasefire.
Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January Israeli bombardments in the past three days have killed at least 592 people, said Zaher al-Waheidi, the head of the records department at the Gaza Health Ministry
The Israeli military said it was again enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Palestinians were not being ordered to leave northern Gaza but can no longer enter, the military said, and are only allowed to move south on foot using the coastal road Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to what remains of their homes in the north during the ceasefire.
Israeli ground forces are also
pushing into Gaza near the north-
ern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah, the military said Thursday. The operations come a day after Israel moved to split Gaza in two by retaking the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south.
The military ordered Palestinians to evacuate an area in central Gaza near the city of Khan Younis, saying it would operate there in response to Thursday’s rocket fire from Hamas. The Palestinian militant group said it targeted Tel Aviv One rocket was intercepted and two fell in open areas, according to the army Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels also launched two missiles at Israel, one early Thursday morning and another in the evening, the military said. Both were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, according to the army, and no injuries were reported. Air raid sirens rang out and exploding interceptor rockets were heard in Jerusalem. There have been three such attacks since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis earlier this week.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 85 people, mostly women and chil-
dren. The ministry’s records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The Indonesian Hospital said it received 19 bodies after strikes in Beit Lahiya, near Gaza’s northern border, which was heavily destroyed and largely depopulated earlier in the war
“It was a bloody night for the people of Beit Lahiya,” said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency service in northern Gaza, adding that rescuers were still searching the rubble.
“The situation is catastrophic.”
Israel’s military said Thursday its airstrikes in Gaza had killed the head of Hamas’ internal security apparatus and two other militant commanders. Israel has said it only targets militants and blames civilian deaths on Hamas because it operates in densely populated areas.
A United Nations-backed group of human rights experts accused Israel last week of “disproportionate violence against women and children” during the war in Gaza.
One of the strikes early Thursday hit the Abu Daqa family’s home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village outside Khan Younis near the border with Israel. It was in an area the Israeli military ordered evacuated earlier this week, encompassing most of eastern Gaza.
Taliban frees American abducted in Afghanistan
BY ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist has been released by the Taliban in a deal with the Trump administration that Qatari negotiators helped broker, the State Department said Thursday
George Glezmann, an airline mechanic from Atlanta, is the third American detainee to be released by the Taliban since January. He was seized by the Taliban’s intelligence services in December 2022 and was designated by the U.S government as wrongfully detained the following year
In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Glezmann was on his way back to the United States to be reunited with his wife, Aleksandra, and praised Qatar for “steadfast commitment and diplomatic efforts” that he said were “instrumental in securing George’s release.”
“George’s release is a positive and constructive step,” Rubio said “It is also a reminder that other Americans are still detained in Afghanistan President Trump will continue his tireless work to free ALL Americans unjustly detained around the world.”
Glezmann was being accompanied back to the U.S., through Qatar’s capital, Doha, by Adam Boehler, who has been handling hostage issues for President Donald Trump’s administration. The Taliban disclosed earlier Thursday that Boehler had met with a delegation that included Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Glezmann, 66, was in Afghanistan as a
tourist at the time of his abduction and has visited more than 100 countries as part of his passion for exploring different cultures, according to a profile on the website of the Foley Foundation, an organization that advocates for the release of Americans detained by foreign countries.
The release of Glezmann is part of what the Taliban has previously described as the “normalization” of ties between the U.S. and Afghanistan following the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Most countries still don’t recognize the Taliban’s rule.
Glezmann’s release follows a separate deal, arranged in January in the final days of the Biden administration and also mediated by the Qataris, that secured the releases of Ryan Corbett and William McKenty
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry in Kabul said at the time that those two U.S. citizens had been exchanged for Khan Mohammed, who was sentenced to two life terms in 2008 after being convicted under U.S. narco-terrorism laws for securing heroin and opium that he knew was bound for the U.S. Unlike in that arrangement, the U.S. did not give up any prisoner to secure Glezmann’s release, which was done as a goodwill gesture, according to an official briefed on the matter who insisted on anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.
On Thursday, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Glezmann’s release on “humanitarian grounds.” In a statement, it said the “Islamic Emirate again reaffirms its longstanding position that dialogue, understanding and diplomacy provide effective avenues for resolving all issues.”
Military leaders discuss Ukraine peace force
Ceasefire plans being formulated
BY HANNA ARHIROVA and JILL LAWLESS Associated Press
KYIV Ukraine Senior military officers from more than 30 countries across Europe and beyond met in England on Thursday to flesh out plans for an international peacekeeping force for Ukraine as details of a partial ceasefire are worked out.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he didn’t know whether there would be a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war, but “we are making steps in the right direction” as a “coalition of the willing” led by Britain and France moves into an “operational phase.”
“We hope there will be a deal but what I do know is if there is a deal, the time for planning is now,” he said during a visit to the meeting of military planners at a British base outside London “It’s not after a deal is reached.”
“It is vitally important we do that work, because we know one thing for certain which is a deal without anything behind it is something that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will breach,” he said.
Ukraine and Russia agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders this week, though it remained to be seen when it might take effect and what possible targets would be off limits to attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speaking in Norway on Thursday said that although he originally had sought a broader ceasefire, he was committed to working with the U.S. to stop arms being directed at power production and civilian facilities.
“I raised this issue with President Trump and said that our side would identify what we consider to be civilian infrastructure,” Zelenskyy said. “I don’t want there to be any misunderstanding about what the sides are agreeing on.”
Volunteers and rescue workers use a bulldozer Thursday to remove the rubble of a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Khan younis, southern Gaza Strip.
Judge: Response ‘woefully insuffi
Answers sought on El Salvador deportation
BY ALANNA DURKIN RICHER Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A federal judge instructed the Trump administration on Thursday to explain why its failure to turn around flights carrying deportees to El Salvador did not violate his court order in a growing showdown between the judicial and executive branches.
U.S. District Judge Jeb Boasberg demanded answers after flights carrying Venezuelan immigrants alleged by the Trump administration to be gang members landed in El Salvador after the judge temporarily blocked deportations under an 18th-century wartime law Boasberg had directed the administration to return to the U.S. planes that were already in the air when he ordered the halt Boasberg had given the administration until noon Thursday to either provide more details about
the flights or make a claim that it must be withheld because it would harm “state secrets.” The administration resisted the judge’s request, calling it an “unnecessary judicial fishing” expedition. In a written order, Boasberg called Trump officials’ latest response “woefully insufficient.”
The judge said the administration “again evaded its obligations” by merely repeating “the same general information about the flights.”
And he ordered the administration to “show cause,” as to why it didn’t violate his court order to turn around the planes, increasing the prospect that he may consider holding administration officials in contempt of court
The Justice Department has said the judge’s verbal directions did not count, that only his written order needed to be followed and that it couldn’t apply to flights that had already left the U.S. A Justice
flights
Department spokesperson said Thursday that it “continues to believe that the court’s superfluous questioning of sensitive national security information is inappropriate judicial overreach.”
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official told the judge Thursday the administration needed more time to decide whether it would invoke the state secrets privilege in an effort to block the information’s release.
Boasberg ordered Trump officials by Friday to submit a sworn declaration by a person “with direct involvement in the Cabinetlevel discussions” about the state secrets privilege and to tell the court by next Tuesday whether the administration will invoke it.
In a deepening conflict between the judicial and executive branch, Trump and many of his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg, who was nominated to the federal
STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH
DOGE blocked from Social Security systems
BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON A federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency from Social Security systems that hold personal data on millions of Americans, calling their work there a “fishing expedition.”
The order also requires the team to delete any personally identifiable data in their possession.
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland found that the team got broad access to sensitive information at the Social Security Administration to search for fraud with little justification.
“The DOGE Team is essentially engaged in a fishing expedition at SSA, in search of a fraud epidemic, based on little more than suspi-
cion,” she wrote.
The order does allow DOGE staffers to access to data that’s been redacted or stripped of anything personally identifiable, if they undergo training and background checks.
“To be sure, rooting out possible fraud, waste, and mismanagement in the SSA is in the public interest. But, that does not mean that the government can flout the law to do so,” Hollander wrote.
The Trump administration says DOGE is targeting waste in the federal government.
Musk has been focused on Social Security as an alleged hotbed of fraud, describing it as a “Ponzi scheme” and insisting that reducing waste in the program is an important way to cut government spending.
The ruling, which could be challenged on appeal, comes in a lawsuit filed by labor unions, retirees and
the advocacy group Democracy Forward. They argued that DOGE access violates privacy laws and presents serious information security risks. The lawsuit included a declaration from a recently departed Social Security official who saw the DOGE team sweep into the agency said she is deeply worried about sensitive information being exposed.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DOGE detailed a 10-person team of federal employees at the SSA, seven of whom were granted read-only access to agency systems or personally identifiable information, according to court documents.
The staffers were all federal employees allowed to access the data under federal privacy laws, the government argued, and there’s no evidence that any personal data was improperly shared.
bench by Democratic President Barack Obama. In a rare statement earlier this week, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts
rejected such calls, saying “impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.”
Deportation of Georgetown scholar halted by court ruling
BY OLIVIA DIAZ and BEN FINLEY Associated Press
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge on Thursday ordered immigration officials not to deport a Georgetown scholar who was detained by the Trump Administration and accused of spreading Hamas propaganda in the latest battle over speech on U.S. college campuses.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles in Alexandria, Virginia, ordered that Indian national Badar Khan Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the Court issues a contrary order.”
Suri’s attorney wrote in an earlier court filing that Suri was targeted because of his wife’s “identity as a
Palestinian and her constitutionally protected speech.”
The filing said that federal authorities have provided no evidence that he’s committed any crimes and that his detention violates his free speech and due process rights. Suri, who has no criminal record, holds a visa authorizing him to be in the U.S. as a visiting scholar, and his wife is a U.S. citizen, according to the motion.
“The Trump Administration has openly expressed its intention to weaponize immigration law to punish noncitizens whose views are deemed critical of U.S policy as it relates to Israel,” wrote Hassan Ahmad, Suri’s Virginia-based attorney Suri was accused of “spreading Hamas propa-
ganda and promoting antisemitism on social media” and determined to be deportable by the Secretary of State’s office, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said late Wednesday on X, formerly known as Twitter Suri’s case was first reported by Politico.
Suri was arrested Monday outside of his Virginia home by masked officers who identified themselves as Department of Homeland Security agents and told him his visa had been revoked, according to the filing by Suri’s lawyer Suri and his wife, Mapheze Saleh, “have long been doxxed and smeared,” Suri’s lawyer wrote. Critics have published Saleh’s photograph online along with personal information
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By ARIANA CUBILLOS People holding photos of migrant relatives, who they say were detained in the U.S. and are awaiting deportation, participate Tuesday in a government-organized rally in Caracas, Venezuela.
been deep cuts to the Office for Civil Rights and the Institute of Education Sciences, which gathers data on the nation’s academic progress.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon said she will remove red tape and empower states to decide what’s best for their schools. But she promised to continue essential services and work with states and Congress “to ensure a lawful and orderly transition.”
The measure was celebrated by groups that have long called for an end to the department.
“For decades, it has funneled billions of taxpayer dollars into a failing system — one that prioritizes leftist indoctrination over academic excellence, all while student achievement stagnates and America falls further behind,” said Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation Advocates for public schools said eliminating the department would leave children behind in an American education system that is fundamentally unequal.
“This is a dark day for the millions of American children who depend on federal funding for a quality education, including those in poor and rural communities with parents who voted for Trump,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said.
Opponents are already gearing up for legal challenges, including Democracy Forward, a public interest litigation group. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., called the order a “tyrannical power grab” and “one of the most destructive and devastating steps
Donald Trump has ever taken.”
Margaret Spellings, who served
Continued from page 1A
On Feb. 22 during a game against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Khan did the tunnel walk with the team holding his boombox as usual. This time, though, since he knew the words to the song, he decided to rap, sing and dance along. The team’s grand entry to the court along with Khan’s rapping was all recorded and posted on social media platform X. Then it got posted
STORE
Continued from page 1A
Department of Agriculture areas declared low-income census tracts in north Lafayette in the areas east
HIGGINS
Continued from page 1A
his service, and I wish him well,” Higgins wrote. “A MAGA America First Republican candidate will emerge, my Brothers and Sisters, and that Louisiana Patriot Republican nominee will be held accountable to stand by their promise to We the People of Louisiana. I shall be watching, in this season, very, very closely.” Cassidy responded Thursday, “Clay and I both love our country and Louisiana. We’re both working to defend the American dream and support President Trump’s
as education secretary under Republican President George W. Bush, questioned whether the department will be able to accomplish its remaining missions, and whether it will ultimately improve schools.
“Will it distract us from the ability to focus urgently on student achievement, or will people be figuring out how to run the train?”
she asked Spellings said schools have always been run by local and state officials, and rejected the idea that the Education Department and the federal government have been holding them back
Currently, much of the agency’s work revolves around managing money — both its extensive stu-
to TikTok, too. “I thought it would be like a pretty cool just for the team to have,” Khan said. “It was a pretty fun moment.”
A couple days later, Khan’s family saw the funny video of him, but he didn’t think much more about it When he got home later that night, he saw the video was going viral on social media and was posted to the sites of Barstool Sports and a few other big sports pages. Then, when he would scroll through X, he’d see the video reposted and people talking about
of Moss Street, north of Interstate 10 and west of University Avenue have residents who must travel at least a mile in an urban area or 10 miles in a rural area to the nearest supermarket. The store will offer a full range of products including fresh produce
Pro-America agenda. He’s a man of strong faith and will continue serving southwest Louisiana well.”
State Treasurer John Fleming, R-Minden, is the only announced challenger to Cassidy A former congressman, Fleming also worked in the White House during Trump’s first term
State Sen. Blake Miguez, RNew Iberia, and Public Service Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, RMetairie, have made noises about also challenging Cassidy from the right. U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow, RStart, and former U.S. Rep Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, have been named by others as potential candidates, but they have nothing to say about the possibility
dent loan portfolio and a range of aid programs for colleges and school districts, like school meals and support for homeless students
The agency also is key in overseeing civil rights enforcement.
The Trump administration has not formally spelled out which department functions could be handed off to other departments or eliminated altogether It hasn’t addressed the fate of other department operations, such as its support for technical education and adult learning, grants for rural schools and after-school programs, and a federal work-study program that provides employment to students with financial need.
States and districts already con-
him. “I just kind of tried to keep doing my thing, not change up too much of what we’ve been doing and stay focused on the team’s success,” Khan said. “But, it’s definitely all awesome.”
In the next few days, he got calls from companies with national brands to sign NIL agreements with him.
So far Khan has filmed a video for Insomnia Cookies, gotten a boombox sticker from TickPick and was sent a personalized bumpbox from Buffalo Wild Wings as
and pantry staples and support beyond for services such as nutrition education, SNAP registration, Medicaid enrollment and housing assistance sign-ups, officials said. It will also offer a judgment-free environment, community engagement and good customer service,
Higgins said he commissioned a poll by the Trafalgar Group, of Atlanta, which was released March 12. The survey questioned 1,068 Louisiana voters, with a 2.9% margin of error, on the candidacies of Cassidy, Higgins, Fleming and the other four
Higgins was shown with 30.7% support in the April 2026 Republican primary Most of Higgins’ support is based in his congressional district where more than two-thirds of the Republicans back him.
Cassidy scored 23.5% support, with most of his backing coming from Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Shreveport. “Incumbent Cassidy is especial-
trol local schools, including curriculum, but some conservatives have pushed to cut strings attached to federal money and provide it to states as “block grants” to be used at their discretion. Block granting has raised questions about vital funding sources including Title I, the largest source of federal money to America’s K-12 schools. Families of children with disabilities have despaired over what could come of the federal department’s work protecting their rights.
Federal funding makes up a relatively small portion of public school budgets — roughly 14%.
The money often supports supplemental programs for vulnerable
part of his endorsement deals.
In addition to NIL deals, Khan is seeing an increase in fame as fans are purchasing shirts with his picture, as well as asking for autographs and photos with him.
While all of this has been going on since the end of February, Khan said he’s focused on the Cowboys team going as far as it can in the NCAA Tournament after winning the Southland Conference Championship.
In a first-round game Thursday, the Cowboys, a No. 12 seed, upset the No. 5 seed Clemson Tigers 69-
officials said.
“Fifty percent of individuals and families living in our city are within a food desert, experiencing a lack of access to fresh, healthy and affordable food,” United Way President and CEO Heather Blanchard said “Thanks to the
ly vulnerable in front of a Republican primary audience,” Trafalgar reported. None of the named candidates could win in the primary outright, the poll says. Both Letlow and Higgins could beat Cassidy in a GOP runoff, it says. The Louisiana Legislature changed the state’s primary election system in January 2024 so that Republicans vote for Republicans and Democrats for Democrats. Voters without party affiliation can choose which primary to participate. Then the winning Democrat faces the winning Republican in the November general election. Previously, all candidates faced
students, such as the McKinneyVento program for homeless students or Title I for low-income schools.
Republicans have talked about closing the Education Department for decades, saying it wastes money and inserts the federal government into decisions that should fall to states and schools. The idea has gained popularity recently as conservative parents’ groups demand more authority over their children’s schooling.
In his platform, Trump promised to close the department “and send it back to the states, where it belongs.” Trump has cast the department as a hotbed of “radicals, zealots and Marxists” who overextend their reach through guidance and regulation.
Even as Trump moves to dismantle the department, he has leaned on it to promote elements of his agenda. He has used investigative powers of the Office for Civil Rights and the threat of withdrawing federal education money to target schools and colleges that run afoul of his orders on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports, pro-Palestinian activism and diversity programs.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, a Democrat on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, dismissed Trump’s claim that he’s returning education to the states. She said he is actually “trying to exert ever more control over local schools and dictate what they can and cannot teach.”
Even some of Trump’s allies have questioned his power to close the agency without action from Congress, and there are doubts about its political popularity The House considered an amendment to close the agency in 2023, but 60 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.
67. The thriller that went to final buzzer was McNeese State’s first NCAA Tournament victory in school history The Cowboys will face No. 4 seed Purdue Saturday in a second-round game. “I love all the support everyone has given me, but I want to make sure the focus is on the team,” Khan said. “It’s their moment, the players and the coaching staff, they’re the ones who earned it.” Email Courtney Pedersen at courtney.pedersen@theadvocate. com.
dedication of Second Harvest, we are working together to create a nonprofit, self-sustaining grocery store on the north side, where it is needed the most.”
Email Adam Daigle at adaigle@ theadvocate.com.
each other, regardless of party If nobody won outright, then the two top vote-getters met in a runoff. Trump is one of the most popular politicians ever to be on a Louisiana ballot, carrying 58% to 60% of voters in the past three presidential elections. Only Trump has polled more Louisiana voters — 1.25 million in 2020 — than Cassidy, who got 1.23 million votes to win without a runoff that same year Cassidy has $6.5 million ready to spend for this campaign and has most of the major GOP funders on his finance committee.
Email Mark Ballard at mballard@theadvocate.com.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By BEN CURTIS
President Donald Trump is joined by students as he signs an executive order in the White House on Thursday
Texas wildfire prompts evacuations
Arkansas, Florida crews also battling blazes
BY JIM VERTUNO, FREIDA FRISARO and ANDREW DEMILLO Associated Press
AUSTIN,Texas Wildfires fueled by dry conditions and gusting winds burned in a few Southern states
Thursday, forcing evacuations in Texas and prompting Florida
officials to close part of a major highway with spring break in high gear
A wildfire in Sam Houston
National Forest near Houston prompted the evacuation of about 900 homes and closed schools. The National Weather Service issued elevated fire warnings around the nation’s fourth-largest city.
The fire burned about 3.7 square miles and was only about 20% contained Thursday afternoon as firefighters used water-carrying helicopters to douse hot spots and bulldozers to dig containment
lines, the Texas A&M Forest Service said
Investigators believed the fire was started Wednesday by what was supposed to be a controlled burn on private property, said Josh Mizrany, assistant chief law enforcement officer with the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Investigators will look into how the fire spread, he said, and evidence could be turned over to local prosecutors if necessary
Officials had not reported widespread damage or any injuries.
Montgomery County officials said they knew of one home that burned to the ground
The Cleveland Independent School District, which has about 12,000 students, canceled classes as a precaution
In the Florida Keys, a large brush fire that began Tuesday caused authorities to close the two
roads leading in and out of the island chain, because of smoky conditions and to allow firefighters to move equipment.
Officials said the fire had burned about 34 square miles and was about 20% contained.
Spring break is in full swing in Florida, and officials said U.S. 1, the major thoroughfare that connects the mainland to the islands, was expected to have intermittent closures in the coming days. It is also a heavily traveled road for people who live on the mainland and work at many of the hotels and restaurants in Key Largo and beyond.
In Arkansas, crews responded to nearly than 100 fires Wednesday that were fueled by high winds and were dealing with five new ones Thursday
The fires closed several highways, including a portion of Inter-
Okla. executes man who killed woman 20 years ago
BY SEAN MURPHY Associated Press
McALESTER,Okla.— An Oklahoma man who fatally shot a woman during a home invasion and robbery 20 years ago apologized to the victim’s family before he was executed Thursday, remorse a woman wounded in the attack said was sincere but came too late.
Wendell Grissom, 56, was declared dead by lethal injection at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester at 10:13 a.m. It was Oklahoma’s first execution of 2025.
“It took him a total of 13 minutes to die, and it took him a total of two minutes to kill my best friend,” said Dreu Kopf, who was shot multiple times by Grissom but managed to flee the home. Grissom and a co-defendant, Jessie Floyd Johns, were convicted of killing of Amber Matthews, 23, and wounding Kopf at Kopf’s Blaine County residence.
Johns was sentenced to life in prison without parole
“I apologize to all of you that I’ve hurt,” Grissom, bearded and wearing a grey prison uniform, said while
was wounded in a 2005 home invasion robbery, speaks to reporters after witnessing the execution of Wendell Grissom on Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Okla.
strapped to the gurney, an IV line affixed to his arm. “I regret so much that I’ve put that hatred in your heart for me.”
Grissom said he was under the influence of drugs and alcohol at the time of the killing and asked the victims’ family to forgive him.
“I pray that you all can forgive me,” he said. “Not for my sake. For your sake.” A minister prayed at Grissom’s feet as the lethal drugs
began to flow He exhaled forcefully several times and could be heard snoring when a doctor entered the execution chamber and declared him unconscious about five minutes later He appeared to stop breathing at 10:09 a.m. and the color started to drain from his face.
More than two dozen of Matthews’ friends and family witnessed Grissom’s execution.
Family rallies for Menendezes’ release
BY JAIMIE DING Associated Press
LOSANGELES The family of Erik and Lyle Menendez on Thursday rejected claims by the Los Angeles district attorney that the brothers hadn’t appropriately taken responsibility for the 1989 killing of their parents and said that any lies they told during their murder trial were due to trauma and fear “Kids lie when they’re scared, when they feel intimidated, and when they become traumatized. They lie
when they don’t know who to trust. But they grow up, they learn, and they take responsibility,” said Tamara Goodell, a cousin of the brothers who spoke Thursday at a rally calling for the brothers’ release from prison.
The family’s rally was supposed to coincide with a resentencing hearing for the brothers that could result in them being immediately eligible for parole after 35 years behind bars. It was postponed to April after Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman an-
nounced his office was withdrawing the resentencing motion previously submitted by his predecessor, George Gascón. While it is possible for the judge to proceed without the district attorney’s support, legal experts say the brothers’ chances of success have diminished tremendously
The brothers, 18 and 21 at the time, were convicted of murdering their mother, Kitty Menendez, and their entertainment executive father, Jose, and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By SEAN MURPHy
Dreu Kopf, center, who
Wall Street edges lower despite solid data
U.S. stock indexes edged lower Thursday following another reminder that big, unsettling policy changes are underway because of President Donald Trump, along with more signals suggesting the U.S. economy remains solid for now
The S&P 500 slipped after flipping between modest gains and losses through the day. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped slightly and the Nasdaq composite fell.
Wall Street has been swinging for weeks on a roller-coaster ride, as stock prices veer on uncertainty about what Trump’s trade war will do to the economy Stocks got a boost Wednesday after the head of the Federal Reserve said the economy remains solid enough at the moment to leave interest rates where they are.
It’s not just uncertainty about the trade war affecting Wall Street. Accenture fell to one of the market’s larger losses Thursday even though the consulting and professional services company reported slightly better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected.
Worries are rising about the hit Accenture may take to its revenue from the U.S. government as Elon Musk leads efforts to cut federal spending. The federal government accounted for 17% of Accenture’s North American revenue last fiscal year, and its stock sank 7.3%.
Home sales rise as mortgage rates ease
Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in February as easing mortgage rates and more properties on the market encouraged home shoppers.
Existing home sales rose 4.2% last month from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million units, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday Sales fell 1.2% compared with February last year, ending a string of five straight annual increases. The latest home sales topped the 3.92 million pace economists were expecting, according to FactSet On an unadjusted basis, sales fell 5.2% from February last year, when the month included an extra day because 2024 was a leap year Home prices increased on an annual basis for the 20th consecutive month. The national median sales price rose 3.8% in February from a year earlier to $398,400, an all-time high for February. All told, the U.S. median home sales price is up 47% over the last five years
While the average rate on a 30-year mortgage briefly fell to a two-year low last September, it didn’t stay there long, climbing to just above 7% by midJanuary The rate averaged 6.67% this week, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. That’s more than double the 2.65% record low that the average rate reached a little over four years ago.
Applications for jobless benefits inch up
Slightly more Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week, but layoffs remain historically low
U.S. jobless claims filings rose by 2,000 to 223,000 for the week ending Saturday, the Labor Department said Thursday That’s just less than the 224,000 new applications analysts forecast. Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and have remained mostly in a range between 200,000 and 250,000 for the past few years. The four-week average, which evens out some of the week-to-week swings, inched up by 750 to 227,000.
It’s not clear when job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency will show up in the weekly layoffs report, though the Labor Department’s February jobs report showed that the federal government shed 10,000 jobs. That’s the most since June 2022.
Miami investment group buys iconic property
BY STEPHANIE RIEGEL Staff writer
The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans,
a luxury hotel on Canal Street in one of the city’s most iconic buildings, has a new owner — Miami investment group Gencom, which purchased the property from its longtime Dallas-based owner in a deal that was finalized Thursday
As part of the sale, Gencom also acquired the Courtyard by Marriott French Quarter/Iberville, which is connected to the RitzCarlton and, together, takes up almost an entire city block on the edge of the French Quarter
A sale price for the properties, which, together, will add 758 hotel rooms to Gencom’s portfolio, was not disclosed. But industry experts
estimate the hotels, together, could have fetched as much as $265,000 per room, or more than $200 million.
In a statement announcing the deal, Gencom founder and principal Karim Alibhai said New Orleans represents a “compelling market for luxury hospitality.”
“We continue to build upon our legacy of investing in and enhancing world-class hospitality assets with this significant acquisition that expands our presence in this high-profile destination,” he said.
The Ritz-Carlton New Orleans opened in 2000 in the former Maison Blanche building, a historic Beaux Arts-era building that, in the mid-20th century, was home to the department store’s beloved Christmas character Mr Bingle.
When the hotel opened in the newly renovated building, it ranked with the Windsor Court as one of just two five-star hotels in the city at the time.
In the years since, competition has stiffened, with more luxury hotels and high-end boutique hotels opening, including the Four Seasons, the Hotel St. Vincent and Hotel Peter and Paul.
“They used to be one of the only games in town,” said local industry expert Lenny Wormser vice president of HREC, a hotel brokerage.
“There’s a lot more competition now, but they have held their own and are still a top property.”
With 528 hotel rooms and suites, the Ritz-Carlton has more than 48,000 square feet of event space, a fitness center, an indoor swimming pool and spa, as well as jazz trumpeter Jeremy Davenport’s
eponymous lounge.
The adjacent Courtyard by Marriott has 230 rooms and markets itself to business and leisure travelers. Both hotels recently underwent major renovations.
Both Ritz-Carlton and Courtyard by Marriott are among the 30 Marriott hotel brands. Gencom has an $8 billion portfolio that includes dozens of high-end resorts and hotels around the country, including nearly a dozen Ritz-Carlton hotels. Gencom’s investment in the properties is a boon for the city, according to Wormser
“They’re one of the top Ritz-Carlton owners in the country,” he said. “When they come into the market, they do good things.”
Email Stephanie Riegel at stephanie.riegel@theadvocate. com.
Disney seeking successor to Iger
Replacement with Chapek as CEO nearly a disaster
BY MICHELLE CHAPMAN Associated Press
Behind the red carpet movie premieres and new thrill-inducing rides for fans of its amusement parks, there is a quiet search underway to find the successor to Bob Iger, the face of Disney for most of the past two decades.
Disney went through the CEO search recently, and it was nearly a disaster
Only two years after stepping down as CEO, Iger returned to Disney in 2022 after a period of clashes, missteps and a weakening financial performance under his hand-picked successor, Bob Chapek
But how do you replace a chief executive who is considered by many to be the gold standard?
Iger strengthened the Disney brand through his acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, oversaw the expansion of the company in China and India and had a laserlike focus on technology that both made the Disney product better, and more accessible. Iger, at the same time, is approachable, media savvy and has deftly managed a company that is like no other
Under Disney’s umbrella are theme parks, movies studios and streaming technology, all with priorities seemingly at odds with each other, or at least vying for the attention of the company’s chief executive.
Disney did not provide succession updates at its annual share-
holders meeting on Thursday
Still, the question of who can follow Iger remains on investors’ minds.
Disney created a succession planning committee in 2023, but the search began in earnest last year when the company enlisted Morgan Stanley Executive Chairman James Gorman to lead the effort.
Gorman said in a January letter to shareholders that the committee had made “strong progress” over the past year
“The full board is engaged in and committed to finding the right leader for the company and we are planning for a smooth leadership transition that will
Exterior panel can detach, creating hazard, NHTSA says
BY MATT OTT AP business writer
U.S. safety regulators on Thursday recalled virtually all Cybertrucks on the road, the eighth recall of the Tesla-made vehicles since deliveries to customers began just over a year ago.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall, which covers more than 46,000 Cybertrucks, warned that an exterior panel that runs along the left and right side of the windshield can detach while driving, creating a dangerous road hazard for other drivers, increasing the risk of a crash.
The stainless steel strip, called a cant rail assembly, between the windshield and the roof on both sides, is bound to the truck’s assembly with a structural adhesive, the NHTSA report said. The remedy uses an adhesive that’s not been found to be vulnerable to “environmental embrittlement,” the NHTSA said, and includes additional reinforcements Tesla will replace the panel free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be
enable Disney’s continued success,” he wrote. Disney does has the benefit of time. After signing a two-year contract mostly to right Disney’s trajectory after a rocky two years under his hand-picked successor, Iger agreed to a contract extension that keeps him at Disney through the end of 2026.
Disney declined to comment on its succession planning efforts.
It is a broad search Disney is looking inside and outside of the company Internal candidates are being mentored by Iger, interacting with the company’s 15 board members (including Iger) and receiving external coaching.
The internal candidates are widely believed to include the chairman of Disney-owned ESPN, Jimmy Pitaro; Chair of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Josh D’Amaro; and Disney Entertainment Co-Chairs Alan Bergman and Dana Walden.
Given the complex and unique nature of Disney, many expect the next leader of the company to come from within.
“Internal candidates make sense when a company doesn’t need a major shakeup and when the bench of potential candidates is deep,” said Jason Schloetzer, associate professor at Georgetown McDonough School of Business.
mailed May 19. The recall of 46,096 Cybertrucks covers all 2024 and 2025 model years, manufactured from Nov 13, 2023, to Feb. 27, 2025. The NHTSA order says that Tesla became aware of the problem early this year Videos posted on social media showing people ripping the panels off of Cybertrucks with
their hands have gone viral in recent days.
The Cybertruck, which Tesla began delivering to buyers in late 2023, has been recalled eight times in the past 15 months for safety problems, including once in November because a fault in an electric inverter can cause the drive wheels to lose power Last April, the futuristic-looking trucks were recalled to fix acceleration pedals that can get stuck in the interior trim. Other recalls were related to windshield wipers and the display screen. It’s the latest setback for the Elon Muskowned electric automaker, which has come under attack since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that’s slashing government spending.
While no injuries have been reported, Tesla showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and privately owned cars have been targeted. Even before the attacks ramped up in recent weeks Tesla has been struggling facing increased competition from rival electric vehicles, particularly out of China.
Though largely unaffected by Thursday’s recall announcement, Tesla shares have plummeted 42% in 2025, reflecting newfound pessimism as sales crater around the globe.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By JOHN RAOUX
A statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse stands in front of the Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO By RICHARD VOGEL
Cybertruck is on display in 2023 at the Tesla showroom in Buena Park, Calif.
Iger
Families process Hoffman’s execution
Angola inmate put to death using nitrogen gas, a first for La.
BY HALEY MILLER Staff writer
Hours before he was executed, Jessie Hoffman Jr meditated. He cried and laughed with his family He played charades And though Hoffman declined to make a public, final statement when he was strapped to the execution table at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, his wife said that he tried to calm her anxieties ahead of his death.
“He kept saying, ‘I know you’re strong, and I know you can do this, and I will always be there,’” said Ilona Hoffman in an interview Thursday
Ilona Hoffman, who lives in the Netherlands and has spent the past few weeks in Louisiana to be with her husband ahead of the execution, said she was still trying to process the loss.
So was a family member of Hoffman’s victim on Thursday Hoffman was on death row for the 1996 abduction, rape and murder of Mary “Molly” Elliott Elliott’s sister-in-law, Kate Murphy made an unsuccessful plea for Louisiana to spare Hoffman’s life. She said the state never got back to her on a letter she sent requesting a pardon for Hoffman the day before he was scheduled to be put to death. Instead of issuing a pardon, state officials used nitrogen gas for the first time in an execution Tuesday
Faith leaders, activists and supporters
outside the
prayer
night when they put him to death.
“We have experienced some closure because the decision has been made — that’s the problem with the death penalty It’s irreversible,” said Murphy, who lives in Phoenix. “Jessie Hoffman’s story is over Molly (Elliott) Murphy’s story is over But it doesn’t change the feeling that justice was not done in this case.”
She did not believe Hoffman resembled the 18-year-old who killed Elliot, she said
The night of the execution, Elliott’s husband, Andy also expressed mixed emotions. He de-
scribed it as bittersweet. He said he hoped the case could help bring change to how death penalty cases happen, saying a multidecade wait blunts the effectiveness of the punishment being a deterrent for crime.
“There is relief that this long nightmare is finally over, but also renewed grief for Molly and sadness for Mr. Hoffman’s family, whose nightmare began when mine did and who’ve also had to go through nearly 30 years of this gut-wrenching process through no fault of their own,” said Andy Elliott, who lives in Covington.
Last moments
Thursday would have been Jessie and Illona Hoffman’s threemonth anniversary They met through a prison pen pal website, where from the beginning Ilona said she noticed in Hoffman a tranquility and a nuanced way of looking at the world.
Hoffman’s attorneys described him as a man who transformed in prison, and who became a mentor to others and a faithful Buddhist.
He displayed those qualities to the end, she said, focusing on helping his family members find peace when they visited him Tuesday She said he wanted to make sure they knew he was OK.
“He was there with us, and he said, ‘Let’s gather and let’s meditate’ and was chanting,” she said.
“That was so impressive. Everybody got calm and their emotions together, and that was a very beautiful spiritual moment.”
The rest of the family left at 2:15 p.m., she said, while she and Hoffman’s son Jessie Smith stayed for another 45 minutes. After that, they would be escorted to the warden’s office, leaving Hoffman alone with his spiritual adviser to prepare for the execution chamber
Before they parted, he gave Ilona Hoffman his wedding ring. They shared a final hug and kiss.
“I’m OK You need to know that I’m OK,” he said in her recollection. “Everybody dies at some
point. What makes me so special?”
‘I am truly sorry’
Murphy felt that executing Elliot’s murderer would only spread more pain, she said Thursday
“We move away from emotional reactions over time, and we’re able to see things more clearly,” Murphy said. “And when you see things more clearly, you realize that finishing violence with more violence is not the answer.”
Jessie Hoffman offered an apology to Elliott’s family in a 2023 petition for clemency, but it never reached the family
“To Mr Elliott to Molly Elliott’s parents, and to all those impacted by such a senseless and painful loss, I want to say that I am extremely and genuinely sorry for all the pain that my very selfish, horrible and heartless acts caused you all,” it read.
“I cannot begin to comprehend the pain you have had to endure because of me. I know that I am the cause of unimaginable pain and suffering. I am truly sorry.”
Murphy said she wished she would have had the opportunity to receive his apology in person and that she regrets that they were never able to meet.
Still, the two were able to interact through a therapist and victim’s advocate. She was able to ask Hoffman questions about the murder and receive his apology, she said.
“That helped me a lot, personally,” Murphy said. “I was also able to offer him forgiveness for the worst thing he had ever done.”
BY DAVID J MITCHELL Staff writer
Louisiana’s chronic problem with waste tires has long bedeviled local communities and no easy solutions exist, the state’s top environmental official says, but technologies not yet common here could eventually help.
Those technologies include a process called pyrolysis, which turns waste tires into a high-heat fuel — and could provide an economic incentive for them not to be dumped in neighborhoods.
Aurelia Skipwith Giacometto, secretary of the state Department of Environmental Quality, told a state House panel this week that waste tires are like aluminum soft drink cans in the years before they could be cashed in for money.
No one wanted to pick them up off the streets until they were worth something, she explained She said the solution for waste tires may be similar, turning what’s seen as waste into a sought-after feedstock or fuel.
“To make that shift will really help communities, will really help the state. It will help the communities. It will help the businesses,” Giacometto told the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee at the State Capitol. “And this is something that is not a solution that is going to occur overnight.”
She described pyrolysis as a clean-burning technology that is used in cement production, but trade promotional papers indicate such a facility would still have some emissions of sulfur and nitrogen oxides, volatile organic
compounds, hydrogen sulfide and fine particulates, all regulated pollutants.
The secretary offered her comments nearly two weeks after her department issued an overview report on waste tires following a series of town hall meetings she had last year along with visits to dump sites and an out-of-state facility that uses pyrolysis
The report detailed the state’s efforts to track and subsidize the recycling of tires with user fees and the illegal dumping that has continued anyway
Other state officials and those in the recycling business have previously cited the need to find a market for waste tires. But past attempts to use tires for road surfacing, fuel and other methods have failed to take hold or have petered out over cost, safety and other reasons.
Many recent state-financed recycling efforts have involved finding ways to keep them out of landfills by using chopped-up tires as a form of base material in the ground or on slopes.
“The current process that we use today is taking a waste tire. You cut it up, and you put it somewhere else, so that’s not getting rid of the tire. That’s just transforming its size and shape and placing it somewhere else in the state,” Giacometto said.
It’s unclear how the state is going to find a new path toward economic viability and simultaneously slow dumping The state report offered no specific legal or policy changes. Giacometto said state officials are still working on them
“I know that right now we’re still looking at our regulatory authori-
ties and what we can do within that realm,” she said in an interview “At this point, (we’re) still working through the process.”
The state has also gotten interest from a European company, Life for Tyres Group Limited, for recycling. A year ago, it announced plans for a $46 million plant in St. John the Baptist Parish that would convert waste tires into biofuel feedstock, carbon black and scrap steel, according to state economic officials.
In the meantime, she told the committee that DEQ will set aside $1.3 million in grant money to help local governments handle illegally dumped tires. The program is expected to be rolled out by the summer
“One of the things that I consistently heard during the waste tire town hall is that the municipalities, the parishes, they’re all experiencing it in different ways,” Giacom-
etto said.
The money will come from a $7.6 million trust fund set aside for tire recycling projects. DEQ officials told legislators that the fund is continuing to add money from tire user fees.
Last fall, Giacometto requested the ability to use her discretionary budget authority of up to 10% to address waste tires locally She received it in Gov Jeff Landry’s $156.2 million budget proposed for the agency in fiscal 2025-26.
The tire problem is widespread and relentless. An estimated 4.5 million new waste tires are generated each year in Louisiana one new waste tire for roughly every person in the state.
The biggest piles pose fire and environmental risks, such as a defunct tire recycling center in Cottonport that caught fire in 2022, burned for days and forced a state
prison evacuation, or a huge tire dump found a few years ago in New Orleans East.
Dumping also presents an enforcement problem, both for local law enforcement and DEQ. Giacometto told the panel her agency can’t go on private property to remove waste tires, while local agencies often have higher priority cases to pursue. Legislators on the panel welcomed Giacometto’s report but wanted more on solutions and had questions about how dumping rules have been enforced by past administrations.
State Rep. Danny McCormick, R-Oil City, questioned how a purported tire warehouse in Caddo Parish was able to accumulate 200,000 tires under DEQ’s watch while small companies in the area were being dinged for not covering a handful of tires.
The collection of tires is within a few miles of small towns and a local bayou and right along a road McCormick said a local fire official told him the tires are the No 1 fire hazard in the area.
“One summer, somebody drives by and throws out a cigarette, within a matter of time, it’s going to be a massive fire,” he said. He said he was looking to DEQ to recommend legislative solutions. Giacometto said DEQ enforcement officials were able to track the owner to Texas and bring the person to court but suggested stronger and more flexible enforcement laws would help.
David J. Mitchell can be reached at dmitchell@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By CHRIS GRANGER
of Jessie Hoffman Jr 46, sit in silent
Tuesday
entrance, far left, to the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola as Hoffman is executed
Landry moving GOHSEP under National Guard
Restructuring will reduce costs, governor says
BY ALYSE PFEIL Staff writer
Gov Jeff Landry announced
Thursday he is placing the Gover-
nor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness under the Louisiana National Guard in a “cost savings restructure.”
“As part of our fiscal responsi-
bility initiative, we’ve identified an opportunity to save millions by bringing GOHSEP under the National Guard,” Landry said in a news release. “This move not only delivers significant cost savings but also aligns with my belief in the importance of relying more on our National Guard to strengthen our state’s resilience.”
Louisiana National Guard Brig Gen. Jason P. Mahfouz will serve as the interim director of GOHSEP and oversee “day-to-day operations,” and Adjutant Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux “will provide oversight to GOHSEP during this transition,” according to the announcement.
Jacques Thibodeaux, an appoin-
tee of Landry had been serving as the agency’s director “GOHSEP Director Jacques Thibodeaux took on a challenging role and served our state with dedication under difficult circumstances. We deeply appreciate his service,” Landry said in the announcement. Thibodeaux said in an interview that, over the next 30 days, he will help transition GOHSEP from a stand-alone agency to one under
the purview of the National Guard in a role titled special assistant to the adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard.
His plans after that are undetermined, Thibodeaux said. He noted that he’s worked in emergency management for 40 years and is also a retired Army soldier and retired U.S. marshal. “I’m gonna take (a) well-needed
Sterling Grove Festival set
Top Lafayette musicians play Northside neighborhood
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Acadian-style home was built by Charles H. Mouton, the son of Jean Mouton, who founded the city of Vermilionville in 1821. Now, Maison Mouton is a bedand-breakfast and event venue where guests can experience life in Sterling Grove — a residential area lined with mature trees large old houses and the sounds of children playing at the nearby St. Genevieve Elementary School. This weekend, visitors can experience the historic atmosphere for themselves at the revamped Sterling Grove Festival, taking place on Friday and Saturday at Maison Mouton and the nearby Nickerson and Givens homes — also purchased and renovated by Daggula and his team.
“We want to unite people and
‘DON’T
MESS WITH OUR POST OFFICE’
BY STEPHEN MARCANTEL Staff writer
United State Postal Service workers in Lafayette took to sidewalks with posters and flyers Thursday to argue that the 250-year-old mail provider should remain in the public’s hands. The event was part of a nationwide protest organized by the American Postal Workers Union. The demonstration comes as President Donald Trump attempts to wrangle control of the independent agency and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy expects to cut 10,000 postal worker jobs. Josh Montgomery, local APWU 2803 president, said USPS provides essential services and steps in where private companies such as Amazon or UPS do not. Private entities see “last-mile” services in rural communities as unprofitable and often hand over packages meant for homes at the ends of dirt roads or in remote places to providers like USPS. “When you take away this service, you’re hurting mostly the rural communities because that’s the most underserved, but you’re also
BY KRIS WARTELLE Contributing writer
recipient of the International Achievement Award. This
the honor will go to The McIlhenny Co., creators of the
which is based at Avery Island in Iberia
Christian Brown, senior manager of strategic sourcing for the McIlhenny Company, said the entire company was excited and looking forward to the award presentation in April.
“We are very happy to be recognized,” Brown said. “We’re excited to be able to shine a spotlight on this region and highlight how fortunate we all are to be part of this culture. We can shine a light on Acadiana and build on our reputation culturally and economically.”
sory board, the
STAFF PHOTOS By LESLIE WESTBROOK
Retired postal worker Pamela Harkless and other members of the American Postal Workers Union hold a rally Thursday in support of keeping the U.S. Postal Service public outside the Moss Street post office in Lafayette.
Members of the American Postal Workers Union carry signs during the rally
Evangeline Parish man
which
shot
ä See GOHSEP, page 4B
Daggula
ä See FESTIVAL, page 4B
OPINION
Business community must join effort on education
When I helped to cofound Love
Dr Kip Schumacher GUEST COLUMNIST
Our Schools in 2019, I did so with the belief that our community must come together around education and show our children they are supported. Caring for the schools and coming together around this critical vehicle for their future is the best way that we as community members and leaders can show that belief. As the work has progressed over the past few years, that has been my continued goal always demonstrating to the children in our community that the community is going to show up for them and care about their futures.
I believe this for a lot of reasons — my faith, my upbringing and also my experience as a business leader. The students in our community are our future workforce. They are our current and future talent And they need to know and feel they have a home here to grow.
As a One Acadiana CEO Advi-
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Volunteers with the Lafayette Garden Club, Loraine Allan,
and Rachelle Trahan, maintain a flower bed during the Love Our Schools volunteer day in 2023 at Lafayette Middle School. Volunteer groups from around Acadiana showed up at parish schools to help with cleaning, repairs, gardening and other tasks.
sory Council member and Love Our Schools board chairman and cofounder, I have supported the kids in our community through efforts to help the K-12 educators
and the Louisiana Department of Education. I believe education is more than learning to read and write. Education is also about giving our kids
a vision of what they can be and inspiring them to pursue their dreams.
There are recent changes in the Louisiana legislation, regulation and accountability systems related to K-12 education. Focus and resources have been shifted to not just the mastery of the basics of reading and writing but also to help our kids develop skills needed for them to be successful in the transition into the workforce and into their positioning as productive and successful members of their community
Now the spotlight is on exposing our kids to the career opportunities available to them and preparing them to pursue their dreams.
Success is dependent on the soft skills needed to navigate the journey to their future and the technical skills needed for their future jobs.
They are also dependent on a streamlined supportive governmental system to make their evolution and their transition as easy as possible. They are dependent on businesses, the business community and the community in general to help provide a supported, well-designed glide path
for all of our kids to define and execute on realizing their dreams.
On March 26, we have an opportunity as business and community leaders to add more momentum to our progress.
There is an event called the ConnectEd Summit, presented by One Acadiana, which will focus on expanding internship and apprenticeship opportunities for high school students. In attendance will be K-12 education administrators from the Acadiana region, Louisiana Department of Education personnel and multiple governmental, not-for-profit and business community representatives committed to making this program a success.
This is one of the times that we as business leaders need to show up and demonstrate that we understand the futures of our kids, community and businesses are on the line. I hope you will join me in attending.
William C. “Kip” Schumacher, M.D., is the founder along with his wife Carolyn of the William C. Schumacher Family Foundation and a cofounder of Love Our Schools.
In case of Mahmoud Khalil, due process must be protected Amendment 2 will make state more competitive
Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent U.S. resident and a leader of the proPalestinian protests at Columbia University, was detained by ICE at his home in New York earlier this month and is now being held in an immigrant detention center in Jena, an action undertaken by the federal government reportedly to fight antisemitism. As Jewish leaders committed to our community’s safety, we feel compelled to respond — not to defend Khalil’s words or actions, but to defend the constitutional principles his arrest may challenge.
to grapple daily with the impact of such violence not only being excused but celebrated in public spaces. Believe us when we say that American Jews have never felt more unsafe than during this period.
It must be said that since Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitism has surged to levels unseen in our lifetimes. American Jews have faced an onslaught of violent rhetoric, relentless misrepresentation of our history and exclusion from communities of which we have long been a part. Nowhere has this been more apparent than college campuses. Jewish students and faculty are regularly intimidated, harassed and sometimes even assaulted for being visibly Jewish. This has created an environment where Jewish students often feel unheard and unsafe in spaces intended to foster intellectual and cultural exchange. While some campus protesters express good-faith objections to the war in Gaza, others glorify Hamas’ brutal actions on Oct. 7 mutilation, burning alive, rape and taking of hostages as legitimate forms of resistance. Jewish students have had
Lewis
Khalil has a history of leading protests some of which led to violence, property damage and significant disruption to campus life. These protests have sometimes included explicit support for terrorism against Jews and Israelis, including Hamas-branded propaganda and images praising terrorist leaders.
We do not know the full extent of his individual speech or action, nor whether they crossed legal lines.
First Amendment rights are sacred, but they are not without exception. What we do know is that due process is essential, and we must not allow fear to alienate us from this knowledge.
Jews have a long history of activism in defense of civil liberties.
Our families, with histories of pogroms and forced expulsions, bear the scars of life without them. Throughout Jewish history in the Diaspora, no community has been safer than American Jews, thanks to the nation’s commitment to individual rights — freedom of expression, religious liberty — and the protection of due process, which shields us from abuses of power Under U.S. law legal foreign residents can lose their status and face deportation under specifically enumerated circumstances, but the
burden of proof rests with the government. While immediate detention may be warranted in cases involving imminent danger or flight risk, the government has not made such an accusation in this instance.
Bypassing these legal protections undermines fundamental due process rights and establishes a dangerous precedent, leaving all of us vulnerable to potential governmental overreach.
Civil liberties must be universally upheld. We do not consent to the erosion of fundamental rights in the name of fighting antisemitism, in this instance or any other, and we demand due process for all.
Yes, we want safety But sacrificing constitutional protections does not make Jews — or anyone — safer Instead, it subjects us to the instability of ever-changing political winds rather than securing us under the protection of a legal system grounded in inalienable rights.
Our Jewish tradition teaches that we must treat others with fairness, even those whom we might consider our enemies. Our American tradition teaches that constitutional rights are sacrosanct. We must never relinquish our freedom for a fleeting sense of safety but rather we must continue to champion due process and civil rights for everyone.
Katie Bauman is the senior rabbi at Touro Synagogue in New Orleans. Aaron Bloch is the director of Jewish-Multicultural and Governmental Affairs at the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. Sara Lewis is the vice president of advocacy at the National Council of Jewish WomenGreater New Orleans Section.
I believe in Louisiana and making it a better state. I am positive that voting yes on Amendment 2 will truly move Louisiana forward. As a business owner I want more investment and more companies moving into the state, and Amendment 2 will make us more competitive for economic development. This amendment represents a major improvement to a key part of our constitution that is more sweeping than any constitutional changes we have seen in decades.
Admittedly, it may be hard for the voters to understand just what it does and why it is so important. Our organization, Leaders for a Better Louisiana, has analyzed it thoroughly and — while it is not perfect — it accomplishes many things groups like ours have advocated for years. Amendment 2 makes commonsense changes to policies dealing with state and local taxes, government spending and state savings accounts.
It streamlines the constitution, gives the Legislature more flexibility over fiscal issues and uses almost $2 billion now invested in three different trust funds to eliminate an equal amount of debt in the state’s teacher retirement system. Reducing such debt makes more money available for education. That’s why such a broad range of education advocates and good government groups agree with conservative fiscal reform groups on this amendment.
In most cases, these are moves constitutional reformers have backed for years They don’t solve every issue that has been identified in this section of the constitution, but this amendment does a number of significant things that we believe voters should be aware of:
n Raises the cap on how much money can go into the state’s “Rainy Day” fund and fills it up with a transfer of $1.8 billion from another savings account
n Lowers the maximum income tax rate from 4.75% to 3.75% and
doubles the standard deduction on income taxes for seniors
n Reduces the debt in the state teachers’ retirement system and uses the savings to make a temporary teacher pay stipend permanent
n Requires a two-thirds vote to create or change tax exemptions or credits
n Attempts to address longstanding issues surrounding the business inventory tax and lack of uniformity between the state and local sales tax base
n Moves several funds and tax deductions out of the constitution and places them in statute giving the Legislature more flexibility to deal with fiscal problems
There are also some important things this amendment does not change:
n Sales tax exemptions on food at home, residential utilities and prescription drugs
n The homestead exemption
n The requirement for a balanced budget
n Constitutional protection of the “Rainy Day” fund, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund and the Transportation Trust Fund.
Yes, the amendment is complex and might be difficult for some to navigate. But that is because it addresses years of changes that have complicated the longest and most heavily amended article of our constitution.
Is it perfect? No. It’s hard to write a perfect document when you are talking about something this substantial. But it is very good and finishes the job on the important tax and fiscal reforms the Legislature passed last November It’s good for citizens, it’s good for businesses and it sends a signal that Louisiana is addressing many of the longstanding issues that have held us back and made our state less competitive. For these reasons, our leaders for Better Louisiana and I strongly support this amendment. I hope citizens will approve this important rewrite of a major piece of our constitution.
Scott Ballard is a board member of Leaders for a Better Louisiana.
left,
COMMENTARY
With tariffs and trade deals, President Donald Trump is aiming to fundamentally reshape the nation’s economy His tactics have been cheered by some who consider them a long-overdue course correction and booed by others who consider them a major mistake that will weaken our nation’s financial strength
Here are two perspectives.
Beautiful economy was a terrible thing to waste
Boy do I miss Joe Biden. I especially miss the former president when Donald Trump and his bobbleheads unfairly blame him for everything that’s gone wrong since Inauguration Day Trump has since proven beyond doubt that he can wreck the economy all by his lonesome. And that’s not all he’s wrecking Trump was handed a great economy, “The Envy of the World,” according to financial media. His trade war, lack of coherent economic policy and perhaps low interest in governing when cameras aren’t present have investors close to panic. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost more than 2,000 points since Election Day
tion rate has at times been inching up. And it’s not just eggs, which MAGA still yaps about as Biden’s fault, not the result of bird flu.
Trump posted on Truth Social an article by right-winger Charlie Kirk entitled, “Shut up About Egg Prices.” We shall ignore the order and note that the U.S. Agriculture Department expects egg prices to rise more than 40% this year
Froma Harrop
Trump’s bizarre trade war against neighbors Mexico and Canada is as scary as it’s economically nuts. As a shaken commentator on Fox Business News graphically noted on Monday “A sinkhole has opened up under the NASDAQ.”
We’ve been here before with the economy
When I began investing in balanced mutual funds in 1983, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 1,190. On a recent Monday, despite the drop of more than 1,000 points, the DJI closed at 41,911. It’s the difference between looking at short-term vs. long-term investing.
I called my financial adviser who told me not to worry about the latest decline because I am diversified. Besides, she said, “it’s only paper.” That may not sound reassuring until one considers we’ve been here before.
Consumer confidence just scored its largest decline since August 2021. Americans are falling behind on car payments at the highest rate in more than 30 years. Inflation and employment numbers have gone wobbly, and the U.S. dollar is losing value.
Money aside, Americans risk losses of personal security as Elon Musk rants against Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security Musk calls the beloved Social Security program a “Ponzi scheme.
There is the hard-to-quantify loss of “domestic tranquility,” that is, the benefits of a well-functioning society as promised in the U.S. Constitution. Musk is cannibalizing old-fashioned government services that the citizenry expected as perks of being American — basics such as the Small Business Administration and having people at the IRS to answer questions. Trump now talks of privatizing the U.S. Postal Service. Musk jumping like a chimpanzee as he waves his chainsaw is an unappetizing sight.
We all want to cut government waste, but shouldn’t he inquire into what the government workers he’s firing do? The Tesla Chainsaw Massacre is clearly sport for the richest man on earth, but what about the rest of us?
Since Biden left office, the infla-
During some recent chaos, Trump turned to the cameras and said that this economy is going to boom. “We can do it the easy way, or we can do it the hard way.” Exactly whom was he threatening?
When Ontario responded to Trump’s 25% tax by announcing a tax on the energy Canada sends Michigan, Minnesota and New York, Trump retaliated with a 50% tax on Canada. Things calmed down a bit when Ontario and Trump backtracked.
But both Europe and Canada announced new tariffs against American products, hours after Trump slapped new tariffs on metal imports. Clearly, Trump isn’t the only one in charge.
We didn’t have these spectacles when Biden was president. The economic indicators were simply lovely Perhaps a man who filed for bankruptcy six times is not exactly a financial “genius.”
One fears that when stocks show any kind of recovery, Trump will drag us back into his circus house of funny mirrors. Biden may have slowed down toward the end, but he never subjected America to lunacy His administration sailed on smoothly
Boy do I miss Biden.
Email Froma Harrop at fharrop@ gmail.com.
The year was 1981 and the country was struggling with doubledigit inflation (13.5% at the end of the Carter presidency), high unemployment (8%), high interest rates (mortgage rates soared to 16.64%) and sinking public confidence.
It took Ronald Reagan nearly two years to turn the economy around, beginning with the 1981 Economic and Recovery Tax Act, which substantially reduced taxes and eventually led to strong economic growth.
Bruce Bartlett, who wrote the draft of an earlier version of the bill, defended it in an article for The Washington Post: “Keynesian economics, which was the dominant theory at the time, said that higher taxes would curb inflation by reducing people’s disposable income and spending, and that any tax cut would exacerbate inflation. Our thinking, by contrast, was that lower taxes would increase the incentive to work, save and invest; if that led to an increase in the supply of goods and services, then the impact would be anti-inflationary.”
So it was, and so it did.
Reagan’s approval rating sank to 35% in 1983, but as the economy began to recover, it soared to 61% by November 1984, leading to his landslide re-election.
President Donald Trump has expressed a “wait and you’ll see” attitude about his economic policies. He promises a great economic boom and a new “Golden Age.” We’ll see if that replicates the Reagan pattern. Trump didn’t help consumer confidence when he punted after being asked twice whether a recession might be coming.
Writing in The New York Post, Fox Business commentator Charles Gasparino advises to ignore the stock market because Wall Street is dealing with “painful detox from (its) government spending addiction.”
“Think of the current US economy as a junkie weaning himself off heroin, which is never easy,” Gasparino writes. “It’s been addicted to the heroin of government spending — both monetary and fiscal for so long that we are running $2 trillion deficits when the economy is growing near 3% with low unemployment as sleepy Joe Biden spent money we didn’t have.”
As with President Reagan, Trump is still having to deal with the fallout from his predecessor’s economic policies, including Biden’s “Inflation Reduction Act,” which caused inflation and produced the high prices and other negative consequences Democrats are claiming are Trump’s fault. Really? After only a few weeks in office and with his last cabinet officer confirmed by the Senate only recently?
Detox is painful, but the result is worth the effort. Our problem is that too many Americans have become over-reliant on government to take care of them, while ignoring the old Puritan ethic of self-reliance. Politicians have been fine with this because it contributes to their careers and power That attitude has contributed to our $36 trillion national debt and inflation which the administration, with the help of Elon Musk and his DOGE squad, are trying to reduce.
Economic roller coasters can be scary, but like the rides at the fair, the end produces satisfaction, relief and even a thrill. So, hang on.
Email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@ tribpub.com.
Cal Thomas
ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO
The Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost more than 2,000 points since Election Day.
LSU Vet School takes on alligator’s cataract surgery
Rare white reptile gets first-of-its-kind operation in U.S.
BY ELLYN COUVILLION
Staff writer
Zookeepers at Audubon Zoo in New Orleans knew something wasn’t right with its rare, blue-eyed, white alligator Victor when he seemed to not notice his dinner — a whole, thawed fish or other type of meat held out to him at the end of a pair of long tongs.
“We would notice the food would be right next to him and he would miss it, or he couldn’t grab his food as
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Continued from page 1B
break and enjoy my family, and then I’ll determine what’s gonna be the next chapter,” he said. The state’s emergency management office has exist It had as of Emergenc ness dire ana tant 2006. It net nor’
GOHSEP Katrina.
Thibodeaux agency to its Th be he tional Guard is already “integrated into all aspects agement.”
well,” senior zookeeper Ashley Rabenau said. “Normally they’re taking the food right from the tongs.”
Another zookeeper, Victoria Brumley, noticed the alligator was instead following the shadow the tongs made on a wall in his enclosure.
“We tried to toss the food closer to the shadow,” Rabenau said. Something was amiss. Audubon Zoo veterinarian staff reached out to veterinarians at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Ba-
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ton Rouge, where ophthalmologist Dr Renee Carter and her team examined 12-year-old Victor’s eyes and discovered he had an advanced cataract in the left one, along with some inflammation. But the retina itself was healthy and well.
On Feb. 19, Victor became the first alligator in the U.S. to have cataract surgery
“Overall, there are a lot of differences, in size and shape and structure inside the eye,” she said. About the only thing done
the usual way was the injection that put 7-foot-long Victor asleep in the large animal surgical suite of the LSU Vet School.
“You can get a vein in an alligator, and inject between the scales,” Carter said “It was definitely more of a production. We used ultrasound to help us find the veins.”
At other times during the operation, a neuromuscular blocking agent was injected into the eye, so Victor’s iris would open Humans get eye drops instead because our iris muscles work differently A temporary tub-
ing system also was put through his eyelid, which is much thicker and harder to maneuver than other animals’ to administer post-op medications to the eye
Victor is now back home at Audubon Zoo, hanging out with his pal, a fellow blue-eyed, white alligator named Two-Spot, who’s 35 years old.
Both of the gators have leucism, a rare genetic condition that’s different from albinism. Gators with leucism have a partial loss of pigmentation, resulting in white or pale skin with blue eyes, unlike albino gators,
which have pink eyes and complete pigment loss.
Senior zookeeper Rabenau said young gators with leucism don’t survive very long in the wild because their white skin doesn’t camouflage them. But Victor was found at an early age by agents with the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries before coming to Audubon Zoo, she said. His vision is much improved, Rabenau said. “He is definitely doing better,” she said. “We’re not relying on shadows anymore.”
Officials said the charges are related to an incident that occurred March 11, 2024, in Rayne. Duplechian is accused of setting up a victim to steal his vehicle, officials said.
Deputies said Duplechian shot the victim during a heated confrontation. Officials said the other charges associated with this crime were part
After pressure from Brittany Fontenot’s family and further investigation, the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office, assisted by the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, this week arrested Ray Charles Fontenot Jr and dia Parish Jail, according to the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Landry ing T
Email Alyse Pfe alyse.pfeil@ com.
FESTIVAL
HONORED
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go United perma United erence of of Le Centre International is a trade development organization. Thus, it considers individuals whose activities have helped draw economic benefits to the Lafayette area. Some of the past recipients of the award include Zachary Richard, Louis Michot, Warren A. Perrin, Matthew Stuller, Dud Lastrapes, Festival International de Louisiane and CODOFIL, to name a few A formal presentation ceremony honoring the McIlhenny scheduled
General Liz Murrill’s office, according to a news release from press secretary Lester Duhé.
Needham was charged with six counts of pornography involving juveniles under the age of 13 and 20 counts of sexual abuse of an animal, all of which are felonies.
Agents initially got a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the news release states.
The arrest was a result of a joint investigation with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Unit, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.
Needham was transported to the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center, where he was booked. His bail has reportedly been set at $175,000.
Lafayette man indicted on rape of juvenile under 13
A Lafayette Parish grand jury indicted a Lafayette man Wednesday in connection with the rape and sex-
n 8:15 p.m., Cedric Watson Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
Saturday,March22
n 11 a.m., Geno Delafose, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling)
n 1 p.m., Gino V., Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
n 1 p.m., Rio Luminoso, Givens Stage (310 N. Sterling)
n 1 p.m., Pine Leaf Boys, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling)
PROTEST
ual battery of a juvenile under the age of 13.
Bryson Antonio Broussard, 34, of Adelma Street in Lafayette, was indicted on four counts, according to the 15th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. They include two counts of firstdegree rape of a juvenile between Jan. 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2020, according to the grand jury indictment.
Broussard also is charged in the same battery juvenile ge of 13 and indecent behavior with a juvenile.
All four charges are felonies. of first-degree rape is life in prison without benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
Broussard was arrested, court records show, on Dec. 12 by Lafayette Police and is being held in the Lafayette Parish Correctional Center Court Commissioner Andre Doguet set Broussard’s bail on Wednesday at $625,000, court and jail records show
n 3 p.m., Revelers, Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
to experience the history in their own backyards — instead of driving to cities like New Orleans to tour historic neighborhoods.
n 3 p.m., Curley Taylor, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling)
n 3 p.m., Grampa, Givens Stage (310 N. Sterling)
n 5 p.m., Julian Primeaux, Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
hurting every American,” Montgomery said. Montgomery added that the Postal Service provides reliable and wellpaying middle-class jobs to people with opportunities to advance He said taking away those jobs would mean Lafayette and other cities see a reduction in its tax base. Those well-paying jobs are doubly important rural and small communities that may not have as many opportunities, he said.
Continued from page 1B said. The USPS employs about 635,000 people DeJoy, in a letter last week announced that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is currently working with USPS and that the Postal Service aims to eliminate 10,000 jobs through a voluntary early retirement program over the next 30 days. There have also been hints that Trump may issue an executive order to fire the Postal Service’s governing board and place the agency under the control of the Commerce Department. The board said that it would sue the White House if Trump attempted to remove members.
“Unfortunately, we fall in the ‘bad’ part of town across the railroad tracks, and my goal is to make people cross the tracks,” he says. “People go to New Orleans to look at houses, not knowing we have these beautiful old homes right here in Lafayette. The only way to revitalize the area is to bring people here, and once they come they’ll love it.”
12:53p 0.38:32a 0.3- 6:21p 0.3
River (Southwest Pass) 12:10p 0.46:07a 0.3- 4:50p 0.3
Watson will perform at the Nickerson House stage Friday night. Saturday’s daylong lineup includes home tours, an art market, food vendors and performances from the likes of Geno Delafose, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys and Lafayette indie band LVVRS. The Sterling Grove Historic District was formally listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, thanks to homes like the Mouton Plantation and the historic structures that surround it. Daggula hopes
Here’s the music lineup for the 2025 Sterling Grove Festival in Lafayette, held on N. Sterling Street between Simcoe Street and Mudd Avenue. The festival is free, but tickets are required for the home tours.
Friday,March21
n 5 p.m., Major Handy, Givens Stage (310 N. Sterling)
n 5 p.m., 4 Horses, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling)
n 7 p.m., LVVRS, Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
n 7 p.m., Yvette Landry Duo, Givens Stage (310 N. Sterling)
n 7 p.m., Wayne Singleton & Same ol’ 2-step, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling)
n 9 p.m., Void, Nickerson Stage (330 N. Sterling)
n 9 p.m., Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Mouton Stage (338 N. Sterling).
Pamela Harkless, a retired Postal Service worker said her job afforded her a lot in life. It allowed her to send her children to private school, through college and be able to buy a home.
“I’m able to stand on my own. That’s what it did for me. It gave me the American Dream,” Harkless said.
She added that she worries about what privatization would mean for the over 700,000 retirees that are currently collecting pensions.
“Don’t mess with our post office,” Harkless
7-12-17-28-3133
8-11-2149-59 (15)
n 6 p.m., Jourdan ckerson
LSU ace Berzon ‘always evolving’
Pitcher looks to lead Tigers in first SEC road series
BY JIM KLEINPETER
Contributing writer
The 2025 LSU softball team has gotten a lot of attention for its revved-up offense and 27-1 start, which has led to a No. 3 ranking in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll. But junior pitcher Sydney Berzon’s work puts a different spin on the Tigers.
ä LSU at Georgia 5 P.M. FRIDAy, SECN+
It’s the same ability to spin a softball that has made her a two-time All-American, but increased strength and focus has refined her game to a near-perfect place. Berzon has made 12 appearances, one in relief, and won every one of them while dialing up a 1.01 earned run average in 681/3 innings She has struck out 62 batters, walked 11 and hurled four shutouts.
LSU (3-0 in SEC play) carries that elevated ranking into its first SEC road trip at No 13 Georgia (22-6 2-4) beginning with a Friday game at 5 p.m. The teams meet at 1 p.m on Saturday and Sunday
See LSU, page 3C
Transfer portal window dire for McMahon, LSU basketball
BY TOYLOY BROWN III
Staff writer
LSU men’s basketball was a boat filled with holes. The Tigers’ 11-2 nonconference record came against all non-NCAA Tournament teams. The auspicious start masked the leaks that imminently sank coach Matt McMahon’s team during Southeastern Conference play In January, it steadily became clear that there wasn’t a strategic adjustment that would help LSU (14-18, 3-15 SEC) compete in a conference that sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament It was also unrealistic for McMahon, who prides himself on player development, to turn the season around with in-season improvement from the four freshmen who each started at least five games.
The team needed its older players with expected three returners in the rotation and three transfer guards in senior Cam Carter and fifth-year seniors Jordan Sears and Dji Bailey Carter, a Kansas State transfer, lived up to expectations, scoring 16.2 points per game on 39.2% 3-point shooting — good enough for eighth in the SEC. Sears underperformed, averaging nine less points and shooting 13% worse from 3 compared to
Cajuns looking to shake off loss in series at South Alabama
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
The hope was scoring 18 runs against No 21-ranked Troy on Sunday was a sign that better days were ahead for UL’s inconsistent offensive production.
As it turned out, that conclusion might have been a bit premature after Wednesday’s 7-1 loss at Southeastern.
The Ragin’ Cajuns settled for just four hits in the game with the only run coming on a solo homer in the eighth by Conor Higgs.
UL’s next challenge comes in the form of its first road Sun Belt series of the season against South Alabama, starting at 6:30 p.m Friday at Eddie Stanky Field in Mobile, Alabama.
Both teams are hoping to avoid slow starts with the Cajuns at 9-13 overall and 1-2 in league play, while the Jaguars are 10-10 and 0-3 after getting swept at Georgia State last weekend.
“This league is crazy,” UL coach Matt Deggs said.
“Look at last season, we’re six outs away from starting 1-2 a year ago and we walked away with the league. So
BY KEVIN FOOTE Staff writer
you can’t read too much into, because water is going to find its level. Everything is going to level off. That’s why you play 30 of them.
“But yeah, it’s tough sledding out there, it really is. You better have a short memory in this league. It’s kind of like the SEC or the ACC, you better be able to flip the page and come back the next day.”
Before scoring 18 runs, the Cajuns were struggling to drive in runs — leaving 47 on in a four-game stretch — but that’s something Deggs prefers to not having the opportunities.
Without those chances, it’s hard for Deggs to implement his small ball tactics.
“The more chances you have in those situations, the better we’re going to get at it,” Deggs said. “You can probably count on one hand the opportunities we’ve had to really get that bunt down and spin the game out of control on an opponent. Those opportunities have been few and far between.”
For the first time since Feb. 22, the UL softball team will play a home game at Lamson Park.
Off to a 1-2 start in Sun Belt play, the Ragin’ Cajuns open a three-game series against UL-Monroe at 6 p.m. Friday
“It’s going to be nice to come home to some Cajun fans for sure,” said UL coach Alyson Habetz, whose Cajuns were 6-9 on the 15-game road stretch. “Being on the road for close to a month I guess, it can be wearing on a team, but I also think the team became closer
“I think there were some good things that came out of it There are no excuses really It’s just about us coming together as a team and overcoming adversity.”
The Cajuns are 14-13 overall and the Warhawks are 22-11 overall and 3-0 in league play
“It’s important because it’s conference. ULM is a good team and we’re playing at
home,” Habetz said. “It’s really important to win at home for our fans, number one, and for confidence.”
The Warhawks are 15-0 at home this season and are coming off a sweep of Georgia State with wins of 7-3, 4-3 and 14-4. ULM is hitting 334 with 47 doubles, 27 home runs and 49 stolen bases. The top hitters are Meagan Brown (.418, 4 HRs, 31 RBIs), Morgan Brown (.410, 8 HRs, 38 RBIs) and Brooklin Lippert (.384, 6 RBIs, 18 SBs). In the circle, the Warhawks have a 4.89 team ERA with 111 walks in 203.1 innings. The trio of pitchers for ULM are Dakota Lake (7-3, 3 saves, 3.70), Maddie Nichols (7-4, 3.98) and Victoria Abrams (7-2, 5.38). “They’re a good team,” Habetz said of ULM. “They have good pitching, they manufacture runs and they can hit the long
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7 p.m. Florida St. at Miami ACCN
7 p.m. LSU at Texas SECN
8:30 p.m. Nebraska at Southern Cal FS1 MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
11:15 a.m.Baylor vs. Mississippi St. CBS
11:40 a.m.Robert Morris vs Alabama TRUTV
12:30 p.m.Lipscomb vs. Iowa St. TNT
1 p.m. Colorado St. vs. Memphis TBS
1:50 Mount St. Mary’s vs Duke CBS
2:15 p.m. Vanderbilt vs. St. Mary’s (Cal) TRUTV
3:05
5:50
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TBS
6:35 p.m. Akron vs.Arizona TRUTV
8:25 p.m. Oklahoma vs. UConn TNT
8:45 p.m. Xavier vs. Illinois CBS
BROADCAST HIGHLIGHTS
9 p.m. Bryant vs Michigan St. TBS
9:10 p.m. Liberty vs. Oregon TRUTV COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)
10:30 a.m.Iowa St. vs. Michigan ESPN2
11 a.m. Liberty at Kentucky ESPN
12:30 p.m.Indiana vs. Utah ESPN2
1 p m. S.F Austin at Notre Dame ESPN
1:30 p.m. Fairfield vs Kansas St. ESPNEWS
2:30 p.m. Fairleigh Dickinson at TCU ESPN2
2:30 p.m. Grand Canyon at Baylor ESPNU
3 p.m. Tennessee Tech at S. Carolina ESPN
4:30 p.m. Montana St. at Ohio St. ESPN2
4:30 p.m. Oregon vs.Vanderbilt ESPNEWS
5 p.m. Nebraska vs. Louisville ESPN
5 p.m. Ball St. vs. Ole Miss ESPNU
6:30 p.m. Ga.Tech vs. Richmond ESPNEWS
7 p.m. South Florida vs.Tennessee ESPN
7 p.m. Lehigh at Duke ESPNU
9 p.m. Southern U. at UCLA ESPN MEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS
7 p.m. Michigan at Nebraska BTN WOEN’S COLLEGE GYMNASTICS
5 p.m. Big Ten Tournament: Session 1 BTN
7:30 p.m. N Dakota vs W. Michigan CBSSN COLLEGE SOFTBALL
2:30 p.m. Mississippi St. at Northwestern BTN
5 p.m. Florida St. at Duke ACCN
5 p.m. Mississippi at Kentucky SECN
11 a.m.
7 p.m.
1 p.m.
5 p.m.
COLLEGE WRESTLING
NCAA Tournament ESPNU
NCAA Tournament ESPN2 GOLF
PGA: Valspar Championship GOLF
PGA Champions: Hoag Classic GOLF
9:30 p.m. Porsche Singapore Classic GOLF HORSE RACING
12:30 p.m.America’s Day at the Races FS2
4:30 p.m. America’s Day at the Races FS2 MLB SPRING TRAINING
7 p.m. Houston at Miami NBATV 7 p.m. New Orleans at Minnesota GCSN 9:30 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Clippers NBATV NHL 6 p.m Columbus at Pittsburgh NHLN MEN’S RUGBY
3:55 a.m. North Queensland at Brisbane FS2
No. 12 McNeese holds off Clemson
Cowboys earn first March Madness victory
BY JIMMY GOLEN Associated Press
PROVIDENCE,R.I.— McNeese coach
Will Wade and his boombox-toting manager are moving on in March Madness after the 12th-seeded Cowboys held off late-charging No 5 seed Clemson 69-67 on Friday in the first bracket buster of the NCAA Tournament.
Brando Murray scored 14 of his 21 points in a stifling first half, when the Southland Conference school from Lake Charles, Louisiana, held Clemson to 13 points. After falling behind by as many as 24, the Tigers rallied, erasing most of a 12-point deficit in the final minute before running out of time.
With its first NCAA Tournament victory, McNeese earned a second-round matchup on Saturday with fourth-seeded Purdue, a 7563 winner over High Point.
Chris Shumate added 13 points and 11 rebounds for McNeese, which has been best-known this March for its viral, rapping manager and a renegade coach who has reportedly already lined up his next job — at NC State.
The Wolfpack will have to wait at least another 48 hours, because Wade is still needed in Providence.
A 71/2-point underdog, McNeese (28-6) held the Tigers to one basket over almost eight minutes during a 17-2 first-half run that turned a tie game into a 23-8 lead. After Clemson (27-7) scored the first three points of the second the Cowboys ran off nine in a row and led by as many as 24 points.
Jaeden Zackery scored 24 points, Chase Hunter had 21 and Viktor Lakhin grabbed 10 rebounds for Clemson before fouling out with six minutes left in the game.
No.1HOUSTON78,SIUEDWARDSVILLE
40: In Wichita, Kansas, Milos Uzan scored 16 points, LJ Cryer added 15 and No. 1 seed Houston was able to rest up for the rest of the
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Continued from page 1C
his previous season at UT-Martin. Bailey, a Richmond transfer, was a good defender but a 25.7% 3-point shooter
Entering the season LSU ranked 63rd in the country in 247Sports transfer portal team rankings and was 14th in the SEC.
The two teams behind it were South Carolina and Oklahoma. Each have a projected first-round NBA draft pick in Collin MurrayBoyles and Jeremiah Fears, respectively
The Tigers’ portal misses were compounded by unexpected losses. The team never had junior Tyrell Ward, who averaged nine points last season, as he stepped away to prioritize his mental health It changed the starting lineup after junior Jalen Reed’s season-ending ACL tear on Dec. 3,
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By CHARLES KRUPA McNeese State head coach Will Wade calls to his players during the first half of their first-round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday in Providence, R.I.
NCAA Tournament while romping past No 16 seed SIU Edwardsville on Thursday in the first round of the Midwest Region.
Ja’Vier Francis added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Big 12 champs, who will carry a 14-game winning streak into a secondround matchup with eighth-seeded Gonzaga or No. 9 seed Georgia.
Houston (31-4) has won 26 of 27 overall
“I thought our defense and our rebounding, two of the things we really emphasize, was good today,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “Shot selection was really good to start the game knocked some shots down, got off to a good start.”
No 9 CREIGHTON 89, No. 8 LOUIS-
VILLE75: In Lexington, Kentucky, Jamiya Neal scored a careerhigh 29 points and had 12 rebounds, Steven Ashworth connected from well beyond the arc on the way to 22 points, and ninth-seeded Creighton beat No 8 seed Louisville on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Greg McDermott’s Bluejays (25-10) won their fifth consecutive March Madness opener and beat a team ranked in the top 10 for the second time this season.
inserting redshirt junior Daimion Collins.
After five games, LSU replaced 18-year-old freshman Robert Miller with redshirt freshman Corey Chest in the starting lineup. The Tigers reshuffled the starting group another six times in hopes of landing the right combination during a seven-game losing streak.
LSU moved Sears to the bench sporadically and started freshman Curtis Givens 12 games as he averaged 4.8 points on 26.9% shooting Starting on Feb. 12, they experimented and found the most success with a four-guard starting group, helping the Tigers beat South Carolina and Oklahoma.
After those wins, LSU closed the year on a six-game losing streak, lacking enough shot-making to keep up with the elite offenses of the SEC. These changes were McMahon’s attempts to give his team
Louisville (27-8), despite its unimpressive seeding, entered at No 10 in the AP Top 25. “We felt like we had to win the 3-point-line battle,” McDermott said, “so we did what we could to force them into 2s, and if they shot 3s that they’d be challenged I think for the most part we were able to do that.”
BYU 80,VCU 71: In Denver, Igor Demin and Richie Saunders led BYU to an victory over VCU in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, giving first-year Cougars coach Kevin Young a better memory of Ball Arena than his last one. The former Suns assistant watched the Denver Nuggets bounce Phoenix from the playoffs at this arena in 2023, leading Young to say this week that he still has nightmares of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray It was Saunders (16 points) and Demin (15) who haunted VCU and propelled the sixth-seeded Cougars (25-9) into a Saturday showdown against third-seeded Wisconsin, which handled Montana earlier in the day in the East Region.
WISONSIN85,MONTANA66: In Denver, Wisconsin backup forward Carter Gilmore made a sweet 3, then turned to the Montana fans
Pels’ Geriot named head coach at Iona University
The New Orleans Pelicans are losing one of their assistant coaches. Dan Geriot, in his first season as one of Willie Green’s assistants, has been named head coach at Iona University, three days after Tobin Anderson was fired following two years on the job as Rick Pitino’s replacement. The school announced the hiring Thursday morning. Geriot will begin his duties at Iona immediately, according to a source familiar with the hiring.
“I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to get to work,” Geriot said in a press release from the school. “Iona has a strong basketball tradition and history of success and I look forward to being a part of it. Our goal is to build a team hat plays hard, competes at the highest level and makes our fans proud. I can’t wait to get started.”
Jackie Robinson’s story restored after DEI purge
An article highlighting the U.S. Army career of baseball legend
Jackie Robinson has been restored to the Department of Defense website. Its removal appeared to be related to the Trump administration’s stance against diversity, equity and inclusion.
and signaled for them to “shhhh.”
Back on defense, he took a charge from one Montana player, then altered another’s shot. By the time Gilmore’s flurry was over Thursday the game pretty much was, too. The Badgers pulled away for their first March Madness win in three years, over the Grizzlies.
“He’s a major key to our team,” said John Blackwell, who finished with 19 points and was one of five Badgers in double digits. “He’s a spark plug off the bench a guy who’s always going to give us energy whether he gets 15 points or zero points.”
No.1AUBURN83,ALABAMAST 63: In Nashville, Tennessee, Miles Kelly made seven 3-pointers and scored 23 points, All-American Johni Broome added 14 points and 11 rebounds, and No. 1 seed Auburn beat 16th-seeded Alabama State on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Coach Bruce Pearl’s Tigers (295) lasted one game in 2024, losing to Yale days after winning the Southeastern Conference Tournament. This time, Auburn came in having lost three of four inside the power-packed SEC with a resume still strong enough to earn the top overall seed among the four No. 1 teams.
Auburn will play No. 9 seed Creighton, an 89-75 winner over eighth-seeded Louisville, in the second round of the South Region on Saturday for a trip to the Sweet 16 in Atlanta.
GONZAGA89,GEORGIA68: In Wichita, Kansas, Khalif Battle scored 24 points, Nolan Hickman had 18 and eighth-seeded Gonzaga routed Georgia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday
Braden Huff added 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting as Gonzaga (26-8) advanced to an intriguing second-round matchup with topseeded Houston. The Cougars rolled to a 78-40 victory over SIU Edwardsville.
The Zags used a sharp, focused performance to move into the second round for the 22nd time since Mark Few took over as coach in 1999. They went 12 for 20 from 3-point range and shot 55% from the field overall.
behind South Carolina. When the transfer portal window officially opens on March 24, McMahon and his staff have to study the landscape and acquire players who will be upgrades at all positions.
LSU is guaranteed to lose 52% of its scoring from just the players who are out of eligibility
Replenishing the team should be achievable as The Advocate reported McMahon will have additional NIL funding.
Robinson, the Hall of Famer who broke baseball’s color barrier when he started at first base for the Dodgers in 1947, was drafted into the Army in 1942 and served until 1944, achieving the rank of second lieutenant.
The article is one of at least 50 pieces that appear on the department’s site as part of a series titled “Sports Heroes Who Served.”
Written by David Vergun of DOD News and published on Feb. 9, 2021, the article recently disappeared from the site. The page displayed an error message, and the URL had been altered to include “DEI.”
Stars Clark, Reese set to play two prime-time games
Caitlin Clark and former LSU standout Angel Reese will have two of their WNBA games broadcast in prime time nationally for the first time in league history
The June 7 and Aug. 9 games between the Indiana Fever and Chicago Sky will be shown on CBS. Both games are on Saturday night.
The WNBA will have more than 175 games broadcast across multiple platforms in the regular season, including 13 on ABC The network will have an opening weekend doubleheader of Las Vegas against New York and Chicago vs. Indiana on May 17.
Celtics sold for record $6.1B to private equity firm
BOSTON Private equity mogul
William Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a deal that values the NBA’s reigning champions and the most-decorated franchise in league history at a minimum of $6.1 billion the largest price ever for American professional sports team. If the deal is approved by the NBA’s board of governors this summer, the sale would top the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023.
A Massachusetts native and graduate of Dartmouth College and Penn’s Wharton School of business, Chisholm is the managing partner of California-based Symphony Technology Group.
Stanford selected as U.S. captain for Solheim Cup
the best chance to win Also true, these were moves of desperation to overcome the reality of having inferior talent. LSU is 133rd in offensive rating on KenPom and, as of Thursday it ranks last in the SEC by 30 spots
An amazing haul in the portal doesn’t guarantee greatness — Indiana missed the tournament and was second in the 247Sports portal rankings — but the more talent a team has, the more opportunity a coach has to mold it. If LSU doesn’t maximize its recruiting efforts along with proper retention, it won’t just be home watching the NCAA Tournament from the couch for a fourth straight year — it will once again be the doormat of an elite conference.
Angela Stanford was introduced Thursday as the next U.S. captain of the Solheim Cup, leading a young core of Americans who are coming off a victory and will try to win the cup overseas for the first time in more than a decade. Stanford was on the last American team that won away from home, in 2015 in Germany when Juli Inkster was at the helm She was an assistant on the last three teams, including what she calls a “massive” victory in Virginia last September
The 2026 matches will be held at Bernardus Golf in the Netherlands. Anna Nordqvist of Sweden had been selected captain for Europe. Stanford, 47, has seven LPGA Tour victories, including her lone major in the 2018 Evian championship. She also played in 98 consecutive majors, the longest streak in LPGA history
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
coach Matt McMahon confers with his staff during
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ball a little bit. We’re going to have to bring our best for them. They’ve improved every day and this year they added a new pitcher to their staff who is pretty good.”
To get back on track, UL’s pitching needs to eliminate big innings, like the four-run second inning McNeese enjoyed in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Cajuns.
“It’s to prevent the freebies, especially the compound freebies,” Habetz said. “You walk one person in an inning, OK, let’s
make the next play Walk somebody and then make an error or walk somebody and they get a hit and then another walk. It’s the compound freebies in an inning you’re going to pay for that usually.”
The other need is more RBI production in the middle of the lineup. Laney Credeur (.229, 9 RBIs), for example, is mired in the biggest slump of her career “Usually, the biggest mental pieces are when you’re a freshman and ironically when you’re a senior,” Habetz said “When you’re a senior, some athletes tend to put a lot of pressure on themselves — put the team
on your back mentality, ‘this is my last go-around.’ I think it’s really subconscious with her “Internally she wants it so bad that it ends up being counterproductive.”
Something that could help is the expected return of freshman first baseman Emily Smith (.304, 5 HRs, 15 RBIs).
One mainstay for UL throughout the season is the senior duo of Kayla Falterman (.415, 10 RBIs) and Maddie Hayden (.379, 9 RBIs, 10 SBs) at the top of the order
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
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Offensively, Higgs (.333, 7 HRs, 12 RBIs) has been hot of late, as has Brooks Wright (.323, 14 RBIs, 7 SBs). Meanwhile, Caleb Stelly (.259, 3 HRs, 15 RBIs), Lee Amedee (.239, 1 HR, 10 RBIs) and Luke Yuhasz (.220, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs) are hoping to hit their stride soon.
“For their entire time here, they’ve had some alpha dogs in front leading this whole thing,” Deggs said of the veteran trio. “Without a Rocco (Carson Roccaforte) or a
LSU
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Berzon credits her experience and growth for taking her game to another level. By the end of her freshman year, she was the ace of the staff with a 14-8 record and 1.91 ERA. Last year she blossomed to 20-9 and 1.78 and is far ahead of that pace near the midpoint of the current season.
“Reviewing film,” Berzon said when asked what her secret is. “The longer you play in the SEC the more you learn what to look at, what to focus on, and on how to approach hitters. Being able to take that film seriously and studying it, you learn how to beat these hitters.
“I’d like to say I got stronger Our strength and conditioning coach (Melissa Moore Seal) is phenomenal. My body is in a better position than it has been any other year.”
Catcher Maci Bergeron has been on the receiving end of Berzon’s pitches for three years now and has an inside take.
“Sydney is incredible; no matter what is happening, she has so many pitches she can work with she always fights through it,” Bergeron said.
“She’s always evolving, working on her pitches, where she’s throwing them. And she studies the game exceptionally well. She studies the hitters and watches hours and hours of film on the hitters she’s going to face. She hasn’t added pitches, just developed the ones she has.” LSU coach Beth Torina, formerly a college pitcher at Florida and the team’s pitching guru, said Berzon’s performance has been building over the past two years.
A Buffalo, N.Y., native who
DeBo (Kyle DeBarge) or a John Taylor or a (Trey) LaFleur then all of a sudden, ‘Hey, it’s on me,’ it’s taken us a minute, but it’s in there.” On the mound the Cajuns played the Troy series without ace starter Chase Morgan, as well as senior left-handed reliever Dylan Theut. Morgan is expected back, but Theut isn’t. “If we’re able to get Morgan back this weekend, that would give us a lot more depth,” Deggs said Normally a reliever, Matthew Holzhammer has made two starts in Morgan’s absence. Andrew Herrmann pitched six effective innings
of relief in last Friday’s loss to Troy Also, Blake McGehee has had two somewhat encouraging appearances since his last start.
The Jaguars are averaging 6.5 runs a game with 13 homers and 17 stolen bases. Their top hitters are: Duncan Matthews (.439, 1 HR, 15 RBIs), Rett Johnson (.333, 4 RBIs) and Lucas Ismaili (.333, 1 HR, 8 RBIs). Their top pitchers on the season have been Zach Stevens (1-2, 5.56), Tyler Smith (2-0, 4.74) and Zach Willingham (2-2, 1.93).
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@theadvocate.com.
won two state titles at Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, she brought a unique ability to spin a softball.
“Her best pitch is probably a drop ball, although she might argue with me on it,” Torina said. “She has the phenomenal ability to throw it with perfect spin down and perfect spin up, which is as rare as you can find in the game. The combination of up and down is truly unheard of. I’ve never been around somebody that can do that with a softball. Most coaches would say the same.
“And then there’s her change of speed She has a lot of pitches, a lot of different speeds changeups that really keep people off balance.”
Torina said on top of that her competitive instincts are just starting to kick in. “She understands how
BY KOKI RILEY Staff writer
Derek Curiel wouldn’t characterize himself as a big eater Picky isn’t the right word. He’s just someone who doesn’t tend to stuff his face in food.
“That’s why it’s hard for me to gain weight,” Curiel told The Advocate. Curiel has had to change those habits since joining LSU baseball. Gaining weight was a top priority when he decided last summer to spend, at least, the next two years in Baton Rouge and take his name out of the MLB Draft.
His commitment to LSU is paying off so far The freshman outfielder owns a .434 batting average, .578 on-base percentage and has reached base in all 22 games. He was awarded SEC Freshman of the Week honors following LSU’s sweep over Missouri, and he looks to lead the Tigers’ attack as they head to Austin for a three-game series against Texas beginning on Friday (7 p.m., SEC Network).
The weight he’s already added has been a key component to his success. He’s gained more than 10 pounds since arriving on campus. LSU has him listed at 182 pounds.
“I’m not a fully grown man yet,” Curiel said. “I’m 19. I still have some weight to grow on me and all that stuff.”
Adding and maintaining weight hasn’t been an overnight fix for Curiel. It’s not just about what he eats; when and where he consumes food matters
For the first time in his career, he’s started eating during games, whether it’s a
turkey and provolone sandwich from Jersey Mike’s or snacking on peanut butter crackers and almonds.
Then after games, he’ll make himself a shake.
“I usually make like a vanilla shake,” Curiel said. “I just put strawberries, peanut butter, protein powder obviously creatine (and) all sorts of stuff. Honey and all that stuff.”
He also makes sure to wake up at a reasonably early hour every morning to have breakfast. If he wakes up at 11 a.m. — Curiel likes to sleep in he loses valuable hours that could’ve been devoted to having a good breakfast.
LSU strength and conditioning coach Chris Martin orders Curiel to eat until he gets full. He wants him to have roughly four meals and two snacks a day Curiel’s not used to doing any of that.
“The first thing (Martin) asks me before I work out, he’s like, ‘What have you ate today?’ And I have to tell him,” Curiel said. “And if it’s not enough, then he gets pretty mad at me. So I’ve got to make sure that I eat on the good schedule.”
Curiel’s from California, so the one meal he doesn’t need to be convinced to eat is a burger from In-N-Out
Burger During LSU’s trip to Arlington and Frisco, Texas, he went to In-N-Out four times.
But Curiel’s also becoming more accustomed to having Louisiana cuisine. His girlfriend is from New Orleans and his roommates are Baton Rouge native William Schmidt and Luling native Mikey Ryan so he’s had king cake and has learned what boudin balls are too.
He also likes crawfish, shrimp and clams. Yes, broils exist in California as well.
“Before, I was a little more picky,” Curiel said “But I’ve opened it up a little bit.”
Gaining weight has become such an emphasis for Curiel in part because he does almost everything else well on the field. He has the speed to play center field, has elite instincts at the plate (his 22.3% walk rate dwarfs his 11.7% strikeout rate) and has constantly puts the ball in play
“Luckily, he wasn’t 25 pounds heavier prior to coming here,” LSU coach Jay Johnson said. “It would have been probably hard to keep (him here if he was).”
Packing on the pounds is what should catapult Curiel’s game to the next level, allowing him to hit for more power He only has one home run, but has blasted eight doubles and two triples.
The additional weight will also help him stay healthy He hasn’t gotten hurt this season, but being stronger should help him survive the grind of playing in his first year in the SEC.
“With the extra muscle, it helps absorb the shock of all the games we play,” Curiel said. “... And I thank Chris for that, because Chris has done a great job with that for all of us.”
As LSU’s leadoff hitter, Curiel has been one of the Tigers’ best hitters. It’s hard to beat a 1.210 on-base plus slugging percentage. But if he adds a couple more pounds, maybe he can.
“Some guys are born to play baseball, and born to line up the barrel with a baseball,” Johnson said “He’s one of those guys.” Email Koki Riley at Koki. Riley@theadvocate.com.
to win,” Torina said. “It’s being in a lot of moments and understanding how to make big pitches. She’s always working on improving her location and putting pitches in good spots. She understands how to win the big game. She’s been in a ton of them, and she’ll be in a bunch more.”
As far as arguing with Torina, that never happens. In three seasons Torina said she hasn’t had a single pitch call shaken off.
“I do have an idea of what I want to throw but it normally syncs up with coach,” Berzon said with a smile. “I have this unwavering trust. I know when she’s calling a pitch, there’s a reason. I study film but I know she studies double, if not triple, what I see. She’s trying to give me the best option she can in the moment, so I go with it. I trust her.”
Continued
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
UL outfielder Conor Higgs has been swinging a busy home run stick over the last few weeks.
PHOTO By PATRICK DENNIS
LSU starting pitcher Sydney Berzon chats with coach Beth Torina in the first inning of a game against Virginia Tech on Feb 15 at Tiger Park
Unbeaten Pios have power to ‘leave the yard’
Notre Dame relying on long ball during 14-0 start
BY ERIC NARCISSE Staff writer
In the previous two seasons, the Notre Dame softball team has taken a different approach on offense.
Instead of focusing on hitting home runs, the Pioneers wanted to put pressure on opposing defenses by bunting and being aggressive on the bases.
“The last two years, the power wasn’t as big as it was the years before,” coach Dale Serie said “So we bunted a lot more and focused on winning the inning opposed to letting the girls get their swing off.”
Thathasn’t been the case this season.
Reminiscent of their 2021 and 2022 teams that won Division III state championships, the Pios are flexing their home run power ear-
ly and often. And it isn’t just from three or four hitters, the Pios are stacked one through nine.
“This team is structured differently,” Serie said. “We have more speed and a lot more power This team is comparable to the 2021 team because one through nine in our lineup has the power to leave the yard.”
Through 14 games, the Pios (140) are averaging 12.9 runs per game.
The Pios have scored at least 13 runs seven times including 17 runs in a game three times — and have scored fewer than 10 runs only twice. Both times, the Pios scored nine runs.
“We put a lot of emphasis on our offense,” Serie said. “In high school softball, you have to be able to score runs. We hit every practice. We haven’t been up in every game we have played, but we know that things can change for us in a heartbeat.”
That was evident in a game against Live Oak when Notre Dame overcame a 4-3 deficit to win 11-5.
“We have always been an aggressive team,” Serie said. “We have always been a team that hunts
pitches early, take bases and puts pressure on the defense. Offensively we have been really good.”
The Pios are led by senior Malayna Daigle (.556, eight HRs, 21 RBIs), and juniors Valerie Brown (.618, four HRs, 21 RBIs), Aly Teare (.406, four HRs, 15 RBIs), Lillian Guidry (.469, HR, 11 RBIs), and sophomore Cate Romero (.386, five HRs, 25 RBIs).
“We are pretty good across the board. I told them that everybody can’t take(Paid Time Off) on the same day,” Serie said with a laugh.
The Pios have been equally stout defensively and in the circle with pitchers Madaline Johnson and Bella Smith. Johnson is a returning starter, while Smith transferred to Notre from Loreauville.
“Defensively, we have been lights out,” Serie said. “Our pitching is coming around. Madaline and Bella have been good for us. Bella had a big outing against STM, allowing four hits in five innings and then Madaline came in for the final two innings. They have worked together really well.”
Email Eric Narcisse at enarcisse@theadvocate.com.
Lafayette Christian showing big promise entering stretch run
young Knights remain unbeaten in 6-2A play
BY MIKE COPPAGE Contributing writer
Lafayette Christian baseball
coach Austin Robichaux is a big believer in the mental aspect of the game. Robichaux takes after his father, the late Tony Robichaux, in that approach. It’s a message he’s been hammering home to his young team, which has several freshmen and an eighth grader playing vital roles.
“It’s getting the kids to understand they belong,” Robichaux said. “When it comes to rankings and all that, no one typically talks about us. We can compete with anybody out there.”
Robichaux said the Knights (148, 3-0 in District 6-2A) are learning how to finish games. LCA lost by a total of five runs to Division I select No. 3 St. Thomas More,
Division II select No. 1 Teurlings Catholic and Division I nonselect No. 7 Denham Springs.
“We weren’t making the big play,” he said. “We finally started finishing games. We took down
(Division I nonselect No. 9) Central-BR. We’re a young team. To do what we’re doing is pretty awesome to watch.” The Division III select No. 11 Knights have allowed four runs
while winning four of their past six games. Eighth grader Ryan Cahanin was the winning pitcher against 15-4 Central. Freshman Layton Citty threw the last inning.
“He’s somebody to watch,” Robichaux said of Cahanin, who also plays shortstop. “Layton Citty has thrown some big games. He started against Denham Springs and closed against Welsh. He also plays a really good outfield. Our freshman class is very talented.”
The ace is junior Ayden Welch, who threw a two-hitter in a 2-0 league win over Notre Dame. Catcher Hunter Wiley threw out two of four baserunners. Wiley also pitches, which has helped with senior Ashton Celestine limited because of arm issues.
“Ashton has been huge at the plate,” said Robichaux, who mentioned Mason Hidalgo, Ashton Begnaud, Kaleb Simon, Cam Roberts and Bennet LeBlanc as standouts.
“We don’t have many holes in the lineup. That’s what’s helping
SCOREBOARD
at Dallas, 7:30 p.m. Boston at Utah, 8:30 p.m. Cleveland at Phoenix, 9 p.m. Denver at Portland, 9 p.m. Memphis at L.A. Clippers, 9:30 p.m. New Orleans 119, Minnesota 115 Late Wednesday NEW ORLEANS (119) Olynyk 6-8 0-0 13, Williamson 12-16 5-9 29, Missi 6-12 1-4 13, Alvarado 3-5 0-0 8, McCollum 7-18 1-2 18, Robinson-Earl 2-5 0-0 5, Matkovic 2-4 1-1 5, Brown 5-11 1-2 15, Hawkins 4-10 3-4 13. Totals 47-89 12-22 119. MINNESOTA (115) McDaniels 2-4 0-0 5, Randle 7-10 1-2 17 Gobert 3-4 4-6 10, A.Edwards 5-19 15-17 29, Conley 6-8 0-0 16, Reid 3-11 1-2 9, Shannon Jr.
NCAA men’s tournament glance FIRST FOUR Tuesday’s games At UD Arena Dayton, Ohio Alabama St. 70, St. Francis (Pa.) 68 North Carolina 95, San Diego St. 68 Wednesday’s games At UD Arena Dayton, Ohio Mount St. Mary’s 83, American 72 Xavier 86, Texas 80 EAST REGIONAL First Round
Thursday’s games At Ball Arena Denver BYU 80, VCU 71 Wisconsin 85, Montana 66 Friday’s games At Lenovo Center Raleigh, N.C. Duke (31-3) vs. Mount St. Mary’s, 1:50 p.m. Mississippi St. (21-12) vs. Baylor (19-14), 11:15 a.m. At Climate Pledge Arena Seattle Oregon (24-9) vs. Liberty (28-6), 9:10 p.m.
(22-12) vs. Akron (28-6), 6:35 p.m.
Mary’s (Cal.) (28-5) vs. Vanderbilt (20-
Thursday’s games At Rupp Arena Lexington, Ky. Auburn 83, Alabama St. 63 Creighton 89, Louisville 75 At Ball Arena Denver Michigan (25-9) vs. UC San Diego Tritons (30-4), n Texas A&M (22-10) vs. Yale (22-7), n Friday’s games At Fiserv Forum Milwaukee Mississippi (22-11) vs. North Carolina, 3:05 p.m. Iowa St. (24-9) vs. Lipscomb (25-9), 12:30 p.m. At Rocket Arena Cleveland Marquette (23-10) vs. New Mexico (26-7), 6:25 p.m. Michigan St. (27-6) vs. Bryant (23-11), 9 p.m. MIDWEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday’s games At INTRUST Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. Houston 78, SIU-Edwardsville 40 Gonzaga 89, Georgia 68 At Amica Mutual Pavilion Providence, R.I. McNeese St. 69, Clemson 67 Purdue 75, High Point 63 At Rupp Arena Lexington, Ky. UCLA (22-10) vs. Utah St. (26-7), n Tennessee (27-7) vs. Wofford (19-15), n Friday’s games At Fiserv Forum Milwaukee Illinois (21-12) vs. Xavier, 8:45 p.m. Kentucky (22-11) vs. Troy (23-10), 6:10 p.m. WEST REGIONAL First Round Thursday’s games At INTRUST Bank Arena Wichita, Kan. Missouri (22-11) vs. Drake (30-3), n Tex. Tech (25-8) vs. UNC-Wilmington (27-7), n At Amica Mutual Pavilion Providence, R.I. Kansas (21-12) vs. Arkansas (20-13), n St. John’s (30-4) vs. Omaha (22-12), n Friday’s games At Lenovo Center Raleigh, N.C. Florida (30-4) vs. Norfolk St. (24-10) 5:50 p.m. UConn (23-10)
p.m. LSU (28-5) vs. San Diego St. (25-9), 9:15 p.m. At Reynolds Coliseum Raleigh, N.C. Michigan St. (21-9) vs. Harvard (24-4), 3:30 p.m. NC State (26-6) vs. Vermont (21-12), 1 p.m. SPOKANE 4 First Round Friday’s games At Memorial Coliseum Lexington, Ky. Kansas St. (26-7) vs. Fairfield (28-4), 1:30 p.m. Kentucky (22-7) vs. Liberty (26-6), 11 a.m. Saturday’s games At Galen Center Los Angeles Southern Cal (28-3) vs. UNC-Greensboro (25-6), 2 p.m. California (25-8) vs. Mississippi St. (21-11), 4:30 p.m. At Lloyd Noble Center Norman, Okla. Iowa (22-10) vs. Murray St. (25-7), 11 a.m. Oklahoma (25-7) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (303), 1:30 p.m. At Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, Conn. Oklahoma St. (25-6) vs. S. Dakota St. (29-3), 2:30 p.m. UConn (31-3) vs. Arkansas St. (21-10), noon
BIRMINGHAM 2 First Round Friday’s games At Colonial Life Arena Columbia, S.C South Carolina (30-3) vs. Tennessee Tech (26-5), 3 p.m. Utah (22-8) vs. Indiana (19-12), 12:30 p.m. At Cameron Indoor Stadium Durham, N.C. Vanderbilt (22-10) vs. Oregon (19-11), 4:30 p.m. Duke (26-7) vs. Lehigh (27-6), 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22 At XFINITY Center College Park, Md. Alabama (23-8) vs. Green Bay (29-5), 12:30 p.m. Maryland (23-7) vs. Norfolk St. (30-4), 3 p.m. At Carmichael Arena Chapel Hill, N.C.
us There is no sure out from top to bottom.”
Robichaux said the Knights are looking for their first district and state title. LCA, which has reached the quarterfinals under Robichaux, made a previous semifinal appearance. The program moved down from Class 4A (Division II) to Class 2A (Division III), but that doesn’t mean the path to a state title is any easier
“Division II was pretty heavy at the top and then it faded off,” he said. “Division III is pretty full throughout.”
The top four teams in Division III select are Parkview Baptist (14-5), University (13-6), Pope John Paul II (15-7) and Catholic-New Iberia (12-7). Notre Dame (11-9) is No. 7.
“I’ve been telling the boys there is nothing better than being the first person to do something,” Robichaux said of his team’s goals of winning league and state titles. “It’s a good feeling.”
Email Kevin Foote at kfoote@ theadvocate.com.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Lafayette Christian’s Kaleb Simon takes an inside pitch against Teurlings Catholic on April 5 in Lafayette.
STAFF PHOTO By BRAD BOWIE
Notre Dame junior Valerie Brown is hitting .618 with four home runs and 21 RBIs.
Curtain call
It’s the final weekend for the LSU Theatre production “Roleplay.”
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday (ASL performance) at Reilly Theatre, Tower Drive, LSU The 2019 drama was developed by students and professionals at Tulane University $9-$20 lsu. edu/cmda/theatre/events/index.php.
THE SURFRAJETTES/ BLACK WIDOWS
7:30 p.m.Wednesday l Mid City Ballroom, 136 S.Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge l $15, advance; $20, at door l midcityballroom. com and thesurfrajettes.com
‘We still find our people’
The
Surfrajettes riding surf music waves with their signature retro sound, 1960s look
BY JOHN WIRT
Contributing writer
The Surfrajettes find audiences wherever they go, even when the gig is nowhere near a beach.
“And if there’s a guitar community they come out,” Surfrajette Shermy Freeman said. “Guitars and surf music intersect.”
An all-female instrumental quartet distinguished by a romping retro sound and 1960s look, the Surfrajettes feature melody-making guitarists Freeman and Nicole Damoff, bassist Abby Jo Powell and drummer Annie Lillis pounding that signature surf beat.
Freeman believes anyone can enjoy surf music.
“If someone says they don’t like surf music, I interrogate them about why,” she said. “Any surf music — not just our band — is generally happy feel-good-type stuff It’s so inoffensive I can’t think of a reason not to like it.”
PHOTO FROM THE SURFRAJETTES
The Surfrajettes dress the part, donning matching multicolored minidresses, miniskirts and gogo boots.
Dick Dale, the Ventures, the Astronauts and the Chantays, recording acts from the 1960s, are among the Surfrajettes’ sonic role models. The band’s high-energy repertoire runs from recreations of surf classics to original compositions to arrangements of non-surf hits by the Rolling Stones (“Paint It Black”), the Beatles (“She Loves You”) the Spice Girls (“Spice Up Your Life”) and Britney Spears (“Toxic”).
The Surfrajettes complement their surf music with instruments and amplifiers that echo the ’60s Fender guitars and amplifiers; Freeman’s retrostyle Creston “Creature” guitar; and Lillis’ 1965 Slingerland drum kit.
“There’s a vintage vibe, for sure,” Freeman said of the gear “That’s important to us.”
ä See SURFRAJETTES, page 6C
A DAY OF HAPPINESS
BBY JOY HOLDEN Staff writer
right colors, music, food, dance and pure fun await Baton Rouge at the Festival of Colors, an event celebrating the Hindu holiday Holi.
The Baton Rouge Holi Festival will take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Repentance Park.
Manisha and Rubin Patel wanted to create more opportunities for cultural events in Baton Rouge, in part to give their children a chance to participate in traditional Indian events and holidays. They formed Colors of the World, a Baton Rouge nonprofit, nonreligious organization that celebrates cultural diversity. The Holi Festival of Colors event is one of the nonprofit’s biggest fundraisers.
The Festival of Colors event is “the happiest day in Baton Rouge,” according to Manisha Patel, the cofounder of Colors of the World.
“It’s just a day to let loose and be free and listen to music and dance around and get each other dirty
dia, and very few were accessible in the U.S. Holi is considered one of the most revered festivals in India and is celebrated across the country Sometimes called the “festival of colors” or “festival of love,” the gathering represents the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring, and for many a festive day to unite and forget all resentments and bad feelings toward each other
with colored powders,” she said. Before the Patels organized the Holi festival in Baton Rouge, Manisha Patel had never attended a Holi event. Born in the U.S., she had heard about it all her life from her parents and family, but at the time Holi events were held in In-
Every year, a portion of the proceeds goes to local nonprofits in the Baton Rouge community In 2022, Colors of the World donated to the Vince Ferachi Community Garden, the Three O’Clock Project, and the Global Foundation for Better Education, Health, and Environment. In 2023 and 2024, proceeds were donated to Keep Tiger Town Beautiful. This year, Colors of the World will donate to the Joe Burrow Foundation. Colors of the World has given close to $40,000 over the last few years. The Holi Festival of Baton Rouge is a unique festival of colors,
ä See HOLI, page 6C
Sheeran debuts new song in N.O. with parade
BY KEITH SPERA Staff writer
Shankar Pendyala, left, holds up Nikkey Pendyala as the two dance during the Holi Festival.
FILE PHOTOS By MORGAN WERTHER
Patrons of the Baton Rouge Holi Festival dance at Repentance Park
Teach children how to swim early
DearHeloise: We live in Arizona, and my husband wanted to put a pool in our backyard. I agreed only if all three kids learned to swim and my husband agreed to teach them. Three years after the pool was installed, no one had learned to swim correctly yet. So, I enrolled them in a class that taught swimming, and thank heavens I did!
survival skill and so easy to learn.
After reading the story of the woman whose nephew drowned, I started to cry remembering how I could have lost one of my children. —Sharon,inMesa,Arizona
My youngest was running round the edge of the pool, slipped and hit his head on the pool’s edge, then slipped under the water His brother jumped into the pool, swam to his brother, and pulled him out before we had a tragedy The moral of the story is to teach your kids to swim. I don’t care where you live. It’s a basic
TODAY IN HISTORY
By The Associated Press
Today is Friday, March 21, the 80th day of 2025. There are 285 days left in the year
Todayinhistory
On March 21, 1965, civil rights demonstrators led by the Rev Martin Luther King Jr began their third attempt to march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama — this time under the escort of U.S. Army and National Guard troops assigned by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Onthisdate:
In 1952, the Moondog Coronation Ball, considered the first rock and roll concert, took place at Cleveland Arena.
In 1963, the United States closed Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary; more than 1,500 inmates had been jailed at the island prison off the coast of San Francisco over its three decades of use.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter announced that the United States would boycott the Summer Olympic games in Moscow because of the Soviet Union’s failure to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan.
In 1990, Namibia became an independent nation as the former colony marked the end of 75 years of South African rule.
In 2012, meting out unprecedented punishment for a bounty system that targeted key opposing players, the NFL suspended New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton without pay for the coming season and indefinitely banned the team’s former defensive coordinator; NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell fined the Saints $500,000 and took away two draft picks.
In 2019, President Donald Trump abruptly declared that the U.S. would recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights the first country to do so — in a major shift in American policy
Today’sbirthdays: Football Hall of Fame coach Tom Flores is 88. Actor Timothy Dalton is 79. Actor Gary Oldman is 67 Actor Matthew Broderick is 63. Comedian-actor Rosie O’Donnell is 63. Former soccer player Ronaldinho is 45. Actor Sonequa Martin-Green is 40. Actor Scott Eastwood is 39. Tennis player Karolína Plíšková is 33. Actor Jasmin Savoy Brown is 31 Actor Jace Norman is 25.
HOLI
Continued from page 5C
harmony, friendship and love that grows in popularity each year Although an Indian festival, this event attracts people from many different cultures and backgrounds from the south Louisiana community
Admission is free. Food, drinks and color powder are available for purchase For the best effect, wear white Colors will wash out, but it’s recommended to wear something you don’t mind getting stained, just in case The color powder is safe and nontoxic.
The family-friendly event will feature music, Indian dances, henna art, face painting and vibrant colors in an open-air setting.
“It’ll be like three hours, and your cheeks will hurt from smiling. It really is just amazing,” said Manisha Patel. For more information, visit holifestivalbr.com.
Email Joy Holden at joy holden@theadvocate.com.
Open that jar!
DearHeloise: If you cannot open a jar, the easiest way is to put a thick rubber band on the lid and turn it. If this doesn’t work, put another band on jar With the two bands, you will be able to open the jar —JudyG.,viaemail
Don’t judge older women
DearHeloise: I had a visceral reaction to T.F., in Ohio, who stated that women between 40-50 need to try harder to look attractive. This is exactly why I hate going to
get my hair cut: the judgment of people who don’t know my story and who impose their own values of what a woman “should” be. I do take care of myself. I eat vegetables and work out regularly And yes, I do moisturize. But you know what? I’m getting older, and I can’t help the fact that I now have sags and wrinkles. I cannot turn back the clock. I feel bad enough about this already and I don’t need someone else’s judgment to make me feel worse.
—K.T.,intheMidwest K.T., isn’t it interesting that these judgments are nearly always about women? No one knows what has gone on in our lives illnesses, trauma, grief, joy, and so much more. Remember, lines are etched where laughter has been. Crows
JAMES MCMURTRY WITH BETTY SOO: Blue Moon Saloon, Lafayette, 8 p.m.
THE ROUGE KREWE: Rock ‘n’ Bowl, Lafayette, 9 p.m.
RUSTY METOYER: Cowboys Nightclub, Scott, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY
WAYNE SINGLETON & SAME OL TWO STEP: Buck & Johnny’s, Breaux Bridge, 8 a.m.
TROY LEJEUNE BAND: Fred’s, Mamou, 8 a.m.
CAJUN/ZYDECO BREAK-
feet are from smiles and happy moments. Got a few extra pounds? As they say in Hawaii, “There’s just more of you to love.” Your friends accept you as you are and don’t try to change you. They seldom notice lines, wrinkles, or a few extra pounds. The people who do notice and criticize you for it aren’t worth your time or attention. —Heloise Healthy squirrel food
DearHeloise: I wanted to respond to the letter from Glen Allen, in Virginia, about feeding small squares of buttered or plain bread to squirrels. This is like tossing bread to ducks and geese on the water or giving your grandchild a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos for lunch tasty but not nutritious! The bread fills up more of the
SHOWS TO WATCH — ACADIANA
Heymann Performing Arts Center, Lafayette, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
GRITZ N GRAVY: Bayou Teche Brewing, Arnaudville, 4 p.m.
SATURDAY MORNING JAM SESSIONS: The Savoy Music Center, Eunice, 9 a.m.
DYLAN AUCOIN & THE JUDICE RAMBLERS: Toby’s Lounge, Opelou-
SURFRAJETTES
Continued from page 5C
The Surfrajettes dress the part, donning matching multicolored minidresses, miniskirts and gogo boots. Group members made their own costumes in past years, but more recently they find apropos outfits in the vintage clothing stores they visit while touring.
“When you play in a performing band, you should be dressed differently from the people in the audience,” Freeman reasoned. “That’s a respectful way to do your job. We put a lot of pride into our stage aesthetic. We want to put on a show for audiences that’s fun, musically and aesthetically.”
SHEERAN
Continued from page 5C
Armed with a microphone at-
tached to a small amplifier with wheels and bedeviled by brisk wind whipping the pink, heartshaped helium balloon tethered to the amplifier back and forth in his face — Sheeran explained that he was about to play “Azizam” publicly for the first time.
“We’re gonna do one song here
— we’re filming a bit of content
— and then we’re going to do a parade and walk down and play some songs, if you want to come
CAJUN JAM: Tante Marie, Breaux Bridge, 11 a.m.
CAJUN FRENCH MUSIC
JAM: Vermilionville Living History Museum & Folklife Park, Lafayette, 1 p.m. “THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” YOUTH GROUP PRODUCTION:
Lillis credits something that didn’t exist in the 1960s, the internet, for stirring interest in the Surfrajettes.
“Even in places that you wouldn’t think people will be into this kind of music,” she said. “In the heart of the Midwest, we still find our people.”
The Surfrajettes’ current 25date tour is their seventh U.S. trek. The band expanded beyond North America last year with a visit to Europe, touring the United Kingdom and playing festival dates in Spain and Estonia. The quartet also performed for Beach Boys and Melissa Etheridge cruises.
An international band, the Surfrajettes pair the Toronto, Canadabased Freeman and Damoff with Ohio residents Lillis and Powell.
with us,” Sheeran announced to the seated crowd.
“I’ve got a new song coming in a couple weeks that no one’s heard. This will be the first time it’s ever been played live. We’ll play it once now and then we’ll walk down, play some songs that you know, and I’ll play this song again.
“Thanks for coming out. It’s nice to be back here.”
Turning to the Soul Rebels, he said, “Shall we give it a whirl?”
With that, the Soul Rebels conjured a brassy arrangement of “Azizam.” Sheeran, in a tie-dyed T-shirt, blue-gray cargo pants and Nike sneakers, threw himself into the task at hand, undeterred by
squirrels’ stomachs than nuts and seeds and does not leave room for the foods that the squirrels actually need to be healthy Sharon Ferraro,inKalamazoo,Michigan
Save money with coupons
DearHeloise: I used a lot of coupons when we were living paycheck to paycheck; they were a real help. My husband also thought it made us look really poor until I showed him how much we actually saved using them. We are very comfortable financially now, and I still use them mostly the digital ones for the store I shop at. Over the course of a year, I can save several hundred dollars.
TERRY HUVAL & FRIENDS: Prejean’s Restaurant, Lafayette, 6 p.m
WEDNESDAY
DEWEY BALFA CAJUN & CREOLE HERITAGE WEEK: Louisiana Folk
It’s fitting that the Lake Ontarioadjacent Toronto has many beaches. The group caught the surf music wave in 2015, becoming a vehicle for Freeman’s and Damoff’s return to music following a hiatus from performing.
“Surf music was a fun way to rediscover the guitar,” Freeman recalled. “There are no singers, so we’re always playing the melodies. That’s more rewarding than playing rhythm parts all the time. And there was a surf scene in Toronto at the time. We were inspired by other bands, and there weren’t many women doing it.”
Guitar-driven, melodic surf music gives Freeman and Damoff opportunities to exploit their guitar and amp effects — echoing reverb, tremolo picking, volume
the wind and the amp’s sonic limitations. After “Azizam,” with sheriff’s deputies blocking the street and bodyguards maintaining a space for Sheeran to sing, the procession started down Decatur past Café du Monde.
Backed by the Soul Rebels and pulling the amp like a piece of luggage, Sheeran sang “I Don’t Care” as his film crew recorded the scene. He paused to slap high-fives as fans and photographers pressed in close. He continued onward with “Don’t.”
As the procession turned onto Dumaine Street, he and the Soul Rebels reprised “Azizam.” Halfway down the 500 block of
Roots, Lafayette, 9 a.m.
DULCIMER JAM: St. Landry Visitor Center, Opelousas, 10 a.m.
RHYTHMS ON THE RIVER — THE CHEEWEEZ: River Ranch Town Square, Lafayette, 5:30 p.m.
CHARLES & WENDY TRICHE: Whiskey & Vine, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
KIP SONNIER: Naq’s, Duson, 6 p.m.
PAUL TASSIN: Charley G’s Seafood Grill, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
TROUBADOUR: SHUCKS!, Abbeville, 6:30 p.m.
COMMUNITY DRUM CIRCLE: Moncus Park, Lafayette, 6 p.m.
ZYDECO JAM: Wildcat Brothers at Gator Cove Lafayette, 6 p.m.
ABI CLAIR & KJ: The Alley Downtown, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
DWIGHT JAMES & THE ROYALS: Hideaway on Lee, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
WEEPING HOUR TOUR: Feed N Seed, Lafayette, 7 p.m.
Compiled by Marchaund Jones. Want your venue’s music listed? Email info/photos to showstowatch@ theadvocate.com. The deadline is noon FRIDAY for the following Friday’s paper
swells and muting strings with their palms.
Freeman, Damoff and Lillis played various musical styles, including surf music, before the Surfrajettes.
“We were drawn to a retro sonic aesthetic already,” Lillis recalled. “We all like the Beatles, classic R&B and ’60s pop and psychedelic music, and surf is adjacent to all of those genres.”
Being cast in a Quintin Tarantino movie is one of the Surfrajettes’ career ambitions. Tarantino — the Oscar-winning writer-director of “Pulp Fiction,” “Django Unchained” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” — famously incorporates vintage music in his movies.
“We’re waiting with baited breath,” Freeman said.
Dumaine, he stopped the procession to thank the fans and the Soul Rebels. “We’re going to play one more song, you’re going to know what it is,” he declared. “Let’s have a sing-song.” With that, the Rebels’ drummers counted off the intro to Sheeran’s smash “Shape of You.”
When the song was over, Sheeran bro-hugged each musician before his bodyguards hustled him into the back of an Orleans Parish sheriff’s department SUV It sped away with him barely 25 minutes after he’d first appeared on Decatur Street.
Email Keith Spera at kspera@ theadvocate.com.
PROVIDED PHOTO By MARy KEATING BRUTON
American singer-songwriter James McMurtry, along with Betty Soo, plays Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette at 8 p.m. Friday
Hints from Heloise
ARIEs (March 21-April 19) Participate in events conducive to meeting new people and exploring possibilities that can change your perspective. Set a routine that offers mental, physical and emotional stimulation and enjoy the outcome.
tAuRus (April 20-May 20) Change begins with you and your choices. Consider your lifestyle and what you can do to improve your situation. Think outside the box and pick what makes you feel good about yourself. It's OK to be different.
GEMInI (May 21-June 20) Emotions will surface, causing you to question your relationships, pastimes and frequent haunts. The time to switch things up to suit your needs is now. Align yourself with people heading in a similar direction.
cAncER (June 21-July 22) When one door closes, another opens. Look for the door that leads to peace and happiness. Take control of your destiny and concentrate on what interests you most.
LEo (July 23-Aug. 22) Put your energy where it brings the highest returns. Speak up, show interest and follow through with vim and vigor. Your showmanship will put you in a position that warrants attention
VIRGo (Aug. 23-sept. 22) Take a chance and discover what's possible. Mulling over whether to do something doesn't count as doing it. Challenge yourself mentally, physically and emotionally.
LIBRA (sept. 23-oct. 23) Rethink your
pursuits and manage your relationships with care. Not everyone you know is looking out for your best interests. Don't be fooled by someone's charm or unrealistic promises.
scoRPIo (oct. 24-nov. 22) Take a moment to consider your plans Don't take a risk that can harm your reputation or emotional or physical well-being. Review the past and learn from your mistakes
sAGIttARIus (nov. 23-Dec. 21) Stick close to home and loved ones. Tally up your overhead costs, and you'll discover a way to cut corners. A work-related alternative will help bring in extra cash.
cAPRIcoRn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) Pick up the pace, speak your peace and adjust your lifestyle to fulfill your heart's desire. Refuse to let someone call the shots or push you in a direction that doesn't suit your needs
AQuARIus (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) Set boundaries, standards and rules to live by. Harness your strong points and use your skills to reach your goal. Settling for less to appease someone else will lead to disappointment and regret.
PIscEs (Feb. 20-March 20) Think big but live within your means, and you'll discover how to fulfill your personal and financial needs. Distance yourself from people who set poor examples or tempt you to be frivolous.
InstructIons: Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers. The object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once. The difficulty level of the Sudoku increases from Monday to Sunday.
Yesterday’s Puzzle Answer
THe wiZard oF id
BLondie
BaBY BLueS
Hi and LoiS
By PHILLIP ALDER
Ann Landers offered the advice that if you want to catch a trout, don’t fish in a herring barrel.
The segue from that to this deal is thin But South is in four hearts. West leads the club queen. How should declarer plan the play? What were West’s more effective opening leads?
North’s rebid was a double negative, showing a very weak hand, choosing either two no-trump or three clubs, according to partnership preference. Here, South would have done better to sign off in three no-trump.
South starts with four potential losers: two spades and two diamonds. He has only nine winners: six hearts, one diamond and two clubs.
Probably there is an instinct to play a heart to dummy’s nine, followed by a diamond to the queen. However, when the finesse loses, if West now returns his remaining trump (or shifts to spades and East leads a trump in time), South’s contract is, as the British phrase it, kippered(fromthenoun“kipper,”asmoked herring).
The diamond queen is a red-card herring. After South takes the first trick, he should cash his diamond ace and play anotherdiamond.Thedefenderscanwin, cash two spades and shift to a trump, but declarer takes that in his hand, ruffs the diamond queen with dummy’s heart nine (getting a seventh trump trick), crosses back to hand with a spade ruff or a club, draws trumps and claims.
The contract can be defeated if West
By Andrews McMeel Syndication
today’s thought “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5
